cated. The drummers beat their tambours with redoubled force, lifting them high above their heads and occasionally, at some extreme pitch, tossing them aloft and catching them again as they fell. Sometimes in the exaltation of frenzy they started spasmodically to their feet and then sank back into their original position.

utterance.

And now the oscillating line in front of the doorway for the first time found As they leaped high on one foot, alternately kicking out the other, as their heads wagged to and fro and their bodies quivered with the muscular strain, they cried aloud in praise of Allah." La ilaha ill Allah!" (There is no God but Allah), this was the untiring burden of their strain. And then came "Ya Allah!" (O God), and sometimes "Ya Kahhar!" (O avenging God), "Ya Hakk!" (O just God), while each burst of clamorous appeal culminated in an awful shout of "Ya Hoo!" (O Him).

The rapidity and vehemence of their gesticulations was now appalling; their heads swung backward and forward till their foreheads almost touched their breasts, and their scalps smote against their backs. Sweat poured from their faces; they panted for breath; and the exclamations burst from their mouths in a thick and stertorous murmur. Suddenly, and without warning, the first phase of the zikr ceased, and the actors stood gasping, shaking, and dripping with perspiration.

After a few seconds' respite the performance recommenced, and shortly waxed more furious than ever. The worshippers seemed to be gifted with an almost superhuman strength and energy. As they flung themselves to and fro, at one moment their upturned faces gleamed with a sickly polish under the flickering lamps, at the next their turbaned heads all but brushed the floor. Their eyes started from the sockets; the muscles on their necks and the veins on their foreheads stood out like knotted cords. One old man fell out of the ranks breathless, spent, and foaming. His place was taken by another, and the tumultuous orgy went on.

And now, as the ecstasy approached its height and the fully initiated became melboos or possessed, they broke from

the stereotyped litany into demoniacal grinning and ferocious and bestial cries. These writhing and contorted objects were no longer rational human beings, but savage animals, caged brutes howling madly in the delirium of hunger or of pain. They growled like bears, they barked like jackals, they roared like lions, they laughed like hyænas; and ever and anon from the seething rank rose a diabolical shriek, like the scream of a dying horse, or the yell of a tortured fiend. And steadily the while in the background resounded the implacable reverberation of the drums.

The climax was now reached; the requisite pitch of cataleptic inebriation had been obtained, and the rites of Aissa were about to begin. From the crowd at the door a wild figure broke forth, tore off his upper clothing till he was naked to the waist, and throwing away his fez, bared a head close-shaven save for one long and dishevelled lock that, springing from the scalp, fell over his forehead like some grisly and funereal plume. A long knife, somewhat resembling a cutlass, was handed to him by the sheikh, who had risen to his feet and who directed the phenomena that ensued. Waving it wildly above his head and protruding the forepart of his figure, the fanatic brought it down blow after blow against his bared stomach, and drew it savagely to and fro against the unprotected skin. There showed the marks of a long and livid weal, but no blood spurted from the gash. In the intervals between the strokes he ran swiftly from one side to the other of the open space, taking long stealthy strides like a panther about to spring, and seemingly so powerless over his own movements that he knocked blindly up against those who stood in his way, nearly upsetting them with the violence of the collision.

The prowess or the piety of this ardent devotee proved extraordinarily contagious. First one and then another of his brethren caught the afflatus and followed his example. In a few moments every part of the mosque was the scene of some novel and horrible rite of selfmutilation, performed by a fresh aspirant to the favor of Allah. Some of these feats did not rise above the level of the curious but explicable perform

ances which are sometimes seen upon English stages-eg. of the men who swallow swords, and carry enormous weights suspended from their jaws; achievements which are in no sense a trick or a deception, but are to be attributed to abnormal physical powers or structure developed by long and often perilous practice. In the Aissaiouian counterpart of these displays there was nothing specially remarkable, but there were others less commonplace and more difficult of explanation.

Several long iron spits or prongs were produced and distributed; these formidable implements were about two and a half feet in length, and sharply pointed, and they terminated at the handle in a circular wooden knob about the size of a large orange. There was great competition for these instruments of torture, which were used as follows: Poising one in the air, an Aissaoui would suddenly force the point into the flesh of his own shoulder in front just below the shoulder-blade. Thus transfixed, and holding the weapon aloft, he strode swiftly up and down. Suddenly, at a signal, he fell on his knees, still forcing the point into his body, and keeping the wooden head uppermost. Then there started up another disciple armed with a big wooden mallet, and he, after a few preliminary taps, rising high on tiptoe with uplifted weapon would, with an appalling yell, bring it down with all his force upon the wooden knob, driving the point home through the shoulder of his comrade. Blow succeeded blow, the victim wincing beneath the stroke, but uttering no sound, and fixing his eyes with a look of ineffable delight upon his torturer till the point was driven right through the shoulder and projected at the back. Then the patient marched backward and forward with the air and the gait of a conquering hero. At one moment there were four of these semi-naked maniacs within a yard of my feet, transfixed and trembling, but beatified and triumphant.

