y have made the
female portion of the community the means of gaining money.
Parents, brothers, and even husbands, offer to their foreign masters
those belonging to them, while the women themselves offer no
opposition, as in this manner they can obtain the means for their
own display, and money for their relations without trouble. Every
officer's house is the rendezvous of several native beauties, who go
out and in at every hour of the day. Even abroad they are not
particular; they will accompany any man without the least
hesitation, and no gentleman ever refuses a conductress of this
description.

As a female of an advanced age, I may be allowed to make a few
observations upon such a state of things, and I frankly own that,
although I have travelled much and seen a great deal, I never
witnessed such shameful scenes of public depravity.

As a proof of what I assert, I will mention a little affair which
happened one day before my hut.

Four fat graces were squatted on the ground smoking tobacco, when an
officer, who happened to be passing, caught a glimpse of the
charming picture, rushed up at double quick pace and caught hold of
one of the beauties by the shoulder. He began by speaking softly to
her, but as his anger increased, he changed his tone to one of loud
abuse. But neither entreaties nor threats produced the slightest
effect upon the delicate creature to whom they were addressed; she
remained coolly in the same position, continuing to smoke with the
greatest indifference, and without deigning even to cast upon her
excited swain a look, far less answer him a word. He became enraged
to such a pitch, that he so far forgot himself as to loosen the
golden ear-rings from her ears, and threatened to take away all the
finery he had given her. Even this was not sufficient to rouse the
girl from her stolid calmness, and the valiant officer was, at last,
obliged to retreat from the field of battle.

From his conversation, which was half in French and half in the
native dialect, I learned that in three months the girl had cost him
about four hundred francs in dress and jewellery. Her wishes were
satisfied, and she quietly refused to have anything more to say to
him.

I very often heard the feeling, attachment, and kindness of this
people spoken of in terms of high praise, with which, however, I
cannot unreservedly agree. Their kindness I will not precisely
dispute; they readily invite a stranger to share thei