White Men In Black Skin

Black Harvest-4

Plans were drawn on how to approach the village. The Arabs pitched camp in the bushes where the natives could not see them. The camp was also to be a holding ground for captured natives. About a hundred strong armed men approached the village under the cover of darkness to survey, study the general area and if possible capture one or two adult black men for interrogation back at the camp. There was a lot of excitement in the whole camp at sighting the treasured black commodity.

The fires in the village guided the approaching Arabs more easily in the night. The night was dark and still, except for the millions of brilliant cold stars, twinkling in the dark skies, complimented by millions of glowing fire‑flies.

The high shrills of women and men could be heard more clearly as they sang to the frenzied throb of drums, clattering, banging and blowing of horns and bugles. The Arabs observed the dancing figures from a safe distance in the bushes.

While some natives engaged in the frenzy dancing that gained crescendo with the growing night, others drank alcohol from what looked like mighty cow horns. Most were drunk as they sang loudly staggering about. The Arabs had to resist the temptation of rounding up the black natives and take them to the coast for onward shipment to Arabia. They presented such easy quarry. With their bodies painted black, the Arabs mixed freely with the intoxicated natives in the dark night and even grabbed a calabash of liquor to have a taste of the sweet acrid drink.

The natives were stark n***d except for some dangling pieces of animal skins, which scantly covered the genital areas. It was difficult to discern men from women in the dark. The Arabs waited for the right opportunity, to capture at least two of the natives preferably men without raising any alarm.

While the Arabs anxiously waited for the right moment, a huge native figure staggered into the bushes to relieve him‑self. He must have been a man by his body shape and the anatomy below the waist.

As he squatted in the bushes, the Arabs threw a blanket over his head and quickly wrestled him to the ground. They covered his mouth and eyes with strips of cloth. A second native also staggered into the Arabs’ trap and was quickly grabbed and subdued without much struggle. The two native captives were taken back to the Arabs’ camp for interrogations.

In spite of language barriers the Arabs learned everything they needed from the two captives. They learned how the black savage communities were organized and governed under tribal chiefs. The most vital information gathered was about some powerful hostile neighboring tribes that frequently raided the other tribes to steal women, livestock and food. This was the greatest threat to the otherwise quiet and peaceful lifestyles of the community.

The Arabs were excited. The frequent tribal conflicts offered open opportunities to attack the hostile tribes and capture slaves in the guise of tribal conflicts.

Accompanied by the two prisoners, five Arabs were appointed to visit the chief with gifts of colorful beads, bangles, earrings, bracelets, turbans, rolls of silk fabrics, essence, sugar, spice, curry powder, salt and of course some delicious spicy Arab foods.

The Arabs were also informed that the pot‑bellied chiefs liked eating a lot and therefore carried enough gifts of rice and spices to make curry for the chief and his numerous wives and village elders.

During the feasting the friendly Arabs informed the mesmerized chief that they were from Asia, where the sun rose and had been sent by the gods to come to the rescue and protection of the tribe from the hostile neighboring tribes, and to forever restore security, peace, tranquility and prosperity in the lands.

To demonstrate their fighting power, a big fighting bull was brought in the open compound. One Arab aimed his musket at the bull’s head and fired. The chief and his natives gazed in awe and amazement as the mighty bull collapsed dead to the ground.

In case of defeat the chief was however, apprehensive and hesitant at the reprisals of provoking the neighboring tribes who were such fierce fighters. But with the assured support of the strangers from where the sun rose, he was at the same time enthusiastic to show the hostile tribes that he could also hit back. The chief had lost several of his wives, daughters, livestock and foodstuffs to the hostile tribes. He therefore consented to go to war and looked forward to sweet revenge. The chief was, immediately initiated and converted into Arab faith and given an Arab name “Mtwafy”.

All able bodied native men prepared for the big battle. Women cooked food for the warriors, while witch doctors invoked their potent black magic and witchcraft to protect the warriors. Back in the camp, the Arabs prepared enough metal chains, ropes and handcuffs for the captives. The Arabs would concentrate in capturing as many healthy young men and women as they could chain while the natives engaged in combat.

The Arabs would fight and kill only in self‑defense. Theirs was to capture and chain the barbarians as they slaughtered one another. The Arabs wore their white turbans to distinguish themselves during the fighting melee and chaos. As a strategy, one group of Arabs would capture, chain and hold the natives in one place under guard, while another group covered those capturing and looting.

After capturing enough natives and looting anything of value, the Arabs would turn and kill all the hostile native men, young and old, ransack, burn and destroy all dwellings and property in sight, to make sure that nobody pursued them on their way to camp and hence to the coast. The Arabs would then retreat back to their camp and vanish towards the coast with their first cargo of black slaves and any other spoils.

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It was a journey of five nights to the target tribe. The Arabs and the natives formed a formidable battalion as they travelled in the dark nights. They only travelled at night to avoid detection. They would strike before down while everybody was asleep.

