When we came to the word "school" Yusuf pretended there was not such a
word in Kailouee. He asked, "Where in Tintalous is there a school?" The
question, unfortunately, is put with too much truth. The Kailouees
hereabouts seem entirely to neglect education.

I myself observe that the Arabic _booss_ answers exactly to the vulgar
word in English for _kiss_.[3] The name of a raven is one of many
remarkable examples of a word being chosen to imitate in sound some
peculiarity of the thing signified. In this case, _kāk_ irresistibly
reminds one of the raven's croaking voice; which we describe by _caw_.
_Kass_, scissors, is also an imitation of the sound produced by this
instrument in cutting.

[3] A good many similarities of this kind, accidental or
otherwise, might be pointed out: _ydrub_ is "to drub;"
_kaab_ would be translated, in old English, "kibe;"
_ykattah_ is "to cut;" _kotta_, "a cat;" _bak_, "a bug;"
_stabl_, "a stable," &c. &c. I have noticed, also, some
similarities with French words e.g. _ykassar_,
"casser"--ED.

In the evening the Sfaxee and Yusuf came to pay us a visit, and related
divers sorts of wonders of this and other countries of Africa. The first
matter concerned us. Eight days ago died in Tintalous an old witch, or
prophetess, a negress, who foretold our arrival, and said to En-Noor, "A
caravan of Englishmen is on the road from Tripoli, coming to you." This
woman for many years was a foreteller of future events. The next thing
we heard referred to the secret societies of Central Africa. Some of the
chiefs of these societies have the power of killing with their eyes. One