228 THE KEGULATION OF NUMBEES 



Africa, says that ' young men may have to wait for some years, 

 owing to lack of means or other reasons. In the country under the 

 Angoni chiefs they are called on ... to " serve their time ", herding 

 the chief's cattle, and later, perhaps, going to war.' 1 The men 

 of the Akikuyu are described as * not marrying very young '. 2 

 Roscoe enumerates the various articles required to make up 

 a bride's price among the Baganda, and adds that * they were 

 difficult to obtain and represented a large sum to a poor person, 

 so that it took him a long time to collect them : a man frequently 

 spent twelve months begging among his relatives and friends the 

 amount abked ; for though as a rule he had secured some of the 

 things before he went to ask for the lady, there would still be 

 a balance to find '. 3 Among the Wapagoro regular sexual inter- 

 course is practised by children. At puberty they are separated 

 and the boy must then begin to collect the purchase money, and 

 not until he has finished may intercourse be resumed. 4 Plas notes 

 postponement of marriage among the Kuku owing to the amount 

 of the purchase money. 5 An interesting account of the Akamba 

 is given by Dundas. ' During his lifetime a man so divides his 

 stock that he allots a portion to each of his wives. On his death 

 the portion of each wife goes to her son or sons. ... If the cattle 

 left are not numerous enough to buy a wife for each son they are 

 loft with the eldest son until the increase suffices for the purchase 

 oi a wife for him. When the increase is again large enough it is 

 given to the second son to buy a wife, and so on until each has 

 a wife.' 6 According to Johnston,' the Masai warrior is not allowed 

 by the elders of his tribe to marry until he has reached about 

 thirty years of age and has accumulated a fair amount of property 

 or else so distinguished himself by his bravery as to merit an early 

 retirement '. 7 Among the Bangala, if a man is accepted by a girl 

 he has to pay the ' bespoke ' money, after which ' the girl is 

 reserved for him until such time as he can pay the whole or larger 

 part of the marriage money ', and, while he is collecting this 

 money, he will build a house if he does not already own one. 8 

 Further, ' a man can marry a* many women as he can afford to 

 pay marriage money for, but to each he must give a house ', 9 and 



1 Werner, loc. cit., p. 128. 2 Routledge, Prehistoric People, p. 124. 



3 Roscoe, Baganda, p. 88. The price of course varies with varying economic 

 conditions, as Dundas notes for the Wawanga (J. A. I., vol. xliii). * Fabry, 



loc. cit., p. 221. 5 Plas, loc. cit., pp. 215, 219. 6 Dundas, J. A. /., 



vol. xliii, p. 516. 7 Johnston, Uganda, vol. ii, p. 822. 8 Weeks, J. A. /., 



vol. xxxix, p. 440. Ibid., p. 441. 



