I Saw A Greek Captain Who Obtained One For Two Hundred
Dollars; He Had Commanded One Of Mohammed Aly's Dows,
And was now on his
way home; and he felt satisfied that, whatever ship he might hereafter
take under his
Charge in the Archipelago, would be secured by this
certificate from the pirates. In former times, this title of Khadem
appears to have been of more importance than it is now; for I find, in
the historians of Mekka, many great people mentioned, who annexed it to
their names.
After the return of the Hadj from Muna, the principal street of Mekka
becomes almost impassable from the crowds assembled there. The Syrian
hadjy merchants hire shops, and make the best use of the short time
which is granted to them for their commercial transactions. Every body
purchases provisions for his journey home; and the pursuit of gain now
engrosses all minds, from the highest to the lowest. The two caravans
usually leave Mekka about the 23d of Zul Hadj, after ten days' stay in
the town. Sometimes the leaders of them are prevailed upon by the
merchants, who pay highly for the favour, to grant a respite of a few
days; but this year they did not require it, as the caravan was detained
by Mohammed Aly, who, preparing to open his campaign against the
Wahabys, thought proper to employ about twelve thousand camels of the
Syrian Hadj in two journies to Djidda, and one to Tayf, for the
transport of provisions. As to the Egyptian caravan, which, as I have
already mentioned, contained no private hadjys, it was wholly detained
by Mohammed Aly, who ordered all
[p.286] the horsemen and camels that had accompanied it, to assist him
in his campaign. The Mahmal, or sacred camel, was sent back by sea to
Suez, a circumstance which had never before occurred. The Syrian caravan
did not leave Mekka till the 29th of Zul Hadj; and the incessant labour
to which its camels had been subjected, weakened them so much, that
numbers of them died on their return through the Desert. The caravans of
unloaded camels which were hourly leaving Mekka for Djidda, to take up
provisions there, facilitated the short journey to that place of those
hadjys who wished to return home by sea.
Having heard that the supply of money for which I had written to Cairo
on my first reaching Djidda, had been received there, I rode over in the
night of the 1st of December, and remained in that town six or seven
days. The hadjys who had, in the mean while, daily flocked into it on
their return from Mekka, were seen encamped in every quarter, and thus
it soon became as crowded as Mekka had just been. Among the ships in the
harbour, ready to take hadjy passengers on board, was a merchant-vessel
lately arrived from Bombay, belonging to a Persian house at that
presidency, and commanded by an English captain, who had beat up to
Djidda against the trade-winds, at this late season. I passed many
agreeable hours in the company of Captain Boag, on board his ship, and
regretted that my pursuits should call me away so soon. Two other
Europeans had arrived at Djidda about the same time, by way of Cairo;
the one an Englishman, who was going to India; the other a German
physician. This gentleman was a Hanoverian by birth, and a baron:
misfortunes of a very distressing nature had driven him from his home,
and he had thought of practising his profession at Djidda, or of
proceeding to Mokha; but his mind was too unsettled to determine upon
any thing; and he was of too independent a character to receive either
counsel or assistance. I left him at Djidda when I returned to Mekka,
and learnt afterwards that he died there in the month of March, of the
plague, and that he was buried by the Greeks of Djidda upon an island in
the harbour.
When I returned to Mekka, about the 8th or 9th of December, I found no
longer the same multitudes of people; but the beggars had
[p.287] become so numerous and troublesome, that many of the hadjys
preferred staying all day at home, to escape at once the importunities,
the expense of acceding to them, or the scandal of wanting charity.
These beggars were soliciting alms to carry them home; and their numbers
were increased by many pilgrims of respectable appearance, whose money
had been spent during the Hadj. It was my intention, in returning to
Mekka, to join the Syrian caravan, and travel with it as far as Medina;
I therefore, in imitation of some other Syrian pilgrims who had arrived
at Mekka before the caravan, engaged with a Bedouin of the Harb tribe
for two of his camels; although most of the hadjys, who, after the
pilgrimage, visit Mohammed's tomb at Medina, accompany the Syrian
caravan, agreeing with some Mekowem to defray all expenses on the road;
but it is better, for many reasons, to travel with Bedouins than with
towns-people, especially on a route across the Bedouin territory. An
accident, however, prevented me from availing myself of this
opportunity.
The caravan being ready for departure on the 15th of December, I packed
up my effects in the morning, and at noon a gun was fired, to announce
that Soleyman Pasha had quitted the plain of Sheikh Mahmoud, where the
caravan had been encamped; but still my Bedouin had not arrived. I ran
out towards Sheikh Mahmoud, when I understood that a rumour, whether
false or true, having been spread, that Mohammed Aly was only waiting to
see the camels all assembled in the morning upon the plain, that he
might seize and send them to Tayf, several Bedouins had made their
escape during the night: it was evident that those with whom I had
bargained were among the number. In the hurry and bustle of departure no
other camels could possibly be found; and I was therefore obliged to
return to the town, together with several Mekkans, who had been
disappointed in the same manner.
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