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 let 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 us; 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.
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