So do chickens.

I found some earthworms.
They were under a board.

I am going to catch a fish.

ARABIA.

Far away to the east, in the Land of the Sunrise, lies Arabia. Do you remember the "Three Wise Men" who came to worship and bring gifts to the Christ Child? Have you seen pictures of these three wise kings crossing the great desert of Arabia on their camels? Arabia is divided into three parts, each very different from the other two. The northern part is called "Rocky Arabia," the central part is "Desert Arabia," and the southern part, which is by far the most pleasant part with its groves of beautiful date palms and springs of cool clear water, is called "Happy Arabia." The date is the Arab's chief food; it is to him what bread is to us or what rice is to the Chinese. They raise several kinds of grain, and the finest coffee in the world, called "Mocha," grows in "Happy Arabia."

LIFE ON THE DESERT.

But all Arabs do not live in "Happy Arabia." Many of them live on the desert or on the edges of it, yet I believe they are just as happy as any people in the world, for the desert is their home and all over the world people believe that there is "no place like home."

Can you imagine a great sea of loose reddish sand, not level, but in great waves and low hillocks instead of rolling water? Shut your eyes and see if you can see this great desert of sand with not a tree, a house, a stream, or drop of

water of any kind; not a person or animal.

Can you imagine

how very, very still it would be, and how very lonely it would seem?

As it never rains on the desert, no trees, shrubs, or even grass can grow. The springs soon dry up and nothing is left but the burning sand. Of course, no one can live for any length of time in such a place as that, but around the edges of the desert it sometimes rains, and then the soft green grass springs up; there are wells of cool water, and tall beautiful date palms wave their graceful plumes of leaves and hold up their treasures of luscious fruit. Here may be found low tents of striped camel's hair cloth in which the Arab and his family are dozing through the hot mid-day hours. In a shady spot several camels lie contentedly. The tent is supported by two or three long poles, and the door folds back like a curtain. The inside of the tent is divided by a curtain of white cloth into two rooms, one for the men, and the other for the women and children.

When the great red sun has set, and a cooling breeze begins to blow across the hot sands, the family will get up and come out to breathe the sweet air. The father seats himself upon a rare mat or rug before the door and smokes his long pipe; the children come out and roll upon the ground, or dig their little bare feet into the soft sand, or pile it into mounds. The maids busy themselves preparing the evening meal; they milk a camel, pound the coffee berries in a mortar and when all is ready a maid brings to the Arab a bowl of fresh milk, steaming cups of the most delicious coffee, dates, and rols of hard, brown bread. When the father has finished his supper the mother and her children eat of what is left. After them the servants have their supper.

But it has not rained here for many weeks and the Arab notices that the camels have eaten almost all the grass and the water in the well is very low. They must move on to where there are more springs of water. The next morning while the stars are still shining, the tents are taken down and rolled up, the poles are tied together, the mats and rugs are made into bundles and everything is soon strapped to the faithful camels.

Large bags made of camel-skin are filled with water and fixed to the back of a camel; this is the only water they will have to drink until they reach their journey's end. No water is carried for the camels. Before leaving the old well, each took a long, long drink, and he will not need any more for four or five days.

The camels kneel upon the sand while they are being loaded and when all is ready and the mother and children have been lifted to their comfortable seats upon the backs of two of the camels, the father mounts his beautiful Arabian horse and leads the way. In no other part of the world are to be found such beautiful horses, and the Arab's horse is his dearest treasure. He feeds it with his own hand, even allows it to sleep in his part of the tent, and could not be pursuaded to sell it. Although the horse is so beautiful and so dear to his master's heart, it is not so useful as the camel, whose large flat feet are made for traveling on the loose sand and do not sink in as do those of the horse. The camel furnishes milk for a nourishing drink, its flesh is good food, and its fine soft hair makes excellent cloth, and no other animal could travel over the hot deserts so long without food or water.

Soon our travelers have left the old home far behind, and when the sun rises he looks down upon the little train of travelers alone on the desert. Not a tree is to be seen, and soon the heat grows so intense that they stop and the tent is hastily put up. After a breakfast of milk, coffee, and dates, they all lie down in the tents to sleep until sunset. The camels, too, lie down in the shade of a rock and their drivers by their side, too, sleep. As soon as the sun sets they will journey on for many hours for they wish to reach a cool, pleasant oasis of palm trees and clear streams of water before the camels begin to suffer from thirst.

After three or four days of travel they see in the distance a grove of date palms. What a welcome sight! The camels smell the water and hurry forward, and before many hours

they are resting in the cool shade and refreshing themselves with the water from the clear spring. Here they will stay so long as the water lasts or there is grass enough for the camels, then they will move further on. Do you see why they prefer tents to houses?

APPEARANCE AND DRESS OF THE ARABS.

The people of Arabia are very dark, with straight noses, full lips, dark earnest eyes, and very dark hair. The men wear upon their heads a turban made of a rich shawl with beautiful fringe; this is twisted about the head in such a way as to protect the head and neck from the intense heat. Instead of a coat, a loose garment called a tunic hangs from his shoulders. It is often made of very bright, beautiful material and is held in place by a cord of gold. The boy's dress is much like his father's and the little girl is a small image of her mother, who wears a loose, brown, cotton dress, falling in folds from her bare shoulders to her feet. Her arms and ankles are also bare and about them are clasped bracelets and anklets of gold. Upon her head she wears a fine fringed handkerchief put on in such a way that it can be drawn before the face below the eyes when she is upon the street. The street, did I say? Yes, for the Arabs do not all live in tents on the burning sand. In places where the springs do not dry up, the people have built cities. They do not look much like our cities, for the streets are very narrow and the houses are built close to the street, and the gardens, when there are any, are in the open court inside. The houses are made of bricks of baked clay and are flat roofed. No doubt we should be very homesick in Arabia, but the little Arab thinks it the pleasantest place in the world.