Singing all night, make a pleasant noise, and the journey passes
away delightfully. They say this musick make the camels brisk and
lively. Thus they travel, in good order every day, till they come to
Grand Cairo; and were it not for this order, you may guess what
confusion would be amongst such a vast multitude.
“They have lights by night (which is the chief time of travelling,
because of the exceeding heat of the sun by day), which are carried on
the tops of high poles, to direct the Hagges on their march.[FN#45]
They are somewhat like
[p.382] iron stoves, into which they put short dry wood, which some of
the camels are loaded with; it is carried in great sacks, which have an
hole near the bottom, where the servants take it out, as they see the
fires need a recruit. Every cottor hath one of these poles belonging to
it, some of which have ten, some twelve, of these lights on their tops,
or more or less; and they are likewise of different figures as well as
numbers; one, perhaps, oval way, like a gate; another triangular, or
like an N or M, &c., so that every one knows by them his respective
cottor. They are carried in the front, and set up in the place where
the Caravan is to pitch, before that comes up, at some distance from
one another. They are also carried by day, not lighted, but yet by the
figure and number of them, the Hagges are directed to what cottor they
belong, as soldiers are, by their colours, where to rendezvous; and
without such directions it would be impossible to avoid confusion in
such a vast number of people.
“Every day, viz. in the morning, they pitch their tents, and rest several
hours. When the camels are unloaded the owners drive them to water, and
give them their provender, &c. So that we had nothing to do with them,
besides helping to load them.
“As soon as our tents were pitched, my business was to make a little fire
and get a pot of coffee. When we had ate some small matter and drank
the coffee, we lay down to sleep. Between eleven and twelve we boiled
something for dinner, and having dined, lay down again, till about four
in the afternoon; when the trumpet was sounded which gave notice to
every one to take down their tents, pack up their things, and load
their camels in order to proceed on their journey. It takes up about
two hours time ere they are in all their places again. At the time of
Acsham-nomas, and also Gega-nomas, they make a halt, and perform their
Sallah (so punctual
[p.384] are they in their worship), and then they travel till next
morning. If water be scarce, what I call an imaginary Abdes[FN#46] will
do. As for ancient men, it being very troublesome for such to alight
off the camels, and get up again, it is lawful for them to defer these
two times of nomas till the next day; but they will be sure to perform
it then.
“As for provisions, we bring enough out of Egypt to suffice us till we
return thither again. At Mecca we compute how much will serve us for
one day, and consequently, for the forty days’ journey to Egypt, and if
we find we have more than we may well guess will suffice us for a long
time, we sell the overplus at Mecca. There is a charity maintained by
the Grand Seignior, for water to refresh the poor who travel on foot
all the way; for there are many such undertake this journey (or
pilgrimage) without any money, relying on the charity of the Hagges for
subsistence, knowing that they largely extend it at such a time.
“Every Hagge carries his provisions, water, bedding, &c., with him, and
usually three or four diet together, and sometimes discharge a poor man’s
expenses the whole journey for his attendance on them. There was an
Irish renegade, who was taken very young, insomuch that he had not only
lost his Christian religion, but his native language also. This man had
endured thirty years slavery in Spain, and in the French gallies, but
was afterwards redeemed and came home to Algier. He was looked upon as
a very pious man, and a great Zealot, by the Turks, for his not turning
from the Mahommedan faith, notwithstanding the great temptations he had
so to do. Some of my neighbours who intended for Mecca, the same year I
went with my patroon thither, offered
[p.385] this renegado that if he would serve them on this journey they
would defray his charges throughout. He gladly embraced the offer, and
I remember when we arrived at Mecca he passionately told me, that God
had delivered him out of hell upon earth (meaning his former slavery in
France and Spain), and had brought him into a heaven upon earth, viz.
Mecca. I admired much his zeal, but pitied his condition.
“Their water they carry in goats’ skins, which they fasten to one side of
their camels. It sometimes happens that no water is to be met with for
two, three, or more days; but yet it is well known that a camel is a
creature that can live long without drinking (God in his wise
providence so ordering it: for otherwise it would be very difficult, if
not impossible to travel through the parched deserts of Arabia).
“In this journey many times the skulking, thievish, Arabs do much
mischief to some of the Hagges; for in the night time they will steal
upon them (especially such as are on the outside of the Caravan), and
being taken to be some of the servants that belong to the carriers, or
owners of the camels, they are not suspected.
