83 
guard of the Turkish and Mogrebin soldiers being 
close to my tents, they had been induced to take 
repose. 
I finished my prayer, surrounded by my people; and 
when it was completely daylight, they discovered pa- 
pers scattered over the mountain. They ran to the spot, 
and found my writing-desk open, with the lock forced, 
and all my papers and books scattered about. The 
chronometer, jewels, and the tables of logarithms, 
which were bound, and which the thieves mistook for 
a Koran in the dark, were missing. 
Before saying the noon prayer, we went to throw 
seven small stones against a little stone pillar, about 
six feet high and two square, which is placed in the 
middle of the street at Mina, and is said to have been 
built by the devil. We threw also seven stones against 
a pillar similar to the former, which is also reported 
to have been constructed by the same architect. It is 
placed at about forty paces distance from the other. 
We set off on our return to Mecca, on Friday the 
20th of February, the 12th of the month Doulhajea, 
and the third day of Easter, after having repeated the 
ceremony of the seven stones. 
Upon our entering the town we went to the temple, 
where we took seven turns round the house of God; 
and after having said the prayer, and drank of the 
water of Zemzem, we went out at the Saffa gate to 
complete our pilgrimage, by taking the seven journeys 
between Saffa and Meroua, as upon the night of our 
arrival; having completed which, we felicitated each 
other on having at last finished the holy pilgrimage. 
This solemn act was formerly accompanied by se- 
veral other customs and forms of devotion, added by 
different doctors or pious souls; but the Wehhabites 
