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USAMAH IN EGYPT 37<br />
replied, mean<strong>in</strong>g decayed bones which are cast away, " which we<br />
crush <strong>and</strong> boil with water <strong>and</strong> orach leaves (a plant quite common<br />
to that region). <strong>An</strong>d we subsist on that." "How about your dogs<br />
<strong>and</strong> donkeys?" I <strong>the</strong>n asked. "The dogs," <strong>the</strong>y replied, "we feed<br />
on our own food; but <strong>the</strong> donkeys eat grass." "Why," asked I,<br />
" did ye not enter Damascus? " " We were afraid <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> pest," <strong>the</strong>y<br />
replied.<br />
But <strong>in</strong> truth, <strong>the</strong>re could be no pest worse than <strong>the</strong> one<br />
with which <strong>the</strong>y were already afflicted.<br />
<strong>the</strong> Greater Bairam. 36<br />
This event took place after<br />
I stopped <strong>the</strong>re until our camels arrived, <strong>and</strong> distributed among<br />
<strong>the</strong>m some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> provisions which we had. A napk<strong>in</strong> which I<br />
had on my head, I cut <strong>in</strong> two <strong>and</strong> gave to <strong>the</strong> two women. They<br />
all almost lost <strong>the</strong>ir wits with joy on account <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> food. <strong>An</strong>d I<br />
said to <strong>the</strong>m, "Stay not here lest <strong>the</strong> Franks should take you as<br />
captives."<br />
Lost <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> desert. — One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> strange th<strong>in</strong>gs that happened<br />
to me on <strong>the</strong> way was <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
I dismounted one even<strong>in</strong>g to recite <strong>the</strong> sunset <strong>and</strong> dusk prayers<br />
abridged <strong>and</strong> comb<strong>in</strong>ed. 37 The camels kept on <strong>the</strong>ir way. I <strong>the</strong>n<br />
stood over an elevation <strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> said to my attendants, "Disb<strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong> search <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> camels, <strong>and</strong> come back to me. I shall not<br />
move from this spot where I am." Accord<strong>in</strong>gly, <strong>the</strong>y disb<strong>and</strong>ed<br />
<strong>and</strong> ran <strong>in</strong> this direction <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> that direction, but <strong>the</strong>y did not<br />
sight <strong>the</strong>m. So <strong>the</strong>y all came back to me <strong>and</strong> said, "We found<br />
<strong>the</strong>m not, nor do we know how <strong>the</strong>y went."<br />
Then said I, " Depend<strong>in</strong>g<br />
upon Allah's help, we shall march guided by <strong>the</strong> sett<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
stars." So we started, confronted with a difficult situation by<br />
be<strong>in</strong>g separated from our camels <strong>in</strong> a desert.<br />
But <strong>the</strong>re was among <strong>the</strong> guides one called Jazziyyah, full <strong>of</strong><br />
vigilance <strong>and</strong> sagacity. Reckon<strong>in</strong>g our tard<strong>in</strong>ess, he realized that<br />
we had gone astray. So while rid<strong>in</strong>g on a camel he took a piece <strong>of</strong><br />
steel <strong>and</strong> began to strike it aga<strong>in</strong>st a fl<strong>in</strong>t stone, caus<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sparks<br />
to fly <strong>in</strong> this <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> that direction. See<strong>in</strong>g him at a distance, we<br />
made <strong>the</strong> fire our objective until we caught up with <strong>the</strong> rest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
* 'id al-a4ha, <strong>the</strong> sacrificial feast conclud<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> ceremonies <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> annual pilgrimage<br />
at Mecca This tribe must <strong>the</strong>refore have been over two months <strong>in</strong> that<br />
region<br />
»' qapan via-jam'm, mean<strong>in</strong>g he abridged <strong>the</strong> prayer by mak<strong>in</strong>g two genuflexions<br />
<strong>in</strong>stead <strong>of</strong> four, <strong>and</strong> he comb<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>the</strong> two prayers <strong>of</strong> sunset <strong>and</strong> dusk <strong>in</strong>to one.
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