CH A P T ER I
Arrival at Zanzibar Island— Life at Zanzibar— The town of
Zanzibar, its roadstead and buildings— The One Cocoa-nut
tree and the red cliffs— Selection and purchase of goods
for the journey— Residence of Prince Barghash— Busy mornings—
Pleasant rides and quiet evenings.
(September* 1874.)
T w e n t y - e i g h t months had elapsed between my
departure from Zanzibar after the discovery o f
Livingstone and my re-arrival on that island,
September 21, 1874.
T he well-remembered undulating ridges, and
the gentle slopes clad with palms and mango
trees bathed in warm vapour, seemed in that
tranquil drowsy state which at all times any
portion o f tropical Africa presents at first appearance.
A pale blue s k y covered the hazy
land and sleeping sea as we steamed through
the strait that separates Zanzibar from the continent.
E v e ry stranger, at first view o f the shores,
proclaims his pleasure. The georgeous verdure,
the distant purple ridges, the calm sea, the light
gauzy atmosphere, the semi-mysterious silence
which pervades all nature, evoke his admiration.
■For it is probable that he has sailed through
■the stifling Arabian Sea, with the grim, frowning
■mountains o f Nubia on the one hand, and on
■the other the drear, ochreous-coloured ridges o f
B ih e Arab Peninsula,* and perhaps the aspect o f
■the thirsty volcanic rocks o f Aden and the d ry
B r o w n bluffs o f Guardafui is still fresh in his
Bmemory.
1 But a great change has taken place. A s he
passes close to the deeply verdant shores o f
ipanzibar Island, he views nature robed in the
greenest verdure, with a delightful freshness o f
leaf, exhaling fragrance to the incoming wanderer.
He is wearied with the natural deep-blue o f the
ocean, and eager for any change. He remembers
the unconquerable aridity and the d ry bleached
heights he last saw, and, lo! what a change!
■esponding to his half formed wish, the earth
rises before him verdant, prolific, bursting with
gatness. Palms raise their feathery heads and
mangoes their great globes o f dark green foliage;
J an an a plantations with impenetrable shade,
p r o v e s o f orange, fragrant cinnamon, and spreadin
g bushy clove, diversify and enrich the land-
■Pape. Jack-fruit trees loom up with great massive
■Towns o f le a f and branch, while between the
jr e e s and in e v e ry open space succulent grasses
K p cover the soil with a thick, garment
F verduf e- There is nothing grand or sublime
f the view bef° re him, and his gaze is not