50 
WESfEBH AFRICA* 
to make satisfaction to the others, they 
make war upon it, and if victorious, sell 
the prisoners for slaves. The most trifling 
breach of law is sometimes made a cause 
for war upon a weak town for the sake of 
the profits accruing from the sale of the 
prisoners. The Africans, like the most en- 
lightened people, prefer to make war upon 
the weak. 
Headmen also enact such specific laws as 
they think necessary for the government of 
their own people. These they repeal or 
alter as circumstances seem to require, or so 
as to bring the greatest revenue into their 
own coffers. Many of their laws bear the 
impress of injustice and cruelty, and are 
made with the view of extorting from the 
common people. 
At Mo-Colong, when war was in progress 
there a few years since, a law was passed 
that no one should carry a whole bunch of 
Bananas, or Plantains into the town at once* 
If any attempted to do so, others had a 
right to take it all from the owner, and 
divide it among themselves. The scarcity 
