The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1895-10-03

Sanctuary of the White Cow.
floor, seem scarcely of the earth earth
ly.
The sound of the "kak's" voice re-
calls one to actually. "KhOda 1.-THE
Deity has willed it. Khoda has or
dained it," he exclaims. "Khoda has
wiIled it, Khoda has ordained it," re-
spond the figures ranged in the tenn
pie. And TO- the ceremony of initia-
ton commences, for prayers and pray
ing are unknown to the Yezidis. Two
of the black robed dervishes again
step from their places and take up po-
sitions one beside their dead colleague,
the other beside his living companion.
At a sign from the chief the former
begins to disrobe the corps, removing
begins to diSrobe the corpse, removing
them aside. Then he remove the roll
of cotton stuff from the living man
and wraps it round the body. envel-
oping it well in the folds. Now the
second dervish takes the robes of the
dead man and proceeds t. invest the
living candidate beside him, one by
one, with the garments peculiar to the
brotherhood. First he puts on him the
'zubun," a long black undershirt,
which reaches below the knees, which
must be no other color but black.
Afterward he draws or the "sarwah,"
or short white breeches proper to the
fraternity, and her a vest which may
be any color but blue, for blue is a
sacred ~color-Sacred to Satan-and the
true Yezidi makes no use of any arti-
Gle whatsoever of that hue. Now he
is invested with the "mashlah," a long
black mantle falling to his feet, and
the 'haran," or girdle of rope that suf-
fees him for a WaiStband. The initi-
ate at this stage rises from the ground
and takes from the hand of his col
league a cOnical black cap, which he
must himself have made of woollen
material, and places it upon his w
head. And finally he walks round to
the "kak," or head of the Yezidis, VIII"
ties round his neck the mystic
"mahak," or bride, which is knotted
about his throat, leaving the ends to
hang down in front, and which must
never leave his body, for it is to be
buried with him when dead.
When fully attired he takes his
place by the side of his chief, while
the two dervishes who assisted at his
initiation leave the temple. In a short
time they return, one leading a young
black lamb, the other bringing a sharp
knife. The latter hands the implement
to his new colleague, while the former
takes the lamb to him. He catches
the lamb by the front legs and throws
it upon the ground, then turning to-
ward the liking bird symbol he
grasps the knife firmly in his right
hand and drives it into the abdomen,
just below the diaphram. Into the
wound thus made he inserts his hand
with the knife, cuts the heart clean
out and casts it, all palpitatlng and
bleeding, at the foot of the ''malik
tans,' or king bird, which represents
tn" deity incarnate in Satan. The
blood is then sprinkled upon the altar
and seven times upon the newly or
dained dervish and his dead colleague.
Thereupon the procession reforms and
returns to the upper world in the same
order as it came.
To the music of the flute and the
clashing of the cymbals we march
down the glen again to the shrine of
the Prophet Adj in the middle of the
valley. The Yezidi w%orshipers are still
in waiting there. and PROSTATE them
selves as before when the king bird is
L past tltii-
At the shrine the "Farash.' or
special functionary in charge, has made
all ready, lighting up the interior britt
iantly and opening all the doors. We
go in, and | find the interior a plain
quadrangle with a stone at the fur
Their extremity marking the actual
burial place of the founder of the
lezidis. The priests and others range
themselves as they did in the under
ground temple, the "Farash" takes Il
vase of perfumed oil, sticks Il good
d wick in 1t, lights it, and takes it
ii to each fu~nctionary present.
Llch n shifts lightly at the scented
oil, holds his hand for a moment over
the light, and then gently strokes his
beard.
A second black lamb is now brought
to the door of the shrine and sacrificed
in precisely the same manner as that
in the underground temple. The flesh
is, however, cut up in small pieces and
thrown to the Yezidis outside, who
scramble for them eagerly, and then
make for their homes before the dawn
appears. With this the ceremonial con-
Guides, thus terminating my.first night
among the devil %worshipers of Kur-
diStan.-New York Herald.