The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-05
The Departure Of the PilrrLms ior Meccn.


b Translated from the French Of Leon Cdhup.
/ had just crossed the Isthmus with NJ de
Lesseps, and arrived at Suez At the moment
when the pilgrims we're pouring In from all di-
FeCtione. There they take the steamers OF the
Egyptian Company Aztrie which bring them 70
DIeddah. / was enabled to observe them closely,
to penetrate into ther camp to partake of their
manner Of living, and allowed myself to be car
ried along for an II slant by that movement
which once every year sets in motion and inter-
mingles all the Moslem populations 1t Is q
striking spectacle. Before y0u, alongside the
Red Sea, is set OUT 2 city Of stones and brick,
halt Arabian, halt Anglo-Hindoo; behind,
towards the desert, the population of the Hadiis
swarms under the open sky, and are exposed to
the glaTing sun around their tents, which form
n city of canvas; on the right and on the lett,
the desert presses upon this narrow slip OF shore,
which exhibits the Orient in all ITS savage reality.
Thus is suez at the moment oil the pilgrimage.
Within the space oil hall square league ten
different races are seen-a Babel OF nomadlc
tribes. Alongside OF an English hotel, the Asia
tic tribes wrap themselves up in their rags; In
front of Egy yptan barracks the negroes of
Soudan stretch out their large bodies on the
heated sand; Aloerians grayely smoke their
cigarettes, squatting around their tents Turks
from Anatoa construct their provisional coffee
houses OF planks, stones, v22o. 2nd switches OF the
% sos TO Sary fsSness? 8 Mans are unioapding I
their camels. All these swarm around, talk,
sing, scream, prepare their cooking, mend their
rags, smoke, and look about, everybody being
festival in a camp a rendezvous, a confusion
of which nothing can give an idea. To us IL was
highly instructive tor it is here that the Orient
frankly exhibits its independence and its slavery,
its grandeur AMI its misery.
There are three distinct and opposing worlds
the one which allowed itself to be subjected
by Europe; the other, which accepted and gra-
vitates around it; third one which repels 1t,
and retired, and IN the desert asserts its indie
pendence and originality. Let us therefore,
pass by the Hindoos, sailors, and servants, with
bent necks, tmld laces, and servile gestures-a
herd Of slaves which we conquered, and rem
dered abject; let us pass by the Egyptians, the
soldiers OF the Viceroy-aglle and coquettlsh in
their grey tunics with red facings, their caps
boldly pitched on one ear, gay and laughing
fellows, accommodating and good natured, in
telhgent and tractable, real French conscripts,
not vet polished; they constitute the interme-
dlate Orient that has entered upon our ways
of living. that accommodates itself to our
genius, yields to our character, and walks
to-day behind and tomorrow perhaps, along
side of us. Let us pass by the Persians, who
are too polite, and the Turks, who are too we'll
known. Let us pass by the Algerians, who,
despite of ALL are Frenchifed, and go to Mecca
with the medal of the Italian war upon their
breast. A hundred PAGES from these, in the
midst of dust and nordescript otfas, wrapt up
in shapeless rags, without tents, without bag
gage, there they are, with their head high, the
Tartars and Ahghans, the hordes of Central
Asia, savage and unnamed. You must leave
behind you an Anglo Hindoo hotel, traverse an
d ~,
and TALL in with these formidable hordes, in
order to understand how lar Europe has ad.
vanced and before what peoples she has to stop
her onward march.
There are frightful rags and figures among
them; the beggars of Callot are satraps COM
pared with these people. Salvador Ro,a never
placed on his canvas such flaming eyes, such
rugged hair, such wild boards; the Arabian,
the HiIdoo, and the Turk have faces like lambs
compared with those OF these tigers and the
most robust Albanese appears feeble before these
dirty athletes. The men come from the centre
of Asia, from the steppes which lie between
Russia and Persia, from tue frontier of China,
the Hindoo Kosh and the Hlmalaya; they come
on foot and by sea, packed up in ships where they
could scarcely move; they are halEnaked, sut-
fering from hunger, without shelter; yet not one
of them complains. OF three hundred Asiatics,
/ did not see a single sick one; on the bronze
faces of these three hundred men | could not
perceive a trace OF fatigue. They had Just ar
rived and installed themselves in SueZ as in
conquered city, obstructing the crooked streets
with their broad shoulders, looking awry at the
we ky men OF the South, walking heavily, with
naughty and sombre mien, through that city,
seemingly too narrow for them. They are said
to be fanatics; this they must be TO undertake
such a voyage, but think there is in their IA
naticism as much of defiance as of faith. They
are men accustomed to lie in ambush; they sus-
pect snares every yWhere, although 10 the midst
of followers OF the same religion, who do not
understand their language. Their looks are dis
quiet and wild. When came among them, and
put to them the national question:-"Whe!e are
the seven ancestoTs?n they stretched out their
large hands, and said to me:-"Sit down with
us, thou art our brother"
took my seat in corner with people of Box
hara, nomads; their chief oar was Turcoman
Tekke, professional bandit; he was man of
tall stature and well built: his face lively and
intelligent. Two lat Kirgheses who we're seated
near me had preserved almost intact their
pointed high caps of Russian leather; never
before had seen the Kalmouk type so sGrkingly
expressed as IN these two ragged Hercules.
Three Atghans who had fled to Bokhara on
account of the crime OF political conspiracy, as
they said lin Atghanistan they conspire on the
main roads), completed our CIRCLE These
Aighans we're the handsomest men one can pos
sibly imagine; their large and we'll cut-eyes,
their Greclan profile, their sIlken boards, and
their long cUred hair appeared the more ad
VantageOusly through the contrast with the
rude 'aces OF the Tartars. Tall, slender,
almost elegant in spite of their rags, they ap-
peared to be HomeTlc heroes disguised as beg.
gars.
The Bokharians talked politics. the Turcoman,
Bahamadz, spoke, and the Krgheses listened.
Bahamadz cursed the Arabs and the Turks,
spoke III of the Persans, and Clenched his fist al
the mere mention OF the name of MOSCOf rus
sian), or an hlghFety ian Enelishman). One OF
the Afghans praised the CIrcassian and par
ticulary the tribe Of the Adeches. Another
spoke in favor of the brave Algerians, Who with
out allowing themselves to be stopped by mise
rable considerations, had Just given two piastrei
for basket OF oranges for which they had been
asked ten, and had carried it away in triumph
after having gIatifed with numberless abusive
epithets the Go yptan female sellers. The La
bOulian Oh ly regretted not having been able tC
understand them. As had been present at the
dispute made them all happy by transating
as we'll as / could, what still remembered o
these pleasant epithets. | perceived that they
began to feel more confident with regard to me
The third Afghan related in low voice tina
he had been in Peshawar to the English anC
that he had seen there in house q man onen