THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
^
HOW I CROSSED AFRICA:
FROM THE
ATLANTIC TO THE INDIAN OCEAN, THROUGH UNKNOWN COUNTRIES ;
DISCOVERY OF THE GREAT ZAMBESI AFFLUENTS, Sec.
By major SERPA PINTO.
TRANSLATED FROM THE AUTHOR'S MANUSCRIPT
By ALFRED ELWES.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
CONTAINING 15 MAPS AND FACSIMILES, AND 132 ILLUSTRATIONS.
Vol. I.— the KING'S RIFLE.
LONDON:
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON,
CROWN BUILDINGS, 188 FLEET STREET.
1881.
\ All riyhli reserved.']
LONDON:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, Limited,
STAMFOKL) STREET AND CHASING CKOSS.
J'Oi
75/
TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING,
D. LUIZ I.,
BY GRACIOUS PEBMISSION
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED BY
THE AUTHOR.
a Z
1 223090
SIEE,
It was no feeling of servile adulation wliich
induced me to pray Your Majesty's permission to
dedicate to you this Book ; it was rather the recog-
nition of a double debt of justice and gratitude, — of
justice to the intelligent and enlightened monarch who
signed the decree which created resources for the first
Portuguese scientific expedition of the present century
to Central Africa, — of gratitude to the prince whose
endowments, both of heart and mind, are on a par
with his lofty qualities, and render him one of the first
constitutional rulers of contemporary Europe.
Your Majesty gave me the opportunity of connect-
ing the obscure name of a Portuguese soldier with one
of the happiest and most auspicious attempts essayed
in modern times by Portugal.
And this work belongs therefore to Your Majesty,
as a legitimate title of my profound gratitude. I con-
sequently venture respectfully to entreat Your Majesty
( vi )
to be good enough to accept the humble offering in the
same benevolent spirit wherewith you deigned to spur
me on to an enterprise of which, at its close, Your
Majesty's favours were still held to be the sincerest and
most treasured recompense.
Your aide-de-camp
And most devoted of
Your subjects,
Alexandre de Serpa Pinto.
LoNnoN, 61 Go^rER Street,
b(h December, 1880.
( vii )
TO HIS EXCELLENCY, COUNSELLOR
JOAO D'ANDRADE CORVO.
Most Itxustrious and Excellent Sir,
In submitting my name, in 1877, to the Central
Permanent Commission of Geography with a view-
to my forming part of the Portuguese expedition to
the interior of Africa, Your Excellency assumed the
responsibility of my nomination.
It was my constant desire to give Your Excellency
the fullest satisfaction for thus venturing to select me
for the performance of so arduous a task.
This book contains, together with a narrative of my
adventures, the results of my labours and studies.
I do not know whether they will come up to Your
Excellency's expectations ; and I am just as ignorant
whether I have properly fulfilled the duties which Your
Excellency, in the name of our country, intrusted to me.
I have, however, the consciousness that I did
my best, and that I followed out, so far as human
strength enabled me to do, Your Excellency's ideas
and instructions.
A perusal of my narrative will show Y^our Excel-
lency with how many difficulties I struggled, and how
poor were the resources I at last had at my disposal.
( vi.i )
If, however, the results of my labours are found to
correspond to the confidence with w^iicli Your Ex-
cellency was good enough to honour me, they will
constitute the highest praise to which I can aspire,
being, as I am, the most respectful admirer of Your
Excellency's talent, vast knowledge, and elevated
qualities.
Alexaxdri; de Serpa Pinto.
London, 61 Gower Stki::^!-,
2Sth November, 1880.
( ix )
A TRIBUTE OF GRATITUDE.
I AM about to cite names. It is a difficult and a
dangerous task. There is always a fear of wounding
the modest or hurting the susceptible. Nevertheless I
must venture.
The list will be a long one, as the favours were
many in number ; and I may perchance sin in the way
of omission, the offspring of a slothful memory.
May I obtain pardon, both from thoge who would
wish to hide their kindness behind the veil of modesty,
and from those whom a slip of remembrance may
have caused me to leave unnamed.
Following the chronological order of facts, I will
endeavour to recall, with a deep feeling of gratitude,
the many services and kindnesses I have received.
To the Central Geographical Commission belongs
the first place in my estimation, for having selected me
as its instrument in the work of exploration which it
had decided upon making in Africa.
Proposed by lI.E. Counsellor Andrade Corvo, I was
unanimously accepted by that learned body, and the
suggestions which I presented for the organisation of
the undertaking were duly attended to. While speak-
ing of the Central Geographical Commission, I cannot
retrain from mentioning individuals, for, though I
received courtesy from all, I was especially assisted by
many.
( X )
Dr. Bernardino Antonio Gomes, the Marquis de
Sousa-Hollstein, Antonio Aiigusto Teixera de Yascon-
cellos, are names which ought not to escape a record of
my gratitude, though their owners are now lying in
their graves.
Dr. JuHo Rodriguez, Luciano Cordeiro, Dr. Bocage,
Count de Ficalho, Carlos Testa, Pereira da Silva, Jorge
Figaniere and Francisco da Costa e Silva, were the
gentlemen who, from their position at the Board, most
endeavoured to honour me with their favour.
Another with whom I only became personally
acquainted years afterwards, who was absent while
the expedition was being organised, lent his valuable
counsel in respect of the scientific portions of the
enterprise. I refer to Mr. Brito Limpo.
Outside of the Society, I obtained valuable assistance
from my intimate friends Murrecas Ferreira and Joao
Botto.
After the Central Commission comes the Geographi-
cal Society of Lisbon, and prominently among its
members are its Presidents, Dr. Bocage and Viscount
de St. Januario, and its Secretaries Luciano Cordeiro
and Rodrigo Pequito.
The Portuguese Journals follow in a natural course,
and I cordially thank their editors for all the favours
they have conferred upon me, and for the manner in
which they hailed my appointment.
Beyond my own country most valuable aid was
afforded me by Mendes Leal, Antonio d'Abbadie and
Ferdinand de Lesseps in Paris ; and Tiscount de
Duprat and Lieutenant Pinto da Fonseca Taz in
London ; inasmuch as the co-operation of those gen-
tlemen, and that only, enabled Capello and myself
to carry out our resolve, to have all the material of
the expedition organised within a month.
Before quitting Portugal, two other gentlemen must
( xi ;
be remembered, as they had much to do with the ulti-
mate success of our enterprise.
These are Counsellor Jose de Mello e Gouvea, who
was then intrusted with the portfolio of Ultramar, and
Francisco Costa, the Director-General of the Ministry
of the Colonies.
Pedro d'Almeida Tito and Avelino Fernandes
showed me so much attention on my journey, that I
cannot refrain from mentioning them here.
After them follow the Governor of Cape Yerde, Vasco
Guedes, and the Governor of Angola, Caetano d'Albu-
querque ; both of whom displayed the utmost kindness.
In Loanda, Jose Maria de Prado, Urbano de Castro,
Consul New^ton, the Associacao Commercial and, above
all, the officers and commander of the gunboat Tamega
earned a title to my deepest gratitude.
And now comes a name which at that time was
being echoed from every part of the globe, to the
remotest corners of which it had penetrated —
Henry Moreland Stanley.
The great explorer, the intrepid traveller, who had
just terminated the most stupendous journey of modern
times, was my friend and my counsellor, from whom I
received the most valuable lessons. A better master
could not well be obtained, I will beg him to accept,
in these brief lines, the sincerest tribute of the great
admiration I feel for him, and the frankest expression
of my esteem, and of the gratitude with which he has
inspired me.
In Benguella, Pereira de Mello and Silva Porto
occupy the first place : I need not stay to speak of
them at greater length, as their acts, narrated in these
volumes, constitute their highest praise. Antonio
Ferreira Marques, Lieutenant Seraphim, the chemist
Monteiro, and Vieira da Silva, are names which I
cannot pass unnoticed.
( xii )
Santos Reis, my host of the Dombe Grande, and
Lieutenant Roza of Qiiillengiies, are two more creditors
to my g-ratitude.
I will now make a prodigious leap, and without
stopping at Dr. Bradshaw and the Coillard family,
transport myself to Bamanguato, to Shoshong, where
the favours of King Kama, and above all those of Mr.
and Mrs. Taylor will ever dwell in my memory.
But no light difficulty next presents itself. I am in
Pretoria — in the first civilised portion of the world
I fell in with after leaving Benguella ; and where the
fiivours heaped upon me were so many that I know
not how to find words or space to record the names of
their bestowers.
Mr. Swart, the Grovernment Treasurer, was the first to
honour me, and he is of right the first to be recorded.
After him come Frederick Jeppe, Secretary Osborne,
Dr. Rissick, Mr. Kisch, Major Tylor and Captain
Saunders, together with all the ofdcers of the 80th
regiment.
Baroness van Lovetzow, Mrs. Imink and Mrs. Kisch,
and finally Colonel Lanyan.
Sir Bartle Frere immediately came to my aid, nor
was our Portuguese Consul at the Cape, Snr. Carvalho,
far behind.
If I owe a debt of gratitude to the English Grovernor,
I am no less beholden to the Portuguese Consul, who,
by means of immediate telegrams, hastened to render
me the utmost assistance.
Monseigneur Jolivet, the learned Bishop of Natal,
then residing at Pretoria, was not among the last to
load me with favours.
On my way to Durban, I received tlie utmost
courtesy from Mr. Goodliffe, and wlien at Maritzburg
those courtesies were repeated by Colonel Baker,
Captain Whalley, Mrs. Saunders, and Mr. Furse.
( xiii )
In Durban, Mr. Snell, the Portuguese Consul, and
Mr. and Mrs. B. H. de Waal, the gentleman at the
head of the Handels Company of Eastern Africa, were
foremost in their kindness and attention.
The task I have imposed upon myself becomes more
and more embarrassing. I am on my way to Europe
after the completion of my journey, and favours and
courtesy meet me at every stage.
In Lourengo Marquez I have to mention Castilho,
Machado, Maia, and Fonseca. In Mozambique,
Governor Cunha, Torrezao, and in fact every one.
In Zanzibar, Dr. and Mrs. Kirk, AYidmar, and above
all Captain Draper of the Danubio, belonging to the
Union Steam Ship Company, who conveyed me thither
from Durban, should not remain unnamed.
In Cairo, again, Widmar was most kind. In Alex-
andria, Count and Countess de Caprara especially
deserved my acknowledgments.
Even before I reached Lisbon, I received an im-
portant service from the Baron de Mendon9a at
Bordeaux.
In Lisbon, the Government in the first instance, and
friends old and new, vied with each other in showing
me attention.
I remained there some ten days, which were all too
short to acknowledge the acts of courtesy shown me,
and which left me not a minute for thanks.
Barely recovered from the fatigues of my voyage,
it was expected that I should deliver a lecture upon
my wanderings, and without the valuable assistance
rendered me by Pequito, Sarrea Prado, Batalha Reis,
and Dr. Bocage, it would have been impossible for me
to pull through.
Not wishing or rather not being able here to
mention other names, so great is their number, I must
content myself with thanking, in the warmest terms of
( xiv )
gratitude, the Geographical Society of Lisbon, for all
their attentions towards me.
To the Associacao Commercial, and to its worthy
President Snr. Chamisso, who all through displayed the
utmost interest in the exploration of which I formed
part, I tender my heartfelt acknowledgments.
I learned when at Lisbon a fact which I cannot
refrain from recording here, and coupling with it a
name, that of Snr. Thomaz Ribeiro, To him I am
indebted for the orders he gave, in his capacity of
Minister of Marine, that assistance should be sent
me from Mozambique into the interior of Africa, and I
herewith tender him my grateful thanks.
I beg also to express my deep acknowledgments to
the Diplomatic Corps resident in Lisbon, and above
all to M. Morier, Baron de P. Hegeurt, Laboulay, the
Marquis d'Oldoini and Ruata.
My thanks are also due to the Associacao Commercial
of Oporto, to the voluntary Fire Brigade of that city,
to the Sociedade Euterpe, and the Sociedade de In-
struccao, as well as to the municipalities and other
institutions of the country, who did me honour.
To the Portuguese Associations in Brazil, to my
fellow-countrymen, who were so kind to me when far
from home, to all those who spared neither time nor
pains on my behalf, I waft friendly greetings and
expressions of my gratitude.
Above all are they due to those who formed a
Society bearing my name, and from distant Pernam-
buco offered me this delicate compliment, which I am
not likely ever to forget.
It is now my pleasing duty in the order of events
to offer my thanks to foreign Sovereigns for the high
honours which they conferred upon me, more especially
to His Majesty of Belgium, the illustrious and learned
King Leopold, the great instigator of modern geo-
( XV )
graphical discovery in Africa, who, apart from the
honour with which he deigned to distinguish me, gave
me marks of the most cordial esteem, and expressed the
kindest interest in my welfare.
The Greographical Societies of France, and chiefly
those of Paris, in the persons of Admiral La Eonciere
le Noury, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Messrs. Daubre,
Maunoir, d'Abbadie, de Qiiatrefages and Duveyrier,
were profuse in their favours; the Society at Mar-
seilles, conferred upon me a lofty and cherished dis-
tinction, and its President, M. Babaud, showed me the
utmost courtesy ; nor must I forget the kindness of the
Societe Commerciale of Paris, or of its worthy Secretary-
General, M. Grauthiot.
Referring to Paris, I cannot leave unnoticed the
Portuguese Colony, nor among its members, the names
of Mendes Leal, Count de S. Miguel, Camillo de Moraes,
Pereira Leite, Garrido and Dr. Aguiar, whose friendly
attentions will never be effaced from my mind.
I also feel deeply indebted to the Belgian Geo-
graphical Societies, and particularly to that of Anvers,
in the persons of their Presidents, General Liagre and
Colonel Wauvermans ; nor should I fail to record, in a
country where I met with universal courtesy, the names
of Messrs. du Fief, Bamps and Colonel Strauch, and
above all that of Count de Thomar, whose repeated
favours and cordiality of treatment converted the
sincere esteem of oin* first relations into what I trust
will be a lasting friendship.
In the order of dates I now come to England,
the last upon my list, but perhaps the first in point of
importance, owing to the numerous acts of courtesy and
recognition which I there met with.
My gratitude was first awakened in the English
Colonies of South Africa, and it was increased tenfold
by my reception in the mother-country.
( xvi )
I cannot possibly name all those to whom I here
proffer my most grateful thanks, but I would specially
express my acknowledgments to the Geographical
Society of London, to its President the Earl of North-
brook, to its Secretaries Clements R. Markham and
Bates, and to its members Sir Rutherford Alcock, Lord
Arthur Russell, and Yiscount de Duprat.
To Mr. Frederick Youle, Dr. Peacock and Messrs.
M. d'Antas, Sampaio, Fonseca Yaz, Quillinan, Duprat
and Ribeiro Saraiva, I owe, besides the most cordial
attentions, a deep debt of gratitude for services
rendered during my serious illness, for which I offer
them here a public acknowledgment.
Ere I conclude, I must not omit to mention the
names of Mr. David Ward, the Mayor of Sheffield, and
of my particular friend the great and eminent explorer,
Yerney Lovett Cameron, and with them I must close
a list which is likely otherwise to be interminable.
To the Scientific Societies of other countries and to
all those who are not otherwise alluded to, but from
whom I received distinguished favours, I beg to
express my warmest acknowledgments, not the less
sincere because they are not individually awarded.
Major Alexandre de Serpa Pinto.
London, 5th December, 1880.
( xvii )
THE BOOK.
This book has no pretensions to a literary work.
Written without much attention to form, it is a
faithful reproduction of my travelling diary.
I have eliminated from it onany episodes of the chase,
and other matters which may, during my intervals of
leisure, constitute a volume of a special character. I
have endeavoured, above all else, to put prominently
forward that which I deemed most interesting in the
way of geographic and ethnographic research ; and
if I have occasionally interwoven a few of the many
dramatic episodes which abounded in my fatiguing
enterprise, I have done so where they became connected
with notable facts of sujBficient importance to alter a
projected itinerary, to determine my stay in, or my
precipitate march from, any place, which would be
incomprehensible without an explanation of the causes
which led up to such resolve.
To a European, and generally to any man who has
never travelled in the wilds of Africa, what explorers
have to endure in penetrating into that continent, what
difficulties they have at every instant to overcome, and
what iron labour they have to go through, will be well
nigh incomprehensible.
The narratives of Livingstone, Cameron, Stanley,
Burton, Grant, Savorgnan de Brazza, d'Abbadie, Ed.
Mohr, and many others, are far from depicting all the
VOL. I. b
( xviii )
sufferings of the African traveller. It is difficult, in
fact, for any one to conceive them who has not ex-
perienced them in his own person ; and it is equally
difficult for the man who has endured them to describe
them properly.
I do not even attempt to portray what I suft'ered, or
endeavour to show the amount of work I had to perform.
Whether those who calmly examine the result of
my labours will or will not give me tlie just meed
which I consider rightly my due, is to-day a matter of
indifference to me, being, as I am, convinced that I
can only be properly judged by those who, like, myself,
have trodden the almost endless tracts of the Dark
Continent, and have undergone the wretchedness and
privations which were too often my lot in the country.
Just as only that man who, being a father, can
comprehend the bitter grief occasioned by the loss
of a beloved child, so only he who has been himself an
explorer can thoroughly appreciate the tribulations
that a brother explorer has to endure.
The facts narrated in this book are the expression of
the truth ; a bitter truth indeed at times, but which it
would be a deep wrong to conceal.
I have endeavoured to present therein the results of
a ceaseless labour of many months, and I vouch for
what I record about African geography, as being the
sole authority to speak upon the subject in what con-
cerns my own special journey ; and I shall continue to
vouch for the correctness of my data, until some other
man shall follow in my steps across the African con-
tinent, and convince me that I am in error.
The general opinions which I enunciate touching
this or that problem may be erroneous ; they are of
course open to criticism, and may fall to the ground
beneath the practical demonstration of future journeys,
in the same manner as have fallen the assertions of
( '^i^ )
many of my most illustrious predecessors ; but what I
hold to be incontestable and impossible to be contested,
are the facts which I saw, and the data which refer to
the countries I passed through, and which I describe
in this book with the conscientiousness that ought ever
to dictate the records of the explorer.
I did not repair to Africa with a view to gain
money. I had but the scanty pay of an officer in the
army, and I sought no other.
I left behind me a family that I held most dear. I
left my country and all its attractions, for a weary
labour, and for the sole purpose of labouring, in co-
operation with other countries, in the great task of
survey of the unknown continent ; and I feel the con-
sciousness of having done so with all my strength.
I leave to men of science, and to those who are
authorities in such matters, to appreciate my work
according to its deserts.
I say no more upon a subject which may, perhaps,
appear to spring from a spirit of vanity to which I am
a stranger, but circumstances of an unusual kind, which
occurred during the early months of my residence in
Europe, after completing my weary African journey,
dictated the lines which I have above written.
A year has passed since I began to reduce to shape
the results of my African labours, but an obstinate
illness, again and again, stood in the way of my ardent
desire to lay those labours before the public.
Commenced in London in September 1879, my book
was almost entirely written in the months of Sej^tember
and October 1880, at the Figueira da Foz in Portugal.
The haste with which it was terminated will no
doubt have contributed gi-eatly to its imperfection of
form.
It is published in London, where, with the eminent
firm of Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington^
h 2
( XX )
I met with facilities which I could scarcely have found
elsewhere.
Those gentlemen did not hesitate to incur the
enormous expense naturally inherent to so difficult and
costly a publication, and they have been good enough
to undertake to print in England the Portuguese edition ;
a most onerous task, where the difference between the
two languages necessitated the founding of new type,
owing to the characteristic marks of our soutliern
idiom. ■
I am deeply indebted to them for the care and
attention they have devoted to the work, to the merit
of which, if it be held to possess any, they have
certainly largely contributed.
The book was written in Portuguese, and its trans-
lation was kindly undertaken by Mr. Alfred Elwes, the
well-known English writer and philologist. I beg to
express my warmest acknowledgments to that gentle-
man, for the way in which he has interpreted my ideas
and faithfully translated my phrases — a task of the
greater difficulty, as the richness and intricacy of the
Portuguese language are considerable. On perusing
the English translation, I have again and again admired
the closeness with which my style has been adhered to ;
for my phrases are laconic, and therefore all the more
stubborn to deal with in a foreign language. If the
book have any value, it has certainly lost nothing by
translation into English, and to Mr. Elwes the honour
of executing it so conscientiously is due.
Before closing these remarks, I wish also to thank
most sincerely Counsellor Antonio Ribeiro Saraiva,
who, notwithstanding his own duties and his advanced
age, was good enough to do me the special favour to
correct the Portuguese proofs ; Mr. E. Weller, the
cartographer, who undertook the engraving of my
maps ; and Mr. Cooper, who has so admirably succeeded
( xxi )
in interpreting my hasty sketches, made during the
journey, in the engravings which illustrate the work.
Here then is the hook. My sole desire is that it
may interest and entertain the mass of my readers,
serve as a study to others, and give a fresh impulse to
the great and sublime crusade of the nineteenth century,
a crusade of civilisation and progress in the Dark
Continent.
London, 61 Gower Street,
5th December, 1880.
( xxii )
THE TITLE OF THE BOOK.
On my return to my temporary liomo this cvcniiii^',
from an after-dinner stroll, I find upon my writing-
table, pinned to the blotter, a cutting from some news-
paper, which contains the following words : —
" The Athenceum says, ' Major Serpa Pinto, who has
recovered from his protracted illness, has come to
London to bring out his book, descriptive of his
journey across Africa. It is satisfactory to find that
the title is altered from " The King's Rifle," to " How I
crossed Africa." " The King's Rifle " might be a good
name for a boy's book of adventures by Mayne Reid or
Grustave Aimard, but it seems rather out of place on
the title-page of a serious book of African travels.' "
It is near midnight, and I feel that I want rest ; but
before turning in, I cannot refrain from writing a few
words upon the above subject.
The critic's remark is, and yet it is not, quite correct.
African travels always partake, more or less, of
romance, however much they may take the form of
a scientific work.
If my book, like all which have preceded it, is a
veritable romance, it nevertheless contains geographic
matter of some importance.
The project which I formed, and which I have here
carried out, was to blend with a narrative of my adven-
tures the more serious labours referred to ; just as such
things are apt to be blended in the wilds of Africa.
( xxiii )
As to the title that my book should bear, it was a
matter to which I gave bnt little heed.
Inasmuch as the expedition, and, as a necessary
consequence, the whole fruits of my labour were saved
by the King's Rifle, it occurred to me to give that title
to my entire work. I gave no thought to the adverse
criticism it might meet with. And besides, my justifi-
cation would be found in a perusal of my narrative.
One consideration, nevertheless, occurred to modify
my original project.
One man there was, the only one in the world who,
however incai)able of taking public exception to the
exclusiveness of the title, might with reason deem that
I had been unjust towards himself, in giving too great
prominence in my book to the fact that it was the King's
Kifle only which had saved the expedition, when he
possessed an equal right to my gratitude, in having
saved me in turn.
The original title, therefore, weighed upon my
mind as an injustice, although it had been dictated
solely by a contrary sentiment, being but little accus-
tomed to burn incense on the altar of the great, and
1 immediately resolved to retain the title for the first
part of my narrative, and give to the second part the
name of Fran9ois Coillard, the man who saved me, and,
in doing so, saved the labours of the expedition which
I directed. It was a simple act of duty on my part.
But this decision necessitated a general title for the
work as a whole, no difficult matter to supply when a
Continent has been crossed from sea to sea.
This is why my work is now called " How I crossed
Africa."
I am sure that the title of a book of this kind can be
but of trifling moment to the public. It is necessary
to call it something, and I have given it the name
under which it will appear.
( xxiv )
T sliall be exceedingly sorry if any one objects to it,
but it cannot now be helped ; it is foitunately not a
matter of a nature to interfere with any man's slumber,
and I trust it will not disturb or abridge mine.
I^ONBON, 61 GOWKH StKEET,
12th December, 1880, at midnight.
CONTENTS TO VOL. I.
Part I.— the KING'S RIFLE.
PKOLOGUE.
PAGE
I. — How I BECAME AN ExPLORER 1
II.— Preparations for the Expedition 12
CHAPTEE I.
IN SEARCH OF CAKKIERS.
Arrival at Loauda — The Governor Albuquertj^ue — No carriers — I proceed
to Zaire — Ambriz — I reach Porto da Lenha — Ransomed slaves — 1
hear of Stanley's arrival — I go to Kabenda — I take Stanley on board
the Tamega — The oflicers of the gunboat — Stanley my guest — Our
itinerary — Arrival of Ivens 17
CHAPTER II.
STILL IN SEARCH OF CARRIERS.
The Governor, Alfredo Pereira de Mello — The Governor's house —
Things for which tlie government of the mother country is not
resi)onsible — A sketch of Bengiiclla — Its trade — I am robbed —
Another robbery — The Katembela — I obtain carriers — Arrival of
Capello and Ivens — Fresh alteration of route — Another difficulty —
Silva Porto, the old country trader — New obstacles — Capello goes
to the Dumbo — Departure — The Dumbo — Fresh difficulties — Final
start 31
xxvi CONTENTS.
CHAPTER III.
THE STORY OF A SHEEP.
I'AGK
Nine (lays in the desert — Want of water — The ex-chefc ul" Quillen,L;ues —
I lose myself in the bush— Two sliots in time — A little nigger and
a negress missing— Loss of a donkey — Quillengnes at last — Death of
the sheep 52
CHAPTER IV.
THROUGH SUBJUGATED TERRITORY.
Journey to Ngula — The native king Chimbarandongo — Beauty of the
country — Arrival at Caconda — Jose d'Anchieta — No correspondence
— Arrival of the chefe — We follow the carriers — Ivens goes to the
Cuneue, and I go to the Cuneue — Return from Bandiera's house —
Carriers wanting — My opinion 03
CHAPTER V.
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY.
1 leave Caconda — The native chief Quipcmbe — Quiugolo and the cliief
Caimbo — Forty carriers — Fevers — The Huambo — The native chief
Bilombo and his sou Capoco— Eighty Gamers — Letters and news
— All but lost ! — 1 move onwards — A knotty question in the Chaca
Quimbauiba — The rivers Calae, Canhungamua, and Cunenc — A fresh
and serious question in the Sambo country — The Cubango — Rains
and storms — Serious illness — A terrible adventure — The Bihd at
last! 8;i
CHAPTER VI.
BELMONTE.
In the Bihe — Severe Illness — Improvement — Belmonte — I determine to
start for the Upper Zambesi — Letters to the Government — How the
Expedition was organised in the Bihe — DifSculties, and how they
were overcome — Ilistorical and social notes on the Bihe — My labours
— New difficulties — I leave Belmonte — The road to the Cuanza —
Slavery ll(j
Rapid Retj;osi'ective Glanck 216
CONTENTS. XXVll
CHAPTER VII.
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS.
' PAGE
Piissage of the Cuanza — The Quinibandes — The Sova Mavancia — The
rivers Varea and Oiida — Tree-ferns — Tribulations — Slaves — I'he
river Cuito — The Luchazcs — Emigration of Qiiibocos — Cambuta —
— The Cuando — Leopards — The Anibuellas — The Sova Moem-
Cahcuda — Descent of the river Cubangiii — The Quichobos — Sudden
changes — I start for the Cuchibi 226
CHAPTER VIII.
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLA's DAUGHTERS.
The Cuchibi — The Sova Cahu-heu-ue — The Mucassequeres — Opudoand
Capeu — Abundance — Kindness of the Aborigines — Peoples and Cus-
toms — A Ford of the Cuchibi — The river Chicului — Game — Wild
Animals — The river Chalongo — An awful day — The Sources of the
Ninda — The Tomb of Luiz Albino — The Plain of the Nhengo —
Labour and Hunger — The Zambesi at last ! 304
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
(VOL. I.)
FIG. I'AGE
1. — Wundombc Women, Vendors of Coal. (From a j}hotograph by the
chemist Monteiro.) 47
2. — Muudombe Women and Girls {From a photograph by Monteiro.) 49
3. — Mmidombe Men {From a photograph hy Monteiro.) .... oO
4. — Man and Woman of the Huambo 96
5. — Woman of the Sambo 110
(i. — My Encampment between the Sambo and tlie Bihc .... Ill
7. — Cassanha Bridge over the Eiver Cubango 116
8. — The Scculo who gave me a Pig 117
9. — Ganguella Women on the Banks of the Cubango 120
10. — Ant-hills on the Banks of the Eivcr Cutato of the Ganguellas
to face 122
11. — Ant-hill 13 feet high on the Banks of the Eivtr Cutato dos
Ganguellas, covered with Vegetation 122
12.— Tomb of a Native Chief 124
13. — Caquingue Blacksmiths 127
14. — 1. Bellows ; 2. Clay Muzzle ; 3. Anvil ; 4. Hammer . . . 128
15. — Articles manufactured by the Natives between the Coast and the
Bihe 129
16. — Belmont House, Bihe to face 149
17. — View of the Exterior of the Village of Belmonte in the Bihe . . 150
18. — Plan of the Village of the Belmonte in the Bihe 151
19. — Woman of the Bihe, digging 161
20. — Biheno Carrier on the March 162
21. — Simple Palisade ; Palisade bound together with withes ; Palisade
with forked uprights 176
22. — Plan of a native Libata or fortified village in the Bihe. Trophy
of the chase found in almost all fortified villages . . . . 177
23. — Post erected outside the gate of the villages 177
24. — Articles manufactured by the Bihenos 185
25. — Quinda, or straw basket which will hold water ; Large Sieve for
drying rice or maize flour ; Sifting Sieve ; Ladle for watering
the Capata 187
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. XXIX
FIO. PAGE
26.— A Bihe Head-Dress 190
27. — Bihe Women pounding Maize 200
28. — Ganguella, Luimba and Loena Women — Method of shaping the
Incisors 208
29. — Ant-Hills, found between the Coast and the Bihe 222
30. — Crossing the Ciianza 226
31. — Quimbande Man and Woman 227
32.— Quimbande Girls 228
33. — The Bihenos constructing Huts in the Encampments. . . . 232
34.— Skeleton of a Hut 233
35. — Hut built in an hour 234
36. — The Sova Mavanda, masked, and Dancing in my Camp to face 238
37. — Quimbande Woman carrying her load 238
38.— 1. Pipe; 2. Knives; 3. Tomahawks 240
39.— Ditassoa— Fish of the River Onda 245
40. — Tree-ferns on the Banks of the Onda 246
41. — Cabango Woman's Head-Dress , . 247
42.— Cabango Man 248
43. — Cabango Man 249
44. — Lake Liguri 253
45. — A Luchaze of the Banks of the River Cuito 255
46.— Tinder-box, Flint and Steel 256
47. — A Luchaze Woman on the Road 257
47a. — Atundo, Plant and Fruit 269
48. — Village of Cambuta, Luchaze 274
49. — Luchaze Woman of Cambuta 275
50. — Luchaze Man of Cabuta 276
51. — Articles manufactured by the Luchazes 277
52. — Luchaze Woman of Cutangjo 280
53. — Luchaze Pipe 281
54. — Luchaze Fowl-house 281
55.— The Urivi, or Trap for small Game 282
56. — Luchaze of the Cutangjo 283
57. — Luchaze Articles 283
58. — The Cuchibi 287
59. — Leaf and Fruit of the Cuchibi 288
60.— The Mapolc, Tree and Leaf 289
61. — Mapole, Fruit and arrangement of the Branches 291
62. — Moene-Cahenga, Sova of Cangamba ; 1. Fly-flap 293
63. — (Chimbenzengue.) Hatchet of the Ambuellas of Cangamba . . 294
64. — Ambuella Pipe 295
65.— The Quichobo to face 299
66,— The Ouco 305
67.— The Opumbulumc 306
68.— Hat 308
69.— The Songue ; Slot of the Songue 311
70. — The Sova Cahu-luni-ue 318
XXX imT OF TLTATSTBATTONS.
71. — Amlniclla Woman 325
72.— Opudo 320
73.— Capeu 32S
74.— Cnchibi Canoe and Paddle 331
7"), — Drum used at Ambuella Feasts 332
76. — Cau-eu-hue (Town on the Ciichibi) to/ace 333
77.— The Sova's Brother . 335
78. — Ambuella Hunter 340
79.— Chingnene 341
80. — Lincumba 342
81.— Chipulo or Nhele 342
82.— The Cuchibi Ford to fare 343
83. — Assegais of the Ambuellas 345
84.— Ambuella Arrow-IIeads . 340
85.— Malanca 353
80. — 1. Dh-ection of horns seen from the front ; 2. Slot of the Malanca . 354 f
86a. The Buffalo to face 300 L
87.— Luina Shield 309
88.— 'i"he Chief Cicc^ta 370
89.— Ant-hills of the Nhengo 371
90. — 1. and 2. Luina Houses ; 3. Granary ; 4 Luina Iloe .... 372
91. — Vertical Section of a Luina House in the Village of Tapa . . 374
MAPS IN VOL. L
Map No. 1. — Tropical South Africa .» . u^^ . In jwcJcet
2.— Benguella to the Bihe Afs'^^T^ to face 21fi
3. — Cubango to Cuanza
4. — Country of the Quimbandes .
5. — Disposition of the water at Cangala
0. — Cambuta to the Piver Cnbangui
7. — Marsh of the source of the Cuando .
8. — From Cangamba to the Cuchibi
218
230
273
279
285
316
HOW I CROSSED AFRICA,
Part L— THE KING'S KIFLE.
PROLOGUE.
1. — How I BECAME AN EXPLORER.
In the course of tlie year 1869 I formed part of the
column which, in the Lower Zambesi, sustained many
a sanguinary conflict with the natives of Massangano.
Senhor Jose Maria Latino Coelho, the then Minister of
Marine, gave orders to the Governor of Mozambique,
to furnish me, at the close of the war, with the means
of mounting the Zambesi, so that I might make a
detailed survey of as much of the country as it was
possible for me to investigate.
The orders were given, but were never carried out ;
and after repeated applications and a hasty run through
the Portuguese possessions of Eastern Africa, I re-
turned to Europe, with a greater desire than ever to
study the interior of that continent of which I had
obtained only a superficial glance.
Private reasons of a family nature stepped in to
defer and, even for a time, to destroy my projects. —
An officer in the army, always in garrison in small
provincial towns, I was accustomed to convert my
VOL. T. B
2 THE KINO'S lilFLE.
hours of idleness into hours of labour ; and though it
appeared to me that the possibility of visiting Africa
was remote, the study of African questions became my
sole and exclusive pastime.
Nor did I neglect the sublime subject of Astronomy,
so that the abundant leisure which my barrack life
allowed me was equally divided between Africa and
a study of the heavenly bodies.
In 1875 I was in the 12th Chasseurs, and had in my
comrade, Captain Daniel Simoes Soares, one of the most
intelligent men it has ever been my fate to know. We
had not been acquainted long ere we became fast friends.
The wretched little room of this illustrious officer in
the barracl^s of the Island of Madeira gave us mutual
shelter during the hours that the regulations compelled
us to reside there ; and how often, when one of us was
on guard, did he not have the other for companion !
Africa, and still Africa, was our subject of conversation.
It is a pleasure to recall that time, those hours which
fled so rapidly, discussing questions which I was far from
thinking I should be one day called upon to solve.
Towards the close of 1875 I drew up a paper which
I submitted to the judgment of Simoes Soares and of
another of my comrades, Captain Camacho, and which
owed its origin to our interminable talks about Africa.
In it I laid down a plan for a partial survey of the
interior of our colonies in East Africa, which might be
effected with the greatest economy to the State.
After the question had been discussed and rediscussed
among us, the paper was forwarded to His Majesty's
Government : but I learned subsequently that it never
reached the hands of the Minister of Marine.
At that time I was again revolving in my mind a
return to Africa, notwithstanding my ties as a family
man and the great personal interests which attached
me to Portugal.
PROLOOUE. 3
About the end of 1876 I returned to Lisbon, where
I learned that African matters had assumed considerable
importance in that city owing to the creation of the
Central Permanent Greographical Commission and the
establishment of the Geographical Society of Lisbon.
There was especially much talk about a great geo-
graphical expedition to the interior of Southern Africa.
I at once set about seeing the Minister of the
Colonies, Snr. Joao d'Andrade Corvo. If it be no
easy matter to explore Africa, it is scarcely less difficult
to get an interview with a minister, more especially if
that minister be like Snr. Joao d'Andrade Corvo. His
Excellency held two portfolios, Marine and Foreign
Affairs, and it may be conceived that he had no time
to bestow upon intruders. I hunted him up for eight
days in succession, and on the very eve of my departure
from Lisbon I obtained an audience at the Ministry
for Foreign Affairs,
His Excellency received me somewhat stiffly, observ-
ing that he had but little time to dispose of; he then
inquired what I wanted of him.
This question led to the following dialogue : —
" I have heard it stated that Y. E. is thinking of
sending a geographical expedition into Africa ; and
that is the object of my calling."
The minister immediately changed his tone, and very
courteously desired me to be seated.
" Have you been in Africa ?" he asked.
" I have ; I know something of the mode of travel-
ling in the country, and have devoted much attention
to the study of African questions."
" Do you feel inclined to make a long journey into
South Central Africa ? "
I must declare that I hesitated a moment before
replying ; but at length I said —
" I am ready to go."
B 2
4 THE KING'S JRIFLE.
" That is well," he observed. Then he continued :
" I have thoughts of sending out a great expedition
to Africa, well provided with all necessaries, and when
the organisation of the staff is under consideration I
will not forget your name."
" By-the-by," he said, when I was on the point of
leaving, " what terms do you ask for such a service ? "
" None," I replied. And so we parted.
From the Ministry for Foreign Affairs I went to
No. 3 Calgada da Gloria, to call upon Dr. Bernardino
Antonio Gromes, Yice-President of the Central Per-
manent Geographical Commission. We had a long
conference together, and that distinguished scholar, who
was then entirely devoted to geographical subjects, told
me that he had already cast his eye upon a distin-
guished officer of our royal navy, Hermenigildo
Capello, to form a part of the expedition.
On the following day I started for the north. The
journey and the fresh air of the country somewhat
chilled the feverish enthusiasm which had taken
possession of me in Lisbon, and, after mature reflection,
I resolved to give up exploring Africa.
My wife and daughter were difficult ties to rend
asunder, and whenever the idea of tearing myself from
the tender caresses of my cbild crossed my mind, the
ardour of exploration gradually died within me.
My family on the one hand and Africa on the other
pulled my heart-strings in opposite directions, and kept
me a long time in a state of perplexity. I at length
hit upon a scheme which I thought might solve the
question. Were I, for instance, appointed to the
governorship of a district, I might make a portion of
Africa my study without separating myself from my
family. I was then serving in the 4th Chasseurs, and
on my journey to Algarve I spent a few days in
Lisbon. An exploring expedition was no longer talked
PROLOOUE, 5
of, and but one enthusiast, Luciano Cordeiro, still held
to the belief that it would be brought about ; although
in the Geographical Society, of which I was the
Secretary, a loud cry had been raised in its favour. Dr.
Bernardino Antonio Gomes, bowed down by the weight
of years, had yielded to the pressure of his incessant
labours, and already felt the first symptoms of that
disease which, a little later on, deprived him of his
valuable life, and snatched from Portugal, and the
world at large, one of the most illustrious Portuguese
of the nineteenth century,
I was not at that time acquainted with the ardent
and brilliant youth for whom I feel to-day so warm a
friendship — I mean Luciano Cordeiro.
All those with whom I conversed of exploration
told me it must be looked upon as adjourned sine die.
Although the state in which I found matters at Lisbon
caused me poignant regret, seeing that the light which
had at one moment burned to give so harmonious an
impulse to Portuguese exploration in Africa appeared
to be flickering — on the other hand, I could not but
feel a certain pleasure at finding myself, by this course
of events, freed from an engagement which would have
separated me from beings I held so dear.
The idea of going out as a governor and of estab-
lishing myself in Africa, — in that continent where I so
ardently desired to labour and yet not separate myself
from my family — became stronger every day, and I at
length waited upon the minister to broach the subject.
This time I was received at once, and very cordially
too. I expressed my surprise at hearing no more about
explorations.
" And that has brought you here ? " was the inquiry'.
" Not exactly. I have come to entreat of Y. E. the
governorship of Quillimane, which is now vacant."
Snr. Corvo smiled. " I have a mission of far higher
6 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
moment to entrust to you," he said ; " I want you for
a very different matter than to govern an African
district ; so that I cannot give you the governorship
of Quilhmane."
" Y. E., then, is still thinking of an African explo-
ration ? " I replied. " Frankly, T believed that the
whole thing was at an end."
" I give you my word of honour," said the minister,
" that either I shall cease to be Joao d'Andrade Corvo,
or next spring an expedition, organised in a way
hitherto unknown in Europe, shall leave Lisbon for
South Central Africa."
" And you count upon me ? "
" I do most certainly — and you will very shortly
hear from me."
I left the ministerial presence in a state of bewilder-
ment.
On arriving at the Hotel Central, I sat down and
wrote the following note : —
"I have not the honour of your acquaintance, but I
wish to speak with you, and beg that you will favour
me with an interview."
This I addressed to '' Hermenigildo Carlos de Brito
Capello — Officer on board the plated frigate Vasco da
Gamar
The very next day I received the following reply : —
" You will find me to-day, at 3, at the Cafe' Martinho.
— Capello."
As the clock struck three I entered the Cafe' Martinho,
to find the place completely empty. No, not completely,
for at one of the tables sat a young man in the uniform
of a first lieutenant in the navy, whose face was com-
pletely unknown to me. This, however, I thought,
must be my man. He was leisurely sipping a glass of
grog, his cap lying by his side.
He was of medium stature, so far as I could judge,
PROLOGUE. 7
]ie being seated; had a swarthy complexion, and a
singularly placid eye. The thinness oi' his hair, from
which the colour had begun to fade, and a small mous-
tache already tinged with grey, gave him, at a hrst
glance, an appearance of age, which was belied by his
look and the un wrinkled aspect of his skin.
" Snr. Capello, I presume ? "
" That is my name ; and you, I suppose, are Snr.
Serpa Pinto ? I was expecting you, and feel pretty
sure that you wish to have some talk about Africa?"
" Exactly so. You have then decided to take part
in the expedition ? "
" I have ; in fact, I have already had some conver-
sation on the matter with Dr. Bernardino Antonio
Gomes."
" It was he who mentioned to me your name. What
engagement have you made ? "
" None. To tell the truth, I do not well know what
the Government want ; I have spoken twice about
the matter to Dr. Gomes, but have not yet seen the
minister ; when I do I wish to tell him that if I go to
Africa I should like to have as a companion my friend
and comrade Eoberto Ivens. Do you know him ? "
" I do not. I have spoken to the minister upon the
subject, and he has told me that he counts upon me
for the expedition."
" In that case, as you are under engagement to the
minister, I shall cry off."
"But why so? ... 1 would rather do so myself."
" Apart from this, I do not think the matter will
ever be brought to bear."
" Nor do I entirely ; but admitting that it is carried
out, why should we not both go ? We are new ac-
quaintances, it is true ; but more intimate relations
will follow, and, as I believe, may end in close friend-
ship."
8 THE KING\S RIFLE.
" I myself see uo reason to tlie contrary. If the
expedition goes forward then, we will start together,
and get my friend lloberto Ivens to join ns."
" By all means. But do you seriously think the
Government will vote so large a subsidy as will be
necessary for such an undertaking as is contemplated ? "
" I do not know ; I doubt it ; and just now the
expedition is far less talked about than it was."
Our conversation lasted long, and when we separated
it was with the firm conviction that the venture would
never be realised.
I met Capello several times during the succeeding
days, and when we finally parted it was to pursue our
respective duties ; he to join his ship the Vasco da
Gama, ordered to England, and I to take the command
in the Algarve of my company, the 4th Chasseurs.
With the leisure afforded me by my garrison life^ I
once more resumed my studies, and was fortunate
enough to find at my new station a good friend in the
person of Marrecas Ferreira, a distinguished engineer
officer who was ever ready to assist me in difficult
mathematical problems, of which he was a master. It
was through him that I was enabled to enter into a
regular correspondence with Luciano Cordeiro, who
afterwards became one of my firmest friends.
It was during this time that I drew up two small
papers, wherein I discussed the mode of organising
an exploring expedition into South Central Africa,
and, thanks to Luciano Cordeiro, they found their way
into the hands of the Minister of Marine.
Still months passed away, and no more was heard of
the promised expedition.
I received two letters from Capello, wherein he
expressed his complete want of faith in the realisation
of the undertaking. It is true that in the Permanent
Geographical Commission various projects of expeditions
PROLOGUE. 9
were discussed, but they led to no action, and the matter
appeared to be dying out.
One morning I read in tlie newspapers that the
minister Snr. Joao d'Andrade Corvo had brought
before Parharaent a Bill for a credit of 30 contos
(some £6600) for an expedition to Africa ; but shortly
after, before the Bill had passed, the ministry was
defeated, and the Portfolio of the Colonies fell to Snr.
Jose de Mello Grouvea.
The projected exploration, however, again became a
subject of public interest ; but the newspapers men-
tioned as explorers men who were totally unknown
to me, and only occasionally mentioned the name of
Capello.
I was then residing at Faro, and although I had not
given up my astronomical and African studies, which
I pursued with the assistance of Joao Botto, an eminent
professor of the school of Pilots of Faro, I had ceased
to cherish my former ideas of travel. My time was
divided between home pleasures and my books of study,
and I found myself too happy in the comforts of the
domestic hearth to think of exchanging the even tenor
of my life for the shocks and chances of a journey
through savage climes.
Nevertheless, in my quiet retreat, I followed with
interest the reports published in the journals of the
news from Lisbon. I there read that the new minister,
Jose de Mello Gouvea, had again brought before
Parliament the Bill that had been introduced by his
predecessor, Joao d'Andrade Corvo, and had succeeded
in obtaining a vote for the sum of oO contos, to be
expended in an exploring expedition.
The death of Bernardino Antonio Gomes, a victim
to the deep interest he took in the study of African
questions, at an age when the fatigues of many previous
years should have counselled him complete rest of
10 THE KIXO'S lilFLE.
mind, occurred about this time, ;iud produced a great
void in the Central Geograpliical Commission ; so great
indeed that although there were many of its members
who, deeply interested in the subject, raised their voice
in that learned body, their discussions led to no
practical result.
In spite of the parliamentary vote, I could not satisfy
myself that there was any possibility of seeing the
expedition carried into effect in 1877 ; and bearing in
mind what I had read in the public prints, I deemed,
at least, that I w^as myself forgotten — a circumstance
which, to tell the truth, was rather agreeable to me
than otherwise.
The Algarve is a delicious country ; a perfectly
eastern atmosphere pervades the place, and seeing the
elegant tops of the palm-trees gracefully bending over
the terraced houses, one felt inclined at times to forget
that one was still bound to the prosaic shores of Europe.
My position there was that of military commandant, by
which will be understood that my life was not a
particularly hard one.
The intercourse of a select society, family affections,
my books of study and scientific instruments, enabled
me to spend very happy hours — of that placid happi-
ness which it is not the fate of many to enjoy. ]\Iy
easy-chair, my dressing-gown and slippers, were fast
becoming my very ideal of felicity.
