notonous tones
their lessons; the teacher more asleep than awake, the pupils imitating
his example, and looking as lazy and indifferent as possible.

Inside and out of many of the shops were heaps of ivory-tusks, collected
by the traders in the interior of Africa, and brought down to the coast;
and in others food of the most disgusting appearance--sharks' flesh,
rancid ghee, and other unsavoury articles, the vendors of which were
hideous negresses, rolling in fat, scarcely bearing any resemblance to
the female sex. The commander and his followers, glad to get out of the
narrow streets, found themselves in a square, where in a semicircle they
saw collected a number of slaves, some standing up, others sitting down,
incapable of supporting themselves on their feet; most of them miserably
emaciated skeletons, looking as if they had not many hours to live.
Within the semicircle were a number of Arabs of high and low degree, a
few of them well-dressed and armed to the teeth, others dirty and
shabby; but all intent on business. They were either slave--dealers, or
purchasers of slaves for their private establishments. In one part of
the square were five or six female slaves for sale, their ages ranging
from twelve to sixteen, gorgeously dressed in coloured garments. One of
the gentlemen Arabs approached to make a purchase. The slave-dealer
vaunted the qualifications of his merchandise, much as an auctioneer
does the goods of which he has to dispose. The purchaser felt the poor
girls' limbs, looked into their mouths, and trotted them out to see
their paces; then, after haggling for some time, walked off with two
which he had selected. The others were purchased much in the same
manner; the remainder of the lots were disposed of with much less
ceremony. On one side was a row of little boys from four to six years
old, who were valued, so Hamed said, at about three dollars apiece. The
girls, who were of a somewhat maturer age, went at from six to twelve
dollars, while stout young fellows, out of whom plenty of work might be
got, went for much higher prices.

The rest were wretched old men, broken down by the hardships they had
endured during the fearful overland journey, and the not less miserable
voyage. Many fetched not more than a dollar apiece. The old women, all
of whom were either hideously tattooed, or had their lips extended with
large holes, showing their teeth, went for very little more than the
men. There the