/*7*

NARRATIVE
OF A
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY
TO
AFRICA AND ARABIA.
VOL. I.

LONDON
PRINTED BY SAMBEL BENTI.EY,
Dorset Street, Fleet Street.

NARRATIVE
OF A
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY
TO
AFRICA AND ARABIA,
PERFORMED IN HIS MAJESTY'S SHIPS
LEVEN AND BARRACOUTA,
FROM 1821 TO 1826.
UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPT. F. W. OWEN, R.N.
BT
CAPT. THOMAS BOTELER, R.N.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.

LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET,
3&uUis!i)tt in <&vBimx$ to &fe iKajejitg.
1835.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS
BY THE EDITOR.

The Editor of this Journal deems it necessary
to furnish some explanation for the delay that
has occurred in its publication. The calamitous
circumstances which have occasioned that delay
are related in the accompanying brief memoir,
and it is hoped that they will give it an ad
ditional interest, and obtain for it the indul
gence of the public.
Thomas Boteler, Esq. Commander R. N.
whose Journal is here laid before the public,
was the fifth son of the late William Boteler,
Esq. F.A.S. a gentleman of an ancient and
respectable family, for many generations settled
at Eastry, in Kent, by his second wife, Mary,

VI PRELIMINARY REMARKS
daughter of the late Captain John Harvey, R.N.
who so much distinguished himself on the me
morable 1st of June, 1794. At a very early age
Mr. Boteler entered the naval service, with a
degree of ardour and enthusiasm seldom if ever
surpassed, and was promoted to the rank of
lieutenant on the 5th October 1816. He con
tinued actively employed in the West Indies
till the end of 1818, when he returned to his
family ; but, soon tiring of a life of inactivity,
he undertook a pedestrian tour through France
and Italy, during which his enterprising mind
was employed in acquiring information, and in
perfecting himself in the French and Italian
languages. Of this tour he wrote a highly en
tertaining diary, which he purposed publishing
at some future period.
In July 1821, an expedition was formed for
an extensive survey of the Eastern Coast of
Africa, under the command of Captain Owen ;
and Lieutenant Boteler, after undergoing a
strict examination as to his competency for
such a service, was, in the following September,

BY THE EDITOR. Vll
appointed second lieutenant of the Leven, com
manded by Captain W. F. Owen. In De
cember 1822, in consequence of the death of
Captain Cutfield of the Barracouta, Lieutenant
Vidal was appointed to the command of that
sloop, and Lieutenant Boteler his first lieute
nant and assistant surveyor. Whilst perform
ing these arduous duties, he commenced a
journal for his own amusement, and after
wards continued it with a view to publication,
having first received the sanction of Captain
Owen, and the full approbation of his superior
officers. At the termination of this interesting survey
in September 1826, Lieutenant Boteler returned
to his family, and was immediately promoted to
the rank of commander. In the midst of pre
parations for the publication of his Journal, and
the arrangement of a large and valuable collec
tion of natural curiosities,* obtained during the
* Since presented to the Naval and Military Museum by
his mother (Mrs. Boteler), who was immediately compli
mented by being made an honorary member.

Vlll PRELIMINARY REMARKS
survey, he received information that Captain
Owen had been directed to publish an account
of the expedition in his own name. Captain
Boteler instantly forwarded his Journal to Cap
tain Owen, in order that he might make such
extracts as might be considered useful for his
" Narrative." After bestowing so much labour
on a work, the produce of many a weary hour
at night, thus depriving himself of that rest
so requisite in such a deadly climate, Captain
Boteler naturally felt this as a disappointment,
from which, however, his mind was soon di
verted by his being employed (in 1827) at the
Hydrographic Office, in preparing the charts
of the Leven and Barracouta for publication.
There he was engaged for six months without
intermission. His present Majesty, then Lord High Ad
miral, had received such flattering accounts of
Lieutenant Boteler's attention to the work, and
the abilities shown by him throughout his oc
cupation, that, on volunteering to conduct a
survey of the Western Coast of Africa from

BY THE EDITOR. ix
Cape Spartel to the Line ; and the plan which
he drew up and submitted to the inspection of
his Royal Highness being received with appro
bation; he was, on the 26th of October 1827,
appointed by his Royal Highness to the com
mand of his Majesty's sloop Hecla, to be ac
companied for that purpose by the Albatross
tender, with permission to select his own
officers. The fatal termination of that expedition is
well known. The mournful intelligence of his
having fallen a victim to the climate, on the
28th November 1829, subsequently to the loss
of nearly all his crew, was received by his family
in the March following. This afflicting event
was the more deeply felt by them, from the
circumstance of his having addressed a letter
to his mother, to whom he was devotedly at
tached, only a few hours before he was at
tacked by the fatal fever; intimating that,
having nearly completed the survey of the
most pestilential part of the coast, he was about
to sail for St. Helena, in order to recruit the

X PRELIMINARY REMARKS
health of the few remaining of his crew ; and
that he looked forward with the most sanguine
hope that, in the course of a few months, it
would be finished, and that he should have the
happiness of again enjoying the society of his
family. Providence, however, had decreed it
otherwise ; and thus terminated, in the prime
of life, the career of this able and enterprising
young officer, at a time when he might have
reasonably entertained hopes of shortly being
rewarded by professional promotion for all the
perils and dangers which he had encountered.
He was greatly distinguished for the energy
of his mind and the integrity of his character,
which, united with a winning simplicity of
manner, rendered him generally beloved. His
conduct as a son was most exemplary ; and the
affecting circumstance of his having given di
rections, when in the very agony of death, that
a near relative should be solicited cautiously to
impart the intelligence of his death to his mo
ther, evinces his affection and tender solicitude
towards her. During his short and fatal illness

BY THE EDITOR. XI
he showed a remarkable calmness ; and in his
last moments was sufficiently collected to have
different papers, public and private, brought
to him for his signature ; and particularly the
ship's orders, directing the Hecla to proceed to
England. It is much to be lamented that these
directions were counter-ordered at St. Helena,
since it occasioned much confusion ; and to
this circumstance may be attributed the loss
of Captain Boteler's papers, for few of them
ever reached his mother.
It was a considerable time after this de
plorable event, that, as Captain Owen's long-
expected Narrative did not make its appear
ance, his family determined on the publication
of Captain Boteler's Journal, in case it should
be sanctioned by the Admiralty ; and for that
purpose placed it in the hands of his younger
brother, the Rev. Edward Boteler ; but a few
weeks only elapsed ere this amiable and re
gretted young man was seized with an ill
ness, which in a few days terminated in his
death.

Xll PRELIMINARY REMARKS
This severe affliction caused another delay in
the publication of Captain Boteler's Journal,
and the intention was relinquished; but soon
after this second bereavement, intelligence was
received that his elder brother, Lieut. -Colonel
Boteler, who had shortly before been appointed
to the engineer command at Halifax, was about
to return home, in order to afford his family
some consolation in their affliction : but a third
calamity awaited them ; for the Calypso packet,
in which he sailed from Halifax, on the 29th
January 1833, was supposed to have foundered
at sea, never having since been heard of.
It was long, very long, after this painful
event, when all reasonable hope of his being
restored to his friends had fled, that the Editor,
actuated by an ardent desire to do justice to
a brother's memory, determined on the publi
cation of this Journal. He considered that,
notwithstanding the appearance of numerous
extracts from Captain Boteler's Journal in
Captain Owen's " Narrative," there was still
much left that might interest the public ; and,

BY THE EDITOR. Xlll
through the kindness of Captain Beaufort the
Hydrographer, he received official permission
from the Admiralty to lay his brother's ac
count of the voyage before the world.
Eastry, March 1835.

THE

AUTHOR'S PREFACE.

I have endeavoured to render the following
narrative acceptable to the general reader, by
abstaining as much as possible from professional
technicalities, as well as from astronomical and
hydrographical minutiae
Most of the materials which compose the
work are extracted from my own Journal,
written at the time ; the rest I have collected
from various gentlemen, whose kind contribu
tions I have acknowledged in the course of the
voyage, and from the best authorities that I
could procure.
It was my intention at first to confine my
Narrative to the relation of such facts alone as
passed under our own observation ; yet, when
I reflected that the East Coast of Africa is at

xvi THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
present so little known, I considered it my duty
to lay before the public all the information that
I could collect : for, although our means of
obtaining it were much limited, on account of
our constant occupation in surveying, yet they
have been great, considering the extent of coast
to which they relate, and the objects worthy of
notice along it, which otherwise would pro
bably have remained in the same oblivion in
which they have been buried for ages. Thus,
for example, the city of Melinda, the very site
of which is at present not perfectly known, is
described in some modern works on geography
as existing in the same flourishing state as it
did some centuries back. I am aware that, in
swerving from my first intention, I may be led
into erroneous statements ; I have, however,
been at great pains to avoid such, by comparing
the different authorities, and carefully rejecting
everything that did not appear to me to be
sufficiently authenticated, more especially in
the relation of facts discreditable to individuals
among the Portuguese.

THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE. X\'ii
In describing the natives, I have endeavoured
to convey to the reader the first impressions
which I received myself on communicating
with them ; and for this purpose I have in
some instances considered it necessary to imi
tate their peculiar way of speaking English,
without which the pith of their observations
in conveying their ideas, and the descriptions
which they gave of their own habits and cus
toms, would be in a great measure lost, as well
as the humour of many a conversation, that
afforded at the time so much amusement to the
listeners. As I had no intention, until the latter period
of the voyage, of undertaking to write a Nar
rative, the task has been rendered doubly ar
duous. Should the work be deemed worthy of
the public approbation, I shall consider myself
rewarded for my labour ; but, be the result
what it may, I shall at least feel that I have
done my best to deserve it.

VOL. I.

CONTENTS

THE FIRST VOLUME.

CHAPTER I.
Introductory Observations. — Object of the Expedition. —
Departure from England — Arrival at Lisbon. — Madeira. —
Teneriffe. — Arrival at the Island of Sal. — Lieutenant Reitz
meets with a serious accident  The Martinvas Rocks, and
Island of Trinidad. — Arrival at Rio Janeiro. — A Tender
purchased. — Departure from Rio Janeiro. — A Seaman
drowned. — Arrival at the Cape. — Some Kaffers taken on
board as Interpreters. . . . Page 1
CHAPTER II.
Departure from the Cape and Arrival at Delagoa. — Re
marks on the exclusive Claim of the Portuguese to the
Trade of that place. — Description of the Bay. — Its Inhabit
ants. — Native Boats. — Dance of the Women. — Portuguese
Fort and Garrison. — Delagoa Huts. — Anecdotes of two of
our Kaffers. — English Bill, or Shannuahguahvah. — A Visit
to the Prince Sllanghelley. — The Cockburn arrives. 17

XX CONTENTS.

CHAPTER III.
Account of the Oratontahs. — Occurrences during the
Survey of the Rivers Temby and Mattol. — A young Hippo
potamus caught. — Attack of a Hippopotamus on one of the
Boats. — Interview with Oratontahs. — Description of their
Chief, Tchintchingahney. — Night Attack by Oratontahs on
our Encampment. — Remarks on the Conduct to be adopted
towards Savages. .... Page 47
CHAPTER IV.
Examination of the Dundas River. — Misery of the Temby
Refugees. — Hippopotami. — Interview with some Natives. —
Hippopotamus Traps. — Smoking the Hubble-Bubble. — Ar
rival of the Barracouta. — Death of Mr. Tambs. — A wounded
Black. — Atrocious Cruelty of the Commandant of the Por
tuguese Fort. — Native Market on board. — Schooner arrives,
and ascends Dundas River. — Her Boat attacked by an Hip
popotamus. . . . . . .77
CHAPTER V.
Embassy to King Maietta, of Temby. — Death of Captain
Lechmere. — Mohambetey put to death. — The Leven quits
the River. — Alarm of the Natives on board of her  Explo
ration of the Manice. — Canoes. — Interview with the Ora-
tontah Army. — Delagoa prudence. — Death of Acting
Lieutenant Gibbons. — Death of Captain Cutfield. — Treat
ment adopted by the Natives for the Fever. . .108
CHAPTER VI.
Departure from Delagoa. — Deaths on the Passage. —
Arrival at the Island of St- Mary, Madagascar. — Occurrences

CONTENTS. XXI
there — Description of the Island. — French Settlement.—
Natives. — Their Dress. — Dances of the Women. — Canoes.
— Whale Fishing. — Washing. — Bamboo Water-vessels. — ¦
Native Manufactures. — Prostitution of Daughters by Pa
rents. — Policy of the French on the Island. -Its Productions.
— Fever, and Treatment for it by the Natives. — Deaths from
Fever. — Deserters. .... Page 139
CHAPTER VII.
The Ships call at the Island of Johanna. — The Author
goes on shore. — Dangerous Landing. — deception by the
Natives. — Lord Rodney. — Interview with the King. — Visit
to Prince Alee. — Dealings with the Natives. — Their Cha
racter. — Visit to Mozambique. — Description of the City.
— Its Population and Commerce. — Impolicy of the Portu
guese Government. — Narrow Escape of the Barracouta from
Shipwreck on the Morgincale Shoal. — Appearance of the
Coast. — Return to Delagoa. — The Ship loses two Anchors.
— Rejoins the Leven in English River. . . 159
CHAPTER VIII.
Arrival of the Syncapore with a new Governor for the
Fort. — Arrival of the Orange Grove and of Commodore
Nourse. — A Tornado. — Death of two of the Cockburn's
Crew. — She ascends the River Mapoota, and is followed by
the Syncapore and Orange Grove. — Communication with the
King of Mapoota. — Messrs. Hood and Tudor's Expedition
in the boats. — A young Alligator shot and eaten. — Acci
dental Conflagration. — Return to the Schooner. — The two
Kaffers desert ; one of them drowned. — Of the trade of the
Mapoota. — Death of Mr. Conolly. — Mosquitoes. — Death of
Messrs. Hood and Joyce. — Lieutenant Owen taken ill. —

XX11 CONTENTS.
Sensation on board the Leven on observing the forsaken ap
pearance of the Schooner. — The Survivors of her Crew taken
on board that Ship. — Fate of the Crews of the Syncapore
and Orange Grove. — Seizure of these two Vessels by the
Portuguese, and their restitution to Captain Owen. — English
Bill. — His diverting Account of his Visit to Commodore
Nourse. — Departure from Delagoa. — Anecdotes. — Arrival at
Algoa. — Part of the Crew of the Dutch Frigate Zeepaard,
lately wrecked, taken on board. — Arrival at the Cape. — Loss
of the Cockburn. .... Page 189
CHAPTER IX.
Leave the Cape. — Arrival at Algoa Bay. — Captain Owen
visits the London Missionary Settlements of Bethelsdorp
and Uitenhage — Scenery on the Kaffer Coast. — Arrival off
Quilimane. — Narrow Escape of the Barracouta's Pinnace
on the Bar. — Visit to the Town of Quilimane. — Reception
of the Senna Party there. — Rollers set in  The Barracouta
nearly founders at her anchors. — She slips and enters the
River. — Grounds afterwards in her way up. — Description
of the Town of Quilimane. — Population. — Superstitious
dread of the Cameleon. — Of the Slave Trade. — A Native
Wedding. — -Mourning over a Child. — Exposure of the re
mains of the Dead — Tattooing. — Persons and Dress of the
Blacks. — Disgusting Custom of the Tribes of the Macquans
and Moganjes. — The Barracouta leaves the River and regains
her anchor. — Attack by a Seaman on an Hippopotamus. —
Sail for the River Inhambane. . . . 229
CHAPTER X.
The Senna Party leave Quilimane. — Arrive at Boca de
Rio. — Journey overland to Marooro. — Kind Reception

contents. xxiii
there by Colonel Paolo Mariano.— Mr. Forbes taken ill.—
Proceed in Canoes up the Zambese to Chapongah, the resi
dence of Donna Pascoa D'Almeyda. — Remarks on the Coun-
try- — Leave Chapongah. — Journey up the Zambese.— Na
tive Strolling Players. — Habits of the Boatmen. — Death of
Mr. Forbes. ..... Page 259
CH APTER XI
The Party arrive at Senna. — Not permitted to proceed.
— Character and Anecdotes of the Priest of Senna. — Funeral
of Mr. Forbes  Particulars respecting the Territory of
Rios de Senna. — Exorbitant Charge of the Priest for Mr.
Forbes's Funeral.- Sickness and Death of Lieutenant
Browne. — Illness of Mr. Kilpatrick  Return of the Sur
vivors to Chapongah — Death of Mr. Kilpatrick. . 288
CHAPTER XII.
Visit to the Bazruto Islands. — Costume of the Natives. — ¦
Arrival at Inhambane. — Description of an annual Fete there.
— Of the Warlike Tribes in the vicinity. — A Portuguese
Boat lost on the Bar. — Beautiful variety of Shells. — Su
perior Salubrity of the Country, and Neatness of the In
habitants of the Town. — The Marimbah, a musical instru
ment of the Natives. — Dance of the Country. . 316
CHAPTER XIII.
Departure from Inhambane, and Arrival at Sofala. — Re
ception of the Author by the Lieutenant-Governor. — The
Barracouta grounds on the Bar, and narrowly escapes
Shipwreck. — The Portuguese Pilot stabs Doctor Guland. —
Arrival of the Leven and Albatross. — Proceedings of the
former. — Account of Sofala. — Productions of the Country. —
Extraordinary Superstitions of the Natives. . 335

XXIV CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XIV.
Departure from Sofala, and Visit to the Angozha Islands.
— The Ships call at Mozambique. — The Leven sails for
Bombay, the Barracouta for Patta. — A Canoe of famished
runaway Slaves picked up. — Arrival at Guieux Bay. — Timi
dity of the Natives. — Account of Patta. — Dows. — Arrival
off Lamo. — Description of the place and of the Arabs. —
Lamo Castle. — Coasting Trade. — Account of the Gallah. —
Ignorance and Curiosity of the Arabs. — Their faith in Eu
ropean Surgeons.—Disgust on seeing a Hog for the first
time. — Departure from Lamo. — Description of the River
Oozee. — Method of taking the Hippopotamus. — Dread of
Fire-arms entertained by the Gallah. — Arrival at the Leo
pard's Reef. — Historical Remarks and Observations respect
ing the ancient City of Melinda. . . Page 363
APPENDIX.
Delagoa Vocabulary. . . . ! 40 1

LIST OF PLATES.
Women of St. Mary's, Madagascar Frontispiece to Vol. I.
Hippopotamus Trap .... Page 84
Fetiche Dance, Cape Lopez . Frontispiece to Vol. II.
Chief at Fernando Po . . . Page 424

NARRATIVE

OF THE

VOYAGE OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP
LEVEN, &c.

CHAPTER I.
Introductory Observations. — Object of the Expedition. —
Departure from England. — Arrival at Lisbon. — Madeira.
— Teneriffe. — Arrival at the Island of Sal. — Lieutenant
Reitz meets with a serious accident. — The Martinvas
Rocks, and Island of Trinidad. — Arrival at Rio Janeiro. —
A Tender purchased.- — Departure from Rio Janeiro. — A
Seaman drowned. — Arrival at the Cape. — Some Kaffers
taken on board as Interpreters.
Upwards of two thousand years before the
circumnavigation of Africa by the Portuguese,
intent on making themselves masters of the
trade of the East, the rich silks and spices of
that country were known in Europe. The
Persians, the Arabians, and the Egyptians
brought them to the ports of the Mediter
ranean, whence they were conveyed by the
VOL. I. B

2 INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS.
Venetians and the Genoese, and distributed
throughout all Europe, yielding such exorbitant
profits, that those two States, so insignificant
in size, soon attained the greatest power and
consequence, and became celebrated for their
wealth. With so important an object in view
as the engrossing of this lucrative traffic to
themselves, the enterprising spirit of the Por
tuguese of those days surmounted every diffi
culty. No hardships, no dangers, no fatigues, ¦
however appalling, could damp their courage,
or deter them from the prosecution of their
favourite scheme ; yet, as they colonised as they
proceeded, a period of sixty-eight years elapsed
from the time that they commenced with the
west coast, until the discovery of the southern
most cape by Bartholomew Diaz, in 1486.
From the weather he experienced there, this
navigator named it Tormentoso (Stormy) ; but
on his return to Portugal, John II. who then
reigned, altered it to Bona Esperansa, emble
matical of the good hope which he entertained
that its discovery would lead to the accomplish
ment of the grand object — a passage round
Africa to the East Indies.
To this result Pedro de Covilha's mission,

INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS. 3
twelve months afterwards, materially tended.
Being ordered by the king to proceed over
land to India, he went first to Alexandria,
thence to Cairo, and then to Aden, where he
embarked on board the Arabian fleet, and
arrived at Calicut, on the coast of Coromandel.
He afterwards sailed with the Arabs to Sofala,
whence he sent to the king of Portugal a chart
of the coast, but did not live to return. How
ever, the small portion, compared with the
whole, that yet remained unknown, did not
continue so long.
In 1497, Vasco da Gama completed the cir
cumnavigation of the southern extremity of
Africa, reached Calicut, and returned to Por
tugal in 1499. From this period the coast
became well known to the Portuguese, and
many settlements were formed along it ; yet
it is probable that the descriptions of them and
their progress, together with the charts which
must necessarily have been constructed, were,
for political reasons, withheld from foreigners.
Certain it is, that few of the former are to be
procured at the present day ; and those of the
latter that are attainable have suffered such
mutilations in the various copyings to which
b2

4 OBJECT OF THE EXPEDITION.
they have been subjected in the lapse of so
many years, and from the admission of erro
neous additions under the name of corrections,
that, until the voyage of the Leven and Barra
couta, not a chart was to be had of the east
coast of Africa but what teemed with errors
and inconsistencies highly discreditable to the
present state of * hydrographical knowledge.
To remove these by a strict and careful survey
of the whole eastern coast, together with Ma
dagascar and other islands adjacent, the voyage
about to be narrated was undertaken, and the
command of it given to Captain William Fitz-
william Owen, who was engaged in 1816 and
1817 in conducting an extensive survey of the
lakes and rivers of Canada.
The Leven, of twenty-eight guns, was com
missioned by him in August 1821 ; and six weeks
afterwards her consort, the Barracouta, a small
brig carrying ten guns, the command of which
was given to Captain William Cutfield. By
their commissions they were appointed survey
ors ; and they had for assistants their respective
first lieutenants, Alexander Thomas Emeril
Vidal, of the Leven, and William Mudge, of the
Barracouta.

DEPARTURE FROM ENGLAND. 5
On the 10th of January 1822, we left Wool
wich ; stopped a few days at Northfleet, three
in the Downs, and on the 27th arrived at Spit-
head. The capstans of both vessels were fitted
up on Captain Phillips's principle, with an iron
spindle, and an apparatus for producing increased
power when circumstances should render it
requisite ; and the Leven had the additional
advantage of a late invention for working the
chain-pumps. The fitting of this latter was
not completed until after our arrival at Spit-
head. Mr. Forbes, a botanist sent out by the
Horticultural Society, now joined us ; we re
ceived the remainder of our mathematical in
struments, and our order from the Admiralty ;
and, on the 11th of February 1822, left Spit-
head, and Cowes two days afterwards.
The hills of our native land gradually sunk
from our view, and that feeling which few do
not experience on taking a farewell look of
their country was checked with us by the
phantom Hope, which, hiding the dangers and
difficulties that lay in our path, encouraged us
only to look forward to the period of our re
turn, when promotion might be expected as
the reward of our efforts during the arduous

D ARRIVAL AT LISBON.
yet interesting voyage we were about to per
form. On the 23rd we arrived at Lisbon, where we
obtained a mandate from the ministry to the
Governor-general at Mozambique, enjoining
him to promote as much as he could our ar
rangements while surveying the Portuguese
possessions under his government. The rig of
the Barracouta was here altered from that of a
brig to a bark, an improvement tending to faci
litate surveying operations on the poop, and
to render the management of the vessel more
easy, when, from the absence of boats, the
number of her crew on board would of course
be considerably reduced.
On the 5th of March we left Lisbon. In
standing out at the rate of nine miles an hour,
a seaman, who was employed on one of our
yards aloft, missed his hold and fell overboard.
The patent-log was towing at the time; he
caught the line, but it was unequal to the strain,
and parted : the life-buoy was immediately
detached, and we soon had the gratification
to perceive that he had succeeded in reaching
it. He was shortly picked up and brought on
board, having fortunately sustained no injury
whatever by his fall from so great a height.

MADEIRA — TENERIFFE. 7
After a pleasant run of three days we reached
Madeira, and anchored off the town of Funchal.
The English Consul-general, Mr. Veitch, whose
kindness and hospitality are well known to
those of his countrymen who have visited Ma
deira during his residence there, paid us every
attention that could render our short stay at the
island agreeable. He turned over to our use,
as an observatory, a small and elegant pavilion
situated in a pleasant garden which he possessed
in the town ; and to those who chose to exa
mine the interior of the island his country-
house, the Jardine, was always open.
We called at Teneriffe for refreshments, and,
on the 25th of March, arrived at the Island of
Sal, one of the Cape de Verds. It was on the
summit of the Lion's Head, a mount six hun
dred and twenty feet in height, situated at the
extremity of the westernmost point of this is
land, that Lieutenant Vidal, while employed in
the Leven during her former cruise, discovered,
in surveying it, the large nest of a sea-eagle (Falco
ossifragus) full of young. He was in the act
of leaning down, with one hand resting on his
gun, to take them out, when suddenly the old
bird, who was anxiously watching his opera-

8 ISLAND OF SAL.
tions from above, pounced down, and struck
him so severe a blow on the head with her
beak, that, had it not been for the strong beaver
hat which he wore, which was hardened by
exposure to salt water and the sun, and which
she nevertheless almost severed in two, he must
have been at least severely wounded. The vio
lence of such an unexpected attack almost
struck him down on his knees, and, before he
could recover himself, the bird, baffled in her
attempt, had risen far beyond the reach of his
gun. She hovered over him as long as he con
tinued by the nest, but, perceiving that he was
on his guard, did not attempt to repeat her
attack. About a quarter of a mile from Sal, a rocky
mass rises almost perpendicularly from the sea
to the height of one hundred feet or more,
and, as it is much resorted to by sea-fowl, it is
denominated the Bird Rock. A visit to it by
Lieutenant Reitz, second of the Barracouta,
for the purpose of obtaining some astronomical
observations, was attended with a very distress
ing accident. He took his gun with him, and,
during the interval between the sights, ascended
to the summit of the rock, and there sat down

ACCIDENT TO LIEUT. REITZ. 9
at the edge of a precipice, about seventy or
eighty feet in height, and amused himself with
firing at the sea-fowl as they flew past. He
had not long been occupied thus, when he per
ceived the rock on which he sat to move ; he
threw himself back, but it was too late : the
mass had already quitted its bed, and he fell
with it to the bottom of the abyss beneath,
where the large fragment, after crushing his
gun, passed over his right thigh and ankle,
fractured them both, and severely bruised the
flesh. He was picked up in a state of insen
sibility, and carried on board, where it was
doubted at first whether he would survive :
after much suffering, however, and a repetition
of the accident, from falling down in a room
in his father's house at the Cape, he finally re
covered the use of the limb, so as to feel no
other effect from the injury than a lameness,
which never left him.
After leaving Sal, we visited various other
of the Cape de Verd Islands, and finally quitted
that of St. Jago on the 3rd of April. On the
25th, in the evening, we passed the rugged mass
known by the name of the Martinvas Rocks,
and next day the Island of Trinidad. On the

10 RIO JANEIRO.
28th, a seaman, who had long been lingering
under a consumption, died ; a messmate, in
performing the last sad office of committing
the body to the deep, fell overboard as he was
launching the corpse, and narrowly escaped
drowning. We saw Cape Frio on the 30th of
April, and in the evening of the next day ar
rived and anchored at Rio Janeiro.
The necessity of having a small vessel to
accompany the expedition as a tender, had
been foreseen before we left England ; but, as
we had a long voyage in prospect, it was con
sidered best not to attach one to the expedition
till our arrival at the Cape, or, at all events, till
we were well towards it. At Rio we found
a vessel apparently adapted for the purpose.
Accordingly, after a survey was held in her,
she was purchased on the part of Government
by Captain Owen, and the repairs and alter
ations requisite to qualify her for the service
on which she was about to be employed were
immediately commenced, and pushed forward
with that energy and alacrity which our com
mander so well understood how to infuse into
the minds of his officers.
The vessel was an American steam-boat of

A TENDER PURCHASED. 11
160 tons burden, possessing the two desirable
requisites, good stowage and a slight draught
of water. Her name was the Braganza, and
her employment the carrying of passengers
from the city to the opposite side. At first
the novelty took, and her speculative owners
gained accordingly ; but, as curiosity became
satiated, their profits diminished, until ulti
mately they were insufficient to defray even
the expenses of the establishment.
Seamen are generally allowed to be whim
sical and fond of change ; several belonging to
us deserted at Rio, but, by an active pursuit of
them on horseback into the country, and by
searching out their retreat, we succeeded in
retaking the greater part, most of whom after
wards turned out sober, well-behaved men.
The whim was past ; and when, at a later pe
riod, some of those very men were by sickness
or other causes obliged to leave, they did so
with regret.
The Braganza was rigged as a schooner, and,
in honour of Vice-admiral Sir George Cock-
burn, named after him. During the time oc
cupied by her repairs, a small survey was car
ried on under the direction of Lieutenant

12 SEAMAN DROWNED.
Vidal, for the purpose of instructing the
beginners, among whom was Captain Charles
L<echmere, a Commander on the half-pay list,
who was permitted by the Admiralty to go out
in the Leven for the purpose of learning the
science of maritime surveying.
On the 9th of June we left Rio. On the
14th, a little before eight in the evening, one of
our seamen fell overboard from forward, and
was not missed until upwards of half an hour
had elapsed. As he did not call out imme
diately for assistance, it is probable that the
ship passed over him ; however, as he floated
past the schooner, which was in tow astern, he
gave a most piercing shriek : it was heard by
every one on board her, but although it was
remarked at the time what a death-like screech
it was, yet as, after mustering their own men,
they found that no one was missing, and
likewise observed no movement on board the
Leven, they naturally supposed that it pro
ceeded from a sea-fowl.
On the 8th July 1822, we arrived, with the
Cockburn, in Simon's Bay, Cape of Good Hope,
where we found the Barracouta, which had
parted from us on the 23rd of June. There

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 13
were also ^t anchor in the bay the Andro
mache, Commodore Nourse, the Hyperion fri
gate, and the Heron sloop.
The Cockburn, having sprung a leak on the
voyage, was hauled up in the dock-yard. This
damage was speedily repaired with the assistance
of the crews of the two frigates ; but as repairs,
when once commenced, generally lead to more
than are at first anticipated, so those of the
Cockburn gradually extended to a period of six
weeks before they were ultimately completed.
In the mean time a survey was made of False
Bay and the Cape peninsula ; and, at the ruins
of a house in the town, belonging to Govern
ment, the necessary observations were obtained
for rating the chronometers.
A few days after our arrival at Simon's Bay,
the heavy north-west gales set in ; several ships
in Table Bay were driven by them from their
anchors, and stranded on the beach. At the
approach of these gales, our barometers always
fell suddenly from 30-00 to 29'20, where they
continued until the wind had subsided. The
ravines in the lofty hills about Simon's Bay
served as funnels for the wind ; the blasts that
came down from them were violent in the ex-

14 KAFFER INTERPRETERS.
treme ; they set the surface of the water in a
foam, and brought off large columns of sand,
the particles of which were so minute as to pene
trate everywhere.
As we might probably have an opportunity
of communicating with the natives during our
survey of the Kaffer coast, Captain Owen, on
application to the Governor, Lord Charles So
merset, obtained from the prison on Robben
Island six Kaffers as interpreters. These men,
having some time before, contrary to the treaty,
passed the frontiers and entered the British
possessions, were apprehended by the boors, and
sent prisoners to the Cape. They were mostly
fine-looking men; two of them, Yacob and Fire,
indeed remarkably so — the former a tall com
manding figure ; the latter middle-sized, robust,
and possessing an arch and pleasing expression
of countenance. Yacob had been a chief in his
own country, and Fire a warrior. When they
were first brought down to us by a police-officer,
they were in a state by no means creditable to
the cleanliness or humanity of those to whom
the superintendence of the prison belonged.
They were wrapped in the skins of wild beasts,
putrid with filth, and swarming with vermin.

KAFFER INTERPRETERS. 15
They quitted the shore with a heavy heart,
for Kaffers have an unaccountable dread of the
water; and their countenances, as they ap
proached the ship, exhibited visible anxiety as
to their future fate : yet they could not but
feel that, however hard it should turn out,
it could scarcely be more miserable than that
which they had just experienced. Once on
board, their gloomy reflections, if not entirely
removed, at least soon admitted of a pleasing
comparison between the comforts and liberty
that they now enjoyed and their loathsome
captivity on Robben Island. Their skins were
thrown overboard, their arms released, and in
a short time there was no distinction between
them and the rest of the crew in regard to food,
dress, and treatment. Fire and Yacob, from
their superiority to their comrades, quickly in
gratiated themselves with the officers and sea
men ; although their messmates at first com
plained of the inordinate appetites of these
Kaffers, who, no doubt recollecting their late
privations,! thought, like the Bosjesmans, to pro
vide by repletion to-day against the probable
wants of to-morrow. It appeared as if they
could not imagine that their present good fare

16 KAFFER INTERPRETERS.
was to last for any length of time, and conse
quently that it behoved them in prudence to
avail themselves of it while it did. It is the
custom of their country to eat the entrails of
bullocks in an uncleaned state, and almost raw ;
this they exemplified a day or two after they
came on board, much to the astonishment and
amusement of our seamen, especially as they
had not long risen from their dinner below,
where they had evinced no lack of appetite.

DELAGOA. 1 7

CHAPTER II.
Departure from the Cape and Arrival at Delagoa. — Remarks
on the exclusive Claim of the Portuguese to the Trade of
that place. — Description of the Bay. — Its Inhabitants. —
Native Boats. — Dance of the Women. — Portuguese Fort
and Garrison. — Delagoa Huts. — Anecdotes of two of our
Kaffers. — English Bill, or Shannuahguahvah. — A Visit to
the Prince Sllanghelley  The Cockburn arrives.
On the 3rd of August the Barracouta left the
Cape, with directions to survey the coast as far
as Delagoa, and on the 12th of September we
followed. The Cockburn's equipment not being com
pleted, she was detained some days longer. On
the 15th we reached Algoa, where we stopped
seven days, and then sailed for Delagoa Bay.
We entered it on the 27th ; but, having been
obliged by light airs and an adverse tide to
bring to for the night outside the bar, we did
not reach our ultimate destination, off the Por
tuguese Fort and Factory at the entrance of
VOL. I. C

18 PORTUGUESE CLAIM TO THE
English River, until four on the following morn
ing. We found there two English whalers;
one of which, during the season that was just
over, had obtained a full cargo of sperm-oil, off
the Starbank, near the southern end of Mada
gascar, and was on the point of returning to
England. Delagoa is the southernmost establishment of
the Portuguese on the east coast of Africa;
although they claim a territorial dominion as
far as Point Natal, probably because their ances
tors were the first discoverers of this coast.
Some extend the limits of their visionary pos
sessions, for such in reality they are, even be
yond Algoa Bay, and consider that establish
ment as an encroachment on them. Whatever
tract of country they may claim, and however
they may choose to consider themselves entitled
to prohibit foreign vessels from trading with the
natives except through their hands, certain it is
that, strictly speaking, they can call nothing
their own but the ground on which their Fort
stands ; they have no jurisdiction, neither do
they consider themselves able to afford protec
tion, beyond those limits. They assert that the
land is theirs ; if so, surely the natives who

TRADE OF DELAGOA. 19
reside on it should be protected by them, or, at
all events, assisted in repelling invasion : but
so far from that, the Portuguese even profess
themselves to be at amity with the invading
power, and purchase from it the very plunder
taken from those whom, when convenient, they
choose to term their subjects. In the territory
of Mafoomo, in which their Fort is built, and
the neighbouring district of Mattol, they forci
bly exercise at times a more despotic authority
than they dare attempt on the opposite side of
the river. A native is forbidden to trade, ex
cept by their permission, under the penalty of
death. Yet this authority, claimed and exer
cised at the time, argues not possession of the
country ; it consists merely in the forcible
seizure of a native by an armed force, in a
situation where no such thing exists as civil
arrangements for quiet occupation and interior
government. Until within the last two or three years, a
present was annually made by the Portuguese
to the King of Mafoomo and Temby, Mattol,
Moamba, and also to the King of Mapoy, in
acknowledgment for the ground on which their
present Fort stands, and for that on which it
c 2

20 DELAGOA BAY.
was formerly erected on the Temby side. The
discontinuance of this practice was owing to
the non-arrival of government-stores for traffic
for one or two years by the usual conveyance,
an annual vessel from Mozambique. This ves
sel used to call at Quilimane, Sofala, Inhambane,
and Delagoa, and to bring back in return for
the government-supply of the last year the
ivory, gold-dust, &c. that had been collected
during that time.
Before I enter upon the details of our opera
tions during our stay at Delagoa, and a descrip
tion of the manners and customs of the natives,
I shall give a brief account of the Bay, its
islands, and rivers.
It was originally called after its first disco
verer, Lorenzo Marques, who was among the
earliest of the Portuguese voyagers ; but, at pre
sent, it is more generally known among the
English and Americans by the name of Delagoa,
although the Portuguese and French still re
tain the old appellation. Though it is crossed
at its entrance by a bar, on which, during the
south-east monsoon, the sea breaks with inex
pressible fury ; yet it is accessible to vessels of
the largest class, and is the most considerable

DELAGOA BAY. 21
bay on the east coast of Africa, both on ac
count of its extent, and of the deep and large
rivers that discharge themselves into it. It is
upwards of forty miles long and sixteen deep;
and to the southward it runs a great distance
back, leaving between it and the sea a narrow
neck of land, forming the small peninsula of
Inyack ; off the northern extremity of which,
divided by a narrow channel, is the island of
the same name, or, as it is more generally term
ed, St. Mary. This island is about seven miles
long and three and a half broad, and in its
sandy formation and middling height it resem
bles the sea-boundary of the land to the south
ward. Elephant Island is small, sandy, and
low, and is situated near that of St. Mary, at a
short distance inside of its northern extremity.
Shefean, which lies at the entrance of the Ma-
nice, is likewise low and sandy : it is upwards
of five miles in length, but very narrow.
The three principal rivers that empty them
selves into Delagoa Bay are, the Mapoota to the
southward, English River in the depth, and the
Manice to the northward.
In 1670, when Ogilby published his History
of Africa, it appears that the latter was con si-

22 DELAGOA BAY.
dered as a very extensive river; a reputation
which there is little doubt it acquired only
from that love of the marvellous, which per
vaded so many of the works of the old voy
agers. By them it is made to flow from a con
jectured lake, termed Goyame, some hundred
miles inland, and through that to communicate
with the Zambesi, of which the Quilimane and
Luabo are but two of the seven mouths that
discharge its waters into the sea. From the
erroneous latitude which Ogilby attributes to
the Manice, one might feel inclined to doubt
whether it is the same river that we surveyed ;
but his description and chart prove beyond a
doubt that it is.
Huddart, in his East India Directory, ob
serves that several acts of treachery have been
at different times perpetrated by the savages
inhabiting the country for some distance up the
rivers ; and he relates two circumstances of this
kind that occurred to the same person, who was
the master of an English merchant-vessel en
gaged in trading with the natives of Temby
for ivory and gold dust. The savages, after
they had nothing more to sell, concerted a stra
tagem for seizing the master, accomplished

DELAGOA BAY. 23
their purpose, and did not deliver him up until
a very large ransom was paid. On the return
of the same person to Delagoa, in 1709, he as
cended the Manice, where he was attacked by
the natives and his mate murdered ; he himself
would have shared the same fate, had not his
coat, which they had grasped, been fortunately
torn off in the scuffle, and thus afforded him
facility to escape.
In consequence of the great deposit ejected
from the rivers, Delagoa Bay is in many parts
shoal, and has banks and flats that render the
navigation rather intricate to those who are
unacquainted with the place. Its shores are
generally low, swampy, and lined with man
groves, and at high tide are in part overflowed.
On each side of English River the land is rather
high, and, owing to the nature of the soil, its
steep bank-boundary has a reddish cast.
The different kingdoms and territories situ
ated around the bay are as follows : — Mapoota,
of which Inyack may be termed a dependency,
is comprised between the river that bears its
name and the sea. Temby extends from the
Mapoota to Dundas River; where commences
the territory of Mattol. The Portuguese fac-

24 INHABITANTS OF THE BAY.
tory is in Mafoomo, a small district that ex
tends no farther inland than the lake Moonyu-
ana, on the opposite side of which is Maghoy.
Next to Mafoomo is Mabota, and farther on
Sherimba, through which the Manice passes to
the sea. Having thus given a slight sketch of
Delagoa Bay, I shall resume the thread of my
narrative. The Portuguese Fort is situated on the left
bank of English River, about three miles from
its mouth, in latitude 25° 58', and longitude
32° 32'. On the morning after our arrival a na
tive boat came alongside with four savages. A
description of the first who made his appearance
on deck will suffice to give a general notion of
the various tribes that inhabit the vicinity of
the bay. He was a perfect black, tall, muscular,
and well set, with a short thick neck and small
head. His mouth was small, as were also his
lips ; he had large eyes, and his nose, though
rather broad, was straight, and otherwise well
proportioned. His forehead was high and com
manding, and thence to the back of his head
the black woolly hair was allowed to grow in a
narrow line to its full length ; in every other
part it was shaved close, with the exception of

NATIVE BOATS. 25
just sufficient at intervals to render apparent
the outline of some fanciful design. His neck
was adorned by two strings of black and white
earthenware beads, and a third, composed of a
sort of small shells resembling cowries, a num
ber of birds' claws, some medicinal roots, and a
small calabash, or a piece of ivory hollowed out,
to hold snuff or tobacco. To these strings were
likewise attached a few common brass buttons,
highly polished, and a curiously-formed whis
tle, by which he could command his cattle, or
summon his wives to his presence. He was
absolutely naked, excepting a curiously-orna
mented piece of workmanship in straw, which
was fastened on before.
The boat (for they have no canoes) that
brought the natives on board was of the rudest
and most uncouth construction that can be well
imagined. In shape it resembled a broad wedge,
the two largest sides being slightly convex ; and
it was formed of clumsy misshapen planks, at
tached together by means of the ligneous fibres
of flexible shrubs. These, independently of
that use, embraced a quantity of reeds, which
served to close the wide seams between the
planks. The seats projected through the sides

26 NATIVE BOATS.
upwards of half a foot; and the prow was formed
by a large log of wood, the continuation of
which below served for the keel. The top of
this was elevated a little above the line of the
boat's gunwale, and was surmounted by a rudely-
carved ball, which in one instance was fashioned
out into a ludicrous representation of the human
countenance. The oars consisted of long staves,
having a flat piece of board shaped like the spade
on cards ; and the sail was composed of three or
four heavy mats sewed together : this they had
no idea of managing, unless before the wind, or
at all events nearly so. Even then, and in fact
when only using their oars, they showed an
awkwardness in managing their boats almost
incredible when it is considered what practice
they must have. The arrival of the first was
quickly followed by that of several more, some
of which were laden with poultry, vegetables,
and other articles for sale; but by far the greatest
number with women, or, as they are termed by
the Delagoa people when conversing with the
English, queens.
The women of Delagoa are mostly of small
stature, and although none could be termed
really handsome, yet the faces of many had a

WOMEN OF DELAGOA. 27
pleasing expression. Some few were likewise
beautifully formed, but the generality other
wise, especially such of them as had borne chil
dren. They went naked, with the exception of
a small piece of dungaree, about eight inches
broad, attached in front to a single or double
row of beads or shells, supported by their hips,
and brought to a knot behind, from which was
suspended a string of ten or a dozen iron balls,
in a high state of polish, from the constant fric
tion to which they were subjected. Their hair
was in the same fashion as that of the men, only
they wore no top-knot, and were a little more
fanciful in their ornamental designs ; among
which the representation of a tobacco-pipe was
often exhibited, it being the favourite luxury
of both sexes at Delagoa. A few of the women
had their teeth filed like a saw, but the custom
was not common. Although the enamel is in
great part destroyed by this practice, I have
never observed that the soundness of the teeth
was affected by it.
As these people came on board, they repaired
to the forecastle, and, when all were assembled,
they prepared for and commenced their dance.
Crouching down on their hams, they formed a

28 DANCE OF THE WOMEN.
ring around the performer or performers, (for
sometimes there were two,) and began screaming
forth in united inharmonious strains a clamorous
chorus to the piercing treble ditty of the dancers,
who beat time while pounding the deck with
their heels and writhing their ^odies about in
all the various contortions into which they could
possibly throw them. At times the chorus was
enforced by the loud clapping of hands ; and at
others one of the surrounding throng arose, and,
stretching herself to the greatest possible height,
clasped her arms together above the performers'
heads, and then, turning round, threw them
forcibly from her, as if, having caught the evil
genius that presided, she essayed to banish him
from the presence of the festive assembly.
Between the dances they amused themselves
with conversation and smoking. They seldom
had more than one pipe among them, which
they passed from one to another, eagerly ex
tracting from it in turns the largest quantity of
smoke they possibly could at one effort. On
first coming on board, their countenances ex
hibited a great vacancy and stupidity of expres
sion ; this, however, quickly disappeared when
once they joined in the dance.

PORTUGUESE COMMANDANT. 29
The whalers, when employed in fishing in the
Bay, are in the habit of hiring the natives for a
mere trifle to perform such duties as would ex
pose their own men to the baneful effects of the
climate, so prejudicial to a European constitu
tion : hence it is that the English language is
understood and spoken by many of the Delagoa
men, and by some few remarkably well.
On the morning of the 29th, the Portuguese
commandant came on board to pay his respects
to Captain Owen ; and very obligingly resigned
to him, as an observatory, the residence of the
deceased Governor, a building which, although
very miserable, was the best in the place. It
was situated in the front of the village, near the
beach, at a short distance from the gate of the
Fort. In the evening the instruments were
lodged in it, and at night the astronomical ob
servations were commenced by Lieut. Vidal and
Mr. Gibbons; the latter of whom, with two sea
men, was ordered to reside on shore and take
charge of the establishment.
On the first of October the two whalers
sailed. In the course of the forenoon Signor
Terceira, the Portuguese lieutenant, called on
board, and, among other things, informed us

30 PORTUGUESE FORT
that those who had never seen a hippopotamus
might easily gratify their curiosity by taking
a walk to Lake Moonyuana, not far from the
back of the village, where those animals abound
ed. A party of the officers was accordingly
formed for the purpose ; and it was agreed
that, as a mark of attention, we should, pre
viously to setting out, call and pay our respects
to the commandant at his quarters in the Fort.
We found him and his wife in their mise
rable whitewashed mud dwelling, the comfort
of which was by no means increased by furni
ture or cleanliness. The humblest cottager in
England can boast of a better home, at all
events of as good a one. The Fort was a
wretched structure of mud and stakes, and
such was the honeycombed state of the ord
nance, that one might feel inclined to doubt
whether the assailant would not be safer than
the gunner who would have to discharge the
piece. It was a major's command ; but the last officer
who held that situation, reduced by ennui and
disease to a state of melancholy and despair,
put a period to his life with his own sword, a
few months previously to our arrival, leaving

AND GARRISON. 31
the command of the Fort to the captain, who
had under him a lieutenant, adjutant, and
fifty or sixty black soldiers, most of whom were
sent thither for punishment.
The pay of the officers and men was very
trifling, and they received it in dungaree and
rice : of the former, a private had but one piece,
eight yards in length, and eighty pounds of the
latter, per month, and the quantity which the
officers had beyond that was very trifling. To
make amends, the trade was entirely in their
own hands : they were the sole merchants, and
could, if they chose, take care of themselves.
It was reported that the acting governor and
the adjutant belonged to the convict portion
of the garrison ; whether this were so or not,
we could never ascertain : however, it is cer
tain that the lieutenant did. His offence, the
punishment for which he used to bewail and
consider by far too severe, was throwing over
board from a boat and drowning a priest who
interfered with his gallantries to his sister.
The offence was great ; but, as there was no
reason to believe that the fatal result '"which
attended it was at all anticipated when the act
was committed, the punishment was certainly

32 LIEUTENANT TERCEIRA.
severe. Deprived of all society, and exposed
to the effects of an unhealthy clime, he spent
the comfortless, sickly term of his existence in
a wretched hovel, beside a stagnant marsh, at
the back of the Fort and village, which almost
forms an island of the low sandy spot on which
they are built. Notwithstanding the folly of
this young man, and the crime to which it led,
he was still in his conduct and attainments far
superior to the other two : a tolerable propor
tion of general information, persevering in
dustry in mercantile pursuits, a partial know
ledge of the French and English languages,
together with a humane solicitude and attention
to the sick, constituted features in Terceira's
character and acquirements.
After leaving the Fort, we repaired to the
village close adjoining. It was principally in
habited by Portuguese soldiers and their slaves.
The huts composing it were mostly small, of
an oblong form, whitewashed, mud-built, and
thatched with reeds. We looked in at the
lieutenant's residence ; and then, crossing the
marsh, commenced our walk into the country,
conducted by George, the coxswain of the
lieutenant's boat.

