HALLAI. 
being shaped, to the purpose, out of the root and branch of a tree; 
sometimes indeed a ploughshare of iron is added. Two oxen are 
invariably yoked to the plough, and it is guided by men alone; in 
all the other parts of agriculture, the women take an equal if not 
a greater share. The luxuriance of the soil, which in the low lands 
will admit of two crops annually, produces a great number of 
weeds ; and the clearing of these is one of the most irksome of 
their toils. For this they often turn up the ground a second time, 
and pick out most carefully every root ; but as this is not sufficient, 
when the corn is about half ripe, they collect together men, women 
and children, forming a line along the field, and with singing, and 
much merriment, pluck forth all the weeds from the corn. The 
labour of reaping is entirely thrown on the females. On passing 
any field where the women were at work, they uniformly greeted 
us with the sharp and shrill cry, which is undoubtedly the Ziraleet, 
described by Mr. Russell as being used by the women of Syria dur- 
ing the harvest, who also quotes from Pietro della Valle a most 
accurate description of it, that it is " a sharp and loud cry of joy," 
made in concert, by a quick and somewhat tremulous application 
of the tongue to the palate, producing the sound heli li li li li 
lilili." 
" Novembers.— We set out from Dixan at a tolerably early hour, 
and travelled a little to the southward of the road bv which we 
came to that village. The ascent was gradual from hill to hill. 
We passed two villages on the left, and one on the right, and then 
arrived at Hallai, situated on an elevated plain, well cultivated, and 
the hills around thickly covered with oxy-cedar. , Here we took 
possession of a shed that was assigned us, and afterwards walked 
