Politics, of which they have amazing ideas, also came in for discussion.

Napoleon Bonaparte and Queen Victoria are still living figures to them; but (significantly enough) they considered the Kaiser king of all the kings of this world, with the exception of the Sultan, whom they admitted to equality.
Seldom did an evening pass without a dance.

As darkness fell, the Arabs would gather in a great circle around one of their comrades, who squatted on the ground with a bamboo flute; to a weird minor music they would begin swaying and moving about while some self-chosen poet among them would sing impromptu verses to the flute _obbligato_.

As a rule the themes were homely.
"To-morrow we shall eat rice and meat," the singer would wail.
"_Yaha lili-amali"_ (my endeavor be granted), came the full-throated response of all the others.

The chorus was tremendously effective.
Sometimes the singer would indulge in pointed personalities, with answering roars of laughter.
These dances lasted for hours, and as they progressed the men gradually worked themselves up into a frenzy.