ogs the
English, we may as well give them the refuse."

Without remark, Moosa turned on his heel and proceeded to obey orders.

Truly, to one unaccustomed to such scenes, it would have appeared that
all the negroes on the spot were "most likely to die," for a more
wretched, starved set of human beings could scarcely be imagined. They
had just terminated a journey on foot of several hundreds of miles, with
insufficient food and under severe hardships. Nearly all of them were
lean to a degree,--many so reduced that they resembled nothing but
skeletons with a covering of black leather. Some of the children were
very young, many of them mere infants, clinging to the backs of the poor
mothers, who had carried them over mountain and plain, through swamp and
jungle, in blistering sunshine and pelting rain for many weary days.
But prolonged suffering had changed the nature of these little ones.
They were as silent and almost as intelligently anxious as their
seniors. There were no old pieces of merchandise there. Most were
youthful or in the prime of life; a few were middle-aged.

Difficult though the task appeared to be, Moosa soon selected about
fifty men and women and a few children, who were so fearfully emaciated
that their chance of surviving appeared but small. These were cast
loose and placed in a sitting posture in the hold of the smallest dhow,
as close together as they could be packed.

Their removal from the bank made room for more to issue from the wood,
which they did in a continuous stream. Batch after batch was cast loose
and stowed away in the manner already described, until the holds of two
of the large boats were filled, each being capable of containing about
two hundred souls. This was so far satisfactory to Yoosoof, who had
expended a good deal of money on the venture--satisfactory, even
although he had lost a large proportion of the goods--four-fifths at
least if not more, by death and otherwise, on the way down to the coast;
but that was a matter of little consequence. The price of black ivory
was up in the market just at that time, and the worthy merchant could
stand a good deal of loss.

The embarkation was effected with wonderful celerity, and in comparative
silence. Only the stern voices of the half-caste Portuguese were heard
as they ordered the slaves to move, mingled with the occasional clank of
a chain, but no sounds proceeded from the thoroughly subdued and
worn-out slaves louder t