A very fat woman presents such an attractive appearance to the eyes of the blacks that she is always liable to be stolen. However old or ugly she may be, she will be courted and petted and sought for by the warriors, who seldom hesitate to risk their lives if there is a chance of obtaining so great a prize.
A man who has no female relations that can be exchanged for a young woman of another tribe leads an unhappy life. Not only must he attend to his own wants, and share the discomforts of the bachelors' quarters, but he is an object of suspicion to the older men, who have perhaps two or three young wives to watch. There is the fear also that he may violently seize a girl of a neighbouring tribe, and thus provoke a war. There is the discontent and unrest of such a life, which makes him a dull companion, a quarrelsome friend, and a bitter enemy. Sometimes a wife is given to him by some old man who is tired of keeping her; but most often a warrior will steal a woman from another tribe, if he cannot inspire an affection and lead her to elope with him. Any such act brings about a conflict. As soon as the girl is missed, a search is instituted, and the guilty pair are invariably tracked to their hiding-place. When the discovery is made, the tribe to which the man belongs is informed of it, and there is a gathering of the old men of both tribes, and much talk and wrangling follows; but the main questions to be decided are these: Can a girl of the man's tribe be given in exchange for the woman that has been stolen? Is the man's tribe willing that the thief shall stand a form of trial somewhat resembling the ordeal of the ancient rude nations of Europe? If the first question is not settled satisfactorily by some generous creature offering a female relative in exchange, the second question is debated, but always on the understanding that the solemn obligation cannot be avoided.
In the trial—it is not a mock trial—it must be understood that there will be always two parties utterly at variance: the lover who has stolen the girl, and the man who claims her. That man may be her father, if she be not betrothed; her husband, if she be married; or her lover, if she be betrothed.
The old men of each tribe sit facing each other, at some little distance apart; the girl and her claimants stand between them, and the trial begins. The thief is provided with a shield (either the Mulga, or Gee-am, as may be determined by the old men, having regard to the weapons of offence), and his assailant, standing at a proper distance, hurls spears or other weapons at him. If the culprit manages to ward off the weapons, he can claim the woman as his wife, and there is an end of the business. If he is seriously hurt, so as to be disabled, her natural protector claims the woman; and if there is a suspicion in his mind that she has favored the man who eloped with her, he will not hesitate to kill or maim her. In some cases there is a determination to kill or maim the thief. The old men agree that all the friends of the girl—perhaps to the number of four or five—shall throw a certain number of weapons at the offender; and if they be really in earnest, it is then hard indeed for him to escape without injury. Again, it sometimes occurs on such occasions that in the preliminary meeting of the old men some almost-forgotten subject of dispute is brought up; angry words are used; evil passions arise; the women clamor and shriek, and add to the discord; and after the trial there is a fight.
