“And you all know that the law is that so soon as a lad passes through the final initiation of the Bora ceremonies and is granted his right by the council to wear the Bor, Belt of Manhood, then he is also entitled to a wife. The wearing of the Bor gives the new warrior the lawful right to call upon his tribe for a wife. Otherwise they must take for him a wife from an enemy tribe. And it must be so!”

He allowed this to sink in, but there was no need, the eyes of all the tribe, their ears were all for him. No sound of the bush were they conscious of, of nothing but the words, the flashing eyes, the calm though impassioned tones of this wonderful new chief.

“One more law has been tampered with,” he cried, “and this again must be put right this very day! And that law is—that a girl baby, unless given at birth by right of our marriage and totemic laws to a grown warrior, cannot be sold to a grown warrior without the full consent of the whole tribe. By law she may be claimed, when she is a woman, as wife by a warrior—always providing his and her totem and moiety²² allow it.”

Giluram’s fists gripped his wommera, he was staring as if awakening from a dream. Weetah leant forward, hardly daring to breathe. Here and there a young warrior stared hard; here and there the eyes of a girl grew big and bright, her lips parted, hardly breathing.

“Any old warrior,” went on the new chief, “who has thus, years ago, bought a baby girl without right of the marriage laws, must here and now give her back to the tribe!”

Giluram sat back as if exhausted after a long, long run. Weetah sighed deeply. Was she about to laugh, or cry? For she no longer belonged to old Tulduna! She knew that the marriage laws were good for Giluram and her—his group and her group could marry. If only he would claim her now! She glanced towards him again. He was sitting up very straight now, staring towards her, his eyes gleaming. She smiled. They hardly heard what the big new chief was saying next.

Many other girls were staring with shining eyes towards the young warriors. But those thick-heads did not seem to understand; they were all ears and eyes for the new chief.

“And listen yet again!” shouted the chief. “There are some who have sold a wife to a warrior at a great price—the price of a lifetime of work—thus not only acting unfairly to the buyer, but to the tribe. For a warrior forced to buy a wife at such price cannot do his duty by the tribe. All his time is taken up in providing for his family and for the seller, too. Thus the tribe loses the services of a warrior, a hunter, or a weapon-maker through the greed of one old man. And such wrong things must cease. Know then, that from this day for every wife thus unfairly sold, the price is now fully paid!”