KROOMEN. 323 



the oar if they have only plenty of rice to eat. All 

 my crew spoke " white man's mouf," African- 

 English, more or less, and when I gave each of 

 them a red cap, a blue guernsey, and a couple of 

 fathoms of cloth for a breech-clout, they seemed as 

 happy as the day, expressing little regret at leaving 

 " we country," as they call their native land. 

 Kroomen are polygamists, every head man taking 

 unto himself as many wives as he can buy, for all 

 over the West Coast a girl is looked upon as a 

 marketable commodity, much in the same light as 

 a bullock or a goat. Their religious observances 

 do not trouble them much, they being devil-wor- 

 shippers more than anything else; for although 

 they also believe in good spirits, they only seem to 

 fear the evil ones, whom they propitiate by sacri- 

 fices of animals and sometimes human beings. I 

 do not believe that all the efforts of missionary 

 labour ever converted either a Krooman or a Kafir. 

 I have never yet met with one of either race who 

 ever professed to be a Christian. They would lose 

 caste if they did. 



Having concluded my arrangements as to my 

 y2 



