The captives were stripped, chained in groups of five, and packed tightly into the slave hold (a deck below the main deck and above the cargo hold) so that one person's head, when lying in rows, was forced upon another person's thigh.
The prisoners were disrobed, chained in clusters of five, and packed tightly into the hold (a deck beneath the main deck and above the cargo compartment) so that one person's head, when lying in rows, was pressed against another person's thigh.