Life at Ba?iza Nokki. 
209 
tion and, a week afterwards, either cohabit once 
more or find otherpartners. The “indiscreet method 
of courtship,” popularly known as “ bundling,” here 
existed, and was found by Cailli6 amongst the south¬ 
ern Moors : “ When everybody is at rest, the man 
creeps into his intended’s tent, and remains with 
her till daybreak.” 
An energetic attempt was made to abolish po¬ 
lygamy, which, instead of diminishing population as 
some sciolists pretend, caused the country to swarm 
like maritime China. Father Carli, who also dilates 
upon the evil practice of the sexes living together 
on trial, candidly owns that his main difficulty 
lay in “ bringing the multitude to keep to one 
wife, they being wholly averse to that law.” Yet 
old travellers declare that when the missionaries 
succeeded, the people “ lived so Christian-like and 
lovingly together, that the wife would suffer her¬ 
self to be cut to pieces rather than deceive her 
husband.” Merolla, indeed, enlarges on the con¬ 
stancy of women, whether white or black, when 
lawfully married to their mates ; and praises them 
for living together in all manner of love and amity. 
“ Hence may be learned what a propensity the 
women have to chastity in these parts, many of 
whom meet together on the first day of Lent, and 
oblige themselves, under pain of severe penance, 
to a strict continence till Easter.” In case of 
adultery the husband could divorce the wife; he 
P 
11. 
