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Protection In the Jordan C ountry,[Jerusalem Cor. Kama** City Journal,]On the day previous to starting on our journey we called upon Sheik Raahed, the Bedouin authority from whom travelers obtain their escorts. Sheik Hashed holds sway over the Jordan country, and is quite a character. His face is all scarred and mutilated, there is a big hole in his breast, and he has had eitherfive or seven bullets in his body—some of which remain there still, the hole in his brerst has quite* a history. He was along in person protecting a coin*puny of tourists at the banks of the Jordan when an encounter took place with a band of wild Aralm. The party of Europeans of course took to their heels, according to custom; but Sheik Hashedstayed behind to oppnso tin* robbers.He succeeded in vanquishing them, butcame out of the conflict with a barbedspear passing entirely through his body. He rode on to Jericho in this conditiona distance of six miles. The barb of thespear was then filed away and the spear extracted. At another time Mr. Floyd had a party at the Dead sea who had just entered the water for a bath, whena baud of sixteen Bedouins hove in sight.“Fly!” shouted the sheik hi Arabic, and Mr. Floyd repeated the injunction in English.The pilgrims emerged from the water, seized their clothes, mounted their horses unclad, and a mad gallop for Jericho was begun, with the bullets whistling over the heads of the fugitives. Sheik Hashed stayed behind and fought the sixteen single-handed, killing one and routing the rest. These are rather extreme instances, inasmuch as the Bedouin rubbers prefer to accomplish their nefarious operations without bloodshed, if possible.Sheik Hashed is also an exception to the rule in point of bravery. Ordinarily the escorts sent with tiavelers, although from the number of his own followers, are quite cowardly. Their presence with tourists is doubtless a considerable safeguard, but in ease of an actual attack by Bedouins, w hom want renders reckless, the chief hope of the traveler lies in the fact that the escort will flee, leaving the robbers to simply strip youof everything and let you go, horseless,hatless, shoeless, garmentless, in the wilderness!I think it was one pound sterling that I paid for the escort, with the understanding that 1 should feed him duringthe trip.This monev must be viewed as black-mail, since while it secures you protection, nominally at least, from hostile tribes, you would ho liable to molestation from Sheik Hashed's own tribe if you got independent and insisted upon going unattended. According to the Arab code of honor, you are not a “brother,” and therefore not entitled to protection, until you have paid a blackmail. In the present instance it is better to compromise principle a little and pay one set. of rogues to protect you from the others. Most of the fee goes to the sheik personally, and the guard hangs around the hotel after you get hack, a whole day if necessary, in order to persuade you to give him “a present’’ beyond the amount of the fee.
Newspaper Details
McCook Weekly Tribune
Mccook, Nebraska, US
Thu, Sep 04, 1884
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
GB 17 Jun 2021
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