‘A Pilgrimage to Nejd, the cradle of the Arab race. A visit to the court of the Arab Emir, and "Our Persian Campaign."' [‎221] (276/334)

CH. X.]
A visit to the Emir,
22 I
whose acquaintance we now made, is more sympa-
thique than the Emir, though they are ridiculously
like each other in face, but Hamud has the advan
tage of a good conscience, and has no vengeance to
fear. They were dressed also alike, so that it was
difficult at first to know them apart; perhaps there
is a motive in this, as with the Richmonds of
Shakespeare. The Emir's room was on the same
plan as the kahwah, but smaller, and boasting only
two columns, the coffee place in the right-hand corner
as you enter, and the Emirs fireplace, with a fire
burning in it, on an iron plate in front. Persian
carpets were spread, and there were plenty of
cushions to lean against by the wall. We were
invited to sit down to the left of the Emir and
Hamud, who never seems to leave his side. Mo
hammed had a place on the right, between them
and the door. Coffee, and a very sweet tea, were
handed round in thimblefuls, and a good deal of
conversation ensued. We had brought a letter
from our old friend the Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. Ikbal ed-Dowlah,
who had been at Hail about forty years ago, in the
time of Abdallah ibn Rashid.* The Emir remem
bered his coming, though he must have been a child
at the time, and said some pretty things in compli
ment of him. He then asked Mohammed abtfut
his Aruk relations in Jof, aud said that they had
* The Xawab was in fact detained a prisoner at Hail for about
two months. But this we did not at the time know; nor was any
allusion made by Ibn Eashid to the circumstance.