Druse
brought my horse to the door, and when I complained that he had fallen
off greatly in the few days I had remained in the village, the Sheikh
said to me in the presence of several persons, "You are ignorant of the
ways of this country [Arabic]; if you see that your host does not feed
your horse, insist upon his giving him a Moud of barley daily; he dares
not refuse it." It is a point of honour with the host never to accept of
the smallest return from a guest; I once only ventured to give a few
piastres to the child of a very poor family at Zahouet, by whom we had
been most hospitably treated, and rode off without
[p.295] attending to the cries of the mother, who insisted upon my
taking back the money.
Besides the private habitations, which offer to every traveller a secure
night's shelter, there is in every village the Medhafe of the Sheikh,
where all strangers of decent appearance are received and entertained.
It is the duty of the Sheikh to maintain this Medhafe, which is like a
tavern, with the difference that the host himself pays the bill: the
Sheikh has a public allowance to defray these expenses, &c. and hence a
man of the Haouran, intending to travel about for a fortnight, never
thinks of putting a single para in his pocket; he is sure of being every
where well received, and of living better perhaps than at his own home.
A man remarkable for his hospitality and generosity enjoys the highest
consideration among them.
The inhabitant of the Haouran estimates his wealth by the number of
Fedhans,[The word Fedhan is applied both to the yoke of oxen and to the
quantity of land cultivated by them, which varies according to
circumstances. In some parts of Syria, chiefly about Homs, the Fedhan el
Roumy, or Greek Fedhan, is used, which means two pair of oxen.] or pairs
of cows or oxen which he employs in the cultivation of his fields. If it
is asked, whether such a one has piastres (Illou gheroush [ARABIC]), a
common mode of speaking, the answer is, "A great deal; he drives six
pair of oxen," (Kethiar bimashi sette fedhadhin [Arabic]); there are but
few, however, who have six pair of oxen; a man with two or three is
esteemed wealthy: and such a one has probably two camels, perhaps a
mare, or at least a Gedish (a gelding), or a couple of asses: and forty
or fifty sheep or goats.
The fertility of the soil in the Haouran depends entirely upon the water
applied to it. In districts where there is plenty of water for
irrigation, the peasants sow winter and summer seeds; but where they
have to depend entirely upon the rainy season
[p.296]for a supply, nothing can be cultivated in summer.
