Page 255 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

216 TRAVELS IN OMAN. [CH.

dead. The corpse, after being washed, is
covered with a cloth and interred with very

little ceremony. The grave is usually not
more than three feet in depth, and after in­

terment, a rude stone, without inscription of
any kind, is placed at the head and feet.
During my stay here a female died who

was related to the Sheikh, and he, with all
the male relations, followed the corpse to the

grave. There are no hired mourners in these
towns, but the females from the neighbour­
hood of the deceased assemble, and continue

for eight days, from sunrise to sunset, to utter
loud and mournful lamentations.

March IDA. The body of the Green
Mountains bore this morning E. by S. S.,
and were distant about thirty-five miles. I

found the Sheikh had assembled a guard of
seventy men, scarcely more respectable in

appearance, though somewhat better mounted
than those supplied us from Muskin. At
10-30 we left the skirts of the town, and pro­

ceeded west, at a rapid pace, over the plains.
Our escort sent forth scouts to the right and

left, and an advanced party a-head : notwith­
standing all their apprehensions, we reached