'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎108] (217/496)

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mense crowd assembled—one fellow, a slave, looking as proud as a pea
cock in a white jacket, and trowsers, which had been given to him by my
shipmates (Messrs. Sylvester,Ward, and James,) when here. Many enqui
ries were made after these gentlemen, and all were greatly chagrined to
find that they had actually been visited by an English doctor without
their knowing it. This ignorance was extremely fortunate for the gen
tleman concerned (Dr. Sylvester,) for had his character been once known,
the whole population would have beseiged him with an account of all
sorts of imaginary diseases. Here I obtained a second guide, a man of the
Hanaweger tribe, my other being a Junebi of the Beni Grharferee branch,
—individuals of these tribes forming a mutual protection for each other in
any part of Oman.
3. At 10 a. m. next morning took leave of Alibin Salam, and started
for “El Wafee,” two hours' travel (five or six miles) bringing me to that
place, and was kindly received by a young man (Abdalla bin Ali,) a cou
sin of the Sheik who was then absent. “El Wafee" is a walled town,
—the houses larger and of a more respectable appearance, than those in the
Beni Hassan country, but not so numerous. Lime trees are very plenti
ful; oranges, plantains, pomegranates, tamarinds, olives, and grapes, in mo
derate quantities; together with the usual articles, viz. git and mysably,
being a kind of grass given to cattle, and clokhan, which produces a very
small seed used for making bread. Barley and a little cotton is also
grown, but no wheat. The Beni Rasim is not a very large tribe, amount
ing to no more than five hundred warriors, who are mostly armed with
the matchlock, while some only carry spears, but the “ jambeah” is uni
versally worn. I found them busily engaged constructing a wall to pro
tect their date groves from the Beni Hassan, a powerful tribe residing
principally in the range of mountains above “Soor," with whom they were
then at war. The rate of pay for labourers employed on this work was
at the rate of one dollar for every twenty-four feet in length, the height
being ten feet, and two in breadth.
4. At sunset took leave of my kind entertainer, and after two hours
travelling reached “ Eelaij el Maskayekh," a small Bedouin place, con
sisting simply of a date grove with a few miserable huts. The whole of
the road from “ El Wafee" was thickly covered with the Gharf tree of
a much larger size than any I had hitherto seen.
, famiI y °f one of my guides lived here, and having expressed a
wish for a drink of milk, I was nearly suffocated with the great quantities
which their ideas of hospitality compelled me to swallow. Slept in the open