But The Slaves Who Have Only Their Spears And
Bows, And Of Whom Great Numbers Are Loaded With Baggage, Become An Easy
Prey.
Thus, when Mansong, King of Bambarra, made war upon Kaarta, (as I
have related in a former chapter,) he took in one day nine hundred
prisoners, of which number not more than seventy were free men.
This
account I received from Daman Jumma, who had thirty slaves at Kemmoo, all
of whom were made prisoners by Mansong. Again, when a freeman is taken
prisoner, his friends will sometimes ransom him by giving two slaves in
exchange; but when a slave is taken, he has no hopes of such redemption.
To these disadvantages, it is to be added, that the Slatees, who purchase
slaves in the interior countries, and carry them down to the Coast for
sale, constantly prefer such as have been in that condition of life from
their infancy, well knowing that these have been accustomed to hunger and
fatigue, and are better able to sustain the hardships of a long and
painful journey, than free men; and on their reaching the Coast, if no
opportunity offers of selling them to advantage, they can easily be made
to maintain themselves by their labour; neither are they so apt to
attempt making their escape, as those who have once tasted the blessings
of freedom.
[20] In time of famine, the master is permitted to sell one or more
of his domestics, to purchase provisions for his family; and in case
of the master's insolvency, the domestic slaves are sometimes seized
upon by the creditors; and if the master cannot redeem them, they are
liable to be sold for payment of his debts. These are the only cases
that I recollect, in which the domestic slaves are liable to be sold,
without any misconduct or demerit of their own.
Slaves of the second description generally become such by one or other of
the following causes: 1. Captivity. 2. Famine. 3. Insolvency. 4. Crimes.
A freeman may, by the established customs of Africa, become a slave by
being taken in war. War is, of all others, the most productive source,
and was probably the origin of slavery; for when one nation had taken
from another a greater number of captives than could be exchanged on
equal terms, it is natural to suppose that the conquerors, finding it
inconvenient to maintain their prisoners, would compel them to labour; at
first, perhaps, only for their own support, but afterwards to support
their masters. Be this as it may, it is a known fact, that prisoners of
war in Africa are the slaves of the conquerors; and when the weak or
unsuccessful warrior begs for mercy beneath the uplifted spear of his
opponent, he gives up at the same time his claim to liberty; and
purchases his life at the expense of his freedom.
In a country, divided into a thousand petty states, mostly independent
and jealous of each other; where every freeman is accustomed to arms, and
fond of military achievements; where the youth who has practised the bow
and spear from his infancy, longs for nothing so much as an opportunity
to display his valour, it is natural to imagine that wars frequently
originate from very frivolous provocation.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 166 of 282
Words from 86784 to 87331
of 148366
