All herders knew that if an animal hide bore too many whip marks, it would not fetch a high price.
They also had to be extremely careful when skinning big cats such as lions and leopards. Otherwise, the mounted specimens would not look lifelike enough to sell to local museums.
But slaves' backs bore many whip marks, and their "masters" could dispose of them however they pleased.
Richepance, the commander Talleyrand had introduced to replace him in Guadeloupe, had also contracted Yellow Fever. He was close to death and wrote home asking to return to France. Before he fell ill, the anti-slavery forces on Guadeloupe had mounted a heroic resistance. Threatened by the French army, they had blown themselves up with gunpowder.
Guadeloupe was also in the Caribbean Sea. Even if Napoleon wanted to withdraw his troops, he would not pull them back to Barbados, the island Portugal had lent him.
There was no slavery in Britain itself, but it still existed in the colonies, especially on those islands. Yet most Britons knew nothing about it. America, meanwhile, still had slavery because it had originally been a British colony.
It was impossible to restore slavery in places where it had already been abolished. They had even resorted to blowing themselves up—what would they not dare to do?
But Bonaparte also had to consider the interests of slaveowners and plantation owners. The Poles had already made it clear that they refused to carry out the order. If he kept forcing them, they might switch sides. After all, most people had consciences.
She was deeply troubled by it, yet she had no choice but to compromise. She could only advise Bonaparte not to restore slavery in places where it had already been abolished, while taking a long-term approach in places where it