een feet
and say, as he throws seven pebbles: "In the name of God the Almighty I do
this, and in hatred of the devil and his shame." The Moslems fail to
realise that Satan is in the hearts of men and not behind a pillar, nor
that he can be driven away with prayer better than by pebbles.

For thirteen hundred years Moslems have come every year to Mecca, and gone
away, with no one ever to tell them of the Son of God, the Saviour of the
World. Thirteen hundred years! Don't you think it is time to go and tell
them? And will you not pray that even this place may open its doors to
Jesus Christ, and crown Him Lord of all?

IV

SABBACH-KUM BIL KHEIR!

That is to say, "Good-morning!" And the Arabs in the picture do not add,
"have you used Pears' Soap?" but, "have you had your cup of Mocha coffee?"
Soap is a luxury in most parts of Arabia and the vast majority of its
inhabitants never use it; millions would not know it if they saw it.
Perhaps the old Sheikh, however, used a bit of soap to wash his hands and
feet early before sunrise when he went to the mosque to pray. Now he has
returned and sits in the coffee-shop ready to take a sip of coffee and
"drink tobacco" from the long pipe. The Arabs always speak of _drinking_
tobacco when they mean to smoke; I suppose one reason is because they use
the peculiar water-pipes with the long stems in which the smoke passes
through the water and bubbles out to the mouth. Have you time to stop and
study the picture with me?

What a pretty window in the corner! The Arabs call a window _shibaak_,
which means network, because their windows are very much like a fish-net.
Glass is seldom used in Arabia except by Europeans and Arabs who have
become civilised; and so the carpenter or joiner fits little round bars,
one into the other, like marbles or beads on a string and the result is
often very beautiful. Light and air come in (not to speak of clouds of
dust) while no one can look through from the outside; and you know how
afraid Arab girls and women are to show their faces to strangers.

Under the arch is the open fireplace where the big coffee-pots and
water-kettles simmer all day on a charcoal fire. The old man looks quite
cheerful seated on his uncomfortable stool made of date-sticks. You will
read later about our old friend the date-palm and how the tree is used for
nearly every purpose. I wish I could show you how they take the thin
branches and punch holes in them and then deft