AMONGST SAVAGES. 147 



religion, the merchants from the sea-coast who 

 journey into the interior of Africa, are immeasurably 

 more affluent than the chiefs whose territories they 

 visit. Besides, the imposing effect of publicly 

 praying, the apparent devotion of their many genu- 

 flections and prostrations, the splendid finery of 

 their large rosaries, added to which, their great 

 ostentation of wealth where personal security is 

 assured, soon influence the poor, ignorant, and won- 

 dering natives. The Islam factor is confessedly the 

 greatest man among them ; and his manners are 

 copied, and his creed adopted, by the operation of 

 the same human feelings, which in England or 

 France make a lion or constitute a fashion, with 

 this recommendation on the part of the savages, 

 that their admiration is by far the most permanent. 



