TAKING AN OBSERVATION. 419 
the village^ in order to escape notice; but, notwith- 
standing this precaution, I had nearly involved myself in a 
serious scrape. Owing to the peculiarity of my colour, I was 
immediately missed from among my companions ; I was 
sought for and discovered under the tree : as I was rising to 
look at the road, I perceived at a little distance some women, 
who walked round me to watch me ; on seeing me writing 
they ran to inform the men, who thought themselves all lost, 
imagining that I was a sorcerer, and had bewitched their 
village ; they assembled in great numbers, and made a great 
disturbance, desiring my guide to prohibit me from writing any 
more. I confess that I was not quite at ease as to the conse- 
quences of this affair. Some persons came to me and de- 
clared, in an authoritative tone, that I must relinquish my 
magical operations 3 they even shook me by the shoulders, 
and used threats to me. I had foreseen that, if observed, I 
should excite suspicion, and accordingly took the precaution 
of writing on the ground where I was making my observa- 
tion the sacred words, JBism' Allali erralmdn errahym (in 
the name of the merciful and forgiving God) ; but the igno- 
rant Bambaras could not read writing. Fortunately, 1 had 
finished my observation when this unpleasant scene occurred. 
The people gathered round me, and asked me what I had 
been doing : I told them I had been making an amulet, 
which was a safeguard against all sorts of illness, and my 
guide heartily seconded this evasion. At length they ap- 
peared satisfied ; some begged me to write similar grigris for 
them ; and, had I complied with the requests of all, I might 
have continued at work all day. I gave to two Bambaras a 
little bit of paper, on which I had written some Arabic cha- 
racters : they appeared much pleased with the present, and 
wrapped it up very carefully in a bit of dirty rag. On 
returning to my hut, it was some time before 1 entirely re- 
covered from the agitation into which I had been thrown. 
Old Kai-mou, my guide, asked me why 1 had remained so 
2 E 2 
