In front of a native village a woman is spinning, and on the right is
another Hindū woman, a gram grinder. Gram (_chāna_, _cicer arietinum_,
chick pea) is used for the food of horses in India. It is ground in a
_chakkī_, or mill, which is formed of two flat circular stones, the
lower of which is generally fixed in the earth, and from its centre a
peg passes through a hole in the upper stone, and forms a pivot on which
the upper stone works. The gram is put in through this hole in the upper
stone, and the flour works out at the edges between the two stones. When
there is much work to be done, two women will sit on the ground and
grind the same mill, which is placed between their legs. This is the
sort of mill spoken of in Scripture: “Two women were grinding at the
mill, the one shall be taken and the other left.” Matt. xxiv. 41.
Two children are playing with some meal in a basket; one of them is
adorned with a number of charms, fastened on a string. The _ta’wīz_, or
charm, is an armlet, to ward off evil spirits, and all misfortune. The
native beds, resting against the wall on the right, serve as beds by
night, and as resting-places by day.
[Illustration]