Page 388 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

XXI.] TRAVELS IN OMAN. 349

length, having a long handle, without any

guard. The jambir, or dagger, is usually
about ten inches in length, and the haft, with

those who can afford it, richly ornamented
with gold. Their shield measures about four­

teen inches in diameter, and is usually at­
tached by a leathern thong to the sword. The
best kind, made from the skin of the hippo­

potamus, are brought from Abyssinia. Those
who accompany the Sheikh on horseback,

carry with them a lance about fifteen feet in
length, ornamented near the end with a tuft

of feathers.
In their diet the Sheikhs and superior

classes partake of a great variety of dishes,
which are cooked after the Persian mode.
Kid, mutton, and camel’s flesh—all these

are somewhat dear, and the cost of a Sheikh’s
table, where hospitality is so freely dispensed,

must be very considerable. In addition to
these articles, rice, and large quantities of

ghi or clarified butter, are principally con­
sumed. The chief food of the poorer, and

even the middle classes, consists of dates and
fish; both so cheap and plentiful, that even

their cattle are fed on them. The common