American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-11-23
The Slave Trade ON the East Coast of
Africa.

The Times Of India gives stirring ac
| count of the capture of a slave dhOw near
Ras-el-bad. in the Gulf of Persia by the
boats of Her Majesty's ship Vulture.
When the capture was completed it was
found that the crew and passengers, in
Guiding the slave merchants, comprised
thirty-siX Arabs, all heavily armed =
1.-The number OF slaves it was impossible
| at the time to estimate. So crowded on
deck and in the hold below, was the
dhOw, that it seemed, but for the aspect
OF misery, n very nest of ants. The hold
from which an intOlerable stencil pro-
ceeded-was several inches deep in the
fOulest bilge water and refuse. Down be-
low there was numbers OF children and
wretched beings in the most lOathsOme
stages OF smallpox and scrofula of every
description. A more disgusting and de-
grading spectacle of humanity could
hardly be seen, while the foulness of the
dhow was such that the sailors could
hardly endure it. When the slaves were
transferred to the Vulture, the poor,
wretched creatures were so dreadfully
emaciated and weak, that many had to be
carried on board and lifted for every
movement. How it was that so many had
survived such hardships, was source of
wonder to all that belonged to the Vul-
ture. Or examination by the surgeon it
was found that there were no less than
thirty-tive cases of smallpox in various
stages. and from the time of the first tax
ing of the dhOw, to their landing at Butch
er's Island. Bombay, fifteen died out of
the whole numLer of 1863, and since then
there have been more deaths among them.
But, perhaps, the most atrociOus piece of
cruelty of the Arabs, was heard after
ward from the slaves themselves-viZ.,
that at the first discovery of smallpox
among them, by the Arabs. all the infect
ed slaves were at once thrown over
board. and this was continued day by
day, until, they said, forty had persisted
in this manner. When they found that
the disease could not be checked, they
simply left them to take their chance and
die. Many of the children were OF the
tenderest years, scarcely more than three
years old, and most of them bearing
marks OF the brutality OF the Arabs in
half-healed scars and bruises inflicted
from the lash and stick
a correspondent of a London journal
writing in confirmation of recent reports
of the slave trade carried on from the
higher parts of the Nile, says that on
point on the White Nile, above Khartoum
the slave dealers diverge towards Matam-
ma. OH the borders of Abyssinia. '.Here
the hunters dispose of their plumber to
resident dealers, who, in turn, march the
poor wretches to MassOwah and Souakim,
on the coast. | was at MassOwah for
some time in 1869. and l can a test that
each little vessel carried living freight
out of the place. |, myself embarked at
Massowah, in Il small Arab trader bound
to Goufidah and Gedda. On leaving the
port, the number on board appeared to be
four of a crew. three resident Moslems of
Massowah on a pilgrimage to Mecca. and
myself en- route tor SucZ. But shortly
after leaving-that is, when we were Il few
miles at sea-eighteen little black boys
made their appearance from underneath
the cargo; likewise five little girls, of
ages ranging from ten to fifteen, were
slowed in II small space at the stern of the
vessel. All these were the property of a
certain Abdallah, native Of Gedtla, and
who was on board in charge of them. His
cruelty was beyond description. Hardly
u word of Arabic could the little ones
speak, yet he forced upon them Islam
with an Impotence that made them writhc
again. For the first two days nothing
but LA Titan IL aiiGh sayird Mohdn'ed e
RassoH iLidh' could be heard, except mt III
tcrvals Il loud scream indicated that the
'coorbao' was being used numerically.
On arriving at Gailiidah, two rather I'M
intelligent males were taken on shore and
parahcd through the streets tor sale, one
OF whom was actually sold in my pres