his next of kin takes his place, and pursues his
enemy, whose life is never safe; insomuch that, whole kabyles, when
this deadly animosity has reached its acme, have been known to quit
153 their country and emigrate into the Sahara; for when the second
death has been inflicted, it then becomes the incumbent duty of the
next of kin of the deceased to seek his revenge: they call this
justifying blood. This horrible custom has the most lamentable
influence on the happiness of human life; for there will sometimes
be several individuals seeking the life of one man, till this
principle, pervading all the ramifications of relationship and
consanguinity, produces family-broils, hostility, and murder, _ad
infinitum!!_ We stopped at a friend of L'Hage Muhamed, who
presented us with honey and butter, thin shavings of the latter
being let to fall into a bowl of honey for breakfast. This bowl was
served up with flat cakes kneaded without leaven, and baked on hot
stones; these are converted from corn into food in less than half
an hour; they are in shape similar to our crumpets or pancakes. We
were pressed by this Shelluh to stay and dine with him, which being
agreed to, he sent a shepherd to his flock to kill a fat young kid,
which was roasted with a wooden spit, before the vital heat had
subsided, which was very tender, and of an exquisite flavour. The
bread or cakes above described appear to be similar to what the
women kneaded for the guests in the patriarchal ages: indeed, the
customs of these people, as well as those of the Arabs, is
precisely the same as they were in the patriarchal ages, and which
are delineated in the 18th chapter of Genesis, 1st to the 8th
verse.
154
The honey of this province is very fine: it has an aromatic
flavour, derived from the wild thyme and other aromatic herbs on
which the bees feed. Among these people every meal is preceded with
a washing of their hands with water, which is brought round for the
purpose in a brass pan; each guest dips his right hand in the pan,
and a napkin is presented to wipe them; they then break the bread,
and, after saying grace, which is universally this,--_bismillah_,
i.e. "in the name of God," each guest takes a bit of bread, dips it
in the honey and butter, and eats it. It is reckoned uncourteous or