ngth of their hair. Some of them had it tied up
behind like women, and now proceeded to unloose it.

But at this period considerable toilet preparations were made for
the coming work. All those in the circle who had not come in from
the college with gowns and caps, and one or two even of them,
deliberately took off their outer clothing, and tied it up in
bundles. These bundles they removed to various corners, so that
each might again find his own clothes. One or two put on calico
dressing-gowns, which appeared to have been placed ready for the
purpose; and among these was the cadaverous man of the black hair.

And then they all stood up, the dean standing also before his
tribune, and a deep-toned murmur went round the circle. This also was
the word Allah, as was duly explained to Bertram by his dragoman; but
without such explanation it would have been impossible to detect that
any word was pronounced. Indeed, the sound was of such nature as to
make it altogether doubtful from whence it came. It was like no human
voice, or amalgamation of voices; but appeared as though it came
from the very bowels of the earth. At first it was exceedingly low,
but it increased gradually, till at last one might have fancied
that the legions of Lucifer were groaning within the very bowels of
Pandemonium.

And also, by slow degrees, a motion was seen to pervade the circle.
The men, instead of standing fixedly on their legs, leaned over,
first to the right and then to the left, all swaying backwards and
forwards together in the same direction, so that both sound and
motion were as though they came from one compact body.

And then, as the groan became louder, so did the motion become more
violent, till the whole body heaved backwards and forwards with the
regularity of a pendulum and the voice of a steam-engine. As the
excitement became strong, the head of the dervishes walked along the
inner circle, exciting those to more violence who already seemed the
most violent. This he did, standing for a few minutes before each
such man, bowing his own head rapidly and groaning deeply; and as he
did so, the man before whom he stood would groan and swing himself
with terrible energy. And the men with the long hair were especially
selected.

And by degrees the lateral motion was abandoned, and the dervishes
bowed their heads forwards instead of sideways. No one who has not
seen the operation can conceive what men may achieve in the way of
bowing