NEGRO CREDULITY. 
123 
1849.] 
the rules of his religion, nor any fish that had not scales, 
which include some of the best these rivers produce, he 
hardly found anything at table the first day that he could 
partake of. Every day afterwards however, while he 
was with us, there was a variety of scaled fish provided, 
boiled and roasted, stewed and fried, with eggs, rice, and 
vegetables in abundance, so that he could always make 
an excellent meal. Senhor C. was much amused at his 
scruples, though perfectly polite about them, and de- 
lighted to ask him about the rites of his religion, and 
me about mine, and would then tell us the Catholic doc- 
trine on the same questions. He related to us many 
anecdotes, of which the following is a specimen, serving 
to illustrate the credulity of the Negroes. “There was 
a Negro,” said he, “ who had a pretty wife, to whom 
another Negro was rather attentive when he had an op- 
portunity. One day the husband went out to hunt, and 
the other party thought it a good opportunity to pay a 
visit to the lady. The husband however returned rather 
unexpectedly, and the visitor climbed up on the rafters to 
be out of sight among the old boards and baskets that 
were stowed away there. The husband put his gun by 
in a corner, and called to his wife to get his supper, and 
then sat down in his hammock. Casting his eyes up to 
the rafters, he saw a leg protruding from among the 
baskets, and, thinking it something supernatural, crossed 
himself, and said, ' Lord, deliver us from the legs appear- 
ing overhead ! ’ The other, hearing this, attempted to 
draw up his legs out of sight, but, losing his balance, came 
down suddenly on the floor in front of the astonished hus- 
band, who, half frightened, asked, ' Where do you come 
