Liberia <«- 



" Doalu Bukere was a very interesting man, and distinguished 

 from his countrymen, not so much by a greater intelHgence, 

 as by an altogether nobler spirit. The Vai people in general 

 I call a very sensual and carnal people, the females especially 

 unchaste and shameless. Idols they have none. I saw no mode 

 of worship among them except the Muhammadan. But all the 

 nominal Muhammadans I saw drink wine and spirits whenever 

 they can get them ; they also take as many wives as they can 

 afford to buy. Amongst such a people, to meet a man like 

 Doalu Bukere was an indescribable pleasure to a missionary. I 

 always felt very happy in his company, and he also felt 

 attached to me : so that once, when he was called to another 

 town, he said to me on his return : ' My heart did not lie down 

 the whole day, because I could not be with you ; but now it 

 has lain down again.' 



" Doalu was an open, upright, and honest man. His 

 modesty and humility surprised me the more, as these are 

 virtues of very rare occurrence among the Negro race. He was 

 grateful for kindness received, and could value disinterested 

 motives. When I was lying sick of fever in Bandakoro, he 

 said to me in one of his visits : ' My heart troubles me much 

 because you have come amongst us, not in order to trade or 

 to make any gain, but merely to tell us the true road to life ; 

 and now you have also to suffer sickness for our sakes. But 

 never mind, God will soon make you well again.' His mind 

 appeared to have been frequently engaged with metaphysical 

 and divine things. In our walks which we took together, and 

 in which he otten had to walk behind me, from the narrowness 

 of the paths, I not infrequently heard him ejaculate, with deep 

 emotion, words like the following : " Ever — lasting ! God 

 Almighty ! Jesus Christ ! Alakabaru ! ' ^ He seemed to have 



1 The Arabic "Allah Akbar ! "— H. H. J. 



