Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-12-10

support their strength. They use no plates or
spoons, but DIP their hardened fingers into the
steaniiug kettle and bring up ball Of porrdge or
fragment Of meat. which they cool by throwing
from cne palm to the other until they can venture
to cast 1t down their threats. The women and
children cat after the men, who, as as they
have wiped their hands in their hair take again to
their pipes, and-if they can afford ito drink
ing. They make themselves merry for an hour or
two, until fatigue comes over them, and then 60
pcll-mcll to their huts, or stretch out by the en-
bcrs of their fires. Nothing can be more abomin.
ably filthy than the habits Of this degraded tribe.
They are often obliged to abandon their villages ON
account of their dreadful safe to which they have
been brought by their carclessncss. This aban-
d0nmcnt costs them nothing in feeling in money!:
they are essentially wanderers. When the mir l.
too pestiicrous to breathe, they shoulder their
working utensils and their furniture, and remove
mile or two away If it he summer they set ur
their sheds again in few hours; if it be winter,
and tho frost has not yet come on they form sub
tcrrancan dwellings in the course of half night.
As We have said, good many Of the Iigans
are employed in the rough labOrs Of agriculture.
The greater number, however, are artisans, and
are celebrated for their ingenuity. Their fayouritc
trade is TINT Of the blacksmith but thcy can turn
,hcir hands {, anything and the baznars of Buc-
harcst are filed with Il vast variety IF TOYS aud
lancy-wcrk, which would do credit 10 our clcyercst
wurkmcn. But the NagabOnd tendencies OF the
Iigan-perhaps. also. 1T, contempt with which he
Is MN, except III tnc rare III
stances we have mentioned, from rising. by means
Of his industry, in the social scale. 1t is diicut
to learn ANYTHING Of his religious or other opinions.
FROM his talk ono would sometimes fancy him to
bc half Christian, half Mohuiumcduu; at other
times TO be a fire worsippcr an infIcl believer
| in ictishcs, or what You will. lie is a man of
many colours, like lis language which contains
traces Of an original character, lut which is cn-l
cIustcl, as il were, with words borrowed (it might
perhaps lie moro appropriate to say stolcn-ior
tic Iigan, like hi> brethren We know Of, has great
pilfcrug prorcnstics) from dozen different dia-
lccts. The sound is not Mt all unmusical; and
some Of the songs which have boon taken down
are curiously characteristics. The following is the
hcgnning Of one Of them:
/ Through the pathway Of tho sky
Quail with ,hoJpcncl hcak doth fly,
Christos praisirg with sharp bcak.
What, oh dun quail dost thou seek?
To the grog-shop come with me-
And treat Inc to some arnkcc!"
II will he seen from these lines that the ideas Of
the Iigans various points are somewhat confused
or al any rate, it seems rather odd to interrupt
pious quail in its doXologics by an invitation to
tppo. Perhaps, as is the case in many eastern
songs, the words are arbitrarily thrown together
for the sake of harmony-ln observation that might
apply sometimes to the ycrsc-making in our civil
lied regions.
The Zigans arc not only poets and singers, but
thcy are musicians also and their favoric iustru-
their masters the Boyards TO form what are called
Nit1oulin, stornis Of music. consisting of ten or
twelve mcmbors, who go about the country to the
towns, and castles of the rich, and let themselves
ou. At 80 mu,h an hour No ball is considered
complete without one of the musical storms who
ask YER little Cor their services, pretending that
they are paid by their pleasure; but who, unless
they be previously wrongcd. generally contrivc toi
leave n deficit behind them somewhere, either in
the larder or the hcn-roost. They often lead a few
bears about with them, and when there arc no balls
toward, dance a strange dance among themselves
for tue amusement Of the public Forming into
circle, men and women, they begin by utterng
irightful cries, and then, tho fiddle strikes up.
whirl jump, stoop, roll crawl crowd together, sep
aratc, throw their and legs into the air, wag
their heads, shake their bracelets, and work Them
selves up into a kind of fury. The dance, in fact
is kind OF compendium Of the bolero, the salta
rclla, and the inudango. Sometimes, single per
former goes through icrocious jig which may b,
called the Jig Of murder and suicide, iOr these tive
pleasant things arc the basis Of his representations
: The acting is often clever that the unacrustom
! ed spectators shrek, aud rush away to save them
= selves The ragged and brcathlcss artist iancyin2
they want 10 escape payment, purSucs them will
: his greasy cap held out shouting for biastrc.
Little is really known of the relations Of the H.
gans among Themselves Marriage can only take
place within the limits Of the tribe and general,
, within the limits Of the property of one master
= whose permission, also, is required before the Ger
y emony can take place. There is ~ ceremony d
I bcuothal, no Intervention Of mat,h-makcrs ol
friends the youth goes To the father Of the girl hc
has chosen, aud after some attempts at politcncss-
as offering a pipe, praisins the Size Of the oil,
gentlcman's bcarGcomes straigh to the point, M,
, proposes himself as n son-in-law. Few question:
are asked, few conditions made. Unless there b.
some important objection, tho young lover receive
! permission to call his comrades together, and bull
! hu during the course Of the night to receive hi
! bride The very next day he requests his mothc
to prepare full pot Of porridgc, and then repair
to the dwelling--a hole six feet square or perhaI
j tent of hranches-whorc the maiden Of his choice
dressed in her sheepskn tunic, with veil borrowc
= from ncghbor is molestly crouching in n cornc
= lie takes her by the hand and leads her TO whei
= his family is collected. The oldest man Of ii
y tribe is there by appointment, encouraged by {,
n of few handiuls Of porridge and hastily mute
= a few words 10y way Of blessing This is the who
~ ceremony, f indeed, the great feed that follows
- not more worthy Of that name and thus the Z
~ gans continue from generation TO generation. "
~ are sorry TO be obliged to add that both women al
" " men are, as a rule. exceedingly debaucled.
as
Familiarity detracts nothing from tho beauty
frcsbnogs of tbc scuuot Ioln,v i trro ,,o,,