Southern Quarterly Review Volume 9 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1846 Excerpt: ...is no God but God; Mahomet is the prophet of God; come to prayer; come to the asylum of salvation; there is no God but God." At the churches of the nominal Christians, they have a variety of contrivances as substitutes for bells. Sometimes, they strike upon a hard board with a kind of mallet, and sometimes upon a suspended bar of iron, either straight or triangular, and thus signify the hour of worship. though there is now but little difficulty in obtaining the use of the houses of the natives for a night, and, where there are convents, rooms in these can usually be secured. By sleeping in the native houses, one is liable to be annoyed by the frequent calls of neighboring Arabs, and what is worst of all, by numerous herds of vermin, who will besiege him from night till morn; and yet a traveller, even in these circumstances, can learn more about the people, their domestic and social arrangements, than if he should use his tent. If one, therefore, wishes really to know how the people live, --to acquaint himself with their household affairs, --let him enter their houses, and, for the time being, dispense with the tent. There is, usually, no difficulty in obtaining permission of an Arab to occupy his house for the night. Whether the remainsof the spirit of hospitality, or the hope of getting a bacshish, has the most to do with securing his consent, may not always be clear; but it really is interesting and amusing, to see him relinquish his house entirely to the stranger Frank, while he takes his wife and children and goes elsewhere, to seek some place to rest for the night. In the morning he returns, and, upon the departure of his guests, again takes possession of his house. It should be remembered, that the dwellings, in the villages, are generally of one s...