April had come to an end, and with the beginning
of May set in the heat, which was very powerfully felt
in Faro. I began to form projects for the summer, when
one day I received a telegram requiring me to report
myself immediately to the general in command of the
division. On proceeding thither I found an order to
repair without loss of time to the presence of the
Minister of the Colonies.
Adieu to home, adieu to dressing-gowns, adieu to
PROLOOUE. 11
slippers ! Adieu to the tranquil and placid life I bad
been spending amidst my dear ones ! I must return to
the busy world once more !
Four days later on, seated around a large table, in a
great ball at the Ministry of Marine, were a dozen
grave personages, some with spectacles and some
without, some old and others new, but all well known
in the scientific or literary world, or for their public
services, who had met together to discuss the often
mooted question of Africa. This solemn session was
presided over by the minister Jose de Mello Gouvea.
The secretaries were, Dr. Jose Julio Eodrigues and
Luciano Cordeiro, and I remember that among those
present were Count de Ficallio, Marquis de Souza,
Dr. Bocage, Carlos Testa, Jorge Figaniere, Francisco
Costa, Counsellor Silva, and Antonio Teixeira de
Yasconcellos.
At the bottom of the table, and at one of the corners,
ensconced in a large fauteuil, was a man with a head
well covered with hair, and a heavy grey moustache,
who, through his tortoise-shell-rimmed glasses, kept his
eyes steadily fixed upon me. It was the late minister,
Joao d'Andrade Corvo, whose look said as plainly as
words could do, " I told you that this matter would
be brought to bear."
Capello sat next to me, and after a debate of some
two hours we left the hall together, with precise
instructions for our journey. We selected as third
associate Lieutenant Roberto Ivens, Capello's friend
above alluded to, who was unknown to me, and who
was at that time at Loanda, serving on board one of
His Majesty's vessels. It was on the 25th of May that
the meeting was held, and we undertook to start on
the 5th of July. It was a risky thing to promise,
as we had to fit out the expedition in France and
England, and we only had a month to do it in.
12 TEE KING'S RIFLE.
We received powerful assistance, however, at the
hands of Francisco Costa, Director General at the
Ministr}^, who used his influence to sweep away all the
obstacles which the red-tapeism of the offices might
conjure up, and in fact matters were so managed that
on the 28th of May Capello and myself were enabled
to leave for Paris and London^ in order to make the
necessary purchases. To this end, we were armed
with a credit of eight contos, or about £17G0
sterling.
II. — Preparations for the Expedition.
On our arrival in Paris, we called upon M. d'Abbadie,
the great Abyssinian explorer, and also upon M.
Ferdinand de Lesseps, from both of whom we obtained
advice and received the politest attention.
Unluckily we could not find in the market any of
the instruments, arms, or travelling appointments such
as we desired, so that it became necessary to order the
whole of them.
Backed by a special recommendation from M. d'Ab-
badie, we applied to various instrument-makers, and
during some ten or twelve days Lorieux, Baudin, and
Eadiguet were hard at work for us. Walker under-
took to supply all tlie travelling requisites ; Lepage
(Faure'), the arms ; Tissier, the boots and shoes ; and
Ducet jeune, the body clothing.
Our Paris orders being thus well in hand, we started
for London, where we purchased our chronometers, of
the firm of Dent, and sundry instruments of Casella ; a
good store of sulphate of quinine was also laid in, and
many india-rubber articles were procured from Mack-
intosh, among others being two boats and some folding
baths.
We sought in vain in London, just as we had sought
PROLOGUE. 13
with like ill-success in Paris, for a theodolite possessing
the necessary conditions for a journey such as that we
were about to undertake. Some, that were excellent
for terrestrial observations, were wanting in those
requisites which astronomical observations demanded ;
others again, that were perfectly satisfactory in both
respects, were either too heavy or too bulky for our
purpose. There was no time to have a special one
made for us, so that on our return to Paris we were
glad to accept one that had been previously offered us
by M. d'Abbadie.
We collected together, in Paris, the various articles
we had ordered and that had been made during our
short absence from that city ; and on the 1st of July,
Capello and myself arrived at Lisbon completely
prepared for our journey, and consequently ready to
fulfil our engagement to leave for Loanda by the
packet of the 5th. Our preparations had been made
in the space of nineteen days.
When I was studying the means of preparing myself
for a long journey in Africa, I procured various books
of travels, in the vain hope of gleaning from their
pages the modes of preparation adopted by other
travellers. All the narratives were, however, singularly
wanting in information of this kind, and remembering
the degree of annoyance which the omission caused me,
I resolved that if I should ever travel in Africa and
write an account of my adventures, I would supply the
deficiency, and, whilst enumerating the articles I took
with me, I would put on record which among them
proved of real service, and which miglit be considered
as mere lumber.
The story of African exploration is in its early
infancy. Many explorers will succeed me in Africa,
as I succeeded others, and I believe that I shall be
doing a service to those who venture after me on to
14 TTIE KING'S BIFLE.
tlie inhospitable continent, by furnishing them witli
a list of the things with which I provided myself, and
they will glean from the course of my narrative
the advautag-es or inconveniences I found from their
o
employment.
According to the instructions I received from the
Government, I was at liberty to expend three years
upon my journey, and it was upon this understanding
that I made my preparations.
Experience had taught me the serious inconvenience
of overloading myself with baggage, and 1 therefore
frankly declare that when I surveyed in Lisbon the
enormous pile of things purchased in Paris and
London, I was perfectly horrified. There were no
fewer than seventeen trunks ! all of the same dimen-
sions, Om., 3 X Om., 3 x Ora. 6.
One contained a toilet service complete, with a large
mirror, basin and ewer, soap and brush dishes, etc. ;
another held a dinner and tea service for three persons,
and a third the necessary kitchen utensils.
Three other trunks of extra strength were destined
each to contain the following : four bottles of quinine,
a small medicine-chest, a sextant, an artificial horizon,
a chronometer, various tables of logarithms, some
ephemerides, an aneroid, a hypsometer, a thermometer,
a prismatic compass, a plain compass, a book of blank
paper, pencils, loose paper and ink ; fifty cartridges for
each firearm, a complete suit of clothes, and three
changes of linen, tinder, flint and steel, and other small
articles for j)ersonal use.
Each of these trunks had a tray in the upper part
containing a writing-case and place for paper. They
were considered as personal luggage, and belonged
each to one of our party.
The remaining ten trunks were packed indiscrimi-
nately with articles of clothing, instruments, and other
PROLOGUE. 15
matters in reserve. The locks of all of them were the
same, and one key opened the whole.
Our tent was of the kind known as a tente marquise,
9 ft. 4 in. wide by 6 ft. 3 in. in height. The bedsteads
were of iron, strong and convenient ; the tables were
folding, the stools and chairs of canvas. All these
articles were manufactured by Walker.
Each of us was armed with a magnificent rifle of
sixteen-bore, the barrels of which — the work of
Leopold Bernard — had been carefully mounted by
Faure' Lepage. A fowling piece of the same calibre,
manufactured by Devisme, a AVinchester eight-shooter,
a revolver and a wood-knife, completed our armament.
I had ordered at Lisbon, of the Confeitaria
Ultramarina, twenty-four cases, of the same dimensions
as the trunks, to be packed (in tins, carefully soldered)
with tea, coffee, sugar, dried vegetables, and farinaceous
substances ; and I must here express my warmest
thanks to Snr. Oliveira, the proprietor of that estab-
lishment, for the scrupulous care he bestowed on the
selection of the articles supplied, and of which we
made great use at the outset of our journey.
The instruments we carried with us were the follow-
ing : three sextants, one made by Casella of London,
one by Secretan, and the third by Lorieux, a perfect
beauty ; two Pistor's circles, manufactured by Lorieux,
with two glass horizons and the respective levels ; one
Secretan's mercury horizon ; three astronomical tele-
scopes of great power, two by Bardou and one by
Casella ; three small aneroids, two of Secretan's and
one of Casella's ; four pedometers, two of Secretan's
and two of Caselhi's ; six algebraic compasses ; one
Bournier's compass, furnished by Secretan ; three
others, azimuths, two from Berlin and one supplied by
Casella ; two of Duchemin's circular needles ; six
l>audin's hypsometers, one of Casella's, three of
16 THE KING'S RIFLE.
Celsius of Berlin, two others of Baudiu's highly sensi-
tive ; twelve thermometers, supplied by Baudin, Celsius,
and Casella ; one Marioti-Casella's barometer ; one
Casella's anemometer ; two Bardou's binoculars ;
one dipping needle ; and an apparatus of magnetic
force, most kindly lent us by Captain Evans through
the instrumentality of M. d'Abbadie. And finally,
d'Abbadie's universal theodolite, to which has been
given the name of Aha, and which its inventor so
generously placed at our disposal.
Arms, instruments, baggage, in a word, all the
articles we took with us, bore the following inscrip-
tion — Portuguese Expedition to Interior of Southern
Africa— 1^11.
Two cases containing the needful for the preserva-
tion of zoologic and botanic specimens were forwarded
to us by Dr. Bocage and Count de Ficalho.
Tools of various kinds swelled this enormous mass
of impedimenta with which we were about to leave
Lisbon in order to plunge into the unknown regions
of South Central Africa.
IN SEARCH OF CARRIERS. 17
CHAPTER I.
IN SEARCH OF CARRIERS.
Arrival at Loanda — The Governor Albuquerque — No carriers — I proceed to
Zaire — Ambriz — I reach Porto da Lenha — Ransomed slaves — I hear of
Stanley's arrival — I go to Kabenda — I take Stanley on board the I'amega
— The officers of the gunboat — Stanley my guest — Our itinerary —
Arrival of Ivens.
On the Gth of August 1877 we arrived at Loanda,
on board the steamer Zaire, under the command of
Pedro d' Almeida Tito, to whom I am happy to offer
here a tribute of gratitude for the favours he be-
stowed ujDon me during the voyage.
From the moment of quitting Lisbon, there was one
thing that constantly occupied and worried my mind.
Our luggage was enormous, and had still to be greatly
increased in the shape of merchandise, beads, and other
articles that were to be our money in the interior of
tlie country.
In all works of travel dealing with this part of the
African continent, I had read of the difficulties which
many explorers had met with through the impossibility
of obtaining a sufficient number of carriers for the
indispensable transport of their baggage. How was I
to obtain them ? I learned at Cape Verde that a letter
addressed by myself and Capello to Ivens never
reached his hands, inasmuch as I there found by a
telegram that Ivens was still at Lisbon, and could not
possibly have attended to the injunctions we imposed
upon In'm, to make a study of the question and see
voi,. 1. c
18 THE KING'S RIFLE.
whether he could get us the necessary help .at Loanda.
An attempt also made at Cape Palmas turned out
fruitless, and, notwithstanding the assistance rendered
us by Captain Tito, not a single Keruhoy could we
obtain there.
We at length reached Loanda, and found hospitality
under the roof of Snr. Jose Maria do Prado, one of the
chief landowners and capitahsts of the Province of
Angola, who immediately placed at our disposal one of
the many houses he jjossessed in the town, with accom-
modation sufficient to shelter the enormous equipage of
the expedition.
We received much kind attention from Snr. Prado ;
and on the evening of the Gth we were waited on by
one of the aides-de-camp of His Excellency Snr.
Albuquerque, the Governor Greneral, who sent us
many cordial messages.
The next day, the 7th, we called upon his Excellency,
and received a most friendly reception. The Governor
was good enough to excuse the very undress attire in
which I waited on him, for although the things I wore
were capitally fitted for bush-life, they could scarcely
be considered proper for a visit of ceremony.
Snr. Albuquerque, after assuring us that he would
render us every assistance in the district under his
government, concluded by pointing out the impossibility
of obtaining for us the means of transport.
I fancy that there are few things more disagreeable
to a traveller anxious to commence a journey into
Africa, and with 400 loads of luggage to take with
him, than to be told that carriers are not obtainable.
I at once determined to proceed to the northern part
of the province, to see wliether I could be more success-
ful, and therefore begged Snr. Albuquerque to procure
me a passage to the Zaire. The only war-vessel that
could be placed at my dis})osal was then cruising in
IN SEARCH OF CARRIERS. 19
the mouth of that river ; I resolved to join her, and to
that end, on the 8th I started in one of the country
hoats, manned by eight blacks, supplied me by the
captain of the port. I carried orders from the
governor to the commandant of the gunboat. A
voyage of 120 miles, in a small boat, with scarce room
to stretch your legs, is anything but pleasant. To
make matters worse, from Loanda to Ambriz I had
nothing to eat but biscuits and sardines, for having
resolved to start directly my boat was ready, I had
no time to lay in any stores.
OiJ the 9th, at daybreak, I arrived at Ambriz, a
charming town, seated on the level summit of an
eminence, with precipitous sides, that are washed by
the sea, some 80 feet below.
The chief official was an employe of the Treasury, a
Snr. Tavares, who showed me most marked atten-
tions, as did indeed all the inhabitants of the town,
and more especially Sur. Cordeiro, in whose house I
was lodged.
At Ambriz I fell in with Avelino Fernandes, whose
acquaintance I had been fortunate enough to make on
board the steamer Zaire, and intimate relations sprang
up between us. He was born on the banks of the
Zaire, and has a perfect passion for that rich soil, whose
gigantic trees, the offspring of a virgin forest, shaded
his cradle. His age is 24. His swarthy complexion
and crisp curly hair indicate that there flows through
his veins some African as well as European blood.
Wealthy, possessed of a cultivated mind, his education
having been obtained in the chief capitals of Europe,
and endowed with superior intelligence, he is a true
type of the courteous gentleman, whom to know is
to sympathise with and esteem. The numerous
connections he possessed in Zaire might, I thought,
assist nie in arranging tlie dillicult (juestion of transport.
c 2
20 THE KING'S RIFLE.
I learned at Arahriz that the gunboat Tamega
was expected there in the course of a couple of days,
and I therefore resolved to wait for her. My voyage
from Loanda in the country -boat had not left such a
pleasing impression on my mind or body as to induce
me to continue with lier furtlier northwards.
On the 10th I took a ramble about the town and
suburbs, and the following is a brief record of my
impressions.
From the plateau on which the European population
have installed themselves you descend to the sea-shore
by a zigzag road, which was then being reconstructed
by convict labour. On the beach, between two fine
blocks of building, used as warehouses by French and
Dutch commercial firms, there exists a large structure,
partly in ruin through age, and partially in course of
re-erection, but with its works abandoned. This is the
custom-house — but a custom-house without merchan-
dise, where the goods heaped up at the door, upon the
sand, pay an absurd tribute for warehousage. N.N.E. of
the town, many acres of land are taken up with a
marsh, which is at least 10 feet deep when at the
highest, and on the sides of the slope which leads
from the plateau to this marsh are scattered the huts
of the native population, under the very worst conditions
from a sanitary point of view. South of the town,
among clumps of virgin wood, is situated the cemetery,
where the bodies interred during the day become the
food of hyenas at night.
The landing wharf or pier, built of iron and timber,
is falling into utter uselessness ; for, as it has never seen
a coat of paint, as there is no fund to keep it up, and it
is nobody's business to look after it, the natural result
is that the iron, in rusting through contact with the
air and water, is fast consuming both itself and the
woodwork together.
IN SEARCH OF CARRIERS. 21
The residence of the chief official is little better than
a barn, which it is truly dangerous to dwell in. The
powder-magazine is in no better condition, a fact which
somewhat surprised me, as it contains the powder of the
trade, producing no less a revenue to the State than
two hundred milreis per mouth.
It is greatly to be hoped that during the two years
which have elapsed since my visit to A.mbriz, a little
more care has been bestowed upon that pretty town,
whose importance as a great commercial centre is patent
to the least observant eye.
At the distance of about three-fifths of a mile N, of
the landing-place, the river Loge debouches into the
Atlantic. Its mouth is obstructed by a sandbank,
which renders the river difficult of access, but, this
passed, it is navigable for nearly twenty miles.
On the 11th I j^aid a visit to the important agricul-
tural establishment founded by the celebrated Jacintho,
known as Jacintho do Ambriz, and now the property
of his son Nicolao. This estate is one of the most re-
markable in the province of Angola for the development
of agriculture.
Jacintho do Ambriz found his way to Africa through
a great calamity. A son of the people, without the
slightest instruction, not knowing even how to read or
write, but endowed with a clear imderstanding, a keen
perception, and a happy temperament, he succeeded in
realising a large fortune. Jacintho married in Ambriz
a woman in his own class of life. She was the Tia
Leonarda {Aunt Leonarda), better known as Tia Lina,
a native of Beira-Alta ; and in 1877 I remember her
always dressed in the costume of the Beirense peasantry,
talking the corrupt language spoken by the people of
that province. I remember, too, being regaled in her
house with a Beirense dinner, and for the moment I
imagined myself transported back among our agri-
22 THE KING'S RIFLE.
culturists of the north. Tia Lina, from her energy and
thrift, had a great share in assisting Jacintho to his
handsome fortune.
Jacintho was engaged in trade, and that trade in
Africa was divisible into two branches, viz. the pur-
chasing goods from the whites and selling them the
produce of the country, and purchasing such produce
from the blacks and selling to them the aforesaid goods.
It was Jacintho's part to treat with the whites, and Tia
Lina's with the blacks.
Jacintho, who was a generous-hearted fellow, too
often fell a victim to his own honesty and the extortions
of some of the chiefs — a fact which often drew from
Tia Lina the expression, " Ah, Jacintho, the whites
bamboozle you ; but I bamboozle the blacks ! "
The verb employed by Tia Lina was not precisely
bamboozle, but it will serve to express her meaning.
One day Jacintho took it into his head to turn his
attention to agriculture. It was the instinct of his
early youthful habits working upon him. He pur-
chased land, and laid the foundations of that vast estate
which is fully worthy of a visit; to thi^;, his hobby, he
devoted his labour and care till the last moment of
his life.
Jacintho was known for his strange misuse of words,
and many curious stories are told of the droll mistakes
he fell into through the wrong employment of this or
that expression with which he larded his discourse,
evidently unaware of the real meaning of the phrases
he adopted. He had, however, a keen mother wit, and
the laughter evoked was not always against him.
Take for example the following anecdote.
He had already been settled for some time on his
Loge estate, but on the arrival in the harbour of a
Portngnese vessel of war, he went on board in the old
style to offer things for sale to the officers. His genial
IN SEARCH OF CABRTERS. 23
nature made him always welcome, and he at once
became familiar with officers and crew. One day the
commander, seeing him on deck, asked him for a
monkey. " How many do you want ? " inquired
Jacintlio. " You may send a boat off to my house at
Loge to-morrow morning, and fetch as many as you like."
He was taken at his word, and on the following day
a boat, manned with half a dozen sailors, ran alongside
Jacinth o's garden-wall. The old fellow made the men
row the boat a mile or so higher up until they reached
the slope of a hill covered with gigantic baobab-trees,
upon whose horizontal branches were swarming hun-
dreds of monkeys. Turning to the sailors, Jacintho
exclaimed, " There they are — they're all mine — catch
as many as you like, and take 'em to the commandant
with my compliments."
The men looked askance at the lofty tops of the
enormous trees, whose trunks were too capacious for
two or three of them to encircle, and after sundry vain
efforts to scale the perpendicular height of these
natural columns they gave up the task, amid the
gibbering and chattering, which sounded very like
derisive laughter, of the numerous monkey families.
" Don't say I didn't give 'em to you — there they are
— you've only got to catch 'em," said Jacintho, accom-
panying each exclamation with a fresh burst of merri-
ment, which seemed to awake an echo in the lofty
branches above them.
I visited his estate, and could not but be struck with
the fact that all his machines, apparatus, implements,
etc., were of Portuguese manufacture. Jacintho would
admit of nothing that was not Portuguese ; and cost
wliat it might, he procured all liis articles, whether
intended for agricultural or manufacturing purposes,
from Lisbon.
Tlie memory of this obscure ra;in, better known for
24 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
the absurdities lie uttered tliau the many excellent
things he did, should be respected by all who are
interested in the development of Africa ; for he was a
man who, in modern times, has done the very highest
service in fostering agriculture in this Portuguese
colony, where he employed his immense fortune, and
where he personally laboured till the last day of his
useful life.
On the left bank of the Loge is situated another
agricultural property, also of importance, belonging to
Snr. Augusto Garrido. I had not time to pay it a visit-^
as on the day I spent in that part of the district I could
not escape the many kind attentions of Nicolao and Tia
Lina ; and though I passed some hours there, they
were all too few to examine and admire what the will
of one man had been able to create out of the desert
and the marsh.
The day following the one thus agreeably spent saw
the arrival of the Tamega gunboat. I at once
went on board, but found her without stores and with a
large number of men on the sick-list ; for which reason
I arranged with the commandant, Snr. Marques da
Silva, to wait for him at Ambriz whilst he went on
to Loanda to recruit.
Three days later the Tamega came back, when I
joined her, with Avelino Fernandes, and we immediately
proceeded on our voyage to the Zaire.
I had been suffering for some time with acute
bronchitis, which fortunately improved directly I found
myself at sea.
AVe mounted the Zaire as far as Porto da Lenha,
where I disembarked with Avelino Fernandes, who
presented me to his friends in that place. I at once
began to inquire about transport. They told me I
might possibly obtain carriers if the native chiefs chose
to assist me, but that the best plan would be to
IN SEABCFI OF CARRIERS. 25
ransom a number of slaves and then engage them tor
the service I required. The idea of purchasing human
flesh, although it might be with the view of setting them
subsequently at liberty, was repugnant to me. And
then, how could I tell whether they would stick to me
after all, if once they were free ?
I therefore determined to reject the notion, even if
not a single carrier were to be had in the place.
I learned at the house where I was stopping that the
great explorer Stanley had arrived at Boma on the 9th,
havino- descended the entire course of the Zaire. He
had come by the way of Kabenda.
I returned on board and arranged with the com-
mandant to go on to Kabenda, to ofi'er our services to
the intrepid traveller. We set off at once, and were no
sooner anchored in the roads than I went on shore with
Avelino Fernandes and some of the officers of the
gunboat.
I was quite affected as I pressed the hand of Stanley,
who, though a man of small stature, assumed in my
eyes the proportions of a giant.
I offered him my services in the name of the Portu-
guese Government, and told him that if he desired to
go on to Loanda, where he coidd most easily obtain
transport for Europe, Commandant Marques would
willingly give him and his men a passage on board the
gunboat. In the name of the Portuguese Government
I further placed at his disposal the money he required.
Stanley answered me with a warm pressure of the
hand.
The officers of the Tamega confirmed my offer in
the name of their commandant.
Stanley accepted it, and from that moment the gun-
boat remained at his disposal.
As may well be conceived, neither T nor Avelino
Fernandes allowed Stanley to go out of our sight, and,
2l3 THE KINO'S UJFLE.
eager to hear the particulars of liis journey, we utilised
every moment in questioning him and his men.
On the 1 9th, the officers of the Tamega gave a
splendid banquet to the great explorer, to which Com-
mandant Marques invited Fernandes and myself.
On the 20th we set off for Loanda, having on board
the whole of Stanley's followers, to the number of
114 persons, among whom were twelve women and a
few children.
Stanley was lodged at Loanda in my own house —
a distinction which was very agreeable to me, as he
refused many other invitations, some from persons who
could offer him accommodation far beyond my powers,
seeing that the only furniture my poor dwelling
contained was that supplied by my travelling resources.
The Governor immediately sent a messenger to
compliment the illustrious American, and invited him
to a banquet, at which I was present. On our way
home, I asked Stanley what impression Snr. Albu-
querque made upon him, to which he merely replied,
" He seems a very cold kind of gentleman."
The American Consul, Mr. Newton, gave us a break-
fast, and showed us much kind attention.
Other festivals and banquets followed ; time was
flowing on; we had reached the 23rd of August, and
still not a single carrier had been obtained. It was in
the evening of the dinner given by the Governor to
Stanley that His Excellency repeated that it would
not be possible for me to obtain transport at Loanda,
and in support of his assertion referred to the case of
Major Gorjao, who had scarce obtained half the men he
wanted, when engaged on the survey of the Cuanza
railway.
It is now time to speak of our projects, as defined by
law, and the instructions of the Government.
Parliament, as has been stated, voted a sum of 30
IN SEARCH OF CARRIERS. 27
coiitos of reis (£6600) for the purpose of surveying the
hydrographic relations between the Congo and Zambesi
basins, and the countries comprised between the Portu-
guese Colonies, on both coasts of South Central Africa.
Subsequent instructions laid more particular stress
on a survey of the river Cuango in connection with the
Zaire ; a study of the countries in which the Coanza,
Cunene, and Cobango take their rise, as far as the upper
Zambesi ; and, if possible, a careful survey of the course
of the Cunene.
The plan as set forth in the Act of Parliament,
which had been drawn up by Snr. Corvo, would
appear at first sight far too vast a scheme for a single
expedition and a vote of 30 contos of reis ; but the Act
nevertheless was carefully worded. Snr. Corvo was
aware that not only is a traveller in Africa not always
master of his actions, but is likely to meet upon his
road with some unforeseen problem, the solution of
which he may deem of far greater importance than the
one he was sent over to study ; and on that account
great latitude was allowed the explorers.
As regards the instructions, they were more restricted,
but even they by no means trammelled the movements
of the expedition.
As to the point of entry, seeing that it depended
essentially upon the most convenient spot for obtaining
transport, it was left to our discretion.
Capello and myself had thought of making our entry
at Loanda, travelling eastward until we reached the
Cuango ; descending that river for two degrees, enter-
ing the Cassbi, by which we intended to descend to the
Zaire; and finally, investigating the Zaire to its mouth.
The arrival of Stanley, who had performed a part of
the labour we had tracked out for ourselves, and above
all the impossibility of obtaining carriers at Loanda,
made us completely alter our plans.
28 77//.; 7v7A'C/\S JIIFLK.
We decided now that I should go southwards to
procure some men in Benguelhi ; and that, if I could
obtain them there, we would enter by the mouth of
the River Cunene, go up it to its source, and thence
proceed in a south-east direction, as far as the Zambesi.
As no great confidence could be reposed in the men
we hired, we thought it well to solicit the Governor for
a certain number of soldiers, to act as a kind of escort.
His Excellency acceded to the request, and passed the
word among the regiments to learn whether any of
the soldiers felt inclined to volunteer; for as the
service was not a regular one, he could not compel any
of the men to go.
It was therefore decided that I should start for
Benguella by the steamer which would arrive from
Lisbon about the beginning of September.
On board that steamer I met with our companion
Ivens for the first time. Of a genial and ardent
nature, possessing a great flow of words, and perfectly
enthusiastic on the subject of difficult journeys, we soon
became friends. AVe communicated to him all we had
determined to do, and the difficulties we had hitherto
met with. Ivens agreed with us as to the course to be
adopted, and my departure for Benguella was definitely
fixed for the 6th of the month.
I lost no time in getting ready for the voyage, and
waited upon the Governor to ajDprise him of the circum-
stance. During my absence, my companions were to
arrange and prepare the baggage, which, owing to our
hasty flight from Europe, was in a state of considerable
disorder.
I wish here to put on record an episode which
annoyed me not a little, inasmuch as it might perhaps
have led Stanley to form an estimate of my character
and that of my companions far different to the true one.
On the 5th of the month, at breakfast, we were all
IN SEARCH OF CARRIERS. 29
of US — Capello, Ivens, Stanley, and Avelino Fernandes
— talking about slavery, and we were exjDlaining to
our guest the spirit of the Portuguese laws upon that
infamous traffic, seeking to impress upon him the
falsity of the assertions of foreigners in respect of our
country, and the impossibility of any slaves being held
where the government had any authority. In the
midst of the conversation Capello had to go off to the
Palace for an interview with the governor.
An hour later he returned_, and very shortly after-
wards Stanley received an official letter from Snr.
Albuquerque begging him to give a certificate to the
effect that " No slavery was permitted within the terri-
tory under his charge." Stanley, in a state of aston-
ishment, showed me the letter, and most certainly both
myself and companions Avere as surprised as he. To
say the least of it, the thing looked very queer ; and
our conversation at breakfast, followed up by the letter
so soon after the visit of one of us to the j)alace, might
appear to the illustrious traveller something outside
the pale of accident.
Stanley could undoubtedly certify to His Excellency
that neither on board the Tamega nor in any house,
neither at His Excellency's residence nor in that of
Consul Newton, had he seen any evidence of slavery.
But beyond this, as the Governor must have well
known, Stanley could have no information apart from
what he had obtained from us, and with the exception
of the town in which he was temporarily dwelling
he had visited no portion of the territory governed
by Snr. Albuquerque. To get from Stanley such a
document was to make him pay pretty dearly for a
dinner and other favours bestowed upon him. I
believe that Stanley did us the justice to think we
had no hand whatsoever in the conc'e})tion or produc-
tion of the letter.
30 TI]E KING'S RIFLE.
On the 6th I left for Benguella, taking with me
letters from Siir. Jose Maria do Prado to various
private individuals, but without any recommendation to
the governor of the district, with whom I w^as not
acquainted.
I was once more about to search for carriers whom
I, a Portuguese, had been unable to obtain in Loanda,
and that four months later, a foreigner, the explorer
Schutt, procured without difficulty, when pursuing the
first route we had intended to follow.
On my voyage I made the acquaintance of a pas-
senger wdio told me that I might possibly get a few
carriers at Novo Pedondo, and that he would under-
take to contract there for some twenty or thirty of
them.
This put me in rather better spirits, and it was in
such humour that I arrived at Benguella on the evening
of the 7th. Although I liad letters of recommendation
for various merchants, I determined to call upon the
governor, and ask his hospitality, with what result the
next chapter will show.
STILL IN SEARCH OF CARRIERS. 31
CHAPTER II.
STILL IX SEARCH OF CARRIERS.
The Goveruor, Alfredo Pereiia de niello — The Governor's house — Things for
which the government of tlie mother country is not responsible — A sketch
of Benguella — Its trade — I am I'obbed — Another robbery — The Katambela
— I obtain carriers — Arrival of Capello and Ivens — Fresh alteration of
route — Another difficulty — Silva Porto, the old country trader — New
obstacles — Capello goes to the Dumbo — Departure — The Dumbo — Fresh
difficulties — Final start.
Alfredo Pereira de Mello,* Governor of Bengiiella,
on hearing my request for hospitality, exhibited an
amount of embarrassment whicli was only too per-
ceptible, and after a pause said that he had no accom-
modation to offer me. His answer surprised me, as I
knew him to be naturally courteous and open-handed.
I had received invitations, from the very moment of
my arrival, both from Antonio Ferreira Marques and
Cauchoix, but I had made up my mind to take up my
quarters in the Governor's house.
He then said that he had not a bed to offer me, at
wliich I pointed to my travelling bed, for I had had
my luggage brought up with me. Defeated in this
quarter, he asserted that he had not a room ; to whicli
1 responded by saying that a corner of the hall in
which we stood would serve my turn.
Finding his objections thus overruled, he gave in,
* Alfredo Pereira de Mello, a captain in the army and Governor of
IJenguella, was the same Lieutenant Mello referred to by Cameron in his work
'Across Africii,' and wlio was then aide-de-camp to the Governor of the
Province, Bnr. Andrade. — Nate of the Author.
32 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
and I stopped. I was curious to learn the cause of the
Governor tlius denying me liospitality, and a little
investigation unravelled the mystery.
Alfredo Pereira de Mello was a new man, although
he had attained to some rank in the navy. Congenial
and intelligent, he was esteemed by all who knew him
intimately, because to a finished education he joined a
singular rectitude of character, and that energy which
is peculiar to every good sailor. He had served in the
English navy, and was an experienced navigator.
He had visited both the Americas, and before going
to Africa in the capacity of aide-de-camp to the
Governor Andrade, he had made voyages to India,
China, and Japan.
His Excellency, who knew me very well by name,
on hearing my request, forgot that he had the explorer
before him, and only thought of the man, habituated to
a life of comfort and even luxury. The truth therefore
was, that Pereira de Mello was ashamed to offer me
shelter.
A Governor of Benguella, however upright and
honourable he may be, is bound to live in the very
humblest fashion, if dependent on the pay that he
receives.
The Government house is a hired one. Its furni-
ture, many degrees below the designation of simple,
is barely sufficient to garnish a sitting-room and one
bed-chamber.
In the former, in striking contrast to the furniture,
and in a richly gilded frame, was a portrait of the
King, the best I have ever seen.
Foreign vessels of war frequently put into the
harbour. The officers, on coming ashore, naturally
called upon the Governor, and invited him on board,
where they regaled him in right royal fashion, but not
a glass of water did they get in return ; and why ?
STILL IN iSEARCH OF CARRIEES. 33
because the negress who constituted the chief part of
the domestic establishment of his Excellency would have
had to present it on a cracked old plate. The so-called
dinner-service was, I verily believe, like another sword
of Damocles suspended over the head of Pereira de
Mello, when I appeared before him and obstinately
determined to remain his guest. And yet he was quite
wrong. The neatness and cleanliness which presided
at his board made you quite forget that the glasses
were cracked and the plates chipped and otherwise
disfigured by time, and the simple but admirably cooked
food was so appetising after exposure to the air of
Africa that — though I have no wish to offend the cook
at the Hotel Central in Lisbon — I must aver that I
have dined better in the Governor's house at Benguella
than ever I did off his savoury viands ; and yet I will
lay any odds that the negress Conceigao, who performed
such wonders of cookery, never even heard the name of
that hero of pots and pans, the celebrated Brillat-
Savarin.
The very first day of my forcible entry on his
privacy, Pereira de Mello opened to me his heart and
entered into many details of his inner life. Three official
notes addressed to the government of the province,
wherein he begged for authority to make certain reforms
in his household, had remained, he said, unanswered.
How little novelty is there in human affairs ! On
tuining over the leaves of a copy letter-book, existing
in the archives of the government of Benguella, I
happened to fall upon certain official notes dated as far
Ijack as 1790, wherein the then governor made an
ap})eal to the king in almost identical terms ; averring
that he had complained in vain to the governor-general
of the province about the state of the carriages of two
brass guns, which urgently required looking to ; —
application and appeal having been both, alas ! equally
VOL. 1. D
34 THE KING'S IlIFLE.
fruitless, as the pieces are carriageless at the present
day !
These are the very pieces of ordnance alhided to by
Cameron. He will be pleased, however, to know that
tlie carriages have been ordered, and cannot be much
longer delayed ; for as the order appears to have been
given at some time in the said year, 1700, tliey must
surely be nearly ready now.
Benguella is a picturesque town which extends from
the shore of the Atlantic to the very summit of the
mountains which form the first steps of the lofty
plateau of tropical Africa. It is surrounded by a
dense forest, the Matta do Cavaco, even at the present
day peopled with wnld beasts ; a fact, however, which
should cause no particular astonishment, inasmuch as
the Portuguese generally are not greatly given to
sport. The residences of the Europeans cover a large
area, for all the houses have vast gardens and dejjen-
dencies. These gardens are well looked after ; they
produce all the known European vegetables, and a
good many tropical plants besides.
Extensive patios, or courts, surrounded by over-
hanging galleries, serve as shelter to the large caravans
which descend from the interior to the coast for the
purposes of traffic, and remain three days under cover
in order to effect the barter.
A river, wliich, in the summer season, looks scarcely
more than a broad ribbon of white sand running from
the mountains to the sea through the forest do Cavaco,
constitutes nevertheless the great source or spring of
Benguella, whose wells, that have been dug there,
produce excellent water purified in its passage through
calcareous sand.
The broad and straight streets of the town are
planted with two rows of trees, for the most part
svcamores^ but of no great age, and as yet therefore
STILL IN SEAROn OF CARRIERS. 35
somewhat small. The squares or places are of vast
size, and in a public garden are flourishing many fine
plants that are very agreeable to the eye.
The houses, which have no upper story, are built of
unbaked bricks, and the flooring is composed either of
tiles or wood.
The custom-house is a good building, recently
erected, and has spacious warehouses for tlie storing
of goods. This establishment and the public garden
before alluded to, as well as other improvements in
Benguella, were the work of a former governor, Leite
Mendes. To him also is due, I believe, the foundation
of a magnificent pier \vith iron architraves, subse-
quently carried to completion by Governor Teixeira
da Silva. It is furnished with two cranes and trams,
by which goods are conveyed from the vessels into the
custom-house. I am grammatically wrong, however, in
using the present tense in respect of such conveyance ;
I should rather employ the conditional, and say they
u'ould be conveyed, if there were any men to do the
work ; but as these are wanting, they are not con-
veyed at all.
The town further boasts of a decent church and a
cemetery, well placed and walled in.
The European population is surrounded on all sides
by senzalas, or the huts of the negroes, which in fact
are occasionally discoverable in deserted grounds in
the very midst of the dwellings of the whites. Take it
for all in all, the general aspect of the place is agree-
able and ])icturesque.
Benguella has a somewhat doubtful reputation
among the Portuguese j^ossessions in Africa. Many
suppose tlie country to be infected ; that it exhales
pestiferous miasma too often causing death from
plague. Btit this is really not the case. True, I was
not acquaintetl with the IJenguella of the past, but I
i> 2
36 TUE KING'S RIFLE.
can aver that at the present day it is neither better
nor worse than inan}^ other places in Africa.
Cleanliness and plantations of trees must certainly
have considerably modified its former hygienic condi-
tions, and a small amount of goodwill would make it,
sanitarily, far better than it is. This cannot fail to be
done as time goes on, inasmuch as it is not likely that
a place of so much importance, from a commercial
point of view, and which is in such close contact with
the rich lands in the interior, can remain neglected.
The cliief products which make up the trade of
Benguella are wax, ivory, india-rubber, and orchilla
weed, which are conveyed to the town by the caravans
from the interior. These caravans are of two kinds.
Some, under the guidance of agents of the trading
houses, carry back to the firms which despatch them
the products of their trade with the interior ; others,
composed exclusively of natives, come over to trade on
their own account, as being more profitable to them-
selves.
The trade with the natives is ejBfected by direct
exchange of their produce for cotton stuffs, white,
striped, or printed. Other European products form the
object of a second exchange for the stuffs already
received ; and thus, after the first barter of the ivory
or wax for cotton, the latter is given for arms, powder,
rum, beads, &c., at the will of the buyer, because cotton
stuffs are, so to speak, the current money of this traffic.
The trade is in the hands of Europeans and Creoles,
and we fell in there, fortunately, with a good many of
those adventurous young spirits who leave their homes
and country to seek for fortune in these distant climes.
A few convicts of minor importance also do some
trade, either on their own account or as the employes
of foreign houses.
The 2:reatest of the criminals of the mother coun-
STILL IN SEARCH OF CARRIEBS. 37
try — tliose foi' instance who are transported for life —
are sent to Benguella, and as a natural consequence a
good number of rascals are to be met with there, to
whom it is well to give a wide berth ; taking care not
to confound them with the many really honest and
worthy folks who occupy the place.
The police duties are entrusted to a military force
told off for Benguella from one of the regiments, and
from Benguella itself various forces are scattered
among the communes of the interior, thus weakening
the garrison of the town, which is small enough, in all
conscience, already.
We possess two armies, one in the mother country,
the other in the colonies, which have no connection
between them.
Our home army is good, because the Portuguese are
good soldiers ; our colonial army is bad, because the
blacks, of which it is composed, are bad soldiers, and
the few whites that are mixed up with them are even
worse than the negroes. Transported for offences
which exclude them from society and cause them to
forfeit in Europe the rights of citizenship, they follow
in Africa the noble calling of a soldier, by which it
happens that our African autonomy and the public
and private safety are entrusted to the defence of men
who can give as sole guarantee a past career of crime
or misdemeanour.
Hence the constant scenes of a shameful character
that are there enacted. During my stay in Benguella
an impudent burglary was committed in the military
department, and a large sum of money was carried off.
The Grovernor displayed extraordinary energy in his
endeavours to discover the thieves, and received great
assistance at the hands of his secretary, Captain Barata ;
and in the end their efforts were successful, both in
catching the rascals and recovering the money. It will
38 2 HE KING'S RIFLE.
scarcely be credited that the robbery was planned by
the very sergeant of the detachment, and was carried
out by him with the aid of some of the soldiers !
If our army at home can escape the censure of
fastidious military critics, our colonial forces are objects
for the well-merited lash of all foreigners who deign to
bestow upon them any attention.
The more I consider the matter, the more puzzled am
I to explain the raison (Vetre of such an army as we
possess in the colonies, which is neither of use as a
police force, nor for the purposes of war ; nay, as
regards the latter, I remember to have seen better work
done by a corps of volunteers raised within the kingdom,
and who, besides, were bound by a fixed term of service,
than by any of the so-called regulars in the colonies.
Even at the present time in Lisbon there are three
battalions always ready to start for the colonies, and
who have in fact already been there ; a proof, in my
opinion, that the keeping up an army abroad, on its
present footing, answers no other purj)ose than that of
perpetuating a bj^gone usage.
On the night of my arrival at Benguella I made the
acquaintance of the Judge Snr. Caldeira, who was
good enough to join the Governor in assuring me that
he would use all his influence to prevent my visit to
Benguella being abortive, and he kept his word.
The Governor called a meeting, at his own residence,
of the most important inhabitants of the town, and,
explaining to them the motives of my journey and its
proposed direction, begged them to render me every
assistance in their power in the way of procuring me
carriers, and thus enable me to carry out my mission.
This they all promised to do.
H. E. Snr. Pereira de Mello and the judge were
indefatigable from this moment, so that on the 17th
inst., the day on which the latter left for Lisbon, I had
STILL IN SEAECH OF CARRIERS. 39
got together the number of men I asked for, viz. fifty,
which, with the thirty expected from Novo Redoudo,
made a total of eighty ; as many as I deemed necessary
for the journey from the moutli of the Cunene to the
Bihe.
The old settler Silva Porto undertook to convey to
Bihe' the heavier portion of tlie baggage, which we
could take up at that place, and where we should have
to engage fresh carriers to pursue our journey.
On that day I shifted my quarters to the house
previously occupied by the judge, althougli I continued
to dine with the Governor and occasionally with
Antonio Ferreira Marques, of the firm of Ferreira and
Gon9alves, who vied with each other in their polite
attentions to me.
Next morning a black in my service robbed me of
some 75 milreis, and disappeared without leaving a
trace of the road he took.
On the 19th my companions arrived on board the
gunboat Tamega, and on the same day we resolved
that we would not go to the mouth of the Cunene, but
make our way directly to the Bihe'.
This fresh resolution altered the engagements we
had taken with the carriers, and besides this, the people
of Benguella, who, when led into a distant country,
would not think of deserting, might perhaps feel in-
clined to do so when journeying at the outset through
territory whose language and customs they were ac-
quainted with.
And so we had again to alter the plan of our
campaign. I kept constantly in my mind the narra-
tives of Cameron and Stanley in respect of the trouble
and annoyance caused by desertions, from which
indeed not even Livingstone was free, seeing that he
was abandoned by thirty men on his Tt'te journcv with
Dr. Kirk.
40 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
Immediately after the arrival of my two companions
it was determined that Ivens should have the chargre
of the geographical department; that Capello should
devote himself to meteorology and natural sciences,
and that I should attend to the auxiliary staff of the
expedition, whilst giving each other, of course, mutual
advice and assistance. As my duties therefore com-
pelled me to set things going, I began by taking
counsel of Silva Porto.
I recounted to him the fresh determination we
had come to, viz. to proceed directly to the Bilie, and
explained to him the difficulty in which 1 was placed.
Silva Porto came over to Benguella with me, as his
house — Bemposta — was some four miles distant from
the town, and called at the various houses where cara-
vans of Bailundos might be found, without however
succeeding in getting any offers to carry the baggage
to Bihe'. We then learned that a large caravan had
arrived at the house of Mr. Cauchoix, and proceeded
thither ; that gentleman did his best to help us, but in
vain, although he offered a heavy gratuity to the chief,
and double pay to the porters, if they would only take
our things.
I wish to mention here a very curious fact. The
Bihenos are the finest travellers in Africa, and no
other people extend their journeys to such length as
they, or can equal them in pluck and endurance under
fatigue ; but these Bihenos only travel from Bihe' into
the interior as hired attendants, for if, which is very
rare, they come down to the coast, it is on their own
account. The Bailundos, on the other hand, hire out
their services between the coast and Bihe, and will not
go into the interior in an easterly direction ; north-
wards, however, they have no objection to extend their
journeys to the Dumbo and Loanda.
Thus it happens that merchants settled in the coinitry
STILL IN SEARCH OF CABBIEES. 41
lia,ve their goods transported from Bengnella to the
Bihe country by Baikmdos, and tlience to more remote
places in the interior by Bihenos, who come back to
Bihe laden with products in exchange ; and from Bihe
to the coast, the Bailundos resume the service.
Having obtained this information, all that was left
me to do was to hire some Bailundos to come over and
fetch the baggage ; and Silva Porto having kindly
undertaken the task of procuring them, despatched at
once five blacks to Bailundo for the purpose. The old
trader, however, did not fail to assure me, from his long
experience, that a good deal of delay must be expected,
as it would take his messengers fifteen days to reach
the country, and at least as many more to collect the
carriers ; so that, adding these thirty to fifteen others
for the return journey, we must reckon upon forty-five
days ere they got back ; and there was little chance
indeed of their being here before. We were then at
the end of September, so that l)y this computation we
should not be able to start before the middle of
November.*
After taking counsel with my friends upon this fresh
phase in our position, we resolved not to lose such
valuable time at Benguella ; but, delivering over the
heavy baggage to Silva Porto, for him to forward it
by the Bailundos, start at once with such things as
were indispensable, and wait for the remainder at Bihe.
The time we spent there could at least be occupied in
hunting up fresh carriers to pursue the onward
journey.
Out of the men hired at Benguella we could not
reckon with confidence on more than thirty performing
the journey, and these, with thirty -six obtained from
Novo Redondo, made a total of sixty-six men. Besides
* As a matter of fact, a iwrtinn of tlicse porters, viz. 200, only riaclud
Bcnfirnclla on tlic 27tli of December, and 200 more at the end of Fcbniarv.
42 THE KINO'S BIFLE.
these, we had fourteen soldiers, some young niggers for
my personal service, two or three Kabendas in the
service of Capello and Ivens, and two native chiefs,
one of whom, Barros, had been engaged by me in
Katambela, and the other, Catao, by Capello, in Novo
Redondo.
Among all these men, there was not one in whom
we could repose any confidence.
We set to work to select the loads judged indis-
pensable, and found that they were eighty-seven, thus
making twenty-seven more loads than there were
carriers. No one can conceive how I laboured to
supply the deficiency ; but in vain, not another porter
was to be had.
The blacks, not understanding what we intended to
do in the interior, became uncomfortable, and, with their
naturally suspicious nature, got all kinds of fancies,
which did not improve matters.
The end of October came, and still we were in the
same position.
By the advice of Silva Porto, I made up my mind
to go into the Dombe country, and see whether the
Mundumbes would be more difficult to deal with than
the people of Benguella. Feeling, however, indisposed,
I got Capello to go for me.
