ch silk.
On the top of this they erect a bunch of quills, or slender rods, about a
cubit long, or even more, which they ornament with peacocks feathers on the
top, and all around with the feathers of a wild drake, and even with
precious stones. The rich ladies wear this ornament on the top of their
heads, binding it on strongly with a kind of hat or coif, which has a hole
in its crown adapted for this purpose, and under this they collect their
hair from the back of the head, lapped up in a kind of knot or bundle
within the botta; and the whole is fixed on by means of a ligature under
their throat. Hence, when a number of these ladies are seen together on
horseback, they appear at a distance like soldiers armed with helmets and
lances. The women all sit astride on horseback like men, binding their
mantles round their waists with silken scarfs of a sky-blue colour, and
they bind another scarf round their breasts. They likewise have a white
veil tied on just below their eyes, which reaches down to their breasts.
The women are amazingly fat, and the smaller their noses, they are esteemed
the more beautiful. They daub over their faces most nastily with grease;
and they never keep their beds on account of child-bearing.

SECTION IX.

_Of the Duties and Labours of the Women, and of their Nuptials._

The employments of the women are, to lead the waggons, to load and unload
the horses, to milk the cows, to make butter and gryut, to dress skins, and
to sew them together, which they generally do with sinews finely split and
twisted into long threads. They likewise make sandals, and socks, and other
garments, and felts for covering their houses. They never wash their
garments, alleging that it would offend God, and that hanging them up to
dry would occasion thunder; and they even beat any person who pretends to
wash their garments, and take their clothes from them. They are
astonishingly afraid of thunder, during which they turn all strangers from
their dwellings, and wrapping themselves in black felt, remain covered up
till it is over. They never wash their bowls or dishes; or if they do wash
the platters into which the boiled meat is to be put, they do it merely
with the scalding broth, which they throw back into the pot.

The men make bows and arrows, saddles, bridles, and stirrups, construct
houses and carts, takes care of the horses, and milk the mares, agitate the
cosmos or mares milk, make leather sacks, in which these