or has bought the right to collect these
corn-rents for himself. He is often guilty of great extortion, and even
cruelty, in taking his share, or his master's share, of the produce.

How these Syrian villagers perform their farm labours in common we shall
see best if we watch them ploughing the land, and sowing corn. They go
forth in a band from the village, and make their way to the plot which
is to be tilled. Every man is armed, for beyond the cultivated land
there is a great waste, or desert, over which bands of robbers roam at
will, or there are rocky mountains in which they may hide, and set all
good government at defiance.

The ploughs used by these Syrian cultivators are little more than a bent
wooden stock, having a long bar, by which it may be drawn. The lend of
the stock is in shape somewhat like that which is formed by a human foot
and leg, the foot being the 'share,' which scratches up the soil. That
part which corresponds to the leg is prolonged upwards into a long
handle, with the help of which the ploughman guides the plough. The bar
by which the plough is drawn is attached to the inner or fore side of
the bend, at the ankle, as it were. Two oxen of a small kind are, as a
rule, attached to each plough.

With such a light kind of plough as this it is impossible to cut and
turn over the soil as an English plough, drawn by two or three powerful
horses, would do it. The ground is, in fact merely scratched, and, in
order that the scratching may be a little more complete, a number of
ploughs follow each other in single file over the ground. As many as
from six to twelve, or more, ploughs will thus work together upon one
plot, the ploughmen chatting with each other all the time. A sower
sprinkles the seed before them, and the ploughs loosen and scatter the
soil about it.

[Illustration: Ploughing in Syria.]

Where the soil is too rocky for the ploughs to work, men with mattocks
break it up. The Syrian plough does not turn over the soil always upon
one side, as the English plough does, and so the Eastern ploughman can
return along the same line, or close to it, without spoiling the
regularity of his furrows.

In exceptionally dry seasons, when the ground is very hard, the English
plough cannot be used to good effect. The Syrian plough, however, is
worse; for it is so small and ill-planned that it will only do its work
when the ground is thoroughly wet and soft. The ploughing has,
therefore, to be done in