TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
after eleven, when we reached Maghem-Yaghere, 
a small and miserably poor walled town, inha- 
bited by a few Gidumaghs, who prefer leading 
a most precarious and slave-like life under the 
Moorish and Kaartan despots, to abandoning 
their native soil. We halted at a short distance 
east of the town, in order to await the arrival of 
the army, and to adjust some loads which from 
the asses' lying down under them had been dis- 
arranged. 
I had an opportunity of witnessing during 
this short march the new-made slaves, and the 
sufferings to which they are subjected in their first 
state of bondage. They were hurried along (tied 
as I before stated) at a pace little short of running, 
to enable them to keep up with the horsemen, 
who drove them on as Smithfield drovers do fa- 
tigued bullocks. Many of the women were 
old, and by no means able to endure such treat- 
ment. One in particular would not have failed 
to excite the tenderest feelings of compassion 
in the breast of any, save a savage African 5 
she was at least sixty years old, in the most 
miserable state of emaciation and debility, 
nearly doubled together, and with difficulty 
dragging her tottering limbs along ; to crown 
the heart-rending picture, she was naked, save 
from her waist to about half way to the 
knees. All this did not prevent her inhuman 
