I suppose he
stepped in such a manner as not to hurt them, as they did not utter a
sound. Perhaps the breath was so squeezed out of them that they could
not. One child was quite a baby, and on this he rested his foot lightly,
leaning his weight on a man's shoulder. I could not find out exactly
what this ceremony signified, but was told it was considered a cure for
sickness, and also a preventive.
We concluded to _do_ the dervishes, and so next day went to see the
spinning ones. They have a much larger and handsomer mosque than their
howling brethren. First they chanted, then they indulged in a "walk
around." Every time they passed the leader, who kept his place at the
head of the room, they bowed profoundly to him, then passed before him,
and, turning on the other side, bowed again. After this interchange of
courtesies had lasted a while, they sailed off around the room, spinning
with the smooth, even motion of a top--arms folded, head on one side and
eyes shut. Sometimes this would be varied by the head being thrown back
and the arms extended. The rapid whirling caused their long green
dresses to spread out like a half-open Japanese umbrella, supposing the
man to be the stick, and they kept it up about thirty minutes to the
inspiring music of what sounded like a drum, horn and tin pan. We
remained to witness the _first set:_ whether they had any more and wound
up with the German, I cannot say. We were tired and went home, satisfied
with what we had seen.
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