Africa of to-day . of its romantic fiction, iscertainly one of the things to see, if possible. I wasprivileged to see it from the balcony of a native schoolthat looked out on the corner of two streets. In onedirection we looked down the street through which theprocession came; in the other down the street to thatvery sacred mosque of the Hasanen itself. . Downthe street, then, came the kiswa, carried on woodenframes to show its embroidery of rich gold flashing inthe sunlight, and with it and after it trooped a motleyprocession of darwishes of all the different fraternities ofEgypt — the Qadiri
Africa of to-day . of its romantic fiction, iscertainly one of the things to see, if possible. I wasprivileged to see it from the balcony of a native schoolthat looked out on the corner of two streets. In onedirection we looked down the street through which theprocession came; in the other down the street to thatvery sacred mosque of the Hasanen itself. . Downthe street, then, came the kiswa, carried on woodenframes to show its embroidery of rich gold flashing inthe sunlight, and with it and after it trooped a motleyprocession of darwishes of all the different fraternities ofEgypt — the Qadirites, the Rifaites, the Ahmadites, theBurhamites, the Sadites — all carrying banners of theirown colours, beating little drums, and chanting theirdistinctive litanies. As they went by, the air wascharged with emotional electricity; all nerves werea-quiver and ready to leap to a signal. Here, as timeand again thereafter at Muslim religious scenes, I feltthe grip of the will of the crowd, and knew practically. Copyright, Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. Coffee Picking in British East Africa EGYPT: THE LAND WE NOW KNOW 105 how slight a touch may turn and sweep a great concourseinto a simultaneous brain-storm.* Let us add that thestranger who is permitted to witness one of these func-tions must bear himself respectfully and refrain fromdisparaging remarks, even in the English tongue. Rhamadan is the name given to the ninth month ofthe Mahometan year, and if perchance it falls in winter,the tourist season, the visitor is to be congratulated andhe should try to be in the streets at nightfall of thefirst day, especially. Every Moslem knows just whenRhamadan, the great fast month, is to begin, evenif the lunar calendar (unlike the Chinese calendar) iswithout any intercalary month in Mahometan communi-ties to adjust occasionally, although only approximately,the divergence from the Gregorian. But the crescentmoon must be seen by the astronomer royal at Con-stantinople and the fact telegra
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