-262 JOURNEY FROM ment to which they are subjected, than to the incapacity of the soil itself.

Idle Bedouin, though active, is far from industrious ; and if he can gain a livelihood from the flocks which he possesses, he will seldom trouble himself to cultivate even the most productive soil ; indeed, if he were to do so, he has in general no security that any part of the produce or the profits of it would he his own. His tent and flocks may be removed at a few minutes notice, hut his ciop ot com or vegetables could not be so disposed of ; and they who came as his friends, for the purpose of collecting tribute, or as enemies, for the puipose of spoliation, would take care to be with him before his crops were cut, and make sure of the object of their visit. We remember asking an Arab, in the district of Syrt, why his tribe would not trouble themselves to dig a few more wells in a place which they frequented, where there was plenty of water, at no great depth from the surface of the soil: his answer was that, if they were to do so, the Bashaw’s troops who collected the tribute would more easily overtake them, when they chose to run away, than if the supply of water were more scanty : for without a good supply of water the troops could not advance more than a short distance into the interior, and would consequently be less likely to overtake them in their flight. 1 his reason was sufficient in his opinion to account for the circumstance; but it is probable that, if there were no grounds for apprehension on this head, neither our friend himself, nor any Arab of his tribe, would have had resolution enough to sink a single well, however much they might chance to be in want of it ; and that they would