Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/53

 DISTRIBUTION OF THE PEOPLE. 41 quent punishment, extended often to the whole fa- mily and relatives of the real or pretended crimi- nal. The practice of kidnapping, among the Indian islanders, has chiefly had its origin in their connec- tion with foreigners, and mostly in consequence of the establishment of European settlements.* Per- sons enslaved by kidnapping could not, from the nature of things, find a market in their own coun- try, but are advantageously exported to foreign countries. This abominable proceeding is recog- nized by the native laws, where we find the heredi- tary slave, from his subdued spirit, and servile edu- cation, fixed at double the value of the reluctant and untractable freeman who has been filched of his liberty. Among the Indian islanders predial slavery has ♦ '• For Macassar is not far from hence, ( Boufon,) one of the chiefest towns the Dutch have in those parts. From thence the Dutch come sometimes hither to purchase slaves. The slaves that these people get here, and sell to the Dutch, are some of the idolatrous natives of the island, who, not being under the sultan, and having no head, live straggling in the country, flying from one place to another, to preserve them- selves from the prince, and his subjects, who hunt after them to make them slaves. For the civilized Indians of the mari- time places, who trade with foreigners, if they cannot reduce the inland people to the obedience of their prince, they catch all they can of them and sell them for slaves, accounting them to be but as savages, just as the Spaniards do the poor Americans." — Dawpier, Vol. I. p. 457.