gains made by Portuguese voyagers being as great as 700 or 1000 per cent.
Ca da Mosto expressed his wish to be employed, was informed of the terms
that would be granted, and heard that a Venetian would be well received by
the prince, "because he was of opinion, that spices and other rich
merchandise might be found in those parts, and know that the Venetians
understood these commodities better than any other nation."

In fine, Ca da Mosto saw the prince, and was evidently much impressed by
his noble bearing. He obtained his wishes, and being furnished with a
caravel, he embarked his merchandise in it, and set off on a voyage of
discovery. There was now, for the first time, an intelligent man on board
one of these vessels, giving us his own account of the voyage.

TRADE WITH THE ARABS.

From Ca da Mosto the reader at once learns the state of things with regard
to the slave-trade. The Portuguese factory at Argnim was the headquarters
of the trade. Thither came all kinds of merchandise; and gold and slaves
were taken back in return. The "Arabs" of that district (Moors, the
Portuguese would have called them) were the middle men in this affair.
They took their Barbary horses to the negro country, and "there bartered
with the great men for slaves," getting from ten to eighteen slaves for
each horse. They also brought silks of Granada and Tunis, and silver, in
exchange for which they received slaves and gold. These Arabs, or Moors,
had a place of trade of their own, called Hoden, behind Cape Blanco. There
the slaves were brought, "from whence," Ca da Mosto says, "they are sent
to the mountains of Barka, and from thence to Sicily; part of them are
also brought to Tunis and along the coast of Barbary, and the rest to
Argin, and sold to the licensed Portuguese. Every year between seven and
eight hundred slaves are sent from Argin to Portugal."

"Before this trade was settled," says Ca da Mosto, "the Portuguese used to
seize upon the Moors themselves (as appears occasionally from the evidence
that has before been referred to), and also the Azenegues, who live
further towards the south; but now peace is restored to all, and the
Infante suffers no further damage to be done to these people. He is in
hopes, that by conversing with Christians, they may easily be brought over
to the Romish faith, as they are not, as yet, well established in that of
Mohammed, of which they know nothing but by hear-say."

THE SENEGAL RIVER.