Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 28, 1917.djvu/436

 402 The Killing of the Khazar Kings.

of the Khozars are in general the manners of the idolaters ;. when they salute each other, they bow the head in token of respect. The administration of the capital is based on ancient customs, contrary to the religion of the Mussulmans, the Jews, and the Christians. The army is composed of twelve thousand men ; when one of these men dies, he is replaced by another. Their pay is small and scanty.

" The king's revenues arise from tov/n dues and a tithe levied on merchandise on all the roads and every sea and river, in accordance with a system peculiar to the Khozars. He also obliges the inhabitants of the towns and country districts to furnish him with all the objects (in kind) which he needs.

"The king chooses nine judges among the Jews, Christians, Mussulmans, and idolaters. When a suit is brought, it is these men who judge it ; the parties do not apply to the king, but to these men. When the judges are sitting, some one is charged with the duty of acting as intermediary between the king and the judges.

"The principal food of the Khozars consists of rice and fish.

" The merchants dw^ll by preference in the part of the city which is situated on the eastern bank. There, too, may be found persons who profess Islam, also there are commercial establishments. As for the western part, it is the special abode of the king, his retainers, his troops, and Khozars of distinction.

" The language of the Khozars differs from all others. . ..

" The Khozars do not resemble the Turks ; they have black hair, and two sorts of them arc distinguished. The one sort, called Caradjours, are brown, with a complexion so dark that it verges on black ; you might take them for an Indian race : the other sort are white and perfectly beautiful. The Khozars who, in our country, are sunk in slavery, belong to the idolaters, who, unlike the Jews, the