WAHIMA, WAKONDJA, AND SUAHILIS. 113 



clearing is made. The houses are built of a 

 framework of sticks and chiefly covered by banana 

 leaves or elephant grass. 



The people seem to have no amusements what- 

 ever. They are very much afraid of appearing too 

 well off, so that I fancy they are much more 

 industrious than they appear to be. 



The ownership of every plantation is entirely 

 with the chief of the district ; if there happens to 

 be an abundance of food then every one gets as 

 much as he wants, but in a state of famine or 

 scarcity there is absolutely no kind of communal 

 property ; everybody looks most strictly after his 

 own farm, and is quite justified in killing any one 

 who takes food from it. 



When a man dies, the plantations are usually 

 carried on by his grown-up sons, one of whom is 

 appointed by his immediate superior to succeed 

 him. 



If he dies leaving only young children, the chief 

 acts theoretically as the trustee for these children, 

 and keeps things going till the sons grow up and 

 succeed. I fancy, however, the trustee is usually 

 a fraudulent one, and he can certainly very easily 

 get rid of the children if he wishes to put some- 

 body else in the farm. Women have no rights of 

 succession at all (at least so far as I could gather), 

 and a man's daughters are simply part of his estate 

 and enrich the chief who owns it. Each is worth 

 three cows or thirty goats. 



