grain, in addition to bearing his children. Had he but one wife most
of her time would be taken up with the latter occupation, and then the
mealie-planting and gathering would necessarily fall to the lot of
the husband, a state of affairs he would never consent to. Again, if
monogamy were established, girls would lose their value, and a great
source of wealth would be destroyed. It must, however, be understood
that Zulu girls are not exactly sold; the cows received by the parents
are by a legal fiction supposed to be a gift presented, not a price
paid. Should the wife subsequently run away, they are, I believe,
returnable.

On these subjects, as is not to be wondered at when so many interests
are concerned, the Zulu law is a little intricate. The cleverest
counsel in the Temple could not give an opinion on such a case as the
following:--

A. has four wives and children by Nos. 1 and 3. On his death his
brother, B., a rich man, takes over his wives and property, and has
children by each of the four women. He has also children by other wives.
On his death, in extreme old age, how should the property be divided
amongst the descendants of the various marriages?

It is clear that if such a case as this is to be dealt with at all
it must be under native law, and this is one of the great dangers of
polygamy. Once rooted in a state it necessitates a double system of
laws, since civilised law is quite unable to cope with the cases daily
arising from its practice. It is sometimes argued that the law employed
is a matter of indifference, provided that substantial justice is done,
according to the ideas of people concerned, and this is doubtless very
true if it is accepted as a fact that the Zulu population of Natal is
always to remain in its present condition of barbarism. To continue
to administer their law is to give it the sanction of the white man's
authority, and every day that it is so administered makes it more
impossible to do away with it. I say "more impossible" advisedly,
because I believe its abrogation is already impossible. There is no
satisfactory way out of the difficulty, because it has its roots in,
and draws its existence from, the principle of polygamy, which I believe
will last while the people last.

Some rely on the Missionary to effect this stupendous change, and turn a
polygamous people into monogamists. But it is a well-known fact that the
missionaries produce no more permanent effect on the Zulu mind