Another seized an iron skewer, and placing the point within his open jaws, forced it steadily through his cheek until it protruded a couple of inches on the outside. He barked savagely like a dog, and foamed at the lips.

Others, afflicted with exquisite spasms of hunger, knelt down before the chief, whimpering like children for food, and turning upon him imploring glances from their glazed and bloodshot eyes. His control over his following was supreme. Some he gratified, others he forbade. At a touch from him they were silent and relapsed into quiescence. One maddened wretch who, fancying himself some wild beast, plunged to and fro, roaring horribly and biting and tearing with his teeth at whomever he met, was advancing, as I thought, with somewhat menacing purpose in my direction when he was arrested by his superior and sent back cringing and cowed.

For those whose ravenous appetites he was content to humor the most singular repast was prepared. A plate was brought in, covered with huge jagged pieces of broken glass, as thick as a shattered soda-water bottle. With greedy chuckles and gurglings of delight one of the hungry ones dashed at it, crammed a handful into his mouth, and crunched it up as though it were some exquisite dainty, a fellow disciple calmly stroking the exterior of his throat, with intent, I suppose, to lubricate the descent of the unwonted morsels. A little child held up a snake or sand-worm by the tail, placing the head between his teeth, and gulped it gleefully down. Several acolytes came in, carrying a big stem of the prickly pear, or fico d'India, whose leaves are as thick as a one-inch plank, and are armed with huge projecting thorns. This was ambrosia to the starving saints; they rushed at it with passionate emulation, tearing at the solid slabs with their teeth, and gnawing and munching the coarse fibres, regardless of the thorns which pierced their tongues and cheeks as they swallowed them down.

The most singular feature of all, and the one that almost defies belief, though it is none the less true, was this-that in no case did one drop of blood emerge from scar, or gash, or wound. This fact I observed most carefully, the mokaddem standing at my side, and each patient in turn coming to him when his self-imposed torture had been accomplished and the cataleptic frenzy had spent its force. It was the chief who

cunningly withdrew the blade from cheek or shoulder or body, rubbing over the spot what appeared to me to be the saliva of his own mouth; then he whispered an absolution in the ear of the disciple and kissed him on the forehead, whereupon the patient, but a moment before writhing in maniacal transports, retired tranquilly and took his seat upon the floor. He seemed none the worse for his recent paroxysm, and the wound was marked only by a livid blotch or a hectic flush.

This was the scene that for more than an hour went on without pause or intermission before my eyes. The building might have been tenanted by the harpies or læstrigones of Homer, or by some inhuman monsters of legendary myth. Amid the dust and sweat and insufferable heat the naked bodies of the actors shone with a ghastly pallor and exhaled a sickening smell. The atmosphere reeked with heavy and intoxicating fumes. Above the despairing chant of the singers rang the frenzied yells of the possessed, the shrieks of the hammerer, and the inarticulate cries, the snarling and growling, the bellowing and miawling of the self-imagined beasts. And ever behind and through all re-echoed the perpetual and pitiless accompaniment of the drums. As I witnessed the disgusting spectacle and listened to the pandemonium of sounds, my head swam, my eyes became dim, my senses reeled, and I believe that in a few moments I must have fainted had not one of my friends touched me on the shoulder, and whispering that the mokaddem was desirous that I should leave, escorted me hurriedly to the door. As I walked back to my quarters, and long after through the still night, the beat of the tambours continued, and I heard the distant hum of voices, broken at intervals by an isolated and piercing cry. Perhaps yet further and more revolting orgies were celebrated after I had left. I had not seen, as other travellers have done, the chewing and swallowing of red-hot cinders, or the harmless handling and walking upon live coals. I had been spared that which others have de

*

*For an account of this exploit, vide Lane's Modern Egyptians, cap. xxv.; and compare the

description of Richardson, the famous fire-eater in Evelyn's Memoirs for October 8th, 1672.

scribed as the climax of the gluttonous debauch, viz. the introduction of a live sheep, which then and there is savagely torn to pieces and devoured raw by these unnatural banqueters. But I had seen enough, and as I sank to sleep, my agitated fancy pursued a thousand avenues of thought, confounding in one grim medley all the carnivorous horrors of fact and fable and fiction; and loud above all the din and discord the tale of the false prophets of Carmel, awakened by the train of association, rang in my ears, and I seemed to hear intoned with remorseless reiteration the words :" And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them."

