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 had summoned the Chiefs of a number of neighbouring villages, which had been slow in gathering rubber, to "talk over matters." They were then seized, tied to trees, and flogged until the blood ran down their backs. Correspondence found in the offices of another company included letters from the Board in Paris containing such sentiments as these: "Do not forget that our agents must play the part of miniature pirates" (pirates au petit pied); and, in connection with troubles that had arisen with a particular Chief, stress was laid upon the utility of "that plaything which is called a Maxim." In the Lobaye region, the scene of repeated uprisings and bloody reprisals, the agent of the local Concessionaire company was an ex-agent of the infamous and notorious Abir company of the Congo State. In the N'Gunié region no fewer than five military expeditions had been sent against the natives in as many months at the request of the local Concessionaire company. In the Shari, the Chief of an important tribe had been arrested because his people did not bring in enough rubber, and had died in prison. In the neighbourhood of Bangui an official had caused fifty-eight women and ten children to be taken as hostages to compel their male relatives to bring in rubber: in three weeks forty-five of these women and two of the children had died of starvation and want of air, packed tightly in a small dwelling place. At Fort Sibut one hundred and nineteen women and little girls had been similarly arrested, and many had died. An official circular had prescribed that these "hostages-houses" should be erected in the bush and out of sight of possible travellers. In one of the concessions of the Lower Congo the natives had been forbidden to make salt in order to compel them to buy it from the company, which would only sell it against large quantities of rubber; widespread sickness ensuing, salt being an indispensable article of native diet in tropical Africa. The judicial machinery had become hopelessly corrupted, and the gravest abominations were left unpunished. This was hardly surprising in view of a circular from the Governor-General of the dependency to his officials complaining of the small yield from the rubber taxes and stating: "I do not conceal from you that I shall base myself, in recommending your promotion, especially upon the yield cf the native taxes, which should be the object of your constant