Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-16
AFRICAN SLAVES
HUMAN BEINGS BOUGHT AND
SOLD IN MOROCCO.
The Trade In Christian Slaves Almost
Entirely Stopped by
Queen Victoria.

4
their walls and battlements to the unremit-
| ting labor of Christian slaves. There are
men still living and working who can re-
member the days when slaves were openly
| bought and sold in all Morocco's coast
| towns.
Thanks chiefly to the intercession of
! Queen Victoria. this traffic was stopped in
| the latter part of the last century, and to-
| day the slave markets of Morocco are held
either in the great capital cities or at some
| of the big country fairs. In Marrakesh,
| the sultan's southern capital. you can count
| slaves by the hundred: and during the two
| hours of the daily sale the transactions in
| clude scores of human beings.
l may also mention a fact that is per-
harS quite unknown in MS country. and
! seems to be jealousy guarded secret in
Morocco. 1t Is that there ate white women
! slaves in several parts OF the country-not
! CircaSSianS, but seemingly women from
western Europe!
When the market is about to begin a
dozen men file through the entrance. They
are the auctiOneers. the dtlals. who have
| been occupied with the representative of
the government. giving him list and de-
scir'tion of all who are to be offered for
| sale.
Auction and Prayer.
The preliminary work done. they are now
coming to the serious business of the
afternoon. They move in al line to a point
where there Is some shadel and then they
turn toward the east. the sloping sun be-
hind them. The chief auctioneer now
offers up opening prayer.
He praises Allah who made the world
and gave the true faith. He curses satan,
who has sought vaniy, but without ceas
ing, to DESTROY mankind. He praises the
patron saint of the city of Marrakesh, and
calls upor him to intercede with Allah in
order that all who buy and sell in the slave
market NAV have health, prosperity and
length of DAYS.
Such are his appeals. delivered slowly.
solemnly and with certain measure of
dignitied gesture: and to one and all of
| them the dilals. on either hand and tn
buyers. sitting at their ease along the CEN
trail arcade or by the walls, respond with
| pious Amen" They hold it is no more
than seemly thing that business should
commence with prayer. and the fact that
the business happens to be buying and sell
ing slaves does nothing to obviate the ne
ceSSity.
Prayers over the dilaIs break up and pro-
coed each to his pen. or pens, to summon
the occupants to range themselves in line.
For a few moments the confusion is indie
scribable The dilals rush hither and
thither. arranging their human chatteIs in
groups. Then. having placed themselves 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 a.
girl. brother and sister. who have been
brought in by a caravan. and are facing
slave market for the first time in their
| lives. Beside them are two vigorous men.
two able women. two young children and
very old and very black man.
There Is no sign of great excitement or
| unrest among the slaves. Only the boy and
girl, who already grown up, seem to
feel their position acutely. -
The children are obviously unconcerned.
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 gaudy rags or return them. .;,s
AS he goes for the first and second time
| in wide circle around the central arcade
| our auctoneer DroclafmS the merits OF his
wares In general terms, and then a pur-
chaser demands the price of the two mid
dle-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 tn
| tending purchaser puts to them,
Bargaining.
| The dial himself talks very volubly, and
the result must be satisfactory, for his
| patron names a price, and the dial, with
| pous Praise be to Allah. who made the
| world" gathers his company around him
cslce again moves off, proclaiming that
| the price or the TWO men Is SO many Qol-
| lars, and urging the assembled buyers to
| do better still. Apparently they are not In
| clined to take advantage of their chances.
| for after the circle has been 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 grown
| boy and girl and. summonfng one of his
| companions to complete the negotiations
| and sign the papers relating to the pur-
chase Just concluded, he hurries off again,
| extolling the merits of the pair he hopes
! to sell next. In this case there is some
! short. sharp competition.
The price rises by five and even ten dol
| lars at a time. and theu-ominous sigh
| 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 prom
| enadng circle into the care of one of his
| stewards-hinself slave l watched care
| fully 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 anything more than bewilderment
| Presently there was sudden interruption
| In the market place from little group In
| front of me. Here we saw the one dramatic
| incident of the afternoon. Since the mar
ket opened a woman, who was approaching
1 middle age. had been tramping round and
| round without interesting the buyers. Now
/ at last there had been some small bid for
her.
l 1t ndQ Ue6u accompanied ~ LILO usual
| queries that all buyers make There had
been no hesitation about reply. but at the
| very last moment. when the sale was COM
| pleted the woman raised her voice and
! cried aloud that she was of the true faith
| and had been stolen
| Instantly there was an outcry, and the
| concern of the auctioneer was very genuine.
| Indeed II the womay's protest was correct,
and she would hardly have made it other
| wise here was q scandal of some dimen-
| sons, for it is no small matter even in
| Morocco TO sell free Moslem woman into
| slavery.
| After her story had been heard the sale
/ OF the woman was held to be invalid. No
| tfce was sent to her owner. and by the time
| this little matter was settled the muezzn
| was calling from the nearest ninaret that
| hor,r. 1,f ayeninsr nrta had come