to on these occasions, and even observed—that is, so long as the Persian envoys remain in presence. Events like this, together with much talk about India and Khorassan trade, import and export, shipping and sea adventures, made up the staple of the conversation heard or shared in Linja. In the East, where overland communications are regulated by the slow pace of camels, and sea news by the caprice of winds, ten miles equal a hundred of Europe in the separation of localities, and a hundred are tantamount to a thousand and more. Hence my readers must not wonder if I say that on this coast we heard no more of Nejed and Shomer than if we had been in Gloucestershire-nay, perhaps less. For in Gloucestershire newspapers exist at any rate; not so in Linja. Besides, present business, buying, selling, and trafficking occupy all thoughts, and leave no room for foreign curiosity. Nor did the mosque, though large and handsome in its way, nor the other buildings of the town, present much worthy of particular consideration. The scenery too in the neighbourhood of the town is mostly tame, though the mountain ranges in the distance offer a fine blue outline, but of arid semblance. Nor was I at all sorry when after three days of south wind a northerly gale sprung up, and a sea-captain introduced himself at our door with the offer of a passage on his ship bound for Sharjah, and ready to sail. Among the main articles of traffic at Linja are sheep, which are carried over in great quantities from Persia to 'Oman, where pasture land is comparatively scarce, and what exists is principally destined to the rearing of dromedaries. A sheepmerchant of Sharjah, 'Abbas by name, whom some seventh degree of cousinship connected with Ḥașa, had just embarked a cargo of about two hundred head; and this was the business of the voyage. Along with 'Abbas were several friends, also from Sharjah; he himself was a jovial open-hearted fellow, a perfect 'Omanee; indeed, we had much ado to prevent his paying the fare on our account to the master of the ship. On the 16th of the month we made sail a little after noon, in company with some islanders of Djishm, silent uncommunicative men, wrapped up in thick Persian overalls; the crew were mostly negroes; among the Sharjah passengers was the butcher, with his knife all ready for the sheep. The wind was high, and we soon cleared the shipping and the bay. During the night the gale veered to the east, and the sea became so rough, that of the sheep, too closely stowed in the hold, about twenty died and had to be thrown overboard. At dawn we were off the rocky island of Aboo-Moosa (mutilated into Bomosa in many maps-a fair example of what Arab words become in the mouths of English sea-captains), and here our skipper resolved to anchor, for the waves ran high, and to continue our voyage would have compromised the lives of the fleecy survivors. We sought out a little creek, and there anchored to await calmer weather; the sheep were swum on shore, to enjoy the blessings of temporary liberty and the pasture which the island affords. A high conical peak five or six hundred feet in elevation and of volcanic appearance, some ridges of basaltic rock, and the rest of the island composed of ups and downs covered with grass and brushwood-such is Aboo-Moosa; its total length being about five miles, and its breadth between two and three. At its south-western corner are found a few brackish wells; thus provided, Aboo-Moosa is not an unfrequent shelter and temporary abode for crews in sea-chances like our own, though the only regular inhabitants of the island are wild-fowl and conies. It is also in the winter season a supplementary pastureground for horses and camels belonging to Khālid-ebn-Ṣaķar, the governor of Sharjah, who often sends hither part of his live stock to pass two or three months of grass-cropping. At the time of our arrival some twenty good steeds, Khalid's property, gambolled about the plain at the mountain foot, while several dromedaries belonging to the same owner were sauntering here and there in the full privilege of their innate listlessness. With these animals, and in quality of their guardians, were half-a-dozen or more herdsmen and horse-keepers; lastly, a small 'Omanee fishing smack, driven hither as we had been by a sea too high for her to weather, lay in another creek some way off. The eastern side of the island, on which we had cast anchor, presents