WHITE NEGRO CHILD. 
209 
ing in my hand a small board and some leaves of the Koran 
which I had brought with me. I was going to write down 
a souriat^ or charm^ which I wished to learn by hearty 
when 1 saw this Mandingo, who always seemed ill-disposed 
towards me. I beckoned to him, and, having invited him to 
sit down beside me, I asked him to write the souriat 
which I wished to learn. He was flattered by this mark of 
my confidence, and immediately did what I wished. From 
that time he became my best friend, and proclaimed through 
the village that there was no doubt of my being an Arab, 
When about to take my departure, I went to see him accom- 
panied by my guide. He gave me a grigri, which he said 
would preserve me from all danger. I accepted the precious 
talisman with warm expressions of gratitude. 
A white infant, the offspring of a negro and negress, 
was brought to me. The child was about eighteen or twenty 
months old. Its mother placed it in my arms and 1 exa- 
mined it attentively. Its hair was curly and white, and its 
eye-lashes and eye-brows of a light flaxen colour. The 
forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin, were slightly tinged with 
red, and the rest of the skin was white. The eyes were 
light blue ; but the pupil was of a red flame colour. The 
lips were of a rather dark red. I remarked that the child 
had very defective sight. I endeavoured to make it look up 
by drawing its attention to my beads ; but it appeared to 
suffer pain, cried, and held down its head. It was just 
beginning to cut its teeth. Its lips were rather thick, and, 
indeed, it had altogether the Mandingo physiognomy. 
The infant appeared to be in good health. The negroes 
have no dislike to a white skin ; they merely consider it as a 
disease. I was informed that the children of parents of 
this kind, that is to say. Albinos, are black. 
On the night of the 13th, a gale, blowing from the east, 
brought us rather a violent storm. We had no rain, but a 
great deal of thunder and lightning. Next day the sister of 
