NEGRESS MAGICIAN. 
287 
that one of our negresses, a wife of one of the ser- 
vants, was performing Boree, the " Devil," and 
working herself up into the belief that his Satanic 
majesty had possession of her. She threw herself 
upon the ground in all directions, and imitated the 
cries of various animals. Her actions were, how- 
ever, somewhat regulated by a man tapping upon 
a kettle with a piece of wood, beating time to her 
wild manoeuvres. After some delay, believing her- 
self now possessed, and capable of performing her 
work, she went forward to half-a-dozen of our ser- 
vants, who were squatting down on their hams, 
ready to receive her. She then took each by the 
head and neck, S.nd pressed their heads between her 
legs — they sitting, she standing — not in the most 
decent way, and made over them, with her whole 
body, certain inelegant motions, not to be mentioned. 
She then put their hands and arms behind their 
backs, and after several other wild cries and jumps, 
and having for a moment thrown herself flat upon 
the ground, she declared to each and all their future 
— their fortune, good or bad. I did not stop to see 
the result of the ceremony. The slaves carry these 
mysteries with them in their servitude, and the 
practice of such indecent and profane things are 
tolerated by the Muslims of the coast. The Moors 
and Arabs, indeed, have great faith in these myste- 
ries, and resort to them to know their future. 
I made this day a list of objects of barter: — A 
small looking-glass in a tin case, value, in Tripoli, 
