Page 260 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

XIV.] TRAVELS IN OMAN. 2'21

had been always in the habit of receiving from
the other Sheikhs in Oman, his object with­
out doubt being to drive us out of the town as

soon as he could; and all I saw and heard
gave me little reason to delay obliging him in
that respect. The Wahhdbis had been crowd­

ing around us in great numbers, and seemed
only waiting for some pretext to commence
an affray. On these emergencies I always

adopt one plan, which is, to remove every
weapon from the reach of those who were

with me. Whitelock and myself alone were
armed, and we knew too well the conse­
quences that would accrue from any rash use

of weapons, to encounter such a risk. The
men were in general small, and had no other

clothes than a cloth round their waist. Their
complexion was very dark, and they wore
their hair long. It was not until some time

afterwards that I discovered they were a party
under Sayyid ibn Mutluk, whose future pro­

ceedings and subsequent defeat I have given
in my account of Bedib. Our situation was
therefore very precarious, the only chance of

escape depending on our firmness and con­
duct, for they were then marching to attack