The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-15
Although It Is Said Traffic Was Al
most Entirely Stopped BY Queen
Victoria-HoW the AUG
ton Is Conducted.

uelu eltuer IN the great capltdl cltlleS or
at some Of the big country fairs. In Mar
rakesh the Sultan's southern capital, you
can count slaves by the hundred; and
during the two hours of the daily sale the
transactions include scores of human be-
ings.
l may also mention a fact that Is per-
haps quite unknown in this country and
seems to be jealousy guarded secret in
Morocco, says S. l.. Bensusan in the
Wide World magazine. 1t is that there
are white women slaves in several parts
of the country; not Corcassians, but Scent
ingly women from western Europe!
When the market is about to begin
dozen men file through the entrance. They
are the auctioneers, the dilals; who have
been occupied with the representative of
the government, giving him list ard
description of all who are to be offered
for sale.
Offers a Prayer.
This preliminary work done they are
now coming to the serious business of
the afternoon. They move in a line to
a point where there is some shade, and
then they turn toward the east, the
sloping sun behind them. The chief au-
lIOutc1 slOW Dll6IS up an ODtulliB pld9tl
He praises Allah who made the world
and gave the True Faith. He curses Sa-
tan who has sought valnly, but without
ceasing, to destroy mankind. He praises
the patron saint of the city Of Marrakesh
and calls upon him to intercede with Allah
in order that all who buy and sell in
the slave market may have health, pros
perity and length of days.
Such are his appeals, delivered slowly
solemnly and with a certain measure OF
dlgnified gesture; and to one and all of
them the dilals on either hand and the
buyers sitting at their ease along the
central arcade or by the walls respond
with pious amen" They hold it is no
more than a seemly thing that business
should commence with prayer, and the
fact that the business happens to be
buying and selling slaves does nothing
to obvate the necessity.
Prayers over the dilals break up and
proceed each to his pen, or pens to sum-
mon the occupants to range themselves
in line For flow moments the confusion
is indeseribable The dilals rush hither
and thither, arranging their human cat
tie in groups. Then having placed them
selves at the head of their respective
groups, they promenade slowly around
the market.
We cannot watch them all, so we select
an average one containing a boy and girl,
brother and sister. who have been
brought in by a caravan and are facing
a slave market for the first time in their
lives Beside them are two vigorous men,
two able women two young children and
a very old and very black man.
There is no sign of great excitement
or unrest among the slaves. Only the
boy and girl who are already grown up
seem to feel their position acutely
Children Uninterested.
The children are obviously uneoncerned,
and If they take any interest at all In the
proceedings it is associated with their own
bright garments. which, by the way, have
been lent to them by the auctioneers IN
charge, In order that they may present
more attractive figure. When they have
been purchased their new owners must pay
for these guady rags or return them.
As he goes for the first and second time
in a wide circle around the central ar
cade our auctioneers proclaim the merits
of his wares In general terms, and then a
purchaser demands the price of the two
middle aged men, who seem to have years
of considerable activity before them The
dial pauses. and presents, the two slaves.
who reply to various questions that the
intending purchaser put to them
The dial himself talks very volubly and
the result must be satisfactory, for his
patron names price, and the dial, with
pious Praise be to Allah, who made
the world" gathers his company around
him once again and moves off, proclaim
ing that the price of the two men is so
many dollars, and urging the assembled
buyers to do better still. Apparently they
are not inclined to take advantage of
hai ba 70 off tha No
completed twice more the dial pauses
again and hands the two slaves over to
their new master.
BY this time he has a bid for the brown
boy and girl, and summoning one of his
companions to complete the negotiations
and sign the papers relating to the pur-
chase just concluded, he hurries off again.
extollng the merits of the pair he hopes
to sell next. In this case there is some
short. sharp competition.
Prices Rise.
The price rises by five and even ten dol
lars at time, and then-ominous sign
there is separate bidding for the boy and
the girl, bidding that hints at separation.
However, in the end, a great country
Kaid, who has Travelled from Tarudant,
secures the pair and they pass out OF
the promenading circle into the care Of
L
watched carefully for some expression
of emotion on the faces of these two
young people who had been stolen and
sold as though they were chattels, but
1t was perfectly impossible to note any
thing more than bewilderment
Presently there was a sudden interrupt
ton in the market place from little
group in front of me- Here we saw
the one dramatic incident of the after
noon. Since the market opened woman,
who was approaching middle age. had
been tramping round and round without
interesting the buyers. Now at last there
had been some small bid for her
1t had been accompanied by the usual
queries that all buyers make. There had
been no hesitation about reply, but at
the very last moment, when the sale was
completed, the woman raised her voice
and cried aloud that she was of the true
faith, and had been stolen.
Instantly there was an cutlery, and the
concern of the auctioneer was very gen.
uine indeed. II the woman's protest
was correct and she would hardly have
made 1t otherwise. here was a scandal
Of some dimensions, for It Is no small mat
ter, even in Morocco. to sell free Mos
lem woman into slavery
After her story had been heard the sale