like them, and are constantly employed as porters and native traders,
being considered very trustworthy. They even acknowledge Seyed Majid's
authority. The Arabs speak of all the Africans as _"Gumu_" that is
hard or callous to the Mohamadan religion.

Some believe that Kilimanjaro Mountain has mummies, as in Egypt, and
that Moses visited it of old.

Mungo Park mentions that he found the Africans in the far interior of
the west in possession of the stories of Joseph and his brethren, and
others. They probably got them from the Koran, as verbally explained
by some liberal Mullah, and showed how naturally they spread any new
ideas they obtained: they were astonished to find that Park knew the
stories.

The people at Katanga are afraid to dig for the gold in their country
because they believe that it has been hidden where it is by "Ngolu,"
who is the owner of it. The Arabs translate Ngolu by Satan: it means
Mézimo, or departed spirits, too. The people are all oppressed by
their superstitions; the fear of death is remarkably strong. The
Wagtails are never molested, because, if they were killed, death
would visit the village; this too is the case with the small Whydah
birds, the fear of death in the minds of the people saves them from
molestation. But why should we be so prone to criticise? A remnant of
our own superstitions is seen in the prejudice against sitting down
thirteen to dinner, spilling the salt, and not throwing a little of it
over the left shoulder. Ferdinand I., the King of Naples, in passing
through the streets, perpetually put one hand into his pockets to
cross the thumb over the finger in order to avert the influence of the
evil eye!