To meet all the exigencies of the journey, how ever, which would be a task impracticable with out the establishment of some kind of order, and a prudent division of labor, the caravan is placed under the charge of a caravan bashe, the chief who presides over all, and under whom there are five leading officers appointed to ditTerent depart ments—one who regulates the march; a second, whose duties only commence at halting time; a third who superintends the servants and cattle; a fourth who takes charge of the baggage; a fifth who acts as paymaster.
This description of the general economy of cara vans we follow up by the account given by Pitts of the Hadj caravan, which he accompanied to Mecca, and embracing so many minute details, that it may be both interesting and instructive to the reader to he furnished with it in the traveler's own words. 'The first day,' says he, 'we set out from Mecca, it was without any order at all—all hurly-burly; but the next day every one labored to get forward, and in order to do it there was many times much quarreling and lighting. But after everyone had taken his place in the cara van they orderly and peaceably kept the same place till they came to Grand Cairo. They travel four camels abreast, which arc all tied one after another, as in teams. The whole body is divided into several cottors, or companies, each of which has its name, and consists, it may be, of several thousand camels; and they move, one cottor after another, like distinct troops. At the head of each cottor is some great gentleman or officer, who is carried in a thing like a litter, borne by two camels, one before and the other behind. At the head of every cottor there goes likewise a sumptcr camel, which carries his treasure, etc. This camel has two bells, hanging one on each side, the sound of which may be heard a great way off. Others of the camels have hells round about their necks, like those which our carriers put about their fore horse's neck, which, together with the servants who belong to the camels, and travel on foot, singing all night, make a pleasant noise, and the journey passes away delightfully. Thus they travel in good order every day till they come to Grand Cairo; and were it not for this order you may guess what confusion would be among such a vast multitude. They have lights by night (which is the chief time of traveling, because of the exceeding heat of the sun), which are carried on the top of high poles, to direct the hadjis, nr pilgrims, on their march. These are somewhat like iron stoves, into which they put short dry wood, which some of the camels were loaded with ; it is carried in great sacks, which have a hole near the bottom, where the servants take it out as they sec the tire needs a recruit. Every cottor has one of these poles belonging to it, some of which have ten, some twelve, of these lights on their tops, or more or less; they arc likewise different in figures as well as in num hers—one perhaps oval-way, like a gate; another triangular, nr like N nr M, etc., so that every one knows by them his respective cottor. They are carried in the front and set up in the place where the caravan is to pitch, before that conies up, at some distance from one another. They are
also carried by day, not lighted; but yet, by the figure and number of them, the hadjis are directed to what cottnr they belong, as soldiers are by their colors where to rendezvous; and without such directions it would he impossible to avoid confusion in such a vast number of people.' (4) March of Israel. This description of the Hadj caravans that travel yearly to Mecca bears so close a resemblance to the far-famed journey of the Israelites through almost the same extensive deserts that, as. the arrangement of those vast traveling bodies seems to have undergone no material alteration for nearly four thousand years, it affords the best possible commentary illustrative of the Mosaic narrative of the Exodus. Like them, the immense body of lsraelitish emigrants, while the chief burden developed on Moses, was divided into companies, each company being under the charge of a subordinate officer, called a prince (Num. vii). Like them, the Hebrews made their first stage in a hurried manner and in tumultuous disorder (Exod. xii:t 1) ; and, like them, each tribe had its respective standard, which was pitched at the different stages, or thrust per pendicularly into the ground, and thus formed a central point, around which the straggling party spread themselves during their hours of rest and leisure (Num. ii:2). Like them, the signal for starting was given by the blast of a trumpet, or rather trumpets (Num. x:2, 5) ; and the time of march and halting was regulated by the same rules that have been observed by all travelers from time immemorial during the hot season. Like theirs, too, the elevation of the standard, as it was borne forward in the van of each company, formed a prominent object to prevent dispersion, or enable wanderers to recover their place within the line or division to which they belonged. Nor was there any difference here, except that, while the Israelites in like manner prosecuted their journey occasionally by night as well as by day, they did not require the aid of fires in their standards, as the friendly presence of the fiery pillar superseded the necessity of any artificial lights. One other point of analogy remains to be traced in the circumstance of Hobah being en listed in the service of the Hebrew caravan as its guide through the great Arabian desert. At first sight the extreme solicitude of Moses to secure his brother-in-law in that capacity may appear strange, and not easily reconcilable with the fact that they enjoyed the Fpecial benefit of a heavenly guide, who had guaranteed, in a super natural manner, to direct their progress through the wilderness. But the difficulty will vanish when it is borne in mind that, although the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night suf ficed to regulate the main stages of the Hebrews, foraging parties would at short intervals require to be sent out, and scouts to reconnoiter the country for fuel, or to negotiate with the native tribes for provender and water.