acoons_ to be shipped; and, as the cargo from the Crawford
was quickly exchanged with the natives for more slaves, in two months'
time, I found my pens surcharged with six hundred human beings. Two
other neighboring factories were also crammed; while, unfortunately,
directly in front of us, a strong reinforcement of British men-of-war
kept watch and ward to prevent our depletion.

No slaver dared show its topsails above the horizon. The season did
not afford us supplies from the interior. Very few coasters looked in
at New Sestros; and, as our stock of grain and provisions began to
fail, the horrors of famine became the sole topic of conversation
among our alarmed factors.

It will readily be supposed that every effort was made, not only to
economize our scanty stores, but to increase them through the
intervention of boats that were sent far and wide to scour the coast
for rice and cassava. Double and triple prices were offered for these
articles, yet our agents returned without the required supplies. In
fact, the free natives themselves were in danger of starvation, and
while they refused to part with their remnants, even under the
temptation of luxuries, they sometimes sent deputations to my
settlement in search of food.

By degrees I yielded to the conviction that I must diminish my mouths.
First of all, I released the old and feeble from the _barracoon_.
This, for a few days, afforded ample relief; but, as I retained only
the staunchest, the remaining appetites speedily reduced our rations
to a single meal _per diem_. At last, the steward reported, that even
this allowance could be continued for little more than a week. In
twelve days, at farthest, my resources would be utterly exhausted.

In this extremity I summoned a council of neighboring chiefs, and
exposing my situation, demanded their opinion as to a fitting course
on the dreaded day. I had resolved to retain my blacks till the last
measure was distributed, and then to liberate them to shift for
themselves.

But the idea of releasing six hundred famishing foemen struck the
beach people with horror. It would, they said, be a certain source of
war and murder; and they implored me not to take such a step till they
made every effort to ease my burden. As a beginning, they proposed at
once relieving the _barracoon_ of a large portion of females and of
all the male youths, who were to be fed and guarded by them, on my
account, till better times.

By this sy