Capello started on the 29th and returned on the 3rd
of November, having made a fruitless journey. The
Mundumbes are willing enough to go to QuiJlengues
by a road known to themselves, but beyond this they
will not travel, and they refused the very handsome
sum we offered if they would go with us to Bihe'.
It became absolutely necessary to come to some
determination, and that we therefore at once proceeded
to do. We resolved still to go to Bihe', but by the track
leading through Quillengues and Caconda.
The Governor, Pereira de Mello, immediately gave
STILL IN SEARCH OF GABRIERS. 43
orders to the diefe (head official) of the Donibe to have
ready fifty carriers, to accompany us to Quillengiies ;
and Silva Porto, as agreed, took charge of the bag-
gage which was to be forwarded to Bihe', amounting
in all to 400 loads.
His Excellency jDlaced at our disposal a large boat to
convey by sea to the Cuio (Dombe Grande) the loads
that had to be transported thence to Quillengues, and
certain of the Benguella carriers who were on the sick list.
On the 11th of November we were ready to leave
the coast, and we fixed our departure for the following
day. On the former date four of the Novo Redondo
porters ran away, and five of the Benguella on the
very morning of our departure.
The 12th arrived at last, and with it our final exit
from the town, after the most cordial adieux and good
wishes of the many friends assembled to wish us God-
speed. Shortly before leaving I had gone down to the
beach and feasted my eyes on the vast expanse of the
Atlantic, on that enormous waste of water which I
gazed on, perhaps, for the last time. Two years did
indeed elapse before I had the satisfaction of seeing it
again, and then it was in France, near Bordeaux.
I do not know if all persons are affected in the same
way, but, after I have dwelt for any time in a place,
I quit it with regret. At the moment of leaving
Benguella, I felt a pang of sorrow, an indefinable
sensation of malaise, which I must confess the town
and its surroundings could scarcely of themselves be
held capable of exciting.
The national colours, carried by one of our party,
were increasing their distance from the town, as our
caravan wound its measured way into the open, and
with one more hasty farewell I hurried after it.
On the 13th we reached the Dombe, having made a
journey of 40 miles. We had with us sixty-nine
44 THE KING'S RIFLE.
persons and six donkeys, which were all, men and
asses alike, lodged in the fortress. We three, with our
body servants, were most kindly welcomed to the
house of Manuel Antonio de Santos Reis, a perfect
gentleman, who could scarcely do enough to serve us.
It was a couple of days later that our baggage,
which had been sent by sea, arrived, and after a care-
ful examination of the whole I found 100 men,
besides those I had with me, would be necessary
for its transport.
This arose, I presume, from an abuse of the accomo-
dation offered us by the boat, more things being put
on board than those we at first judged absolutely
necessary.
We decided upon leaving on the 18th, after receiv-
ing our letters from Europe, as the packet usually
reached Benguella on the 14th ; but not only on the
18tli had the steamer not arrived, but the chefe had
not hired a single porter.
The mail came in on the 21st, but as regards fol-
lowers we still had only those we brought from
Benguella. The chefe declared all should be ready by
the 26th; but so far from this being the case, only
nineteen out of the hundred required appeared on that
day. Next morning we procured twenty-seven more ;
when, fearing if there were any greater delay those I
liad already obtained would take themselves off, I at
once despatched them to Quillengues, under the charge
of two of the soldiers I had with me.
The chefe asseverated that it was impossible for him
to get any more men. Whereupon I invited to the
fortress the three Sovas (native chiefs or princes) of the
Dombe for the 28th, in order to see whether I could
not myself treat with them. They came — three magnifi-
cent specimens, whose appearance was calculated to
strike a beholder with surprise, if not with awe.
STILL IN SEARCH OF CARRIERS. 45
One was called Brito, a name he had borrowed from
a former Grovernor of Benguella, who had restored him
to power ; the second, Bahita ; and the third, Batara.
My companions unfortunately could not be present at
this serio-comic meeting, as they had been suffering
since the 24th from fever.
Sova Brito was attired in three petticoats of chintz,
of a large flowered pattern, very rumpled and dirty,
with an infantry captain's coat, unbuttoned, displaying
his naked breast, for shirt he had none ; and on his
head, over a red woollen nightcap, was jauntily posed
the cocked hat of a staff officer.
Bahita also wore petticoats, of some woollen stuff of
brilliant colours, a rich uniform of a peer of Portugal,
nearly new, and on his head, over the indispensable
nightcap, a kepi of the 5th Chasseurs.
As to Batara, he was dressed simply in rags, but had
buckled about liis waist an enormous sabre.
These illustrious and grave personages were sur-
rounded by the satellites and high dignitaries of their
negro ■ courts, wdio squatted on the ground about the
chairs on which their respective sovereigns were seated.
Bahita was accompanied by a minstrel who played
upon a Marimba, from which he drew the most
lugubrious sounds.
This instrument is formed of two sticks about three
feet in length, slightly curved, there being stretched
from end to end strings of catgut on which are fixed
thin strips of wood, each of which is a note of a scale.
The sound is increased by means of a row of gourds
placed below, so arranged that the lowest note corre-
sponds to a gourd having a capacity of six to seven
pints and the highest to one of a quarter of a pint or less.
The sovas conducted themselves with such extra-
ordinary gravity that in spite of myself I imitated
their example.
46 THE KING'S niFLE.
After bavin o- pi-omlsed me carriers, they were g'ood
enough to accompany me to my temporary liome, aLoiit
a mile and a lialf from tlie fortress; and as I made
each of them a present of a bottle of aguardente, they
ordered their chief officials to honour me with a dance,
and Bahita commanded some girls, who had hitherto
been kept out of sight, to be brought forward to join
in the entertainment.
I begged them to dance themselves, but they gave
me to know that their dignity would not allow of such
a proceeding, it being contrar}^ to all established rule.
I ardently desired, however, to see Baliita capering in
petticoats and a peer's uniform ; and aware of the
power of liquor over the negro, I gave instructions that
a fresh bottle should be presented to their majesties.
This was quite enough. Laws and established rules
were soon cast to the winds, and I had the delight to
see them all join in a grotesque dance in the midst of
their people, who, fired with enthusiasm at the sight,
rolled about and went through such violent contortions
that one would have thought they had all gone into
fits or were afflicted with some new kind of madness.
Bahita was simply grand, and I cannot help thinking
that the " roi Bobeche " must have been created after
some such model. In his excitement he talked of
nothing but ordering people's heads to be cut off;
sentences which those around him listened to with the
utmost apparent submission, with their tongues in their
cheeks all the time, as they knew full well the Por-
tuguese Government would allow of no tricks of that
kind within its jurisdiction.
The Dombe Grande is a most fertile valley, which
extends first from south to north, and then westwards,
almost in a right angle, to the sea. It is framed in by
two systems of mountains, one on the west, which
borders the coast, and the other on the east ; and
STILL IN SE Alien OF CAEBIEltS.
47
through it runs a river known under no fewer than
four names, the Domhe, Coporolo, Quiporolo, and St.
Francisco.
This river, very full of water in winter, is generally
quite dry in summer, although, even in the times of
greatest drought, water can always be had by digging-
wells ; this is the case, in fact, throughout the Dombe
valley, where one never need go deeper than ten
Fig. 1. — .\li;.MH)MiU'; WuiMkn, Vknuous ok Coal.
(From a photograph by tho clicmist Mouteiro.)
feet to obtain the desired supply. Close to tiie
western mountains, in tliat part of the valley which
runs north and south, there is a lake, fifty-four yards
wide by five-eigliths of a mile in length, of tlie shape of
the letter S. This lake is curious, inasmuch as it is not
formed by rain deposits, l)ut is fed by a strong subter-
ranean spring : its level is never clianged, tlie surplus
being carried off by infiltrations which, less than a mile
•48 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
lower clown, jut out in the shape of springs, that arc
made use of for irrigating some property in the
neighbourhood. The lake is said to contain some large
fish and many crocodiles.
I visited it frequently, but never caught siglit of
either crocodile or fish. I must believe, however, that
they exist, because my kind entertainer assured me of
the fact, and that they ^^'ere very voracious to boot.
He stated, besides, in corroboration of his assertion, that
in 1876, his place having been attacked by a band of
marauders from Quillengues, tlie latter were defeated
by his blacks, and attempted, in their flight, to swim
the lake. Not one, however, reached the opposite
bank, the whole of them having fallen a prey to the
voracious denizens of the waters.
In those same western mountains, which are formed
of calcareous carbonate and some suljDhate of lime, and
in close proximity to the lake, exist certain huge
grottoes or caverns, which, as we were informed by our
host, had never been explored, and which contained, in
so far as could be observed from outward inspection,
extensive galleries.
Capello, myself, and our host, Snr. Reis, went to
visit one of them, and found that it had been greatly
exaggerated.
It formed a species of hall, nearly circular, of about
15 yards in diameter, scooped by nature out of the
immense mass of calcareous stone of which the mountain
was composed. It would seem to be a regular haunt of
wild beasts, as one might judge from the air,which was
perfectly saturated with the pungent smell of certain
animals, as well as from the traces of a lion impressed on
the impalpable powder which covered the ground, where
we met with a few quills of the Hystrix Africano.
In the valley of the Dombe there are some important
agricultural estates, the chief of them being that of the
STILL IN SEARCH OF CARRIERS. 49
Loaclie, one of Paula Barboza, and that of our host,
Santos Reis. The last mentioned is scarcely three
years old, and produces sugar-cane in sufficient quantity
to yield more than eight thousand gallons of rum ; and
it must be remembered that tlie land was previously all
forest-grown, and has only been three years cleared.
The estate is otherwise still in its infancy, everything
being in course of construction ; but one may readily
Fig. 2. — MuNDOJiBE Women and Girls.
(From a photograph by Monteiro.)
judge, from the results already obtained, how richly
productive is the soil in this part of the world.
The entire valley is cultivated witli manioc by the
natives, and is so fertile that even after three years
drought its production is perfectly regular, more thaii
fifty thousand bushels of the flour being exj^orted
during the year. It is, in fact, the granary of Benguella.
The natives of those parts do not trade by barter, but
sell their products for money, the value of which they
are very well acquainted with.
VOL. I. E
50
TEE KINO'S RIFLE.
Our compulsory delay in this country was most
injurious to the order and discipline of my people.
Every day they put forward some fresh claim ;
every day some quairel or other arose amono;' them ;
and 1 feared to he too strict lest they should all desert
me in a body.
They sold their clothes to purchase aguardente, and
even went so far as to dispose of their rations of food
to procure liquor wherewith to muddle themselves.
l-"ig. 3. — ;Mukdombe IMen. (From a pbotogi'aph by Moiiteim.)
The soldiers were the worst. The Sovas did not
send us any men, and I began to apprehend a repe-
tition of the Benguella scenes — any way we could
not stir.
On the 1st of December thirt}^ men arrived at
Dombe, sent from Quillengues by the military chefe,
to fetch some baggage belonging to him. I at once
pounced upon them, and arranged with my companions
to start on the 4th.
STILL IN SEARCH OF CARBIERS. 51
We had to record three other desertions : two men
from Novo Redondo, and one from Benguella.
Our donkeys were very troublesome and obstinate,
and there was no one wdio knew how to train them ;
the parting with them was, however, out of the ques-
tion, so we managed as best we could.
E 2
52 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
CHAPTEE III.
THE STORY OF A SHEEP.
Nine days in the desert — Want of water — The ex-cliefe of Quillengues — I lose
myself in the bush — Two shots in time — A little nigger and a negress
missing — Loss of a donkey — Quillengues at last — Death of the sheep.
On the 4tli of December I left the Dombe, at eiglit o'clock
in the morning, and bent my com^se to Qiiillengnes.
Capello and Ivens remained behind for a while to
arrange about sending on some of the luggage, in-
tending to join me at night. By the advice of the
guides, we did not follow the caravan route, but a by-
path known to themselves, so as to avoid the usual
fords of the River Coporolo, which were already some-
what difficult on account of the quantity of water,
whilst the other path led to shorter and more con-
venient fording-places.
After two hours' march in the plain, we arrived at
the foot of the Cangemba range, which borders the
valley of the Dombe on the east side. Here we got a
little rest, and at eleven started off again, endeavour-
ing to cross the mountain by the bed of a torrent,
then dry. It was difficult work. The men were
heavily laden, for, besides the actual loads of the
expedition, weighing 66 pounds, they carried rations
for nine days, in the shape of manioc flour and
dried fish. The difference of level was barely 550
yards ; but the bed of the torrent, formed of calcareous
rock, offered formidable obstacles to our progress. In
many places it was necessary to use our hands as well
THE STORY OF A SHEEP. 53
as feet to get along, and the getting the donkeys over
the ground was a work of considerable difficulty.
We had purchased in the Dombe a couple of sheep,
to be killed upon the road, and one of them followed
our party readily enough ; the other, however, caused
us a good deal of trouble, by not only refusing to
follow but showing a great and constant inclination
to return to the country we had left behind.
Three hours were spent upon our fatiguing march,
and in covering a thousand yards at most of ground.
The sun poured down upon us as we toiled on, un-
sheltered, and we were fagged out with our exer-
tions. We encamped at length beside a well dug in
the sandy bed of a rivulet that had run dry, and to
which little stream the Mundombes gave the name of
Cabindondo. The spot was an arid one, and only here
and there were visible some white thorns, curled and
burnt by the sun, which at this period of the year
literally pierce like a knife. Our horizon was formed
by the summits of the mountains which run north and
south.
Towards evening Capello and Ivens put in an ap-
pearance, and we at once sat down to our meal — not
before we needed it, and I, indeed, was still fasting.
On the 5th, at early morning, we were on the move in
a S.E. direction, and after four hours' march, during
which we got over a space of twelve miles, we
pitched our tents in a place which the guides called
Taramanjamba, an extensive valley, surrounded by
hills of no great height. The altitude was found to
be 65G yards, thus showing that we were scarcely more
than 110 yards above our camp of yesterday.
Vegetation continued poor, and the want of water
was great. For drinking and cooking purposes we
obtained but little, in the shape of rain deposits in the
cavities of the rocks ; deposits immediately exhausted
54 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
by our thirsty caravan, so that as niglit came on thirst
was sensibly felt.
During our march, if the young asses continued to
be troublesome, the sheep above referred to was no less
so : he was wonderfully wild, and more obstinate than
the donkeys. I determined to have done with him, and
my companions being of the same mind I gave orders
to the niggers to this effect, and took a stroll in the
environs.
On my return to the camp, I discovered that the
stupid fellows had misunderstood my orders, and
instead of killing the wild sheep had made away
with the quiet one.
On the following morning we started at daybreak,
and after five hours' march pitched our camp at a
placed called Tiue, where our guides assured us we
should find water.
Against all expectation, the sheep whose life had
been saved by accident not only gave over his wild
tricks, but took it into his head to follow me about
like a dog, keeping constau-tly by me, whether on
the march or in camp.
The journey w^as a difficult one that day ; for my
people were parched with thirst, and for upwards
of an hour we had to follow the dry bed of the river
Canga, naturally all stones and irregularities, which
fatigued us very much.
The soil is granitic, and the arborary vegetation
luxuriant.
The water, just as the night before, was rain water,
collected in the cavities of the rocks ; but it was more
agreeable to the palate, and clearer to the eye.
Some of our men had wounded feet, so that it w^as
dark ere they reached the camp, as they could only
crawl along ; there were others who followed their ex-
ample out of weakness, and many more from sheer sloth.
THE STORY OF A SHEEP. 55
On tliat day, among* the laggards were unluckily
the carriers of the commissariat, which made it late
before we got any food. Capello, quiet and undemon-
strative, never complained of the inconveniences he was
put to ; but he was silent under them. Ivens, on the
contrary, was always full of spirits, and with his
loquacity and liglit-heartednesskept us in good-humour,
and often made us merry with his witticisms. His
appetite, which was never at fault, was great on this
occasion, and after the arrival of the carriers he
watched with eager eyes a le^ of mutton which a
nigger was turning before the fire on a wooden spit.
At last he exclaimed : " If my father could only see me
ej^eing that joint, I am sure the old man would be
moved to tears ! "
Since leaving the Dombe we had scarcely eaten once
a day, which was tlie case also with our people ; with
this difference, however, that they ate without inter-
ruption from the moment of camping until they went
to sleep ; which made me, not unnaturally, appre-
hensive that the rations given out for nine days would
be very soon exhausted, and that hunger would follow
in a country where it was impossible to obtain food.
On the following day we made sixteen miles in
an E.S.E. direction, and pitched our tents in a forest
called Chalussinga ; the ground, still granitic in
character, was relatively better walking, and the
vegetation was of a more vigorous kind than we had
hitherto seen.
We met in this forest with the first baobabs we had
seen since leaving tlie coast. Water continued to be
scarce, and was always formed of rain deposits. At
about three in the afternoon of that day we were
advised that a caravan was coming in the direction of
(jur camp, on its way from the interior ; and on issuing
out to meet it, we found that it was the ex-chefe of
56 THE KING'S RIFLE.
Qiiilleiigues, Captain lloza, on his way to Benguella in
ill-health. We invited him to our tent, where he
dined, and at parting we were ahle to furnish him with
some medicines, of which he stood greatly in need.
After he had left I was informed by the young
niggers that round the camp there were fresh tracl<s of
game, and I went out to investigate. I followed the
trail of some large antelopes, and it led me so far that
night fell, with a darkness so profound that I lost all
traces of the way back to the camp. A lofty mountain
stood out in sombre relief against a hazy sky, where
not a single star was seen to glitter. It occurred to
me to scale it, so that I might from some elevated
pinnacle discover the lights of the camp, by which to
direct my stejDS. 1 deemed the notion a happy one, for
having ascended the mountain I discovered in the
distance a gleam of light, which I at once made for,
having marked the direction by my pocket compass.
None but those who have experienced it can
imagine what it is to wander on a dark night through
the brambles and underwood of a virgin forest, and
how mucli time is expended in traversing a brief space,
leaving, by the way, here a fragment of clothing, and
there, it may be, a portion of one's skin.
I arrived at length, guided during the latter part of
the route by human voices ; but judge of my surprise
and disappointment at finding that I had mistaken
Captain Roza's camp for my own, and that I must still
be some four miles distant from the latter ! As
however a road, or rather the track left by a caravan,
connected the two camps, I determined to push on,
by its guidance, and after another hour's tramp I heard
the welcome sound of the horns blown by my people,
and the occasional crack of a rifle fired ofl" to attract
my attention and direct my steps.
I readied my tent completely tired out and wounded
THE STORY OF A SHEER 57
\vitli the thorns, and found Capello and Iveiis in no
little anxiety on my account. Nor was I allowed to
go undisturbed in mind to the rest I so much needed,
for I was informed, to my annoyance thoug'h not to my
surprise, that provisions were falling short, and that
the soldiers especially had in five days consumed the
rations of nine.
We made a somewhat forced march next day, and
in six hours covered 18 miles, still travelling E.S.E.
The road was a good one, as we followed the track of
Captain Roza's caravan. Gigantic baobabs continually
appeared in the forests we passed through. It was
after crossing the river Calucula that we pitched our
tents, selecting a spot on the right bank of the stream.
Tlie river boasts of but little water ; but what it
contains is limpid and good.
We still continued eating but once a day, the hour
for the single repast varying from one to three,
according to the journey. It had become necessary to
be parsimonious with our stores. I still felt the fatigues
of the previous night, and therefore remained within
the encampment, instead of hunting up game. Ivens,
as usual, employed himself at his drawing ; and Capello
was busy with his collection of insects and reptiles.
The soldiers, having finished their rations, began to
complain of hunger, and even talked of killing the
sheep. I had taken quite a liking for the animal,
which had been so suddenly converted from the wild
creature it was into a gentle and domestic beast,
following me, as I have mentioned, constantly about,
and never allowing me out of its sight. The idea
therefore of killing it was very repugnant to me, and
Ivens for the time diverted the soldiers' attention by
giving them a little rice from our own stores.
On the 0th we broke up our camp at five in the
morning, and ke[)t steadily on our march till one, when
58 THE KING'S RIFLE.
\\(i rested on a slope of Mount Tama. From eight till
nine we travelled southwards by the left bank of the
river Chiculi Diengui, which rnns north, probably into
the Coporolo. Vegetation was becoming more and
more luxuriant, and on this day our route lay through
a dense forest.
Directly our tents were pitched, the complaints ot
the hungry soldiers were again very audible, and the
subject of killing the poor sheep was ouce more
mooted. Ivens gave tlie fellows another ration of rice,
which satisfied them for the time ; but of course it was
only staving off, as it were, an evil day, and could not
be considered as a positive salvation for tlie poor
animal.
Fagged out as I was, I resolved to go hunting for
game, with a view to save the life of my poor sheep.
For upwards of an hour I rambled through the forest
without result, and was turning my steps campward
when, in a small open space of ground, I sighted two
antelopes grazing.
I drew near, but at more than a hundred yards
distance my presence was evidently discovered. The
male leaped upon a rock, and there began to cast his
keen eye in every direction, whilst the female, with ear
on the alert, sniffed about her.
The distance was great, but I did not hesitate to fire,
aiming at the male, which I had the satisfaction to see
fall and roll over. His companion, hearing the I'eport,
sprang on to the rocky ground, when I dischaiged my
second barrel. With one bound, however, she then
disappeared in the underwood.
My young nigger started off to secure the dead
antelope, but I perceived that instead of stopping at the
rock where the creature \vas last seen, he turned aside
and went farther on, and I myself at length ari'ived at
the spot, and began, with an 'anxious feeling at the
THE STORY OF A SHEEP. 59
heart, to search all round, for I feared I was mistaken
in seeing the first antelope fall. It was not so, however,
for on the other side of the rock, to my great joy, I dis-
covered the graceful animal ( Cervlcapra hohor\ stone dead.
I had scarce time to satisfy myself on the point than
my attendant appeared from the wood bending under a
heavy burden.
It was the second antelope, which he had found dead
at no great distance from the open ground. Both
animals had been struck in the breast, but whereas the
male had been killed upon the spot, the female had
made a bound or two before she ultimately fell.
The sheep, then, was for the time saved, and indeed,
as in two days' time we ought to reach Quillengues,
where provisions could be had, the poor beast might be
looked upon as perfectly secure.
On the following day, after a march of twenty-
two miles, and wading across the rivers Umpuro,
Cumbambi, and Comooloena, we encamped on the
right bank of the Yambo ; all four streams run north-
wards, to unite their waters — when they have any —
to those of the Coporolo, here already called the
Calunga, a name which it retains up to its source.
During this day's march we fell in for the first time
with enormous grasses, clothing the open spots of the
wood. So tall and thick were they that it was quite
impossible to see over them, and very difficult to effect
a passage through. In the course of the journey one
of my young niggers disappeared, together with a
negress, the wife of Capello's attendant Catraio ; and
though I sent out people to look for them, they were
nowhere to be found.
The scarcity of provisions was great, and it was not
the soldiers only who complained of hunger; the
whole lot were grumbling and would not listen to
reason. There was no help for it — on we must go.
GO THE KINO'S RIFLE.
On the lltli, after passing two small streams which
the rains had considerably swollen, the Quitaqui and
the Massonge, we encamped on the right bank of the
river Tui, very near to Quillengues. There was no
news of the missing youth and woman, and since the
evening before one of the asses had disappeared.
Whilst the men were busy with the camp, I started off"
for the fortress of Quillengues, in search of stores, with
which I returned at eight in the evening. Decidedly
the sheep was saved.
During the night the young negro and negress,
whom we thought lost, found their way into camp, a
circumstance which gave me much pleasure ; for, com-
pelled as we were, by hunger, to go on, we could not
have lingered to search for them.
The place where we had pitched our tents was low
and marshy, without any conveniences at hand, and
isolated. On this account, we resolved to shift our
quarters and encamp in the compound of the chefe of
Quillengues, which we reached at eleven o'clock in the
forenoon of the 12th of December.
I there paid and discharged the carriers from
Dombe who had engaged to come with us to Quillen-
gues, and I begged the chefe, Lieutenant Roza, to
obtain others for me to Caconda. This, he assured me,
would be easy ; only, as he was informed that the
streams between Quillengues and Caconda were too full
to allow of crossing, we should not be able to start
immediately.
We fed well on that day, in fact we had two meals,
breakfast and dinner.
A few days after this, -the donkey which had been
lost in the woods was brought into camp by a native,
who had found it strolling about. I gave the negro a
gratuity to encourage him in his honesty ; and besides,
I never expected to see the poor animal again, for if it
THE STORY OF A SHEEP. 61
escaped the teeth and claws of the wild beasts, it could
not, as I thought, avoid capture by some wandering
thief.
Quillengues is a valley watered by the Calunga (a
river which I suppose to be the upper course of the
Coporolo), is extremely fertile, and covered with a
native population.
The Portuguese establishment occupies an area of
5G,875 square yards ; it being of rectangular shape,
273 yards by 199. This rectangle, surrounded by a
palisade, has four bastions, built of masonry half way
up each face ; and within are barracks which form the
residence of the military chefe and quarters for the
soldiers.
Some baobab-trees and sycamores shade with their
gigantic branches and thick foliage a ground covered
with the huge native grass which affords pasture to
the chefe s flocks.
If the importance of Quillengues is great as a jDro-
ductive centre, and easy of colonisation, it is not less so
as a strategic position ; inasmuch as it may be con-
sidered one of the keys to the interior, with respect to
Benguella.
The petty chiefs of the country acknowledge the
Portuguese authority ; but being by nature predatory,
they attack unceasingly other native tribes, and carry
off their cattle.
They are more pastoral than agricultural, but not-
withstanding cultivate the land, which yields abun-
dantly to the slightest care, producing maize, massam-
bala, and mandioca or manioc in large quantities.
Their dwellings are circular huts from ten to fifteen
feet in diameter, constructed of the trunks of trees,
plastered with mud. The door is sufficiently high to
afford passage to a man without stooping.
The inhabitants of Quillengues are tall of stature
62 THE KING'S JRIFLE.
and robusf, and are by nature bold and warlike.
Their manufacturing powers are not remarkable, and
do not seem to go much further than the fashioning
out of iron their assegais, arrow-heads, and hatchets,
both for warlike purposes and cutting wood. Their
metal castings are not made at home, but are pur-
chased in the Dombe country or in Benguella.
Their folds, like their villages, are surrounded by a
strong palisade : which is further protected, exteriorly,
by a thorny abattis, to guard against the night attacks
of wild beasts.
The mandioca fields are similarly protected by
thorns, for small deer (^Cephalophus mergens) abound,
and, from their extreme liking for the leaves of the
mandioca, cause serious damage to the plantations.
Aguardente is in great favour with the Quillengues,
and so given are these people to drimkenness, that
during three months in the year — so long in fact as
lasts the fruit of the gongo, from which a fermented
liquor is made — they are constantly in a state of intoxi-
cation, and no possible service can be got out of them
for love or money.
When a man is desirous of matrimony, he sends to
the father of the lady of his choice a present, which
must be composed of four yards at least of cloth from
the coast, and a couple of bottles of aguardente. The
bride comes back with the bearer of the gift, accom-
panied by her relatives, when a great feast is held,
whereof the i^'Z*?^^ de resistance is an ox offered by the
bridegroom.
Adultery is held in high favour by husbands in this
part of the world, as their barbarous law enables them
to get a heavy fine out of the lover in the shape of
cattle and aguardente. A wife who has no peccadilloes
to answer for gains but little favour in the eyes of
her lord, as she does not help to increase his store.
THE STORY OF A SHEEP. 63
When the lady has fallen ofif from lier duty, she goes
to her husband to complain of having been led astray,
and upon the accusation of the wife a conviction is
obtained.
When a death occurs, the body is shrouded in a
white cloth, and being covered with an ox-hide is
carried to the grave, dug in a place selected for the
purpose. The days following on an interment are
days of high festival in the hut of the deceased. The
native kings are buried w4th some ceremony, and their
bodies, being arrayed in their best clothes, are conveyed
to the tomb in a dressed hide. There is great feasting
on these occasions, and an enormous sacrifice of cattle,
for the heir of the deceased is bound to sacrifice his
whole herd in order to regale his people and give peace
to the soul of the departed.
On the 22iid we had a disastrous event occur in
our camp.
One of my young negroes stole a Pertuisset explosive
bullet, and in company of two of his fellows resolved
to let it off, in order that each might have a piece of
the lead. Resting the bullet on a stone, one of them
placed a knife across it, which he struck with a violent
blow, the other two standing near to watch the sport.
The bullet suddenly exploded, wounding all three, one
of them — by name Silva Porto Calomo — severely, as
he received in different parts of his body thirteen
fragments of the desired lead, many of them producing
deep wounds.
We sent off some men to reconnoitre whether the
rivers were yet fordable, and learned from them that
the waters were still high — not a very surprising fact, as
it had not left off raining during tlie whole time of our
encampment. We thereupon resolved to take another
road, which, though considerably longer, was not in-
commoded with water, and in consequence begged the
64 THE KING'S BIFLE.
chefe to have some carriers ready. This he did, and on
the following day I allotted the men their loads. I
felt, however, so extremely poorly myself, that though I
sent the porters on I was obliged to stop behind, my
friends remaining with me to bear me company. I
struggled against a violent fever for three whole days,
and was quite unconscious during the 25th, Christmas
Day, and the anniversary of my daughter's birth.
I was carefully nursed by Capello and Ivens, the
Chefe Roza, and his wife, and on the 28th was able to
rise from my bed and go out. It was then determined
that we should leave on the 1st of January 1878, tliat
is to say, three days afterwards.
The wife of Lieutenant Roza made me two presents,
which I was far from thinking would play an important
part, later on, in my journey. They consisted of a
Sevres tea service and a remarkably tame slie-goat
of small breed, on which I bestowed the name of Cora.
Just at this time occurred a disaster which caused me
sincere regret. My poor sheep, on whose behalf I had
willingly borne so many annoyances with my hungry
followers, was killed through a setter that I had
brought with me from Portugal and had made a
present of to Capello. Pursued by the dog, it en-
deavoured to force its way through an opening in the
palisade, and broke its leg and otherwise injured itself,
so that it shortly died. It was my first great trouble
during a journey so fruitful in mishaps.
Tnnouon subjugated tebbitory. 65
CHAPTER lY.
THROUGH SUBJUGATED TERRITORY.
Journej' to Ngola — The native king Chimbarandongo — Beauty of the country
— Arrival at Caconda — Jose d'Anchicta — No correspondence — Arrival of
the chefe — We follow the carriers — Ivcns goes to the Cunene, and I go to
the Cunene — Return from Bandeira's house — Carriers vs^anting — My
opinion.
On" the 1st of January 1878 we quitted Quillengues,
wliere we made a good provision of food, and j^urchased
several oxen and sheep, to be slauglitered upon the
journey. The chefe^ Lieutenant Roza, accompanied
us a few miles on the road, when he returned to his
simple home, and we kept on our course, in a S.E.
direction, till we reached the foot of the Quillengues
range, where we camped close to the village of Seculu
Unguri,
We had on this occasion a travelling companion of
the name of Yerissimo Gon^alves, who had begged to
be allowed to join our party as far as Bihe. He was
the son of a well-known Bihe trader who had lately
died, and had been acting at Quillengues in the capacity
of a clerk to a former servant of his late father's. This
young man, a mulatto and but poorly educated, was
short in stature and perverted in mind, being full of the
vices proper to his race, but was still not wanting in
good-nature or intelligence.
1 make somewhat particular mention of him, as he
will appear again in the course of my narrative.
He was shy and timid, thougli not cowardly, and
VOL. I. F
66 TTIE KING'S RIFLE.
under a Tatlicr weakly appearance concealed a strono^
constitution and muscles of iron. He could scarcely
read or write, Lut was a tolerable shot and a crafty
woodsman.
During' our stay at Quillengues I had managed to
hreak in two of the asses, which were \Qry useful to
me as mounts on this new journey.
The following day, at starting we commenced the
ascent of the mountain, here called Mount Quissecua.
It was excessively toilsome work, and for three
weary hours we had to struggle with the asperities of
the mountain side, till we reached an elevation of 5700
feet above the level of the sea, or 2740 above tlie
plateau which terminates at Quillengues.
In a defile of the mountain we passed a small rivulet
which the natives call Ohaha tenda, meaning " cold
water." We fixed our camp on the bank of another,
called Cuverai, an affluent of the Que. These two
rivulets are permanent, and their waters fiow into the
Cunene.
The soil continued granitic, but the vegetation had
entirely changed in aspect — due, of course, to the
elevation we had reached. The baobab had disappeared,
and ferns were nestling in the shade of the numerous
and varied acacias which peopled the woods. The flora
j)resented greater wealth of herbaceous plants, and in
the grasses more especially the most vigorous vegetation
was observable.
I noted that at times we traversed regions where not
a single bird was visible, and then, all of a sudden, we
would enter tracks where thousands of the feathered
tribe almost deafened the ears with their noise. Of
larger game there was but little, but there were traces
of its existence.
During the night of the following day we had rather
a curious adventure. We were encamped beside the
TBROTJQE SUBJUGATED TEBRITORY. 67
Qnicne, a brook running S.E. over a granitic bed, to
swell the waters, most probably, of the Que, when we
heard Capello's dog barking furiously at something in
the neighbourhood of the hut. At the same time we
were conscious of a sound, at no great distance from
us, like that of an animal chewing the cud, which
induced us to believe that the donkeys had got out and
were grazing in the camp that was surrounded by the
thorn}*' abattis. We therefore quieted the dog and w^ent
off to our beds. Day was just breaking when \\q heard
a great uproar in the camp, and turning out we learned
that the blacks, who, at the outset, like ourselves, thought
the donkeys had broken loose, had discovered their
mistake, and that some strange animal had got into the
camp. And so in fact it proved, for an enormous
buffalo had done us the honour of a visit during the
night.
It was a strange circumstance, and at a first glance
difficult of explanation ; a clue, however, to the mystery
might have been probably discovered in the repeated
roarings of the lions, that were plainly audible, and
which perchance drove the buffalo to our camp for
shelter.
The day after we moved our camp close up to the
village of Ngola, and I at once caused my arrival to
be announced to the native chief.
After breakfast I proceeded to the village to call
upon him. I was accompanied by my young negro
servants, who carried a chair for my use and two
parasols.
The chief at once appeared, armed with two clubs
and an assegai. He wore a long waist-cloth, and over
it a leopard's skin. His chest was bare, and from his
neck hung a number of amulets. He received me out-
side his hut under a burning sun. I offered him one
of the parasols I had brought with me, which was
F 2
68 THE KING'S RIFLE.
covered witli thin scarlet cloth, an attention that
seemed to please him mightily.
I informed him of the object of my journey, which he
did not readily comprehend. He perfectly understood,
however, the value of the gifts I made him, and con-
sisting of a small barrel of gunpowder, fifty gun-flints,
and a dozen tin grelot-bells ; although my asking
nothing in exchange filled him with wonder.
I invited him to my camp to see my companions, to
which he agreed, and accompanied me on the spot ; a
matter worthy of note, as native chiefs are mostly
suspicious by nature.
When I told him he might bring a vessel in which
to put some wjuardente^ he went and fetched a bottle
that would hold about a pint and a half. I could not
help being astonished that a chief of his rank should
be so little covetous, and desired him to procure a larger
vessel. He then sent for a gourd which would contain
about a couple of bottles, and I begged him to bring
another of the same size. The chief could not conceal
his admiration at my generosity.
We set off on foot, accompanied by three of his
wives, his daughters, and many of his people, all un-
armed, to show me the confidence with wliich I had
inspired him.
We reached the camp at a time when Capello was
making meteorological observations, and our guest was
lost in admiration at the thermometers and barometers.
Ivens shortly joined us, and after an exchange of
compliments showed our noble guest the Snider and
Winchester arms, at which he was quite dumfounded.
Chimbarandongo, for that is the name of the native
chief of Ngola, is a man of intelligence, and knows how
to make life very tolerable among his subjects.
He offered, us an ox, and readily consented to my
request to have it slaughtered, as we were in want of
THBOUGE SUBJUGATED TERRITOBY. 69
provisions. He wished, however, that I would slay it
with my own hand.
The ox meanwhile had broken loose, and was making
towards the wood. It ^vas already some eighty paces
from us, when I seized my rifle, and, telling the chief
where I would hit it, fired, and the beast fell.
Chimbarandongo went to examine the animal, and,
on seeing the w^ound, whence the blood was running,
just between the eyes, in the very place I had indicated,
he was so astonished that he embraced me again and
again in his enthusiasm.
At about four o'clock, there broke over us a violent
storm, with thunder and lightning and heavy rain,
which lasted a couple of hours.
The chief took refuge in our- hut with his women
folk and a few of his chief followers. He then made
them a speech, the object of which was to prove that
we had brought down the rain, and with it a vast
benefit to the country, then suffering from the excessive
heats of summer.
We tried to explain to him that we did not possess
any such great powers, and that God only could
influence the grand phenomena of nature. It was
Ivens who undertook to illustrate how and why the
rain fell.
Before the lecture on meteorology was half over, the
chief turned his followers out of the hut, and assembling
them again at the close of Ivens's discourse, declared
that if it left off raining, he would pitch upon the
unlucky mortal who was the cause of its ceasing and
have him put to death without delay.
Disconcerted at this strauge mode of interpreting our
well-meant lesson, we addressed ourselves to the task
of pointing out to him the inutility of capital punish-
ment, which probably had as little effect upon him as
tlie previous instruction ; it was clear, liowever, that
70 TEE KING'S RIFLE.
half drunk as he was he had sufficient sense left to dis-
cover that our theories harmonised but little with his
system of government.
When night fell, his majesty retired in the most
comic fashion, mounting j^ickaback on one of his
counsellors, whose hands rested on the hips of another
walking before him ; and as they were all more or less
intoxicated, they reeled about in the most ludicrous
way, threatening at every moment to topple over to-
gether, and perhaps break the sacred head of their
sovereign into the bargain.
This King Chimbarandongo was not wanting in
sense or judgment. He did not believe in sorcery, nor
did he believe that we had brought down the rain ;
but it suited him to appear to do so, in order not to
lose his prestige among his people, who were quite
satisfied with the form of government he imposed upon
them.
The next day, when he came to take leave of us, he
let me know that it was his policy to remain on good
terras with the whites ; inasmuch as, through his
friendly relations with them, he obtained the cloth which
covered him, and the arms and powder tliat secured
him respect from his enemies.
" Without the whites," he said, " we are poorer than
the beasts, as they possess the skins we are forced to
rob them of ; and those blacks are great fools who do
not seek to gain the friendship of the palefaces."
The village or hamlet of Ngola is strongly defended
by a double palisade, ])ut up with some art, one of the
faces being even so arranged as to allow of a cross-fire.
The space inclosed is so vast as to be able to contain
the entire population of the country, wdiich gathers
there, with all its flocks and herds, when the district
is in a state of war. The little stream, called the
Cutota, runs right through it, and it is therefore
TIIROUOII SUB JUG A7 ED TEIiBITOEY. 71
capable of sustaining a long siege without any incon-
venience in respect of water.
On leaving Ngola, we journeyed for a couple of hours
in a N.E. direction, till we fell in with the Que, the
largest of the rivers running between Quillengues and
Caconda. At the spot where we attempted a crossing
we found the stream at least 50 feet wide and from
12 to 16 feet deep, and therefore impossible to be
forded. The storm of rain of the night before had
so increased the volume of water that the river was, in
fact, an impetuous torrent.
A bridge formed of the trunks of trees offered a
difficult if not perilous passage to the men, incumbered
with baggage, but could not be used at all by the oxen
and donkeys, which must therefore be swum over.
After a great deal of trouble the oxen did swim to the
other bank, but the asses at first refused to follow their
example. Partly by 23ersuasion, partly by force, and
with a vast sacrifice of time and labour, the negro Barros,
aided by two of his mates, succeeded at last in getting
them across, the men swimming by their side. The
danger of such a proceeding will, however, be appre-
ciated when I tell the reader that the river was full of
crocodiles.
j\Iore than an hour having been spent in this
operation, we pursued our way, marching E.N.E., till
we reached the Usserem rivulet, whence I observed,
bearing N.N.W., IMount Uba, about which are
scattered the hamlets of Oaluqueime. We subsequently
crossed the river Cacurocae, which runs S.S.W. to
the Que', and half an hour later the river Quissengo,
running to the S.E. to flow into the Que. On the
banks of this last-named river we pitched our camp,
at four o'clock in the afternoon, near the village of
Catonga^ where a certain Roque Teixeira has his
conq30und.
72 THE KINO'S lUFLE.
Our day's march had been 19 miles, and we were
all very much fatigued.
The road was, it is true, in great part on the level,
the altitude varying only from 4750 to 4920 feet.
The arborary vegetation was somewhat sparse and
meagre, but the lierbaceous continued varied and rich.
On the 6th we were again travelling, north-east-
wards, and shortly after starting crossed the Que by a
bridge constructed by the natives. This rivulet is
17 feet wide by 3 g deep, and runs S.E. into the Catapi.
The latter river, which bears lower down the name
of Counge, we reached at 11.30 a.m., and camped
upon its left bank. It was found at this spot to be 33
feet wide, and to have a depth of nearly four feet,
.with a strong current ; its course was S.B., and it
flows into the Cunene near Luce'que.
I killed this day a large gazelle {Cermcapra bolior)
tlie finest of the kind I saw throughout my journey ;
so large was it that it took four men to carry it to the
camp.
As night fell, the dog kept up a constant yelling in
the direction of the wood, proving to us that hyenas
were wandering round the huts, and when night had
regularly set in we had other music in the form of a
duet of bass and counter-bass, produced by the roaring
of a lion from the undergrowth, and the hoarse grunt
of a hippopotamus from the river.
The aspect of the country continued still the same.
On the higher ground, stunted woods, with compara-
tively few tall trees ; and below, dells filled with
leguminous plants and vast fields or meadows covered
with various grasses, through which meandered a
jDcaceful river or rivulet. The soil was still granitic,
witli rocks of varied aspects cropping from the surface ;
of mica, however, they contained but little.
We kept on our N.E. course, passing near the
THROUGH SUBJUGATED TEBBITORY. 73
village of Cgassequera, fortified among enormous
granite cliffs, and surrounded by gigantic sycamores,
producing a singularly picturesque appearance. After
passing the Lussola rivulet, which runs southward to
the Catapi, we encamped on the bank of the Nondimba,
an affluent, like the former, of the Catapi, but running
northwards.
The plateau on which we then stood was a very
lofty one, the altitude being found to be 5250 feet.
From this spot we proceeded to Caconda, crossing
three rivulets by the way which run N.N.W. to the
Catapi and bear the respective names of Chitequi,
Gamba, and Upanga. Later on, we fell in with the
Catapi itself, flowing W.S.W., and which, it will be
remembered, we crossed on the 6th, it then being-
distinguished by the name of Coiinge.
At the point we crossed it on this occasion it was
33 feet wide by Z\ deep, and with a feeble current.
Some of the open spaces we had to traverse in the
course of the day were covered with stout rushes or
canes, springing from a marshy bottom, difficult of
})assage.
The crossing of the river occupied time, and my com-
panions preceded me to Caconda.
I reached the fortress an hour or two later, and was
met at the entrance by the provisional cliefe, a mulatto,
and rich landowner of the district, and sergeant-major
of the black forces, who explained that the permanent
cJtefe had gone to Benguella, and had left him (the
speaker) the bother of receiving us (these were his
actual words).
After this most courteous address Snr. Matheus
invited me to pass into the fortress. No sooner had I
entered the inclosure than I observed talking with my
companions a man above the middle height, thin of
aspect, with a broad and well-formed head, a somewhat
74 THE KINCrS lUFLE.
restless eye, wearing a surtont coat and a white cravnt,
whom Capello introduced under the name of " Jose
d'Anchieta." Yes, there stood before me tlie first
zoological explorer of Africa, a man who had spent
eleven years in the districts of Angola, Benguella, and
Mossamedes, enriching the cases of the Museum at
Lisbon with most valuable specimens. I had subse-
quently an opportunity of learning his mode of life,
which is worthy of a passing notice.
Anchieta was established in the ruins of a church
situated at about a couple of hundred yards from the
fortress.
The interior of his habitation was in the shape of
the letter T, surrounded by broad shelves, on which
appeared a confused heap of books, mathematical in-
struments, photographic apparatus, telescopes, micro-
scopes, retorts, birds of every variety of plumage,
flasks of various sizes, earthenware, bread, bottles
full of multicoloured liquids, surgical cases, bundles
of plants, medical products, cartridge boxes, clothes,
and other undistinguishable articles. In one corner
was a pile of muskets and rifles of various systems.
Alongside the house was an inclosure, wherein I
observed some cows and pigs. At the door, simdry
negroes and negresses were skinning birds and j^re-
paring mammiferi ; and among them, seated in an
old fauteuil, which show^ed evidence of long service,
and before a huge table, I found Jose d'Ancliieta.
I give up as useless the attempt to describe what
was on that table. Of nippers, scalpels, and micro-
scopes there were not a few.
On one side a heap of fragments of birds showed
that he was engaged in the study of comparative
anatomy. In front of him a flower carefully dissected
proved that he had been occupied in determining from
the disposition of its petals, the number of ita stamens,
THROUOn SUBJUGATED TERRITORY. 75
the sliape of its calyx, the arrangement of its seeds and
pistil, the names of the family, genus, and species in
which it was to be ranked. With his scalpel in hand
and his eye fixed on the microscope he is accustomed
to pass the hours he can snatch from his labours as a
collector, and now it is a flower, now a bird, which
forms the object of his studies.
Occasionally his researches are interrupted by the
wail of a suffering patient, to whom he devotes the
care of a physician or dispenses the medicine necessary
for his relief.
Ancbieta professes an imbounded respect for Dr.
Bocage, the director of the Zoological Museum of
Lisbon, and speaks of him with an amount of friendship
and esteem rarely met with out of the closest bonds of
blood-relationship.
This however is intelligible : Anchieta, who is fully
conscious of the services he has rendered to zoologic
science, knows that he possesses in Dr. Bocage a man
who does him justice, and appreciates those services ; a
man who completes in Europe the labour the other has
begun in Africa ; a man, in fine, who knows how
much fatigue, how many fevers, how many incon-
veniences, each one of those specimens has cost its
collector.
Jose d' Anchieta is one of those who merit the
respect of all men of science, and more especially of the
Portuguese, his compatriots, since, an indefatigable
labourer, he has gained honour for his country, while
he himself remains respected, though poor, in the
midst of the vice and demoralisation by which he is
surrounded, and whence he might readily extract profit
were he less high-minded and scrupulous.
Merely to speak of him is to utter a eulogium in his
favour, as his name at once recalls his labours ; and
the memory of liis works constitutes his praise.
76 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
We learned on our arrival tliat the cliefe Castro liad
been superseded and another officer of the army of
Africa substituted in liis stead. Tlie latter arrived two
days after ourselves, and with him Ensign Castro, in
charge of the mails from Europe. The avidity with
which our letters were devoured may readily be
conceived.
I apph'ed at once for carriers, and Snr. Castro offered
to accompany me to the residence of Jose Duarte
Bandeira, the principal potentate of Caconda, through
whose enormous influence, he said, the thing could be
easily managed.
