The Prince of India; Or, Why Constantinople Fell — Volume 01

by Lew Wallace

  CHAPTER V

  THE PASSING OF THE CARAVANS

  From his position the Wanderer could see the advancing caravans; but asthe spectacle would consume the afternoon, he called his threeattendants, and issued directions for the entertainment of the Emir inthe evening; this done, he cast himself upon the rug, and gave rein tohis curiosity, thinking, not unreasonably, to find in what would passbefore him something bearing on the subject ever present in his mind.

  The sky could not be called blue of any tint; it seemed rather to befilled with common dust mixed with powder of crushed brick. The effectwas of a semi-transparent ceiling flushed with heat from the directdown-beating action of the sun, itself a disk of flame. Low mountains,purplish black in hue, made a horizon on which the ceiling appearedset, like the crystal in the upper valve of a watch. Thus shut in, butstill fair to view east and south of the position the spectatoroccupied, lay El Zaribah, whither, as the appointed meeting place, somany pilgrims had for days and weeks ever wearier growing been "walkingwith their eyes." In their thought the Valley was not so much a gardenor landscape of beauty as an ante-chamber of the House of Allah. Asthey neared it now, journeying since the break of day, impatienceseized them; so when the cry sped down the irregular column--"It ishere! It is here!" they answered with a universal _labbayaki_,signifying, "Thou hast called us--here we are, here we are!" Thenbreaking into a rabble, they rushed multitudinously forward. To givethe reader an idea of the pageant advancing to possess itself of theValley, it will be well to refresh his memory with a few details. Heshould remember, in the first place, that it was not merely the caravanwhich left El Katif over on the western shore of the Green Sea, but twogreat caravans merged into one--_El Shemi_, from Damascus, and _Misri_,from Cairo. To comprehend these, the region they drained of pilgrimsshould be next considered. For example, at Cairo there was aconcentration from the two Egypts, Upper and Lower, from the mysteriousdeserts of Africa, and from the cities and countries along the southernshore of the Mediterranean far as Gibraltar; while the whole East,using the term in its most comprehensive sense, emptied contingents ofthe devout into Damascus. In forwarding the myriads thus poured downupon them the Arabs were common carriers, like the Venetians to thehordes of western Europe in some of the later crusades; so to theirthousands of votaries proper, the other thousands of them engaged inthe business are also to be computed. El Medina was the great secondaryrendezvous. Hardly could he be accounted of the Faithful who in makingthe pilgrimage would turn his back upon the bones of the Prophet; ofsuch merit was the saying, "One prayer in this thy mosque is of morevirtue than a thousand in other places, save only the Masjid El Haram."Once at Medina, how could the pilgrim refuse his presence, if not histears, at El Kuba, forever sacred to the Mohammedan heart as the firstplace of public prayer in Islam? Finally, it should not be forgottenthat the year we write of belonged to a cycle when readers of the Koranand worshippers at Mecca were more numerous than now, if not morezealous and believing. And it was to witness the passing of thisprocession, so numerous, so motley, so strangely furnished, souncontrolled except as it pleased, the Prince of India was seated atthe door of his tent upon the hill. Long before the spectacle wassighted in the distance, its approach was announced by an overhangingpillar of cloud, not unlike that which went before the Israelites intheir exodus through similar wastes. Shortly after the interview withthe Emir, the Prince, looking under the pillar, saw a darkening lineappear, not more at first than a thread stretched across a section ofthe east.

  The apparition was without a break; nor might he have said it was inmotion or of any depth. A sound came from the direction not unlike thatof a sibilant wind. Presently out of the perspective, which reduced themany to one and all sizes to a level, the line developed into unequaldivisions, with intervals between them; about the same time the noisebecame recognizable as the voices fiercely strained and inarticulate ofan innumerable host of men. Then the divisions broke into groups, somelarger than others; a little later individuals became discernible;finally what had appeared a line resolved itself into a convulsingmass, without front, without wings, but of a depth immeasurable.

  The pilgrims did not attempt to keep the road; having converted theirmarch into a race, they spread right and left over the country, eachseeking a near way; sometimes the object was attained, sometimes not;the end was a confusion beyond description. The very inequalities ofthe ground helped the confusion. A group was one moment visible on aheight; then it vanished in a hollow. Now there were thousands on alevel; then, as if sinking, they went down, down, and presently wherethey were there was only dust or a single individual.

