planation to the others, "They are pilgrims. God preserve them!" The women were all of a dark-bronze color. Their faces, and arms, and necks were tattooed and stained with henna, red and orange color. Their rather thick but well-shaped lips were perfectly blue, indigo having been carefully pricked into them in little spots close together; it produced a very unpleasing effect. The edges of their eyelids were blackened with soot. Their only garments were wide, loose, coarse cotton shirts, open at the bosom; some were black, others blue and brown. Over their heads black woolen shawls, edged with bright-colored stripes, were tastefully and simply worn. Many of the women were decked with clumsily-wrought silver bracelets and finger and ear-rings. None of them wore shoes. The dirty, tawny children were all nearly naked; but their heads were covered with white quilted skull-caps or red tarbûshes, to which shells and beads were fastened—amulets to protect the wearers from harm.
A young mother, more intelligent-looking than her companions, came forward and saluted me gently. She, unlike the rest, wore a crimson shawl on her head, and the edges of her long blue shirt were embroidered round the sleeves and round the neck and bosom with coarse thread, wrought in quaint patterns, such as we see on very old-fashioned samplers in cross-stitch. She proudly showed me her little swaddled son. The complexion of his face was surprisingly fair; in fact, it was of a deathly whiteness. This, I was told, is usually the case in infancy among the Bedouins. I took the unyielding, stiffened, mummy-like little figure in my arms. His swaddling clothes were of coarse indigo-colored cotton, bound round symmetrically with narrow strips of crimson leather, such as I had seen entwined about the Bedouin spears. The mother evidently had considerable taste in the arts of adornment, and in every respect she was superior-looking to the rest. In the mean time the bread was being made. A brisk wood-fire was kindled in the open air, on a small
