The Incredible True Story Of Shipwreck Enslavement And Survival On The Sahara

Sufferings in Africa: The Incredible True Story of a Shipwreck, Enslavement, and Survival on the Sahara

by James Riley

4.6 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	2009 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	333 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

In 1815, a group of American sailors were shipwrecked on the coast of the Sahara Desert. They were enslaved by a group of Arab slavers and forced to march across the desert. Only one of the sailors survived to tell the tale.

The sailors were part of the crew of the schooner Commerce, which was sailing from New York to Liverpool. On July 28, 1815, the ship was caught in a storm and wrecked off the coast of what is now Mauritania. The crew managed to swim ashore, but they were quickly captured by a group of Arab slavers.

The slavers took the sailors to their camp, where they were sold to a group of merchants. The merchants then forced the sailors to march across the desert to Timbuktu, a major slave market in what is now Mali.

The march was long and arduous. The sailors were forced to walk in chains, and they were given very little food and water. Many of the sailors died along the way.

One of the sailors who survived the march was James Riley. Riley was a young man from Connecticut. He was captured along with his brother, John. John died during the march, but James managed to survive.

Riley was sold in Timbuktu to a wealthy merchant named Sidi Hamet. Hamet treated Riley relatively well, but he still forced Riley to work as a slave. Riley worked as a servant in Hamet's household for several years.

In 1821, Riley managed to escape from slavery. He fled to the coast and eventually made his way back to the United States.

Riley's story is a harrowing account of the horrors of slavery. It is a reminder of the importance of freedom and the resilience of the human spirit.

Further Reading

• Narrative of the Adventures and Sufferings of James Riley, During His Captivity at the Oasis of Twat, in the Great Desert of Sahara by James Riley
• The Sahara Slave Trade and the Origins of American Abolitionism by Ronald Segal
• The Secret History of American Slavery by PBS Frontline

Sufferings in Africa: The Incredible True Story of a Shipwreck, Enslavement, and Survival on the Sahara

by James Riley

4.6 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	2009 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	333 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE