Journal 40, page 09

pass in and among the collections of valuable stones displayed on little tables before the mosque & bought some bloodstones for a mere trifle that would have been quite expensive at home.-And then we lunched in a Turkish restaurant on "Kebabs: (nuggets of lamb broiled ("skewered") on a wire & a droll sweet dish, the plum pudding of the Turks. And then we crossed to Scutari in a caique & in a horrid jolting Turkish carriage painted gaily with birds & flowers on the outside & driven by a swarthy Turk who walks beside us & followed by our lean guide on a huge

[written in midst of a sentence:] Howling Dervishes

white horse we lumber along to see that miserable little dirty room, 20 men squatting on sheepskins, weaving back & forth like school boys over a spelling lesson & bellowing recitations from the Koran, some old "bell-wether" leading them & clapping his hands fervently in time-keeping.

Six isinglass windows in the top of the room-16 ft. above the ground. A mirab & pulpit of the rudest sort-matting on the floor & sheepskins spread over it for each squatter. Before the mirhab a sort of censer burning with a gum brought from Mecca. We have our feet carefully wiped off by our anxious guide & softly creep up to the little gallery & take our seats on the floor. (The dervishes are the Pietists among the Musselmans. They weave back & forth & also from side to side & now & then in their chant they imitate the low short bark of a suspicious watch dog. One good looking priest in white cap wound with black long black coat & white sash around his waist-a man who clothed & in his right mind would seem like a well to do business man, stands beside the pulpit &, like a maitre d'orchestra controls the hideous chorus. From time to time the howlers look curiously up at us-even the well to do priest not disdaining a glance.

Now the priest calls upon a brother + not a dervish to yell in solo-which he does at considerable length. Two little boys-one a Negro & both embryo dervishes & good looking, squat on the re&d blue sheep skins near the priest & watch the performers open mouthed but not participating so far as I am able to observe.

Kate gives me a hunch at this point & profanely whispers: "It's as much like our Methodist prayer meeting as two peas!

I can't agree though I confess certain analogies had struck me. This seems to be a "gathering in which the spirit of liberty prevails. From time to time the brethren go out-the scene changes as to its participants but the stupid noise remains the same-recruits constantly arriving.

Now the solemn priest who has a mystic air & has squatted hitherto, rises in his place. The howling stops short off-every man jumps up-the priest mumbles awhile, looking into his spread out palms as into a book & the crowd blats [?] its response. The little boy-priest grins broadly St goes out, gathering his long fur coat about him. A lay brother whines awhile &