[p.349] of the tribe of Abad (Arabic); they had lately been robbed of
almost all their cattle by the Beni Szakher, and were reduced to such
misery that they could not afford to give us a little sour milk which we
begged of them. They were still at war with the Beni Szakher, and were
in hopes of recovering a part of their property; but as they were too
weak to act openly, they had encamped, for protection, in the
neighbourhood of their friends the inhabitants of Szalt. They intended
to make from hence some plundering excursions against their enemies, for
they had now hardly any thing more to lose in continuing at war with
them. I alighted at Szalt at the house of one of my companions, where I
was hospitably entertained during the whole of my stay at this place.
The town of Szalt is situated on the declivity of a hill, crowned by a
castle, and is surrounded on all sides by steep mountains. It is the
only inhabited place in the province of Belka, and its inhabitants are
quite independent. The Pashas of Damascus have several times endeavoured
in vain to subdue them. Abdulla Pasha, the late governor, besieged the
town for three months, without success. The population consists of about
four hundred Musulman and eighty Christian families of the Greek church,
who live in perfect amity and equality together: the Musulmans are
composed of three tribes, the Beni Kerad (Arabic), the Owamele (Arabic),
and the Kteyshat (Arabic), each of which has its separate quarter in the
town; the principal Sheikhs, at present two in number, live in the
castle; but they have no other authority over the rest than such as a
Bedouin Sheikh exercises over his tribe. The castle was almost wholly
rebuilt by the famous Dhaher el Omar,[See the history of Sheikh Dhaher,
the predecessor of Djezzar Pasha in the government of Akka, in Volney.
Voyage en Egypte et en Syrie, vol. ii. chap. 25. Ed.] who resided here
several years. He obtained possession by the assistance of the weakest
of the two parties into which the place