d at windows or on
housetops near by. Perhaps 20,000 people are present. The sword and
chain strikers approach the tents and with a shout of victory, utter
the names of Ali, Hassan and Hussein, then set fire to the tents and
burn them and their contents to the ground. They imagine that their
enemies were in those tents, and now that they have been destroyed it
is a time of great rejoicing. The marching clubs disband and the active
ones are soon found at the mosques drinking sharbat, a sweet drink, as
a sort of a reward for performing their religious duties.

SINGERS.

The closing hours of the last day are given to the singing of poems by
the best musicians, gathered at the mosques. The singing band usually
numbers from twenty to thirty men. They sing poems about the last
utterances of Hussein and other martyrs, or about the sayings and
weeping of the relatives of these martyrs.

It is not very safe for Christians to mix with the crowds on these last
days, unless in company with some honest Mohammedan. If one is seen
laughing at the ceremonies he is apt to be beaten by some one whose
fanatical spirit is thoroughly aroused. Our missionaries sometimes ask
the privilege of using a roof by which the procession passes. This is
always granted. The three nights are considered holy and the most
religious Moslems do not retire until midnight. Services are held in
the mosques, reciting traditions. The audience is composed of men only.
It would not be safe for the women to attend, owing to the wickedness
of the men. The audience is frequently deeply moved by the tragic
tales, and weep angry tears. They curse and revile their enemies and
their enemies' wives and daughters. The last night is called watch
night, and many Moslems do not even slumber during the night. It is
holy night in which Hussein and other martyrs were buried in their
tombs. It is a dishonor, and even a sin, for them to go to bed without
meditation on their prophets. In the mosque services the people shout:
"O Hassan and Hussein, let my soul be a sacrifice for thee." They
believe the observance of that night is absolute remission of sins;
that the gates of heaven are open to all believers for the sake of
martyrs. Some pious Moslems preserve the tears of that night in small
bottles, as it is believed they will cure disease when applied to the
brows of sick men. These tears are prized as a most holy relic. The
Musselman says: "Even David the prophet believed in