The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-04-12
IN THE sLAVE.sHED.

From e. j. Glave's profusely illus
trated article under the above title we
quote as iollOws:-"These hungry
creatures form indeed truly pitiable
sight. After suffering this captivity
for short time they become mere skele-
tons. All ages, of both sexes, are TO be
seen: mothers with their babes; Young
men and women; boys and girls; and
babies who cannot yet walk, and 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
| very picture OF sadness 1T is not difficult
TO perceive the intense grief that they
are inwardly suffering; but they know
| too well IL is of no use TO appear for
sympathy to their merciless masters,
| who have been accustomed from child
hood to witness acts of cruelty and
| brutality, 80 that to satisfy their insati-
| able greed they will commit themselves,
or permit 10 be committed, amy alrocity,
however great. Even the pitiable signt
of one OF these slave sheds does not
half represent the misery caused by
| this traffic-h0mes broken up, mothers
separated from their babies, husbands
from wives, and brothers from sisters.
When last at Masankusu | saw a slave
womani who had with her one child,
whose starved little body she was
clutching TO her shrunken breast. 1
was attracted by her sad face, which
betokened great suffering. | asked her
the cause Of it, and sue told me in low
sobbing voice the following tale:
al was Lying 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, bnt was overpower-
ed and speared to death with several of
the other villagers. was here with
| already been purchased by the traders.
/ shall never see them any more. Per-
haps 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 MS
nothing to eat. l expect even this one
will be taken from me to-day, as the
chief, fearing lest it should die and be-
come total loss, has offered II for q
very small price. As for myself, said
she, 'they will sell me to one of the
neighboring tribes, to toll in the PLAN
tations, and when become old and
unfit to work shall be killed.
"There were certainly five hundred
slaves exposed for sale in this village
alone. Large canoes were constantly
arriving from down river, with mer-
chsndise of all kinds with which they
purchase these slaves. A large trade is
carried on between the Ubangi and
, Lulungu rivers. The people inhabit-
ing the mouth OF the Ubangi buy the
Balolo slaves at Masankusu and the
other markets. They then take them
up the Ubangi river and exchange them
with the natives there for ivory. These
! natives buy their slaves solely for food.
. . Having purchased slaves they feed
them on ripe bananas, fish, and oil, and
when they get them into good cOndi-
ton they kill them. Hundreds of the
,, Bslolo slaves are taken into the river
and disposed OF in this way each month.
= A great many other slaves arc sold to
y ply victims for the execution ceremo-
- MES.
"Much life is lost In the capturing o.
slaves, and during their captivity man,
;, succumb to starvation. or the remain.
= der, numbers are sold to become victimi
:, to cannibalism and human sacrifice
~ ceremonies. There are few indeed
: who are allowed to live and prosper