The evening times., 1898-12-24

doned Damascus. Hence, in some meas
ure at any rate, the air" OF poverty and
decay in The street of the Hal.
II is none the less 4 most fascinating
street, unlike any within the city bounts.
The houses are fiat-roofed squares of
white washed mud, pierced with narrow
windows, through which glance Veiled
faces. The shops are many, ana the
goods displayed on their shelves are va
rious, but grain seems TO be the princI-
pal article of merchandise. There are
scores of warehouses, with heaps of
grain. Today the heaps serve as cOuchcS,
for women and children crowd every cor
ner and every roof. The ilurd. in his
square cloak of felt has driven his sheep
into the courtyard; the Beduu.a has halt
ed his solemn procession al cauels TO
await the coming Of the Emperor. His
pilgrimage was short yet trlumph1u nj.
The green flag of the prophet Was hung
ON the wall Of the mosque where the
camel that carries the sacred litter Is fed
Riding slowly forward, his majesty reach
ed the plain, with its ruined mosque and
mud hamlet, where for many generations
Moslems have assembled for that pilgrim
age which is their baptism of faith. He
went as far as the meeting of the two
roads that stretch like sun-scorched RIB
bons TO the purple hills-the road tn the
! Hauran. full of vague mystery Of war
and wandering and the road to Mecca.
The Emperor is a mystic ald loves the
sights that quicken and color imaGina-
/ ton He eazed long and intently at the
path that leads across the Desert to the
Mountain of Light and the Sacred CITY
the Pantheon of Moslems. Doubtless he
saw in his minds eye the endless pro-
Cession that treads the way To Mecca,
the multitude of the East who endure
! toll, and hunger, and tlIirst-cvcn death
in the hope OF looking uron the black
stone which the Angel Gabriel gave to
Abraham.
There Is no more poetic scene IN earth
than Damascus viewed at a distance under
evening light Twice the Emperor rode to
the village of Es-Salahiyeh in order TO
gaze upon its splendor and majesty. The
spot on which he stood is sacred to Mos
lens. There Abraham was taught The
doctrine of the unity Of God, and thithcr
for many generations have come Greamers
10 lay their bones in the shadow of the
tomb Of Muhi-ed-Din ibu el'Arabi, poet
and mystic. At the Emperors feet stretch
ed the city-white walls studded with gar
! dens and domcs and shttering minarets,
encircled with emerald belt. Away to
the west, over barren plain, rose the
mountains of Anti-Lebanon against a SOL
emn space of blue sky. Their brown sum-
nit was bathed in a sea of crimson light.
! that lost itself in the rent sides and broke
like waves Cf blood against rugged peaks.
| Volcanic Safa grew black and monstrous.
! and the mountains of the Hauran haunted
! the horizon like shrouded phantoms. slow
| ly the purple shadows crept across the
| plain until the sun descended behind Il
| crimson cloud and u level lire of twi .ieht
ran along the hiIltops A dark veil was
| drawn over the sky, but the city shone
| below, dome ana minaret rising strange
and majestic out of the shining space. Ana
| through the silence of the night rose the
melancholy cry of the Muezzin-'Allah is
| great. I believe that there is no Coo
but Allah, and Mahomet is the Prophet
of Allah. Come to prayer