The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-02-06

: because If slave happens to be given
to a resident of the country, there is
no known method by which he may be
emancipated. If he is set free he is
subject to capture and enslavement by
someone, else.
Slavery Is FIourishing.
In fact, so many of the people of the
outlying districts have been captured
chained together and taken in droves
into the great slave market at Jimma,
that 1t is possible to march for mile
after mile, day after day, through
once 1ourishing agricultural district
without seeing man, woman or child.
Slaves are mainly captured from
among the subject races in territory
bordering on Egypt which was con-
quered by the famous King Menelik
and his predecessor. Hundreds OF vii
lagos of Shangallas, as this strongly
negroid type is called, have been emp
tied by the slave traders. So COM
plete has been the reduction of this
territory that certain traders, accord
ing to information emanating from
the dark continent, went into British
territory on their man hunts.
Although practically every map to
be found will show the name Abyssinia
in strong black-faced type across a
large section of northeast Africa, Off
cially there is no such district and no
such nation. The word Abyssinia
means mixed" and was applied
to the heterogeneous population
Of this plateau by the Ara
bans. In all state documents Abys-
sinia is called Ethiopia and the natives
Philippians. The estimate of the. Ara
bians is relatively true, some authori-
ties estimating that the true Abys-
sinian Christmas number only 3,OOO,- |
900, less than one-third of the total
population. There are a large number
Of tribesmen called Somals and Gallas,
most of whom are Moslems. There
are also many Falashas said to be
Jews. The Shangallas, most negroid
of all the tribes, are pagans. The
Abyssinians compose the office-holding
and dominant population. They sub
scribe to the Coptic Christian church,
whose Rome is ancient Cairo on the
Nile.
Raw Meat a Delicacy.
Old-time circuses were never COM
plete without a side show barker who
shouted out an introduction to "Bosco,
the dogfaced boy-he eats raw-w-w
inside the tent - To the
mind eating raw meat is
only worse than eating horse-fesh or
cat-fesh. Not so to the Abyssinian.
Raw meat is a treat to him-a delicacy
to be INDUCED on feast days.
Other customs of the country are |
equally strange and some equally un- S
ovely from the point of view of civ |
LIKED nations. In one section it Is i
for women to pierce their v
'ar lobes ana insert blocks, gradually Q
charging the opening to as great a d. V
lmeter as the lobe can be stretched. e
They do the same thing to their lower S
ip. Abyssinians pay but little attention Il
o New Testament injunctions. Instead
hey follow the old Mosaic law of an
We for an eye and tooth for a TOOTH
t is not uncommon to amputate a :.
and or foot of detected thief u
Airplanes and epidemics are regard
d as evils of the same magnitude by u
he native minister of war Smoking u
J practically nonexistent, one king
aving rather successfully enforced
ne prohibition law by cutting off the
ps Of those caught using the weed. II
airs Of salt and cartridges are the o.
lrrency of the Abyssinians, salt be- m
lg regarded as very precious The II
atives say of the spendthrift, "He CO
ats salt" Curiously enough, they W
ave a practice that is modern with f
the taking Of finger prints. m
cry few natives can read or write, so NJ
shipper will have the bill of goods G.
n a caravan prepared for him and NJ
gn it, not with an X but with his til
1ger print.