nd
bring them a number of black men from that country; for they knew the
Africans were strong, and that they could make them work as hard as they
pleased."

"But why did the Africans go, papa?" said Charles, whose eyes were full
of tears at this sad tale. "Why did they not send the sailors away
again, and say they would not go with them?"

"They most likely would have done so," replied his papa; "if they had
known how they would be treated; but the sailors said they would take
them to a fine country, where they would get plenty of food without any
trouble, and live much better than they did in their own country; so the
simple negroes believed them, and went on board their ships; but they
soon found out how wrong they had been to trust these wicked men; for
when they came to the place where they expected to be so happy, they
were all sold as if they had been beasts, instead of men, and sent to
work in the mines; where they led a very miserable life indeed, for the
cruel masters who had bought them, did not care what they suffered, so
long as they got plenty of gold.

"This was the beginning of what is called the slave trade, and a
dreadful trade it has been ever since; for when the captains of ships
found how much money the Spaniards would give for negroes, they went
again to Africa; and when the black men refused to go with them, they
took them by force, and carried them on board the ships, where they
tied them together, so that it was impossible for them to escape. You
would think it a very hard case, Charles, if you were walking by the sea
shore, and two or three men were to come and carry you away by force to
a distant land, and sell you to somebody who would make you work hard
for him all the rest of your life, and consider you as much his
property, as if he had bought a horse or a dog."

"But they would have no right to sell me," said Charles, "I do not
belong to them."

"Neither do those poor Africans belong to the men who sell them; they
have as much right to be free and happy, as you or I have."

"Then how is it, papa, that Peter's father has slaves? he is an
Englishman."

"Yes, Charles, I am sorry to say, that Englishmen, as well as Spaniards,
have traded in slaves, for when some of the West-India islands came into
the possession of the English, they found the negroes so useful, and
made so much money by their labour, that they forgot how unjust it was
to keep them in slavery. However, I am happy to sa