SUEMA, OR THE LITTLE AFRICAN SLAVE WHO WAS BURIED ALIVE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 108, 22 May 1875, Page 6

SUEMA, OR THE LITTLE AFRICAN SLAVE WHO WAS BURIED ALIVE.

m^ AI^ T "^ StSt? l"v\ le dißa PPearance, the battue ceased; the sportsmen, gneved and distressed, returned home ; the forest became once vSS7 '' T^ °"ly.? Ur SObB broke fche 80lemn sile »cc around us atftJX BMn8 M n the f mo. sP°t»^hea the roar of the hyena atartled my poor mother, and reminded her of my little brother, who had remained alone at home. With an effort she rose ; but before iiTtL 8P ° ' ft* "? ,? OWn f me branches ' and ma^ a little hut over the place reddened by my father's blood, placing in it his lance and bow and arrows while we put all the provisions we hadl with Z on a banana leaf at the entrance of the funeral hut; and then holding «eh other's hands, went slowly and sadly home, witS ooS behind us, as when one returns from a funeral voicing WM f f J al?* 1^ at \all\ all my subsequent misfortunes. This Jrithout £*f g Ail m 7 a Wh? n ?" hufc bad been witho^t fire and without hght. All was sad and silent as the grave. However Hip next day it was necessary that we should begin to work again ' but here was an end of all our joy and gaiety. g ' i .i?' *£*^^PPy l. was then ! I knew nothing of the consoling trutha which I have since learned here. I had neW heard that \vf were placed in this world to love God, to pray, to sX and so lo pin heaven. Not knowing how to pray or what to do my passionate fore for my father and my despair at his death di-ove C tJhate nil preation. I reproached the sun for shining as before and the birds for smging. I cursed the day of my birth, 6a6 aud the joyous voices of my neighbours, instead of cheering, irritated me beyoJd measurethey seemed to insult my sorrow. What suffering is to be^ompared tm Uke thi8 ' Wb6n °ne knows nofc «od StJ Very soon a fresh trouble and an almost more overwhelming calamity came to ruin not only my own family, but°3l the^ounTry? the crops harmg been entirely destroyed by swarms of locusts 7 ' In three days everything had disappeared. All vegetables shrubs, and gram were eaten down to the very roots, and tKrees to the bark-the whole country, in fact, became like an'aSl desert luul Si"- fU- P!T c b^° Uglat aboufc a Seneral fa^i»e. Those who had salt in their huts endeavoured to obtain some kind of food by pekhng the locusts themselves ; but since our dear father's death our provision of salt had entirely failed. Fora short time weMed^on Z goat* and chwkens which were left to u B . but these, JoorThi^s for vrant of grain and pasture, died like all the rest. The fan fee was followed by a still more terrible calamity. The air, infected by the »o°Z n i AmßetA mBet *?i beaßts-^^. in the unTveial panfc ?h«,loil tboueh t°f b«rj«g-produced a fearful epidemic amo£ a. if?S^aS^^ Sur^ts^ "SXt death ot my little brother, which followed qmckly Wof my sTsters home for ever, witlont onto looking back Poor iSkiw JSrifS, i toxins to e TOpe from oue mMf rtune, wo o^uTutotiu't^

