t. On this
the slaves were to sit with shackles on their feet, and secured to iron
bars running from side to side. They were divided in gangs, about a
dozen in each, over which was a head man, who arranged the place each
slave was to occupy. The largest slaves were made to sit down
amidships, or the furthest from the ship's side, or from any position in
which their strength could avail them to secure a larger space than
their neighbours. As I was to see more of the system, I need not now
describe it. On my return on shore, I looked into the barracoon hired
by Captain Trunnion, in which I saw from forty to fifty slaves
assembled, and even more heavily ironed and secured than they had been
before. They were mostly sitting with their heads between their knees,
bowed down with blank despair. Having seen the ship which was to convey
them from their native land to a region they knew nothing of, and
observed the savage countenances of the men who were to be their masters
during the voyage, all hope of escape had fled. Every day after this,
fresh batches of slaves arrived, their hands secured behind their backs,
and walking in a long line fastened together by a rope, strictly guarded
by blacks with muskets in their hands and swords by their sides, with
which they occasionally gave a prod to any of the laggards. The
wretched beings were marched, in the first instance, to the trader's
barracoons, where they could be sorted and regain some of their
strength. Harry and I were paying all the attention we could to the
wounded men, who, enjoying the advantage of fresh provisions, were
quickly recovering their health. Caspar Caper, the man who seemed to be
the most grateful to Harry and me, was quite himself again, and was
certainly fit to return on board, but he begged hard that we would not
inform the captain.

"If I had my will, sir, I'd never go back to that craft; nor would you
if you knew the dreadful deeds which have been done on board her or by
her crew."

"I have no wish to go back, you may be sure of that," I answered; "but
what do your companions say?"

"Well, sir, three of them are pretty well agreed with me; but there is
one, Herman Jansen, the Dutchman, who has a fancy for the buccaneering
life we have led, and I don't like to trust him."

This showed me that the man to whom I was speaking, Caspar Caper, had
thought the subject over, and was himself fully prepared to try and
escape from the pirates. I tol