Page:Travels in West Africa, Congo Français, Corisco and Cameroons (IA travelsinwestafr00kingrich).pdf/40

 Christian flock. He says, "We are disposed to believe that the words of their Koran are only a fetish and a charm to the rank and file of their adherents, and that great superstition prevails among them, and is propagated by them," but how the Bishop can see a difference in this matter between the use of the Koran and the Bible by the negro of Sierra Leone, it is difficult to understand; and judged by the criterion of every-day conduct, the Mohammedan is in nine cases in ten, the best man in West Africa. But he is, I grieve to say, not thoroughly orthodox. The Koran I have seen many of them using consists merely of extracts and prayers. written in Maghribi characters; and I have grave doubts whether they could read this any better than I could without a dictionary. I have also frequently seen them playing warry, and another game, the name whereof I know not, but it is played with little sticks of wood stuck in the ground, and "something on the rub," or what corresponds to it; although they must be aware that, by this indulgence in the pleasures of gambling, they will undoubtedly incur the penalty of having donkeys graze upon their graves—yea, even on the graves of their parents. They should think of this, for when all's said and done, is a desperately dull game.

They are, moreover, by no means strict teetotallers, and some individuals from Accra, whom I once met, shocked me deeply by saying Mohammedans were divided into two classes, Marabuts who do not drink, and Sonniki who do. I do not know where they can have picked up this idea; but I observed my acquaintances were "hard-shelled" Sonniki. Again, the Sierra Leone and Lagos Mohammedans regard working in leather and iron as quite respectable occupations, which is not in accordance with views held in high Mohammedan circles. Very good leather-work they certainly turn out—bags, sheaths for daggers, and such like, to say nothing of the quaint hats, made of the most brilliant yellow, blue, and red leather strips plaited together: very heavy, and very ugly, but useful. Quite "rational dress" hats in fact, for their broad brims hang down and shade the neck, and they also shelter the eyes to such an extent that