at low water exposes sand islets covered with mangrove
shrub. In these islets we sought for the animals, knowing
they were given to lie wallowing in the mire, and we
bagged two. On my return to Zanzibar, the Brisk sailed
for the Mauritius, but fortune sent Grant and myself on a
different cruise. Sultan Majid, having heard that a slaver
was lying at Pangani, and being anxious to show his
good faith with the English, begged me to take the command
of one of his vessels of war and run her down.
Accordingly, embarking at noon, as soon as the vessel
could be got ready, we lay-to that night at Tombat, with
a view of surprising the slaver next morning; but next
day, on our arrival at Pangani, we heard that she had
merely put in to provision there three days before, and
had left immediately afterwards. As I had come so far, I
thought we might go ashore and look at the town, which
was found greatly improved since I last saw it, by the
addition of several coralline houses and a dockyard. The
natives were building a dhow with Lindi and Madagascar
timber. On going ashore, I might add, we were stranded
on the sands, and, coming off again, nearly swamped by
the increasing surf on the bar of the river; but this was
a trifle; all we thought of was to return to Zanzibar, and
hurry on our preparations there. This, however, was not
so easy: the sea current was running north, and the wind
was too light to propel our vessel against it; so, after
trying in vain to make way in her, Grant and I, leaving
her to follow, took to a boat, after giving the captain, who
said we would get drowned, a letter, to say we left the
vessel against his advice.
We had a brave crew of young negroes to pull u s ; but,
pull as they would, the current was so strong that we
feared, if we persisted, we should be drawn into the
broad Indian Ocean; so, changing our line, we bore into
the little coralline island, Maziwa, where, after riding over
some ugly coral surfs, we put in for the night. There we