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National Geographic : 1925 Feb
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CAIRO TO CAPE TOWN, OVERLAND Cordon sitting on a camel, looking out across the desert (see page 150). The doctors at the Omdurman hospital, who are doing a wonderful work among the natives, invited us over for a (lay. Here were many pathetic sights. As we walked through the wards, we observed old black women, as gentle as the "mam mies" of our own Southland, who insisted on kissing the hands of the doctors as they stopped to inquire about their progress. A DRAMATIC PRAYER IN A IIOSPITAL One experience in this hospital very much impressed us. A physician, who was also a Doctor of Divinity, came into a convalescent ward and said: "My friends, such and such a black boy is to be operated on this morning, and he may die. I think we all ought to pray to God to let him live." Christians, Mohammedans, and poor tribal blacks prayed aloud together, each in his own fashion, for the life of that black boy. Somehow, I felt that this was good missionary work. After Omdurman we visited the tomb of the Mad Mahdi, which is dismantled. Kitchener feared it would become a shrine, for holy places are very dear to the Mohammedan mind. It is easy to establish a shrine; after a while it be comes holier and holier, and eventually may develop into a disturbance center. Even to-day, as the sun sets, the faithful creep inside the inclosure to pray at the empty tomb, and while we were there veiled women knelt in the dust outside, for it was the season of Ramadan. The Gordon Hotel, where we stayed, faced on the public square, perhaps a hun dred yards across. There was no grass. There was only sand. Step out into this square under the midday sun without one's pith helmet and one may have a sunstroke before he takes a hundred steps. A short time before our arrival a Greek trader attempted to cross the square at noon on a rush errand, without his topee. Ile was stricken and died before he reached his destination. \Vhile we were there the noontime tem perature averaged about 115 degrees. The peculiar actinic rays of the sun played tricks with one's eyesight and smoked glasses were a necessity. So frequent and so violent are the sand- storms in April and May that the Gordon I otel has ceased trying to combat them. They blow through the window casings and scatter sand over the rooms and the corridors. With evening came relief. A gentle breeze blew from the Nile and we sat on the earth terrace in front of the hotel from dinner until midnight, drinking lemon squashes and whiskeys-and-sodas. All the wit and wisdom gathered there; French, Germans, Swedes, Arabs, Eng lish, Syrians, Jews, Greeks, Italians, and two Americans fraternized. We ex changed banter and views. \Ve were not very serious; one seldom was in that com pany and climate! SO AND IOOM( OF TOM-TOMS IS IEARD ALL N IGIT Off across the square, tom-toms beat perpetually and white figures of dervishes danced to the wild music. During Rama dan, every day is a fast and every night a festival. A delegation went over to watch the show. Three musicians shuffled back ward in a perpetual circle. They thrum med tom-tmons-shallow hoops with skin stretched taut across. They sang; they chanted. From time to time figures broke away from the tightly packed mob which in closed the torches, and danced furiously, whirling after the manner of dervishes. Around and around they went, bare footed fanatics, leaping and gyrating in their long white robes and odd0 white tur bans. One minute they struck a self appreciative pose and held it; the next, they were in a frenzy again. They re sembled nothing so much as chickens with their heads cut off, fluttering in the pur poseless dance of death. Each night we heard the sob and boom of the tom-toms lasting into the dawn. \Ve discovered the American Negro's love for watermelon is a hereditary in fluence. All these black people were excessively fond of melons. To the Su danese they were food, drink, and re freshment, all combined. FOUR "GEOGRAPIIICS" ADDED TO EQUIPMENT One morning we remembered that no seasoned traveler ever goes into Africa 137
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