CHAP. XVI.] 
MURDER OF A NATIVE. 
449 
On one occasion a razzia had been made; and al¬ 
though unsuccessful in cattle, it had been productive in 
slaves. Among the captives was a pretty young girl 
of about fifteen; she had been sold by auction in the 
camp, as usual, the day after the return from the razzia, 
and had fallen to the lot of one of the men. Some 
days after her capture, a native from the village that 
had been plundered, confidently arrived at the camp 
with the intention of offering ivory for her ransom. 
Hardly had he entered the gateway, when the girl, who 
was sitting at the door of her owner’s hut, caught sight 
of him, and springing to her feet, she ran as fast as her 
chained ankles would allow her, and threw herself in 
his arms, exclaiming, “ My father ! ” It was her father, 
who had thus risked his life in the enemy’s camp to 
ransom his child. 
The men who were witnesses to this scene imme¬ 
diately rushed upon the unfortunate man, tore him 
from his daughter, and bound him tightly with cords. 
While this was enacting, I happened to be in my 
hut: thus I was not an eye-witness. About an hour 
later, I called some of my men to assist me in cleaning 
some rifles. Hardly had we commenced, when three 
shots were fired within a hundred paces of my hut. My 
men exclaimed, “ They have shot the Abid (native) ! ” 
“What native?” I inquired. They then related the 
story I have just described. Brutal as these blood¬ 
thirsty villains were, I could hardly believe in so cold¬ 
blooded a murder. I immediately sent my people and 
the boy Saat to verify it; they returned with the 
report that the wretched father was sitting on the 
ground, bound to a tree,—dead; shot by three balls. 
I must do Ibrahim the justice to explain that he was 
not in the camp; had he been present, this murder 
would not have been committed, as he scrupulously 
avoided any such acts in my vicinity. A few days 
later, a young girl about sixteen, and her mother, who 
were slaves, were missing; they had escaped. The 
hue and cry was at once raised. Ibrahimawa, the 
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