The change of scene, at first, had the happiest effect on my mother. Her old courage came back ; and after marching for three days from SIT! ?f'VT d a pretty spot near a stream, where we built a hut and began to clear and cultivate the soil. A neighbour was kind enough to lend us two bags of nitama : one fco sow, the oth Jto live upon till the crop came up. I cannot say that we were very happy in our new home. But my poor mother had became calmer, and I was so pleased to see that she had left off crying. Alas, our comparative peace waa not to last long ! P „«,! T H a y T **£ nearl y/ s bad a on e as that which had preceded it ; and although we had no fresh locusts, the crops entirely failed. Our SS^S-STf" dan f rof almosb peridii^ from want, came o demand the two bags of mtama which he had lent to us the year before, as I have said. My mother, in despair at this demand, which she had no means of satisfying, threw herself at his feet, imploring SS tL g 7i n M \° more I time ' He grantedit, but very reluctantly, and the delay allowed was short enough. But without losing courage my good mother, whose energy and activity never forsook her, resolved to turn her skill to making pottery of earthenware, in which she had great taste. Day and night she laboured at this work, in which I helped her as far as my little strength would allow. Bat you know as well as I how little such manufactures pay in our country = so that, in spite of her extreme diligence, when the day of payment fixed by our creditor arrived, we were unable to give him more than a quarter ot our debt. He came, as we feared ; and when he found out the state of things, he was furious, and went away uttering menaces and threats, which made our position a most painful one. To add to pur misfortunes, an Arab caravan passed at that time in the neighbourhood. Who does not know the danger of these caravans to the poor and weak ? There are always, at such times, bad and unscrupulous men to be found, who lie in wait to steal the children h» }° P°° r ',TT h ° m ey Bell to the Arabs fol> Balfc > cofc ton, and glass beads. Creditors take advantage of this circumstance to exact payment of their debts ; and when then- debtors cannot pay, they seize their goods and their children. It has even sometimes happened that they themselves are reduced to slavery. il , « 7 After . aU '. th f re is nothing to be surprised at in such conduct ; for onW wino^re he aod mlfcn ° rbOWelS ° f -V*"** the soul, ,W °*f/ a y Z6Z 6 J eard tbafc i he , caravan had topped near our dwell. evf rl t TSm T™?? a feeliDg ° f mortal anxi^y and terror ftted every heart That night my poor mother's sobs woke me several ™"' ? °°J da i e a^ k her the cause of hey tear8 > f °r f^r of increa ing her grief. Besides we were so used to mingling our tears together. But m the morning I saw directly that my poor mother was undergoing some new and extraordinary weight of sorrow • for what was my astonishment, on looking at her, to fee that her hair in one night had become quite white! Poor loring mother! in her feuSi anXle TST S ? c ,f, f T T aWtlle tm>ible blow wW*as about to tall upon us, and ot which I was, as yet, utterly unconscious. hv ♦ J ery T rnm ? -T* "editor came into our hut, accompanied by two elders of our tribe and by an Arab. Without knock ng or asking leave, he walked straight in, and said to my mother in a hard ' Mother of Suema, you have not the means of paying for mv two sacis of mtama , I therefore seize your child instead^ Then E to the two old men he added: < Be you my witnesses.' AfterwS addressing the Arab, he continued : < Very well it is a settled tW . six yards of American cloth for this little girl ' g 5 ' The Arab took me by -the hand, made me stand up and walk • examined my arms and legs, opened my mouth, looked at my teeth and, after some moments of thought, replied J 'It's all right ; come and fetch the six yards of cloth.' l was sold. During this time my poor mother remained as one struck dumb to Z Z rCIr Cl i', told hGl< that * Was 8 - eized for deblaccordTng to the legal usage of the country, she clasped her hands violently^ together, and then covered her face. But when the Arab prepared to carry meoff and lead me away with him, her agony, arSlly torn™ ! dp i bU ? fOIf O1 ? hin di^Pre^iblo e^iwU^SSS WhE£ I i ° Ue< , She threw berself afc iis fecfc > and in tones reroffwith n n?e ag ° "* ade^ Uatel y re P resen^besought himto cany hair/w^Sr^rot T^'^^*^ Z elophanl/s tusk. O, I beseech you do not separate mefrom my Sikf < T IL 1 T ° 70UV Sl - ave - 1 I omise to Wol * always. O, my lS I entreat you graciously to hear me and to oarry me off wiS you b^SS^^^ These moving words, which seeme^to be torn from the to™ heart oi my poor mother, touched the Arab in spite of £ms e lf I thmk, however, that in consenting that we should together S'part of his caravan, he had more an eye to my mother's sl-ni^UT £• bear anything The next day, very early in the morning the Tea™! began its march. My mother was given an elephant's f ,«w very heavyweight,- a. for me, ToSfenla afeV^S Now this is the way a caravan travels. Soon after midnS a certain number of the servants of the chief go on before JXi hatchets and cords (to build the huts on the awfat the S st C ami g ing ground), severa skins for water, cooking utensils for the *e2 meal, and a great drum to call the caravan together. They can? besides an antelope's horn, winch is considered a°talisman agZsi tie nZ a £^n£?™ hh ™ d S°™^*™ the most fciT £

to be bewitched, but in reality it ib the banner of the most powerful chief of the country through which they may be passing, and protects the caravan through the medium of the 'hongo,' that is, the customary presents which must be offered beforehand. Then follow the slaves, bearing the provisions for the road ; ivory, copal gum, and, in fact, all the property of the master of the caravan. This last-named personage, surrounded by his most devoted followers, brings up the rear. At twelve o'clock the Arab stops for his midday prayer. During this time every one rests for two or three hours ; then the march is resumed and continued till the evening's halt. The advance guard has taken the precaution to mark the road by laying down branches or 1 grass wherever cross-roads might create a doubt or difficulty. Towards ' evening the drum is beaten to direct the caravan aright, and guide it safely to the encampment. On its arrival, they find all the huts ready. They are built of branches of trees, and wattled with dry grass. In the best of these huts a bed is prepared for the master, made of branches, but covered with the softest grass, to which are added the finest matting and counterpanes. The next business is to distribute the food to the different members of the caravan, the whole of which has been duly prepared beforehand. The ordinary meal consists of a thick soup made of the nitaina flour and haricot beans. To this ration is added bananas or sweet potatoes. It is in the interest of the drivers to feed the slaves well during the journey, both for the sake of enabling them to bear the great weights they have to carry, and also to prevent their deserting. In this way the Arab caravans travel over many hundreds of leagues of country, under the burning tropical sun of the equator. Aud all this to make money of the lives and freedom of the poor blacks !