Dhow Chasing in Zanzibar Waters - The Search For Mecca

146 DnOW-CHASING.
invitation, and entered tlie old stone building,
or what was left of it after the Frencli bombardment.
" All the forces " were the same
excepting the men, that is to say, the veritable
coats, hats, caps, firelocks, that I had seen two
years before, but donned by other niggers. In
addition to these, however, there was a train of
about 100 Arabs, who formed two lines between
which I walked from the entrance to a seat on
the rio;ht of the throne, which looked like an
old arm-chair, placed on a deal-table with half
of each leg cut off. On this sat the handsome
boy-king.
I endeavoured through the interpreter to
ascertain the general feeling on the island
amongst the Arab chiefs, but they would say
nothing, purposely avoiding the subject, owing
to so many of Mons. L 's dupes being present;
so after a few words I left the fort and
returned to the ship.
On the 26th September, we arrived at Mozambique
harbour, but I shall postpone till a later
period in this narrative, any account of the
Portuguese possessions on the coast, of what they