Such was the greed of the slave traders in their desire to carry as many Africans as possible on each voyage that they packed their prisoners into the holds of the slave ships like sardines in a tin, with often fatal consequences... Between 1680 and 1688, 23 out of every 100 Africans taken aboard ships in the service of the Royal African Company died in transit. The high point was in 1682 when losses reached 29 percent of the total number of Africans taken aboard.