1 66 Wanderings in Eastern Africa, 
fluency from their tongues, such portions of the 
English language as may be indicated under the 
general designation "abusive/' that is to say, the 
pure idiomatic Billingsgate ! 
Our stay upon this part of the coast, and our 
walks between Malinde and Mambrui, gave us an 
insight into the horrors of East African slavery, such 
as we had scarcely conceived of Malinde is a seeth- 
ing mass of corruption. With a population of between 
ten and fifteen thousand human beings, reduced to 
the level of the brute, and where marriage is ignored, 
the morality is frightful. And when we state that the 
government of this large population was in the hands 
of a weak, voluptuous, and imbecile young man, com- 
pletely under the control of, and led any way by his 
soldiers — Arabs and Belooch of the most debased 
class, — it will be believed that the administration of 
justice was not of the very highest order. Power in 
the hands of such men could not but be abused. 
The treatment of the slaves was to the last degree 
heartless and cruel ; it was indeed a reign of terror. 
We saw them beaten over the head with large sticks 
in the most wanton manner. The " mkatali (stocks) 
v/here the victims were retained day and night — now 
roasting in the sun, and now bitten by the keen mid- 
night blast — were always full. Men were slung up by 
their wrists to the flagstaff, and thrashed upon their 
bare backs within an inch of their lives. Others 
trailed through the town, and along the beach, long 
beams of wood, attached to heavy iron collars 
about their necks. Others shuffled about with im- 
mense " pingu " (irons) upon their ancles. Others 
had heavy collars upon their necks, to which was 
