MEHEMED ALI’S SLAVE-HUNTS IN GENERAL.[86]
Many travellers who have visited the East, and more especially
Egypt, justly mention the humanity with which slaves are treated
in these countries, but few persons are probably acquainted with
the inhuman manner in which these miserable beings are led into
captivity. The treatment they meet with among the Turks, Arabs,
and other eastern nations, certainly is an indemnification, although
a very frail one, for the loss of their liberty; but unfortunately
only a small number of these poor wretches live to enjoy even this
slight benefit, for more than one half of them fall victims to
barbarous and cruel treatment before they reach the place of their
destination. The Viceroy of Egypt institutes annually, once or twice
in the course of the year, an actual hunt in the mountains of Nuba,
and in the bordering countries, and seizes upon a certain number
of the negroes by stratagem or force, in order either to pay the
arrears due to his troops in Kordofan with these unfortunate men,
instead of with ready money, or to increase his revenue by the sale
of his fellow creatures. I must leave it to the kind judgment of my
readers whether an apology for such a proceeding is to be found,
and abstain myself from any observation on the subject, as the
object of my sketch is simply to give a correct description of the
slave-hunts as conducted by Mehemed Ali. Several European journals
have stated that these marauding expeditions were put an end to
by command of the viceroy on the occasion of his visit to Sennaar,
but I can assure the reader that the order was “_vox et præterea
nihil_,” and that these robberies take place as before even at
the present day. No pen can describe the acts of deliberate cruelty
perpetrated on these occasions, revolting atrocities which I am sure
that Mehemed Ali, were he acquainted with the particulars, would
visit on the heads of his officers, notwithstanding that they are
committed in his interest and in his service; unfortunately, however,
the distance of this ill-fated province is too great from the seat
of justice for the cries of the afflicted to reach his ear, and those
whose duty it would be to report these inhuman deeds, are too deeply
criminated themselves. The burden of this sanguinary fate falls most
heavily upon the miserable inhabitants of the Nuba mountains. In the
year 1825, four years, therefore, after the conquest, the number of
slaves which had been led away into captivity was estimated at forty
thousand; and in the year 1839 the total number amounted at least
to two hundred thousand, without reckoning the thousands stolen by
the Bakkara and bought by the Djelabi. As soon as the rainy season
is concluded, the arrangements for the marauding excursion called
gasua[87] are made, and the necessary number of camels are pressed
into service. Of the multitude of animals required an estimate may
be formed, by considering that every infantry soldier is provided
with a camel to mount, and that their total amount is nearly doubled
by those employed in the transport of arms, ammunition, tents,
and other military stores. The outfit of the expedition causes the
commanding officer, however, not the least care, for everything
being considered in the countries subject to Egypt as property of
the government, he experiences very little trouble in obtaining his
supplies. The soldiers steal whatever they can find, and thus in a
few days the most necessary articles are furnished. To provisions
very little attention is paid, for the harvest terminates with the
rainy season, and the soldiers well know by many years experience
where to find the supplies of the poor negroes, gained absolutely
by the sweat of their brow, but vainly hidden from the rapacious
hands of these avaricious barbarians. The province of Dar Hammer
is more especially oppressed for the purpose of obtaining camels;
but as the majority consists of young animals which have never
borne a weight upon their backs, and must therefore be taught to
bend to receive their load or for the convenience of their rider,
each soldier is provided with his camel ten to fourteen days before
the march, during which interval they are daily exercised in the
morning and afternoon. It is really a very imposing sight to behold
these hundreds of camels collected together on one spot, where the
obstinate animals are being broken in to kneel down. A well-taught
camel always exhibits evident signs of displeasure and utters a
piercing cry whenever it bends down; imagine therefore in addition,
an immense number of wild unbroken beasts who are frequently obliged
to be pulled down on their knees by ropes, and you will be able to
form a slight idea of the exercising ground. It frequently happens
that a clumsy rider is thrown in mounting, or rather as the animal
rises, and receives a severe injury. But even on this occasion we
have proof that the animal must succumb to the will of man, for in
the course of a few days the same beasts we had seen so refractory
and dull before, obey their riders at a mere wink. The complement of
the brigade employed in a slave-hunt consists ordinarily of from one
