Rionga's Men Then Departed, And
Mahamed Showed Some Signs Of Getting Ready By Ordering One Dozen
Cows To Be Killed,
The flesh of which was to be divided amongst
those villagers who would carry his ivory, and the skins to
Be
cut into thongs for binding the smaller tusks of ivory together
in suitable loads.
4th and 5th. - Another specimen of Turkish barbarity came under my
notice, in the head man of a village bringing a large tusk of
ivory to Mahamed, to ransom his daughter with; for she had been
seized as a slave on his last expedition, in common with others
who could not run away fast enough to save themselves from the
Turks. Fortunately for both, it was thought necessary for the
Turks to keep on good terms with the father as an influential
man; and therefore, on receiving the tusk, Mahamed gave back the
girl, and added a cow to seal their friendship.
6th to 10th. - I saw this land-pirate Mahamed take a blackmail
like a negro chief. Some men who had fled from their village
when Mahamed's plundering party passed by them the other day,
surprised that he did not stop to sack their homes, now brought
ten large tusks of ivory to him to express the gratitude they
said they felt for his not having molested them. Mahamed, on
finding how easy it was to get taxes in this fashion, instead of
thanking them, assumed the air of the great potentate, whose
clemency was abused, and told the poor creatures that, though
they had done well in seeking his friendship, they had not
sufficiently considered his dignity, else they would have brought
double that number of tusks, for it was impossible he could be
satisfied at so low a price.
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