all was dull after the excitement of the great festival. the heat of the succeeding night rendered every effort to sleep abortive; and as our little camp required a guard in a place so celebrated for plunderers, i spent the greater part of the time sitting in the clear pure moon-light.1
after midnight we again repaired to the devils, and, beginning with the ula, or first pillar, at the eastern extremity of muna, threw at each, seven stones (making a total of twenty-one), with the ceremonies before described.
on thursday (sept. 15th, 1853), we arose before dawn, and prepared with a light breakfast for the fatigues of a climbing walk. after half an hour spent in hopping from boulder to boulder, we arrived at a place situated on the lower declivity of the jabal sabir, the northern wall of the muna basin. here is the majarr al-kabsh, “the dragging-place of the ram,” a small, whitewashed square, divided into two compartments. the first is entered by a few ragged steps in the south-east angle, which lead to an enclosure thirty feet by fifteen. in the north-east corner is a block of granite (a), in which a huge gash, several inches broad, some feet deep, and completely splitting the stone in knife-shape, notes the spot where ibrahim’s blade fell when the archangel gabriel forbade him to slay ismail his son. the second compartment contains a diminutive hypogaeum (b). in this cave the patriarch sacrificed the victim, which gives the place a name. we descended by a flight of steps, and under the stifling ledge of rock found mats and praying-rugs, which, at this early hour, were not overcrowded. we followed the example of the patriarchs, and prayed a two-bow prayer in each of the enclosures. after distributing the usual gratification, we left the place, and proceeded to mount the hill, in hope of seeing some of the apes said still to haunt the heights. these animals are supposed by the meccans to have been jews, thus transformed for having broken the sabbath by hunting.2 they abound in the elevated regions about arafat and taif, where they are caught by mixing the juice of the asclepias and narcotics with dates and other sweet bait.3 the hijazi ape is a hideous cynocephalus, with small eyes placed close together, and almost hidden by a disproportionate snout; a greenish-brown coat, long arms, and a stern of lively pink, like fresh meat. they are docile, and are said to be fond of spirituous liquors, and to display an inordinate affection for women. al-mas’udi tells about them a variety of anecdotes. according to him their principal use in hind and chin was to protect kings from poison, by eating suspected dishes. the badawin have many tales concerning them. it is universally believed that they catch and kill kites, by exposing the rosy portion of their persons and concealing the rest; the bird pounces upon what appears to be raw meat, and presently finds himself viciously plucked alive. throughout arabia an old story is told of them. a merchant was once plundered during his absence by a troop of these apes; they tore open his bales, and, charmed with the scarlet hue of the tarbushes, began applying those articles of dress to uses quite opposite to their normal purpose. the merchant was in despair, when his slave offered for a consideration to recover the goods. placing himself in the front, like a fugleman to the ape-company, he went through a variety of man?uvres with a tarbush, and concluded with throwing it far away. the recruits carefully imitated him, and the drill concluded with his firing a shot; the plunderers decamped and the caps were recovered.
failing to see any apes, we retired to the tent ere the sun waxed hot, in anticipation of a terrible day. nor were we far wrong. in addition to the heat, we had swarms of flies, and the blood-stained earth began to reek with noisome vapours. nought moved in the air except kites and vultures, speckling the deep blue sky: the denizens of earth seemed paralysed by the fire from above. i spent the time between breakfast and nightfall lying half-dressed upon a mat, moving round the tent-pole to escape the glare, and watching my numerous neighbours, male and female. the indians were particularly kind, filling my pipe, offering cooled water, and performing similar little offices. i repaid them with a supply of provisions, which, at the muna market-prices, these unfortunates could ill afford.
when the moon arose the boy mohammed and i walked out into the town, performed our second lapidation,4 and visited the coffee-houses. the shops were closed early, but business was transacted in places of public resort till midnight. we entered the houses of numerous acquaintances, who accosted my companion, and were hospitably welcomed with pipes and coffee. the first question always was, “who is this pilgrim?” and more than once the reply, “an afghan,” elicited the language of my own country, which i could no longer speak. of this phenomenon, however, nothing was thought: many afghans settled in india know not a word of pushtu, and even above the passes many of the townspeople are imperfectly acquainted with it. the meccans in consequence of their extensive intercourse with strangers and habits of travelling, are admirable conversational linguists. they speak arabic remarkably well, and with a volubility surpassing the most lively of our continental nations. persian, turkish, and hindustani are generally known: and the mutawwifs, who devote themselves to various races of pilgrims, soon become masters of many languages.
