The slave trade within the African continent 159subsequently used during the conquest of French West Africa and Madagascar.
With the adoption of this system by the Europeans soon after the official
abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, the purveyors of slaves were given a new
incentive to resort to ' every immoral and criminal method of procuring slaves \^48
The indenture system thus led to a revival of 'surprise raids, kidnappings,
plundering and war'^46 in the French and British possessions, just as there had
been in the heyday of the Atlantic trade. What was even more serious, the
number of slaves taken in by the French and British authorities was minute
in comparison with the vast numbers that were offered for sale. In 1845,
Breghost de Polignac estimated that 60,000 slaves were put up for sale in the
various markets in Upper Senegal/Niger. France's average annual purchases
barely exceeded 500. Thus even if this institution potentially saved a few
hundred lives, it nevertheless had an extremely prejudicial effect on the hinter-
land peoples who carried on waging war as a veritable industry. The prevailing
insecurity was obviously incompatible with the development of a modern
economy.
By 1830 the agricultural resettlement schemes had come to grief. It was
suggested that the system be suppressed to put an end to abusive practices.
It was thought that when the order abolishing it became known inland, the
caravans which would periodically make their way to the trading posts would
no longer have any slaves to sell, and the hinterland peoples would cease trading
in slaves and turn to other occupations.^47 In 1844 France abolished the inden-
ture system but allowed the colonial administration to carry on buying slaves
to swell the ranks of the African battalion.^48 In spite of the precautions taken
by the administration to restrict conscription to the numbers strictly required
to organize the black troops for the defence and security of the colony, the
internal traffic continued to be plied as briskly as before as long as there was
some market for at least part of its merchandise. What could not be sold to
the Europeans automatically reverted to the category to be put up for sale
on the various market-places, to supply the African domestic market. The
result was a net increase in the number of ordinary slaves.
The difficulty of finding markets for their trade slaves led some of the
African merchants to seek new occupations. Some sought to compensate for
the loss of the enormous profits they had earned with the slave trade by going
into agriculture. The Sarakole forsook the slave trade for the cattle trade,
while the Hausa and Yoruba increasingly devoted themselves to trade in palm
oil.
These new ventures meant that the hinterland peoples were at last able
to take part in the economic revolution that Europe sought to stimulate in
Africa for the benefit of its own captains of industry.
The overall result was a metamorphosis in the outlook of the chiefs in
he years following the abolition of the indenture system. Realizing that there