YOUTHS AND MAIDENS. 103 



front, no broader than a hand, distinguishes the married women 

 from the girls, who wear nothing but a string of beads round 

 the waist. The women, however, are not without their orna- 

 ments in beads, iron, or brass, the ears especially being loaded 

 with them, whilst the under lip is often pierced to receive a 

 small rod of brass. 



A peculiar custom with regard to girls and boys prevails 

 among the Madi, and also among their neighbours, the Shiili. 

 Buildings raised above the ground are scattered about among 

 the houses of the village. They are very like large granaries, 

 but have in the front an oval doorway, and are smoothly 

 plastered with clay ; before them there is usually placed a bench 

 constructed of pieces of wood, to render the entrance more 

 accessible. As soon as signs of puberty arrive, the girls sleep 

 in these huts, and boys who have reached maturity have free 

 access to them. Should a girl become pregnant, the youth 

 who has been her companion is bound to marry her, and to 

 pay to her father the customary price of a bride. If I re- 

 member rightly, Burton reports a similar custom as prevailing 

 among the peoples dwelling to the south of the equator. 

 While girls thus enjoy great freedom, and are able to choose 

 companions to their liking, the higher position held by women 

 among the Madi is also shown by the fact that they are never 

 beaten, and are often called upon to give advice. If a Madi 

 receives a present, he never omits to ask for one for his wives 

 too. Polygamy is unlimited, provided only that a man is in 

 a position to purchase wives. The house-work alone devolves 

 upon the women, while the fields are tilled by the men and 

 boys. 



The Madi language reminds one, by its intonation and jerky 

 emphatic utterance, of the tribes on the west of the river. I 

 was certainly exceedingly surprised to find that my servant, a 

 boy from Lubari, on the west of the Albert Lake, who had 

 never been in the Madi country before, could converse fluently 

 here. Communication with the west through Wadelai is still 

 carried on to a great extent. 



We had to camp out in the open, as, trusting to the 

 advanced season of the year, I had not brought a tent with 

 me, but a heavy thunderstorm soon compelled us to requisi- 



