Dhow Chasing in Zanzibar Waters - The Search For Mecca

APPENDIX. 371
man especially wliose house is connected with
Zanzibar, a member of the firm of Wiseman and
Company, one of the leading merchants there)
who, I am sure, could offer you better information
on the subject than I can."
965. M7\ Grum-Ewing " .'] Captain Fraser had
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a large number of slaves, had he not
— ?" " Yes ;
the fact of Captain Fraser employing slaves led
to everlasting murmuring on the part of the
natives. One morning they would see us burning
the dhows which were engaged in the slavetrade,
and the next morning they would see an
Englishman working factories and plantations
with those slaves safely landed; it was a
question which puzzled far more acute people
than they were. The same thing existed at the
Comoro Islands ;
it was a mere sham and delusion
; the poor slaves were hired in gangs from
their Arab master ; the Arab master was called
in by the English employer, who, merely as a
matter of form, said, ' Now mind all these people
are to be free labourers on my plantation. I
wiU "hand over their wages to you.' But, of
course, they were not handed over. It was
encouraging the slave-trade."
966. Sir B. Anstruther.] " As far as the slaves
were concerned, they were as much slaves after
the transaction as before?"— "Yes."
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A retired lucliun officer.