and fortunate nature. She was then led across the patio, and through the other rooms of the house, but here we and the other strangers did not follow her; she being accompanied in her tour of inspection only by her supporters and two or three of her nearer relations. On her return to her chamber, all her friends seized her in their arms, and kissed and hugged her. She was not put into bed again, but seated on a chair opposite the doorway of the room; and all her garments, which had got a little disarranged, readjusted. She made no effort to assist in the arrangement of her toilette herself, remaining quite passive and immobile, while two of her friends pulled and twitched her clothes, resettled her ornaments so that each one should be seen to the best advantage, brought forward her two long plaited tails of hair, squared out her elbows, and spread her hands flat on her lap, opening her fingers so that every ring should be fully visible.

Every one then stared at and admired her; while she sat, alternately lifting and dropping her eyelids, with the precision and regularity of an ingeniously contrived automaton, and occasionally smirking a little, in recognition of the interest and admiration which she excited. The opening and shutting her eyes was supposed to express that bashfulness and modesty generally deemed suitable to the occasion, and which Moorish brides cannot exhibit by means of becoming blushes, owing to the thick coating of paint by which their faces

are covered. What should have been sweet conscious smiles too, were, in the present instance, turned into hideous grimaces by the same cause. When this young

lady tried to smile, her stars and triangles puckered up, and the result was a grin after the style of a clown's in a pantomime.

And thus ended the performance. I must add that all these proceedings had been watched with the greatest interest by three or four handsome young women, from the window of an upper room, that looked into the patio. These, I was told, were the unmarried sisters, and sisters-in-law, and cousins of the bride, who were not allowed on this occasion to mingle with the married ladies. The window was so small that it was with difficulty two could look out together; so the crowding was considerable, as was no doubt the curiosity. A couple of little girls, however, about eight or ten years of age, bearing the same relationship to her, had been permitted to run about freely amongst the assemblage. All these arrangements and observances, which I have attempted to describe, are intended-so it is said-to preserve and foster female delicacy and modesty, according to Moorish ideas. Strange are the differences of national sentiment on such subjects. To my mind and the minds of my friends, the result was of a totally opposite nature. To us, these poor creatures seemed as wanting in womanly delicacy, as they were in human dignity. They appeared quite as incapable of conceiving the one,

in its true sense, as they were certainly totally devoid of the other.

I drew a long breath of relief and enjoyment when I found myself once more in the open air. It was not alone the odours of onions and kesksoo, and Moorish perfumes, and negresses, and rancid oil and garlic; but the moral atmosphere which I had been breathing, had choked and disgusted me.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE FEAST OF RAMS.

SOON after my visit to the Moorish bride, I had an opportunity of witnessing the ceremonials attendant on the greatest religious festival of the Mohammedans, "Id al Korbên," or "Id al Adhâ," the feast of the sacrifice. This is called in the East the Greater Beirâm, in contradistinction to "Id al Fetr," the Lesser Beirâm, the feast of breaking the fast, which takes place immediately after the fast of Ramadân, but it is known in Morocco as "El Aid Kebir," the great feast, or "El Aid Hanwela," the ram feast.

It commences on the tenth of Dhul' hajja, or month of the "hajjas," the pilgrims to Mecca. The animals sacrificed must be males if sheep or goats, and in Tangier at least these were the animals chiefly used; some, however, of the very poor people killed fowls, being unable to obtain any more valuable victims. is absolutely necessary that each head of a family should kill at least one animal, but all who could afford to do so, killed one for each individual male member of his family or household.

It

In Tangier, and I believe in other cities in Morocco, there is one curious custom observed at the celebration of the Feast of Rams, which I do not think forms a part

of the observance of the sacrifice in other Mohammedan countries. One ram is killed at the praying place above the Soko, or at the door of the principal mosque. Immediately after it is struck, it is flung upon the shoulders of a man, who runs with it through the town to the house of an appointed judge, the dying animal and its bearer being pelted all the time with stones, by the street boys. If, on arriving at the judge's house, the animal is pronounced to be still breathing, it is supposed to be a good augury for the year; but if it be quite dead, it is considered to be an evil omen. The dangerous and unpleasant duty of running with the dying ram, is performed by some poor wretch, of such miserable worldly condition that he will undertake the horrid · task for a few shillings.

For several days previous to the commencement of the Feast, large flocks of sheep and goats were driven in from the country, and sold in the market-place, where all was bustle and excitement. Great was the competition to obtain the largest and fattest animals, the cunning dealers knowingly running up the price in proportion to the demand; while some of the still more cunning intending purchasers held back in expectation of further arrivals of stock, and consequent glut in the market, necessitating sale at easy price on the last day.

Going up to the Soko a few days before the commencement of the feast, I found Selam there in a state of great excitement, buying his ram. There were two or