464 



THE SLAVE SUPPLY. 



the misdeeds of his property. He is also pro- 

 bably living in concubinage with the sisters of his 

 slaves, and in this case the latter can take great 

 liberties— they are the most unruly of their 

 kind. I need hardly remark that the issue of a 

 slave-girl by an Arab or by any other c Hurr ' 

 (free-born man) has been legitimate in El Islam 

 since the days of Ishmael, inheriting like the son 

 of a lawful wife, and that neither mother nor 

 child can be sold. It is to be regretted that in 

 this matter the Christian did not take example 

 of the Mohammedan. 



The domestic slave-girl rarely has issue. 

 This results partly from the malignant unchastity 

 of the race, the women being so to speak in com- 

 mon ; and on the same principle we witness the 

 decline and extinction of wild tribes that come 

 in contact with civilized nations. The chief 

 social cause is that the 'captive' has no interest 

 in becoming a mother ; she will tell you so in 

 the Brazil as in Zanzibar ; her progeny by 

 another slave may be sold away from her at any 

 moment, and she obviates the pains and penalties 

 of maternity by the easy process of procuring 

 abortion. 



The wild slaves are brought over in daus 

 which carry from 10 to 500 head. Most of those 



