oung children who are then living in the
house. There is no devolution of the wife to the husband's brother,
or anything of that nature. Nor, in case of the death of the wife,
does the husband marry her sister.

Speaking of the people generally, it may certainly be said that sexual
morality among men, women, boys and girls is very low; and there is
no punishment for immorality, except as above stated.

CHAPTER XI

Killing, Cannibalism, and Warfare

Killing.

Individual killing in personal quarrel, as distinguished from
slaying in warfare, is exceedingly rare, except in cases of revenge
upon adulterers. In these cases, however, it is regarded as the
appropriate punishment; and even the family of the adulterer would
hardly retaliate, if satisfied as to his guilt. There is no system of
head-hunting, or of killing victims in connection with any ceremonies,
or of burying alive, [80] or of killing old and sick people, though
the ceremonial blow on the head of a reputed dying man must sometimes
be premature.

Abortion and infanticide, however, are exceedingly common, the
more usual practice being that of procuring abortion. Although
sexual immorality so largely exists, and young unmarried women and
girls are known to indulge in it so freely, and it is not seriously
reprobated, it is regarded as a disgrace for one to give birth to
a child; and if she gets into trouble she will procure abortion or
kill the child. The same thing is also common among married women,
on the ground that they do not wish to have more children. There is
another cause for this among married women, which is peculiar. A woman
must not give birth to a child until she has given a pig to a village
feast; and if she does so it will be a matter of reproach to her. If,
therefore, she finds herself about to have a child, and there is no
festal opportunity for her to give a pig, or if, though there be a
feast, she cannot afford to give a pig, she will probably procure
abortion or kill the child when born. I was told by Father Chabot,
the Father Superior of the Mission, that among the neighbouring Kuni
people a woman would kill her child for extraordinary reasons; and he
furnished an example of this in a woman who killed her child so that
she might use her milk for suckling a young pig, which was regarded
as being more important. Whether such a thing would occur in Mafulu
appears to be doubtful; but it is quite possible, more especially as
the