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 THE DARK CONTINENT. 237 CHAPTER I. THE DARK CONTINENT. The " slave-trade " is an expression that ought never to hâve found îts way înto any human language. After being long practised at a large profit by such European nations as had possessions beyond the seas, this abominable traffic bas now for many years been ostensibly forbîdden ; yet even in the enlightenment of this nineteenth century, it îs still largely carried on, especially in Central Africa, inasmuch as there are several states, professedly Christian, whose signatures hâve never been affixed to the deed of abolition. Incredible as it should seem, this barter of human beings still exists, and for the due compréhension of the second part of Dick Sands' story it must be borne in mind, that for the purpose of supplying certain colonies with slaves, there continue to be prosecuted such barbarous "man-hunts" as threaten almost to lay waste an entire continent with blood, iîre, and pillage. The nefarious traffic as far as regards negroes does not appear to hâve arisen until the fifteenth century. The foUowing are saîd to be the circumstances under whîch it had îts origin. After being banished from Spain, the Mussulmans crossed the straits of Gibraltar and took refuge iipon the shores of Africa, but the Portuguese who then occupied that portion of the coast persecuted the fugitives with the utmost severity, and havingcaptured them in large numbeiSi sent them as prisoners into Portugal They were