of, if you will, to
benefit and increase the value of your property."

"Indeed? in what way, pray?" he demanded.

"Well," said I, "there is no sail trimming to be done in this weather,
and it would be downright cruelty to send the men aloft to work about
the rigging in this blazing heat; why not therefore spread an awning
aft, here, and set the entire watch to work, beneath its shade, to patch
up such of your canvas as needs repairing? And while they are engaged
upon that job I will see--if you approve of the plan--whether I cannot
get the negroes to take a bath in batches in a studding-sail rigged on
the fore-deck, and thus rid themselves of some of the filth that is fast
accumulating on their bodies; it will do them more good and tend more to
keep them in health than a double allowance of food for the remainder of
the voyage. And when they have done that they can be divided into two
gangs, one on deck to draw and pass water, and the other below, with all
the scrubbing-brushes and swabs that can be mustered, to give the
slave-deck a thorough cleansing. That is what I should do, were they my
property."

"Well," he said musingly, "I dare say it would do the rascals a lot of
good, and would certainly make the ship sweeter--I'll be bound that she
could be scented a mile away in her present condition. But who is to
undertake the supervision of such work? Not _I_, I tell you, frankly;
and I believe the hands would refuse, to a man, were I to attempt to set
them to such work."

"If they will rig me a studding-sail, or an old fore-course for'ard, I
will do the rest--or _try_ to do it," said I.

"Will you?" exclaimed Mendouca, in surprise. "Then I am sure you may,
and I heartily wish you joy of the job."

"Very well, then, I will set about it the first thing after breakfast,"
said I.

And I did. I got the poor wretches forward in batches of thirty,
induced them to stand in the basin-like hollow of the sail, and then set
half-a-dozen of their number pumping and drawing water, and playing upon
their fellows with the hose, or sluicing buckets of water over them, and
the exquisite enjoyment, the unspeakable luxury of that bath, as the
cool, sparkling liquid dashed upon the filth and sweat-begrimed bodies,
was a sight to see! Enjoyed it? Why they revelled in it, so that it
was with difficulty that I could get them out; the stony look of
hopeless, utter despair faded temporarily out of their eyes, and some of
them