The Bristol sailor and artist Nicholas Pocock drew this 'portrait' of a ship. He must have served on a slave ship at some point, to be able to draw the little scenes of 'Tradeing on ye Coast of Africa'. In this detail from the drawing, the ship the Southwell is shown at anchor off the coast: it could not come in closer without running aground. On the beach, an African merchant is shown shaking hands on a deal with the Bristol ship's captain as the crew put three enslaved Africans into the ship's longboat. The captain and the merchant had to trust each other, but they often cheated each other, and there are many stories of captains and African merchants being taken hostage by their business partners.