IN WESTERN AFRICA. 
79 
mudi palaver’’ wdth them, Mr. B. bought me off 
for the value of forty-eight cents, and a piece of 
lead, which they said they would give the devil” 
to appease his wrath, who was now very angry 
because of what I had done. They wanted silver; 
but that being refused, they said lead would do 
if they would cut off the outside and make it 
shine like silver, for the devil” w^ould then 
think it was silver, and would not know the dif- 
ference. We thought with them, that lead would 
do as well as silver, and be cheaper for us. 
These ^^devil-houses” are mostly mere open 
sheds, being from three to four feet square, and 
of about the same height. Under them they oft- 
en have pieces of china-ware, and glass, or some- 
thing of the kind. If they can get from white 
men what they can not make themselves, if only 
broken glass, they regard it so sacred as to be 
worthy a place in the devil-house,” which seems 
to be a favorite depository for things which they 
regard as beautiful and valuable. 
They are emphatically devil-worshipers ; and 
they are most profoundly selfish in their worship, 
as in most other things. We must not forget, 
however, that in their present condition they are 
not capable of exercising other than selfish motives. 
They have no systematic form of worship, but 
difier in this as much as people do in America. 
