Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/34

 all kept their rifles in their hands. The chief himself wore two cartridge belts which contained about a hundred and forty rounds of ammunition. Later I discovered that ʻAwde and his men were fearful that they would be attacked by a kindred clan with whom they had had some dispute on the previous Wednesday. Returning from a raid, a relative of ʻAwde had stolen a camel from a Šarâri, a protégé of another relative. The plundered Šarâri hastened to his protector and asked him to have the lost animal restored. But all endeavors proved vain. It was impossible to recover the stolen camel. The protector then lodged a charge against his kinsmen with the judges of the Ḥwêṭât tribe, and they decided that the camel was to be restored immediately to the Šarâri. But ʻAwde’s kinsmen would not comply with the court’s decree. Thereupon ʻAwde called together his negroes and cousins, proceeded to the tent of his obstinate relative, and requested him to return the camel at once, as he would otherwise take it by force. The relative and his family began to abuse and threaten the chief and his companions: a shot was fired and one of those accompanying the chief fell dead to the ground. ʻAwde fired his rifle, inflicting a mortal wound on his relative’s son. Further fighting was prevented by the more prudent men, who surrounded both parties and urged them to make peace. One of ʻAwde’s negroes led the stolen camel away and returned it to the Šarâri. As one man had been killed on either side, the score was even; but the relative from whom the camel had been taken declared that he would not endure such injustice and departed with his whole clan to the settlement of Maʻân in order to seek help against ʻAwde. As ʻAwde did not know whether his offended relatives with other opponents would attack him, he commanded his men to equip themselves and set up a guard all around his camp. Only about fifty tents were left with him, but in case of danger he hoped to receive assistance from his friend, the chief Ḥarb eben ʻAṭijje, who was encamped not far off.

Toward evening, when the camels had returned from the pasture, ʻAwde ordered a fat old she-camel (fâṭer) to be slaughtered in our honor. The evening meal was not ready until midnight. The boiled camel’s flesh was heaped up on a shallow dish one meter in diameter and filled with rice. Four slaves brought the dish in and placed it before me. ʻAwde invited me, my European friends, and three other chiefs