They Are Likewise Sufficiently Skilful To Convert The Native
Iron, Which They Procure From The Negroes, Into Spears And Knives,
And
also into pots for boiling their food; but their sabres and other
weapons, as well as their fire-arms
And ammunition, they purchase from
the Europeans in exchange for the Negro slaves, which they obtain in
their predatory excursions. Their chief commerce of this kind is with the
French traders on the Senegal river.
The Moors are rigid Mahomedans, and possess, with the bigotry and
superstition, all the intolerance of their sect. They have no mosques at
Benowm, but perform their devotions in a sort of open shed or inclosure
made of mats. The priest is at the same time schoolmaster to the juniors.
His pupils assemble every evening before his tent, where, by the light of
a large fire made of brushwood and cow's dung, they are taught a few
sentences from the Koran, and are initiated into the principles of their
creed. Their alphabet differs but little from that in Richardson's Arabic
Grammar. They always write with the vowel points. Their priests even
affect to know something of foreign literature. The priest of Benowm
assured me that he could read the writings of the Christians: he showed
me a number of barbarous characters which he asserted were the Roman
alphabet, and he produced another specimen equally unintelligible, which
he declared to be the _Kallam il Indi_, or Persian. His library consisted
of nine volumes in quarto; most of them, I believe, were books of
religion; for the name of Mahomet appeared in red letters in almost every
page of each. His scholars wrote their lessons upon thin boards; paper
being too expensive for general use. The boys were diligent enough, and
appeared to possess a considerable share of emulation; carrying their
boards slung over their shoulders when about their common employments.
When a boy has committed to memory a few of their prayers, and can read
and write certain parts of the Koran, he is reckoned sufficiently
instructed; and with this slender stock of learning, commences his career
of life. Proud of his acquirements, he surveys with contempt the
unlettered Negro; and embraces every opportunity of displaying his
superiority over such of his countrymen as are not distinguished by the
same accomplishments.
The education of the girls is neglected altogether; mental
accomplishments are but little attended to by the women; nor is the want
of them considered by the men as a defect in the female character. They
are regarded, I believe, as an inferior species of animals, and seem to
be brought up for no other purpose than that of administering to the
sensual pleasures of their imperious masters. Voluptuousness is,
therefore, considered as their chief accomplishment, and slavish
submission as their indispensable duty.
The Moors have singular ideas of feminine perfection. The gracefulness of
figure and motion, and a countenance enlivened by expression, are by no
means essential points in their standard: with them, corpulence and
beauty appear to be terms nearly synonymous. A woman of even moderate
pretensions must be one who cannot walk without a slave under each arm to
support her; and a perfect beauty is a load for a camel. In consequence
of this prevalent taste for unwieldiness of bulk, the Moorish ladies take
great pains to acquire it early in life; and for this purpose many of the
young girls are compelled by their mothers to devour a great quantity of
kouskous, and drink a large bowl of camel's milk every morning. It is of
no importance whether the girl has an appetite or not, the kouskous and
milk must be swallowed: and obedience is frequently enforced by blows. I
have seen a poor girl sit crying, with a bowl at her lips, for more than
an hour; and her mother, with a stick in her hand, watching her all the
while, and using the stick without mercy whenever she observed that her
daughter was not swallowing. This singular practice, instead of producing
indigestion and disease, soon covers the young lady with that degree of
plumpness, which, in the eye of a Moor, is perfection itself.
As the Moors purchase all their clothing from the Negroes, the women are
forced to be very economical in the article of dress. In general they
content themselves with a broad piece of cotton-cloth, which is wrapped
round the middle, and hangs round like a petticoat almost to the ground:
to the upper part of this are sewed two square pieces, one before, and
the other behind, which are fastened together over the shoulders. The
head-dress is commonly a bandage of cotton-cloth, with some parts of it
broader than others, which serve to conceal the face when they walk in
the sun; frequently, however, when they go abroad they veil themselves
from head to foot.
The employment of the women varies according to their degrees of
opulence. - Queen Fatima, and a few others of high rank, like the great
ladies in some parts of Europe, pass their time chiefly in conversing
with their visitors, performing their devotions, or admiring their charms
in a looking-glass. The women of inferior class employ themselves in
different domestic duties. They are very vain and talkative; and when any
thing puts them out of humour, they commonly vent their anger upon their
female slaves, over whom they rule with severe and despotic authority;
which leads me to observe, that the condition of these poor captives is
deplorably wretched. At daybreak they are compelled to fetch water from
the wells in large skins called _girbas_; and as soon as they have
brought water enough to serve the family for the day, as well as the
horses, (for the Moors seldom give their horses the trouble of going to
the wells,) they are then employed in pounding the corn, and dressing the
victuals. This being always done in the open air, the slaves are exposed
to the combined heat of the sun, the sand, and the fire.
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