SHOCKING IMMORALITY. 



413 



Plenty of time, however, was afforded for the 

 performance of the requisite ceremonial, to satisfy 

 every Mahomedan in camp ; for, although, osten- 

 sibly, I only provided entertainment for the Hy 

 Soumaulee, every Tajourah man in the Kafilah, 

 considered himself entitled to some portion, of 

 whatever animal was slaughtered. 



I was, as usual, strongly recommended whilst stay- 

 ing at Murroo to take a wife, like Ohmed Mahomed, 

 Ebin Izaak, and in fact, all the rest of my compa- 

 nions; who, as is usual, had taken to themselves, 

 temporary helpmates. One of the girls, who presented 

 herself to me as a candidate, was stated by her 

 friends to be a very strong woman, and had had 

 as many as four or five husbands. I thought this 

 a rather strange recommendation, but it was 

 evidently mentioned that she might find favour in 

 my eyes. I dismissed her very unceremoniously as 

 if I did not altogether understand the proposal, but 

 at the same time, gave her as proofs of my regard 

 for her people, and of my strong platonic attach- 

 ment to herself, a few red beads, and a little paper, 

 that she had asked for in the first instance as her 

 dower. 



It requires some little address to keep clear of 

 these unscrupulous ladies, and I frequently had 

 cause to fear that my constant rejection of their 

 addresses would be construed into an affront to the 

 tribes to which they belonged. An Arab friend of 

 mine I met at Mozambique, named Said Hamza, 



