The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-03
III.

III.
After seven years, every waking hour OF
which not devoted to professional labors seems
to have been spent In the study OF languages.
Burton was attacked with rheumatic opthsl-
mia. and. having been beaten In his applica.
ton for q post OF interpreter by an officer who
had merely passed In Hindustani. he became
disguised with India and returned to England
on sick leave. Between this date. 1850 and
his volunteering for the Crimean war In Ooto-
Der, 1854 took place his pilgrimage to Mecca
and his expedition to Harar. To accomplish
Q journey to Medina and Mecca In those
days was almost an impossibility. for the
discovery that pilgrim was not Mus
SULLIVAN would have instantly cost him his
life. Even for one OF tho faithful to
visit the Holy City was an arduous undertak-
ing. First there was the pilgrim ship to en-
bark on then there were long desert caravan
marches. with their privations and dangers:
then there was the shrine. the Ka 'abah. to be
inspected. and q number OF ceremonies to be
gone through. as during Holy Week at
Rome. Burokhardt. the Swiss traveller. had
got into Mecca. but he never could sec the Ra-
'abah. and he confessed afterward that he
was So nervous that he was unable to take
notes or sketch for fear OF being detected.
Burton. on the other hand. was sketching and
writing In hia burnous all the time he
was prostrating himself and kissing the
sacred stone. Tho truth seems to have boon
that Burton did not 60 In mockery, but rever-
entially. He had brought his brain to believe
himself one OF the faithful For the
time he really was sincere convert
to Islam. OF late years some other
Europeans have been suffered to enter
Mecca and they have been received with
the utmost civility consistent with GOODNESS.
but they have been carefully kept out OF what
they most wished to sec: so that Burton APP
pears to have been the only European who
has beheld the inner religious life OF the Mos
Ions rs one OF themselves.
| He left London as . Persian. ono Capt
| Grindlay travelling with him to Alexandria as
| his English interpreter. At Alexandria. Burton
| changed his disguise. and went to Cairo as
| dervish. practising there on his own country
people until no found that he was unrecogniz-
able. Before leaving Cairo he assumed a
third disguise. and became Pathan. He was
now supposed to have been born In India OF
Afghan parents and to have been educated at
Rangoon. whence. according to the custom. he
| had been sent forth to wander He knew all
| the languages required for his role namely.
Persian. Hindustani. and Arabic He was
careful before leaving Cairo. TO study the
Moslem faith in every detail. and to I'M
dergo the fast OF the Ramazan. At
| tho last moment he had much dill
Guilty In getting passport without be-
traying himself But the chief Of the AZ
| CHAN college at the Azhar Mosque contrived
| It for him. supposing him to be q comp patriot.
He took q Meccan boy into his service. and.
| having hired q couple OF cam els. set forth In
| midsummer an eighty-iour-mile ride across
| the Suez desert. He was nearly undone at the
last moment BY his Meccan boy finding sex
tant among his clothes. but. fortunately. q let
1 ter on his person from doctor In Moslem the
| ology certified to his thorough orthodoxy.
Besides the sextsnt, he managed to secrete q
pocket compass. At Suez no embarked on q
sambuk an open boat OF about fifty tons. in
| which were packed ninety seven pilgrims. all
barefoot barehsadsd. dirty. and ferocious.
Tho distance TO Yambu. the port Of Medina.
was doubled By detours, but It would have
been 600 miles In . straight lima After twelve
days OF purEatory, which gave him an unplsAs-
| sntly complete knowledge Of the inner life oil
Moslems. he arrived at Yambu and arranged
for an escort OF cavalry to Medina. How
necessary the escort was 10 clear from the
fact that there was fighting every day. When
the pilgrims came In sight OF the city which
contains the tomb OF Mohammed. they were
enchanted with the gardens and orchards
which girdle the town with greeaery. In Me-
dina, Burton Was met by shoikh. to whom
he had brought letter. and who received him
into Ids family aS one OF the faithful Here
during leisure hours. he led peaceful AND
plessApt life; but OF course. 10 the pilgrimAg'
I vas his object, he had O multitude Of shrinss X
visit ceremonies 10 1srteEna. and prayers h