We therefore started for Vicete on the morning of
the 13th, Ivens leaving at the same time for the dwell-
ing of Matheus, with a view to make a survey of the
Cunene, at the point of its confluence with the Quando.
It was arranged also that I should pay a visit to the
same river further southwards.
Capello, who was snftering from a slight attack of
fever, was left behind under the care of Anchieta.
My course lay S.S.E., and I speedily crossed the
rivers Secula-Binza, Catapi, and Usongue, flowing
W.N.W., and as they are 10 feet wide and more than
3 feet deep the amount of water they pour into the
main stream is very considerable.
After trudging some 26 miles in a S.E. direction, I
arrived, as night fell, at Yicete, a fortified compound
among rocks, on the summit of a hill which overlooks
a vast plain,
I was received by Jose' Duarte Bandeira^ who, after
a hearty supper, showed me to an excellent bed, of
which I stood greatly in need.
The first thing next morning, Ensign Castro broached
the subject of carriers, and Bandeira readily engaged
to ol)tain one hundred and twenty, the number we re-
quired to help us on to Bihe.
TEBOUOII SUBJUGATED TERRITORY. 11
As I expressed my desire to visit the Cimene, it was
resolved that we should proceed thither the following
day.
We marched 9 miles to the eastward, and fell in
with the river at the Porto do Fende.
I had no sooner arrived than I shot a large hip-
popotamus, which had been imprudent enough to come
to the surface of the water to breathe and look about
him, within range of my rifle. I spent two days at
this place. The river is here some 370 feet wide by
20 feet deep, and has a current of a mile an hour. Its
axis at the Porto do Fende is N.W. and S.E. for a space
of 2 miles ; up stream it runs from N.E. to S.W., and
higlier up still E. and W., and below it inclines to
S.S.W. for 26 miles as far as Luceque. Occasionally
its width is as great as 750 feet, and even more.
It abounds in hippopotami and crocodiles.
A mile below the Porto do Fende there are some
rapids at the compound called Libata Grande ; half a
mile further down there are others, known as the
Mupas de Canhacuto, and 10 miles lower still are the
cataracts of Quiverequeto, the last it can boast of on its
upper course, as from that point it is navigable as
far as the Humbe.
The right bank, at the spots where I visited it, is
mountainous and covered with virgin wood ; on the
left extends a vast plain from 2| to 3 miles broad, up
to the foot of the mountains, which form a system of
slight elevation, running north and south, on whose
western slopes are dotted the Fende villages.
At eleven o'clock at night of the 15 th there burst over
us a terrific storm, with vivid flashes of lightning,
and such torrents of rain that we were completely
drenched.
We turned our steps once more in the direction of
Caconda on the 17th, taking with us a promise to be
78 TJIE KING'S niFLE.
supplied with carriers in less than a week, and promi-
sing in turn to send the following day a keg of
aguardente to inaugurate the convocation. In this part of
Africa aguardente j^lays the same part with men as oil
does in Europe with machinery. There is no moving
without it.
Our host, who had regaled us so w^ell in his own
house, most prohably forgot that we should have to
travel the whole of the day, and that even if we started
at daybreak we could not reach Caconda before night.
Any way we set off "with empty wallets, and by noon
we had become desperately hungry.
We came to a halt in an opening in the wood, when
I infoimed my companion, Ensign Castro, that I must
positively find something to eat before I took any rest.
All I could bag, however, was a quail, which had to
serve us both, when cooked in a soldier's pot, for
breakfast and dinner. I may frankly avow that I have
breakfasted and dined more bountifully than I did on
that occasion.
My black fellows, seeing the avidity with which I
picked the cjuail's hones, the dog meanwhile licking
his lips and watching my every movement with
hungry eyes, made me a present of a root of manioc,
which I divided with the ensign.
I reached Caconda at nightfall, and after a capital
supper took note that Ivens had not yet returned and
that Capello was already convalescent.
Ivens came back on the 19th, and immediately on his
return we sent off the keg of aguardente to Bandeira,
at the same time begging him to use the utmost
despatch in getting together the carriers.
On the 23rd, sundry articles that had been ordered
arrived from Benguella, and with them six tins of
biscuits, a welcome gift, from Antonio Ferreira Marques.
I sent off another messenger to Vicete, urging
TUnOUGH SUBJUGATED TEBBITOBY. 79
Bandeira to let me have the carriers at once, as we
were now waiting for them.
Still the men did not appear, so that I was induced
to beg the cliefe himself to repair to Ticete, and use
both his influence and authority over Bandeira to
procure us what we wanted.
The chefe went, and shortly after wrote me that sixty-
one men were ready and that there would soon be more.
lie had taken goods with him for payment, but as
white calico was the only acceptable currency in those
parts, he said that he required fifty pieces more, which
we had not got, but which were subsequently advanced
by Bandeira.
The day after this communication came another
letter from the chefe to the effect that the carriers were
going to be paid and would come on at once ; two
days afterwards we had a third letter saying that
tliere were already ninety-four men collected ; and
filially, on the 5th of February, we received another
epistle, informing us that there was not a single carrier
ready or ever likely to be !
Imagine our disappointment !
These were early days, so that I had not as yet, out
of the depths of my experience, formulated in my mind
a pi'inciple which later on became with me an article
of faith, and my adherence to which, jointly with the
King's Rifle, greatly assisted me in smoothing the
difficulties of the way and bringing me at length in
safety to the end of my journey.
The principle I allude to may be summed up in the
following few words.
" In the heart of Africa distrust everybody and
everything, until rej)eatcd and irrefutable proofs will
allow you to bestow your confidence."
The further I went the more fastidious did I become
in tlie matter of tliese proofs, till I began to class them
80 777^ KINO'S RIFLE.
with tlie existence of" a life-long love, or the solidity of
fortune of a merchant with enormous transactions in
the hands of distant agents.
On the receipt of the chefes letter, each of us pro-
posed an expedient more foolish and extravagant one
than the other, but so great was our annoyance that it
is not surprising if our ideas were somewhat confused.
When we had calmed down a little, we determined
to hunt about for carriers wheresoever they could be
found, and that if the worst came to the worst and none
were obtainable, we would start for Bihe without them,
and send for our baggage from that place. This last
notion appeared to us the most feasible.
The chefe came back from Yicete, but I never could
get out of him a reasonable explanation of his and
Bandeira's conduct.
It was then resolved that I should start for the
Huambo country, to see whether I could get any men
from the native chief there, inasmuch as all were
agreed, the cliefe and Anchieta into the bargain, that it
was impossible to engage any nearer.
Anchieta informed me that a short time before he
had met with great difficulty in sending to Benguella a
lot of zoological specimens, things of relatively much
easier transport.
The whole of this affair is worthy of careful atten-
tion. I learned that not only Bandeira himself, but a
certain Mathias, Sergeant Matheus, before alluded to,
and others were accustomed to despatch large cara-
vans to distant settlements in the interior, and yet not
one of them could obtain a single porter for us !
I began to fancy that there was a fixed determina-
tion to throw difficulties in our way, although I did
not suspect it so strongly at that time as I had
occasion to do later on.
The course of this narrative will show with what
THJiOUOH SUBJUGATED TERRITORY. 81
malice aforethought obstacles were raised to my
progress, and which, it would almost appear. Pro-
vidence alone allowed me to overcome.
I will, however, for a time leave this subject in
abeyance, and before continuing the account of my
adventures_, which from this point assume a more
striking character, say a few words with respect to
Caconda.
The fortified post of Caconda, the deepest in the
interior of the district of Benguella, over which at the
present time wave the colours of Portugal, forms a
square of 328 feet, surrounded by a deep fosse and a
parapet, about which, here and there, are distinctly
visible the lines of a temporary fortification constructed
with some art. An interior stockade forms a second
line of defence, and protects a few tumble-down houses,
composing the residence of the chefe, the barracks, and
powder magazine.
Some good pieces of brass ordnance, mounted en
barbette, and more worn by time tlian use, expose their
green and oxidised muzzles to the approaching way-
farer.
At about 200 yards or so to the south of the fortress
are the ruins of a church.
To the north is a group of poor little huts, occupied
by the soldiers.
The country round is agreeable, and without being,
as is asserted, free from fevers, can boast undoubtedly
of having them in a milder form than is observable
elsewhere. The population is exceedingly scanty, and
has withdrawn itself considerably from the vicinity of
the fortress.
The soil is most fertile, and many European plants
readily flourish there, and produce abundantly. This
I observed to be the case in tiny plots of wheat,
potatoes, and other produce.
VOL. I. G
82 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
The Secula-Binza rivulet offers a source of crystal-
line water purling over a gi-anite bed.
There are but few trees near the fortress, cleared
away probably by the necessities of the inhabitants,
for there is but little doubt of many having stood here
formerly, as they still stand in clumps and woods at
some short distance.
Of trade there is but little, and that is carried on
very far in the interior.
The same evidence of decline which is visible in
Quillengues is still more patent here ; yet the import-
ance of Caconda is as great as that of Quillengues, if
not even greater; but it presents less security for
trading operations, the Benguella road being infested
with thieves.
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 83
CHAPTEE Y.
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY.
1 leave Caconda — The native chief Quipembe — Quingolo and the chief Caimbo
— Forty carriers — Fevers — The Huambo— The native chief Bilombo
and his son Capoco — Eighty carriers — Letters and news — All but lost !
I move onwards — A knotty question in the Chaca Quimbamba — The
rivers Calae, Canhungamna, and Cunene — A fresh and serious question
in the Sambo country — The Cubango — Rains and storms — Serious illness
— A terrible adventure — The Bihe at last I
I STARTED from Caconda on the 8th of February, 1878,
taking with me six Benguella men, my young negro
Pepeca, and Yerissimo Gon9alves, to whom I have
before alluded ; and I was also accompanied by
Lieutenant Aguiar, the chefe of Caconda, who insisted
upon attending me in this expedition, the sole object of
which was to make arrangements for carriers. He was
probably desirous, in taking this step, to show his
willingness to be of service to us, and that he was a
stranger to the events that had occurred at Caconda.
I must confess that I never doubted the sincerity of
Lieutenant Aguiar, because at that time I had not
become so deeply impressed with the truth of the
principle I laid down in the foregoing chapter; and
even at this day I believe he was as much deceived
as myself, notwithstanding his long experience of
everything pertaining to these subjugated lands.
After a journey of some 10 miles towards the N.E.,
•luring ^vhieh I crossed a small brook, the Carungolo,
near Caconda, and later on the Catapi, which there
runs to the S.W., I leaclied the villnge oF Quipembe,
n 2
84 THE KING'S RIFLE.
where I was hospitably received by the native chief
Quiinbundo.
This chief at once sent me a small pig, and as I could
not purchase any fowls, he made me a present of one
in addition.
In the course of the evening he came to see me at
my hut, and after a long conversation took the oppor-
tunity of informing me that although his forefathers
had always been vassals of the King of Portugal, he
himself was not so, inasmuch as the numerous arbitrary
acts committed by the various chefes against him and
his people had snapped asunder all the old engage-
ments ; that the White King no longer did him
justice ; and in choice and even elegant terms he nar-
rated many circumstances upon which he based his
accusations against the chefes.
The chefe was himself present at the interview, and
had not a word to say in answer to these accusations
against his predecessors, so clearly were they expressed.
My host was a man of no common stamp, and he
conversed upon the policy of the Portuguese in Caconda
with a degree of judgment difficult to be met with in a
provincial negro.
I endeavoured to remove from his mind the bad
impression which the chefes of Caconda had made upon
him, but I fear with very little success. His complaints
still further confirmed an opinion I had formed of the
unhappy results arising from the miserable stipends
bestowed upon the chefes of the districts in the interior,
a primary cause of the decline of our power and influ-
ence in the country.
The native chief of Quipembe is well advanced in
years, and moreover suffers from the gout, which
makes locomotion with him a matter of some difficulty.
His village is of vast size, well fortified and
capitally situated. From the moment of my arrival
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 85
troops of little negroes and negresses hovered about
and regarded me with the utmost surprise, taking to
their heels at the slightest movement I made. I
endeavoured to overcome the fear which my appearance
evidently excited by offering them presents of grelots
and coral beads ; it was with reluctance and trembling
that some of the boldest approached near enough to
seize the coveted trinkets, and they started away
directly these w^ere secured.
My spectacles, and more especially my rug, upon
which there figured an enormous lion on a red
ground, appeared to be objects of the greatest wonder to
them.
On the 9 th I quitted the village, travelling N.E.,
crossed the Utapaira rivulet, and an hour later reached
the Cuce, an affluent of the Quando. At this spot the
Cuce was found to be 10 feet broad by 6 feet deep,
and was difficult of passage, owing to the steepness of
its banks and the muddy nature of its bed.
The ground on the right bank presented a gentle
slope of no great elevation, whilst on the left it was
level to the extent of about five-eighths of a mile in
breadth. I passed to the south of the Banja village,
magnificently perched on the summit of an eminence,
and after crossing three brooks, the Oanata and Chitando,
wdn'ch run into the Cuce, and the Atuco, which flows
into the Quando, I arrived at the latter river, which
I consider one of the great affluents of the Cunene.
The Quando runs southwards, and is here 22 yards
wide by 6 to 10 feet in depth.
At the spot where I camped, by the village of
Pessenge, the river disappears beneath enormous masses
of granite, to see the light once more nearly a mile lower
down.
The place presented one of the most charming land-
scapes I have ever beheld. The banks of the river.
8G THE KINO'S BIFLE.
which were somewhat elevated^ were covered with a
hixnriant vegetation, ele^jrant pahiis springing from the
dark green of gigantic thorns. Blackened rocks here
and there emerged from the tangled undergrowth,
their exposed heads polished tlirough the washing of
innumerahle storms.
Flocks of small birds twittered and chirped amid the
trees ; numberless wood-joigeons darted in and out tlie
bushes ; and from time to time the grunt of the hippo-
potamus was heard from the depths of the river.
It was savage beauty in all its power, but marred
by one horrible feature in the shape of venomous
serpents, with which at almost every stejo we were
brought into proximity.
I killed a few, the bites of which the negroes assured
me were mortal.
The appearance of one or two badgers induced me
to penetrate the virgin-wood on the left bank of the
stream in search of them, when I came unexpectedly
upon the ruins of a stone wall, which from its extent
might well have encircled some ancient town.
This was the first occasion during my journey of my
lying down at night with only the starry sky for a
canopy, but I did not sleep the less soundly on that
account. I woke at daybreak in time to assist at the
destruction of a venomous cobra found wriggling be-
tween my bed and that of Lieutenant Aguiar.
At starting^ we travelled N.E. from the villao^e of
Pessenge, and soon reached another, the Canjongo,
governed by a petty chief, from whom we obtained a
few fowls in barter for some common cloth. We sub-
sequently crossed the river Doroma, an affluent of the
Calae, which runs S.E., and rested for some hours on
its left bank, when, resuming our march in a N.N.E.
direction, we arrived at five o'clock iu the evening at
the great village of Quingolo.
TWENTY DATS OF PBOFOUND ANXIETY. 87
The native chief received me hospitably, and at once
sent food for my people.
Learning the motive of my jonrney, he told me that
if I had applied to him at the time he would have
procured me carriers, but that the chefes of Caconda
made no account of him, frequently to their own
detriment. Even as it was, however, he would supply
me with forty men, whom he would despatch to
Caconda, and perhaps I might obtain the remainder
in the Huambo.
I had here a slight attack of fever. On the 11th,
at early morning, the chief called on me and renewed
his offer of the forty men, who would, he assured me,
leave for Caconda the following day.
I was very desirous of making some purchases of
food, but there were no sellers ; the chief, Caimbo, on
learning this, sent me a fine pig. In return I made
him a jDresent of three pieces of striped cloth and a
couple of bottles o^ aguardente.
Lieutenant Aguiar resolved to return to Caconda, at
which I was very pleased.
At midday the leaders of the carriers who were
under orders to march came to receive their pay.
The great village of Quingolo is situated upon a
granite mount which overlooks an enormous plain.
From between tlie rocks spring huge sycamores,
which lend the place a constant and agreeable fresh-
ness. These same rocks, combined with the stockades,
make a formidable defence against attack, and the
place is rendered stronger by a fosse that runs round it,
though it is half choked up. On the very summit of
the mount are two frigantic cliffs that form a kind of
observatory, from which I saw spread before me one of
the most surprising panoramas I have ever beheld.
Of a similar character to the prospect from the lofty
cross of Bussaco, if the forest, instead of being confined
88 THE KING'S niFLE.
within the narrow belt of walls, extended from Capes
Carvoeiro and Mondego to the sea-coast, scarcely inter-
rupted here and there by verdant glades — the land-
scape visible from the summit of Quingolo is vaster and
more grandiose, its only boundaries being the azure
outline of distant mountains, which are too remote to
be distinctly visible.
On the 12th, although my fever had increased, I
decided upon leaving, and having exchanged the most
cordial adieux with the native chief and Lieutenant
Aguiar, I resumed my journey at 8.30 a.m., accompanied
by three guides furnished me by Caimbo, with whom I
parted on the best terms of friendship.
Sliortly after starting I passed the Luvubo rivulet,
which runs into the Calae, and at ten o'clock reached
tlie village of the petty chief of Palanca, of whom I
solicited shelter, as it was impossible for me to proceed
with the fever increasing on me every moment.
Notwithstanding the state of my health, I made some
astronomical observations, in order to determine my
position, and I mention the circumstance here as it was
the first of that series of points which I intended to fix
in my passage across Africa.
This hamlet of Palanca was therefore the very first
point I laid down on the line which marks my journey
from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean.
Three grammes of quinine which I took during the
intermission of the fever produced a rapid improvement,
so that I was enabled to go on the following day.
I rode a-straddle on a powerful ox, and kept another
in reserve. These animals were well broken in, and
made my progress easy ; I was able to get a very decent
trot out of them, and even occasionally a short gallop.
I started at nearly eight o'clock, and shortly after
crossed the river Doro das Mulheres, the oxen finding
it difficult work on account of the muddy bottom.
TWEXTT DATS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 89
The heat was intense, and I began to feel extremely
ill, so that I called a halt in order to get a little rest.
There were no trees near the place, and I fell asleep
upon the baked earth, under a burning sun ; my
slumbers were of the shortest, and on awaking I had a
sensation of freshness, and observed that there was
shade. It was caused by the thoughtfulness of my
attendants, who were standing around me and shelter-
ing my recumbent body from tlie ardent rays of a
vertical sun. I was touched by such a proof of kindly
care.
I again went on, passing a little river, the Doro dos
homens, which unites with the former and subsequently
runs into the Calae, under I know not what name.
Two hours later I fell in with the river Grandoassiva,
which is nearly 6 yards broad by 3 feet 6 inches
deep, on the banks of which I took a rest. It is
an affluent of the Calae, and abounds in small fish, a
good many of which we succeeded in catching. My
indisposition weighed heavily upon me ; extreme weak-
ness was now added to the fever that had reappeared,
the former caused through inefficient nourishment, as
I had only taken during the last two days a little
chicken broth.
I took advantage of the halt to get some good broth
made, but it was without salt, as the small provision of
that article I had brought from Caconda was com-
]jletely exhausted.
After a couple of hours' rest, we moved onward, still
towards the N.E., and half an hour afterwards crossed
the river Cuena, which at that place was 6^ yards
broad and nearly 4 feet deep, and was on its way to
empty itself into the Calae.
The Cuena flows between the gentle slopes of lofty
hills, but has dug for itself a deep bed, with perpendi-
cular sides, some 7 feet above the water, which
90 THE KING'S rxIFLE.
made it diflieiilt for the oxen to g-et across tlie stream
in safety.
The passaf»:e cost us two hours' liard lal)Our. A
couple of hours later, it bein,£^ then nightfall, I
reached the village of Capoco, the powerful son of
the native chief of the ITuambo country.
Capoco received me very kindly, gave me his own
house for my use, presented me at once with a large
pig, and, learning that I was ill, sent me a couple of
fowls.
I had some talk with liini about carriers, whom he
promised to supply.
I made him a present of two pieces of striped cloth
and a couple of bottles of aguardente. Shortly after, a
numerous troop of virgins, recognisable by their
bangles of bent wood worn upon the ankles_, brought
my negroes abundant food in wicker baskets. After
taking some lunar altitudes, I lay down to rest in a
Ijappy mood, notwithstanding my indisposition, at
seeing my excursion so far crowned with success.
On the following day my companions were to join
me, and with them I should have not only the society
of dear friends and compatriots, but the resources which
had now utterly failed me, and of which I stood in
such sore need.
I fell asleep, therefore, smiling, nor did any ugly
dream disturb my slumbers ! And yet I was on the eve
of a severe trial — a racking anxiety that was to endure
for twenty days.
On the 14th I repaired to the habitation of the father
of Capoco, the native chief of the Huambo territory.
The village of this chief, whose name is Bilombo,
is some 2 miles distant from that of his son, and is
situated on the left bank of the river Calae.
Bilombo, who was expecting me, appeared surrounded
by his peojDle, and superbly arrayed in a scarlet tunic.
TWEXTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 91
with a chasseur's cap set jaiuitily upon his head. I
lianded to him my present, which consisted of three
pieces of ordinary striped calico and two hottles of
aquardente, at which he seemed much gratified. He
expressed great surprise at the sight of my Winchester
rifle, and requested me to fire it off. His astonishment
was very great at beholding me hit a small mark at
230 yards, and it knew no bounds when I broke an
egg at sixty paces.
This chief at one time held sway over the entire
country of the Huambo, but his power is now con-
siderably reduced. His story may be told in a few
brief sentences.
He had married a daughter of the chief of the Bihe',
which lady contracted criminal relations w^ith one of
his sub-chiefs. The guilty couple managed, however,
for some time to conceal their amours from the dusky
king. It happened that a misunderstanding occurred
between Bilombo and a neighbouring chief, which
resulted in a declaration of war. Bilombo assumed the
command of his army and departed, leaving the govern-
ment during his absence in the charge of the very
lover of his wife's. The two conspired against the
absent monarch, and Capiissocusso, for that was the
traitor's name, caused himself to be proclaimed king,
Bilombo was compelled to yield, and retired to this
part of the country, beyond the Calae, where the people
still remained faithful to him, and at the period of my
journey, as he informed me, he was preparing to take
a terrible vengeance on the adultress and her lover.
On my return to Capoco's house, I dismissed the
three guides who had accompanied me from Quingolo,
and sent letters by them to Capello and Ivens, inform-
ing those friends that I was anxiously awaiting them,
and bidding them not to pai't from their loads, as the
state of the country w^as anything but secure.
92 THE KING'S BTFLE.
In the course of the evening I took a stroll along
the banks of the Calae, and was snr^orised at the
quantity of game I fell in with ; in fact, I had never
seen so much together before, but I killed nothing,
being unprepared for such a sight.
The chief Bilombo sent me a present of maize flour
and a fine ox, a most valuable gift, and the more
treasured as oxen were rare in that part of the
country.
The carriers were busy laying in their stock of
provisions, with a view to starting next day for Caconda,
and I was in the act of writing to my friends, when
three porters arrived from the native chief of Quingolo,
with letters from them and a basket containing salt and
a little bag of rice.
I opened the letters in all haste. Two of them were
official and one was private, all signed by Capello and
Ivens. They informed me that they had resolved to
go on alone, and that, in respect of the forty carriers
despatched by me from Quingolo, they sent me forty
loads accompanied by the guide Barros, in order that I
might convey them to the Bihe.
It was only their imperfect knowledge or utter
ignorance of the interior of Africa which could excuse
my friends in acting in so strange a manner. I was at
that time in a hostile country, and if I had been
respected hitherto it was only because the people round
me looked upon me and my little band as the vanguard
of a considerable troop under the command of the
friends in my rear, and the fear of reprisals had, up to
that moment, restrained the natural rapacity of the
natives. I w^as in the very district w^here Silva Porto,
the old trader, who w^as accustomed to traverse with
impunity the remotest tracts of country, had frequently
to fight liis way through hordes of savages eager after
plunder.
TWENTY DATS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 93
What would be my fate if it were known that my
entire force consisted but of ten men ?
I looked my position fairly in the face, and found it
replete with difficulties.
Capello and Ivens must have been deceived by some
false counsellor, for of a certainty their loyalty would
never have allowed them, knowingly, to abandon me
in so terrible a position.
Still what was to be done ? In three days I might
reach Caconda and thence turn back to Benguella.
On the otlier hand I had before me a journey of twenty
days to the Bihe, a journey wherein I should have day
by day, nay almost hour by hour, to risk both life and
property. What should I decide ?
The night of the 17th of February was passed in
an indescribable state of feverish agitation.
Should I push on ? Had I a right to jeopardise the
lives of the ten men who were now sleeping so tranquilly
around me ? Had I a right to risk my own life
in so imprudent a venture ? Should I return \o
Benguella ?
Who in Europe can estimate the almost insuperable
character of the obstacles thus raised to my passage,
and which placed me in so dire an uncertainty ? Surely
none, unless it be a brother explorer who has been as
unhappily situated as I tlien was.
The night was a fearful one ; for the fever assisted
to worry my brain, and care and anxiety rapidly in-
creased the fever. Daybreak of the 18th found me
astir, and there were moments when a phrase forced
itself upon my mind and I found myself mechanically
G;ivinff it utterance.
Audacia fortuna juvat . It was the watchword of the
old Romans; it is the law which from time immemorial
has dictated the actions of adventurers.
04 TUB KING'S RIFLE.
My resolution was taken. I would go on. I had
not penetrated into Africa merely to visit the Nano
country, however interesting it might be, especially to
us Portuguese.
I aroused my men. I put before them in few words
the precarious position in which we stood, and my de-
termination to go forward to the Bihe. They one and
all assured me of their devotion and their resolve to
stand by me to the last.
Of these ten men, three, viz. Yerissimo Gon9alves,
Augusto, and Camutombo, got back to Lisbon after
traversing Africa with me ; four followed Capello and
Ivens by my orders from the "Bihe ; one, a negro,
Cossusso, went off his head at the Quanza and was
entrusted to the care of Silva Porto Domingos Chaca-
hanga^ and the two remaining, Manuel and Catraio-
grande, fell at my feet, pierced through by the assegais
of the Luinas ; for, faithful to their promise made on
that eventful day, they died in my defence while I was
myself defending the national colours.
But at the time the events I am narrating occurred
I knew but little of my followers, nor indeed had
occasion yet offered to test their valour.
I was still an inmate of Capoco's house, and hitherto
he had been lavish of his favours ; but Capoco was
celebrated far and near as the freebooter of the Nano
country, who only a year before had extended his
depredations even as far as Quillengues, which he had
attacked. What then was hkel}^ to be his behaviour
when he came to know of my weakness ?
Upon him depended the success of my enterprise.
Capoco was a man of some four-and-twenty years, of
attractive appearance and agreeable manners. Often
had Yerissimo Gon^alves observed that it seemed
impossible lie could be the man whose name was a
terror to the country round, and whose footsteps.
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 95
wherever he wandered, were marked by devastation
and death. Among his female slaves Yerissimo knew
several girls who had been stolen from Qiiillengues
during the attack of the previous year. There was one
of them with whom I had myself conversed, tlie
daughter of a Quillengues chief, and for whom Capoco
demanded a heavy ransom.
Capoco was a man of intelligence, most moderate in
both eating and drinking, and although in possession of
a large number of female slaves, had a very limited
harem.
Amid the barbarism in which he lived and the
looseness of his principles, he was not wanting in a cer-
tain nobility of feeling. For instance, I observed that
the young slave above referred to, a handsome and
even elegant girl, wore upon her ankles the wooden
bangles which were an infallible sign of virginity ;
and in my surprise at the circumstance, considering
her surroundings, I ventured to ask Capoco how it was
he had not made her his own. " I cannot do it," was
his reply ; " she is my slave by right of war, but so
long as her father shows a disposition to ransom her
I must respect her, and she shall be resjiected, for I
intend to deliver her up in the same state in which I
took her."
One morning Capoco, in talking to me, observed
that as Benguella lay over there (pointing to the
west), the sun must pass the Huambo before it reached
Benguella. I answered that it was quite true, where-
upon he wished to know how long it was, after it was
born in his country, that it rose upon Lisbon. I tried
to make him understand an hour and a half, and
explained to him the time that it would take for a man
to traverse the distance. This excited his surprise, for,
as he told me, he thought our country was very much
farther oft'.
96 THE KING'S BIFLE.
The customs of the people of the Nano and Huambo
countries are similar to those prevailing at Quillengues,
and they all talk tlie same language. They work in
iron, of which they make their arrows, assegais, and
axes, but not their spades, which come from the north.
As I have already incidentally mentioned, the girls,
so long as they remain virgins, wear upon both ankles,
or upon the left ankle only, certain wooden bangles,
and it is considered a great crime if any family should
allow its daughters to use such distinctive mark if they
have lost their title to wear it.
One custom among these people struck me as very
Fig. 4. — Man and Woman of the Huambo.
curious, viz. tlie existence in every village of a kind of
temple for conversation.
This retreat is in the shape of a huge vat, but the ribs
which support the thatched roof are placed a good
distance apart. In the centre, the hearth is blazing —
for the Africans dearly love a fire — and most of the
inhabitants of the place, in turn, sit around it on
wooden blocks. It is the general meeting-place, more
especially wdien it rains. There one may listen to
stirring episodes of war or the chase ; love stories are
not wanting, nor is there a greater lack than in Europe
of tales of wayward lives.
In the coiuitry of the Huambo, and on the west coast
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 97
thereof, begins the extraordinary luxury of hairdressing,
both men and women being remarkable for the style in
Avhicli they wear their hair ; indeed I have seen some
heads that it would puzzle the utmost ingenuity of
European hairdressers to imitate. Many of these
triumplis of the barber's' art take two or three days to
build up, but on the other hand they last as many
months.
The women's hair is profusely adorned with glass
beads, which in the trade are known in Benguella
under the name of white or red coral, and the article is,
of course, greatly sought after in the country. I un-
fortunately had none of them with me.
Gunpowder, firearms, and table salt are likewise in
much request ; but these also I lacked, at least in
sufficient quantity to part with them ; and this only
tended the more to make my position embarrassing.
I at length sought out Capoco and told him that my
companions had proceeded by the way of Galangue ;
that only fifty loads would come on, thus leducing the
number of men I re ]uired to forty, and that I should
want them only as far as the Bihe.
On this account we discharged the eighty carriers
who by that time were assembled in readiness to start,
and who disbanded with many signs of discontent.
Capoco promised that I should have the forty I wanted
for the Bihe ; and on that same da}^ the negro Barros
arrived with the forty loads, and another letter from my
companions confirming the contents of the first.
From this last epistle I further learned that they had
left Caconda for the Bihe, accompanied by the Qx-chefe,
Ensign Castro, and the banished Domingos, who had
demonstrated to me the impossibility of obtaining men
at Caconda and yet managed to get them himself th^
very day I left the place.
It was to these last two, in all probability, that I owed
VOL. I. H
98 THE KING'S RIFLE.
the critical position in which I \vas now placed, for my
companions, but little acquainted with Africa, and not
at all with the part of the country in which they were,
could not estimate the difficulties which their mode of
proceeding had caused me, although the others must
have known them full well. I do not of course accuse
even them of a crime, but I cannot do less than charge
tliem with great indiscretion.
I do not wish them any ill, for I wish ill to no man,
and when, a month after the occurrence of the events I
am now recording, — while still suffering from the dangers
I had managed to escape, and lying prostrate on my
bed, to w^hich I was confined as with iron bands by the
sickness following on the twenty days of cruel anxiety
of wliich they were the cause, — I saw them, half famished
and entirely resourceless, stagger into the house of
Silva Porto, which I then occupied at the Bihe', I freely
forgave them all the evil they had done me, and only
remembering that one of them was deprived of the
rights of citizenship by a sentence which stamped him
with infamy, I divided with them the scanty provisions
that w^ere left me, and provided them with the means of
returning with comparative comfort to Caconda. It
may be that I saw in them not merely two white men,
two Portuguese all but lost in the remote district of the
Bihe, but men who helped to raise me in my own
opinion ; who, by exposing me during those twenty
dreadful days to the numerous dangers which I encoun-
tered and overcame, tempered my soul to greater
enterprise. Be this as it may, I owed to them the
increased trust I felt in Providence and in myself, and
in sharing with them the little that I had, I considered
that I was paying a debt of gratitude, and rejoiced to
think that I had not allowed my sufferings to become a
motive for reprisals.
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 99
Let me, however, not anticipate facts, but resume the
regular course of my narrative.
Capoco called upon me to say that on the following
morning I should have the forty men I wanted, but to
the Sambo country only, as they refused to go beyond
it, owing to the way in which I had dismissed the
previoiis eighty, who had been in readiness to start for
Caconda and the Bilie. Besides this, they demanded
much higher pay, for whilst I had contracted for ten
pieces of cloth from Caconda to the Bihe, the fresh men
insisted upon eight pieces from the Huambo to the
Sambo. My desire to get away was, however, so great
that I thought it prudent to yield.
On the following morning the forty men assembled
according to promise ; but a new difficulty at once
arose. When at Caconda we were bamboozled by
Bandeira, Ivens had extracted from all the assorted
loads the white calico they contained, because the
negroes we expected through Bandeira would not
accept payment in any other shape. I had forgotten
the circumstance until, on undoing two of the assorted
bales, I found that they did not contain a single piece
of white stuff. Capoco's people at once declared that
they wanted white calico, and nothing but white calico,
and that not one load would they lift until they got it.
They refused to have anything to say to the striped,
and were actually preparing to leave me, when Capoco
himself appeared, and managed, though not without
difficulty, to persuade them to take half in striped and
the other half in blue.
I saw them off at about ten o'clock, accompanied by
Barros, the guide, but they were thoroughly discon-
tented and grumbling. I was myself to follow them in
about an hour's time, but had so sudden and violent
an attack of fever that I was compelled to delay my
journey.
H 2
100 THE KING'S RIFLE.
Since the evening before it had been raining in
torrents and the niglit was specially tempestuous.
The fever began to abate about four in the afternoon,
and the rain had, by that time, held up. At five
precisely 1 strolled out of the place in the direction of
a neighbouring wood, but ray steps were uncertain and
I had to lean heavily on my staff.
Always liking to be ready for an emergency, I had
told my young negro Pepeca, who was in attendance
upon me, not to forget to bring one of my rifles. It
w^as fortunate I did so_, for we had no sooner entered
xhQ wood than an enormous buffalo sprang up within
twenty paces of us, and looking at me with fiery eyes,
snorted violently.
I took the gun from my attendant's hand, but to
my alarm and disgust saw that, instead of a rifle, he
had only brought with him a common fowling-piece
charged with shot ! I felt that it was all over with
me, and that death, as inevitable as it w^as ignominious,
w^is travelling towards me in the shape of 3^on fero-
cious beast which was heralding his attack with a low
roar.
My thoughts flew towards Heaven, my wife and
my daughter. Meanwhile the creature was advancing
by leaps, in that irregular way these animals use in
making their attacks. At a distance of about eight
paces I gave him the first charge of shot. It stopped
him for perha^os half a second, and on he came again
more madly than before. When I fired the second
barrel the muzzle of the gun almost touched the beast's
head, and the instant I had done so I leaped nimbly
aside. The buffalo turned neither to the right nor left,
but continuing his wild career, disappeared in the
thicket. Pepeca laughed fit to split his sides and,
apparently unconscious of the peril in which we had
stood, clapped his hands when he recovered breath, and
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 101
exclaimed, " The bull has run away ! how we must
have frightened him ! "
I lost no lime in returning to Capoco's house after
this adventure and passed the night in comparative
ease. Before I lay down I wanted to write, and was
therefore compelled to improvise a lamp, which I made
by sticking some cotton by way of wick into an old
sardine box containing pig's lard.
It was on the morning of the 21st February that I
took leave of Capoco, and with the fever still upon me
wended my way towards the Sambo territory. Before
I reached the Calae I received a note from the guide
Barros informing me that during the night the carriers
had all fled, leaving their loads in the village of the
petty chief Quimbungo, the brother of the chief or native
king Bilombo.
I turned back and sought an interview with Capoco,
to whom I related what had occurred. He advised me
to go on to his uncle's settlement and that he would
remedy the mischief. I therefore again proceeded, and
shortly after crossed the Calae, which runs N. and S.
to the Cunene, it being at this spot 33 yards wide by 3
feet 2 inches deep, with a violent current.
It flows through vast plains, slightly undulated and
clothed with gramineous plants, among which rises,
here and there, a solitary dragon-tree. The soil is
of animal formation, the whole of the ground beino-
covered, or, more correctly speaking, covering an infinite
world of white ants.
A bridge, roughly thrown together and composed of
the trunks of trees, unites the two banks of the river.
Some 1 10 yards above the bridge the Calae receives an
important affluent, the CuQUce, which contributes a
volume of water as great as its owm. I marched N. E.
and at ten o'clock passed close to the village of the petty
chief Chacaquimbamba, at the entrance of wliieli Xliava
102 THE KING'S RIFLE.
was a large assembly of people. I went by without
their saying a word, but had not gone more than 50
yards than I heard a great noise from the direction of
the settlement. At the same moment Yerissimo came
running up to me with the intelligence that one of our
own carriers was the innocent cause of the commotion.
I turned back and found the negro Jamba, on whom
devolved the duty of carrying my trunk, in a great
state of excitement owing to the natives having stolen
his gun — a feat which they performed the more readily
as, apprehensive of dropping his load, which he knew
contained the chronometers and other delicate instru-
ments, he made but a feeble resistance.
Besides the firearm, they had carried off" to the
village a she-goat and a sheep, a present from Capoco.
I gave them to understand that they must restore what
had been stolen, but I got nothing but murmurs of a
threatening sound in reply.
I made a rapid survey of my position, and did not
feel particularly comforted by the reflection that my
party consisted of ten men, opposed to upwards of 200.
Urged, however, by a sudden impulse, and putting
aside the dictates of prudence and common sense, I
determined to test the mettle of those ten men, who
were destined to be my comrades in even greater
dangers. Moving, therefore, towards the entrance of
the village, I cocked my revolver, and ordered them
to enter and regain possession of our property. My
Benguella negro, Manuel, a young man of whom I had
never previously made any account, became, as it were,
another being, and cocking his gun led the way at a
trot into the village. He was at once followed by
Augusto, Yerissimo and Catraiogrande, and a moment
after by the rest of my troop, leaving me alone to stand
tlie brunt and become perhaps the victim of the fury of
the [)opulace. The audacity, however, of our proceed-
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 103
ing in all probability saved it from failure, and
when Yerissimo marched out from the place in triumph
with the goat, and Augusto with the sheep, covered by
their companions with their guns ready for use, the
natives retired to a more convenient distance, and
offered no opposition to our movements.
We, however, lost the gun — easier of concealment
than the animals, it was hidden securely away ; nor did
a second search, which the success attending the first
emboldened us to make, bring the missing article to
light.
My negroes, heartened by the indecision of the na-
tives, now became loud and warm in their desire for
vengeance, and I had to exercise all my authority to
prevent them opening fire on the groups that were
watching us. I succeeded in calming them at last by
a promise of speedy and complete satisfaction at the
hands of Capoco, in whom, to tell the truth, I began
to feel a certain confidence.
This adventure detained us upwards of an hour, so
that it w^as not till 1.30 p.m. that we crossed the Poe,
an afJQuent of the Calae, which is five-and-a-half ^^ards
wide by nearly four feet deep ; the bottom being soft
and muddy rendered it difficult to ford.
At three o'clock we reached the village of the petty
chief Quimbungo, brother of the native king of the
Huambo, where we found the negro Barros in charge
of the abandoned loads. Quimbungo received me very
cordially and promised to furnish me with carriers to
the Sambo country. On learning also of our adventure
of the morning, he begged me not to let my anger fall
upon Chacaquimbamba, and he would take care that
the stolen gun was restored and full satisfaction given
for the insult. About six in the evening Capoco
arrived, bringing wifli liim several of tlie porters who
had fled, and the goods which had l)cen given to the
104 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
others by way of advance of pay. He furtlier told me
that on the morrow the gun should be brought back
and the chief of the little village be placed at my
disposal, that I might inflict upon him such chastise-
ment as I thought proper. And more than this, he
assured me that I need no longer fear the flight of any
of the carriers, as he himself or his uncle would accom-
pany me as far as the Sambo.
I retired to rest burning with fever, and passed a
horrible night.
On the following day a lot more carriers were got
together, but still not enough for our purpose.
Capoco started at daybreak for Chacaquimbamba's
place, and at mid-day returned with the stolon gun
and that chief himself, to whom I graciously extended
full pardon for the offence of his people. The delinquent
was profuse in his expressions of gratitude and — what
was even more satisfactory — presented me with a
couple of splendid sheep.
This done, Capoco, the renowned and ferocious chief,
the terror of the neighbouring countries, whom I had
succeeded in so completely winning to my service that
he had heaped me with favours, took his leave, and
recommending me warmly to his uncle, quietly returned
to his own residence.
As evening fell, a frightful tempest broke over our
encampment. Torrents of rain descended amid constant
crashes of thunder, and forked lightning darted perpen-
dicularly into the earth all around us. My fever in-
creased amid this war of the elements.
The storm continued with more or less violence
throughout the night, but the rain moderated somewhat.
Quimbungo, shortly after daylight, informed me that
the carriers were ready, but that they demanded Y^y-
ment in advance.
This I positively refused, for besides the ex^Derience
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY, 105
recently acquired of the folly of the practice, Capoco
had advised me never to pay them beforehand.
The men in turn refused to go, and disbanded.
Quinibungo assembled some of his immediate followers
and ordered them to accompany me, but the number
was very small, so that, even with the addition of those
brought me by Capoco, I had still twenty-seven loads
without carriers for them, and was compelled to leave
them behind under the charge of Barros, Quimbungo
promising to send them after me to the Sambo, whither
I decided forthwith to bend my steps.
I started at 10 a.m. in an easterly direction, and an
hour afterwards crossed the river Canhungamua, 33
yards in breadth and from 13 to IG feet deep, which
running southwards mingles its waters with those of
the Cunene.
A bridge of recent construction, formed of the trunks
of trees, gave an easy passage to our party, but our
carriers on reaching the left bank expressed their
determination to go no farther that day. I was com-
pelled to use the utmost energy to make them continue
their march until three in the afternoon, at which hour
we fixed our encampment in a thick forest of acacia-
trees.
The bad weather still pursued us, nor could I throw
oft" the fever which weiglied upon me, although it
yielded somewhat to the irregular treatment I was
enabled to apply.
During the night an awful thunderstorm travelling
from south-west to north-east passed over our heads,
the vivid flashes of lightning being accompanied by
torrents of rain.
Breaking up our camp on the following morning at
six, we pursued our journey, reaching the Cunene a
couple of hours later. This we crossed by a bridge
constructed, like all the bridges in this part of Africa,
106 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
of unhewn trunks of trees. At this spot the river was
found to be 22 yards wide and 6 feet deep, the stream
running soutliwards. The banks are sh'ghtly undulated,
covered with tall grasses but with little wood. A
double row of trees, however, very similar in appear-
ance to the stunted willows of Europe, was traceable
by the eye for a considerable distance, in the shape of
tortuous lines, between which the river flowed with a
rapid current over a bed of fine white sand.
I took a short rest, after making the necessary
observations to determine the altitude, and started again
at noon, arriving at 2 p.m. at the village of the
native chief of the Dumbo in the Sambo territory.
This chief is a vassal of the king of the Sambo, is a
man of considerable wealth, and reckons a large number
of inhabitants in the villages and hamlets over which
he holds sway. He received me very courteously and
invited me to take up my quarters within his village,
which I accepted.
He promised me carriers for the following day,
although, as he said, I had not arrived at a very
favourable juncture, as many of his people were absent
upon a war excursion. I paid and discharged the
Quimbungo carriers and felt confident about resuming
my journey on the following day.
A short time before my own arrival, a wealthy
chief, by name Cassoma, had reached the Dumbo. He
was a friend of my host, whom he had come to visit,
travelling for that purpose from his residence on the
bank of the Cubango. This Cassoma was far from
being sympathetic to me, although he was himself
profuse in his expressions of friendship, and even
offered to accompany me to the Bihe.
In the evening I sent three bottles of aguardente to
my host and reminded him not to fail me next morning
in the matter of carriers. Contrary to the hospitable
TWENTY DATS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 107
customs of tlie natives in these parts the chief had sent
me nothing wliatsoever to eat, and as none would sell
us flour, we were beginning to get very hungry.
It was about eight o'clock at night that, in a very
bad humour and with an empty stomacli, I was about
to retire to rest, when I heard a knocking at my door,
which was immediately followed by the entrance of my
host, the chief Cassoma, another by the name of
Palanca, a friend and principal counsellor of my host,
and five of the wives of the latter.
We conversed awhile about my journey, but Cassoma
suddenly broke in with the remark, that they had not
come there to talk, and addressing himself pointedly to
his friend, he added, " We want agiiardente, as you know,
so tell the white man to give it to us."
My host, encouraged by the impudence of Cassoma,
then told me that I must give him and his wives some
liquor. To this I replied that I had already given him
three bottles, although he had not offered me bit or suj)
in return ; that it was the first time in the course of
my travels I had been allowed by a cliief, who proffered
me hospitality, to go to my bed fasting, and that I
should not therefore part with another drop of
aguardente. Cassoma then took up the cudgels and did
all he could to awaken the anger of his brother chief;
a warm controversy ensued between us, which lasted
for more than an hour, and although I managed to
keep my temper, my prudence and patience were tried
to their utmost limits.
Patience and prudence, however, alike gave way
when my unwelcome visitors declared that, as I would
not give them what they wanted by fair means, they
intended to help themselves. Pushing the cask towards
iheni with my foot, I seized my revolver, and cocking
it, asked who intended to take the first drink.
They hesitated a moment, when Cassoma cried out
108 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
to my liost, " Yon are king licre, and liave a riii^lit. to
the first swill." Dumbo threw off bis outer garment,
wbicli be delivered to Palanca with the words, " Tabe
care the white man doesn't steal it," and took two steps
towards the cask.
I raised my revolver to the height of his head and
fired ; but Verissimo Gon9alves, who stood by me,
knocked up my arm, and the ball went crashing into
the wall of the hut.
The three negroes, trembling with fear, retreated to
as great a distance from me as the dimensions of the
building would allow, and the five women set up a
horrible chorus of screams.
I then for the first time became conscious of the
sound of other human voices mixed with that laughter
so peculiar to the blacks, and looking towards the door
I discovered my faithful followers Augusto and Manuel
who, on hearing the discussion, had softly approached,
with the rest of my men in the rear, and now, armed
with their guns, were keeping guard at the entrance,
and heartily enjoying the scene.
A'erissimo then, in a confidential tone, informed my
host and his companions that they had better retire
and not say a word to arouse my anger, for that if I
should put myself in a rage again he would not answ^er
for the consequences or be able perhaps to save their
lives, as he had done awhile ago.
They lost no time in taking his advice and filed off,
one behind the other, in the utmost silence.
But for Yerissimo's knocking up my arm in the way
he did I should have killed the chief, and in the position
in which we then stood we should in all probability
have been massacred to a man. In saving my host's
life, he had therefore saved the lives of us all.
