THE MAN WHO ENTERED MECCA.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10060, 30 January 1909, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE MAN WHO ENTERED MECCA.

(Bv Lyndon Orr.)

In the whole to-<lay there is just one place that can be called the Forbidden City. Only a short time ago there were several Forbidden. Cities, but the barriers which made them inaccessible save to their masters have been broken down. When Tennyson was an undergraduate, he dios€ as 'She subject for his' pipe city of Timbiictu. r At that Hime/this mysterious hive of''swarming;hunf^nity # lay beyond the Mth of the man"on the of we greAt desert."' It; appealed to^he"' imag&tion; but regarding it -only a^V^ry I .littTe : . and tliat. little was vague and dim. At the present day, the opening of the African continent by Europe has brought this once remote and almost mythical city within the sweep of Western civilisation. The science of French engineers has made it easy of approach despite its desert barriers. Until eight years ago, in the heart of Peking, there lay another forbidden city. For centuries strange stories had been told of it. Among, the Chinese a peculiar sanctity attached to it. . / Within its myriad corridors, and palaoe dwelt- the Son of HeaveiV.-..0n1j;;, those of native race who' Kigl?lJ,favored were permited to pass'its closely guarded portals. Then came the Boxfer War, the siege of the foreign legations, and the entry into Pekin of an allied arlny from Kicrope. and the United, States. ' No sooner, had the Ijeleaguered legations heen relieved than the foreign generals punished the Chinese in the cjne way which., they would! feel most .keenly. Thtf Emperor, the Empress, and the entire court had fled; but the Forbidden "C : ty,* with its"pink' walls, lay at tlie'niercy of the invaders. It was battered open. The allies marched through its sacred precincts with flaunting flags and the roll of drums. Rough soldiers looted the apartments of the Emperor and the bedroom of the Empress; while the inhabitants of the place, living. in. fear, chattered and gibbered over the violation of what to them had been the Holy of l|olies) but' which "could neverbe so. any more. Three years after this, another city, which for centuries "had been . forbidden to all Europeans, lost its mystic character. This was Lhasa, the capital of Buddhism, situated in far-off TibetLhasa, high up among the mountains Willi its rock-hewn monasteries 1 and massive walls within which the Grand Lama received tribute from millions, of the faithful and gave law to. the Buddhists throughout- all Asia. The British army of invasion penetrated to this secluded eery, and Lhasa lost its mysterious character forever. To-day, then, there remains only one Forbidden City. It is Mecca, the holy city of the world, which for twelve hundred years has kept, as it were, a.,ilarnjiig. s\vord betyyeeg. itself < and i those who are not of the Moslem faith. For an '•infidel" to be found within its boundaries means certain Should he even seek to enter .it, his bones would soon be bleaching on the desert- sands. Perhaps the isolation of Mecca, is more remarkable than that of any other of the forbidden cities that the world has known; for it is not defended by natural obstacles as were Lhasa and { Timbuctu, nor are the people admitted to. it few in number, was the case with the Forbidden City in Peking. On the contrary, Mohammedans from all over the world flock to it every year—men of widely differing Taces, Turks and Moors, Persians and Arabs, East Indians and Chinese, all of them fulfilling a sacred mission. How wonderfully close must have been the scrutiny which has for so many centuries almost succeeded in barring out even a single human being of an aiien faith. , , \Ve say "almost," because in the course of several hundred years, two or three European adventurers did actually get within the outer gates. Thus, in 1510, an Italian named Ludovico di Vartheina, is said to have reached, Mecca.,in a caravan and to have seen something of its wonders. In the following century, 1678, an Englishman named Joseph Pitts likewise visited Mecca in a rather curious fashion. Pitts had been taken prisoner by the Algerine pirates, who kept him as a slave for nearly fifteen years. During this time, in order*to curry favor with his masters, he professed to become a- Mohammedan. Therefore, when his owners made a pilgrimage to Mecca, they took Pitts with them "as a slave. He was, however, an icmorant man and, moreover, was not- allowed to see much more than the part of the city set a.