New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-12-05
The Zanzibar SlAyc-Market.

The chief source of the wealth of Zanzibar
is derived from the slave trade. Undoubt-
edly great atrocities have been committed by
slave-Owners, and awful miserics have been
undergone by slaves. But there are slaves,
and slavery at Zanzibar is very different from
slavery in South America and the West
Indies.
The slave market opens at four O'Clock
every afternoon. Accordingly, at five on the
day OF our arrival, accompanied by friend,
set Off in search of it. After quarter of an
hours walk from the landing place, through
q number Of narrow, intricate streets, our
guide conducted us into an open kind of
square, and we found ourselves actually in a
slave-rnarket we had been talking of and
thinking of so much during the voyage out.
| shall not easily forget the scene. Huddled
together in groups of twenty or thirty, about
two hundred men, women, and children sat
crouched on the ground. Not the slightest
expression appeared upon the countenances
of any of them, and they sat, hardly moving
a muscle, except when compelled to gather
closer together to make room for more unfor-
Inmates who every now and then arrived, ten
or twelve at a time, TO take their places by
them / never saw a collection OF more
fredericksburg beings; they wore nothing
but a rag around their waists so that their
emaciated condition could be seen in all its
horror. Many of them were literally only
skin and bones. Some Of the women had
infants in their arms. But it il unnecessary
to enlarge on these revolving details; enough
has been said to give an idea OF the horror OF
the spectacle. Suffice it to say, that never
saw any Oycr-driven cattle so utterly devoid
of bodily or mental animation as these poor
creatures appeared to be.
While I was looking round, completely
horror.strickcn by what / saw as my eye
wandered on from group to group, Persian
soldier took hold Of a boy about twelve years
old, and, raising him by the arm, began to
turn him about, feel his muscles, and look al
his teeth, and having examined HIM carefully
allowed HIM to sit down again, and passed on
to inspect another. This was before the sale
began, and similar scenes were going on in
all parts of the market. One man, too lazy
to use his hands, thrust his cane into the
mouth of u young slave, and, raising his lips
by these means, made careful investigation
OF his mouth and teeth.
| The sale soon began, and the wretche(
creatures were sold off, some in lots ant
others individually. They fetched prices va
! rying from ten to one hundred and fifty dol
! lars. The highest prices were paid for some
women carefully dressed and painted, ant
hung over with quantity Of jewelry, ant
/ who by their pump, healthy cOndilion
| formed striking contrast to the poor, half
starved wretches lying around them. Sicl
and disguised atthe revolving scene, we tool
our departure, heartily glad to escape from
the horrid sights and filthy odors of the place
On the way back we saw chalked on tn
wall of house, instead of "Griffiths, tn
safe man." or "No Popery," two rougl
drawings of slave dhows, with their hold
and decks crowded with slaves, which wa
strangely characteristic of the atmosphere c
the place.