re was a good
deal of it, which rendered judicious packing necessary. So many of his
gang had become worthless as an article of trade, through suffering on
the way down to the coast, that the boat could scarce contain them all.
They were packed sitting on their haunches in rows each with his knees
close to his chin, and all jammed so tightly together that none could
rise up or lie down. Men, women, and little children sat in this
position with an expression of indescribable hopelessness and apathy on
their faces. The infants, of which there were several, lay motionless
on their mothers' shrunken breasts. God help them! they were indeed
utterly worthless as pieces of merchandise. The long journey and hard
treatment had worn all of them to mere skin and bone, and many were
suffering from bad sores caused by the slave-irons and the unmerciful
application of the lash. No one knew better than Yoosoof that this was
his "damaged stock"--hopelessly damaged, and he meant to make the best
use he could of it.

The sun arose in all its splendour, and revealed more clearly to the
horrified Englishmen all the wretchedness of the hold, but for a
considerable time they did not speak. The circumstances in which they
found themselves seemed to have bereft them of the faculty of speech.
The morning advanced, and Yoosoof with his men, took a frugal breakfast,
but they did not offer any to Harold or Disco. As these unfortunates
had, however, supped heartily, they did not mind that. So much could
not have been said for the slaves. They had received their last meal of
uncooked rice and water, a very insufficient one, about thirty-six hours
before, and as they watched the traders at breakfast, their glaring eyes
told eloquently of their sufferings.

Had these been Yoosoof's valuable stock, his undamaged goods, he would
have given them a sufficiency of food to have kept them up to condition
as long as he possessed them; but being what they were, a very little
drop of water and a few grains of raw rice at noon was deemed sufficient
to prevent absolute starvation.

"How can you have the heart," said Harold at last turning to Yoosoof,
"to treat these poor creatures so cruelly?"

Yoosoof shrugged his shoulders.

"My fader treat them so; I follow my fader's footsteps."

"But have you no pity for them? Don't you think they have hearts and
feelings like ourselves?" returned Harold earnestly.

"No," replied the Arab coldly. "They ha