40 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
tomary trade of the country, even at that time. Drury was 
informed by a person who had lived a considerable time in 
the country, that to a place called Masseelege, (probably the 
Methelege of the pirates,) to the northward, there came, 
once a year, a Moorish ship, that brought silk lambas 
and many other things to trade for slaves. And again, 
towards the conclusion of the term of his captivity, he 
speaks of two ships staying at Youngoule, where slaves 
were sent to be sold in exchange for fire-arms and other 
goods. It seems probable, however, that these were but 
occasional visits, made chiefly by marauding vessels; and 
that it was not, as stated by Rochon, until after the vessels 
of the pirates had been destroyed, that this commerce in 
human beings became a regular and organized system of 
barbarous traffic in the island. 
Whilst Drury was residing at a seaport on the western 
coast, called Youngoule, an English ship, the Clapham 
galley, Captain Wilks commander, arrived there to take in 
a cargo of slaves; and a number were accordingly taken 
down to the coast to be sold. The master whom Drury 
served at that time was collecting slaves for this purpose; 
and he, delighted with the idea of thus escaping from the 
country, engaged a friend to intercede with his master and 
mistress that he might be sold with the rest; but being 
a prisoner of war, and probably too highly prized for his 
services, he was denied the privilege of being sold with 
the native slaves. 
Before the ship set sail, however, Drury (to use his own 
words) 64 endeavoured to inform the captain by this strata¬ 
gem : I took a leaf, which was about two inches broad and 
a foot and a half long, and marked upon it these words: 
4 Robert Drury, son of Mr. Drury, living at the King’s 
Head in the Old Jewry, now a slave in the island of Mada- 
