512 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXIX. 
at present, together with the rising water, which 
had entirely changed the character of these dis- 
tricts, a lion had entered this desert tract, and one 
day killed three goats, and the following one two 
asses, one of which was remarkable for its great 
strength. 
Kernaining here a couple of days, on the evening of 
the 25th we had again a long conversation, which 
was very characteristic of the different state of mind 
of the Christian in comparison with that of the Mo- 
hammedan. While speaking of European institu- 
tions, I informed my host of the manner in which 
we were accustomed to insure property by sea as well 
as on land, including even harvests, nay, even the 
lives of the people. He appeared greatly astonished, 
and was scarcely able to believe it ; and while he 
could not deny that it was a good " debbara," or 
device, for this world, he could not but think, as a 
pious Moslim, that such proceedings might endanger 
the safety of the soul in the next. However, he was 
delighted to see that Christians took such care 
for the welfare of the family which they might 
leave behind ; and it was an easy task to prove to 
him that, as to making profits in any way whatever, 
his co-religionists, who think any kind of usury un- 
lawful, were in no way better than the Christians ; for, 
although the former do not openly take usury, they 
manage affairs so cleverly that they demand a much 
higher per centage than any honest Christian would 
accept. I had a fair opportunity of citing, as an 