The excitement occasioned by this last adventure so
increased the fever within me, that when the place was
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 109
cleared of my visitors I dropped in a, state of utter
exliaustioii upon the skins which, spread in a corner of
the hut, served me by way of bed.
My faithful blacks stretched tliemselves across the
door and told me to sleep in peace, as they would watch
over my safety.
On three different occasions, therefore, within four
da^^s had my life been in jeopardy. First, in my
encounter with the buffalo in the Huambo ; secondly, in
the forcible entrance into Chacaquimbamba's village ;
and thirdly, in the adventure of that evening.
After a short and broken sleep I awoke to the sounds
of a tempest that was raging violently outside.
As I lay, I turned over in my mind the events of
the few hours before, and did not derive much comfort
or tranquillity from their contemplation. What would
the morning bring forth ? There was I, witli my ten
men, within a fortified village whence it was not easy
to escape, and even were the passage clear, where was 1
to obtain carriers now that I was, so to speak, at daggers
drawn with their chief?
My readers may form some slight idea of the anxiety
with which I watched for the first gleam of daylight.
When the dawn at last appeared I took it as a good
omen that the fever had somewhat abated. I rose,
made all preparations for departure, and then took the
bold course of summoning the chief, who was not long
in making his appearance.
I told him that I was about to continue my journey,
and should leave my property under his care, until
such time as I could send for it. In a very subdued
manner he begged me not to do that, as he would
furnish me with carriers ; he made a thousand apologies
for the occurrence of the evening before, the whole
blame of which he threw upon Cassoma whom, as he
averred, he had turned out of his house. Tliis, however.
110 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
was not true, as I caug-lit a glimpse of the fellow a little
later od.
At ten o'clock tlie requisite carriers appeared. But
I saw at a glance that thej did not all deserve that
name, for amid the group were half-a-dozen girls with
hangles about their ankles ; so that, in his hurry to get
rid of me, he had not waited to draw
men from tlie surrounding hamlets,
but put all he had at my disposal and
made up the desired number by these
female slaves.
I, however, thanked him warmly
and expressed ray satisfaction at such
a proof of courtesy, adding that I had
not got with me a present worthy of
Fio- 5 —Woman of ^^^ acceptance, but that I should be
THE Sambo. happy to offer him a handsome gun
if he would send a man witli me, in
whom he placed confidence, to receive it at the Bihe ;
hinting, at the same time, that I should be pleased if he
selected for such office his confidant, the chief Palanca.
My delight was extreme (though I took care to conceal
it) at his yielding to my request and appointing Palanca
to accompany me. By so doing, this Dumbo princelet
delivered into my hands a precious hostage, who would
be responsible not only for my own safety but for that
of the loads I had entrusted two days previously to the
care of Barros, whom I informed of the circumstances
by a letter which I left for him at the Dumbo.
I quitted the village, which had so narrowly escaped
becoming a scene of successful treachery and blood-
shed, at 1 1 A.M., marching at the head of my strangely
assorted crew, consisting of my ten Benguella braves,
ten very doubtful characters of the Sambo country, and
six virgin slaves of the native chief of the Dumbo.
The rain was falling in torrents ; but heedless of
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY.
Ill
tliis inconvenience I trudged steadily on, anxious, as
may well be supposed, to put as many miles as pos-
sible between myself and that inhospitable township.
Four hours later, having travelled N.E., I pitched
mv camp near the village of Burundoa, completely
soaked through and shivering with cold and fever.
I declined the hospitality offered me by the cliief of
the locality, for not only had I been vividly impressed
with the experience of the evening before, but I began
Fig. 6. — My Encampment between the Sambo and the Bihe.
to see the wisdom of the counsel given me by Stanley,
namely, never in Africa, if it could possibly be avoided,
to pass the night under native roofs.
Several girls made their appearance at my camp,
offering for sale Indian corn, both whole and in flour,
and some magnificent potatoes, in no way inferior to
those of Europe.
Rain still continued falling — less heavily, but most
persistently — and I really began to feel very ill.
112 THE KING'S niFLE.
In tlic vicinity of my camp there was a little brook,
whose waters helped to swell a rivulet, an affluent of
the Cubango, into which it flowed somewhat farther to
the westward.
During the night the rain kept falling, and increased
in violence between four and five in the morning, at
which latter hour it held up. There is great abundance
of excellent tobacco in this country, where a good deal
was sold me at a very cheap rate. Few of the blacks,
however, in those parts seem to smoke, but all use
tobacco in the shape of snuff. Tin's they prepare in a
very primitive way, by roasting the leaf before a slow
fire and then pounding it in the very tube or box, out
of which they take it, by means of a little wooden pestle
fastened to the box by a fine strap.
I started at 7.40 a.m. in a N.E, direction, traversing
a highly-cultivated and thickly-peopled region.
At 8.30 we passed close by the large hamlet of
Yaneno, and at ten made a short halt close to tlie
village of Moenacuchimba. We resumed our march
half an hour afterwards, still pursuing a N.E. course ;
at eleven were abreast of the hamlet of Chaca-
pombo, a very populous place, and at 11.30 had another
rest near Quiaia, the most imi')ortant of all these
inhabited places.
The chief of this latter village turned out to salute
me and made me a present of a large pig. I returned
him its value in striped cotton stuff, at which he was
very pleased, and subsequently sent a lot of pumpkins
for the use of my people.
We pursued our journey in the same direction, and
two hours later pitched our tents in a wood near the
hamlet of the Gongo. The latter part of this day's
march was very tedious owing to the heavy showers
of rain ; and a S.W. wind that was blowing was
searching and cold.
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. ] 13
In the evening an envoy arrived at my camp from
the native chief of the Sambo, whose township was de-
scribed to me as being situated at a distance of some
nine or ten miles in a N.W. direction. The object of
his message was to get something out of me in tlie
way of a present, and to inform me that if I would pass
by the chief's place he would give me an ox in return.
I thanked him for the kind intention, and promised to
let him have a trifle on the following day, lor I was
apprehensive, if I sent him off empty-handed, he would
induce my carriers to abandon me ; a matter that it
would have been very easy to do, as they had already
shown a disposition to mutiny which it had required all
Yerissimo's eloquence to overcome.
A chief of the name of Capu90, who held sway over
the neighbouring handet, paid me the compliment of
sending me by three of his wives (all very ugly women)
a present in the shape of a fowl and three pumpkins.
In return I sent him about three yards of striped cloth
and gave a few beads to the women. At nightfall we
had other female visitors, offering flour, maize and
manioc for sale. All these women indulged in the
most extravagant head-dresses, the hair being interlaced
with white coral and made to shine with a lavish ex-
penditure of castor-oil, which seemed to be a favourite
article of the toilet.
The men furnished me by the chief of the Dumbo
were the most insubordinate rascals I ever came across ;
they were always either quarrelling with one another
or with the Benguella porters, so that the only quiet
spot in the camp, at night-time, was that occupied by
the six negresses, my gentle virgin carriers.
A very rough night it was — rain and wind contend-
ing for the mastery. At daybreak the chief Capu90
came to thank me for the cloth I had given him, and
as if to make up for the insignificance of his foimer
VOL. I. 1
114 THE KING'S RIFLE.
gift, liad brought with him a handsome pig nnd a good
fat hen.
Tlie envoy of tlie great chief came shortly after to
receive the present I had promised him ; and as I
considered it was only an exchange for an intention to
give me an ox, if I went ten miles ont of my way, I
did not think it worth while to make it a costly one.
At 8 A.M. we were on our way, and at 9 passed close
to the hamlets of Chacaonha, inliabited by the first of
the Granguella race in West Africa.
The Bomba rivulet was shortly after forded and we
continued along its left bank for about a mile and a
quarter, when the carriers suddenly laid down their
loads, saying they would not move another step, and
demanded payment that they miglit return to their
homes. We were then about a mile or so from the
Cubango, and being very desirous of crossing that
river, I tried to persuade them to go at least that short
distance farther, and promised that, so soon as I was
on the other side, I would pay them what was due and
dismiss them.
My persuasions, however, had no effect. They gave
me to understand that the reason of their refusal was
the fear of my vengeance — that I had been grossly
insulted in the village of their chief at the Dumbo —
and they were convinced that I should not spare them
if I once got them on the other bank of the river and
consequently out of their own territory.
I tried to reason them out of such an absurditv, but
it was labour in vain. I then refused to pay them at
all if they did not carry the loads to the other side of
the river. To this they replied that they would rather
go without their pay than follow me, and they at once
called the six girls and bade them come away with them.
I was at my wits' end. Within a stone's throw, as it
were, was the hamlet of that fellow Cassoma, and I
TWENTY DATS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 115
thonght I perceived in this business a craftily devised
plan to betray me into his hands, he having gone on
before to make his preparations.
Any loads abandoned in such a place were as good
as lost beyond redemption, and with this conviction on
mv mind my readers may imagine with what feelings
I contemplated the departure of the carriers.
I turned my eyes, in perplexity, towards my goods,
and a sudden revulsion of feeling came over me. Seated
on one of the packages that were spread upon the
ground was a tall, thin figure of a man, with a face as
immovable as if cut out of stone, and with a long gun
lying across his knees. It was the petty chief Palanca,
who had accompanied me from the Dumbo, and whose
existence I had almost forgotten. Now or never was
the time I could make him useful. Making a spring
upon him, I disarmed and threw him to the ground.
Calling to my men, I ordered them to bind him hand
and foot, and in a loud voice commanded Augusto and
Manuel to hang him up to the projecting branch of an
acaciawhich conveniently presented itself for the purpose.
Seeing by the rope put about his neck that the order
was being most undoubtedly carried out, the fellow
exclaimed : " Don't kill me, don't kill me ; the carriers
shall go across the Cubango ! " at the same time he gave
vent to a loud halloa which brought back the men, who
were already at some little distance.
AVhen they were reassembled he gave the word for
them to take up their loads and follow him, a command
which they obeyed without hesitation.
I then ordered that his feet should be unbound, and
threatened him with a bullet through his head at the
slightest mutiny of the carriers. Half an hour after-
wards we passed the Cubango by a well-constructed
bridge, and camped on the left bank near the hamlets
of Chindonga.
I 2
116
THE KING'S BIFLE.
I found between the river and my camp some iron
mines wlience the natives extract abundant ore.
At length I stood in the Moma country, and free of
the territories of tlie Nano, Huambo and Sambo, of
wln'cli I shall retain a life-long memory.
The Cubango there runs to S.S.E. and is 38 yards
wide, by 6 to 13 feet deep. I made some observations
to determine the position and altitude, but was forced
-r
' "^
Fis. 7.— Cassanha BriduE ovkb the River Cubango.
to take speedy refuge in my hut, as a squall from
N.N.E. discharged upon me a copious amount of rain.
I paid and discharged the Sambo carriers, giving
them a yard of striped cloth each, which was the
recompense agreed on.
I then called the six girls and told them I should
give them nothing, as women were bound to work, and
deserved no pay. They hung their heads in a very
downcast fashion, but made no remark at my decision,
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY.
117
SO degraded is the position of women in this part of the
world.
Just as they were about to start, and liad turned
tlieir heads towards the Sambo, I ordered them to come
back, when I made each of them a present of a couple
of yards of tlie most brilliant chintz I possessed, and
some strings of different beads.
It is impossible to describe the delight of these poor
creatures at receiving so splendid a gift. The men
ri<z. 8. — The Secui.o who gave me a Pio.
looked on in ^nvy, and I improved the occasion by
pointing out to them that, if they had not mutinied on
the other side of the Cubango, I would have given them
the same guerdon.
Thiswns my revenge, and I hope the lesson was not
lost upon the fellows.
In the course of the evening a petty chief from
Ohindonga came to visit me, bringing with him a ])ig
MS a present.
118 THE KING'S RIFLE.
He promised me carriers for the following morning,
at the rate of half a yard of striped cloth per day,
telling me, however, that they would only go as far as
the Caquingue country, where I should readily obtain
men for the Bihe.
j\Iy fever had yielded to the tremendous doses of
quinine I had taken ; hut, completely wetted through
for three whole days, I began to feel the first symptoms
of that rheumatism which threatened more than once to
bring my journey to a sudden close.
The night was tempestuous, and the following day
continued very wet.
The chief was as good as his word, and put in an
appearance early next morning with the carriers ; but
I had resolved to give myself some hours' rest, and
therefore dismissed them till the following day. I
learned from the chief that my companions had passed
through his place on the previous eve, coming from the
south.
The chief, Palanca, from the Sambo was carefully
watched, but was otherwise free. The day before I
had despatched a message to my former host of the
Dumbo, informing him that the head of his friend
should answer for the loads that had been left beliind
in the care of Barros, a resolution which Palanca found
most just and natural, as it was the law of the country.
It is not improbable that this, and other proceedings
of mine, which will be found most frankly avowed in
the course of this narrative, may be censured by some
of my readers ; but I would beg my censors to ponder
for a moment upon my position, accompanied as I was
by a mere handful of men, in a country where everything
was hostile, climate and inhabitants included. If I do
not profess the principle that the end justifies the means,
neither do I lay claim to that virtue which would
j)resent the other cheek when the first has been smitten.
TWENTY DAYS OF PEOFOUND ANXIETY. 119
Far from the restraints of the civilised world — outside
its two circles of iron — the penal code and social con-
ventionalities, which, close and rigid as they are, still
leave sufficient room for crime and infamy, the African
explorer, hemmed in by savage races whose rules of
conduct differ essentially from his own, having the
Almighty as sole witness of his acts, and his conscience
as sole censor of his proceedings, requires a more than
ordinary strength to preserve his honesty of purpose
and moral dignity amid scenes and circumstances where
his passions might so easily lead him astray. For
myself, I candidly confess that the ovations which have
been showered on me by the civilised world, for having
happily overcome the material obstacles of my journey,
miglit have been perhaj)s more justly bestowed upon
me for my victories over my own self, if the terrible
internal struggles I had to undergo had only been as
patent to the eye.
To conquer his own unruly passions, to overcome the
material and moral habits he has formed durinfr his
civilised life, are the two great labours of the explorer.
He who can do this successfully will attain his end and
fulfil his mission.
At the outset of my journey I must confess I had
some apjDrehensions on this score, and as time went
on I discovered that my fears were not unfounded.
I had to wrestle severely with my own spirit, but
though exhausted with .the struggle, I managed to come
out victorious. By dint of indomitable will, I succeeded
in establishing an empire over myself, and though
lacking time to produce a written code of conduct,
I formulated one in my mind by which I guided my
proceedings. My principles were those of natural
light ; my law, brief but excellent, was summed up in
the ten })recepts of the Decalogue.
Let it not be for an instant imagined that I put
120
THE KING'S RIFLE.
forward any claim to caiioiiiisatioii, or that I pretend
to have rigorously followed the precepts laid down in
the twentieth chapter of the sublime Book of Exodus,
certainly the most beautiful of the Pentateuch ; but I
did my best not to depart too widely from them, and in
so doing 1 did well.
If this digression do not greatly help on the
narrative, it may at least be useful in awakening some
chord in the heart of future explorers, and to ihem it is
in all heartiness addressed.
Fig. 9. — Ganguella Women on the Banks of the Cubango.
To resume.
During the day a great many negroes came about us
oftering for sale various articles of food, of the usual
kind, but there was one comestible which was singular
enough to deserve a passing notice.
A large basket displayed a quantity of caterpillars,
very similar to the Acherontia Atropos, and of the same
size. This gigantic lepidopter, when young, feeds upon
the grasses and is then easily caught. The Ganguellas
devour it ravenously, but my own men refused to
touch it.
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 121
On tlie following morning, at tlie first appearance of
daj light, a good many more carriers presented tliem-
selves ; but, as I bad already my number, I was com-
pelled to dismiss them.
I left about ten o'clock, by wbicli hour tlie rain had
fortunately held up. Just as I was starting I bad tbe
ill-luck to break my spectacles, which I bad worn ever
since I left Lisbon. Our course was N E., and after
five hours' tramp we pitched our tents on tlie left
baidv of the river Cutato dos Ganguellas, the stream
being passed by stepping-stones a little above a small
cataract.
On the road we forded a petty brook called Chimbui-
coque, an affluent of the Cutato.
At that point the river runs eastward, bending
subsequently to the north and then east by south.
This gigantic S is a series of rajoids, where the river
rushes with a tremendous roar over the granite rocks
which form its bed.
At the site of the stepping-stones, or natural stone
bridges^ it measures 88 yards across, and about 30 yards
both higher up and lower down, with a depth of 13
to 16 feet. It flows into the Cubango, so say the
natives, at fifteen days' march to the south of this
point.
The right bank is covered with the plantations of
the inhabitants of Moma, which occupy a space that I
calculated roughly at upwards of two thousand acres of
land. They are the largest I have ever seen in Africa.
The cro[)s produced by these people consist mainly of
maize, beans and potatoes, but maize fields are those
which chiefly meet the eye. Before reaching the
plantations, I crossed a forest of enormous acacias of
surprising beauty. The aspect of the banks of the
Cutato is very singular. Where the granite of
the river-bed terminates, a soil commences of termitic
122 THE KING'S RIFLE.
formation, the ground undulating in thousands of
little hills, some cultivated, others covered with sylvan
vegetation ; and as they are all connected, the aspect
is that of a system of miniature mountain chains which
perfectly enchant the heholder. I fixed the position
of the large village or township of Moma at the
distance of two miles bearing W.S.W., and after deter-
mining the altitude of the river there, I sought my tent,
wet througli from the incessant rain, and with another
attack of fever upon me.
Threats of rheumatism continued. During the
night the rain came down in torrents, and, as was
Fig. 11. — Ant-hill 13 feet high on the Banks of the Riveh
CUTATO DOS GANGrELLAS, COVERED WITH VEGETATION.
constantly the case now, I went to sleejD in the wet,
for at this period of the year the grasses, with which I
covered my roughly constructed hut, were never more
than some 20 inches long, and with such short stuff
it is difficult, if not impossible, to keep the water out.
It was not till noon on the following day that the
rain ceased ; and though my pulse was going at the
rate of 144 per minute, from fever, I resumed my
journey at 2 p.m.
I tramped along on foot, as I found it impossible to
keep my seat on the ox ; but after an hour's march
my legs refused to carry me farther. We therefore
lill||'illil:iilij.lii:;„!;i,
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 123
camped ; and I met with the utmost attention and care
not only from my own negroes, but even from the
Ganguella carriers.
The spot where we rested was near the hamlet of a
tribe called Lamupas, from their residing near the
cataracts of the river, which in the language of the
country are styled Mupas.
It is very thickly peopled and extensively cultivated,
as the inhabitants are greatly devoted to agriculture.
On my road I fell in with several graves of the
native chiefs, wliicli are covered with clay, similar in
shape to many in Europe. These graves are protected
from the rain by a species of open shed with thatched
roof, and are always shaded by a large tree.
Upon most of them I saw earthen vases and platters,
placed there by the relatives of the deceased, as we are
accustomed to deposit garlands and immortelles upon
the tombs of our own loved ones.
Towards night the rain moderated, and on the follow-
ing morning it was misty but warm. The fever had
considerably diminished, but my rheumatic pains began
to worry me excessively. Still I went on, and half an
hour after having left the camp I passed near the large
village of Cassequera.
After crossing a little brook which ran on the other
side of the village, I came upon some enormous
clearances covered with grasses, which excited my
attention on account of their huge size and mature
growth at a period of the year when the plants of this
family are only just beginning to develop.
My young negro Pepeca had so violent and sudden
an attack of fever that he sank down powerless. I
called a halt, and sent off a messenger to the village of
Cassequera to hire a man for the purpose of carrying
the poor fellow on his shoulders. At noon I [)assed
near the residence of the captain of the Quingue, the
124
THE KING'S RIFLE.
first village in the Caqiiingue comitry. I took up my
quarters in the house of Joao Albino, a half-caste of
Benguella, the son of the old Portuguese trader Luiz
Albino, who was killed by a buffalo in the wilds of
the Zambesi.
Joao Albino resides in the compound of Carnenha,
son of the captain of the Quingue.
Camenha himself was absent, having gone to take
the command of tlie forces of the native king of Ca-
quingue, in a war then waging with certain chiefs of
the Cubano-o.
o
¥i%. 12. — Tojic OF A Native Chikf.
The weather improved and my fever entirely left me,
but I had not got rid of my rheumatism, which gave
lively evidence of its presence.
It is worthy of note that niglit came on without rain,
and was followed by a cloudless morning.
I paid a visit to the old captain of the Quingue,
taking with me, by way of offering, a piece of linen
cloth. He made me a present of an ox, which I ordered
at once to be slaughtered, as we liad eaten no other
TWENTY DAYS OF PBOFOUND ANXIETY. 125
flesli than tlmt of swine for a long time past. The
captain was very old and infirm. He conversed with
rae at great length about my jonrney and its motives,
and could not comprehend what I intended to do.
When I was about to leave him he said, " I know
now who you are ; you are a chief of the white king,
and he has sent you to visit these parts, and study the
roads ; for the white king knows that many things are
done here that are not good, and he wants to put a stop
to them. I pray you, when he does so, not to forgot
that I gave you an ox, and treated you as my brother.
I have not long to live, but then you can remember
my sons, and will do them, I hope, no injury."
I was touched by the old man's words. His chiefs
accompanied me respectfully to the village of the son,
where I was lodging, and there were few of them
who failed, during the day, to bring me over some
little present, such as a hen or two, some eggs and
sugar-cane. I saw a small plantation of the latter
within the captain's enclosure, of even a more flourish-
ing character than that visible on the sea-shore, wliere
this plant nevertheless assumes colossal proportions.
I mention this circumstance, because I was under
the impression until then that, at so considerable an
altitude, nearly 5580 feet, the cane would not grow.
On my retui-n to the village, I found Francisco
Gon9alves, known as Carique, the half-brother of my
follower Yerissimo, who, learning of my arrival, had
come to pay me a visit.
This Carique was, like Yerissimo, the son of the
trader Guilherme, but by a different mother, and on
the mother's side he was heir to the throne of Ca-
quinguc.
He lives with the native king, his uncle, and is
married to a daughter of the future sovereign of the
Bihc.
12G TnE KINO'S BIFLE.
He was educated at Benguella, and has some sort of
culture and a good deal of intelligence. He brought
several ne2:roes with him, slaves of his father, whom
he placed at my disposal to accompany me in my journey
eastward from the Bihe country.
Thus, before I had even reached that desired goal,
I liad several carriers in readiness.
Carique, Albino, the captain's son and others who
trade wn'th the interior, start from that point for the
Mucusso and Snlatebelle, descending by the Cubango
to the Ngami, always on the right bank ; and they do
business also in the Cuanhama, a country to the east of
the Humbe, on the left bank of the Cunene.
Their staple article of trade is slaves, exchanged, on
the road, for oxen ; and these again, w^ith bale goods,
are bartered for wax and ivory.
I resolved to remain there a day, not only to get a
long rest and dry my wetted things, but also to procure
some information about the country, whose customs
differ considerably from those of the tribes I had
hitherto met with. In the evening Carique and Joao
Albino kept mo company, and furnished me with
lengthy data concerning the territory and its people,
the most noteworthy of which I here transcribe from
my diary.
The Caquingue country is bounded on the north
by the Bihe, on the west by the Moma territory, and
on the east and south by confederate tribes of the Gan-
guella race. This latter race occupies in this part of
Africa a vast tract of land, and is divided into four
large groups, which are susceptible again of further
subdivision. Their language and customs are the
same throughout, but there is a difference in their
political organisation. In the Caquingue country
the Granguellas assume the name of Gonzellos, form
a separate kingdom, and admit but one sole head.
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY.
127
111 their other divisions they form confederations,
wliich are very common in Africa, each large village
or township being governed by an independent chief.
Those who live to the S.E. of Caquingue style them-
selves Nhembas ; those to the south, Massacas ; and
they who dwell to the east of the Bihe', Bundas. Of
the last mentioned I shall have occasion to speak at
some length later on. The Gonzellos, the Granguellas
of Caquingue, are cultivators of the soil and traders,
Fi^. 13. — CAQUtNflUE ]>i>acks:miths.
and, of all the peoples of South Central Africa, are those
which approximate most to the Bihenos in tlie way of
commercial exploration.
Wlien at home they work a good deal in iron, and
this branch of trade establishes between them and other
tribes very active commercial relations.
They have not the slightest idea of any religion
whatsoever, and though thorough believers in sorcerv,
they never give a thouglit to tlie existence of a Supreme
Being, l)y whom all things are ordered.
128
THE KINO'S ItlFLE.
During tlie coldest inontlis, tliat is to say June and
July, the Gonzellos miners leave tlieir homes, and
take Tip iheir abode in extensive encampments near the
iron-mines, which are abundant in the country.
In order to extract the ore, they dig circular holes
or shafts of about 10 to 13 feet in diameter, but not
more than 6 or 7 feet deep ; this arises most probably
from their want of means to raise the ore to a greater
elevation. I examined several of these shafts in the
neighbourhood of the Cubango, and found them all of
a similar character.
As soon as they have extracted sufficient ore for the
work of the year, they begin separating the iron.
Tliis is done in holes of no great
depth, the ore being mixed with
charcoal, and the temperature being-
raised by means of primitive bellows,
consisting of two wooden cylinders
2 about a foot in diameter, hollowed
out to a depth of 4 inches and covered
with two tanned goat-skins, to which
are fixed two handles, 20 inches long
and half an inch thick. By a rapid
movement of these handles, a current
of air is j^roduced which plays upon
the charcoal through two hollow
wooden tubes attached to the cylin-
ders, and furnished with clay muzzles.
By incessant labour, kept up night
and day, the whole of the metal
becomes transformed, by ordinary processes, into spades,
axes, war-hatchets, arrow-heads, assegais, nails, knives,
and bullets for fire-arms, and oven occasionally fire-
arms themselves, the iron being tempered with ox-
grease and salt. I have seen a good many of these
guns carry as well as the best pieces made of cast steel.
m
3 4
Fig. 14. — 1. Bellows.
2. Clay Muzzle.
3. Anvil.
4. Hammer.
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY.
129
During the whole of the time that these labours last
no woman, under any pretext, is allowed to go near the
Fig. 15. — Articles manufactured by the Natives between the
Coast and the Bih6. 1. Working Axe. 2. Arrow-head for War.
3. Arrows. 4. Arrow-head for Hunting. 5. Butt-end of Arrows-
G. Battle-axe. 7. Hoe. 8. Assegais.
miners' camp, for fear, as they say, of the utter ruin of
the metal. My own opinion is, that the object of the
VOL. I. K
130 THE KING'S RIFLE.
prohibition is to prevent the men being distracted in
their work, which, as I have stated, is kept up night
and day.
So soon as the metal is converted into articles of
trade, the miners return to their homes laden with their
manufactures, which they subsequently dispose of by
sale, after reserving what they require for their own
necessities.
It is curious that none of these people admit the
existence of natural causes of disease or death. If any
among them should fall ill or die, the cause is attributed
either to the souls of the other world (one among the
spirits being specially designated), or to some living
person who has compassed the evil by sorcery or witch-
craft. On the death of a native, should no relatives be
upon the spot, they are at once summoned, and pending
their arrival, the corpse is suspended from a stout pole,
planted at a distance of some 200 or 300 yards from the
entrance of the village.
On the assembling of the relatives, divination is at
once resorted to in order to learn the cause of death.
For this purpose the corpse is fastened to a long stake ;
a man seizes each end of it, and the body is thus
conveyed to the place set apart for the divination, where
the diviner is in attendance, together with a concourse
of people standing in two rows.
The diviner then taking in his right hand a piece of
white coral commences operations.
After no end of mummery and discordant cries,
during which the corpse is made to sway about — the
people all the while believing it does so without human
intervention — the diviner declares that it was the soul
of such a person, male or female, whom he mentions,
that occasioned the death ; or he avers that it was
this or that living person who slew the defunct by
sorcery.
TWENTY DAYS OF PBOFOUND ANXIETY. 131
In the former case, a grave being dug in the neigh-
bouring wood, no spot in particular being selected for
the purpose, the body is interred without more ado, and
stones, wood and earth are heaped over it. But in the
latter case, the person designated by the diviner as the
sorcerer is seized, and must either pay to the nearest of
kin the value of the life he is deemed to have taken, or
forfeit his head ; an account of the event being subse-
quently given to the ruling chief, together with a
female goat as a fee for listening to the case.
An accused person has fortunately the right to deny
his supposed crime, and to furnish a defence. He applies
for such purpose to a medicine-man (by way of advocate),
who, in presence of the people, proceeds to prepare his
proofs, in the shape of an, ordeal, to establish either the
guilt or innocence of the accused. For instance, in
sight of the latter 's kinsfolk and of the general public,
he composes a poisonous draught, to be taken both by
the accused and the nearest relative of the dead man.
This draught produces a species of temporary madness,
and he who suffers most from its effects is deemed
the more guilty, and has sentence of death passed upon
him.*
If this sentence fall upon the accused, he either pays
the life of the deceased, or forfeits his own ; if it fall
upon the other man, he has to indemnify the accused
for the accusation made by giving him at once a pig,
to pay for the trouble in seeking a medicine-man, and
subsequently, whatever else the accused may claim,
namely, a couple of oxen, two slaves, a bale of goods,
&c., &c.
In this place, I cannot do better than point out a vast
difference which exists between three important person-
ages among the people of South Central Africa, and who
* This is very similar to the practice in use among the Maraves, the Ordeal
of the Muave (Gamito, Muata Caz.embe).
K 2
132 THE KING'S RIFLE.
are not iinfrequently confounded with each other.
These are the medicine-man, the diviner, and the
sorcerer. At the first glance they do certainly appear
to have points of contact, but in reality they have
none.
The medicine-man is defined hy the name bestowed
upon him. He prepares medicaments. He has some
knowledge of medicinal herbs and roots which he
invariably employs empirically, and makes great use
of the cupping glass ; but as regards science, he has
little or none. The medicine-man never makes a
diagnosis of any disease, but deals freely in prognostics.
His doses of medicinal plants are always empirical, and
the most absurd and useless components enter into his
pharmacopoeia. It is true that amongst ourselves the
use of antidotes does not go very far. The medicine-
man, who is at the same time a compounder of drugs,
employs during their preparation a certain number of
ceremonies and words without which they would lose
their virtue. He makes a great secret of the plants
and simples he uses, and puts on a very sapient air
when questioned upon the subject. The medicine-man
is a person of great importance, and many solemn acts
require his presence. He decides many great questions,
his opinion prevailing over that of the diviner
(Ditangja), and he never pronounces it without a
preliminary flourish, in the shape of remedies and
ceremonies, performed now with plants, now with the
blood of human creatures, or beasts, and on which are
bestowed the name of medicinal rites.
The diviner, on the other hand, deals in divination
and nothing else. In the case of any one falling sick,
the diviner is first called in to divine whether the
attack is due to spirits of another world, or to sorcery,
and it is after his work is done that the medicine-man
is applied to.
TWENTY DATS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 133
These two personages always perfectly understand
each other.
The diviner is not consulted solely in cases of
disease or death, he is appealed to in all conceivable
matters of moment, and nothing is done without his
being first called in.
In questions of consultation, he takes up his stand in
the centre of a circle formed b^^ the people, who must
be seated. He brings with him a calabash and a basket.
The calabash contains large glass beads and dried
maize ; the basket is full of the queerest odds and ends,
such as human bones, dried vegetables, stones, bits of
stick, the stones of fruit, birds' and fishes' bones, &c.
He begins by shaking the calabash about in the most
frantic way, and during the rattle consequent on the
operation he invokes the malignant spirits ; the basket is
then shaken up, and in the articles that appear upper-
most be reads what his hearers are desirous of learninsf
of the past, present, or future. I found this ceremony
to be in use from the time of my leaving the coast, but
in no instance carried out so completely as here.
I spoke of malignant spirits, and must explain that
in this part of the world such spirits seem to be on a
par, in the way of mischief, with the souls of the other
world (Cassumbi), and with the sorcerers. At times,
these spirits enter into the body of some unfortunate,
and it is a very expensive matter to turn them out
again. On other occasions they play higher pranks,
such as swooping down upon a village, and making
such a disturbance at night as to allow no one to have
any rest, so that the medicine-man has hard work to
find a cure and exorcise them.
As there happened to be a diviner in the village, I
turned over in my mind whether I might not put him
to some account.
I therefore called him apart, made him sundry
134 THE KING'S lilFLE.
presents, showed him very great respect, and pretended
to have entire behef in his science.
I then begged him to divine my future fate, a task
which he readily accepted, calHng together the whole
of the inmates of the village, and many of the
inhabitants of the Capitao, to be present at the divi-
nation.
The ceremony was performed with great circum-
stance, and he failed not to read in the fragments of
the basket, as they were shaken uppermost, the most
flattering things concerning me. I was the best of
white men past, present and future ; my journey was
to be crowned with the utmost success, and happiness
was to attend all those who went with me.
This prophecy produced the best effect, and no doubt
had a great influence over the result of my departure
from the Bihe'.
I have spoken of the medicine-man and the diviner,
and will now say a few words about the sorcerer.
The term has a meaning which, though possessing
some points of contact with the signification we give
to it in Europe, is nevertheless not the same thing.
In South Central Africa any one is, or may become,
a sorcerer, and a sorcerer is there understood to be
rather a poisoner than a man who has mastery over
spirits.
In fact, sorcery with these people means poison, and
to use sorcery towards any one is to give poison, causing
sickness, death, or insanity.
This is the rigorous acceptation of the word ; but
any way the belief in sorcery may occasion an immen-
sity of mischief, and as everything that goes wrong is
attributed to sorcery, whether the loss of a skirmish, an
epidemic among the cattle, the visitation of storms, &c.,
it may well be imagined what a wide field is opened for
malevolence.
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 135
It must not be imagined that there are sorcerers by
profession, like medicine-men and diviners. The
sorcerer appears as a cause of an effect, and as the
cause is at once destroyed, the sorcerer may be likened
to a meteor which vanishes almost with its appear-
ance.
Besides these three entities, two of which are definite
and the third indefinite, there is yet another pretender,
who enjoys a certain importance among these barbarous
peoples.
He is the man who calls down and stops the rain.
He is one of a class who arrogate to themselves the
power of governing the aqueous meteors. Possessing
observant minds, these men know, from experience,
that with certain winds, in this or that period of the
year, it will rain, and that when others prevail it will
be dry. And making use of these signs, which are
matters of common observance in Europe, and are even
recommended to attention by men of science, like
Fitzroy and others, they form with tolerable safety
their prognostics of the weather, trade on the ignorance
of those about them, and claim a power of calHng down
or staying rain, having previouslj^ announced that it
will fall or cease.
Poor as the pretensions of these fellows are, they
nevertheless impose upon the natives, for, as I have
observed, by dint of long experience and careful watch-
ing they do not often make mistakes.
These practices that may appear strange in the eyes
of most of my readers, were common enough in Europe
a couple of centuries ago, and among the poorer classes
of our agricultural population it would not be impossible,
even at this day, to find them existing.
It is not necessary to go back to the middle ages to
meet with royal personages consulting astrologers, and
I find that in Portugal a book was printed. ?ci(h all thr
136 THE KING'S RIFLE.
necessary licences, as recently as 1712, which its author,
Gaspar Cardozo de Sequeira, a mathematician of the
town of Miirga, entitled ' Thesouro de Prudentes'
(subsequently added to by Gonqalo Gomes Caldeira, an
engineer), which professes to teach the most stupendous
and marvellous things to men of culture — be it
remembered — inasmuch as the people at large were
unable at that period to read. Facts like these should
make us charitable in judging the poor blacks of South
Africa.
There is a curious law established in the country in
respect of women who die in childbirth.
When such an event occurs, it is the duty of the
husband to bury his wife by himself alone, he carrying
the body on his shoulders to the burial-place and per-
forming all the labour of interment unassisted.
He is then bound to pay tlie value of her life to her
relations, and should he have no means wherewith to
do so, he must become their slave. The graves of the
mass of the people have nothing to render them
distinguishable ; the interments are made in any spot
in the neighbouring wood that may be deemed
suitable.
When I have occasion to speak of the Bihe', I shall
dwell more at length upon certain customs prevalent in
these countries, and which I had opportunities of study-
ing very minutely, more especially those which refer to
the native kings and grandees.
Before leaving the Caquingue I may mention that
I found there a custom peculiar to that territory and
which is called supporting women. When a woman is
enceinte^ a young man will apply to the husband, and
ask in marriage the daughter she may bring forth, and
if the offer be accepted, the lover will thenceforth be
compelled to support her, that is to say, supply her with
clothing, and satisfy the requirements of her toilette.
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 137
This custom, as may be believed, is prevalent only
among the rich. On the birth of the infant, the future
bridegroom redoubles his presents to the mother, and
is under obligation to supply the daughter with clothing
until the age of puberty, when the marriage comes off.
If, however, a son be born, the obligation to clothe
mother and son is incurred, and the latter, on arriving
at man's estate, becomes the Quissongo of his supporter.
Later on, I will take occasion to explain the meaning
of this term.
Strange as such a custom appears at first sight,
it loses much of its extraordinary character upon re-
flection. In Africa, I met with it in the Caquingue
country only ; but in Europe I fancy to have observed
its prevalence in very many instances, not in form
perhaps, but in essence, and bearing in the j)olished
phrase of our drawing-rooms the title of mariages de
convenance.
Day broke on the 5th of March, 1878, after a most
stormy night, in which the rain had come down in
torrents. My fever had somewhat abated, but the
rheumatic pains were more persistent, and extended
from the knees to the ankles. My young negro, Pepeca,
was better, so I resolved to start again. Apprehensive,
however, of my rheumatism, I hired a hammock and
bearers, that were most kindly supplied me by Francisco
Gon9alves (Carique). After many cordial adieux, I
started northwards at half past ten, and an hour later
crossed the little river Cassonge, which runs in a S.E.
direction into the Cuchi. It was found to be about 20
feet wide by 6 feet deep. In crossing, my saddle-ox,
Bonito, got entangled in some weeds, lost his courage
and sank to the bottom. I had great difficulty in
saving him, and it was past noon before we could re-
sume our journey.
At 1.15 I crossed another little stream, the Govera,
138 THE KING'S RIFLE.
9 feet wide by 20 inches deep, and at 1.45 camped
S.S.W. of the village of Chindiia. On my road I had
passed near two large villages, Cacurura and Cachota.
I had already reached territory that owed obedience
to the native king of the Bihe, and found the country all
about thickly peopled and well cultivated.
During the night the rain descended in torrents and
loud claps of thunder came from the eastward. My
fever had completely left me, but the rheumatic pains
went on progressing in violence and threatened to
extend to my whole body. As soon as it was light,
the owner of the bridge over the Cuchi sent to advise
me to cross without delay, as a considerable body of
natives was advancing on the other side. The bridge
was, like most of them, constructed for the passage of
men in single file, which, of course, occupies a good
deal of time ; and it is the law that, when once a party
has commenced crossing, any coming in an opj)osite
direction must wait till the bridge is clear. Thanking
the messenger for the advice, I broke up my camp
immediately, and was able, half an hour later, to get
possession of the bridge.
The river Cuchi is at this spot 27 yards wide by
16 feet deep, and runs southward to the Cubango.
One catches a glimpse from the bridge of the mag-
nificent cataract of the Cuchi, rather more than a
mile to the north, the roar of which came plainly to
the ear.
I stopped for a short time to determine the altitude
and then went on towards E.N.E. I passed the
little Liapera rivulet which runs into the Cuchi, and
then altering my course to N.N.E., I crossed the
Caruci rivulet which flows to the N.E. into the
Cuqueima ; I there took a noon-day rest in the Charo
Woods, situated to the S.W. of the village of Ungundo.
The two rivulets above mentioned, the Liapera and
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 139
tlie Cariici, mark the separation of the waters which
drain into the Cubango and the Ciianza.
The chief of the village of Ungundo, by name
Chaquimbaia, paid me a complimentary visit, bringing
with him a pig and one or two fowls. I reciprocated the
civility and procured from him guides to accompany me
on the following morning. During the wliole of that
day I fell in, on my road, with many bands of armed
men, who were on their way to join the forces of the
native king of Caquingue, and even after I had camped
for the night, a large number of negroes, equipped for
war, passed by, bound on the same errand.
Between 7 and 9 p.m. there was a moderate fall of
rain, and in the N.E. distant sounds of thunder
were audible. The storm came nearer and spread, so
that by nine o'clock there were claps of thunder from
various points of the horizon, which seemed to be all
converging upon my camp, which was situated on a
height. At ten, five distinct thunder-claps burst upon
us at once, and the most horrible tempest it has ever
been my fate to witness broke loose in all its fury. The
flashes of lightning succeeded each other with intervals
of three to five seconds, and the crash of the thunder
was simply incessant.
The air was as yet perfectly calm, and but a few
large rain-drops were observable.
The fall in the barometer was scarcely perceptible,
and the thermometer maintained a temperature of 16
degrees Centigrade. The magnetic needles lost their
polarity, and were in a constant state of oscillation.
One of Ducherain's circular compasses went rapidly
round and round.
This state of things lasted until eleven o'clock, when
there was another change, even more terrible than
before. A wind of excessive violence, in fact a perfect
hurricane, came down from the eastward, and in an
140 THE KING'S BIFLE.
instant veered from point to point of the compass, until
it settled in the S.W. A perfect deluge of rain
followed. The wind, in its fury, literally carried our
huts into the air from above our heads, and left us thus
unsheltered and exposed to the pitiless rain, which fell
in torrents until four in the morning, v/hen the tempest
began to abate.
No man who has not himself experienced it, can
form the slightest conception of what a tempest is at
night in the middle of a forest in Central Africa,
where, to the reverberations of the thunder, are added
the innumerable sounds of the wild denizens of the
jungle, answering with discordant cries the voices of
the elements at strife.
The rain soon extinguished our fires, the wind
carried off the wreckage of the huts, and the lightning
in its zig-zag course only served by its momentary
brilliancy to show the havoc which the storm had
made.
From time to time to the crash of the thunderbolt
succeeded another sound, which caused no less alarm.
Some giant tree, a very monarch of the woods, which
it had taken ages to bring to its state of maturity, was
struck to the very heart and went toppling down, de-
stroying others in its fall.
Truly a horrible spectacle, but one fraught with
grandeur and sublimity !
Day broke at length, and displayed many a gap
in the forest about us, occupied the day before by
some magnificent tree, and the earth so soaked with
moisture that it yielded w^ater to the tread like a
sponge.
The horrors of the night had painfully affected my
mind, but they were absorbed, as morning appeared,
by my physical suffering. An attack of rheumatism of
more than usual intensity affected my every joint, and
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 141
took from me all power of helping myself. When
we started, therefore, at noon I, stretched upon my
hammock, had to exercise no common command over
myself to stifle in my throat the groans and cries
provoked by the intense suffering which the movement
of the hammock caused me.
We had not been more than an hour on the road
than we found ourselves in an extensive bog where
the water came up to the waist-cloths of my bearers.
The earth, soddened by the enormous quantity of
rain that had fallen during the night, appeared to be
transformed into one vast marsh. We reached some
higher ground, after great difficulty, but met with
little improvement in our condition as, at 2 p.m., a
fresh storm, this time from the eastward, burst upon us.
From my hammock, where I was lying a prey to the
acutest pain, I encouraged my people to push forward,
as I w^ished to reach the village of Belanga before
night.
I have no recollection of anything more till the
following day when, awaking as from a trance, I found
myself lying in a hut with Yerissimo standing by my
side. He informed me I was at Belanga, in the vil-
lage of Vicentes ; but I had not the slightest idea
either of the road we had come or the night we had
passed through, although by my followers' account it
must have been a horrible one. I had, in fact, for the
time succumbed to fever and delirium.
I found my head somewhat clearer, but my j^ains
acuter, if possible, than before. I could not make the
slightest motion, and my very fingers refused to bend. I
was fortunate, in this deplorable position, to have such
kind hearts about me, for Yerissimo and my negroes
lavished on me every possible care.
I learned that the river Cuqueima was extraordi-
narily full, and that to wade across it was simply
142 THE KING'S TilFLK.
impossible ; but hearing that a small canoe was to be
had just below the cataract, I determined to go on and
pass the river at that spot.
On reaching the stream, it became necessary to caulk
the canoe with moss, for it was a wretched old thing
and would barely sustain the weight of a couple of
men. The river, swollen with the late rains, was
rushing along with great rapidity. After leaping over
the rocks which formed the cataract, the waters divided,
leaving an islet in the centre, and shortly after they
blended again into one channel, some 110 yards wide.
That was the spot selected for crossing. I was laid
at the bottom of the canoe with the utmost care,
as every involuntary jolt wrung from me a cry of
pain.
A skilful boatman handed the paddle, and the canoe
left the bank.
The space to be traversed, as I have mentioned
above, was scarcely more than 110 yards, but the
water was not only made perilous by the rapidity of
the current, but by the excessive "choppiness" of the
surface caused by the proximity of the falls.
The boatman steered his canoe for the ait, and until
he reached the junction of the waters all went right
enough ; but there the fragile skiff, caught in the
furious eddies, could not be persuaded to advance a foot
in spite of all the skill and strength of the negro. As
I lay, I saw the water leaping in foamy waves about
us, becoming larger and more threatening as we got
more into the current, and I began to comprehend the
extreme peril in which I was placed.
I tried to move one of my arms, but only called forth
a groan with the effort. I gave myself up for lost, for
if the canoe went to the bottom I was surely incapable
of swimming. The canoe, worked upon by the eddies
of the seething water, would not go forward, and
TWENTY DAYS OF PROFOUND ANXIETY. 143
suddenly the imfortunate skiff began to whirl round
itself. My boatman, apprehending we should go to
the bottom, determined to jump overboard to lighten
the canoe, and warning me of his intention, leaped
into the stream.
The canoe, thus lightened, floated certainly higher,
but scarcely improved my position, as it was now at the
entire mercy of the rushing water.
All of a sudden, a wave leaped over the side and
soaked me through. My senses for the time almost
forsook me, and I scarcely knew what occurred until I
found myself swimming with one arm with all my
remaining strength, whilst the other hand was en-
deavouring to keep from out the water one of the
chronometers 1 happened to have with me.
My sensations returned in the act of swimming,
and I remember being conscious of a certain pride in
thus buffeting with and overcoming the waves ; a task
that would have been easy enough to me under ordi-
nary circumstances, as I had been accustomed from
childhood to wrestle with the rapids of my native Douro.
The negroes, who are ever ready to admire feats of
physical skill, stood upon the bank and animated me
with cries of applause.
My pains had ceased, my fever was gone, as if by
magic, and I felt, whilst the excitement lasted, as
though my strength had returned to me.
When the canoe foundered, out of a hundred men
that were present at the spectacle and stood open-
mouthed and undecided as they looked on, one at least
tempted the perils of the waters and leaped in to save
me. A less skilful swimmer than myself, he did not
reach the bank till after I had done so, nor did he
render me any help ; but his devotion, at such a time,
made a deep impression upon me which will never be
effaced. He was one of my own negroes, Garanganja,
144 THE KING'S niFLE.
who, poor fellow, subsequently went out of bis mind,
unable to bear up against the misery and privations to
which we were subjected.
