‘A Pilgrimage to Nejd, the cradle of the Arab race. A visit to the court of the Arab Emir, and "Our Persian Campaign."' [‎61] (104/334)

ch . in.] Politeness of the Druse women, 61
rently on excellent terms with the other visitors.
He was dressed like an Arab, and was undis-
tinguishable from the ordinary fellahin Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. Arabs one
sees in the desert towns. The Druse women,
except those of Huseyn's family, go about unveiled.
They are particularly well-mannered and civil, with
clean fresh complexions and bright coloured cheeks,
and always say "Salam aleykum" to travellers.
They all kohl their eyes carefully and broadly.
There has of course been much discussion about
our further journey. It is rather aggravating to
think that a whole week has passed since we left
Damascus, and yet we are not, as the crow flies,
more than eighty miles on our way. Still there
seems a chance now of our really getting forward, for
Huseyn promises to send some men with us to Kaf,
an oasis in the Wady Sirhdn, with which there is
occasional communication on this side of the
Hauran, as there are salt beds to which the villagers
send camels to fetch salt. They say it is about five
days' journey from here. The principal difficulty
is that there are several Bedouin tribes on the
road, and nobody knows which. The Sirdieh are
friends of Huseyn's, and so are the Kreysheh, but
there are others whom he does not know, Sherarat
Sirhan and Howeysin, the last mere thieves £t worse
than the Sleb." Any or all of these may be met
with, though it is very possible we may meet
nobody. Huseyn has sent a man on horseback to
Ezrak, the first stage on our way, where there are