WEST AFRICAN FOLKLORE. 777 



The young man entered the house, still playing on his duru, 

 and the sound of the music charmed the hearts of the old people, 

 and his appearance pleased them, and they were glad. 



And after greetings made, the young man said, " My father 

 and my mother, I am from a far country, to which the fame of 

 your daughter's beauty has penetrated, and I have come hither to 

 ask you to give her to me in marriage/' 



And the old people said : " This, our daughter, has been many 

 times asked in marriage, and has always refused ; * therefore we 

 said to her, * Choose for yourself ' ; and now, if she says ' Yes,' we 

 will not say ' No.' " 



Then the young man took the maiden by the hand and looked 

 into her eyes, and said, " Beautiful maiden, do you agree that we 

 shall be married together ? " 



And the maiden smiled, but she turned her head to one side, 

 and said softly, " Yes, handsome young man, I agree." And then 

 she ran and hid in another room, for she felt bashful. 



Then the young man thanked the old people, and he paid the 

 head money and the head rum,f and gave many silk cloths for the 

 bride, and the same evening they were married. 



Next morning the young man said to the old people that he 

 would now take his wife and return to his own country. 



The old people felt sad at their child leaving them so soon, but 

 they did not refuse. They gave her presents, and goats, and sheep, 

 and fowls, and two female slaves, one that her father gave and 

 one that her mother gave. 



Then the father gave a word of advice to his child and the 

 mother embraced her. They walked out on the road a little way 

 with her, and then they turned back. 



Then the young woman and her husband went on. They took 

 a road that led into the forest, and the young man walked holding 

 his wife's hand. 



Then the husband led the way along a narrow and rough path, 

 and the forest grew darker and denser, and the wife began to be 

 afraid, for she saw she was going away from the cultivated lands 

 into the haunts of wild beasts. 



Presently, when they were in the thick wood, the husband 

 said, " Wife, I am hungry." 



And the young woman said : " How can I cook anything in 



* Parents can not compel a daughter to accept an unwelcome suitor, but if a girl per- 

 sists in refusing eligible offers without sufficient reason they can, if they choose, refuse to 

 maintain her any longer. 



f Contracts of marriage are made by paying a certain sum, called " head money," and 

 the payment of this sum is the only ceremony. " Head rum " is the term given to the re- 

 freshments which are provided for the marriage feast by the bridegroom. 



