uld
return to Africa, and King Dingo was the man to find them a fresh cargo.
Perhaps he would let them have it on credit, if they couldn't do better
(at this improbability several laughed); but the skipper need not go a
begging for credit. He was not so easily broken up as that came to. If
he himself was short, he had friends in Brazil--ay, and in Portsmouth,
too--who would soon find him the rhino."

The speech of this able logician turned the scale and settled the
question; and, despite the protestations and entreaties of the
slave-captain and one or two others, it was decided that the negroes
should be thrown overboard!

A few minutes were now given to a discussion as to the mode of effecting
this purpose; and it was finally agreed that the best way would be to
remove a single bar from the grating--so that only one of the victims
could come up at a time--and then, taking each aft out of sight of the
hatchway--so that they might not be seen by the others--to seize one
after another and cast them into the sea, whence there would be no fear
of their returning. Doubtless many of them could not swim a stroke, and
those that could would not swim long, amidst that multitude of voracious
sharks that were beating around the barque!

The ruse of thus successively destroying the wretched victims, without
making known to their companions below, originated in no ideas of
mercy--it was a thought that sprang from simple convenience. The
monsters knew that if those below were to get wind of the fate that
awaited them above, they would no longer come on deck; and to have gone
down amongst them to bring them up would have given trouble, and might
have been attended with danger.

It was heartbreaking to listen to the details of their plan, and know
that I could neither obstruct nor prevent it. Had I put in my voice,
either to appeal or protect the unfortunates, it is likely enough I
should have been myself the first morsel given to the sharks. I could
do nought but suffer in silence.

Indeed, I am not sure, had it been in my power at that moment to prevent
them from carrying out their design, whether it would have been right to
interfere. Clearly it would not have served the cause of humanity. A
death of some kind was certainly in store for these ill-starred beings--
either a slow, lingering death by the torture of thirst, or one more
rapid and far less cruel, such as that they were about to undergo. It
might have been hu