Page 229 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

190 TRAVELS IN OMAN. [CH.

wood, several varieties of sea-weed, of which
the Sargossum vulgare and the Fucits barbatus

were most commonly met with. The beach
was almost entirely composed of fragments of

most superb shells, and I picked up several
very beautiful specimens.
At 3-30 we arrived at Suik, and found the

Sheikh absent, looking for the Wahhabis,
who, it had been reported, were then in the

neighbourhood ; but we were most hospitably
received by the Sheikh’s wife, who had a

house and every other accommodation very
soon prepared for us. The orders of this

lady (of whom more anon) were much to the
point. “ You will please those gentlemen,”

said she to her slaves who were sent to at­
tend us, “ and let them want nothing, or look

to your heads.” We accordingly received
every luxury which the Sheikh’s kitchen

could afford.
In the course of the evening the Sheikh

returned from an unsuccessful search. I had
procured a letter for this individual from the

Bombay government, as he was considered to
possess considerable influence over the Be-

dowins in Northern Om&n. Probably no­