Call my wife.

Calling UK Wildlife.

Voice assistance not working for you.

BlackRock Investment Trust has a lot working for you.

Get to know them at blackrock.com.

Capital at risk marketing material.

BlackRock Investment Management UK Limited.

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

It's November 29th, 1781, on board a British slave ship called the Zong as it journeys across the Atlantic Ocean from West Africa to the West Indies.

In the pitch-dark bowels of the ship, a young enslaved African opens his mouth to breathe,

but the cramped space is almost airless.

The young man's parched throat is so sore he can barely make a sound.

His wrists and ankles burn from the shackles.

He feels desperately sick, both from starvation and from a terrible disease that's spreading throughout the vessel.

Just when he thinks his misery can't get any worse,

members of the ship's crew burst into the room, holding lanterns and whips.

One of them marches over to the sickly young man, who's chained to a group of other fellow slaves.

The crewman inspects him for a moment. Then he unfastens the chain

and pulls the young man and the others to their feet. The crewman leads them out of the cramped

slave quarters and onto deck. The sickly young man blinks as he steps into the bright sunlight.

As he looks around, he notices the sea is remarkably still.

There's hardly a breeze.

...