In John Fryer Thomas Keane’s travelogue, “My Journey to Medinah,” the author recounts a challenging night time journey through the desert. As he describes it, the journey was filled with difficulties, not the least of which was the struggle to stay awake while riding on a donkey. Keane, accustomed to sleeping on camels, found himself in a constant battle to keep his eyes open during this arduous trek through the desert.
One particular night, towards the end of his return journey from Madina to Mecca, shortly after sunset, Keane found himself astride a donkey, which he had previously noted as a particularly energetic and fast-paced animal. This posed a challenge for him, as the donkey’s pace far exceeded that of the camels in the caravan. To control the donkey’s speed, Keane had to exert constant effort to restrain it by pulling on the reins.
Fatigue weighed heavily on Keane during this journey, and the cool night air made the temptation to sleep even stronger. He bundled up warmly and experimented with various ways to stay alert, especially during the night rides. However, despite his best efforts, sleep would sometimes overcome him.
On the particular night in question, Keane believed he had managed to slow the donkey down to an appropriate pace. With his head resting on the high pommel of his Arab saddle, he eventually succumbed to the soothing rhythm of the donkey’s movement and fell sound asleep.
Hours later, Keane was jolted awake by a startling realisation – he was alone, stranded in the vast yellow expanse of the desert. The caravan he had been travelling with had disappeared from sight, leaving him isolated in this desolate landscape. In those moments of isolation, Keane couldn’t help but feel like a castaway in the wilderness, with no signs of his companions or any other inhabitants in sight.
“I slept for a long time, and then, ‘oh what an awakening!’ I was in the midst of a vast yellow plain, with the dark cloudlike hills visible round the horizon, but not a sign or vestige of my companions anywhere. I was a castaway in the desert. For all the evidence to the contrary, I might have been the only inhabitant in the world. I must say I felt rather queer for the first minute or so, but I soon pulled myself together. There was a little moon, and the white donkey I rode stood out very conspicuously in its light.”
John Keane: My Journey To Medinah
In response to his predicament, Keane decided to take action. He noticed a faint glimmer of moonlight illuminating the desert, making his white donkey stand out prominently. However, he didn’t want to be spotted too soon by any lurking Bedouin tribes, who were known to prey on stragglers. Instead, he devised a clever strategy, taking a stone and placing it on the donkey’s tail to slow it down while he distanced himself.
Keane moved about a hundred yards away and settled down to assess his situation over a pipe. As he contemplated the circumstances, he calculated the caravan’s likely course and distance since he had last been with it, relying on both dead reckoning and stellar observation. With the knowledge that the caravan was scheduled to halt at midnight, he determined that it was about that time now.
The next step was to locate a familiar hill on the horizon that he believed the caravan had passed shortly before sunset. Keane decided to ride toward that hill at the best speed possible, ascend it, and look for the campfires of the caravan. If he failed to spot them, he would wait until daylight and then follow the camel track to catch up with the caravan. All this, however, was contingent upon his ability to stay vigilant and, if necessary, defend himself should he encounter Bedouin tribesmen in the wilderness.
The author’s recounting of this experience illustrates the challenges and dangers he faced during this nighttime journey through the desert. It serves as a vivid introduction to the hardships encountered during his pilgrimage, setting the stage for further adventures and trials that would unfold during his journey to Medinah.
Tragedy On the Caravan
In “My Journey to Medinah” by John Fryer Thomas Keane, the author not only describes the hardships he faced but also details a harrowing episode involving the Amir’s uncle. This episode sheds light on the perils that travellers, especially those in the company of the Amir’s family, encountered during their desert journey.
The narrative introduces Amir’s uncle as a man of approximately forty years old, although his appearance was that of someone much older. This premature ageing was attributed to his prolonged and excessive use of opium, a habit that had taken a toll on his physical and mental well-being.
As Keane continues to narrate, he recounts Amir’s uncle taking over the donkey that Keane had been riding. Like the author, Amir’s uncle also succumbed to the irresistible urge to sleep while riding on the donkey, despite being forewarned by Keane about the potential dangers of doing so.
It’s in this vulnerable state that the Amir’s uncle fell prey to a terrifying encounter with Bedouin tribesmen. While he slept peacefully, the Bedouins approached him in the darkness, launching an attack by pelting him with stones. This unconventional method of aggression was designed to provoke a reaction and distract from the fact that the Amir’s uncle was defenceless while asleep.
Despite the hail of stones raining down on him, the Amir’s uncle displayed a remarkable and unconventional response. Instead of defending himself or retaliating, he chose to remain seated on the donkey, praying fervently as the stones struck him. He exhibited a serene and almost passive demeanour throughout the ordeal.
As the attack continued, the Bedouins grew bolder, coming closer to their victim. One of them even struck the Amir’s uncle on the back with a long stick, a violent act that could have had dire consequences. However, their target remained passive, seemingly accepting his fate as he continued to pray.
The narrative paints a vivid picture of this extraordinary incident in which the Amir’s uncle’s resilience and faith stood in stark contrast to the aggressiveness of his attackers. It is a testament to the unpredictability and danger that could be encountered during the desert pilgrimage.
The caravan was nowhere to be seen, but all round him in the partial darkness he saw human figures flitting about among the rocks, and, as he described it, “raining stones on him.” This is one of the Bedawin modes of attack when without firearms, or when they do not wish to use them. Their idea is to draw your fire on to their quickly-moving bodies, which you are expected to miss, and then, if some lucky stone has not done it, to close in and finish you.
