Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 1 (1876).djvu/137

 former for praise, the latter for blame. He addresses his equal as nohor, i.e. 'comrade,' as we should say 'sir.'

Their songs are always plaintive, and relate to their past life and exploits. They usually sing on a caravan journey, and occasionally in the yurta, but the women's voices are not heard so often as the men's. Troubadours or wandering minstrels always secure an appreciative audience. Their musical instruments are the flute and guitar; we never saw them dance, and they are probably unskilled in the art.

The lot of the woman is most unenviable. The narrow sphere of nomad life is even more restricted for her. Entirely dependent on her husband, she passes her time in the yurta nursing the children and attending to domestic duties. In her spare time she works with the needle, stitching clothes or some piece of finery made of Chinese silk. Some of the handiwork is in good taste and beautifully finished.

A Mongol can only have one lawful wife, but he may keep concubines, who live with the real wife, the latter taking precedence in rank and ruling the household; her children enjoy all the rights of the father, while those of the concubines are illegitimate, and have no share in the inheritance. An illegitimate child can be legitimised by the sanction of government.

At the marriage festivals the relatives of the