When I got to land 1 found myself, as I have
mentioned, without either pain or fever. I stripped, at
once ; but unfortunately I had no change of clothes, as
the whole of the baggage was still on the other side of
the stream, so that I was compelled to remain exposed
to the burning rays of the sun until they had thoroughly
dried my things. The consequence was, the pains and
fever came back with redoubled violence, and I remem-
ber no more until I found myself next day lying on a
bed in the compound of the Annunciada, the late
dwelling-place of the trader Guilherme G-on9alves,
Yerissimo's father.
Racked as I was with pain, and burning with fever,
but somewhat better for the long rest, I decided on
leaving, so great was my anxiety to meet with my
companions.
I started at 11 a.m., and on the road crossed a
plain covered with enormous ferns, and observed a
number of trees that had been struck by lightning. I
saw also a plant that grew abundantly thereabouts and
which, if not the gorse that is met with on the
lofty mountains to the north of Portugal, is wonderfully
like it.
My eyes, that are but little accustomed to that
keenness of observation which the study of the vege-
table world demands, are not sufficiently tutored to
distinguish species, genera and families, unless the
difference be strongly marked.
I arrived at Silva Porto's village (Belmonte) at one
in the afternoon, and by making a supreme effort
reached the house of my late companions.
Confirming verbally what they had told me in
writing, they said they had determined to go on alone,
TWENTY DAYS OF PBOFOUND ANXIETY. 145
and would leave me a third part of the goods and
stores, saving such things as were incapable of division,
which they would retain themselves. Ivens offered to
accompany me back to Benguella, seeing the precarious
state of my health, if I made up my mind to return
to Europe.
I could but express my gratitude for so generous
and disinterested an offer.
VOL. I.
140 THE KINO'S RTFLE.
CHAPTER YI.
BELMONTE.
In tlie Bihe — Severe Illness — Improvement — Bslmonte — I determine to stai-t
for the Upper Zambesi — Letters to the Government — How the Expedi-
tion was organised in the Bihe — Difficulties, and how they were over-
come — Historical and Social Notes on the Bihe — My Labours — New
Difficulties — I leave Belmonte — The Road to the Cuanza — Slavery.
After the twenty days of toil, anxiety, and suffering
detailed in the last chapter, I found myself at length
in the Bihe — very ill, it is true, but full of faith, and
satisfied with what I had done.
Directly after my conversation with my late com-
panions, I left Belmonte and was conveyed in my
hammock to the neighbouring village of Magalhaes,
where, on my arrival, I dropped without strength or
motion on to my couch of skins. The first symptoms
of inflammation of the brain (meningitis) became per-
ceptible in the pace that the rheumatic pains were
increasing in intensity.
On the following day Capello and Ivens came to see
me and bring me medicines. I rapidly grew worse
till delirium took possession of my senses.
When I recovered consciousness, I thought I was
in a dream. I perceived that I was lying on a magni-
ficent bed, divested of my clothes and between fine
linen sheets. The bed was upholstered with elegant
curtains of pink rep with a snowy white fringe.
I was informed that Capello had come during my
delirium and had ordered the bed to be sent me from
BELMONTE. 147
Silva Porto's house at Belmonte. I liad much ado
to believe that an article of such luxury existed at
the Bihe.
My attendants had literally covered me with leeches,
and the amount of blood they had drawn from me
left me in a state of indescribable weakness. The
pains had somewhat subsided, but the fever still con-
tinued. On the evening of that day the negroes of
Novo Redondo waited upon me, and I received them
before Magalhaes, Yerissimo, and Joaquim Guilherme
Jose Gonial ves, eldest brother of Yerissimo. The
object of their visit was to tell me that they did not
wish to go on with my companions, and that they
would either follow me or return homewards.
Ai"ter a great deal of trouble I managed to persuade
tliem to alter their determination and not to leave my
friends. I then learned that Capello and Ivens were
busily engaged in constructing an encampment, some
three miles distance ; that they were having all their
baggage conveyed thither, and intended shortly quit-
ing Belmonte.
A couple of days later Ivens called on me, and we
had a long talk. I gave him all the letters of recom-
mendation with which I had been favoured by Silva
Porto in Benguella for the obtaining carriers, and I
undertook not to apply to the native king, Quilemo,
for any men — thus leaving the field entirely open
to himself and Capello. Ivens informed me that they
intended moving into their encampment and that
they would leave me my share of the baggage in
Silva Porto's house. In return I delivered over to
him all the loads I had brought with me, together
with tliose under the care of Barros, which had already
arrived in safety. Barros himself declared that he
had no wish to go any farther, so I dismissed him — as
I did also some of the Benguella negroes, who did
h 2
148 THE KINO'S ItlFLE.
not care to contimie the journey. I wrote a few lines
to Percira de Mello, which the state of my liealth did
not allow me to extend, and then begged to be left
alone.
Quite worn-out with such unwonted exertion I was
about to turn in to the sheets and seek in sleep a
relief from pain and worry, when there rose up before
me, like a spectre, a tall, lean man, with cold and
impassive look, and strongly-marked features. It
was my prisoner, the chief Palanca, the counsellor
and friend of tlie native king of the Dumbo in tlie
Sambo country, whom I had, truth to tell, entirely
forgotten.
" Thou hast dealt according to thy will with all thy
people," was his greeting. " Some thou hast dismissed
and others thou hast retained ; what dost thou deter-
mine with respect to me ; and what is to be my
fate ? "
" Thou shalt return to thy home," I replied; "thou
shalt take back to the Dumbo the gun I promised the
king, together with some powder ; and thou shalt
also take with thee a present for thyself. I owe thee
some reparation for the rope put about thy iieck at
the Cubango, and for the cords with which thy hands
and feet were bound."
I tlien called Yerissimo and gave him the necessary
instructions for the purpose.
Palanca, as impassible in face of freedom and of
guerdons as he had been in that of imprisonment and
impending death, retired without a word, and I saw
him no more.
The door which let out the grim chief of the Sambo,
gave entrance to two other visitors. It was destined
that I should liave but little rest on the first day of
improvement in my health. They were two confidential
negroes, Cahinga and Jamba, sent me by Silva Porto
BELMONTE. 149
from Benguella. They were profuse in their comph-
ments and offers of service, which, however flattering
to my self-love, I could well have dispensed with just
then. I got rid of them at last, and with a sentiment
of immense relief, found myself between the sheets, and
alone !
And yet not quite alone, though the companion left
to me would in no way disturb my rest. By my side,
the place she best loved to occupy, was the creature
that proved my greatest comfort in my journey across
Africa. It was Cora, my pet goat, her fore-paws rest-
ing on the bed, that, with low bleating, whilst she
licked my hands, souglit the caresses of which she had
been so long deprived.
On the following day Capello and Ivens sent me
notice that they were moving out of Silva Porto's house,
and in consequence I had myself conveyed thither in
ray hammock. I found they had left me seven loads of
goods, six cases of provisions, a trunk with instruments,
and three Snider rifles.
The settlement of Silva Porto, or more correctly
speaking the village of Belmonte, is situated upon the
highest portion of a rising ground, whose northern
declivity slopes gently down to the bed of the river
Cuito, which flows eastward into the Cuqueima.
The position of the place is very charming, and from
a strategic point of view is strong.
Within its enclosure is an orange orchard, where the
trees are ever covered with fruit and blossom, which I
found was not the case with any others in the Bihe'.
This orchard is surrounded by a hedge of rose-bushes,
that attain to the height of ten feet and are never
without flowers.
Enormous sycamores give shade to tlie streets and
surround tlie village, which is further defended by a
strong wooden stockade.
150 THE KING'S MIFLE.
Under tliose orange-trees, whose perfumed shade
protected me from the burning sun, how many hours,
liow many days, indeed, did I not spend, pondering
over my position, and weaving projects more or less
reasonable !
It was there, with my limbs still quivering with pain,
and burning with fever, that I conceived and organised
in my mind the plan which I was subsequently spared
to realise.
If I feel proud of any portion of my journey, the
feeling certainly belongs to this particular period.
Fig. 17. — View ok the Exterior of the Village of
Belmonte in the Bihe.
Later on I frequently jeopardised my life ; more than
once my boldness took the character of rashness ; but it
was the thought of my own safety, as I believed, that
urged me on. Not so in this place. I was exhausted
by disease and had but few resources left me. The
road to Benguella and to Europe was open to me, and
might be traversed with comparative facility. And as
I turned my glances in the opposite direction a thousand
difficulties, arising from my separation from my
companions, seemed to stand in the way and present a
BELMONTE.
151
barrier almost impossible to surmount, in regard to any
further exploration. And as if this were not enough,
the few followers who stood by me appeared to have
lost all heart.
And hence arises that feeling of pride and self-
o
o
o
O, o^ o, o o, O, o
an w
Fig. 18. — Plan or the Villaoe of Belmonte in the I5ihk.
c Sycamores. =:^= Strong wooden stockade. """^^^ Garden Palisade covered
with ever-blooming rose-trees. »^\ Pomegranates. i-tC^^ Orange-trees.
i b Gardens. I1H> Cemetery. C) Negroes' houses.
1. Kiitiance of the Village. 2. Entrance into Silva Porto's house. 3. House.
4. Interior judco or courtyard. 5. Kitchen and storeroom. 6. Servants'
houses. 7. Warehouse.
satisfaction to which I have alluded. For situated as I
was, scarcely able to crawl, the determination grew
within me not to turn my back upon the unknown
regions that lay before me, let them be as full of
horrors as they might, but to overcome one by one the
152 THE KING'S RIFLE.
obstacles as they arose ; to reconstruct tlie edifice I had
raised with so much labour and thought, and which
had toppled over like a child's house of cards ; to create
resources where they had no existence ; and to organise
a fresh and grander expedition out of the ruins of the
one which had come to so untimely an end.
My resolve once taken, I lost no time in putting-
it into execution. I began by engaging Yerissimo
Gonfalves to accompany me, and managed to make
him blindly subservient to my wishes.
After patient study of the direction I proposed to
pursue, I determined to make directly for the Upper
Zambesi, following the lofty ridge of the country
in which the rivers of that part of Africa take their
rise.
On arriving at the Zambesi, I resolved to travel
eastward and survey the affluents of the left bank of
the stream, and descending to the Zumbo, proceed
thence to Quillimaue by Tete and Senna.
The most experienced traders, who heard of my
project, assured me that I should not get half-way to
the Zambesi, and I believe they thouglit me not quite
rit>ht in my mind to attempt it.
I let them talk, and went quietly on with the organi-
sation of my staff" and the preparation of the materials
necessary for my plans.
On the 27th day of March^ being the first on which
I was enabled to use my pen freely, I wrote to the
Home Government, and to Pereira de Mello and Silva
Porto. I gave them an account of what had occurred
up to that time, and begged of them assistance and
advice, whilst I submitted my projects to their critical
examination. I despatched porters to Benguella with
the letters and then went on with my work, feeling-
daily more confidence in myself.
It will scarcely be credited that a great portion of
BELMONTE. 153
tlie baggage left at Benguella in NoveniLer, five
inontlis previously, had not yet readied my bands !
One morning, sbortly after my taking up my
temporary abode in the village, there appeared
before me the ex-chefe of Caconda, and the exiled
Domingos, who were on their way back to that little
town. They stated that on their arrival at the Bihe
they had been engaged by Capello and Ivens in con-
structing their encampment, and in conveying thither
the G:oods that were stored at Belmoute.
Ensign Castro was considerably depressed in spirit,
and out of the cases of provisions left me by Ivens I
gave him a supply of sugar, tea, cofiee, and other
necessaries to help him on his journey.
I fancy that that gentleman, after being the cause of
the sufferings I had to undergo, and the fearful risks I
had to run, can find no reason to complain of tlie way
I received him at the Bilie', if truth or justice has any
place in his heart.
As to Domingos, if I remember rightly, I gave him
a letter of recommendation to the governor of Benguella,
whom he was desirous of approaching to solicit some
favour.
It was in this way I treated the tw^o men who had
worked me most evil in Africa, for it was undoubtedly
through them I had to face such mortal perils, with
inefticient means and ere I had experience to avoid or
vanquish them.
At the beginning of April, being then much improved
in health, I had sixty carriers in readiness, and only
wiiited foi' the arrival of the Benguella loads to make
up my packages and take a fresh departure.
My life was at that time one of incessant toil ; and I
was using every leisure moment in compiling a book
of notes and data, so as to have at hand the formuUc
that were necessary for my calculations. Amongst
154 THE KING'S ItlFLE.
other things I was making tables of square and cube
roots which I calculated for numbers 1 to 1000. I
drew up with immense labour sundry trigonometrical
forms, for in P]urope, in order to render my tables of
logarithms more portable, I had had them bound,
suppressing the explanatory portions ; and through a
deplorable oversight, in packing off to Portugal from
Loando a quantity of presumably useless baggage, my
mathematical books got put up with the rest.
Let not the learned contemjDtuously smile at my
simplicity while recounting the difficulties I had to
struggle with in the Bihe', in order to succeed in tran-
scribing upon paper formulae of so common a kind. A
man who is unaccustomed to expound mathematics finds
himself not unfrequently at a considerable loss to
solve a very simple question, when he cannot lay
his hand upon a book which would freshen his dull
memory. At the Bihe all my books were wanting,
and I therefore set myself to work to supply the
deficiency, and whether people may laugh or not,
I tell them frankly it was a hard nut to crack. My
entire library consisted of three almanacks for 1878,
1879 and 1880, the tables of logarithms I have before
referred to, without any explanatory matter whatsoever,
the Eurico of Herculano, a volume of poetry of Casimiro
d' Abreu, and a little book of Flamarion's, As Maravilltas
Celestes.
It must be confessed that there was but little to be
got out of them to refresh one's memory upon questions
of X and y.
But my difficulties did not stop there. I had to do
and think about a lot of things at one and the same
time, — and things too which were somewhat incompat-
ible with each other. For instance, when I had almost
succeeded in reconstructing one of the formulae of Neper
for solving spherical triangles, in would come one of the
BELMONTE. 155
young niggers to inquire whether the fowl for dinner
was to be boiled or roasted. (By-the-bye, during my
stay in the Bihe, I consumed one hundred and sixty-
nine fowls !) No sooner had I got to work again, after
this interruption, than another of the fellows would
make his appearance, requesting a bit of soap to wash
the linen. He would perhaps be followed by some
carriers who wanted specially to speak with me ; and I
was not unfrequently bothered by envoys from the native
chief, whose sole object was to dun me out of some
yards of cloth. Truly my patience was often sorely
tried.
I had made, and continued making, a great number
of meteoroloo'ical observations.
o
My chronometers were perfectly regulated and my
position determined. Sundry excursions which I made
in the country, with my compass in hand, allowed me
to draw up a map, a rough one, it is true, but as nearly
correct as could be expected or required on a journey of
exploration. Notwithstanding all this hard work, or
perhaps in consequence of it, my mind was at ease and
I gave but scant thought to the tribulations I had to
undergo, when I left this quiet shelter of Bihe' behind
me.
Before resuming the narrative of my adventures, my
readers will not deem it amiss if I say a few words about
this country, so important and wealthy and yet so little
known to us in Portugal, where such knowledge should,
nevertheless, be of the highest interest.
The Bihe' is bounded on the north by the country
of the Andulo ; on the N.AV. by the Bailundo ; on
the west by the Moma country ; on the S.W. by
the Gonzellos of Caquingiie ; and on the south and east
by the free Ganguellas tribes. The river Cuqueima is
almost a natural boundary of the Bihe' on the west,
south and east; but, in point of fact, the authority of
156 THE KING'S lilFLE.
the native king of tlie Bihe extends beyond that river
at various points. The country is small in extent, but
is thickly peopled lor Africa.
1 roughly estimated its area at 2500 square miles,
and a still rougher calculation made me estimate its
population at 95,000 inhabitants, yielding thus barely
38 inhabitants to the square mile ; and although this
number appears to us very small, as being less than a
third of that in our own country, it is considerable for
South Central Afiica, where the population is, as a rule,
very scattered.
Not so YQYy long ago, this territory of the Bihe was
covered with dense j'ungle, abounded in elephants, and
boasted but a few sparse hamlets inhabited by the Gan-
o'uella race.
The river Cuanza, after its confluence witli the
Cuqueima, divides the Andulo country from that of the
Gamba, which lies to the eastward. The monarch or
Soi-a of the Gamba was a certain Bomba, who had a
daughter of extreme beauty called Cahanda. Tliis
Sova Bomba resided on the left bank of the river
Loando, an affluent of the Cuanza.
It happened that the beautiful princess Cahanda
requested her father's permission to visit certain relatives,
ladies of distinction in the village of Ungundo, the
only place of any importance in the Bihe' of those days.
King Bomba's daughter having gone on this visit,
it also happened that a famous elephant hunter by the
name of Bihe, son of the Sova of the Humbe, attended
by a numerous suite, passed the Cunene and in the
pursuit of his sport reached those remote regions.
One day, this worthy disciple of St. Hubert being
hungry, and finding himself near the village of Un-
gundo, repaired thither to seek materials for a meal.
On this occasion he cast eyes u})on tlie beautiful
Cahanda, and, as a matter of courtse, fell deeply in love
BELMONTE. 157
with her. In questions of love it would not appear that
there is much difference hetween Africa and Europe,
and very shortly after the accidental meeting of the
young people, Cahanda was wooed and won, and Bihe
planted the first stockade of the great village- which
remains to this day the capital of the country — a
country on which he bestowed his own name and
whereof he caused himself to be proclaimed the Sova
or king. The scattered Ganguella tribes were little by
little subjected, and the father of the first Queen of the
Bihe', becoming reconciled to his daughter, allowed a
considerable emigration of his people to the latter state.
The marriage of their sovereign was succeeded by many
other unions between the women of the north and the
huntsmen who had followed in his train, and thus was
the country of the Bihe called into existence.
The Bihenos are therefore Mohumbes, — a name
bestowed in the western part of South Africa on the
descendants of the Humbe race, who, however, are met
with not only in the Bihe, but in various other points,
more especially opposite the coast between jMossamedes
and Benguella, mixed with the Mundombes, who are
the genuine people of that country. At the present
date, the true Mohumbe race in the Bihe is represented
by what we may style " the nobility " and wealthy
inhabitants of the country, descendants of the huntsmen
of the first king ; but although thus boasting of high
lineage, it has greatly degenerated through the admix-
ture of many different races. This is intelligible
enough, for as the Bihe, from its very outset, was a
great emporium of the slave-trade, and was colonised
in great part by slaves of divers races, the lower classes
are the issue of an inexplicable mixture, and the
nobility itself, by its numerous amours, has introduced
among its descendants blood of the remotest countries
of South Africa.
158 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
Of the union of Bihe and the beautiful princess
Cahanda was issue an only son, on whom was liestowed
the name of Iambi, and who succeeded his father in
the government of the country. Iambi had two sons,
whereof the elder was called Giraiil and the second
Cangombi. Giraill was proclaimed king on the death
of his father, and jealous of his brother's power and
influence among the people, caused him to be seized
secretly at night, and sold as a slave to a negro who
was conveying a gang of such unfortunates to Loando.
By the merest chance Cangombi was purchased at
Loando by the Grovernor-General, whose favourite slave
he became. As time rolled on, the tyranny and
despotism of Griraiil caused him to be so detested by his
people that they conspired against him, and certain of
the nobles departed secretly for Loando, laden with
ivory, to ransom his brother and set him on the throne
after deposing the tyrant.
The then governor of Angola, seeing the profit which
might be reaped by the Portuguese crown from this
dispute, not only delivered up Cangombi without any
ransom, but loaded him with presents, and even lent
him assistance in the struggle against his brother. So
it came to pass that Cangombi returned to the Bihe with
a large following, among whom were many Portuguese.
War being declared in due form against Giraiil, he
was quickly defeated, being betrayed by the desertion
of his men ; and Cangombi, more generous than his
brother, when assuming the reins of power in his stead,
assigned to him a village, with territory attached to it,
for his support.
Four years afterwards, Griraiil, untutored by past
events, revolted and tried to surprise the capital. Again
discomfited and made prisoner, he was delivered by his
brother into the hands of the Ganguellas, who dwelt
beyond the Cuanza, that fliey m/ght eat him ; not that
BELMONTE. 159
these Gangnellas were positively cannibals, but from
time to time tliey had, it appears, no objection to feast
off a fellow-creature.
I did not succeed in learning the name of the
governor who lent armed assistance to the yoimger son
of Iambi in order to raise him to power, but I feel
convinced that some record of the circumstance must
exist among the archives of the Ministry of Marine and
Ultramar, as such a step could not fail to be communi-
cated to the authorities of the Home Government.
Caugombi became a great king, and had eight sons,
whereof six were reigning Sovas of the Bihe, which is
not so surprising when we consider that the nearest in
point of kinship to the head of the family assumes the
reins of power. Thus so long as there are any sons
living of a native king, the grandsons are set aside, and
the eldest son of the eldest son only ascends the throne
in default of any uncles, — younger brothers of his
father.
On account of this law, Cahueue, the eldest son of
Cangombi, inherited his dignity, and through successive
deaths his brothers Moma, Bandua, Ungulo, Leamula,
and Caiangula, did so likewise. The two sons of
Cangombi who were not Sovas were Calali and Ochi,
they having died early. Ochi came next in order of
seniority to Cahueue, and leaving a son, the latter was
proclaimed Sova on the death of his uncle Caiangula,
as his father's eldest brother left no issue.
This Sova was named Muquinda, and on his death
the government passed to his cousin Gubengui, eldest
son of the Sova Moma, the nearest of kin lo his father.
Gubengui was followed in turn by another brother
Quilungo, who died, in the act of his proclamation,
within his very capital.
Of all the eight sons of Cangombi, only one legitimate
descendant remained, son of the Sova Bandua, who
160 THE KING'S niFLE.
then assumed power. This was Quillemo, the reigning
potentate of the Bihe'.
There nevertlieless exists a natural son of Moma, hy
name Canhamangole, who is pointed out as Quillemo's
successor. And as he has many sons, they will in all
human probability reign after him.
It will be seen from this brief smumary of the history
of Bihe that the country is of recent origin, and that
almost from its very commencement intimate relations
existed between the Portuguese and Bihenos, through
the intervention of the Governor-General of Angola —
on behalf of the Sova Cangombi, the grandfather of
the reigning sovereign Quillemo, and grandson of the
founder of tlie Bilieno monarchy.
It happens, therefore, that the Bihe, from the date
of its foundation, has been governed by thirteen Sovas
in five generations, as represented in the following
table :—
Bihe (Sova, the fuurniei) ... 1st generation .
Iambi (Suva) 2nd generation.
I I
Giraul (Sova) Cangombi (Sova) . . . 3rd generation.
II I I I I I I
Cahueuo Ochi Moma Bandua Ungulo Leamiila Caiangula Calali . 4th generation.
(Sova) (did not reign) (Sova) (Sova) (Sova) (Sova) (Sova) (did not
I I I reign)
Muquinda Gubongui Quillemo 5th generation,
(Sova) (Sova). (reigning Sova)
Quilungo
(did not reign)
In the map of Angola by Penheiro Furtado the
Bihe is marked ; but its origin could not long have
preceded the production of that map.
The Bihenos are little given to agriculture or to
any kind of manual labour. All the work is done
by women, who alone cultivate the earth.
The men are fond of travelling, their roaming
disposition being probably due to their origin, as their
forefathers came from distant parts ; and they have no
hesitation in penetrating into the most remote regions
BELMONTE. 161
to carry on their trade in ivory and slaves. Availing
themselves of this disposition, certain adventurous
spirits, such as Silva Porto, Gruilherme, Pernambucano,
Ladislao, Magiar and other traders, began to direct and
guide the Bihenos in their excursions, and by so doing
bestowed a great service upon the world at large, for
by opening new markets to trade they opened new
fields for civilisation. But it was not their trade alone
which little by little increased the commercial activity
of Benguella ; encouraged by example, and gradually
losing their fear of the white men, the natives of remoter
Fig. 19. — Woman ok the Bihe, digging.
districts appeared Avith their wares and did business
directly with the commercial houses of Benguella.
The trading excursions into the interior of the
country, initiated by the whites, were soon imitated by
their black brethren, and at first a few, and afterwards
many, obtaining a certain credit in the Benguella
markets, proceeded to the Bihe to organise expeditions,
which started thence for the interior in search of wax
and ivory.
I became acquainted with many negroes who turned
over a capital of a thousand to twelve hundred pounds
sterling, and some even more; one of them indeed, by
name Chaquingunde, originally a slave of Silva Porto,
vor.. T. M
102
THE KING S RIFLE.
during my sojourn at tlie Bilie arrived from tlie in-
terior, wliere lie had traded on his own account to tlie
extent of 14 contos of reis, or about £3500 sterling !
It is not uncommon to fall in with a Portuguese
white at the Bihe, who has escaped from the prisons on
the coast, acting as secretary to some wealthy negro
trader.
Where travelling is concerned as connected with
trade, nothing comes amiss to the Bihenos, who seem
Fig. 20. — EiHEN'o Carrier ox the March.
ready for anytliing. If they only had the power of
telling where they had been and describing what they
had seen, the geographers of Europe would not have
occasion to leave blank great part of the map of South
Central Africa.
The Biheno quits his home with the utmost in-
difference, and bearing a load of sixty-six pounds of
goods will start for the interior, where he will remain
two, three and four years ; and on his return, after that
BELMONTE. 163
liipse of time, will be received just as thongli he had
been on a journey of as many days.
Silva Porto, whilst engaged in doing business witli
the Zambesi, was despatching his negroes in other
directions, and was trading at the same time in the
Mucusso country and in the Lunda and Luapula terri-
tories.
The fame of the Bihenos has travelled far and wide,
and when G-ra9a attempted his journey to the Matianvo,
he first proceeded to the Bihc to procure carriers.
A Riheno rarely deserts his caravan, or makes off
with his load — events which are by no means uncom-
mon among the natives of Zanzibar. But the Bihenos
have another great advantage over the latter. Al-
though much given to trade in slaves, they do not
themselves incite internal wars to procure them ; they
will purchase them of any who are willing to sell, but
they never seek to get them by force. This of course
is referable simply to tlieir trade \\'\\\\ the interior ;
for in their wars with neighbouring countries they do
pretty much as other negro tribes do, and commit ini-
heard-of cruelties.
Notwithstanding many high qualities, great pluck
and readiness to undergo fatigue and danger, the
Bihenos have many grave defects ; and I do not know
in Africa a race more profoundly vicious, more openly
depraved, more persistently cruel and more cunningly
hypocritical, than they.
These people have a certain emulation among one
another as travellers, and I met with many who prided
themselves on having gone where no others had ever
been, and which they called discovering new lands.
They are brought up to wandering from their very
infancy, and all caravans carry innumerable children,
who, with loads proportionate to their strength, ac-
company their parents or relatives on the longest
M 2
164 THE KING'S RIFLE.
journeys ; hence, it is no uncommon thing to find a
young fellow of five-and-twenty who has travelled in
the Matianvo, Niangue, Luapula, Zambesi, and Mucusso
districts, having commenced his peregrinations at the
age of nine years.
A trader who arrives at the Bihe with the intention
of pushing into the interior has two means open to him
for obtaining carriers. One is to apply to the Sova or
the native chiefs for the required number, and make
them presents in return ; the other to give notice
of the journey and wait for the men themselves to
apply.
The former is a bad course, for beyond the great
expense incurred in the presents that it is absolutely
necessary to make to the persons to whom application
for the porters is made, the latter are obliged to
go, and the party obtaining them becomes responsible
for their lives towards their families or lords. And
besides, the persons applied to, with the idea of extort-
ing more presents, throw all sorts of petty obstacles in
the way so as to retard the departure of the travellei',
and one may be sure that their exigencies will increase
if the trader be in any way dependent on them.
The second means is far the better, for they who
come forward under such circumstances are free blacks ;
they offer themselves spontaneously, and should any
unfortunately die during the trader's service, he
becomes, by the law of the country, in no way respon-
sible for the event, inasmuch as the men were under no
compulsion in making the offer.
This is a favourable occasion to speak of Quissongos,
to whom I alluded in my last chapter, and of
Pombeiros. Porters and carriers of whatsoever tribe,
Bihenos or not, form themselves into small parties
under the command of one among them who becomes
their chief. This chief, from the coast as far as
BELMONTE. 165
Caquingue, is called Quissongo, and in the Bihe and
Bailundo countries, Pombeiro.
It is the Pombeiro who comes forward to negotiate,
he having ten, or more, or fewer carriers at his call.
The parties or groups are very differently constituted.
Some are composed of kinsfolk^ who select one of their
number to act as Pombeiro, and they are of course all
freemen. Others are formed of independent members,
freemen also, who combine together under the orders
of a Pombeiro in whom they feel confidence ; and there
are others, consisting of groups of slaves belonging to
the very Pombeiros who command them.
The duty of the Pombeiro is to watch over his band,
and he is responsible for its members to the head of
the caravan. He eats and sleeps with them, and in
fact may be looked upon as their captain.
The Pombeiro carries no load, but, in the event of
the sickness or death of one of his men, he takes his
place as temporary carrier. During the march his
place is at the tail of the train, and if a carrier lags
behind he is there to look after or assist him.
Tliese men are never paid in advance, and in regular
trading journeys their recompense is very snialL
For instance, a carrier will receive for the trip from
the Bihe to Garanganja (Luapula) twelve pieces of
trade cloth to the value of about twelve shillings ster-
ling, and for the return journey a piece of ivory worth
say twenty more, making in all thirty-two shillings. This
is irrespective of his food, as it is the duty of the chief
of the caravan to feed all his people during the journey
with the exception of the first three days after leaving
the Bihe — the men carrying rations with them for
that time.
There is an exception also to this rule. Many traders
after leaving the Bihe appoint a certain number of
Pombeiros to start for different places, and these frag-
166 THE KING'S BIFLE.
mentary bands are either detached on tlieir way or at
the end of the journey. Tliey entru!<t to these officials
a certain number of loads, for which they are expected
to account on their return. These loads are called
banzos, and the Pombeiro and carriers engaged in such
separate ventures board tliemselves from the very
outset of the journey. Saving in this instance, the
trader is bound to keep his men and their Pombeiros
in food in the manner above described.
The Pombeiros never undertake a venture for any
determinate time, and their gains are the same for tlie
shorter as for the longer jDeriod. They are employed,
in fact, by the job, for it is well known that in Africa
the negroes make no account of time.
The customs of the Bihenos are pretty nearly the
same as those of the inhabitants of Caquingue, and
contact with the whites has produced no change for the
better among the natives.
They have no idea of any religious faith, they adore
neither sun nor moon, they set up no idols, but live on,
quite satisfied with their sorceries and divinations.
Nevertheless, a notion is prevalent among them as
to the immortality of the soul, or rather as to its exis-
tence in a kind of purgatory until such time as the
survivors are enabled to fulfil certain ])recepts or
perform certain acts of vengeance on behalf of the
dead.
Their form of government is an absolute monarchy,
and has a good deal of feudalism about it.
Every one is, for the most part, a judge in his own
cause, and when I speak of the mucanos I w^ill describe
how justice is done in this part of the world.
The most striking incidents among the Bihenos are
those connected with their sovereigns or Sovas, and
more especially with regard to the proclamation and
death of the latter. Before, however, describing these
BEL MONTE. 167
two great events it is necessary to say a few words
about tlie court.
The Sova is surrounded by a certain number of
subjects who are styled Macotas^ and are assimilated by
some to Ministers among ourselves, but this is really
not the case. The Macotas form, it is true, a sort of
council to which the Sova always submits his reso-
lutions, but of whose opinion he makes but little account.
They are secidos and favourites of the Sova, but nothing
more ; and by scculos must be understood the nobility,
sons of nobles, or personages ennobled by the sove-
reign.
Many of these ."^eculos, who possess libatas, or fortified
places of residence, assume within their enclosure the
airs of native sovereigns, and their people, when
addressing them, use the expression Nci coco, meaning
" Your Majesty."
In addition to the Macotas, there are three negroes
who are in attendance on the Sova, and who, when he
gives audience, squat upon the ground near him, and
carefully gather up the royal spittle, to cast it out of
doors. There is another who carries the royal seat or
chair, and there is the fool, an indispensable adjunct of
the court of every Sova and even of opulent and power-
ful seculos. To the fool is assigned the duty of clean-
sing the door of the Sova's house, and the space all
round it.
The libatas are defended by a strong wooden stockade,
almost always covered with enormous sycamores, and a
second stockade within the other defends and encloses
the residence of the great man. This second enclosure
is called the lombe.
Having given these brief explanations, I will say a
few words as to what occurs on the death or proclama-
tion of the sovereign.
The decease of the Sova is of course known to the
168 THE KING'S RIFLE.
Macotas, who keep the matter a profound secret. They
give out to the people that their king is ill, and there-
fore does not appear. Meanwhile they lay out the
corpse on the bed within the hut and cover it with a
cloth — at least, this is the custom in Caquingue, but in
the Bihe' country they hang it up by the neck to the
roof of the hut.
The body so remains until putrefaction and insects
have left the bones bare ; or until, as in the Bihe, the
head drops from the body.
It is when this occurs that they announce his death
and proceed to the interment of his remains. Tlie bones
are placed within an ox-hide and deposited in a hut
which exists w^ithin the lomhc, and serves as the
mausoleum of all the Sovas. The hut in which tlie
corpse putrefied is demolished and the material of which
it is composed is carried out of the enclosure and
scattered about the jungle.
From what has been already explained, it is scarcely
necessary to say that the death of a Sova is always
produced by sorcery or witchcraft, and that some
unfortunate has to pay with his life, not for the soi'cery,
which he never committed, but the private vengeance
of one of the Macotas. No sooner is the death of the
Sova announced, than the people rush madly about, and
for some days not only strip and pilfer all persons who
are met with iu the neighbourhood of the capital, but
make captives of the strangers themselves, and subse-
quently dispose of them for slaves.
The Macotas then seek out the rightful heir and
accompany him to the Libata grande or capital ; on his
arrival, however, he does not at first penetrate the
lomhe or inner enclosure, but takes up his residence
among the people, living, for a time, as one of them.
No sooner, however, has the heir-apparent entered the
Libata, than two bands of huntsmen issue forth, one in
BELMONTE. 169
search of an antelope (CatoblejMS taiinna), and the other
of a human victim.
An antelope being started, a member of the former
of tlie two bands fires at the animal and at once takes
to flight, his companions rushing forward to cut off the
creature's head, for should this be done by the hunts-
man who shot it down, he would be at once assassinated
and none might say by whose hand.
The other troop, in pursuit of human game, seize
the first poor wretch, man or woman, who falls in
their way, and hurrying the victim off to the jungle,
cut off the head, which they bring back with great
care, abandoning the body where it fell. On arriving
at the Libata, they wait for the troop on the hunt for
the antelope, as it is always much easier to find and
kill a man than to find and kill any particular animal.
Having put the two heads into one basket, the
medicine-man appears and begins to perform the
proper remedies to enable the new Sova to assume the
reins of government, and his tomfoolery being at an
end, lie declares that the sovereign may enter the
lombe. Attended by the Macotas, the Sova enters
accordingly, in the midst of loud acclamations and a
great expenditure of gunpowder.
The first step taken by the Sova on attaining to
power, is to select from among his women the one he
chooses to make his wife, who is styled Inaculo ; the
others still continue to reside in the Lombe but not
\vithin the precincts of the royal residence.
Polygamy, however, is an established institution of
the Bihe country, as it is of all South Central Africa.
Crimes in the Bihe are always tried in first instance
by the parties injured or offended, and it is only if the
convicted criminal refuses to submit to the payment of
the fine im})Osed, that the matter, and then only in
rare cases, is brought before the Sova. As a rule,
170 THE KING'S niFLE.
sentence is passed and carried out l)y tlie iiijnrcMl
parties tliemselves. The word whicli strikes most
terror in the Bihe' is mucano, a word that does not
merely express a crime committed, but an idea that
embraces both tlie crime and tlie payment of a fine.
All crimes among these people are expiated by
money, that is to say, the payment of a fine ; and theie
are no intermediate penalties between a fine and death.
When a w^ealthy person npon whom a miicano is
pending', refuses to pay, the party injured, if he be
powerful, makes a seizure of some of the other's
property, for a far higher value than the amount of
the fine ; and the property so seized remains in deposit,
to be subsequently sold, or appropriated by the person
effecting the seizure.
Should, however, a seizure be held unjust, the party
committing it is compelled by the Sova to make resti-
tution and give a })ig, by way of solace, to the party
prejudiced.
This system offers a premium to extortion, and not
a day passes Avithout the most stupendous mucanus
being put forward.
One of the most common excuses for its imposition
is adultery, wives being urged on by their affectionate
husbands to entangle some male friend or acquaintance
known to be possessed of means, so that he may be
subsequently compelled to pay a mucano. The head of
a caravan is bound to pay the inucanos of his negroes,
and he is responsible for their good behaviour.
AVhen a white man, who is liable for the mucanos of
his negroes, has sufficient force at his command to refuse
to make such, payment, his accusers will wait — some-
times for years — until they can fall in with another
and a weaker white, on whose goods they effect their
attachment, letting him know at the same time that
they make him the scapegoat of his brother pale-
BELMONTE. 171
face, out; of whom lie must get his compensation — if lie
can.
If a man under the charge of a miicano should die,
the unfortunate wretch who heedlessly takes up his
quarters in the dead man's house, becomes respon.sil)le
for the former tenant.
The mode in which justice, so called, is administered
in the Bilic, is an enormous obstacle to trade, and
the source of most serious losses to the Benguella
houses.
Dui'ing my stay in Silva Porto's residence, some
negroes came in, bringing with them a hen which
they intended using in certain rtmedies, and the
gardener, at sight of the fowl, happened to say that it
was very like one of his. These unlucky words became
the object of a mucano and cost the poor gardener some
8 yards of cotton stuff, which he had to pay the owner
of the bird.
No sooner does a stranger arriv^e at the Bihe with
goods in his possession, than attempts are made to render
him the victim of innumerable mucano.'^, under cover of
which great part of his property is filched from him.
The traders on reaching the Bihe are defrauded in
this way to such an extent, that in many instances oidy
a third of the goods they have brouglit with them is
left wherewith to do business in the interior. Quilherme
the Caudimba, Yeiissimo's f\\ther, on the very last
ocensioii of his going there for trading purpf>ses, was
coiiipelled to give up goods to the value of £150 ster-
ling on account of a mucano planted on him, thi'ough
one of his men having purchased a piece of mutton for
three cartridges and not paying for it on the same day
but offering payment on the day after, when it was
refused. During my stay at the Bihe, Silva Poito
himself had to ])ay a mucano fif i'lTf) on account of
even a greater trifle s^till.
172 THE KINO'S EIFLE.
It is tin's inucano, this infamous, because legalised
and authorised mode of wholesale robbery, which is
the curse of the trade and the main cause of the decline
of the Bihe,
It was the imicano which drove Silva Porto and all
the other honest traders out of the country.
If this were once suppressed, and if the highway to
Benguella were rendered safe so that trade caravans
might pass to and fro unmolested, we should within an
incredibly short space behold the trade of Benguella
tripled, and new founts of wealth, now choked and
unused through want of security, welling forth and
giving life to European industry.
The people of the Bihe are admirably fitted to carry
out great undertakings. If we could only eradicate the
viper of ignorance which devours their very entrails,
raise them from their brute condition to the height of
men, and direct them in the right road, we should soon
see them take the lead in the march of progress and
leave most of the other African peoples far behind
them.
The African negroes are not unlike the best breeds
of horses, and those among them who at the outset are
the most difficult of control end by becoming, with
proper training, the most docile and obedient.
The tribes in which indolence and cowardice pre-
dominate can with difficulty be civilised : but the la-
borious and high-spirited would offer a far easier task
to their instructors.
The Bihenos, like all the tribes of this part of Africa,
are much given to drunkenness. The inevitable aguar-
dente has found its way thither, and where that fails
they manufacture capata.
Capata, quimhomho or c/iinibombo, for they call the
liquor iudifl'erently by the three names, is a species of
beer made from Indian corn. In those parts where the
BELMONTE. 173
hop (^Hamulus lupulus) is cultivated, the people use the
conical seeds of that plant wherewith to make their
drink.
For this purpose the seeds are reduced to powder,
and being mixed with maize flour, the whole is put
with a large quantity of water into an enormous pipkin
and made to boil for some eight or ten hours. When
taken from the fire and allowed to cool, it is capata,
which is drunk at once.
Acetic fermentation predominates in this preparation,
and the alcoholic fermentation is so small that it
requires a great quantity to produce intoxication. As
the liquor is not filtered, it of course holds a good deal
of the flour in suspension, and is therefore rather a fluid
mass than a pure liquid. It must have great nourish-
ing power, as there are many of the negroes who will
pass a whole day and even more without food, as-
siduously imbibing capata.
In those districts where hops are wanting, their
place is supplied by a flour made of maize in a state of
germination ; the latter produced by burying the corn
or steeping it in water for a few days.
In the honey season, considerable alcoholic fermenta-
tion is produced by the addition of honey to the capata.,
which becomes, in the course of a few days, transformed
into alcohol. The liquor thus prepared is very intoxi-
cating, and it then bears the name of qidassa.
There is also another drink which can scarcely be
termed refreshing, but is nevertheless both pleasant and
very nutritious.
This is made from the root of a herbaceous plant that
my imperfect botanical knowledge does not allow me
to classify, and which the negroes call imbuncU. They
make a strong decoction of this root wliich, as con-
taining a great quantity of saccharine matter,
ferments readily, and add to it the flour of the Indian
]74 THE KINO'S ItlFLE.
coi'ii, — drinking it wlien cold. Tin's liquor tliey call
quismiKjua.
The food of the Bibe people is almost entirely vege-
table, for having httle cattle, which they never kill to
eat, they go on for months tasting no animal food
beyond an occasional treat off the flesh of swine. Pigs
abound there in a domesticated state. They were, I
believe, introduced by Silva Porto. The country being
thickly peopled, game is scarce, and the little there is
consists of small antelopes {Cephalophus mergens), diffi-
cult to bring down on account of their excessive shy-
ness.
It must not be thouglit, however, that the Bihenos
have any objection to flesh ; on the contrary, they
devour all that falls in their way, and prefer it in a
state of putrefaction.
Lions, jackals, hyenas, crocodiles, and all the carnivora
are consumed with like gusto, but they have a special
liking for dogs, which they fatteu up for food. This
fondness may perhaps have arisen from the scarcity of
animal food existing in the country. They are not posi-
tively cannibals, but they do from time to time in-
dulge in a mouthful or two of a roasted neighbour.
They prefer, it appears, the old, and a white-haired
ancient is a present fit for a Sova or a wealthy native
chief who is going to give a banquet.
The sov^ereigns of the Bibe frequently hold high
festival in their Uhatas called the " Feast of the
Quissurige," at which are immolated and devoured five
persons ; viz. one man and four women, wbo may be
thus classified: one woman wbo makes pipkins; another
just delivered of her first child ; anotber wbo has a
goitre (a common complaint in the country) ; and
another who makes baskets. The man must be a
deer-hunter.
The victims being taken are decapitated and their
BELMONTE. 175
heads cast into the jungle. The bodies are brought
into the lomhe or inner enclosure of the royal residence,
where they are quartered, and an ox being killed, its
flesh is cooked with the human flesh, partly by roasting
and partly boiling in capata ; so that eveiything which
appears at the banquet is mixed with human blood.
As soon as this sinister and repugnant meal is ready,
the Sova sends out notice that he is about to beiriii the
Qidssunge, and all the inhabitants of the place huri'iedly
flock to the entertainment.
The Bihenos, among other strange tastes, are passion-
ately fond of termites or white ants, and destroy their
habitations to seize and eat them raw.
The people when at home are ihorough thieves, and
lay their hands upon anything which comes in their
way ; abroad, however, they not only abstain from
pilfering, but, as carriers, are most faithful to their
packs.
Should a caravan happen to camp in the Bihe, while
passing through the country, notice should at once be
given to the chief who owns the land, accompanied by
some trifling present; in default of which the inhabitants
of the neighbouring village would be authorised to i3ilfer
whatsoever they could lay hands on. The present, how-
ever, being made to the land-owner, he becomes at once
responsible for anything that is missing.
It is a matter of necessity also to make a present, or
rather pay tiibute (quibanda), to the Sovereign. It is
not advisable to make this offering too costly a one, for
his Majesty, as a rule is never satisfied with what is
given, but always demands more.
The Ubatas or fortified villages (and they all of thera
are more or less fortified from the coast to the Bihe'),
are counterparts of each other, saving such trifling-
deviations as are due to the configuration of the soil.
They are composed of groups of huts constructed of
176
THE KINGS RIFLE.
wood and covered with tliatcli, surrounded by a
stockade or palisade, the height of which varies from
six to fifteen feet. This palisade is formed of stakes of
iron-wood, seven inches in diameter, some of which are
merely stuck into the ground, others are secured to
cross-pieces by means of withes whilst others again are
strengthened by horizontal pieces fitting into enormous
forked uprights.
Another j^alisade of a similar character surrounds
Fi- 21.
Simple
Palisade.
Palisade bound together
■.vith withes.
Palisade with
i ok k ed upkights.
the lomhe or compound of the chief or sovereign of
the place. In many cases I observed groups of houses
isolated as it were by means of a palisade.
Most of the libatas, and the older ones more especially,
are shaded by leafy trees, and are almost invariably on
the banks of some river or brook. In many instances
they are built over the stream, which thus runs through
them.
The majority of them are rectangular in shape, though
some are elliptical or circular and others form very
BELMONTE.
Ill
irregular polygons. There is not the slightest order
observable in the buildings, and the formation of the
soil evidently dictates their arrangement.
OOOuCXXXXXjOO'
o p o o o I
TROPHY OF THE CHASE
FOUND IN ALMOST ALL
FORIIFIED VILLAGES.
Fig. 22. — Plan of a native Libata or fortified
VILLAGE IN THE BiHE.
Entrance. B. Conical hut where the Sovas are interred. C. Trophy
of Horns, a a a. Lombe, or residence of the Sova. E. Entrance
of the [Lombe. o o. Sova's house, c c c. Houses of Sova's
concubines, d d d. Negroe's houses.
Vig. 23. — Post
ERECTED OUTSIDE
THE GATE OF THE
VILAGES.
The villages are fortified to resist the attacks of men,
as there are too few wild animals in the district to create
any fear of assaults from the latter ; indeed, this is so
clearly the case that in the interior of the country,
where wild beasts abound, the villages are open and
unprotected.
Wars among the blacks in this part of the world are,
in the majority of instances, utterly causeless, and a
reputation for wealth of any particular tribe will be
quite sufficient to ensure its being attacked. They
are purely freebooting expeditions.
When a sovereign has decided upon a war with
another potentate, or tribe, he sends his emissaries
round to the native chiefs and seculos of the vicinity,
to invite them to take part in the campaign ; they
hasten to the call, and, as was the case in Europe
VOL. I. N
178 THE KING'S BIFLE.
during the feudal times, tliey come with tlieir warriors
to swell the army of their suzerain.