The facts which I have described, the absolute genuineness of which will, I doubt not, be vouched for by others who have had a similar experience to myself, speak for themselves. I have heard these and cognate exhibitions lightly dismissed as the outcome of jugglery or imposture. In this case I do not hesitate to affirm that there was no deception whatever; the means were lacking, even if the motive had existed, which it did not. Nothing is to be gained, on the contrary a great deal, from the point of view of science, is to be lost by hastily ascribing to artifice that which is a most interesting and a very imperfectly understood manifestation of natural laws. These phenomena are in reality so closely allied to those produced in various and well-known states of hypnotism, catalepsy, ecstasy, and hysteria, as to deserve a more minute physiological analysis than they have so far obtained. The disorder, we might almost say the inversion, of ordinary sensations, complete insensibility to pain, mental delusions, violent muscular contortions, strong emotional excitement finding vent in wild utterances and extravagant gesticulations, all these are familiar symptoms of one or other of the affections named. It is, I believe, now generally admitted that hypnotism, or as it is sometimes erroneously called, animal magnetism, is not produced by any occult force transmitted from an operator to a patient, but arises from a deranged physical and mental condition in the organization of the subject concerned. None the less are these condi

tions as a rule excited by the intervention or influence of some other person. I trace this difference between these more common phenomena and those of the Aissaouia of Kairwan that, with the latter, no exterior assistance seemed to be required, unless indeed a gregarious mesmeric potency were supposed to lurk in the entire fraternity of the adepts. The case appeared to be one of selfinduced hypnotism or mesmeric trance, the subject voluntarily surrendering all

control of his own volition till he had attained the requisite pitch of mental hallucination and bodily anæsthesia, when under the influence of his surroundings, he repeated, almost with the mechanism of an automaton, the extraordinary actions which I have described. If my impression is correct, they deserve not only to fill a space on the page of history, but to be admitted to the field of science. What facts attest, theory cannot afford to despise.-Fortnightly Review.

AMONG the countries of the distant East, China holds the highest place in the estimation of the Western world. She will certainly keep the position she has won, and it becomes a duty for Western statesmen to make themselves acquainted with her history and resources. The combinations of educated intelligence with vast population, of homogeneousness of race with fertility of production, of excellence of climate with vast mineral resources, unite in giving her a unique position among the Eastern nations.

The Marquis Tseng has told us in vigorous metaphor that China was always powerful, though she did not know it, and that she is now better acquainted than ever before with the realities of her position. She has many skilled diplomatists, who know how to take advantage for her good of the mutual jealousies and fears of the European States. These men study telegrams and read translated leaders from the Times. The viceroys and governors serve their country loyally, and rejoice in her prosperity. They appreciate highly the usefulness of political craft, and when the cloud of expected war hangs over the European horizon at any point, they cherish the hope that they may by diplomatic skill make the changed combinations of Western politics subserve the interests of their country. They are better statesmen than they are generals, and they are beginning to enjoy Western politics as an interesting game of skill in which they may take part with

every prospect of success through that unimpassioned Oriental astuteness which is the gift of their race. Europe has six great Powers, America one, and Asia is now aspiring to be recognized, and is recognized, as having one great Power also. War has done China much good by making her sensible of her deficiencies, and showing her how she can best cope with foreign Powers. She is now stronger than she ever was before, and she will become stronger yet. It is quite within her power to increase the number of her trained soldiers, to gain still more aid from the employment of foreign officers, and to strengthen the forts which guard her harbors. It has been proved that Chinese soldiers can meet European soldiers on the field of battle, behave well, and oblige their opponents, after hours of severe fighting, to return to their ships, worn out. Then they have seen them weigh anchor and sail away, leaving China in possession of the territory they coveted. It may on some future occasion be proved that China can also take care of her warships when unexpectedly attacked by some foreign enemy. She has now initiated an elaborate system of naval instruction, so that her war-vessels will in future, it is to be hoped, be manned by more competent persons. There is nothing to prevent the command being given to men of energy, promptitude, and courage, whether Chinese or foreign. Should there at some future time be unfortunately another war, China's navy may quite possibly prove able to