DELAGOA VILLAGE. 33
We turned a little from our path to examine
a Delagoa village, which, studded with trees
and small cultivated spots of ground, occupied
a large space, although there were not many
buildings. The huts were circular, and the
walls, about five feet high, made of large
stakes neatly interwoven with brushwood or
reeds without, and covered inside with a hard
plaster. Above this the roof, most ingeniously
formed of reeds, tapers to a point, generally
capped by a ball or fancifully-carved piece of
wood. The eaves projected three or four feet
beyond the walls, and formed a very pleasant
retreat from the scorching heat of the sun dur
ing the day. The pinnacled summit of the
hut was generally about twelve or fourteen feet
from the ground; and just under it, on the
floor, a small space, about two feet in diameter
and surrounded by a deep cut, was appropriated
for the fire ; which, however, is rarely made
there except when the nights are cold or the
weather bad, as the smoke, having no vent but
one small door, blackens the interior of the hut.
The fire in consequence is usually kindled in
the small oval court enclosed by stakes in the
front of the hut, where might be seen the
vol. i. n

34 INTERIOR OF THE HUTS.
whole family, at times lazily basking in the sun,
or eating their meals while huddled together
over the fire.
The furniture and utensils contained in the
huts generally consist of two large baskets for
rice and millet, neatly made in the shape of
jars, about three feet in height, and protected
from the damp of the floor by being elevated
on a low stand ; some ingeniously-made grass-
mats, to sleep or sit on, which, when not in use,
are rolled up and suspended to the rafters ;
earthenware and wooden culinary utensils ;
agricultural implements of rather a rough con
struction ; assagays, about five feet long, very
slight, and armed at the end with a long and
slender spear, the shoulders of which, with few
exceptions, are rounded off; circular shields,
from one foot and a half to three feet in diame
ter, made of bullock or hippopotamus hide ; and
three or four family pipes. Some few of the
huts had two walls with a passage between
them : in the outer were three doors, opposite
to the middle one of which was that of the
inner wall.
The country is by no means high, gently
undulating into hill and dale, and, for the most

HIPPOPOTAMUS TRAPS. 35
part very fertile : so excellent is it for the cul
tivation of Indian corn, that, when there is a
sufficient supply of rain, the blade is often
known to appear above ground in a little more
than a week after it is sown ; but, should the
weather prove dry and sultry, it is equally likely
that the crop will altogether fail.
Shortly after we had passed through the vil
lage, we reached our destination, the fresh-water
lake. It was of an oval form, and about one
mile in length. Several hippopotami were in
it, but they seldom rose, and never when near
us. Traps were constructed on the banks for
the purpose of catching them, and, that the ani
mal might be led to the snare, every other part
excepting where the traps were placed was
bounded by a fence. The animal, in passing
to graze in the neighbouring wilds, trips against
a line that communicates with a small stick,
placed across the branch of a tree above : by
this means a heavy log of wood, armed with a
sharp piece of iron, which they say is poisoned,
is detached from the stick, and, falling with
g-eat violence on the back of the unsuspecting
beast, inflicts a deep and deadly wound, wherein
the iron remains fixed, being loosely placed in
d 2

36 EXPEDITION UP TEMBY RIVER
the log of wood for that purpose. The animal,
staggering under the effects of the wound, and
in great agony, retreats precipitately to the
depths of the lake, where he soon expires ; and
his huge carcase, floating to the shore, is quickly
despoiled of its tusks and flesh. In our walk
back, we put up three small, delicately -formed
bucks, and several guinea-fowls and ducks, in
a wild state.
On the 3rd, an expedition, consisting of four
boats and thirty-two men, including the officers,
among whom were Captain Lechmere and Mr.
Forbes, the botanist, was despatched under the
direction of Lieutenant Vidal, with orders to
explore the rivers Temby and Mattol. A Por
tuguese black soldier was hired as an interpre
ter ; and, by the commandant's permission, al
lowed to accompany the party.
By the time we had reached Delagoa, Fire
and Yacob had become quite accustomed to the
ship, and appeared anxious to accommodate
themselves entirely to our manners, especially
the former, who, after he had been a few days
on board, took his part in the amusements that
were going forward among the seamen, and af
forded much diversion by his close and arch

ANECDOTES OF OUR KAFFERS. 37
imitations of their gestures, manners, and par
ticular eccentricities.
Yacob and he likewise favoured us at times
with an exhibition of the Kaffer war-exercise.
They appeared to have the most thorough con
tempt for the Delagoans, especially when they
heard how much they were held in subjection
by the Oratontahs. Yacob, who was on shore
one day, persuaded one of them to try his assa-
gay at a mark ; he complied, and, though he
was near, missed it by a considerable distance.
Yacob took up the weapon, and with the usual
prelude of vibratory motion, launched it with
such force and accuracy that it pierced the body
of the object, a slender tree, at the distance of
sixty yards, and, deeply fixing itself in the
wood, quivered with the force of the blow.
The natives who were present were astonished,
and Yacob, apparently exulting in the conscious
ness of his own superiority, walked away with
a stately step.
This circumstance, illustrative of Kaffer
prowess and Kaffer pride, was followed a day
or two afterwards by one highly creditable to
their humanity. Some boats that required
repairing were dragged up under a tree near

38 ENGLISH BILL.
the Fort for that purpose, and left at night in
the charge of a sentry. Fire, of whom we had
seen sufficient to convince us that he was per
fectly trustworthy, was chosen for that service.
Delighted with the confidence reposed in him,
he followed the natural dictates of an honour
able disposition, and justified by the assiduous
discharge of his duty the good opinion that
had led to his appointment. Yet he could
listen to the dictates of humanity. A native
approached in the darkness of the night,
there is little doubt with a view to thieve ;
Fire levelled his piece, discharged it over his
head, and boasted that he had frightened but
not killed him. He was a man untutored by
civilization, uncorrupted by its vices, yet natu
rally endowed with its virtues.
On the morning of the 6th, we received, for
the first time, a visit from English Bill, (Shan-
nuahguahvah,) of whom, as he afterwards be
came better known to us, I shall give a descrip
tion. He was a thin slight man, about thirty-two,
of middling height, meagre aspect, and keen,
uneasy, cautious, yet vivacious eye. With an
infinite fund of cunning, trick, and finesse, he
possessed great talents for humorous mimicry

ENGLISH BILL. 39
and grimace, together with an unbounded im
pudence, that seldom failed, when combined
with his steady perseverance, to accomplish any
object. Affected dignity and mystery were
weapons with which he often carried a point ;
as he likewise did by his inimitable talent for
puffing off his dignity and pretensions to those
who employed him. In fact, he was a consum
mate politician and courtier in a savage state,
and highly useful to his master, Prince Sllan-
ghelley, and many of the Delagoans, by acting
as interpreter and negotiator between them and
the English. On this account Sllanghelley,
shortly before we left Delagoa, created him one
of his secretaries — a title considered extremely
honourable, and bestowed by each prince or
chief on one or more of their principal men and
favourites. It is a term evidently obtained
from the English or Americans, and probably,
in the first instance, was waggishly applied by
them to some one of the natives, whose situa
tion about his prince, combined possibly with
the appearance of possessing his confidence,
led to this application of the term to him.
English Bill, though he was at times trouble
some, and even showed that self was his govern-

40 ENGLISH BILL.
ing principle, yet was a general favourite on
board for his humour and his talents for pleas
ing. He came as the bearer to Captain Owen
of a present of five fowls and four cabbages
from the Prince Sllanghelley, grandson to the
deceased Kappel, a small portion of whose ex
tensive possessions on the opposite side of the
river he inherited from his father, who was that
monarch's second son. Captain Owen accepted
the present with pleasure, as it evidently showed
a disposition in the natives to be friendly to
wards us ; a feeling which it was our interest to
promote, as their animosity, although unpre-
judicial to the vessels, might prove far other
wise to the boats in the course of their survey
ing excursions.
After English Bill had remained some time
on board, I was ordered to accompany him back
to Sllanghelley, with a view to prevail on that
prince to visit us, and receive a present in return
for that which he had sent. I had with me a
guard of five men. As we landed, curiosity
drew a numerous party of the natives around
us, and, by the time we reached our journey's
end, we were joined by upwards of fifty. The

VISIT TO PRINCE SLLANGHELLEY. 41
distance to Sllanghelley's village was scarcely a
mile. We were just in sight of his hut, when
we perceived the prince departing from it, ac
companied by about a dozen men armed with
spears. He turned back when he heard the
shouting of English Bill, and received me at
the door of the hut with a hearty shake of the
hand, but would by no means permit me to
enter until he had spread his mats on the floor
within to sit on. When they were arranged,
he led the way, and we followed, accompanied
by as many of his people as the hut could con
veniently hold. After the message was deli
vered and proper thanks returned, Sllanghelley
and his party gave their whole and anxious at
tention to English Bill's account of his visit to
" Biggy King George's ships," during which it
was laughable to hear the many " eigh, eighs,"
and the various other signs of admiration and
astonishment that escaped from the audience.
Bill's story being finished, they turned to us,
and many and curious were the questions which
they asked. One was, whether the Leven was
not the largest ship in the world. On being
told that, so far from it, there were some even
four times as large, they expressed the utmost

42 VISIT TO PRINCE SLLANGHELLEY.
astonishment, and observed, " Suppose she catch-
um for Cappen biggy King's son." A silver
hunting-watch was shown at Bill's request to
Sllanghelley. He listened attentively to the
ticking of it — " eigh-eighed," and grinned his
approbation. The spring was touched, and the
cover, released from bondage, flew up against
his ear, causing him to start back with great
astonishment, mixed with a slight momentary
look of fear, and the company sagaciously ob
served, " Him (the watch) all de same as tiine"
(alive). The cover at the back was then shown,
the glass opened, and the works of the inside
stopped and set a-going by the stop from with
out ; and, as a close to the exhibition, the machi
nery in full action was displayed to view. The
stentorian yell of admiration that then took
place was re-echoed from the crowd which had
assembled outside, who, standing no longer on
ceremony, rushed in to obtain their share of
the sight.
With them entered Sllanghelley's mother, his
favourite wife (for he had ten), and his young
son, a child of a most pleasing and intelligent
look. To this latter I presented a string of
beads, which, when hung round his neck, ap-

VISIT TO PRINCE SLLANGHELLEY. 43
peared to yield almost as much pleasure to the
parents as it did to the child. Small presents of
tobacco, buttons, &c, were likewise distributed
among the rest of the party, and to Sllanghel
ley, as an earnest of what he might expect if
he ventured on board, two bottles of rum were
given. One of these he immediately opened,
and, taking about one-third of it off at a draught,
he passed it round to his neighbours, who
quickly drank the remainder, smacking their
lips, and pronouncing, with emphasis, " Sehee
opehombey sopy!" (excellent, or very good,
rum.) The other bottle was placed in a bag,
carefully tied up, and then given in charge to a
man armed with a spear and shield to convey to
Sllanghelley's cousin, the young Maietta, who,
through the early death of his father, the eldest
son of old Kappel, had, at the demise of that
venerable chieftain, succeeded to his title and
territory. English Bill informed us that Sllanghelley
could not venture on board the Leven without
Maietta's permission; but there was reason to
believe that his demur proceeded not from that
cause, but from a fear of the Portuguese, one of
whom had been assassinated some time before

44 VISIT TO PRINCE SLLANGHELLEY.
by the natives on the Kappel side. If we might
be allowed to judge from the general character
of these people, there is little doubt that they
had sufficient provocation for committing an
act so much at variance with their usual dispo
sition. Sllanghelley had ordered four fowls to
be killed and cooked for our dinner, but, as we
could not wait for them, he earnestly requested
our acceptance of a fine pig as a present. This
I refused, yet in as courteous a manner as pos
sible, to avoid giving umbrage, by telling him
that our visit was not to obtain presents from
him, but to endeavour to prevail on him to
come on board to receive some from us, in order
to show how well we were disposed to serve
and be friendly with him and the natives in
general. Sllanghelley expressed his regret that he could
not return with us to the Leven, but hoped
that he should be able to pay her a visit after
he had seen Maietta. Before our departure, he
took us round and showed us the huts of his
wives : they were small, and ten in number,
each wife, according to the fashion of the coun
try, having her separate abode. Polygamy is
equally allowed to all, and the number of wives

VISIT TO PRINCE SLLANGHELLEY. 45
that each man has is in proportion to his means.
Prince Sllanghelley, or King, according to the
courtesy of English Bill, was a young man of
short stature, with an intelligent, good-hu
moured countenance. The only articles of cloth
ing he wore were a neat blue jacket, and a red
nightcap, but he was decorated with a profusion
of beads and trinkets.
From the extent of his domain, and the grain
in his fields, he was accounted rich ; of which
Bill by the way took care to inform me, by
saying in his broken English, " King Sllan
ghelley richy, very richy, man, too much richy ;
e ab plainty ohn-yong," (onions.) This strange,
yet among these savages correct, criterion by
which to judge of a man's riches, amused us
exceedingly ; and for a long time it became al
most a by-word among us, when the property
of any one was the subject of conversation.
While returning to the boat, I witnessed an
instance of the great fondness of the natives for
smoking. One man, with his spear stuck in the
ground by his side, was crouching over a small
fire that he had kindled, and was smoking evi
dently with violent and painful exertion, the
contents of his pipe consisting, to my surprise,

46 ARRIVAL OF THE COCKBURN.
of nothing more than green leaves and twigs of
the bushes around him. Imagination must
have had much to do in extracting pleasure
from such a substitute. Some tobacco which
we gave him drew forth the strongest expres
sions of thanks.
The Delagoa people, when they wish to look
at anything, express their desire, like most sa
vages, by touching their eyes with one of their
fingers, and thrusting forward the head with
an anxious, searching look. Some, as if to sig
nify their curiosity the more strongly, do not
content themselves with this action, but", placing
one hand over the eye and the other below it,
sever the eyelids as far asunder as they can be
parted. Bill was in the habit of employing
these signs when he understood anything, or
had discovered an intended trick upon him : in
the former case, the action was accompanied with
a wonderfully grave expression of countenance,
and in the latter by an arch, satirical look.
On the 7th, the Cockburn arrived, having
been retarded in her passage by a heavy gale of
wind which she encountered on the eastern edge
of the Agulhas Bank.

ORATONTAHS. 47

CHAPTER III.
Account of the Oratontahs. — Occurrences during the Survey
of the rivers Temby and Mattol. — A young Hippopotamus
caught  Attack of a Hippopotamus on one of the Boats.
— Interview with Oratontahs. — Description of their Chief,
Tchintchingahney. — Night Attack by Oratontahs on our
Encampment. — Remarks on the Conduct to be adopted
towards Savages.
Ever since our arrival at Delagoa, we had
daily received intelligence from the panic-struck
natives of the depredations committing among
them by the Oratontahs, or rather a sort of sa
vages belonging to a tribe of warlike Kaffers,
who, from their marauding habits, had obtained
that appellation, which in their language signi
fies a robber. Their country was situated at a
considerable distance to the southward, and they
had left it, to the number of many hundreds,
some time before.
Since that period they had subsisted by plun-

48 THE ORATONTAHS.
dering the weaker tribes, more especially in the
vicinity of Delagoa, whose peaceable inhabitants,
when invaded, could not hope by flight, if they
took with them property worthy of pursuit, to
escape from so active and enterprising an enemy,
who, when they had an object in view, were
sure by their perseverance and hardihood to
surmount every obstacle to their attainment of
it. If the invaded remained in their huts, they
seldom experienced other ill usage than the loss
of their bullocks, arms, and ornaments ; but the
slightest resistance was punished with death ;
the hut was burned down, and every thing in
it most wantonly broken and destroyed. Such,
also, was generally the fate of dwellings that
were left deserted, and sometimes even when
they were not. In fact, these people, like all
savages, showed great caprice in their actions ;
frank and lenient at one time, they were unjust,
cruel, and treacherous at another.
Whether they commenced their depredations
about Delagoa before 1821 I could not learn,
but at that period they certainly carried devasta
tion and terror wherever they appeared. For a
long time they hovered near the Fort, and, on the
1st of January 1822, were perceived by the Por-

ORATONTAHS. 49
tuguese to be approaching them in a formida
ble body consisting of many thousands. They
advanced rapidly and in good order, apparently
as if they meditated an attack on the Fort :
however, when about a mile from it, they stop
ped, and, after an earnest consultation and a loud
hallooing and chanting resembling a war-song,
for which it was at first taken, they sent an
embassy to the Portuguese, to assure them of
their amicable intentions, and to inform them
that their visit was merely to receive an ac
knowledgment from them, and that they had
conquered the surrounding country.
A large present being forthwith sent,* they
were contented, and immediately left the coun
try : but they did not stay away long. They
returned, and in the first action in which they
were engaged with the Temby people, were
defeated ; but, rendered desperate by the con
sideration that they had no country near to re
treat to, they ventured upon a second, in which
their native courage, heightened by despair,
quickly won them the victory. This success
* The conduct of the Portuguese in this instance militates
against their territorial claims, by virtue of which they arro
gate to themselves the trade of the place.
VOL. I. E

50 ORATONTAHS.
occasioned so great a panic among the Temby
people and the tribes around, that the Oraton
tahs, threatened and jeered when afar, unop
posed, feared, and cringed to when near, were
allowed to pass unmolested, and to pillage and
destroy the country and villages as they in their
wantonness thought fit.
The inhabitants, although when, as above
mentioned, they kept to their huts, they were
generally treated with comparative lenity, yet
seldom chose to adopt that course, preferring,
with the hope, and generally the fallacious one,
of saving their moveable property, to seek safety
by flight to the river, islets, and marshy grounds,
where we found them in great numbers in a
starving state. It was at first reported that
some savages known by the name of Vat-
wahs were joined with the Oratontahs in over
running the country : however, there is great
reason to believe that they were one and the
same people, for we could hear of no other dis
tinction between them, notwithstanding a fool
ish report that the Vatwahs plundered by night
as the Oratontahs did by day.
On the 12th, Lieut. Vidal, with his party, re
turned from the survey of the rivers Temby and

SURVEYING PARTY. 51
Mattol. The following account of their opera
tions and adventures while thus employed is
drawn up in great part from the notes of
Mr. E. Rogier (Admiralty midshipman), one
of the party, who was so obliging as to permit
me to avail myself of the result of his obser
vations. After leaving the Leven on the afternoon of
the 3rd, the remainder of the day was spent in
examining English River, as far up as where
the Temby and Mattol discharge themselves
into it. About five miles above the Fort, on
either side, as the party proceeded, they ob
served that the shores generally rose gradually
from an extensive muddy, flat, and low land to
a high boundary, covered with large bushes,
having in some places a full-grown tree towering
above them.
A great variety of birds, feeding on worms
and shell-fish, were seen on the mud-flat, whose
shore-limit was covered with mangrove-trees,
even far below the high-water mark. The
water was salt and discoloured by mud, and its
depth was sufficient in most parts for ships of
the largest dimensions.
In the evening they arrived at Refuge Is-
e 2

52 SURVEY OF THE
land, at the entrance of Dundas River, where
they hauled their boats up and encamped for
the night, taking care to place a watch, consist
ing of one-third of their party, armed with
muskets, pistols, and cutlasses — a precaution
which they never omitted.
On the 4th, after an early breakfast, they
left the island, and commenced their examina
tion of the river Mattol. As they proceeded,
the shores began to assume a more pleasing ap
pearance. Mangroves were succeeded by forest-
trees, and swamps and stagnant pools by ex
tensive meadows and a populous country.
Several of the natives were passing at dif
ferent times in their canoes from one side of
the river to the other. They did not differ
from those near the Fort in costume and man
ners, but were exceedingly surprised at seeing
white men there. In the afternoon, the boats
had ascended as high up the river as they
could, being then about eight miles above its
junction with English River. Its breadth there
was diminished from one hundred and twenty
fathoms at the entrance to less than five, and
its depth from two to less than one. The inter
preter, from his long residence at Delagoa,

RIVER MATTOL. 53
spoke the language of the natives fluently ;
he had likewise acquired a tolerable knowledge
of the country, which rendered him doubly
useful during the expedition. From his infor
mation it appeared that the Mattol River takes
its rise from an extensive salt-water marsh at a
very short distance above the spot where the
party had discontinued the exploration of it.
The only cultivated produce which they ob
served on the banks was a few pumpkins; but
they were informed, that at a short distance in
land there were extensive plantations of maize.
They returned down the river about five
miles before the evening closed upon them,
when they landed and encamped for the night ;
and, on the morning of the 5th, they resumed
their descent.
One of the boats was ordered ahead to search
for water. Several wells, dug by the natives,
were found on the banks, but in such a filthy
state as to render the contents totally unfit for
use. Perceiving, however, a few of the inha
bitants at a short distance, the party repaired to
them, and were fortunate enough to meet with
one who spoke a few words of English, and
styled himself secretary to King Mattol. He

54 SURVEY OF THE
had part of a blanket thrown over his shoul
ders, and carried a musket. A present to the
whole of a few leaves of tobacco was received
with great thankfulness ; and a looking-glass
that was given to the secretary created much
diversion and not less astonishment, which he
expressed in nearly the same manner that a
monkey would do, namely, by a close critical
examination and ridiculous gestures. Grati
tude for so acceptable a gift induced the secre
tary to offer to embark in the boat, and con
duct them to a spot, a little lower down, where
good water could be procured. His offer was
accepted ; the crew took to their oars, and
shortly after landed about half a mile from the
place he had mentioned, where they soon ob
tained a good supply of an article peculiarly
requisite at a time when the thermometer gene
rally stood at 82°, even in the shade.
There were several hippopotami in the river.
The men fired at one of them and wounded it,
as they believed, for the animal plunged about
a great deal, and appeared as if inclined to
attack the boat. Towards noon they reached
the mouth, and shortly afterwards commenced
their survey of the Temby.

RIVER TEMBY. 55
The entrance to this river is broader and
deeper than that of the Mattol, and is skirted
on both sides by mangrove-trees and stagnant
swamps, excepting where a green meadow now
and then intervenes, and affords some slight
relief to the eye, wearied with the contempla
tion of a feature which is rendered more dreary
and disagreeable by the consideration of its un
healthy nature.
Numerous parties of natives were seen hover
ing about in great agitation, on account of the
vicinity of the Oratontahs, who had lately paid
them a predatory visit, and reduced them to a
state of starvation.
In the evening, the boats were dragged up
on the shore, and the tents pitched on a grassy
plain for the night. Several of the natives ven
tured down shortly afterwards, and, from the
good treatment they experienced, soon became
excessively troublesome, and latterly so much
so that the party were obliged to have recourse
to threats in order to restrain their forwardness.
On the 6th, after breakfast, the tents were
struck and the boats proceeded. The country
began to assume a more pleasing appearance:
swamps and mangroves were becoming scarce ;

56 SURVEY OF THE
and although the banks still continued low, yet
the land behind, instead of exhibiting the uni
form flatness that distinguished it farther down,
rose with a gradual ascent, and was studded
with clumps of forest-trees.
During the time that was allowed for dinner
this day, several of the party landed and com
municated with the Temby people, from whom
they purchased six fowls for a Lascar knife,
bought in London for twopence ; the natives
likewise parted with their assagays, taking use
less trinkets in return. One would suppose that
even savages in a state of warfare would sacrifice
their love of finery to their fear of danger, and
not, for the sake of a few trifling baubles, part
with the only means they had of securing the
possession even of them.
The boats were made fast to the shore, un
der the friendly shade of the wide-spreading
trees on the banks above ; but such was the
intense heat of the weather, that even there
Fahrenheit's thermometer stood at 85°. As
the lowering sky portended heavy rain, the
party commenced pitching their tents at a
much earlier hour than usual ; yet they had de
layed it too long ; the rain came on before they

RIVER TEMBY. 57
were prepared, and continued very heavy, ac
companied with thunder and lightning, until
after dark. On the soft ground on which they
set up their tents they found impressions of
the feet of several animals, and, during the
night, the grunting of the hippopotami around
them was incessant.
As they continued their route the next day,
the country was of the same character, but the
river sensibly decreased in breadth. The banks
on each side at times were covered with natives,
who were suspected, although the interpreter
said that they belonged to Temby, to be of a
different tribe from those who were before
known to us under that name. One of the
boats conveyed across the river a party of the
women, who, fearful of the Oratontahs, had de
serted their huts, which, resembling those al
ready described, were scattered about in the
vicinity of the stream ; but, as their husbands
kept aloof and would not follow, they were ne
cessitated, though with evident fear and reluct
ance, to return. In the course of the forenoon,
the party landed for a supply of fresh water, an
article they had invariably found some difficulty
in obtaining. A number of the natives, who

58 SURVEY OF THE
were collected on the banks, procured it for
them. These people were the first that they met
with who appeared to have any idea of traffic :
they brought with them several hippopotamus
teeth and one small elephant tusk, requiring in
exchange blue cotton stuffs for covering their
head and loins. From their information it ap
peared that the river in that part was known
among them by the name of Mahong, from a
chief who had lately died, and whose dominions
were two days' journey farther on. His son,
Chamboul, had succeeded him.
While proceeding in the afternoon, a young
hippopotamus was perceived from one of the
boats floundering about on the broad mud-flat
that skirted the right shore. They pushed in
for him immediately, and succeeded in taking
him before he reached the water. In size and
appearance he resembled a large fat hog with
the head of a young bull ; his legs were clumsy
and out of all proportion thick ; and his skin
hairless and tough. He was perfectly harmless,
and soon became highly docile, acknowledging
at times the attention he received by the per
formance of sundry awkward gestures peculiar
to himself.

RIVER TEMBY. 59
In the evening, the tents were pitched, and
the party stopped for the night ; being, as the
interpreter informed them, higher up by a day's
journey than he had ever known the Portuguese
to ascend. Mr. Rogier and some other officers
visited a small village in the vicinity of the en
campment. The huts resembled those near the
Fort, but had an appendage outside which they
had not — a sort of oven, neatly made of clay,
and adapted to cook the contents of three or
four pots at the same time. Round these ovens
the inhabitants were sitting and preparing their
evening repast, consisting principally of vege
tables, although they had abundance of meat.
They appeared to be a cleanly people, and no
doubt were once acquainted with the English,
as they evinced by their reiterated request of
" Give me button."
As the party continued their journey on the
morning of the 8th, the banks of the river be
came gradually more contracted, and about
eleven they arrived at a place where it branched
off into two inconsiderable streams, up the left
one of which, about eighty feet broad, they
proceeded, but had not got far when they were
stopped by a barrier of trees, that had fallen from

60 SURVEY OF THE
the lofty bank on either side, and rendered the
farther progress of the boats impossible.
Thus was completed the survey of the river
Temby, or Mahong, which, although of not
greater extent than forty-six miles, yet is of
consequence to be known, from the facility by
which a commercial intercourse may be carried
on through it with the inhabitants of the inte
rior. It is true, that only vessels drawing less
than thirteen feet (low water) can enter it, and
proceed nineteen miles up ; yet boats might do
the rest, and, in the proper season, with little fear
of suffering from the fatal effects of the climate.
Treacherous attacks from the natives, as we
afterwards experienced, might be expected, pro
vided an opportunity be afforded them ; but that
could be avoided by keeping to the vessel, ex
cepting when it might be absolutely necessary
to communicate with them : for this purpose
the daytime should be chosen, and a place under
the protection of the guns on board should be
selected. As a memorial of the exploration of the river,
the date and the Leven's name, in large charac
ters, were deeply carved on the bark of the
largest tree near the spot. After Lieutenant

RIVER TEMBY. 61
Vidal had obtained his observations at noon,
the boats commenced descending the small arm
of the river, for the purpose of examining that
which branched off to the right. Lieutenant
Vidal had just commenced this in his boat, when,
on a sudden, a violent shock was felt from un
derneath, and in an instant a huge hippopotamus
reared itself from the water, and, assuming a
most ferocious and menacing posture, rushed
open-mouthed on the boat, and with one grasp
of its jaws seized and tore several planks from
her side. It disappeared for a few seconds, and
then rose again, apparently with an intention
of repeating the attack ; but it was deterred by
the contents of a musket discharged in its face.
The boat rapidly filled, but, as she was not
more than an oar's length from the shore, the
crew succeeded in reaching it before she had
time to sink. While passing along, her keel in
all probability grazed the back of the animal,
which irritating annoyance occasioned the furi
ous attack. Had he got his upper jaw above
the gunwale, the whole broadside must have
been torn out. The force of the shock un
derneath which preceded the attack was so
violent, that the stern of the boat was almost

62 SURVEY OF THE
lifted out of the water ; and Mr. Tambs, the
midshipman who was steering, was thrown
overboard, but fortunately rescued before the
irritated beast could seize him. The boat was
hauled up on a dry spot, and the repairs imme
diately commenced. The tents were pitched ;
and those of the party who were not employed
as carpenters amused themselves, the officers in
shooting, and the men in straying about the de
solate country around them, of course taking
care not to proceed out of hearing.
The next day, the 9th, was spent in complet
ing the repairs of the damaged boat. The morn
ing was fine and clear ; and, as all hopes of being
able to prosecute the survey that day were re
linquished, Captain Lechmere and the botanist
took an early breakfast, and then walked out
among the neighbouring woods in search of
game and botanical specimens. On arriving at
the side of a creek, they unexpectedly came
upon a hippopotamus of the largest size, re
clining on the mud and apparently asleep. As
they had only small shot, they could not hope
to gain any thing by firing at the animal ; they
therefore hurried back to the encampment,
from which they were at but a short distance.

RIVER TEMBY. 63
A formidable phalanx of hunters was imme
diately formed, and cautiously, with firelocks
in hand, they proceeded to the creek ; but the
animal was gone, and the balls only served to
frighten the numerous large baboons that were
playing their antics on the tops of the sur
rounding trees.
The young hippopotamus that was caught
on the 7th began to pine for want of milk
and other proper nourishment : he was there
fore killed and eaten. His flesh was perfectly
white, very tender, and in flavour resembled
veal. The hide on the back was thick and ex
tremely tough, but not so under the belly.
In the vicinity of the encampment many
agates were discovered, but they were not
veined, neither were they otherwise of supe
rior quality ; no doubt there was a greater va
riety higher up, among which probably some
might be found of value ; they were mixed
with ordinary stones lodged near the banks in
several parts of the river, as if by the streams
from the mountains.
A little before dinner, a party of the natives
(of Temby) were observed approaching the
tents, with baskets in their hands containing

64 INTERVIEW WITH ORATONTAHS.
fowls, which they had brought to barter for
tobacco and trinkets. Their chief was of Mai-
etta's family. While conversing with them,
some of the Oratontahs appeared at a short
distance, arrayed in their war-costume and
armed with shields and spears. At first they
were shy and kept aloof, until the Temby
people, who appeared to be their colleagues,
prevailed upon them to approach, by assuring
them of the friendly disposition of our party.
A description of the warlike and becoming
dress of their young chief, Tchintchingahney,
will suffice, with such exceptions as will be
hereafter mentioned, for that of the rest of the
tribe. Round his head, just above the eyes, was a
band of fur somewhat resembling in size and
colour a fox's tail, neatly trimmed and smoothed
down. Below this, his black woolly hair was
cut short, and not allowed to appear, but above
it grew to its usual length up to the crown,
where a circular space was shaved in the man
ner of the monks, having round its circumfe
rence a thick ring of twisted hide, fixed in its
position by the curling over of the surrounding
hair. This ring was sufficiently thick to guard
the shaven space from a blow.

THE CHIEF OF THE ORATONTAHS. 65
On one side of his head, fixed into the fox
tail band, he wore a single feather of some
large bird, as an emblem of his rank ; and just
above his eyelashes he had a string of small
white beads, and another across the nose.
Close under his chin was fastened a quantity
of long coarse hair, which hung down on his
breast like the venerable beard of a patriarch.
His ears had large slits in their lower lobes,
and were made to droop three or four inches,
but carried no ornaments.*
Each arm was encircled, a little below the
shoulder, by a quantity of hair like that men
tioned above, the tapered end reaching down
below his elbows ; and round his body were
two strings of twisted stripes of hide with the
hair on hanging to them, and much resembling
monkeys' tails : the upper one, three or four
fold, was strung close under his arms, hung
down about eight inches, and was then trimmed
off with such precision that not one tail was to
be seen projecting beyond the rest. The whole
was so compact that a blow from any weapon
would at least be much softened by it. The
lower set resembled the upper, and commenced
* This hole is often used to carry articles of value.
VOL. I. F

66 THE CHIEF OF THE ORATONTAHS.
where the tails of that ended : it reached down
to the knees, and bore a great resemblance in
appearance to the Scotch kilts. On his ankles
and wrists he had brass rings or bangles. His
shield was of bullock's hide, about five feet
long and three and a half broad, and length
wise down the middle of it a long stick was
fixed by being passed in and out through holes
cut for that purpose. It was tufted with hair
on the upper end, and projected above and
below about five inches beyond the shield. To
this stick his assagays and spears were affixed.
The difference between these two sorts of wea
pons consists in the former being narrow in the
blade and small for throwing, the latter broad
and long for the thrust.
The chief was distinguished from his people
only in the mock-beard and feather, which they
were not permitted to wear. As a conclusion
to the description of Tchintchingahney's cos
tume, it is necessary to observe that it is en
tirely military, and adopted only when on ac
tive service, either during a professed war or
when engaged in a predatory excursion or ca
pricious feud. At other times, the Oratontahs
are dressed as the Kaffers, in skins ; or, like the

THEIR MANNERS. 67
Delagoans, they have no other covering than
what modesty dictates. For this, however, a
small gourd was used instead of the ornament
ed straw contrivance already mentioned*
They were dark mulattoes, tall, and robust
in their form, open, frank, and pleasing in their
manners, and with a certain appearance of in
dependence in their carriage, so infinitely above
the natives with whom the party had hitherto
communicated, that the great contrast could
not fail to produce impressions of surprise and
respect. They appeared to have a better idea of the
value of arms in troubled times than the Temby
people. On being pressed to part with theirs
for trinkets, they pertinently silenced the offer
by requesting the interpreter to ask if ' when
a white man is in an enemy's country he ever
sells his arms ?'
They examined everything with great cu
riosity, and, after a long stay, retired, pro-
* To appear without this covering is among some of the
Kaffer tribes considered such an outrage against decency,
that any person witnessing the fact is justified in putting
the offender to death. This circumstance was related to
me by a respectable merchant at the Cape, who had visited
the Kaffer land. F 2

68 NIGHT PRECAUTIONS.
mising quickly to return with a bullock, for
the purpose of bartering it for some knives
and trinkets. As an incitement for them to
do so, a little tobacco was given to each, which
they immediately cut up into small pieces and
used as snuff; a thing that we had never before
observed the savages to do.
Wild fowl were very numerous, and Captain
Lechmere, who was a keen sportsman, seldom
failed to procure some for the day's meal ; yet
he never succeeded in shooting a buck, although
the country abounded with them. Mr. Rogier,
however, was more fortunate ; for, as he was
walking out in the morning, he suddenly came
upon one fast asleep, and with a blow of the
musket killed him on the spot.
The bullock that was promised did not ar
rive. The natives who were lurking about
the tents were driven away. Three large fires
were lighted, the arms of the party examined,
and at eight the watch, consisting of seven
men well armed, and commanded by two mid
shipmen, was set. These took their station
and walked their ground, adding fuel at times
to the blazing fires under their charge, while
the remainder of the party retired to their

ATTACK OF THE ORATONTAHS. 69
tents and resigned themselves to sleep. The
thick lowering clouds that overcast the sky
rendered the night dark and gloomy, and all
was hushed in the deepest tranquillity, when,
a few minutes before twelve, the attention of
one of the sentries, who was placed in the ad
vance, was attracted by a white object that
appeared as if rising and approaching from
among the long grass and bushes near him.
He gave the alarm, and at that instant received
two wounds in the thigh ; and, as he retreated,
was pierced by a barbed assagay, which re
mained fixed in his back.
Lieutenant Vidal had been occupied in ob
serving the stars, and was in the act of re
placing his instrument, when the cries of the
sentry reached his ears. He started up, and
at the instant a band of Oratontahs, with their
shields and spears, rushed towards the tents,
uttering the most hideous yells. The appalling
idea that the people would be deliberately mas
sacred in their sleep flashed across Mr. Vidal's
mind ; he rushed to the tents, on the impulse
of the moment, and traversed them with loud
cries of " To arms ! to arms !"
It was enough. The alarm was re-echoed,

70 ORATONTAHS DEFEATED.
the rise instantaneous, and the murdering band
were received at the doors of the tents with
volleys of balls and with bayonet points. The
war-cry was soon changed to shrieks of terror,
and they were happy to escape the just in
dignation of those whom they would have de
liberately murdered in their sleep, a band of
strangers who had not harmed them, by pre
cipitately retreating, wounded, and with the
loss of many of their arms, to the surrounding
thickets. We judged their number to be about one
hundred, but afterwards learned that it amount
ed to three hundred. They were headed by
the treacherous chief Tchintchingahney, whose
spear and shield were found next morning at
a short distance from the encampment, in the
direction in which they retreated, and where
consequently they were under the heaviest fire.
It would not have been prudent to pursue
them, even supposing the night had been fa
vourable, as we knew not their number or
what succours they might have at hand ; but
the swift messengers of death were despatched
after them through the bushes as long as their
figures could be seen and their outcries heard.

NARROW ESCAPE OF MR. TAMBS. 71
So certain, it appears, were they of encoun
tering no opposition, that few of their assagays
were brought into the field, as they deemed
their spears sufficient to kill slumbering men.
Tchintchingahney was supposed to be wounded
by Captain Lechmere, whose gun was only
loaded with small-shot.
The suddenness of the attack may well be
supposed to have created some confusion,
though it by no means damped the courage of
the people or the promptness of their resistance.
Mr. Tambs, one of the midshipmen, led on by
his ardour, pursued the savages as they retired,
without perceiving that he was unsupported ;
and on his return he narrowly escaped being
shot by the party, who mistook him in his
white shirt for one of the enemy with a white
shield. The wounded seaman, galled by the assagay
that still remained sticking in his back, suf
fered great agony, and entreated, as soon as
the first confusion was over, to have it extract
ed. This operation, owing to its barbed form,
was no easy task, and before it was finally ac
complished put him to the most excruciating
pain ; however, it was the utmost he had to

72 RETREAT TO THE BOATS.
suffer, for, after his return on board, his wounds
rapidly healed, and in a short time he was able
to do his duty.
The Portuguese interpreter was not visible
during the attack, and after it was over he
retreated to the boats that were moored in the
river, and could not be prevailed upon after
wards to leave them. To these the tents and
every other article were removed as fast as
possible, one half of the party being appointed
to perform that duty, while the other kept
guard ; a precaution by no means unnecessary,
as was demonstrated about an hour afterwards.
The savages were discovered by the half-
suppressed sounds of their voices among the
neighbouring thickets ; but these were soon
silenced by the discharge of two rockets ho
rizontally in the direction from which they
proceeded. Their fear and astonishment were
expressed by the usual exclamation of " Eigh !
eigh ! " and then all was quiet.
In the morning, on an examination of the
ground about the encampment, two shields,
several spears, and a few assagays were found,
no doubt thrown away by the wounded in
their eagerness to escape ; yet no trace of blood

SEARCH FOR WATER. 73
was discovered, although we afterwards heard
from the Temby people that the musketry
did some execution. It is probable that the
wounded were carried off by those whom the
rockets dispersed.
Two parties well armed were sent out in
quest of water, which they found after a long
search. In their way they passed through some
spots planted with maize, onions, and rice, and
picked up a human skull with marks of fire
upon it. This led some to imagine that the
Oratontahs were cannibals ; however, on refer
ring even to their greatest enemies, they unani
mously acquitted them of the suspicion. As
soon as the watering party returned, the boats
proceeded down the river, and, on the 12th,
returned to the Leven.
In the way back, the morning after the at
tack, the party saw a numerous body of their
enemies on the summit of the rising ground on
the left bank, marching along in good military
order. They had but lately crossed the river,
and were about to penetrate into the country, for
the purpose of carrying on the same plundering
system there as they had done on the Temby
side. Their appearance, dressed in their warlike

74 MARCH OF ORATONTAHS.
and imposing costume, had a striking effect as
the extensive line moved along through the
various sinuosities of the path, and at times
portions of it were hid from sight by the bushes
or lost in the undulations of the ground. As
the grass was wet, they were observed to be
particularly careful in keeping their shields
above it, otherwise the damp would quickly
have unfitted them for the service for which
they are intended. The spears attached to
them, being thus elevated, were often seen
above the brow of the hill glittering in the
sun among the long grass by which it was
crowned. . The costume of the Oratontahs was allowed
by every one who saw it to be highly warlike
and most elegant ; yet the latter term could
scarcely be applied to the strings of beads
across the face, which, simple as they were,
gave it a look highly ferocious and appalling.
As this chapter contains an account of savage
treachery, it cannot be better concluded than
by a few remarks on the treatment necessary
to be pursued towards the uncivilized portion
of mankind.

NECESSARY TREATMENT OF SAVAGES. 75
With these people it is necessary to adopt the
utmost precaution. Act towards them with
kindness and humanity, but in your dealings
never for a moment consider them otherwise than
as enemies, and so treat them on the slightest po
sitive indication of hostility : for to allow treach
ery to pass unpunished is to encourage it. The
savage feels not the sentiments from which
your lenity springs, but attributes that con
duct to fear and folly which originated in the
nobler dictates of humanity and pity.* Once
establish in the mind of a savage your supe
riority over him, and the power you have of
punishing his offences, and the grand bulwark
that stands between him and civilization is sap
ped in its foundation.
The fear which at first indicates to him the
necessity of acting with good faith towards you,
changes in a short time to respect and a know-
* On reading Mr. M'Leod's interesting account of the
voyage of the Alceste, I met with a passage conveying ex
actly the same sentiments which I have expressed. It is as
follows : — " Half measures seem to be a bad system in any
dealings, but more especially with the uncivilized ; for they
are apt to attribute forbearance to fear, and acquire under
that impresion fresh courage."

76 NECESSARY TREATMENT OF SAVAGES.
ledge of his own interest, which probably
lead by degrees to extreme civility ; whereas,
if you allow the treachery of savages to pass
unpunished, it becomes more firmly grafted in
their nature ; they shun and are shunned ; and
a century hence they will be in the same de
graded state as they were a century back.

DUNDAS RIVER. 77

CHAPTER IV.
Examination of the Dundas River. — Misery of the Temby
Refugees. — Hippopotami. — Interview with some Natives.
— Hippopotamus Traps. — Smoking the Hubble-Bubble —
Arrival of the Barracouta. — Death of Mr. Tambs.— A
wounded Black. — Atrocious Cruelty of the Commandant
of the Portuguese Fort. — Native Market on board. —
Schooner arrives, and- ascends Dundas River. — Her Boat
attacked by an Hippopotamus.
On the 14th of October I was ordered by
Lieutenant Vidal to explore Dundas River,
situated midway between those already exa
mined. For this purpose I had two boats, with
three midshipmen, twelve seamen, and a native
interpreter. On approaching Refuge Island, we discovered
several boats moored off a small sandy patch on
it, and on shore at least two hundred of the
natives, men, women, and children, who had
fled from the Temby side to that swampy re
treat to avoid the Oratontahs or Zodas. A
more complete picture of misery than that

78 TEMBY REFUGEES.
which these people exhibited could hardly be
imagined, yet the pity that we otherwise should
have felt for them was checked by the con
tempt we entertained for those who had das
tardly abandoned their country and comforts,
rather than unanimously join in asserting their
freedom and their rights, and in repelling by
force the foe that had attacked them. A na
tive, whose hollow eye and meagre aspect suffi
ciently announced that he was in a starving
state, brought us some hot embers to kindle
our fire, and his request, in return, was for a
draught of water.
We dined off the island, and afterwards en
tered the river. The shores were mostly covered
with mangroves and bushes, generally marshy,
often inundated at high water, and in a few
instances exhibiting a low perpendicular bank.
In our way up we observed several small nests,
resembling purses, suspended from the boughs
of the loftiest trees : the entrance to them was
through a little circular aperture in their side,
and their construction of grass and feathers was
wonderfully neat and ingenious. They be
longed to a species of the Loxia, a tribe of birds
common to most parts of Africa.

RED ANTS. — BIRDS. 79
Curiosity to examine them induced us to
climb one of the trees ; we took two nests, but
did not escape with impunity, being severely
stung by a large kind of red ant, which, in our
ascent, we shook down in great numbers upon
us from the boughs above. These insects were
of a slender form, and about one-third of an
inch in length. Their nests consisted of five
or six leaves drawn together at the points, and
cemented by means of a glutinous matter and a
sort of web of the finest texture.
Besides the Loxia species, there was a great
number of birds of various other kinds, among
which I recognised the pelican, white crane,
adjutant, kingfisher, toucan, spoonbill, flamin
go, curlews of different sizes, turkey-buzzard,
hawk, duck, goose, Guinea fowl, pigeon, dove,
and a variety of small birds of beautiful plu
mage. The only quadrupeds we saw were the
hippopotami, which, when we anchored at night,
kept up a constant noise until morning ; their
cry resembling the grunting of a hog joined to
the loud hollow bellowing of an ox. It com
menced in noisy modulations of the former, and
ended with a deep shrill peal of the latter.
Our boats were furnished with tilts, under

80 GROUP OF HIPPOPOTAMI.
which, and the double covering that the sails
afforded, by being suspended over all, we passed
the night, unexposed to the heavy dew that fell,
and partly defended by the assistance of a fire,
which we kept constantly burning, from the
marshy exhalations that rose around us, and
formed over the surface of the ground a dense
and noisome vapour.
Next morning we continued our course up
the river, and in passing a low sandy point
found ourselves surrounded by a group of hip
popotami, consisting of twenty-seven, so close
together that, had they not sunk as we ap
proached, we could not, from the narrowness of
the stream, have passed without striking against
some of them. Three were standing on the
bank : one of these, as we drew near, opened his
huge red mouth, about three feet and a half in
extension, and exhibited a more formidable and
savage appearance than I have ever witnessed
in the fiercest of the brute creation. On our
first appearance, two retreated to the water, but
the third remained sufficiently long to receive
on his back a volley of balls, only one of which
seemed to take effect, the rest glancing off as
harmlessly as they would if discharged in a

GROUP OF HIPPOPOTAMI. 81
sidelong direction, from a coat of mail. The
animal, feeling himself wounded, uttered a loud
and menacing cry, and rushed into the depths
of the river. We struck several more after
wards. At the moment we fired perhaps but one
would be visible, yet immediately on the report
of the piece more would show themselves ; some
only for an instant or two, but others, that might
be lying in shoal water, invariably started up
and attempted to get into deeper, trotting
through the mud at a quicker rate than the
boats could pull, and looking back upon us every
now and then with an expression of the great
est terror and dismay. One that was penned
up between the two boats appeared stupified by
fear ; he did not attempt to escape, but stood
for upwards of five minutes gazing first at one
boat and then the other ; while the crews, from
their relative situations, durst not fire at him.
When running through the water they dip their
heads continually under it, and with their broad
noses throw it in a shower over their backs. The
quickness of these animals is extraordinary ; for
often, the moment the flash takes place, they
are down before the ball has reached them, and
VOL. I. G

82 FRESH WATER IN DUNDAS RIVER.
that even after having risen only a second or
two before, when one might suppose that they
would be off their guard.
We landed under a perpendicular bank, above
which was a flat meadow, upwards of two miles
square, with three or four foot-paths over it :
the soil was of a sandy nature, but apparently
fertile. The breadth of the river was reduced to thirty
fathoms, and the depth to ten feet. The water
was perfectly fresh, a circumstance which we
little expected, from the distressed state to
which the natives on Refuge Island were re
duced for want of that necessary, and from our
knowledge of the perfect saltness of the waters
of the neighbouring rivers of Mattol and
Temby, the latter of which penetrates thirty-
nine miles farther into the interior than the
point to which we had ascended in this.*
Some natives issued from the wood on our
right, but, as they approached, betrayed signs
of timidity and distrust, and turned off as if
with the view of avoiding us. I followed them,
* At the time Dundas River was explored, I was not
aware that Mr. Huddart, in his East India Directory, had
mentioned that its waters were fresh.

INTERVIEW WITH THE NATIVES. 83
laid down my rifle, yet had pistols concealed ;
held out tobacco and trinkets, and endeavoured
as much as possible to acquaint them by signs
that they had nothing to fear. Yet all would
not do ; until the interpreter, by repeated as
surances, persuaded them that our object in an
interview was only to gain from them some
knowledge of the country. They belonged to
King Matchahkahney, of Mattol, and were on
their way to join him against the Oratontahs, a
deserter from whom accompanied them, hav
ing with his amor patriae thrown off the
costume of his tribe, and adopted in its stead
that of the Mattol and Temby people, who,
though differing in name and government, yet
in character, habits, and costume, if such they
may be said to possess, are the same.
These men informed us that the river, at a
short distance above, was fordable at low water,
which, on my arrival there, I found to be cor
rect ; and, as at that time there was scarcely
sufficient depth for the smallest canoe, I was
obliged to give up the survey.
It was afterwards ascertained that, had it
been high water at the time, I might have
passed the bar, for such it was, and could have
G 2

84 TRAPS FOR HIPPOPOTAMI.
proceeded through a deeper channel and broad
er expanse of water, how far it is impossible to
say, but there is reason to think many miles,
from the great and rapid body of water which
flowed down, and from a view of its stream at
some little distance above, that had not dimi
nished in breadth, although in its meanders it
had formed an almost insulated piece of ground
about three miles in circumference.
Our distance from the mouth of the river
was nine miles when we gave up the survey.
In going down the opposite side to that on
which we communicated with the natives, we
observed that where the hippopotami had
broken down the bank in their passage to and
from the river, sharp-pointed poles hardened
by fire were placed by the natives for the pur
pose of staking them in their descent. The in
terpreter informed us that many were caught
in this way : they die from the wound shortly
after they reach the water, and their huge car
casses, floating down the river, are picked up
by the natives on the look-out below. Some
times, when the demand for hippopotamus flesh
is great, on account of the scarcity of other
provisions, the natives assemble in the woods,

iCPAC PCrn;--ACB

\>/b *j*~k*j01' fa< 71 AyiVtM-vj IotwLbk.

MANNER OF ATTACKING THEM. 85
and, when the animals ascend to the plains to
graze, run out upon them, and, scaring them
with loud cries, drive them with headlong force
on the snares that are laid for their destruction.
The skin, however hard and tough, is not proof
against the violence with which a falling body
of such weight comes in contact with the point
of the stake : the wood is splintered in the
wound, but it has already deeply penetrated
some vital part.
The natives do not confine themselves to the
entrapping of the hippopotami, but will some
times venture in a body to attack them with
spears. They waylay the huge animal, and,
watching the opportunity afforded by his pass
ing the thick bush in the close foliage of which
they lie concealed, by a dexterous thrust or two
of their sharp spears they hamstring him, and
bring him roaring with anguish and impotent
rage to the ground, where, from repeated
wounds, he soon breathes his last. To this
method of attack, so replete with danger, re
course is had only when there is the greatest
demand for hippopotamus flesh, and latterly it
has been employed for the sake of their teeth ;
for, until we set the example, the Portuguese

86 ENCAMPMENT OF MATTOL PEOPLE.
seldom purchased any other ivory than that
of the elephant.
I winged a beautiful white crane that was
passing over head, and brought it to the
ground. As I was about to pick it up, de
sperate with the agony of the wound, it struck
at my eye with its beak, and, had it not been
for my glasses, must inevitably have destroyed
the sight of it for ever. I have since heard of
a gentleman who, under similar circumstances,
was not so fortunate : he still lives, and I shall
feel happy if, by quoting the example, I may
be the means of saving any other person from
so distressing a catastrophe.
After leaving Dundas River, we examined a
small one branching off from the Mattol, and
another near the Temby. On the banks of the
former, in marshy ground, we discovered se
veral Mattol people, who had retreated thither
to avoid the Oratontahs. With the boughs of
trees they formed temporary huts, resembling
the nests of birds reversed ; their mats were
spread on these, and their arms suspended, pre
senting altogether a most picturesque appear
ance. The women, whose looks bespoke me
lancholy and misery, were grouped together in

FOOD OF THE NATIVES. 87
mournful silence over the declining fires at
which they had just finished cooking their
frugal fare, consisting of a small species of
shell-fish which abounds on the banks of the
rivers, a little millet, and a fruit resembling a
calebash, which they term maccahcah.
They boil the shell-fish, and, by breaking off
the apex, are enabled by suction to extract the
fish, in a whole state, through the aperture.
They pound the millet in a deep wooden mor
tar, and, with the inside of the tasteless mac
cahcah, make it up into small cakes, which
they lay upon sticks and roast before the fire.
This fruit, when eaten in its natural state, oc
casions a violent bowel complaint, and on that
account was not permitted to be brought on
board. I never learned whether it has the same
effect on the natives, but should imagine not,
as I have often observed them eating it un
cooked with extraordinary relish.
One of the greatest luxuries of life, in the
opinion of the Delagoans, is the smoking of the
hubble-bubble. A long hollow reed, or cane, has
the lower end immersed in a horn of water, and
the upper capped by a piece of earthenware,
shaped like a thimble. With the reed in their

88 SMOKING THE HUBBLE-BUBBLE.
hand, they take hold of the horn, and cover its
top, with the exception of a small aperture,
through which, with a peculiar exertion of suc
tion, they draw the smoke from the pipe above
through the water below. They fill the mouth,
and, after keeping the smoke there some time,
eject it with violence from the ears and nostrils.
I have often known them to be giddy, and
apparently half-stifled, after indulging in this,
to them, fascinating luxury. It produces a
violent coughing and whooping, accompanied
by a profuse perspiration and evidently great
temporary debility ; yet it is considered by the
natives highly strengthening, and is always re
sorted to before they undertake a long journey
or commence work in the fields. I was attracted
to the hut of an old man who was enjoying this
indulgence, by the loudness of the cough which
it had brought on ; and, as I entered, I observed
that the feeble inmate had almost fallen a vic
tim to the violent effects of the bang, or tobacco,
which he was smoking. He had thrown him
self back on some faggots near him, and it was
not until I had been some time there, that he
appeared at all conscious of my presence ; yet,
as soon as the half-inebriated wretch had ob-

RETURN TO THE LEVEN. 89
tained sufficient strength, he re-commenced his
devotions to the pipe, and, by the time I quit
ted the hut, was again reduced to the state in
which I had found him.
In our way back to the Leven, after the sur
vey of the river was completed, we passed by a
creek, near which was assembled a group of
women and children. Curiosity induced me to
look at them through a glass ; they mistook it
for a musket, shrieked, and precipitately fled
with their children to the woods. The inter
preter called to them, and explained the error ;
this had the effect of bringing some few back,
but by far the greater part were too much
frightened to return. It is singular to behold
the dexterity with which a Delagoa woman,
when alarmed, disposes of her child : with her
right hand she takes hold of its left shoulder
and swings it round on her back, to which the
infant immediately clings, and would hold on
for some time, even if the mother were not to
assist it by crossing her arms before her as a
rest for its legs.
A friendly understanding having been esta
blished with the natives, which Maietta, by the
present of a bullock to Captain Owen, signified

90 MARKET ON THE QUARTER-DECK.
his desire to promote, one side of our quarter
deck every morning exhibited the appearance
of a market in miniature. The natives brought
elephant tusks, hippopotamus teeth, rhinoceros
horns, tiger skins, ambergris, spears, assagays,
shields, mats, agricultural and culinary utensils
of their own manufacture, goats, fowls, onions,
yams, maize, millet, cabbages, leeks, maccah-
cahs (afterwards prohibited), pine-apples, toma-
tas, and a variety of other things.
Captain Owen, with his usual justice, would
not permit private traffic to be carried on be
fore the wants of the community in general
were supplied ; by which judicious arrange
ment a sufficient quantity of vegetables and
fruit was obtained by the purser for the ship's
company every morning. Blue dungaree, or,
as it is termed by the natives, lap, was the arti
cle in greatest esteem, and, next to that, axes,
knives, tobacco, and small black or white earth
enware beads : the latter of these, in strings,
constituted the currency of the country. Spi
rits, although much coveted, were not consider
ed by the natives as an article of trade ; a gift
of them was regarded as an earnest of friend
ship, and eagerly accepted.

