May 1861.] 



Notes on Zanguebar. 



87 



have been equipped every year, one of which goes to Lon- 

 don, one to France, one to Bombay and Muscat, and one to Singa- 

 pore. The season of armament of these ships is from October to 

 January; it is a time of excitement for his Highness and all his 

 family, including even the immured ladies of his own and his son's 

 harems. Every one prepares his or her little venture for each 

 ship, and orders for the return cargo ; but it is most curious to see 

 the proceedings at the dockyards, —if indeed I can call it a dock- 

 yard, — if I may apply a term suggestive of all that is order, intel- 

 ligence and economy, to the damp and crowded godowns, where 

 the stores of the disarmed ships are huddled together without any 

 distinction or arrangement. 



A Nakoodah wants a new topsail for his ship of 600 tons, he 

 walks into the godown, and assisted by a gang of his lascars he 

 drags forth a topsail, or may be a main or foresail, belonging to 

 another ship of double the tonnage ; the sail is rescued from un- 

 der a heap of blocks, ropes, grapnels, chains, casks, &c. and out of 

 the bundle issue a number of discontented rat?, who immediately 

 make for another undisturbed sail ; the costly piece of canvass is 

 unfolded and spread on the ground ; it is full of holes made by 

 the tenants lately dislodged, — but that does not matter,— the Na- 

 koodah with the help of some sail-maker marks off in the centre 

 of this immense sail, the dimensions of that which he is in want 

 of ; the new topsail is cut, the holes made by the rats are patched, 

 and the remnant of the canvass, sometimes equal to the part 

 turned to immediate use, is carelessly rolled up and sent on board 

 his ship, where the lascars very soon manage to appropriate a few 

 yards of it for bags, south westers and frocks for themselves. 



If we return to the godown we shall perhaps find two different 

 parties of lascars, each under the direction of their respective 

 Nakoodah, pulling from under the rubbish some fine piece of coir, 

 or perchance of fine hemp rope, brought from Europe by one of 

 the ships on some former voyage : each gang pulls as hard as pos- 

 sible and coils the rope as fast as it comes out, when suddenly 

 both parties came to a stand, they have pulled on both ends of the 

 rope and have reached the middle of the coil ; after disputing for 

 a moment, no party being disposed to give up his share of the con- 



