A HIDE TO BABYLON. 385 



a yard of each other, out in the open verandah, it 

 was impossible to trace even the outline of the figure, 

 so impenetrable was the gloom. There was a feeling 

 that some kind of fine sand was pervading every sense 

 of the body. There was a peculiar taste in the 

 atmosphere, and the eyes suddenly became painful 

 and sore. After the one furious gust of wind had 

 passed on, there was a great stillness in the air ; and 

 immediately the darkness set in, the buzz and the 

 hum of the bazaars was completely hushed. Our ser- 

 vants thought the last day had come, and, as we 

 heard afterwards, this was the general opinion 

 throughout the town; for even the "oldest inhabit- 

 ant " had never seen any dust-storm resembling this. 

 In those moments of darkness more than one pious 

 follower of the Prophet, as he felt himself choking 

 with dust, thought that the hour in which he should 

 find himself gliding to heaven and unbounded bliss 

 had at length approached. Had he not prayed at all 

 hours of the day and the night ] Had he not fasted 

 till he had become the mere ghost of his former self 1 

 Had he not rubbed his forehead on the black stone 

 of the distant Mecca 1 Had he not fairly won the 

 joys of the faithful in that his hand had once been 

 red with the blood of the Christian dog 1 or, as the 

 case might be, did he not daily regret that no oppor- 

 tunity had presented itself of cutting some infidel 

 throat. In about five minutes the darkness began to 

 clear. Immediately we could see, we found ourselves 



