'Southern Arabia, by Theodore Bent, F.R.G.S., F.S.A., Author of 'The Ruined Cities of Mashonaland' 'The Sacred City of the Ethiopians' 'The Cyclades, Or Life Among the Insular Greeks' etc. and Mrs Theodore Bent' [‎110] (151/552)

110
THE HADHRAMOUT
Sief we had to be tied up, airless, in our tents, as if we left
them open a minute when the crowd, tired of seeing nothing,
had dispersed, and one person saw an opening, the whole
multitude surged round again, pressing in, shouting and
smelling so bad that we regretted our folly in having tried
to get a little light and air. We saw among others a boy
who had a wound in his arm, and therefore had his nostrils
plugged up; bad smells are said not to be so injurious as good
ones. Some women came and asked to see me, so I took
my chair and sat surrounded by them. They begged to see
my hands, so I took off my gloves and let them lift my
hands about from one sticky hand to another. They looked
wonderingly at them and said ' Meskin' so often and so pity
ingly that I am sure they thought I had leprosy all over.
Then they wished to see my head, and having taken off my
hat, my hair had to be taken down. They examined my
shoes, turned up my gaiters, stuck their fingers down my
collar, and wished to undress me, so I rose and said very
civilly, ' Peace to you, oh women, I am going to sleep now,'
and retired.
Arab girls before they enter the harem and take the veil
are a curious sight to behold. Their bodies and faces are
dyed a bright yellow with turmeric; on this ground they
paint black lines with antimony, over their eyes ; the fashion
able colour for the nose is red; green spots adorn the cheek,
and the general aspect is grotesque beyond description.
We stayed in bed really late next morning, till the sun
rose, and then prepared ourselves to be fetched.
The two young wazirs, Salim-bin-Ali and Salim-bin-
Abdullah, cousins, came again at 7.30 with two extra horses,
which were ridden by my husband and Saleh, as Imam Sharif
stuck to the donkey which we named Mahsoud (Happy).