Page 321 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (2)

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14 MIUIlMCTlil) .[KAMA

since lie was a black fellow, pressed him into service as camel herder. !
Later in the evening the man came back, sat at a distance from us and
cast hungry glances at the camp lire. We called him to us. gave him
a good meal—and how he did eat—and let him sleep in our tent. That
was the cementing of a loyalty and service that lasted as long as we
were in Nejd. This is his story:
Abeed (small slave, though he was anything but small now, for lie
was a tall rangy fellow) belonged to a tribe of negro Bedouins, but
because of drought, disease and war all his herds had died. His family
was now in Boreida, which was to be our last stopping place, and he
had gone to Riadh to look up some relatives in the hope of getting a
few rupees so he might again buy some sheep and goats. Me was now
on his return journey, having collected about four rupees which would

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•/

BAHREIN CAMEL DRIVERS
)
1
buy about a half a goat. He had travelled all this distance on fou,
mostly by night. It took us about ten days to make this trip one way. *•
He had travelled by night fearing that some wandering Bedouin might j
pick him up and sell him. Indeed he hail reason to fear this ior | !
have seen slaves in groups of live to forty on route in the desert and j
also in the slave markets of Arabian cities. It would have been iioUi* 1
ing unusual if he had been picked up and sold. But now he realized b»
had fallen in with friends and although lazy which was simply natural to ;
him he served us most faithfully. While we remained in Shugra hi j’
stayed with us but never once did he dare to go outside the door (of I
Shugra is the great slave center. When 1 say that he was our laundry