350 



NEW FORM OF SLAVERY. 



of 100,000 head to begin with, and a biennial 

 item of 10,000 for contingencies. Within 18 

 months about 47,000 were embarked for the 

 African coasts, and the free emigration was 

 managed thus wise. Slave ow^ners taught their 

 chattels a nod of assent to every question pro- 

 j)Osed, and brought them before the Erench 

 agent, who, in his own tongue, asked the candi- 

 date if he w^as willing to serve as a free labourer 

 for so many years. A ' bob ' and a scratch upon 

 a contract-paper consigned the emigrant to a 

 ship anchored so far out that he could not save 

 himself by swimming. The freemen sometimes 

 threw themselves overboard, with the idea that 

 once in the sea they would be carried back to 

 their country : under these circumstances, the 

 older slavers used mostly to shoot them in the 

 water. The modern style of levanting was tried 

 at Aden with great success by the Somal, who 

 swim like fishes. The ouvrier libre was at once 

 put in irons till the hour for sailing came. The 

 usual price of slaves being on the coast $7 to $10, 

 the agents satisfied the trader by paying $14 : the 

 scruples of the Portuguese governors were quieted 

 by the usual fee, equivalent to the value of the pur- 

 chase, and four additional crowns were distributed 

 amongst the Custom House officers. Thus the total 