There are some of these people who periodically and
systematically make war, and in the Nano country, for
instance, they swoop down every three years upon the
frontier lauds, and carry off the cattle of the ^lulonda,
Camba and Quillengues districts. Indeed they are apt
to boast that the inhabitants of the latter countries
breed cattle for them and act as their herdsmen.
It is a noteworthy circumstance as connected with
the wars in this part of Africa, that the attacking party
is ever the victor.
There are, of course, exceptions to this rule, but they
are very rare.
The most remarkable of these exceptions was the
attack made by Quillemo, the present Sova of the Bihe,
upon the Caquingue country, in which the Bihenos
were routed by the Gronzellos, and wherein Quillemo
himself became the prisoner of the Sova of Caquingue.
He would in all probability have lost his head as well
as his freedom, had it not been for Silva Porto and
Gruilherme Jose Grongalves (the Candimba), who paid a
heavy ransom for his recovery.
In the wars among the peoples of these countries,
perhaps not more than a fifth of the combatants carries
fire-arms, the other four-fifths being armed with bows and
arrows, hatchets and assegais. A war is looked upon
as something great and important, where every man
who carries a musket is supplied with thirty rounds of
ammunition. The guns in use are those known in the
trade as lazarinas ; they are very long and of small
bore. They are manufactured in Belgium, and take their
name froma celebrated Portuguese gunmaker who resided
in the city of Braga at the beginning of the century,
and whose productions acquired very considerable fame
both in Portugal and the colonies. His name of Lazaro
BELMONTE. 179
— lazarmo, a native of Braga — is unblushingly engraved
on the barrels of the pieces manufactured in Belgium
for the blacks — and which are but a clumsy imitation
of the perfect weapon turned out by the celebrated
Portuguese gunsmith.
The Bihenos do not make use of leaden bullets, which
are, they say, too heavy, but manufacture iron ones
instead. The cartridges, which they also make, contain
fifteen grammes of powder and are nine inches in length.
The iron bullets are of much smaller diameter than
the ordinary leaden ones, and weigh scarcely six to
seven grammes. Being of wrought iron, their shape
is rather that of an irregular polyhedron than a
sphere.
The guns thus loaded, are, as may well be imagined,
of but slight precision, and scarcely carry a distance of
a hundred yards.
The range of the arrow is from fifty to sixty yards,
but in the hands of the blacks it seldom does execution
at a greater distance than from twenty-five to thirty
yards. The assegais are composed entirely of iron ;
are short and ornamented with sheep's or goats' hair
They are never thrown — the Biheno in action grasping
the weajDon tightly in his hand.
I said that the assegai was adorned with sheep s hair,
and I may mention, while upon the sul)ject, that the
sheep in this part of the world have no wool. There
are two distinct species existing in the country, which
the blacks in Hambmido distinguish by the names of
ongue and om/me. The ongue has thick, short hair,
and the omeme, though furnished with much longer
hair, has no pretence to wool.
These animals, of exotic race, degenerate most de-
cidedly from the effects of climate and pasture. The
Bihenos have goats of a very inferior race, and their
horned cattle are small and of poor and weakly })reed.
N 2
180 THE KING' 8 RIFLE.
Poultry abounds, but, similar to all the domestic
animals of the country, the birds are small of body.
Having thus gleaned from my notes what I con-
sidered most curious with respect to this interesting
country, reserving for a special chapter a fuller account
of its climate, capabilities and prospects, I again take
up my diary on the 14th of April, 1878.
The rains had been gradually decreasing, falling
from six to nine at night only, since the beginning of
the month, and yielding scarcely one-eighteenth of an
inch of water. The weather was splendid, and even the
few flecks of white cloud which after the rains floated
for a time at an enormous height in the upper air, at
length disappeared to leave the sky perfectly blue and
limpid, beautiful by day beneath the rays of a brilliant
sun, but infinitely more beautiful at night when spark-
ling with myriads of stars which shed over this African
continent that strangely melancholy light which surely
is peculiar to the regions of the tropics.
The weather was admirably fitted for travelling ; it
was already the 14th of April, and yet I was detained
in the Bihe !
The fact was, tliat I was still waiting for the bulk of
the goods and effects left behind in Benguella in the
month of November of the previous year, only a portion
having reached me at the beginning of March ! The
delay was becoming a very serious matter. Of the
seven bales of goods left me by Capello and Ivens four
had already melted away in the maintenance of my
Benguella followers and myself.
I had as yet made no present to the reigning chief,
who, T feared, would be applying for it, and altogether
the prospects of my enterprise looked anything but
promising.
I reduced my personal expenses to a minimum, which
necessitated my devoting a couple of hours to hunting
BELMONTE. 181
after game. Of larger game there was none, but on
the other hand a good many partridges were to be
bagged on the left bank of the river Cuito, on the
cultivated grounds belonging to Silva Porto.
I called the spot my " poultry yard," and I went
there daily to shoot one or two. I never exceeded that
number for fear my supplies should fall short. Some-
what like the gambler who made his livelihood out of
the table and retired with just sufidcient gains to meet
his daily requirements, I had to restrain my sportsman's
instincts, and many times tear myself from the field
where I might easily have bagged a score of birds. It
was not, however, without a struggle that I did so, nor
without forcing upon my mind the reflection, that I
must not in the mere pursuit of pleasure expend my
ammunition, which was getting somewhat low, or
destroy the game wdiich represented my future sus-
tenance.
It must not, however, be imagined that Silva Porto's
partridges alone furnished my modest table with a dish.
Hundreds of African wood-pigeons flitted in and out
the shelter of the trees on the banks of the Cuito and
in the mornings and evenings came down to w^et their
beaks in the stream. My young negroes occasionally
caught the latter with gins and snares, when they
would make a no unwelcome pendant to my toujours
perdriv, flanked by a dish or two of baked dough, made
with maize flour, and which did duty for bread.
In this way I managed to reduce my personal outlay,
which represented at least four yards of white calico
per day, the cost of a couple of fowls.
Tlie delay, bringing with it, as it did, the rapid de-
crease of my resources, caused me to modify my plans.
The dreaded mucano was ever in my thouglits, and I
felt that if any one should plant a claim upon me, it
would simply render my leaving the Bihe' impossible.
182 THE KING'S RIFLE.
Besides this, the want of occupation was beginning to
tell prejudicially upon my men, and vices would creep
out wliich amid the fatigue and excitement of travel
lay dormant.
Danger therefore, in various shapes, like so many
swords of Damocles, hung suspended above my head ;
so after much cogitation I determined to give myself
the advantage of strength, and defend my property at
every hazard.
This determination required arms, and not arms
alone, but a good store of otber munitions of war. I
possessed ten Snider rifles, given me by Capello and
Ivens ; I managed also to obtain eleven of those left
behind him by Cameron at the termination of his
journey, and to supply these weapons I had four
thousand cartridges. Beside these I possessed some
twenty flint-lock muskets, some of the last on this
system used by the European aimies; but I had no
ammunition for them. I then made known that I was
disposed to purchase all fire-arms considered useless
that were brought me. This notice procured me no
end of offers which enabled me to pick and choose. I
bought those I was able to re2)air, a matter of no great
difficulty to me, as I had learned to become a tolerably
good locksmith and gunsmith under the directions of
my father, himself a clever mechanician, who still is
accustomed to employ his leisure hours in his private
work-rooms, which I may truly say are far better fitted
up than half those belonging to regular professional
artificers.
This explanation reminds me of an amusing anecdote.
A gentleman one day, wishing to see my father upon
business, came to our villa on the Douro, and hearing a
hammering noise in a building not far from the house,
directed his steps thither. He found a capacious black-
smith's shop where two men, with arms bare to the
BELMONTE. 183
elbow, their feet encased in wooden shoes, red night-
caps on their heads, broad leathern aprons hanging
from their necks below their waists, their faces and
hands black with coal and iron, were hammering at a
red-hot bar stretched across an enormous anvil, whilst
sparks of fire were flying in every direction from
beneath their heavy blows.
The stranger stopped at the door, and inquired : " Is
the Doctor w^ithin ? "
My father, who was one of the smiths, answered him
with another query :
" Pray sir, what might you want with him ? "
The visitor, a techy person, felt his dignity offended
by this seeming familiarity of a mere workman, and
rejoined in no very polite terms that he had come to
see his Excellency and would not brook, what he con-
sidered an insult, from one of his menials.
My father, by his explanation that the blacksmith
and the doctor were one and the same j^eison, only
made matters worse, for his interlocutor took it as
additional insolence, and as both parties were getting
very warm, the assistant smith, who was no other than
myself, was comj^elled to come to the rescue, and by
explaining matters convince the stranger of our
identity.
The circumstance of having been thus accustomed to
turn my hand to mechanical work, served me then, as
at other times, in good stead, and in fact it might be
looked upon as one of the little brooks which helped to
swell the river of tbe happy results of my enterprise.
Another labour was thus added to the many which
occupied my days, and I shortly found myself the pos-
sessor of twenty-five more guns which the natives had
rejected as useless.
^^till, ammunition was wanting, and ammunition I
must have. I found in Silva Porto's house a complete
184 THE KING'S RIFLE.
collection of the Gazeta de Portugal, so that there was
no want of paper for cartridges. I knew that among
the goods I was expecting from Benguella there must
be a good deal of powder, and therefore my chief care
was to obtain bullets. As to getting any lead, that
was impossible, and I consequently soon decided upon
making them of wrought iron. Iron was wanting, it
was true, but that was not so difficult of attainment.
I again gave out that I was prepared to buy all the
old iron offered me, an announcement that was speedily
answered by the appearance of a vast quantity of worn-
out spades and mattocks, and more especially of hoops
of brandy-casks. I had got together some 400 pounds
weight before I suspended my purchases.
I then procured four of the country blacksmiths, set
up two native forges in the inner court, to the great
scandal of the negress Rosa, administratrix of the
village of Belmonte, and my own men having produced
a lot of charcoal by burning the iron-wood palisade of
an abandoned enclosure, we soon commenced operations
in right good earnest.
The first labour was to reduce all that mass of iron
to cylindrical bars of the proper diameter of the bullets.
This the fellows succeeded in doing very dexterously.
The hoops were made up into bundles, eight inches
long by one and a half inch thick, and being taken
from the furnace when red-hot, were plunged into a
heap of rubbish and water. On their cooling they were
again put in the furnace, and having arrived at the
proper temperature they were readily dealt with and
reduced into a solid, homogeneous mass. From this
point the men's work was easy.
The purchase of the arms and iron had considerably
diminished my means, and yet I was far from having
everything I wanted. I had no beads — at least, no
available ones — for though a bag of them had been
BELMONTE.
185
sent me by my late companions, they were not current
in the districts to which I intended proceeding". I
endeavoured to buy some in the Bihe, and with a good
deal of trouble managed to procure from the various
H
Fig. 24. — Articles manufactured by the Bihenos.
1. Bellows. 2. Bellows ready mounted. 3. Earthenware muzzle. 4. Piucers.
5. Large hammer. 6. A fragment of a musket with a wooden handle used hy
the smith to remove small pieces from the furnace. 7. Small hammer.
8, Kitchen pots. 9. Large jdpkin for capata. 10. Drums.
negroes a small quantity, enough to compose a porter's
load. This of course made a fresh hole in my stock of
cloth, so that by the 1 7th of April I had scarcely a
pack lelt.
186 THE KING'S RIFLE.
There was one thing which, since my arrival at the
Bihe, I missed exceedingly, and ihat was an alarum. I
had forgotten to bring one with me, and the omission
cost me, before my journey was over, very great in-
convenience and more than one fever. For instance,
whenever I had to make any observations after mid-
night, I was obliged to keep awake until the hour
arrived ; and it is not a little dull and trying to pass
the night, struggling against sleep, without a ligld,
and therefore with no means of killing time.
On the 19th Ivens came to call upon me, and caused
me, by his appearance, no little anxiety concerning the
state of his health.
He had got exceedingly thin, was deathly pale, and
bore a look of constant suffering upon his features. I
wanted him to come and dine with me the following
day, it being the anniversary of my birth, but he
excused himself on the score of his health.
Two days afterwards I went over to my late com-
panions' encampment to return Ivens' visit. Capello
was absent, having gone to determine the position of
the source of the Cuanza.
By the 25th I had ten thousand bullets ready, or
more correctly speaking ten thousand iron pellets,
roughly wrought, all pretending to a spherical shape.
They answered my purpose, however, and T dismissed
my operators. On that same day, the first Bailundos
arrived with the Benguella goods, and on the following
day more of them appeared. These Bailundos turned
out to be insolent fellows, and caused great disorder in
Belmonte, indeed the mischief would have assumed
larger proportions if I had not myself interfered to
check the rioters. I took from out the goods ten packs of
cloth, three casks of aguardente, and two bags of cowries.
I still wanted powder and salt, the two things that
were yet lagging behind.
BELMONTE.
187
I tlien got ready the present for the Sova, aud
prepared for my departure, because having the cartridges
all iu readiness, I knew that I could in two or tln-ee
days fill them with jDowder. I sent out messengers to
get the carriers together, so as to have everything in
a condition to start at a moment's notice.
Fis. 2
QUISPA, OR STRAW BASKET
WHICH WILL HOLD WATER.
Large sieve for drying
rice or maize flour.
Sifting Sieve.
Ladle for watering the Capata.
On the 2nth of April, Silva Porto's blacks robbed me
of some trifling article, which made me very angry and
threaten to send them back to Benguella. In order to
recover my good graces, they came to inform me that
they knew where four muskets, which had been stolen
from the expedition on the road from Benguella, were
188 THE KING'S BIFLE.
now concealed. One of them, it appears, had been
appropriated by Mr. Magalhaes, the owner of the
premises where I was first quartered in the Bilie. I
succeeded in recovering the wiiole of tliem.
I was just at this time so busy as to have scarcely a
moment to eat my dinner. I had to arrange the loads,
and be present at every operation to avoid being
robbed, for all the blacks, Silva Porto's and my own
into the bargain, were a band of thieves.
There was one exception, however, but one only.
This was my negro Augusto, who always displayed the
utmost fidelity towards me. When I engaged the
porters in Benguella, I hired Augusto among the rest,
and at the time attached no sort of importance to him,
as there appeared but Httle to distinguish him from the
others, unless it was perhaps his being given somewhat
more than they to drunkenness.
In distributing the fire-arms, the men made some
difficu hy about accepting the Sniders whilst Augusto
on the contrary specially asked for one. This first
attracted my attention to him. One day, in the Doinbe
country, I exercised the men in shooting at a mark,
and found he was a very tolerable shot. Later on, in
Quillengues, I heard that he had asserted among his
fellows his determination never to leave me, and as, on
account of his herculean strength, and courage, he had
secured a great ascendency over his companions, I made
him one of my body-guard.
At the time at which my narrative has arrived he
had improved his position, and from being a simple
carrier was promoted to the rank of chief, a position
which he filled most satisfactorily, for those who did
not like or respect him, and they were few, were afraid
of him.
Augusto was decidedly the best negro I met with in
Africa. But no one is perfect in this world, and
BELMONTE. 189
Aiigusto was far from being an exception to tlie rule.
Among" his defects I must mention one, wliich I am
nevertheless inclined to treat rather tenderly, for though
it is unquestionably a serious failing in an African
traveller, it may elsewhere be ranked among the
virtues.
To describe it briefly : Augusto was desperately fond
of \hQ fair sex.
Strong as a buffalo, courageous as a lion, he deemed
it, T suppose, his duty to give protection and support
to the frail beings he met upon his way.
It would be too long to record his aveyitures galantes
from Benguella to the Bihe'. Married in Benguella, he
took another wife at the Dombe, another at Quillengues,
a fresh one at Caconda, wedded anew in the Huambo,
and since his arrival at the Bihe had gone through the
marriage ceremony three or four times more. He was
in fact a true Don Juan, only a black one.
Obedient enough in all things else, he was completely
deaf to my admonitions on this subject. But one day,
as the complaints of his various wives were loud and
troublesome, I summoned him to my presence, repre-
hended him severely and threatened to turn him adrift
if he did not amend. He blubbered a good deal, threw
himself on his knees at my feet, made a thousand promises
to reform, and said if I would only let him have a piece
of cloth to divide among the women and stop their
tongues he would have nothing more to say to them,
but would remain faithful to his Marcolina, his Benguella
partner.
I gave him the cloth and felt delighted at having
brought about such sincere repentance.
That very evening, I was disturbed by an unusual
noise in a distant part of the village, where songs
and other sounds of merriment indicated some festive
event.
190 THE KING'S RIFLE.
I had the curiosity to learn the cause and sent some
one out to inquire. The reader may conceive my
feeHnf:^s when I was told that it was Augusto celebra-
ting his fresh marriage with a girl from the village of
Jamba !
There was no help for it. I saw that this mania of
getting married was stronger than his will, and I there-
fore determined in my own mind to interfere no more
with his matrimonial affairs which, after all said and
done, compromised no one, as the rascal always kept
within the limits of the law.
It was now the second of May, and as yet I had been
Fiii. 26. — A BiHE Head-Dress.
unable to get the carriers together, while I was still
waiting for the powder and salt that had been
despatched from Benguella.
Yerissimo was doing his best to collect the men, but
liitherto without success.
On the following morning as I was busy about the
house, I heard outside, to my astonishment, the sounds
BELMONTE. 191
of a violin, playing very melodious airs, and totally
different to the monotonous music usual among the
negroes.
I ordered that the minstrel should be brouo'ht in,
and there appeared before me a tall, spare, black man,
almost naked, with a countenance at once melancholy
and expressive.
The instrument he carried was a fiddle manufactured
by himself, and out of which he brought sounds as
melodious and powerful as could be yielded by a
Stradivarius, The body of tlie instrument, and
handle, very similar in shape to those of the European
violin, were cut out of a single block of wood, and a
thin piece of the same wood formed the top.
It was furnished with three strings of gut, the worlc
also of the musician's hand, and the bow was formed of
two similar strings in lieu of the usual horsehair.
It was undoubtedly an imitation of the European
fiddle, and not an original instrument.
The wood of which it was composed is called in the
country hole, and abounds in the forests of West Central
Africa. It might not be amiss to make some exjDeri-
ments with this wood in the manufacture of string-ed
instruments.
The negro musician sang an air in my pi'aise, a
mezzo petto, in a most agreeable voice, with an accom-
paniment' of his rude but harmonious violin. He was
much applauded by the natives who flocked around
him, and I was myself extremely pleased witli this
unexpected and original music.
Several negroes from the trading station of Andiilo
arrived at the village, offering for sale some very good
tobacco, which is extensively cultivated in that country.
It is the Andulo tobacco which the Bihenos j^urchase
and carry to Benguella, where it is sold mider tlie
name of Bihe tobacco.
192 TEE KING'S RIFLE.
I bought a lot of it, UTid it cost me, according to my
calculations, about a shilling a pound.
By way of curiosity I append the prices of various
articles at the Bihe, observing, at the same time, that
they are not precisely the same as I was compelled to pay.
A chicken is worth a yard of cloth ; six eggs may
be had for the same ; a two-year-old kid will cost 8
yards; a pig, weighing from 160 to 200 lbs. is valued
at one piece of white and one piece of blue cloth, know^n
as zuarte; a peck and a half of maize flour may be
obtained for 2 yards of cloth, and a like measure of
manioc flour for 3 yards. The yards here referred to
are the ordinary trade ones, the price of which at the
Bihe must never be reckoned higher than 10c?.
The name given to the trade yard in the Bihe
district is a pano ; two yards are called a beca ; four a
lencol ; and eight a quirana.
The goods proper for the Bihe and commercial marts
frequented by the Bihenos are, white cloth ; zuarte, or
blue stuff; printed zuarte; handkerchiefs of printed
zuarte ; fine handkerchiefs and checkered ones ; striped
and other cottons — all of most inferior quality.
The pieces of white cloth contain 28 yards each, and
others of better quality 30. Tlie zuarte and striped,
18 yards; printed handkerchiefs, 8 yards; checkered,
6 ; and trade cloth, 12 yards.
Merchandise of good quality is very inconvenient to
the traveller in this part of Africa, because whilst it
enjoys no greater favour in the eyes of the natives it is
considerably heavier.
I had a couple of loads which I had prepared upon
the spot, each of which contained 624 yards ; and the
others, containing scarcely 180 yards of fine white cloth,
were much heavier.*
* By " a load " I mean as much as a man can conveniently carry, say about
seventy- five pounds. — The Author.
BELMONTE. 193
This will sufficiently prove the inconvenience of the
superior material, as in addition to its greater cost,
there is increased difficulty and expense in its convey-
ance : it requires three men to carry it, whei'e one will
suffice in the other case.
The argument in favour of the inferior article applies
naturally with great force to the explorer, for as he
intends to employ his goods in the shape of money, to
barter away for the necessaries of life, the same number
of yards of common cloth will procure him just as much
as a like quantity of fine.
White cotton cloth of inferior quality, and zuavte, the
blue, are the best money the traveller can carry with
him in this part of the world.
The same rule will not hold so good with beads,
inasmuch as those which are held in high esteem in
some parts will scarcely be looked at elsewhere, in fact,
in some cases only a few miles distant ; for instance :
in the Bailundo country black beads are much sought
after, while in the Bilie they are not current at all.
Still, there is one class of beads which is pretty
generally received throughout South Central Africa,
This is a small red article with a white eye, on which,
in Benguella, the trade has bestowed the name of
Maria Segunda.
The small cowry is current from beyond the Cuanza
to the Zambesi, but the larger kind is of no use at all.
Brass- or copper-wire is esteemed for bracelets, but it
should not in these parts ever exceed about an eighth of
an inch in thickness.
Scarlet caps, sandalled shoes, soldiers' uniforms, &c.,
are a delusion and a snare, for though highly appreciated
as presents for Sovas and Seculos, they are the very
worst of money.
Again, blankets and, above all, those showy rugs used
by travellers in Europe, are greatly coveted by the
VOL. T. o
194 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
natives, but must be classified with the uniforms and
caps, as forming excellent presents but a poor cur-
rency.
This same remark will equally apply to hand-organs,
musical-boxes, and other articles of a like nature.
Conjuring tricks and phenomena of physics and
chemistry make a certain impression on the natives, but
not nearly so deep a one as people in Europe are
inclined to think. Not understanding the causes which
produce such phenomena, they attribute them without
hesitation to sorcery or witchcraft, to which they assign
everything they cannot explain.
From my own experience that which produces the
greatest impression on the natives, and that which they
most admire, is skill in the use of fire arms.
If a man can bring down any j^rey in presence of an
assembly of blacks, if he can put six bullets into a small
and distant bull's eye, if he can sever the stalk of a fruit
hanging high above his head, or hit a bird upon the
wing, he will of a certainty receive great consideration
and become for a long time after the subject of conver-
sation.
In proof of this I may mention a little incident which
occurred to myself in the village where I was staying.
It happened one morning that a Bilieno medicine-man
made his appearance bringing with him a " remedy "
which he asserted was a preservative against bullets.
TLe belief in such things is general among the
Bihenos, and there are many who have been known
to expend all they had in the world for the possession
of this inestimable medicine, which is supposed to
render them more invulnerable than was Achilles of
old, inasmuch as there is no possibility of killing tJiem
even through a single heel.
A civilised Creole, educated in Benguella, whom I
fell in with, actually laughed at me when I told Lira
BELMONTE. 195
til at in spite of any " remedy " to the contrary, I would
undertake to put a bullet clean through his body.
But to return to my story. My friend the medicine-
man exhibited a pipkin that might have held half-a-
pint full of this precious preservative, and asserted that
he who took it would become as invulnerable as was
the vessel which held the hquid ; the best shots in the
world, nccording to his account, having struck it again
and again without doing it the slightest injury. In
his desire to afford the public an irrefragable proof of
his assertion, he had the boldness to defy me to crack
the pipkin, taking care, however, to place it at such a
distance (eighty paces) as to render it, in his mind,
humanly impossible for me to hit so small an object.
I took my rifle and, amid the breathless attention
of the assembled blacks, raised it to my shoulder and
fired. The pipkin flew into a hundred fragments and
the precious liquor spirted far and wide.
Never, surely, was mortal more enthusiastically
applauded than I, by the natives there assembled. As
for the poor medicine-man, whose anticipated triumph
was thus turned into disastrous defeat, he slunk off amid
the uproar.
The best of the country marksmen are but mediocre
shots, and the arrow and the assegai in the hands of
the blacks are much more to be apprehended than fire-
arms.
Yerissimo set out to collect the carriers, returning on
the 5th May with a few and a promise of others for
the following day.
On that same morning I received letters and goods
from Benguella, sent me by Pereira de Mello and Silva
Porto. The articles, and above all, the kindly words
which accompanied them, made a deep impression upon
my mind, and I am happy to be able thus publicly to
express my sense of their considerate generosity.
() 2
196 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
Pereira de Mello's parcels contained sixteen muskets,
sixty pounds of soap, a watcli and a load of salt, all of
them articles of the utmost value to me.
But, as I repeat, my gratitude was less awakened
towards the worthy Grovernor of Benguella for this
valuable consignment, than for his letter and the
exj)ressions of friendship it contained.
Among other things, he said that if I persisted in
continuing my journey I might reckon upon the entire
support he was able to give me in his official capacity,
and that if, perchance, superior orders should restrain
him as " the Governor," I might count upon him as
"the man" Pereira de Mello.
He further informed me that he had not received
from the authorities at home any orders not to furnish
me with such means as I might stand in need of;
but that should such orders come to hand, he, and the
merchants of Benguella, were ready to forward me
anything I might require.
Next came Silva Porto's letter, which was no less
dear to me.
In it the thoughtful old trader said I must not start
without ample resources. That I must apply to
Benguella for whatsoever T might judge necessary, and
that he would undertake to despatch to the Bihe any-
thing I should ask for.
He concluded his epistle in these terms : — " lam an old
man but am still tough Jind strong : if, my friend, you
should find yourself in the interior surrounded by peril,
with all but hope gone, try and hold your own, and
despatch me a letter through the natives, at any
cost. Keep an even mind and wait : for within the
shortest possible time I will be with you, and will
bring help and means. You know I am not accustomed
to make vain promises : if you want me, write, and I
will depart forthwith."
BELMONTE. 197
No commentary is needed upon words like these, nor,
beyond recording them, will I express my feelings of
gratitude and appreciation.
These things which I received from Benguella were
brought me by a brother of Yerissimo's, Joaquim
Guilherme, who stated that on the following day the
remainder of the loads belonging to the expedition
would arrive, and with them the powder I was so
anxiously looking for.
As was always tlie case when a porter came from
Benguella, I received a little present from Antonio
Ferreira Marques, in the shape of some dainty or other
for the table.
On the 6th May, at last, the powder arrived, and I
Jit once set about the great task of filling the cartridges.
During the space of four days I kept between thirty-
six and forty men at work at this duty. Every thing
was ready by the 10th — and on the 11th May I had
collected the whole of my carriers. I distributed their
loads, made other preparations, and gave orders for the
departure on the following morning.
But when the actual day arrived, and I had every
reason to believe I was going to start in good earnest,
1 discovered there were but thirty men at hand, all the
others having taken to flight !
I then learned that on the evening before, a negro, by
name Muene-hombo, belonging to Silva Porto, had, with
certain other blacks unknown, been among the Bihenos,
spreading the report that I intended to lead them to
the sea, whence they would never return, as it was my
object to sell them for slaves.
Muene-hombo liad fled with the Bihenos, and I never
set eyes upon him again.
This intelligence caused me infinite depression of
spirits.
The carriers whom I liad got together at so great a
198 THE KING'S RIFLE.
cost, whom I had hired after the utmost labour and
j)ains, in wliose minds I had had to overcome with such
care and patience the apprehensions they entertained
of my enterprise, had abandoned me after all, under
the hasty conviction that I intended to lead them to
perdition.
It was a terrible blow.
The news would soon spread throughout the Biliu ;
the conviction alluded to would shortly take possession
of every black in the place : it would override all my
arguments to the contrary, and then how would it be
possible to get a man to serve me ?
I almost myself lost faith in the undertaking, and
for the first time after those days in Lisbon when
I determined to become an explorer, a feeling of dis-
couragement crept over my mind, for I knew too well
how fruitless was the effort to struggle against a con-
viction of these people.
But who was it that could have induced this fellow,
Muene-hombo, to play me so treacherous a trick ?
Who were and whence came the negroes who were
his companions in the village the day before ?
Whose was the hand which pulled the strings in this
intrigue ?
Again and again did I put these questions to myself
without eliciting an answer that was other than a
vague suspicion.
All day was I engaged in turning the matter over
in my mind. At one time I thought of retracing my
steps to Benguella, when the letters of encouragement
from Silva Porto and Pereira de Mello suddenly oc-
curred to me.
W^hy should I not accept the suggestion made
me by the former, and beg him to come hither ? His
presence in the Bihe might procure me followers.
I determined that I would write to him next day.
BELMONTE. 199
and the resolution somewhat tranqnillised the agitation
in ray mind.
But with the night came further reflection : hefore
applying to him it was my duty to exhaust every means
of obtaining assistance through my own exertions. He
ought to be my very last resource.
When day broke on the 13th, I sent Yerissimo and
certain negroes in the enjoyment of Silva Porto's con-
fidence, to endeavour to contract other men.
They returned, not without hope of success, and
the work began anew of organising a fresh band —
a labour, as may well be believed, much more difficult
than before.
They advised my leaving Belmonte and pitching
my camp in the wood at some distance from the village,
as they assured me that a caravan upon the march would
be more likely to awaken a desire for enlistment.
On the 22nd of May, having succeeded in obtaining
a few, a very few carriers, I resolved to make a move
with them and my Quimbares on the following day,
the 23rd, a determination which I carried into effect
by forming an encampment in the Cabir woods.
At dusk of that day, eleven carriers put in an ap-
pearance conducted by a negro, Antonio, a man already
advanced in years, a native of Pungo Andongo who
had been in the service of two renowned traders, Luiz
Albino and Gruilherme Gonial ves.
The night proved very cold and we were forced to
spend greater part of it watching by our fires.
The petty chief of Cabir paid me a visit next day,
bringing with him a pig as a present. This civility I
returned in kind and we were soon on excellent
terms.
He lent me some pestles and mortars and sent some
women to make maize-flour.
I walked rouiul liis village and passed through the
200
THE KING'S RIFLE.
plantations, where I found women engaged in field-work
bent double as they hoed the ground.
On my return to the encampment I was met by a
black from Nov^o Redondo, who had been unable to
follow Capello and Ivens on account of the state of his
health. He could do little but crawl, and was a prey
to a burning fever.
I saw that his condition was hoj^eless and that his
Fi;r. 27 — Bihe Women pousdixg Maize,
hold of life was of the meagrest. Still, as he begged me
not to abandon him, I had him carried into the camp
and placed under the care of Doctor Chacaiombe.
I received a visit from Tiberio Jose Coimbra, son of
Coimbra, Major of the Bihe, who obtained for me a
few carriers from among the natives of his village.
In the course of the day some twelve more came in
quite unexpectedly, under the leadership of the negro
Chaqui^'onde_, brother of Yerissimo's mother.
BELMONTE. 201
Hope again began to revive within me, and I set
about organising my new caravan.
1 determined to make a start on tlie 27th and to
pitch my camp near the dwel hng of Jose' Alves, trust-
ing to complete there the number of natives I wanted.
I obtained from the petty chief of Cabir a few men to
convey thither the loads for which I had no carrier,
together with four men and a litter for my Novo
Redondo patient.
I was able to leave at the time appointed, stopping,
half an hour after we started, in the village of Cuionja,
the residence of Tiberio Jose' Coimbra, where an
excellent breakfast was awaiting me, with capital tea.
There were even table-napkins !
Two hours having been very pleasantly spent I
moved onwards, and after four hours' journey reached
the village of Caquenha.
I tliere halted to see old Domingos Chacahanga, the
chief man of the place.
Chacahanga, formerly a slave of Silva Porto, was at
the head of the celebrated expedition which the latter
sent from the Bihe' to Mozambique, and which succeeded
in reaching Cape Delgado, on the coast of the Indian
Ocean ; and he was the only survivor of that bold
undertakinc:.
The old man received me very kindly and gave me a
young kid.
I had a long talk with him; but all my efforts were
vain to elicit from him any reliable data as to his course
on that occasion.
That it lay much fiirther to the north than the
indication given on the maps, I had no doubt whatso-
ever, inasmuch as there were three points which he laid
down most clearly.
One was the having, in the Zambesi, left to the
southward the country of the Machachas ; another, the
202 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
having crossed the Luapula ; and the tliird, the having
skirted tlie uortliern part of Lake Njassa.
Two hours after taking leave of Chacahanga I camped
in the Woods of the Commandant, about a mile and a
quarter S. E. of Jose' Alves's enclosure.
Night had now fallen and I waited till next day
before calling upon this personage, whom Cameron has
made so widely known.
It was therefore on the 28th of May that I found
myself in presence of this renowned African trader.
Jose' Antonio Alves is a negro />?«r saiig^ born in
Pungo Andongo, who, like many others trading from
that j)lace and from Ambaca, knows how to read and
write.
In the Bihe they call him a white, because they
bestow that name upon every man of colour who wears
trousers and sandalled shoes and carries an umbrella.*
In Benguella they condescend to style him a mulatto,
of a dark complexion, but the truth is, there is not a
drop of European blood in his veins, and he is not only
a black in colour and by descent, but has all the instincts
of the negro.
He came to the Bihe' in 1845, where he was employed
by one of the inland traders and subsequently commenced
business on his own account, being assisted by Ferra-
mentos of Benguella, now doing a large trade under the
firm of J. Ferreira Gon9alves.
Jose Alves is a man about fifty-eight years of age,
somewhat grizzled, thin in body, and suffering from a
limg complaint.
He lives like any other black, and has all the customs
and beliels of the untutored natives.
* This reminds me of a remark made by Iveus, when speaking of oue of
these men, in that pleasant way of his which never abandoned him under the
most painful circumstances : " I saw," he said, " a jet black negro come into
my camp with sandals on, and a parasol in his hand, so I knew he was a
white man, and trembled accordingly."
BELMONTE. 203
At the time of my arrival at Jose Alves's house he
was engaged in deciding a mucano.
In answer to my inquiries I was informed that a
mulatto in Jose Alves's employ had seduced one of the
girls belonging to the latter, and as the young fellow
had no property of his own, a mucano was pronounced
upon his mother's family, who did possess sometliing
and from whom was demanded in payment of the
offence an ox or other animal by way of deansin</ his
heart. As he gave me the explanation, the old fellow
passed the rugged palm of his huge hand over the part
of his trunk which was supposed to contain that organ,
and I thus learned that there were ways of dealing
with it other than those taught in our European
schools.
After the mucano had thus been decided, I spoke to
him about my journey, which could not, he thought,
be carried into effect with the restricted resources at my
disposal.
I got him to part with a few beads, but when I
broached the subject of carriers, he evaded giving a
direct answer by saying that he knew that Capello and
Ivens were near the Cuanza struggling against an
insufiSciency of men ; but that if they chose to pay him
handsomely there would be no difficulty in arranging
matters to their satisfaction. This, of coui'se, was tanta-
mount to saying that if I paid him well, he would let me
have them too.
I retired — for the first time pitying Cameron at
having been compelled to remain so long in such
undesirable company.
I found vegetation in this part of the Bilie' very much
advanced, and observed in the vicinity of the river Cuito
the same termitic disposition of the ground which I de-
scribed on the banks of the Cutato dos Ganguellas.
As with the carriers who reached me on the 29th,
204 THE KING'S RIFLE.
sent by Yerissimo's brother, Joaquim Giiilherme, I luid
sufficient people to proceed upon my journey, I gave
orders to start on tbe followino; morning.
The powers, however, who preside over mundane
affairs had decreed otherwise.
In tbe afternoon of that day some one or other spread
among my men the same reports as were so fatal at
Belmonte, and the consequence was that many of them
came to me and declared their intention of returning
home.
I used all my eloquence to induce them to follow me,
but few were inclined to listen.
This was the second time in the Bihe that 1
was left without people when on the very eve of my
dej^arture.
A few Bibenos still remained, and I decided upon
getting rid of everything in the way of mere comfort
and abandoning all the provisions I bad with me, so
that with a few more men I might be able to go on.
The difficulty was to get those few more, though I
did not despair of the undertaking. A strange ad-
venture which occurred on the 30th helped to crown
my hopes with success.
A lot of loose characters and deserters, who bad
escaped from the military stations on the coast, sud-
denly appeared in the Bihe'.
One of these worthy, or unworthy citizens called
upon me and pronounced a set speech, which, on
account of the profuse employment of tbe first consonant
in lieu of the seventeenth, and repeated use of terms
only used in my own province, betrayed him as a fellow-
countryman.
Even if tbe style of tbe discourse bad not been that of
a consummate rogue, its essence would have sufficiently
stamped the orator as a villain, with a soul no better
than a sink of rottenness which exhaled, with every
BELMONTE. 205
phrase, more deadly poison tlian any fetid marsh of that
tropical clime.
After counselling me to use the arms and ammuni-
tion at my disposal in a most villainous undertaking, to
which he did me the honour of offering himself as an
associate, he terminated by saying that if I refused his
terms, he would at any cost employ the influence
which he possessed over the natives to compel them to
abandon me and thus render it impossible for me to
take another step in advance.
At the close of this peroration, which my man con-
sidered would be a triumphant argument to secure my
decision, he demanded an immediate reply.
I did not keep him long waiting. Calling my Quim-
])ares I ordered them to seize and tie him up to the
first tree, and then caused to be administered to the
rascal some fifty lashes, tbat we might become better
acquainted with each other, for though I knew him
tlioroughly before he had spoken a dozen words, he had
not had the same opportunity till then of knowing me.
After his flagellation, I made him a little speech in
return for his harangue, wherein I told him he must
consider himself my prisoner during the time we stayed
in the Bihe, and that his daily ration of food should be
accompanied by an equal dose of the lash if he attempted
to escape.
I then called all my people about me, and pointed
out to them that the heart of tliat white man was
blacker than the skin of any bystander.
The news of this act of justice spread like wildfire in
the villages all about, and raised me immensely in the
estimation of the negroes, on whose fears the fellow
had already begun to trade.
On ihe following morning, Sunday, Pombeiros of the
vicinity came to offer me carriers, whom they promised
to produce within three days.
200 THE KING'S RIFLE.
TliGse promises were again and again made, but no
carriers were fortlicoming, so that Ly tlie 5th of June,
being reduced almost to despair, I determined upon
abandoning a lot of baggage and going on with the
remainder.
With this view I called my Pombeiros together and
communicated to them my decision.
We held a long council in which I maintained my
determination, and gave orders for the carriers to ac-
company me to the river Cuito with the baggage I had
decided to part with, in order to cast it into the stream.
This resolution was in fact about to be carried into
execution when Dr. Chacaiombe put in his word and
begged me to defer the fulfilment of my project for
a few days ; he further advised me to hire a certain
number of men in the neighbouring hamlets to transport
the whole of the goods to the Cuanza, and that mean-
while he would make an effort to get what was needed
through a Sova, a friend of his, and would meet me on
the banks of that river.
This advice having been duly discussed and adopted,
I decided upon starting on the 6th and remaining till
the 14th by the Cuanza ; this would allow Chacaiombe
eight clear days, beyond which, as I assured him, I
could not possibly wait.
My Pombeiros displayed the utmost devotion, and
upon a proposal of Miguel's (the elephant-hunter) they
all resolved to shoulder loads themselves, although this
was not only contrary to usage, but inconvenient upon
the march, where they have their own special duties to
attend to.
Having obtained a number of men on hire, I made all
preparations for immediate departure. At the close
of that day my poor patient, the Novo Redondo man
whom I had succoured in Cabir, sunk under his
disease.
BELMONTE. 207
At nine o'clock in the morning of the Gtli of June I
broke up my camp, Laving a lot of natives for temporary
carriers, hired at the rate of a yard of cloth per day.
I travelled eastward, and two hours later camped near
the village of Cassamba.
This place is nestled in the midst of an extensive and
dense forest which seemed a likely place for game, but
where I only succeeded in bringing down a few guinea-
fowl.
On starting the next morning-, the 7th, I was met by
the chief of the Cassamba, who came to pay me his
compliments and offer me an ox as a present.
I excused myself for not making a suitable acknow-
ledgment of his civility then and there, on the ground
of my carriers being on the march, but begged him to
send some of his followers to my new encampment to
receive it at my hands.
After three hours' tramp, having during the two last
traversed extensive marshy plains, I arrived at the left
bank of the river Cuqueima which tliere ran northwards,
being eighty-seven yards wide and ten feet deep, with a
current running at the rate of thirteen yards a minute.
I fitted up my mackintosh boat and succeeded, though
with vast trouble and delay, in effecting a safe passage
to the other side with all the goods and men ; it was a
great achievement of its kind, for the little skiff would
only carry five persons, although the floating power of
its air-chest was considerably superior.
The passage being effected and finding myself on the
right bank on marshy soil, I sent to beg the Sova of the
Gando to allow me the use of some huts for the shelter
of my people during the night.
He came out himself to see me and to place at my
disposal the lonihe of his village, which I accepted and
wlicre I at once took up my lodging.
Shortly after, several negroes made their ajipearance
208
THE KING'S RIFLE.
sent by the ciiief of Cassamba to receive the present T
hud 2:)roraised him, bringing witli them as a token the
assegai of their ruler, which I had seen in his liand that
morning.
It is a custom among these people where written
language is unknown to send some known object by the
bearer of a message, to prevent the possibility of doubt
in respect of the sender.
I of course returned by them the promised gift.
I had a long talk with the Sova lumbi of the Gando,
who was lost in wonderment at everything I had about
me. He gave me a splendid ox and was made happy in
Fig. 28. — Ganguella, Luimba and Loena Women — Method of
SHAPING THE InCISORS.
return with a piece of striped cloth and a few charges
of gunpowder.
Early the following morning we were again afoot, and
two hours afterwards camped about a mile to the west
of the village of Muzinda.
Before leaving I ordered my white prisoner to be
unbound and landed on the opposite bank of the river,
for having crossed the Cuqueima and consequently
being out of the Bihe territory, it was impossible that
lie could do me any harm.
Several women from the village of Muzinda came to
BELMONTE. 209
my encampment ; some among them bad tlieir faces
painted green, there being two transverse stripes across
the head from ear to ear and two others descending
from them, crossing each other between the eyes,
passing along each side the nose and being connected
by another, traced above the upper lip.
The head-dresses of these Ganguella women are
wonderful to behold, many at a certain distance looking
like the bonnet of a European lady.
The wliole of the men I saw had the two front
incisors of the upper jaw cut into a triangular shape,
thus forming a triangular aperture with the vertex
turned towards the gum. This operation is performed
with a knife, which is struck by repeated, slight blows.
One of the natives gave me a sugar-cane six and a
half feet long by half an inch in diameter, and assured
me that the plant was abundant in the neighbourhood.
During our stay a small caravan left Muzinda bound
for the regions beyond the Cuanza to procure wax in
exchange for dried fish of the Cuqueima.
The natives composing the party were almost naked,
their only covering being two scanty skins hanging from
a narrow leathern belt.
The women were even more scantily supplied with
clothing !
I had a visit from the petty chief of Muzinda, who
brought me an ox as a present, which I returned in the
same way as I had done with the Sova lumbi of the
Gando.
On the 9th of June, I camped on the left bank of tlie
river Cuanza, E. N. E. of the village of Liuica. At
that point the Cuanza is a less considerable stream than
the Cuqueima, as its width is 55 yards by G feet deep,
with a current of 16 yards per minute.
Its bed is composed of fine white sand, and the trans-
parency of its waters is noteworthy,
VOL. I. p
210 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
The river winds its serpentine course through a vast
plain from a mile and a half to two miles broad, enclosed
on either side by gentle green slopes clothed with trees.
The plain itself appeared covered with excessively
tall grass and reeds, so thick and stiff that it was difficult
to make a passage through. The soil was more or less
marshy.
As I had to wait there some five days, as agreed
with Dr. Chacaiombe, I at once, on my arrival, or-
dered a far larger encampment to be constructed than
I usually built for merely one night's shelter.
The Sova of Quipembe was the first to pay me a
visit. All the petty chiefs between the Cuqueima and
Cuanza are subject to him, and he is himself a tributary
to the Sova of the Bihe. His subjection is, however,
merely nominal, as he entertains no fear of being
attacked on account of the facility of defending the line
of the Cuqueima, and because the greater portion if not
all the boats upon the stream are owned by the Gan-
guellas.
He brought me a sheep as a gift, excusing himself
for not presenting me with an ox, on the ground of his
village being at so great a distance.
I had also a visit from the petty chief of Liuica, who
offered me an ox.
This chief, a man of comely face and figure, became
quite an habitue of the camp during my stay in the
neighbourhood.
One day, when he had been watching me fire at a
mark and admiring the precision of the aim, his great
herd of oxen happened to pass that way.
I proposed to him, laughingly, that he should give
me an ox if my young black attendant, Pepeca, could
kill it with a bullet.
He looked at the lad and gave his consent.
Pepeca, who was a very tolerable shot, having been
BELMONTE. 211
taught by myself, took his rifle and aiming at a fine
beast that was somewhat separated from the herd,
bronglit it down with i\\Q blow. The Granguellas were
perfectly thunderstruck ; the chief however was as good
as his word, though he had evidently expected a
different termination to the affair. He merely re-
quested me to let him have the skin and a mouthful
of the meat, and gave me up the animal.
The Granguellas between the Cuqueima and Cuanza
are of a different race to the other tribes bearing the
same name ; near the Cuqueima they are called
Luimbas, and near the Cuanza, Loenas.
On the 12th of this month there occurred an ex-
traordinary adventure, which I cannot refrain from
recording here.
I was leaving the camp for a stroll when some of my
negroes came up to me, accompanied by a mulatto,
who was a perfect stranger ; they introduced him as
the chief of a caravan, who begged my permission to
accompany me some distance on the road I was travel-
ling, and allow him meanwhile to take up his quarters
in my encampment, to secure his safety.
I consented to his request, although I own it was
rather against the grain.
That same night I remained up later than usual
talking with my Pombeiros, and seated at the door
of my hut we discussed the probabilities of Dr.
Chacaiombe's success in his undertaking, when I heard
a singular noise in one corner of the camp.
It was as like as possible to the sound of a hammer
on an anvil ; and my curiosity being awakened I de-
spatched my henchman Augusto to discover the cause.
He returned after a few minutes with news that in
the part of the encampment occupied by the Biheno
mulatto who had asked me for shelter, there was a
gang of slaves, arrived that very evening from the Bihe'.
p 2
212 THE KING'S RIFLE.
All my people were then asleep in their huts with
the exception of the three or four Pombeiros who were
keeping me company.
I restrained my anger, which for a moment had
almost got the better of me, and summoned my unin-
vited guest to my presence.
He appeared at once and seated himself near the fire-
place in front of me.
I asked him what was the meaning of that clanking
sound of iron, to which he replied with the utmost
effrontery that they were chaining up some kids which
he was conveying into the interior for sale.
And so, in my own encampment, upon which floated
the Portuguese flag, there was actually a gang of
slaves !
