390 AFRICA SPEAKS 



the tribe was nearly wiped out. How long this reign 

 of terror continued is impossible to say, but finally 

 the tribe built this central fort, around which the many 

 scattered villages were collected. When the marauders 

 came out of the sands, the people would retire within 

 its protecting walls where they were able to withstand 

 the Arab assaults. But further to discourage the 

 slave hunters of their desire for Sara Kyabe women, 

 they instituted the practice of disfigurement. 



Although slavery still exists in Africa, there are no 

 more slave raids, and the French government is doing 

 its utmost to stamp out this custom of the disks, as 

 well as the devil worship among the neighboring tribes. 

 The undertaking is a gigantic one, but, after all, it is 

 only one of the milhons of problems which the white 

 man must overcome if he wishes to conquer the vast 

 continent of Africa. 



These black women all smoke some sort of pipe, but 

 to watch the disked ones try to enjoy a smoke would 

 cause a wooden Indian to laugh. Not only is it hard 

 for them to handle a pipe, but impossible for them to 

 talk or eat naturally. They are always slobbering, 

 and walk with their heads down as if in shame; the 

 weight of the disks, of course, causing this. Their 

 facial expression is that of a dumb animal which has 

 been wounded and wonders what it is all about. 



We were plentifully suppUed, during our stay, with 

 chickens and eggs, these folk provmg in many ways 

 to be more hospitable than most. This may have 

 been due to the fact of their few contacts with out- 

 siders, many of them never before having looked upon 

 white faces. My experience indicates that the raw 

 savage found in the bush is quite a nice fellow, seldom 



