Such is the normal condition of Arabia and the Arabs. What one does, the other undoes; what this creates, that destroys. Professor Palmer tells us ("Desert of the Exodus," p. 79): "Another misconception is that all Arabs are habitual thieves and murderers." But he was speaking of the Tawarah, or Sinaitic Bedawin, a race which, bad as bad could be in the early quarter of the present century, has been thoroughly tamed and cowed by the "fear of Allah and the Consul." It is only by building forts, and by holding the land militarily, that we can hope to tame this vermin. Yet I repeat my conviction that the charming Makná Valley is fated to see happy days; and that the Wild Man who, when ruled by an iron hand, is ever ready to do a fair day's work for a fair wage (especially victuals), will presently sit under the shadow of his own secular vines and fig-trees.

The next tribe which comes under our notice are the turbulent Ma'ázah (sing. Ma'ázi), who dwell inland of those before mentioned. It is another race which has extended high up the Nile Valley, and it is still found in the Wady Músá (of Suez) and on the Gallála Mountains or Za'afaránah Block. It is the chief tribe in the Eastern Desert between the Nile and the Gulf of Suez, and the Abábdah call it Atauní (sing. Atwení). It extends far to the north. These were the "very unprepossessing gang of halfnaked savages" who on Mount Hor accused Prof. Palmer (p. 435) of having visited the "Prophet Aaron" by stealth; swore that they would confiscate one of his camels, and otherwise made themselves objectionable. Combining with the Arabs of

Ghazzah (Gaza) they have invaded the southern borders of Palestine for the sake of the pasturage; and have fought bloody battles with the rightful owners of the soil. Even in Egypt the Ma'ázah are troublesome and dangerous; the men are professional robbers, and their treachery is uncontrolled by the Bedawi law of honour: they will eat bread and salt with the traveller whom they intend to rob or slay. For many years it was unsafe to visit their camps within sight of Suez walls, until a compulsory residence at head-quarters taught the Shaykhs better

manners.

The habitat of the Ma'ázah in Arabia stretches north from the Wady Musá of Petra, where they are kinsmen of the Tiyáhah, or Bedawin of the Tíhdesert, and through Fort Ma'án, as far as the Birkat el-Mu'azzamah, south of Tabúk. Between the two latter stations is their Madrak, or "district of escorting pilgrims." They trade chiefly with Mezáríb, in the Haurán Valley; I have heard of their caravans going to Ghazzah (Gaza), where they buy the Syrian cereals, which are held to be harder and of superior quality. During the annual passage to and fro of the "Damascus Pilgrimage," the Shaykhs await it at Tabúk; whose site they claim, and threaten to cut off the road unless liberally supplied with pensions and presents of rations and raiment. The Murátibah ("honorarium") contributed by El-Sham (Syria) would be about $100 in ready money to the head man, diminishing with the recipient's degree to $1 per annum : this would not include "free gifts" by frightened pilgrims.

Finally, the Ma'ázah occupy the greater part of

the Hisma, where they are mixed with the Huwaytát in the north; and of the Harrah, where the Ruwalá meet them on the east, and the Baliyy to the south-east. The Hismá is that long thin line of New Red Sandstone extending from a little south of Fort Ma'án to the parallel of El-Muwaylah: a length of 170 direct geographical miles; in breadth, it varies from one to three days' march. Running along the two great chains which form the submaritime region, it probably represents a remnant of the old terrace, the westernmost edge of the great plateau of Central Arabia, El-Nejd (the "Highlands") opposed to El-Tihámah (the "Lowlands"). It has been torn to pieces, by the plutonic upheavals to the west and by the volcanic outbreaks to the east. The latter are called "El-Harrah": they are of far more importance than has hitherto been suspected. Wallin's map shows a small parallelogram, diagonally disposed from north-west to south-east, and not exceeding in length 60 miles (north lat. 28°-27°). I have seen it as far south as El-Haurá (Leukè Kóme) in north lat. 25° 6'; and I am assured that under various names it stretches inland to ElMedinah, and even to Yambu' (24° 6′).

The bandit Ma'ázah claim the bluest of blue blood. According to one of their chiefs, Mohammed bin 'Atíyyah, whom we named El-Kalb ("the Hound"), their forefather, Wáíl (J), left by his descendants two great tribes. The first and eldest took a name from their Ma'áz (he-goats), while the junior called themselves after the 'Annáz (she-goats). From the latter sprang the great 'Anezah family, which occupies the largest and the choicest provinces of the Arabian

peninsula.27 Meanwhile professional Arab genealogists wholly ignore the Ma'ázah, who are, probably, ignoble Syrians.

Wallin (p. 310) would divide the tribe into two, the Ma'ázah and the "Ativá." Of the latter in this region I could hear nothing, except that the 'Atiyát (e) here represent the kinsmen of the Shaykh Mohammed bin 'Atiyyah. Further north the clan is separate and distinct. We find "Benoo Ateeyah" in maps like that of Crichton's ("Hist. of Arabia," 1834); the Ma'ázah being placed south of it. The Beni 'Atiyyah are powerful on the borders of Moab, where their razzias are greatly dreaded. The Rev. Mr. Tristram, whose ornithology is better than his ethnology, ignores (loc. cit.) the fact that "the dreaded Beni 'Atiyeh, a new tribe from Arabia," are kinsmen of the "Ma'az, a tribe of similar habits." My informants declare that their number of fighting men may be 2,000 (200?), and that they are separated only by allegiance to two rival Shaykhs. The greater half, under Ibn Hermás, is distributed into the five following clans :

1. Khumaysah, who consist of two septs, the Zuyúfiyyah () and the Tugará (Tujará). Wallin (loc. cit.), who also gives a total of ten clans, including the Beni 'Atiyyah, makes the two latter distinct, but he omits the first name :-

27 The 'Anezah descending (Pococke, Spec., pp. 46-47) from Asad bin Rabí', b. Nazár, b. Ma'd, b. 'Adnán of the posterity of Ismá'il (Ishmael), claim to be 'Adnáníyyah or Ismáilíyyah. They originally held the whole of north-western Arabia, till it was conquered from them by the intrusive Kahtániyyah (Joktanites), the Juhaynah, Baliyy, and Beni 'Ukbah, who migrated from the south. And now the Ishmaelitic Adnáníyyah-'Anezah are in their turn driving their old conquerors into the mountains, and skirts of the desert.

Under Shaykh Mohammed ibn 'Atiyyah (El-Kalb) are also five clans, viz. :—

1. Sulaymát,

2. Khuzará (ĺ),

3. Sa'dániyyín,

4. Hayáyinah (not in Wallin),

5. The Subút () or Beni Sabt.

28

Wallin remarks that the latter, whose name would signify Sabbaths" or "Sons of the Sabbath," that is, Saturday, have been supposed to be of Jewish origin. At the same time he found that the clan uniformly derives its name from an ancestor called Subaytán," a common Bedawi P. N. We noticed nothing to distinguish them from their neighbours, save the ringing of the large bell, suspended to the middle tent-pole of the Shaykhs and wealthier clansmen, at sunset, to "hail the return of the camels and the mystic hour of returning night." I was assured that this old custom is still maintained because it confers a Barakat ("blessing") upon the flocks and herds. Certainly there is nothing of the Bedawi in this practice, and it is distinctly opposed to the tradition of El-Islam ; yet many such survivals hold their ground. Of

" He states that the only clan mentioned in the Arabian genealogies is the Subút, "which may probably be the same as the Subút stated by El-Kalkashendi to be derived from Lebíd of Sulaym, of the Adnaniyyah dwelling in the land of El-Burkah.'"