Dhow Chasing in Zanzibar Waters - The Search For Mecca

APPENDIX. 343
It was always tliouglit that Seyyid Majid
intended it as a place of security against his
brother, the Imaum of Muscat, the town not
being so accessible from the sea as Zanzibar
is."
1056. "Are there a large number of dhows
engaged in that particular trade?"— "There
have been generally a large number of them
every season."
1057. " Have you any idea of the number of
dhows engaged in that trade in the course of a
year ?" — " There is so much secrecy about it that
I do not think anybody can tell accurately ;
there
is a certain build of dhow one knows, and one
used to see eight or ten of
them in the harbour
at a time. I do not know how many of them
there would be in the course of a year."
1058. "You saw many dhows in the harbour at
a time, which in the night would load their
slaves
and go away?"— "Dhows which everybody
knew were there for piratical
the opportunity offered."
purposes if
1059. " Would they carry off a great number
of slaves ?" — " They would carry as many as
they could on board; there was one taken
the 'Wasp ' that had, I think, 380 on board."
by
1060. " Do you look forward to any considerable
increase of commercial intercourse at Zanzibar,
supposing the slave-trade were put down ?"