g. ü "Rien à faire !... Tout essayé!... N'en démordent pas: veulent aller à la Mecque, point, c'est tout!...
oneself bang the head against the capstan!
It's hopeless! I tried everything! They won't budge an inch: they want go to the Mecca, period, that's all!... It's like banging your head against a capstan!