Chapter III. THE HISTORY OF SUEMA.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 105, 1 May 1875, Page 6

Chapter 111. THE HISTORY OF SUEMA.

We must transport our readers, after this long digression, to the town of Zanzibar— the capital of the island of that name and of a vast kingdom, which includes the whole of eastern Africa, from the Cape of Guardafui te Mozambique — and enter a house belonging to the Catholic mission, founded a few years since by the Congregation of the Holy Ghost and of the Sacred Heart of Mary.

We find ouselves suddenly in the midst of 170 negro children, from four years old to fifteen, who have all been rescued from slavery by the missionaries, having been purchased them in the slave market at Zanzibar. The little boys, under the care of the Brothers of the Congregation, have their workshops and lodgings in a separate wing of the building. But the girls occupy the centre of the house, adjoining a humble but beautifully neat little chapel. They are brought up by the sisters of Mercy, who come for the purpose from the Island of Bourbon. We are at once struck by the gentleness, brightness, health, and intelligence of thiß little floek — the Christian nursery of eastern Africa. But amongst all these children there is one who, although •only ten years of age, at once attracts attention, from her height, the delicate beauty of her features, the modesty of her appearance, and the naivete of her words. Her name, in African language, is Suema, but she has taken the Christian name of Magdalen. When she had got used to the ways of the house, and those around her had begun to understand the dialect in which she spoke, her companions, together with the missionaries and Sisters, entreated her to tell them her history, to which Suema willingly • consented. With a simplicity and a candour which none who heard her could doubt bore the stamp of exact truth, she accordingly told the following story/which was taken down, word for word, from her own mouth, and translated into French, from which we are now giving it in English to our readers. I was born in the country of Uamiao, of which I know neither the extent, nor the strength, nor the number of its tribes : for I was very young when I left it. All I know is, that it was situated between the provinces of Allamnyndi and TJamiassa. I have heard that, to the east of the province of Allamnyndi, there are a people called Naguindo, who are neighbors of the tribe living on the seacoast, and subjects of the Sultan of Zanzibar. But the province of Uamiao extends as far as the great lakes to the west of our country, while the tribes nearest us are divided into two branches — the Makua and the TJelwanda. My home was very beautiful : rapid streams ran through the large and fertile plains, covered wtth rich pasture, which were bounded to the east and west by precipitous rocky mountains, the refuge of our people in time of war. These rocks are pointed, and so high that they seemed to me to touch the sky. On the other side are extensive forests, full of game, but abounding also in wild beasts. The roar of the lion and the tiger is heard night and morning, and great troops of elephants are continually passing through the woods, whose tusks form one of the principal riches of our country. Our soil produces all that one can wish for. Twice a year our people sow haricots, lentils, mtama, semolina, pumpkins, cucumbers, potatoes, tapioca, maize, and yams. The bananas grow wild, like the trees of the forest. In damp and wet places rice is planted j not for consumption, for we do not like it, but to be bartered with the Arabs, who come in caravans, for glass beads, cotton, and salt. In our villages the houses are not built close together like these. Every hut is separated from its neighbours by a great extent of land, of which one half is cultivated, and the other left for pasture, This custom is rigidly observed, and the space is fenced round to protect the crops from the damage which would otherwise be done to them by the birds, monkeys, and other animals, as also to save our cattle from the hungry teeth of the wild beasts. At least, that is what used to be said about us j and they added that this^ ancient custom had another advantage, in the fact that in this way the enemy in time of war could not surprise every one at once, nor burn all the tenements. Our cemeteries are placed in the forests, for which the most isolated spot is always chosen. Now, this is the way that our funerals are managed. The body is deposited in a little cabin made of green branches. If it be that of a man, they place by his side his lance, his bow and arrows, and a buckler. If it be that of a woman, a saucepan, a upava or cocoa-spoon, and all sorts of household implements. The parents of the deceased place likewise, at the feet of the corpse, a great plate of flour of mtama to make soup of.

The ' Catholic World ' of January gives the Bill of fare provided -by the Gernian Government for the priests confined in the prison •of Treves, for not paying due attention to the May laws. It is as

Three times a week each prisoner gets a small piece of meat — otherwise this bill is unchanged. In addition to half -starving these confessors of the faith, they are subjected to a most rigid discipline. They are called out of bed at five in the morning, and until nine o'clock at night they must either walk to and fro in their cells or sit erect upon stools, as no chairs are allowed. If they attempt to *• lie down or lean against the wall, the table, or the bed, they are at once forbidden such indulgences. All letters written or received by them are read by the prison officials, and. destroyed if any possible pretext for such an action is found in them. None are able to say mass except those who have voluntarily surrendered themselves, or who have not received an ovation from the people at the end of a first imprisonment. Mgr. Ebeihard, who has been in the prison for nearly a year, is allowed to say mass, but none is permitted to be present except the server and a Government official. These are the tender mercies of Bismarck to his victims.

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