THE NEGRO RACE. 



187 



none of these people ; and their absence was confirmed by the testi- 

 mony of the Abyssinian-Arab. 



At Zanzibar, the Soahili were found to assume the exclusive ma- 

 nagement of the small dows trading along the coast as far south as 

 Mozambique and Madagascar; while another, and in their own esti- 

 mation a more responsible class of navigators, direct the larger vessels 

 to Arabia and Northwestern Hindoostan. 



The Soahili are a mixed nation, consisting principally of Negroes, 

 but embodying the remains of an infusion of Whites; and many indi- 

 viduals among them, would not be distinguished from Arabs. The 

 inhabitants of the fertile islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, are chiefly 

 Soahili; together with, in all probability, the mass of the population 

 at Mombas and in the Arab towns in the delta of the Juba. Soahili, 

 however, are scattered along the coast beyond these limits; and ad- 

 venturers sometimes join the caravans of the Interior Negroes, and 

 make visits to the Great Lake; or in conjunction with Comoro men, 

 form indej)endent trading expeditions for minor distances. 



The Soahili language, has in consequence become the medium of 

 commercial intercourse along the Eastern coast of Africa. It con- 

 tains numerous foreign words, derived principally from the countries 

 around the Persian Gulf; but it is properly a Negro language. At 

 the same time, instances may probably be found of the transmission 

 of words in the opposite direction. 



My interpreter, Sadik, a Soahili of mixed race, who was born at 

 Marka, gave me the following account. "The people of Brava, 

 Marka, and Mukdusha, all came originally from Arabia, and esta- 

 blished these towns iti the Somauli country. The island of Lamo 

 was formerly uniidiabited ; while the Sela (Soahili) dwelt at Ketao, 

 a town directly opposite, on the main land. The Arabs settling 

 upon the island, ' made them low.' The Soahili do not like this 

 state of things, but they cannot help themselves. The Soahili did 

 not in former times fight the Galla ; but the people of Lamo, now 

 fight them, when they come to steal." 



"The Soahili have feeling, but the Arabs have none; and are a 

 very bad people. Arabs will kill a man to get the money in his 

 pocket; and he had known of their killing their parents, when they 

 hai)pened to have property. A blind man had mentioned several in- 

 stances of theft, accomplished by Arabs taking advantage of his in- 

 firmity. The Negroes are fools; but if they had knowledge, like the 

 Arabs, they would be a belter people." Sadik was for a time enrap- 



