Reviews of A Narrative of a Year's Journey through Central and Eastern Arabia, 1862-63 by William Gifford Palgrave, Published 1865 [‎9v] (18/42)

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Palgrave'5 Arabia.
' Eeanimated by the view, we pushed on our jaded beasts, and were
already descending the first craggy slope of the valley, when two
horsemen, well dressed and fully armed after the fashion of these
parts, came up toward us from the town, and at once saluted us with
a loud and hearty " Marhaba," or " welcome;" and without further
preface they added, " Alight and eat," giving themselves the example
of the former by descending briskly from their light-limbed horses,
and untying a large leather bag full of excellent dates, and a water-
skin, filled from the running spring; then spreading out these most
opportune refreshments on the rock, and adding, "We were sure that
you must be hungry and thirsty, so we have come ready provided,"
they invited us once more to sit down and begin.
c Hungry and thirsty we indeed were; the dates were those of
Djowf, the choicest in their kind to be met with in northern Arabia;
the water was freshly drawn,, cool and clear, no slight recommenda
tions after the ammoniacal wells of Magowa' and Oweysit; so that
altogether we thought it unnecessary to make our new friends repeat
their invitation, and without delay set ourselves to enjoy the present
good, leaving the future with all its cares to Providence and the
course of events. Meanwhile I took the occasion of studying more
minutely the outward man of our benefactors.
c The elder' of the cavaliers was a man apparently of about forty
years of age, tall, well-made, dark-complexioned, and with a look that
inspired some mistrust, while it denoted much intelligence and more
habitual haughtiness. He was handsomely dressed for an Arab,
wearing a red cloth vest with large hanging sleeves over his long
white shirt, with a silk handkerchief, striped red and yellow, on his
head, and a silver-hilted sword at his side. In short, all about him
denoted a person of some wealth and importance. This was Ghafil-
el-Haboob, the chief of the most important and the most turbulent
family of the Djowf, Beyt-Haboob, who were not long since the rulers
of the town, but are now, like all the rest of their countrymen, humble
subjects to Hamood, vicegerent of Telal, the prince of Djebel Shomer.
'His companion, Dafee by name, seemed younger in years and
slenderer of make; he was less richly dressed, though carrying, like
Ghafil, the silver-hilted sword common in Arabia to all men of good
birth and circumstances; his family name was also Haboob, but his
features bespoke a much milder and opener character than that of the
chief, his cousin at the fourth or fifth remove.'
The travellers became the guests of Gha£l,—not, however,
without some remonstrance on the part of Dafee, who was am
bitious of the honour of entertaining them ; but, finding that
residence in the house of this chief of the Haboob was not
conducive either to the extension of medical practice or the
acquisition of information, and having reason to suspect that his
hospitality was not quite disinterested—that, in fact, he had set
his heart on getting possession of a bag of coffee which was part
of their mercantile stock—they insisted on removing to other
quarters.
After