عسمان or عثمان, was quite persuaded of his power of working miracles. On one occasion I saw him push a huge iron pin through his cheeks, one side in and the other side out. After it was pulled out, his cheek was found pierced through and bleeding, upon which Sheikh Hamdan spit on it, and washed it away, calling to his Lords يا سيادي. This is the only "wonder" I saw. The man bled very little, and probably was accustomed to pierce the cheek, though the holes did not remain, but completely healed. However, on one occasion Sheikh Hamdan, an unmarried man, in one of his frantic runs, seems to have given a rendezvous to the fair daughter of Ethman, and in course of a few months the sheikh disappeared—called to Egypt by the Badawy. He has never again been seen at Urtâs, and the daughter was delivered in secret by a Bethlehem midwife. Sheikh Hamdan lost respect and holiness, and became a camel driver many years afterwards in his own village. As a rule, the Derwishes are married men—at least, marriage has nothing to do with being a Derwish.
Sultan Badr, سلطان بدر, has his abode in Deir es Sheikh, a village in Wady Isma'in. He is said to have been a descendant of Hassein, the grandson of Mohammed, and when war waged between the Egyptian and Syrian Khalifs, was killed near Deir es Sheikh. The now living direct descendant is Sheikh Ethman, a man about 50 years of age, with fine features, tall and very sober in speech. About the years 1874–1882 he lived partly at Urtâs and partly at Deir es Sheikh, and during these years he was voluntarily dumb, his noble ancestor having asked him not to speak for this time, and thus to avoid sin; he would always talk by signs. He was greatly venerated by everybody, both fellahîn and townspeople, and even the Pasha of Jerusalem would rise when he came to the Seraia, and generally presented him with garments. This sheikh, as a descendant of Sultan Badr, relative of Mohammed, wears the green turban. When Ibrahim, Pasha of Egypt, was ruler of Palestine he took away many lands belonging to Welies and such holy men, but when he sent his soldiers to take Deir es Sheikh, a swarm of bees attacked the regiment, and as often as they tried to come up, bees kept them back. Then they knew that these bees were none else but Sultan Badr himself defending his abode. (The inhabitants of Sheikh, a village near Hebron, also claim relationship with the prophet, and wear the green turban.) Sheikh Ethman, the dumb, when I met him about 1889, had finished his vow, and was again allowed to speak, his ancestor, Sultan Badr, having withdrawn his injunction. Also this sheikh, who was respected in almost all southern Palestine, lost a great deal of his prestige on being found acting against the Government in a criminal affair. Instead of showing his power, he simply denied having done anything. The following were the circumstances:—
A murderer, who was brother-in-law of Sheikh Ethman, was brought, bound, to Jerusalem from Hebron, passing along the Wady el Biâr to
