16 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



remains in her father's house for a certain time or until 

 the birth of a child. The bridegroom is at liberty to 

 visit her and to stay for days at a time, but not to 

 remove her to his own village until the expiration of 

 the customary period unless a child be born meanwhile. 1 



Among some of the Turcomans a married daughter 

 is retained for a year in her parents' house. Mean- 

 while the husband can have only stolen interviews 

 with her ; and if caught he is required to give her 

 parents a considerable present. These proceedings 

 continue until the birth of the first child. 2 In the 

 Sinaitic peninsula it is usual to capture the bride by 

 force. The bridegroom flings his mantle (called aba) 

 over her, saying, " No one shall cover thee but I," and 

 forthwith carries her off to his own tent. But among 

 the Mezeyne tribe the flinging of the aba is the signal 

 for her escape to the mountains, whither her bride- 

 groom at once pursues her. She allows herself of 

 course to be caught, and they spend the night together 

 in the open air. With the dawn she flees again, this 

 time back to her home. There she abides and meets 

 her husband only by night until conception has taken 

 place, when at last she enters her husband's tent. 3 



In the Caucasus a Cherkess, though he has taken 

 his wife to live with him, dare not show himself in 

 public with her. For six or eight weeks he visits her 

 in secret, entering it is said by the window. It is at 

 any time a gross breach of propriety to speak to him 



1 F. A. Golder, Journ. Am. F. L. xx. 134, translating Veniaminov. 



2 Post, Studien,^ 242, citing ;Vambery ; McLennan, Studies^ i. 186, 

 citing Fraser. 



3 Lobel, 42 ; McLennan, op. cit. 181, citing Burckhardt. A 

 later stage in the evolution of this ceremony is described by Jaussen, 

 53 note. 



