d
been very friendly with him for about two months. The following Sunday
afternoon the young lady called for the young man and took him to the
park, and as I was informed afterwards when the two were in a very
secluded place, surrounded by shrubbery, she, in a very pretty way, told
him that the more she was with him and the more she saw of him, the more
she felt impressed that she loved him, and had found in him a true
companion, and wished to know how he felt towards her. As he was in
exactly the same state of mind towards her as she was towards him, they
were engaged to be married. I became interested in this couple, and
observed that sometimes the young lady would call and see him and take
him out, and sometimes the young man would call and see the young lady
and take her out. I do not wish to give the reader the impression that
the young ladies of Tiestan always commence the courtship, for it is as
customary for a young man to commence a courtship as for a young lady.
The privilege and pleasure of commencing a courtship belongs as much to
one sex as the other.

"One afternoon I was walking along the banks of the beautiful river
which flows through the suburbs of the city of Semhee, and saw a number
of boys and girls, also men and women, all enjoying themselves swimming.
They would swim awhile and then come out, stand or sit on the bank of
the river for another while. Sometimes there would be seen several
hundred persons of all ages on the banks of the river. They no more
thought about their respective natures than they did about the number of
hairs on their head. Among those I saw on the banks of the river was
this very young man and young lady who were engaged to be married. They
were standing up side by side ready to take a plunge in the river, and
in they went and swam about very gracefully. While they were in the
water they both saw me standing on the bank opposite to where they had
stood on the other. They swam to where I was, and came out of the water
to me, and we had a little chat.

"If the young lady was invited to stay over night at the young man's
house, she would take her bath with the other members of the family in
the morning, and if the young man received an invitation to stay all
night at the home of the young lady, he, in the morning, would take his
bath with the members of her family.

"About a month after the engagement the two were married. The city
Semhee employs four persons who can perform