women's rights. 583 



a young man takes a liking to a girl of another village, 

 and the parents have no objection to the match, he is 

 obliged to come and live at their village. He has to 

 perform certain services for the mother -in-law, such as 

 keeping her well supplied with firewood ; and when he 

 comes into her presence he is obliged to sit with his knees 

 in a bent position, as putting out his feet towards the old 

 lady would give her great offence. If he becomes tired of 

 living in this state of vassalage, and wishes to return to 

 his own family, he is obliged to leave all his children behind 

 — they belong to the wife. This is only a more stringent 

 enforcement of the law from which emanates the practice 

 which prevails so very extensively 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 anything for that purpose ; and, 

 from the temptations placed here before my men, I have ' 

 no doubt that some prefer to have their daughters 4 

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

 own village. My men excited the admiration of the * 

 Bambiri, 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 temptation. 



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 amongst 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, " Weil, 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 



