76 THE AUTHOR SENDS BACK THE SOX OF HIS GUIDE. 
King- of the Whites, they praised the beauty of my shoes and 
of my hat ; all the negroes were enraptured with the honours 
that were paid me ; they seemed to be in a state of intoxica- 
tion, all their motions were convulsive ; they shook their 
heads, shut their eyes, and in the extacies caused by the 
guitar of the griot, they exclaimed : " Ah, how exquisite !" 
There are, perhaps, no people in the world so passionately fond 
of music as the Negroes. To get rid of the minstrel and his 
female companions, I gave them a few leaves of tobacco ; this 
present appeared so mean, that they considerably lowered the 
praises of which they had before been so lavish. 
I had long perceived that the affection of my Marabout 
for his son rendered him timid, and that he hesitated to 
expose himself to new dangers, for fear of involving his 
son in them ; this did not agree with my projects, 1 therefore 
declared to Boukari, that he must chuse between his duty and 
paternal love ; that he must quit me, or send his son and slave 
back to Senegal. " Thou knowest," said I to him, " that I 
have devoted my own life ; no danger can stop me in my 
enterprize ; it is possible that thy son may fall sick, and 
thus retard our progress ; besides, the number of persons 
that I have in my train, excite a notion that I possess great 
wealth; this idea may rouse the cupidity of the Negroes, 
and expose me to perils ; depart then with thy son, or pro- 
ceed alone with me." Several hours passed before Boukari 
gave me a positive answer, but seeing me determined to 
