100 MAYOLO. Chap. IX. 



them, so that they were again driven away^ and we 

 were saved from another invasion. 



J/<?y lOlh. I witnessed to-day a striking instance of 

 the inborn cunning and deceit of the native African. 

 My people had spread out on mats in front of my 

 hut a quantity of ground-nuts, which we had bought, 

 when I observed from the inside of the liut a little 

 urchin about four years old slily regaling himself with 

 them, keeping his eyes on me, and believing himself 

 unnoticed. I suddenly came out, but the little rascal, 

 as quick as thonght, seated himself on a piece of wood, 

 and dexterously concealed the nuts he had in his hand 

 under the joints of his legs and in the folds of liis 

 abdominal skin ; then looked up to me with an air of 

 perfect innocence. This, thought I,, is a bright ex- 

 ample of the unsophisticated children of nature, \vhom 

 some writers love to describe, to the disadvantage of 

 the corrupted children of civilization ! Thieving, in 

 these savage countries, is not considered an offence 

 against the community ; for no one comj^lains but he 

 who has been robbed. My precocious little pilferer 

 would therefore have no teaching to prevent him 

 from becoming an accomplished thief as he grew 

 older. 



In the evening, as I was computing the lunar dis- 

 tances I had taken, I was startled by the sudden 

 screech of a woman. I went out immediately, and 

 found that it was the mbuiri woman, who had been 

 suddenly seized Avith the spirit of divination — the 

 mbuiri having entered into her. She raved on for 

 some time, the theme of her discourse being the eviva 

 or plague. 



