ROBBERY OF THE AUTHOR. 269 
joicing. At supper, which was later than usual, the women 
assembled to take their repast together, and they made 
themselves very merry ; but their games are far from being 
so lively as those of the idolatrous negroes of Baleya and 
Amana. They leaped and danced about the hut and the yard, 
holding a piece of meat in their hand, and biting at it in a 
disgusting manner. Music and dancing are forbidden among 
the Musulmans, and consequently their amusements are far 
from equalling in frolic and gaiety those which prevail 
among the pagans. After supper I was visited by an old 
marabout, who had come from Sego : he looked at me with 
an expression of great curiosity, and could not help laughing 
at the length of my nose, assuring me that he had never seen 
any thing like it ; he lavished benedictions upon me, as 
well as Lamfia, whose behaviour to me he praised highly. 
Lamfia greatly commended my religious zeal. This mara- 
bout confirmed the news which I had heard of a war between 
Sego and Jenne, and he advised me to go by the way of 
Sambatikila. My host cut off two or three ells of the cloth 
of native manufacture, as a present for the marabout, who 
took care to give him a good dose of flattery. As soon as he 
had received the present, he went off, loading Lamfia with 
fresh benedictions, and praising his generosity. 
On the 6th of July, being alone in my hut, 1 took the op- 
portunity to examine my merchandise, which, unfortunately, 
was not under lock and k^y. I discovered, that some one 
had been meddling with my things, for the packets of glass- 
beads were not tied up in the manner in which I had left 
them; I immediately looked over carefully all my baggage, 
and, to my mortification, I found that I had been robbed, and 
that my most beautiful beads had disappeared. Fortunately 
I had on the eve of the festival hid my amber, my coral, and 
a little silver, in a small bag, containing cream of tartar and 
purgative salts. The thief had begun to open the bag of salts, 
but when he saw what it contained, he had thrown it aside. 
