Oriental Encounters / Palestine and Syria, 1894-6

DIR

rnoon, and were sauntering about the place, when some rude

ecture, rebuking them severely for thus presuming to insult a stranger and a guest. His condemnation was supported on such lofty principles as no man who possessed a particle of religion

could be seen the sea, a great blue wall extending north and south. We perched among those rocks to watch th

st of quality. Their misbehaviour calls for strong correction. But I truly think

linquents. 'Allah knows that o

ffence was nothing. But Suleyman

animal intended, a jinni will as like as not attach himself to me, since many of the jann are called by names of animals. You all know also that to praise the beauty of a child, without the offer of that child to Allah as a sacrifice, is fatal; because there is unseen a jealous listener who hates and would deform the progeny of Eve. Such facts as those are known to every ignora

nding to concentrate the woman's mind upon a certain object, was disastrous. The man meant well; the woman, too, meant well. She gave her whole mind to obey his parting words. Having completed every task within the house, she sat down under an olive tree which grew before the door, and fixed her whole intelligence in all its force upon the black-and-white cow, the onl

and knew the woman's species; he also knew the cow as an annoyance, for ever dragging out its peg and straying into planted fields. After long and serious examination h

oman. "Please remove it for me

mp. He gave it to the woman and she thanked him heartily. He went his way, while she r

s, and how the Sheykh Mukarram, of his well-known kindn

anced. It is always a mistake to take from one end without removing something also

lone! Perform the operati

er. She exhausted thanks. But still, when he was g

n the legs, and gave them to her, and she thanked them all with tears of gratitude. At last there was no cow at all to worry over. Seeing the diminished carcase lying motio

y ill, but all the neighbours helped to doctor her, performing many operations, and we were able to relieve her of all pain,

and, gazing straight into her eyes, said grimly: "Allah keep thee! I am going to walk this world until I find one filt

there suddenly, to

es to my case,' I observed, as soon as I

angerous to put ideas in people's heads or rouse self-consciousness, for who can tell what demons

m, did he find one f

urse h

sequel, I be

learly illustrating the grave risks of chance suggestion. At l

whom I have often seen. He had a long white beard, of which he was extr

: When you go to bed, do you put you

eneath the bedclothes and above without success. Neither way could he get comfort, nor could he, for the life of him, remember how the beard was wont to go. He got no sleep on that night or the next night either, for think

s to a nicety,' said Suleyman in c

tell us, master!' the cry arose fro

alled to the peculiar clothing of my legs, I shall eve

mere chance that such catastrophes, as I have shown, may ha

is long harangue was jest and how much earnest

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are t

valent t

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