A thing that strikes one about the Arabs is their politeness and
readiness to do good turns.
Every Arab we met as we tramped across the plains greeted us with
"good morning" in Arabic or French, and, though it must be a strange
sight to them to see a white lady walking, and a man in shorts and
shirt-sleeves (for I always wear the Scout kit for camping), they
never showed undue curiosity, and never thought of jeering at us as I
fear would be the case in many places in England.
[Illustration: AN ARAB TENT. The goatskin slung on a tripod is full of
water for the use of the family.]
If they saw our mules in trouble, or found us pitching our camp, they
were always ready to lend a hand without any idea of getting a reward
or a tip for doing so.
They have a good deal of the Scout in them, and many tribes of them do
not know what it is to live in a house-they are "nomads," that is,
they are wanderers, and live always in tents, moving with their flocks
and families from place to place where the grass gives the best
pasture for their sheep and goats.
Their tents are large, low, widespread awnings of black or brown
goats'-hair cloth, supported on numerous short poles.
The tent ropes stretch in various directions, and round the whole they
put up a hedge or "zareeba" of thorn bushes to keep out the jackals,
and to keep in their goats during the night.
In front of the tent hangs a goatskin slung on a tripod, and full of
water for the use of the family.
Many Arabs are well behaved and hospitable to strangers. But all are
not so polite: there are some tribes who are pretty cunning thieves.
Our two Arabs always patrolled round our camp at night with loaded
rifle and revolver to drive off any would-be robbers, and our mules
were shackled up at night with "handcuffs" on their fetlocks, and
these were locked to prevent them being stolen.
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