The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-04-23

shape from every known cline. and cos
TUNES that only a mad tailor could realize
in delirious visions of the night. The elect
Of the believers were there from Turkey
and Greece, from Syria and Barbary and
Timbuctoo, from Egypt, Palestine and the
.-lrk heart Of Africa, from Persia and the
gions of the Indus, from Hindoostan, Ma
lacca and the Asatic isles and from many
fer separated places besides, gathered at
incalculable cost and indescribable trouble
and discomfort TO worship according to
the doctrines of Islam.
Yet the tumult was certainly not such as
one associates with acts of religion. Men
using the language of troopers in rage
were hauling wildly at apathetic camels
that appeared TO have an insuperable bias
in favor of standing still, and frantically
endeavoring 10 stuff them in holes and cor
ners that could not possibly accommodate
anything larger than cat; horses were
rearing and backing and dancing; ladies
were screaming in fear of having their lit
ters upset and their sacred beauty exposed
TO the public gaze; householders and visit
ors wrangled and gesticulated about the
value of lodgings, and over all were mil
lion ear splitting cries that seemed TO rise
out of the very earth.
the din and confusion, for we had goodly
number of beasts 70 dispose of and voluble
tongues in our heads to argue against the
obstinacy of man and brute 1t took sew
eral hours Of arduous pulling and pushing
and vociferatng to get ourselves and our
belongings housed but the enterprise was
at length accomplished Just as the sun, the
only street lamp at Mecca, was dropping
out OF sight. Then having dined sumptu.
ously ON roast fowl, eggs, bread and coffee
rare delicacies after the hard fare OF the
desert-we lay down TO dream of the great
things that were before us.
Anxious to show ourselves patterns Of
piety and strictness, Tabal and / assumed
the hiram, which is the special mark of de-
voutness II consists Of two pieces of linen
cloth, one of which is wrapped about tbs
loins like highland kilt and the other
thrown over the upper part of the body n.
such n way as TO leave the right arm un-
covered As no other garment, not even so
much as a covering for the head, Is permit
ted while II is worn, il makes an airy dress,
especially i'm theevening and at early morn
ing, when the Mecca air is often as shrevd
as that of Edinburgh.
Thus we visited with our companions tia
beitullah, or temple, an imposing building
with more gates and minarets and courts
and domes and marble, granite and por-
phyry pillars than | had time TO count.
Rance we were Obliged to leave in the porch
with great crowd OF her own sex, for the
Moslem will allow no woman, however
beautiful or pious or exalted, 10 set foot in
his temple Thus ths Mohammedan ladies,
less fortunate than their Christian sisters,
are denied The privilege Of displaying the
latest fashions ia church.
Inside the payements were full OF men in
every posture OF rapt devotion, some kneel-
ing, some sitting with bent heads, others
PROSTATE on the floor. AT sight OF these
we stopped for one minute, bowing low;
then with "a solemn, measured step, we adj
vanced five abreast upon the ksaba, keep
ing our eyes fast upon it. On reaching It
we stopped again, bat only for an instant.
Proceeding at the same pace as before we
went round ii seven times. reciting ina low
voice certain prescribed verses from the
Koran. only we interrupted ourselves at
each round TO kiss the black stone which,
az all believed. was brought direct from
heaven 10y the angel Gabriel.
Having done our duty by the kaaba and
the black stone we turned 60 the zemzem-.
that is TO say, the holy well which God
miraculously created for the outcast HagaI
and her SON, the father Of the children Of
the desert. We drank Of its waters and
washed ia them Qor the benefit of succeed.
ing badiisI. but there was one pilgrim az
least whe would have taken n draft
of epson salts with more relish. The zern-
zem may be good TO wash in, but IL Is not
good Go drink from, a fact which the Arabs
themselves tscitly acknowledge by refrain.
ing from partaking Of its waters otenei
than once year.
Purified OF our sins. we returned % the
esysmsnt already menIionsd, and there