Travels in the Mogul Empire (Bernier) 19.4.5

19.4.5

On the other side of the mosque are the apartments and garden of the Mullahs, who pursue the even tenor of their way under the shadow of the Pires miraculous sanctity. They are sufficiently zealous in celebrating his praises, but as I am always unhappy on similar occasions, he performed no miracle upon the sick while I remained there. As to the round and heavy stone that was to convert me, I noticed that eleven Mullahs formed themselves into a circle round it, but what with their long cabayes or vests, and the studied compactness of the circle, I had great difficulty to see the mode in which they held the stone. I watched narrowly, however, the whole of this cheating process, and although the Mullahs stoutly maintained that each person used only the tip of one finger, and that the stone felt as light as a feather, yet I could clearly discover that it was not raised from the ground without a great effort, and it seemed to me that the Mullahs made use of the thumb as well as of the forefinger. Still I mixed my voice with the cries of these impostors and bystanders, exclaiming Karamet ! Karamet ! — a miracle ! a miracle ! I then presented them with a roupie, and assuming a look of the deepest devotion, entreated that I might have for once the distinguished honour of being among the eleven who lifted the stone.