Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/45

 began to the sound of the tom-toms, which the women beat with sticks, while others clapped their hands and sung in tones by no means inharmonious. Afterwards the women joined in with the men, and danced altogether in a circle, beating the time very exactly with their feet, and some of the younger girls moving with considerable grace.

I subsequently saw several dances of the same kind, in the slave-yards on the island of Mosambique; but on these occasions it appeared to me that the slaves were compelled to dance. I shall never forget the expression of one woman's countenance, who had lately, I understood, been brought from the interior. She was young, and appeared to have been a mother, and when constrained to move in the circle, the solemn gloom that pervaded her features, spoke more forcibly than any language, the misery of her forlorn condition.

If there be still a sceptic who hesitates to approve of the abolition of the slave trade, let him visit one of these African slave-yards, a short time before a cargo of these wretched beings is exported, and if he have a spark of humanity left it will surely strike conviction to his mind.

On this day, seven Portuguese vessels left the harbour of Mosambique for Goa, having on board, besides a large quantity of gold and ivory, about five hundred slaves, who were bought at this place at the price of ten, fifteen and twenty dollars a head, that is, women and children at about the rate of three and four pounds a piece, and able bodied men at the price of five pounds!! I feel happy in thinking that so nefarious a traffic has in this quarter already received a check from the British interference since the taking of the Isles of France, (vide last Report of the African Institution) and I trust it will ultimately be put an entire stop to: at all events, immediate steps ought to be taken to prevent slaves from being imported into those parts of India, over which any influence is possessed by the British government. Five ships loaded with slaves went this year to the Brazils, each vessel carrying from three to four hundred: it is considered a lucky voyage if not more than sixty die in each ship.

In the afternoon of the following day, (August 30) I paid a second visit to the house of the planter where the