Page 245 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

206 TRAVELS IN OMAN. [cil.

around its cheerful Hames, in those gay and
sanguine anticipations of the future, which
involuntarily arise when the mind, warped

for a time by sickness, recovers its former
tone and elasticity. I believe that, whilst

under the influence of this peculiar reaction,
any incident or adventure, however perilous
and wild, provided it afforded an ample por­

tion of excitement, would have been far from
disagreeable to us.

March 6th. After taking a hasty sketch
of the entrance to this pass and the con­

tiguous mountains, at 10-30 I continued my
journey through the valley. There was no

track except along the bed of the stream,
which in some places was so deep and rapid
that it nearly swept my horse from his legs.

A few date groves, and an occasional cluster
of huts, show themselves on either hand. At

2 p.m. we struck off by a minor branch of the
stream, along Wadi Thilah, to the westward.

We had now penetrated beyond the lower
ridges to the main branch of the mountains,

which rose in steep precipices to the height
of from three thousand to four thousand feet,
terminating in abrupt and pointed forms.