398 



THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND 



bells, and gold flakes; the tresses are tied at the 

 ends by cords of silk adorned with spangles and 

 gold coins. The main article of dress is a loose 

 white robe, which extends from the shoulders 

 to the feet; it has no sleeves, but there are wide 

 side-openings from the arm to the knees. The 

 under-garments consist of a gauze chemise and 

 loose drawers fastened below round the knees or 

 ankles. 



The life of the people is regular and uniform. 

 They all rise before the sun, say their prayers, 

 take a cup of coffee, and then hurry off to the 

 bazaar or the field. Business is mostly done in 

 the morning. At midday there is dinner, followed 

 by a long siesta; work is then resumed till 

 sunset, after which comes the principal meal of 

 the day. The main foods are flat cakes of un- 

 leavened bread made of flour paste baked over 

 a fire, beans and lentils boiled with ghee or 

 butter, fried fish, mutton, beef, or fowls. The 

 women have their household work, which consists 

 principally of cooking, washing, and sewing. 

 They make morning calls on other women, when 

 they smoke, drink coffee, tell stories, listen to 

 songs, or watch dancing. They can only walk 

 abroad veiled or under a canopy, but the large 

 court-yards of the houses afford them plenty of 

 open air. The lives of women in the harem are 

 thus passed neither in harsh slavery nor indolent 

 luxury, for they have their amusements as well 

 as their duties. 



Polygamy is of course allowed to the Fellahi.ii. 

 Divorce is easy, and is frequently due to a fit of 

 anger, and is often followed by remarriage. But 

 when the absolute form of divorce lias been 

 used direct remarriage is illegal. This can only 

 be effected by the law of inostaJu'll. The woman 

 must marry another man, who can instantly 

 divorce her, and then the first husband can 

 remarry her. 



Marriage in the first instance is arranged 

 by the parents at an early age. Girls marry 

 at from twelve to fourteen, and boys when 

 about three years older. The bride and bride- 

 groom do not see each other until a late 

 stage in the marriage proceedings; but they can then, if they choose, stop the ceremony. 

 Marriage is not by purchase, bnt a relic of this system is preserved in the payment made 

 by the bridegroom's father to the father of the bride, which sum is, however, spent on her 

 trousseau. 



After birth a child is kept in seclusion for seven days, during which time no man, not 

 even its father, is allowed to look at it, for fear of injury. On the seventh day the baby is 

 placed in a sieve and carried in procession through the whole house, accompanied by lighted 



PAoto 



[Algiers. 



A KAHYLE MAN. 



