Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/30

 in the territory of the settlers both tribes often lay claim to the same settlements and exact payment from the same settlers. This proceeding generally results in skirmishes. The Turkish Government many times endeavored to reconcile the two tribes. At the time of the harvest, when they were both encamped in the territory of the settlers, the governor would summon the chiefs and exhort them to make peace, threatening that he would not pay the money due to them for the protection of pilgrims until peace was concluded. Several chiefs of the Beni Ṣaḫr and the Ḥwêṭât would proceed to the mutaṣarref at al-Kerak and agree to everything that he demanded; whereupon the authorities at Damascus and Constantinople would be informed that peace had been concluded between the tribes encamped along the Pilgrim Route. But this peace concluded by the Government did not last long. The Bedouins would say: “We did not conclude peace of our own free will, but it was the Government who forced us to do so (ad-dowle aṣlaḥatna),” and would continue merrily to steal the flocks. Then the Ḥwêṭât would send a message to the mutaṣarref: “To please the Government we concluded peace with the Beni Ṣaḫr, but they are disturbing the peace (amm beni ṣaḫr ḳlobow).” The chiefs of the Beni Ṣaḫr would directly contradict their enemies and lay all the blame on the Ḥwêṭât.

As the Ḥwêṭât were waging war both with the Beni Ṣaḫr and with the Šarârât and Šammar, who were encamped northeast, east, and southeast of Maʻân, it was clear that I should not be able to use Chief ʻAwde’s camp as a starting point from which to explore the territory of aṣ-Ṣawwân, which extends between al-Ǧafar and the depression of Sirḥân. As our only guide would in that case have belonged to the Ḥwêṭât, we should have fallen a prey to one of the enemy marauding parties; in which case we might have lost not only all our equipment but our lives as well. Mḥammad comforted me, saying: “Do not be afraid, Chief. If Allâh is well disposed to thee, thou wilt not perish (elja ḫajjark allâh lâ tmût).”

At 8 A. M. we crossed the combined šeʻîb of Abu Rtejmât and of Abu ʻAlejdijjât and ascended a slight elevation that divides this channel from that of the Abu ʻAmûd val-