The native aggressors painted their faces white for self‑identification. And to avoid losing their kind in the raid, the Arabs persuaded the natives to lead the onslaught. The bloodthirsty natives walked briskly with murderous revenge in their mind. Their hearts pounded at their fast brisk pace. The first cockcrow warned them of the approaching daylight. They walked faster, ahead of the Arabs.

The target tribe was surrounded before down. One team of warriors concentrated in torching houses as others followed killing anything that moved and looting, with the Arabs capturing and chaining the panic‑ stricken and terrified victims.

There were screams of horror and terror as houses went up in flames. The battle was savage and brutal. Children screamed in agony, as they died trapped in the burning grass‑thatched huts. The clatter of machetes, clubs and spears echoed in the night, as the mortally wounded men and women groaned and writhed in pain. The whole tribe was caught unawares. They had never experienced any raid before since they were the most feared formidable tribe. The other tribes never dared attack them. So the raid was a surprise and totally unexpected.

By daybreak, houses and food granaries smoldered as the dead and dying littered the ground. Chief Mtwafy’s warriors spared neither women nor children. It was revenge and an opportunity to annihilate the hostile tribe once and for all. War cries and horns sounded in the distance. n***d black figures bolted in confusion in all directions. Arrows and spears flew all over.

The Arabs easily picked their quarry. The battle intensified in the day. Many young women and men were captured and bound together with chains and ropes. When the Arabs ran out of chains, robes and binding wire, they shot and killed any man in sight, young and old. The natives who had never seen a g*n before and who did not know the power of the g*n were easy targets and were slaughtered in great numbers. They mistook the Arab muskets for smoldering pieces of wood. The battle subsided when there were no more standing men in sight.

As a traditional sign of heroism, Chief Mtwafy’s warriors went home singing war victory songs, proudly slinging and displaying around their necks b****y necklaces of genitals severed from dead enemy men, with the captured women and children carrying the war spoils. The warriors were received by dancing women who spat menacingly at the b****y genitals dangling round the warriors’ necks. The number and size of genital sets, around each warrior’s neck signified the number and size of men killed by each warrior.

There was jubilation and continuous feasting in Mtwafy’s entire community. A shrine was erected in honor of the Arabs and all future rituals and sacrifices would be performed at the shrine.

The bewildered and terrified captives were chained in gangs of hundreds in a line, with shackles securing their necks and their right ankles. Their hands were left free to carry the heavy ivory tasks and other loots. Men of same height were chained on one line, so as to hoist the looted elephant tasks on their shoulders more easily. Likewise women were chained according to their heights. Young girls were only bound with robes.

The sweaty black bodies of the prisoners glittered in the blistering tropical sun. The very young girls were accorded preferential treatment. Their young bodies shone with youth, their reddish budding teats jutting out of their breasts like black polished cones. The Arabs’ lusty eyes shone rolling in their sunken sockets as they waited for the nightfall. Each Arab picked the best and youngest looking girl to be their night brides.

The departing Arabs showered chief Mtwafy with more gifts and praises. They thanked him and congratulated him for his cooperation and courage, promising him an irrevocably firm return visit. He was promised more gifts and a better musket if he facilitated the capture of more men and women upon their return. He was assured that the captured men and women would be treated well and fed with spiced rice in the king’s palace.

Chief Mtwafy was so overwhelmed by the flattery that he offered two of his youngest daughters and a neighbor’s two daughters to escort the Arabs and take Chief Mtwafy’s greetings to the Arab King, and if possible an opportunity to cook for the King. He was proud his daughters would represent him to the glorious Arab king. In return, chief Mtwafy promised to deliver any number of men and women required by the Arabs. The Arabs were so generous to Mtwafy that he swore to himself that so long as he ate, nobody else mattered, as the corrupt instict kicked in.

Although Chief Mtwafy had lost a number of his men in the battle, he had scored total victory over his worst foes. It was history in the making. He owed total allegiance to the Arabs. The Arabs gave him power, nice things to eat and a possible tour of the Arab world. Whatever they asked he would see to it they got it. That was his total commitment.

The Arabs bid farewell to the chief who wept as they departed. With some strange anxiety he also bid his daughters farewell. Since he was a circumcised man, he could not renege on his offer and recall his daughters. Circumcised native men stood by their word. He was, however, not sure of their fate in the hands of these great and generous strangers. He wished the Arabs would treat his daughters well. He, however, silently cursed his emotions for giving away his daughters to strangers. He wished he only gave away his neighbor’s daughters. But since the Arabs had pledged to come back soon, they would bring back his daughters unharmed.

The Arabs did not want the chief to see the chained slaves at the camp. They therefore bid him a hasty farewell and vanished.

Before they were barely out of Mtwafy’s sight the Arabs’ leaders were fighting over the four girls. The girls were so fresh and beautiful there arose bitter disagreements and a near physical scuffle as to who would go with which girl first. Daggers were drawn but the Arabs agreed to sort out the matter at the camp by casting some dice, to determine who ended up with which girl.