Page 259 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

220 TRAVELS IN OMAN. [cH.

her of men he could furnish to conduct me to
Bire'imah. This roused him, and he swore
by the beard of the Prophet, such was now

the danger of the road, that he neither could
nor would furnish me with a man. I was un­

prepared for his refusal, but, as we should
never take an Arab at his first word, I strove,
by every argument I could think of, to shake

his resolution. I stated that the dangers of the
road were well known to Seyyid S’aid at the

time he addressed the letters, and his certain
anger when he should learn that he had been
disobeyed. I hinted that I would myself amply

reward him, provided he would comply; but
he remained unmoved. Then, as a last re­

source, I told him that I could not think of
going back, unless he furnished me with a
letter to the Imam, containing the substance

of his present communication, which he very
readily promised to do. I inquired if it was

true he had sent a verbal message to re­
quest I should leave his town : this of course
he denied, but ten minutes afterwards indi­

rectly repeated it, and then left. We expe­
rienced none of those offers of assistance,

provisions, or other accommodations, which we