  Afterwhile, so wide was the inrolling tide, the field of visionoverflowed, and the eye was driven to ranging from point to point,object to object. Then it was discernible that the mass was mixed ofanimals and men--here horses, there camels--some with riders, somewithout--all, the burdened as well as unburdened, straining forwardunder urgency of shriek and stick--forward for life--forward as if ofthe two "comforts," Success beckoned them in front, and Despair behindplied them with spears. [Footnote: In the philosophy of the ArabsSuccess and Despair are treated as comforts.]

  At length the eastern boundary of the Valley was reached. There onewould suppose the foremost of the racers, the happy victors, would restor, at their leisure, take of the many sites those they preferred; butno--the penalty attaching to the triumph was the danger of being rundown by the thousands behind. In going on there was safety--and on theywent.

  To this time the spectacle had been a kind of panoramic generality; nowthe details came to view, and accustomed as he was to marvels ofpageantry, the Prince exclaimed: "These are not men, but devils fleeingfrom the wrath of God!" and involuntarily he went nearer, down to thebrink of the height. It seemed the land was being inundated withcamels; not the patient brutes we are used to thinking of by that name,with which domestication means ill-treatment and suffering--theslow-going burden-bearers, always appealing to our sympathy becausealways apparently tired, hungry, sleepy, worn-out--always reeling on asif looking for quiet places in which to slip their loads of whateverkind, and lie down and die; but the camel aroused, enraged, frightened,panic-struck, rebellious, sending forth strange cries, and running withall its might--an army of camels hurling their gigantic hulks along ata rate little less than blind impetus. And they went, singly, and instrings, and yonder a mass. The slower, and those turned to the rightor left of the direct course, and all such as had hesitated upon comingto a descent, were speedily distanced or lost to sight; so the ensemblewas constantly shifting. And then the rolling and tossing of thecargoes and packages on the backs of the animals, and the streaming outof curtains, scarfs, shawls, and loose draperies of every shape andcolor, lent touches of drollery and bright contrasts to the scene. Oneinstant the spectator on the hill was disposed to laugh, then toadmire, then to shiver at the immensity of a danger; over and overagain amidst his quick variation of feeling, he repeated theexclamation: "These are not men, but devils fleeing from the wrath ofGod!"

  Such was the spectacle in what may be called the second act; presentlyit reached a third; and then the fury of the movement, so inconsistentwith the habits and patient nature of the camel, was explained. In themidst of the hurly-burly, governing and directing it, were horsemen, anarmy of themselves. Some rode in front, and the leading straps on whichthey pulled with the combined strength of man and horse identified themas drivers; others rode as assistants of the drivers, and they werearmed with goads which they used skilfully and without mercy. Therewere many collisions, upsets, and entanglements; yet the danger did notdeter the riders from sharing the excitement, and helping it forward totheir utmost. They too used knotted ropes, and stabbed with sharpenedsticks; they also contributed to the unearthly tumult of sounds whichtravelled with the mob, a compound of prayers, imprecations, andsenseless screams--the medley that may be occasionally heard from amodern mad-house.

  In the height of the rush the Shaykh came up.

  "How long," said the Pri
nce--"in the Prophet's name, how long will thisendure?"

  "Till night, O most excellent Hadji--if the caravans be so long incoming."

  "Is it usual?"

  "It has been so from the beginning."

  Thereupon the curiosity of the Prince took another turn. A band ofhorsemen galloped into view--free riders, with long lances carriedupright, their caftans flying, and altogether noble looking.

  "These are Arabs. I know by their horses and their bearing," said he,with admiration; "but possibly thou canst give me the name of theirtribe."

  The Shaykh answered with pride: "Their horses are gray, and by thesign, O lover of the Prophet, they are the Beni-Yarb. Every other oneof them is a poet; in the face of an enemy, they are all warriors."

  The camps on the hill, with the yellow flag giving notice of the Emir'sstation, had effect upon others besides the Yarbis; all who wished todraw out of the _melange_ turned towards them, bringing the spectaclein part to the very feet of the Wanderer; whereas he thought with aquicker beating of the heart, "The followers of the Prophet are comingto show me of what they are this day composed." Then he said to theShaykh, "Stand thou here, and tell me as I shall ask."

  The conversation between them may be thus summarized:

  The current which poured past then, its details in perfect view,carried along with it all the conditions and nationalities of thepilgrimage. Natives of the desert on bare-backed camels, clinging tothe humps with one hand, while they pounded with the other--natives onbeautiful horses, not needing whip or spur--natives on dromedaries soswift, sure-footed, and strong there was no occasion for fear. Men, andoften women and children, on ragged saddle-cloths, others inpretentious boxes, and now and then a person whose wealth and rank werepublished by the magnificence of the litter in which he was borne,swinging luxuriously between long-stepping dromedaries from El Sbark.

