MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



481 



very clean, are built of fir ; they, 

 have no fire-places, and small 

 windows. Their principal house- 

 hold utensils consist of a variety of 

 copper kettles, which are hung up 

 by means of a hook over the fire, 

 and come by way of Ssochum- 

 ckala'h from Anadolia. The bed- 

 steads are of wood, raised but very 

 little from the floor, and covered 

 with carpets and pillows. 



Their arms at present are guns, 

 pistols, sabres, and daggers ; for- 

 merly they used shields ("CkalchanJ 

 also, and two different kinds of 

 hunting-spears, called Ssungeh and 

 Mudshura. They have no wheeled 

 carriages, owing to the moun- 

 tainous nature of the country, but 

 transport every tiling upon pack- 

 horses. 



When one man has killed ano- 

 ther, the relatives of the latter 

 strive by all means to revenge his 

 blood by the death of the mur- 

 derer ; and thus, according to their 

 notions, to give rest to his and 

 their own souls. Nevertheless it 

 frequently happens that a prince 

 endeavours to reconcile the parties, 

 whom he invites to his house, with 

 all their relations; an ox or a sheep 

 is slaughtered and eaten, copious 

 potations of beer succeed, and be- 

 fore they part a reconciliaton is 

 generally effected. If the person 

 whose duty it is to avenge the 

 death of his kinsman be poor, or 

 deficient in spirit, or if the de- 

 ceased have no relatives capable of 

 imbruing their hands in the blood 

 of the murderer, the reconcilia- 

 tion may also be brought about by 

 means of presents to the value, 

 very often, of more than 600 

 (silver) rubles. These are called 

 Chanbahase by the Ckaratschai. 

 Should the murder have been un- 



Voi^. LVI. 



intentional, still it is considered as 

 a crime: but a reconciliation is 

 much more easy, and seldom fails 

 to be effected. 



The princes of the Ckaratschai 

 marry daughters of Kabardian 

 usdens, and these usdens take for 

 their wives the daughters of those 

 princes. The kalim, or price paid 

 for a wife in arms and cattle, ex- 

 ceeds^in value 1,000 (silver) rubles. 

 The manner in which they bring 

 up their children is very strict and 

 commendable. When a son is 

 disobedient to his parents, and fails 

 to amend his conduct after re- 

 peated admonitions, he is placed 

 in sight of the whole village at 

 the door of the Messdshed, and 

 seriously exhorted to alter his be- 

 haviour. Should this have no ef- 

 fect, his parents disown and turn 

 him out of doors, having pre- 

 viously furnished him with such 

 things as are most necessary, and 

 never must he afterwards show 

 his face in his father's house. If 

 his conduct should still be too 

 scandalous, he is even expelled 

 from the village, and forbidden to 

 return as long as he lives. 



Treachery is a crime so uncom- 

 mon as scarcely to be known to 

 them evett by name ; and should 

 any native be guilty of it, or a 

 stranger come among them as a 

 spy, all the people fly to arms to 

 apprehend him, and he infallibly 

 pays the forfeit of his life for the 

 offence. In general they do not 

 rest till they have literally cut him 

 in peices. 



When the inhabitants of Cka- 

 ratschai have any important busi- 

 ness to discuss and decide upon, 

 the elders assemble in the Messd- 

 shed. In concluding agreements; 

 both parties must swear to observe 

 2 I 



