The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-08-06
AMONG THE DERVISHEs.


visit TO n Miracle Show in Damascus.
The following is an interesting extract
from ELEPHANTS ''Land of the Gilead -
The shiek received us at the door of his
court. yard, which was already tolerably full
of native spectators and Of persons who
were to take part in the performances,
while many veiled women, who had appar-
emily got notice that the sheik was going
to exhibit his powers, crowded the sur
rounding roofs After the usual prelimi-
nary politeness Of pipes, sherbet and coffee,
he went into an inner room and reappear-
ed with a bundle of iron skewers, very
much resembling those used by cooks for
trusting meat. Beckoning to a wild look
ing deryish, stripped to the waist, whose
wandering eye had an evil look in it
which the rest of his countenance did not
belie-in fact, it was only redeemed from
being yillainous by sort of glare of in-
sanity-he made him open his mouth, and
1 proceeded with the utmost eoolness to pass
a skewer from the inside through each
cheek, so that the points could be seen
( plainly protruding. He then performed a
/ like operation on remarkably handsome
youth Of about sixteen, whom | afterward
found was his son, and whose large, clear,
hazel eye was calmly fixed on mine while
his checks were being pierced, nor did a
/ line Of his countenance indicate that he
was conscious Of the slightest pain. Not
drop of blood flowed in either case.
The two victims stood before us with
their mouths pressed back aud the pro-
jeeting skewers showing the points through
their checks, with as much apparent com
fort as if it we're the normal condition of
their being. Leaving them in this atti-
tude the sheik again disappeared into his
room This time he appeared with a
small, square box, drawing back the slid
ing lid Of which he extracted a scorpion
of unusual size, its vicious tail curling and
striking its own back as it writhed between
his fingers. This he handed to another
dervish, clothed and looking no more in
bis right mind than his skewered com
rade, who instantly dropped the lively rep
tile into his mouth, and erunehed it with
apparent gusto. As he was as large as an
ordinary land-crab it was big mouthful,
aud seemed to whip up into a sort Of lath-
er rs be chewed it. His countenance, as
be went on munching, was so impassive
that | could not judge whether live scor-
piou is nice or not; probably it is an ae-
quired taste. Another deryish joined 10
the repast, aud disposed of a smaller one
with equal equanimity. | now suggested
that We were satisfied in regard to the
skewers, and that the company generally
would feel more comfortable if they were
extracted. 1t is decidedly unpleasant to
have two men with their cheeks trussed
staring at you while others are eating live
scorpions Their mouths were so pressed
back that they seemed to be grinning; but
| should think the effect of q real joke
would have been disagreeable, longed
try aud make them laugh, to see whether
it would hurt them; bat their is probably
no such thing as dervish with sense of
humor, and an Arabic joke was beyond
me. The sheik, too, would probably have
been offended, for he went through the
whole performance with the greatest So
lemnity, taking long, deep inspirations as
he muttered ineantations in which the
name of Allah occurred frequently, before
he touched the skewers; then, with dem
tist-like twist, he jerked them out. The
points were bloodless, and the outside of
the cheek showed only slight induration,
/ like that of cicatrized wound; there was
no reduess or Inflammation. The sheik
now once more returned to his room and
brought out a larger box, which he open
ed, and drew forth from it several snakes
of all sizes. These began to wriggle about
the floor in disagreeable manner, with
an overpowering attraction apparently for
the legs of foreigners. However, the
sheik charmed them in the usual manner,
and they soon all curled up submissively
/ then taking one about two feet long by
the tail, held it up in manner so tempt
ing that it proved irresistible to tall, per-
fectly insane looking dervish, who was
afflicted with a sort of St. Nitus dance,
and who, rushing forward out of the crowd,
gave a loud yell, snatched the twisting
snake cut Of the sheik's hands with both
of his, gave it sudden, violent jerk,
which snapped it in two, and plunged the
bleeding and palpitating cod into his
mouth. This was the signalfor general
scramble; the halfnaked derviSh who had
been skewered seized hold of the other end,
and secured at least six inches all to him
self The men who had eaten the scor-
pious Joined in voraciously, and in two
minutes the entire animal had disappeared,
and the human beings who had eaten it
were wiping their bloody chops with much
apparent relish. The tall, St. Vitus'
dance man, indeed, seemed to become in
toxicated with delight, or some other emo
tion and went into a sort of convulsion,
from which he was only restored by the
most intense effort on the part of the sheik,
who seized his head between his hands,
pressing it violently as he took long
breaths, and the veins swelled in his for
head with the concentration Of his mag
netic or other forces, as he repeated the
formula of incarnation, and finally restored
his disciple, of whom he was evidently
proud, to comparative calm. With the
exception of the skewer affair there was
nothing very wonderful in all this; for,
after all, the power of a man to make a
beast of himself may be pushed to very
considerable length before it becomes in
explicable; so | was relieved to see prepar-
ations for experiments of a different ma
ture. A brazier of burning charcoal was
brought in, and the charcoal famed into
a blaze. The sheik then went through
an invocation, and suddenly, with his bare
feet, jumped upon it, and stood there for
nearly minute, the lurid fame curling
round them. The moment he got off the
serpent-eaters rushed forward and filed
their mouths with red-hot charcoal, which
was again famed, the smell of burning