Page 77 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

38 TRAVELS IN OMAN. [CH.

try. The sun had just risen, and the cool

temperature of the morning air felt delight­
fully refreshing. The smooth surface of the

sea, at a distance of four or five miles, was
receiving a rosy tint, which the Island of

Burka, now before us, also shared, and so
clear was the atmosphere that I was almost

tempted to believe I saw the Persian shore.
Nearly all the fruits and vegetables culti­

vated in other parts of Oman seem to be
found here, and in size and luxuriance of

growth the trees equal those of India.
A small tribe, the Beni Wahab, has held

possession of these grounds for many ages;
but in the hot weather, during the late har­

vest, the town Arabs arrive in great numbers.

I was told as many as seven or eight thou­
sand at that season of plenty and happiness

take up their quarters here, and sit all day
under the trees, reciting verses from the

Koran, or slumbering in repose beneath their
shadowy branches, which at once afford them

food and shelter.
At noon to-day our thermometer rose to

ninety-four degrees in the shade, and some

idea of the heat in the warm season may,