Page 201 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (2)

NEGLECTED ARABIA

Missionary News and Letters
Published Quarterly
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION AMONG THE FRIENDS OF
THE ARABIAN MISSION

Touring Inland Arabia
Dr. Louis P. Dame
Note.—The following account of Dr. Dame’s visit to Riadh and other cities
far in the interior is taken from a letter to the Secretary of the Board written at
Kiadh. Recent newspaper reports indicate that Ibn Saud is pressing into Mecca.
It will be interesting to readers to note the contact of our doctors with this
powerful ruler of inland Arabia.—Eu.

B EFORE leaving Riadh and proceeding further into Nejd I want
to give you a report of this part of the tour. We leave here
tomorrow, accompanied by two of the Sultan’s servants, for
Shugra, Aneiza and Boreida. In Shugra we shall probably
remain about eight to ten days, Aneiza about fifteen days and Boreida
i about ten days.
i As 1 wrote you from Bahrein we were invited to Nejd by the Sultan
particularly to treat the Sultan's aged father. We left Bahrein on
November oth with four hospital helpers and thirty-two boxes of
medicines and supplies. We left Hassa early Monday morning, Novem­
ber 12th, and on the next day in the afternoon were met by two
special messengers of the Suitan on fast trotting camels with a letter
for me. It requested me to proceed with all possible haste to the
Sultan who was seriously ill with some swelling of the face.- Fortunately
1 was riding a “dhalool” (trotting camel, or dromedary) and after
opening up a few boxes and taking a few needed supplies, one of the
riders and one of my assistants with me started out after an early
iupj>er. That night we travelled till nearly midnight and were up
again before dawn. We stopped for about an hour in the middle
of the forenoon for a combined breakfast and lunch. ' We then rode
again till about an hour before sunset and rested for an hour for supper.
Then we rode again till nearly midnight, etc. Both Wednesday and
Thursday we were actually in the saddle over fifteen hours. Friday
afternoon at about three p. m. we arrived in Riadh and I was at once
ushered before the Sultan. 1 found him to be suffering from a cellu­
litis of the face. His face was tremendously swollen, his eye was the
lize of a baseball and his lips were so swollen that he could hardly
ipeak. 1 barely recognized him he was so different from the usual
energetic, enthusiastic Abd el Aziz ibn Saud. It was.really pathetic to
ice him and he muttered as best he could, “Oh my friend, I was afraid
you wouldn’t come in time. I surrender myself in your hands; what­
ever you want to do, do.”