ted me to repentance,--much to the edification of
our interpreter, who was neither Jew, Christian, nor Mussulman.

But the visit of the young chieftain, which began in trade and tapered
off in piety, drew to a close. Ahmah-de-Bellah began to prepare for
his journey homeward. As the day of departure approached, I saw that
my joke had been taken seriously by the Fullah, and that he _relied_
upon my apostasy. At the last moment, Ahmah tried to put me to a
severe test, by suddenly producing the holy book, and requiring me to
seal our friendship by an oath that I would never abandon Islamism. I
contrived, however, adroitly to evade the affirmation by feigning an
excessive anxiety to acquire more profound knowledge of the Koran,
before I made so solemn a pledge.

* * * * *

It came to pass that, out of the forty slaves brought in the caravan,
the Mongo rejected eight. After some altercation, Ahmah-de-Bellah
consented to discard seven; but he insisted that the remaining veteran
should be shipped, as he could neither _kill_ nor send him back to
Footha-Yallon.

I was somewhat curious to know the crime this culprit had committed,
which was so heinous as to demand his perpetual exile, though it
spared his life. The chief informed me that the wretch had slain his
son; and, as there was no punishment for such an offence assigned by
the Koran, the judges of his country condemned him to be sold _a slave
to Christians_,--a penalty they considered worse than death.

Another curious feature of African law was developed in the sale of
this caravan. I noticed a couple of women drawn along with ropes
around their necks, while others of their sex and class were suffered
to wander about without bonds. These females, the chief apprised us,
would have been burnt in his father's domains for witchcraft, had not
his venerable ancestor been so much distressed for powder that he
thought their lives would be more valuable to his treasury than their
carcasses to outraged law.

It was a general complaint among the companions of Ahmah-de-Bellah
that the caravan was scant of slaves in consequence of this
unfortunate lack of powder. The young chieftain promised better things
in future. Next year, the Mongo's barracoons should teem with his
conquests. When the "rainy season" approached, the Ali-Mami, his
father, meant to carry on a "great war" against a variety of small
tribes, whose captives would replenish the herds,