Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 2.djvu/69

 THE ARABS OF TEITOLITANA. 51 At the western foot of the Jebel Msid of McHcll^ta there are six of these cromlechs, some still st^mding, others overturned, near the ruins of a temple. The almost Roman style of the building leads us to supjWHe that the architects of the megalithic structures lived at a time when the country was still under the sway of the Italian conquerors, and a sculj)tured animal on one of the i)ortic(x?8 recalls the Roman wolf. Nevertheless some authorities, far from regarding these " biliths " and "triliths" of Tri|)olitana as religious edifices, look on them merely as the framework of gateways constructed, as was usual, of materials far more durable than the walls of the houses. Hence the latter, mere earthworks, crumbled away to the level of the ground, while the former remained standing, and thus assumed the form of cromlechs. The Arabs of Tripolttana. If the Berber element prevails on the highlands and plateaux, the Arabs, of more or less mixed stock, have acquired the ascendancy on the plains. These nomad tribes naturally prefer the vast steppe lands, where they can move about with their flocks, changing their camping-grounds at pleasure, according to the abundance of water and pasturage. The Arab has no love of the forest, which he fires, in order that timber may give place to herbage, and his glance be not obstructed by the leafy branches. Thus the Tar-hona plateau, between the Ghurian highlands and the Mesellata hills, has been completely wasted, not a single tree being spared. Like all other nomad populations, which by their very dispersion break into a multitude of distinct groups, differing in their traditions, customs and interests, the Arabs of Tripolitana are divided into a number of tribes, differing from one another in some respects, although preserving for generations the memory of their common ancestry. Some of these communities arc distinguished by their numbers, I)owcr, and noble descent. In the oast one of the most important tribes is that of the Aulad Sliman, zealous members of the Senusiya brotherhood, who roam the steppes round the shores of the Great Syrtis, and who have pushed their warlike expeditions to the Tsad basin beyond the desert, like the Nasamon wanderers mentioned by Herodotus. Farther south the Aulad Khris have partly taken possession of the Zella oasis, and in the neighbourhood of the Haruj gorges have afforded a refuge to kindred tribes escaping from the oppressive measures of the Turkish pashas. The Urfilcs, or Orfellas, who occupy the hilly districts at the eastern foot of the great plateau, are the most formidable fighting element amongst the Arabs of Tripolitana. It is not long since they were even accused of kidnapping children to devour them. They call themselves Arabs, and speak Arabic ; but it is evident, from the style of their dwellings, their agricultural practices, and the names of their feub-tribes and villages, that the fundamental element of the population is Berber.* To the north-west, in the direction of the capitiil, follow less numerous and more • Lyon, '• Narrative of Travels in Northern Africa."