thousand to two thousand men regular troops of infantry; from four
hundred to eight hundred Mogghrebeen armed with guns and pistols;
from three hundred to one thousand native troops on foot, with
shields and spears, each man carrying from three to five javelins
in a small leathern quiver attached to his shoulder by a cord; and
from three hundred to five hundred natives mounted on dromedaries,
armed with shield and spear. The dromedary riders present a very
military appearance; they are quite naked, with the exception of
a small piece of calico round their loins, and exhibit an alacrity
which is almost incredible; they also exercise for a certain time
before the march, and their shouts in a charge, which is always
made in a body and at the full speed of the dromedary, the whistling
of their lances in the air, whilst their shaggy locks float in the
wind, and the oblong shields covering their entire bodies, give the
riders a very fearful appearance, sufficient to overawe the most
courageous man. I was always present at their manœuvres, and can
assure my readers, that it took a long time before I accustomed
myself to the sight of these men without feeling a secret horror,
although I lived among them, and had absolutely nothing to fear. At
these moments these people appear as if deranged, and it is very
difficult to recognise those with whom you may be well acquainted,
they so distort their features in their shout.
As soon as the preparations are concluded, the expedition sets
out upon its march. Two to four field-pieces accompany it, and it
is provided with a sufficient supply of bread for eight days. The
oxen, sheep, and other beasts for slaughter, which may be required,
are seized on in Kordofan, although the province may have already
paid its contribution. If they meet a herd at pasture or at a well,
the cattle is stolen; no one asks whether it belong to one person
or to several, the contribution is not effected in shares; whoever
meets with the loss must bear it with patience; no objection,
no remonstrance is of avail; no complaint is ever listened to,
for the governor is present in person.
On the arrival of the forces at the nearest hills of the Nubas,
the natives are challenged to contribute a stipulated number of
slaves. This demand is generally acceded to willingly, because the
poor creatures know they are too close to the confines of Kordofan,
and that they would expose themselves to a far more obdurate fate
if they offered resistance. If then the slaves are voluntarily
contributed, that hill is spared. But about this time a scarcity
of bread generally begins to be felt; the troops, therefore, are
not content with slaves alone but must be provided with grain,
nor do they ever for one moment consider whether the harvest has
been successful, or the reverse with these poor people; but whatever
their wants may be, they must be supplied either spontaneously, or by
force; and on these occasions the soldiers show vast experience in
detecting the hidden stores of the unfortunate natives, whom they
frequently leave barely enough bread for the ensuing day. The march
is now continued to the next hill. The skirmishers already consider
themselves on hostile ground, and they halt in the vicinity of that
hill they intend to storm on the next day, or if time admit it, on
that very day. Before the actual charge takes place, they endeavour
to arrange the affair amicably, and dispatch a herald to the sheikh
of the hill, commanding him to descend into camp, and bring the
number of slaves ordered by the commanding officer with him. If he
have already come to an understanding with his subjects, or feel
his inequality to the Turkish troops, and will not offer resistance,
the stipulated number of slaves is furnished, and the claim is thus
cancelled, in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Then comes the
conscription. The slaves are generally volunteers, who sacrifice
themselves, or who to free their brethren from a hard fate subject
themselves to a yet more painful lot. Scenes may at these times
be witnessed that would rend the heart of a man of feeling. Who
is ever willing to quit his home, to separate himself for ever
from his parents, his blood-relations, and friends? who leaves
the roof willingly that has covered him from the day of his birth,
under which he has passed happy hours in the circle of those that
are dear to him? Who can boldly face a frightful future, entailing
permanent captivity, promising nothing but misery, cruel treatment,
and, what becomes even desirable, pallid death? Yet the necessity
is there—some one must be victimized, some one must volunteer
to sacrifice his liberty; and for this privilege the father
will contend with the son, and the brother with the brother, for
each man is anxious to save the other at the expense of his own
life. Overpowering, indeed, must be the knowledge that they are
about to fall into the hands of the heartless Turks, where nothing
but misery and torture awaits them, to which they must ultimately
succumb; but yet more heart-rending must be the feeling of leaving
all that is nearest and dearest to them, for ever; this must be
