With the Serbs in Macedonia

222 WITH THE SERBS IN MACEDONIA
Whether they walked or talked or sat, they
were always spinning — if that is the proper
name for it. Fleece, white or black, is combed
out into a fluffy mass on a many-toothed square
frame. This is placed on a long stick, or distaff,
and by twisting the fleece in their fingers as
it is turned by a heavy revolving bobbin they
it into a woollen thread. That is the best
spin
description of the business I can manage.
The women do nothing but this wool work
and women's ordinary domestic duties. The
men attend to the flocks entirely. They milk
the sheep and the goats themselves and cut
firewood— and consider that a fair division of the
labour.
The children were numerous, pretty and shy.
Two of them were strangely beautiful with
vivid copper-red hair. Enquiries elicited the
These
startling information that it was dyed !
children, it seemed, were too fair—
practically
their hair
albinos— so their mothers dyed
to hide their shame !
note.
English blondes, please
The acquiring of this information had one
unexpected result. The interpreter, Major-
Doctor Pantovitch, our host, was a Serbian
surgeon of some note. Directly it became known
that he spoke Rumanian and was a doctor the
trouble began.