THE SLAVE TRADE

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3468, 19 May 1934, Page 2

THE SLAVE TRADE

ARAB DHOWS LADEN' WITH

lIUMAX FREIGHT

SCENE IN THE RED SEA.

The following letter which appeared in a recent issue of the “Nautical Magazine” tells its own story:

“To most people, if they ever think of it, the words ‘slaver’ and ‘slave trade’ conjure up visions of steamy West African rivers, with long, black hulled rakish-looking schooners or over-sparred brigs swinging to their anchors while their ruffianly crews are collecting the ‘black ivory’ to fill their holds. At least that is the mental picture usually formed from reading the literature on the subject." writes “Homeward Bound” in the Nautical Magazine.

"It is common knowledge that the foundations of many families and. businesses were laid on the huge profits made in what wa?; once a legitimate ‘trade.’ hut the abolition of slavery put it. stop to the traffic in human beings as far as Western nations were concerned. It is well known, of course, that slavery still exists in the East, but the extent of the traffic is hardly realised by the average ‘stay-at-home’ citizen. “To seamen who traverse the Red Sea in the course of their voyages the sight of an Aral) dhow racing across under a press of sail is no uncommon sight, and it is generally accepted in a general way that she is a slaver, although few have been in a position to justify that claim. For one reason, most of the dhows engaged in the nefarious trade make their passages at night without lights. “When one looks at the Red Sea chart it is seen that a fast sailing craft such as the Arab dhow can easily make the crossing in the hours of darkness when her chances of being spotted by the ships employed in combating; the traffic are very small, and that accounts for most of the dhows being seen at night.

“Recently, however, the writer had ocular proof that the trade in ‘black ivory’ is still flourishing. Dawn had come in with the wonderful colouring common to the. Red Sea locality, and revealed to the officer of the watch a big dhow racing across from the African side, and going like a destroyer with a force of wind on her beam. “As ‘he lookeu at her with the ‘long.glass’ admiring the picture she made, lie saw her big lateen mainsail come down with a run and immediately she flew up in the wind under the influence of her mizzen. The noise of the big sail .slatting about disturbed our ‘Old Man’ at his early tea and brought him on deck. ‘Run up close to her.’ he ordered, and let’s see what she is up to.’

“Soon we were in no doubt, as to her business, as wo closed her we could hear heartrending cries coming down wind and could see that she was packed from end to end of her open waist with stalwart negroes seated on thwarts or benches, and evidently fastened hv their ankles to the bottom of the compartment. About twelve or fourteen were stowed abreast, and there were about twenty rows of them so that meant some 200 to 300 poor wretches were being transported in one vessel. “So close were we that we could see the perspiration gleaming on their black skins, accentuating their fine physique, the white of their eyes showed with startling clearness as they shouted in their obvious terror at the noise created by the big sail. Meanwhile the ‘Nokada’ of the dhow scowled at us with an expression that, must have blistered' the paint on our sides; doubtless the crackling of our wireless as we gave out his position may have had something to do with his ‘hate.’ His rascally crew were busy repairing the main halliards which had been carried away and given us the opportunity of seeing, in this year of grace, a slave ship engaged in actual business.

‘‘What a challenge to our muchvaunted civilisation and humanity! One could not but admire, as a lover of ‘stick’ and ‘string’ ships, the graceful picture made by the dhow as she curtsied to the short sea. Her waterline was painted white, showing a fine entrance and clean run. She had a short forecastlehead and a long, high sheered poop with a square stern which showed some considerable decoration. Amidships she was open but qanvas screens had been rigged fore and aft over the rail. Along her sides earthenware chatties were suspended holding her water supply. ‘‘Soon her repairs were completed, the big sail was mast-headed and filled and off she went like a startled deer for her ’Market’ on the Arabian coast where her live cargo would be auctioned and dispersed over the face of the desert. Not a man or boy on board of us but who regretted our helplessness and wished that wo could have reverted lo the practice of our forbears and had the order ‘prepare lo board.’ With cutlass in hand we would have taught the Arab that slavery, at. least in that form, is not allowed by civilised nations.

“Remembering, however, that we live in the age of quick dispatch when no sentimental weakness must interfere with the itinerary of a modern cargo liner, we continued on our course with the faint hope that our radio would be received by some man-of-war in time to intercept the slaver ere she reached the shelter of the reefs.” A terrible proof that slavery still exists.