Page 79 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (3)_Neat

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0 NEGLECTED ARABIA

stretched out for a distance of perhaps six or eight miles along the
shore. Its date and fruit gardens are of the best in all Oman. It u
also a great fishing place. Hundreds of shark are caught here, the tin*
with a liberal portion of meat are cut off and sent to China, and the
rest is sold locally or sent into the interior.
The people were extremely friendly and courteous. In Nejd people]
would avoid you, scowl at you, refuse to greet you, but here people ^ !
out of their way to meet and greet you. The Wall or mayor of the j
town met us at the landing, personally supervised the sending of our
luggage to our appointed house while he and his retinue accompanied u*. ]
Nowhere in all Arabia, certainly not in Eastern Arabia, is there buck*
a large population as in Oman entirely without medical assistance. The-:
population of Oman is estimated at about half a million, and not oc*
doctor. It is true that there is an Indian quarantine doctor in Mine*?
and also an Indian in government employ in Malrah. These men do*
certain amount of dispensary work, but they do not even attempt d*.
simplest operations. So you can imagine the great need. Hundred* of
people came to us for treatments and operations, and with our limits
staff we tried to do what we could.
After a week’s stay in Sib no word had yet come from Sheikh li*
and we were giving up hopes of getting into interior Oman. But \»<
decided to make one more effort. We would send Hafid, our Oman*
helper to his capital. This man was a former employee of the MU**
and was now taken on to help on this trip. He with a Bedouin as coca-
panion on two fast camels set out for Sheikh Isa in his isolated town U
Kabil. He was armed with letters from our Wali, from the inHuciuiil
Sheikh Rashid el Aziz, member of the Mejles of the Sultanate of Mu***/
on whom we had operated a few days before, the letter from Slicikk ■
Hamad of Bahrain and one from us. A week later he returned with i
letter. We would, God willing, be invited in, but he (Sheikh Isa) hnc
would have to consult the Imam. He was at once sending off diapauk
riders to the Imam and would have an answer to us in six days. \\c d>4
not believe this. We thought it merely an evasive negative. Men
whom we consulted also led us to believe that if he wished to invite t* 1
he could do so without permission from the Imam. We had planned U I
leave Sib after four more days, but to give Sheikh Isa the benefit of tL#
doubt, we decided to stay the full six days and leave on the seven*
for Sohar, a hundred miles up the coast.
The sixth day arrived. Late afternoon, no word having come fu*
the Sheikh, we sent our luggage to the seashore to be taken aboard a ui
boat the next day. We were to go by land. Donkeys were ready fur *
early start the next day to Sohar, our objective. We had with «
enough medicine lo spend a few days at several towns along the 0*4
Shortly after sunset one of our boys hurriedly brought us news tlut 1
dispatch rider had come from the Sheikh and was just then couching b»
camel outside our door. This rider soon came with his letter, 3 tdj
pen and ink permission to go to Someil, the largest city in Oman. \\%
should proceed to the small town of Fenja, half way to Someil, and ^
Sheikh of Fenja would escort us to Someil. ^
Our next task was to pacify the local Wali. He, being the represa**.
tive of the Muscat government, wanted us to go to Sohar and 1UH *