2i4 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



jugal relation. An experience related by Alexander 

 throws further light on the Bushmen's attitude towards 

 their women. At Great Fountain he had been annoyed 

 by the Namaqua youth seeking the Bushmen women 

 at night in the neighbourhood of his camp. Subse- 

 quently bivouacking near the Orange River, where 

 also there were Bushmen, he warned the latter and 

 suggested they should come and put themselves under 

 his protection to prevent a repetition of the proceedings. 

 " To my exceeding surprise," he says, " imbued as I 

 was with notions of oriental jealousy, the Boschmans 

 said : ' Take the women ; the people may do with 

 them as they please ; what else is the use of them ? ' 

 Seeing the Boschmans' feeling on this point (beasts 

 could not have been worse) I now thought that the 

 occurrences at the Great Fountain were not of so 

 serious or disgraceful a nature as I had at first 

 imagined they were." 1 



A few of the Bantu tribes on the western side of the 

 continent may be mentioned. Among the Bambala 

 sexual morality in our sense of the word can scarcely 

 be said to exist, and virginity is not considered of the 

 slightest importance. Polyandry, indeed, as an institu- 

 tion does not exist ; " but a childless man will secretly 

 introduce his brother to his wife in order that he may 

 have a child by her ; such a proceeding is of course, a 

 secret de polichinelle" Polygyny is common. 2 The 

 Fans of French Congo "regard virtue very lightly. 

 Before marriage a girl can do nearly as she pleases. 



1 Alexander, ii. 21. 



2 Torday and Joyce, J. A. I. xxxv. 410. The Bambala are in 

 a transitional state between motherright and fatherright, (See 

 sufra t vol. i t pp, 276, 282,) 