wretchedness, indeed. In sorrow and tears they part—press the
last kiss on the cheek of their relations, and descend into the
camp of their heartless and ruthless tormentors; nay, they are
even frequently torn by force from the arms of their friends. The
sheikh generally receives a present of a dress in remuneration
for the readiness with which he has performed his services. Very
few hills, however, submit to the voice of power thus tacitly on a
mere challenge; for the majority of the villages, advantageously
situated on steep declivities or inaccessible heights, and only
to be scaled with the utmost difficulty, defend themselves most
sturdily, and fight for their liberty with a courage, perseverance,
and resolution equalled by few instances we find recorded in
history. A very small portion of the negroes only fly before the
approach of their persecutors, although they might save themselves
with all their property, by a retreat into the neighbouring hills,
for they always receive timely intimation of the advance of the
enemy; but they look upon escape by flight as disgraceful, and prefer
death in the struggle for their freedom. If, therefore, the sheikh
will not listen to the claim made upon him, the village must stand
a storm. The cavalry and lance-bearers surround the whole hill,
whilst the infantry endeavour to scale the heights. In former days,
the villages and places where the negroes were congregated together,
were cannonaded, but with the inefficiency of the Egyptian artillery
scarcely one shot ever took effect; and thus the negroes paid no
attention to this prelude, but it appeared on the contrary rather
to encourage them to a more obstinate resistance.
The roaring of the cannon certainly caused them at first more
alarm than the effect, but they subsequently became accustomed
to the noise, and totally disregarded it. Every access to the
hill is barricaded with stones and other impediments, and the
village supplied with water for two days, for few hills can boast
of springs, the water, therefore, must be fetched from the foot
of the hill. All the cattle and other property is carried up into
the fortified height, in short, every arrangement is made for an
obstinate defence. The men, armed with spears, occupy every point
of importance, while the women even do not remain idle spectators,
but either participate in the fight, or encourage their husbands by
their lamentations and war-cry, and hand them their arms; in fact,
every one is in activity except the aged and infirm. The points
of their wooden arrows are dipped into poison which stands in an
earthen vessel beside them. It is the juice of a plant, and appears
white like curdled milk, but of what plant it may be the juice
I could never learn, for this is a secret imparted only to a few
persons in the village. I am told that there are many hills where
this secret is totally unknown. As soon as the officer gives the
word of command to attack, the infantry beat to arms and storm the
hill. Thousands of spears, large stones, and immense beams of wood
are instantly hurled at the storming party, every stone is an ambush
to a wary negro, who either throws his poisoned dart at the enemy,
or, waiting his opportunity, thrusts his spear into the body of his
unsuspecting foe on his approach. The soldiers, who experience the
greatest difficulty in scaling the steep acclivities, are obliged
to sling their muskets to their backs to facilitate their ascent
with their hands, and frequently fall victims before they have even
seen the enemy. But nothing deters these marauders when bent on
prey, goaded on by cupidity and the desire of revenge they heed no
impediment, not even death itself; over the dead body of his fallen
comrade the successor marches with impetuosity, his mind totally
engrossed by ideas of plunder and murder; and thus the village is
at last captured in spite of the most resolute defence. But now,
indeed, is vengeance terrific: neither aged men nor the infirm,
neither helpless women and children, nor, indeed, the babe unborn
are spared; every hut is plundered, the property of the unfortunate
besieged either pillaged or destroyed, and whosoever falls into the
hands of the destroyer with his life is carried down into the camp
as captive. When the negroes see that resistance is no longer of
avail, they frequently prefer suicide, unless prevented, to slavery;
and thus it often occurs that a father rips up the abdomen of his
wife, then of his children, and lastly murders himself, to avoid
falling alive into the hands of the enemy. Others endeavour to
escape captivity by secreting themselves in caverns, where they
pass many days without food; they there lie upon their backs, and
will remain in this position sometimes for an entire week. I have
been informed that a man can very well bear the whole of the eight
days without nourishment, if he have only surmounted the difficulty
of the first three days. But even in this covert they are not safe,
as the monsters either hunt them up or destroy them in their places
of refuge; for the soldiers light fires with pitch, sulphur, and
other combustibles before the entrance, and endeavour to drive the
