XXV.] BAD TKEATMENT OF SLAVES. 331 



were made ; the fetich-men, wives of Kungwe a Banza, and the March, 

 deceased Banibarre were consulted, and gave answers as ambig- ^^'^^• 

 nous as those of the Delphic oracle. Kasongo could or would 

 not decide upon starting until, at last, I promised him the rifle 

 — which he had been begging for almost daily — as soon as a 

 move was made, and, thus persuaded, he left for Totela on the 

 21st of February. 



It was equally difiicult to get Alvez under way ; but on the 

 25th we actually moved off, and, after six dawdling marches 

 and three days' halt, arrived at Totela, where we found Kasongo 

 with a number of Warua, but nothing done toward commencing 

 the building operations. 



On this march with Alvez, I was disgusted beyond measure 

 with what I saw of the manner in which the unfortunate slaves 

 were treated, and have no hesitation in asserting that the worst 

 of the Arabs are in this respect angels of light in comparison 

 with the Portuguese and those who travel with them. Had it 

 not come under my personal notice, I should scarcely have be- 

 lieved that any men could be so wantonly and brutally cruel. 



The whole organization of Alvez's caravan was bad from be- 

 ginning to end. The nucleus consisted of a small number of 

 his own slaves and porters hired by him in Bihe ; but the 

 greater portion was composed of independent parties from 

 Bihe, and there were also a few people from Lovale and Ki- 

 bokwd, who had joined en route in order to come to Urua to 

 steal slaves. 



These outsiders, who were all provided with guns, had been 

 encouraged to join us, to add to the ajjparent strength of the 

 party. There was no discipline or authority over them, and 

 they constantly hindered the caravan, as many as a hundred 

 sometimes being present at a palaver about marching or halting. 



At starting, the whole caravan may have numbered seven 

 hundred, and before leaving Urua they had collected over fif- 

 teen hundred slaves, principally by force and robbery. 



Just before marching from Kilemba, I heard, quite by chance, 

 that a party had left for Kanyoka, on the borders of Ulunda, 

 and that we should be delayed until they returned. I strongly 

 urged the dispatch of messengers to recall them at once ; but 

 this was not done until after our arrival at Totela. 



