The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1894-02-20
THE END OF RAMADAN
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF THE CLOSE
OF THE FORTY DAYS FAST.

4 Con Boomed Fron the CitaAsl 1t the
Dagfnning and Esding sf the Rits-The
Lss-.A Upon which the Uneoafortsbls
Custoa IL BassA.
We sat in the tents shadow, with our
faces turned toward Cairo. There were
three of us, the sheik Of the neightor.
ing village, Ahmed and l.. The clear
outline Of the Mokhattan hills was hid
den in the thick mist generated by the
heat; the city was a gray blur against
the black sides of the uplands. Below
us. amid the sugar cane, the fellahin
worked with an affectation of energy.
Sometimes a voice came to us mellowed
by distance: sometimes the sail of a
vessel glided phantomw wise over the blue
ribbon of water that twined along the
valley toward Alexandria aud the delta.
A month before i had zen the mes
sengers leave the city anJ strike into
the desert. Twenty-fou, hours later,
dusty and not, they trrned, bearing
news. The new moon mad appeared,
and the fast was procla ned. At mid
night a gun doomed + IN the citadel,
and suddenly the me ~ noises of the
streets Were sHlled.
Next day l wander l through the ba-
xaars. but received no invitation to
drink coffee with nv friends. Pipes and
cigarettes were not offered to me. A
kind of half sleep lad fallen on every
body. and l hardly dared speak TO any
one. In the intervals between their
bargainings the merchants read the Ko-
ran or prayed. counting their beads with
rimble fingers. head bent downward.
The bargainings. too, were a poor shad-
ow of the exciting scenes l loved. The
purchaser was always languid and the
vender inert. uninterested.
As the afternoon wore on a look of
fatigue. often of real pain. gloomed On
the usually genial faces. II was hot.
70 hot. The q beat furiously on the
white walls and roads; the cruel KEN
pion whirled the dust through the
streets and dried the skin and lips.
But the cry of the water carrier was
not raised: no boys offered lunches of
juicy fruit TO the sufferers. Ramadan
had come with all its teTrors. and for
the love of God and his apostle must
they be borne. If not cheeriully. at any
rate sternly and manfrlly.
One hour before sunset life seemed
{ o stir again in the veirs. The bakeries
were crowded: the fires hiszed unl-r
the ovens: a smell of cooking stole over
the city. Women sGuatted at intervals
along the streets with cakes and frait
and bottles of water spread before them.
Little groups gathered round them. i'm
patient. expectaut. The smokers took
out their pipes or cigarettes and stood
waiting for the signal. match in hand.
Suddenly the sun fell. and the gun
Numbered from the citadel. The city
awoke; the population began to eat; the
wonen were busy disposing of their
goods.
For 40 days these things were, and
now was come the closing day Of the
fast, and l sat with my friends on the
sand, gazing toward the citadel till the
gun showed fire for the last time.
All the afternoon envious glances
had been cast at me as cheerfully dis
obeyed the prophets orders. Ahmed, /
think. had the sheik not been with me,
would have smoked a cigarette. but as
it wal ne lay beside me and sulked.
The sheik was too old to behave thus.
He was quiet and spoke slowly, but he
tried braEeiy to conceal all signs of dis
comfort. Ahmed's annoyance may be
accounted for In this way. He declared
TO me that Mohamined tasted one day in
the month Ramadan, but on which day
was uncertain. and therefore the the
ologisns decreed a 40 days fast that
they might be sure of fasting the same
day as the prophet. l do pot think All
med believes this legend. though he
vOuches vehemently for its truth.
To while away the time l asked the
sheik to tell me about the visit of the
-cEarowitz. But the long abstinence
made him unable to talk at any length,
and even this his fsvorite story he
told me briefly in a couple of bald SEN
tences, though he responded gently: Il
met him as n prince meets another.
He told me he owned many villages;
that he was sheik over half the world.
ii may be as they have said"
And what did he say to you'll
eusried- He greeted me courteously
81 took me BY the hand. This ring
s4Aek wear j. his gift"
A he spoke be showed me, without
SniAs. . sapphire Of grest sise and
1nsn4y. Then be relapssd into silence.
0Al0ussd myself BY pdcturing tbs
IN ny mind. I would that ! had
- ~ ossting bstwssn the heir of