There Were Continual Discharges Of
Artillery; The Soldiers Fired Their Muskets; The Martial Bands Of Both
The Pashas Played; Sky-
Rockets were thrown as well by the Pashas'
officers, as by many private pilgrims; while the Hadj passed at a
Quick
pace in the greatest disorder, amidst a deafening clamour, through the
pass of Mazoumeyn, leading towards Mezdelfe, where all alighted, after a
two hours' march. No order was observed here in encamping; and every one
lay down on the spot that first presented itself, no tents being pitched
except those of the Pashas and their
[p.274] suites; before which was an illumination of lamps in the form of
high arches, which continued to blaze the whole night, while the firing
of the artillery was kept up without intermission.
In the indescribable confusion attending the departure of the Hadj from
Arafat, many pilgrims had lost their camels, and were now heard calling
loudly for their drivers, as they sought them over the plain: I myself
was among their number. When I went to the mountain of Arafat, I ordered
my camel-driver and my slave to remain in readiness upon the spot where
they then were, till I should return to them after sun-set; but seeing,
soon after I quitted them, that the other loaded camels pressed forward
towards the mountain, they followed the example; and when I returned to
the place where I left them, they were not to be found. I was therefore
obliged to walk to Mezdelfe, where I slept on the sand, covered only by
my ihram, after having searched for my people during several hours[.]
On the 10th of the month of Zul Hadj, or the day of the feast called
Nehar el Dhahye, or Nehar el Nahher, the morning gun awoke the pilgrims
before dawn. At the first appearance of day-break, the Kadhy took his
station upon the elevated platform which encloses the mosque of
Mezdelfe, usually called Moshar el Haram, and began a sermon similar to
that which he had preached the day before. The Hadj surrounded the
mosque on all sides with lighted torches, and accompanied the sermon
with the same exclamations of "Lebeyk Allah huma Lebeyk;" but though
this sermon forms one of the principal duties of the pilgrimage, by far
the greater number of the hadjys remained with their baggage, and did
not attend it. The sermon is not very long, lasting only from the first
dawn till sun-rise; a space of time much shorter of course in this
latitude, than in our northern countries. The Salat el Ayd, or the
prayer of the feast, is performed at the same time by the whole
community according to its rites. When the first rays of the sun shot
athwart the cloudy sky, the pilgrims moved on at a slow march towards
Wady Muna, one hour distant from hence.
On arriving at Wady Muna, each nation encamped upon the spot which
custom has assigned to it, at every returning Hadj.
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