At The Same Time
Martial Music Rose From The Masses Of Nizam And The Stouter-Hearted
Pilgrims Were Not Sparing Of Their Labbayk[FN#6] And “Id Kum
Mubarak[FN#7]”—“May Your Festival Be Happy!”
After the pass of the Two Rugged Hills, the road widened, and old Ali,
who, during the bumping, had been in a silent convulsion of terror,
recovered speech and spirits.
This change he evidenced by beginning to
be troublesome once more. Again I resolved to be his equal. Exclaiming,
“My eyes are yellow with hunger!” I seized a pot full of savoury meat which
the old man had previously stored for supper, and, without further
preamble, began to eat it greedily, at the same time ready to shout
with laughter at the mumbling and grumbling sounds that proceeded from
the darkness of the litter. We were at least three hours on the road
before reaching
[p.201] Muzdalifah, and being fatigued, we resolved to pass the night
there.[FN#8] The Mosque was brilliantly illuminated, but my hungry
companions[FN#9] apparently thought more of supper and of sleep than of
devotion.[FN#10] Whilst the tent was being raised, the Indians prepared
our food, boiled our coffee, filled our pipes, and spread our rugs.
Before sleeping each man collected for himself seven “Jamrah”—bits of granite
the size of a small bean.[FN#11] Then, weary with emotion and exertion,
all lay down except the boy Mohammed, who preceded us to find encamping
ground at Muna. Old Ali, in lending his mule, made the most stringent
arrangements with the youth about the exact place and the exact hour of
meeting—an act of simplicity at which I could not but smile. The night
was by no means peaceful or silent. Lines of camels passed us every ten
minutes, and the shouting of travellers continued till near dawn.
Pilgrims ought to have nighted at the Mosque, but, as in Burckhardt’s
time, so in mine, baggage was considered to be in danger thereabouts,
and consequently most of the devotees spent the sermon-hours in
brooding over their boxes.
[FN#1] Ali Bey calls it “Jami al-Rahmah”—of mercy.
[FN#2] Here was a small chapel, which the Wahhabis were demolishing
when Ali Bey was at Meccah. It has not been rebuilt. Upon this spot the
Prophet, according to Burckhardt, used to stand during the ceremonies.
[FN#3] Burckhardt gives this name to a place a little way on the left
and about forty steps up the mountain.
[FN#4] In Solomon’s time the Egyptian horse cost 150 silver shekels,
which, if the greater shekel be meant, would still be about the average
price, £18. Abbas, the late Pasha, did his best to buy first-rate Arab
stallions: on one occasion he sent a mission to Al-Madinah for the sole
purpose of fetching a rare work on farriery. Yet it is doubted whether
he ever had a first-rate Nijdi. A Badawi sent to Cairo by one of the
chiefs of Nijd, being shown by the viceroy’s order over the stables, on
being asked his opinion of the blood, replied bluntly, to the great man’s
disgust, that they did not contain a single thoroughbred[.] He added an
apology on the part of his laird for the animals he had brought from
Arabia, saying, that neither Sultan nor Shaykh could procure colts of
the best strain.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 133 of 331
Words from 68778 to 69352
of 175520