«ide for slaves. Xearly a century and a-half elapsed, and then a* German* explorer, Burckhardt, managed to make his way to .Mecca in the disguise of an Arab. He was, however, a very timorous person. He did. not venture to go within the mysterious Kaaba and 'witness the peculiar rites that are celebrated there. In fact, by his own admission, lie was too frightened to take any notes while he was in Mecca, much less to draw diagrams or make sketches. Therefore, this journey, made in 1814, was unfruitful and might, -as well have been left'undone. Up to that, time, therefore, while three Europeans had set foot wit-liin the city walls, not one of. them had really seen, or reported anything of especial, value. Mecca still- remained to the world in every sense a. , Forbidden Qty. . ... - . , At length, however, both the hour and the man arrived. The man was one of an extraordinary personality. Richard Burton, destined to become, famous in many,'ways, was ail Englishman, about whom there, clung a strange and fascinatiig obscurity. Be was said to ,-ha.ve been the greatrgreat-great-grandson. of King Louis XrV of Prance,. .by an illegitimate, or at least a morganatic, connection. JEs uncle, Francis is, remembered , as ha vino- made the " famous "death-mask of .Napoleon at St'. Helena. . Young. Bichard Burton was educated .in. Fraiice ani.oiterward at Oxford. He haughty, imperious temper,'of his "alleged, royal, ancestor. His "face", however, was ..'that of an Arab. Some one said of. .him,, that he had the brow of a god and the jaw of a devil. 'He detested, ail . authority, all forms, all ipanner of Restraint. .He ivas : a siiperh swordsman, and boxer. He possessed' great physical strength. , Xo one, even of his superiors, in rank, .could cross him with impunity, and he had a' grini"wiE"which' wa»,all'liis own. - Then it is told of him'that-he. onpe became Involved in a rather conspicuous flirtation with,- an . English .girl *£. Boulogne. Her mother sent word .to him to ask that he would call upon her. Burton, did .so, taking with him one of his intimate friencle. On being ushered into , the presence of the lady she.said to him.: . .. _ ■ "I hdve-&nti for you, Mr. Burton, in order to ask' what are your intentions with regard to my;.,daughter." , ■ Burton's cross-grained, nature rebelled at this attempt to force his hand. He arose and. bowe'd stiffly as he replied : "My madam,.are strictly, dishonorable!" - ..After which he turned on his.heel and left the house. Later the girl in question, who. : was really a very harmless .sort- of coquette, tolil him that'he; luul &erve<i hcr mother exactly rigtit. •-.Finally he iparried, against the.will of-her family, a girl from a .convent "school,- \vho him .all through his- life -and who has. .written- his biography, dedicating it to. him ,with tha words, "To -My Earthly..-Master Who Is Waiting for ?vlo on -Heaven's Frontiers.''. With such a nature it was certain that he would.seek a life of action; and, indeed,*, he-presently secured ; a .-commission in. the British forces in. India. .There, he mastered a number of' oriental languages, especially Hindustani, . Arabic, aiui . per sian, and. made himself intimately-familiar with oriental ways. :. Like Strickland, in saveral/;of Kipling's stories,"he comld/.asr same the:garb of an-Asiatic and:-mingle with the' crowds in the natiye > bazaars without exciting'the least .suspicion.- It was his 6iiccess in this 60rt-of iinpereonaz tion which ledJhiin to .conceive the plan of 'making the.'pilgrimage tot Mecca.' For this purpose: he. secured, a.year's leave, of absence -and proceeded to. Cairo in> Egypt, 60-ihai heiimght study theoiice-points of Mohammedan-theology. • ■ - . : - .lasfc feeling hufself sufficiently pre•pared, :-be became lost to i. his fellowcquritryinen and- emereed ainong the natives as thjß dervish' Ahdallah. His -beard was and., black ; fiis skik was : islightly steined withi henna;' He wore'the -white garments bordered, with red 'which denote a pilgrim bound for' Mecca.'; and then-he embarked upon a "pilgrim ship" for the shires" of ATjibia ; VPicked among a

