FOUE WEEKS IN FIKA 273 



At one period they settled amongst the Bolewa, 

 whose language they adopted, for they intermarried 

 with that race, and the women brought up the children 

 to speak their own tongue. 



The Mahommedan religion did not become universal 

 till the beginning of the eighteenth century, though 

 Duno Maisha, the historian chief, who reigned in 

 1538-39, was the first convert. 



They are still a superstitious people, and use pro- 

 miscuously both pagan and Mahommedan love-philtres. 

 Cross-questioned as to their properties, Baba, Mallam 

 of Fika, recited to us the following, which is here 

 transcribed as nearly as may be in the words in which 

 it was interpreted. 



As will be seen by the prayer, these two are 

 Mahommedan potions : — 



"Drink this medicine and everybody will love you. 

 Call on the name of the woman, her mother's name, 

 your own name, and her father's name. Put this 

 prayer on a board, and then wash it with water — 

 wash yourself in the same water. When the woman 

 sees you, she will love you too much. Even if she 

 does not see you, or live by you, she will come and 

 follow you wherever you may be. 



" Wa na Allaha ! Thou who art everywhere. Thou 

 who know^est everything. Thou who art greater than 

 everything. Only Allah knows everything in the 

 world. All people will come to Allah, but only few- 

 will see Him. Allah will make all come back to Him. 



" First of all, nobody lived in the world, for Allah 

 made everybody. Allah can take everybody from the 

 world again. Allah is always near. Father and 



s 



