Page 112 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

VI.] TRAVELS IN OMAN. 73

with grease, protects them, in a measure,

from the intensity of the sun’s rays, but they
adopt no other covering. For a short time

after leaving the town they kept together,
but now they were away in all directions,

chasing each other with loud shouts across
the plains. In this manner we continued

over a level country, intersected by traces of
numerous torrents, for about four hours, and

then crossed a narrow ridge of low, calcareous
hills: in two hours more we entered amidst

some mounds, thickly interspersed with the
summer or gum Arabic tree (Acacia vera).

Very little of the gum is collected by the

Bedowins, who complain that the price it
brings in Maskat does not repay them for
their trouble. At 430, we halted near

some wells of brackish water. Our course

hitherto has been south-south-west, and
the distance we have travelled is forty-two

miles. A party of the natives, who joined us
directly we halted, were sent on for rice and

dates; we, in the mean time, had lighted a
fire under a large tree, and lost no time, as
soon as they returned, which was not till

sunset, in cooking what they brought, when I