BLESSING ON CRIME. 
267 
It is exceedingly painful to live in a place like 
Zinder, where almost every householder has a 
chained slave. The poor fellows (men and boys) 
cannot walk, from the manner in which the irons 
are put on, and when they move about are obliged 
to do so in little jumps. These slaves are ironed, 
that they may not run away. There are many 
villages and towns, a few days from Zinder, to 
which they can escape without difficulty, and where 
they are not pursued. It was exceedingly horrify- 
ing to hear the people of Zinder salute the troops 
of the razzia on their return with the beautiful 
Arabic word, Alberha, " blessing !" Thus is it that 
human beings sometimes ask God for a blessing 
on transactions which must ever be stamped with 
his curse. The Italian bandit also begs the Virgin 
to bless his endeavours. It is evident that nothing 
but the strong arm of power and conquest will 
ever root out the curse of slavery from Africa. 
The slave whom Haj Beshir sent from Kuka to 
Zinder, to accompany me to Kuka, went with the 
Sarkee, and took one of my servants with him. I 
did not know anything about it until they were 
gone. But this evening, on my return from seeing 
the Sarkee, I found a woman and child, a boy and 
a young man, tied together, lying not far from my 
hut, in the enclosure where we are residing. I 
was excessively indignant at this conduct of Haj 
Beshir's slave, although certainly done in ignorance. 
These captives were the fruits of the part he took 
