THE KHOJAHS. 



109 



are, eyeing the peaceful, busy crowd with a 

 greedy cut-throat stare, or with the suspicious, 

 side long glance of a cat o' mountain. 



These barbarian ' Gulf Arabs ' differ singu- 

 larly from the muscular porters of Hazramaut, 

 in whose Semitic blood there is a palpable 

 African mixture. They hobble along in pairs, 

 like the Hammals of Constantinople, carrying 

 huge bales of goods and packs of hides suspended 

 from a pole, ever chaunting the same monoton- 

 ous grunt-song, and kicking out of the way the 

 humped cows that are munching fruit and vege- 

 tables under the shadow of their worshippers, 

 the Banyans. Add half a dozen pale-skinned 

 'Khojahs,' tricky-faced men with evil eyes, treach- 

 erous smiles, fit for the descendants of the 6 As- 

 sassins,' straight, silky beards, forked after the 

 fashion of ancient Rustara, and armed with 

 Chinese umbrellas. Complete the group by throw- 

 ing in a European — how ghastly appears his 

 blanched face, and how frightful his tight garb ! 

 — stalking down the streets in the worst of tem- 

 pers, and using his stick upon the mangy ' pariah 

 dogs ' and the naked shoulders of the ' niggers ' 

 that obstruct him. At times the Arabs, when 

 their toes or heels are trampled upon, will turn 

 and fiercely finger their daggers; but a fear 



