Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1882-10-26
The Egyptian Slave Trade.

Now that England has subdued the
Egyptians and is practically response
BILE for their behavior, it becomes a
serious question what to do with the
slave trade, which has been carried on
by the Bedouins for centuries. The
emirs and sheriffs meet on the borders
of the Red Sea, as near Souakin as pos
sible, in November of each year, when
they determine the kidnapping ground
Of each tribe, and the roads to be taken,
that one tribe may not interfere with
another. Bonds are given for the full
tillment of this compact, and number
of maidens are for better security con-
signed by each tribe to the Jemmah
tribe, which acts as referee, and keeps
them as hostages until the tribes re-
turn, when, if it is proved that a tribe
has broken faith, the maidens deposited
by that tribe are handed over to the
tribe that has been injured. Having
made their arrangements they break
bread. share salt and pass benarghileh,
without which no Bedouin compact is
considered sealed. Each tribe then
starts on the route assigned to it. So
secret are these plans that. although
the Nubians, Abyssinians and Soudan-
csc are always on the alert, they sell
dom know of the presence of Bedouins
until it is too late. The Bedouins hide
for few days in the vicinity of each
village which they intend to raid, and,
after ascertaining the number Of vii
layers, their habits and means of re.
sistance, proceed on their voyage into
the interior until they arrive at the
end Of the country which their agree
ment entities them to pillage. The
tribe retraces its footsteps, and attacks
village after village, each according to
pre-arranged plan. Various methods
are employed. One is to SET fire to a
village in many places simultaneously,
and as the terrified inhabitants escape
from the confagration they fall into
the hands of the Bedouins, who in
variably murder the old men and wo-
men and the very young children, but
carry off those between Is and IL
years old. The houses and mud huts
which have escaped the fire are ram
sacked, and the slaves are made to car
~ the booty. The poor creatures are
chained together, anc often carry
goods and drive cattle once their own.
They are kept together in a large cir
Gle formed by the Bedouins on horse
back. Foreign and anti-slavery So
cieties have repeatedly attempted to
put stop to this, but have failed, ON
account of the distance from civiliza-
ton at which these countries lie. OF
late many districts have been entirely
depopulated, and unless stringent
measures are taken the whole of upper
Egypt. including the Nubian and Kar-
tum Nile regions, will be deserted. On
their arrival in the vicinity of Souakim
the Bedouins find plenty Of ready pur-
chasers for their slaves. These come
from Afghanistan, Turkestan, Persia,
Beloochistan and Arabia, and very
often from Zanzibar; and although
British men-of-war are constant
ly cruising off this coast it is
seldom that slave widow is captured.
The men and women are sold for do.
nestle or agricultural purposes, and
those of the young girls who are like
ly to become pretty are sent to the
seraglios of Constantinople. The boys
fare even worse. One use they are
put to is service in the Persian pearl
fisheries, where the little fellows are
thrown into 10 or 20 fathoms of
water, each with heavy bag around
his neck, and told to drown or
bring up oysters. Not more than 80
per cent ever rise to the surface, but
this is comparatively small loss to
the Persian pearl seeker, who can buy
q boy for $50, and who knows that :
boy who does return to the surface IL
worth $50 to 500.