the Cataracts. In addition to the confession of the Governor
of Tette> of an intention to go on with this slaving in accordance
with the counsel of his elder brother at Mosambique,
we had reason to believe that slavery went on under
the eye of his Excellency, the Governor-General himself;
and this was subsequently corroborated by our recognising
two women at Mosambique who had lived within a hundred
yards of the Mission-station at Magomero. They were well
known to our attendants, and had formed a part of a gang
of several hundreds taken to Mosambique by the Ajawa at
the very time when his Excellency was entertaining English
officers with anti-slavery palavers. To any one who understands
how minute the information is, which Portuguese
governors possess by means of their own slaves, and through
gossiping traders who seek to curry their favour, it is idle to
assert that all this slaving goes on without their approval and
connivance.
If more had been wanted to prove the hopelessness of producing
any change in the system which has prevailed ever
smce our allies, the Portuguese, entered the country, we
had it in the impunity with which the freebooter, Terera,
who had murdered Chibisa, was allowed to carry on his
forays. Belchior, another marauder, had been checked,
but was still allowed to make war, as they term slave-
hunting.
Mr. Horace Waller was living for some five months on
Mount Morambala, a position from which the whole process
of the slave-trade, and depopulation of the country around
Could be well noted. The mountain overlooks the Shire,
the beautiful meanderings of which are distinctly seen, on clear
days, for thirty miles. This river was for some time supposed
to be closed against Mariano, who, as a mere matter of form,
was declared a rebel against the Portuguese flag. When,
however, it became no longer possible to keep up the sham,
the river was thrown open to him; and Mr. Waller has seen
in a single day from fifteen to twenty canoes of different
sizes going down, laden with slaves, to the Portuguese settlements
from the so-called rebel camp. These cargoes were
composed entirely of women and children. Eor three months
this traffic was incessant, and at last, so completely was the
mask thrown off, that one of the officials came to pay a visit
to Bishop Tozer on another part of the same mountain, and,
combining business with pleasure, collected payment for some
canoe work done for the Missionary party, and with this purchased
slaves from the rebels, who had only to be hailed from
the bank of the river. When he had concluded the bargain he
trotted the slaves out for inspection in Mr. Waller’s presence.
This official, Senhor Mesquita, was the only officer who could
be forced to live at the Kongone. Erom certain circumstances
in his life, he had fallen under the power of the
local Government; all the other Custom-house officers refused
to go to Kongone, so here poor Mesquita must live
on a miserable pittance—must live, and perhaps slave, sorely
against his will. His name is not brought forward with a
view of throwing any odium on his character. The disinterested
kindness which he showed to Hr. Meller, and others,
forbids that he should be mentioned by us with anything like
unkindness.
Other parties were out to the south-east of Senna, slaving
for exportation from Inhambane. While we were at Shu-
panga, an embassy was sent to us with an. offer of ivory, and
all the land not occupied by the Zulus, if we would only send
a few people to expel the Senna slave-hunters from the
neighbourhood. Here, as with what are called the emigrant
Boers of the interior of the Cape, the secret of power is, the
possession of gunpowder; bowmen cannot stand the attack of