36 SPORT AND TRAVEL PAPERS 



with the ordained ablutions of mouth, face, hands, and feet, the 

 members of the sheikh's family, women, of course, excluded, 

 who alone pray privately, took up their positions barefoot on the 

 mats, the sheikh himself in front, with his "faki " holy man, 

 secretary, and general factotum by his side, as precentor. The 

 Mohammedans have no priests, but commune direct with the 

 Godhead. 



" Allahu Akbar ! " God is great ! " There is no God but the 

 Lord, and Mohammed is His Apostle," the simple confession of 

 faith of Islam, repeated by every one in rising and falling cadence 

 as the worshippers stand up or bend down to touch the ground 

 with their foreheads. They always seemed most impressive to 

 me, these daily devotions, the rapt meditation, the prostrations 

 into the very dust, the truly devotional demeanour of the wor- 

 shippers, and the melodious chant of faith and praise with which 

 the simple shepherd-folk of these village communities, led by 

 their sheikh, often accompanied the worship of their God. 



The evening devotions finished and the sheikh once more 

 seated by my side on the angareb, a large gourd dish was brought 

 filled with very fat goat's meat, cut into small pieces, and placed 

 between us. Into this we dipped our fingers turn about and 

 made our evening meal ; it was not very appetising, for, mixed 

 with a great deal of white fat, it smelt exactly like the heads of 

 the people around ; however, I took my turn regularly for fear of 

 offending my host. At last I was forced to stop, and placing my 

 hand over the region of my stomach, confess that I could do no 

 more ; then the dish was handed to the others, who, squatting 

 near us with hungry eyes, had been looking on at our feast. 

 Some milk, which was excellent, followed, and then I, preferring 

 the solitude and comparative warmth of a hut to sleeping on the 

 angareb outside, was allowed to retire into one of the mat houses, 

 and crept in on all fours, for the entrance was very low. There 

 I found all my paraphernalia, and lying down on some matting 

 upon the ground, with a cartridge-bag for a pillow and the 

 saddle-rug for a blanket, I made myself at home, with the inten- 

 tion of hunting next morning for my lost companions, when a 

 messenger arrived from them. G. had made a longer midday 

 halt than usual, convinced that I must be behind him, but as 

 nothing was to be seen of me, had moved on eventually, and thus 

 not been able to reach the place originally agreed upon. 



