Procession of the Holy Carpet. 29 something dreadful. People scream and shout, and the dogs bark and howl all night long, and altogether the noise is most disagreeable. At nine o'clock we went to the Place of the Citadel, which is an immense open square, to see the procession of Pilgrims set out with the holy carpet for Mecca, where is the grave of their Prophet. Here a tribune had been erected, on which the Viceroy's eldest son and the principal ministers had taken their stand, the carriage of the Prince and Princess being drawn up close to it. The carpet is carried on the back of a camel in a white silk mehmal, embroidered in gold; on another camel was carried a sort of temple, or small mosque, in gold, about three yards wide. Then followed a most horrible sight—a half-naked and immensely fat man, sitting on a camel, rolling his head all round as if it had been fastened on by a spring; shutting his and holding his hands on his sides! He is supposed to represent a saint; but, in my eyes, he only represented the most disgusting object possible. He has already been twenty times to Mecca, and he never changes his position or ceases to turn his head, so to say, round and round—at all events as long as the procession is in the town, which lasts many hours. Next followed a long string of camels, dressed out • eyes, with trappings all embroidered in gold, and decorated with looking-glasses, and flags and beads of every possible kind. Natives on their backs in their wonderful costumes and finery, many playing on pipes and tomtoms. Troops closed the procession. As soon as the procession had gone twice round the large square, the camel with the holy carpet was stopped before the tribune, and the Crown Prince, or rather Mehemet Taafik Pasha, kissed it, and blessed it; after which the cortège went on its way. We had remained in our carriages the whole time, but as soon as the procession had passed we drove to an old house, or convent, from the windows of which we again saw the whole procession, which had now increased to thousands and thousands of people, and certainly a more striking sight, or a more beautiful one, can hardly be witnessed. Hundreds of banners and flags carried by the natives; camels, and horses, and donkeys, carrying priests, all dressed out; the people following, some reading out, some screaming, some singing, some carrying snakes about two yards long, or more, in their hands, of which I was told they only cut off the head, and then eat them alive! Then there were men carrying nets with fishes, while every now and then came two savage-looking men, naked as far as the hips, with swords in their hands, having a Procession of the Holy Carpet. 31 sham-fight, and throwing themselves violently on their swords, as if they were trying to cut themselves in two, and all the time screaming and shouting. This procession lasted fully an hour and a half, and never for a moment did one see the same picture before one's eyes. At last came the part of the procession we had already seen, and then there was such a screaming, and cheering, and clapping of hands as was never heard, from all the houses, in which I may say every window was filled, and every roof covered with ladies, all veiled. I hardly think it possible for any body to give an idea of this curious sight. We then drove home, and both coming and going, in the midst of these crowded streets, and in spite of the excitement we had witnessed, a degree of order and quiet prevailed which seemed to me quite wonderful. No police or soldiers were to be seen, and we only had two boys (Syces), dressed in white, with red velvet bodies, running barefoot before our carriages, with their long sticks to clear the way, when every body moved on and made way for us much more readily than they would have done in any civilized country. Yet this was their greatest feast of the year, and I should add that the sight of Europeans, or, rather, of Christians, is by no means pleasant to them, and in former days it often happened that they insulted travelers by throwing things at them, and calling them "unclean dogs," and so on. But certainly civilization is making its way here, and nothing of the kind ever happens now. After luncheon, the Princess, myself, Colonel Stanton, and Dr. Minter went to the Turkish Bazar and the Gold Bazar. After dinner to the French play. February 5. At twelve o'clock the Princess and I went to the harem of "La Grande Princesse," the Viceroy's mother, being invited by her to dinner. We drove first through a garden, which, later in the year, must be beautiful, and were received at the door of the palace by la Grande Princesse, the second and third wife of the Viceroy (the first and fourth were not well), his eldest son, and two eldest daughters. La Grande Princesse took the Princess by the hand, while one of the wives handed me, another Mrs. Stanton, and one of the daughters Miss McLean, and thus we went in procession to an immense drawingroom, the whole way there being lined with slaves. We only passed through this room, however, and went straight to the dining-room, after having a cherry given to us to eat, handed to us on a most beautiful gold tray, with goblets and plates of gold and precious stones. A slave then offered each of us a silver basin to wash our hands in before we sat down to Visit to the Harem. 33 dinner. In the middle of the room there was a kind of round silver table, about one foot high from the floor, looking more like a big tray than any thing else; large square cushions were placed all round it, and so we sat down "à la Turque" round the table; la Grande Princesse having the Princess of Wales on her right; next whom was Mehemet Taafik Pasha; then the third Princess and myself; with the second Princess next me, on the left side of the Viceroy's mother. Mrs. Stanton and Miss McLean, with the two daughters of the Viceroy, dined in another room. A slave now came in very smartly dressed, half the skirt of black satin, and embroidered in gold; the other half of yellow satin, also trimmed with gold, and with a sort of turban on her head. She had a beautifully embroidered napkin, with gold fringe, hanging on her arm, and we were told that her office was equivalent to that of a European maître-d'hôtel. She placed each dish in the middle of the table, beginning with soup-a sort of chicken-broth with rice. We were each given a sort of tortoise-shell spoon, with a large coral branch as a handle, but neither knife nor fork; and then, at a sign from the old Princess, we all dipped our spoons into the tureen together! Next came an enormous bit of mutton, of which we had to tear off bits with our fingers, and |