登陆注册
15416900000084

第84章

Next forenoon we halted at the village of our old friend Mbame, to obtain new carriers, because Chibisa's men, never before having been hired, and not having yet learned to trust us, did not choose to go further.After resting a little, Mbame told us that a slave party on its way to Tette would presently pass through his village."Shall we interfere?" we inquired of each other.We remembered that all our valuable private baggage was in Tette, which, if we freed the slaves, might, together with some Government property, be destroyed in retaliation; but this system of slave-hunters dogging us where previously they durst not venture, and, on pretence of being "our children," setting one tribe against another, to furnish themselves with slaves, would so inevitably thwart all the efforts, for which we had the sanction of the Portuguese Government, that we resolved to run all risks, and put a stop, if possible, to the slave-trade, which had now followed on the footsteps of our discoveries.A few minutes after Mbame had spoken to us, the slave party, a long line of manacled men, women, and children, came wending their way round the hill and into the valley, on the side of which the village stood.

The black drivers, armed with muskets, and bedecked with various articles of finery, marched jauntily in the front, middle, and rear of the line; some of them blowing exultant notes out of long tin horns.They seemed to feel that they were doing a very noble thing, and might proudly march with an air of triumph.But the instant the fellows caught a glimpse of the English, they darted off like mad into the forest; so fast, indeed, that we caught but a glimpse of their red caps and the soles of their feet.The chief of the party alone remained; and he, from being in front, had his hand tightly grasped by a Makololo!He proved to be a well-known slave of the late Commandant at Tette, and for some time our own attendant while there.On asking him how he obtained these captives, he replied he had bought them; but on our inquiring of the people themselves, all, save four, said they had been captured in war.While this inquiry was going on, he bolted too.The captives knelt down, and, in their way of expressing thanks, clapped their hands with great energy.

They were thus left entirely on our hands, and knives were soon busy at work cutting the women and children loose.It was more difficult to cut the men adrift, as each had his neck in the fork of a stout stick, six or seven feet long, and was kept in by an iron rod which was riveted at both ends across the throat.With a saw, luckily in the Bishop's baggage, one by one the men were sawn out into freedom.

The women, on being told to take the meal they were carrying and cook breakfast for themselves and the children, seemed to consider the news too good to be true; but after a little coaxing went at it with alacrity, and made a capital fire by which to boil their pots with the slave sticks and bonds, their old acquaintances through many a sad night and weary day.Many were mere children about five years of age and under.One little boy, with the simplicity of childhood, said to our men, "The others tied and starved us, you cut the ropes and tell us to eat; what sort of people are you?--Where did you come from?"Two of the women had been shot the day before for attempting to untie the thongs.This, the rest were told, was to prevent them from attempting to escape.One woman had her infant's brains knocked out, because she could not carry her load and it.And a man was dispatched with an axe, because he had broken down with fatigue.

Self-interest would have set a watch over the whole rather than commit murder; but in this traffic we invariably find self-interest overcome by contempt of human life and by bloodthirstiness.

The Bishop was not present at this scene, having gone to bathe in a little stream below the village; but on his return he warmly approved of what had been done; he at first had doubts, but now felt that, had he been present, he would have joined us in the good work.Logic is out of place when the question with a true-hearted man is, whether his brother man is to be saved or not.Eighty-four, chiefly women and children, were liberated; and on being told that they were now free, and might go where they pleased, or remain with us, they all chose to stay; and the Bishop wisely attached them to his Mission, to be educated as members of a Christian family.In this way a great difficulty in the commencement of a Mission was overcome.Years are usually required before confidence is so far instilled into the natives' mind as to induce them, young or old, to submit to the guidance of strangers professing to be actuated by motives the reverse of worldly wisdom, and inculcating customs strange and unknown to them and their fathers.

