The Howeytat Occupy The Whole Of The Shera, As Far As Akaba, And South
Of It To Moyeleh (Arabic), Five Days From Akaba, On The Egyptian Hadj
Road.
To the east they encamp as far as Akaba el Shamy, or the Akaba on
the Syrian pilgrim route; while the northern Howeytat take up their
winter quarters in the Ghor.
The strength of their position in these
mountains renders them secure from the attacks of the numerous hordes of
Bedouins who encamp in the eastern Arabian desert; they are, however, in
continual warfare with them, and sometimes undertake expeditions of
twenty days journey, in order to surprise some encampment of their
[p.413] enemies in the plains of the Nedjed. The Beni Szakher are most
dreaded by them, on account of their acquaintance with the country, and
peace seldom lasts long between the two tribes. The encampment where I
spent this day was robbed of all its camels last winter by the Beni
Szakher, who drove off, in one morning, upwards of twelve hundred
belonging to their enemies. The Howeytat receive considerable sums of
money as a tribute from the Egyptian pilgrim caravan; they also levy
certain contributions upon the castles on the Syrian Hadj route,
situated between Maan and Tebouk, which they consider as forming a part
of their territory. They have become the carriers of the Egyptian Hadj,
in the same manner, as the Aeneze transport with their camels the Syrian
pilgrims and their baggage. When at variance with the Pashas of Egypt,
the Howeytat have been known to plunder the caravan; a case of this kind
happened about ten years ago, when the Hadj was returning from Mekka;
the principal booty consisted of several thousand camel loads of Mocha
coffee, an article which the pilgrims are in the constant habit of
bringing for sale to Cairo; the Bedouins not knowing what to do with so
large a quantity, sold the greater part of it at Hebron, Tafyle, and
Kerek, and that year happening to be a year of dearth, they gave for
every measure of corn an equal measure of coffee. The Howeytat became
Wahabis; but they paid tribute only for one year, and have now joined
their forces with those of Mohammed Aly, against Ibn Saoud.
August 16th.—We set out for the encampment of the Sheikh of the northern
Howeytat, with the tent and family of my guide: who was afraid of
leaving them in this place where be thought himself too much exposed to
the incursions of the Beni Szakher. We ascended on foot, through many
Wadys of winter torrents, up the southern
[p.414] mountains of the Ghoeyr; we passed several springs, and the
ruined place called Szyhhan (Arabic), and at the end of three hours walk
arrived at a large encampment of the Howeytat, situated near the summit
of the basin of the Ghoeyr. It is usual, when an Arab with his tent
reaches an encampment placed in a Douar (Arabic), or circle, that some
of the families strike their tents, and pitch them again in such a way
as to widen the circle for the admission of the stranger’s tent; but the
character of my guide did not appear to be sufficiently respectable to
entitle him to this compliment, for not a tent was moved, and he was
obliged to encamp alone out of the circle, in the hope that they would
soon break up for some other spot where he might obtain a place in the
Douar.
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