Stiahili'Land and the Wasuahili. 57 
the stream through the death of all who have had any 
claim upon them. Wahaji are converts to Islam, 
who have left their infidel relations and taken up their 
abode with the faithful. They are treated kindly, and 
sometimes with a good deal of consideration. 
The religion of all the Wasuahili is Muhammadan- 
ism, but even the most enlightened of them know 
but little of what it really is. Very few can read the 
Koran intelligibly. Many learn parrot-fashion to re- 
peat its chapters, but they know nothing of the mean- 
ing of what they repeat. The dogma that " God is 
one ; that there is no God but one, and that Muham- 
mad is the prophet of God," is the sum and substance 
of their creed. And to this they cling with blind but 
astonishing pertinacity. They will listen to nothing 
in contradiction of any part of this creed ; it is to them 
the sum total of their religion. They hold it as if 
they felt it to be their life. They flatter themselves 
that there is boundless merit in doing this, and believe 
that God will condone every sin on account of it. 
How should such a religious system have a beneficial 
effect upon their morals t They are absolutely lost 
to virtue, in some respects far more so than the very 
heathen whom they treat with such contempt. It is 
a fearful picture ; we shall not attempt to portray it ; 
but we may say that it has been painted with a 
masterly hand in the latter part of the first chapter 
of the Epistle to the Romans. 
Education is confined to the Waunguana, and com- 
prehends only the knowledge of a little reading and 
writing. The ability to spell out the Koran and to 
write a business note is the ultimatum of Kisuahili 
ambition in regard to learning. Slaves, except in 