NATIVE LIQUORS. 91
Of their own making they have two kinds
of spirituous liquors ; one of which is called
ep£ahla, and the other wocahnyeye. The for
mer is prepared in the following manner : a
large quantity of maize, with a certain propor
tion of water, is put into a wooden mortar and
there pounded for half an hour ; it is then
placed in the shade to ferment. At the end of
two days it is taken out and boiled, and, when
cold, a small quantity of a grain called andrealo,
(a sort of millet,) well pounded, is added to it,
and the whole, after standing a few hours, is
strained through a mat-bag, from which the
epeahla oozes out, perfectly pure and of a milk-
white colour. In one day it is drinkable, the
next sour ; and less than two bottles will occa
sion inebriation.
The wocahnyeye is obtained from the mak-
kahnyeye, a fruit resembling the guava, and
which grows on a lofty tree, of a whitish ap
pearance, called the kahnyeye. When the
requisite quantity of fruit is picked, a small
hole is cut in each, through which the juice is
squeezed into a large boiler, where, after having
stood some time over the fire, it remains to fer
ment until the next day. More juice is then

92 ENGLISH BILL.
added, and the same operation is repeated with
the whole. At the close of this second day it is
drinkable, and will continue so for three days ;
yet its nature is not half so intoxicating as that
of the epfiahla. It is almost colourless, and has
a sweet and pleasant taste.
English Bill continued to render himself every
day more useful in promoting an intercourse
with the natives, in accompanying our expedi
tions in the country, and in acting as an inter
preter on board ; for which services, and as the
leader of a party of his countrymen employed
in our boats when watering, he was hired, and
was allowed to take out his pay, to the amount
of two shillings a day, in various kinds of
goods. All this was highly gratifying to Bill's
vanity, as it gave him an opportunity of dis
playing his importance, and, at the same time,
of recruiting his wardrobe.
Many of the Delagoans are circumcised; but,
excepting that custom, and the dislike of some
to pork, I never could discover the least indica
tion of their ever having embraced the tenets
or forms appertaining to any particular reli
gion. Certain it is, that at present they appear
to have no thought beyond that of their earthly

DEATH OF MR. TAMBS. 93
existence ; unless a beautiful idea expressed by
one of them, yet in such a manner as if it was
not understood by him, as I shall have occasion
to relate in a subsequent chapter, may be con
ceived to indicate the contrary.
On the 17th, the Barracouta arrived, and, five
days afterwards, proceeded up towards Dundas
River, with the view of entering it, if possible,
to obtain wood and water; but the object
could not be attained on account of the neap-
tides. She grounded several times, yet, from
the smoothness of the water, received no da
mage whatever.
On the 24th of October, the fever, which after
wards committed such ravages among us, carried
off its first victim, Mr. Wm. Boys Tambs, Ad
miralty midshipman. He had been three days
ill, but the symptoms were so mild that, until
a few minutes before his dissolution, not the
slightest conception of his danger was enter
tained ; on the contrary, he appeared as if ra
pidly recovering, and thought so himself. Only
one hour and a half before he breathed his last,
he was sitting at the table with his companions,
joking and conversing with them. As the even
ing closed, he returned to bed, felt himself very

94 BURIAL OF MR. TAMBS.
unwell, sent for the surgeon, and, unconscious
of his approaching end, went off gradually as
into a sleep, and expired without a groan. A
grave was dug for him in the morning on the
summit of a low sandy hillock near the Fort,
where shortly afterwards his body was deposited
with military honours, Captain Owen and every
other officer who could be spared attending. A
head-stone was erected by a relation, and the in
scription upon it paid not so ill a compliment
to the memory of the deceased as to bestow
posthumous praise through a channel so often
abused. His knell on the night of his death
was rung by the heaviest peals of thunder I
ever heard, accompanied by bright vivid flashes
of lightning, which at times illumined the tri-
coloured shroud* that covered his remains, and
displayed to view the figure of the cross in a
situation calculated to promote feelings of a re
ligious and moral nature.
On the 25th, the schooner left the river to
survey the Bay; and, for the purpose of co-ope
rating with her from a station on shore, Mr.
Hood, midshipman, was placed, with a tent and
* A corpse, on board of men-of-war, is always covered
with a union jack previously to burial.

RENCONTRE WITH THE ORATONTAHS. 95
two marines, on the top of Mahong Point, which
forms the southern entrance of the river.
Besides Mr. Gibbons, who, as before stated,
had charge of the observatory, Capt. Lechmere,
Mr. Forbes, and others, at times also made it
their abode. These latter were there when, one
morning, the Portuguese informed them that
the Oratontahs, who were overrunning the Mat
tol side with the same facility as they had ra
vaged the Temby country, had carried their de
predations so far as actually at that time to be
committing them among the inoffensive people
between the Fort and the lake. The party
rushed out immediately, and, followed by many
of the Portuguese and nearly all the Blacks,
proceeded into the country to clear by force the
vicinity of their abode of such dangerous neigh
bours. They shortly came upon them, dis
charged their pieces, and drove the savages in
the utmost consternation back upon their main
body, which had bivouacked at some distance.
We afterwards learned that they were there se
verely reprimanded, and branded as cowards by
their chief, Looncungdove.
An extra guard of marines was placed at the
observatory. In the afternoon, a poor old Black

96 A WOUNDED BLACK.
was brought on board severely wounded; he had
charge of some cattle, which, as the Oratontahs
approached, he drove to the Fort for protection,
and then returned to his hut, where he was
shortly after seized by the invading tribe, who,
in revenge, speared him. In doing this it was
evident that they had held him down, and
worked the weapon forcibly to and fro, until it
had passed through his thigh ; as the wound, on
the side on which it was inflicted, was upwards
of seven inches in length, whereas the largest
spear is not more than half that in breadth.
The sufferer bore the pain nobly, and appeared
much less affected at his situation than those
who were spectators of it. A native who ac
companied him, and spoke a little English, thus
described the horror he felt at such a fate as his
comrade had experienced : — " Delagoa man no
care suppose 'um sick and go dead : no like big
rogue Oratontah ; no peak nothing, but teef
(thieve) 'um life." We never heard whether
the injured man recovered : his wound was
dressed, and he went on shore highly grateful.
On the 28th, Mr. Gibbons, while taking a
morning walk, imperceptibly strolled farther
than he intended, and, on turning round with

CURIOUS CUSTOM OF THE NATIVES. 97
the intention of retracing his steps, he disco
vered that he was close to a body of Oratontahs.
He rushed behind a friendly thicket near him,
and, running off in a direction that kept it
between him and the savages, escaped un
observed. It is a custom among the people of this coun
try to conceal the death of their king as long as
possible, and, for upwards of a month, they in
sisted that old Kappel was still alive, although
from time to time they belied in some way or
other what they said ; as in the two instances
that occurred in my visit to Sllanghelley, where,
in the first place, the rum allotted for the king
was sent to Maietta, and, in the second, permis
sion requested of the same, as sovereign of
Temby, for the prince Sllanghelley to visit the
Leven. English Bill, though we generally re
ceived more information from him than from
any one else, was always positive as to the ex
istence of old Kappel ; he even carried his dis
simulation so far as to accompany, in the capa
city of a guide, a party which Captain Owen
directed to pay a visit to that prince.
Captain Cutfield had charge of this embassy,
and Lieut. Vidal went with him. They had
VOL. I. H

98 EMBASSY TO KING KAPPEL.
two boats, and a file of marines as a guard ; a
circumstance which English Bill had previously
been directed to announce, to prevent any mis
understanding as to the amicable motives of
their visit. They landed beyond Point Tala-
guene, or, as we afterwards termed it, Lechmere,
about three miles above the Fort, on the oppo
site side ; and, after an hour's walk, arrived at
the hut of Mohambetey, uncle of King Maietta
and son to the late Kappel. This was the place
agreed upon for the interview; but as no such
high personage as the king appeared, Captain
Cutfield, after waiting a long time, returned on
board. Mohambetey, when he discovered that
none of the presents were intended for him, ex
pressed himself highly affronted, and walked
sullenly away, leaving his visiters in possession
of the hut, which far exceeded in neatness and
ornamental construction any that had yet been
seen. One of the petty officers of the Leven, a blus
tering and discontented character, was placed
in his turn as sentry over the water-casks on
shore, where he fell asleep on his post and had
his bayonet stolen. Fearful of the punishment
which he was aware that he had merited, he de-

DESERTION OF A SEAMAN. 99
serted, and was absent six days ; at the expira
tion of which he returned in a half-starved and
sickly state. As he had suffered so much for
his folly, his offence was forgiven ; a leniency
that he might naturally have been expected to
repay, for gratitude's sake, by a stricter attention
to his duty. But, no sooner had he recovered
his health, than, taking advantage of the oppor
tunity afforded him by being in one of the boats
that landed Captain Cutfield and his party, he
repeated his offence, at the same time commit
ting the still greater crime of theft, taking
with him his musket, ammunition, and various
articles belonging to the officers and boat's
crew. On the 30th, a seaman of the Leven, named
Roberts, died of fever ; he was ill only a few
days, and apparently suffered little. The
whalers had assured us that Delagoa was per
fectly healthy ; but the two recent deaths,
and the daily increasing number of the sick,
strongly impeached the truth of their asser
tions, and excited in the minds of many a
presentiment of the havoc that was about to
take place.
On the 1st of November the Cockburn re-
h 2

100 ATROCIOUS CRUELTY OF
turned. About this time the Portuguese com
mandant exhibited a tragedy of a most appal
ling nature, even more abhorrent in the unfeel
ing barbarity of the termination, when time
had been given for reflection, than in the cruelty
of the commencement. The ravages of the
Oratontahs had reduced the inhabitants of the
Mafoomo country to a state of the greatest
distress and starvation, insomuch that at last
the king's brother and sixteen of the natives
proceeded to the Fort, to request that assistance
* and support which, even unasked, they cer
tainly had a right tp expect. Before they ap
plied for an interview with the commandant,
they proceeded to the bazaar, which was always
kept open near the Fort by the Portuguese,
and there commenced bartering some few ar
ticles which they had brought for provisions.
Not long had they been thus occupied, when,
on the complaint of a soldier to the com
mandant that these were a party who had
robbed his garden, a charge which he could
in no manner prove, the unsuspecting Blacks
were surrounded by a guard of soldiers with
fixed bayonets, and conveyed into the Fort,
where, merely as one half of their punish-

THE PORTUGUESE COMMANDANT. 101
ment, they received a flogging in point of
severity far worse than death.*
With this infliction the punishment com
menced, and the sufferer soon fainted under
the effects of it, or, by the agony which he en
dured, was reduced to a lethargic state, from
which he was aroused by a violent blow from
a stake or club, that he might be, or appear by
his cries to be, more susceptible of the tor
ments inflicted. The branch of a thorny bush
was the last instrument of torture employed,
and this was applied with great force to the
lacerated back of the half-expiring Negro. The
commandant stood by the whole time, encou
raging the soldiers not to relax in the applica
tion of the punishment, and regulating the
period when it was necessary to use the stake.
He was alike inexorable to the cries of the
sufferers, and to the tears and entreaties of his
wife, who on her knees before him implored
mercy. * Some idea may be formed of it from the fatal result,
and the description of the instruments with which it was in
flicted. One was formed of several of the hard dried thongs
of a bull's hide, covered with knots, and the whole attach
ed to a stick about three feet long, which served as a
handle.

102 ATROCIOUS CRUELTY.
When the punishment was over, the suf
ferers were cast into a small and loathsome
dungeon, there to remain until their backs
were sufficiently healed to endure the rest of
the punishment. From the impure air, the
closeness and filth of their dungeon, together
with the depth of their wounds and mental
despondency, death soon relieved the greater
number of the unhappy men from their misery.
This result, one would suppose, might have
been sufficient to excite mercy and commi
seration in the hardest heart : the commandant,
nevertheless, had them dragged out, either dead
or in a dying state, to the bushes in the vicinity
of the Fort, and there, unmoved by their groans
and sufferings, left them, under the effects of a
burning sun, to linger out the last moments of
their painful existence. If any did survive,
they were few in number ; for, as I have above
stated, the majority died in prison. One of
them was seen shortly after death had relieved
him from his pains ; his back, lacerated and
torn, was in a state of mortification, and worms,
maggots, and flies were carousing on it.
Our daily market on board began to assume
some form and arrangement. The demands of

MARKET ON BOARD. 103
the natives for the articles which they brought
to dispose of had at first no limits. A bargain
was driven to the utmost, and every one en
deavoured to obtain the most exorbitant return
for his effects. But now the case was altered ;
a comparative value between the goods of the
dealers on each side was imperceptibly esta
blished, and articles were bartered for a fair
return, without finesse, noise, or wrangling.
To prevent the occurrence of another attack
on our boats by the Oratontahs, Captain Owen
sent a native of the Temby side to the chief,
Looncungdove, with a message expressive of
his desire to see either him or some one whom
he should authorise to accede to stipulations,
and to furnish hostages as a guarantee for the
future against any hostile attempts. To this
application he obtained no answer ; but, on the
2nd of November, a party arrived at the Fort,
to treat with Captain Owen and the Por
tuguese ; they were armed, and in full war-
costume. The constant watchfulness and distrust, graft
ed in their nature by their roving and ma
rauding habits, were not for a moment relaxed.
They remained during the conference with

104 INTERVIEW WITH ORATONTAHS.
their backs to the wall, and threatened with
the assagay any one who attempted to pass
behind them. Captain Owen expressed a wish
that they should come on board the Leven, to
enter into an agreement respecting his demand
of hostages. They promised to do so without
the slightest apparent hesitation ; although it
is probable that they never had the least in
tention of keeping their word, as they returned
early in the morning to the Oratontah encamp
ment. It is very likely that they were guided
in their conduct by the suspicion, natural
enough to savages, that they themselves, if
they ventured on board, should be detained as
the hostages demanded. It had, however, been
fully explained to them overnight, that, if they
did not immediately leave Mafoomo and its
vicinity, they should be compelled to do so by
force ; and likewise that, until they delivered
hostages for their future peaceable conduct, the
English would deal with them as enemies
wherever they found them. This threat had
the desired effect of driving Looncungdove
and his forces from the country, although, in
revenge, they ravaged the fields and burned
every hut to which they came in their retreat.

THE COCKBURN ASCENDS DUNDAS RIVER. 105
As the endeavours of the Barracouta to as
cend the Dundas had failed, the Cockburn,
which drew only half as much water, was or
dered to perform that duty. She entered the
river on the 4th, and next day proceeded as far
up as where the banks were covered with tim
ber and the water was perfectly fresh. The
officers, during the time they were there, made
several trips in their boat, for the purpose of
shooting the different birds and animals, which
are very numerous at some distance up the
river, in the plains and thick woods in its
vicinity. On one of these excursions, Lieutenant Owen
and Messrs. Browne and Foot, midshipmen,
left the schooner early, and proceeded up the
river until they arrived at the same plain on
which I had the interview with the Mattol
people. It was covered with elks and deer,
and they amused themselves with firing at
them until late in the evening, when they bent
their steps towards the river in order to return
on board. On arriving at the boat, they were
alarmed by the intelligence that one of the
crew was missing. They traversed in great
part the neighbouring woods, and kept con-

106 BOAT ATTACKED BY HIPPOPOTAMUS.
stantly firing and calling, thinking that the
man might have accidentally missed his way ;
but all was to no purpose — no trace could they
discover, and no answer obtain. The moon
was up and the night set in. They lighted a
large fire, left a written notice by it, and at
last began descending the river, intending to
send back next morning to see if the absentee
had returned.
The tide had ebbed so considerably that, in
passing over a shallow spot, the boat grounded
on a mud-bank, and all, excepting Lieutenant
Owen and Mr. Foot, got out to shove her off,
when suddenly a large hippopotamus was ob
served to leap from the bank and rush towards
them at full gallop, uttering loud menacing
cries, opening its enormous mouth, and at times
gnashing its teeth with the expression of the
most infuriated rage.
Mr. Foot seized his gun, and, when the beast
had approached within six yards, discharged the
contents at its head. It was frightened and
turned about, as it was hoped with no intention
of repeating the attack ; but, having taken a
large sweep, it mustered its courage, and, with
greater swiftness than before, rushed towards

NARROW ESCAPE OF THE OFFICERS. 107
the boat in an opposite direction, that is to say,
across the shallow bed of the river. Fortu
nately one more charge was left. The animal
received it as before, and, to the great relief of
the party, retreated in the utmost dismay up
the banks to the woods, whence it did not re
turn to renew the attack. Had it done so, it is
more than probable that not one in the boat
would have survived to tell the tale.
When the animal leaped from the bank, Mr.
Browne imagined that he observed a young one
do the same ; if he was not mistaken, the attack
may well be supposed to have originated in the
apprehension of injury to her young : indeed,
we may fairly assume this to have been the
case, as, unless when irritated, these animals,
so far from attacking the boats, have ever
shunned them.

108 ILLNESS OF CAPTAIN LECHMERE.

CHAPTER V.
Embassy to King Maietta, of Temby. — Death of Captain
Lechmere. — Mohambetey put to death. — The Leven quits
the River. — Alarm of the Natives on board of her. — Explo
ration of the Manice. — Canoes. — Interview with the
Oratontah Army. — Delagoa prudence — Death of Acting
Lieutenant Gibbons. — Death of Captain Cutfield. — -Treat
ment adopted by the Natives for the Fever.
On the 3rd of November, Captain Lechmere
came off from the observatorv in a high state
of fever, and, during the night, was so ill that
he was scarcely expected to survive till the
morning; however, as daylight approached,
the dangerous symptoms abated, and he felt
himself better. This flattering change, though
it relieved his bodily pains, did not deceive his
mind with false hopes ; he was perfectly aware
of the inveteracy of the disease under which he
was suffering, and, from the moment he was
attacked, fully anticipated the fatal result to
which it led.

FEVER ON BOARD. 109
On the 5th, Captain Cutfield and Lieutenant
A^idal proceeded with three boats up the river
Manice, to survey it.
The cases of fever on board had by this time
amounted to upwards of twenty. Among the
persons so affected there was not one whose duty
had kept him on board the ship ; they belonged
either to the crews of the boats that had been
employed up the rivers, or to the unfortunate
few who had at different times been attached
to, or casually resided at, the observatory. Of
the number of the sufferers from this latter
cause were Mr. Forbes, the botanist, and a
young midshipman, named Cannon. Captain
Owen had at one time passed several days there,
but fortunately experienced no ill effects. The
spot proving so unhealthy, the party stationed
there was recalled, the instruments were re-
embarked, and the establishment broken up.
Mr. Gibbons was perfectly well when he came
on board, but he had hardly been there an
hour, when he fell down on deck in a fit, and
was carried below with a severe fever upon
him. Day after day, we heard from the natives of
the overbearing conduct in the country of the

110 DESERTER TAKEN.
troublesome character (William Roberts) who
had deserted from the boat which accompanied
Captain Cutfield in his mission to the King of
Temby. To maintain himself, he carried on a
regular system of plunder, which he was enabled
to do from the superiority that his musket gave
him, and from the desire of the peaceable in
habitants to be on good terms with the English.
At last, however, a Temby woman informed us
of the place of his concealment, to which she
guided an officer and a party of marines sent
out to apprehend him. He was discovered
asleep in a hut, and taken on board. His
offence led to the same punishment as before,
a severe attack of the fever, which eventually
carried him to his grave.
We at length ascertained that the denial of
the death of King Kappel was to be attributed
to an ancient custom among the natives, who
conceal the decease of their kings one year.
This period had probably elapsed, as English
Bill, hitherto so close on the subject, openly ac
knowledged that old Kappel was no more, and
that his grandson, Maietta, was now the sove
reign of Temby. I was in consequence des
patched to wait on him with the presents which

EMBASSY TO KING MAIETTA. Ill
Captain Cutfield had before taken, but had
found no one to whom to deliver them. I was
likewise the bearer of a letter from Captain
Owen to Maietta, expressive of the friendship
of the English, and of the hope he entertained
that a trade with any of our countrymen who
might hereafter visit Delagoa Bay would be
promoted and encouraged by him.
I had with me two boats, English Bill as a
guide, and a guard, consisting of a sergeant,
a corporal, four privates, and five seamen. We
passed round Point Lechmere, and immediately
began to ascend a small salt-water river,* that
for five miles took its winding course through
an extensive marsh. We continued on it until
we reached a low red sandy precipice, under
which we landed. The marsh was strongly
impregnated with salt, and the natives supplied
themselves from it with that article, but in
such a filthy state that none of us could use it.
I left the boats in charge of the midshipmen
who were with me, and, accompanied by Eng-
* This, in Horsburgh's East India Directory, is erro
neously stated to be fresh, and recommended as a watering-
place: a mistake that has crept into that excellent publica
tion probably on account of the vicinity of the stream to
the Dundas River.

112 EMBASSY TO KING MAIETTA.
lish Bill, proceeded into the country. One of
Maietta's secretaries and another native went
in advance to give the chief notice of our
approach, English Bill had informed Captain Owen
and myself that the distance I should have to
go would be trifling ; however, it was upwards
of ten miles ; a long way for those unaccus
tomed to walk in a burning sun, and through
a country without roads. In our way we
passed several villages thickly inhabited. On
our left was an extensive valley, through which
the stream we had ascended took its meander
ing course from the country, which, in every
other part excepting that, was generally about
one hundred and fifty feet above the level of
the sea, and varied in feature, from the exten
sive plain to the gradual slope and gently shelv
ing hill. Great part of .the land was cultivated,
and sown with maize, rice, pompions, millet,
&c. Its appearance varied from a fertile red
earth mixed with vegetable matter, to a parch
ed and hot white sand, yet capable of yielding
a plentiful crop. In about four hours we ar
rived at a large village, in the centre of which
was the establishment of the late King Kappel,

KAPPEL'S HUT. 113
consisting of upwards of twenty huts erected
round a flat and extensive space. Kappel's
hut was the largest, which circumstance, to
gether with its ornamented door, pointed it
out as the residence of the late monarch.
Perceiving that it was deserted and shut up,
I forbore to enter, fearful lest by so doing I
might unwittingly interfere with some reli
gious or superstitious notions of the natives,
connected with the respect due to the residence
of a lately deceased king. On requesting per
mission to that effect, however, it was readily
granted, and, from the appearance inside, I
had no reason to doubt the assurance of English
Bill, that " since King Kappel gone dead, and
Maietta catch 'um all tings, you first man look
'um house." The allusion to Maietta " catch
'um all tings" (things), meant that Kappel's ef
fects had, according to the custom of the coun
try, passed into the possession of him who had
succeeded to his title.
The interior of the royal hut was a com
plete labyrinth of cobwebs, of which my cu
riosity obtained for me an abundant share.
The roof was neatly ornamented with basket-
work, and the wall decorated by a carved and
VOL. I. I

114 INTERIOR OF KAPPEL'S HUT.
not inelegant cornice. In the centre was an
elevated square space for the fire, and near it
stood a bedstead of palm-leaf, resembling the
seat of a cane chair ; on this the late venerable
king breathed his last. The diameter of the
building inside was twenty-three feet, and the
height twenty -five, that of the wall being only
six. The surrounding huts, of the usual size,
which had belonged to his wives, were now
inhabited by others. At the door of one, an
old woman was shaving her daughter's head, in
the way described in a preceding chapter, and
the instrument used for the purpose was shaped
like the paddle of a canoe, about three inches
long and very sharp. A man who lived in the
next hut had his hair shaved off entirely.
As I never before observed such a practice
among them, I inquired the reason, and learn
ed that it was the universal custom on the
death of a wife. I was soon joined at the
village by Sllanghelley, Mohambetey, and se
veral more of the Kappel family, but could
obtain no tidings of their chief, Maietta.
After waiting two hours, I began to think
that English Bill was deceiving me, as he had
lately imposed on Captain Cutfield. In strong

RETURN OF THE EMBASSY. 115
terms I taxed him with duplicity: Bill felt that
his honour was at stake, and left me to seek
Maietta himself. Not expecting to be de
tained so long from the ship, we took no pro
visions with us ; and where we were we could
not obtain any even by barter, as every article
belonging to the natives, excepting such things
as were in immediate use, had been carried
away to prevent its falling into the hands of
the Oratontahs, from whom they were in daily
expectation of a visit. After English Bill's
departure, I waited nearly two hours more ;
and, as it was then nearly three o'clock, and I
could gain no intelligence respecting Maietta,
I left the village, to return to the boat, deeming
it imprudent to tarry longer lest we should be
benighted. We had proceeded about half-way,
and had just issued from a wood, when, on
looking back, I was startled by the appearance
of a glittering line of spears, above the bushes
we had passed, rapidly approaching us. That
Maietta, or at least some great chief, was coming,
I had no doubt ; therefore, apparently with the
view of conferring an honour, but in reality as
a precautionary measure against treachery, I
drew up my men in a line, and advanced ready
i 2

116 INTERVIEW WITH MAIETTA.
for the conference some fifty paces before
them. Sllanghelley was the first person I saw ; he
came running up to inform me that Maietta
was approaching, escorted by his guards. He
soon appeared, followed by upwards of one
hundred men armed with shields and spears,
and was preceded by one carrying a long white
slender stick, with which he chastised such of
the natives whose curiosity urged them to ap
proach too near.
Maietta, about twenty-two years of age, was
six feet in height, and of a manly command
ing appearance ; his dress consisted of a long
robe of fine scarlet cloth, edged with gold lace
more than half an inch in breadth. Those
around him appeared to pay great respect in
the tone of their voice when addressing him,
but they made no salaam or other kind of sa
lute. He seemed delighted with the presents,
but was evidently annoyed by the conduct
of the sulky, ill-looking Mohambetey, who
seemed as if disposed to secrete and keep some
of them to himself. After Captain Owen's
letter had been interpreted to Maietta, and I
had held a friendly converse for nearly half an

RETURN OF THE LOST SEAMAN. 117
hour with him, I took my leave, having pre
viously afforded much gratification by causing
the marines to go through their exercise, and
to discharge several shot at a mark. Fire, who
accompanied me, had, from the time of landing,
and even when with Captain Cutfield, in his
embassy for the same purpose, expressed him
self highly amused at our credulity in sup
posing that the natives would ever permit us
to see their real king. He quoted his coun
trymen as an example, who, he affirmed, had
always a person whom, when necessary, they
would dress out as their sovereign, and pass
him off as such.
On the 8th, the seaman, who had strayed from
the schooner's boat up the Dundas River, re
turned, happy in escaping from the miserable
and precarious life he had led since his desertion.
He pretended that he had lost his way ; it was,
however, well known afterwards that a desire
for novelty had alone detained and led him into
this folly.
Captain Lechmere, during the night, became
much worse, raved at times, but on being spoken
to was immediately collected. The fever, true
to its nature, rendered him anxious and restless,

118 DEATH OF CAPTAIN LECHMERE.
and he was glad to catch at anything that for
a moment assuaged the bitter thoughts which
preyed on his mind. Nothing appeared to
please him more than singing, and at different
times men were called in for that purpose. It
seemed to alleviate the sufferings of the present
moment by fond recollections of the past. One
of the young gentlemen, willing to beguile the
gloomy thoughts of a fellow-creature on the
verge of eternity, performed different airs, at his
request, on the flute and violin, and the solemn
grandeur of such a piece as " Adeste, fideles /"
ever a favourite of mine, operated powerfully
on the feelings, when considered as tending to
soothe the sufferings of a dying man. Passing
a sleepless night, he sunk into a state of lethargy
and indifference to everything around him ;
yet he recovered from this stupor in a few
hours, and seemed to be possessed of more
strength than on the preceding day. The night
that was destined to be his last gloomily ap
proached ; the fever returned ; he became worse,
and about midnight, while Captain Owen was
singing the air, " Here a sheer hulk lies poor
Tom Bowling," and had just repeated the line,
" His soul is gone aloft," poor Lechmere

MOHAMBETEY PUT TO DEATH. 119
breathed his last. His remains were deposited
next morning, with military honours, in a grave
close to that of Mr. Tambs. The officers of the
three vessels, and a large portion of their respec
tive crews, attended the funeral.
In the account of my interview with Maietta,
I mentioned the indignation which he appeared
to feel at the behaviour of Mohambetey. It
was not the first time that this discontented
chief had excited the displeasure of his sove
reign : he had been caballing with several more
against his authority, and had omitted to send
him a due proportion of the presents which he
received. These, with other instances of mis
conduct, and among the rest that which I wit
nessed, had blown into a flame the long-kindling
embers of retributive vengeance. A kabah, or
meeting of the chiefs, was called, and by it
Mohambetey was decreed to die. The execu
tion of this sentence was given to a party of
men, who followed the unsuspicious chief into
the wood, on the skirt of which his hut was
built, and despatched him there by repeated
thrusts of spears.
On the 11th died another seaman belonging
to the Leven, and, on the 14th, a marine named

120 PROGRESS OF THE FEVER.
Thomas Waring. He was in the habit of at
tending on Mr. Daniels, one of the midshipmen,
who, at the time of Waring's death, was absent
with the Manice party. About an hour and
a half before his dissolution, he' opened his mas
ter's chest, carefully placed everything in order,
returned to his birth, was conveyed to his ham
mock, and in a few minutes expired. He gave
the keys to a comrade a short time before, but
was too far gone to say to whom they belonged.
On the morning of the 19th, we proceeded to
the Bay, in hopes that the change would prove
beneficial to the thirty-five who were suffering
on board from the fever. From the want of
these hands, of such as we had already lost, and
of the boats' crews up the Manice, we were
obliged to have a proportion of men from the
Barracouta and Cockburn to assist in taking us
out. Our want of hands likewise prevented us
from sparing a boat and crew to land the nu
merous natives and women whom we had on
board : these were much frightened when we
got under weigh. The men talked of the misery
of their queens, when " she look 'um sail go
fall, and ship go big water," and many a wince
and anxious glance escaped them as we rapidly

NATIVES' DREAD OF WATER. 121
passed the headlands of the river ; yet, when
spoken to, there was an attempt to look cheerful
from under a brow clouded by uncertainty, and
from an eye keenly attempting to read our in
most thoughts. The women were a little more
clamorous, fretting, sobbing aloud, and ejacu
lating, " Mamahnah ! mamahnah !" (mother !
mother !) However, our anchoring soon dissi
pated all apprehensions ; the dance was resumed,
and the chorus of their song touched on their
late erroneous suspicions, with " Tehefahney,
big water, big water, no good." It is not un
likely, from the great dread the natives always
evinced at even the mention of big water, that
in former times acts of kidnapping were fre
quently practised upon them by slavers.
Mohambetey was buried in an American en
sign, which he generally had hoisted near his
hut, and with a handkerchief tied over his eyes ;
and another chief was appointed by Maietta in
his room.
Our carpenter, who had been ill some days,
was now much worse : his speech was affected,
and, like all those who had died of the fever,
when approaching their end, he became restless,
and would go on deck. I was there ; he tot-

122 RETURN OF THE MANICE PARTY.
tered past me, supported by the gunner and
another, his head thrown back, his eyes starting
from their sockets, with a wild, unmeaning,
maddened expression, and an agonized smile
playing on his lips. His appearance altogether
made the bystanders shudder : it was the last
effort of a dying man.
In the afternoon the Manice party returned.
Lieutenant Vidal, who had called on board the
Barracouta, brought with him English Bill, who,
until he had scanned the countenances of all
with a keen, penetrating observation, appeared
to be turning over in his mind our probable
intentions respecting those of his countrymen
whom we had brought out with us : he, how
ever, quickly perceived that all was right.
The Delagoans, having been mostly accus
tomed to whalers, whose boats are not qualified
to work to windward, had no idea of the possi
bility of one under sail reaching an object di
rectly in the wind's eye of her. I will relate
one fact by way of illustration. Lieutenant
Vidal, in coming out, was obliged to make a
tack before he could reach the ship. Bill, seeing
the direction of the boat's head, drily observed,
while composing himself for slumber, " Me go

THEIR PROCEEDINGS. 123
sleep now, you look'um ship dis night, no
catch'um." The operation of tacking aroused
him ; he lifted up his head, saw the ship on the
lee-bow and not far off. Astonished and con
founded, he muttered, "Eigh! eigh!" stared
some time apparently in deep thought, then,
sorrowfully hanging down his head, exclaimed,
as if communing with himself, " White man,
Englishman, sabbey ebery ting ; Delagoa man
know notting — e d — n fool !"
The party employed in exploring the Manice
consisted of six officers, twenty-four seamen and
marines, and four native interpreters : they had
three boats, and Captain Cutfield, in the Barra-
couta's pinnace, commanded. They left the
Leven on the forenoon of the 5th, and in the
evening anchored off the Island of Shefean, at
the entrance of the Manice, where they remained
for the night, and next morning prepared to sur
vey the river, previously examining the island,
which evidently had not always been such, for
in the channel that divided it from the main the
relics of trees were yet visible, exhibiting an ap
pearance as if they had been deprived of the
mould for their support by an unusual rush of
water from the river, producing the small chan-

24 SURVEY OF THE MANICE.
nel that has ever since remained open. Shefean
was not inhabited by the natives ; there was a
pool of excellent water on it, and in the woods
were seen tracks of deer and hippopotami.
The river, at its entrance, formed several
islets, with narrow channels between, and an
inconsiderable depth of water. The islands were
swampy and covered with mangroves, as was
also the southern bank, but the other displayed
different features, being of a parched sandy na
ture, with seldom the smallest patch of vegeta
tion to redeem it from the charge of the utmost
barrenness. These appearances, however, were
soon succeeded by a more pleasing and culti
vated tract abounding in inhabitants, who in
every respect resembled those of Mafoomo, Mat
tol, and Temby.
The party passed through the territory of
Sherimbah, and soon entered that of Maghoy,
where, for the first time, they met with canoes ;
and shortly afterwards found on a small islet,
which was the principal abode of the natives, a
profusion of lemon and banana trees, none of
which had before been seen.
The soil of Maghoy was generally rich and
cultivated, so that the natives, who are very nu-

SURVEY OF THE MANICE. 125
merous, are enabled to live in the greatest abun
dance, and had the happiness to be in a great
measure secured from the hostile attacks of the
Oratontahs by the branch of the Manice, that
served as an almost insurmountable barrier to
the progress of a tribe, who, like the rest of
the Kaffers, have an extraordinary antipathy to
trusting themselves on the water. Rice was
the principal produce, and so abundant that the
natives are enabled with it to carry on a lucra
tive trade with the people of Temby.
The right bank of the river, being exposed
to the attacks of the Oratontahs, was chiefly de
serted by the natives. Part of it once formed
the territory of Woolooweeney, of which Go-
mana, son of Maghoy, monarch of Derora, was
sovereign ; but, not being content with the por
tion which his father had given him, he at
tempted by force to wrest from him the re
mainder ; and, in the conflict that ensued, partly
atoned by the loss of his life for his treacherous
and ungrateful conduct.
Whenever the right bank was not actually
deserted by the natives, their canoes at least
were ready to cross the river on the first alarm ;
such household goods as could be possibly spared

126 PARTIES OF ORATONTAHS.
were generally placed in them, as were some
times the women and children.
While the party were pursuing their course,
on the morning of the third day of their ascent,
they observed the Oratontahs moving along in
large and regular parties towards a high promi
nent point, about a mile in advance. A large
town was built under it, of which the enemy,
as the boats approached, were observed to take
possession. Opposite to this town was the resi
dence of King Manice, whose territory, of the
same name, extended to some distance from the
banks of the river on either side.
Captain Cutfield determined if possible to
hold a conference with the Oratontahs. The
detached bodies with which he at first endea
voured to communicate, were suspicious, and
shunned the rencontre ; but the force collected
in the town, as if conscious of their strength,
being in number about two thousand, seemed
glad to avail themselves of an opportunity to
confer with the boats. Their principal chief did
not show himself, but several of the others made
their appearance : they seemed to possess great
authority, were habited in the same manner as
Tchintchingahney, and, as they approached,

INTERVIEW WITH THEM. 127
men with long white rods cleared the way be
fore them, striking with violence the shins of
those who came within their reach.
Some of their women, who were much better
looking than those of Delagoa, were likewise
present. They were, generally speaking, of a
lighter shade than the men, who in that respect
approached nearer to the Mulatto than to the Ne
gro. As the costume of the chiefs was warlike,
graceful, and imposing, so that of their women
was modest and becoming. They wore kilts
formed of stripes of hide, ornaments of the same
material on their arms, bangles round their wrists
and ankles, brass rings in their ears, and on their
heads caps handsomely constructed of hair and
feathers. The interview with the Oratontahs was con
sidered as a good opportunity to express the de
termination which Captain Owen had formed
on account of their treacherous attack on our
" party up the Temby ; accordingly, through the
medium of the interpreters, who were very bad,
Captain Cutfield informed them, that, as they
had thought proper to commence hostilities with
us, unless they delivered up hostages as assur
ances of their future peaceable conduct, Capt.

128 ORATONTAHS REFUSE TO GIVE HOSTAGES.
Owen would consider them as enemies, and
order them to be treated as such wherever we
met them.
To all this representation they paid but little
regard : hostages, they affirmed, were out of the
question, as they had nothing to do with the
cause that led to the demand for them, the at
tack on our people having been made by another
chief without their knowledge. They closed
the subject by adding that, unless our party had
something to sell, they wished to have no more
to do with them, except that they would be very
thankful, and present them with seven bullocks,
for a passage in their boats across the water, to
attack the natives on the other side; who, under
the protection of the river, were venting a pro
fusion of gasconades against their indignant ene
my opposite, accompanied with satirical remarks
and threatening gestures. The interview ended
by Captain Cutfield informing them that, as
they had refused our terms, war was proclaimed,
and that wherever they were seen they would
be treated as foes ; that the inhabitants of the
vicinity of the river were our friends ; and that,
unless they immediately quitted their town, a
fire would be opened on them. As soon as this

RETREAT OF ORATONTAHS. 129
intimation ended, which probably after all was
not thoroughly understood, the Oratontahs be
gan to move off, and to retreat behind the
hills. The boats passed on, and shortly afterwards
arrived opposite to a deserted village, in which
some Oratontahs were busily employed in plun
dering the huts. They were taken so com
pletely by surprise that, before they perceived
their danger, they were within reach of the
musketry, which, as they precipitately retreated
over the hills, despatched after them a volley of
balls. As the Oratontahs retreated, a loud
shout of derision was set up by the inhabitants
of a Manice village on the opposite bank, who
satirically asked why they, who loved plunder
and termed themselves warriors, ran from the
white men, who would be so acceptable a
booty. After the territory of Manice, the river led
through that of Mamalonga. The banks were
low, and their vicinity was in general a stag
nant and fetid swamp. The territories of Ma-
calonga and Timbana succeeded that of Mama
longa, the former on the right bank and the
latter on the left.
VOL. I. J(

130 MOSQUITOES.
On the evening of the 11th, the farther ex
ploration of the river was relinquished, the
party having in five days ascended about fifty
miles. Its direction was almost north, running
nearly parallel with the sea-shore, from which
it was nowhere more than two or three miles
distant. The water was fresh close to the
mouth, and the current in many parts set down
at the rate of two miles and a quarter. The
thermometer varied from 81° to 89°, and, from
the general prevalence of light winds, the wea
ther was particularly close and oppressive.
During the night, the innumerable mosqui
toes were at times so troublesome as almost to
render it impossible for any of the party to
sleep ; to two or three, who were visited by
slight symptoms of fever, their persevering at
tacks were irritating in the extreme, and there
can be little doubt that they tended much to
aggravate the inveteracy of the disease by the
restlessness and painful excitation which they
occasioned. Several times the natives returned to visit
the party in their canoes, and bartered fowls,
vegetables, and fruit for trinkets and clothing.
For the latter they manifested great avidity,

A MANICE VILLAGE. 131
and, even when it was portioned out into the
smallest pieces, they took it in preference to
any thing else. An old check shirt, cut up
into ten parts, purchased as many fowls ; yet
buttons, knives, and tobacco, they appeared to
hold in little estimation : the latter, the na
tives said, was collected in great abundance at
some distance farther up the river.
The boats, in their way down, stopped at a
Manice village opposite to that which the Ora
tontahs were plundering when our party opened
a fire upon them, as before mentioned. The
inhabitants expressed the highest gratitude for
the kind interference of the white men in their
favour, and exultingly informed them that,
since the seasonable admonition thus given to
the Oratontahs, they had totally deserted the
country. In repassing the village in which the
Manice monarch resided, their attention, un
occupied by what had so thoroughly engaged
it in their ascent, was directed to the contem
plation of the picturesque spot where the huts
were erected : the face of the lofty hills, of a
sandy nature, but covered with verdure and
topped by forest- trees, was studded with them.
Through the luxuriant foliage which adorned
k 2

132 A MANICE VILLAGE.
the narrow level below, their humble roofs
were in many places seen protruding, while
those on the bank of the river were fully ex
posed to view, interspersed with trees, under
the shade of which the inhabitants, with the
river as a guard between them and their ene
mies, were assembled in groups, some dancing,
others conversing, some again idly reclining,
and others employed in domestic pursuits ; but
by far the greater number, as a finishing stroke
of animation to the pleasing scene, had crowded
down to the water's edge to obtain a nearer
sight of the boats as they passed. The counte
nances of all expressed the greatest admiration
and astonishment ; and, that the children might
have their share of the spectacle, the women
were observed holding them up at arm's length
above their heads, while they, too much fright
ened at the view of white men to be pleased at
the novelty of their appearance, were shrieking
with terror and struggling to escape. Not so
the young lads and girls : they rushed into the
canoes, and vied with each other in trying who
should approach nearest to the boats.
From the curiosity and astonishment dis
played by these people, and from their number,

RETURN OF THE BOATS. 133
which certainly far exceeded the probable po
pulation of the village, it would appear that,
hearing of the boats having ascended the river,
they had flocked in from the surrounding
country for the express purpose of viewing them
as they returned. None of the natives, even
higher up the river, had evinced so much cu
riosity. The survey" of the Manice, its bar, and She-
fean Island at its entrance, was completed by
the 18th, and next day the boats returned to
their respective vessels. We had an opportu
nity of witnessing one solitary instance of the
absence of that fear of the sea which prevails
among the Delagoans : it was exhibited by
a lad about eighteen, who appeared pleased
with the idea of going to sea, and expressed
his wish to remain with the ship when she
went away altogether, and, from the diminished
number of our crew, his wish was gratified. Be
fore we sailed, this lad, and such of his coun
trymen who were hired, received the same pro
visions as our own people, and were paid at the
rate of one shilling per day, which they were al
lowed to receive either in tobacco or clothes.
The former, which, as a luxury, they had hi-

134 DELAGOA PRUDENCE.
therto shown such avidity to obtain, as soon
as they perceived the great drawback that, from
its relative value, it occasioned in their receipt
of the more essential article of clothing, they
almost entirely discarded, contenting them
selves with a very limited enjoyment of that
to them bewitching luxury, thereby evincing
the command which their prudence had over
one of their strongest propensities, and afford
ing a remarkable contrast in their character
with that of many savages, who gratify the
wants of the present moment at the expense of
future comfort. They worked well,- were re
spectful in their behaviour, and showed their
content by the joyful chorus song with which,
like the Canadian boatmen, they regulated
the strokes of their oars when pulling in our
boats. On the forenoon of the 21st November died
Mr. Tympson, carpenter of the Leven. He
was buried on Shefean Island ; and, agreeably
to his last request, a small marble slab, with
his name engraved on it, was deposited with
him. Next day the Barracouta and Cockburn
joined us from the river. In the former, the

ILLNESS OF CAPTAIN CUTFIELD. 135
fatal fever had commenced its ravages since our
last parting : four of the seamen had died ; one
of them was of the party that assisted in taking
the Leven out on the 19th; and seventeen
more, including two of the midshipmen, were
dangerously ill.
On the morning of the 23rd, we left our an
chorage and proceeded with the Barracouta and
Cockburn to take up different positions for the
survey of the Bay. The former, in the course
of the day, telegraphed to us that Captain Cut-
field was attacked by the fever, and that the
number on the sick list had increased to five
officers and eighteen men. To these, on her
joining us with the Cockburn two days after
wards, there was an addition of six men, in all
twenty-nine : a fearful proportion out of her
small crew of sixty ; for the death of another of
her seamen, shortly before she joined us, had
reduced the complement on board to that num
ber. In the course of the day, Captain Cutfield
came on board, excessively ill, and, for the sake
of the better accommodation which the Leven
afforded, he was prevailed on by Captain Owen
to remain with him.
Next morning, the three vessels proceeded to

136 DEATH OF CAPTAIN CUTFIELD.
the anchorage off Elephant Island. Early in
the day, one of the seamen of the Leven died ;
shortly afterwards, a boy on board the Barra
couta ; and in the evening, Acting Lieutenant
Henry Ashley Gibbons, whose remains, follow
ed by several officers, were conveyed to the
island next morning, and there deposited with
military honours, in a beautiful secluded spot.
In digging the grave for this lamented young
officer, fresh water was discovered a foot or two
beneath the surface of the ground.
On the 28th, two of the seamen of the Bar
racouta died ; her commander rallied a little
during the day, but, about one in the morning
of the 29th of November, he relapsed into a
state of quiet insensibility, from which, in
about two hours, he started up in a violent fit
of delirium, uttering the most frantic and fear
ful shrieks, which at intervals continued until
seven o'clock. Two of our men, a marine and
a seaman, died in the course of the day ; and
the next was ushered in by the death of Cap
tain Cutfield, two of his crew, and two of
ours. The fever, of whose deadly virulence so
many instances are recited in this chapter, is

TREATMENT OF FEVER BY NATIVES. 137
treated by the Delagoans in the following man
ner : As Soon as the patient feels the first
attack, he retires to his hut, where he is wrap
ped up and kept warm, until the water in an
earthenware boiler placed on the fire is boiling
hot, when it is placed between his legs, while
he sits down and leans over the hot steam that
arises from it. In the mean time, the persons
about him wrap him in mats, which shortly
afterwards, though covered with perspiration
and half suffocated by steam, he casts off, and
at that instant receives a cold shower-bath ap
plied by means of water kept in readiness for
the purpose. This over, he is hurried to the
side of a large fire kindled in the hut, and there
placed in a recumbent posture on a mat before
it, while blood is extracted from him in small
quantities, by slight incisions on his shoulders,
breast, and the backs of his hands. The rest
is left to nature, whose resources, powerful as
they may be, often sink under the inveteracy
of the disease.
The unhealthy season prevails from the com
mencement of September until the end of
April ; and, as the whalers do not frequent the
Bay during that period, those who are engaged

138 UNHEALTHY SEASON.
in the fishery can go through the fatigues and
exposures to which they must necessarily be
subject while engaged in collecting their cargo,
without suffering from the effects of the pesti
lential vapours that rise from the earth during
the sickly months, and prove so fatal to casual
visiters.

DEPARTURE FROM DELAGOA. 139

CHAPTER VI.
Departure from Delagoa. — Deaths on the Passage. — Arrival
at the Island of St. Marj', Madagascar. — Occurrences
there.— Description of the Island. — French Settlement. —
Natives  Their Dress. — Dances of the Women. — Canoes.
— Whale Fishing. — Washing. — Bamboo Water-vessels. —
Native Manufactures. — Prostitution of Daughters by
Parents. — Policy of the French on the Island. — Its Pro
ductions. — Fever and Treatment for it by the Natives. —
Deaths from Fever. — Deserters.
Previously to the death of the commander
of the Barracouta, Captain Owen had made up
his mind to quit the Bay, hoping that a change
of air and scenery would conduce to a favour
able turn in the state of those who still pre
cariously lingered under the effects of fever.
Lieutenant Vidal was appointed to the com
mand of the Barracouta ; and with him I joined
that ship, in place of Lieutenant Mudge, who
was removed to the Leven. The Cockburn,
which still continued healthy, was ordered to

140 DEPARTURE FROM DELAGOA.
remain behind, for the purpose of surveying
the river Mapoota, and before we left we turn
ed over to her such natives as were still on
board ; some only for a passage, but the greater
part to perform such services as would be pre
judicial to the health of her crew during the
sickly season. We got under weigh shortly
after the demise of Captain Cutfield, and, ac
companied by the Leven, stood out of the Bay ;
but, owing to the lightness of the breeze and
strength of the tide, were obliged to anchor in
very shoal water, where we remained till early
next morning, when we again weighed, and
proceeded to the south-west, surveying along
shore. The line of coast was generally skirted
by lofty sand-mounts, beyond which at times
we could discover an apparently rich and fer
tile country, but no inhabitants.
On the 1st of December, a seaman died on
board the Leven ; and on the 5th, just as we
were leaving the coast for Madagascar, her
master, Mr. Morley, expired. The pleasing
effect that novelty seldom fails to produce, to
gether with the sea air, seemed to occasion a
most salutary change in many, who, when we
left the Bay, were in a very precarious state ;

DEATHS FROM FEVER. 141
and, as usual, the favourable turn in their dis
ease was accompanied with excessive ill-hu
mour and a childish impatience, the sense of
pain, hitherto deadened by disease, beginning
to revive again. Yet many died : a midship
man, Mr. Watkins, two seamen, and a boy, in
the Leven ; and the boatswain, a marine, and
boy, on board of us — in all seven persons in
sixteen days. After the bodies were consigned
to the deep, the union-jack, which, as usual on
such occasions, had been used for a shroud, was
suspended above the stern to air ; and this
served as a melancholy signal from vessel to
vessel that another death had taken place.
Conjectures as to the person were often wide
of the truth, so rapid was the transition from
perfect health to death in some cases, and so
fallacious the apparent certainty of recovery in
others. On the 21st, we obtained sight of the small
island of St. Mary, and of the lofty hills of
Madagascar beyond it ; and next morning reach
ed the anchorage near the French settlement
on Quail Island, or Isle Madame, where we
found two frigates of that nation. One of
these, which had brought out troops and colo-

142 ISLAND OF ST. MARY.
nists, was moored inside, and merely served as
a guard-ship ; the other belonged to the Bour
bon station.
The Island of St. Mary, formerly known by
the name of Nossi Ibrahim, as it is even still
called by the Malegash, is thirty-one miles long,
north-east by north, and south-west by south,
and from two to three miles in breadth, and lies
between latitude 16° 41', and 17° 08' south,
and longitude 49° 42', and 50° 02' east. Its
surface presents a succession of hills from two
to four hundred feet high, separated by deep
and in general narrow vales, thickly covered
with trees and underwood, in some places so
interwoven by creepers as almost to defy any
efforts to penetrate them. This I had an op
portunity of experiencing; for, having joined
another officer in a shooting excursion among
them, we got so entangled in their mazy wilds,
that it was not until after the greatest fatigue
and unremitted efforts for four hours that we
succeeded in gaining the beaten track, from
which we had deviated in search of game.
The French have twice formed a settlement
in the Island of St. Mary : the climate obliged
them to abandon the first ; and the second at-

FRENCH SETTLEMENT. 143
tempt terminated in the massacre of the settlers
by the natives, in revenge for some ill treat
ment which they had received. A memorial of
this unsparing vengeance, erected some years
afterwards, capped the summit of a shelving
hill at the back of the present settlement.
The expedition, on this occasion, was fitted
out in France in 1821, and took possession of
Isle Madame and the port toward the latter
end of the same year — an unpropitious time for
their arrival, as, before their constitutions were
in the slightest degree accustomed to the cli
mate, they were exposed to the deadly force of
the sickly season, which, commencing in Janu
ary, lasts till the middle of May, and which,
in the first three months of that period, re
duced the number of the establishment from
two hundred and ninety to one hundred and
thirty. Isle Madame, a low coral islet, is their cita
del, and contains a small fort, an hospital, bar
racks, and every thing else that appertains to
the government ; and all who compose the gar
rison and colony, with the exception of the
planters, resort to it every night for safety.
Two streams of fresh water empty themselves

144 NATIVES OF ST. MARY.
into the harbour, at the entrance of which the
island is situated ; thus affording a constant
supply of that essential article to the shipping
that may chance to call at the port : good water
has also been lately found by digging on the
island. The harbour is very small, but suffi
ciently deep for the largest ships ; and the road
stead, unassailable by tempestuous weather,
affords at all times a safe and convenient an
chorage. Soon after we anchored, several canoes came
off, crowded with men and women, generally
of short stature, rather darker than Mulattoes,
thickset and full-featured, with low foreheads,
broad and flat faces, large eyes and mouth, and
long hair, which by the men was collected into
knots without much regularity. All the wo
men, on the other hand, had it neatly divided
into seven, nine, or eleven squares, from the
centre of which issued a large and bushy knot,
producing, to the eye of a stranger, especially
when combined with the short neatly braided
queue behind, a most ludicrous effect, yet often
by no means an unpleasing appearance, when
accompanied by the lively expression and in
tuitive grace which Nature, in her freaks, as

DRESS OF THE NATIVES. 145
often denies to royalty as she confers them on
the humblest subject or on the wildest savage.
The men in general had nothing on them
excepting a piece of cloth, of native manufac
ture, wrapped carelessly around their loins and
descending to the knee ; but the dress of the
women was by no means confined to such scanty
materials or so careless a display. They were
habited in long-sleeved blue spencers, fitting
tight to the shape and ending just below the
bosom, where the skin around the body for the
breadth of an inch was left exposed, and then
was succeeded by two pieces of cloth, the one
serving as a petticoat and the other as a gown.
These were fastened by having the ends care
fully tucked in between the body and the first
folds that embraced it. None of them wore beads ;
and, with the exception of a few, some of whom
wore ear-rings, and others who had small pieces
of brass of the size of a shilling sewed up and
down their spencers in front, they had no
trinkets or ornaments of any kind among them.
By way of hats, some of the men had a bas
ket of hemispherical shape, with three corners
worked out of it on the top, serving as legs for
it to stand on when off the head. Both sexes
VOL. I. L

146 DANCE OF THE WOMEN.
are particularly attentive to their teeth, which
naturally are beautifully white and regular : they
clean them with snuff, of which they use large
quantities. The women are very cleanly, if we
except the practice of anointing their hair with
cocoa-nut or whale oil. At first the smell is
highly disagreeable, but custom soon reconciles
a stranger to it. Few of the females who first
came on board remained in the ship ; but they
afterwards came off in great numbers, and
amused themselves and us by exhibiting their
native dances, resembling those of Delagoa ;
one of them generally led the song, while the
rest, sitting around, joined in the chorus and
clapped. The dance commenced by her throw
ing her arms, extended in a diagonal position,
so as to form an angle with her body and head,
and plumbing her feet on the side of the
lowered arm : thus adjusted, she began to beat
a tattoo with her feet, squalled forth her song,
regaining an upright position, and swimming
along in a languid mincing pace, accompanied
by a diminished application of heel music. Hav
ing reached the extremity of the space allotted
for the exhibition, she writhed her body and
threw her arm about, at the same time moving

CANOES. — WHALE FISHING. 147
backward, and again beating a loud tattoo,
whilst, with her hinder part stretched out, she
kept time to the music in vibratory horizontal
motion.* Savage as was this dance, yet, when
performed by an elegant figure, many parts of
it were far from being void of grace. The wo
men were better-looking, their clothing supe
rior, and their dancing more elegant, than those
of Delagoa ; yet in native modesty the Dela
goans far surpassed them.
The canoes are small, of the common form,
and delicately made ; but, slight as they appear,
the natives venture in them far from the land,
and will sometimes attack with success the
large whales that sport in great numbers be
tween the island and the main. They cautiously
approach the monster, and with their neatly-
formed iron harpoons, attached to a long line
and buoy, strike him deeply in the side. Writh
ing with agony, he dives to seek relief in the
depths of his native element : but short is his
respite ; he finds little space between the sur
face and the bottom, and rises again but to
meet his watchful foe, guided by the tell-tale
* The technical term of making a " sternboard" was face
tiously applied by the seamen to this retrograde movement.
L2

148 WHALE FISHING.
buoy, prepared to repeat the deep and exhaust
ing wound. He struggles, but it is in vain :
the conflict is soon over, and is terminated
by the towing of the huge body in triumph to
the shore. I am not aware that the inhabitants
of St. Mary go through any particular form in
attacking whales, but such is the practice of
those on the main. They never assault an old
fish, but always choose the young; humbly beg
ging the mother's pardon, stating the necessity
that impels them to kill her progeny, and re
questing that she will be pleased to dive below
while the deed is doing, that her maternal feel
ings may not be outraged by witnessing what
must occasion them so much agony.
On the 27th, we witnessed an extraordinary
instance of the dexterity of the fishermen of St.
Mary. The Leven caught two sharks, one a
male, about thirteen feet in length, and the other
a female, two feet longer. From the latter, on
ripping her open, forty-eight young ones were
taken, each upwards of eighteen inches in length :
they were lively and active, and, when thrown
overboard, swam round the ship, evidently by
no means reconciled to their abandoned situation,
but in anxious search of the mother. The na-

WASHING. 149
tives saw and pursued them in their canoes, and
with a curved and barbed assagay transfixed
them with the utmost precision, and one even
when eight or ten feet under water. I did not
observe them in a single instance miss their aim.
A few months before our arrival, an English
merchant-ship, the Matilda, was cast away at
Foule Point, Madagascar, and the crew, after a
most distressing journey of many days, arrived
at Point L'Arec, which approaches within two
miles of St. Mary, and effected their passage
across. Most of them had departed some
time in an English vessel : we took on board
the remainder, consisting of twelve Lascars.
Worn down by fatigue and repeated attacks of
the fever, they were reduced to a most debili
tated state : four of the number pined away,
and died at different periods after we sailed.
During a walk, one day, with the surgeon,
in passing through two villages, we observed
most of the women at the back of them busily
employed in washing linen in the French man
ner, by beating it well with broad flat pieces of
wood. Their contrivance for a tub was simple
enough : a hole dug in the sand, and a leaf of
the fan-palm neatly fitted into it, admirably an-

150 BAMBOO WATER-VESSEL.
swered the purpose. This species of palm is a
most useful production to the inhabitants : the
leaves are employed in the construction of their
houses, being neatly interwoven for the sides,
the footstalk serving as an intermediate support ;
and for the roof they are carefully fixed and
spread in overcapping or tile fashion. The
hut, resembling in form an English cottage, is
generally about twenty feet long and twelve
broad, and is often raised a foot or two above
the ground to prevent the bad effects of earthy
exhalations. Their granaries are invariably so
constructed as to keep out the damp.
I entered one of the huts, and obtained a
draught of water ; for this article a large bamboo,
about twelve feet in length and four or five
inches in diameter, is always used as a recep
tacle, and a portion of the palm leaf as a cup. A
stranger would find himself much puzzled so
to manage the former as to pour from it just
the quantity of water required ; for, in conse
quence of its great length, it is difficult to poise,
and, should it get ever so little beyond the re
quisite level, the chances are that every drop of
its contents would be spilt. It likewise requires
some little practice to construct the leaf cup.

