Page 485 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

444 APPENDIX.

My dear Sir, Maskat, February 9th.
With much pleasure I acknowledge the receipt
of your most esteemed letter, which reached me on the
4th; happy I am to find you are at Sib, and recovering
your health. Sir, the greatest benefit is to gain
strength, and this I hear you are gaining; for this, in

my daily prayers to Almighty God, I thank him. I
explained to His Highness your fever at Neswah: he
said “ it could not be avoided; that what Almighty

God orders must take place.” I enclose you a letter
from him to the Governor of Sib, which you can read,
as it is unsealed. He was quite pleased and happy to
hear of your safe arrival at that place.

Yours faithfully,
Sayyid Ibn Kalfan.

Maskat, 17th February, 1836.
I have received your letter this day at 8h. 3' a m.
I have mentioned the route you intend to pursue, to

His Highness ; his reply is as follows: t{ That the
road from Suwe'ik to Obri is not safe for you; nor to
Dharra.” Do not run the risk; His Highness deems

it not safe. The reason is, the Wahhibi tribe arrived
from Deray’yah; beyond Sohar, several places have
been attacked and burnt; all the people are at present
in confusion, particularly in those places connected
with Obri. They plunder and kill each other, and

say it is the Wahhabis.
If you are therefore coming to Maskat, you had
better get on board some bagala passing, as the

weather is very hot to come by land.
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