What was that "wrong idea"? What is the impact of the nuance of the word "handled" in the following excerpt: "I was immediately handled and tossed up to see if I were sound by some of the crew"? It shows the Africans were viewed as objects instead of human beings.
Not really decorated in that sense as making them look "good" i guess, but they were mostly leather bound and covered in tar to help preserve the wood.
