Provender, before they fat down and examined what Fragments of fome former Meals were referved for themselves. In travelling from Kairo to Mount Sinai, the Heavens were every Night, as he tells us, their only Covering; the Sand, fpread over with a Carpet, was their Bed; and a Change of Raiment, made up into a Bundle, their Pillow. Their Camels (for Horfes and Mules require too much Water to be employed in these Deserts) were made to lie round them in a Circle, with their Faces looking from them, and their refpective Loads and Saddles placed behind them. In this Situation, they served them as fo many Guards, being watchful Animals, and awaking with the leaft Noife. As there was no Chance of meeting, in these long and dreery Deferts, with the least Hospitality or Entertainment, they were obliged to carry along with them all Things neceffary for fo long and tedious a Journey. They took care, in the first place, to provide themselves with a fufficient Quantity of Goats-fkins, which they filled with Water, every four or five Days, or as often as they found it. Barley, with a few Beans intermixed, or else the Flour of one or t'other of them, made into Balls, was the Provender they laid in for their Camels. They provided for themselves Wheat-flour, Biscuit, Honey, Oil, Vinegar, Olives, Lentils, Potted Flefh, and fuch Things as would keep, during two Months, the Space commonly taken up in compleating this Journey. Nor fhould the wooden Bafon or Copper-Pot, he fays, be forgotten, that made up their Kitchen Furniture; the latter whereof was the neceffary Utenfil for cooking their Provifion, the other for ferving it up, or kneading their unleavened Cakes. When they were either to boil or bake, the Camels Dung, that they found left by fome pre ceding Caravan, was their common Fuel; which, after it has been expofed a Day or two in the Sun, catches Fire like Touchwood, and burns as bright as Charcoal. No fooner was their Food prepared (whether it was Potted Flefh, boiled with Rice; a lentil Soup; or unleavened Cakes, served up with Oil or Honey) than one of the Arabs, after having placed himself upon the higheft Station he could find, invites three times, with a loud Voice, all his Brethren, the Sons of the Faithful, to come and partake of it; tho' none of them were in view, or perhaps within a hundred Miles of them. This Custom however they maintain to be always aToken of their great Benevolence, as it would be of their Hofpitality likewise, if they had an Opportunity to fhew it. When they are fo fortunate, in travelling in Barbary, to find out the Encampments of the Arabs, (for they are not fond of vifiting the Kabyles, who are not so easily managed) they are entertained, as the Doctor fays, for one Night upon free Coft: The Arabs, either by long Cuftom, the particular Tenure of their Lands, or rather perhaps from Fear and Compulfion, being obliged to give the Spabees, and those who are with them, the Mounak, as they call it, which is a fufficient Quantity of Provifions for themselves and their Horfes. Befides a Bowl of Milk, and a Basket of Figs, Raifins, Dates, or other dryed Fruit, which were presented to them upon their Arrival, the Mafter of the Tent, where they lodged, fetched them from his Flock (according to the Number of their Company) a Kid, or a Goat; a Lamb, or a Sheep; half of which was immediately feethed by his Wife, and ferved up with Cufcafowe; the reft was ufually made Kab-ab, and reserved for their Breakfast or Dinner the next Day. * i. e. cut into Chops and roafted. However, However, the Tents of these roving Herdsmen, as he remarks, tho' they may fhelter Travellers from the Weather, are notwithstanding attended with their Inconveniences. For the Cold, and the Dews that they are every Night exposed to, in the Deferts of Arabia, do not incommode them half fo much as the Vermin and Infects of all kinds, which never fail to moleft them here. Besides Fleas and Lice, which, without a Miracle, are here in all their Quarters, the Apprehenfions they are under of being bit or ftung by the Scorpion, Viper, or venomous Spider, rarely fails, in fome Parts of thefe Countries, to interrupt the Reft that is fo grateful and neceffary to a weary Itinerant. Upon Sight indeed of one or other of these venomous Beafts, a Thaleb or Writer, who happened to be one of our Author's Spabees, after he had muttered a few Words, exhorted the Company to take courage, and not be afraid of fuch Creatures, as he had made tame and