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The Birthday of the Prophet 231
pay a visit of state, in my Far-Eastern days. Evidently the
supply of handy men from the bazars had been severely taxed
by the innumerable banners that had to be borne. But some
of the processions had brought their own bearers, dignified-
looking men, with the enthusiasm of religion distinguishing
them as much as their white robes with sashes of the Prophet's
green. It was a lesson in deportment to see an important
Arab walk straight down the middle of the space in front of
our tent, exchanging salutes with the Pashas and Sheikhs, on
his way to address the Shcikh-el-Bekri, or the brother of his
Sovereign.
Our editor translated for me a ver-y amusing conversation
which was taking place between one of the Khedive's Ministers,
representing Liberal thought more or less, and one of the
religious dignitaries representing the hide-bound prejudices
of Islam. The dignitary was protesting against the erection
of a statue of Dante in Alexandria, because he had put
Mohammed in hell. But perhaps Dante would have been no
better than the dignitary in the matter.
The whole of the reception was stage-managed by an
under-secretary in a blue-grey galabeah, with the most
humorous twinkle in his eye. When each procession halted
he marshalled its principal members in a row, and they
chanted to the Sheikh-el-Bekri.
As the afternoon wore on, most of the processions had to
be hustled away before they had quite finished. One in
special, which had big drums and commenced a sacred dance,
was quite hurriedly stopped. As the darkness fell, and the
electric lamps flashed out like stars, I felt as if I were in the
tent of Saladin surrounded with the personages of the Talisman.
Darkness was the signal for departure. A Sheikh
came forward and said in sonorous tones : " We are celebrat-
ing the birth of the Lord of the Arabs and the non-Arabs,"
and raised a prayer for the Khedive.
After this all rose, and the Lancers clattered up, and the
Khedive's brother stepped into his carriage and drove away,
leaving us in the centre of vast crowds of the Faithful of
Islam, with the tall pavilions of the Pashas outlined by the