Felix DuBois refers to it as serving him as his "charming and picturesque guide through the Soudan." "The _Tarik e Soudan_," says he, "is conceived upon a perfectly clear and logical plan according to the most correct rules of literary composition."[207] "It forms, with the exception of the holy writings, the favorite volume of the negro, and is known to the furthest extremity of western Africa, from the shores of the Niger to the borders of Lake Chad." "Its style," continues he, "is very simple and clear, entirely lacking those literary artifices so much in vogue among the Arabs; and the author displays an unusual conscientiousness, never hesitating to give both versions of a doubtful event."[208] On the whole it is a book of elevated active morals and with its charming combination of fables, marvels and miracles it is well adapted to influence the negraic mind. The work is not an uninteresting narration of events but an explanation of them as the rewards of God when fortunate and punishments of the wicked when calamitous. Devoted to religion and civic virtue, the author portrays as sinful the evil deeds of all whether they be peasants or kings. "The _Tarik_ is to this day," remarks Felix DuBois, "the Hozier of the Soudan. In addition to the attractions to be found in its pages, it contains a charm which entirely escapes the Sudanese, and which we alone are privileged to taste, viz., the _naivete_, good nature, and delicious sincerity which pervade the book." The "book admirably reflects the life and mind of the Soudan of yesterday. One enjoys from its pages," says this writer, "the delicate repasts offered by Homer, Herodotus, and Froissard, and it is for this reason I have called the _Tarik_ the chef-d'oeuvre of Sudanese literature."[209] A.O. STAFFORD FOOTNOTES: [194] Felix DuBois, "Timbuctoo the Mysterious," 310. [195] _Ibid._, 315. [196] This work has been translated into French by M. Octave Houdas, Professor of the Oriental School of Languages in Paris. [197] Felix DuBois, "Timbuctoo the Mysterious," 312. [198] Felix DuBois, "Timbuctoo the Mysterious," 313-314. [199] Felix DuBois, "Timbuctoo the Mysterious," 90-91.