XXXIII.] ARRIVAL OF THE "SPITEFUL." 439 



Rather an amusing incident occurred in the afternoon, on December, 

 the arrival of her majesty's ship Cygnet. The commanding offi- ^^'5- 

 cer, Lieutenant Hammick, being unwell, he deputed Sublieuten- ~ 



ant Thomas to make an official call upon the consul, and it so 

 happened that he landed at the same moment as my men. The 

 populace of Loanda, imaginiug that this smart -looking officer 

 had walked across from Zanzibar, followed him with great curi- 

 osity and many remarks, as he came up with my men, who were 

 marching in a body with colors flying. 



On arriving at the fort, where quarters had been provided, 

 the men objected to enter, saying they did not understand why 

 they should be put in prison after having followed me across 

 Africa — for to the Zanzibar mind fort, and prison are the same : 

 in their language they are synonymous ; but after some per- 

 suasion, and an assurance that the gates should remain open, 

 they settled down. 



A few days afterward, the Spiteful arrived, on her way to 

 join Commodore Sir W. I^. W. Hewett, and Captain Medly- 

 cott took a letter to him from me, asking for any assistance he 

 might be able to render toward sending my men to Zanzibar. 



However, as it was by no means certain that any of the ships 

 at the disposal of the commodore could be spared to help me, 

 I made every effort to find immediate means of sending them 

 back. 



M.M. Papd and Pasteur, the heads of the Dutch West Afri- 

 can trading company, and consul and vice-consul for His Majes- 

 ty the King of the Netherlands, offered to lend me a steamer to 

 take m.y followers to St, Helena — whence there was communi- 

 cation to the Cape and Zanzibar — on the condition that I should 

 pay for coals, stores, and harbor dues, they giving the use of 

 ship and crew gratuitously. 



Although this was most kind and liberal, I was obliged to de- 

 cline, for, on calculating the expense, I found that it would cost 

 more than buying and fitting out a vessel; so I determined 

 either to charter or purchase some small craft that would do 

 for the work. 



The first offer I received was the charter of a schooner for 

 one thousand seven hundred pounds, and I was to refit and 

 provision her for the voyage. This I thought too much, and 



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