NATIVE MANUFACTURES. 151
In both villages were several looms for
weaving cloth, the coarser sorts of which form
a considerable part of their commerce with the
Mauritius and Bourbon, where it is used for
boatsails, packages, &c. The fine and party-
coloured kinds they either sell to the curious
stranger, or use themselves. Some specimens
which may be procured are beautiful, and,
considering the uncivilized state of the people,
highly creditable to their ingenuity and in
dustry. They are made of the fibres of the
rafia or sago, and are very durable.
The feathered tribes in a wild state are by
no means numerous at St. Mary ; the guinea-
fowl, white water-hen, and black parrot, are
the largest species. There are abundance of
common and Muscovy ducks and geese, and
fowls in a tame state ; yet these, considering the
place, sell high. We paid one dollar for eight
fowls, or four ducks ; and for four geese three
dollars. The French, in all probability, procure
them for much less.
It is the custom at St. Mary, and many
other places on the coast of Madagascar, for a
mother to dispose of the charms of a favourite
and virgin daughter, when scarcely verging on

152 PROSTITUTION OF GIRLS
maturity, to the most indiscriminate prostitu
tion : yet still she may not feel the less real
affection towards her, as may be inferred from
the following anecdote. A girl, who by her
own consent had quitted the island for a cer
tain time, was daily during her absence most
bitterly lamented by her mother, who, in the
fulness of her affection, conjured up the most
dismal apprehensions as to her child's safe re
turn. She would be a slave ; she would be
drowned ; she would perish in a foreign clime,
among those who knew her not : in fact, no
fate however dreadful could surpass that which
constantly haunted the mind of the anxious
mother as either having already befallen or
about to befall her absent child. Yet, not a
long time before, that very mother had re
ceived the price of her daughter's company,
and she continued to reap the benefit of her
indiscriminate intercourse with any transient
visiters afterwards. The meeting was affecting
in the extreme : after mutual tears and em
braces, the mother washed the daughter's feet,
and, in token of her affection, drank the water.
The term " prostitution," applied to the cus
tom above recited, is perhaps a harsher one

BY THEIR PARENTS. 153
than it deserves ; for, when such a practice is
sanctioned by the general custom of the coun
try, it scarcely deserves in its full force that
term of odium attached to it by the inhabitants
of a civilized land, who, aware of its immoral
tendency, cannot but regard it with a feeling
of abhorrence and disgust. It is to be lament
ed that avarice should have led to such a prac
tice, but we should be careful how we judge
too harshly of those who are its victims. The
custom is general, and the girl not the less
respected for it ; on the contrary, at a proper
age she is married, and there is no doubt that
what she has before gained, either in wealth or
experience, tends to make her the more ac
ceptable as a bride.
Although the island of St. Mary is so
small, the black population is from twelve to
fifteen hundred, a small portion of whom are
slaves to the rest. They pay no duties to the
French, and are only amenable to their laws
when the matter at issue concerns persons be
longing to the settlement or immediately under
its protection. Feuds and complaints among
themselves are left exclusively to their own
arbitration. I have understood that this wise

154 POLICY OF THE FRENCH.
policy of the French renders their presence
agreeable to the natives ; for, while they do
not interfere with the latter, their mere sojourn
on the island must tend, by the intercourse
which it occasions with strangers, to enrich
them. They occupy some part of the island,
indeed ; but, were this not the case, it would
remain, like a great portion of the other part,
an uncultivated waste. Though on such friend
ly terms with the natives on the island, the
French are by no means on the same footing
with those on the main. Separated from the
latter by a channel only four miles in breadth,
they nevertheless have scarcely any communi
cation with them ; for Rahdahmah, to whose
authority the coast is subject, discountenances
all correspondence with a power whose occu
pation of St. Mary is to him a severe mortifi
cation. The varieties of the feathered tribe, as al
ready shown, are by no means numerous at St.
Mary, and the quadrupeds even less abundant.
Bullocks are the most common ; of goats they
have but a very scanty supply, and, as I have
been informed, scarcely a single sheep : but
this want is not felt by the inhabitants, who

PRODUCTIONS OF THE ISLAND. 155
principally subsist on fish, fruit, and vegetables.
Of the former, the reef surrounding the island
at a small distance from the shore affords a
constant and wholesome supply, and of the
two latter there is always a very fair propor
tion. These consist chiefly of bananas of fine
quality and large-sized, cocoa-nuts recently im
ported, pine-apples, mangoes, Seville oranges,
plantains, sugar-cane, rice, yams, cassada, sweet
potatoes, cabbages, carrots, radishes, onions, and
coffee ; which last, but lately tried, has answered
the utmost expectations. In fact, such is the
fertility of the soil and such its variety, oc
casioned by the shelving hills and broad vales,
the steep mounts, deep glens, and marshy spots,
that there can be no doubt that situations might
be found adapted to the cultivation of every
tropical production.
Independently of cloth, the natives make some
thing by the sale of shells, wax, and the cur
cuma longa, or turmeric plant, used as a dyeing
drug, and as an ingredient in the composition
of currie-powder. The natives forge iron, and
the bellows they use are of a peculiarly in
genious construction : two small cylinders, with
pistons in them, generate the blast, which,

156 TREATMENT OF THE FEVER.
passing through a small pipe from each uniting
in one common vent, keep up a constant cur
rent of air ; for, as the person who works the
pistons raises one, he depresses the other.
The chief amusement of the women of St.
Mary is dancing, and that of the men consists
in looking on and drinking. In the sickly
season there is a powerful sun and cloudless
sky, but during the rest of the year the rain is
almost incessant, and the sky overcast by clouds.
That the wet season should be the healthiest may
at first appear strange ; but it seems no longer
so, when it is considered that, however great
the deposit from the water, there is no sun to
extract putrescent vapours from it and thus
generate disease ; in the dry season the reverse
is the case, and the result accords with it. In
the treatment of the fever, the French found
from experience that bleeding was highly pre
judicial ; they therefore relinquished it as a
remedy, unless when the patient was of a highly
plethoric habit. Their reason was that, al
though for a time it diminishes the fever, yet
such is the general debility consequent upon
it, that, on a second attack, nature, already de
prived of her strength, sinks unresisting and

DEATHS BY FEVER. — DESERTERS. 157
exhausted. If the patient is of a bilious habit,
and manifests a disposition to vomit, it is im
mediately promoted by a dose administered for
the purpose ; otherwise, in both cases, bark is
deemed a sovereign remedy.
While at St. Mary, two of our shipwrecked
Lascars died from the effects of the fever under
which they had so long suffered, and the fa
tigues and privations which they had under
gone since the loss of their ship. We here ex
perienced in more cases than one the dreadful
effects of the fever on those who slept on shore
at night. The second master of the Leven,
through his own imprudence, was one, and for
his folly lingered for upwards of a month on
the verge of death ; and of four of our seamen
who deserted, and were on shore two nights
before they were retaken, one died on the 20th
of January, two had a very narrow escape,
being finally obliged to be invalided home in a
wretched state of illness, and the fourth alone
entirely escaped. As, with our then reduced
number of hands, the practice of desertion was
detrimental to the prosecution of the survey in
which we were engaged, and it was disgraceful
to the character of a seaman thus dastardly to

158 PUNISHMENT OF DESERTERS.
shun work and throw it on the rest, who cer
tainly had already sufficient to do, Captain
Owen deemed it necessary to make an example
of those who had so unwarrantably committed
themselves : a court of inquiry was held, and
the culprits were severely punished.

SAIL FROM ST. MARY. 159

CHAPTER VII.
The Ships call at the Island of Johanna. — The Author goes
on shore. — Dangerous Landing. — Reception by the Na
tives. — Lord Rodney. — Interview with the King. — Visit
to Prince Alee. — Dealings with the Natives. — Their Cha
racter. — Visit to Mozambique. — Description of the City.
— Its Population and Commerce. — Impolicy of the Portu
guese Government — Narrow Escape of the Barracouta
from Shipwreck on the Morgincale Shoal. — Appearance of
the Coast. — Return to Delagoa. — The ship loses two
Anchors. — Rejoins the Leven in English River.
On the forenoon of the 8th of January
1823, we weighed, in company of the Leven,
and next day stood out to sea on our way to
the Island of Johanna. On the 15th, one of
our seamen, an elderly man, died suddenly ;
and on the 20th, as before mentioned, one of
those who had deserted at St. Mary. The
fever, of which he died, like a treacherous foe,
lay lurking in his system until only three days
previously to his dissolution, when it appeared,

160 ISLAND OF JOHANNA.
accompanied by such symptoms as left but lit
tle hope of any other than a fatal result. On
the death of this young man, the mortality on
board the Barracouta since leaving the Cape
amounted to one in every four.
On. the forenoon of the 21st, we obtained
sight of the lofty island of Johanna, but such
was our distance that the dusk of the evening
commenced before we arrived near it. We
stood out to sea for the night, and next morn
ing hove-to off the chief town, situated on the
north side of the island. I went on shore to
wait on the shekh, or, as he is more generally
termed by the English, the king. Our princi
pal object was to obtain stock, for which pur
pose a boat was also sent from the Leven. As
we approached the shore, we perceived a very
heavy surf rolling on its rocky boundary ; near
to which, off the town, the Leven's boat an
chored a short time before we arrived. A
canoe, with outriggers on each side, came off to
her, for the purpose of conveying Mr. Forbes,
the botanist, to the shore. This gave me an
opportunity of discovering the landing-place,
which otherwise I should have been puzzled to
find. The surf extended more than a hundred

DANGEROUS LANDING-PLACE. 161
yards from the black and pointed rocks of the
reef; and the canoe, as she passed through, was
completely covered, and for a second or two
lost to the sight : the outriggers, however, pre
cluded the possibility of her being overturned ;
and soon, on the top of a curling sea, we ob
served her hurled with impetuous velocity
through a narrow opening in the reef, and dis
appear behind it. I was doubtful whether to
follow, especially as a native who came off in
formed me that the attempt, although there
was plenty of water in the channel, would be
highly dangerous ; however, I watched a lull,
cheered the crew, and in two minutes got
safely in. The principal precaution appeared
to be that of keeping good way in the boat, so
that the cross sea and reflux of the waves from
the rocks might not have sufficient effect to
turn her course. The entrance was so narrow
that, in shooting through, our oars touched on
either side, and, after we were in, we found the
space scarcely extensive enough for more than
eight or ten boats. The reef that divided it
from the sea is low, and about twenty feet
across. The beach was covered with spectators, who
VOL. I. M

162 RECEPTION BY THE NATIVES.
hemmed us in on our landing, and with hearty
shakes of the hand welcomed us to their island.
This truly Arabic, and, by the English, respect
ed mode of salutation, certainly is agreeable to
a stranger, who, after a long voyage and priva
tion of society, is glad to meet with a fresh
supply of the produce of the shore, accompa
nied by an appearance of affability and good
will from the natives of the place he calls at,
without considering how much he is imposed
on in the former, or what is the insidious
object of the latter. The men, for, as they are
of the Mohamedan religion, their women are
not permitted to appear in public, were habited
in the Eastern costume, with turbans, robes,
full trowsers, sandals, and a sort of waistcoat
fitting close to the body, round which a little
above the hips was drawn a girdle of cloth,
serving occasionally for a turban, and some
times ornamented with a highly-decorated brace
of pistols and a curved or straight crees, but
more generally with the latter only ; while a
rich Turkish sabre was suspended at their side.
The materials composing their garments were
as gaudy as their arms ; those of the higher
class were of damask silk, of various patterns

LORD RODNEY. 163
and devices, sometimes tastefully edged with
gold lace.
One of the chiefs, a crafty old man, common
ly known by the name of Lord Rodney,* acted
as captain of the port, interpreter, vendue-mas-
ter, and master of the ceremonies; in which
latter capacity he accosted me with a low sa
laam, notifying his majesty's wish that we
should wait upon him forthwith. According
ly, conducted by his lordship, we proceeded
through several intricate, narrow, and dirty
alleys, to the royal residence. Passing through
a guard-room, containing upwards of two hun
dred stand of small arms and various imple
ments of war, we entered a capacious and lofty
chamber, hung round with arms, carved ele
phant tusks, &c, and furnished with a long and
ponderous table covered with a red silk damask
cloth, with a long stool or form on either side
* This man, when his Majesty's sloop Espiegle called off
the island in 1825, repaired on board her, and, watching
an opportunity, purloined some articles from the comman
der's cabin, which, before he had time to make off, were
found upon himr The circumstance was reported to the
king, who avowed his intention of punishing his offence with
death. Whether he carried it into execution, or not, we
never heard.
M 2

164 INTERVIEW WITH THE KING.
of it, and cushions cased in the same material
and trimmed with gold fringe. At the upper
end of this apparent council-board the throne
was elevated on a couple of steps, in all the
pomp of tinselled grandeur. It consisted of an
old-fashioned high-backed chair, cushioned with
red silk damask, and covered with a cloth of
the same, richly worked and embroidered with
gold lace and tinsel.
We were requested to sit down, and shortly
afterwards the king appeared, salaamed, bade
us welcome, and gravely adjusted himself in his
chair of state, while his chief men either stood
attentively by, or sat down with us. He was
apparently between sixty and seventy years of
age, rather above the common stature, and of
an appearance by no means prepossessing. His
features were large and coarse, and the air of
moroseness and gloom that pervaded them was
heightened by a natural defect in one eye,
which certainly was by no means relieved by a
benignant expression in the other. His robe
was of red damasked silk, literally covered with
lace and gold trinkets, and real or counterfeit
precious stones. On his head was a large high
cap, resembling that worn by the soldiers of

INTERVIEW WITH THE KING. 165
several of our regiments, broader at the top
than below, and with no brim. It was neatly
worked with gold wire, and encircled near the
top by a coronet of a ducal form, studded with
precious stones and a brilliant star. He had a
sabre at his side and two creeses, the scabbards
of which were of gold and the handles mostly
of the same metal ; and a brace of pistols in his
girdle were beautifully inlaid and ornamented
with carved work.
Although the king understood English, he
could speak but little ; Lord Rodney, therefore,
served as his interpreter. His first question
amused us : it was " How King George and his
good friends in England were, and what news
from that country or the Continent ?" In the
name of Captains Owen and Vidal I expressed
great regret that our duty would not admit of
the delay that would be occasioned by anchor
ing ; and that, next to the honour of paying
their respects to his majesty through one of
their officers, their object in calling off the
island was to obtain a supply of stock, fruit,
and vegetables, to recruit the health of the
crews of the two vessels, who had suffered so
much from the fever. In reply to this, I was

166 INTERVIEW WITH THE KING.
given to understand that every article we re
quired, and that could be procured in the short
space of time to which my stay was limited,
should be sent immediately. Lord Rodney
was accordingly despatched with necessary di
rections to that effect.
While this momentous subject was on the
carpet, the governor of the town, a sprightly
intelligent old man, entered and shuffled up to
the throne, at the foot of which he cast himself
on his knees, salaamed with a theatrical air, and
kissed the left hand of his majesty.* We
were detained at the levee about half an hour,
our time being taken up in reading English
letters for the king, and in drinking healths
with cocoa-nut milk out of English tumblers.
Prince Alee made us promise to pay him a
visit at his own house before we went off; ac
cordingly, after the interview with his father
was over, we accompanied him to his residence,
to which we ascended by a flight of stone steps,
and, after passing through a heavy doorway
carved with various devices, entered a large
hall, more remarkable for its clean appearance
* It appeared so to me at the time; but I should imagine,
from after-experience, that he must have kissed his own
hand.

VISIT TO PRINCE ALEE. 167
than for any display of furniture. Through
this hall we followed the prince into a smaller
apartment, in which was a table set out with
six plates of sweetmeats, with a pair of silver
sugar-tongs and a spoon in each, and a hand
some display of cut-glass tumblers for sherbet.
The room was furnished with sofas of red
damask silk, and gilt ; and in one corner stood
a small handsome English bed, hung with gold-
embroidered red silk damask, and covered over
all with mosquito curtains. The walls exhibited
a curious display of arms and trinkets. Beyond
this apartment was another of smaller size, com
pletely covered with saucers, painted with a
variety of colours. A folding-door communi
cated from this room with the apartment of the
princess. She was not to be seen, but sent her
welcome and her compliments to us, together
with a present for each of a small grass fan,
fashioned like a flag, by means of which the
attendants standing by supplied us with a con
stant and refreshing current of air.
We sat down, and the prince with us ; he
did not eat, but we tasted, for curiosity's sake,
the contents of the different plates : they were
mostly rice disguised in different ways, with
either sugar, syrup, or spices. A man was in-

168 VISIT TO PRINCE ALEE.
troduced, who, alternately in squeaking notes
and croaking measures, sang "God save the
King." In the tune he was not very particu
lar, and in the words less so ; however, it an
swered the performer's purpose, being taken as
a compliment, and paid for accordingly. The
banquet ended by the prince presenting each
of us with a wreath of highly-scented flowers,
served up on a salver, in the middle of which
was a liqueur glass, containing a small quantity
of lavender-water ; and at the same time some
burning frankincense, with which we regaled
the sense of smelling, was passed round. Mean
while, by the direction of the prince, we anoint
ed our hair with the lavender-water, probably
intended as a cooling application.
We then took our leave, and proceeded to
the beach, where the uproar that prevailed
among more than five hundred competitors,
who had assembled to dispose of their effects
to our grand purveyor and factotum, Lord
Rodney, was such as to baffle description. On
our appearance, we became, of course, the ob
jects of clamorous importunity, and various
were the specimens of petty mercantile finesse
which were exhibited by the different dealers.
1 was bargaining for some fowls with a native,

DEALINGS WITH THE NATIVES. 169
when another, who had a like number to dis
pose of, jostled me to attract attention, and
with a sly, yet expressive smile of contempt
playing on his features, touched with one of
his fingers, his arm being kept close to his side
to escape the observation of others, the fractured
limb of the prime bird of the lot. I turned
round to look for a better market, when the
arch expression of another native struck me, as
he endeavoured to imitate the last dying strug
gle of a fowl belonging to the very man who
had just before attempted to depreciate his
neighbour's stock, with the view of obtaining
a market for his own. We loaded our boats
with the greatest portion of the supply they
sent down, consisting of goats, ducks, fowls,
pine-apples, cocoa-nuts, oranges, limes, pome
granates, guavas, and onions, together with a
variety of straw mats of a very light and hand
some appearance, which they used to sleep on,
with a mattress or cushion underneath.
Johanna, although not the largest of the Co
moro islands, is much more visited than the rest.
It is of triangular form ; the natural scenery is
on a grand scale and highly picturesque, vary
ing from the lofty summit, in some parts bare,

170 CHARACTER OF THE NATIVES.
but often capped with verdure, to the deep glen
and luxuriant vale. The inhabitants are rather
below the middle size, delicate, yet well formed ;
of a pleasing and often handsome expression of
countenance, and of a lighter complexion than
the Mulatto. Their carriage exhibits more of
the grace of the courtier than of the manly firm
ness of limited not visionary independence.
Respecting their general failings, of which I
have witnessed so many instances, and heard
more, I cannot be silent, much as what I have
to record may militate against a pretty general
opinion that has been propagated in England to
the advantage of these people. The truth is,
that there scarcely exists a more beggarly, Jew
ish, or artful race, who, well knowing that the
English are their friends, omit no opportunity
of working upon that feeling in their favour by
the most cringing adulation and fulsome flattery.
Meet a Johanna man anywhere, and it is as likely
as not that he will accost you with " How you
sleep last night, Engleseman ? Johanna man all
the same as one you Engleseman. Give me Jo
hanna man one hundred dollars : no, fifty ; no,
ten ; no, one dollar ; no. Ah ! you no good friend ;
me very poor, you very fat (rich). Suppose you

CHARACTER OF THE NATIVES. 171
see me Johanna, me home, me give you too
much there: why you no give me nothing here?"
With suchlike arguments is generosity often
put to the test by these troublesome and avari
cious people, whose insular situation has proba
bly tended much to obtain for them the patron
age of the English ; for the very idea of an
islander, separated as it were in his own small
community from the follies and vices that con
taminate the larger societies of mankind, appears
interesting, and has a strong claim upon our hu
manity and goodwill.
An Englishman, knowing from happy expe
rience the blessings that accrue from an insular
situation, naturally cherishes a fellow-feeling
towards those who are circumstanced like him
self; yet he should be careful to ascertain how
far they are in reality entitled to his good opi
nion, and not suffer himself to be misled by the
ideal character which his favourable preposses
sions have pictured. Let him exercise his own
good sense, and profit by the knowledge that
opportunity affords, and he will soon learn to
estimate the people of Johanna as they deserve.
That they are cheats, every one who deals with
them must be aware ; that they fail in good

172 CHARACTER OF THE NATIVES.
faith towards one another, I have already shown
in two instances ; and I could note many of their
begging propensities. If not themselves actually
engaged in the slave-trade, they are known at
least strongly to deplore the obstacles that are
thrown in the way of that traffic.
Independently of these vices, they possess not
even sufficient courage to defend themselves, as
has more than once been evinced by their das
tardly conduct when attacked by the Malegash.
These they allowed, after the first skirmish, to
take peaceable possession of a portion of their
land,* and to plunder them as they thought fit;
and had it not been for the interference of the
English,| so far as it depended on themselves,
they would have remained to this day subject to
the same annoyance. It is true that, when ves
sels have been wrecked on their island, they have
shown every friendly attention to the crews:
granted ; but, independently of the dislike to
cruelty, which is a distinguishing feature in
* Of this an instance is recorded by Lieut, (afterwards
Captain) Bisset, who, through Mr. Dalrymple, the hydro
grapher, published a short Diary of the Voyage of Commo
dore Blanket's Squadron up the Red Sea.
f See Prior's Voyage of the Nisus Frigate in 1812.

ARRIVAL AT MOZAMBIQUE. 173
their character and that of their Arab brethren
on the coast of the main, it is their interest, in
habiting an island and not possessed of maritime
power, to court the protection and goodwill of
those nations which are. This they have con
sidered, and for the kindness they have shown
to our countrymen in distress they have cer
tainly been richly rewarded. Yet, let not this
remark be construed into an over-nice and scru
pulous inquiry into the motives that have guid
ed them in their humanity and kindness, but
taken as an observation tending to prove that
they could not act otherwise with policy.
Our stay on shore did not exceed two hours :
we then returned to our respective vessels ; and,
as the day closed, bade adieu to the distant and
grey-tinged heights of Johanna and its neigh
bouring isles. The next day, January the 23rd,
we parted from the Leven, and shaped our
course to Mozambique, where we arrived on
the 30th, and were there rejoined by the Leven
three days afterwards.
The port of Mozambique is formed by a deep
inlet of the sea, five miles and a half broad and six
long, which serves to disembogue the waters of
three shallow inconsiderable rivers at its head.

174 DESCRIPTION OF MOZAMBIQUE.
At the entrance are three small islands, which,
together with reefs and shoals, render the an
chorage inside perfectly safe in the worst wea
ther. Of these islands, that of Mozambique, on
which the city is built, is in latitude 15° 01' 42"
south, and longitude 40° 38' 36" east. It is of coral
formation, very low and narrow, and scarcely a
mile and a half in length. It is situated nearly
in the centre of the inlet, and just within the
line of the two points that form it. The other
two islands, St. George, to the northward, and
St. Jago, to the southward, lie abreast of one
another, at the distance of about fifteen hundred
fathoms, and nearly three miles outside of Mo
zambique. They are also of coral formation,
with a rich superincumbent mould, and covered
with verdure and trees, but not inhabited.
Vasco da Gama, in the prosecution of his
voyage round the Cape to the East Indies,
called at Mozambique, which he found in the
possession of the Arabs. On his arrival, he was
at first welcomed with music ; but, when it was
discovered that the emblem of his religion was
the cross and not the crescent, distrust prevailed,
and shortly afterwards open hostility ; however,
this was soon checked, and the Arabs, reduced

FORT OF ST. SEBASTIAN. 175
to obedience by Da Gama's guns, supplied him
with whatever necessaries he required, and with
a pilot for his farther voyage. Not long after
wards, Mozambique was taken possession of;
and its fort of St. Sebastian, which yet remains
a proud monument of ancient Portuguese en
ergy, was begun in 1508, and finished in three
years. It is of quadrangular form, and mounted
with upwards of eighty pieces of cannon, of va
rious calibre and ages, and of the manufacture
of different nations. Some are of brass and
some iron, some honeycombed and others in the
finest condition : still it is a formidable fortifi
cation, and capable of resisting a strong force.
The interior contains a chapel, the oldest in the
place, extensive barracks, and quarters for the
officers, as also a prison, tanks, and storehouses.
In the centre is a flat and extensive space,
adapted for the exercise and manoeuvring of a
large body of troops. The garrison, when we
were there, consisted of about two hundred
black soldiers, habited in the Sepoy costume.
The guard stationed at the outer entrance of the
fort, the moment any one answers the interro
gatories at the door and is permitted to pass the
threshold, advance with bayonets fixed and hem

176 THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE.
him in. To a stranger this kind of precaution is
rather a rough salute, and for the instant occa
sions some astonishment; however, it is a custom
adopted to prevent surprise, and as such not to
be condemned.
Besides the fort of St. Sebastian, there are
two smaller ; one of which is situated on a pro
jecting point on the western side of the island,
and the other on a small insulated flat rock off
the southern extremity, to which at low water
it is joined by a coral flat covered with shells.
There are also two semicircular batteries, with
two or three guns in each ; and in front of the
governor's palace some pieces of small artillery,
mostly of small calibre.
The palace is an extensive stone building,
apparently of great age, with a flat leaden roof,
and a large square court in the centre. The
rooms are lofty, and well adapted in size for
the various purposes for which they are used.
The grand entrance is through an archway lead
ing to the court, whence the principal staircase,
consisting of a double flight of stone steps
meeting at the top, ascends to the first story
and the entrance to those rooms which are used
for public occasions. At the entrance of the

DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY. 177
archway, an officer and guard are constantly on
duty. Fronting the palace is a large and unpaved
square, of which the custom-house, a fine build
ing, forms one side, and the main guard the
other ; while, at its extremity, a long and commo
dious stone wharf, perforated with arches, ex
tends a considerable distance from the shore into
deep water, forming an excellent landing-place
at all times for boats, and affording equal faci
lities for loading and unloading them, for which
purpose a crane is erected at the extremity of the
wharf. The streets in the city are narrow, and
the houses generally lofty and well-construct
ed ; but as the place itself is altogether dwin
dling fast into decay, so the finest of its private
buildings present a half-ruinous appearance,
strongly indicative of the decline of the city
of Mozambique from its ancient wealth and
viceregal splendour.
It is a bishop's see, subordinate to Goa ; but
the churches, like the private buildings, are ra
pidly going to decay, and with them their re
ligion ; for even superstition appears scarcely
to survive. Every feeling is absorbed in the
love of gain, to which the inhabitants devote
VOL. I. n

178 DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY.
their whole attention ; yet, into whatever of
fences this parent of so many vices leads them,
cruelty is not one. As far as our observation
goes — for I speak from general observation
among ourselves — the poor slave finds among
the Portuguese and Arabs kinder masters than
he does among people of other countries.
The city occupies about one-half of the island
of Mozambique ; the remainder may be said to
be divided into two parts : the southern is de
void of buildings save ruins, and, strange to
say, scarcely at all cultivated ; and the other
side, adjoining the city, is the site of the black
town, or residence of the free coloured people,
whose small bamboo huts and their straggling
arrangement form a striking contrast with the
lofty stone houses of the Portuguese, and the
defined line of the streets between them.
In the city there are one or two pretty mar
kets, where vegetables and grain can be pro
cured throughout the day ; but, as the sun is
generally intensely hot, articles liable to be af
fected by it, as fish, meat, and milk, can only
be obtained in the morning, except at times in
the black town, which appears to be the grand
mart for all the necessaries of life on a smaller

ITS POPULATION. 179
scale. Bullocks are scarce and dear, but there
is abundance of goats and pigs : the latter are
generally black, and of a clean appearance,
owing to the uncommon length of leg and
head, which is particularly observable in this
breed. In their nature they are excessively fe
rocious ; and in many instances I have known
them rush, at every turning, in a most ferocious
manner, upon a person who might chance to be
carrying a squeaking pig in his arms, and often
oblige him to quit his hold and seek safety in
flight. In 1769, the Arabs, who formed a part of the
population of Mozambique, were expelled from
that city, from Sofala, and from the settlements
on the river Zambese ; and even now they are
not there permitted to follow their custom of
going about armed. The present population
amounts, I should suppose, to about six thou
sand : it is divided into five classes, the first of
which, consisting of native Portuguese, is very
small; the second, of Cannareens, a denomination
applied to the Creole Portuguese of Goa and
their other Indian settlements, is considerably
more numerous ; Banyans from India form the
third class ; free coloured people, the fourth ;
N 2

180 COMMERCE AND TRADE.
and the resident slaves, the most numerous of
all, the fifth and last.
The commerce of Mozambique has much de
clined, and at present it is little more than a
mart for slaves. The inhabitants likewise trade
in ivory, gold dust, and a few articles of minor
value, but the supply is not great. The north
ern shore of the main, opposite to Mozambique,
or, as it is termed, the Cabaceiro side, is the
only part where they cultivate the soil for the
maintenance of the population : the Arabs sup
ply the rest, and were they to discontinue to
do so, a famine would reign at Mozambique ;
for it has no other immediate resources, those
afforded by Quilimane having long ceased to
exist. Even at Mozambique the Portuguese juris
diction and settlements do not extend above
thirty miles in any direction, and to the south
ward scarcely at all. The natives, who are
termed Moknanas and Majowjes, are an insur
mountable bar. They will trade with the Por
tuguese, but are utterly hostile to their occu
pation of the country, which often leads to
wars that only tend ultimately to impress more
strongly on the minds of the Portuguese the

TRADING BY THE GOVERNOR. 181
determination of their neighbours to maintain
their native territorial rights.
The governor is selected every three years,
and his salary is so small that he can scarcely
keep up the appearance which his situation re
quires : consequently, he enters into mercan
tile pursuits ; his authority supplants that of
the regular merchant ; his power abashes him ;
and a stagnation of trade is the result ; for the
demands of one person, who has power but no
capital, must be utterly subversive of the ener
gies of those who have only the latter. He
commands the market by force, and is dealt
with from fear.
The governor, and indeed all the native Por
tuguese, while resident at Mozambique, pursue
gain as their sole object ; improvements, and
even the repairs of the place, are neglected :
they come but for the season, and strive to gain
as much money as they can while they remain
there. To marry in the country would assist them
much in their speculations, but the govern
ment, by a false policy, prevents that step. To
promote a Portuguese population, a law exists
whereby all who are married in the country

182 IMPOLITIC LAW.
are obliged to remain there : the reason for this
regulation might apparently have been good,
but experience has proved it to be the reverse.
Force and inclination have never agreed; and a
man would prefer entering into a state unbless
ed by the moral tie of matrimony, rather than
be obliged, as a sacrifice, to remain an exile
from his native country in a burning and un
healthy climate. Had this law not existed, it
is likely that interest would have led many to
marry : a greater part of these, having their
domestic comforts around them, would have
remained in the country, well knowing that,
should they get tired of it, they could leave it
whenever they thought fit.
Notwithstanding the insular situation of
Mozambique, it is at times very unhealthy,
especially to Europeans. The native treatment
is in general adopted, and the sovereign remedy
is bark : bleeding is considered improper.
On the Cabaceiro side, the governor has a
country-house, the situation of which is pic
turesque ; the building itself is neat, and rather
large, and the gardens around it, even now,
although neglected and overrun with weeds,
are, from their arrangement and situation, wor
thy of notice.

BARRACOUTA LEAVES MOZAMBIQUE. 183
As there are no beasts of burden at Mozam
bique, the work that would otherwise be done
by them is performed by slaves, who, how
ever, lead a very idle life, on account of the
general stagnation of trade. During the heat
of the day, the higher classes, and some even at
other times, never appear abroad except in their
hammocks ; in which, stretched out at full
length, they may be observed lolling in all the
listlessness and apathy of oriental indolence.
On the morning of the 7th of February we
left Mozambique, the Leven still remaining
there ; and in the evening, in our progress to
the southward, surveying along shore, we an
chored in rather shoal water. As the depth
had decreased very suddenly, the precaution
of despatching boats around to ascertain our
situation was taken, when it was discovered
that we had brought-to in a very unsafe place,
there being a surf close to us on either side
and astern, and the wind blowing strong and
directly in. It increased next day, and the sea
broke furiously around us. As the anchorage
was so bad, it became necessary to search for
some channel through the reef, by means of
which we might escape from our disagreeable

184 NARROW ESCAPE FROM SHIPWRECK.
situation : fortunately, a small one was disco
vered, but so narrow and intricate, that it re
quired great care to pass through it. We suc
ceeded, however, but not without striking once
in threading a labyrinth of sharp and pointed
rocks ; luckily, we received no damage.
From Mozambique to the Bazruto islands,
the coast was bounded by a bank from twelve
to fifty feet in height, covered with bushes,
through which in various parts the sandy for
mation was visible. The trees, of which there
are but few, and those bordering the water's
edge, consisted exclusively of the casuarina.
Those which stood detached at a distance very
much resembled a vessel under sail, and in no
place more so than on a projecting point near
the Mogincale shoals, among which we had
lately been entrapped.
The rivers were innumerable, but seldom
large ; yet, when they were so, the muddy de
posit ejected from them discoloured the sea for a
distance of six or seven miles, the current bring
ing with it drift-timber and floating woody
islets, on which, at times, water-fowl of various
species were observed at roost. The boundary

A HERD OF WILD BUCKS. 185
of the river-wake was perfectly defined, and its
light green colour presented a remarkable con
trast with the deep blue of the surrounding
ocean. Such was the rush of the floods from
the various mouths of the river Zambese, that,
even when four miles from the land, the water
was perfectly fresh.
One evening, when at anchor off the coast, a
Mttle to the northward of Sofala, a number of
large bucks were observed gambolling about
among the low sandy hillocks that skirted the
sea-shore. It was too late then to attempt to
shoot them : next morning a party was formed
for that purpose, but we had no success ; for,
although the country had no appearance what
ever of being inhabited, yet the animals were
shy in the extreme, bounding off with great
speed the instant they perceived us approach
ing, which, as they had some among them con
stantly on the watch, was long before we were
sufficiently near to fire. They were as large
as mules, had very long and slender legs,
and their head, which was thrown back like a
stag's, had no horns, and bore a great resem
blance to that of a calf. Just at the junction of

186 INTERIOR OF THE COUNTRY.
their tail with the body was a large white
mark, extending six or eight inches towards
each haunch.
From the summit of one of the loftiest sand
hills I obtained a view of the interior of the
country, which appeared to be an immense and
beautiful plain, decked with clumps of trees on
small elevated mounds : however, on descend
ing to it, we discovered it to be nothing more
than an extensive morass, with a very disagree
able smell arising from it. It was apparently of
considerable depth, and certainly impassable,
and it was covered with grass which rose up
wards of six feet above the water. It was sepa
rated from the line of sand-hills by a narrow
stripe of dry land, covered with jungle, and im
printed with the tracks of elephants, hippopo
tami, bucks, lions, and tigers. It was very early;
and, in many places among the thickets, the im
pression made by the animal in reposing was yet
warm, and the scent which prevailed was as
strong as that which was sensibly perceived
on entering the menagerie formerly kept at
Exeter-change. We scarcely saw the Bazruto islands, for, as
the monsoon was beginning to change, we were

RETURN TO DELAGOA. 187
obliged, when off Sofala, to make the best of
our way to Delagoa, off which we anchored on
the evening of the 10th of March, not a great
way from the mouth of the Manice, which we
perceived from our mast-head to have swollen
and overflowed its banks. The discharge of so
large a body of water, together with the effect
of a recent gale without, produced a long and
heavy swell, which broke on the four and five
fathom patches near us in a manner really
appalling, especially during the night, when the
wind increased, and augmented the opposition
to the furious discharge of the flood.
The night was dark, yet the phosphorescence
of the water rendered the breakers apparent
through the almost impervious gloom. All at
once we discovered that we were drifting, and
were with difficulty brought up with a second
anchor, which, on weighing in the morning,
was found broken in half, as well as the first
which we had let go. We had but one more.
In the afternoon we anchored off the Por
tuguese Fort, where we found the Leven, the
Cockburn, and two merchant-vessels, the Syn
capore brig and Orange Grove schooner. The
intelligence we received on our arrival, of the

188 MORTALITY ON BOARD THE COCKBURN.
ravages of the fever among the officers and
crew of the Cockburn since we last parted from.
her, was melancholy in the extreme. That they
would not escape its effects we fully anticipated,
from our own dear-bought experience of the
unhealthiness of the climate ; but so sweeping
and unsparing a mortality we never expected.
The feelings of all were harrowed by the re
cital of the survivors, who, still lingering under
the effects of the disease, strove to express the
sufferings that they had themselves endured,
and those which had fallen to the lot of others,
whom death had already released.

LIEUTENANT OWEN'S SURVEY. 189

CHAPTER VIII.
Arrival of the Syncapore with a new Governor for the Fort.
— Arrival of the Orange Grove and of Commodore Nourse.
— A Tornado  Death of two of the Cockburn's Crew. —
She ascends the River Mapoota, and is followed by the
Syncapore and Orange Grove. — Communication with the
King of Mapoota. — Messrs. Hood and Tudor's Expedition
in the boats. — A young Alligator shot and eaten. — Acci
dental Conflagration. — Return to the Schooner. — The two
Kaffers desert ; one of them drowned. — Of the trade of
the Mapoota. — Death of Mr. Conolly. — Mosquitoes. —
Death of Messrs. Hood and Joyce  Lieutenant Owen
taken ill. — Sensation on board the Leven on observing the
forsaken appearance of the Schooner. — The Survivors of
her Crew taken on board that Ship. — Fate of the Crews of
the Syncapore and Orange Grove. — Seizure of these two
Vessels by the Portuguese, and their restitution to Cap
tain Owen. — English Bill — His diverting Account of his
Visit to Commodore Nourse. — Departure from Delagoa.
— Anecdotes. — Arrival at Algoa. — ¦ Part of the crew of
the Dutch Frigate Leopard, lately wrecked, taken on board.
— Arrival at the Cape. — Loss of the Cockburn.
I cannot better commence this chapter than
by gratefully acknowledging how much I am

190 LIEUTENANT OWEN'S SURVEY.
indebted to Lieutenant R. Owen, of the Leven,
for the friendly solicitude which he constantly
manifested to obtain for me such information
as related to that ship and her tender. To
him I am indebted for the following narrative
of his communication with the natives up the
Mapoota, and the melancholy recital of the
effects of that scourge the fever on himself
and his suffering crew. The orders which he
received from Captain Owen directed him to
prosecute the survey of the Bay, and after
wards that of the river Mapoota as far up as
the schooner could go, or as his means would
enable him to proceed ; and also to protect
from the interference of the Portuguese such
English vessels as might arrive for the purpose
of trading with the natives.
As the Leven and the Barracouta gradually
lessened on the view, the crew of the Cock
burn gazed on them with a long and lingering
look, yet little anticipating how few of their
own number would return. They weighed,
and proceeded to the anchorage off the Fort,
for the purpose of recruiting their fresh water
and obtaining rates for their chronometers.
These objects were accomplished by the 8th

ARRIVAL OF THE SYNCAPORE. 191
of December, when they left the river, and
in going out observed a small brig under Eng
lish colours standing in ; and, three days after
wards, followed her, for the purpose of exe
cuting, if necessary, the purport of Captain
Owen's orders. However, there was no occa
sion for such a step, as the Portuguese, ap
parently intimidated by what had previously
passed between them and Captain Owen on the
subject, and by the vicinity of the schooner,
made no attempt to place an armed force on
board, or in any other way to usurp authority
over her. Her name was the Syncapore ; she
belonged to Calcutta, and had been out three
years, chiefly trafficking along the African coast,
and was last from Mozambique, whence she
had brought the new Portuguese commandant.
He chartered her on an agreement to pay the
freight in ivory on his arrival ; after which,
on obtaining what other articles of commerce
she could, it was the intention of her master to
return forthwith to Calcutta.
Finding that the Portuguese did not attempt
to interfere with the Syncapore, Lieutenant
Owen returned on the 16th with the Cockburn
to Elephant Island, where he was shortly af-

192 ARRIVAL OF THE ORANGE GROVE.
terwards joined by the Orange Grove schooner,
of Cape Town, whose supercargoes, Messrs. May-
nard and Thompson, finding that they should be
protected in their commerce with the natives of
Delagoa by the presence of the Cockburn, de
termined to accompany her up the Mapoota, as
did also the Syncapore. They first traded with
St. Mary and Myack, where they procured a
moderate quantity of ambergris, but scarcely
any ivory. The Cockburn and Orange Grove
spent their Christmas off Elephant Island ; but
the conviviality of the day, and the pleasing
recollections of other times which it revived,
were embittered by the sudden and severe at
tack of Mr. Thompson by fever, and the dan
gerous state of Mr. Maynard, who had some
days before been removed, for the benefit of
medical attendance, to the Cockburn, several
of whose crew were already in a weakly state.
In the afternoon of the 25th, Commodore
Nourse arrived in the Andromache, having with
him two brigs, one belonging to his Majesty,
and the other to the Colonial Government of
the Isle of France. Mr. Maynard was in such
a high state of fever that, he was given over ;
and there is little doubt that he must have

TORNADOES. 193
died, had not the commodore, who was his
uncle, immediately on his arrival taken him on
board the frigate, where, favoured by the kind
attentions he received, and the quick transition
of climate and scene from Delagoa to the Cape,
he soon recovered his health.
The season had commenced in which torna
does are frequent at Delagoa : we had experi
enced one of short duration and mitigated force
a few days previously to our quitting the Bay
for Madagascar. It came on with an unusually
wild appearance of the sky in that quarter from
which the wind afterwards blew ; and, as it gra
dually approached, the clouds assumed the form
of a dark dense bank, whose edge was agitated
into the appearance of a tremulous mist by the
impetuous action of the stormy wind that pre
vailed within. The Cockburn, while the An
dromache was with her, experienced another in
its full force. It gave timely warning, as usual ;
but the vessels were driven about before it, and
such boats as were down at the time were either
destroyed or materially damaged ; yet there
was no sea whatever, owing to the shelter that
the land afforded. The wind was occasionally
quelled by the fury of the torrent of rain that
vol. i. o

194 ASCENT OF THE MAPOOTA.
continued falling while the tornado lasted. Not
one who was present had ever witnessed so se
vere a gale ; the frigate was borne down by
it, as if she was under a heavy press of sail.
The Andromache left Delagoa, with the ves
sels that she had brought with her, on the first
of January. During her short stay, the fever
had carried off two of the Cockburn's crew ;
the remainder at that time enjoyed excellent
health, although previously several of them had
now and then experienced slight attacks. At
these times English Bill, and the eight natives
who were hired with him, proved very useful.
Shortly after the departure of the Andro
mache, the Cockburn proceeded up the river
Mapoota. For a few miles, the shores on each
side were thickly studded with mangroves ; the
country then became more open ; it was tolera
bly well cultivated, and covered with natives,
who, as the schooner, favoured by the flood,
beat up the river against a contrary wind, ex
pressed by their gestures the greatest admira
tion and astonishment. The first communica
tion which the crew had with them was at a
small village about four or five leagues up. It
was some time before they could be prevailed

NATIVES COME ON BOARD. 195
upon to venture on board, even although Eng
lish Bill and his followers repeatedly urged the
invitation. At last a few complied : their asto
nishment and curiosity were so great, that they
appeared almost to doubt the reality of all they
saw, and carefully felt and examined everything
within their reach. The discovery that appeared
to surprise them most was, that the schooner
was not a solid body, but a hollow space inha
bited by men. The reception given to the first
visiters soon induced others to come on board ;
yet, although they had thus surmounted their
first fears, they never became troublesome, but
remained timid and obedient to the least word
or look. Much amusement was excited by the
behaviour of one of the ugliest of them, to
whom a looking-glass was presented. Entirely
absorbed in the contemplation of his uncouth
visage, he appeared totally regardless of the ob
servations of the bystanders, while practising
before the glass, apparently with infinite satis
faction, all the hideous contortions of counte
nance that his powers could produce.
The Syncapore and Orange Grove did not
join the Cockburn until some days after she
entered the river. Lieutenant Owen was visited
02

196 EMBASSY TO THE KING OF MAPOOTA.
by two of the secretaries of the King of Ma
poota, but delayed sending an embassy to that
prince until the merchant-vessels arrived, and
their supercargoes were enabled to accompany
it for the purpose of trade. Messrs. Hood and
Tudor were deputed to perform this duty ; and
they were accompanied by the master of the
Syncapore, Mr. Thompson, the supercargo of
the Orange Grove, English Bill, as interpreter,
and two seamen, armed. They carried with
them a small present, consisting of tobacco, dun
garee, and two case-bottles of rum, which, on
their arrival at their journey's end, after a most
tedious walk of about sixteen miles, were most
graciously received by the king. In their way
they passed through several small villages, in
which the secretaries did not fail to levy a con
tribution of water-melons, &c. for the use of
the party.
When near the king's village, they fired their
muskets to announce their approach, arhd on
their arrival found his majesty waiting for them,
surrounded by several of his principal men.
Their reception was kind in the extreme; and,
with the usual etiquette, mats were spread on
the ground for them to sit on. This arranged,

RECEPTION OF THE PARTY. 197
Mr. Hood adverted to the subject of his em
bassy, informing the king that one of the King
of England's ships had come up the river, and
brought with her two merchant-vessels for the
purpose of bartering goods for ivory ; and that,
if he would enter into a friendly trade with
them, other vessels would be encouraged to
come up also, which would bring him plenty of
beads, bangles, &c. to exchange for the same
commodity. The king replied, that he was
very happy to see English ships in the river ;
that he had been very sick indeed, but Avas
immediately cured on hearing of their arrival.
He told Messrs. Hood and Tudor privately, that
the Portuguese had endeavoured to persuade
him to have nothing to do with the English,
and had represented them in the most unfa
vourable light ; but, he said, he did not believe
them, and should always be happy to see King
George's ships come to trade. He called for a
wine-glass, and, after offering a glass of rum to
each of his visiters, took one himself, and then
distributed the remainder of the two bottles
among his wives, who were very numerous.
The king's residence consisted of about half a
dozen huts in a semicircle, with a large tree in

198 HOSPITALITY OF THE NATIVES.
the centre, under which they hold the kaabahs or
meetings of the chiefs, lounge away their noon
tide hours, enjoy the evening dance, or view the
gambols of the children. After the interview
with the king was over, the party were con
ducted to another village, about a quarter of a
mile from the king's, and belonging to one of
his wives. The largest hut was allotted for
them to sleep in, and a goat killed for their sup
per. The hostess, a corpulent good-humoured
woman, and all the people of the village, sat up
with them nearly half the night, gratifying their
intense curiosity by numerous and extraordinary
questions. The morning was ushered in by a repast con
sisting of milk and cakes made of millet ; after
which, amid the hearty greetings of the inha
bitants of the village, the party repaired to the
king's residence, where, under the large tree
before mentioned, a number of old men were
assembled, apparently in consultation. The
king soon made his appearance, and communi
cated with Mr. Hood and his party in the most
friendly manner, repeating the assurances of
good-will towards the English, and his desire to
trade with them. He was apparently about sixty

EXPEDITION IN THE BOATS. 199
years of age, upwards of six feet high, with a
pleasing expression of countenance and a manly
commanding figure. In conversation he ap
peared carefully to weigh each word before he
uttered it. A small pocket-compass shown to
him by Mr. Hood excited great admiration,
especially when he had explained its properties,
which the king set down as magic.
Messrs. Hood and Tudor returned to the
schooner in the evening with the seamen who
accompanied them ; leaving Messrs. Thompson
and Ritchie to settle with the king about open
ing the trade, as none of the natives dared
commence until he had set the example and
granted permission.
On the 16th, the Cockburn proceeded as high
up the river as it was found convenient, and two
days afterwards despatched a couple of boats,
under Messrs. Hood and Tudor, to prosecute its
farther exploration. They took ten days' provi
sion with them ; and the boats, having only two
English seamen in each, were otherwise manned
by natives. Even where the Cockburn was, there
was scarcely any tide, and at a short distance
higher up the progress of the boats was retarded
by so strong a current, that only the swiftest of

