690 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



adopted in all kinds of causes, both civil and criminal. As the 

 case proceeds before the council, the accused at intervals de- 

 mands the mivai, and this demand his friends, if they believe him 

 innocent, persistently press. The accuser resists the demand as 

 unnecessary, knowing that should the culprit, even if caught red- 

 handed, recover, he will be placed in a difficult position. He will 

 in that case have no claim to compensation for an injury, and 

 may in turn be successfully sued for willfully seeking to destroy 

 another man's reputation. The belief in the absolute certainty of 

 trial by mwai is universal, and the beginning and end of reason- 

 ing is thus : " If he is guilty, he dies ; if he does not die, should 

 the stolen property be found on his person, he is not guilty ; 

 another put it there, or he was bewitched." 



The life of an African properly begins at puberty. Then he is 

 no longer a child, and discards both the work and amusements of 

 boyhood. There is no great difference between the customs in 

 central Africa and those in the south as regards infancy and 

 childhood.* The seclusion of the mother, purification by the 

 magician, sacrifice to ancestral spirits, wearing of charms to ward 

 off evil and to promote growth and strength, are all customs with 

 which we are familiar among the better known tribes bordering 

 on the Cape Colony. In the lake region the rites of initiation 

 into manhood do differ considerably, but as this is a subject 

 which has not been very fully investigated, what follows is in a 

 measure tentative. The rite of circumcision is general, and, 

 though many observers trace this to Arab influence, there seems 

 no sufficient warrant for the assumption. Few, if any, Arab 

 habits have been universally adopted, and why this one rather 

 than others ? At circumcision it is customary to isolate the neo- 

 phytes and treat them generally as is done by Zulus and Kaffirs, 

 the close of the ceremonies being marked by dancing, feasting, 

 and riot. The young men have arms put into their hands and 

 are harangued by the elders, bards, and magicians. They are 

 now men and men's work is to be theirs. Herding, hoeing, reap- 

 ing, and all domestic duties in which they assisted their mothers, 

 they have no longer any concern with. War, hunting, and hear- 

 ing causes must now occupy their thoughts, for they are to take 

 the place of the fathers, and on them will depend the defense of 

 the tribe and the maintaining of its honor. They must defend 

 their chief, avenge his wrongs, wage war at his word, and obey 

 his commands if that should imply death ; " a man can die but 

 once," with which philosophy they are launched into the new life 

 of full manhood. 



* The Yao, Makololo, Makuas, Machingas, Angoni, and many other tribes observe sub- 

 stantially the same customs at birth and during childhood. 



