“When we arrived at the wharf, there were three of our number who assumed the authority to direct our operations, to which we readily submitted. They divided us into three parties...” What does this tell us about this event?

What does the quote describe? “the closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us….the shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable.”