10 
mine unfortunately had been. The father, or the nearest 
relations, follow with the persons invited, who surround 
the child mounted on a horse, of which the saddle is 
covered with a red cloth. 
If the child be too young, he is carried in the arms of 
a man on horseback. All the rest are on foot. The 
Neophyte is generally covered with a sort of cloak 
made of white linen, and over this cloakiie wears a red 
one adorned with various ribbands, and a fillet or band 
of silk is tied round his head. A man walks on each 
side of the horse with a silk handkerchief in his hands, 
with which he drives away the flies from the child and 
from his horse. Some women, wrapt up in their enor- 
mous hhaiks or bournous, close the procession. 
Though there were circumcisions every day during 
the festival of Mouloud, yet I waitedtill the last, because 
I was assured that they would then be more numerous, 
and indeed on that day the streets were full of people 
going and returning in crowds, and of soldiers with their 
guns. 
At ten in the morning I left my house, and pressing 
through the crowd, I went towards the chapel. I found 
on my way groups of three or more children, who were 
going to endure the ceremony. The country was cover- 
ed with horses, soldiers, inhabitants, Arabs, and collec- 
tions of women, entirely enveloped in their concealing 
garments, and sitting in hollows of the ground or under 
the shade of trees. These women, as the children pass- 
ed by, uttered cries exceedingly shrill, which are al- 
ways considered from them as signs of mirth and of en- 
couragement. 
After having reached the hermitage, I crossed a yard 
crowded with people, and entered the chapel, where 
I found what may be called a real butchery. 
