AMZI AT MEDINA.
"With half-shut eyes ever to seem
Falling asleep in a half dream!
To dream and dream like yonder amber light
Which will not leave the myrrh-bush on the height."
--_Tennyson._
Without entering into detail it may be briefly stated that the success
of Mohammed's disciples in Medina was simply marvelous. Converts joined
them every day, while those who were not prepared to believe in the
Meccan's divine mission were at least anxious to see and hear the
prophet.
Amzi did no work in behalf of the new religion. He was simply an
onlooker, though not an unsympathetic one; and, it must be confessed, he
spent most of his time in that voluptuous do-nothingness in which the
wealthy Oriental dreams away so much of his time,--sitting or reclining
on perfumed cushions, a fan in his hand and a long pipe at his mouth,
too languid, too listless, even to talk; listening to the soft murmur of
Nature's music, the night-wind sighing through the trees beneath a
star-gemmed sky, the song of a solitary bulbul warbling plaintively
among the myrtle and oleander blooms, the plash of a fountain rippling
near with "a sound as of a hidden brook in the leafy month of June";
this, the exquisite languor of the East, "for which the speech of
England has no name," the "Kaif" of the Arab, the drowsy falseness of
the Lotos-eaters' ideal:
"Death is the end of life; ah, why
Should life all labor be?
Let us alone."
And so the months went by, until at last a band of emissaries, to the
number of seventy, was appointed to take a journey to Mecca for the
purpose of meeting with Mohammed and discussing with him the
advisability of his taking up his residence at Medina.
A herald brought news of this embassy to the prophet. He went forth to
meet them, and Yusuf, hearing by chance of the appointed conference, set
out posthaste after Mohammed's party, eager to get even a pressure of
the hand from Amzi, his heart's brother, who he felt sure would
accompany the emissaries. In order to overtake them more quickly, he
proceeded with a trusty guide by a shorter route across the hills.
The night was exceptionally dark, and even the guide became confused.
The way led on and on between the interminable hills, until the two in
complete uncertainty reined their steeds on the verge of a cliff that
seemed to overhang a deep and narrow basin, bounded by flinty rock which
even in the darkness loomed doubly black, and which rang beneath the
horses' feet with that peculiar, metallic sound that proclaimed it black
basalt, the "hell-stone" of the Arabs.
It was indeed an eerie spot. A thick fringe of thorny shrubs grew along
the edge of the cliff; at intervals yawned deep fissures, across which
the wise little Arabian ponies stepped gingerly; and above, outlined in
intense black against the dark sky, were numerous peaks and pinnacles
and castellated summits, such as the Arabs love to people with all
manner of genii and evil spirits of the waste and silent wilderness. It
was a spot likely to be infested with robbers, and Yusuf and his guide
waited in some trepidation while considering what to do.
[Illustration: "Hold!" cried a voice from the air above.--See page 34.]
Presently a dull trampling sounded in the distance. It came nearer and
nearer, and the two lone wanderers on the cliff scarcely dared to
breathe.
The tread of camels was soon discernible, the "Ikh! Ikh!" (the sound
used to make camels kneel) of the camel-drivers rising from the dark
pass below to the ears of the men above. Apparently the party was about
to make a halt in the dark basin; and should it prove to be a band of
hill-robbers, Yusuf and his companion were in a precarious position, for
the slightest sound made by them or their ponies would probably prove
the signal for an onslaught; but by patting and quieting the animals,
they managed to keep their restlessness in check and so waited, scarcely
knowing what to do next.
Ere ten minutes had elapsed, however, the tread of camels was again
heard, and another party came in from the opposite direction, halting at
the other end of the ravine. A call was sounded and at once answered by
the body immediately below. The new-comers advanced, and mutual
recognitions seemed to take place, although Yusuf could distinguish
neither the voices nor the words.
The parties were, in reality, those of Mohammed and the emissaries of
Medina, who at once opened negotiations. After the salutations were
over, they extended to Mohammed a formal invitation to Medina.
"We will receive you as a confederate, obey you as a leader, and defend
you to the last extremity, even as we defend our wives and children,"
said the spokesman.