  "By Allah!" the Prince exclaimed. "Here hath barbarism its limit!Behold!"

  They of whom he spoke came up in irregular array mounted on dromedarieswithout housing. At their head rode one with a white lettered greenflag, and beating an immense drum. They were armed with long spears ofIndian bamboo, garnished below the slender points with swinging tuftsof ostrich feathers. Each carried a woman behind him disdainful of aveil. The feminine screams of exultation rose high above the yells ofthe men, helping not a little to the recklessness with which the latterbore onward.

  Woe to such in their way as were poorly mounted. In a twinkling theywere ridden down. Nor did those fare better who were overtakenstruggling with a string of camels. The crash of bursting boxes, thesharp report of rending ropes, the warning cry, the maddening cheer; abattle of men, another of beasts--and when the collision had passed,the earth was strewn with its wreck.

  "They are Wahabbas, O Hadji," said the Shaykh. "Thou seest the tufts ontheir spears. Under them they carry _Jehannum_."

  "And these now coming?" asked the Prince. "Their long white hats remindme of Persia."

  "Persians they are," replied the Shaykh, his lip curling, his eyesgleaming. "They will tear their clothes, and cut their shaven crowns,and wail, 'Woe's me, O Ali!' then kiss the Kaaba with defilement ontheir beards. The curse of the _Shaykaim_ is on them--may it staythere!"

  Then the Prince knew it was a Sunite speaking of Schiahs.

  Yet others of the Cafila of Bagdad passed with the despised sons ofIran; notably Deccanese, Hindoos, Afghans, and people from theHimalayas, and beyond them far as Kathay, and China, and Siam, allbetter known to the Prince than to his Shaykh, who spoke of them,saying, "Thou shouldst know thine own, O Hadji! Thou art their father!"

  Next, in a blending that permitted no choice of associates, along sweptthe chief constituents of the caravans--Moors and Blackamoors,Egyptians, Syrians, Turks, Kurds, Caucasians, and Arabs of every tribe,each a multitude of themselves, and their passing filled up theafternoon.

  Towards sundown the hurry and rush of the movement perceptiblyslackened. Over in the west there were signs of a halt; tents wererising, and the smoke of multiplying fires began to deepen the blue ofthe distance. It actually appeared as if settlement for the night wouldcreep back upon the east, whence the irruption had burst.

  At a moment when the Prince's interest in the scene was commencing toflag, and he was thinking of returning to his tent, the rearmostdivisions of the pilgrims entered the Valley. They were composed offootmen and donkey-riders, for whom the speed of the advance bodies hadbeen too great. High-capped Persians, and Turks whose turbans werereduced to faded fezes, marched in the van, followed closely by arabble of Takruris, ragged, moneyless, living upon meat of abandonedanimals. Last of all were the sick and dying, who yet persisted indragging their fainting limbs along as best they could. Might they butreach the Holy City! Then if they died it would be as martyrs for whomthe doors of Paradise are always open. With them, expectants of easyprey, like the _rakham_ [Footnote: Vultures.] sailing in slow circlesoverhead, flocked the beggars, thieves, outcasts and assassins; butnight came quickly, and covered them, and all the things they did, forevil and night have been partners from the beginning.

  At last the Prince returned to his tent. He had seen the sun set overEl Zaribah; he had seen the passing of the caravans. Out there in theValley they lay. They--to him, and for his purposes, the Mohammedanworld unchanged--the same in composition, in practice, in creed--onlyhe felt now a consciousness of understanding them as never before.Mahomet, in his re-introduction of God to man, had imposed himself upontheir faith, its master idea, its central figure, the superior insanctity, the essential condition--the ONE! Knowingly or unknowingly,he left a standard of religious excellence behind him--Himself. And bythat standard the thief in the wake of the mighty caravans robbing thedead, the Thug strangling a victim because he was too slow in dying,were worthy Paradise, and would attain it, for they believed in him.Faith in the Prophet of God was more essential than faith in God. Suchwas the inspiration of Islam. A sinking of spirit fell upon the unhappyman. He felt a twinge of the bitterness always waiting on failure,where the undertaking, whatever it be, has enlisted the whole heart. Atsuch times instinctively we turn here and there for help, and in itsabsence, for comfort and consolation; what should he do now but advertto Christianity? What would Christians say of his idea? Was God lost inChrist as he was here in Mahomet?