MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IK LION HUNTING. 243 



though they be, even when the rendezvous is given under the 

 family tent, and who is ready to do battle with the husband 

 for the favor of those dear eyes that brighten the darkest 

 night. It sometimes happens that the woman herself removes 

 her husband from the field of his earthly avocations by the 

 blow of a mallet or a draught of arsenic. 



I pause in the repetition of Bou- Aziz's dissertation, hearing 

 my reader call out, " Stop there, where are the laws of the 

 land that allow murders to be committed on every side, out 

 of mere pleasure or unhallowed love V 



The law of the land I will give you ; it is as follows : if a 

 man is killed by fire, steel, or poison, the accused shall be 

 cited to appear before a council of war, that shall condemn 

 him to death or the galleys. 



Or the convicted criminal shall pay the price of blood, 

 called the dyah by the Arabs, which is one thousand francs 

 for a man, and five hundred for a woman. Reparation in the 

 the shape of damages is also imposed upon the accused, 

 which is a sum equal to one-half of the dyah. 



The citation to appear before the court martial, does not 

 take place until the accusation has been examined at the 

 Arab Agency, and sufficient proof has been gathered for a 

 conviction. In the other event, the parents accept the price 

 of blood, and forego their revenge. It sometimes happens 

 that a man is killed without the government being able to 

 tell or to suspect the assassins, and then the whole tribe pays 

 the forfeit. 



This measure, generally adopted throughout Africa, has 

 brought about excellent results, particularly as regards the 



