Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 17, No. 101, May, 1876Various
History
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 17, No. 101, May, 1876
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
Here is a _résumé_ of the first case, and it is a fair sample of the
intricacies of a Kafir lawsuit: Our friend Tevula possesses an aged
relative, a certain aunt, called Mamusa, who at the present time
appears to be in her dotage, and consequently her evidence is of very
little value. But once upon a time--long, long ago--Mamusa was young
and generous: Mamusa had cows, and she _gave_ or _lent_--there was the
difficulty--a couple of heifers to the defendant, whose name I can't
possibly spell on account of the clicks. Nobody denies that of her
own free will these heifers had been bestowed by Mamusa on the
withered-looking little old man squatting opposite, but the question
is, Were they a loan or a gift? For many years nothing was done about
these heifers, but one fine day Tevula gets wind of the story, is
immediately seized with a fit of affection for his aged relative, and
takes her to live in his kraal, proclaiming himself her protector and
heir. So far so good: all this was in accordance with Kafir custom,
and the narration of this part of the story was received with grunts
of asseveration and approval by the audience. Indeed, Kafirs are as
a rule to be depended upon, and their minds, though full of odd
prejudices and quirks, have a natural bias toward truth. Two or three
years ago Tevula began by claiming, as heir-at-law, though the old
woman still lives, twenty cows from the defendant as the increase of
these heifers: _now_ he demands between thirty and forty. When asked
why he only claimed twenty, as nobody denies that the produce of the
heifers has increased to double that number, he says naively, but
without hesitation, that there is a fee to be paid of a shilling
a head on such a claim if established, and that he only had twenty
shillings in the world; so, as he remarked with a knowing twinkle in
his eye, "What was the use of my claiming more cows than I had money
to pay the fee for?" But times have improved with Tevula since then,
and he is now in a position to claim the poor defendant's whole herd,
though he generously says he will not insist on his refunding those
cows which do not resemble the original heifers, and are not, as they
were, dun and red and white. This sounded magnanimous, and met
with grunts of approval until the blear-eyed defendant remarked,
hopelessly, "They are all of those colors," which changed the
sympathies of the audience once more. Tevula saw this at a glance, and
hastened to improve his position by narrating an anecdote. No words
of mine could reproduce the dramatic talent that man displayed in his
narration. I did not understand a syllable of his language, and yet I
could gather from his gestures, his intonation, and above all from
the expression of his hearers' faces, the sort of story he was telling
them. After he had finished, Mr. S---- turned to me and briefly
translated the episode with which Tevula had sought to rivet the
attention and sympathy of the court. Tevula's tale, much condensed,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account