Tette, moreover, in common with all the
Portuguese in Africa, are by the laws of Portugal prohibited from
engaging in the _export_ slave-trade. They are not, however, forbidden
to engage temporarily in the "domestic slave-trade," hence they had sent
out slaving parties--in other words, robbers, kidnappers, murderers--who
hired the warlike Ajawa tribe to aid them in killing the Manganja men,
and robbing them of their wives and little ones, by which means they
were enabled to supply the demand for such "cattle" among the Banyai,
and thus obtained the desired supply of ivory! So vigorously had this
slave traffic been carried on, at the time of which we write, that no
fewer than two hundred people--mostly women and children--were carried
out of the hill-country every week. [See _The Universities' Mission to
Central Africa_, page 112.]

In a short time the negro returned to the place where Harold and Disco
were seated, and said that he believed his white deliverers were true
men, but added that he and his people had no home to go to; their
village having been burnt, and all the old people and warriors killed or
dispersed by Marizano, who was a terribly cruel man. In proof of this
assertion he said that only the day before, Marizano had shot two of the
women for attempting to untie their thongs; a man had been killed with
an axe because he had broken-down with fatigue; and a woman had her
infant's brains dashed out because she was unable to carry it, as well
as the load assigned to her.

"It is difficult to decide what one should do in these circumstances,"
said Harold to Disco. "You know it would never do to leave these
helpless people here to starve; but if we take them on with us our
progress will be uncommonly slow."

"We'd better take 'em back," said Disco.

"Back! Where to?"

"W'y, to the last village wot we passed through. It ain't more than a
day's march, an' I'm sure the old feller as is capting of it would take
care o' the lot."

"There is good advice in that, yet I grudge to go back," said Harold;
"if there were a village the same distance in advance, I would rather
take them on."

"But there ain't," returned Disco. "Hallo! I say, wot's wrong with
Tony?"

The interpreter came forward with a look of much excitement as he spoke.

"What now, Antonio?"

"Oh! it's drefful," replied the interpreter. "Dey tells me have hear
Marizano speak ob anoder slaving party what go straight to Kambira's
villag