CIRCUMCISION. 57 



avocations, meeting again at the next stated hour 

 of prayer, to repeat exactly the same devout cere- 

 monial. 



On one occasion, I had a good laugh at the 

 little play of some boys of the Sultaun's house- 

 hold, who pretended to go through the ceremony 

 of circumcision, and in which they performed their 

 parts with great gravity, and all attention, no doubt, 

 to the details of that, to them, very interesting 

 operation. It must be observed, that circumcision 

 among the Dankalli, as among other Mahomedans, 

 is frequently deferred to a very late period, the 

 boys, or young men rather, being sometimes sixteen 

 or eighteen years old before they are thus made eli- 

 gible for reception into the paradise of the faithful. 

 To proceed, however, with a description of the cere- 

 mony, as it was acted in the little court before our 

 house. The door being thrown open by the attend- 

 ants, a boy, representing the grave old Kadee, with 

 the operator, entered side by side, followed by the 

 father and the candidate for circumcision, and these 

 by a crowd of friends who, when the operation began, 

 formed a circle before the Kadee and the father, who 

 sat very sedately upon a couch. The operator, with 

 a piece of stick, then commenced acting his part, 

 whilst the boy laid upon his back on the ground, 

 kicking and shrieking, pretended to suffer great 

 pain, which, as in our pantomimes, was, of course, 

 the fun of the whole thing. He, unfortunately, 

 overdid his part, at least did it so naturally and 



