Africa. From this point the routes of the caravans crossed the deserts in different directions: some led to Damascus and the cities of Mesopotamia, others to Mecca and northern Arabia. Mecca grew to be the great emporium where the merchants exchanged their foreign merchandise for the grain, the spices, and the silks of Mesopotamia and Arabia. Caravans journeyed also to Egypt in early times as well as in later days. We read of one of them in the Bible, — the Ishmaelites who carried Joseph into Egypt from his home in the land of Canaan. In this manner the Arabs had been living for hundreds of years. The religion which brought the various tribes together at Mecca was derived, according to their traditions, from Abraham and Ishmael. It was claimed that these patriarchs built the temple at Mecca, which from its form was called the Kaaba, or Square. To the present day this is the great temple of their faith. Set in silver and fixed in the wall of the Kaaba, about four feet from the ground, is "the black stone," which the legends say was dropped from heaven. To kiss this sacred stone is the first desire of the faithful pilgrims who visit Mecca. According to the traditions of the Arabs this stone was once white, but its color was changed on account of the sins of men. It may well be because of the countless kisses of its faithful worshipers that it is no longer a white stone! Compared with the magnificent temples of India, of China, and of Japan, this temple at Mecca is insignifi cant, and yet it is the center of a religion which has spread itself, by the power of the sword, over immense territories to the east and to the west of Arabia. Five times each day, in whatever part of the world he may be, the faithful Moslem faces toward Mecca and prostrates himself in prayer. Mohammed, the founder of this great religion, was born at Mecca. In his youth he was a shepherd; as a young man he took charge of caravans crossing the desert, and proved himself a very capable business manager. In his fortieth year he announced to his friends that he had been directed by Allah, the Almighty, to restore the true faith of the Prophets. He called himself a prophet, and in his native city he proclaimed his mission to be the overthrow of idol worship. He made a few converts, and slowly but surely the new religion made progress. The rich families of Mecca feared that the success of this new religion would put an end to the great pilgrimages which brought so much money to their city. This led to bitter opposition, which resulted in Mohammed's leaving Mecca and making his home in Medina. He was received here with friendly greeting, and soon gained a large number of followers. Up to this time Mohammed had proclaimed only a religion of peace, but now he changed and became a fanatical warrior. It was not many years before he succeeded in compelling all the wild tribes of his own country to acknowledge him as their prophet and leader. His earliest attacks were made upon the caravans of his enemies in Mecca. He urged his faithful followers to wage war with all unbelievers. He called his religion Islam, which means "resignation to God's will," and to his converts he gave this watchword"There is no God but God, and Mohammed is his Prophet." We cannot follow his history more fully here, but must leave it with only a brief reference to the rapid spread of Mohammedanism. In a comparatively few years this religion of the sword had conquered so large a portion of Asia, Africa, and Europe, that it was truly said to extend from the Atlantic to the Ganges. "But the day of Arab civilization was, after all, short; the sword was too certainly its evil genius, and so its work has continued ever since to render every country where Islam rules alone a constantly increasing scene of desolation. To this day it remains true that no roads are ever kept up in a Mohammedan region. No man, either now or ever before, went from one Mohammedan city to another, unless he carried arms or joined a cavalcade. It is not safe at present to travel alone for a mile's space in the Moslem world beyond the reach of some Christian occupying power. No traveler can tread the soil of Mecca or visit the ruins of Yemen but at the peril of his life.” Wherever Islam reigns unchecked, whether in Arabia, Afghanistan, or Morocco, this uniform but natural outcome of the religion founded by a highwayman is the fruit by which this tree is to be judged. CHAPTER XXVI. THE LANDS OF THE BIBLE. LEAVING the dangerous harbor of Aden, on board one of the steamers of the great "Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company," we are soon sailing up the Red Sea. On the map it appears so narrow, that it is always a matter of surprise to the traveler to find how wide the Red Sea really is and that for a long distance the steamer is out of sight of land. This arm of the Indian Ocean is over fourteen hundred miles long, and from one hundred to two hundred miles wide. Excepting a few coral reefs and rocky islands, the first land we see after sailing through the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb is at Jiddah, the seaport of Mecca. The meaning of Bab-el-Mandeb is "Gateway of Tears," and the name was given by the Arabs because so many vessels have been wrecked there. At its northern end the Red Sea is divided by the peninsula of Sinai into the gulfs of Akaba and Suez. Away to the east, among the peaks to be seen from this point, lies Mount Sinai, first in importance among mountains in the world's history, - where the Tables This is the land of the Law were given to Moses. made forever famous by the wanderings of the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land. As we sail up the Gulf of Suez, we see, to the east, the low, sandy levels of Sinai, and to the west a range of low mountains, beyond which we know lies the valley of the Nile. The port of Suez is soon reached, and |