Sarcocele in a Black Man. p 2 
dlfcredit -their aflertion, and what makes it more probable to 
me is, that the Mandinga and Bambara nations feem to be 
nearly related to one another in outward appearance, cuftoms, 
tl.em, that whet, they are furprized in the night-time by an enemy, they will not 
take up arms for their own defence, though in the moil imminent danger till they 
have drefled themfelves with thofe charms, and then they will meet him ’undaunt- 
c y. 1 his faith in charms, however, is a corruption of the Mahometan religion 
and the Moors, who live on the north -fide of the river Senegal, obfervingit in its 
purity, make no ufe of them. The Marahbuts of the black nations, as well as 
t lofe of the Moors, are alfo the principal merchants and the moft opulent people 
among them, and the gum trade on the river Senegal is chiefly carried on by thofe 
o t ic Moors. The Marahbuts are alfo the only people who car. travel with any 
fafety into diftant kingdoms, which no layman can well do without running the 
nfk of being made a Have. Their religious profeffion protects them every where ; 
t ley are even receded among thofe nations who are not Mahometans; and they 
are conhdered by them as godly and virtuous people, and men of wifdom. They 
make profelytes in the Mahometan religion every where; and I am inclined to 
believe, that they will extend and fpread it in time all over Africa. I have feen fome 
Marahbuts of the Pool or Fool nation at Senegal who were pretty well verfed in the 
old tellament, and knew partly the hiftory of the inftitutor of the new one. One 
day as I was talking with them on the writings of Mofes, happening net rightly to 
recollcft the lineage from Adam to Abraham, one of them flattened the fand.made 
it even, and drew with his fingers on it the genealogy from Adam down to Jacob, 
which, to the beft of my recollection, correfponded with that given by Mofes’ 
While he was doing this, I looked at him with pleafure and fatisfaftion, becaufe 
it refembled fo much the rude fimplicity of the early ages. The Marahbuts reafoit 
in general exceedingly well on fuch fubjeCts as they are acquainted with, but they 
have a way, like the eartern nations, of adducing parables or flmiles in their argu • 
ments which do not always bear the ttri fleft refemblance to the cafe in hand, 
though they are very perfuafive with fuch people as are not capable of invefti’ 
gating the points in which they differ from the cafe in queflion. I was always 
much delighted with their convention, and was often forry that I was not maffer 
of their different languages, and able to converfe with them- without an inter- 
preter. The Marahbuts of the Moors are more learned and ingenious in every 
refpeift than thofe of the black nations ; but I had not much opportunity of con- 
Veiling with them, as they were not allowed to refide on the ifland. 
^ 2 : am! 
