cot+page+44

As you awaken you feel that the world is moving back and forth under your feet. For a moment you can see nothing because all is dark. But you hear noises---people groaning, murmuring. They sound as if they are in pain, but you cannot see them. You take couple of small steps and fall head long onto a number of bodies on the ground. Now you can tell where you are! Dark-skinned men and women are changed to the walls and floor of this dark, gloomy place. As more light comes through the cracks of the roof, you guess that the sun has probably just come out and is shining on the deck of what must be a ship. You are on the water. That explains the rocking motion you have been feeling. You realize this is no ordinary ship. It is a slave ship, probably heading for the American colonies. You are saddened by the sight of the faces around you. They look so broken, so tired. You have read about the slave trade in Africa, the Caribbean is lands, and the American colonies, but what you see now is beyond words. You see piled one on top of another---like produce in a carton---a people dehumanized, stripped of their pride and dignity. If you try to set the people free turn to page 55. If you climb up on deck to see if you can talk to the captain, turn to page 76.