Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/190

162 you."—Ḥ. "I am not well dressed."—Š. "We shall go to the judge. He will tell you if you are well dressed or not."—Ḥ. "Where is the wheat?"—Š. " I have it in my posteriors."—Ḥ. "I am not good enough for you."—Š. "Oh yes, you are still good; I am not going to give you up."—Ḥ. "Go and beg in an Arab tribe!"—Š. "I am not a beggar."—Ḥ. "May God curse you and make you destitute! I am with child."—Š. "You must swear that the child is mine." Šéḫšioḫ takes Ḥalîma to the judge, and goes then to a group of women, who treat him some- what badly. He returns with one of them, with whose aid he wants to make himself sure as regards Ḥalîma's condition. She now gives birth to a child, which she carries away and hands over to one of the spectators. Šéḫšioḫ (to the judge),—"It is not my son. (To Ḥalîma) Come and let us sleep together! It is not my son, not my son!" H. "Go away!" A fight follows, Ḥalîma beats Šéḫšioḫ, and runs away. Š. (to the judge, in a rage),—"I wish to kill her!"

I was told in the same village that a man dressed up as a camel formerly took part in the performance.

In the village Dâr Féllaḳ, in the mountain tribe Jbel lẫ-Ḥbíb, where I was staying for some time, the party consists of Bújlūd, Šéḫšioḫ, his wife (who is here called ‘Aiša Ḥamêḳa, that is, "Foolish ‘Aiša"), a "mule," and a "Jew" who pretends to sell goods and is made fun of. Bújlūd is pushed by the people, and beats them with an olive stick which he holds in his hand. Among the Jbâla of Andjra the company is made up of Bújlūd, Šéḫšioḫ, his wife Yissûma, a "Jew" with his wife ‘Azzûna and his "mule," and also a "judge." Bújlūd is dressed in the skins of animals which have been sacrificed at the feast, but otherwise imitates a Christian, and is also called by that name (năṣrâni). He runs after the people and beats them, whilst Šéḫšioḫ throws ashes into their eyes from his bag. Bújlūd is commonly represented by some poor man, who is