Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-07-25
NUMBER l6.
4 Private Slave Mart nj Berter.

slave. There we're no public markets,
so became acquainted with Syrian
merchant who had been one month q
resident of Berber.
"Of course I can sell you a slave"
said he in French.
"Where are they2"
The merchant was seated in his
store, the most elegant in town, drink
ing sherbet aud smoking a chibook.
He rose to accompany me. The coun-
ter loafers had in the meantime gath
cred from all the other shops in the
bazaar, and had ana vuec opened a
fire of complaints against the govern.
ment. I listened patiently to the story
OF their woes-oppressive taxation,
police restraints, hioh interests. no
money, fiat trade-with only that i'm
portance which person can assume
who has Nv real power to redress
grievOus wrong. I told them
significantly that I would reflect
upon their petitions. Conscious of
being mighty in their midst-rather in
the midst of their imaginatlons-I
passed: out Of the shop de6ling BY their
reverential salaams. Probably not one
man in the knot knew where America
was. The merchant, who was sleek
Syrian, arrogating to. himself the
nationality of Greek for the purpose
OF an ephemeral respectability. then
contucted me few rods distant, down
narrow lane, knocked at = tumble
down gate, and We walked into the
midst of his harem.
1t was the first time had ever be-
held human beings of his harem for
sale. The first object saw was q mon
key, in whose face 1 detected straved
shadow of sadness. Chained near him
was beautiful gazelle, which We af-
terwards bought for the sum of q. An
Ekhnin dog-which Afterwards cut bis
incisors on the leg Of Mr.: Morris--a
large, shaggy, ferocious beast, was en-
tertaining the harem by his hideous
yefls. This was q portion of the scenery
in double court of q mud palace in
the city of Berber, at 2 o'clock in the
afternoon; ::::,Y
"What kind of slave doyou want e.
asked the merchant.
"That depends"
"But 4 male or female2' .'.
"a female" I replied promptly.
wishing to see the merchandise,
While this colloquy was proceeding
we neared the second court, and there
l saw handsome, dark-haired, lovely
woman OF about twenty, surrounded by
four coal-black negresses. !, ::
"What is your price for this one Z"
said, pointing to the beauty.
"She2 That's my wife,
After making the due Oriental apollo
gies for my con','etenl1os, I was present.
ed to the madame She was an Eeyp-
tian, but ignored the veil, rather lik-
ing, than otherwise, to expose her face
to The admiring gaze of men. The mer-
chant and his lady then called out the
slaves to be inspected. But they we:e
timid, and had scattered in all direc
tions, standing with their faces to the
wall. They would not come. Finally
the madame persuaded the youngest, q
small tairteen.year-old Abb yssinian. tu
present herself. She was covered with
but single loose garment. She va,
directed to denude herself of this but
instantly interposed. not wishing Ia
allow even my reportorial curiosity to
insult the child's purity of person.
How much for her3"
"Four hundred francs!"
"That's too Hight" (temporizing.
."Ill show you another "-and with
this second was led out by the mad
anne. No 2 was q bright, pretty Abys.
sinian girl of eighteen years of age,
piquant in expression, and graceful
and womanly in figure. The merchants
wife was about to repeat the experiment
of IN immodest exhibition, but mo-
toned her TO- desist, The price of this
girl was five hundred francs. - : =
After looking over the other slaves 1
left,the house, full of loathing for the
accursed traffic. I had seen the foul
system by which intelligent children
were taken away from their native tribes.
miserably clad and fed, and thrust into
the pens of = Levantine cur, and cold
into whatever wretchedness will pay the
profit OF 100 francs. Such is but the
every day common domestic scenery Of
q Berber hearth. .,t
Scientists aud explorers, among them
/ may name Du Chaillu, have sought
to depreciate the minds and persons of
these helpless people in different parts
VI VIC AAACuA OOu140cUts Du Cu8lllus
particularly, has been osteatatious in
proclaiming the manifest inferiority of
the Ashango people, and of their de-
scent from a. species of Darwiin's 8
myths. If what he says be true of his
extremity of the continent, may say
with justice that it doe. not hold good
there. have been amazed atsthe keen
intelligence or native wisdom of all the
peoples along the reach of the Nile as
high up as Khartoum. They need only
the ordinary agents of civilization
to render them among the most thrifty
peoples of the earth. Since I have
been IN Kartoum I have met Ger.
man, Mons. Varsel, who built the Vice.
roy's telegraphs from Wady-Halfa to
Khartoum. He has had great expert
ehce with the natives. He says they
need two thiDgs-relief from the thraf-
dom of, their religion (the Korau) and
better irrigation of their lands. Ifyou
ask a native to do q piece of work which
he is under contract to perform he will
reply, if his comfort does not permit
him to do it at once, MuIecch book
roh, insh,tll1h ," (never mind to-mor-
row, please God. And tomorrow 1t
is still tomorrow. Moslemism-a re-
ligion constructed for the tropics
does not require or teach industry,
save With the spear and other warlike
weapons.
| ma. 81