"For your gracious invitation accept my most hearty thanks," said
Mohammed. "My work is not yet ended in Mecca, yet ere long I hope to pay
at least a visit to you, O believers of Medina."
"But," said the leader, "if you are recalled to your own district you
will not forsake us?"
"All things," replied Mohammed, "are now common between us. Your blood
is my blood. Your ruin is my ruin. We are bound to each other by the
ties of honor and interest. I am your friend and the enemy of your
foes."
He then chose twelve of the men to be the especial heralds of his faith,
and all, placing their hands in his, swore fealty to him in life and in
death.
"If we are killed in your service, what shall be our reward?" asked one
of the number.
"Paradise!" cried the prophet. "Vales of eternal rest and felicity,
odors of sweet spices on the air, blessed spirits to--"
"Hold!" cried a voice from the air above. "Who are you, Mohammed, who
can dare to promise that which belongs to the Creator alone? Impostor,
take heed!"
It was only Yusuf, who, in his anxiety to discover if the gloomy vale
were indeed the nest of some daring mountain chief, had noiselessly
descended to an overhanging ledge, and had heard the last confident
assertion of the prophet.
But the utmost consternation fell upon the Arabs below. Some, believing
the voice to be that of a demon of the rock, were seized with sudden
panic; others shouted excitedly, "Spies! spies!" and the assembly broke
up in confusion, all scurrying off, leaving Yusuf and his guide again
alone on the rock.
"Amzi! Amzi!" shouted the priest, with a forlorn hope that his friend
might have lingered behind the fleeing party; but the only response was
the beat of hoofs flying in every direction, and the dull thud of the
camels' padded feet. There was nothing better to be done than wait until
morning, so Yusuf and the guide lay down on the hard rock for the rest
of the night.
For some time after this affairs seemed to be at a standstill. Mohammed
still continued to preach, now from the hill Safa, now from the knoll El
Akaba at the north of the town.
His wife, Cadijah, had died some time before, and he had since married a
widow, Sawda, and become betrothed to a child, Ayesha, the daughter of
his friend and disciple, Abu Beker.
But events in Mecca were fast hastening to a crisis. Abu Sofian, still
the most mortal enemy to Mohammed and his religion, had succeeded Abu
Taleb in the government of Mecca, and no sooner had he become head of
the state than he determined to crush Mohammed, and exterminate his
religion at any cost. A plot for the assassination of the prophet was
formed. Several of the tribe of the Koreish and their allies were
appointed to kill Mohammed, in order to avert the blood-revenge of
Mohammed's immediate kin, the Haschemites, who, it was thought, would
not dare to avenge themselves upon such numerous and such scattered
foes.
The attack was planned with the utmost secrecy in the cellar of a house,
and at a time but the space of three hours before daybreak, when all
Mecca lay chained in slumber.
Yet not all. Abraham, the Jew, was, as usual, on the alert. Since his
escape he had been prowling about the hills, penniless, and hence unable
to leave the district. He had now come down to steal food, for
necessity, in his eyes, rendered any such proceeding pardonable; and,
perceiving a mysterious light issuing from a chink in the wall, his
natural curiosity asserted itself. He lay down flat on the ground, put
his ear to the chink, and succeeded in hearing every word of the plot.
Here, then, was a chance to gain favor and protection from at least a
few in Mecca. He would disclose the plot to Mohammed and his vizier, and
beseech their protection as the price of his services as a savior of the
prophet's life. Accordingly, a couple of hours before the time appointed
for the assassination, and as soon as the cover of darkness rendered his
own appearance in the city safe, he hastened to the prophet.
No time was to be lost. Mohammed, accompanied by Abu Beker and the Jew,
at once fled; while Ali, to deceive the spies, and keep them as long as
possible in check, wrapped himself in the prophet's green cloak, moved
round with it on for some time, and at last lay down on Mohammed's bed.
When the assassins entered, intending to rush upon the sleeping form
and destroy it, Ali threw the cloak off and sat up. In the meantime the
fugitives had reached the cave of Thor, three miles distant, from
whence, after three days, they escaped to Medina.
This was the famous flight of the prophet, the Hegira, or Hejra, in the
year 622 A.D. and about the fifty-third year of Mohammed's age.