Notwithstanding the pains I took, I never could learn the origin of this race, nor how it had been reduced to pay tribute to the other Moors; when I made inquiries on the subject, I was always told that it pleased God it should be so, and that they were infidels who seldom performed the salam. Can they be remains of conquered tribes? And, if so, why is there no tradition left about them? This can hardly be; for the Moors, proud of their ancestors, never forget the names of those who have been a credit to their race; and the zenagues, forming the majority of the population, and being, moreover, accustomed to war, would have revolted under the conduct of some descendant of their former chiefs, and recovered their liberty, by exterminating their oppressors. It is in their power to do so, for they are very numerous. The fourth class of the Moorish population is composed of the offspring of a Moor and a black slave; they are called laratines. Though slaves by birth, they are never sold, but have land of their own, and are treated almost like the zenagues. The laratines, whose fathers are hassanes, are warriors; those, whose fathers are marabouts, receive instruction and embrace the profession of their fathers. Proud of their birth, they are not very obedient to their masters, and it is only by force that the latter can compel them to pay the tribute which is due to them. They possess few cattle, for they are not allowed to increase their herds, lest they should enfranchise themselves if they were to become wealthy. The laratines and the zenagues have the care of the herds which the hassanes possess out of their camps. The slaves form the fifth class, and are all negroes. They are charged with all the labours of the camp—the care of flocks, the providing of water and wood, and the culture of the land. The women pound millet, prepare food, wait upon their mistresses, water the calves, fetch water, and if they belong to marabouts, collect haze and gum. On a journey, the slaves carry on their heads whatever cannot be laid upon oxen. They are, as I have already mentioned, ill treated, ill fed, and beaten at the caprice of their masters, whether they have committed any fault or not. They are seldom addressed by any name but that of _slave_. In short, there is no species of vexation, which they are not obliged to endure. The Moors leave the banks of the river, when the rainy season commences, that is at the beginning of August; for not only would they be greatly incommoded by the inundations, but they would also be exposed to many diseases which they occasion, and their cattle would be devoured by the mosquitoes. They remove to the N.E., to the confines of the great desert, where they find plentiful pasturage, and a salubrious climate, and are free from the inconveniences which they would suffer in the vicinity of marshes. They return towards the river when the waters retire, and reside there from March till August.