484 TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXVIII. 
conversation concerning the worship of idols. In 
order to overcome the prejudice of his pupils with 
regard to the greater nobility and superiority of the 
Arab race, and to show them that their forefathers 
had not been much better than many of the idolatrous 
nations at the present day, he gave them an account 
of the superstitions of the ancient Arabs, and in the 
course of his conversation exhibited unmistakable 
proofs of an enlightened and elevated mind, of which 
the letter, which I shall communicate in another place, 
will give further proof. 
Occasionally we received here also some interesting 
visits from Arabs or other people ; the most con- 
spicuous person among them being a man of the 
name of Fifi, the inspector of the harbour of Y6waru, 
a man of cheerful temperament, and a great friend of 
the Sheikh's. He had a perfect knowledge of the 
course of the river between Timbuktu and Jafarabe, 
the groups of islands forming the boundary between 
the Mohammedan kingdom of Masina and the Pagan 
kingdom of Bambara, and very important for the 
trade along the river, as the boats coming from Tim- 
buktu must here discharge their merchandise, which 
has to be conveyed hence to Sansandi on the backs of 
asses ; but unfortunately my informant spoke nothing 
but Songhay. The state of retirement in which I was 
obliged to live deprived me of the opportunity of 
cultivating the language of the natives ; which was 
moreover extremely repulsive to me on account of its 
deficiency in forms and words, so that I found it next 
