Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-08-27

Countless thousands OF fanatics nave n65
criIei death, still exists Fooree, in Oris
"a, Is the chief place for the ceremony, bus
next 70 Pooree in this respect comes Sc
raInpOrc, a little town situated on the right
bank OF the Hooghly, about Is miles above
Calcutta When the day arrives for the
pulling Of the car, many thousands ~
people flock into the town. Miles ara
miles of temporary shops are erected,
where food and all sorts of commodities
are exposed for sale. Then tSe images OF
Jucgcrnaut and his brother and sister are
carried out from the temple to the car
with much shouting and banging of
drums. These images are then hoisted tc
the summit OF the monstruuS vehicle,
which resembles nothing so much as :.
temple on wheels. When all Is ready, the
signal Is given, and hundreds OF men take
hold OF the ropes and csmmcnce dragging
the mighty car. OF course at one time
the moment the car was in motion thou
sands OF dcvotees hurled themselves under
the wheels and were manGlCd and crushed
to death, so that the track of tho car of
.Iu@gcrnaut was rocking line OF human
blood, Inanglcd limbs and miscellaneous
human remains. Now, however, no one is
allowed to get crashed under the wheels,
for ON those occasions when the car is
dragged forth the proSaIc and matter Of
fact English magistrate is upon the scene
with a strong police force. The sides OF
tie great car are gaudily painted with
scenes from Hindoo mythology.
The ceremonies that surround the return
of the holy carpet from its pilgrimage to
Mecca are still tn he witnessed III Cairo.
The troops and most of the population
turn out to meet the procession when tho
citadel gun announces iGs approach. The
EhodiVe himself and all his officials are
present. As the column draws near, the
excited crowd try TO touch the huge box
IL which the precious carpet lies. Present
" the procession arrives AT the principal
mosque, whore the scored carpet lies in
state for week. Il is then cut up and
distributed among the principal mosques
of the city.
The ceremony of the Dossa takes place
on the second or third day OF this week,
on the waste piece of ground opposito tho
English church on the way to kaSrel-Nil
bridge Three sides of this space are oc-
cupied by the tents of the sheik and diff
fcrent sects of dervishes. At an early hour
the place is thronged with people; all the
men about TO take Part in the ceremony
being mere or less in q state Of high, fever
ish drunkenness, having spent the night
in the mosques praying and drinking the
sacred liquor, which is made from hemp
seed. At about 10 o'clock the preparations
begin. The mon throw themselves down
upon the ground side by side in a long
line opposite the royal tents, and then
come the mosque attendants to arrange
them shoulder to shoulder, face down
ward, as though they were logs of wood.
The officials actually go along kicking
and pattins the human logs till they fit
into one another. If one is too fat or too
thin, he is uncercmoniously dragged out by
the arms and legs and thrown to one side.
\ dozen moro logs" eagerly rush forward
to fill the vacant space. At length the hui
man roadway is complctcd-and some
times, by the way, it is more than milo
long. When all is ready, there is n breath
less silence, broken only by II frcnzicd
shrek from one or other of the human
paving stones, who starts mp with blood
shot eye and foaIning mouth, to be carried
away in a fit; or again another compo-
nent of the road is seen raving from sun
stroke He is pulled aside and his place
Immediately filed up.
y blast of trumpcts is heard. In the
distance is seen small body of men on
foot, with banners and musical instru-
ments. They surround the head shoik,
who is mounted, and who has to be stead
iod in the saddle by two priests, since he
also is religiously and hopelessly drunk.
1t is always difficult to induce the
sheik's horse TO commence walking or
the bodies of the prostrato dovotces, be-
cause, although closely bliEdfolded, the
high spirited, sensitive animal knows in
shrinks from advancing. When the horse
docs advance, of course the first few men
are often terribly mutilated. None will
own to injuries, however, because if they
did they believe that all the benefit is lost,
and instead of the riding over proving a
blessing and forgiveness for the past
sins of the year their complaint makes
clear that some crimes have been commit
ted which are quite past forgiveness. For
this reason broken ribs are borne in ST
lence and dangerous injuries never report
ed, either by the sufferers or their rela
tions, for fear of police raids on such sus-
pected offenders.
One of the most peculiar methods of
punishment is that adopted in several
parts of India by holy men, who stretch
their arms above their heads, never lower ,
ing them. In time the arms shrivel, the
Joints stifTen, and they could not lower
their arms if they would one of these
men has held his arms above his head for
80 years. These fakirs are of necessity al /