BY WALTER E, ROTH, M.R.C.S., B.A., OXON. 59 



to the attack in open rank, the tribesmen standing side by side ; 

 prisoners were not taken captive, but all killed. 



Hunting parties, when game was plentiful, were often 

 formed, and all the spoil invariably divided impartially and 

 fairly. 



Their migrations were certainly dependent upon the scarcity 

 or plenty of the animals they hunted, their nomadic habits 

 being thus easily accounted for. 



As a general rule, a wife was very happy and obedient ; 

 indeed, she had to be civil to her husband, as otherwise 

 she might expect a crack on the head or a spear thrust through 

 her calf. 



There was no special marriage ceremony, beyond the 

 betrothal of a girl by her parents, and in this matter the mother 

 would appear to have always had an important say. Of course 

 there were certain group divisions of the tribe into which 

 marriage could or could not take place. At any rate the 

 betrothal often gave rise to many troubles. Faith might be 

 broken by the parents, the girl herself might like somebody 

 better, and ask him to steal her, or the man might not care to 

 tarry awhile, and consequently set about stealing someone else — 

 and thus a row would commence. This stealing of a wife 

 constituted a very primitive measure. The bridegroom, in posse, 

 would just knock her on the head, or spear her in the leg, if she 

 refused to join him, though, in addition, he might have to fight 

 for her with some individual who considered he had a prior 

 claim. Punishment for this course of conduct, if the lady were 

 a tribeswoman, was spearing in the thigh. Should it, however, 

 prove to be a case of incest {i.e., either too close consanguinity,. 

 or an infringement of the tribal regulations re marriageable 

 groups), the gay Lothario would be put to death. A man could 

 hava up to as many as four wives, with usually a hut for each ; 

 but in such cases it must be borne in mind that some of these 

 women might very probably have been his brothers' widows, 

 to whom he had a legal right. A wife entered the tribe of 

 her husband, if of foreign origin. Divorce was not recognised 

 as an institution, but if a woman could not hit it off 

 amicably, she would tempt some other fellow to steal her 

 from her husband. Men were invariably kind to their mothers- 

 in-law. 



A widow was taken to wife by the elder brother of her 

 deceased husband ; if this arrangement were inconvenient, or 



