Mountain life in Algeria . eep mouldPlant cloven stakes, and (wondrous to behold !)Their sharpened ends in earth their footing place,And the dry poles produce a living race. These fig-cuttings look like unpromising bundles of dry sticks ; but as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeththe things that are sown in it to spring forth, even so may thepeople put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heavi-ness. Not till we arrived at the market did we perceive the reasonfor its being held at such an inconvenient and exposed spot; wethen saw a number of villages before us, pe
Mountain life in Algeria . eep mouldPlant cloven stakes, and (wondrous to behold !)Their sharpened ends in earth their footing place,And the dry poles produce a living race. These fig-cuttings look like unpromising bundles of dry sticks ; but as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeththe things that are sown in it to spring forth, even so may thepeople put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heavi-ness. Not till we arrived at the market did we perceive the reasonfor its being held at such an inconvenient and exposed spot; wethen saw a number of villages before us, perched on the crests ofprecipitous ridges. The market is on the boundary between the Aith IMenguellathand a tribe called the Aith or Beni Yahia. Beni is the Arabicfor sons of, the word Ait or Aith has the same meaning inKabyle. The locality of markets is often on the boundary oftribal territories, such as Souk-es-Sebt and at Fort National, on the contrary, is in the centre ofthe tribe Beni .*-i- ANA YA. 6i Such points of junction were esteemed neutral in old days,when the country was disturbed, and tribesmen could attend andtransact business in safety when it would have been dangerous tooverstep the limits of their own lands. An institution that rendered travelling in safety possible whenthe country was embroiled, is that called Anaya, which is a reci-procal compact between two persons to guard each other fromattack. A traveller wishing to pass through antagonistic tribes,or for any reason apprehending danger, sought a friend, whogranted him Anaya ; this friend, if he did not accompany him gavesome token, to be presented in the tribe whither the stranger wasgoing, which would ensure the respect and hospitality due to him-self; the new host would in his turn offer the stranger Anaya,and so pass him on in safety. Since the French have introducedsettled government, this custom has disappeared, or more trulyspeaking, lies dormant, for 1 have mysel
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdec, booksubjectalgeriadescriptionandtravel
