MARITAL JEALOUSY 217 



about it. He accepts it as his own child, or forgives 

 her : at worst he quietly forsakes her company for that 

 of his other wives. 1 



Among the Mande of Kong and Jimini husband and 

 wife are nominally required to be faithful to one 

 another. But polygyny without limit is permitted, 

 and the husband is merely required to pay a sum of 

 money to a wife whom he forsakes in too notorious 

 a manner for another. On the other hand, no punish- 

 ment falls on the wife for adultery. Her accomplice, 

 if a free man, is fined by the village chief to the extent 

 of a few fowls ; if unfree he is liable in addition to be put 

 in fetters. The offspring of adultery does not inherit, 

 but becomes the property of his mother's brother. 

 Like other domestic slaves, he cannot be sold and is 

 always well-treated ; he may marry a free woman, and 

 his lot is said to be by no means unhappy. 2 On the 

 other hand, among the Mande of Seguela every child 

 born by whatever father during the marriage is con- 

 sidered as the husband's child. Husband and wife are 

 considered to owe a reciprocal duty of fidelity. But 

 adultery is not in general a cause of divorce on either 

 side : a pecuniary indemnity is all that the offended 

 party can demand. Even long absence of the husband 

 and omission to maintain the wife meanwhile are not 

 a cause of divorce. The woman in such a case is 

 authorised, generally at the end of a year, to go and 

 live with some other man. When the husband returns 

 he takes her back, together with any children that 

 may have been born in his absence. Illegitimate 

 children born before the marriage belong to their 

 mother who has full parental rights over them ; but 

 1 Globus, xciv. 6 1 sqq, 2 Clozel, 318, 319, 320, 



