DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12664#0077
70
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
fire on shore, the two crews, with their motley pas-
sengers, spent the night quietly around it. It was
the first time since we left Cairo that we had come
in contact with pilgrims, although we had been
seeing them from my first entering Egypt. This
was the season for the pilgrimage to Mecca. The
great caravan was already gathering at Cairo,
while numbers, not wishing to wait, were seen on
all parts of the Nile on their way to Kenneh, from
thence to cross the desert to Cosseir, and down
the Red Sea to the Holy City. They were coming
from all parts of the Mussulman dominions, poor
and rich, old and young, women and children, al-
most piled upon each other by scores, for several
months exposing themselves to all manner of
hardships, in obedience to one of the principal in-
junctions of the Koran, once in their lives to per-
form a pilgrimage to Mecca.
January 5. The wind was still dead ahead ; the
men continued to tow, but without making much
progress ; and the day dragged heavily. On the
sixth I saw another burial. Early in the morning
Paul called me to look out. We were lying in
company with another boat, fast to a little island
of sand nearly in the middle of the river. I got
up exceedingly cold, and saw a dead man lying
on the sand, his limbs drawn up and stiff. He
was a boatman on board the other boat, and had
died during the night. A group of Arabs was sit-
ting near, making coffee, while two were preparing
to wash the body previous to burial. They brought
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL.
fire on shore, the two crews, with their motley pas-
sengers, spent the night quietly around it. It was
the first time since we left Cairo that we had come
in contact with pilgrims, although we had been
seeing them from my first entering Egypt. This
was the season for the pilgrimage to Mecca. The
great caravan was already gathering at Cairo,
while numbers, not wishing to wait, were seen on
all parts of the Nile on their way to Kenneh, from
thence to cross the desert to Cosseir, and down
the Red Sea to the Holy City. They were coming
from all parts of the Mussulman dominions, poor
and rich, old and young, women and children, al-
most piled upon each other by scores, for several
months exposing themselves to all manner of
hardships, in obedience to one of the principal in-
junctions of the Koran, once in their lives to per-
form a pilgrimage to Mecca.
January 5. The wind was still dead ahead ; the
men continued to tow, but without making much
progress ; and the day dragged heavily. On the
sixth I saw another burial. Early in the morning
Paul called me to look out. We were lying in
company with another boat, fast to a little island
of sand nearly in the middle of the river. I got
up exceedingly cold, and saw a dead man lying
on the sand, his limbs drawn up and stiff. He
was a boatman on board the other boat, and had
died during the night. A group of Arabs was sit-
ting near, making coffee, while two were preparing
to wash the body previous to burial. They brought