200 VIEW OF THE COUNTRY.
the two could proceed very little farther. The
hippopotami became very numerous, and several
times manifested a disposition to attack the
boats, and to dispute the passage of the river with
them : at least so thought those who were pre
sent, although, in the opinion of others, who had
seen more of those extraordinary animals, it is
not likely that they would have interfered with
either boats or men, unless touched by them, or
apprehensive for the safety of their young.
On the second day of their ascent, Messrs.
Hood and Tudor proceeded to the summit of a
gently shelving hill, on the left bank of the
river, which was somewhat elevated above the
level of the surrounding country. Their object
was, if possible, to trace the meandering direc
tion of the stream, as it took its course through
the beautiful and variegated lowland scenery of
the Temby and Mapoota kingdoms ; but, from
the slight elevation on which they stood, they
were not very successful. At times the bright
surface of the river was visible through the thick
foliage of the trees which generally lined its
banks, and at others it was lost in the swelling
rise of the intervening land. The view, which
was very pretty, was limited by a lofty and

BIRDS AND QUADRUPEDS. 201
craggy range of mountains, rising above the
western horizon, at the distance of apparently
more than forty miles.
On the 20th, the third day of their ascent, it
became necessary to send back the slowest of
the two boats, the velocity of the opposing cur
rent having increased to upwards of three miles
an hour. During the day several eagles were
seen hovering over the river, or perched on the
topmost branches of the loftiest trees in its
neighbourhood. There were likewise many
geese and ducks. Three of the latter, which
• were of a large species, afforded the party a sa
voury meal, and an agreeable change from their
continual salt-meat repasts. The river abounded
with hippopotami and alligators, the former in
such numbers that it often required great ma
nagement to avoid touching them. In the
evening, several natives visited the party at their
encampment. The wind increased, and during
the night blew with violence, occasioning, for
the first time, a most welcome respite from the
tormenting attacks of the mosquitoes. The loud
rustling and shrillness of the breeze among the
lofty trees and surrounding jungle was accom
panied during the darkness of the night by the

202 A YOUNG ALLIGATOR SHOT.
howling of wild beasts and the hollow cry of
the hippopotami.
On the 22nd, several buffaloes, monkeys, and
parrots were seen ; and, shortly before the party
encamped, Mr. Hood had the good fortune to
shoot a couple of wild geese. Several natives
visited them at various times from the Mapoota
side, which appeared to be more thickly inha
bited than the other. The boundary of the
Temby dominion terminated with that fruitful
soil and pleasing scenery which were its prevail
ing features. Beyond it, for a great extent, all
was a dreary waste, so infested with wild beasts
that the natives who accompanied the party
were terrified at the idea of encamping there.
On the 25th, they passed the boundary of the
Mapoota kingdom ; it terminated, as that of
Temby did, in a dreary waste, several miles in
extent. The alligators had become very nu
merous, but the hippopotami remained the same
as before. Of the former, a young one was shot,
and in great part eaten ; the flesh, which was
remarkably firm, had much of the taste of veal,
accompanied with a slightly fishy flavour. Care
was taken in the evening, before the fires were
kindled for the night, to clear the vicinity of the

ACCIDENTAL CONFLAGRATION. 203
encampment from the long and sun-dried grass ; •
as, on the preceding evening, for want of that
precaution, the blaze had communicated to it,
and fired the country for an amazing distance
around, obliging the party to retreat precipi
tately to the opposite bank of the river, whence,
during the dark night that succeeded, they had
a view of the baneful conflagration which they
had occasioned.
Next day, one of the seamen, who had been
a short time indisposed, became so much worse,
that, after bleeding him most copiously, Mr.
Hood conceived it absolutely necessary to re
turn immediately to the schooner, as the only
means of saving his life.
For the space of forty -one miles after leaving
the Cockburn, the meandering course of the
Mapoota was explored by Mr. Hood, for the
most part against a current of more than three
miles an hour and a strong contrary wind. No
stream had added its waters to the river ; from
this circumstance, therefore, and from the velo
city of the current, it may be inferred that the
source of the Mapoota was yet at a considerable
distance, probably among the mountains before
mentioned, which Mr. Hood, at the termination

204 TWO KAFFERS DESERT.
of his journey, judged to be upwards of twenty
miles distant. The general direction of the
Mapoota is south, and the extent from its
mouth to the limit of the exploration sixty
miles. Although the river at its entrance is
intricate, yet a vessel drawing ten feet may
with care ascend it for thirty miles. Mr.
Hood's journey back occupied but little more
than one day.
During his absence, it was one morning dis
covered that two Kaffers, who had been placed
on board the schooner by Captain Owen, were
missing. This circumstance surprised every
one, as it was supposed that these men, having
for many days laboured under a depression of
mind and a sickly state of body, would, in
their weakened condition, be better content to
avail themselves of the accommodation and
comfort which the schooner afforded, than to
attempt to escape over an element that they
so much dreaded. The body of one was per
ceived during the day floating up the river
with the tide ; it was immediately picked up,
and interred on shore by some of the schooner's
crew, with whom went a few of the hired na
tives, but not one of the latter could be pre-

HONESTY OF THE NATIVES. 205
vailed upon to approach the corpse. We soon
learned that his comrade was more fortunate ;
he reached the shore in safety, and took up his
abode in a neighbouring village, where he
soon after received a message from Lieutenant
Owen, intimating that he was his own master
and might act as he thought proper.
The mercantile intercourse of Messrs. Thomp
son and Ritchie with the natives was in the mean
time prosecuted with ardour. Some delay ne
cessarily took place in arranging how and where
the trade should be carried on, and in giving
and receiving presents, &c. It was finally set
tled that the king should remove to a village
belonging to one of his wives, at a short dis
tance from the spot where the vessels lay He
appropriated one of the longest huts in it for
the use of Mr. Thompson, who conveyed thi
ther his merchandise, consisting of white beads
and blue dungaree, which he bartered for ele
phant tusks, hippopotamus teeth, and rhinoceros
horns. The natives, like the generality of sa
vages, were very avaricious, and it was soon
found necessary never to permit them to see
a larger quantity of merchandise than that
which was supposed to be equal to the value

206 TRADE WITH THE NATIVES.
of the article for which they were bartering.
A great quantity of ivory was brought down
and sold for a mere trifle; however, notwith
standing this advantage, all the traffic of these
two vessels with the natives tended to prove
the truth of an observation which many have
had an opportunity of making, that the com
merce of strangers with the savages in the vi
cinity of a factory, or settlement, is often far
less profitable than the purchasing of the same
articles through the hands of the factors them
selves. In the former case, mistrust generally
soon takes place : the unusual demand for the
articles required is slowly answered, and the
consequent delay of the vessel, and the expense
of the presents necessary to conciliate the good
will of one or more potentates, more than ba
lance the profit which the factors expect to de
rive from their goods. Experience showed that
such was the case at Delagoa : lives were lost
in the acquisition of articles which, after all,
might with care have been safely procured at
the same ultimate expense from the Portu
guese. A few days after the king had moved down
to the trading village, he repaired to the bank

TRADE WITH THE NATIVES. 207
of the river, to visit Lieutenant Owen. He
was accompanied by several hundred of his
subjects, many of whom, together with divers
of the royal family, overcame their timidity,
and ventured on board the schooner, appa
rently with the sole view of obtaining pre
sents. The king could never be prevailed
upon to form one of the party : he was, like
his subjects, excessively fond of spirits, yet
never would barter any article of commerce in
exchange for it, alleging, as a reason, that, as
soon as it was drunk, the gratification which it
afforded quickly subsided, and left nothing in
exchange for the ivory but the empty recol
lection of a past pleasure.
It was a fact highly creditable to the cha
racter of the natives, that not an article was
stolen from Mr. Thompson, although his store
was situated in the centre of a village, and
at times had several casks of beads and other
valuable articles open in it. To assist the
above gentleman and Mr. Ritchie, English Bill
was lent by Lieutenant Owen, and proved a
most valuable acquisition to them. He acted
as interpreter, and by his assiduity and address
was the occasion of their procuring a much

208 DEATH OF MR. CONOLLY.
greater quantity of ivory than they could have
otherwise obtained : however, the unsparing
fever soon nipped their golden prospects in the
bud, and made them pay severely for the tole
rable success of their speculation.
It was the 22nd of January when the fever
broke out with increased virulence, and Mr.
Conolly, the assistant-surgeon, was the first
victim. On that day, he experienced a violent
attack, and in three more the melancholy office
of committing his remains to the earth was per
formed. Four of the seamen who attended the
funeral were seized with the fever shortly after
they returned on board ; and Lieutenant Owen,
foreseeing what havoc must inevitably follow
among the officers and crew if he remained
where he was, awaited with anxiety the return
of Mr. Hood and his party, that he might quit
the fatal spot while he yet had hands enough
left to do so. During their sojourn there, the
mosquitoes resorted to the schooner at night in
such myriads that it was scarcely possible to ob
tain any other than a broken, unrefreshing rest ;
and to these implacable enemies all who were
attacked by the fever felt convinced that they
owed at least a most sensible aggravation of

MOSQUITOES. 209
their disease. Those who have never known
them from experience can form but a slight
idea of their a™"oying buzz and poisonous bite.
So numerous were they that, notwithstanding
every effort to drive them off by smoke and
other means, the noise which they made in the
place where the men slept resembled that of a
swarm of bees when routed out of their hive.
The day after the interment of Mr. Conolly,
Mr. Hood returned from the survey of the river,
bringing with him two of his seamen in a high
fever. Next morning, the schooner sailed out
of the river, and on the evening of the suc
ceeding day anchored off the Portuguese Fort.
To use Lieutenant Owen's words : " The
fever now began to spread its ravages among
the officers and seamen, and in three days I
was the sole white person on board able to
move about. It has often since been a matter
of astonishment to me how I stood up against
it so long, surrounded by the dying and the
dead : nothing but the hand of a merciful and
overruling Providence could have supported
me through it. The native Blacks had almost
an insurmountable antipathy to even the vici
nity of a corpse, so that, after all our own
VOL. i. p

210 DEATH OF MR. HOOD.
people were laid up, I was under the necessity
of forcing them to carry the bodies of the
dead on shore by threatening to shoot them
if they refused."
On the 6th of February Mr. Hood died,
after a short illness, in which his sufferings
were very great. He was buried by Lieu
tenant Owen, with the assistance of the black
cook, at nine o'clock at night ; and, by parti
cular request, a file of Portuguese soldiers paid
the last military honours to one who was not
less prized and honoured by all who knew him
for his great acquirements and talents, than he
was respected and beloved for his pleasing man
ners, frank disposition, and kindness of heart.
This estimable young man was in his twenty-
fourth year ; he was a younger brother of that
Lieutenant Hood who so miserably perished
by the hands of an assassin, when attached to
the suffering yet interesting expedition of Cap
tain Franklin to the Copper-Mine River. The
melancholy fate of the elder brother led to the
immediate promotion of the younger ; but his
commission arrived too late : he had been dead
three months.
A day or two before the decease of Mr.

REDUCED STATE OF THE CREW. 211
Hood, died a young midshipman named Joyce.
Possessing a sensitive disposition, the scene of
death and misery around him appeared to prey
keenly on his mind ; he drooped from the first,
and sunk into the arms of death, uncomplaining
himself and pitied by all. Only seven seamen
and three officers now remained, all of whom,
excepting Lieutenant Owen and the black
cook, were apparently in a dying state.
Hitherto, since the death of Mr. Conolly,
Lieutenant Owen had been unremitting in his
attentions to the sick. He bled them ; and,
by the aid of the various medical books lately
belonging to the deceased gentleman just men
tioned, he made up and administered such
medicines as he knew to be generally employ
ed in the treatment of the fever cases on board
the Leven and Barracouta ; but now and then
there was no one but the black cook to assist
him in the constant requisite attendance on the
sick. He therefore begged permission of the
Portuguese commandant to land his patients
at the Fort, and solicited him to appoint some
of his people to attend upon them. The com
mandant in the kindest manner complied with
both requests. p 2

212 ILLNESS OF LIEUTENANT OWEN.
" On the 11th of February," says Lieutenant
Owen, " I felt the symptoms of fever attack me ;
and, as there was no one on board who could
render me the least assistance, I was obliged to
go on shore to the Portuguese lieutenant,
Terceira, who received me into his house, and
could not have treated me more kindly had I
been his brother, nursing me constantly by
night and day. The next morning after I
landed, I was so excessively ill that no hopes
were entertained of my recovery."
As the Leven approached the river, on the
1st of March, the Cockburn was observed lying
at anchor off the Fort, with her sails unbent.
The evidently deserted state of her deck, and
the non-appearance of Lieutenant Owen to pay
his respects to the captain, raised fearful fore
bodings in the minds of every one, especially
when the signal for the commanding officer
remained unanswered, except by the hoisting
of the colours, which until then had conti
nued down. After the Leven had anchored,
Mr. Williams, one of the midshipmen, was
sent on board the schooner by Captain Owen,
with orders to return with the commanding
officer, whoever he might be. He found only

ARRIVAL OF THE LEVEN. 213
Mr. Tudor and the black cook there. The
former was stretched out in his cot, reduced to
a shadow by the effects of fever ; which, having
passed the crisis, had left him slowly surmount
ing by the strength of his constitution a tedi
ous and painful series of intermitting attacks.
The black cook, whose name was Cooper, and
whose constitution, being a native Negro from
the vicinity of Sierra Leone, was steeled by his
birth against the fatal effects of marsh mias
mata, was the only one of the seven surviving
out of nineteen who had preserved his health.
The remaining sufferers consisted of Lieutenant
Owen, Messrs. Tudor and Henderson (mid
shipmen), two seamen and a boy, all of whom
were dangerously ill.
Every one on board the Leven was anxious
ly looking out for the return of Mr. Williams,
who, as he approached, was observed to hold
up his hands, expressive of the melancholy
tidings which he had to communicate. A boat
was sent on shore to bring off Mr. Owen and
the survivors of his crew. Mr. Henderson, in
the last stage of the fatal disorder, unconscious
of his change, died without knowing those about
him. The rest, now restored to their friends,

214 DEATH OF MR. HENDERSON.
were gradually, under their assiduous care,
rescued from the arms of death, into which in
all probability they would otherwise have fallen.
Among those who died was the wife of the
carpenter's mate : her husband perished by rush
ing overboard in the delirium of his fever ; and
she, reduced to a state of apathy and mental
alienation, breathed her last a few hours after
wards. The case of Mr. Henderson was some
what remarkable : he was nearly the first taken
ill and the last who died ; his constitution was
so strong that it was only at last sapped and
destroyed by repeated relapses, from which at
one period he appeared to be perfectly re
covered. Such were the deplorable circumstances that
followed the schooner's exploration of the river
Mapoota ; nor were they less melancholy in the
two vessels that accompanied her. Every one
on board the Syncapore perished, and but a
very small portion of the crew of the Orange
Grove survived.
The Portuguese commandant, a young man,
a native of Mozambique, but educated in great
part at the Isle of France, had superseded the
acting governor, who very shortly afterwards

SEIZURE OF THE SYNCAPORE. 215
sunk under a consumptive complaint that for
a long time had gradually been undermining
him. The adjutant and his wife likewise died
about the same time ; so that, on our arrival,
Terceira was the only surviving officer that we
knew. The commandant commenced the exercise
of his authority by seizing the Syncapore,
which was up the Mapoota, and confiscating
her on the charge of forcing an illicit trade.
Not one of her crew was living at the time to
resist the proceeding ; and Mr. Owen, although
he heard something of the circumstance when
it occurred, was too ill to take any effective
measures against it. The Leven's arrival, how
ever, quickly set all right ; the governor was
immediately obliged to deliver up the Synca
pore, with her stores and cargo, which he had
taken out of her and lodged in the Fort, and
likewise to discharge a debt of 250/., which in
a private transaction he owed to her late mas
ter and in vain attempted to conceal. The Le
ven took possession of the vessel, and the Orange
Grove was supplied with requisite assistance to
carry her back to the Cape. She had also been
seized by the Portuguese ; but as her master,

216 ENGLISH BILL.
mate, and supercargo still survived, they did
not attempt such an arbitrary measure with her
as they had adopted with regard to the Synca
pore. Our native friends we found well, and they
appeared happy to see us return. This pleasure
probably proceeded in part from selfish views ;
yet we flattered ourselves, and I think with
good reason, that our late long sojourn at the
place had created among the majority of the
quiet inoffensive inhabitants an amicable disin
terested feeling in our favour; they crowded
on board and vied with each other in recognis
ing and saluting such as each individual re
membered to have before been most friendly
to him. But Bill had no such circumscribed
list ; he had a recognising bow and joke for all
he met ; and the various accounts that he had
to give of what had passed since we last left
him, whether of a melancholy or jocose nature,
were highly amusing : the former being tinctur
ed with sound sense, the latter, as usual, with
arch grimace.
Bill's account of his first visit on board the
commodore's ship was diverting : her lofty ap
pearance as she came alongside ; the cleanliness

HIS VISIT TO THE COMMODORE. 217
of her decks, which obliged him- to walk on tip
toe for fear of soiling them ; the display of brass
and copper pins ; the ornamental arrangement
of warlike weapons ; the size of the ordnance ;
and the pomp and etiquette of the quarter
deck, were all dwelt upon in that pleasing un
adorned style which first impressions ever sug
gest. But the band was beyond his powers of
description : Bill attempted to express his ad
miration of it ; he twisted his features into a
variety of contortions, to imitate, and certainly
not badly, the different instruments that com
posed it ; but in the middle of his attempts he
stopped short and ejaculated, " Oh ! ver much
fine — too much fine — I no tell you how much
fine — you sab (know it) all."
Bill could form no idea of the title of com
modore : in the course of his narrative he had
occasionally used the term captain, in which
his auditors now and then corrected him. This
was not lost on the fertile invention of Bill ; he
soon fabricated a story on it, and often after
wards gravely related to the bystanders a purely
fictitious account of his first interview with the
commodore, whom he represented as earnestly
taking him to task for applying the term cap-

218 DEPARTURE FROM DELAGOA.
tain to him, and pompously explaining the
superiority of the title which he bore.
The recent sickness on board the Leven and
Barracouta, together with the fresh manning of
the schooner and the Syncapore, considerably
reduced the number of their respective crews ;
it consequently became expedient to prevail, if
possible, on some of the natives to overcome
their hereditary dread of the sea, and to em
bark with us for the Cape. Such was their con
fidence in us, that no difficulty whatever was
experienced in accomplishing our object. The
most cautious of all, English Bill himself, was
the first to come forward, and with him several
more, to join the Leven ; while George and two
others took up their quarters on board our ship.*
We left Delagoa on the 15th of March, but
the Leven, the Cockburn, and the two mer
chant-vessels, did not sail until the next day.
During our voyage, George's character, which
may be taken as a specimen of that of his
* So much was English Bill thought of by his country
men, that I doubt if any of them would have been prevailed
upon to go until he set the example. Often, when his name
was mentioned, they would observe, in illustration of his su
perior abilities, " Ah I dat man, Shannuahguahvah (English
Bill), sab too much; e nebber die."

CHARACTER OF GEORGE. 219
countrymen in general, developed itself : he was
of a peaceable disposition, humorous, obliging,
and gifted with a fair proportion of solid
sterling sense. In no instance was this latter
endowment better shown than in the correct
line which he could draw between his conduct
as George the Delagoa native, and George the
working mariner : in the former he was free,
careless, and amusing ; in the latter, strict,
serious, and attentive. If any of the superior
officers happened to be joking with him, and at
the same time one of the youngest of the mid
shipmen called for the performance of a duty
in which he thought he ought to lend a hand,
he never hesitated a moment in leaving the
former, and instantly running to take a part in
obeying the commands of the latter.
The cold, as we approached the Cape, sensibly
affected the whole of us ; and often, when the
evening was unusually chill, we sent for any
one of them who had the watch, and gave him
a dram ; this comforter, from its stimulating
quality in opposition to the chilling effects of
the cold, soon obtained the designation of " Kill
um cold." The other two natives, being young,
were never so much at their ease with us as

220 ANECDOTE OF GEORGE.
George. The honorary titles, as he considered
them, which he respectively applied to the offi
cers, were odd enough : the surgeon was Mr.
Makkumwell (make him well) ; and the others,
my farder (father), my mudder (mother), my
brudder (brother). George was the only one
from whom I could ever draw any thing that
savoured of religion. After various questions
on the subject, which he did not appear to un
derstand, I at last inquired whither he expected
to go after death. He hesitated a little, and
then, pointing to the heavens, answered, "Dare !"
" What you, George ?" — " No, no, me stop stink
here ; dat man dare," pointing to his shadow in
the sun, " go up, and nebber (never) come back
again." We were all forcibly struck by the
idea, and from the beauty of it were almost in
clined to doubt whether it was original, or ac
quired from some one who had attempted to
instruct him in the doctrine of the immortality
of the soul.
On the 2nd of April, we arrived at Algoa
Bay, and the luxury of the fresh provisions and
various other articles which we obtained there
was duly appreciated by us, who had so long
been reduced to salt fare and bad water. A

ARRIVAL AT SIMON'S BAY 221
few days previously to our arrival, a small
Dutch frigate, called the Zeepaard, was lost
eight or ten miles to the south-west of the set
tlement. We took on board her second cap
tain, with fifty of her crew, for a passage to the
Cape, to which place the remainder repaired by
land. On the 4th, we left Algoa, and, after a tedious
and rough passage of ten days, anchored in Si
mon's Bay, where we found His Majesty's ves
sels Andromache, Leven, and Delight, and the
Syncapore brig. The Leven had been there
seven days, and, on her arrival, was greeted with
unwelcome tidings of the loss of the Cockburn,
which, standing in during the night of the 1st
of April, passed the port in mistake and strand
ed on the beach a few miles from it, having a
short time before vainly attempted to escape
the flat by anchoring. The vessel was lost, but
her crew and all the stores belonging to her
were saved.
Since we left Algoa, our corporal of marines,
one seaman, and a boy, died of fever, making
the total number of deaths on board the Barra
couta, in the seven months which had elapsed
between our departure from the Cape and our

222 REDUCED STATE OF THE CREWS.
return thither, amount to four officers, five ma
rines, eleven seamen, and four of the shipwreck
ed Lascars, in all twenty-four, out of the origi
nal seventy-four whom she carried away, and
the twelve Lascars who were received on board
at Madagascar. The loss of so many, and the
sickly state of the rest, at one time reduced the
two watches in number, one to nine and the
other to eight. Neither was the loss of lives
much less in proportion on board the Leven in
the same period of time. Three of the women,
out of the five whom we brought from Eng
land, also died. One, who, before she came
out, had led a very dissolute life, was haunted
during her long and painful struggle with the
fever by a remorse and grief so deep and loud
as to set at defiance all consolation in this world
or hopes in the next. Her intellects, unhappily
for her, remained unimpaired till a short time
before she expired. She went off in convul
sions, loudly praying for mercy and forgiveness.
Our expedition produced some sensation at
the Cape, independently of the facts connected
with it ; for it was considered as tending, by
the light which it threw on the commerce of
Delagoa, to the opening of another source of

ENGLISH BILL AT CAPE TOWN. 223
trade to the speculative energy of the Cape
merchants. English Bill, on account of his
humour and the native acuteness which he dis
played, was much noticed. His first introduc
tion was to two or three houses at Simon's
Town, where his shrewd remarks on every
thing he saw created much merriment. His
circle of acquaintance was soon extended. He
had heard much of Cape Town, and could not
be easy until he obtained permission to visit it ;
and then he was too impatient to wait for the
waggon, but set out on foot, followed by one
of his humble comrades — for Bill was by far
too great a man to carry his own bundle.
While at Cape Town he visited the governor,
and was at the houses of many of the most
respectable families. He was joined by George,
and together they attended the races, where
the swiftness of the horses and the dexterity of
their riders confounded them with astonish
ment. George, seized with the turf-mania,
dwelt in his description with ecstasy on the
different colours and qualities of the horses, as
well as the distinguishing dress of their riders.
He appeared to think it impossible to express
fully his idea of their speed, for, when in the

224 ENGLISH BILL AT CAPE TOWN.
height of his enthusiastic description, he would
stop short for want of words to express him
self, and exclaim, "Ride — ride like e devil —
flog just so : like e devil," assuming the bending
position of the body when riding, and with eye
intent on an object direct in front, clapping
violently his right thigh with his hand, and
shaking his legs as if in the act of spurring.
While English Bill was at Cape Town, such
of the merchants who felt inclined to speculate
at Delagoa, availed themselves of his presence
to obtain from him the information necessary
for opening the trade with his countrymen.
He observed that they were more particularly
solicitous for knowledge respecting the com
merce in ivory, and therefore, on his return to
Simon's Town, he begged a gentleman to ex
plain the reason ; his informant, after describing
to him the various uses to which it was applied,
showed him a very handsome set of chessmen
and other articles made of that material. Bill
was astonished, and, placing his finger on his
forehead in a thoughtful manner, emphatically
exclaimed, as if communing with himself, " Me
see, me see, Delagoa man d  n fool, d  n
fool !— no sabby notting."

ENGLISH BILL AT CAPE TOWN. 225
The gentleman, to whom Bill had applied in
this instance, had shown him great attention on
all occasions : when he returned from Cape
Town, he therefore repaired to his house, where
he found Mr. Rogier, who, after Bill had stopped
some time, observed to the worthy host that
Bill ought to wait on Captain Owen. Bill ap
peared much annoyed at this suggestion, and
obstinately persisted in his determination not
to go : the reason for this opposition they could
not possibly guess, until at last Bill, who was
evidently much fatigued, explained it by say
ing, " Suppose go look 'um Cappen ; he stop up
read e book, speakee me ; no let Bill sleep." I
relate this as another instance of this man's
acute observation, which not even the slightest
habits of those around him could escape ; and
at the same time to show that he never failed
to give a good reason for every action or deter
mination. At a ball given on board the Leven in Si
mon's Bay, George and Bill were present ; the
former appeared wrapped up in mute astonish
ment and admiration ; but the latter, although
equally pleased, found leisure to practise his
mimicking powers at times behind the scenes.
VOL. I. Q

226 ENGLISH BILL.
The awkward clumsiness of a little fat Dutch
gentleman appeared to afford him great amuse
ment ; he saw that the same was observed by
others, and accordingly set him down as fair
game, mimicking his peculiarities with admir
able success. The impression which the ball
made on him did not cease with the night ; for,
next day, when I went on board the Leven, I
found him busily engaged in describing it to
his countrymen. He was employed with them
in a sedentary duty ; but every now and then,
worked up by the ideas which he had not
words to express, he would jump up and fill
the void by grimace and action. The waltzing,
quadrilling, courteseying, and talking of the
ladies, he hit off admirably ; but, with all his
raillery, he entertained for them the highest
respect and admiration, and much regretted the
apparent impossibility of his being enabled to
prevail upon one to accompany him back to
Delagoa ; gravely observing, whenever he spoke
on the subject, that she should have plenty to
eat, nothing to do, and that she should rule
above the rest of his wives, and command
everything he possessed.
A gentleman presented to him, as a token of

ENGLISH BILL. 227
his remembrance, a medal of the Humane So
ciety's, which Bill, during his visit to Cape
Town, parted with for six Spanish dollars.
The donor was annoyed, and expressed his dis
pleasure ; but Bill, ever prepared with a reason,
excused his conduct by declaring that a single
piece among the whole of his family would not
make them half so well remember the donor as
a piece, although of less value, to each indivi
dual. His scale for the distribution was amus
ing; he commenced with allotting one dollar
to himself and another to his principal wife ; to
himself again, and then to a second wife ; and
so on through the whole. In short, Bill and
George found their vanity much gratified by
the attention which they received, and their
curiosity agreeably awakened by the various
novelties that a civilized place presented.
They were respectively hired by the owners of
two vessels about to be employed in traffic
with the natives at Delagoa, as were likewise
Yacob and Fire, both of whom had suffered
severely from the fever, the former so much that
for a long time no hopes were entertained
of his recovery.
A small schooner, called the Albatross, was
q 2

228 THE ALBATROSS PURCHASED.
purchased in lieu of that which was so unfor
tunately lost. She proved by far the better of
the two ; for, although she was much smaller
than the other, yet she was sufficiently large to
carry such provisions as were required for the
two vessels, and was certainly much more ma
nageable than the Cockburn, even with one-
third of that vessel's crew.

LEAVE THE CAPE. 229

CHAPTER IX.
Leave the Cape. — Arrival at Algoa Bay. — Captain Owen
visits the London Missionary Settlements of Bethelsdorp
and Uitenhage. — Scenery on the Kaffer Coast. — Arrival
off Quilimane. — Narrow Escape of the Barracouta's Pin
nace on the Bar. — Visit to the Town of Quilimane. — Re
ception of the Senna party there. — Rollers set in. — The
Barracouta nearly founders at her anchors. — She slips and
enters the River. — Grounds afterwards in her way up. —
Description of the Town of Quilimane. — Population. —
Superstitious dread of the Cameleon. — Of the Slave Trade.
— A Native Wedding. — Mourning over a Child. — Expo
sure of the remains of the Dead. — Tattooing. — Persons and
Dress of the Blacks. — Disgusting Custom of the Tribes of
the Macquans and Moganjes. — The Barracouta leaves the
river and regains her anchor. — Attack by a Seaman on a
Hippopotamus. — Sail for the River Inhambane.
Having completed the equipment of the brig,
and filled up those vacancies in her crew that
the fever had occasioned, we left Simon's Bay
on the 16th of June 1823, having on board act
ing lieutenant Charles William Browne, Mr.

230 ALGOA BAY.
Forbes, botanist, and Mr. Kilpatrick, acting-
assistant surgeon, whom we were ordered by
Captain Owen to convey to the Quilimane,
for the purpose of exploring the river Zambese
and other inland parts, as hereafter specified.
A succession of gales carried us in thirteen
days to Algoa Bay.
Whilst in Algoa Bay, Lieutenant Browne
and Mr. Forbes were employed in gaining
such information as they imagined might be
useful to them in their projected journey from
Senna and Tete to the Cape colony, if they
should find that feasible.
Mr. Read, of the London Missionary Society,
came on board the Barracouta to give them as
much information as he could. He had been
at Lattakoo and at Kuirechine with his com
panion Mr. Campbell, whose account is publish
ed. Mr. Read had married a native of Latta
koo, or of the neighbouring country ; and, with
a view of cultivating his acquaintance, and of
obtaining all the information possible, Mr.
Forbes induced Captain Owen to visit Bethels
dorp, which was the seat of Mr. Read's present
labours. Bethelsdorp is a village of Hottentots, under

BETHELSDORP AND UITENHAGE. 231
the direction of the London Missionary Society ;
it contains fourteen hundred souls. It seemed
not to be well managed, but rather much op
pressed ; not so much from any fault in the
directors of this humane establishment, as the
natural result of the unequal laws of the
colony, which deny to the native Hottentot
and free man of colour, if he be poor, both the
rights of freedom and the advantages of slavery.
Not so Uitenhage, about as far again from
Port Elizabeth. This little village, situated on
the banks and in the vale of the Zwartkop, is
cherished by the protection of the government,
but does not contain more than three hundred
inhabitants : a great part of it belongs to Colo
nel Kuyler, the resident, who received and en
tertained our travellers most hospitably. The
vicinity of Bethelsdorp and Uitenhage appears
to have created some jealousy, and disputes have
arisen between the resident and the London
mission about the aborigines, who, by some law
of the colony, are forced to be attached to the
service of the colonists ; though the latter, on
their side, are under no obligation, it is said,
either to employ or to maintain them. Nor
can the native Hottentots possess land in their

232 SCENERY ON THE KAFFER COAST.
own right at all. It is to be lamented that the
British government of this colony should have
adopted the manifest injustice of their prede
cessors. Having stopped two days at Algoa Bay, we
resumed our voyage towards the Quilimane.
Twice we approached the beautiful yet har-
bourless iron-bound Kaffer coast. The first
time we approached within half a mile of a
most interesting part, where two massive black
rocks rose at the water's edge upwards of eighty
feet above its surface ; one of them exhibiting
the phenomenon of a natural archway, on which
the surf, that, even in other parts of the shore,
rose, probably from its sudden contact with the
rocks, upwards of fifty feet, beat with inexpres
sible fury. Each of these rocks was horizon
tally intersected, half-way up, by a broad stra
tum, apparently of lime formation. The coun
try was beautiful park-like land, varied into
hill and dale, and afforded at times, through a
luxuriant valley, a distant prospect of blue-
tinged mountain ridges. On the face of a hill,
under which, at the water's edge, was situated
a large conical mass, much resembling a hay
stack and covered with verdure, was distin-

RIVER QUILIMANE. 233
guished a small Kaffer kraal, consisting of not
more than ten huts, all built of such wretched
materials as induced us to suppose that they
were only temporary. In our second approach
to the coast its features were equally beautiful :
clusters of trees, hills and hillocks, vales and
glens, composed the fore-ground ; while, in the
distance, divided by a deep valley or abyss, a
range of precipitous, craggy, table-land moun
tains towered above the intervening tract, and
extended parallel to the shore as far as the eye
could reach.
On the forenoon of the 18th we anchored off
the river Quilimane, and shortly afterwards I
left the brig in her largest boat (the pinnace),
to convey Lieutenant Browne and party to the
town, and to obtain an interview with the go
vernor, for the purpose of delivering to him
various official letters relative to their expe
dition. Through the unfavourable direction of the
wind and a strong easterly current, the boat
was carried to leeward of that part of the bar
where there appeared to be the least surf, and I
was at last driven to the alternative of either
pushing through a phalanx of breakers, or being

234 NARROW ESCAPE.
cast sidelong upon them ; for the wind had
subsided, and the current so far increased that
the efforts of the oars were rendered useless, and,
owing to the sea and the swell that prevailed,
anchoring would have been of no avail. The
helm was put up, the oars manned, the sail set,
and in a few minutes the boat was rapidly
winging her way through the best channel
that could be chosen in so wild a spot. The
sea at times rose and towered above her stern,
and at others partially broke in upon her, obli
ging at least three of the crew to keep con
stantly baling. The danger past, hope, ever
fondly clinging to pleasing ideas of future
good, would fain have taken our fortunate es
cape for an omen of the success of the expedi
tion. " Ah ! Forbes," exclaimed Mr. Browne,
as the last sea we passed sunk under the stern
in a harmless sheet of foam, "thus will it be
with us ; many a danger may threaten like
that which we have just escaped, but like that
will subside and vanish before it reaches us."
We anchored for the night at a short dis
tance up the river, and next morning proceeded
towards the town. In our way we passed the
small island of Pequena Banca, which, it is

ISLAND OF PEUQENA BANCA. 235
said, was eighty years ago a bank of sand and
mud, undecked by the slightest appearance of
vegetation ; yet, from the accumulated deposit
cast on it by the current of the river in the
rainy season, as soon as it was once elevated
above the high-water mark, it quickly became
covered with the dark green mangrove, generat
ing unwholesome vapours by its putrid vegetable
deposit on the slimy mud. Innumerable hip
popotami on its shore were basking in the sun,
and rolling in the mud like swine. The river
at its entrance was only one mile across, but
immediately afterwards increased to upwards
of two ; and abreast of the island it was three
miles and a half in breadth.
The shores were of the most forbidding
aspect, being overgrown with mangroves on
the usual swampy foundation ; and on the sur
face nothing living appeared but a diminutive
species of land-crab, whose subterraneous re
treats perforated it in all directions. At the
back of this mangrove boundary, which ex
tended only a short distance from the river,
the soil was partially covered with a layer of
sand producing a variety of trees. The pro
curing of fuel was an easy task, as the shore

236 ARRIVAL OFF QUILIMANE.
was strewed with the bleached trunks of trees,
rotting under the combined influence of age
and sun. Many, that had previously been
drifting about or otherwise exposed to the
water, were perforated by worms, which in
their progress had coated the sides of the holes
with a calcareous deposit.
The direction of the river was due north,
until a little above the island, when it took a
slight turn to east by west, and opened to the
view a distant prospect of the town of Quili
mane, situated ten miles up the river. Its
white buildings and extensive grove of cocoa-
nut trees formed a pleasing contrast with the
gloomy dark green of the mangroves which
surround it in all directions.
We landed, and proceeded to the governor's
house, escorted by the master of a Brazilian
slaver, who, with four or five more, was at an
chor off the town. This young man spoke a
little English, and acted as interpreter in
the interview with the governor, Senhor Joao
Bonifacio, which took place shortly after we
landed. The official letters were presented,
and amongst the rest that of the Governor-
general of Mozambique, enjoining Senhor Joao

PORTUGUESE GOVERNOR. 237
Bonifacio to countenance and assist as much as
lay in his power Lieutenant Browne in his un
dertaking. Whether it was the manner of the
governor or not we could not say ; certain it is,
however, that his behaviour partook too much
of repulsive formality, and his language of sar
castic reference to the futility of the expedition,
to lead us to imagine that he would do any
thing to promote its success. This was our
feeling at the time, yet after-reflection has led
me to think that it was erroneously formed :
however, the least that can be said is, that the
remarks respecting the probable melancholy
termination of the expedition were very ill-
judged. It is true, that they were uttered in a
language foreign to us ; yet, when it was per
ceived that they were understood, they should
have been instantly dropped ; for a discourag
ing remark is often unwelcome even when con
veyed in the most cautious terms, but it must be
much more so when uttered in sarcastic levity
or with the unconstrained arrogance of imagi
nary or real superiority in knowledge.
Senhor Henriques, the master of the slaver
above mentioned, with a kindness which he
never ceased to evince towards the party during

238 TOWN OF QUILIMANE.
their sojourn at the town, offered them the use
of his house to live in as long as they remained.
Of this hospitality and attention they thank
fully availed themselves. Whenever Lieu
tenant Browne's expedition became the subject
of conversation, Henriques, in a delicate yet
earnest manner, endeavoured to dissuade him
from attempting it ; but, finding him deter
mined, he supplied him with every information
he could collect relative to the parts that he
was about to visit, and the best precautions to
be adopted for travelling safely through them.
Little can be said of the history of the town
of Quilimane, except that it appears to have
owed its origin either to the Arabs, who, wheri
Vasco da Gama put into the river, in his way
to the East Indies, were found settled on it in
great numbers ; or to the Portuguese, when,
about the year 1585, they penetrated, under
Francisco Barreta, as far as Manica in the
country of Zambese and Tete, on the river of
that name. To protect the commerce, which
was opened by means of this expedition, and
soon afterwards in their exclusive possession —
for the Arabs were quickly driven away — various
settlements, forts, and strongholds were erected

ITS COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE. 239
on the banks of the Zambese and its dependent
rivers, to keep in awe the surrounding savages,
who otherwise would have retaliated on them
for their encroachment on their possessions. In
all likelihood Quilimane, from its commodious
situation in a mercantile point of view, soon
became a place of some importance to the Por
tuguese, and a thoroughfare for the commerce
of their inland possessions along the Zambese
to Mozambique by sea ; as all produce was
obliged finally to pass through that city ; a
strict law having been made to that effect, and
being, with some alterations, still in force.
The riches of Quilimane were formerly de
rived, partly from some traffic in gold and sil
ver, but principally in grain, which was pro
duced in such quantities as to supply Mozam
bique exclusively, and in great part other
Portuguese settlements along the coast. In
dustry was thus excited, and the character of
the Portuguese Creole of that time was proudly
pre-eminent over that of the present race. These,
neglecting the gifts which the Almighty has
conferred on man in the productions of the
earth, are content to live by the misery of their
fellow-creatures, and on luxuries furnished by

240 PRESENT STATE.
consigning those born with the same attributes
as themselves to slavery. The change must
have caused those places where agriculture and
happiness formerly reigned to be drenched with
the blood of contending tribes striving to make
prisoners for the supply of the slave-market ;
while the Portuguese excite these wars, and
enrich themselves with the spoil.
At Quilimane there are a few ruins, which
furnish the only criterion for judging whether
the place was formerly of more consequence than
it is at present ; but, as far as I could learn, the
slave-trade has proved a blight to its prosperity.
At present, Quilimane, and the Portuguese pos
sessions in the vicinity of the Zambese, do not
raise sufficient grain for their own consumption,
although even a very few years since they were
enabled to export it. They are included in the
Captaincy of Rio de Senna, which forms a por
tion of the ancient division of Monomotapa,
and extends from 15° to 20° south latitude, and
from 27° to 37° east longitude, or thereabouts.
Having seen Lieut. Browne and his party
comfortably situated, I left Quilimane early the
next morning, and in a few hours reached the
Barracouta, which had shifted nearer in for the

UNFAVOURABLE WEATHER. 241
purpose of surveying the bar, in which opera
tion some progress was already made. Captain
Vidal thought it advisable not to take the brig
into the river, but to survey it entirely in the
boats, which might make a rendezvous of some
one of the vessels at anchor off the town as well
as the Barracouta. Accordingly, the morning
after I returned, he proceeded into the river
with two boats to commence the survey of it.
As the afternoon advanced, the clouds began to
lower, the horizon became misty and undefined,
and the general appearance around portended a
change of weather. At sunset these indications
increased, and every preparation was made for
an approaching gale. The pinnace was absent,
and was expected to return before night ; con
sequently, as that approached, and the wind and
the sea became more and more violent, we began
to feel great anxiety on her account. However,
after a narrow escape on the bar, she succeeded
in reaching us, some time after dark. During
the night the wind and swell increased, but it
was not until the ebb-tide had made in the
morning that the latter commenced breaking in
heavy seas, of two or three of which we received
a taste. Yet there was nothing that could cause
VOL. I. R

242 FURIOUS ROLLERS.
us to apprehend danger. While we were at
breakfast, however, a heavy roller rose close to
us, and furiously broke in upon our decks, car
rying everything before it, almost swamping
the brig, although all the hatches but one were
closed, and nearly throwing her on her beam-
ends. Two men, who were on deck in an ex
posed situation, were washed off their legs, and
one of them carried overboard ; and he must in
evitably have been drowned, had not the other,
by an active exertion, thrown him a rope before
it was too late, and succeeded in rescuing him
from destruction. From this time a succes
sion of rollers were to be seen for miles around
us; even in the horizon, as far as the eye
could discern from the mast-head, they were
visible. They continued to beat upon us at in
tervals with such fury that we expected every
moment to be driven from our anchors : had
such a catastrophe occurred, nothing could pos
sibly have saved the vessel, and in all proba
bility every soul on board her must have pe
rished. In this trying situation we remained upwards
of two hours, not daring to move, as we could
neither weather the land on either tack nor pass

PERILOUS SITUATION. 243
the bar until high water. As the tide rose, the
rollers became less furious ; but, as there was
every appearance of their being still worse than
they had yet been on the return of the lowest
of the succeeding ebb, I considered it the only
means of escaping inevitable destruction to
profit by the opportunity which the increased
depth of water afforded, and run for the river,
although, from the heavy sea which yet prevail
ed, I expected that the brig would strike on the
bar. Even if she did, she would in all proba
bility be washed over, and, by sinking inside, in
smooth and not very deep water, would allow
of at least the greatest part of the crew being
saved. It was the only alternative. We slipped
and steered for the bar. As we approached, the
rollers increased in fury, and, on the top of one
of the heaviest of them, we were borne with
impetuous velocity over the shallowest part of
the bar into deeper water, less sea, and certain
safety. Gloomy thoughts and looks of anxiety
were exchanged for expressions of pleasure and
mutual congratulations on escaping from our
late dangerous situation. We anchored a little
way in, and shortly afterwards Captain Vidal,
who had been alarmed at the appearance of the
R 2

244 POPULATION OF QUILIMANE.
weather, came on board. On the 26th, we pro
ceeded to the anchorage off the town, having in
our way grounded on a mud-bank, and there
remained for two hours.
The town of Quilimane is built on an un
healthy marsh, to drain which no efforts appear
ever to have been made. It contains ten houses
inhabited by Portuguese, fifteen by Creoles,
seven by merchants from Goa, and innumerable
huts, the habitations of slaves belonging to the
Portuguese, or of free Blacks subject to them.
The total population amounts to about 2,800.*
The houses belonging to the Whites, for so
the descendants of the Portuguese are termed,
although sometimes as black as the Negroes
themselves, were constructed of brick, and
roofed with tiles, manufactured on the spot
from the clay of the river. They were strong
and substantial, and in two or three instances
handsome and spacious. That of the governor
was large, built in the Italian style, in imitation
* Such, I was informed, was the amount of the population ;
yet accounts strangely differ, some affirming that it amounted
to 30,000, and others to 20,000 : both, in my opinion, are
exaggerated. I should estimate it at 5,000; one half of
whom are slaves, exclusively of those collected for sale.

HOUSES. 245
of stone, and very commodious within. The
generality consisted of one story only, the floor
of which was elevated a little above the ground,
so that the marshy dampness, which always
rises from the ground, was in a slight degree
avoided. The roofs of most projected beyond
the walls, and rested at their termination on a
row of pillars, thus forming a broad and com
modious gallery, to which, during the heat of
the day, the Portuguese retire to smoke cigars,
or, sheltered from the effects of the sun, to en
joy the refreshing coolness of the passing breeze.
In the houses belonging to most of the
first order, instead of glass for the windows,
they use the pearl oyster-shell ; for which pur
pose the epidermis and outer coat are detached,
leaving the remainder transparent enough to ad
mit light sufficient to distinguish objects within,
although not be seen through.
This substitute is used only when bad wea
ther renders it necessary. Some houses are
without it, having only clumsy shutters and
still more clumsy bars. The huts of the Blacks
are of various sizes and shapes, but generally
approximating in appearance to the English
cottage. They are small, and built of the

246 HUTS OF THE BLACKS.
different species of reeds that line the river
side, strapped neatly together. The roofs are
thatched with the coarse grasses that cover the
country. They have but one door, which serves
alike as a thoroughfare for the inmates, for the
partial admittance of light, and for the egress
of the smoke, or rather a portion of it ; for the
inhabitants are often seen rushing from their
gloomy and sooty abode, to escape the stifling
effects of an increased column of dense smoke,
occasioned by a fresh supply of green or water-
sodden wood to the fire in the centre of the
hut. They study no order in the situation of their
huts, but build them promiscuously among the
cocoa-nut and mango-trees, which are generally
planted in avenues parallel to one another, and
the intermediate space is appropriated in part
to the cultivation of various vegetables or rice,
the latter of which, from the nature of the soil,
succeeds best. In the immediate vicinity of
the town, the soil consisted of a mixture of sand
and mud, impregnated with a large portion of
decayed vegetable matter.
The fruits are cocoa-nuts, mangoes, oranges,
limes, bananas, cashew-apples, custard-apples,

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 247
pine-apples, guavas, and plantains ; and the ve
getables and grain consist of cabbage, lettuce,
spinach, peas and beans of different kinds,
tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers, rice, millet,
maize, different species of amaraultuas, pimento,
and a small portion of wheat, apparently in
tolerable condition, besides other productions,
which will be hereafter noticed in the remarks
on Tete. It must be observed that the fruits
and vegetables are in a great measure confined
to the private gardens of the first class of the
inhabitants, where they are much neglected,
and, although in small quantity, are often al
lowed to run unused to seed ; for, as there is
seldom a market for them, they consequently
are not often offered for sale, as we discovered
while there, from the difficulty we experienced
in obtaining them. The cattle of the horned
kind are small, but not so the asses and pigs.
Of horses they had only a few, lately imported
from the Brazils.
In the vicinity of the town, lions and tigers
are common, and large alligators are numerous
in the river a short way up. Ostriches are not
known ; elephants abound in the interior, as also
buffaloes and deer of various species ; and ca-

248 SLAVE TRADE.
meleons, which are greatly dreaded not only by
the Negroes but by the Cannareens also. They
consider death as the inevitable consequence of
a bite from one of these animals ; and, when I
handled some to convince them of their error,
they expressed the utmost astonishment and
dismay, and very gravely assured me that I
had but a few minutes to live.
Quilimane is the greatest mart for slaves on
the east coast, and this commerce is not required
as formerly to pass through Mozambique. The
slaves are purchased in exchange for blue dun
garee and coloured cloths, arms, gunpowder,
brass and pewter, red-coloured beads in imita
tion of coral, cutlery, and various other articles.
The free Blacks of the country carry on the
trade inland for the merchants ; and the arrival
of one of these among the tribes, with his ped
lar's shop, is the signal for a general warfare,
and the treacherous kidnapping of the weak by
the strong. Good faith is strictly kept up to
wards the mercantile agents, who are never
plundered unless by way of retaliation for some
palpable misconduct ; then the confiscation of
the whole or part of their goods is the penalty
inflicted for the transgression. Some time ago,

SLAVE TRADE. 249
a Creole Portuguese, when employed as an
agent for slaves in the country, entered into an
intrigue with the wife of one of the natives.
The man discovered the affair, and plundered
the offender of everything he possessed.
From eleven to fourteen and sometimes
more slave-vessels resort annually from Rio
Janeiro to Quilimane, and return on an average
with from four to five hundred slaves each. It
is true that the number which they are allowed
to carry is regulated by law ; but how little is
the alleviation afforded by that law to the
wretchedness of the slave, when it permits a
brig of three hundred tons to carry upwards of
seven hundred of them ! These wretched crea
tures, picked out and full-grown, male and
female, may be bought at Quilimane for twenty
or thirty Spanish dollars each ; they are obtain
ed in the interior for one-sixth of that value in
merchandise, and when sold in Rio Janeiro
fetch from one hundred and fifty to two hun
dred dollars. This profit is the price of a slave-
dealer's conscience.
So lately as 1806, the exports of Quilimane
included much agricultural produce, but the
supply of this has now entirely ceased, and

250 MILITARY FORCE.
even the other articles, excepting slaves, have
greatly diminished. They consisted of gold,*
ivory, iron, copper, saltpetre, oil, hippopotamus
teeth, rhinoceros horns, amber, and hoes. These
last are manufactured by the natives of the
interior, and sold at a very low price for the
use of the Negroes. To contain the slaves col
lected for sale at Quilimane, every Portuguese
house has an extensive yard or enclosure at
tached to it, generally surrounded by a lofty
brick wall, against which, in the inside, are
erected buildings for their accommodation. At
the back entrance of the slave-yard of the
governor's house are mounted the only pieces
of artillery, which, with about sixty soldiers
and a small number of militia, form the mili
tary force of Quilimane. The guns are five in
number, and of very small calibre.
We witnessed the celebration of a native
marriage at Quilimane. The ceremony con
sisted in placing the bridegroom on some sticks
over a well, and applying a large quantity of
* Of this, 6786 meticals passed through the custom-house
in 1806, yet much more was procured, but, to avoid the duty,
smuggled off and not reported. The metical is an Arabic
measure.