irritating fumes into the caves, when the poor wretches are forced
to creep out and deliver themselves to their enemies, or perish by
suffocation in the smoke. After every means have been resorted to for
gaining possession of the living, the unfortunate beings are escorted
to the camp, the houses are plundered, and the cattle is driven away,
and a detachment of several hundred soldiers then examines the hill
in every direction to pillage the hidden grain, in order that the
survivors who may have been fortunate enough to save their lives
by flight, or by secreting themselves in inaccessible caverns,
may not find anything on their return wherewith to maintain their
dearly purchased existence.
The experience of many years has made the troops employed in these
expeditions gradually wiser; in former times one-third of the number
at least, and on some occasions even one half of them lost their
lives in these attacks, at present they confine themselves to a
simple blockade, and storm merely in extreme cases. Very few hills
are, as I before said, provided with springs, when, therefore, all
communication is impeded, the poor negroes are forced to surrender,
but not before they have suffered the most horrible tortures; for
they never provide themselves with a supply of water for longer
than two days, partly from want of vessels or reservoirs, partly
because they do not expect to be besieged for a longer period,
thus the scarcity of water is generally felt on the third day
of the blockade. Nothing can be more frightful than the position
of these unhappy men at this time. The fear of falling into the
hands of the Turks on the one hand, and the certainty of death
from thirst on the other, drives the poor wretches to the very
verge of despair. This scarcity is immediately known in camp,
for the screams of the children and the groans of the cattle
betray the melancholy position of the village. The cattle runs
about as if wild, and on the third day becomes so dangerous that
the negroes are obliged to slay it. The human being struggles in
despair with death, to find a mode of escape, but, alas! in vain:
the blood-thirsty huntsmen have surrounded their game too securely,
thus not one soul can escape with his life. Many of the unhappy
victims prefer death for themselves and their families to captivity,
whilst others endeavour to conceal themselves in caverns, and thus
to spare themselves the awful miseries of slavery. The remainder
call a meeting to concert upon the surrender of their village and
their children. The calamity makes not the slightest impression
upon their persecutors, who remain quiet beholders of all these
horrors, impatiently awaiting the moment when they shall receive
their victims. The scarcity of water does not apply to all the hills
without exception, for several of them are well supplied with water,
and are not so easily to be taken. In such cases force becomes
necessary, but it frequently happens that populous villages or such
as are favoured by the ground, are able to repel the storming party
several times with considerable carnage, so that the expedition
frequently will not venture on an attack for fear of heavy losses,
as was the case with Mount “Deyer,”[88] situated at a distance
of two day’s march from Lobeid, which was thrice attacked without
success, and where the troops suffered severely. But even in such
cases they know how to ensure the certain fall of their victims
by demoniacal deceit. Thus, after Kurshid Pasha, governor of the
Belled-Soodan, had made several fruitless attempts at storming a
hill in the country of the Shilluks, in which he had been, moreover,
always repulsed with considerable carnage, and at last had made up
his mind that every further attack would be in vain, and his loss
too frightful, he thought of the following _ruse_, which would never
have succeeded with any other people than this good-natured tribe;
in this case, however, it proved successful. He encamped himself,
namely, at the foot of the hill, without surrounding it, where he
quietly remained for several days; he then despatched one of his
soldiers into the village with the request to the inhabitants to
send down four hundred dishes of food to his people in camp, and
assured them at the same time that they need be under no further
apprehension about him, as he would not make another attack on their
village, but would march his troops off immediately on receipt
of the provisions. The good-natured negroes, suspecting no harm,
forgot all animosity towards their enemy in consideration of their
pretended unfortunate position, and instantly shewed their readiness
to accede to the request, by furnishing the provisions required. The
articles of food were duly prepared, and four hundred grown persons
carried the number of dishes demanded down into the camp of their
persecutors. How were they, however, now deceived! for no sooner had
they placed the dishes on the ground at the order of Kurshid-Pasha,
than they were, on a signal he gave, surrounded on all sides and
made prisoners, without the necessity of pulling a trigger, or
without the possibility of their offering resistance.
