noon
This species of currency , however , was falling rapidly into disuse . Towards the middle of the day the excitement of the market reached its highest pitch , and the uproar became perfectly deafening . The voices of the eager sellers mingled with those of indignant and overcharged customers ; fights were numerous , and as there was an utter absence of any kind of police , no effort was made to restore peace or order amongst the unruly crowd . It was just noon when Alvez gave orders that the slaves he wished to dispose of should be placed on view . Thereupon nearly two thousand unfortunates were brought forward , many of whom had been confined in the dealer 's barracks for several months . Most of the stock , however , had been so carefully attended to that they were in good condition , and it was only the last batch that looked as if they would be improved by another month 's rest ; but as the demand upon the East Coast was now very large , Alvez hoped to get a good price for all , and determined to part with even the last arrivals for whatever sum he could obtain . Amongst these latter , whom the havildars drove like a herd of cattle into the middle of the chitoka , were Tom and his three friends .