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opposite was the orchestra, consisting of eight instruments like clarionets, and four small drums. Twelye dervishes thou mareled into the arena and runged themselves around the mney spaee, after bowing to each other and to iheiy superior or lead priest, who wore a green robe and turban, indicating that he had made the pilgrimage te Mecen. AMl but the head fakeer wore tall, sieeple- shaped felt Lata, without any brim, short jackets and long white robes tied about the waist. Their faces looked pale and emxeiated with fasting. One of them went inio the yausicians’ gallery and read from the Kormi tor sbout twenty minutes in a drawling, Sing-song tone, while his bretlren knelt ou the floor below, frequently bewing their leads to the ground. The muisie then strnek up and the performers rose from their Imees and surched several times round the arena. The head devrish, who seemed to he held in special reverence, stood on a mut by himself, und each one in passing him stopped to muke « low salunum, aud then turned round and salaamed the one next be- lind, Then the music beeame gradually more lively, and one after another tlrew up theiy Wands and bezan to whirl. Paster and faster they whirled, their urms now ex- tended at right angles, and with eyes closed in 8 Sort of dreamy eestacy, they spun round like tops, their gowns spreading out with the ratury motion to the size of most ex- trayagant crincline. I timed them with my wateh and fond that seventy times » min- ute was the maximum speed. ‘They kepi up this performanse for about an hour with eecasioual intervals of rest, when they woul suddenly stop, fold their arms over their breasts, and mareh slowly around the arena, apparently made uo more dizzy by their gyrations than the ball-room belle who has been ‘taking a turn” to the music of Strauss. At last the orchestra ceascd play- ing and the sence was endect, As the per- formers, haying put on their outside robes, quictiy left the building, the true believers bowed very low 2s tlicy made room for them to pass, hey evidently considered them very holy men who would whirl themselves into very high seats.
This perfomance comes of cyery week and crowds of Mohumedens, ag well ag ucar~ ly all the foreign visitors in Cairo, go to see it. tis a free exhibition—no tickets being lake at ihe door—nor is any contribution box passed round. The dervishes are all Turks, and their complexion, pale from
