"The feel of death was suffocating. The combination o' the heat and bad odors made me balk at going further into this pit o' hell, but one of the men shoved me onward. I gagged several times on the smell coming from all sides o' this room. The floor o' the hold was stained with a mixed palate of dark colors, and I shuddered when I considered their source. One sailor shoved me down to the deck of the hold and both men retreated back towards the entrance. One shut the prison-like door that led back up on deck and latched it ...
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"The feel of death was suffocating. The combination o' the heat and bad odors made me balk at going further into this pit o' hell, but one of the men shoved me onward. I gagged several times on the smell coming from all sides o' this room. The floor o' the hold was stained with a mixed palate of dark colors, and I shuddered when I considered their source. One sailor shoved me down to the deck of the hold and both men retreated back towards the entrance. One shut the prison-like door that led back up on deck and latched it with one o' the heavy bars, making a loud thump that made me jump despite myself. It was another half day before we set sail for Africa."
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