Never had I seen human beings so clad, or rather so unclad, in such amazing squalid-ness and destitution of garments.

I recall one small urchin without a rag of clothing save the basque waist of a lady's dress, bristling with whalebones, and worn wrong side before, beneath which his smooth ebony legs emerged like those of an ostrich from its plumage.

How weak is imagination, how cold is memory, that I ever cease, for a day of my life, to see before me the picture of that astounding scene! Yet at the time we were perforce a little impatient of all this piety, protestation, and hand-pressing; for the vital thing was to ascertain what force had been stationed at the bluff, and whether it was yet withdrawn.

The slaves, on the other hand, were too much absorbed in their prospective freedom to aid us in taking any further steps to secure it.

Captain Trowbridge, who had by this time landed at a different point, got quite into despair over the seeming deafness of the people to all questions.