160 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



panions for their weakness. ' What ! ' cried she, ' shall we, the 

 daughters of warriors and followers of Mohammed, submit to be 

 the slaves and paramours of barbarians and idolaters ? For 

 my part, sooner will I die ! ' 



" Among her fellow- captives were women, descendants, as it is 

 supposed, of the Amalekites of old, and others of the tribe of 

 Himiar, all bold viragos, accustomed from their youth to mount 

 the horse, ply the bow and launch the javelin. They were 

 roused by the appeal of Caulah. ' What, however, can we do,' 

 cried they, ' having neither sword, nor lance, nor bow ? ' 



" ' Let us each take a tent pole,' replied Caulah, ' and defend 

 ourselves to the utmost. God may deliver us ; if not, we shall 

 die and be at rest, leaving no stain upon our country.' She 

 was seconded by a resolute woman named Offeirah. Her words 

 prevailed. They all armed themselves with tent poles, and 

 Caulah placed them closely side by side in a circle. ' Stand 

 firm,' said she. ' Let no one pass between you ; parry the 

 weapons of your assailants, and strike at their heads.' 



" With Caulah, as with her brother, the word was accompanied 

 by the deed ; for scarce had she spoken, when a Greek soldier, 

 happening to approach, with one blow of her staff she shattered 

 his skull. 



" The noise brought the carousers from the tents. They sur- 

 rounded the women and sought to pacify them ; but whoever 

 came within reach of their staves was sure to suffer. Peter was 

 struck with the matchless form and glowing beauty of Caulah, 

 as she stood fierce and fearless, dealing her blows on all who 

 approached." 



These instances show that there is nothing in the feminine 

 constitution itself which prevents woman from bearing the 

 hardest out-of-door work. The next question is, What degree 

 of this work is compatible with the greatest health ? Does 

 excessive toil unfit her for the holy and beautiful functions of 

 maternity ? Without entering into a full discussion of this 

 question we may assert, that while excessive compulsory toil 

 impairs the health and disorders the functions of the system, 

 it is less injurious than self-indulgence and idleness. Is there 

 not a medium between the Amazonian warrior of Dahomey, or 

 the slave woman of Georgia, and the pampered woman of 



