The noble bosom of the strait bore several dhows speeding in and
out of the bay of Zanzibar with bellying sails. Towards the
south, above the sea line of the horizon, there appeared the naked
masts of several large ships, and to the east of these a dense mass
of white, flat-topped houses. This was Zanzibar, the capital of the
island;--which soon resolved itself into a pretty large and compact
city, with all the characteristics of Arab architecture. Above
some of the largest houses lining the bay front of the city
streamed the blood-red banner of the Sultan, Seyd Burghash, and the
flags of the American, English, North German Confederation, and
French Consulates. In the harbor were thirteen large ships, four
Zanzibar men-of-war, one English man-of-war--the `Nymphe,' two
American, one French, one Portuguese, two English, and two German
merchantmen, besides numerous dhows hailing from Johanna and
Mayotte of the Comoro Islands, dhows from Muscat and Cutch--traders
between India, the Persian Gulf, and Zanzibar.

It was with the spirit of true hospitality and courtesy that
Capt. Francis R. Webb, United States Consul, (formerly of the
United States Navy), received me. Had this gentleman not rendered
me such needful service, I must have condescended to take board and
lodging at a house known as "Charley's," called after the
proprietor, a Frenchman, who has won considerable local notoriety
for harboring penniless itinerants, and manifesting a kindly
spirit always, though hidden under such a rugged front; or I
should have been obliged to pitch my double-clothed American drill
tent on the sandbeach of this tropical island, which was by no
means a desirable thing.

But Capt. Webb's opportune proposal to make his commodious and