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Have you ever been thirst—really thirsty? Very few people in our country ever have. Have you ever gone for more than one whole day without a drink of water? Some people have gone without food for days and even weeks, but no one ever has gone without water for as long as a week. Suppose that you lived in a country where there is not a single rivernor lake in the whole land, where it seldom, if ever, rains, where there is practically no water to drink and even less for washing—a country that is almost surrounded by water, but water you can’t drink because itis salt—a country that is a desert except for a little fringe around the edge and damp spots here and there. That country is Arabia, the home of the Arab people. How can any one live there? The answer is that peoplecan only live along the edges or in those few spots where there is water. These spots are called oases. Dates are bread and butter, meat and dessert to an Arab. Dates grow on palm-trees, so the Arabs plant palm-treesin deep holes in order that their roots may be far down where the ground is a little damp. The well-to-do Arab has a camel, because that is the only animal that can stand hardships such as lack of food and water for any length of time; also, he has a few goats or sheep and a horse. The Arab horses are small but they are swift runners. Some say they are the finest in the World, and many of our race-horseshave come from Arab stock.
The Arabs are very much like all boys and girls in one particular—they love to listen to good stories, especially at night. They can’t get enough of them.
