20 CURIOUS MODE OF EXTRACTING TOLL. them a pre-eminence, maintain that all who are Mahometans by birth, are eligible for any employment in church or state. For this reason, the Sovereign Prince of Muscat is called Imaum; which title, amongst other Mahometans, is given only to Princes lineally descended from their prophet. All Mahometans are forbidden the use of strong drinks. The Bee-asis are more rigid than the other sects, both in precept and practice. They not only abstain from all fermented liquors, but also from tobacco, and from every description of pomp or magnificence in their dress, their houses, or their mosques. They worship no saints; and have neither convents nor dervishes. They have a great regard for justice; and an universal toleration for other religions. At the Custom-House we witnessed a curious mode of extracting toll. A negro slave, standing on a mat at the gate, had in his hand a long sharp grooved instrument, on the principle of a cooper's bung-tap. With this he perfo rated every bag of rice that was carried past him, and extracted a small portion from each. The Imaum possesses a tolerably good stud of horses. We observed that the manes and tails of the colts were kept close clipped. I know not whether this custom be common throughout Arabia; but here, as well as at Bussorah and Bagdad, where this mode of clipping is practised, the horses are all remarkable for their flowing manes and long tails. In visiting the slave auction, I felt almost angry with myself, for not experiencing more disgust at witnessing so disgraceful and unnatural a traffic. The market was held in an open space near the landing-place. Some twenty or thirty fat little negresses, from twelve to fourteen years of age, having their woolly locks neatly plaited, and their bodies well oiled, to give them a sleek appearance, were ranged in two rows, on some logs of timber. Too young to trouble themselves with their degraded state, they sate gig 29 SLAVE AUCTION. gling and chattering with the utmost nonchalance. Our uniforms appeared to afford them much merriment. One dingy little coquette, by significantly pointing to us, set the rest in a roar of laughter. In the meantime the slavemerchant was leading by the hand one of the party, and calling out her price. As for herself, she seemed more intent to catch the joke of her companion, than to ascertain any thing respecting her future destiny.. SUBURBS. 23 CHAPTER II. Suburbs of Muscat-Drunken Persian-Fish-fed Horses -Sterile appearance of the country-Village of Poorshur-Giafar's conduct-Set sail for Bussorah-Cape Jask-the Quoins-Cape Museldom-Islands of the Tombs-Pulior-Cape Nabon-Cape Verdistan-Bushire-Karrack-Arab Pilot-His Sehdum-Sick Native-Cape Baungk-Pilot's mode of navigating the ship-Runs her ashore-His apology-Appearance of the Coast-Behaviour of an Arab Sheikh. The in February 5.-THE suburbs of Muscat appear more populous than the town. habitants are principally Abyssinian slaves. There is also a large encampment of Nomade Arabs, who live in mat tents, which they transport from place to place. We visited many of these encampments in the course of the day, 24 NOMADE ARABS. and found the inhabitants singing and dancing. Their tents are in the form of a Bengal routee, having an enclosure in front, in which the cattle are lodged at night. Half a mile from the town, we observed several oxen employed in drawing water from wells, which supply all Muscat, by means of channels formed in the rock. Commanding each spring is a circular bastion—a most necessary defence against an enemy, who might, if they were unguarded, easily divert the course of these scanty reservoirs, and occasion a complete drought in the town: for the same reason "Uzziah built towers at the valley gate and fortified them."* The scarcity of water in Arabia, has always made that element of a value, not so well understood in our country, where it is in such abundance. Nearly the first contention of which we have an account in Scripture History is, when "the herdsmen of Gerar did * 2 Chron. xxvi. 9. |