Others That
Display Marks Of Discontent Are Disposed Of In A Distant Country; And
Such Of The Freemen Or Slaves, As Have Taken An Active Part In The War,
Are Either Sold To The Slatees Or Put To Death.
War, therefore, is
certainly the most general and most productive source of slavery; and the
desolations of war often (but not always) produce the second cause of
slavery, _famine_; in which case a freeman becomes a slave to avoid a
greater calamity.
Perhaps, by a philosophic and reflecting mind, death itself would
scarcely be considered as a greater calamity than slavery; but the poor
Negro, when fainting with hunger, thinks, like Esau of old, "Behold, I am
at the point to die, and what profit shall this birth-right do to me?"
There are many instances of free men voluntarily surrendering up their
liberty to save their lives. During a great scarcity, which lasted for
three years, in the countries of the Gambia, great numbers of people
became slaves in this manner. Dr. Laidley assured me that, at that time,
many free men came and begged, with great earnestness, _to be put upon
his slave chain_, to save them from perishing of hunger. Large families
are very often exposed to absolute want; and as the parents have almost
unlimited authority over their children, it frequently happens, in all
parts of Africa, that some of the latter are sold to purchase provisions
for the rest of the family. When I was at Jarra, Daman Jumma pointed out
to me three young slaves which he had purchased in this manner.
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