Many Were Mere Children About Five Years Of
Age And Under.
One little boy, with the simplicity of childhood,
said to our men, "The others tied and starved us, you cut the ropes
and tell us to eat; what sort of people are you?
- Where did you come
from?" Two of the women had been shot the day before for attempting
to untie the thongs. This, the rest were told, was to prevent them
from attempting to escape. One woman had her infant's brains knocked
out, because she could not carry her load and it. And a man was
dispatched with an axe, because he had broken down with fatigue.
Self-interest would have set a watch over the whole rather than
commit murder; but in this traffic we invariably find self-interest
overcome by contempt of human life and by bloodthirstiness.
The Bishop was not present at this scene, having gone to bathe in a
little stream below the village; but on his return he warmly approved
of what had been done; he at first had doubts, but now felt that, had
he been present, he would have joined us in the good work. Logic is
out of place when the question with a true-hearted man is, whether
his brother man is to be saved or not. Eighty-four, chiefly women
and children, were liberated; and on being told that they were now
free, and might go where they pleased, or remain with us, they all
chose to stay; and the Bishop wisely attached them to his Mission, to
be educated as members of a Christian family.
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