There Was No Actual Bartering Of Merchandise For Ivory, Neither Was Any
Merchandise Shipped From Khartoum, Except That Required As Clothing For
The People Who Belonged To The Slave-Hunters' Companies.
If an honest,
legitimate trade were commenced by the government, and law and order
thoroughly established, it would become impossible for the slave hunters
to exist in the White Nile districts.
Their so-called trade consisted in
harrying one country to procure cattle and slaves, which they exchanged
for ivory in other districts. If a government were established, such
razzias must cease at once - and the Khartoum traders would be without an
occupation.
I had originally proposed that the districts of the White Nile south of
latitude 14 degrees N. should be placed under my command; this, for some
unexplained reason, was reduced to latitude 5 degrees N., thus leaving
the whole navigable river free from Gondokoro to Khartoum, unless I
should assume the responsibility of liberating slaves and seizing the
slavers wherever I might find them. This power I at once assumed and
exercised, although I purposely avoided landing and visiting the
slave-hunters' stations that were not within my jurisdiction. I regarded
the river as we regard the high seas.
It was clearly contrary to all ideas of equity that the government
should purchase ivory in countries that had been leased to the traders.
I was therefore compelled to investigate the matter with the assistance
of Djiaffer Pacha, who had made the contract in the name of the
government.
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