crowd of filthy Moors, Egyptians, Turks, and Persians, he made the journey on the deck under a blazing sun, with nothing to ' eat except a . lump of coarse., black bread and a.piece of, garlie. . . . . his'part"with the Utmost skill 1 . Be could roll out long, sonorous sentences from the Koran. He knew charms and, verses and Arab songs; and' he was always ready to discuss his supposed religion with the native doctors of 'the faith. At one time his companions discovered that he Ijiad" a concealed within [his ; robes., and tliis discovery well-nigh cost him his life, 'jfe njanaged, however, to give some plausible excuse, .and finally was set ashore in safety at the edge of the great Desert of Sum. '_ , .This' terrible stretch of sand he Kad to cross on camel-back, tortured l by a wooden saddle and accompanied by a single Arab servant. He has described this passage over the desert in some striking sentences which are worth repeating: '• "Above, through 'a-.'sky;; terrible 'in its stainless beauty, ami" the- splendor of a pitiless blinding glare, the simoon caresses you like a, ilion with flaming breath. lie drifted sand-heaps, upon which each ...puff ,of wind leaves. its.,.traces;., in solid' vpavesj frayed rockkj a tie ..very skeletons; <jf a .mountains, and'Tiai-d, -unbroken plains,'oyer which he .wiio\i;|<lo.s is spuridea tlhat of a, water-skin, or -the prickirigV'of ~ a camel's hoof, would be a certain death of torture; a haggard' land infested with wild beasts and wilder men; a region whose very fountains murmur the warning worcl, '.Drink and l _ jj Reaching at iast, after many hardships, the/'sacred, city of the Prophet, Burtoji found t|hat hehad'.arrived in the lasj> month of the Mohammedan year, which.is known t 'as ,"tli<ji month of pilgrimage.". Til us he was enabled to see all the ceremonies which make the place so wonder-. fill. Surrounded though he was by the most bloodthirsty fanatics, Burton's remarkable nerve allowed him none the less to make maps and sketches of the entire city. He found that Mecca, is a somewhat semi-circular, i place-containing., fifty or sixty mosques and capable of sheltering, as many as. a hundred and; fifty tbi?u6arid, people. The/ Arabs bclH'Ve that was founded by Abraham, and that Islianael lived there for a time. . , Here is.the hqly ; w§ll ; Zemzen, in which every "believer must immerse himself before entering the sacred Ivaaba. After tens- of thousands of aurwashed pilgrims have been plunged within, its waters, the ceremony is by no means Very savory. So holy is the city that, no pilgrim after he enteTs it is &Uowed! to shav-e ihis. b€<ir<l y anoint his. head, or bathe. X°-. life _ may be taken here, not even that of an animal. The most wonderful p?rt of Mecca is the so-called Kaaba-, a cubic building in;,the centre of the city. This mosque, which is beneath the level of the earth about it, is surrounded by an open space and in the old times was adorned with solid gold and silver and precious marbles, while its sides were .hun?.,with the, most beautiful tapestries from Egypt and Persia. In the north-east corner of it is the famous black stone which all pilgrims strive to kiss. It - was once a solid meteorite; hut centuries ago it must have been broken, since it is now held together by cement. It antedates the Mohammedan religion, a»d doubtless 'had some part in the old heathen worship of the god Hobal. It is now, however, the most sacred thing: kno\yn to the Mohammedan world— as' precious as fragments of the True Cross are to the most devout of Catholics. When the appointed moment came, way was made for Burton to approach and kiss the sacred stone. Thousands' of halfmaddened Arabs thrust him forward, and he afterward admitted that- for a moment his heart misgave him. Nevertheless, he conducted himself exactly like a true