THE BANIAN SLAVE TRADE. 
576 
Central Africa, especially in Manyeina, the country west 
of Ujiji; together with a proposition which I have very- 
much at heart — the possibility of encouraging the native 
Christians of English settlements on the West Coast of 
Africa, to remove by voluntary emigration to a healthy 
spot on this side the Continent, 
The Banian British subjects have been long and are now 
the chief propagators of the Zanzibar slave-trade ; their 
money, and often their muskets, gunpowder, balls, flints, 
beads, brass wire and calico are annually advanced to the 
Arabs at enormous interest, for the murderous work of 
slaving, of the nature of which every Banian is fully aw are. 
Having mixed much with the Arabs in the interior, I soon 
learned the whole system that is called “ butchec,” or Ba- 
nian trading is simply marauding and murdering by the 
Arabs at the instigation and by the aid of our Indian fel- 
fow-subjects. The cunning Indians securo nearly all the 
profits of the caravans they send inland, and very adroitly 
let the odium of slaving rest on their Arab agents. As a 
rule, very few r Arabs could proceed on a trading expedition 
unless supplied by the Banians with arms, ammunition and 
goods. Slaves are not bought in the countries to which 
the Banian agents proceed — indeed it is a mistake to call 
the system of Ujiji slave-" trade ” at all ; the captives are 
not traded for, but murdered for, and the gangs that are 
dragged coastwards to enrich the Banians are usually not 
slaves, but captive free people. A Sultan anxious to do 
justly rather than pocket head-money would proclaim them 
all free as soon as they reached his territory. 
Let me give an instance or two to illustrate the trade of 
our Indian fellow-subjects. My friend Muhamcd Bogharib 
sent a large party of his people far down the great river 
Lualaba to trade for ivory about the middle oi 1871. He 
is one of the best of the traders, a native of Zanzibar, and 
not one of the mainlanders, wdio are low r er types of man. 
The best men have, however, often the worst attendants 
This party was headed by one Hassani, and he, with two 
