Page 432 - Travels in Arabia (Vol 2)_Neat

XX.] .SOUTHERN ARABIA. 405

The water in its vicinity is brackish and
bitter.

With their heads reclining on the red cloth,
with which the grave is covered, our guides
muttered their prayers; they then pressed
the corner to their lips, and passed their
I
hands over the covering, as if to collect the
dust, which they applied to their heads and
breasts.
Beyond Sheikh Osman the road enters
amidst high sandy downs, covered with trees,

and at half-past seven we halted close to the
h;;:
town of Lahedsje, our guides firing their
muskets as a signal of our approach: a
few minutes afterwards we arrived at the I
Sultan’s palace. Passing through a small
wicket, we entered a spacious hall, dimly f
lighted by a few solitary lamps, and nearly
filled with armed Bedowins : around its walls,
spears, shields, swords, and matchlocks were
suspended. Here, after a few minutes’ de­
tention, we were conducted through a va­
riety of spacious rooms and narrow passages,
and found the Sultan reclining on a couch in
the corner of a very small apartment. From