TUMULT AT COQUE ON THE APPEARANCE OF THE AUTHOR, 43 
Many of the Negroes laughed at my face, the length of my 
nose in particular was a subject of ridicule to this crowd. 
Neither did my dress escape their criticism ; one put his hands 
into my pockets, (which did not contain any thing) another 
looked with astonishment at the stitching of my shoes, and 
the thickness of their soles. They offered me their hands on 
one side, and enjoined me to be silent on the other. Attempts 
were made to disperse the crowd, for there was a tumult 
and bustle which would have made any one believe that 
the whole village had revolted. I could not refrain from 
laughter at the extreme curiosity of these negroes. This 
laugh drew another from them, followed by these words, 
which proceeded from every mouth ; " He laughed ! he 
laughed!" In the mean time the crowd kept continually 
augmenting ; the Moors and some Poulas incessantly cried, 
" He is a Christian!" I then tried to escape, but every 
avenue was closed. I was alone, and resolving to extricate my- 
self at all risks from a situation which might become critical, 
I urged on my horse, which was still in the prime of his 
strength, and his movements soon dispersed the crowd. The 
screams of the women and children, who ran away terrified 
at seeing a white man on horseback, pursuing them with an 
angry look, frightened a beautiful Arabian mare which was 
fastened to the foot of a tree ; she broke loose and began 
to run. It was not without the greatest efforts that I could 
hold in my horse, which full of fire, disdained the curb, and 
G 2 
