42 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXXI. 
seriously affected his interest at this time, by plunder- 
ing, disarming, and slaying four Tawati, who be- 
longed to a small caravan that arrived on the 11th, 
and who, like all their countrymen, enjoyed the 
special protection of the Sheikh. 
My friend seemed at this moment to doubt the arrival 
of his brothers, not less than that of Alkiittabu, the 
great chief of the Awelimmiden, and endeavoured to 
console me for the long delay of my departure by 
saying that it was the custom with them to keep their 
guests at least a year in their company. He in- 
formed me, at the same time, that he wanted to make 
rae a present of a horse, and that I might then, if I 
liked, give one of my own horses to Alkiittabu. He 
was this day more communicative than usual, and sat 
a long time with me and his pupils, delivering to us a 
lecture on the equal rank of the prophets, who, he 
said, had each of them one distinguishing quality, 
but that none of them ought to be preferred to the 
other. He dwelt particularly on the distinguished 
qualities of Moses, or Musa, who was a great favourite 
with him, although he was far from being friendly 
disposed towards the Jews, the spirit of Mohammed 
Ben 'Abd el Kerim el Maghili, who hated that nation 
from the bottom of his heart, and preached the JihM 
ao'ainst it, havino^ communicated itself to the Moham- 
medan inhabitants of this part of Negroland. 
At another time my friend entered, without any 
prejudice, into the subject of wine and pork, and 
he had not much to say against the argument with 
