668 WOMAN'S RIGHTS. 



wife. This is only a more stringent enforcement of the law 

 from which emanates the practice which prevails so very exten- 

 sively in Africa, known to Europeans as " buying wives." Such 

 virtually it is, but it does not appear quite in that light to the 

 actors. So many head of cattle or goats are given to the parents 

 of the girl " to give her up," as it is termed, i. e., to forego all 

 claim on her offspring, and allow an entire transference of her 

 and her seed into another family. If nothing is given, the family 

 from which she has come can claim the children as part of 

 itself: the payment is made to sever this bond. In the case 

 supposed, the young man has not been able to advance any thing 

 for that purpose ; and, from the temptations placed here before 

 my men, I have no doubt that some prefer to have their daugh- 

 ters married in that way, as it leads to the increase of their 

 own village. My men excited the admiration of the Bam- 

 biri, who took them for a superior breed on account of their 

 bravery in elephant-hunting, and wished to get them as sons- 

 in-law on the conditions named, but none yielded to the tempt- 

 ation. 



We were informed that there is a child belonging to a half- 

 caste Portuguese in one of these tribes, and the father had 

 tried in vain to get him from the mother's parents. We saw 

 several things to confirm the impression of the higher position 

 which women hold here ; and, being anxious to discover if I 

 were not mistaken, when we came among the Portuguese I 

 inquired of them, and was told that they had ascertained the 

 same thing ; and that, if they wished a man to perform any 

 service for them, he would reply, "Well, I shall go and ask 

 my wife." If she consented, he would go, and perform his 

 duty faithfully ; but no amount of coaxing or bribery would 

 induce him to do it if she refused. The Portuguese praised 

 the appearance of the Banyai, and they certainly are a fine 

 race. 



We got on better with Nyakoba than we expected. He has 

 been so much affected by the sesenda that he is quite decrepit, 

 and requires to be fed. I at once showed his messenger that 

 we had nothing whatever to give. Nyakoba was offended with 

 him for not believing me, and he immediately sent a basket of 

 maize and another of corn, saying that he believed my state- 



