A pilgrimage to the temples and tombs of Egypt, Nubia, and ...

116 ARAB MUSIC.
frugal supper, they chanted a sort of a grace, the
first words of which were sung by one voice alone,
the remainder repeating it in chorus, and bowing
their heads towards the ground in time. They
then fell to with great appetite, each man
dipping in his hand in turn and carrying it filled
to his mouth, until the bowl was speedily emp-
tied. Then one and all arose, filled their tin
mugs with Nile water, and, after washing their
mouths, they poured the remainder of the water
over their hands and wiped them on their only
garment (a sort of loose cotton shirt, which leaves
their arms and legs quite bare). Again they
resumed their places in a circle, but this time it
was for another purpose ; two of the men held
darabookahs under their arm (a very rude sort of
drum, composed of a large earthen vessel in the
shape of a chimney-pot, over one end of which is
tied a piece of sheep's skin, which the performer
strikes with the fingers of both hands), a third had
an Arab tambourine with jingles, and a fourth, the
leader, blew upon a sort of double pipe, while the
remainder accompanied the air with their voices^
and kept time by clapping their hands in cadence
to the darabookahs and tambourine. Such a wihl
orchestra surely never was heard, and never were
faces, and forms, and draperies more truly in