Note 687 — Chapter II · GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF SLAVERY.

Schweinfurth’s description seems to show, that the Mombuttus have male slaves. Junker speaks only of female slaves687. Burrows says: “Between the chief and the people are a race of freed men, who do not engage in manual labour of any kind. From the term freed men it must not be inferred that the people below them are slaves; they are equally free, but are without the hereditary rank of the so-called freed men, who are generally relations of the chief or in some way connected with him688.” Hence it would appear that slavery does not exist among them. These conflicting statements do not allow us to arrive at a safe conclusion.