1806.] MIKINDANY HARBOUR. 15 



their fatigues and bad bruises, we are making camels' saddles, 

 and repairing those of the mules and buffaloes. Oysters 

 abound on all the rocks and on the trees over which the 

 tide flows : they are small, but much relished by the people. 



The Arabs here are a wretched lot physically — thin, 

 washed-out creatures — many with bleared eyes. 



29-30th March. — This harbour has somewhat the shape 

 of a bent bow or the spade on a playing-card, the shaft 

 of the arrow being the entrance in ; the passage is very 

 deep, but not more than 100 yards wide, and it goes 

 in nearly S.W. ; inside it is deep and quite secure, and 

 protected from all winds. The lands westward rise at 

 once to about 200 feet, and John, a hill, is the land- 

 mark by which it is best known in coming along the 

 coast — so say the Arabs. The people have no cattle, 

 but say there are no tsetse flies : they have not been 

 long here, i. e. under the present system ; but a ruin on 

 the northern peninsula or face of the entrance, built of 

 stone and lime — Arab -fashion, and others on the north- 

 west, show that the place has been known and used of 

 old. The adjacent country has large game at different 

 water pools, and as the whole country is somewhat elevated 

 it probably is healthy. There is very little mangrove, but 

 another enclosed piece of water to the south of this probably 

 has more. The language of the people here is Swaheli ; 

 they trade a little in gum-copal and Orchilla weed. An 

 agent of the Zanzibar custom-house presides over the 

 customs, which are very small, and a jemidar acknow- 

 ledging the Sultan is the chief authority; but the people 

 are little superior to the natives whom they have dis- 

 placed. The jemidar has been very civil to me, and gives 

 me two guides to go on to Adonde, but no carriers can be 

 hired. Water is found in wells in the coral rock which 

 underlies the whole place. 



4dh April, 1866. — When about to start from Pemba, at the 

 entrance to the other side of the bay, one of our buffaloes 



