86 
MISSIONARY LIFE 
captain of the canoe here spoken of was told by 
his gregree that if he would take a little girl, and 
hold her foot in a pot of boiling water, he could 
pass a point of danger safely. Just after passing 
that place he and his slaves were taken, with the 
little girl still on board; but the flesh had all fallen 
ofi* the boiled foot! She died subsequently. The 
gregree also told him that after he had passed the 
place he mjist sacrifice a slave to the devil, for 
granting him such good luck. This victim had 
already been selected, and but for the capture 
of the canoe would have been killed in a short 
time. The other gregree taken from that canoe 
was good to keep sick from catching the cap- 
tain.’’ 
The third one is simply an old padlock covered 
with cloth, having some of the virtue-giving 
Arabic writing inclosed. This will cause its own- 
er to have plenty of money, and no one would re- 
fuse to trust him if he wished to buy anything. 
In that country it is customary to pay part, at 
least, in advance for labor and goods; but this 
gregree would give others such confldence in its 
owner that they would trust him for all. Doubt- 
less the old lock was begged or stolen from some 
trader, and because it served as a safeguard to 
keep money in a chest, house, or wherever they 
saw it used, they concluded that it would, with a 
