o the forest. On either side of them, however,
walked ruffianly looking fellows, with pistols in their belts and heavy
whips in their hands, with which, if their captives attempted to lag
behind, they urged them on. One or two were whites, but most of them
were negroes, and seemed to have no scruple in leading their countrymen
into captivity.

So long a line came forth that it seemed impossible the building could
have held so many human beings. Some were strong men, who cast scowling
glances at their guards; others were youths, many mere lads and young
boys, and there were a considerable number of women, mostly young, many,
indeed, being mere girls. Several of the elder women had infants in
their arms, and children of various ages trotted by the sides of others,
or clung to their hands. The sad procession came towards the vessel. A
bridge had been formed from her deck to the shore. The leading slaves
hesitated as they reached it, and refused to move forward till urged on
by the lash of their guards.

Their condition had been bad before, but they knew now that they were to
be shut down and crowded together in the dark noisome hold of the slave
ship. As they arrived on board they were compelled to go below and take
their seats on the bare deck, side by side, with their legs secured to
the iron bars, and so closely packed that their knees were drawn up
almost to their chins. Still, although nearly a hundred had come on
board, a considerable portion of the deck remained unoccupied.

I took an opportunity of going on shore, no one interfering with me. As
I went through the village I passed a house of some size, in front of
which the captain was seated in the verandah with another white man,
with whom he appeared to be eagerly bargaining. The latter was, I
found, the principle slave-dealer, to whom the sheds or barracoons, in
which the slaves were confined, belonged. Going on I looked into one of
the barracoons. The heat and odour which proceeded from it made me
unwilling to enter. It was full of blacks, seated on narrow benches,
with their arms and legs secured to long bars which ran in front of
them. Here they had been placed as they were brought down from the
interior, and kept in readiness for the arrival of the slaver. This, I
suspect, was the gang for whom the captain had been bargaining with
their owner, as they were immediately afterwards summoned out and
marched down, as the others had been, to the