The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-29

the mouth Of the Congo River. which was known
to the natives as the Nzadi, q name corrupted
by the Portuguese into Zaire. The natives told
Cam OF a great king at Congo tEkongoh. In the
interior. some days journey to the eastward.
He prevailed upon them to take some OF lbs
men to the capital. They were ordered to re-
turn by a certain time, but failed to do 40. After
waiting double the time which had been agreed
upon. Cam took four men Of noble birth be-
longing to the coastwise districts as hostages
for the restoration OF his men. and sailed
away to Lisbon In iis5. He treated
these hostages well, taught them Por-
tnguese. and. on his arrival at lis
bon. presented them to King John III. The
King was so pleased with the result OF Cams
voyage that he ordered him 10 take back the
hostages with valuable presents to the Congo
ruler, and to exhort that potentate TO become
n Chri stan. When Cam again reached the
mouth Of the Zaire in 1885 he found that his
men had returned from the inland capital. lie
despatched an embassy 10 the Congo ruler. and
subsequently made n visit himself 10 the cap
ital. whore hs wa' Hospitality received. The
intercours sc thus begun soon resulted In the con-
version Of tho King. or Emperor OF Congo. 10
Christianity. In the second quarter OF the six
teenth century tho Bishop of Thome, a Port
ugue ~ island on the equator. had the Kingdom
OF Congo added to mis- diocese. and went to live
at San Salvador, the principal town. The ac-
count OF the catholic King " Congo. compiled
by Father Cayazzi, Is brought down 10 1870.
after which the history of the country Is almost
entirely a blank. An English voyager. however.
reported in 100 that the blacks on the coast
adjoining the mouth Of the Zaire River wers
"all Christians. wearing beads and a cross" In
1873 a md Ssion Of Italian Barbadinos was sent
TO Congo, and. a little later. twenty more mis-
~sionaries with a native who had gained the de-
gree Of bachelor OF canon law. They we're
forced to abandon the country when the relig-
ious orders were expelled by the Portuguese
Governor. and subsequently the priests in
Angola were naval chaplains. one OF whom.
from time 10 time, was sent up to visit San Sal
yador. Mr.. Bentley asserts, nevertheless, that
when he and his fellow Baptists reached San
salvador in 1870, they found the surrounding
country. "to all intents and purposes. n heather
land" The King and people were given up to
fetichism and 10 all the superstitions and cruel
ties of the Dark Continent. Some Of the ruined
walls Of the cathedral remained also the chancel
arch, and part Of n Lady-chapel, In a house in
the Kings compound were kept n large crucinx
and some images Of saints. but they were only
N' Mus : VIZ ~ hiV thiii' "''F '''"'
fcient. they we're sometimes brought out and
carried round the town,
For hundreds OF years after the nominal
conversion Of the Congo people TO Christianity
they were addicted TO the slave trade. Ac-
cording to n return made by the King Of Congo
in 1915, about 1000 slaves were then shipped
annually from the Zaire River. The figures
ran much higher later on. probably to 10000
per annum. The white traders purchased
all the slaves that were brought 10 them by
tho natives, and crowded with them all the
ships offered for freight. In spite Of the fearful
mortality which attended the transportation
Of the blacks over sea, the trade was n lucra-
tive one, and tho tlave merchants nmrssed
large fortunes well on into the present Gen.
fury. The chief port on the Congo for the
shipment OF slaves was Porta de lenha- The
last traces Of the barracoons there have only
recently disappeared: the rotting piles Of the
wharves were visible long after the foundation
Of the English Baptist Mission. Although
The slave trade was made piracy In 1917. many
n cargo was struggled way from the Congo
coast. even as late as the eos, and there is
on" instance OF q still later date. In 1898 some
negroes who had been slaves In Cuba were
engaged by the Government OF the Congo
State to undertake the cultivation and prep
aration OF tobacco In the State plantations.
On their arrival it was discovered that they
were natives OF the cataract region and had
been carried to cuba and sold twenty-seven
years before. In 1878 tho Portuguese Govern
ment abolished the slave trade in all its pos
sessions. Mr.. Bentley says that 1t still goes on.
nevertheless, although in a modified form.
Plantations are worked entirely to-day under
the engage system. The slaves are brought from
the interior and soldt TO the planters. who register
them as engages for q period OF seven 10 ten
years. Others thus engaged agree" to emf
crate to the Portuguese colonies Of Sac Thome
and Principe. They are shipped as "colonials;-
they seldom live eight years. When Mr..
Bentley reached the Congo in 1879 nearly all
the labor Of the trading factories was performed
by slaves. who did not. however. bear that
name. "Kru boys" from the kru coast about
Liberia were the laborers employed on the
coast steamers and factories higher UP the
coast; so to throw dust In the eyes Of those
likely to institute inquiries. the factory slaves
about the Congo were called Krumanos. The
average price OF a Truman was t25. He
lived In q hut nine feet by six feet, and II he
behaved well his master provided him with q
wife bought In the same way. He would In
some places draw part Of his ratlons In beans.
rice ana SUNK -Hsn, aurleu nsh from MOSam-
edes. which Is greatly in demand on the
Congo coast. and according to our au-
thor. II by no means so unpalatable as the
name would suggest The rest of a Kru-
mano's ~rations. and sometimes all of them,
would be given In bottles Of gin. with which he
could buy food from the natives in the local
markets. Mr.. Bentley has often seen, he tells
us, these factory slaves working in gangs Of
four to six, fastened together by a chain run
ming through rings on their necks. 1t seems
that even a. late as 1877 IL was customary il a
factory was burned to kill all the slaves EN-
ployed unless n satisfactory explanation Of
the fire was forthcoming. In spite, however,
of the shocking ~cTuelties incident 70 the slavery
ley says that II IL not uncommon for an African
to Sell himself into seryitude. Many OF the
natives consider that II Is better 10 become a
slave and get a sum Of money down, and enjoy
thereafter protection. support and society,
than TO live az a freeman alone in the jungle.
In a case known to our author, three slaves
were set free on the death Of their master at
Bona, II was not long before two Of them
brought the third to a factory and sold him
as a slave: then OF the two that were leftSons
sold the other. Mr.. Bentley forgets the end
third man sold himself.
The history OF what may be termed the re-
discovery OF the interior Of the Congo region
and the Identification Of the Congo or Zairs
River throughout its course may be summed
I'D In a par or two. Lieut.. }. x. Tuckey