The holding of the beard between the teeth is as regular a preliminary before beginning to fight, amongst natives, as the taking off of a coat might be with English people, and I have read of a hill tribe in India who follow the same fashion.
I do not know in what light the women regard their abduction; they are often, no doubt, consenting parties, and at other times, perhaps, their feelings resemble those of the donkey in Æsop's fable. That sagacious animal, it may be remembered, showed no anxiety to escape from the pursuing enemy, who could not, he was convinced, load his back with heavier pack-saddles than had already been laid on it by his own master.
The first instance that we met with of wife-inheritance was when one day Khourabene marched up proudly to our door, holding by the hand a little girl of five years old, well wrapped up in furs, with a string of blue beads round her throat. He introduced her to us with a beaming smile as his little "Gorda," or sweetheart, and explained that she had originally been betrothed to his cousin, who had lately died, and to whose property in her as a future wife he had succeeded as heir-at-law. In fact, his position was precisely that of Mr. Swiveller with a young lady "saving up" for him. "Gorda's" education was in the meantime entrusted to an old native lady, from whose hands Khourabene had borrowed her for the day that we might see the chattel which his relation had bequeathed to him. He seemed to have very correct ideas as to the propriety of making his betrothed bride a present, and asked my husband to give him sixpence that he might buy her a whistle.
