ising them, teach them to repeat the words Allah and Mohammed,
and perhaps a few others; but not one in ten knows what a soul means,
nor do they expect to meet with either reward or punishment in the next
world, though they are taught to regard animals as clean and unclean,
and some go through the form of a pilgrimage to Mecca. Indeed the whole
of their spiritual education goes into oaths and ejaculations--Allah and
Mohammed being as common in their mouths as damn and blast are with
our soldiers and sailors. The long and short of this story is, that the
freed men generally turn out a loose, roving, reckless set of beings,
quick-witted as the Yankee, from the simple fact that they imagine all
political matters affect them, and therefore they must have a word in
every debate. Nevertheless they are seldom wise; and lying being more
familiar to their constitution than truth-saying, they are for ever
concocting dodges with the view, which they glory in of successfully
cheating people. Sometimes they will show great kindness, even bravery
amounting to heroism, and proportionate affection; at another time,
without any cause, they will desert and be treacherous to their sworn
friends in the most dastardly manner. Whatever the freak of the moment
is, that they adopt in the most thoughtless manner, even though they may
have calculated on advantages beforehand in the opposite direction. In
fact, no one can rely upon them even for a moment. Dog wit, or any
silly remarks, will set them giggling. Any toy will amuse them. Highly
conceited of their personal appearance, they are for ever cutting their
hair in different fashions, to surprise a friend; or if a rag be thrown
away, they will all in turn fight for it to bind on their heads, then
on their loins or spears, peacocking about with it before their admiring
comrades. Even strange feathers or skins are treated by them in the same
way.

Should one happen to have anything specially to communicate to his
master in camp, he will enter giggling, sidle up to the pole of a
hut, commence scratching his back with it, then stretch and yawn, and
gradually, in bursts of loud laughter, slip down to the ground on his
stern, when he drums with his hands on the top of a box until summoned
to know what he has at heart, when he delivers himself in a peculiar
manner, laughs and yawns again, and, saying it is time to go, walks off
in the same way as he came. At other times when he is called, he will
co