This Was Considered
An Offense Sufficient To Warrant His Being Seized And Offered For Sale
While We Were There.
He had not reported himself, so they did not know
the reason of his running away from his own chief, and that chief
might accuse them of receiving a criminal.
It was curious to notice
the effect of the slave-trade in blunting the moral susceptibility:
no chief in the south would treat a fugitive in this way.
My men were horrified at the act, even though old Shinte and his council
had some show of reason on their side; and both the Barotse and the Makololo
declared that, if the Balonda only knew of the policy pursued by them
to fugitives, but few of the discontented would remain long with Shinte.
My men excited the wonder of his people by stating that every one of them
had one cow at least in his possession.
Another incident, which occurred while we were here, may be mentioned,
as of a character totally unknown in the south. Two children,
of seven and eight years old, went out to collect firewood a short distance
from their parents' home, which was a quarter of a mile from the village,
and were kidnapped; the distracted parents could not find a trace of them.
This happened so close to the town, where there are no beasts of prey,
that we suspect some of the high men of Shinte's court
were the guilty parties: they can sell them by night.
The Mambari erect large huts of a square shape to stow these stolen ones in;
they are well fed, but aired by night only.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 455 of 1070
Words from 129843 to 130118
of 306638
