390 JOURNEY TO THE COAST. Chap. SIX. 



among-st these tribes is carried out. Oslioumouna, 

 the nephew and heir of Mayolo, had died of small- 

 pox since my departure from Mayolo for the interior, 

 leaving two wives — one young and g-ood-looking, 

 the other old and ugly. These wives of Oshou- 

 mouna I knew very well, for I had given one of 

 them a coat for her husband on my former visit, 

 and had often bought plantains of the other. To 

 my surprise I found one of them now married to 

 Maj^olo and looking quite joyous, dressed in her 

 best ; the other was married to llvala, Oshoumouna's 

 yoimger brother. According to my notions of 

 African law, Ikala ought to have inherited all the 

 property of his deceased brother, including the pick 

 of the wives. I asked why this iiad not taken jDJace, 

 and was told that it is the elder brother who inherits 

 the property of his younger brotbers in the event of 

 tLeir decease, and not vice verscl. If Ikala had died 

 first, Oslioumouna would liave taken his wives and 

 all the rest of bis proj)erty, but, as the case stood, 

 Oshournouna having no elder brother, his uncle 

 Mayolo had the right of dividing tlie property as he 

 thought fit ; but with the understanding that some 

 of the wives must be given to the younger brother. 

 My Commi men and several of the Otando jieople 

 criticised rather sharply old Mayolo's approj)riation 

 of the pretty wife ; they thought he was greedy in 

 wanting all the best things for himself. 



I was much amused one evening at Mayolo, whilst 

 my men and a number of villagers were lying about 

 the fires near our encampment, by a story or parable 



