tS=J.D. Salinger's <b>hegira</b> to the mountain fastness of the North must have helped contribute to the cult--he was no longer a New York writer, however special; he was now the Man on the Mountaintop.<br><br>GRIFFIN'S letters arrive from the stops on his <b>hegira</b> - Ireland, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Japan, Australia and Guadalcanal - reporting on his state of mind as much as his travels.&tQ=A <b>hegira</b> is:&tC=A dive into obscurity|An escape to a more desirable location|A time out from worldly concerns|An undirected meandering|A forced march&cC=2&fB=A <b>hegira</b> is an escape to avoid danger or go to a more desirable location. When capitalized, it refers to the flight of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina in A.D. 622. The Moslems use a calendar reckoned from this date. The abbreviation A.H. following a date signifies "after the <b>Hegira</b>." <b>Hegira</b> is pronounced heh-JYE-ruh.
