The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-05-09
African Slaves.
THE SIGHTS THAT ARE WITNESSED IN THE
sLAvERs' PEN.

THE SIGHTS THAT ARE WITNESSED IN THE
sLAvERs' PEN.
All ages, of both sex, are to be seen.
mothers with their babes, young men
and women, boys and girls, and even
babies who cannot yet walk, aud whose
mothers have died of starvation, or
perhaps been killed by the Lufembe
One seldom sees either old men or old
women. They are all killed in the
raids. Their marketable value being
very small, no trouble is taken with
them.
Witnessing groups of these poor,
helpless wretches, with their emaciated
forms and sunken eyes, their faces a
very picture of sadness, it is not diff
cult to perceive the intense grief that
they are inwardly suffering, but they
know too well it is of no use to appe v
for sympathy to their mercless
masters, who have been accustomed
from childhood to witness acts of
cruelty and brutality, 20 that to satisfy
their Unsuitable greed they will commit
themselves, or permit to be committed,
any atrocity, however great. Even
the pitiable sight of one of these slave
sheds does not half represent the mis-
cry caused by this traffic - homes
broken up, mothers separated from
their babies, husbands from wives, and
brothers from sisters. When last at
Masankusu | saw slave woman who
had with her one child, whose starved
little body she was clutching to her
breast ] was attracted by her sad
face, which betokened great suffering.
l asked her the cause of it, and she
told me IN low sobbing voice the fol
lowing tale:
al was living with my husband and
three children in an inland village a
few miles from here. My husband
was a hunter. Ten days ago the
Lufembe attacked our settlement; my
husband defended himself, but was
overpowered and speared to death
with several of the other villagers.
was brought here with my three chill.
dren. two of whom have already been
purchased by the traders. / shall
never see them any more. Perhaps
they will kill them on the death of
some chief, or perhaps kill them for
food. My remaining child you see, is
i'll, dying from starvation. they give US
nothing to eat. expect even this
one will be taken from me to-day, as
the chief, fearing lest it should die and
become total loss, has offered it for
very small price. AS for myself,
said she, " they will sell me to one of
the neighboring tribes to toll In the
plantations. aud when ! become old
and unfit for work ! shall be killed"
There were certainly Ave hundred
slaves exposed for sale in this one vii
lage alone. Large canoes were con.
stantly arriving from known river with
merchandise of all kinds with which
they purchased these slaves. A large
trade is carried on between the Ubangi
and Lulungu rivers. The people in
habiting the mouth of the Ubangi buy
the Balolo slaves at Massnkusu and
the other markets. They then takt
them up the Ubaugi river and exchange
them with the natives there for ivory
These natives buy their slaves solely fol
food. Having purchased slaves the,
feed them on ripe bananas, fish anC
oil, and when they get them into gooC
condition they kill them. Hundred
of the Balolo slaves are taken into thu
river and disposed of in this way eacl
month, A great many other slave
are sold to the large villages ON tn
Congo to supply victims for the execu
tion ceremonies.
| Much life is lost in the capturing o
slaves and during their captivity man,
succumb to starvation. OF the re
mainder numbers are sold to beoom
victims to osDnibalism and human sae
rifice ceremonies. There are few il
deed who are allowed to live and pro-
Iper.