YOUTHS AND MAIDENS. 103 front, no broader than a hand, distinguishes the married women from the girls, who wear nothing but a string of beads round the waist. The women, however, are not without their ornaments in beads, iron, or brass, the ears especially being loaded with them, whilst the under lip is often pierced to receive a small rod of brass.

A peculiar custom with regard to girls and boys prevails among the Madi, and also among their neighbours, the Shiuli.

- Buildings raised above the ground are scattered about among the houses of the village. They are very like large granaries, but have in the front an oval doorway, and are smoothly plastered with clay ; before them there is usually placed a bench constructed of pieces of wood, to render the entrance more accessible. As soon as signs of puberty arrive, the girls sleep in these huts, and boys who have reached maturity have free access to them. Should a girl become pregnant, the youth who has been her companion is bound to marry her, and to pay to her father the customary price of a bride. If I remember rightly, Burton reports a similar custom as prevailing among the peoples dwelling to the south of the equator. While girls thus enjoy great freedom, and are able to choose companions to their liking, the higher position held by women among the Madi is also shown by the fact that they are never beaten, and are often called upon to give advice. If a Madi receives a present, he never omits to ask for one for his wives too. Polygamy is unlimited, provided only that a man is in a position to purchase wives. ‘The house-work alone devolves upon the women, while the fields are tilled by the men and boys.

The Madi language reminds one, by its intonation and jerky emphatic utterance, of the tribes on the west of the river. I was certainly exceedingly surprised to find that my servant, a boy from Liubari, on the west of the Albert Lake, who had never been in the Madi country before, could converse fluently here. Communication with the west through Wadelai is still carried on to a great extent.

We had to camp out in the open, as, trusting to the advanced season of the year, I had not brought a tent with me, but a heavy thunderstorm soon compelled us to requisi-