Page 252 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

XIV.] TRAVELS IN OMAN. 213

among which may be noticed a thorough
detestation of petty theft. I never lost the
most trifling article of my baggage, but have

frequently known them seek for any missing
article with far more anxiety than I felt re­

specting it; and in fetching wood, water, and
other similar duties, when we halted, they
were usually very obliging.

There is a class of travellers who proceed
through a country with a determination to shut

their eyes against all which does not accord
with their peculiar views. They either entirely
omit or only touch slightly on unfavourable

points of character and manners, and are,
generally speaking, more pleasing companions

than men who pursue an opposite course. Yet
it can scarcely admit of a question, that a per­
fect estimate of the character of any people

can only be acquired from a thorough know­
ledge of their vices as well as virtues ; and the

result of the examination will be, that both
are more equally distributed than does at
first sight appear. Viewing the matter in this

light, and aware how illiberal it is to gene­
ralise upon any topic, I have always endea­