The Horses of the Sahara and the Manners of the DesertDaumas, E. (Eugène)
History
The Horses of the Sahara and the Manners of the Desert
Daumas, E. (Eugène)
Arabian horse; Sahara
In this species of warfare, the greatest respect is shown to the captive
women. Men of low birth, indeed, despoil them of their jewels, but the
chiefs make it a point of honour to restore them to their husbands, with
their camels, their jewels, and their ornaments. They even take pains to
properly array those who have been robbed, before sending them back.
In the desert, they make no prisoners, and cut off no heads, and they
have a horror of mutilating the wounded, who are left, however, to
themselves to escape or perish, for no one takes any trouble about them.
Rare examples of cruelty do sometimes occur, but these are acts of
private revenge, when men have recognised the murderers of those who
were dear to them, a friend or brother.
On reaching their own territory, the tribe is welcomed by extraordinary
rejoicings. The universal exultation betrays itself by the liveliest
demonstrations. The women draw up their camels in a single row, and
utter cries of joy at regular intervals. The young men execute in their
presence a fantasia of the wildest description. Salutations, embraces,
and interrogations are exchanged on all sides. Food is prepared for the
warriors and their allies, and the chiefs collect the sum that is to be
divided among them. A common horseman never receives less than ten
_douros_, or an article of equal value. This recompense, called
_zebeun_, is obligatory, and is given over and above the plunder each
may have seized for himself; and, in addition to this, three camels are
bestowed upon every cavalier who has lost a horse. It is needless to add
that a larger sum than ten _douros_ is offered to the chiefs of the
allied tribes, whose influence has been so successful. They receive
their share like the others, but in secret they are presented with
money, or articles of considerable value, such as carpets, tents, arms,
horses, etc., etc.
A generous hospitality is offered to the allies; and on the morrow, when
they set out to return to their own territories, the chiefs mount on
horseback and accompany them. After riding on together for two or three
hours, they renew the mutual oath never to raise but one war-shout,
never to make but one and the same gun, to come in the morning if
summoned in the morning, and to come at night if summoned at night. In
the desert, if feuds are keen and hereditary, sympathies, on the other
hand, are also numerous and profound. The following verses illustrate
the extreme degree of delicacy and devotedness to which the sentiment of
friendship is carried by the Arabs:
If a friend does not walk as blindly as a child,
If he does not voluntarily expose himself to death,
Forgetting that suicide is a crime,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account