156 Mbaye Gueyewho could maltreat or sell them as and when they thought fit. They could be
included as part of their master's property in payment of some object purchased
by him, or be pawned to a distrustful creditor.^31
The internal trade by itself was not sufficient to meet domestic labour
requirements. With the extension of the Atlantic slave trade, the local rulers
became increasingly caught up in the relentless workings of the slave machine.
War became their normal occupation. What was needed was a category of
people who would cultivate the land to provide food for the local population.
Agricultural villages were set up everywhere, peopled with slaves who had been
purchased or captured during raids. Thus the Bakuba in the Congo neither
maltreated 'nor sold their prisoners of war. They settled them in areas far from
their native lands, and called them Mitsungi.'^32 Their masters could pick out
any number of them and sell them or hand them over as hostages, 'as pledge
for a debt or in payment of the bride price \^33
In West Africa, ordinary slaves were used for a variety of purposes.
During the rains, they were employed to work in the fields. From dawn to
about two o'clock in the afternoon they would work for their masters. From
then on they could work for themselves. On Fridays and feast days they were
free all day.^34 What they produced on those days was their own, and could be
used to buy back their freedom or that of their children. But the price of freedom
was extremely high, and cases of self-redemption were extremely rare. And since
when they died, 'their sole heir was their master, it was he who reaped the
benefit of the extra work'.^35
In Senegambia ordinary slaves were divided into two categories : slaves
who had been captured during the countless raiding expeditions, and slaves
bought at the slave markets. The former were kept in special villages both in
time of peace and war. After several years in such villages the bravest of them
were selected to become warriors, and were henceforth royal slaves. They
would fight under the command of the chief, and he alone had the right to
punish them. Slaves who had been purchased could be sold at any time. They
were part of their master's concession and he had the right to maltreat them.
Their existence was often an unhappy and degrading one. Their main preoccu-
pation was to satisfy their 'animal needs: eat when they could, sleep as much
as possible and breed when the opportunity arose'.^36 The master's only obli-
gation was to feed and clothe them.^37
A trade slave who had been in his master's service for some time could
request permission to marry. The master would then choose a wife for him
without any regard for the candidate's wishes. He could also take her away
again as and when he wished. However, a trade slave who was fortunate enough
to be given a wife who had been born in her master's house automatically
belonged to his wife's category. He was only sold if he tried to escape, was
particularly insolent or committed a crime. Marriages between two trade slaves