The inhabitants of those hills which may have been forced into
a surrender by cutting off their supplies, and more especially
by depriving them of water, are compelled to deliver themselves
up as captives in the camp, as soon as they have capitulated;
but the condition of those who have defended themselves, or stood
the blockade for some time, is far more dreadful. Worn out with
the fatigues of the conflict, or totally exhausted by the want
of water, they can scarcely stand, and are literally speaking,
dragged down into camp, where they are certainly regaled with the
absolute necessaries of life, but are allowed only a short time to
recover themselves. The Turks have, indeed, sufficient compassion
to send the necessary quantity of water up to those poor wretches
on the hill, who are too weak even to be brought down; they are
obliged to pour water over their heads first, and to allow them
to drink only in small quantities, and gradually, for indulgence
would prove fatal to them.
The greatest sufferings are not yet surmounted, and many of these
unhappy men would prefer death inflicted by their own hands to
the dreadful fate which awaits them, if they were acquainted with
their lot beforehand. They now have to suffer every description of
ill-treatment from their tormentors; blows with the butt-end of the
musket, bayonet wounds, and stripes with the whip, are the ordinary
modes of encouragement adopted to arouse the energies of those
miserable beings, who, exhausted by physical or moral suffering,
may happen to sink. Pity is unheard of in these transports; and
as personal interest is not engaged for the preservation of one
of those unhappy wretches, or to prove it an advantage, the only
consideration is to render their escape impossible. The Djelabi treat
their slaves with more humanity, because their personal interests
are implicated, for each slave may be considered a capital to them,
and they, consequently, do all in their power to preserve life,
at least, and thus to avert a loss. The Turks, on the other hand,
who have no considerations of this description to attend to, treat
their prisoners far worse than they would beasts. As soon as they
have collected from three to six hundred, or perhaps a thousand
slaves, the convoy is sent with an escort of native troops, and of
about fifty men, regulars, under the command of an officer to Lobeid.
