ll the inhabitants slept there;
and, besides these, there was no want of mules, horses, and asses.
Our animals immediately went to their stalls, and trod so near to
the sleepers, that I was quite anxious for their safety; but the
animals are cautious, and the people know that, and remain perfectly
quiet.

My Arab had been absent three weeks, and now returned only for a
very short time; and yet none of his family came out to greet him
except an old woman. Even with her, whom I supposed to be his
mother, he exchanged no kind of welcome. She merely hobbled about
here and there, but gave no help, and might as well have remained
where she was lying, as the others.

The houses of the Arabs consist of a single, lofty, spacious
apartment, separated into three parts by two partition walls, which
do not extend quite across to the front wall. Each of these
compartments is about thirty feet in length by nine in breadth, and
serves as a dwelling for a family. The light fell through the
common door-way and two holes, which were made in the upper part of
the front wall. A place was set apart for me in one of these
compartments, where I could pass the day.

My attention was first directed to the nature of the relationships
between the several members of the family. At first this was very
difficult, as it was only towards the very young children that any
kind of attachment or love was shown. They appeared to be a common
property. At last, however, I succeeded in ascertaining that three
related families lived in the house--the patriarch, a married son,
and a married daughter.

The patriarch was a handsome, powerful old man, sixty years of age,
and the father of my guide, which I had learnt before, as he was one
of our travelling party; he was a terrible scold, and wrangled about
every trifle; the son seldom contradicted him, and gave way to all
that his father wished. The caravan animals belonged, in common, to
both, and were driven by themselves, and by a grandson fifteen years
old, and some servants. When we had reached the house, the old man
did not attend to the animals much, but took his ease and gave his
orders. It was easy to see that he was the head of the family.

The first impression of the Arab character is that it is cold and
reserved; I never saw either husband and wife, or father and
daughter, exchange a friendly word; they said nothing more than was
positively necessary. They show far more feeling toward