358 The Story of the New England Whalers 



The flag thus protected the ship to the last 

 moment. 



Of the noted whaler bark Augusta, that was 

 fitted out for the slave-trade by Appleton Oakes 

 Smith, a son of the poetess Elizabeth Oakes 

 Smith, it is recorded that she was sold to Smith 

 before she was fitted out. It is worth noting 

 perhaps that the price received by the owners 

 was $7000, a fact that has some bearing on the 

 cost of fitting out ships for the whale fishery. 



When certain peculiarities of the whale-ship 

 are considered in connection with the needs of a 

 ship in the slave-trade, it is seen that all whalers 

 were very well adapted to carry "black ivory," 

 as the negroes were called. Thus the try-pots 

 were excellent for cooking large quantities of 

 food, and the barrels used normally for oil would 

 serve equally well for carrying water needed in 

 such large quantities on a slaver. What was of 

 more importance still, a whale-ship could sail to 

 the coast of Africa with her try-pots in place and 

 with barrels full of water, and when within sight 

 of the beach could defy the inspecting officer from 

 any of the men-o'-war stationed on the coast 



