Page 124 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

VII.] TRAVELS IN OMAN. 85

from Mecca, and I will accompany you with
a party of our own and the Geneba Bedowins

as far as the limits of the Maharas.” This I
promised, if circumstances permitted, and,

after shaking hands with all present, which
they had learnt was our custom, we parted with

mutual expressions of regret. I cannot forget
the unaffected kindness which I experienced

from this simple people, and shall ever recal
the week spent with them and their neigh­

bours as the most agreeable in my travels.

At 1-30 we passed the extremity of the
Beni-’Abh-Hasan village. There are very
few houses either here or at Beni-Abh-’AH,

and those few are small and rudely con­

structed. The natives occupy huts of various
forms, built of the branches of the date
palm. We now entered a shallow valley,

called Wadi Beth&, with large goff {Acacia

Arabica}, and sumr trees {Acacia T^era}, on
either hand ; from the latter the gum Arabic

is produced. Neibik trees {Lotus Neba} in
the bed of the valley are also numerous. A

Bedowin hut occasionally peeps forth from
beneath the trees, and some few cattle are