To prevent flight, a _Sheba_ is hung round the neck of the full-grown
slaves; it consists of a young tree about six or eight feet in
length, and two inches in thickness, forming a fork in front; this
is bound round the neck of the victim so that the stem of the tree
presents anteriorly, the fork is closed at the back of the neck by
a cross-bar, and fastened _in situ_ by straps cut from a raw hide;
thus the slave, in order to be able to walk, is forced to take the
tree in his hands, and carry it before him. No individual could,
however, bear this position for any length of time; to relieve each
other, therefore, the man in front takes the log of his successor
on his shoulder, and this measure is repeated in succession. It
amounts to an impossibility to withdraw the head, but the whole
neck is always excoriated, an injury leading often to inflammatory
action, which occasionally terminates in death. Boys from ten to
fifteen years of age, who could not carry the sheba, are hand-cuffed
together by wooden manacles. The instruments are applied to the
right hand of the one and the left of the other, above the wrists,
where they are fastened by straps; they are somewhat excavated
to admit the hand, but generally fit so closely that the skin is
excoriated, and malignant ulcers are the result; but even if the
hand were to mortify, or drop off, no alleviation of the sufferings
of the individual would ensue, for the fetters are not taken off
before the arrival of the convoy at Lobeid. Some of the boys are
fastened together in couples by straps applied round the upper part
of their arms. It may, therefore, easily be imagined how difficult
progression is rendered to these poor sufferers, and what tortures
they have to endure on this march. In addition to these trials, they
have to bear with most miserable fare, and further ill-treatment,
should their strength fail them, or should they become too weak to
proceed. Children under the age before-mentioned, women, and old
men, are marched singly, and unfettered. Many a mother carries her
infant, born but a few days before, at her breast, and must even
take two or three of her children, who may be too young or too weak
to walk alone, in her arms, or on her back. Old and infirm men who
can scarcely creep along with the aid of a stick, the sick, and the
wounded, are taken in the middle, between their daughters, wives,
or relations, and thus slowly dragged onwards, or even carried by
turns. If one of these unfortunate beings happen to remain behind
the ranks, he is immediately stimulated to increased activity by
blows with the butt-end of the musket, or flogged on with the
whip. Should even this encouragement fail, and when several of
these poor wretches cannot possibly proceed any further, ten or
twenty of them are bound by the hand with a rope, the one end of
which is attached to the saddle-bow of a camel, and thus those who
are half dead are dragged onwards; even if one of them happen to
sink no mercy is shown, but the fallen man is trailed along the
ground and not liberated, even should he breathe his last, before
his arrival at the stated place of rest. Before the caravan halts
there is no idea of offering any refreshment whatever in the way
of food to the exhausted; the heartless Turk feels no compassion,
knows no pity; even if a drop of water might revive a weary wretch,
none is given him—no, he may perish from want.
When the caravan reaches the place of rest, those who have been
dragged along are liberated; whilst the dead and the exhausted are
thrown without mercy on the sand, and the latter left to their
fate. No prayers, no entreaties can soften the obdurate hearts
of their torturers. They do not even allow a wife to take leave
of her husband, or a child to press the parting kiss upon the
lips of its expiring parent. No one is permitted to approach these
unfortunate wretches,—they are given over to their fate. Not even
as much as a piece of bread, or a drop of water is left behind for
them. The discarded wretch is given up to his doom to linger out
his existence, add to which the misery of the full consciousness
of certain death. In six or fourteen days, the transport reaches
Lobeid, and it is no wonder, considering the inhuman treatment the
captives have had to endure, that on its arrival more than one-tenth
of the number is found wanting. No notice, however, is taken of
this frightful loss on the road, for it is government property,
and personal interest is not concerned.
In Lobeid the slaves remain together until all the transports arrive,
and then the distribution takes place. The men best adapted for
the purpose are drafted into the regiments as recruits, and the
remainder of the full-grown slaves are delivered over to the troops,
quartered in Kordofan, in liquidation of their arrears of pay, at
an estimate of three hundred piasters a head; younger slaves are
valued at various prices. The soldiers are compelled to re-sell them
to the merchants for ready money, or for money’s worth; sometimes
the slave dies of over-fatigue, or excess of torture, or does not
realize the full sum on account of his age or infirmities, and then
the soldier suffers the loss, who, moreover, generally receives but
half his pay, although he has had to wait for several months, or
more frequently a whole twelvemonth for this portion of his arrears.
It is not an uncommon occurrence for a son to find his own father,
or a father his son, assigned to him, or for a brother to become
the possessor of his brother; but he is forced in defiance of the
feelings of nature to sell him, in order to share the proceeds with
a comrade who is co-proprietor of the slave with him. Officers
and privates are obliged to receive these slaves at a certain
valuation in lieu of money, and generally sell them at a loss to
the Djelabi. The remainder is disposed of by public auction, in
the market-place, to the highest bidder.