Dhow Chasing in Zanzibar Waters - The Search For Mecca

310 APPENDIX.
siderable experience on the west coast of Africa?"
— " Yes."
699. " Are you aware of tlie number of ships
that were employed on that length of coast, as
compared with the number employed along this
length of coast ; was not the number of ships
employed on the west coast of Africa very much
more considerable than that for which you now
ask ?" — " Very much more considerable, and the
nature of the sea is far more favourable for
blockading operations."
700. "Not looking to the economical question,
or to the probability of the number of ships
that you might ask for being given you, assuming
that the country was determined to put
down the slave-trade on the east coast of
Africa in the same way as on the west coast
would you say that ten ships, or anything like
ten ships, would be sufficient to cover the 4000
miles to be blockaded on the east coast ?"
" No matter how many ships you have, there will
of course always be some vessels which escape
being boarded; it is quite possible, that, though
we boarded 400 dhows during the season I
have spoken of, there may have been 400
others that passed outside us ; but when I
said that I thought we must have boarded
nearly all dhows that came up, I referred to
those that passed along the coast ; the Arabs