NATIVE WEDDING. 251
the water in a profuse shower-bath over his
head, while the spectators around sang and
danced to the wild notes of the cassanza, ac
companying their distortions and violent ges
tures with the loud clapping of hands. The
wedding was numerously attended by the na
tives, more especially by the young girls. The
priestess who officiated was an old Creole Por
tuguese. In passing a Negro hut one day, our attention
was attracted by the loud sobbing of a female,
and the mournful cadence of her voice, as in
distress. On entering to ascertain the cause,
we discovered that it was a mother lamenting
over the body of her infant child, who had
died that morning. This mourning sometimes
lasts nearly two months, during which they
take barely sufficient nourishment to support
life, and perform no labour whatever, leaving
even the most trivial domestic occupations to
their neighbours, who, in return for these ser
vices, are supplied with abundance of food. It
is common to see a woman engaged in the most
laborious employment, with her infant slung on
her back, and such is the force of habit, that it
sleeps as soundly as it would if the mother

252 EXPOSURE OF THE DEAD.
were perfectly still. Polygamy is common,
some of the men having as many as five or six
wives, or slaves ; for the labour which they do,
and the way in which they are treated, render
the terms nearly synonymous.
On the banks^f a small stream bounding the
eastern quarter of the town, a number of human
skulls were observed bleaching and mouldering
in the sun. This unfeeling exposure of the re
mains of the dead originates in the total in
difference of the Blacks to the final disposal of
the relics of those who, perhaps, during their
lifetime were the objects of their fondest re
gard. They are thrown unceremoniously into
a hole, and probably but half covered with
earth, or consigned to' the river, by the current
of which they are either carried out to sea, or
cast in a putrid state on its muddy banks.
The practice of tattooing is universal, and, as
each of the tribes has its distinguishing device,
a slave-dealer can always tell at first sight to
which of them his new-purchased slave belongs.
They are generally marked in a very irregular
manner in various parts of the body and face ;
and, as the operation is painful, it requires some
degree of fortitude to undergo it. Large gashes

DRESS OF THE NATIVES. 253
are cut, and the flesh is made to protrude from
the wound by the constant application of pinch
ing, and repeated irritation of the lacerated
part : many days elapse before this torment is
discontinued, and weeks before the wounds are
perfectly healed.
The hair is worn in a variety of fashions,
some shaving it off entirely, others partially ;
some again cut one side, others the back, and
many from the latter in alternate ridges to the
forehead. The men are of the middle size and ill-
formed, with broad hips, flat noses, woolly hair,
thick lips, and limbs whose meagre appearance
would seem to indicate that the body pined
under the want of sufficient nourishment to
support it in a sound and healthy state. They
appear to pay little attention to the cleanliness
of their persons ; yet their huts, although tinged
by smoke, are otherwise generally kept in the
neatest order. A piece of coarse cloth, merely
sufficient to cover their nakedness, constitutes
the clothing of all excepting the chiefs, who
indulge in a larger supply and of better quality,
wearing it as a mantle around them, with one
end thrown over their shoulders, often in a

254 DISGUSTING CUSTOM.
graceful and becoming manner. They wear
but few ornaments, excepting bangles of brass
and iron, to which they appear particularly par
tial, and of which they will sometimes have as
many as twenty or thirty on each leg. Ear
rings are not commonly worn, but when they
are, two, and even three, are introduced into
each ear. The most remarkable as well as the
most disgusting custom observed among the
Blacks at Quilimane, is that of perforating the
upper lip with so large a hole that through it
three teeth are in many cases exposed to view.
To prevent the aperture from closing, it is ge
nerally kept distended by means of broad rings
of brass. This fashion, we were informed, was
confined to two tribes, the Macquaus, who live
by the sea-shore between Quilimane and Mo
zambique, and the Mogauges, who dwell north
of Senna.
The climate of Quilimane, from the swampy
site of the town, is highly pernicious to health,
producing deadly jungle fevers. Some years
are much worse than others, and the most un
healthy times are not always during the rains ;
for in 1822 a great number of Europeans were
carried off in the months of July, August,

UNHEALTHINESS OF THE CLIMATE. 255
and September, before the wet season com
menced. Many of the Portuguese have, nevertheless,
resided there for upwards of ten or twenty
years, although their languid appearance, sickly
hue, and tottering gait, sufficiently announce
the slender tenure on which their lives de
pend. They condemn altogether the practice
adopted by European surgeons, and prefer
either that pursued by the oldest inhabitants
among their countrymen or the Blacks. The
favourite medicines for fever cases are Peru
vian bark, Columbo root, rhubarb, and the
Marcella pill, which is formed by a mixture of
the first and last of the above-mentioned
drugs ; but they never bleed, or administer
mercury in any shape. The rainy season,
which lasts from October to February, is con
sidered as the most unhealthy. The torrents
which then fall occasion the discharge of so
great a body of water from the river, that for
a considerable distance out it is not affected
by the saltness of the sea. It probably would
extend still farther, were it not for the strong
current which always sets in the direction of
the coast to the southward, from September

256 RECOVERY OF OUR ANCHOR.
to March, and northward during the rest of
the year.
On the eastern point of the river, in latitude
18° 01' 3" south, and longitude 36° 53' 5" east,
a flag-staff is erected for the purpose of com
municating information of the approach of any
vessels to the governor of the town. This
mark serves at a great distance to distinguish
the river from the other large ones near it.
On the 8th of August, having completed the
survey of the river up to the town and the bar
at its mouth, together with the dangerous
roadstead off it, we proceeded out to recover
the anchor which we were obliged to slip on
the 23rd of July. From our observations we
well knew and easily found the spot, by means
of a quadrant and the objects on shore used
in the survey. We dropped our anchor imme
diately above that which we had lost, and
which we soon regained. Our boatswain, a
true seaman of the old school, who from the
age of six years had spent his life in the service,
after witnessing the success of the means used
to discover the situation of the lost anchor, was
observed to be absorbed in profound thought.
At last, as if having brought his ruminations

ANECDOTE OF THE BOATSWAIN. 257
to a satisfactory result, he exclaimed, with a
swing of the arm and a squirt of tobacco-juice,
as a demonstrating finale, " Damme, if ever I
heard of an anchor being picked up with a
quadrant afore. I now see it well enough ;
them there things are of more uses nor one."
It would be unjust not to mention here,
that, after the melancholy catastrophe by which
we lost the services of our midshipmen on the
west coast of Madagascar, our boatswain, Mr.
Wheatley, who had not forgotten the lost
anchor redeemed by the quadrant, made him
self acquainted with the use of the instru
ment, and in two or three instances in the
course of the survey rendered himself of ser
vice to us.
One day, when I landed at a point, and was
busy making observations there, a couple of the
boat's crew came and informed me that they
had just seen two large hippopotami entering
the wood close by, and requested permission to
go and endeavour to shoot one, which I readily
granted. Knowing that the animals were con
stantly on the watch, they entered the jungle
in a bending position and with cautious pace,
to avoid detection. As they came in view of
vol. i. s

258 ENCOUNTER WITH HIPPOPOTAMI.
one at some distance, they cocked their locks,
proceeded still more warily, and prepared to
fire. At that instant, the foremost man, who
was crouched under a bush, was suddenly
startled from above by the loud cry of a hippo
potamus, whose huge jaw, armed with a for
midable display of teeth, was scarcely two feet
above him. Panic-struck, the hunter shrank
from the conflict, and, leaving his musket be
hind, joined me in the utmost confusion. He
was not spared ; the jokes of his comrades
went sadly against him. Piqued, and feeling
that his honour was at stake, he returned to the
wood, and did his best to retrieve his character
by boldly attacking the huge quadrupeds, and
driving them wounded by his shot to their last
resource in all dangers, the depths of the river.
As soon as we had recovered our anchor, we
weighed and made sail for the river Inhambane ;
but before I enter on the description of that
place, or what befell us there, I shall in the
next chapter turn to the proceedings of our
unfortunate friends of the Senna party.

LIEUTENANT BROWNE. 259

CHAPTER X.
The Senna Party leave Quilimane. — -Arrive at Boca de Rio. —
Journey overland to Marooro. — Kind Reception there by
Colonel Paolo Mariano. — Mr. Forbes taken ill. — Proceed
in Canoes up the Zambese to Chapongah, the residence of
Donna Pascoa D'Almeyda. — Remarks on the Country. —
Leave Chapongah. — Journey up the Zambese. — Native
Strolling Players  Habits of the Boatmen. — Death of Mr.
Forbes. Acting Lieutenant Browne was about twenty-
two years of age, and combined with a pleas
ing person and manners great talents as a
draughtsman, and in writing a style and flow
of language far above mediocrity. Twice in
the course of his service he had been wrecked ;
first in his Majesty's ship Alceste, and after
wards in the Julia brig at the Island of Tristan
da Cunha, when only himself and another mid
shipman, with a very few of the seamen, were
saved. The prints in Captain Basil Hall's ac
count of Loo Choo are mostly from his drawings.
s 2

260 DEPARTURE OF THE SENNA PARTY.
Messrs. Forbes and Kilpatrick were both in
their line qualified to be of great service, the
former as an able botanist, the latter as a medi
cal gentleman and somewhat of a chemist.
They had two black men as servants, one of
whom was obtained from the dock-yard at the
Cape, having been apprenticed there after his
deliverance from a slave vessel ; and the other
a free man, who spoke Portuguese, and was
hired on that account. The principal object of
the expedition was to explore the river Zam
bese. On the evening of the 23rd of July 1823,
the party left Quilimane, amid the cheers and
good wishes of the crews of two of our boats,
who were there at the time. This circumstance
seemed to infuse into them fresh courage and
energy ; they saluted in return, and, with light
hearts and buoyant hopes as to the success of
their expedition, pursued their way, listening
to the boat-song of the Negro crew. The canoe
which conveyed them was of the largest class,
and capable of carrying eight or ten tons. It
was supplied by the governor of Quilimane,
and was under the charge of a subaltern black
officer, who was directed, to accompany the
party.

VILLAGE OF MARANGANE. 261
At daylight on the 24th, they passed the
small river of Masave, which joins from the
northern side. The Quilimane still maintain
ed the same breadth as it did opposite to the
town, about one mile ; and the marshy features
of the banks yet prevailed : they were over
grown with mangroves to the low-water mark.
Hippopotami at times showed themselves, and
the trees on each side were covered with aqua
tic birds, of which in the course of the day
four species were shot.
About noon they landed on the south side
of the river, at the village of Marangane,* where
they had been directed to call for refreshments
by the governor of Quilimane, to whom the
place belonged. However, all that they could
obtain was a couple of fowls and a few oranges,
of excellent flavour. Marangane is about eight
miles from Quilimane, and is built in a strag
gling way, on an elevated piece of ground, a
few feet above the general level of the sur
rounding country. It is inhabited solely by
slaves, who cultivate a tract of land in the
* Lieutenant Browne calls this village Nusongo; Antonio,
Chingoalla ; Adonis, Millambahney ; and Mr. Forbes, Maran
gane.

262 ISLAND OF CONCEVO.
vicinity for their master, to supply in part
themselves and those of their class collected in
dep6ts for the Brazilian market. Contrasted
with the gloomy appearance of the mangrove-
covered swamps around, even the humble Ma
rangane became picturesque, from its promi
nent situation and extensive groves of cocoa-
nut and orange trees ; and the effect was heigh
tened by the dance which the Negroes were
performing at the time to the wild tones of
the marimbah.
Mr. Forbes procured some beautiful speci
mens in botany, and shot various birds, prin
cipally of the kingfisher kind.
After quitting Marangane, the party came
to several islands, two of which, Massany and
Tinlong, according to Lieutenant Browne,
they passed before they arrived at the large
one of Concevo, or Courevo ; yet this, al
though dignified by the epithet of large, was
only one mile long. It was very flat and
thickly covered with mangroves, and to its
banks numerous birds of the grallas order re
sorted to banquet on the worms, with whose
holes, and those of the diminutive land-crab,
its muddy limits were perforated.

HERD OF WILD BUFFALOES. 263
Shortly after passing the island, they arrived
and stopped for a short time at a small village
situated in the district of Eloba, on the north
bank, about two hundred yards from the river,
on a dry sandy piece of soil, approachable only
by a hippopotamus track through the large
reeds of the intervening marsh. At this place
the banks were entirely clear of trees, as was also
the north-east quarter, as far as the e3re could
reach. Leaving the village, they proceeded,
anchored for the night, and on the morning of
the 25th again renewed their journey.
A herd of wild buffaloes were feeding on the
river's bank ; but, alarmed at the approach of
the boats, before the latter were within rifle
shot, they retreated, in the utmost trepidation,
from the scanty shelter which the straggling
thickets afforded into an adjoining wood.
Shortly after, the party passed two small
islands, called Copson and Corello, beyond
which the river was reduced to the breadth of
about three hundred fathoms, and a little far
ther on to much less.
The strength of the ebb-tide delayed them
for a short time at the small village of Moona ;
after which they continued their route, passing

264 ASCENT OF THE' QUILIMANE.
a long sandbank and the village of Chumbasac,
where the river was scarcely one-tenth of a
mile across, and soon afterwards, about ten at
night, the island of Cooha, covered with lofty
trees, and divided from the main only by a
small and shallow creek. As the rapidity of
the -ebb, strengthened by the natural current
of the river, at times precluded the possibility
of ascending against it, they were necessitated,
for the sake of despatch, to avail themselves of
every opportunity, whether by night or day, to
prosecute their voyage ; by which means, al
though they saved much time, and were less
exposed to the sickening effects of the river-
navigation, yet many interesting features, and
no doubt the junction of other streams with
the river, were passed by unnoticed : however,
that of the small tributary, Inyasa, was no
ticed, though it was dark at the time.
The channel became so reduced in breadth
as in some parts to be scarcely twenty yards
across, and its depth of water was not more
than eight feet ; but the banks assumed a much
more pleasing appearance, especially the left,
which was high and thickly wooded. Al
though the ebb-tide had made for some time,

BOCA DE RIO. 9.65
yet they still continued slowly to prosecute their
tedious way till past midnight, when they
stopped and anchored off the village of Anta-
ree, situated on the northern bank.
From this time, until they arrived at Boca
de Rio, on the afternoon of the 28th, they
passed through a complete archipelago of islets,
the channels between which were so shallow,
that even the three small canoes, into which
they had the last day shifted with their effects,
could proceed no higher. At this place the
river was not more than twenty or thirty yards
across, and the distance, counting the various
windings of the stream, forty-seven miles from
Quilimane, but in a straight line only thirty-
two, in a west-south-west direction. The
breadth of the river in the wet season was
considered much greater. The water was per
fectly fresh, but muddy, and much impreg
nated with decayed vegetable matter.
Boca de Rio is a small village, and its native
name, according to Lieutenant Browne, is
Momboosh, but according to Adonis and An
tonio, Maccomboosh ; which latter, I suspect, is
the proper one, as it agrees with the name of
its chief, who, according to an almost general

266 OVERLAND JOURNEY.
fashion in the country, assumes the appellation
of the village or district which he governs.
Maccomboosh was a tall stout man, who
spoke Portuguese fluently. The party repaired
to his house with their effects, and there took
up their quarters for two days ; during which
Messrs. Forbes and Kilpatrick obtained a
large and interesting addition to their collection
in botany and birds, while Mr. Browne em
ployed himself in sketching and making as
tronomical observations. As the season of the
year precluded the possibility of their ascending
any higher by the river, they were obliged, in
order to reach the Zambese, to travel on a few
miles by land. Accordingly, on the 30th, in the
afternoon, they left Boca de Rio, Maccomboosh
furnishing the gentlemen with palanquins for
themselves, and natives to carry their effects. The
country through which they passed was flat but
dry, well-cultivated, and abounding in villages.
At times they came upon the course of the
river, whose breadth in some places was reduced
to sixteen feet, with high banks at some dis
tance on either side, serving as the boundaries
of the wet-season floods.
On the afternoon of the 2nd of August they

RECEPTION AT MAROORO. 267
arrived at the house of Paolo Mariano, a Cana-
reen, who received them in that kind, hospitable
manner which betokens the most hearty wel
come. The morning of the 3rd dawned upon
them in all the beauty of a cloudless sky, and,
although a profound calm prevailed, the tempe
rature was not close and oppressive, but pleasant
and refreshing. Our travellers had not enjoyed
so good a night's accommodation since their de
parture from Quilimane, so that Lieutenant
Browne was the only one who could muster up
sufficient resolution to quit his bed and take
the customary morning's bathe in the river,
which was now the Zambese, just where it di
vides and forms the noble river Luabo, and the
channel which in the wet season communicates
with the Quilimane.
As Mr. Browne was about to plunge into the
water, he was checked by the loud call of his
kind old host, who came running up in great
trepidation for his safety, and informed him
that he must not venture into the stream, as it
abounded with alligators, which, a short time
before, had devoured a son of Donna Pascoa's,
a lady to whom the party had a letter of intro
duction.

268 MR. FORBES TAKEN ILL.
This day, for the first time, Mr. Forbes felt
himself unwell, — so much so that, after Mr.
Browne had read prayers to his small congrega
tion, he was unable to accompany that officer
and Mr. Kilpatrick in a long walk which they
took on the banks of the river and in its vici
nity to the westward. The land, when culti
vated, was mostly sown with peas and other
sorts of pulse, but when left unfilled was co
vered with a long coarse sort of grass.
The village of Marooro, in which Mariano
lives, is extensive, and consists of about forty
huts, each of which might on an average con
tain five persons. Mariano's dwelling is, from
its large dimensions, a conspicuous object among
the humble edifices that surround it. It is built
in the fashion of the country, of bamboo poles
and grass, and surrounded by large enclosures,
containing geese, ducks, and fowls, as well as
oxen, sheep, and goats. The river winds ma
jestically along between steep banks more than
twenty feet in height, which, during the rainy
season, that lasts from November to March, are
overflowed, and the country inundated for miles
around, the deep-water channel then extending
upwards of a mile and a half in breadth ; yet,

COLONEL MARIANO 269
notwithstanding the rapidity of the current,
boats often manage to ascend against it, no doubt
by availing themselves of its diminished strength
over the inundated lands.
Several streams branch off from the Luabo,
one of which bisects the portion of land con
tained between that river and the Quilimane,
and discharges itself into the sea at a place called
Melambey. The Luabo, in its course to the
sea, is blocked up by sands, the existence of
which, even in the Zambese, offMarooro, was
apparent in every direction.
Mariano holds the rank of colonel of militia,
and had under his command about one hundred
natives, armed with muskets. According to the
fashion of the country, he was also a merchant,
and dealt largely in ivory and gold dust. His
days were spent in one unvaried mechanical
routine, and the diary of one would suffice for
all the others. He rose early and amused him
self in the balcony until breakfast-time in smok
ing several carnotes, a sort of small cigars made
of shag tobacco rolled up in the banana leaf,
which gives them a peculiar and to smokers a
pleasant flavour. At eight he breakfasted, and
then busied himself among his people ; slept

270 HOSPITALITY OF MARIANO.
away the noontide hour, and dined at two ; the
table groaning under a profusion of meats
dressed in a variety of ways, among which Port
wine generally formed a principal ingredient.
After this repast was ended, and he had smoked
another carnote, the old gentleman once more
retired to rest, and did not again rise till the
coolness of the evening drew him forth, enve
loped in a cloak, to enjoy the freshness of the
air. At nine he supped, and shortly afterwards
retired to bed.
On the evening of the 4th, Mr. Forbes, who
appeared to be getting on tolerably well, had a
severe relapse, and was bled.
The hospitality and kindness that our tra
vellers received from Mariano cannot be better
described than in Lieutenant Browne's own
words. " During our stay nothing could exceed
the kindness of the old colonel : at our meal he
watched us with almost paternal anxiety, and
instantly remarked the least want of appetite.
His politeness was the genuine offspring of a
kind heart. At the first dinner he discovered
that I did not choose to drink much wine, and
he never afterwards pressed me on that point."
The treatment which he adopted in cases of

TREATMENT OF MR. FORBES. 271
jungle fever, and which he affirmed experience
had taught him to be highly conducive to the
recovery of those who were attacked by it, was
simply to produce by all possible means a pro
fuse perspiration, and to drink abundance of
rice-water. The colonel of course disapproved
the practice of Mr. Kilpatrick, who, in the case
of his suffering comrade, resorted to copious
bleeding, and anxiously requested that it might
not be continued, but that the native method
might be tried in its stead. The doctor, how
ever, persisted in his own method of treatment,
alleging that a European constitution requires
far different remedies from those necessary to
be adopted with persons inured to the climate.
Although the bed of the river is sandy, yet
the soil in the vicinity is not of the same nature.
Around Marooro the country is absolutely flat,
and in the neighbourhood of the colonel's house
and the village it is under cultivation for two
or three miles in every direction, the principal
crop being the long grass already mentioned,
which, before it is quite ripe, is plucked up and
dried, husked into a large wooden mortar, and
then ground between two rough stones, one of
which is placed on the earth with a basket under

272 NATIVES OF MAROORO.
it to receive the meal, and the other worked by
the hand above. The meal is made into a sort
of porridge, that is in general taken with fish,
with which, of the largest size and finest qua
lity, the river abounds.
The farther our travellers advanced from the
coast, the more they observed the natives to
improve in their appearance. Many of those at
Marooro were firmly knit, stout, and elegantly
proportioned. The attendants on the colonel
in particular were perfect models of the human
form. With the exception of a piece of cloth
around the waist, barely sufficient for the pur
pose of decency, they go naked. Some have
their heads wholly shaved, others only in part,
but many not at all. In this latter case the
hair (for it is worthy of remark that they have
not wool) grows long, is neatly plaited, and,
hanging in slender tails, communicates to the
countenance a wild and savage aspect* The
proportion of females appeared small, and it was
remarked that they were in general either of an
advanced age or mere children.
With the exception of the cultivated spots
* This fashion, as it will be shown in the progress of the
narrative, likewise prevails in Madagascar.

APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 273
already mentioned about Marooro, the country
is covered with long rank grass, rushes, and bam
boos, and interspersed with extensive swamps.
Destructive indeed must be the fetid vapours
which rise from these and impregnate the at
mosphere during the insufferably hot rainy sea
son. Even to the inhabitants the air there is
extremely noxious ; and to our travellers, not
withstanding the cool temperature of the even
ings, when walking along the narrow pathways
cut through the grass and bamboos growing far
above their heads, the sensation of closeness was
highly oppressive.
Among the few trees of the smaller species
that existed, two different sorts of palm formed
the greatest proportion. These were scattered
over the boundless plain, but so detached and
few in number, as scarcely to break the uni
formity of the barren prospect.
Mr. Browne in his rough journal mentions
but little respecting the political state of the
country, only once touching on the subject in
the early part of his journey, when his sources
of information were confined to Mariano, the
black subaltern, and the chiefs of the different
villages through which he passed, and whom,
VOL. I. T

274 CHARACTER OF THE NATIVES.
probably, from the little knowledge he possessed
of the Portuguese language, and especially the
Creole corruption of it, he often misunderstood.
He observes, that the Portuguese authority
rested on the firmest foundation, and was of
rather a despotic nature. The party were fur
nished with carriage by land and water for
themselves and effects, as well as with fowls,
rice, &c. whenever these were required; and
they were treated personally with a respect and
deference bordering on adoration most offensive
to English feelings. In such a debased, uncul
tivated state, it is not likely that these people
possess any sound or fixed notions of right
and wrong, and consequently that they would
commit many a petty offence in an underhand
way, which openly they would not dare to at
tempt. Yet, great as the temptation must have
been, no acts of pilfering were practised on the
effects of our travellers, even although at times
they were separated the whole day from their
owners. On the contrary, articles that were
purposely left behind as useless were always
sent on and safely delivered.
Each village is under the direction of a chief,
termed " capitao das terras," whose authority

DEPARTURE FROM MAROORO. 275
emanates from the Portuguese ; he is the head
man of the district, of which he takes the name,
as before mentioned, and adds it to his own. At
every village through which our travellers pass
ed, this high personage was in readiness to re
ceive them, and to drink the usual complimen
tary glass of aqua ardiente, of which and tobacco
they are immoderately fond.
On the evening of the 5th, Mr. Forbes was
very ill, but, having passed a good night, he felt
himself so much better in the morning as to be
able to undertake the journey to Chapongah,
the residence of Donna Pascoa. The canoe
which was to convey him was fitted up in a
more comfortable manner than usual for his re
ception, having a canopy of rushes above and
a well-arranged couch beneath. Previously
to their departure, their hospitable old friend
had a breakfast prepared for them, and a meal
ready cooked to refresh them on the way,
together with a proportion of wine and a large
supply of live fowls and rice ; thus winding up
a series of incessant kindnesses by a provident
attention to the future comfort of his guests.
He entreated them to take care of themselves,
loaded them with good wishes for their success
t 2

276 ARRIVAL AT CHAPONGAH.
and health, and, long after they had quitted the
shore, continued to wave his handkerchief as a
farewell, and to commend them to the protec
tion of the Almighty.
Notwithstanding the great width of the river,
the channels in its bed are very narrow and
winding, on account of the extensive dry sand
banks. The torrent that rushes through these
is so impetuous in its course, that it is only in
the eddies that boats can possibly ascend, except
by tracking. In this manner Mr. Browne and
his party proceeded, generally at about the rate
of one mile and a half in an hour.
The sandbanks were nearly twenty feet in
height, yet had the appearance of being over
flowed during the rainy season. The banks of
the river were mostly lined with rushes and long
grass, with here and there a solitary palm-tree.
The depth of the water varied considerably ; in
some parts it exceeded two fathoms, and in
others it was scarcely as many feet.
As the evening closed, the party arrived at
Chapongah, the residence of Donna Pascoa
d'Almeyda, who received them at the portico
of her house with many expressions of welcome.
A bed was immediately prepared for Mr.

RESIDENCE OF DONNA PASCOA D'ALMEYDA. 277
Forbes, who appeared to experience but little
fatigue from his journey. Next morning, the
7th, Mr. Browne rose early, and amused himself
in rambling about the vicinity of the Donna's
house. This was tolerably well built, and con
sisted of one story : it stood on a slope near the
river, and the land around it was cleared and cul
tivated, with the exception of one small spot,
where four or five trees of gigantic size were
allowed to remain unmolested. The largest of
these trees was sixty feet in circumference. At
the back of them was a village of considerable
extent, and beyond that again a small hill
covered with trees, reported by the inhabitants
to afford shelter to innumerable lions, tigers,
elephants, and other wild animals, the devas
tating prowess of which they illustrated by a
variety of horrible tales. To the eastward there
was a grove of mangrove-trees, under the shade
of which several very large canoes were laid up.
One of these, hollowed out from a single tree,
was fifty feet long, four deep, and five broad.
The Donna's establishment was on a far
grander scale than that of Mariano, and the dis
play at meals was in every respect sumptuous.
The table was covered with massive silver and

278 LAKE NEAR CHAPONGAH.
wines, and eatables of many sorts were cooked
in a variety of ways. The Donna was a mer
chant, and was accounted the richest person in
the colony. Her principal agent was a Bengalee,
who travelled about with Indian and European
goods, and collected in return gold, ivory, and
slaves, from the natives.
Mr. Browne had heard much of a lake situated
at some distance to the southward of Chapon
gah, and, on the morning of the 8th, repaired in
his machilah (a bed, or rather hammock, slung
to a pole and carried by slaves), with Mr. Kil
patrick, to view it, against the advice of the
Donna, who dreaded their exposure to the at
tacks of the wild beasts in the forest. Their
way at first led over a gentle rise, and after
wards along an extensive plain covered with
wood, through the jungle of which they tra
velled by a narrow pathway, and consequently
could see nothing but a succession of trees.
These, however, were sufficiently worthy of ad
miration, from the great variety of their foliage,
and the beautiful appearance which the creeping
plants presented, climbing and hanging in fes
toons from the branches of the trees.
Two hours' quick travelling brought them to

HIPPOPOTAMI. 279
the lake : it was a large expanse of water, up
wards of three miles in circumference, and sur
rounded on all sides by a thick and almost impe
netrable forest. The hippopotami were basking
in great numbers on the muddy banks, but at
the first arrival of the party they retreated to the
water, whence they afterwards rose only at times
to breathe. No traps or pits to catch them were
observed ; but Mr. Browne was informed that
the natives kill them in numbers, either with
muskets, of which they have many, or with the
assagay, as they heedlessly wander through
the woods, whose extent is not less than six
miles. Before they returned home, our two travellers
spent some time in walking about in the vicinity
of the lake, during which they passed two or
three villages inhabited by wood-cutters, roused
a large herd of deer, and shot some birds.
Donna Pascoa was the governess of a dis
trict, for which she annually paid eighty-six
Spanish dollars to the king, besides discharging
various expenses that occurred in the manage
ment of it. She had no soldiers except the mi
litia formed by the native Negroes ; but, should
she want any, she said, she could with ease

280 GOVERNMENT OF DONNA PASCOA.
obtain them in eight days from Sofala. Some
idea may be formed of the extent of her terri
tory from the time requisite to travel to its
south-western boundary.
It is here that the natives procure the trees
from which the enormous canoes are hewn ; and,
to transport them for that purpose on rollers to
the river, one month's labour, at the rate of five
miles a day, is required. These trees bring in a
considerable profit to the Donna ; but she would
have little occasion either for that or other re
sources, if she were permitted to work two gold
mines which, she affirmed to Lieut. Browne, had
lately been discovered in her territory. Every
one residing there is obliged to pay her taxes in
kind, consisting of bees- wax, fowls, meal, vege
tables, oils, rice, &c. but to what amount was
not ascertained. Although she was allowed to
be far superior to the other Portuguese or Creole
ladies in the colony, yet she was sadly ignorant.
After listening some time to an account given
by Mr. Browne of Buonaparte and his son, she
asked if the latter resided at the Mauritius,
having always associated the idea of the French
power with that island.
The effect of the fever on Mr. Forbes varied

DEPARTURE FROM CHAPONGAH. 281
much : at times he considered himself rapidly
recovering, but, perhaps immediately afterwards,
he would sink under a relapse so severe as to
hold out small expectation that he could pos
sibly survive the next. On the 11th, how
ever, he found himself so much better, that he
expressed a strong desire to continue the journey
to Senna. Accordingly, two canoes were pre
pared, the largest of which afforded excellent
accommodation for the doctor and his suffering
patient. The party left Chapongah, accompanied by
the good wishes of their kind hostess, to whom
the doctor at parting presented various papers
of medicine, valuable in such a remote part of
the world. The Donna was not behindhand
in returning the courtesy, by a small token of
remembrance to each, and a most ample supply
of all kinds of provision for the journey.
The river was nearly a mile in breadth, the
channel being almost choked up with sand, and
the banks, at times of rock-formation, rising
perpendicularly twenty feet above the water ;
yet the great deposit of dead reeds and drift
timber, left upon them, evidently showed that
during the rainy season they were overflowed.

282 STROLLING PLAYERS.
At intervals the northern side appeared covered
with palm and other trees ; but of the pictu
resque and distant mountains of Zemale, near
Senna, they had always a view which, even for
its novelty, in comparison with what they had
hitherto seen, was pleasing and interesting,
especially as they associated with it the idea of
a more propitious climate.
The morning of the 12th was unusually
damp and cold, and the thermometer, which
never before had stood below 70°, fell to 62°.
Mr. Forbes was sensibly affected by the change,
and his companions began heartily to repent
that they had not left him at Chapongah.
In the afternoon, our travellers dined by in
vitation with a Mulatto, who resided on the
northern side, where they found a company of
strolling players, exhibiting various theatrical
performances, as also feats in tumbling. The
chase of a man by a lion constituted one part
of the entertainment. The latter character was
exhibited by a native, dressed out most formid
ably in a frightful mask and skins.
The plot of the piece was as follows : — The
man after a long run reaches a tree, ascends it,
and endeavours to conceal himself among the

HABITS OF THE BOATMEN. 283
branches, while the lion, after many awkward
attempts to spring up and seize him, crouches
down at the foot of the tree to await his de
scent. The man loudly calls for help ; a hunter
cautiously approaches, the lion is killed, and the
scene ends by loud exultations at the monster's
death, and the consequent release of his intend
ed victim. Three drums constituted the band.
Mr. Browne, in his journal, describes the
habits of his boatmen in nearly the following
words: — As soon as the tents were pitched at
night, they took the poles, with which at times
they impelled the boats along, and, sticking
them in the ground across the direction of the
wind, wove mats between them ; thus forming
a skreen to shelter themselves from the chilling
coldness of the night-breeze. Under this shel
ter, which they made to slope a little, a fire
was kindled, around which they huddled to
gether in various postures, warming themselves
thoroughly for the night, and taking red-hot
embers in their hands without appearing to
feel any other sensation than that of a pleasing
warmth. Whilst they were cooking their supper of
grass-porridge in small earthen pipkins, they

284 HABITS OF THE BOATMEN.
sat crouching over the fire in the highest good-
humour, loud in their converse and mirth, and
presenting a most grateful sight of contented
cheerfulness under such indifferent circum
stances. In fact, the little encampment, from
the time of its formation until midnight, was
one continued scene of mirth and festivity,
which Lieut. Browne, while taking observations
of the stars, often sat and viewed, enjoying at
once its novelty and the sympathetic effect
which it produced on his own feelings.
The manner in which these people slept was
extraordinary. Each had a large sack, into
which, as soon as he felt inclined to repose,
he bundled himself ; and consequently the
ludicrous scene of two sacks in deep and
earnest converse with each other was often
exhibited, no motion whatever indicating their
living contents. The plan was an excellent
one to escape the annoying bites of the mos
quitoes. The laziness of the subaltern, who, after
eleven hours' sleep in the night, still continued
to slumber in the forenoon, was on a par with
that of a wretched being of half Portuguese
and half Malay extraction, whom they met

WARLIKE CHARACTER OF THE NATIVES. 285
with at a small village previously to their ar
rival at Marooro. He had scarcely a rag to
cover him, yet, to impress our travellers with
an idea of his importance, he was highly solicit
ous to make them understand that he did not
work but slept all day, the Negroes labouring
for him in his occupation, which was that of
curing fish.
On the northern side, the banks of the river
swelled up into hills inland of some magnitude,
called Zemale, as before mentioned, the loftiest
being not less than eight hundred feet in height,
partially wooded, and having a very imposing
appearance. The country, on that side, as far
down as Marooro, is exclusively in the posses
sion of free Blacks, not at all under the juris
diction of the Portuguese, whose possessions are
confined to the southern side. The people of
Marooro are warlike, and often engaged in
broils with the Portuguese. Some are armed
with muskets, some with assagays, and others
with bows and arrows.
On the 15th the travellers passed to the west
end of the small range of hills called Zemale,
when those of Mirambole* appeared separately
* Probably Morumbola.

286 DEATH OF MR. FORBES.
in a large mass, stretching to the north-west.
Their height was estimated at two or three
thousand feet ; they were covered with forest,
and furrowed by deep ravines.
It is needless to enter into a particular ac
count of each day's tedious ascent, especially as
the general appearance of the river did not vary,
neither did any occurrence take place worthy of
remark until the morning of the 16th, when
Lieutenant Browne was roused by the sad in
telligence that Mr. Forbes had breathed his
last. The melancholy exit of this deservedly
esteemed young man was a sad blow to the
survivors ; for, independently of the great ser
vices which, from his attainments and persever
ance, he was qualified to render to the expe
dition, he possessed so mild and agreeable a
disposition as endeared him to all who knew
him. The melancholy termination of his ill
ness, moreover, could not but produce in the
minds of the survivors the gloomy reflection
on how slender a tie their existence depended.
As they were within a day's journey of Senna,
a despatch was forwarded overland to that
place, to bespeak a coffin and funeral prepara
tions for the deceased.

ALLIGATORS AND WILD BEASTS. 287
The river, for some days past, had abounded
with alligators, which often, to the number of
fifty or more, were observed basking in the sun
on the sandbanks. At night too, the cries of
wild beasts in the forest were generally heard,
especially of lions, which, as the party were in
formed, were very numerous.

288 ARRIVAL OF THE PARTY AT SENNA.

CHAPTER XI.
The Party arrive at Senna. — Not permitted to proceed. —
Character and Anecdotes of the Priest of Senna. — Funeral
of Mr. Forbes. — Particulars respecting the Territory of
Rios de Senna. — Exorbitant Charge of the Priest for Mr.
Forbes's Funeral. — Sickness and Death of Lieutenant
Browne. — Illness of Mr. Kilpatrick. — Return of the Sur
vivors to Chapongah  Death of Mr. Kilpatrick.
The night that followed the demise of Mr.
Forbes brought but little sleep to the survi
vors; for, independently of disagreeable reflec
tions, which at times they could not banish,
they were assailed by myriads of mosquitoes,
and chilled by the dampness of the air, occa
sioned by the heavy rains that had fallen dur
ing the preceding day.
It was past seven o'clock on the next evening
before they arrived at Senna. On landing, they
were conducted to the house of the command
ant, where, as he was not at home, they had
to wait upwards of half an hour, subject to the

RECEPTION BY THE COMMANDANT. 289
gaze of a host of Mulattoes and Cannareens,
who had assembled there to gratify their cu
riosity. At last, when the patience of our tra
vellers was pretty well exhausted, they were
summoned to the presence of the command
ant, at the house of the only priest in the
town, where they jointly kept but one table.
The contrast between the two was striking.
The priest, apparently a European, had a dis
agreeable and crafty expression of countenance ;
while the commandant exhibited, in his darker
tinge of native colour, a kind look and pleasing
manner. It was not possible to be in the company of
the priest, even for a very short time, without
feeling the utmost disgust and contempt for
one, who so grossly belied the sacred character
of his profession. From the time that our
travellers entered until their departure, he did
nothing but abuse and threaten his apparently
unoffending black attendants.
Lieutenant Browne stated the object of the
expedition to the commandant, who, after
listening to him, assigned a residence for the
accommodation of himself and party ; and he
agreed to call upon him next day, in order to
vol. i. u

290 FUNERAL OF MR. FORBES.
read the letters and public documents with
which he had been furnished respecting the
prosecution of his journey through the Portu
guese possessions.
The house which was allotted to the party
had been occupied by an officer of high rank,
lately deceased. It was of the largest class ;
and this circumstance, together with its being
unfurnished, rendered it very uncomfortable :
besides, it had a most fetid smell, which defied
to the last all their attempts to dispel it by
gunpowder fumigations.
Next morning they took their breakfast with
the commandant and the priest, and then pro
ceeded to the church, to attend the funeral
ceremony over the grave of their deceased com
panion, whose corpse, in consequence of its
highly putrid state, they had been obliged to
inter over night. The service was performed
in the same manner as if it had still been above
ground, but in such a careless heartless way as
ill corresponded with the feelings of Lieutenant
Browne and his companions, who, after they
had returned home and unpacked their effects,
were glad to seek relief from their melancholy
thoughts in a walk in the environs of the

DONNA PASCOA. 291
town. Scarcely, however, had they left the
door of their house, when they were agreeably
surprised by the appearance of their old friend,
Donna Pascoa, approaching in her palanquin.
Grateful for the kind attentions which they
had received from her at Chapongah, they
immediately hastened to greet her on her ar
rival. They then, for the first time, discovered
that the house assigned to them belonged to
her, and that the late occupant was her hus
band, from whom, however, she had for many
years been separated. The Donna appeared
much pleased at the rencontre, and heartily
sympathised with them in their regret for the
loss of Mr. Forbes.
As she had much business to transact re
specting the effects of her deceased husband,
our travellers soon left her, and prosecuted their
walk, bending their steps towards a diminutive
mud-redoubt, surmounted by two small field-
pieces, the only defence of that kind at Senna.
Continuing their excursion, they passed through
an assemblage of huts, considerable in number,
but by no means equal in that respect to those
of Quilimane. There were ten houses in which
the Portuguese dwelt ; yet, small as that num-
u 2

292 PROSPECT OF THE COUNTRY.
ber was, they comprised the whole that had
anything of a European appearance about them.
They were of large dimensions, and resembled
those of Quilimane.
Passing over the plain on which the town
is erected amid a forest of tamarind, mango,
and cocoa-nut trees, they bent their steps to
wards two small hills, rising at a little distance
in the background. As they approached, with
the intention of ascending one of these, they
found that the coarse gravelly nature of the
ground was superseded at the hill by the rock
formation ; it was a species of schist, blended
with small fragments of sandstone. From the
summit, elevated about one hundred and fifty
feet above the plain, the prospect was exten
sive, and comprised a view of the houses and
huts of Senna, interspersed with filthy stagnant
pools, alike demonstrative of the unhealthiness
of the place, and of the indolence of the inha
bitants. The river, as far as the eye could discern,
wound majestically through the plain, studded
with sands ; its rapid summer torrent rolling in
narrow channels between them.
To the north-east, the country presented a

ACCOUNT OF SENNA. 293
mountainous aspect ; while to the southward it
was flat, with the exception of two or three
small hills, resembling that on which they
stood : these, as well as the low land, were
covered with a parched vegetation and trees
of a stunted growth.
I shall now, for a short time, take leave of
the travellers, and give such a connected account
of Senna and Tete as the materials I have been
enabled to collect will allow : for these I am
principally indebted to a manuscript memoir
written by Senhor Terao, governor of the dis
trict of the Rio de Senna, a young man of
great promise, who, shortly after he wrote this
memoir, in 1810, was assassinated by one of his
own officers.
The town of Senna, as it now stands, has
already been described. It probably owes its
origin to the expedition of Francisco Barreto,
already mentioned. It is the capital of the
district or captaincy of the Rio de Senna, the
only territory that the Portuguese really possess
on the east coast.
It is computed to contain about three thou
sand six hundred square leagues, extending
from east to west one hundred and twenty,

294 ACCOUNT OF SENNA.
and averaging thirty in breadth. " On the east
it is bounded by the sea, on the south by the
mountains of Sofala, and its limits pass through
the kingdoms of Quiteve and Barne, afterwards
following the countries between the empire of
Monomotapa* and the Zambese.
" The northern part contains the district of
Quilimane, with all the Kaffers of the north
Bozoros to the vicinity of the mountains of
Morumbala, where the Zambese divides into
two branches ; and, thence to the pass in the
hills of Lupata, the same Zambese serves as a
limit to the colony. All the land northward
of that river is in the possession of the inde
pendent kings of the Moraves.
" From that part where the Zambese issues
from the Lupata chain of mountains to the
neighbourhood of Chicora, the crown lands ex
tend on either margin of it, the northern part
of them continuing to serve as a boundary to
the independent Moraves."
* Accounts disagree so much in the limits assigned to the
empire of Monomotapa that it is impossible to draw from
them any consistent result. At the present day, it appears
to me to be but a geographical division, comprising coun
tries equally independent of each other.

SCANTY FREE POPULATION. 295
Terao, after having thus described the extent
of the territory, continues to remark on the bad
policy pursued in the management of it, which
evidently tends greatly to decrease the amount of
its taxed population, consisting of Whites and
Mulattoes, who, in 1810, actually averaged no
more than one person to seven square leagues.
It is true that at the same time the slave po
pulation was immense ; but, as the native indo
lence of their owners could find nothing for the
majority of so great a number to do, the slaves,
being probably obliged, as at Sofala, to support
themselves, ran away whenever opportunities
occurred, and took refuge among the indepen
dent hostile tribes. Hence it was that, at the
period when the memoir was written, out of
twenty-one thousand eight hundred and twenty-
seven slaves, ten thousand eight hundred and
sixty-seven were absentees. This fact tends to
prove that it is not the want of means which
prevents the Portuguese from redeeming the
extensive territory they possess from its gene
rally uncultivated state.
Terao proceeds to state as follows :
That grants of estates hold good only for
three lives, and are easily forfeited.

296 CHARACTER OF THE PRIESTS.
That they are too large for one person to
manage. That the Goa and Mozambique people, who
possess grants, farm them out to others, who
make the most of their time by oppressing the
colonists and slaves, and driving them to emi
grate to the independent tribes.
The Dominican friars, who officiate as parish
priests, are violent and oppressive in their con
duct, especially in the obstacles and difficulties
which they oppose to matrimony, even among
the poor, for the sole end of extorting money
from them by means equally indecorous and
violent. Hence ensue debauchery and immo
rality ; for many, rather than pay the exorbitant
price of marriage, live in a state of public con
cubinage. The priests are thus worse than absentees ;
for, as their income does not depend on the pro
motion of agriculture, or any other resource but
fines and absolutions for crimes, they encourage
the commission of them, and fare accordingly.
The propagation of knowledge they studi
ously oppose, as being utterly subversive of their
power, whose strongest support is the profound
ignorance of the people. In 1805, for example,

STAGNATION OF COMMERCE. 297
the inhabitants of Tete prevailed on a poor friar
to undertake the task of teaching their children
to read and write ; but the rest of the holy fra
ternity instantly took the alarm, and caused the
removal of the offending friar to Senna, where
he was obliged to be idle. The priest, who was
at that place at the period of Lieut. Browne's
visit, frankly owned that himself and the other
religieux existed only by the ignorance of the
people. The stagnation of commerce in a country ca
pable of yielding so much is really deplorable.
Varying in its features, from the lofty moun
tains to the extensive plain, it furnishes, in the
rich metallic productions of the former, and the
fertility of the soil of the latter, the means of
rendering it a most wealthy and flourishing co
lony, especially when it is considered how much
the communication with the sea is facilitated by
the numerous rivers which irrigate its extent.
Of these, the large river Zambese, with its
seven mouths, is the most considerable. Terao
affirms that it is navigable by boats and canoes
for three hundred leagues, but that distance is
probably exaggerated. In this length, he says,
there are only two places that cannot at all times

298 ZAMBESE AND SHIRRY RIVERS.
be passed : one, as already noticed, exists at the
junction of the Quilimane with the Olinda, but
this is open half the year ; and the other, always
impassable, is situated between Tete and Chi-
cora, beyond the limits of the colony. A canal
half a league in length would do away with the
former obstruction;
All the other rivers that pass through the
country ultimately fall into the Zambese, with
a force of current in many which denotes that
they must take their source at a great dis
tance in the interior. The party passed one of
these, called the Shirry, three days previously to
their arrival at Senna, and, although it was dark
at the time, yet they were perfectly aware of
the junction of some considerable river, from
the suddenly increased velocity of the current.
The Shirry is narrow, but exceedingly deep,
and, according to the commandant's informa
tion, canoes can ascend for twenty or thirty
days. After all, such rivers as this, as well as the
Zambese itself, are but inconsiderable when
compared with other large rivers, for it is only
when the floods take place that they fill their
broader limits. At other times, they grovel

TETE. 299
between sandbanks in narrow, yet impetuous,
streams ; but yet they are always fully adequate
to the purposes of commerce.
The inhabitants of Senna are habitually idle
and unenterprising, but the people of Tete are
of a far more interesting character. As it has
already been stated, they would instruct their
children if they could. They alone cultivate
sugar, which is a spontaneous production both
at Tete, Senna, and Quilimane. In 1806, six
teen families in the first- mentioned place made
two tons of white sugar and ten of muscovado :
the greatest part was consumed on the spot,
and the overplus supplied Senna. Yet, although
sugar is thus made at Tete, such is the vanity of
some of the inhabitants, that they will use only
that which is imported from other countries.
The wheat cultivated by them, together with
that which they procure from the Moraves, is
far more than they could consume, and the ex
port of it in 1810 amounted to three thousand
bushels.* Manioc produces abundantly, yet it is culti
vated only at Tete ; and coffee and rice are there
* We have seen in the preceding chapter that this is no
longer the case.

300 VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS.
far better attended to, and consequently yield a
much greater return than they do in any other
part of the colony.
Vegetables, too, of the following sorts are to
be obtained in great quantity : cabbage, lettuce,
spinach, millet, maize, peas and beans of various
kinds, potatoes, yams, ground-nuts, &c. All
these tend to show that the inhabitants of Tete
are far more industrious than those of Senna or
Quilimane, and the reason, I should imagine, is
that, as it is a remote possession, so the energy
of the inhabitants is constantly on the alert to
defend it from the hostile tribes in its vicinity.
This energy, produced in the first instance by
the feeling of self-defence, habituates the mind
and body to activity, and is the parent of specu
lation in agriculture and commerce.
Indigo grows everywhere as a common weed,
and so does the cotton-tree, the produce of
which is of very fine quality ; yet, strange to
say, the Blacks cultivate it solely for the purpose
of clothing themselves. It is said that, in some
parts of the colony, a cotton of a deep scarlet
colour is produced : whether that tinge is na
tural, or occasioned by disease, is not known ; in
either case, it is an interesting fact.

ARTICLES OF COMMERCE. 301
Besides the above productions, the articles
that principally supply the commerce of the co
lony are as follows : — hippopotamus teeth and
oil,* elephant tusks, rhinoceros horns, tiger
skins, honey and wax, gold dust, principally
from Quiteve, Manica, Majizuros, Abutica,
Zumbo, Mesconga, and Mano, and which could
be extracted from mines on the crown-lands
that formerly yielded a great quantity ; iron in
abundance, from the Senna district, and more
from the Moraves, from whom are procured the
hoes used by slaves in tilling the earth, that form
so important an article in the commerce of the
colony ; copper, and saltpetre, together with va
rious agricultural productions.
The imports, the greatest part of which are
sent into the interior for the purchase of gold,
ivory, and slaves, are as follows : — Cotton stuffs
of various qualities, coloured and plain, made
up or not ; woollens and silks, beads, milk-stones
(large white beads), false coral, metal beads,
pewter, gunpowder, arms, earthenware, brandy,
* This, I should imagine, must be for medicinal purposes,
as otherwise the small quantity, if any, which the animal
could possibly yield, would not pay for the trouble taken to
obtain it.

302 PRINCIPAL PLACES
wine, aqua ardiente, liqueurs, sugar, soap, salt-
meat, butter, oil, pitch, salt fish, spices, olives,
tea, coffee, and chocolate. Many of these arti
cles answer the purpose of money.
At the period that Terao wrote his memoir,
the regular soldiers for the defence of the colony
amounted to no more than two hundred and
sixty-four ; ninety-four of whom formed the
garrison of Tete, seventy-two were stationed at
Quilimane, forty-nine at Senna, thirty-seven at
Zumbo, and twelve at Manice.
I have not been able otherwise to ascertain
the situation of the two latter places than from
the information I gained from three Portuguese
residents at Quilimane. These asserted that
Tete is sixty leagues beyond Senna, and that
the time necessary to perform this journey dif
fered much, as the constant rapidity of the
current in the river, always difficult of ascent,
is at times so much augmented by the rains in
the interior, that travellers in their canoes are
delayed two or three days without being able to
proceed. Six weeks they account a fair passage.
They described the town as exceeding in extent
both Senna and Quilimane, and not built like
them on a low marshy spot, but on an elevated

IN THE TERRITORY OF SENNA. 303
mountain tract, with the Zambese flowing be
neath it. Hence it is celebrated for salubrity
and beautiful picturesque scenery.
The country around is fertile in the extreme,
yet it often suffers, and at times is reduced
almost to a desert, by the restless and quarrel
some disposition of the surrounding tribes of
Moizas and Moraves, the latter of whom, while
we were at Quilimane, were engaged in a war
with the Portuguese; the weapons they used
being bows and arrows.
The village of Zambo, according to my in
formants, is fifteen days' journey beyond Tete,
that of Zumboa five more, and Manice eight
from Sofala. Thence inland it was eight more
to a large town called Barne, which is situated
at the distance of fifteen days' journey from
Tete. This route from Tete to Sofala is not
straight, as Barne lies a great way in the inte
rior ; however, from Senna there is a road pass
ing nearly in a line through Maocai to Sofala.
I now revert to Lieut. Browne's notes of his
sojourn at Senna.
In returning from his walk, he put up two
bucks, and passed through a plantation of cotton
belonging to the Negroes.

304 CONDUCT OF THE PRIEST.
On the morning of the 19th of August, Mr.
Browne, who was confined by a slight indis
position, received a visit from the priest, who
brought with him his bill for Mr. Forbes's
funeral, amounting to the exorbitant sum, the
country considered, of one hundred and twenty-
seven Spanish dollars.
It is useless to enumerate all the mercenary
acts or the various vices which disgraced this
scandal to his cloth. Suffice it to say, that he
strove by every means to extract money from
our travellers : he thwarted their prospects ; he
annoyed them by his insolence ; and, finally, to
him in great part is to be attributed the death of
the two unfortunate officers and the consequent
total failure of the expedition. Nor was the
conduct of this man in other points less cul
pable, as will hereafter be shown by one or two
examples. AVhile he was on his visit, the com
mandant joined the party, and, evidently at the
priest's suggestion, stated that he did not con
sider himself authorised by the order of the
Governor-general of Mozambique to make the
expedition a government business. Lieutenant
Browne saw no other resource left than to pro
test against such conduct, and to inform him

CONDUCT OF THE PRIEST. 305
that he must be responsible for the hindrance
offered to the prosecution and success of the ex
pedition. This had the effect of exciting some
alarm, and produced a request from the com
mandant to be permitted to take a copy of
Lieutenant Browne's orders, with a view to con
sult at his leisure on the expediency of opening
the government stores for his accommodation.
It was explained to him that the party were
empowered to draw bills on the English Go
vernment as well as on that of Mozambique, and
whichever mode of settlement he chose should
be adopted.
During this conversation the priest was ex
ceedingly troublesome and importunate to dis
pose of some tawdry gold chains to Lieutenant
Browne, and, on that score and others, when
the party afterwards met at the Donna's table,
his conduct was such as to bring on him a
severe rebuke. He was, however, by no means
abashed ; his impudence and selfishness required
other correction than the verbal reproof of an
honest man.
As an instance of his vanity, it may be men
tioned, that he was overheard telling the un
informed commandant, that the English were
VOL. I. x

306 DANCES OF SLAVES.
very powerful at sea, but that on shore they
never dared oppose the Portuguese.
I have little doubt that Lieutenant Browne
wrote a fair narrative of his journey as he went
on : however, his small book of notes only has
been recovered. Even that contains some in
teresting particulars of the country, which to
the English may be said to be almost totally
unknown. These, in part, I have already blend
ed into the narrative : what remain unnoticed
I shall now insert, together with all else that
I think may afford amusement to the reader.
On the 24th, the Donna and our travellers,
after dining with the commandant and the
priest, spent the evening in the cool verandah
of an adjoining house. The host, to amuse the
party, ordered the attendance of his slaves, who
exhibited lascivious dances, which were highly
applauded by the company, and even by the
Donna herself. An aged woman, verging on
the grave, took a conspicuous part, and was
particularly disgusting, as were also a number
of female slaves, not more than eleven years of
age, introduced by the priest, as it were, to
profit by the indecent lesson which the dance
conveyed.

