228 
SLAVE TRADE OF ABoH. 
to enter into. Every article was explained and repeated, 
usque ad nauseam, as he appeared to say by the 
frequent declarations, “ that he understood, and did not 
like so much talking.” He agreed so readily to every- 
thing, that various suspicions were entertained ; — first, 
that he did not understand our propositions ; next, his 
eager compliance was accounted for by his impatience 
to receive the presents which had been promised ; lastly, 
we thought it not improbalde that the slave-dealers 
on tile coast had advised him to accede to aU our 
wishes, and afterwards to evade them. However, he 
made many pertinent remarks, and there were some 
circumstances attending the conference which bore 
strong presumption of his sincerity — at least for the 
time. He acknowledged that he had carried on the 
slave-trade hitherto to a great extent, but that he did 
not know it to be wrong ; now, however, having heard 
the truth from us, he would no longer continue a prac- 
tice which he saw was unjust. At the same time, he 
said, it had already ceased in a great measure, from the 
difficulty he found in selling the slaves, which we 
explained by telling him that the Queen’s ships kept up 
a strict blockade all along the coast, in order to prevent 
the approach of slave-vessels. He seemed very much 
pleased at this, but said repeatedly, if we wished him to 
substitute lawful trade in the produce of the country, 
we must send ships to take it away. We, however, 
told him that ships could not undertake so long and so 
difficult a voyage, unless with the certainty of receiving 
