Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-14
BY ROSITA FORBES.

~ hungry and thirsty, we passed
| "A out of gate and out Of the
4 4 nightmare. Somebody said
Here are the rnutowifeen,
and we found ourselves in another per
between double row of we'll dressed
Intelligent looking Arabs, one or two Of
them with short swords in bright EN-.
broidered belts.
The most imposing parsonage neal
the gate, with gold sword and splendid
kufiya, was the head mutowif, and Il
any pilgrim had not already chosen his
temporary guide, philosopher and friend
he was asked his nationality by this in.
dividuAl and doled out to the correct
mutowif.
AS a matter of fact, the r,futowlfs
themselves live in Mecca, but they have
wakils in Jedda who meet the pilgrim,
boats and take charge Of those whose
countries they respectively represent.
was very fortunate in having an intro.
duction to one Of the best known guides
--Bakr Hanowi--so, as soon as called
out this name couple of pale, thin in.
| dividuals rose from somewhere in the
double line OF chairs and took possession
Of us in the most comforting manner.
They shepherded us out on to large
i wharf, where half q dozen sellers Of
bright. colored liquids bore down upon
us with most inviting looking drinks
Their taste was not quite equal to Their
appearance, but I drank one glass oil
each color, with the idea that II one was
going TO get cholera, one might as well
do it thoroughly.
The wakil, Abdulla, spread our cArne;
beside q convenient pillar. took away
our passports, which we had been wear.
| ing hung around Our flecks In fat ttr
cases, and left as TO await the arrival Of
our luggage. still stranded In the heavs
feluccas. We were Immediately sur.
rounded by sweetrneat sellers, who of.
fered US all kinds Of sticky delicacies on
trays, but they were not a. prettily
colored az the drinks, so I waved them
away.
y AM
A s there was no sign of the luggage
Abdulla suggested we should 20 ur
| to the house of Bakr Hanowf and return
later, but Bahia was feeling III and re.
fused to move from the shade and com.
| parAttve cool Of the wharf. 80 I left her
| with some OF our friends ana the wakil
and started on alone into q white blaze
Of heat that upset all my preconceived
IDEAS Of the tropics, even those of the
| 1anihezi In June.
| Nevertheless, I found Jedda attractive
| especially when we turned out of the
dusty main street, with European
! shops ana the mosque with q slender
| white madna, into delicious shady bv.
| ways, where the tall, Irregular houses
leaned together 30 that their latticec
balconies Of carved wood seemed to be
| whispering harem secrets above the
| heads of the rare pAsSers-by.
Everywhere were preparations for the
I pilgrimage of girbas hanging or
!. q wall q row of shug-dufs, clumsy aY1t
unwieldy, waiting for hire, and blocking
: every side street, the slender, shaver
q. riedjaH cafnels, which take the pilgrim,
/ to Mecca--yet there were no crowds
Even the covered suqs through which
we passed were almost deserted, save fol
! the sleepy merchants lazify Ticking filel
off their meat and fruits, or asleep or
| their piled carpets, or for few sturdy
BedaW In coarse blue galabias, with
eelled kufiyas swinging over long PLATED
hair. TO me II is the old houses OF
Jedda that are its chief charm, not the
sues, which cannot compare with those
| Of Fee or Damascus.
| Bakr Hanowi's dwelling was typical o!
| It's kind-inf1nitely high, gray, and Sc.
| cretive. with its closed balconies built out
| in tiers above the very narrow street
Abdulla led me Zip dark flights of stair.
| into the cool rooms stretching righi
across the house, so that the breeze blew
through them.
/ on one side, the open balcony of darl
| carved wood looked into little yart
With pots OF rIaauve flowers hung abov,
| It, and, on the other, IN immense divar
| was built out above the street with de.
| iicious iatticed panels. making the room
dim and stadowy, but allowing one 3,
peep through the fretted carving ut TIL
pilgrims below.
There was nothing In either room ex
cept the carpets that covered the fioof
and the wide, hard divans with tllei
rows OF still, solid holsters; but I hay
rarely felt more thankful than when
curled myself into q corner Of tn