SENNA. 307
This man, next morning, when Lieutenant
Browne breakfasted with him, previous to sit
ting down, severely flogged every one of his
slaves with a whip in the verandah.
The information hitherto unnoticed was prin
cipally obtained from the commandant, whose
frank, open disposition led him readily to com
municate all that his great local knowledge of
the country enabled him to do. It was to the
following effect : —
Half-way between Senna and Manice, there
are mountains of marble, whence flow many
rivers, abounding in alligators and hippopotami.
The free Blacks at Senna grow corn, rice,
millet, &c. which they barter with the Por
tuguese for dungaree and other imported
articles. The different districts in the colony are go
verned by a Portuguese, who annually pays
a small tax to the King, and receives a revenue
in the same way from the free Negroes who
reside on the land.
The garrison of Senna is composed of a cap
tain, lieutenant, ensign, and sixty soldiers,
termed regulars of the line, but composed of
persons of all colours and countries, excepting
x 2

308 SENNA.
Europe. They are Christians by profession, and
are, as usual, paid in kind ; yet, small as their
pittance is, two years had elapsed since the last
payment. In time of war, sixty militiamen
are raised, exercised, and armed.
Senna was described as being by no means
so unhealthy a spot as it is generally reported
to be ; and, as an example, it was stated that
during the last year only two persons had
died. There is a judge, or lawyer, who is not paid
by government, but makes what he can by
private practice. There is no establishment
whatever for the instruction of the Blacks.
The language is copious but confused.
From Manice a river passes to the south
ward, but whither it flows is not known ; al
though it is conjectured to be to the Manice.
The Zambese, after passing Chicora, most pro
bably beyond Zumboa, takes a sweep round
towards Manice. The gold about that place is
found pure in the alluvial soil, and the iron by
excavation, the mines running horizontally into
the mountains. The ore, when extracted, is
smelted into bars for sale.
On the 31st of August, Lieutenant Browne

ILLNESS OF LIEUTENANT BROWNE. 309
and Mr. Kilpatrick accompanied the Donna to
church, where they found a congregation, con
sisting of ten of the respectable inhabitants, and
about thirty of an inferior class, together with
a proportionate number of the Negro slaves.
Four days before this, Lieutenant Browne,
who had frequently felt in a slight degree the
effects of the climate, experienced a severe at
tack of fever. He soon rallied ; yet, from the
short time which elapsed from that day until
death closed the scene, it is probable that this
attack was the commencement of the fever
which ultimately carried him off. Adonis was
taken ill the next day, as were on the 1st of
September Mr. Kilpatrick and Antonio.
About this time permission was granted to
the party to proceed to Tete. Preparations
were accordingly expedited, but, by the time
all was ready, Lieutenant Browne was on his
death-bed. During the first three or four days after the
party arrived at Senna, light winds prevailed
from the north-east, and the thermometer varied
from 70° to 76° ; one night at twelve o'clock it
stood at the latter.
The wind afterwards shifted to the south-

310 DEATH OF LIEUTENANT BROWNE.
ward and westward, and was succeeded at times
by calms, during which the thermometer ave
raged the same as before. The sensation of
heat, however, appears to have been always
greater than that which the thermometer in
dicated. Mr. Browne's notes close on the 2nd of Sep
tember, on which day it is probable he was at
tacked by the fever for the last time.
The rest of this account is collected from the
testimony of the black servants, Antonio and
Adonis, who, I am inclined to suspect, are how
ever a little too late in the date which they affix
to the dissolution of Mr. Browne. They say
that it occurred about the 22nd of September,
consequently he must have been ill twenty
days, which does not at all agree with the short
period assigned to his last indisposition. It is
most likely that, instead of the 22nd, it was
on the afternoon of the 4th that he began to
doubt of his recovery, and next morning wan
dered in his speech and was incoherent. A
desperate struggle succeeded, in the course of
which he endeavoured to tear away the blister
that was applied to his head. He expired in
the following forenoon, about eleven o'clock.

REFUSAL TO INTER THE CORPSE. 311
Mr. Kilpatrick was suffering from the fever,
and too ill to quit his bed : however, after An
tonio and Adonis had procured a coffin, he sent
them to the priest, to request that he would
make arrangements for the interment of the
corpse ; but, instead of acceding to this appli
cation, he flew into a violent passion, remarking
that he had buried Mr. Forbes in the church,
for which he had never been paid, and there
fore they might inter the corpse of Mr. Browne
when and where they pleased.
The commandant was next applied to, but
he merely remarked that the business of fu
nerals was the priest's affair, not his ; yet if the
latter refused, he would send one of his people
to point out a spot where the body might be
deposited ; adding that, some years before, a
French and an English vessel were cast away
on the coast, and the crews<|e,fter infinite toil
and peril, found their way overland to Senna,
where all but one perished. " They lie buried,"
continued he, " in the little spot that shall be
shown you, and there you may place your late
master." This duty was next morning performed by
Antonio and Adonis, who hired for a few

312 RETURN TO CHAPONGAH.
beads some Negroes to assist them. A prayer
in the best English that poor Adonis could
command was muttered over the last remains
of his unfortunate master, and the body was
then consigned to the earth.
The gloom that hung over the mind of Mr.
Kilpatrick, from the time that his companion
was seized with the fever, settled on the death
of the latter into a most hopeless despondency,
from which nothing could rouse him. The
two servants packed up the trunks, and pro
posed to return immediately to Chapongah ;
but all energy had forsaken him ; he pleaded
extreme illness as an excuse for not quitting
Senna, and concluded by observing in a melan
choly manner, " You need not torment me
now ; a very few days will decide my fate."
At last, however, he was prevailed upon to un
dertake the journey. A litter was prepared ;
he was carried to the canoe, and in a few days
arrived at Chapongah.
The Donna, who was absent at the time, soon
returned, and, on hearing of Mr. Browne's
death, expressed much surprise and grief, and
regretted that Mr. Kilpatrick had preferred
the European practice to that of the natives,

ILLNESS OF MR. KILPATRICK. 313
wrhich she considered that custom and experi
ence had demonstrated to be the only successful
one. This she was very importunate with Mr.
Kilpatrick to adopt in his own case, but he
declined to follow her advice : he appeared un
nerved and broken-hearted by disease, and me
lancholy reflections on the fate of his compa
nions. He scarcely ate anything, but indulged
in spirituous liquors whenever he could obtain
them, — a propensity apparently the offspring
of his misery, for we never observed or heard
from those who knew him that he was pre
viously addicted to it. He never left his bed,
but, shunning conversation with all, appeared
totally abstracted from every object around, and
entirely absorbed in his own gloomy reveries.
Among the sufferers from the jungle fever, a
few had laboured under a like depression, but
by no means to such a degree as he did. With
them it did not last long ; while in his case, on
the contrary, it commenced with his sickness
and attended him to the last: but, though all
energy of mind had forsaken him, his bodily
strength, comparatively speaking, was little
diminished, notwithstanding the emaciated state
to which he was reduced.

314 DEATH OF MR. KILPATRICK.
About three weeks from the time of his re
turn to Chapongah, he left off drinking spirits
and took to eating, a change from which Donna
Pascoa began to augur a happy result. Before
long, however, he complained that food had
done him harm ; he again had recourse to
drinking, and in seven days was no more. He
died about the 28th day of October in the
morning, and as they had no planks fit to con
struct a coffin, or a carpenter to make it, the
Negroes wove one for him of bamboo. A
grave was dug near the Donna's house, and in
the afternoon the funeral took place ; the
body being followed by Adonis, Antonio, and
some of the Donna's slaves.
Thus terminated this ill-fated expedition, in
which three gentlemen, all of respectable ac
quirements, and beloved and esteemed by those
who were acquainted with them, fell victims to
an attempt to explore a country which they
were well assured presented the most formi
dable obstacles to the accomplishment of their
object. From the first to the last they had to
encounter a series of difficulties and misfortunes
sufficient to damp the most persevering minds.
Their escape on the bar, their reception at

DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED. 315
Quilimane, the early death of Mr. Forbes, and
the obstacles thrown in their way at Senna, must
all have been sensibly felt ; and, although they
were not sufficient to overcome their enter
prising ardour, they must have led them to
reflections on the numerous difficulties and
mishaps that they were likely to encounter,
before they should have accomplished the ser
vice in which they were engaged. The sickness
of Lieutenant Browne was the death-blow to
Mr. Kilpatrick : the moment it was commu
nicated to him he complained of illness, retired
overcome with grief to his bed, and never was
himself again.
Having thus finished the account of the un
successful attempt to explore the river Zam
bese, with the death of the principals engaged
in it, I shall again turn to the two vessels, and
relate what meanwhile befel them ; reserv
ing the account of the adventures of Adonis
and Antonio, after the death of Mr. Kilpatrick,
until a future chapter.

316 THE BAZRUTO ISLANDS.

CHAPTER XII.
Visit to the Bazruto Islands. — Costume of the Natives. — Ar
rival at Inhambane. — Description of an Annual Fete there.
— Of the Warlike Tribes in the vicinity. — A Portuguese
Boat lost on the Bar. — Beautiful variety of Shells. — Su
perior Salubrity of the Country, and Neatness of the In
habitants of the Town. — The Marimbah, a musical instru
ment of the Natives. — Dance of the Country.
On the morning of the 14th of August 1823,
we arrived at the Bazruto Islands. These are
rather lofty, and situated near the main, about
eighty-three miles to the southward of Sofala.
While off the principal of them, I was sent on
shore for the purpose of ascertaining if the
Leven was at anchor inside, or if she had been
there. As we approached the beach, four of the
natives were observed motioning to us where
to land, and walking down to receive us ; but
afterwards, becoming apparently fearful, they
retreated to a short distance from the beach,

APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES. 317
and there awaited our arrival. I landed with
my rifle in my hand, followed by three of the
crew armed with muskets.
This formidable array, which a proper atten
tion to precaution dictated, seemed to intimi
date them. We therefore laid down our arms,
and followed them, as they slowly retreated.
They appeared by their gestures to be consult
ing whether they should communicate with us
or not : the question, however, was finally de
termined in our favour. They stopped, and
we shortly came up, having first strictly
imitated their forms of salutation, which were
expressed by a slight inclination of the body
towards us, while, with one hand held up
straight above their heads, they touched their
breasts with the palm of the other, and then
brought both down with a quick motion to
their thighs, as a sentry at "attention," but
with less precision and formality. They were
tall, fine-looking men, armed with bows about
five feet long, with plumed arrows of a slight
make, and mounted by iron barbs of a rough
construction. In the cut of their hair they
differed not from the Delagoans, but in other
respects widely. To a cord passing round their

318 COSTUxME OF THE NATIVES.
bodies just above the hips an apron was fasten
ed in front, with the lower part drawn tight
between the legs, and from the end behind was
suspended a fourfold piece of leather, shaped
like a spoon, with the bowl downward, and
hanging nearly as low as the calf of the leg.
One of them had this extraordinary appendage
studded with brass nails, as likewise another,
which they all wore, made of stiff leather, car
ried edgewise between the legs, and there
fastened. The appearance of this ornament altogether
suggested the idea of a keel, and was so termed
by the seamen with me, who, like the rest of
their class, were always ready to connect the
most trivial circumstance with some techni
cality of their own profession. Over the shoul
ders each native carried a sheep-skin loosely
slung. Their ankles were decorated with bangles,
and their necks with strings of beads, and a small
round box of ivory, resembling that used by
the Delagoans for snuff, but which these people
had filled with pearls ; and to procure these, as
I was informed at Quilimane, was their sole
object in sojourning on the island.

ARRIVAL OFF INHAMBANE. 319
They appeared to intimate by signs that no
vessel was there, or had lately been there : how
ever, I walked some distance round to assure
myself of the fact, as I was doubtful whether
I understood them aright. They were very
solicitous for us to visit their village, assuring
us that there they had abundance of goats to
sell, and plenty of fresh water ; but I was
pressed for time, and, as the object for which I
came was accomplished, I returned on board.
The island appeared to be a mass of decom
posing coral, commixed in a slight degree with
sandstone, and covered in most parts by a layer
of bright sand, the glare from which was re
lieved on the lofty hillocks and their sides by
a parched coarse-bladed grass and low bushes,
and in the valleys by stunted trees. The shores
were strewed with the remnants of a variety
of beautiful and rare shells, which no doubt
exist in great numbers on the reefs and sand
banks in the vicinity.
On the 18th of August, the Barracouta an
chored off the river Inhambane, and I repaired
to the town to notify our arrival to the go
vernor, and to apply for a pilot to take us in.
For a long time, while approaching, I heard

320 VISIT TO THE GOVERNOR.
the beating of drums, firing, and loud excla
mations, as of people rejoicing ; and when the
place opened to view, perceived about fifteen
soldiers, some dressed like those of Mozam
bique, as Sepoys, marching with their colours
flying, and drums beating, and followed by
many Portuguese and innumerable Blacks, the
latter dancing, singing, whooping, and perform
ing a variety of fantastic evolutions. In the
distance a venerable Black, who might have
been taken from his appearance for the patri
arch of the town, was mounted on the shoulders
of a Negress of Amazonian form, and sur
rounded by a posse of men, women, and chil
dren, exercising their lungs and their legs with
as hearty a good-will as those already described.
I repaired to the porch of the governor's
yard, erected on a terrace, with three long guns
on either side, and was conducted to his pre
sence by a Cannareen officer, who was awaiting
my arrival. In full official dress and deco
rations, he was seated at a table placed in a
booth erected under the shade of a solitary tree
of gigantic dimensions, adorning the upper end
of the " Champ de Mars," or cleared space in
the front of his dwelling. This was lined on

PRESENTATION TO THE GOVERNOR. 321
either side with soldiers, and at the lower end,
facing the booth, were three small field-pieces,
inspiring by their loud reports from time to
time the profoundest awe and respect in the
motley assembly around. The routine of the
day, for which the preparations were made, ap
peared about to commence as I entered and
presented to the governor the circular letter
of the general at Mozambique. He read it,
and, expressing his sorrow that he could not
immediately attend to me, requested that I
would wait until the ceremony was over ; add
ing at the same time that, as a stranger, he had
no doubt it would afford me amusement. I
left him, and among the holiday captains and
colonels soon found one who could speak a
little French ; from him I gained the following
account of the ceremony. It was an annual
festival, and was held to celebrate the visit to
the Portuguese of the kings of the numerous
tribes in friendship with them, to discuss their
relative commercial interests, to state their
grievances, and to enter into an amicable treaty
for the ensuing year.
Inhambane is by no means so rich as Quili
mane. From the small extent of its river, it
VOL. I. Y

322 TRADE OF INHAMBANE.
has not, like the latter settlement, the facility
of procuring slaves, the source of wealth to the
latter from an extensive inland intercourse with
the natives. Those that are obtained are as
usual the spoils of war among the petty tribes,
which, were it not for the market they find for
their prisoners, would in all likelihood remain
in peace and amity with each other, and be pro
bably connected together in the bonds of mutual
interest and under the same government.
The trade of Inhambane consists principally
in ivory and bees' wax. About three hundred
arrobas (thirty-two pounds each) of the former,
annually conveyed to Mozambique, are pur
chased by barter from the natives with blue dun
garee, fish-hooks, needles, &c. So highly prized
are the last-mentioned articles by the natives,
that in more instances than one our seamen ob
tained for a single needle two full-grown fowls.
The natives about Inhambane are entirely
independent of the Portuguese, and, although
they are willing enough to engage in commerce
with them, yet they will by no means permit
them to enter far into the interior. This inde
pendent spirit, ever watchful to repress any at
tempt, or what they may construe as such, to

INDEPENDENCE OF THE NATIVES. 323
subjugate them to Portuguese authority, leads
to continual broils, in which, although the na
tives suffer severely, yet such is their determined
courage that the conflict always tends to esta
blish their independence the more firmly. On
account of these wars, the soldiers composing
the more than ordinary force that is kept up at
Inhambane are in a much better state of disci
pline than those at the other Portuguese posses
sions along the coast.
The weapons used by the savages consist of
spears, assagays, and bows and arrows ; the latter
of which are dipped in a vegetable poison, that,
in a fresh state, is highly active and fatal in its
effects, but in a short time loses its noxious
quality, so that among the many wounded few
eventually die. The people of Inhambane are
not allowed to dispose of their slaves, excepting
through the market of Mozambique; conse
quently, however cheap they may obtain them,
the profit is in the end very small. The other
articles of commerce are open to the mercantile
speculation of any vessel that may happen to
call. Inimical as the natives in the interior are
to the Portuguese resorting thither, they by no
means, unless when at war, attempt to obstruct
y 2

324 ORATONTAHS.
the periodical couriers who pass overland be
tween Sofala, Inhambane, and Delagoa. These
travel unmolested, and, considering the nature
of the country which they have to traverse, with
great celerity and despatch.
Our old acquaintances, the Oratontahs, ap
peared well known under the name of Vatwahs.
They were described as a marauding banditti,
leading a life of constant warfare with all around
them ; always attacking where there appeared
to be the least probability of effective resist
ance; and, when they were victorious, quar
tering themselves on the subdued tribe, until
the resources of the country were drained and
no longer able to maintain them. They dare
not, however, approach Inhambane, for there
the natives are too warlike to be encroached
upon with impunity ; especially one tribe, who
never even wait to be attacked, but, whenever
these plunderers advance too near to them, sally
forth in great force, and generally repel the in
vaders. Such prisoners as they take they sell
for slaves to the Portuguese.
The river Inhambane, although easy of access
and affording a noble harbour, is scarcely navi
gable for a ship beyond the town, situated eight

ANNUAL FESTIVAL. 325
miles from the entrance ; and even boats cannot
proceed above five miles farther.* The Portu
guese population, exclusively of the military,
was only twenty-five, but the coloured portion
was very numerous.
While conversing with some officers, and ob
taining the preceding information, the ceremo
nies of the day went on. To the sweet sounds
of a sort of kettle-drum and whooping, a dance
commenced, and presently a woman appeared
in front of the booth. Her hair was cut so as
to represent various figures, and clotted with a
red composition. Her ankles and wrists were
encircled with beads and brass bangles, as was
also her neck by the former. Her loins were
enwrapped by a kind of plaid ; and, having a
round shield of hide in one hand and a spear
in the other, she flourished them over her head,
at the same time singing and dancing from one
line of the soldiers to the other, and exhibiting
the most extravagant gestures.
* This we had no opportunity of ascertaining ourselves.
I obtained my information from the Portuguese, but doubt
the truth of their assertions, as the great breadth of the
river and the velocity of the ebb-tide would seem to argue
otherwise.

326 ANNUAL FESTIVAL.
She was accompanied by several other women,
but they had neither the shield nor the spear :
their ornaments were of the same kind as hers ;
some had more, others not so many ; but few
had the red composition in the hair. Their
figure in general was elegant ; they were above
the middle size, and their features, of the darkest
hue, were in many individuals pleasing and
expressive. The chiefs or kings then appeared :
they were arrayed in long red cloth robes, and
night-caps of the same colour, which they had
just before received from the Portuguese, as
part of the annual present which it is customary
to make them. They were all aged, intelligent-
looking men, and generally of superior stature.
Around them was a concourse of Negroes,
many of whom were dancing, with the emblem
of their commerce, an elephant tusk, in their
hands : this they flourished in a graceful way,
keeping the while exact time to the wild mea
sures of the music that was playing.
Warriors, or young chiefs, dressed out in a
warlike and becoming costume, closed the pro
cession. A bunch of black ostrich feathers
hung slightly reclining over one side of the
head, like the plume of the Highland cap, for

ANNUAL FESTIVAL. 327
the tartan band of which, on the opposite side,
was substituted a double row of large polished
brass buttons. Over the left shoulder was care
fully suspended a small ornamented tube of
black-stained hide, about eighteen inches long,
used as a quiver, but with no arrows, as emble
matical of peace, which was likewise denoted by
the unstrung bow. On the back, a little below
their shoulders, they had a second tuft of ostrich
feathers. They wore a piece of broad-striped,
red, blue, and white, dungaree about their loins,
in the form of a kilt, which reached nearly down
to their knees ; their wrists and ankles were en
circled with bangles, and their necks with beads.
I observed various slight deviations in the
dress of the men ; some had buttons on one side
of the head, but no plume, and the hair shaved
off into compartments, and often clotted with
the red composition, which in one or two in
stances was daubed on their backs between their
shoulders. The ornaments commonly worn by
those of inferior rank were a few beads around
their necks, and dungaree, blue or varied in
colour, encircling their loins.
The governor, standing at his table, with a
guard behind him, and his numerous staff, (for

328 ANNUAL FESTIVAL.
at all fetes every Portuguese, and even their
black descendants, appear as officers,) received
the chiefs, who, as they came in, took their seats
on the mats on either side, excepting three :
these, having speeches to deliver, sat in the
middle, opposite to the table, a Portuguese offi
cer of militia acting as interpreter. The eldest
of the three commenced, and I dare say, judg
ing from the noisy plaudits of the other chiefs,
made a very impressive and eloquent harangue.
The first part he delivered while sitting ; but
soon, growing warm and impressed with his
subject, he stood up, and, towards the conclu
sion of his oration, of half an hour's continuance,
he became almost theatrical, and afforded a
pleasing example of the lively energy of old
age called forth by the applause of his country
men, when engaged in asserting their rights.
The other two, in their turn, took up the at
tention of the audience for half an hour, during
which time the eyes of the dignified visiters ap
peared latterly more earnest in watching a small
door at the back of the booth than their ears in
listening to the speaker. The mystery of this
was explained as soon as the governor had de
livered, through the interpreter, his short, pithy,

BOAT LOST ON THE BAR. 329
yet complimentary answer, by the appearance
of as many slaves as there were chiefs present,
each bending under the weight of a large tin
dish, containing some pounds of beef and rice
boiled together, to the enjoyment of which, and
whatever else was forthcoming, I left them, and
repaired with the governor to his own house.
He was a gentleman of polite manners, and
had a military frankness in his demeanour,
showing that the kindnesses which he tendered
were genuine, and not the effects of mere official
complimentary form. Having little time to
spare, I soon left him and went on board.
We entered the river on the 20th, and were
employed a fortnight in surveying it. The tra
cing out of the bar required great precaution, as,
in many parts, where there was even a depth of
thirty feet and more, a sea would at times sud
denly arise and break with such overwhelming
fury that no boat could live in it, as was fatally
experienced while we were there by one belong
ing to a Portuguese merchant-brig ; out of five
men three perished, and the two survivors were
saved by the merest chance. By the succession
of rollers, the first of which overturned them,
they were cast on the sandy shore, and there

330 VARIETY OF SHELLS.
left by the ebbing tide in a state of insensibility,
from which they were recovered by the humane
attention of some natives, who fortunately hap
pened to be passing soon after the accident oc
curred. One of our boats very nearly expe
rienced the same fate, being forced by the velo
city of the ebbing tide among the breakers ; and,
as a last resource, it was obliged to push through
them, in doing which one sea passed so near her
stern as to break an oar placed out there for the
purpose of steering,
No spot we ever visited afforded such a variety
of shells as Inhambane ; the numerous sand
banks in the river abounded with specimens
of the most delicate shape, of brilliant dyes,
and of the choicest species ; but the nature of
the service in which we were engaged almost
wholly prevented us from availing ourselves
either of that or other opportunities of the
same kind. Could we have done so, our col
lections would have been rich indeed.
The governor's collection afforded us much
amusement. In the course of a conversation
between him and some of our officers, an allu
sion was made to the beautiful shells which
abounded in the river. " Stop a little," exclaimed

SALUBRITY OF THE COUNTRY. 331
the governor, " and you shall see what I have
got." He stepped out of the room, and shortly
returned with a canvas bag, which he shook with
much complacency, while exclaiming, " Here 's
for you !" and forthwith deposited the contents
on the table, consisting of an assemblage of
shells fortunately of no value, as, from the rough
usage to which they were subjected, not one was
left in a perfect state.
Inhambane is accounted the healthiest settle
ment of the Portuguese on the coast. This fact
would appear evident to a stranger at first sight ;
for, on either side of the channel, the limits of the
clear sandy shoals that surround it are percepti
ble through the perfectly clear and transparent
water. In one or two places a little mud was
discovered, but it was merely superficial ; and,
as it was overflowed by every changing tide, it
never remained long enough exposed to the eva
porating influence of the sun to produce disease.
The shores in most part rise abruptly into hills,
on one of which the principal part of the town
is erected. The buildings of Inhambane by no
means equal in construction those of Quilimane,
but in cleanliness they are far superior, as was
shown by the neat order in which everything

332 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
in them was kept, as well as by their clean
whitewashed walls and well-swept rooms and
fore-courts. Hippopotami are very scarce ; I did not see
one : but in the country elephants are very
numerous. The number of flamingoes in the
river was really astonishing ; there was scarcely
a shoal that was not covered with these birds,
resembling in the distant view large banks of
bright sand, and, on the near approach, files of
soldiers ; only that the brilliant crimson hue of
their wings, when in the sun, was too bright to
keep up the delusion.
Among the musical instruments of the na
tives the marimbah holds the first place. It is
composed of ten pieces of wood, suspended in a
frame, where each is placed opposite to a hole in
a small calebash firmly fixed : these pieces of
wood, on being struck by sticks, the knob of
which is formed of India rubber, emit a very
pleasing note, the exact counterpart of the har-
monicon. The kassanjah is also a great favourite,
we met with it everywhere ; whereas the ma
rimbah was only seen by us at Inhambane, Qui
limane, and Delagoa ; at the latter of which
places it is termed tabbelah. The kassanjah

PARTY AT THE GOVERNOR'S. 333
consists of a number of small pieces of iron, at
tached at one end to a hollow wooden case, and
resting on a bridge. They are of different
lengths, in order that each may yield the desired
note, and are played by the thumb and fingers.
While at Inhambane, I was one day at a party
at the governor's. If, in the first interview of a
few minutes, I observed sufficient in him to
create in me a favourable prepossession, that
feeling was strengthened by his demeanour at
the head of his own table. Possessing sound
sense, a proper affability, and a command of
anecdote, he was the soul of the party to such a
degree, that even the Portuguese who were pre
sent, notwithstanding the submissive awe which
they show to those placed in an official situation
-above them, appeared as if enjoying themselves
in their own domestic circle. After supper, the
tocador (the performer on the marimbah) was
summoned to appear with his instruments, at
tended by two men and five or six boys as
dancers. One of the former exhibited in the
European style, and in no theatre have 1 seen
his performance surpassed for native grace. It
appeared to be in him a gift from nature, no
thing overstrained or forced.

334 NATIVE DANCE.
The native dance is of a more hideous kind
than any I ever witnessed ; and, considering the
fine figures which perform in it, for about In
hambane the people are far handsomer than the
generality of those on the coast, it is doubly
disagreeable. The principal actions in this
dance consist of violently shaking the shoulders,
protruding the abdomen, drawing the elbows
back, bending the knees, throwing the face into
contortions, and stealing over the ground in a
shuffling, mincing step.
Besides the usage peculiar to the Jews, so
generally adopted by the Negroes on the coast,
many of the people of Inhambane abstain en
tirely from pork ; and of all insulting terms,
that of pig is deemed the most outrageous.

ARRIVAL AT SOFALA. 335

CHAPTER XIII. •
Departure from Inhambane, and Arrival at Sofala. — Recep
tion of the Author by the Lieutenant-Governor. — The
Barracouta grounds on the Bar, and narrowly escapes
Shipwreck. — The Portuguese Pilot stabs Doctor Guland.
— Arrival of the Leven and Albatross. — Proceedings of
the former. — Account of Sofala. — Productions of the Coun
try. — Extraordinary Superstitions of the Natives.
We left the river of Inhambane on the 3rd,
and next day sailed for Sofala, where, after
having in part surveyed the intermediate coast,
we arrived on the 11th, and anchored at a short
distance outside the bar. The reception which
I met with, when I landed to announce our
arrival and object to the governor, afforded a
strong yet laughable example of the ignorance
of the Cannareens and Creole Portuguese. As
the boat passed along shore towards the land
ing-place, a body of soldiers and natives was
hastily collected on the beach, and, headed by
an officer, kept pace at double-quick time with

336 RECEPTION OF THE AUTHOR.
us until we landed. The soldiers were armed
with muskets, but had no flints ; and the natives
with bows and arrows, spears, assagays, clubs,
and knives. I landed, and, on asking for the
governor, was informed that he was absent in
the country ; but that his deputy, the major, a
Creole Portuguese, was waiting to receive me.
The officer led the way ; I followed, and
called to the young midshipman and the inter
preter, desiring them to come after me. This,
however, was objected to, on the ground that,
according to the regulations of the port, on the
first arrival of the boat of a strange vessel, no
one was allowed to leave her but the command
ing officer. I insisted, however, on having my
way, perceiving well enough that it was only
a foolish suspicion of our object in coming that
led to the objection.
The soldiers had divided, some accompanying
me, and the rest remaining with the boat ; this
arrangement showed that I was guarded. I
therefore produced the letter of the governor of
Mozambique, enjoining those under him in the
various ports belonging to the Portuguese on
the east coast of Africa to render us, agreeably
to the instructions which he had received from

BY THE LIEUT.-GOVERNOR. 337
his government, every assistance towards the
furtherance of the service in which we were
engaged. I protested against the insult offered
me, and refused to proceed, charging the officers
with the consequences, unless the soldiers were
dismissed. They were accordingly sent away,
and I soon arrived at the governor's house,"
where I found the deputy, surrounded by offi
cers of various shades, ready to receive me. I
produced the letter already alluded to, and,
finding that the major did not consider himself
authorised to open it, I did so ; even then he
did not think it proper to read it ; I did that
also. However, all would not do : the panic
had spread, and in consultation it was agreed
that every thing should remain as it was until
the governor's return. The interview being
ended, I went back to the boat, and repaired on
board. As soon as the interview was over, an express
was sent to the governor, who arrived at the
fort about an hour after my departure. Vexed
at the follies and fears of his officers, he fired
two guns with a view to recall me ; and early
next morning sent off the pilot to take in the
brig, and to offer in his name to Captain Vidal
vol. i. z

338 CANNAREEN PILOT.
any assistance or attention that it was in his
power to give. This boat I met as I was re
turning to the shore next day with a letter of
remonstrance from Captain Vidal to the go
vernor, respecting my overnight's reception.
I found no such guard as received me on my
first visit. Two officers were waiting the ar
rival of the boat on the beach, and with them
I repaired to the governor, whom I found sur
rounded by his staff, and very angry, as he ex
pressed in his answer to Captain Vidal's letter,
at the reception which his deputy had given
me. Previously to entering the river, on the
13th, the pilot was furnished with a boat, that
he might himself decide which would be the
best channel for taking us in. He was a Can-
nareen, of a Mulatto cast, and in his demeanour
apparently mild and courteous. We weighed
in the afternoon, and proceeded to the river,
with a boat sounding ahead, and notifying by
signals the depth she obtained. We shoaled
our water gradually to fifteen feet ; but, as the
pilot continued to assert that all was right, and
the boat did not signalize to the contrary, we
proceeded, and, just as the latter had informed

BARRACOUTA ON THE BAR. 339
us of our danger, grounded, and remained im
moveable for some time ; and then, as the sea
got up, struck with such violence, that we were
apprehensive every minute that the masts would
go. For thirty-three hours, though we started
our water, hove our guns overboard, and laid
anchors out, we could not get the brig off. At
times she laboured so much, that we were often
apprehensive lest all our efforts to save her
would prove unsuccessful ; neither could they
have been of any avail, had not the weather
fortunately continued fine.
As soon as we were afloat, we stood out for
deeper water. The pilot, since his unpardon
able folly and neglect in getting the brig on
shore, (to put the most lenient construction on
his conduct,) had appeared rather melancholy.
While taking his dinner with us below, he
scarcely ate any thing, but began, with his
hands in a supplicating posture, to entreat that
we would intercede for his life, which he ob
stinately persisted in believing to be forfeited.
The surgeon, with the humane view of re
moving the extraordinary suspicions that ha
rassed him, paid him great attention, and thrice
prevailed upon him to take wine ; thinking that,
z 2

340 DR. GULAND STABBED BY THE PILOT.
by its exhilarating effects, it would banish from
his mind the gloomy idea which had taken
possession of it.
One would have supposed that, had this man
entertained designs against the life of any one,
he would at least have spared the person who
appeared most to sympathise in his unhappy
state, and endeavoured to relieve it : yet he
chose him for his first victim. They were
together on the poop, and the master along with
them. The pilot was standing, and the two
officers sitting in conversation, when suddenly
the former, turning towards the Doctor, said
something which was not understood, and, re
ceiving a careless answer of " Si," (Yes,) in
stantly rushed upon him with a knife, which he
drew from his bosom, and, bearing him back with
one hand, stabbed him deeply with the other
just below the heart. Thinking that he had
accomplished his object, he then turned with
the same intent upon the master, Mr. Oldhall,
who, perceiving the first action, threw himself
back, so that the blow fell in a slanting di
rection, cutting his trowsers across, and taking
one button from his waistcoat.
The surgeon was luckily a man of athletic

DR. GULAND STABBED BY THE PILOT. 341
frame. No sooner did he perceive that he
was wounded, than he jumped up, and, assisted
by the master, threw the assassin from the
poop, before he had time to repeat his blow ;
when, by a simultaneous rush of the seamen
who were on deck at the time, he was secured
before he could fully execute his murderous
design. To such a state of frenzy had he work
ed himself up, that he foamed at the mouth
with rage, and, while they were holding him,
appeared as if in a violent fit, gnashing his
teeth, and attempting to strike with his feet and
hands those who surrounded him. He was
placed with both legs in irons, and his arms
were tied tightly with a cord behind his back.
In this situation he remained motionless all
night ; it was supposed at the time from insen
sibility, but, as we afterwards learned, from a
gloomy sulkiness; for he afterwards gave a mi
nute account himself of all the circumstances.
Doctor Guland, as soon as the first stimulus
to exertion was over, became faint, and retired
to his bed, where, from the distressing symp
toms that took place, and the knowledge of the
depth of the wound, (about four inches,) and
the dangerous direction of the knife, he fully

342 RECOVERY OF DR. GULAND.
anticipated a fatal result. A shortness of breath
ing came on, and with it an excruciating pain
in the region of the heart, so that he could not
rest otherwise than in a sitting posture. He
tried bleeding, and happily experienced from
it instant relief; so that in the morning, from
the great mitigation of the symptoms he had
experienced over-night, he considered his reco
very almost certain. No fever ensued ; the
wound healed rapidly ; and in twelve days he
was perfectly well.
The pilot in the mean time was kept in irons
and strictly guarded. When he was examined
as to his motive for committing the act, he
alleged that the surgeon had several times in
formed him that he was to be hung, and when,
for the last time on the poop, he inquired whe
ther such was to be his fate or not, he received an
answer in the affirmative. He then determined
not to die unrevenged, and was content to suf
fer for the act which he had committed. He
strenuously disavowed any intention of attack
ing the master, and stated that the blow which
struck him was intended as a second for the
surgeon. To dwell longer on the particulars of
this wretched man's conduct is unnecessary ; he

ARRIVAL OF THE LEVEN. 343
continued to the last to glory in the murderous
deed, and to lament in strong terms that the
blow had not proved fatal.
On the 16th, by means of our pinnace, we re
covered our guns, which we were obliged to
cast overboard when aground ; and next day
entered the river. Captain Vidal visited the
governor, with whom he agreed that the pilot
should be lodged in the prison of the fort, until
cognizance could be taken of his conduct at
Mozambique. In the evening, the Leven arrived, having
been employed since we parted from her in
furthering the survey of Delagoa; during
which, as it was the healthy season, the Alba
tross was some days in the Mapoota. The safe
return of the Delagoans who accompanied us
to the Cape, inspired the natives with such con
fidence in our friendship towards them, that
even their king Maietta, and Sllanghelley, did
not hesitate to pay Captain Owen a visit on
board the Leven. There they were treated
with great attention, and received many pre
sents. Among various other articles given to
the latter was a looking-glass, in which, during
dinner, he often, when he thought he was un-

344 MAPOOTA CEDED TO THE BRITISH.
observed, looked at himself with great com
placency, and more particularly examined with
intense curiosity a wound that he had received
on his forehead in some skirmish. Maietta,
through English Bill, assured Captain Owen,
in strong and earnest terms, of his wish,
and that of his tribe, to be on the strictest
terms of amity with the English, and to cede
their territory to them. Papers to that effect
were accordingly drawn out, and, amid a con
course of the natives, the British flag was hoist
ed on the Temby side under a salute of twenty-
one guns.
While the Albatross was up the Mapoota,
various attempts were made to take a hippopo
tamus. Many were wounded, some of which
probably died; yet none of the bodies were ever
found by our people, the natives having most
likely been beforehand with them, — especially
as at that time the country was reduced by the
depredations of the Oratontahs to a state of
famine and desolation, the people living princi
pally on Indian corn, rice, shell-fish, and onions ;
and the supply even of these, excepting the
two latter, was scanty indeed. In more cases
than one, the bodies of persons who had perish-

THE BAZRUTO ISLANDS. 345
ed from hunger were discovered by our people
in a putrid state among the jungle, even in
death exhibiting by their emaciated appear
ance the sufferings that had preceded their dis
solution. From Delagoa the Leven proceeded to the
Bazruto Islands, which she surveyed, and while
there communicated with the natives inhabit
ing that on which I formerly landed.. They
found them residing in a large village, and in
the possession of sheep and goats, affording a
strong contrast with the famished state of the
Delagoans ; but they appeared to possess little
grain. Dungaree was the principal article which
they required in return for their sheep, pearls,
and the small quantity of ambergris they pro
cure. The pearls appear naturally of an infe
rior quality, but are rendered still less valuable
by the practice of broiling the shells for the
sake of the fish. They parted with them, as
well as their sheep, and various curious speci
mens of their ingenuity, for the merest trifles.
Among the latter they had a great number of
beads, manufactured by themselves from the
columella of the large shells. From the Baz-
rutoes the Leven proceeded direct to join us at

346 SOFALA.
Sofala, and arrived, as has been already stated,
on the 17th.
Sofala, which according to some old authors
was the Ophir of the ancients, was, when Pedro
de Couilha visited it in 1487-8, in the pos
session of the Arabs, and so continued until the
Portuguese, by permission in 1500, erected a
fort there. It was not long, as it may be sup
posed, before they became masters of the place,
of which they remained in uninterrupted pos
session until the failure of Francisco Barrato's
expedition against the mines, about eighty years
afterwards, when it was attacked, the fort car
ried, and the garrison slaughtered by the na
tives, who in all probability did not possess it
long. The fort, as originally built, consists of a
square tower, and has at each angle a small
bastion. The solid and substantial style in
which it is erected, of stone brought from Por
tugal, is particularly observable. In the in
terior there is a large tank of good water, and
two sides of it are enclosed by a rampart, flank
ed by small look-out turrets, and surmounted by
thirteen honeycombed guns ; and, below, it con
tains barracks for the soldiers, store-house, ma-

THE FORT. 347
gazine, book-room, prison, and officers' quarters.
The garrison consists of a captain, lieutenant,
ensign, and seventy-five soldiers. Besides these
there is a militia, equally strong, principally
composed of the Kaffers, or natives of the coun
try. The gate of the fort is closed every even
ing at seven, and the garrison mustered in it ;
and until daylight all communication with the
outside is cut off. After dark, the long and
loud challenging of the sentries there is an
swered by those placed in front of the gover
nor's dwelling, producing in the stillness of
night not an unpleasing effect.
When taking observations of the stars, one
night, just without the gate of the fort, we
were repeatedly admonished by those within to
be on our guard against the wild beasts, who
prowl about in numbers until daylight, but we
saw none. The inhabitants on that account
never appear out of their houses after dark.
However large or superb in its buildings the
town of Sofala might have been in former times,
at present it consists of an assemblage of white
washed mud erections, the governor's house
being the largest of about twenty habitations
that compose it. The whole is surrounded by

348 THE MOORISH TOWN.
two salt-water creeks, which meet at the fort,
and, were it not for continual repairs of the
embankments, would undermine its foundation.
These at their junction form an excellent basin
for small vessels to take in and discharge their
cargoes ; but, on account of the shallow bar at
their mouth, it can be entered only at high-
water. Just behind the low sandy ridge that bounds
the sea, and separated from the Portuguese
habitations by one of the salt-water creeks and
a broad and deep morass, is situated the Moor
ish or Arab town. Here the number of women
preponderates greatly, as the men during the
greater part of the year are employed in traf
ficking at Mozambique, and from that place
with India. They are in fact the principal
merchants of the town. The women cultivate
rice, on which, and the produce of their manu
facture of earthenware, they subsist. They do
not eat pork, or meat that has not been killed by
themselves ; otherwise, in their habits, cus
toms, superstitions, songs, dances, and language,
they imitate the natives. They are entirely
subject to the Portuguese ; and, by the tenure
by which they hold the land they inhabit, they

GOVERNOR AND OFFICERS 349
are bound to keep during the night a constant
fire blazing on the summit of a neighbouring
sand-mount, as a beacon to approaching vessels,
— a precaution always necessary in former days,
when the commerce of Sofala was in a flourish
ing condition ; but now, that rarely more than
one vessel calls there annually, a custom entirely
useless. The governor and Capitao Mor is also factor
of crown lands, and the civil officers under him
consist of an Escriva of the factory, a Patrao
Moro, a pilot, a Depository of the Provideria, an
interpreter, surgeon, and schoolmaster. Signor
Joao Juliao da Silva, from whose memoir in
manuscript I have obtained some information
respecting Sofala, is lieutenant-colonel of the
militia, as also Depository of the Provideria, and,
for the sake of the pay of the surgeon of the
garrison, he studied a Portuguese translation of
Buchan's " Domestic Medicine," and obtained
that situation also. He was born at Macao,
but, having married at Sofala, is, according to
the law already noticed, obliged to remain
there. He has in consequence been detained
at Sofala thirty-seven years, during which he
collected the materials for his memoir, and

350 CHARACTER OF THE CREOLES.
thus at the commencement describes the Creole
Portuguese of the place, who differ not from
the black natives of the country, being often
full as dark, except that they have not woolly
hair : — " Their character is proud, treacherous,
and crafty ; and they are so idle, that most of
those who are soldiers subsist on the miserable
pittance they receive as pay, without any en
deavour to procure an increase of comfort by
entering into mercantile speculations, which are
always open to them. Brought up among Ne
groes, they forget all obedience to their parents,
and, although Christians in name, only when
soldiers practise the forms. Those of the poor
est sort, from idleness and inattention to their
grain, are often obliged to subsist one-third of
the year on wild herbs. The slaves have no
certain allowance, but live by their own means,
often robbing their masters."
The river of Sofala is inconsiderable, and the
harbour is much confined, on account of the
extensive flat immediately inside its entrance.
The passage over the bar is perfectly straight,
and those who are at all acquainted with it
find it much more safe and easy of access than
that of Quilimane or Inhambane. Its shores

SUPERSTITION OF THE NATIVES. 351
are covered with mangroves, and for some dis
tance inland they are at times overflowed by
the sea, which leaves, when it retires, pools of
stagnant water, soon rendered putrid by the
intense heat of the sun. In the vicinity of So
fala there are but two or three small patches,
which, by their slight elevation above the sur
rounding swamp, are capable of being culti
vated : consequently supplies of grain for the
garrison are chiefly procured from the more
remote parts of the interior, either from Portu
guese Creole estates there, or from the natives.
The canoes of the latter, being the cheapest
conveyance, are sometimes hired to fetch these
supplies ; but, should they be lost while thus
employed, which they often are, the chief of
the tribe to which the people belong prosecutes
the hirer of them as the cause of their death ;
yet, with a strange inconsistency in their po
pular superstitions, they attribute these cata
strophes to the Jungo, a fabulous bird, whose
extent of wing is from twenty to thirty fa
thoms, and who resides at the bottom of whirl
pools, and, when a boat turns over, is supposed
to take the men down to instruct them in sur
gery. This extraordinary superstition may be

352 QUITEVE, AND ITS MINERAL PRODUCTS.
deemed a strong evidence of the insalubrity of
the climate even to the natives ; since a man's
life is supposed to be forfeited in order that he
may be instructed in the means of preserving it.
The two territories of Quiteve and Quis-
sanga furnish the resources from which the
wealth of Sofala is derived ; and, as they differ
in few articles of produce, a summary of those
of the former will, in great part, suffice for both.
The Negro town of Quiteve is situated on
the river, a few miles up, and the territory that
bears the same name is bounded on the north
and east by those of Manice and Senna. It
has much gold, but it is an ascertained fact that
where this metal is scarcest it excels in quality.
The natives do not understand the art of work
ing it, but barter it in its natural state with the
Portuguese for dungaree, &c. Topazes and
rubies are likewise found there, and, among the
mountains of Hanganhe, stones which, when
broken, exhibit the most beautiful crystalli
sation. There are also rock-crystals, and it is
supposed diamonds, together with mines of iron
and copper, red ochre, and plains of saltpetre.
The natives likewise procure pitch, which
they sell to the Portuguese, in the following

PRODUCTIONS OF THE COUNTRY. 353
way. From April to June they collect resin
or gum from some particular trees, which, with
a portion of the bark, they put into kettles per
forated at the bottom with a hole of the same
size a$ they intend what they term their pitch-
sticks to be : the application of fire completes
the process. The other productions of the
country consist of honey, ebony, box, iron-wood*
and a species cf white sandal-wood termed
muquijite, salt in abundance, maize, millet,
macumby, a grain similar to mustard-seed,
beans, mungo, a pulse resembling the pea, zer-
zelim, small pulse from which oil is extracted,
sugar-cane, sweet potatoes, rice, cotton, tobacco,
palm-trees, mangoes, lemons, oranges, cocoa-
nuts, aterros, or wild fruit, to which belongs
the jumbois, about the size of a lemon, bananas,
pine-apples, and manioc, which in some seasons
materially suffers from the swarms of locusts,
as likewise from long droughts. It is sown
in October, or at the latest in November,
and, according to its quality or species, is fit
for taking off the ground from February to
June. In manufacturing their cotton cloth they
twist the threads with their fingers. Their
VOL. I. 2 A

354 TERRITORY OF QUISSANGA.
nets they make from the fibres of a tree termed
mulambeira, and their mats from palm-trees.
The territory of Quissanga lies to the west
ward of Quiteve, and its inhabitants are de
scribed as very warlike, and as trespassing from
time to time on their more peaceable neigh
bours. They clothe themselves in tanned
goat-skins, and their weapons are bows and
arrows. From the iron that their country
produces they manufacture agricultural instru
ments, knives, &c. and bangles from their cop
per. They are reported to give no quarter in
battle. Their king, Motambah, has the reputa
tion of being a great warrior ; he is also account
ed a tyrant, exercising almost absolute power
over them, and often for trivial offences inflict
ing death or loss of sight.
The trade of Sofala consists in ivory, gold,
slaves, and ambergris ; but of these the sup
ply is much less than even sixty years ago,
when two vessels were annually required to
take away the proceeds : at present, one is
considered as more than sufficient. The Por
tuguese give the following reasons for this
great falling off. The principal province from
which they formerly obtained the ivory was
subdued by a warlike tribe from the vicinity

TRADE OF SOFALA. 355
of Inhambane, who immediately made that
district the mart for the valuable trade which
they had gained by the conquest. They like
wise assert that the same tribe destroyed in
great part the pearl and ambergris trade of the
Bazruto Islands. They once brought a supply
of ivory to Sofala, but never returned, though
large presents were made them. Such are the
reasons that most of the Portuguese give for
the commercial decline of the port from its
former opulence ; although some few allege
that it is owing rather to the slight encourage
ment held out to the natives by the Portuguese
themselves, who exact more for their merchan
dise than they should do, and thus ruin their
own interests.
The natives know the value of what they
part with, and of that which they receive in
return. Their ardour is damped, and the un
fair trader suffers. But when the Dutch,
many years since, took possession of Sofala,
they brought with them persons acquainted
with precious stones and mining, and, before
they could be disturbed in their conquest, left
Sofala laden with riches. The trade has like
wise suffered from Quiteve having of late been
2 a 2

356 INLAND MAIL.
agitated by civil war, during which the mer
chants were plundered. The supply of slaves
also is much diminished ; it never was very
great, and at present is scarcely more than re
quisite for the cultivation of the ground and
the performance of menial services for the resi
dents there.
The inland mail is carried by a Portuguese,
escorted by four soldiers ; they travel on foot,
and are twenty-five days on the journey be
tween Sofala and Senna, taking the town of
Maccai in their way. In the rainy season,
which is also the sickly one, and lasts from
March to May,* the mail travels much slower.
The party have no mountains to pass, but many
swamps. An instance of their being attacked
has not occurred for many years.
The tribe inhabiting the town side of the
river are termed Maccai, and those opposite
Machangah. The capital of the former, of the
same name, belonging to the Portuguese and
to the Senna district, is situated about half
way between that town and Sofala, being
bounded on the side of the sea by a tribe
* This differs widely from the period of the sickly season
assigned by Terao.

MACCAI. 357

termed Bango. Maccai is large, and built on
the river Massanzahno, which empties itself
into the sea about twenty miles to the north
ward of Sofala. The river is not laid down in
the chart furnished hitherto by the Admiralty,
probably on account of its being so small that
nothing but boats can navigate it, and these
are two or three days ascending to Maccai.
The natives adopt nearly the same treatment
for the fever as those of Delagoa ; but, in scari
fying themselves, the cuts are inflicted on the
temples, instead of the shoulders, breast, and
backs of the hands.
The woods abound with elephants, and the
river with crocodiles ; the former avoid the
habitations of men, and the latter the vicinity
of the river's mouth. Bullocks abound, but
they are so small, that those which we procured
averaged only from one hundred to two hun
dred pounds. The arms used by the natives of
Sofala consist of knives, clubs, and bows and
arrows ; the former having for a sheath a neat
fanciful carved piece of ivory. The bows are
five feet long, of a hard red wood and clumsy
make ; the arrows, of half that length, are slight,
feathered, and surmounted by a barbed point

358 NATIVE MODE OF FIGHTING.
of iron, which, detaching itself from the shaft,
while that falls to the ground, remains firmly
fixed in the wound. The point is generally
dipped in a vegetable poison, the venomous
quality of which, like that of Inhambane, soon
evaporates. When fighting, these people keep
in constant motion, dancing sidewards to and
fro, to avoid the enemy's arrow, until they con
sider that they can make pretty sure of their
aim. They then stop for an instant, discharge
the arrow, and resume their dance, until their
opponent, if not disabled, has retaliated. This
dancing they accompany with a hissing, whist
ling noise, apparently with a view to intimidate
their foe. Their dexterity, however, to judge
from the specimens which I witnessed, is far
below mediocrity ; yet the Portuguese give
them great credit for it, excepting when the
wind blows with violence, for the effect of
which they affirm that the natives have no idea
of allowing.
We observed but few varieties of birds. The
water-fowl consisted only of pelicans, white
cranes, peterels, and kingfishers.
Our short stay precluded the possibility of
becoming acquainted with the various extraor-

SUPERSTITIONS OF THE NATIVES. 359
dinary superstitions of the natives, Juliao
gives an interesting account of them, and I
shall therefore adopt nearly his own words in
the following notice of that subject.
The natives generally believe in a Supreme
Being, whom they style Mulungo, who created
the heavens, the earth, and every thing that in
them is, and by whose power they are governed.
They have no other idea of this being, and con
sequently have no notion of future rewards and
punishments. They have no knowledge of the
soul. They think that man was born to be im
mortal, and that, when he deserves punishment,
the Supreme Being causes a famine ; and they
imagine that those only who perish by such
means are punished through a Divine agency.
All that die in other ways are sent out of the
world by the machinations of evil spirits, who
are incited by personal revenge, or hired to per
form the deed of death by others ; and, as they
suppose that these spirits prey upon the corpses
of those whom they kill, they bury deeply in
the earth all who die from any other cause than
famine and leprosy ; the bodies of such as are
carried off by these being left exposed. They
believe that those who die of leprosy are trans-

360 FEMALE ORACLE.
formed after death into hippopotami. They
conceive that the spirits of the departed live
where the body is deposited; and they often
dream, or pretend to dream, that those of their
deceased relations appear to them, and whatever
injunctions they suppose them to have given
they strictly perform. When the season is un
usually dry, they pray to these for rain, and, as
soon as the forms accompanying their supplica
tions are over, they dance and drink pombe, and
never perform them again until just before new
or full moon, which they consider to be the
only propitious time.
In great towns, inhabited chiefly by the wives
of the kings and chieftains, there is generally a
woman styled Ponga, whom they consult as an
oracle ; she makes them believe at times that she
is possessed with the spirit of some departed
prince or chief, and on these occasions she ap
pears stupified, and with her eyes greatly in
flamed. She is then eagerly consulted by the
deluded people, to whom her answers, as a co
vering to her knavery, are given in a confused
and mysterious way.
A new moon is always greeted with the
beating of drums and other rejoicings, for which

FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 361
they can assign no reason but custom. When
a king dies, they cease to work for six months.
On the demise of a native, the women assem
ble inside the hut, and, the men standing
without, all begin to weep in concert ; if the
person is of distinction, these ceremonies are
accompanied with the beating of drums. As
soon as the relations are collected, the body is
wrapped in a white cloth, round which are
placed two mats. They then send a small pre
sent to the inhamacango, or chief man of the
district, that he may order a piece of ground to
be allotted for the interment of the corpse ; and
the amount of this offering is greater or less
according as the place of burial is near the town
or in the woods. Very often tobacco and millet
are interred with them. As soon as the body
is put into the ground and covered up, the
women arrive, throw water on the grave, and
beat the earth quite smooth. On returning
home, before they enter the village, they eat
some preparations of herbs, that the spirit of the
deceased may not annoy them ; after which they
again proceed to his hut, and continue their la
mentations till the close of day. The culi
nary utensils of the deceased are broken, and

362 MOURNING DRESS.
nine days afterwards all his relations assemble
round a fire, in which the spade with which he
worked when living is placed. When it is
red hot, it is dipped in a large bowl of pombe,
out of which all the relations must drink, with
a view to preserve themselves from infection.
Their mourning dress consists of a piece of
white cloth round the head, and threads of the
macheao-tree round the ankles and wrists. In
Quiteve the lamentations for the dead are ac
companied by the ringing of a sort of bell.
Several other forms are practised in the search
for the man who has the evil spirit that is
supposed to have killed the deceased : the in
hamacango generally pitches upon one who was
known to be on bad terms with him ; and when
the superstitious ceremonies are over, he lights
on the poor victim as if he had been directed to
him by inspiration. Poison is administered, and
he lives or dies, by chance, or by the counter-
roguery of the inhamacango.

