Dhow Chasing in Zanzibar Waters - The Search For Mecca

204 DHOW-CHASING.
previously enforced some demands on liim witli
a few shot. I assured him our visit so far as
he was concerned was a most amicable one, but
we had reason to think there were large
numbers of slaves often landed from the dhows,
and that we were merely cruising off the coast
with the object of stopping the slave-trade.
He
assured me that if it existed it was unknown to
him, which statement coming from an Arab was
not of great value, and he appeared much pleased
that we were not about to repeat the " Highflyer's
" bombardment.
On the 29th we captured two slavers, one a
Zanzibar vessel having two slaves, purchased
by the captain at one of
the ports on the coast,
to be sold again on arrival
in the Persian Gulf.
These poor fellows cried the whole time they
were telling their story, and entreated almost in
a tone of agony not to be sent back to the dhow.
The other was an Arab dhow, the property ofthe
captain.
She was captured by the cutter under
Lieut. Loch ; on boarding her there was a faint
attempt at resistance, a clattering of arms, and
threatening attitudes, but they drew back on