storal people are not for
intelligent amateurs to trifle with. Nor should the missionary be
encouraged; Asir is not a suitable field for his activities, and the
trouble he would probably cause is out of all proportion to the good he
could possibly do. The Asiri is a frizzy-haired fanatic with a short
temper and a serious disposition, addicted to sword-play and the
indiscriminate use of firearms. I doubt if he would see the humour of
missionary logic. As for the Idrisi himself, he is a tall, well set up
man of negroid aspect (being of Moorish and Soudani descent), and has
shown shrewdness as an administrator, though his operations in the War
have lacked "punch." He is very orthodox, and from what I know of him I
should not say that religious tolerance was his strong point. His
capital is at Sabbia, in the maritime foot-hills, with a very trying
climate. Asir might suit the naturalist or explorer who could adapt
himself to his environment and respect local prejudice. No one has yet
entered the country in either capacity, but, from what has been told me
before the War by intelligent Turkish officers who campaigned there, I
think that the birds and smaller mammals would repay research, while the
great Dawasir valley and other geographical problems inland might be
investigated with advantage under the _aegis_ of local chiefs. All that
is required, besides the necessary scientific knowledge and Arabic, is a
certain amount of perseverance and resolution blended with a reasonable
regard for other people's convictions. Most Arabian expeditions fail
through lack of time spent in preliminary steps. I have tripped up in
that way myself, but it was owing to the restrictions of a paternal
Government, and not through lack of patience. Before I started serious
exploration in the Aden hinterland I spent a year on the littoral plain
getting in touch with the people and mastering the dialect. Any success
I may have had up-country was due to the foundation I laid in those
early days, and it was not until the Aden authorities closed their
sphere of influence against exploration in general and myself in
particular that my expeditions began to miss fire, as I had to land at
remote places along the coast and hasten up-country before their
fostering care could set the tribes on me. He who would explore Asir
should take a Khedivial mail steamer from Suez to Jeddah, and there show
his credentials and explain his purpose to his consul and the local