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KALMUCKS

K

K (kay\ the eleventh letter, is a nonvocal consonant. It is called a guttural, because made by the soft palate closing on the back of the tongue, as in ask, kill. In such words as cracked, k prevents c before e from being pronounced as s. Before n in the same syllable, k is silent, as in knot.

Kabul (kd'bul) or Cabul was made the capital of Afghanistan by Timur in 1774. It stands 6,000 feet above the sea, and is overshadowed by the once famous fortress of Bala Hissar. The city has a large trade with India and Central Asia; its bazar rivals that of Kandahar; and it is noted for its fruits and its carpets. It is the seat of the reigning emir, and has a mint, a gun-factory and a modern arsenal. Kabul was captured twice by the British (1842 and 1880). Hindus, Jews and Afghan tribesmen make the population (75,000).

Kafirs, tribes inhabiting the southern portion of the African continent, particularly the coast of southeastern Africa. Their color is not so dark as that of the negroes, though their hair is woolly and they have broad noses and thick lips. Northward they become darker, until at last they blend with the negroes, and their distinctive racial features are lost. They are brave and, for the most part, kind and affectionate to their families. Polygamy is almost universal, wives being purchased with cattle. Their idea of the Supreme Being is very indefinite, but, although deficient in religious sentiment, they are superstitious, and belief in witchcraft is very general. There are some signs of a belief in a future state, the most marked being the worship of their ancestors.. Their number is estimated at 2,400,000, chiefly in Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal and British Bech-uan aland.

Kafiristan (kd-f$-res-tdn')f a country of southern Asia, on the southern declivity of the Hindu-Kush Mountains. The area is about 5.000 square miles, and the inhabitants differ from surrounding tribes both in language and religion, all efforts to convert them to the Mohammedan faith having been in vain. They number about 200,000, and are divided into various tribes, which often war with one another, but are united in their love of independence and their hatred of Mohammedanism. Kafiristan, whose native tribes were subdued by the emir of Afghanistan in 1895, has been of late included in the countries under

Afghan control, and has been garrisoned partially by the emir's troops. The soil is fertile, yielding sufficient fruit and grain for the inhabitants and furnishing subsistence for large herds of cattle, sheep and goats.

Ka'kabe'ka Falls. Near Port Arthur and Fort William in Thunder Bay District Ontario. There is a development of 12,000 horse-power electrical energy, and arrangements are being made to utilize the falls to the extent of an additional 30,000 horse-power. The power from these falls supplies Port Arthur and Fort William.

Kal'amazoo', a city in Kalamazoo County on the river of the same name, southwestern Michigan, noted for its great beauty and the enterprise of its inhabitants. It is situated on the river of the same name, about 40 miles from the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and 140 miles from Detroit. It is reached by a number of railroads; and the city possesses, besides a number of fine churches and schools, the western state normal school and Kalamazoo College, a public library and several music-academies. Kalamazoo has nine paper-mills, stationery and card factories. The Michigan asylum for the insane is located here. Population

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Kaleidoscope (kd-ll'do-skdp), an ingenious and pleasing optical instrument invented by Brewster in 1817. In its simplest form it consists of a tube in which are placed two mirrors or reflecting planes so hinged together along one edge as to make an angle with each other which is an aliquot part of 180°; while one end of the tube is fitted up with an eye-glass, and at the other end are two glasses, between which are placed little fragments of colored glass or other objects which it is desired to examine. The eye, looking into the tube, perceives these objects reflected many times. There are various modifications of the kaleidoscope which increase its power. It is sometimes used by designers of patterns, to whom it furnishes an almost endless variety of figures.

Kal'mucks, a branch of the Mongolian family inhabiting extensive regions in the Chinese and Russian empires. The Tartar name Khalimick signifies renegades. There are four principal tribes. They are a nomadic race, with a barbaric history running back through many centuries. The descendants of the famous Genghis Khan still rule one of the tribes. Wealth with them consists