PKOSTITUTION. 87 



she may also be divorced, in which case a very curious cere- 

 mony takes place. The injured husband cuts a piece of bark 

 cloth in two, half of which he keeps himself, and the other half 

 is sent with the wife to her father. When the cows formerly 

 paid as the price of the bride are restored, this piece is 

 returned to the husband, who then burns both pieces. Wives 

 are seldom put away because they are childless, and the man 

 is always blamed who does it. I have myself seen a curious 

 punishment. One of the men who had been assigned to me 

 here as servants had tied a string round his wife's neck, and 

 fastened her to a tree, where she had to remain the whole 

 night ; and this — because she had told him a lie. 



With regard to prostitutes, peculiar regulations exist. In. 

 Kabrega's establishment a great number of girls live as ser- 

 vants to his wives. They are usually good dancers, or are 

 distinguished by corporeal advantages, and enjoy unlimited 

 freedom at night. They are called vranga. As soon as 

 their day's work is finished, they go out, and if they are ad- 

 dressed by a man they go with him, and remain at his house 

 from four to five days, according to his wishes. It often 

 happens that they follow a man who pleases them of their 

 own accord, and stay with him. He is bound to comply 

 with their wishes, and to provide them with food, &c. Their 

 reward consists of cowries, bark cloths, dressed hides, and 

 even slaves, according to the circumstances of the man they 

 fall in love with. Should the reward fall below their expec- 

 tations, they always appeal to Kabrega, who, in most cases, 

 decides in their favour, although he derives no benefit what- 

 ever from them. All that they earn belongs to them, and 

 should one of them amass a fortune, she sets up a zcriba of 

 her own, and perhaps marries one of the king's slaves. Should 

 one of them bear a child, it belongs to the king as a slave ; if 

 it be a boy, it is placed, later on, among the pages (vagardggara), 

 and when grown up is enrolled in the bodyguard, always as a 

 slave, but no reproach clings to him because of his illegitimate 

 birth.- If it be a girl, she is brought up to her mother's pro- 

 fession, and also remains, of course, a slave of Kabrega, who 

 conies into no personal contact with these women. The 

 institution seems to be very old, and Kabrega told me that 



