purchase of the vessel, the wages and keep of
the crew (necessarily a large one), are the main items of outlay in the
books of a slaver. As for the food of the living cargo, that counts for
little. It is of the simplest and coarsest kind that can be procured,
and usually consists of two staple articles; the African millet--known
more commonly as a species of sago--and palm-oil. Both are easily
obtained on any part of the western coast where the slave-trade exists;
for there both these articles form the common food of the country. The
millet is a well-known grain; but there are many sorts of grain in
different parts of the world which go under this name, and yet are
obtained from plants that are very distinct in character. As for the
palm-oil, it is at present one of the most important items of African
commerce, and thousands of tons of it are annually imported into England
and France, where it is used in the manufacture of yellow soap. It is
extracted from the nut of a large palm-tree, whole forests of which may
be seen in the western countries of tropical Africa, with the fallen
nuts lying scattered over the ground as thick as pebbles; and, up to a
late period, scarce cared for by the native inhabitants. The demand for
palm-oil, however, has of late years stimulated even the indolent
negroes to the manufacture of the article, and these immense
palm-orchards are now carefully preserved, and their fruit gathered at
the proper season.

It is the pulpy covering of the nut that yields the oil, which becomes
hard as soon as it cools--so hard that it requires to be cut with a
knife, or scooped out by some sharp instrument. In this state it is
used by the negroes just as we use butter, and forms a staple article of
their daily diet.

Since both the millet-sago and the palm-butter can be purchased in
Africa cheaper than any other food, of course these are shipped on board
the slave-vessels for the consumption of the unfortunate captives, and
beyond these no other food is thought of. Water alone is their drink,
and to provide this, the hold of a slave-ship is usually crammed with
large casks, as was the case with the _Pandora_. These casks serve as
ballast on the return-trip, when the vessel is without her freight, and
then they are kept full--generally with salt-water, as this in most
ports is more conveniently got at; and on the coast of Africa, as the
place of embarkation is usually a river, the salt-water is easi