Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 12.pdf/32

 Legal Gleanings from Africa. to pay a large sum in gold; but nothing but her death would satisfy the vengeance of the youth's relatives, and they appealed to the native authorities to vindicate their law. All the mercy which could be extended to Adua Amissa was to allow her a few days to lament with her family her untimely end, and to have a silver bullet put into the musket with which she was compelled to deprive herself of life. She employed the few days of respite in singing with her young friends her farewell dirge, and com pleted the cruel sacrifice by shooting her self." Another phase of this singular law de mands that if a man swear by the king's head that another shall kill him — that is, invokes the king's death if the other do not kill him — the person so called upon must kill the oath-taker, or forfeit his own life; otherwise, according to their belief, the life of the king would be imperilled. But, rather strangely at first thought, the man who has thus been compelled to kill another is not exonerated from the consequences of his act. He is in the eyes of the law a murderer. This law, which appears unjust, is founded upon the idea that no man would compel another thus to kill him, unless he had re ceived some unusually great injury at his hands. Among the natives of the Gold Coast, it is customary when a person is taking oath, for him to swallow something which apper tains to a deity. If it is a marine god that is sworn by, a little sea water or a bit of sea weed is swallowed; if a river god, some water or a fish from the river, or perhaps a little mud from its banks; and if a god dwelling in hill or forest, a few berries or leaves from the locality he is supposed to inhabit. The person administering the oath then calls upon whichever god it may be, to

visit any breach of faith with immediate punishment. They have a way of punishing slander by making the offender walk through the town or village carrying a heavy stone. An officer of the court follows close behind, and in conspicuous places he halts the prisoner and beats a gong. The slanderer is then compelled to recant his base false hoods and to confess his disgraceful be havior, which he does amid the sneers and jeers of the crowd. The heavy stone so carried is called oturbiba. Their laws are very strict in the matter of borrowed articles. If a borrower uses an article or implement for any other than the specific purpose for which he borrowed it, he is liable for considerable damages. Thus, A loaned his axe for a month to B, who said he wanted it to cut some bamboo trees. В does not use it to cut bamboo trees, but to cut odum wood. A can claim his axe back before the end of the month, and com pel В to give him compensation from the proceeds of the odum wood. In Coomassie, they have a number of singular laws, which probably have been proclaimed at the caprice of successive kings. Here are a few of them : — No No No No No No No

goat may be brought into Ashanti territory. one may whistle in Coomassie. palm oil may be spilled in the streets. one may smoke a European pipe in the streets. egg must be suffered to break in the streets. vulture may be molested. load packed in palm branches may be carried into Coomassie. It is death to pick up gold that has been dropped in the market-place.

The last mentioned is connected with the country's revenues, the gold dust which ac cumulates in the market place being col lected for state purposes in national emer gencies.