'Personal Narrative of a pilgrimmage to Al-Madinah and Meccah. Vol. II' [‎186] (213/568)

186 Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and, Meccah.
structed to assist our Indian pilgrims. Mr. Cole, when
holding that appointment, informed me that, though men
die of starvation in the streets, he was unable to relieve
them. The highways of Meccah abound in pathetic Indian
beggars, who affect lank bodies, shrinking frames, whi
ning voices, and all the circumstance of misery, because it
supports them in idleness.
There are no fewer than fifteen hundred Indians at
Meccah and Jeddah, besides seven or eight hundred in Al-
Yaman. Such a body requires a Consul. 1 By the repre
sentation of a Vice-Consul when other powers send an
officer of superior rank to Al-Hijaz, we voluntarily place
ourselves in an inferior position. And although the
Meccan Sharif might for a time object to establishing a
Moslem agent at the Holy City with orders to report to
the Consul at Jeddah, his opposition would soon fall to
the ground.
With the Indians' assistance the boy Mohammed
removed the handsome Persian rugs with which he had
covered the Shugduf, pitched the tent, carpeted the
ground, disposed a Diwan of silk and satin cushions
round the interior, and strewed the centre with new Chi-
buks, and highly polished Shishahs. At the doorway
was placed a large copper fire-pan, with coffee-pots sing
ing a welcome to visitors. In front of us were the litters,
and by divers similar arrangements our establishment
was made to look fine. The youth also insisted upon my
removing the Rida, or upper cotton cloth, which had
become way-soiled, and he supplied its place by a rich
cashmere, left with him, some years before, by a son of
the King of Delhi. Little thought I that this bravery of
attire would lose me every word of the Arafat sermon
next day.
Arafat, anciently called Jabal Hal (JV1), "the Mount
i There is a Consul for Jeddah now, 1879, but till lately he was
an unpaid.