believer ; and at the very moment when he was kissing the stone, he had the extraordinary courage to sketch it beneath his robe—a thing which, if 'detected, would have sealed his doom ; for he ~would at once have been taken outside the city and torn to pieces by the furious .multitude. He passed, however, , safely through all these experiences, and later was bathed, anointed, and assumed the dress of a Hajj. Going without the city, he threw seven stones at each of three pillars, in order to drive away the devil; and, like his companions, he slaughtered sheep in honor of his new dignity. It took some time for Burton to make his way put of Mecca. ~ When he did so he proceeded with a caravan to Jedda, where there was a British Consulate and a climp.se of the salt sea. His own story of this episode is rather interesting. "i must say that the sight of the sea and of the British flag was a pleasant tonic. I went to the British Consulate, but the interpreters were not very civil. So I was left kicking my heels at the great man's gate for a long time, and heard somebody say, 'Let the dirty nigger wait.' Long innured .to patience, however, I did wait; and when the Consul had consented to see me, I presented him with a bit of paper, as if it were a moneyorder. On it was written, 'Don't you Tecognise me ; I am Dick" Burton, but I am not 6afe.yet. Give me some money, which will be returned, and don't take any notice of me.' He, however, frequently afterward, .when it was dark, sent- for me and, once safe in his. private rooms, showed me abundance of hospitality." Later, Burton took passage on a British ship and once more became an Englishman. This was not the only forbidden city which Burton laid open to the world. The spirit of adventure clutched him irresistibly. It was not long after his opening of Mecca that he tried to penetrate what is now Somaliland, on the eastern coast of Africa.. With him. .wentonly one companion, an -English lieutenant named Stroyan;. The two men crept, and. crawled and waded and' climbed 1 through dense forests,and mountains, and morasses where no white.-man's,; fa-ce bad-, ever,-yet been seen. Natives attacked them and Stroyan w.as, slain. . . ... , ..... . But, Burton managed to push on until at last H<3 entered-the strange Abyssinian citv of iJTarar, .whose very name . was scarcely Iqiown in Ejurppe. He found it in the centra ,o'f a jihickly-populated district, .though. e-eographe're, had; supposed the country., to be -, almost •-. uninhabited. This success merely 'stimulated' Burton to new efforts. In. 1556, he and . Lieutenant £peke, \ve_re interested by< the reports of missionaries to the effect that a . vast lake lay ■ somewhere in., the., heart of Africa. Bjiiton, with .Sneke,',caused', its discovery. It.'.' was . Lalce 'Tanganyika,. and not 1 , long afterwards Victoria Ifyanza, too, was added;'to "the" mips. ..'The rest of 'Burton's life was less filled with daring,adventure. He was kwghted for what he. had done; yet" his nature .was - so ; refractory- that., few., could.; work- with him. - He.was made Consul at. various out--places..--in ■--Africa' and '. South Americi .aiid SjT-ia ;. and- he succeeded' the fam'ous Irish ■ novelist,. Charles .-'Lever, as British; Cbrisul £i'Trieste.-" There he died ■ in.'-1890. . YQhe .of the most remarkable achievements." of his., life was the. literal translation r of • the "Arabian ; Nights," in sixteen liirge volumes. ; This.translation was made with; the; ntmost frarik'ness, following the original-word .for word. It also contained the' most minute nates' "and- explanations of Oriental ways which render it invaluable, . though ■'suited' 1 !only for., the ■ mature and scholarly "reader. After his death Burton left the manuscript' of an Arabic work known as ."The Scented Garden.": It. was drawn from almost' unknown sources and i was translated with rare skill.-• Lady Burton, however,' believed it to be so immoral - that she. would' not allow it to be"; published. One book firm offered her the sum o£-£6OOO for it.. "Her means'were slender; yet she was not temptfed. by the offer, and; soon after she "threw the Manuscript into the flames. .' : - f ■" '