harmless by his Charms and Incantations. People are likewife no lefs offended (from whence they might leaft expect it) by their Kids, Calves, and other young Cattle, that are tied up, every Night, under the Eaves of their Tents, to prevent them from fucking their Dams. For the Cords, that are used upon thefe Occafions, being only made of loofe-fpun Yarn, the fretful Creatures are every Moment breaking loofe, and trampling over them. When our Author's Company was at any time entertained in a courteous Manner (for the Arabs will fometimes part with nothing till it be extorted by Force) he used to give the Mafter of the Tent a Knife, a Couple of Flints, or a fmall Quantity of English Gunpowder; which, being much stronger than their own, they have in great Efteem, and keep for the priming only of their Fire-arms. If the Lallab (or Lady) his Wife, had been obliging alfo in her Way, by making their Cufcafowe favoury and and with Expedition, fhe would return a thousand Thanks for a Skain of Thread; a large Needle; or a Pair of Sciffars; all of them great Rarities, and very engaging Prefents with thefe People. During the exceffive Heats of the Summer, and especially when they were apprehenfive of being intercepted by fome Party of free-booting Arabs, they then travelled in the Night; which having no Eyes, according to a Proverb of the Natives, few of thofe Barbarians then dare venture out, as not knowing the Dangers and Ambufcades they may fall into. It is at this time, our Author obferves, there are frequent Occafions of calling to remembrance the Words of the Pfalmift, Pf. ciii. 2. The Leopards, Hyæna's, and a Variety of other ravenous Creatures, calling to and answering each other (the different Sexes perhaps, by this means, finding out and correfponding with their Mates) break in very awfully upon the Solitude, and the Safety likewise, that one might promise himself in travelling at this Seafon. Their Stages or Days Journeys were not always the fame. For when any Danger was apprehended, they then travelled through as many By-paths, as their Conductors were acquainted with; riding, in this Manner, without refting, fometimes twelve, fometimes fifteen Hours together. Nay, in returning from Jerufalem (fo vigilant were the Arabs at that time in diftreffing the Pilgrims) notwithstanding they had the Sheck (or Saint) of Mount Carmel, with twenty of his Servants to protect them, they rested only one Hour in two and twenty; for fo long they made it in travelling between Sichem and Mount Carmel. But in the Kingdoms of Algiers and Tunis, an ordinary Day's Journey (exclufive of the Time taken up in making Obfervations) rarely exceeded eight or nine Hours. Their conftant Practice was to rife at Break of Day, fet forB 4 ward ward with the Sun, and travel till the Middle of the Afternoon; at which time they began to look out for the Encampments of the Arabs; who, to prevent fuch Parties as theirs from living upon them, take care to pitch in Places the leaft confpicuous. And indeed fometimes, unless they difcovered the Smoke of their Tents, obferved fome of their Flocks, or heard the Barking of their Dogs, it was with Difficulty, if at all, that they were able to find them. Here, as our Author obferved before, they were accommodated with Lodging and Provifions for that Night; and if in the Course of their travelling the next Day, as the Poet expreffes it, They chanc'd to find A new Repaft, or an untafted Spring; They blefs'd their Stars, and thought it Luxury. In travelling along the Coast of Syria, and from Suez to Mount Sinai, one runs little or no rifque of being either robbed or infulted, provided one keeps company with the Caravan, and does not ftray from it. But a Neglect of this kind, through the great Eagernefs a Traveller may have in looking after Plants and other Curiofities, will expofe him, our Author fays, as it once did himself, to great Danger. In the Holy-Land, and upon the Ifthmus betwixt Egypt and the Red-Sea, the Conductors cannot be too numerous, whole Clans, from fifty to five hundred, being fometimes looking out for a Booty. This was the Cafe of the Caravan our Author belong'd to, in travelling (A. D. 1722.) from Ramah to Jerufalem; where four Bands of Turkish Soldiers, with the Mofolem or General at the Head of them, were not able, or durft not at leaft protect them, against the repeated Infults and Ravages of the Arabs. But in Barbary, where the Arabs are more under Subjection, our Author rare ly |