exaggerations of the incensed Portuguese, who naturally
enough were exasperated with him for stopping their trade,
and harbouring their runaway slaves; but we learned afterwards
from the natives, that the accounts given us by the
Portuguese had not exceeded the tru th ; and that Mariano
was quite as great a ruffian as they had described him.
One expects slave-owners to treat their human chattels as
well as men do other animals of value, but the slave-trade
seems always to engender an unreasoning ferocity, if not
bloodthirstiness.
War was declared against Mariano, and a force sent to take
him; he resisted for a time; but seeing that he was likely to
get the worst of it, and knowing that the Portuguese governors
have small salaries, and are therefore “ disposed to be
reasonable,” he went down to Quillimane to “ arrange ” with
the Governor, as it is termed here; but Colonel da Silva
put him in prison, and then sent him for trial to Mosambique.
When we came into the country, his people were fighting
under his brother Bonga. The war had lasted six months
and stopped all trade on the river during that period. On
the 15th June we first came into contact with the “ rebels.”
They appeared as a crowd of well-armed and fantastically-
dressed people under the trees at Mazaro. On explaining
that we were English, some at once came on board and called
to those on shore to lay aside their arms. On landing among
them we saw that many had the branded marks of slaves
on their chests, but they warmly approved our objects, and
knew well the distinctive. character of our nation on the
slave question. The shout at our departure contrasted
strongly with the suspicious questioning on our approach.
Henceforth we were recognised as friends by both parties.
At a later period we were taking in wood within a mile of
the scene of action, but a dense fog prevented our hearing the
noise of a battle at Mazaro; and on arriving there, immediately
after, many natives and Portuguese appeared on the
bank.
Dr. Livingstone, landing to salute some of his old
friends among the latter, found himself in the sickening
smell, and among the mutilated bodies of the slain; he was
requested to take the Governor, who was very ill of fever,
across to Shupanga, and just as he gave his assent, the rebels
renewed the fight, and the balls began to whistle about in
all directions. After trying in vain to get some one to assist
the Governor down to the steamer, and unwilling to leave
him in such danger; as the officer sent to bring our Kroomen
did not appear, he went into the hut, and dragged along his
Excellency to the ship. He was a very tall man, and as he
swayed hither and thither from weakness/weighing down
Dr. Livingstone, it must have appeared like one drunken man
helping another. Some of the Portuguese white soldiers
stood fighting with great bravery against the enemy in
front, while a few were coolly shooting at their own slaves
for fleeing into the river behind. The rebels soon retired,
and the Portuguese escaped to a sandbank in the Zambesi,
and thence to an island opposite Shupanga, where they lay for
some weeks, looking at the rebels on the mainland opposite.
This state of inactivity on the part of the Portuguese
could not well be helped, as they had expended all their ammunition
and were waiting anxiously for supplies; hoping,
no doubt, sincerely that the enemy might not hear that
their powder had failed. Luckily their hopes were not
disappointed; the rebels waited until a supply came, and
were then repulsed after three-and-a-half hours’ hard fighting.
Two months afterwards Mariano’s stockade was burned,