ivory had depopulated it to such an extent that scarce a human being was
to be seen all the way. There were plenty of villages, but they were in
ruins, and acres of cultivated ground with the weeds growing rank where
the grain had once flourished. Further on in the journey, near the end
of it, there was a change; the weeds and grain grew together and did
battle, but in most places the weeds gained the victory. It was quite
evident that the whole land had once been a rich garden teeming with
human life--savage life, no doubt still, not so savage but that it could
manage to exist in comparative enjoyment and multiply. Yoosoof--passed
through a hundred and fifty miles of this land; it was a huge grave,
which, appropriately enough, was profusely garnished with human bones.
[See Livingstone's _Tributaries of the Zambesi_, page 391.]

At last the slave-trader reached lands which were not utterly forsaken.

Entering a village one afternoon he sent a present of cloth and beads to
the chief, and, after a few preliminary ceremonies, announced that he
wished to purchase slaves.

The chief, who was a fine-looking young warrior, said that he had no
men, women or children to sell, except a few criminals to whom he was
welcome at a very low price,--about two or three yards of calico each.
There were also one or two orphan children whose parents had died
suddenly, and to whom no one in the village could lay claim. It was
true that these poor orphans had been adopted by various families who
might not wish to part with them; but no matter, the chief's command was
law. Yoosoof might have the orphans also for a very small sum,--a yard
of calico perhaps. But nothing would induce the chief to compel any of
his people to part with their children, and none of the people seemed
desirous of doing so.

The slave-trader therefore adopted another plan. He soon managed to
ascertain that the chief had an old grudge against a neighbouring chief.
In the course of conversation he artfully stirred up the slumbering
ill-will, and carefully fanned it into a flame without appearing to have
any such end in view. When the iron was sufficiently hot he struck it--
supplied the chief with guns and ammunition, and even, as a great
favour, offered to lend him a few of his own men in order that he might
make a vigorous attack on his old enemy.

The device succeeded to perfection. War was begun without any previous
declaration; prisoners were soon brou