John Keane: My Journey To Medinah
Ultimately, the outcome was grim. The Amir’s uncle, despite his peaceful demeanour, sustained severe injuries during the attack. He had multiple bruises and abrasions on his head and back, as well as a deep cut on his arm. Despite his consciousness returning briefly, he would succumb to his injuries in the days that followed.
Stolen Donkeys & Backsheesh
In John Fryer Thomas Keane’s “My Journey to Medinah,” the journey through the desert was marked not only by challenges and dangers but also by intriguing episodes involving the recovery of stolen donkeys and shifting attitudes among the Bedouin conductors.
One significant episode in the narrative was the theft of the donkeys belonging to the caravan. The stolen donkeys posed a critical issue, as they were essential for the journey’s progress. Interestingly, the solution to this predicament came from an unexpected source. The Sheikh Bo’sen, Shaykh, offered to retrieve the stolen donkeys, claiming to have the necessary skills and experience for the task.
Intriguingly, Shaykh’s offer to recover the stolen donkeys raised suspicions among some members of the caravan. There were concerns that Shaykh himself might have been involved in the theft. However, despite these doubts, the Amir agreed to pay Shaykh two pounds for the recovery of the donkeys.
With the agreement in place, approximately twenty Bedouins from the caravan, armed with loaded matchlocks and burning fuses, embarked on a mission to retrieve the stolen donkeys. This expedition took them away from the main caravan for a couple of hours.
Upon their return, the Bedouins reported the successful recovery of the stolen donkeys. They shared vivid descriptions of a fierce battle that had taken place during the retrieval mission. Some even displayed signs of injuries and blood, adding to the drama of the tale. However, the most significant injury was found on the hind-quarters of the recovered good donkey, rendering it useless for the rest of the journey.
Interestingly, doubts persisted among some caravan members about the authenticity of the Bedouins’ tale. There were suspicions that the very men who had stolen the donkeys might have been the ones involved in their retrieval. The narrative doesn’t conclusively resolve this ambiguity, leaving the reader to ponder the true identity of the thieves and the circumstances surrounding the recovery.
This episode, along with the recovery of the stolen donkeys, highlighted the complex dynamics and uncertainties of the journey. It showcased the ever-present element of risk, both from external threats like theft and from potential distrust among the caravan’s own members.
Additionally, as the caravan continued its approach to Mecca, there was a noticeable shift in the attitudes and behaviour of the Bedouin conductors. What had previously been a brusque and authoritative manner began to transform. With the prospect of reaching Mecca and the anticipation of bakshish (gratuities or gifts) from the pilgrims, the conductors became markedly more civil and accommodating to the travellers.
This transformation in demeanour marked a significant change in the caravan’s social dynamics. The pilgrims’ growing confidence and optimism contrasted with the earlier challenges and dangers they had faced. However, the journey was far from over, and more trials awaited them as they pressed on toward their sacred destination.
Keane’s Accident and Arrival in Mecca
In the final section of John Fryer Thomas Keane’s narrative, “My Journey to Medinah,” the author shares two pivotal moments during the latter part of the journey: his own unfortunate accident and the caravan’s ultimate arrival in Mecca.
Keane’s narrative takes a personal turn as he recounts an unexpected and painful incident. While preparing for the afternoon prayer, he encountered a camel-related mishap. In the process of drawing water from a skin carried by a water-carrying camel, Keane inadvertently received a powerful and potentially dangerous kick from the camel.
The camel’s powerful hind leg struck Keane on the lower part of his chest, causing him to be lifted off the ground and land face-first on the hard, stony desert terrain. The experience was excruciatingly painful, and Keane lay on the ground for a brief period, suffering intense agony.
The camels were going rather unsteadily, and I was a long time fumbling about doing this, when all at once it stopped dead, lifted up its nearest hind-leg; as if it was going to scratch the top of its back, and then lashed out, hitting me on the lower part of my chest. I was lifted off the ground and came down on my face on the hard stony ground. The agony was awful ; I felt as if my whole inside was torn up ; I turned on my back, closed my eyes, and asked the people about not to touch me. I lay for two or three minutes, suffering tortures, before I could rise ; when I did get up, my companions near me remarked how sick I looked.
John Keane: My Journey To Medinah
As he struggled to regain his composure and rise to his feet, Keane was met with a shocking sight. There was blood on his ihram (pilgrim’s clothing), and his hands and knees bore evidence of severe abrasions and cuts. The camel’s kick had inflicted not only physical injuries but also defiled his sacred clothing, which necessitated a reinvestment and purification process.
To rectify the situation, Keane required immediate ablution and prayer, a process that demanded time and careful attention. The lack of water only added to the challenge, as the skin he had been using had run dry before he could complete the ritual. Consequently, he needed to press forward ahead of the caravan to find a small tank by the roadside where he could obtain water and rectify his clothing.
Despite the physical pain and complications brought on by the accident, Keane’s determination to continue the pilgrimage remained unshaken. His resilience in the face of adversity and his commitment to observing the required religious rituals demonstrated the deep significance of the journey to him.
As the narrative nears its conclusion, Keane describes the caravan’s arrival in Mecca. After enduring a journey filled with trials, dangers, and uncertainties, the pilgrims finally reached their sacred destination. This moment marked the culmination of their arduous journey to Mecca, where they would fulfil their religious obligations and seek spiritual fulfilment.
The arrival in Mecca signifies the completion of a challenging and transformative pilgrimage, characterised by physical and emotional hardships. It underscores the profound significance of the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, in the lives of those who undertake it and the deep commitment to their faith.
