genuflexions, prayers, fasts, and by strictly
adhering to the laws of the Prophet; while the heathen nations resort
to their adroit priests, who shield them from the devil by charms of
various degree, which are exclusively in their gift, and may
consequently be imposed on the credulous for enormous prices.

At Ayudah I found the natives addicted to a very grovelling species
of idolatry. It was their belief that the Good as well as the Evil
spirit existed in living Iguanas. In the home of the _manfuca_, with
whom I dwelt, several of these animals were constantly fed and
cherished as _dii penates_, nor was any one allowed to interfere with
their freedom, or to harm them when they grew insufferably offensive.
The death of one of these crawling deities is considered a calamity in
the household, and grief for the reptile becomes as great as for a
departed parent.

Whilst I tarried at Ayudah, an invitation came from the King of
Dahomey, soliciting the presence of Cha-cha and his guests at the
yearly sacrifice of human beings, whose blood is shed not only to
appease an irritated god but to satiate the appetite of departed
kings. I regret that I did not accompany the party that was present at
this dreadful festival. Cha-cha despatched several of the captains who
were waiting cargoes, under the charge of his own interpreters and the
royal _manfucas_; and from one of these eye-witnesses, whose curiosity
was painfully satiated, I received a faithful account of the horrid
spectacle.

For three days our travellers passed through a populous region, fed
with abundant repasts prepared in the native villages by Cha-cha's
cooks, and resting at night in hammocks suspended among the trees. On
the fourth day the party reached the great capital of Abomey, to which
the king had come for the bloody festival from his residence at
Cannah. My friends were comfortably lodged for repose, and next
morning presented to the sovereign. He was a well-built negro, dressed
in the petticoat-trowsers of a Turk, with yellow morocco boots, while
a profusion of silk shawls encircled his shoulders and waist, and a
lofty _chapeau_, with trailing plumes, surmounted his wool. A vast
body-guard of _female_ soldiers or amazons, armed with lances and
muskets, surrounded his majesty. Presently, the _manfucas_ and
interpreters, crawling abjectly on their hands and knees to the royal
feet, deposited Cha-cha's tribute and the white men's offering. The
first consiste