MR PARK'S FIRST JOURNEY. ' 851 
teaze the Christian. Their curiositv was almost as 
disagreeable as their insolence, as they examined 
his clothes, searched his pockets, wondered at the 
whiteness of his skin, counted his toes and fingers, 
and forced him to continue dressing and undressing 
himself, buttoning and unbuttoning his clothes, 
from noon to night, while he was perishing with 
hunger and thirst. The curiosity of the females 
of Ludamar formed no exception to the common 
opinions entertained on that subject. As the cul- 
tivation of their minds could not fail to inspire 
them with deep disgust at that species of prostitu- 
tion which is sanctioned by the Moorish customs, 
they are entirely unacquainted with refinement and 
delicacy ; and when their natural timidity is em- 
boldened by numbers, they are unrestrained by mo- 
desty or decorum. A party of the Moorish fe- 
males, who visited Mr Park, were very curious to 
examine whether the rite of circumcision extended 
to the Christians. Mr Park treated the matter in 
a jocular manner, and assured one of the most 
handsome, that he would satisfy her curiosity, if 
the others would retire ; when they all departed, 
much delighted with the jest. While he remain- 
ed at Benowm, he had an opportunity of seeing 
a Moorish wedding ; it was not celebrated with the 
same festivity of song and dance as the negro wed- 
dings ; one woman beat a drum, and the others 
made a kind of whistling noise, or frog-music with 