We proceeded next morning to Soche's with our liberated party, the men cheerfully carrying the Bishop's goods.As we had begun, it was of no use to do things by halves, so eight others were freed in a hamlet on our path; but a party of traders, with nearly a hundred slaves, fled from Soche's on hearing of our proceedings.Dr. Kirk and four Makololo followed them with great energy, but they made clear off to Tette.Six more captives were liberated at Mongazi's, and two slave-traders detained for the night, to prevent them from carrying information to a large party still in front.Of their own accord they volunteered the information that the Governor's servants had charge of the next party; but we did not choose to be led by them, though they offered to guide us to his Excellency's own agents.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 不凡界

    不凡界

    步玄,一个孤儿,不知自己身世,一心只想知道自己是谁,机缘巧合之下,遇见湖中漂浮的神奇女婴,历尘世,斩荆棘,开启本命血符,走上强者之路
  • 混元战纪之封神

    混元战纪之封神

    混元者,元气未分,混沌为一,元气之始也!混沌演化万物,万物兴兴向荣,终于因人的贪欲而引起的一场浩劫,打破了世间宁静,大陆各处纷争不断,最终导致许多物种灭绝,仙道教派落寞,仙法遗失·····纷争终不知其多少年,一代战神崛起,终于结束了这纷争的局面,建立了新的秩序。
  • 健康妈妈怀孕指南

    健康妈妈怀孕指南

    只有健康怀孕才能生育健康宝宝,因此,在怀孕时要保证没有遗传疾病和先天疾病,同时还要注意整个孕期的保健,特别是饮食保健和医疗预防等知识,还必须了解有关妊娠知识和胎儿发育规律,并很好地进行胎教,这样的健康怀孕,才能生育身心非常健康的小宝宝。为此,我们在有关专家的指导下,综合国内外最新研究成果,特别编撰了《健康妈妈怀孕指南》。本书包括怀孕10个月不同孕期的妊娠知识、胎儿发育、胎教方法、饮食保健和医疗预防等内容,十分简单实用、科学权威,非常益于操作实施,是广大年轻父母用以指导怀孕的良好读本。
  • 不顾一切

    不顾一切

    十年前分手时,他告诉她,你不是我想要的女人。十年后再重逢,她告诉他,你只是我孩子的父亲。
  • 网游之攻防无敌

    网游之攻防无敌

    被公司辞退的剑逸,幸好交了三个月的房租,要不然就要睡公园了!!正好碰见由世界七大强国联手设计的虚拟网游,号称第二世界的“天启”问世!拿仅剩的钱买了游戏头盔,摸着兜里的二百五十元,剑逸脚踏大地、捏拳怒吼,誓要闯出赫赫威名!!我剑逸终于一天不吃那万恶的泡面!吼!吼!吼!
  • 高冷竹马vs呆萌青梅

    高冷竹马vs呆萌青梅

    楚子墨和米若可的感情很好呢,可是总有不开心的事情发生,会怎么样呢?
  • 焚天仙魔记

    焚天仙魔记

    命运定数,绝对不从!天欲降服,我欲焚天!
  • Flower Fables

    Flower Fables

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 盛夏情歌

    盛夏情歌

    那年夏天的夜晚,她问,“你难道真的就没有爱过我吗?当初的一切都是我的误会?”他沉凝的片刻说,“不是,曾经爱过,只是现在不爱了。”一直以来林冉都以为,尹宸钰是爱她的,只是在他的心中有太多东西比爱情重要,当他说,“曾经爱过”的那一刻时,对于尹宸钰来说,只不过是拒绝了一个他曾经喜欢过的女孩,而对于林冉来说,却是她站在悬崖边上摇摇欲坠时,将她推入深渊的一把手。这句话让她在之后很多年的半夜中,辗转反侧,无法安睡。她一直以为尹宸钰是她的救赎,却怎么也没有想到他却在无意间将她推入了无尽的深渊。
  • 邪少溺宠:小妖精哪里跑

    邪少溺宠:小妖精哪里跑

    一朝穿越,她成了恶毒女配,女配三定率:长得美,家世好,死得早。叶凉表示她不会轻易的狗带!所谓一入小说深似海!看她如何拆cp,手撕白莲花。可是她身后这个妖孽是什么鬼!你不是应该爱女主爱的不要不要的嘛,缠这我干嘛,我只是个恶毒女配,求放过好嘛!某少:“老婆!”某女投过去一个鄙夷的眼神”谁是你老婆!“某少:”怎么?把我吃干抹尽就不认账了,来!宝贝,我们在好好重温一下!“说罢某少欺身而上。某女:”雅蠛蝶!!!“