Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1895-03-17
| WHITE HAN In MECCA.
NJ. COuRTELLEMONT THE SECOND
FRENCHnIAN TO MAKE THE TRIP.
Nearly Betrayed Himself by His Table
AIanners-Perils of the Remark
able Journey and
Scenes in the Holy City.

Another white man has made the peril
Gus jorney to Mecca and come back TO teii
the story, says the New York sun. a few
weeks ago great audience greeted NJ.
Gervais Courteliemont in Paris when he
told the Geographical Society there of his
visit to the holy city on mission in
trusted to him by the governor general of
Algeria. This gentleman is the author of
countries and he very glad of the op-
portunity TO become acquainted with the
center of the Mohammedan world. Only
one Frenchman before him has visited
Mecca and returned in ;afety
eral of Algeria intrusted me with a mission
to the grand sheriff of Mecca l succeeded
in my difficult enterprise, and l owe my
success to my companion, Hadj Akli, who
has long been In the service of Frances and
has made tWenty-one pilsrimages to Nee
dressed lin in the sarb of poor m egS gssman mas
and l mingled as one of them with my
brother pilgrims. There We're merchants
Aleppo, camel drivers from Nedj and even
slaves. | became well acquainted with
days on the steamer before we reached
Jidda. Here debarll every year the innum-
cradle PILGRIMS, who come by the sea route.
| had hardly landed when l was arrested
BY Turkish policeman during the momen-
tary absence of my comrade. lie piled me
with questions, which / answered in good
Arabic. and, as my passport was all right,
ne, ne let me 20. 1 found however, that was
breakfast or dinner. which is q bad sign
IN 2 M9hammedan country.
,finally one of the residents. 81 All,
asked me to dine with him, and I nearly
spoiled everything bY my awliwardness at
the table. was required to eat rice, fried
not little Of the food on my clothing and
the table. The fish had an extraordinary
to drink during the meal astonshed
everybody by frequently asking a servant
for water. Iladj Akll had little patience
with me. His remarks when he got me
hlnne were not encouraging.
So. You are scarcely Intelligent he said.
table You vii! not live to see Mecca!'
IN My NJ host host 81 Ak WV was not more h9peiuI
with me he said. and / am your friend.
But do not try 10 go to Mecca. The sands
Of the desert are white with the bones of
our holy city You are throwing yourself
into Ito the fire. Allah ,forblds suicide, -
4 good Mohammedan, and that if Allah
wished to destroy him in the desert 1t was
his religious exercises, and expressed him
self self as as little satisfied with his manner. of
enough to assst for tw9 davs ti in "S 15o ka
vices education. and then. NJ. Courtelle-
Ills departure was hurried by the fact
that he was exciting more and more sus-
Picion' lie did not pretend to be anything
he was regarded as rather green So he
was glad to get away from Jilda, He made
suffered intensely from tho night cold, for
Ne Ws w9i haTea ad on don9y and his head
rades on the journey, who had not Thought
It necessary to manifest so much religious
At break t Of G9a Gay Sid d the thps tfaTeier St9iehs
entered he The holy city of Islam. a cloud OF
cd ny path and trembled for fear of
trading ,t on them. This would be very
highest veneration by the people OF Mecca,
! lost no Time in repairing to the great
mosque to make my hrst, devotions. The
times the circuit of the taaba, or Bit Ala,
lniUs 3use A. 49 Cod reeiting prayers in loud
or q cube, each side about forty feet wide
ana iigty feet high. i is covered with
border about four feet wide running around
me me top, on which are reproduced verses
after l had made the seven circuits of
tne GdaDa at rapid rapid pace | was at liberty
20 ",lbrace ne black stone. This stone Is
b one Of the angles OF the caaba.t i i When 5si
me llps, are touched TO II II does not give
ton, the most Of 1t is encased in solid itI'e si-
yer, and according, 70 usage ! threw my
kissed the sacred stone,
"A more ardu9us ceremonial. the Sal,
seven times at a very rapid pace over the
road between the sacred porticos safa and
miles reeiting prayers all the while in a
high voice, This ceremony Is In memory
OF fidEdT, Wnen she sought in vain for |
water for her little son who was perish |
ing of thirst The pilgrim is required TO
make this journey before he Is permltted
70 drink q the miraculous water Of the
Gabriel directed the despairlng Hagar."
1t appears that IN Mecca the pilgrims of
each nationality place themselves in charge
Of guides, each Of whom i, a representatIve
came naturally under the care OF the Al |
gerian guide. to whom he was Indebted for
many fayors. The shelf of Mecca gave |
him cordial reception and his mission was
a complete success. Among the interesting |
things he saw was the ruins of building |
erected not long ag9 for the purpose OF
they arrived in the city, The idea was Civ |
en- up as impracticable and the building was |
aHow could they expect" asks NJ. cour-
tellemont 10 disinfect the clothing of |
more than s5ooO2 PgsTlms s r I9 a little bulId;
Ing that was only 3iNiO feetP And why did /
they erect such an establishment IN the /
city itself. when their sole purpose was 10 4
protect the city from epidemics?"
SO Mecca eontisuss 10 be one Of the
Of cholera spreadf In all directions.