Connecticut western news., 1889-05-29
THE SLAVE MARCH.
Terrible Trials of Captives in the African Coast Trade.
A Blow. in the Head Ends the
 Troubles of the Weak,

A Blow. in the Head Ends the
 Troubles of the Weak.
 s.Yes, l have seen the terrible slave march" said Mir. H. F. Moir, who for many years has travelled abroad, spend ing more or less time in Africa. He was speaking of the sufferings of those cap tives who carry great burdens across the deserts in the African coast trade. Mir. Moir is a resident of New York State, and last night in tho lobby at the Grand Hotel entertained few friends with recital of some of his adventures. "When the slaves are captured," he said, "they are taken to the headquar- ters of the east coast traders. There a yoke is placed about their neck, and is allowed to remain night and day with out being once taken off. The constant rubbing upon the neck chafes the skin, and gradually ugly wounds begin to fester under the burning African sun- shine. The men who appear the strongest, and whose escape is feared, have their hands tied, and sometimes their feet, in such fashion that walking becomes torture to them, and on their necks are placed the terri ble goree or tanning sticks. The yoke is young tree with forked branches. It is generally about five or six feet long, and from three to four inches in diame- ter. One which I examined not long ago was about twenty-eight pounds in weight, but am told that refractory slaves are often placed in yokes weigh ing fifty pounds or more. Through each prong of the fork is hole bored for the reception of an iron pin, which, after the neck of the slave has been placed in the fork, is made secure by blacksmith. The opposite end is lashed to the corre- spending end of another yoke, in the fork of which another slave is held, and thus the poor creatures have to march, carrying besides this intolerable weight, load of provisions or ivory slung across the center of the pole. Other slaves are in gangs of about dozen each, with an iron collar let into long iron chain.
 s'Are males alone of these captives?" asked an Enquirer reporter, who was one of the party.
 'sNo, indeed,'' said Mir. Moir. "Wo- men slaves are plentiful. A man with any spirit can scarcely trust himself to look at the starting of one of the cara vans. I accompanied one which con- tained many women. They are all fas- tened to chains or thick bark ropes. Very many of the women in the caravan to which I refer, in addition to their heavy weight of grain or ivory, carried their little brown babies. The double weight was almost too much, and still they struggle wearily on knowing too we'll that when they showed signs of fatigue, not the slaver's ivory, but the living child, would be torn from them and thrown aside to die. One poor old woman I could not help noticing. She was carrying baby boy who should have been walking, but whose thin, weak legs had evidently given way; she was tottering already; it was the supreme effort of mothers love-and all in vain, for the child, easily recognizable, was brought into camp a couple of hours later by one of our hunters, who had found him on the path. We had him cared for, but his poor mother would never know. During three days journey out from Liendwe death freed many of the cap tives. It was we'll for them; still we could not help shuddering as in the darkness we heard the howl of the hye- mas along the track, and realized only too fully the reason why. The attach ment of the children to their mothers and the mothers determination not to be parted from their children" contin- ued the traveller, "combine to carry them along with the slave caravan-that is, So long as their poor little legs can bear them"
 "How can the slaves keep up under their burdenss' was asked.
 ''They do not do it long," was the answer. "They march all day, and at night, when they stop, a few handfuls of raw 'sorgho' are distributed among them, and this is all their food. As soon as any begin to fail, their conductors approach those who appear to be most exhausted and deal them terrible blow on the nape of the neck. A single cry, and the victims fall to the ground in the convulsions of death. Terror for time inspires the weakest with new strength, but each time one breaks down the ter rible scene is repeated. A friend of mine told me that once when travelling in Central Africa he was obliged to at tach himself to an Arab slave gang, and that the drivers deliberately cut the throats of those who could not march. | r how, ,l.o lo<, ;,for,,o1 cold M,