LEAVE SOFALA. 363

CHAPTER XIV.
Departure from Sofala, and Visit to the Angozha Islands. —
The Ships call at Mozambique. — The Leven sails for
Bombay, the Barracouta for Patta. — A Canoe of famished
runaway Slaves picked up. — Arrival at Guieux Bay. —
Timidity of the Natives. — Account of Patta. — Dows. —
Arrival off Lamo. — Description of the place and of the
Arabs. — Lamo Castle. — Coasting Trade. — Account of the
Gallah. — Ignorance and Curiosity of the Arabs. — Their
faith in European Surgeons. — Disgust on seeing a Hog
for the first time.- Departure from Lamo. — Description of
the River Oozee. — Method of taking the Hippopotamus.
— Dread of Fire-arms entertained by the Gallah.- Arrival
at the Leopard's Reef. — Historical Remarks and Obser
vations respecting the ancient City of Melinda.
On the 24th of September 1823, we left So
fala, and, in passing the bar, narrowly escaped
a recurrence of our late mishap, owing to the
sudden failure of the light breeze. We pro
ceeded in company with the Leven to the An
gozha Islands, opposite to which there is a river

364 THE ANGOZHA ISLANDS.
of the same name ; and the main is said to be
inhabited on its northern branch by a race of
degenerate and savage Arabs, who, it appears
from a work which I have consulted, were esta
blished there before the Portuguese, and who,
even at the time when this account of them
was published, one hundred and fifty years ago,
were rapidly falling off from their original Ma
hometan creed into idolatry and barbarism. It
is said that among these people the feeling of
enmity towards the Portuguese, occasioned by
their ancient feuds, still exists in the fullest
vigour. The Angozha Islands are very small and of
coral formation, covered with a layer of sand,
which is increasing in fertility, from the decom
position of the vegetable matter mixed with it.
They are clothed with trees, in appearance much
resembling the fir ; yet, although perfectly
straight and of a good length, they were found
on examination to be totally unfit for most pur
poses, on account of their great weight and
hardness. We landed on only two of these
islands : their shores were covered with the re
mains of turtle ; but, as the season for them was
past, we found none alive. During the period

SCARCITY OF FRESH WATER. 365
of their visits, the natives cross over from the
main to take them ; and we found the huts still
standing which they had neatly constructed of
the branches of the surrounding trees, with a
large trough of fresh water, curiously formed of
bark, suspended from the trees near each. From
this circumstance we naturally conjectured that
the island did not produce fresh water ; how
ever, we endeavoured by digging to obtain
some ; but, though we persevered in more places
than one, even until we reached the rock, yet
we could not discover the slightest moisture in
the earth or sand : consequently the trees must
derive nourishment of that kind exclusively
from the heavy dew that falls at night. This
observation I consider to be applicable not only
to the Angozha Islands, but to many others of
the same nature, and more particularly to those
situated in the same latitude on the west coast
of Madagascar. The privation of fresh water
is greatly felt by innumerable lizards, of a large
and beautiful species, which abound in the
islands ; for, when our men were dining on
shore, they surmounted their natural timidity,
and ran completely over them in their attempts
to get at the water which they had with them,

366 ARRIVAL AT MOZAMBIQUE.
and which they drank even when mixed with
spirits. Many whales were playing about ; and,
had a whaler been there, she could with ease
have materially increased her cargo.
On the 4th of October, we arrived, in com
pany with the Leven, at Mozambique, and next
day were joined by our tender, the Albatross. It
was here that we first received intelligence of
Mr. Forbes's death, communicated by Donna
Pascoa to a Dutch lady, a friend of hers ; as like
wise a report of the same tendency respecting
Mr. Browne, through the governor. All three
vessels parted on the 15th ; the Leven for Bom
bay, to order supplies, and the Albatross to assist
us in the survey of the coast from Patta, situated
in latitude 2° south, to Mozambique.
We passed through the Comoro Islands with
a strong favourable breeze ; and on the 22nd,
when about eighty miles from land, and almost
a calm prevailing at the time, observed, in the
early part of the afternoon, a distant white speck
on the water, apparently approaching slowly.
It was supposed to be a large bird of the alba
tross kind, magnified beyond its real size by the
effects of the power of refraction ; and it was
only just before the breeze sprung up that it

CANOE OF RUNAWAY SLAVES. 367
was fortunately discovered to be a boat. We
arrested our progress instantly, feeling confident
that nothing so small could be out so far from
land from any other cause than distress. When
she came near, we discovered her to be a large
canoe, with a sail formed of a small piece of blue
dungaree and an old cotton sheet. In her were
four black men, haggard and emaciated in their
appearance, and a fifth stretched out at full
length under the seats, apparently dying. They
lowered their sails, and seemed to hesitate whe
ther to proceed or not. This we perceived, and
endeavoured to remove their fears, by inviting
them to advance, by means of one of our sea
men who spoke a little Arabic ; conceiving, of
course, that they belonged to the coast, and that,
in venturing out too far, they had been blown
off. To our astonishment they replied in French,
inquiring in a most anxious manner if we were
of that nation, and, on receiving an answer to
the contrary, they uttered a cry of joy, and
paddled as fast on board as their little remain
ing strength would permit them to do.
Oppressed by the cruelty of their master, a
Frenchman residing at the Seychelles Islands,
they seized his canoe and deserted, not knowing

368 SUFFERINGS OF THE RUNAWAYS.
whither to steer, and careless what port they
should reach, all places being in their opinion
preferable to that from which the tyranny of
their master had driven them. They had taken
such articles as they supposed might be service
able to them, of which the curious sail was one.
To that they owed their preservation, as the
glare of the sun upon it first attracted our atten
tion, which the dark hue of the boat otherwise
never would have done.
The poor fellows had a little rice, some fish,
and about a gallon of water at starting ; this sup
ply they improvidently soon exhausted, having
never experienced the necessity of looking to
the future ; so that, when picked up by us, they
were in a starving state, and certainly could not
have survived two days longer. The poor
negro who was lying at the bottom of the
boat had been sinking fast for three days, and,
when taken on board, joyfully declared how
happy he felt at the certainty of escaping a fate
which he before considered inevitable. Yet,
how short was the delusion ! His pulse was
gone ; and, in less than an hour, sensible to the
last, he expired from absolute debility. The
rest, by careful nourishment and attention, were

SEA-VIEW OF THE COUNTRY. 369
recovered, but remained weak for a long time.
Seventeen notches in the side of the canoe in
dicated the number of days of misery which
they had passed in a voyage of seven hundred
and fifty miles — a distance scarcely credible,
considering the means which they had to per
form it.
We were near our destination, and, during
the night that followed this lucky rencontre,
steered, as we supposed, directly for Patta ; but
a current, of which we were not aware, swept us
several miles to the northward, which distance
we in vain attempted to regain by keeping to
the coast. At last we stood out to sea, and
there, beyond the influence of the current, suc
ceeded in beating up sufficiently to the south
ward to be enabled to reach a large bay, corre
sponding in latitude with that assigned to Patta,
but in no way resembling the chart furnished
us of that place or its neighbourhood. The sea-
view of the country presented a lively and va
ried appearance of hills covered with verdure,
and lowlands with trees, but the shores within
the bay exhibited the gloomy contrast of swamps
and mangroves. Small and narrow coral islets
in the front of deep bays kept up, with reefs and
vol. I. 2 b

370 SCARCITY OF FRESH WATER.
sometimes promontories of the main land, the
straight continued line of the coast. The margin
of the islets, seldom of greater height than
twelve feet, generally overhung the rocky flats
on which they stood, and which, rising abruptly
from some depth, and being of small extent,
were overflowed at high-water. Their summits
were level, and, from the state of the decom
posing coral of which they were formed, pre
sented a surface of sharp points, over which it
was often difficult to pass.
We remained in the bay for four days, vainly
attempting to communicate with the natives.
Paddling about in their short canoes, they were
so timid that, whenever our boats approached,
they took shelter on the shallow flats that
skirted the shores. As our fresh water on
board was much diminished, we found it neces
sary to come to some understanding with the
natives, in order to procure a supply through
their means. Perceiving that they still persisted
in shunning us, it was consequently determined
to seize some, and by friendly treatment to
overcome their fears. Our first attempt for
this purpose on one of the canoes, in which were
an Arab and his slave, failed ; and the fright

TIMIDITY OF THE NATIVES. 371
which it occasioned tended of course to make
matters worse. However, on the day after the
arrival of the Albatross, which took place on the
3rd of December, after she had been for some
time most anxiously expected by us, we suc
ceeded in overtaking a canoe in which were
three natives. Two were taken out and con
veyed on board, where the kind treatment and
presents they received quickly dispelled their
fears. When once they felt assured of their
safety, they entered freely into conversation
with the interpreter, informing him that the
bay we were in is bounded on one side by the
island on which Patta stands ; and, on being
questioned respecting the reason why they
were so timid, they answered that they took us
for Frenchmen, who, in more instances than
one, had kidnapped the people from the canoes
and sold them as slaves. In the evening the
two Arabs were landed, and it is most likely
that to the report they made we were indebted
for the visit we received ; for, next morning, a
venerable Arab chief of the village of Kring-
hettey, situated just within the bay on the
southern shore, was sent to us by the Governor
of Patta, together with a native of that place,
2 b 2

372 GUIEUX BAY.
who spoke a little English, and a Muscat sol
dier. They inquired who we were, saying that,
if we belonged to his Britannic Majesty, they
were instructed to tender us civilities in the
name of their sovereign, the Imaun of Muscat.
We found, on trial, that no water could be ob
tained without great difficulty either in Guieux
Bay or in that of Patta ; but as we ascertained,
from a communication with the Governor of
Lamo, that we might procure it with ease, when
we chose, from that place, we did not hurry our
selves, but surveyed the two above-mentioned
intervening bays. That of Guieux is large, and
abounds in reefs, shoals, and extensive flats. It
is broad and deep, and ends in a cluster of
islands, between which a large river empties itself
by several mouths into the sea. The island on
which Patta stands, and which forms the south
ern side of Guieux Bay, is bounded on the sea
shore by hills, and divided from the main by a
narrow sandy creek, through which boats only
can pass to Patta town, and thence to the bay
of that name, situated to the southward of
Guieux, which it much resembles. The south
ern side of this is also bounded by an island
called Kaitou, round which, by the small creek

PATTA. 373
that forms it, is a passage to the harbour of
Lamo. Patta has never been a place of much import
ance, and consequently but little is known of
its history. The Portuguese, at the time they
became masters of the coast, made it one of
their strongholds, and built a castle there, the
ruins of which alone remain, exhibiting, how
ever, a proud contrast in the solidity of the
materials with the wretched mud habitations
of the Arabs which surround them. This
castle did not remain undisturbed in the pos
session of the invaders, who were continually
embroiled with the natives, ever on the alert
to regain their independence. Their attempts
at length succeeded, but at what period I have
not been able to ascertain. Since that time,
the place appears to have undergone many vi
cissitudes, being at times independent, at others
under the government of the Imaun of Muscat
or the Shekh of Mombas. In 1720 it was in the
possession of the former, but in the early part
of 1812 was independent. The inhabitants,
shortly afterwards finding that they were likely
again to be subjugated by the Imaun, against
whom, it appears, they entertain a strong en-

374 HISTORY OF PATTA.
mity, called in the aid of the Mombassians, to
whom they delivered up their territory, in
order to secure their protection ; the native
prince still keeping his title, and exercising
authority under the supremacy of the Prince
Mombarouk, of Mombas, who with a military
force constantly resided there. The part which
Mombas took in this affair was the ostensible
cause of hostilities between that place and the
Imaun, who, in 1817, attacked Patta with
thirty dows and four thousand men.* Twice
the Imaun's forces were vigorously repulsed ;
but, incited to a third effort by the overtures of
some discontented persons among the besieged,
they obtained by treachery what they could not
win by arms. The respect which the besieged
had taught them by their courageous opposi
tion was evident, for Mombarouk, with his
handful of men, accompanied by the ex-Shekh
Buanamanka, was allowed to retreat openly
and unmolested. A party of this deposed
prince's soldiers, who left Patta with him, af
terwards seized some Arab possessions on the
river Oozee, in their Shekh's name, and held
them for him.
* Such was the account given by the ex-Shekh of Patta.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN. 375
Patta remained with the Imaun of Muscat,
and, when visited by us, was garrisoned by his
soldiers. The town is small and scattered ; and
miserable indeed, to the eye of an Englishman,
are the houses and huts which compose it.
They are in the genuine Arab style, being
built of reeds and stakes well plastered with
mud, of an oblong form, generally standing
east and west, and with no roof from wall to
wall, but surmounted at a few feet above by an
overspreading frame of rafters well thatched
with reeds, and eaves projecting far beyond the
walls below. This style of building appears to
be adopted for the purpose of assisting venti
lation ; but the same object might be attained
in various other ways far more comfortable
than that which they have adopted.
In approaching the land, we were forcibly
struck by the contrast in the coasting trade car
ried on here, and the cheerless absence of it which
we had observed in parts that we had lately
visited, where man seeks to thrive solely by
the sale of his fellow-creatures, and impiously
(I conceive the word not ill applied) neglects
the cultivation of the soil which Nature has so
liberally endowed. In all directions the large

376 ARAB DOWS.
boats, or, as they are called, dows, were seen,
principally freighted with the produce of the
land, coasting their way along-shore. Their
extraordinary build did not fail to attract our
attention. They are generally sixty feet long and four
teen broad, their head terminating in a long
point, and their stern in one not much shorter ;
and, as they are built like a wedge, so, on
grounding and being left by the tide, or hauled
up on purpose, they require to be shored in
that position by logs, which they always carry.
Their planking is more frequently secured to
the ribs by Cairo lashings than by nails or bolts ;
and with some the seats or beams projected a
short distance through the side, like those of
Delagoa boats.
Their huge square sail, of canvass or matting,
has a yard above and below, with braces and
three or four bowlines ; and, notwithstanding
their uncouth appearance, they are very swift,
and sail much closer to the wind than most
vessels. They are always well manned, and
generally pull with sixteen oars or paddles,
unless when in shoal water ; they then prefer
the employment of long slender poles used

WOODEN ANCHORS. 377
against the ground for propelling their canoes.
In the management of these poles they show
great dexterity, and it requires much practice
to equal them. The dows, when large, have
sometimes a small canopied space near the stern,
on which, when prosecuting their voyage, the
turbaned old chief or master is often seen stand
ing and issuing his commands. Not in a single
instance have I known one without an orna
mental circle painted or carved on either bow
or stern. These vessels are employed in the
coasting trade, in which grain is the principal
article ; and likewise communicate between the
islands of Zanzibar and Pemba and the main.
I scarcely ever saw one with an iron anchor :
the anchors are generally of wood, made with
four arms like a grapling, and the inside of
the shank is loaded with stones of the heaviest
kind. Although anchors of this construc
tion will not answer so well as those of iron
on a hard sandy bottom, yet on a rocky
coast they are far preferable, as we experienced
in our boats, whose iron anchors soon got en
tangled in the coral and were lost; wooden
ones, of the Arab make, but loaded with shot
instead of stones, were therefore constructed

378 ARRIVAL AT LAMO.
and used. The canoes are small, and have
nothing extraordinary in their appearance : they
never venture out to sea, and, keeping so con
stantly in shoal water, rarely employ the pad
dle, but more generally the pole. Their sails
are mostly composed of matting, and are set so
high above the canoe as to give them at a dis
tance a very odd appearance.
On the 13th of November, we anchored off
Lamo ; into the harbour of which, formed by
a small river and the creeks running at the
back of Kaitou and Lamo islands, the Alba
tross shortly afterwards proceeded, and brought
up off the town. Captain Vidal paid a visit to
the governor, who next day returned it, ac
companied by a suite of between twenty and
thirty Arabs.
The town of Lamo is situated on the side
and at the foot of a sandy ridge of hills, form
ing the southern boundary of the harbour, and
contains a population of about five thousand
souls, inclusive of Muscat Arabs, those to whom
properly the place belongs, the Soallese, and
slaves. The buildings are of the same kind as
those already described, excepting such as are
occupied by the principal men. These are of

COSTUME OF THE NATIVES. 379
superior quality, especially when erected on the
ruins of some old Portuguese house ; and the
rooms, like that which we saw at Johanna,
were ornamented with saucers. In one be
longing to an Arab of the first class, an English
tea-tray had been added, and, from the pride
which he manifested in showing it, this was no
doubt considered as a very superior decoration.
Their mosques are built with a flat roof,
supported by low clumsy arches ; and the great
reverence in which they hold them is evinced
by the superior materials of which they are
constructed. Poor indeed must an Arab be who is seen
without a sabre hung over his shoulder and a
crees by his side ; and in richly embellishing
the handles of these he deems the few dollars
that he manages to scrape together by a painful
self-denial of the luxuries which his country is
capable of affording, well laid out.
The costume of the people here consists of
a carpet skull-cap, nearly covered by a white
and embroidered turban ; a long white garment
reaching down to their ankles ; a piece of cloth
secured as a girdle round their middle ; and,
on their feet, sandals of hide, attached by two

380 MUSCAT SOLDIERS.
straps, one passing over just above the instep,
and the other descending from that to the fore
part of the sandal, and separating in its way
the great toe from the next.
The Muscat soldiers are distinguished by the
shields which they carry pendent from their
shoulders behind ; they are circular, about one
foot in diameter, and in shape much resemble
the umbo of the ancient shield. They are
made in great numbers at Zanzibar, of rhino
ceros hide, which, after being soaked or boiled,
is easily moulded into form, and afterwards
embellished by trimming. Their swords are
always straight, and,' from their long and guard-
less handles, bear a great resemblance to the
double-handed weapon in use some centuries
ago in Europe. The thinness of the blade is
accounted an excellence, on the supposition
that, in consequence of the vibratory motion,
they can give it when dealing a blow greater
impetus, and inflict a more deadly wound.
Against such a notion an English dragoon,
with his unyielding broadsword, would prove
the best argument. Besides their sword,
shield, and crees, the Muscat soldiers carry
a pike about seven feet long, the spear of

SULTAN SAAF. 381
which is of a peculiar make. It consists of an
iron spike, eighteen inches in length, with
four slender pieces projecting from it at right
angles, about three-quarters of an inch at
first, and then gradually tapering away to the
point. The Muscat Governor of Lamo, or, as he is
called, Sultan Saaf, formerly commanded one
of the Imaun's frigates. In his conversation
he appeared to be a shrewd, sensible man ; and
his manner, though grave and sedate, was cour
teous. In the cast of his countenance he was
strictly Arab ; having a high narrow forehead,
large eyes, surmounted by neatly arched eye
brows, prominent cheek-bones, sharp aquiline
nose, and lips sensibly alive to the words that
passed them, and admirably adapted to back
their meaning, especially when a satirical ex
pression was to be conveyed. Like the rest
of the Arab governors with whom we after
wards met, he kept up but little show of official
dignity, and could never be distinguished from
those around him otherwise than that an Arab,
on entering, always saluted him first. He was
generally to be found sitting in the guard
house, receiving the duties levied on goods em-

382 MODE OF SALUTATION.
barked or landed, out of which, I was informed,
his allowance as governor was paid. Though
he once commanded a frigate, he knew not
how to ascertain the direction of Mecca from
Lamo ; but obtained it, at his request, from
Lieutenant Owen.
The Arab method of salutation is by kissing
hands. When two persons, of the same rank
meet, they bestow the compliment on the back
of each other's hand ; but an inferior does not
aspire to so great an honour : he lifts the hand
of his superior to his lips, but very humbly
kisses his own. What a satire on forms !
The homage that is paid to a European mon
arch would be considered as an insult by a
petty Arab chief, should one of his inferiors
tender it to him.
In the castle of Lamo I witnessed the first
specimen of Arab fortification. It was a large
square building, with a tower at each corner,
but constructed so slightly that in all proba
bility the discharge of its honeycombed ord
nance would soon bring the whole fabric to the
ground. By permission of the governor, who
shortly joined me, I visited it, being ushered in
through the massive folding-doors by the por-

LAMO CASTLE. 383
ter, who bore a stone baton in his hand as the
mark of his office.
The large vaulted entry was occupied by the
main guard, consisting of about twenty Muscat
soldiers, lounging on the stone benches on either
side, with eye intent on vacancy, and armed
with their shields, swords, and pikes. A large
assortment of matchlocks, suspended from the
walls above them, resembled those used by the
primitive small-arm men in England. The
castle consisted of three stories of balconies,
supported inside by arches. The area was
blocked up by miserable huts, from the round
corners of which many a stolen glance at us
was shot from the dark full eye of the Arab
female, as, shrouded in the domino mask, she
took a hasty look, and then, fearful of obser
vation, retired quickly from our view.
The practice of immuring the women leaves
to the stranger but slight opportunity for ob
serving or describing them. After quitting
the fort, as I passed their huts, they would fre
quently come to the door, and beckon me to
enter ; but, on my approach, they hastily re
treated, as if affrighted, and secured the door.
Their dominoes shrouded the greatest part of

384 DRESS OF THE WOMEN.
the face, leaving only the eyes, the mouth, and
part of the forehead and chin exposed. Their
gowns, or robes, sometimes party-coloured, but
generally white, reach about half-way down
the leg. . They wear long sleeves, and their
bosoms are carefully covered. Many are tall,
majestic, and elegant ; yet, generally speaking,
they are of low stature. Their retired habits
of life exempting them from exposure to the
sun, relieve their complexions from the darker
dye of the men, and place them among the
brunettes. Some years ago a plurality of wives
was common, but at present the practice has
much fallen off. The man does not take his
wife blindfolded, but, before he makes a formal
proposal of marriage, is allowed to visit her ;
and, should she not gain his approval, he is at
liberty to quit her, without any apprehension
of incurring the animosity of her family by the
slight. No dowry on the part of the woman
is paid (so I was informed at Lamo) ; but, as
the custom does not extend to other places, I
am inclined to think the information erroneous.
There are in the town four schools, where
children are taught to read and write, those of
poor parents gratuitously, and others at a very

ABSTEMIOUSNESS OF THE ARABS. 385
small expense. They have boards of an oblong
square in shape, with the characters pricked
upon them, and as soon as they are perfect in
these they are required to read and copy pas
sages in the Koran, and afterwards to expound
them, with the assistance of their masters.
The food of the lower ranks of Arabs consists
principally of dhol (peas), rice, cocoa-nuts, and
a large fish of the bonito species, salted and
dried in the sun. Though the higher orders
differ so materially from the others in the lux
ury of their eatables, yet their drink is, with
few exceptions, the same. Sherbet and toddy,
extracted from the trunk of the cocoa-nut tree
by perforating it, and hanging jars underneath
to catch the juice, are the only beverage of by
far the greater number. A few will venture
to take spirituous liquors ; but, when they do,
they are very careful that none of their coun
trymen witness the action.
The coasting trade along their own posses
sions consists principally in dhol and rice, con
veyed in the dows, which likewise trade in the
same articles and ivory to Mozambique. Their
commerce with Muscat and other ports is car
ried on in larger vessels, called schelingahs,
vol. i. 2 c

386 COMMERCE WITH MUSCAT.
some of which are upwards of two hundred and
fifty tons burden. They are of peculiar build,
having a lofty heavy stern and a sharp promi
nent prow, a clumsy mast in the centre, with a
stupendous yard, carrying a latine sail of the
largest dimensions, and sometimes a small mast
and a sail in the stern. They seldom, or per
haps never, perform their voyage but with the
monsoon, (or the periodical winds which alter
nately last for six months,) going with the one
and returning with the other. The bulk of
their cargo is often composed of cowries, which
in some parts of India pass current for money.
They are collected from the reefs in great abun
dance, and deposited in pits until the fish rot
out of them. It is well that they choose retired
spots for their magazines of these shell-fish, as
the stench which proceeds from them is dis
gusting in the extreme ; the dried fish is like
wise an article of traffic among them.
Their bullocks are of the humped species, and
their sheep of the Angola breed, very small,
but sweet in taste. Lions, tigers, elephants,
and a great variety of other wild beasts, are
common, but the hippopotamus is by no means
frequent. Of fruit and vegetables they have

THE GALLAH. 387
the following : musk-melons, cocoa-nuts, bana
nas, plantains, cashew-apples, pompions, dhol,
rice, peas and beans. They obtain their ivory
from the Gallah, by which name the natives of
the interior are known. These are considered
as a most ferocious and cruel race, insomuch
that the Arabs, whose humanity and mildness
of disposition generally obtain for them the
good-will of the natives, dare not venture among
them, but confine themselves entirely to the
sea-coast. The Gallah have no houses, but
wander in the woods in the wildest state. Pro
fessed enemies to every nation and tribe around
them, they hunt and are hunted, committing
indiscriminate slaughter on unresisting multi
tudes one day, and becoming the victims of the
like treatment from a superior force of their
enemies on the next. Like their brother sa
vages of America, they consider a relic from the
body of a slain foe the most honourable and
appropriate badge of their military prowess.
When at their feasts, the most successful
among their warriors is rendered conspicuous
by the number of these dried and shrivelled
relics dangling from his arm, and the scalps of
hairy breasts and bearded chins covering those
2 c 2

388 FEROCITY OF THE GALLAH.
parts of his own person. They unite subtlety
and want of faith with their ferocity of charac
ter. Their professions of to-day, if it suits their
convenience, are set aside to-morrow ; and, with
the same sang-froid that they break promises,
will they (as if they had been guilty of nothing
improper) offer to renew them the day after :
consequently the commerce between them and
the Arabs is carried on entirely in the towns of
the latter. These they will sometimes venture
to harass, but seldom with a less force than
two thousand men, armed with bows, arrows,
and assagays. Besides the Gallah, there is
another race of savages in the vicinity, termed
Dowlahs, who are a far more tractable people
and more settled in their habits. With these
the Arabs constantly traffic and keep up an
amicable understanding.
The country, we were assured, was exceed
ingly fertile : but, in the best land that I saw,
the alloy of sand was too great to justify me in
believing that what they asserted was correct.
To the praise of the land the Arabs add likewise
that of the climate ; yet I never heard that sand
hills, swamps, stagnant pools, and mangrove-
trees, were indicative of a healthy country.

' IGNORANCE OF THE ARABS. 389
They entertained a most extraordinary no
tion of our doctor's skill. While the schooner
was at anchor off the town, her decks were li
terally covered with patients, many of whom,
although possessing natural deformities, ex
pected to be relieved from them. Such of the
Arabs as had visited English possessions must
have seen many things that were new to them,
and had, most likely, on their return, described
them to their countrymen ; yet the ignorance
which they displayed relative to the uses of
various instruments and articles which we had
with us, and their curiosity and astonishment
in witnessing their application, surprised me
much. A spy-glass or a watch were magnets
of attraction that commanded the attendance of
a crowd, and their tone of admiration and re
marks on them were perfectly on a par with
those described in my first interview with
Prince Sllanghelley at Delagoa. A French
mirror, with a magnifier on one side and a glass
of ordinary power on the other, was a universal
favourite, unless when the glare of the sun was
reflected on them from it, when it became an
object exciting some degree of superstitious
dread. Thus, too, on the sudden exhibition of

390 DISGUST ON SEEING A HOG.
the magnifying side, the smile of pleasure and
amusement that had played on the lip seemed
by the change of the glass to be chased from
its seat, and to give place to an expression bor
dering on fear.
A large hog on board the Albatross was an
object of great disgust. The effect which its
appearance produced on one of the first Arabs
who went on board was truly ludicrous. As
he was about to step on the deck, he observed
the beast close to him ; he stopped short and
stood as if transfixed to the spot, attempting
neither to retreat nor to advance, but intently
scrutinizing, with the utmost horror and dis
may, the object before him. He kept the same
attitude until the animal was driven away ; he
then ventured on board, but ever afterwards
he, like the rest of his countrymen, was on his
guard that the hog did not approach to pollute
him by its touch.
The Imaun of Muscat's governors are or
dered by him to supply English men-of-war
with wood and water gratis on their arrival at
his ports ; but we found from experience, at
Lamo, that it was much better to exert our
own means, limited as they were, than to rely

FRESH SUPPLY OF WATER. 391
on their dilatory measures. We obtained water
from a well sunk close to the castle wall, and near
the shore of the harbour. It was excellent when
drawn at low water, but at other times brackish.
With a view to obtain as much information
as possible respecting the various places along
the Arab coast to the southward, which we
were about to survey, Captain Vidal procured
from the governor one of the natives as a pilot,
and a Muscat soldier as interpreter ; but neither
was eventually of service. The former, though
a respectable man, was not acquainted with the
coast ; and the latter fell as far short in his ca
pacity of interpreter, as he did in compliance
with one of the wisest doctrines of his religion
— abstinence from strong liquors.
A few miles to the southward of the an
chorage off Lamo is the small coral islet of
Kaneca, and, a little farther on, that of Kaneve :
they are in a high state of preservation, and
constantly covered with sea-fowl, whose depo
sit, forming a perfectly level flat at the top, and
hiding from view the chasms of the rock, renders
it somewhat dangerous to walk upon them.
After having received a visit of ceremony
from the governor, who was accompanied by

392 RIVER OOZEE.
a very large suite, we left Lamo on the
morning of the 20th of November, and, in
company with the schooner, continued our
survey to the southward. In the afternoon we
anchored off the river Oozee, situated at the
depth of the northern extremity of Formosa
Bay. We did not examine this river, but re
ceived the following account of it from the
ex-Shekh of Patta. It is one mile across at
the entrance; but, although deep inside and of
great extent, is rendered difficult of access on
account of its dangerous bar, formed of quick
sands, over which at low water there is only
four feet. Just within, on the south side,
stands the small town of Sanda; and, twelve
miles beyond, that of Kow, built on a small
island, and subject to Hamed-ibn- Shekh ; who,
besides his capital, possesses an extensive terri
tory independent of all others, and inhabited
by his countrymen, the Soallese, of the Maho
metan religion, and their slaves. They have
few swords or matchlocks, but are well supplied
with spears, and bows and arrows, in the use of
which they are very dexterous.
During the rainy season, the river rises and
inundates the country around for many miles,

TOWNS OF KOW AND ZOOBAKEY. 393
destroying innumerable wild beasts and animals
of various kinds, and among the rest many
elephants, whose bodies, as they float down, are
despoiled by the natives of their tusks. Fish
are in great abundance and variety in the river,
as are also alligators and hippopotami. Above
the town of Kow, at every twelve or fifteen
miles, there are large villages on the northern
bank, inhabited by the Pocomas, a tribe de
pendent on it ; and, at the distance of fifteen
days' journey in a canoe, pulling or paddling
from eight in the morning till sunset, is the
town of Zoobakey, beyond which the current
of the river is too strong to proceed against it.
The banks are sometimes sandy, but there
are no cliffs ; and the water, at a considerable
distance up, is described as being of a deep red.
At times the canoes pass under an agreeable
shade, formed by the foliage above meeting
over the channel, which is greatly diminish
ed in width. The country abounds with ele
phants, which are sometimes caught in pits,
but more generally shot with poisoned arrows
by the Gallah, who inhabit the southern side of
the river, at the general distance from the sea
of one day's journey. They follow the wound-

394 TRADE WITH THE GALLAH.
ed animal, who pines away under the effects of
the poison, and shortly becomes an easy prey.
The Gallah of this part bear the same savage
character as those described at Lamo, and are
like them inimical to the Arabs ; yet the chief
of Kow manages to carry on a little trade with
them, and, as an annual present, which he
makes to their chief, is forfeited by any acts of
hostility or robbery committed by his subjects,
the Gallah leave him tolerably quiet. The trade
consists principally of ivory.
The Gallah have such a dread of firearms,
that they will not enter a house where they
are, or approach them within several yards. A
late occurrence added greatly to their former
terror. A party of Soallese, who were on a
mercantile speculation in the interior, were at
tacked and plundered by the Gallah, notwith
standing their stipulations to the contrary. A
matchlock was among the spoils. One of the
savages, after some time, mustered up courage
enough to approach and to touch it. Finding it
to be harmless, he took a fancy to the weapon,
but, as he knew not how to use it, the novelty
soon wore away, and it became cumbersome.
The iron, however, was valuable, and it was

LEOPARD'S BANK. 395
determined to break the gun in pieces, for the
sake of that material, and to divide it equally
among all. A fire was considered as the readiest
means to accomplish this object: accordingly
one was kindled, and the loaded matchlock
placed in it ; the Gallah to whom it belonged
holding it by the muzzle, until the explosion
took place, when he fell dead — a punishment
inflicted, in the opinion of his comrades, by the
gun in revenge for touching it in the first in
stance, and afterwards presuming to subject it
to the pain of burning. The discharge likewise
severely wounded another of the plunderers.
This occurrence is said to have put an end to
the robberies committed on the Soallese.
On the 24th, we anchored off the Leopard's
Bank, so termed because his Majesty's ship of
that name, commanded by Commodore Blanket,
got upon it during her voyage to the Red Sea ;
or rather, after she was by the monsoon obliged
to relinquish that expedition, and to repair to
Zanzibar for provisions and water, previously to
her making a second attempt. She struck with
violence on the most dangerous part of the reef,
and with great difficulty escaped shipwreck.
From the situation assigned to the ancient

396 ANCIENT PILLAR AT MELINDA.
and once flourishing city of Melinda, there can
be no doubt that the Leopard's Bank once
formed its port, especially as some ruins are
known to exist a short distance in, and on the
sea-shore a small pillar surmounted by a cross ;
the latter I visited in the course of the survey.
It was erected at the extremity of a narrow
rocky promontory, serving as a pier to a small
cove behind it, which, owing to the shallowness
of the water, could never have been used other
wise than by boats. Nine pillars were set up
by order of the King of Portugal, on the west
coast, as emblematic of the sovereignty of that
nation over the various places which it had
discovered. These memorials of dominion
doubtless existed on the east coast as well
as on the west ; though history, as far as my
researches extend, makes mention of the latter
only ; and I consider the pillar opposite to the
Leopard's Bank as one of that class, and proba
bly serving at the same time the purpose of a
landmark. The narrow rocky promontory on
which the pillar stands is of picturesque appear
ance, perforated by two natural archways, and at
the commencement from the land crowned with
verdure. It was perfectly flat at the top, and

ANCIENT PILLAR AT MELINDA. 397
elevated about twelve feet above the sea. If
ever there was an inscription on the pillar, it is
now completely obliterated ; but the marble
cross at the top exhibited the arms of Portugal
in perfect preservation. It is probable that
Vasco da Gama erected it in his voyage to In
dia ; for the people of Melinda, who needed his
assistance, were not likely to check him in set
ting up the shadow of sovereignty, even al
though they might be fully aware of the insult
to them as a free people, which its erection in
volved. At Mombas he experienced treachery ;
but at Melinda, the inhabitants, who were en
gaged in a war with those of the former place,
received him with open arms, entered into an
alliance with him, and on his departure sup
plied him with trustworthy pilots to conduct
him to the East Indies.
He found the city pleasantly situated in a
plain on the sea-shore, surrounded with gardens,
and containing neat houses of hewn stone, with
handsome rooms and painted ceilings. The port
was described as lying at some distance from
the city, and the landing-place as being dan
gerous and difficult of access on account of
rocks. This we found to be the case in a slight

398 HISTORICAL REMARKS ON
degree, though the weather was particularly
fine : had it been otherwise, the spot would have
tallied exactly with the description given of it.
In 1505, the Portuguese, under Don Fran
cisco de Almeyda, took possession of Melinda,
but I have met with no account that mentions
how long it remained with them. About one
hundred and thirty years afterwards it appears
to have been again attacked by the Governor of
Mombas.* The period of its final destruction,
I believe, is not known, though the commence
ment of its decline probably occurred soon after
the conquest of Portugal, in 1580, by the Spa
niards ; who, being occupied in the prosecution
of a war in the Netherlands, entirely neglected
the protection of their newly-acquired posses
sions in the East, and consequently obliged
those who resided there in cities not well de
fended to resort to those which were, such as
Mozambique and Mombas. Another reason is
that, weakened by its. constant wars with Mom-
* This fact I collected from the inscription over the gate
of Mombas castle ; but I am not certain, as the writing is in
old Portuguese, whether Melinda is described as being en
tirely reduced under the dominion of, and garrisoned by,
the Portuguese, or merely tributary to them : I am inclined
to think the latter.

THE CITY OF MELINDA. 399
bas, when that place, so far superior to it in
every respect, was conquered by the Portu
guese, the protection which their presence
yielded to the people of Melinda was probably
in a great measure withdrawn ; and, by the
removal of the European merchants, those of
Goa and other Portuguese settlements in the
East Indies, and the Banyans, to Mombas, its
commerce must have failed with its strength.
The Soallese, the native inhabitants of the
country, and the slaves alone remained ; and
they, hitherto trusting to others for defence,
were incapable of maintaining the city against
the attacks of such formidable neighbours as
the Gallah, by whom, there can be little doubt,
it was ultimately taken and destroyed ; and, as
a descendant of the native kings of Melinda is
still living at Mombas, it is more than probable
that those of the inhabitants who escaped fled
to that place for protection — a curious freak of
fortune, when we consider how great was the
ancient enmity between the two cities. At
least, such was the case when Vasco da Gama
first visited Melinda, and to this cause he no
doubt owed his friendly reception.
The territories of the ancient city of Melinda
vol. i. 2d

400 ANCIENT CITY OF MELINDA.
are at present wholly occupied by the Gallah,
who are much dreaded by the Arabs in their
coast navigation. Our pilot informed me that
they durst not land, as the enmity which the
savages bear to them is so great that they are
constantly on the watch to entrap them. In
general, as already mentioned in the description
of the river Oozee, the Gallah reside a day's
journey inland ; yet in the vicinity of the
Leopard's Bank, and other parts unoccupied
by a stronger force, they are known to venture
close to it.
Whatever changes the ill-fated city of Me
linda may have undergone, it appears to have
escaped the curse of fanaticism in religion ; other
wise the Cross, the eyesore of the Mussulman,
would never have been allowed to stand un
molested by the Soallese, who are of the Mo
hammedan faith.

APPENDIX.

DELAGOA VOCABULARY.

2 d 2

APPENDIX.

DELAGOA VOCABULARY.
In preparing this vocabulary I have been particularly
careful to note down correctly the true pronunciation of the
words, and to ascertain that they were properly applied, by
repeatedly referring back to them.
Those words to which the letter (g) is prefixed I obtained
from George ; the rest, and by far the greatest number, were
furnished by Mungatahney.
As the letter a is by some pronounced ah, I have, when
it is to be used in the latter way, prefixed an h to it.
Ohn is adopted instead of one, in bone, &c. to show that
the e should not be separately sounded.
When eye is used, it is intended to convey such a pro
nunciation as if, in the word yes, the s was dropped and the
ye quickly expressed.

(g)Asleep

. Daccotralah.

Ambergris

. Imbahutey.

Are you hungry ?

. Wane oniey glahnahnong,

Anger

. Bo-ah.

Axe

. Chahtey

(g)Aunt

. Bazhasmahwoonyeh.

Arm

. Evooheo.

Ankle

. Sholoan.

Assagay .

. Mahfoom.

(g)Anchor

. Insomah.

Bullock .

. Ohm.

Buck

. Inyahley.

404

APPENDIX.

Beard

. Shelofo.

Breast

. Movain

Belly

. Ecoozah.

Boat

. Ibbeahteo.

Beef

. Inyahmo.

Banana

. Tissango.

Bead

. Carrahza.

Brother

. Mocqueso.

Boy

. Tissanyan.

Burn

. Esah.

Blood

. Gahtey.

Bed

. Lacooko.

Iron Bangle

. Mahsohngo.

Bone

. Marrahmbo.

Bird

. Yohnyahno.

Bad

. Schefahney.

Big man .

. Monohncoolo.

Breath

. Efamoolah.

Bathe

. Keboomah.

Broom

. Tohalalo.

To Blow

. Ofatah.

Bite

. Loom.

Brass Bangle

. Masseendrah.

(g)Bachelor

. Incquelloquahtey.

(g)Boy .

. Tongwahnah.

(g)Button

. Indallahubah.

(g)Bush

. Armooweenah.

Bottle

. Iffeeleeshe.

Give me Beads

. Ozhrunkah carrahzah

Give me brass '.

3eads Ozhrunkah azzouko.

(g)Blanket

. Dre-e-cleuzey.

(g)Black man

. Wanteemah.

(g)Bee .

. Bullohmba.

To cut

. Tremmah.

To cough

. Coshellah.

DELAGOA VOCABULARY.

405

Cold

. Sherahmey.

To cry

. Drelah.

Call him here

. Moove tahlallah.

Expression used

in

cursing

. Mallotlo.

Carpenter

. Woco wahtlah.

To clap hands .

Wohmpo mahrozhey.

Cow

. Salleah ohm.

Calf

. Rodam.

Cat

Shepaccan.

Cheek

. Sheshah-a.

Calabash

. Massol.

Come here

. Tallano.

(g)Circumcision

. Oquisah.

(g)Come

. Wennah.

(g)Calm

. Nomahndah.

(g)Chillies

. Biszoweezey.

(g)Female Child

. Schettattono ohanahney

Duck

Ippahta.

Dog

. Irubeahney.

Dungaree

. Marroto.

Daughter

One-onyyahno.

Dead man

. Oohn-ah-quiifah.

Dead woman

. Wassahtey-wahquufah.

Day

. Thlecahney.

Dinner

. Thlio-cah-neeney.

Door

. Yangwaney.

To dance

. Keenah.

Doctor

. Wocodeahcah.

To drown

Akklomomeen.

Dirt

. Shamga.

(g)Drink

. Drinnonagh.

(g)Dark

. Manyahmah.

(g)Drunk

. Coppokah.

406

APPENDIX.

Elephant EyeEar
Eyebrow Eyelash
Elbow Ear-ring
Earthenware pot
(g)Eigh-t
(g)Eleven(g)Eighteen(g)Eyes
(g)To eat
(g)Eighty .
Human excrement
Entrails

Injoso. Eteso.
Inglava.Te-she-e.Tlccoa.Sissas-ong.
Tsheshungwahna Inglava.
Tahmbaco.Klahnouah na tshuzhahzo.
Coome na cheengwah.
Coome na klahno tshuzhahzo.
Teethlo.
Conda-ah.Klahno mah coom na coomma
mazhahzo.
Wahuyeah.Marroombo.

FowlFish
Give me Fish
ForeheadFinger FootFather Fire To flog
FleshFat
To fly
(g)Four .
(g)Five(g)Fourteen (g)Fifteen
(g)Forty(g)Fifty

Oco.
Shamfah.Andreah shamfah.
Ammashouan.
Leeteo. Shefambo. Tattam.
Drelo.
Coobah. Chefoogo. Koolokeley.Ehahhah.
Mooneye.Inklahno.Coome na mooneye.
Coome na inklahno.
Muhnommahcoom.
Inklahnomahcoom.

DELAGOA VOCABULARY.

407

(g)Grandfather Fisherman

Coquahnah. Woco oshah.

Goat GooseGumsGirl or daughter
God Go away
Give me drink
Give me something to
eat
Go to bed
Get up
To grunt
Pit to bury a man, or
Grave
Good Go on shore .
Go on board
Gun To growl
(g)Looking-Glass
Horse HippopotamusHead
HairHand
Hoe ...
Husband
How do you do ?
Hold your tongue
To hope
He is sick
Hut

Botey. Handrun.Woosh-shin-nyeeny. Oue-ouy yahno.
Avan-vahle-teeh. Fahmbo.
Andreah saccou.
Andreah saccootey.
Thumbo why a tee.
Foocah.Ohn-gohn-yee.
Kaley-wohk lash am on.
Sche ohmbey.
Fohmbo ahuyee.
Fohmbo gallowain.
Scheballasah.
Cothlalo. Schee woneywoney.
Mongwoah. Fovo. Shoco.
Missees. Chausa.
Codremo. Noonah.
Sheewahna. Me-el.
Wahcoottah. Towahtehe ecar.
Chelambey.

408

APPENDIX.

HiccoughHaul, or pull
To hiss
Hot water
He is gone away
He is coming
How far ?
How many ? .
How 's the time ?
Hubble-bubble(g)Hip . .
(g)Hoop
(g)Hell . .
(g)Honey
(g)Handkerchief
(g)Hundred

Ivory
I will fight
I will kill
I am sick
I am cold
I am hot
If you please
Instrument to cut hair
with

Shautah.
Waitah
Senkah.Matta yaccoes.
Ah-tham-bela. Ewohtah.
Coole-erco-zhenisha.
Tiugahnenah.Thlicka nuocomah.
Kormah.
Inyaingah. Ehorrubo.
Sehetoungah.Immowah.
Intooso.
Klahno mahcoom na klahno
namma coommah mahzhaly.
Illeohndro lenjoso.
Etahlowen. Etah gli awacohn.
Drahwahgee.Deim nisherahmey.
Deim ninyeoquo.
Eco serandambo.
Lecahza.

To jump

Clewlah.

Kitten
KneeKing of a country who
has chiefs under him
To kick
Kill him .

Foond-gzha.
Trolb.Ose amosahnb.
Glahoahtah.Gli-o-en.

DELAGOA VOCABULARY.

To kiss

Kahshahn.

(g)Knife

Immoquah.

(g)Kettle

Thlamlatb.

To kill .

Gli.

Upper lip

Annonoleasha.

Leg

Nanga.

Let go

Triccatah.

To look

Lahveesah.

Large

Schecoolo.

Little

Schetrungo.

Little man

Monohn triingb.

To laugh

Shakah.

Let me alone

Tetrekah.

A dungaree, or Lap

Ecappelahney.

A sort of native liquor

Epealila.

Mustachio

Tindrafo.

Mountain

Foonyey.

Seed of maize

Ohnclantey setrombo,

Maize

Setrombo.

Mutton •

Ifiyahmb.

Mother

Mamahnah.

Man

Oohn.

Morning

Shim me ohoe en.

Mat

Foomlah.

Mind yourself

Tindracah.

(g)Man, come hither

Nandoua.

(g)Married man

Won oohn.

(g)Man, old

Affeela.

(g)Mouth

Nomb.

(g)Mast of a ship

Imlnomah.

(g)Black Man

Wonteemah.

(g) White Man

Montlohey.

(g)Musket

Scheballesah.

(g)Moon

Ewaytey.

To mew

Shippahcan.

409

410

APPENDIX.

Nose

. N'ohmfo.

Nostril

. Andrean cat n'ohmfo.

Neck

. Inahmb.

Night

. Woosseek.

No .

. Ee-ee (pronounced nasally).

Never mind

. Ambo setreek.

No noise

. Goiuch eclahlah.

(g)Nine

. Klahno na mooneye.

(g)Nineteen .

. Come na klahno mooneye.

(g)Ninety

. Klahno mahcoom na klahno

namooneye.

(g)Navel

. Incahbah.

Of a finger, thumb, or

toe nail

. Morlah.

Oil .

. Mahfoosah.

(g)One .

Cheengwah.

(g)Onion

Tinyahlah.

(g)Oar .

. Mahohmbey.

Pig .

. Gbloua.

Pork

. Danya-yangbloola.

Pine-apple

. Lahlahsee.

Pain

Sindrah vahvahseen.

Powder

. Othloongo.

Puppy .

. Schimb yan nan.

Proud

. Wahtrongallahlah.

(g)Pannikin .

. Indalo.

(g)Pumpkin

. Chillotan.

(g)Pipe

. Epepah.

(g)A Plate

. Bassalah.

(g)Pulse

. Esehah.

(g)Pistol

. Schillahpahn.

Quill

. Trengah.

Queen

. Ancahto ose amosahno.

DELAGOA VOCABULARY.

411

Rhinoceros .

, Mellemby.

Rice

. Poongah.

River

. Mefoolo.*

To run

Trotroomah.

Rope

. Peendrah.

Rib

. Imbahmbb.

Sheep

. Yemfb

Shoulder

Moccaht.

Sweet potatoes

. Meeshahto.

Shield

. Tche clangb.

Sister

. Mocqueso one onyyah no

Son .

. M6-an.

Sea

. Ammahtey maccoon.

Saltwater

. Ammahtey ammooney.

Salt

. Ammooney.

To stink

Sannoomwah.

Shell

. Ohmbah.

Seat.

. Strahmo.

To sing

. Imbellel.

To spit

. Sensah.

To scratch

Tinwoy yey.

To snap the fingers

. Byam mahsah.

Ship

. Gallow.

To sing out

. Mooveet.

To stop

. Yim.

To shave

. Be yow lah.

To swim

. Thlambo.

To sink

. Teekah.

* As we have never before been able to obtain from the Caffres of Delagoa
any word that conveyed the abstract idea of a river, but have found that
whenever a river was to be named it bore the appellation of the country
through which it passed ; I am inclined to believe that the name here given
means the river Mafoomo, or English River ; and possibly Mungatahney
might imagine that name to be general, as it was the only river with which
he was well acquainted. — Note by Captain Omen.

412

APPENDIX.

To sweep

. Oucoulah.

Sail

. Trongo.

To strike

. Gohn yee.

To snuffle

. Mahzhomeelo.

To sneeze

. Enshahmoolah.

To snore

. Mahncohnthro.

Spoon

. Cohmbey.

(g)Six . .

. Klahno cheengwah.

(g)Seven

. Klahno natshabezey.

(g)Sixteen

. Coomey na klahno cheengwah.

(g)Sixty .

. Klahno mahcoom coomah

cheengwah.

(g)Seventeen

. Coomey na klahno tshabezey.

(g)Seventy .

. Klahno mahcoom nacoomah

mahbezey.

(g)Spade

Schee coohm.

(g) Sword

. Lippangwah.

(g)Sand .

. Missahwah.

(g)Sun

. Dambo.

(g)Star .

. N'yellayta.

(g) Storm

. Ningatim.

(g)Sunset

. Zchepaley.

(g)Sunrise

. Dahoomba dambo.

(g)Sick .

. Wahwahgah.

(g)Sleep

. Drietraley.

(g)Shoes

. Dre-at-fahmbo.

(g)Spirits, Rum

, &c. Sopey.

Tortoise

. Efoulo.

Tree

. Inyoava.

Toe

. Tintevo tamma nang.

Thigh

. Tohmbey.

Thumb

. Leeteb lekohl.

Tongue

. Liddrim.

Tooth

. Mahteenyb.

Tell me

. Dribbey-eh.

DELAGOA VOCABULARY.

413

To talk
Throat
(g)Two(g)Three (g)Ten
(g)Twelve (g)Thirteen .
(g)Twenty(g)Twenty-one (g)Twentj'-two (g) T wen ty- three
(g)Twenty-four(g) Twenty-five
(g)Twenty-six (g)Twenty-seven(g)Twenty-eight(g)Twenty-nine
(g)Thirty (g)Tattooing
(g)Tobacco(g)Thank you
Urine
Veal Water, fresh
Woman

. Woolah woolah.
. Coolo.
. Tshubezey.Tshuzhahzo.
. Coomee.
. Coomee na tshubez.
Coomee na tshuzhahzo.
. Mahcoomee mahbezee.
. Mahcoomee mahbezee
na cheengwah.
, Mahcoome mahbezee
na tshubezee.
. Mahcoomee mahbezee
na tshuzhahzo.
. Mahcoomee mahbezee
na mooneye.
. Mahcoomee mahbezee na
inklahno
. Mahcoomee mahbezee na
inklahno na tshubezey.
- Mahcoomee mahbezee na
inklahno na tshubezey.
. Mahcoomee mahbezee na
inklahno na tshuzhahzo.
. Mahcoomee mahbezee na
inklahno na mooneye.
. Mahcoome mahzhahzo.
. Tinthlangah.
. Ephola.
. Cannemambo.
. Wossoondrah.
. Derrodahn.
. Ammahtey asslogo.
. Wassahtey.

414

APPENDIX.

What do you want ?
Where are you going ?
What are you about ?
To walk
Will you come ?
WoundWood To whistle
To wash
Who calls me ?
(g)Widow (g)Wife(g)Old Woman
(g)Wrist (g)Wind(g)Not in want of any
thing, or be off
(g) Water-melon
Where have you been ?

Ouso ta eena.
Y-a-quinnena.
Wahnchah neenah.
Fahmbah.
Wotatonnbn. Oneshelohndah.Toowoonyee.
Ououtah. Eclahmso.Draweet immah neenah.
Annoonha noosoommandaley.
Aquahbo.
Woncahley.
Chahwah. Imwahloungah.
Diallah. Ecabbatlah. Ahffo olequenenah.

Yes

Ah-een.

THE END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

LONDON :
PRINTED BY "AMUEL EENTI.EV,
Dorset Stre- Fleet Street.

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

A39002008897796B

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
This book has been preserved
through the generosity of
David Laventhol, 1957

rAH-'I'-'n'AAA'i ';;AA

;i;i : !;!i;;!ih