The strangest disease I have seen in this country seems really to be broken-heartedness, and it attacks free men who have been captured and made slaves.  My attention was drawn to it when the elder brother of Syde bin Habib was killed in Rua by a night attack, from a spear being pitched through his tent into his side.  Syde then vowed vengeance for the blood of his brother, and assaulted all he could find, killing the elders, and making the young men captives.  He had secured a very large number, and they endured the chains until they saw the broad River Lualaba roll between them and their free homes; they then lost heart.  Twenty-one were unchained as being now safe; however, all ran away at once, but eight, with many others still in chains, died in three days after crossing.  They ascribed their only pain to the heart, and placed the hand correctly on the spot, though many think that the organ stands high up under the breast bone.  Some slavers expressed surprise to me that they should die, seeing they had plenty to eat and no work.  One fine boy of about twelve years was carried, and when about to expire, was kindly laid down on the side of the path, and a hole dug to deposit the body in.  He, too, said he had nothing the matter with him, except pain in his heart:  as it attacks only the free (who are captured and never slaves), it seems to be really broken-hearts of which they die.

[Livingstone’s servants give some additional particulars in answer to questions put to them about this dreadful history.  The sufferings endured by these unfortunate captives, whilst they were hawked about in different directions, must have been shocking indeed; many died because it was impossible for them to carry a burden on the head whilst marching in the heavy yoke or “taming stick,” which weighs from 30 lbs. to 40 lbs. as a rule, and the Arabs knew that if once the stick were taken off, the captive would escape on the first opportunity.  Children for a time would keep up with wonderful endurance, but it happened sometimes that the sound of dancing and the merry tinkle of the small drums would fall on their ears in passing near to a village; then the memory of home and happy days proved too much for them; they cried and sobbed, the “broken-heart” came on, and they rapidly sank.

The adults as a rule came into the slave-sticks from treachery, and had never been slaves before.  Very often the Arabs would promise a present of dried fish to villagers if they would act as guides to some distant point, and as soon as they were far enough away from their friends they were seized and pinned into the yoke from which there is no escape.  These poor fellows would expire in the way the Doctor mentions, talking to the last of their wives and children who would never know what had become of them.  On one occasion twenty captives succeeded in escaping as follows.  Chained together by the neck, and in the custody of an Arab armed with a gun, they were sent off to collect wood; at a given signal, one of them called the guard to look at something which he pretended he had found:  when he stooped down they threw themselves upon him and overpowered him, and after he was dead managed to break the chain and make off in all directions.]