Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-03-02

While you senti,nentalize, perhaps,


watching the strange medley of men
and manners from the carriage win
dow, or observing the incongruity of
putting steam engine with the sandy
desert. the domed mosques, the lofty
palms, and the solemn camels, you
see sudden motion of the crowd
1t divides and an open path is made
along the platform. 1t ia some great
Pasha, you ask, or kicking horse,
or funeral? But you forget for a
moment that you are in the East
1t is dervish.
First you see a lofty standard,
about as high again as regimental
colors, but otherwise very like them.
1t is borne by tall, mild-looking
negro, who is also laden with q
gourd, brass pannikin, pipe, and
various other articles for personal
use. While you wonder what or
who he is, he stops, and a kind of
ring is formed by the crowd. Into
the open space steps the dervish.-
He is understood, like most great
men; but his mien is majestic. His
complexion is quite white, of which
you can easily judge, for he wears
no clothes to speak of, except that
round his naked shoulders and chest
is coiled a heavy chain, supplement-
ed by half a dozen rings of solid
iron.
His hair, black and curly, hangs
halfway down his back, but rises
nobly from his magnificent forehead.
His beard, like John the Baptist's,
has evidently never been touched by
Il razor, but flows, well combed, over
his heavy breast. He stops, looks
down, then up to heaven. There is
Il shudder among the silent crowd
Then he casts up his arms, and be
gins to speak in a deep, solemn voice
and in measured phrases which to
our ears sound like verse. AS he
waves his ar", you see he has but
one hand. The other has offended
him, and he has cut 1t off; but he
raises the stump to heaven i'll protest
against the men of this generator; !;
and you think yon see one Of the old
Hebrew prophets as he speaks, and a
thrill runs through you also. The
scene is deeply Impressive. The
crowd reply to his eloquence by a
groan, and then he takes step or
two forward.
His gait Is perhaps too much of Il
strut to satisfy critical eye, and
there is an expression OF cunning in
his face which mars his otherwise
magnificent features. But at the
moment you do not perceive this
He walks up and down, gesticulating
but with dignity. As he strides
along, he seems to perceive no one
! in his path, and all make way for
him. You hope he will not walk
into your carriage. An official, duly
decorated with the shepherds plaid,
comes out to him, but approaches
him respectfully. He endeavors to
reason with him, to draw him aside,
to expostulate. Evidently he would
be more at home in a nelghboring
mosque. His costume Is not suitable
to u railway station. There are
Europeans in the train perhaps ladies.
But, no, the prophet cares for none
of these things. He turns round
and lifts up the voice of his testimo-
ny against the official, and, SO to
speak, withers him up. He retires
discom6ted; but another comes out
greater than himself. The gymno-
sophist is at last persuaded. He
turns, shakes the dist of the plat
form from his unshod soles, and pas
ses out of the gate. There is mo-
nent of stiffness, and then the hustle
breaks ont again till the train starts
AS the train draws to a station,
you ask the guard what it was lie
said. After his answer you wish
you had refralned. The dervish, he
tells you, had demanded free pas
sage by rail to the next village and
the station-master had refused it.
That was all.