PRODUCTS. 235 kerchief before his face, to avoid the effects of the pressure of air, which would otherwise be painful to hira. If a dark speck, which quickly increases, be observed on the horizon, at the greatest distance in the desert, a dromedary rider is sure to be met in a few minutes, and the natives, in endeavouring to impart a correct idea of the fleetness of these animals to the traveller, have a saying : " If you meet a good dromedary, and the rider salute you with '• Esselamf aleyfkoom* both man and beast are out of sight before you can answer ' aley'koom es-seldm.'''' It requires, indeed, some practice to be able to bear the exertion of riding these animals. Letters from the southern provinces, are usually forwarded to Cairo by couriers mounted on dromedaries, who generally require twenty-eight days to perform a distance of about seventeen degrees of latitude. For the accomplishment of this task, a relay of three or four couriers is necessar}'. On important missions, however, one and the same courier frequently performs the whole distance, merely changing his dromedaries at the various stations. The rider is always very lightly accoutred, and carries, besides his arms, consisting of a sabre, a pair of pistols, and frequently also of a long gun, two bags of moderate size for his provender, and a small water-bag attached to his saddle-bow, and thus he sets out upon his journey, which would prove a most arduous undertaking to * " Peace be on you," the greeting of peace, to which the response is, " On you be peace." This is the salutation of Moosliins to each other only.— TiV/e, La«e'» Modern Egifptians, p. 27.'3.— Tr.