returning homewards, we were called to a spot by the clapping of hands5 and the loud sound of song. we found a crowd of badawin surrounding a group engaged in their favourite occupation of dancing. the performance is wild in the extreme, resembling rather the hopping of bears than the inspirations of terpischore. the bystanders joined in the song; an interminable recitative, as usual, in the minor key, and — orientals are admirable timists — it sounded like one voice. the refrain appeared to be — “la yayha! la yayha!” to which no one could assign a meaning. at other times they sang something intelligible. for instance:—
[arabic]
that is to say —
“on the great festival-day at muna i saw my lord.
i am a stranger amongst you, therefore pity me!”
this couplet may have, like the puerilities of certain modern and european poets, an abstruse and mystical meaning, to be discovered when the arabs learn to write erudite essays upon nursery rhymes. the style of saltation, called rufayah, rivalled the song. the dancers raised both arms above their heads, brandishing a dagger, pistol, or some other small weapon. they followed each other by hops, on one or both feet, sometimes indulging in the most demented leaps; whilst the bystanders clapped with their palms a more enlivening measure. this i was told is especially their war-dance. they have other forms, which my eyes were not fated to see. amongst the badawin of al-hijaz, unlike the somali and other african races, the sexes never mingle: the girls may dance together, but it would be disgraceful to perform in the company of men.
after so much excitement we retired to rest, and slept soundly.
on friday, the 12th zu’l hijjah, the camels appeared, according to order, at early dawn, and they were loaded with little delay. we were anxious to enter meccah in time for the sermon, and i for one was eager to escape the now pestilential air of muna.
literally, the land stank. five or six thousand animals had been slain and cut up in this devil’s punch-bowl. i leave the reader to imagine the rest. the evil might be avoided by building abattoirs, or, more easily still, by digging long trenches, and by ordering all pilgrims, under pain of mulct, to sacrifice in the same place. unhappily, the spirit of al-islam is opposed to these precautions of common sense — “inshallah” and “kismat” must take the place of prevention and of cure. and at meccah, the head-quarters of the faith, a desolating attack of cholera is preferred to the impiety of “flying in the face of providence,” and the folly of endeavouring to avert inevitable decrees.6
mounting our camels, and led by mas’ud, we entered muna by the eastern end, and from the litter threw the remaining twenty-one stones. i could now see the principal lines of shops, and, having been led to expect a grand display of merchandise, was surprised to find only mat-booths and sheds, stocked chiefly with provisions. the exit from muna was crowded, for many, like ourselves, were flying from the revolting scene. i could not think without pity of those whom religious scruples detained another day and a half in this foul spot.
after entering meccah we bathed, and when the noon drew nigh we repaired to the harim for the purpose of hearing the sermon. descending to the cloisters below the bab al-ziyadah, i stood wonder-struck by the scene before me. the vast quadrangle was crowded with worshippers sitting in long rows, and everywhere facing the central black tower: the showy colours of their dresses were not to be surpassed by a garden of the most brilliant flowers, and such diversity of detail would probably not be seen massed together in any other building upon earth. the women, a dull and sombre-looking group, sat apart in their peculiar place. the pasha stood on the roof of zemzem, surrounded by guards in nizam uniform. where the principal olema stationed themselves, the crowd was thicker; and in the more auspicious spots nought was to be seen but a pavement of heads and shoulders. nothing seemed to move but a few darwayshes, who, censer in hand, sidled through the rows and received the unsolicited alms of the faithful. apparently in the midst, and raised above the crowd by the tall, pointed pulpit, whose gilt spire flamed in the sun, sat the preacher, an old man with snowy beard. the style of head-dress called taylasan7 covered his turband, which was white as his robes,8 and a short staff supported his left hand.9 presently he arose, took the staff in his right hand, pronounced a few inaudible words,10 and sat down again on one of the lower steps, whilst a mu’ezzin, at the foot of the pulpit, recited the call to sermon. then the old man stood up and began to preach. as the majestic figure began to exert itself there was a deep silence. presently a general “amin” was intoned by the crowd at the conclusion of some long sentence. and at last, towards the end of the sermon, every third or fourth word was followed by the simultaneous rise and fall of thousands of voices.
i have seen the religious ceremonies of many lands, but never — nowhere — aught so solemn, so impressive as this.