many similar points of retreat; the western is ironbound, and the waves now broke on it in white foam. Far off over the sea to the south-west we could just distinguish a dim dream of rocks belonging to Şeer, an island in the Pearl Bay. The comparative solitude of the place produced a great effect on the imaginative mind of my companion Yoosef, unaccustomed to such loneliness; and he observed, with a melancholy laugh, "Were all our friends ashore to guess where we are at this moment, would any one of them hit on Aboo-Moosa?" This he said while standing on the shore; for, finding that our stay might be a long one, we had after consultation agreed to swim to land; inasmuch as our craft was moored at some distance from the beach, and had not the advantage of a jolly-boat, or "Djāliboot," as Arabs call it, with a slight modification of the English name. So a jib-sail is here a "Djeeb," a main-mast "Meyānah,” a brig "Breek," &c. We carried each on his head, one a carpet, one the coffee-pots, another the cooking utensils and so forth, till we had enough to establish a complete land encampment high up on the beach opposite the ships. We:-that is, ourselves, the negroes, and the 'Omanees, who are mostly excellent swimmers and relished the fun; as for the sulky fellows of Djishm who could not or would not swim, we left them to guard the ship against Tritons and mermen. Two days we made Aboo-Moosa our abode, awaiting a lull in the gale, now favourable, but too strong. To kill the time, we clambered up crags, made friends with the herdsmen and the fishermen, who were no less desirous than ourselves to find some one to talk to, and explored the island from one end to another; while Yoosef, unaware that all that glitters is not gold, collected large bits of spar, here in great plenty, conceiving them to be something very precious. Nay, though it was now mid-February, the mildness of the atmosphere encouraged us to repeated feats of swimming, though we little expected that within a few weeks we should have occasion to bring it to a more serious trial. "How happily the days of Thalaba went by" in such amicable society, and amid such varied amusements! I at any rate had here no business on hand, medical or other, and felt lazily glad when I heard the roar of the breakers announcing from hour to hour the impossibility of leaving our Arab Patmos. However, everything on earth or sea must have an end, and on the evening of the 16th, the sea had calmed into a ripple, under the drooping westerly breeze; sheep and men swam on board again, and before sunset Aboo-Moosa was fading, perhaps for ever, from our retrospective view. And here, readers and all, we will turn in for a few hours of pause and quiet sleep before entering on new scenes and new regions. 300 CHAPTER XVI THE COASTS OF 'OMAN Yes, I remember well The land of many hues, Whose charms what praise can tell, Up to their summits clothed in green, And scale the skies, And groves and gardens still abound; For where no shoot Could else take root, The peaks are shelved and terraced round.-H. Taylor ARRIVAL AT SHARJAH-ITS KHOWR OR HARBOUR-GENERAL VIEW OF THE COAST AND TOWN-YAKOOB THE ENGLISH ANTI-SLAVERY AGENT-REFLECTIONS-TOWN OF SHARJAH-'OMĀNEE USAGES-MOSQUE-DISPOSITIONS OF THE PEOPLE-COMMERCE OF SHARJAH-METALS IN 'OMAN-HOSPITALITY-KHALID-EBN-ṢAĶAR AND HIS COURT-THE ĶEYSAREEYAH AND SOOK-REST OF THE TOWN-CASTLE AND TOWER-A TRIP TO THE INTERIOR-VIEW TOWARDS DJEBEL-'OKDAH-DOBEY'-A SEA-STORY AND A STRANGE ESCAPE-EMBARKMENT ON A SHIP OF SOWEYĶ FOR ṢOḤĀR— CREW AND PASSENGERS-COAST AND ITS VILLAGES-RAS-EL-KHEYMAH— THE MOUNTAIN COAST AND RO'OS-EL-DJEBAL-'OMĀNEE BOAT-SONGVISITS AT SHA'AM AND KHABB-CHARACTER OF THE INHABITANTS—A SEY'YID-METOOT-CAPE MESANDUM AND THE ROCKS OF SALĀMAH-A STORM-LAREJ-WE ARRIVE AT ORMUZ-THE ISLAND-THE PORTUGUESE FORT-PHAROS-TOWER-CAUSES OF THE PROSPERITY AND DECLINE OF ORMUZ-FURTHER DETAILS REGARDING THE ISLAND-SHARKS-MEANING OF AWWAL"-MIXED LANGUAGE SPOKEN-PASSING CAPE MESANDUMROOBAH-LEYMAH-A SQUALL HARBOUR OF LEYMAH-SCENERY AND VILLAGE-APPREHENSIONS OF THE INHABITANTS-A TEMPLE-GULF OF DEBEE-KALḤAT-KATAA'-L-LOḤA-THE BĀȚINAH—ITS CHARACTER AND PRODUCE-FAJIRAH-SHINAZ-EFFECTS OF WAR-FARKṢAH-LANDING AT ŞOḤĀR ITS GOVERNOR FAKHAR-OUR HOST 'EYSA-HIS HOUSE-DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE IN 'OMAN-ACTUAL CONDITION OF THE BĂȚINAH-POLICE -CASTLE OF ŞOḤĀR-BELOOCH GARRISON-THE KEYSAREEYAH AND 66 |