Turks treated tlie natives, that these Madi people could
submit to their “ Egyptian taskmasters,” and therefore
Removing a V illage—Madi.
was not surprised now to find them pull down their huts
and march off with the materials to a distant site. Every
day this sort of migration continued, just as you see in
the picture; and nothing more important occurred until
Christmas-day, when an armadillo was caught, and I
heard from Mahamed’s head wife that the Turks had
plundered and burnt down three villages, and in all probability
they would return shortly laden with ivory. This
was a true anticipation; for, on the 31st, Mahamed came
in with his triumphant army laden with ivory, and driving
in five slave-girls and thirty head of cattle.
1st to 3d.—-I now wished to go on with the journey,
as I could get no true information out of these suspicious
blackguards who called themselves Turks; but Mahamed
postponed it until the 5th, by which time he said he
would be able to collect all the men he wanted to carry
his ivory. Rionga’s men then departed, and Mahamed
showed some signs of getting ready by ordering one
T urks tying up Ivories for th e March.
dozen cows to be killed, the flesh of which was to be
divided amongst those villagers who would carry his
ivory, and the skins to be cut into thongs for binding
the smaller tusks of ivory together in suitable loads.
4th and 5th.—Another specimen of Turkish barbarity
came under my notice, in the head man of a village
bringing a large tusk of ivory to Mahamed, to ransom bis
daughter with; for she had been seized as a slave on his
last expedition, in common with others who could not
run away fast enough to save themselves from the Turks.
Fortunately for both, it was thought necessary for the
Turks to keep on good terms with the father as an influential
man; and therefore, on receiving the tusk,
Mahamed gave back the girl, and added a cow to seal
their friendship.