Keeping myself as cool as my nature would permit, I
let the fellow know that he was telling me a lie, and
bade him forthwith to knock off the chains of the
unfortunates he had with him, and deliver them over
to me, free.
This he not only refused to do, but received my
command with a grin of contempt.
I then lost all patience, and my rage, which had been
kept down with immense difficulty from the moment I
learned the character of my guest, now boiled over.
I made a dash at the fellow, seized him by the throat
and drew my knife with the intention of plunging it
into his body, when I became sensible that the muzzles
of two or three guns were within a foot of his head,
and were on the point of being fired by my attendants.
This brought me to my senses, and whereas the moment
before I would have killed the wretch without hesitation,
I now used my efforts to save his life.
The hubbub occasioned by this affair woke uj) all
my men, who came rushing to the spot, and a cry arose
to exterminate the whole Biheno caravan.
BELMONTE. 213
Knowing the ferocity of the negroes when they feel
they have strength on their side, I began to be alarmed
for the lives of the innocent who might be sacrificed
with the guilty.
Of course, with the exception of the Pombeiros who
had been with me since the commencement of the
scene, all were ignorant of the cause of the uproar.
They saw that I was in a tremendous rage, and they
became clamorous for a victim.
I succeeded at last in quelling the tumult and in
. obtaining a hearing.
I then ordered Augiisto to set the slaves free and
bring them before me, together with all the cords and
shackles they could discover in the huts where the poor
creatures were confined.
The shackles were all cast into the Cuanza with the
exception of tliose which I reserved to bind the blacks
who had acted as guards over the poor slaves.
As to the slaves themselves, I told them they might
go wheresoever they pleased, and that I would take
care that the guards should remain bound long enough
to prevent the possibility of their overtaking their late
prisoners. They disappeared in a twinkling with the
exception of one young girl who begged to be allowed
to remain with me, as she did not know where to go.
I may mention that it was not till I broke up my
encampment that I set at liberty the leaders and guards
of that gang of slaves.
The 13th of June came and passed without any news
of my Doctor, and in the evening of that day I dis-
tributed such loads as I was able to do, about eighty-
seven, which I afterwards, with infinite reluctance,
reduced by twelve, and made one heap of those which
were irremediably condemned.
It may be credited that the choice was one of no
little difficulty, and I fancy that one of the hardest nuts
214 THE KING'S EIFLE.
that an explorer has to crack is to choose between such
goods as are positively indispensable and those he can
part with. If not a more difficult, it is at least as stiff
a problem as to discover the mode of determining a
good longitude.
I made up my mind to abandon whatsoever had only
convenience or comfort to recommend it ; to reject
everything in the shape of comestibles for my personal
use, together with part of those I carried for my people,
and several loads of beads given up to me by my late
companions, and which, being purchased in Loanda,
were of prol^lematical value in the interior of the
country where I proposed to penetrate.
If on the morning of the 14th there was no news of
Chacaiombe, the condemned loads were to be destroyed,
some by fire and others by sinking in the Cuanza.
"And why," my readers may perhaps inquire,
" should they be so destroyed ?"
Because the chief of a caravan on his march through
the interior of Africa, where he has to employ carriers,
is bound to destroy and render useless all articles he
may be forced to abandon, and this for two reasons —
one out of respect for his own people ; and the other, for
the natives of the districts he is passing through.
If he once consented that his own carriers should
appropriate as their property any portion of abandoned
goods, there would be a daily falling out of the ranks of
porters, on the plea of illness, as an excuse for making
off with what they had thus acquired, and a perfect
system of robbery and faithlessness would be inaugu-
rated.
On the other hand, if the natives of the country came
to learn that goods were left behind for want of men
to carry them, they would not fail to ply the porters
of any future caravans with unlimited capata, or other
intoxicating drink, so as to incapacitate the men and
BELMONTE. 215
compel the chief of the troop to abandon his property,
which they would not dream of doing if they reaped
no advantage from it, through the system of destroying
all goods which cannot be carried on.
This was a lesson taught me by Silva Porto, and
one that I constantly put in practice.
It fell out therefore that when the 14th day arrived,
and no intelligence came to hand of Dr. Chacaiombe, I
destroyed sixty-one of my loads !
216
THE KINO'S RIFLE.
RAPID RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE.
The annexed Map shows my track from Bengiiella to the Bihe.
I have endeavoured to furnish it with all such details as it was possible,
in a journey of exploration, to collect in the shape of geographical and
topographical data.
Many of the places marked were determined astronomically, and the
intermediate ones were found roughly by the points of the comi:)ass and
projection of the distances gone over, distances that were obtained by the
pedometers and the time employed in traversing them.
The positions of Bengi;ella, Dombe, Quillengues, Ngola and Caconda,
which I have given on the map were fixed by Capello and Ivens, and as I
barely obtained the results of the calculations, I adopted the data as fur-
nished me by Ivens without the initial observations. From Caconda to
the river Cuanza, the positions astronomically determined by myself
appear preceded by such initial observations.
Result of the Observations of Capello and Ivens from the Coast to Caconda.
Names of Places.
Longitude E. of
Greenwich.
Latitude S.
Deflection of
the Needle.
Inclination of
the Needle.
Altitude
in feet.
Beuguella
Dombe Grande .
Quillengues .
Ngola
Cacouda .
/ /;
13 25 20
13 7 45
14 5 3
14 39 1
15 1 51
/ II
12 34 17
12 55 12
14 3 10
14 16 46
13 44
23 30 W.
23 26
23 3
22 30
o /
39 37
39 44
40 40
23
321
2,788
4,506
5,507
Having separated from my companions in Caconda I went on with the
work we had commenced together, but was unable to make any obser-
vations of inclinometer and magnetic force, because the only instruments
we brought out with us for this purpose remained in possession of
Capello.
I shall begin the recital of my labours by the determination of the
geographical co-ordinates from Caconda to the left bank of the Cuanza, to
which point the narrative, closed by the foregoing Chapter, extends.
In the following Table I have endeavoured to condense the necessary
data with a view to verifying the results I set down.
The whole of these observations, calculated in Africa, were recalculated
in London by Mr. Selwyn Sugden, 1st Lieutenant of the Royal Navy of
Great Britain.
RAPID RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE.
2r
p ^^a
"3
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— ' CI !N CI CO CI C) >0
o -t in m CO m CO in in CI to
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-■ c t^ s in o CO t^ 00 un -^o CO — < • • •
"— ici-Hinco in — CI in'-'
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ci-ftomto inin coco —
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218
THE KINO'S BIFLE.
Transit of ISIercury across the Sun on the 6th of May, 1878.
Date.
Place of
lObserTation.
6 May,
1878.
Latitude.
Longi-
tude.
Time by
Chron. to
Time of
Locality.
Mean of 4
Height Later
of Sun. I time of
Errorofspxt Green-
-1' 25". 1 wlch.
Time of , „„^
I8t inner l;°°f-
Contact. I *"«*«•
Mean of 4
In tbe
Chron.
H. H. 8. ' R. M. s.
Belmonte 12 22 m\& 49 24 10 6 50, 74 36 55 3 39 39 11 35 29 16 50 15
I I ! I I i 1
It is •worthy of note that the first longitude I determined in Belmonte
by the clironometer was very near the true one obtained by the transit of
Mercury. This longitude differed likewise but very httle from that
obtained by the eclipse of the 1st satellite of Jupiter on the 23rd of April,
I do not include in this table the numerous observations made to check
the movements of the chronometers, which I propose some day publishing
separately.
The great difference observable between the readings of difi"erent
chronometers proves that it must have arisen from the chronometers
themselves.
As will be remarked, the instrument used by me was the sextant with
the artificial horizon of mercury ; I had no other, as the aba, the only
universal theodolite brought out from Europe, remained in possession of
my companions.
My sextants came, one from Casella of London, reckoning 5," and the
other from Lorieux of Paris, reckoning 30". My azimuth compasses
were manufactured in Berlin, and had belonged to the unfortunate Baron
de Earth.
My chronometers were made by Dent of London, two being algebraic,
and another, marine, which was sent me to the Bihe from Benguella.
The last was an inferior one : but the other two were excellent, more
especially that which I distinguish in the calculations by the letter S.
Many of the altitudes were fixed by the hypsometer, and others by the
aneroid, compared with the hypsometer.
The altitudes are marked upon the map in EngUsh feet.
The Map of the Bihe country, undoubtedly very rough and incomplete,
was drawn up by the compass during my sporting excui'sions ; but even
as it stands it possesses sufficient correctness to enable an opinion to be
formed of the territory.
1 suspend for the moment any further mention of the details of my
maps, in order to give a rapid sketch of the country they represent.
From Benguella to the Dombe, as will be seen, I followed the coast over
calcareous ground which abounded in various mineral ores.
The tract is badly supplied with water during the dry season, and the
valley of the Dombe Grande has scarcely sufficient to render it greatly
productive. Vegetation there without being actually poor, does not
possess that richness which is peculiar to the intertropical countries.
Between Benguella and the Dombe the only drinking water obtainable
is from a small marsh in the Quipupa.
RAPID RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE. 219
The territory is abundant in game, and a great variety of antelopes is
observable, the most common being the Strepsiceros Kudu, the Cephalobus
mer<jens, the Cervicapra hohor, and the Oreus canna. The rocks of car-
bonate of lime which form the orographic system of the Dombe Grande
abound in hyrax, and among the large and splendid plantations of manioc
which cover the plain, great numbers of hystrix find a dwelling ; they are
somewhat larger than the European ones and cause great devastation to
the cultivated grounds. The valley of the Dombe Grande is certainly the
best portion of land in the province of Angola. On the score of salubrity
there is not much to complain of, and the soil is of great fertility. A
seaport, the Cuio, is only a few miles from the best centre of production.
The mountains which frame the valley are full of minerals and have
in many places been worked, but always on a small scale owing to the
want of capital. Both sulphur and copper are to be met with there.
The native population are well-disposed and laborious, at least in so
far as the blacks left to their own devices are ever likely to be.
Between the Dombe and Quillengiies the country is deserted. By
the road we took, water was wanting ; but vegetation, which was poor at
the outset, assumed a most luxurious aspect the nearer we approached
Quillengues.
By following the course of the river Coporolo, there is no deficiency of
water, and I heard it stated that a rich vegetation extends all the way ;
and yet the country in those parts is uninhabited.
On leaving the Dombe the land rises suddenly to a height of 1804 feet,
and a system of mountains commences, running north and south with little
valleys in between. These mountains continue gradually rising, till near
Quillengues their summits attain an elevation of 2950 feet. It is in the
river Canga that the granitic formation begins, and with it a more
abundant vegetation. All the rivers marked upon the map up to
Quillengues are little better than mountain torrents in the rainy season ;
still, in many of them, it is possible to find water in the smnmer by simply
digging holes in their sandy beds. The Coporolo itself is liable to this
condition of poverty.
Quillengues is an extensive and fertile valley, very similar in character
to the Dombe, but naturally of infinitely less value, owing to want of
communication with the coast.
Its population is dense, and on its meadow lands thousands of heads
of cattle, of excellent breed, find abundant pasturage.
The Quillengues are a robust and warlike people, and in the attacks
they make upon the Mundombes, they always come out victorious, which
does not, however, prevent them being vanquished in turn by the people
of the Nano country, who make descents upon their territory and carry
off" cattle and prisoners.
The Quillengues as well as the Dombe tribes are subject to the King of
Portugal, but are not so submissive as the Mundombes.
There is little doubt but that the country of Quillengues has a
prosperous future before it, attainable so soon as easy communications are
opened with the coast, with Huila and Caconda, and a proper administration
governs its aff'airs.
From Quillengues to Caconda the proper track runs through Caluqueme,
220 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
a thickly-peopled territory ; but I selected another one for motives which
I explain in my narrative.
On quitting Qiiillengiies in a S. E. direction the traveller arrives at
the lofty mountain chain of the district, where the ground rises rapidly
to a height of 5725 feet ; the part where I crossed it bears the name of
Mount Quicecua.
There commences the vast and lofty table-land of South Central Africa,
and thence to the Bihe the enormous plain maintains the same altitude,
with the slightest possible depressions in the beds of the rivers, and a
trifling system here and there of isolated mountains.
From this table-land run permanent streams, the first I fell in with
being an afiSuent of the Cunene.
The arboreous vegetation upon this high ground is quite as strong as
at Quillengues, but the herbaceous is richer, if it is pos.sible to be so.
The ground continues granitic and a greater abundance of termites
begin to appear. The only villages that are met with on the road are
Ngola and Catonga, which I have fully described elsewhere.
In Caconda the country is somewhat more undulated, and should be no
less rich and productive than that around Quillengues.
It is cut through by permanent rivers which irrigate it in every direc-
tion : these run into the Catapi, an affluent of the Cunene.
Miasmatic fever is endemical in Caconda, precisely as at Quillengues
and on the coast, but it exhibits a milder character in the former district
and but rarely claims any victims.
As regards climate, Caconda differs essentially from the coast and even
from Quillengues.
Though situated at only 13° 44' from the equator the climate, which
should be excessively hot, is tempered by the enormous height at which
the teiTitory lies ; but it is on that account subject to those sudden
changes between day and night which are prevalent throughout the table-
land. There is a constant struggle going on between the altitude and
latitude, the result of which is, that the dominion of the latter is most
sensibly felt during the day, when a vertical sun darts down its rays of
fire, and the former reigns supreme at night, at an elevation of 1860 feet
above the sea-level.
I remember that Anchieta laughingly observed that one might be
perfectly comfortable in Caconda if an apparatus, in contact with a
thermometer, could be invented to put additional blankets upon one's
bed, while asleep, in proportion as the thermometer descended.
This vast disparity of temperature between the day and night becomes
most sensible when the sun has a northern declination ; as when the orb
is going towards the south of the equator it is much diminished.
I was informed over and over again that all the fruits of Europe are
produced in Caconda, but unfortunately I cannot state the fact of my
own knowledge as I did not fall in with them ; still I have reason to
believe that they might be acclimatised. The potatoes are very good and
abundant, not only in Caconda, but throughont the table-land ; their
transport to Benguella is, however, so difficult under present arrange-
ments, that all the potatoes consumed there are brought from Lisbon.
European potherbs and vegetables are plentiful and good.
HAPID RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE. 221
Near tlie fortress the population is scanty, but at a certain distance it
is dense enough, and is there governed by independent chiefs.
From Caconda to the Bihe the country is very thickly peopled, and if
fewer cattle are raised than on the other side of Caconda, agriculture is
somewhat more attended to.
In the countries of the Nano, Huambo, Sambo, and Moma, the natives
are savage, warlike, and independent.
The land, as will be noticeable by the map, is intersected by various
streams, the waters being drained into three great arteries, the Cunene,
Cubango, and Cuanza.
To the north of the Sambo territory there is a vast tract of waste ground,
called in the country the Enhuna de Ambamba ; this is for the most part
marshy, and is the source of five important streams, two of which run
northwards, and three towards the south.
Of those which flow in a northerly direction, one is the Quebe, which
debouches into the sea at 10'^ 50' S. latitude, near the Tres Pontas, between
Novo Eedondo and Benguella Velha,
This river assumes at the lower part of its course the name of Cuvo.
The other is the Cutato dos Mongoias, which flows northwards and
becomes an affluent of the Cuanza.
The three that run to the south are the Cunene, the Cubango, and the
Cutato dos Ganguellas, which unites with the Cubango.
The most important system of mountains which I met with, was the
chain running from N.E. to S. W., to the north of the country of the
Huambo, from whose slopes spring the Calaeand the Cucuce, which unite
and then flow into the Cunene.
A rough observation made with the aneroid jDroved the summit to be
upwards of 8200 feet above the level of the sea.
By way of exception to my rule not to baptise any rivers or mountains
in Africa, I bestowed upon this chain the name of Andrade Corvo, it being
described in the country merely as the Huambo chain.
I could not discover among the natives any traces of the existence of
other ore than that of iron, by which I do not desire it to be inferred that
there is no other.
The soil is still granitic, and all that can further be said of it is, that in
many places it is of animal formation, being produced by the labours of
termites.
Besides the special disposition which I met with, and remarked upon,
in the termitic ground on the banks of the Cutato dos Ganguellas, there
are four distinct termitic formations, which I presume to belong to four
different species.
The slopes of the Andrade Corvo chain, between the Calao and the
Cucuce, abound with game ; indeed, with the exception of the Zambesi, I
never saw a greater quantity in Africa.
In addition to the antelopes which I before referred to, when speaking
of the Dombe, there are abundance of the Ilippotragus equinus, Catoblepas
taurina and Buhalus differ.
The forests are in great part formed of dicotyledonous trees, with
innumerable species of acacia. Of creeping or climbing plants there are
extremely few.
222 TEE KINO'S RIFLE.
Crossing the divisional lino of the waters between the Cubango and the
Cuanza we enter the Bihe country, certainly the most important in the
south-west part of Central Africa.
This country, whose people I described at length in the foregoing
chapter, is intersected by two im]iortant rivers, although they are un-
navigable, viz. the Cuqueima and the Cuito. Innumerable rivulets
water the land in all directions, and form affluents of these main arteries.
The climate is similar to that of Caconda, and the same atmospheric
conditions are observable in both places.
The soil is granitic, and of wonderfully productive power. The pas-
turage is excellent for sheep and cattle ; the country is poor in game ; but
by way of compensation there are few or no wild beasts.
I do not think it is rich in mineralogical products, inasmuch as, not-
withstanding the density of its population, no vestiges of any rich mineral
ores appear among the people ; which would scarcely be the case if they
existed, as I have ever observed in Africa that the first to discover gold,
copper, lead or iron, were the natives.
3 4
Fig. 29. — Ant-Hills, found between the Coast and the Bihe. 1 and
2 are a few inches above the ground. 3 AND 4 ARE from 3 TO
7 FEET HIGH.
What is really rich in the Bihe is the soil, and I know of no African
country more susceptible of prosperity through agriculture and trade
than that territory.
The European race could reside there in the utmost comfort, and the
offspring of such as have settled in the country, and become connected
with the natives, is physically admirable.
During my stay in Belmonte, I made a careful study of its climatological
conditions ; and more especially during the first month when that per-
tinacious rheumatism contracted during my journey, prevented my quitting
the house, I regularly observed the barometer and thermometer every three
hours during the day.
I exhibit below a Table of those observations over a space of thirty days,
and at the same time remark that the equableness of temperature notable
during the day is owing to the season of the year in which the observa-
tions were made, a season which corresponds to our autumn.
RAPID RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE.
223
The rains fall at two different periods, with an interval of fine weather
between them, occurring in December and January. The first rains
commence about the middle of October, and continue till the beginning of
December ; they are more moderate than the second, which fall from the
end of January to the commencement of March.
The prevalent winds are from the east, and at times they blow very
persistently and strongly from that quarter ; this however is in the dry
season, for during the rains, the heaviest storms I remarked came from
W.S.W. and from the south. The rains are always, and more especially
in February, accompanied by electric meteors, which fall in the midst of
terrible thunderstorms.
The Table below exhibits my observations from the 25th of March to
the 23rd of April, 1878.
Year 1878.
6 o'clock.
u
9 o'clock.
Noon.
3 o'clock.
6 o'clock.
1 . o
£ S S
ki
is
£ fe a fe
O t;
u
o i
afe
Month.
Day.
^ a
^a
«I
«a
|a
«l
ll
H
5-2
March
25
629
•8
19
1
630-5 20-^
I 629-2
22-4
628
-8 23-2
630-0
21-6
26
632
20
1
631-9' 21-5
} 630-8
21
6
629
8 21
5
629
-5
210
;f
27
629
5
19
4
632-0; 19-f
) 629-6
21
628
5 21
3
630
20-6
28
630
19
4
631-6 19-f
) 629-5
20
4
629
22
1
629
21-6
29
630
2
20
6
632-3 20-^
5 630-0
21
6
628
5 22
5
629
2
22-1
30
631
18
3
632-0l 20-e
; 631-0
21
9
630
22
2
629
9
21.3
31
631
19
2
632-3' 20-C
) 631-2
20
9
629
2 21
3
631
20-4
April
1
630
5
18
6
632-0 19-f
630-6
20
4
630
19
9
630
19-8
2
631
17
5
632-0 IS--/
630-0
21
1
629
3 20
2
630
20-2
)9
3
630
18
8
632-5 20-C
630-5
21
•1
630
21
2
629
20-9
4
632
18
6
632-0 20-2
630-0
21
2
629
5 21
6
630
20.7
5
630
18
8
632-0 20-C
630-3
21
1
630
22
629
8
20.1
G
630
17
2
632-3, 19-8
631-0
20
4
630
5 21
7
630
20-2
7
630
17
8
632-0' 19 7
630-5
21
629
22
7
630
21-5
8
629
17
6
632-0 19-8
630-0
21
5
629
5 22
8
630
21-3
9
629
5
18
4
631-5
20-4
631-0
21
8
629
3 22
6
629
8
211
10
631
2
18
1
632-8
20 5
631-5
21
7
629
4 22
4
630
21-5
11
630
5
16
6
631-9 20-2
631-0
21
4
629
5 23
629
8
21-7
12
629
16
4
629-9' 20-1
629-0
21
1
627
22
6
629
21-8
13
628
3
18
2
680-0 20-2
629-6
21
6
629
4 22
3
629
5
21-1
14
629
18
6
631-5 20-4
630-6
22
629
5 23
1
630
21 7
15
631
4
17
2
632-6 19-7
631-0
21
3
630
5 22
4
630
5
20-7
16
630
6
16
1
632-0
190
630-3
21
3
629
22
8
630
20-2
17
632
6
19
4
633-0
20-7
631-0
22
630
22
2
630
20-0
18
631
6
18
632-0 201
630-0
20
4
629
7 22
7
629
9
19-8
19
631
2
17
8
632-2' 20-3
630-6
21
630
1 23
630
5
19-7
20
630
7
16
5
631-9 201
630-4
21
2
630
22
7
630
20-1
21
631
15
6
632-1 17-8
630-3
19
8
629
3 20
6
629
8
19-5
22
630
14
6
632-0 17-1
630-0
19
2
628
7 20
4
629
19-4
)>
23
630-3 14-9
632-0 17-9
630-5
20-0
629-
2 21-3
630-0 20-0
By this series of observations, it will readily be seen how mild is the
climate of the Bihe during this period of the year.
The diurnal advance of the barometer is very remarkable, remaining
unchangeable in presence of the sudden changes in the atmosphere.
224
THE KlKCrS RIFLE.
A meteorological table drawn up at Oh. 43m. of Greenwich, or Ih. 50m. of
the Biho, will complete the atmospheric study of this country during the
period under review.
Meteorological Table made at OL. 43rH. of Greenwich or lb. 50ra. of the Bibe.
u
-^
IZ
a
c Z
Montb.
Day.
S
o <1>
^1
Ther
meter
ll
a
Direction of Wind.
State of the Atmosphere.
March
25
628-7
22-J
) 20-2
40
S.S.W. weak.
fThundor during the
\ night ; to-day sky clear.
))
26
629-6
22-]
L 20-0
2
W.S.W, weak
'Cloudy at night ; fleecy
1 clouds by day.
27
629-1
21-(
) 20-1
31
E. strong
Rain during the night.
91
28
628-8
21-.
} 21-2
Calm . . .
Some clouds and fleece.
29
629-0
22-.
J 21-6
„ . . .
'< » 11
30
630-0
22-(
) 21-0
)) ti )i
31
629-5
21-
5 20-8
E. strong
Cloudy.
April
1
630-5
20-
2 19-4
17
Calm . . .
fCloudy. Timnder at
\ night from the N.W.
2
629-3
19-
3 19-1
E. strong
Some clouds and fleece.
3
630-0
20-
3 19-1
E. moderate .
» )> )>
4
630-3
21-
5 20-2
(}
5
630-5
21-
3 20-6
)> ). >»
^^
6
630-0
21-
1 19-2
\^
» V )t
,,
7
629-3
21-
8 19-7
)l
))
8
628-1
22-
5 19-8
f)
» ?• ))
9
629-6
22-
2 20-6
Calm . . .
•» )» }^
,^
10
629-0
21-
8 19-9
„ . . .
Sky clear.
11
629-8
21-
9 19-8
)? • ' •
>> 11
)t
12
627-8
21-
8 19-8
)i • ' •
Some fleecy clouds.
13
629-5
22-
20-1
Cloudy.
14
630-0
22-
5 20-2
Some fleecy clouds.
))
15
630-5
21-
6 19-6
E. strong
Sky clear.
16
629-8
21-
6 19-7
Calm . . .
Some fleecy clouds.
^,
17
630-0
22-
18-6
E. strong
» I! It
18
630-0
22-
2 20-3
5)
»» 11 11
jj
19
630-4
22-
5 20-1
E. moderate
11 >' ')
^>
20
630-2
22-
20-2
»)
21
629-8
19-
9 15-5
)»
Sky clear.
,j
22
629-6
19-
9 16-1
» )'
'•
23
630-0
20-
5 18-3
E. strong
11 »
The foregoing figures show the results of thirty days' observations, and
I continued the same system during the entire journey, saving only where
interrupted by illness or occasional disturbances.
The land from Belmonte eastward slopes a little down to the Cuqueima
at that part where the river runs from south to north. On the right bank
of the Cuqueima it deviates somewhat in its descent to the valley of the
Cuanza.
In the eastern part of the country, the arboreous vegetation reappears
in all its wealth of foliage, and there are small but dense forests visible
here and there.
RAPID RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE. 225
Tlu'ougliout the vast territory comprised between the Bihe and Ben-
.cnella the tsee-isee or titsee fly, that scourge of so many parts of South
Africa, which by destroying the horse and ox deprives man of two of his
best auxiliaries in pi-actical life, is entirely unknown.
A species of epidemic, called in the country ca/iO);/;'^/,'attacks both cattle
and sheep, but without committing anything like the ravage arising
from similar caiises. noticeable in Europe and other parts of Africa.
The i7or.se sichnesn, which kills so many "animals in the Transvaal and
in the Calaari, does not exist in this territory. Swine seem to prosper
quite as well as in Europe, and the people are able to preserve'the meat
without difficulty, which they cannot do near the sea.
The country as far as the Cuanza, and even beyond that river, is
entirely without salt, all that is used there being brought from the
coast.
There are no mines of rock-salt, and the waters, including those of the
lakes, are all drinkable.
In the foregoing brief summary, I have endeavoured] to condense the
results of my observations, and give a general idea of the country ; I will
now conclude with my brief opinion concerning it.
Placed in a geographical position very different to that of the Trans-
vaal, the tract of territory comprised between the coast and the Bihe
ai^iH-oximates thereto in the way of climate, and possesses a more fertile
soil. A comitarison lietween the samephxnt growing in the two countries
makes this very evident.
It has a native population far more condensed than that of the Trans-
vaal, and infinitely more agricultural. It is not less abundant in good
pasturage, and is richer in woods and forests.
The Transvaal, it is true, possesses great mineral wealth, which is
wanting here, but I am of opinion, notwithstanding, that a more pros-
perous future is in store for this country than for the Transvaal, inas-
much as the latter is isolated from the rest of Africa by arid deserts and
the tsee-tsee fly, while the former is in easy communication with the
other territories of the interior, Avhose natural wealth is jjerhaps greater
than its own.
VOL. I.
22n
THE KING'S RIFLE.
CHAPTER Vll.
AMONG THE OANGUELLAS.
Passage of tlie Cuanza — The Qnimbandos — Tlie Suva Mavanda — Tlic l?iveis
Varea and Oiida— Tree-ferns — Tribulations — Slaves — 'J'lic lliver Cuifo
— The Lucliazes — Emiuration of Quiboeos — Cambuta — 'llie Cuando —
Leopards— The Ambuellas — 'J'lie Sova Moem-Cahenda — Descent of the
liivcr Cubangui — The Quicliobos — Sudden Changes — I start for the
Cucliibi.
Ox tlie 14tli of June, as I had determined, I broke up
my camp, and at ten o'clock commenced the passage
of" the Cuanza, which took a couple of hours.
Fig. 30. — Crossing the Cuanza.
]\Iy mackinto.sh l)oat, purchased in Loudon, did me
AMONG THE OAXGUELLAS.
227
tlie 2:reatest service ; and I had also four canoes wliich
were lent me by the Sova of Liuica,
The passage was effected without the slightest ac-
cident, and by noon I was al)le to continue my journey
which I did in an easterly direction, penetrating into
the country of the Quimbandes. Having passed near
the villages of Muzeu and Caiaio, I encamped at about
two hours' journey E. S. E. of the village near the source
of the Mutanga rivulet, which runs N. W. into the
Cuanza. I noticed that the villages in these parts were
Fig. ol. — QuiMBANDE Man and Woman.
not nearly so strongly fortified as those on the other
side of the Cuanza. The Quimbandes form a confede-
ration, their country being divided into small states
which always combine for the common protection. The
whole of the numerous villages around my camp were
under the sway of the Sova Mavanda, who is himself a
tributary of the Sova of Cuio or Mucuzo, situated on
the banks of the Cuanza but more to the nortliward.
The sight which first struck my attention among
the Quimbandes was the head-dresses of the women, the
most extraordinarv I ever beheld in u'v life. Some
«i 2
228
THE KING'S BIFLE.
arrange tlie liair in such a way that — after it is em-
hellislied with cowries — it looks for all the world like an
European woman's bonnet. Others friz it out, and twist
and turn it, till it wears the aspect of a Roman helmet.
Cowries seem to be profusely lavished in the adorn-
ment of the female head, and white or red coral is also
visible, but not to the extent observable among the
people to the west of the Cuanza.
The hair in these stupendous head-dresses is fixed
with a most nauseous red cosmetic, formed of a resinous
substance reduced to powder and castor-oil.
Castor-oil is prepared in great quantities among these
Fig. 32. — QuiMBAXDE Girls.
people. After extracting the seeds of the Ricinus
communis, they dry them and then reduce them to
powder. This powder, kept for several hours in boiling
water, furnishes the oil, which, when cold, is roughly
separated from the water and preserved in small cala-
bashes.
The oil is not used by the natives as a purgative.
I speedily remarked that the feminine type among
the Quimbandes approaches somewhat to the Caucasian,
and I saw some women who would have been called
pretty if they had not been black.
Immediately upon my arrival I sent a small present
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS. 229
to the Sova Mavanda, who was profuse in his thanks,
although he pressed me further to give him a shirt,
A like request had already been made me by others,
proving a tendency in the direction of body- cover-
ing-
The male natives cover their nakedness with two
aprons of small antelope skins, which tliey suspend
before and behind from a broad belt of ox-hide. The
Sovas alone nse leopard skins. As to the women, they
go almost naked, and a fragment of cloth does duty for
the traditional fig-leaf of our mother Eve.
Early on the following morning some of the chief's
porters came to inform me that the men I was exjDecting
arrived the night before on the other side of the
Cuanza, where they were encamped.
I did not give the slightest credence t^ tlie news,
knowing so well, as I did, the habit of the people to
tell you anything they think may be agreeable to you
in order to extract a reward for the intelligence. Still
I told the messengers, who averred they had seen the
men, that I would suitably reward them if they would
procure me some token from Dr. Chacaiombe assuring
me he was on the track.
That same morning the Sova Mavanda sent certain
envoys to inform me that he was going to set out
immediately to attack a neighbouring village, where one
of his subjects had revolted against his authorit}-, and to
beg me, at the same time, to aid him in his camj)aign.
I of course refused to render him any assistance, but 1
did so in a mode that prevented him feeling angered
at my neutrality.
It was about mid-day when Mavanda's army passed
near my camp.
In front was carried a tricoloured flag, like tliat of
France but with the colours reversed, fluttering from
a lofty staff. Then came two men carrying an
230 THE KTNCrS BIFLE.
enormous powder chest, by means of a rope and pole.
By the way they slionldered it, it was evidently empty.
They were followed by tlie Sova, surrounded by his
grandees or staff, and after them came the army in
single file. There might have been some 600 men
armed wnth bows and arrows, and eight carrying
muskets. A few steps ahead of the flag were a couple
of blacks beating war drums and making the most
horrible noise of which they were capable.
At nightfall the army returned without having liad
an engagement, as the enemy had surrendered at dis-
cretion.
On reaching my camp they did me the honour to
treat me to a sham fight.
The bowmen spread out in one long line having the
flag in the centre, and behind it the powder chest and
the Sova.
This single line, for each man was isolated, gradually
began to surround the imaginary village they were
attacking, and contracted as it grew nearer.
Then, at a given signal by their chief, the soldiers
rushed upon the village, running and bounding in the
air, and uttering at the same time the most frightful
cries to intimidate their adversaries.
"When I thought they were going straight to their
homes to attack their supper, I observed them return to
the position they occupied before the fight, and again col-
lected at the command of their sovereign, they re-entered
the village in the same order in which they had
left it.
Shortly after this exhibition was over the messengers
who had previously called upon me came again to say
they had seen my doctor, but that he would not give
them any token for me. This convinced me that my
suspicions were right, and that there was not a word of
truth in what they had told me.
AMONG THE GANOUELLAS. 231
My encampment began to cause me serious alarm, for
being covered with dry grass it might catch fire at any
moment ,• and as my blacks were often shivering witli
cold they did not calculate the danger, but kept up
enormous fires in the huts.
Between the river Cuqueima and Mavanda and even
beyond, the sugar-cane and cotton plant grow vigo-
rously. The Quimbaudes cultivate cotton, whicli they
spin into threads on which to string cowries and beads.
On the following day the natives again asserted
that the carriers were on the banks of the Cuanza and
could not pass the river for want of canoes.
I resolved to send Augusto thither accompanied by a
Quirnbande guide.
At eleven o'clock an envoy arrived from the Sova to
announce a visit from the latter.
Shortly after, Mavanda arrived surrounded by his
court ; and if he evinced surprise at sight of me, I am
sure I must have done so at sight of him, as he w^as
certainly the biggest man I had ever beheld in my
life. To an enormous height he added a trunk of
truly phenomenal proportions, and was otherwise inor-
dinately fat. Round his huge waist was twisted an old
cloth, from which hung three leopard skins.
Several amulets were dangling from a collar of beads
round his massive throat.
It would seem as if Mavanda^ being big himself,
delighted in things upon a large scale, for he made me
a present of the largest ox I ever saw in Africa.
After the customary compliments he said quite
abruptly that he had come to ask me a favour, which
was, to give liim a " remedy " to save his herds of cattle.
These animals, being sent out to pasture, strayed
away, and not all of them returned to their shelter at
night: but, wandei'ing in the woods, were devoured by
wild l)casts or otherwise disappeared.
232
THE KING'S RIFLE.
I furnished him at once with a remedy in the shape
of a piece of advice, viz. to employ herdsmen who,
instead of allowing the cattle to stray wheresoever
they chose, might lead them to their pasture, and bring
them home again in the evening. This was a new idea
which struck him as not a bad one, and he said
that, although it w\'is contrary to the customs of
the country to watch the herds, still it should be done,
and he would be2:in at once so as to save his beasts.
Fig. 33. — The Bihenos coxstructing Huts in the Encampments.
I show^ed him a barrel-organ, exhibited my rifles,
fired them off before him and observed with amusement
the surprise and wonder depicted on those huge but
good-natured features. He retired in the evening, and
w^e parted mutually pleased with each other.
He was no sooner gone than envoys arrived irom
the Sova Capoco with a letter for me. It furnished me
with news about Chacaiombe, told me he had sent
carriers, and begged me to allow one of his caravans,
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS.
233
that he was desirous of despatching for purposes of
trade to the Zambesi, to travel with me.
This letter decided me upon remaining in my present
quarters for some six or seven days to wait for the
carriers, although I did not even now lay very much
stress upon tlieir arrival, and it was in this sense that
I answered Capoco's epistle.
My resolution being taken, I ordered my encamp-
ment to be reconstructed, and the huts to be covered
with gi'een boughs as a protection against tire.
Fig. o4. — Skeleton of a Hut.
The following morning, tlierefore, there was great
activity in and about the camp, which by noon began
to assume quite a pretty aspect.
It was composed of conical huts made ot the trunks
of trees, each hut measuring ten feet in diameter at the
base by eight feet high.
My own hut, built by the Bihenos with more care
than the others, measured sixteen feet in diameter and
was twelve feet in height.
The encampment was formed by a circular line of
huts, connected by a hedge of thorny trees.
234
TIJI-: KlXrrs L'TFLf-:.
My dwelling occupied the centre, and in front of it
were piled tlie goods. My immediate attendants ar-
ranged tlieir huts all round me and within call.
The labour of constructing the camp was just at an
end when I was informed that some messengers of the
Sova of the Gando wanted to see me. I ordered them
to be shown in, when I immediately recognised in one
of them a grandee of that chief whom I had seen by
his side wdien passing through the country. Tliey
brought me a letter and a parcel which some petty
chief or other had forwarded to the Sova for me.
Fig. 35. — Hut built ix ax hour,
I opened the letter and found it was from my friend
Galvao da Catumbella, accompanied by a little present,
which he had addressed to the Bilie under tlie impres-
sion that I was still there.
The cordial feeling which I had managed to awaken
among the people I had passed through, had produced
a good result, and the letter and packet thus reached
me in safety, passing from hand to hand.
I opened the parcel and found among other things a
box of Malaga raisins, a very welcome gift, as they
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS. 235
lielped to relieve a little the monotony of my already
very poor provisions.
The letter gave me some Em'opean news, the last I
obtained until arriving at Pretoria. The sight of the
lines awakened in me the thought, accompanied by a
great sinking of the heart, of how long and Meary a
period must yet elapse ere I could receive intelligence
about those who were so dear to me, and I laid my head
on my pillow that night with uncomfortable presenti-
ments in respect of their safety.
At daybreak I had notice given me that a small
caravan, commanded by a black, and carrying wax
from the interior, was passing on its way to the Bihe.
I sent for the head-man and requested him to convey a
letter for me to that j)lace, there to deliver it to some-
one who could forward it to Benguella. He agreed,
but asked me to be quick as he intended to sleep that
night beside the Cuqueima.
My time was short, and who should I write to ? I
must not lose the chance offered me by this unexpected
messenger of assuring my loved ones that I was still
alive.
I seized ray pen and traced a few hasty lines to
Doctor Bocage. I enclosed therein two small notes,
one to my wife, the other to Luciano Cordeiro.
The leader of the caravan, who had already become
impatient at the delay, received the letter and de-
parted.
I now know that the packet readied Europe in safety
and was received by the person to whom it was
addressed, but I never learned how it was forwarded
from the Bihe' to Benguella. Doubtless it owed its
safety to the protection and friendship with which I
was honoured by Silva Porto.
The Sova Mavanda passed the day with me, and we
had a long talk. I gave him various little articles, and
23G THE KINO'S lilFLE.
among others a box of lucifer matches, with whicli he
was both astonished and delighted.
AVhen lie retired he said to his macotas^ in a tone
and in words which I have not ceased to remember:
" You see afar off a bird which soars aloft and then
alights upon a distant tree, and you say it is a dove,
then you walk on until you are quite near, and are
astonished at its size, for it is an eagle. Thus it was
with the Manjoro," (a name they bestowed on me)
"when far from our village, we said he was a dove;
now we live with him and know him, we find he is an
eagle ! "
During my rambles in the neighbourhood, pursuing
the antelopes, which were scarce, I drew up the map of
the country, or rather, was able to complete the map
of the territory lying between the Cuqueima and the
Cuanza.
The Sova Mavanda sent to inform me that the
greatest favour I could do him was to give him a pair
of trousers, I resolved to humour him, but having
nothing that could fit those stupendous limbs within
many ells, I called in old Antonio, and much to his
astonishment turned him into a tailor and sent him to
measure his Majesty for the wished-for garment. I
then cut out the pantaloons and set Antonio to work to
stitch them. I cannot say they were a w^onderful fit ;
but they ought to have been big enough, as they took
five3"ardsof wide calico ! The man was a veritable hip-
popotamus, though I must say a very good-tempered one.
On the morning of the 20th, an envoy from the Sova
came to inform me that as it was the time when the
people kept high festival (a species of carnival), his
Majesty, to do me honour, would come to my camp,
masked, and dance before me.
At eight o'clock some of his attendants arrived and a
great concourse of people soon assembled.
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS.
237
Half an hour later the Sova himself appeared, his
head thrust into a huge gourd painted white and black,
and his enormous body made still larger by an osier
frame covered with grass-cloth, likewise painted black
and white.
L
\')..'ho
Map No. 3.
A sort of coat, made of horsehair and the tails of
animals, completed his grotesque attire.
Immediately upon his arrival the men formed them-
selves into a line with the attendants behind, and the
women and girls removed to a distance. The attendants
238
THE KlXCrS lUFLE.
and men, with npriglit and motionless bodies, then began
a monotonous cliaiit wliich tliey accompanied by clap-
ping tlit'ir Lands.
His Majesty took uj) Lis station about thirty paces in
front of the line and began an
extraordinary performance,
therein he acted the part of a
wild beast torn with rage, and
jumped and capered about amidst
the utmost applause from his own
people and mine. This lasted
half an hour, at the end of which
time he ran off at full speed,
followed by his men. He re-
appeared shortly after and re-
turned TO my camp, in his ordin-
ary attire, and passed the rest of
the day with me. Decidedly 1
had succeeded in winning his
good graces.
I had utilised all the time I
could spare from my labours hy
rearranging tliQ baggage so as to
Fig. 37. — QuiMiiANDE Wo- diminish, if possible, the number
MAX CAHUYING HER LOAD. f- n 11 rm l t
01 the loads. ihe goods I
})ossessed were of tlie most moderate quantity and my
entire monetary riches consisted of a sack of cowries
and of the beads I had purchased of Jose' Alves^ but the
cost of maintaining my people was great, and I saw,
with no little alarm, the diminution of my little store.
Game was scarce in the country and small, and with
the exception of a few gazelles {Cervicapra holior), it
w^as of little or no account.
How often did not the miserable little heap of goods
and beads awaken in me the direst anxiety !
How often did not a shudder of pain and alarm run
~>vV^
AMONG THE GANOUELLAS. 239
tlirougli me as tlie g'loom hanging over my future
fate lowered upon my brain !
How often were not the affectionate caresses of my
pet-goat Cora, and the chattering attentions of my
tame parrot, who flew upon my shoulder to obtain a
kindly word, left unheeded !
And yet, just as often, a boundless faith in the work
I had in hand would fall upon my aching heart like a
balm and banish for the time all anxiety from my
mind.
Cold reason would occasionally step in and treat as
baseless the rays of hope which were so warm and
flattering ; but they would not be extinguished, let
reason argue as it would, but burned the brighter for
tlie attempt to destroy them.
They are indescribable moments, these struggles of the
mind, in the man who stands thus isolated ; who is
himself the pro and contra of his own ideas, who has
no friend by him with whom to exchange his thoughts
or from whom to obtain a word of sympathy in suffer-
in 2: and sorrow.
In my youth I had my loves and hates, and with
them the pains and heart-burnings that follow in their
train — I was a father and saw a daughter I adored pass
away from my encircling arms ; but never in the past
did I feel such an utter void, so deep a depression, as
often fell upon me during this African journey !
Alone ! perfectly alone as I was in the midst of an
ignorant and brawling multitude, whose language and
modes of thought were unknown to me, I would some-
times brood until fever and sickness fell upon me, if
it were not the approach of those frightful visitants
which caused the gloom in my mind.
I do not reckon as suflering the hunger, the sickness,
the utter discomfort which assail the explorer in regions
like the>ie. Man is, and jshould be superior to their
240
THE KING'S niFLE.
assaults. The real suffering is doubt and uncertainty ;
the not knowing- liow he is to cross the abyss which
reason tells him is haply yawning in his path. The
real suffering is to see a band of devoted followers
accompanying him blindly, and under the persuasion
that he who leads will conduct them in safety, walking
with him perchance to utter destruction. The real
suffering is the tremendous responsibility with which
his mission has weighted him. If I were not uiiwill-
^c 1 2
Fig. 38.
1. Pipe. 2, 2. Knives. 3, 3. Tomahawks.
ing that my detractors should experience a little of the
pangs of hunger and thirst, of annoyances and priva-
tions I had to undergo, I would not have the bitterest
of them suffer a thousandth part of the moral torture I
myself endured — although it is true that to suffer as
I did, a man must not be devoid of sensibility, heart
and conscience.
It was under the influence of the feelings I have
thus attempted to describe that I traced those lines to
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS. 241
Dr. Bocage, and I greatly doubt whether he considered
my letter a cheerful one.
Let me, however, cast aside these reflections, which I
fear may not prove very interesting to my readers, and
resume the thread of my narrative.
The Quimbandes manufacture various articles of iron
and wood in a much more workmanlike manner than
the inhabitants west of the Cuanza.
The cold at night was very severe and the difference
between the maximums and minimums very great.
Notwithstanding the letter I received from the Sova
Capoco, I did not give much heed to the promise about
carriers or greatly expect the return of my doctor,
Chacaiombe. I therefore still continued reducing the
loads as much as possible, which could only be done by
breaking up some and stuffing their contents into the
others. But this, of course, had a Hmit, the limit of
weight the men could carry.
We reached the 22nd of June, the day on which the
time I had decided upon waiting for Capoco's carriers
exjjired.
My anxiety was great and I appreciated to the full
the troubles dwelt upon by former explorers in having
to abandon things which were absohitely necessary,
not merely for their comfort but almost for their sub-
sistence.
This question of choice is a very serious one, when
every single thing appears indispensable.
As I have before mentioned, 1 parted long ago with
everything intended for my mere convenience, and the
few tins of meat which remained I gave to my young
negroes as the readiest way of getting rid of them.
My carriers, seeing the difficulty I was in, offered to
carry the very maximum weight they could tramp
imder ; but even this unexpected zeal would not suffice
to convey the whole of my store, for after all reductions
VOL. I. K
242 THE KING'S RIFLE. . '
and redistribution of loads, there were four of the latter
without porters.
Two of them contained the mackintosh boat, the
third a barrel of aguardente, and the last, fifty pounds
of gunpowder.
I resolved, with infinite regret, to abandon the boat,
and then to ask the Sova Mavanda for a couple of men
to convey tlie powder and spirit from encampment
to encampment until two of my porters should have
got rid of their loads; which would not be long first,
considering the rate at which tlie stores were being
consumed.
The Sova took charge of the boat and gave me the
two men I asked for, and all preparations were made to
leave next day.
In accordance with this arrangement I broke up my
camp on the 23rd at eight o'clock, and after 3^ hours'
march arrived on the left bank of the river Varea,
which I crossed on a tolerable timber bridge.
The petty chief of Divindica, a hamlet situated on
the left bank of the Yarea, at the confluence of the
Maconco rivulet, put in a claim for toll for crossing the
bridge, which I satisfied by the payment of four yards
of trade cloth.
The river Yarea there runs towards the north, and
flows into the Cuime. Its width is 27 yards, and depth
6 feet with but little current, as there are no cataracts
near Divindica. I marked as about a mile to the south
the villages of Moariro and Moaringonga.
I then travelled eastward, camping at 2 p.m. on the
left bank of the river Onda, opposite the large village
of Cabango, the capital of the East Quimbandes tribes.
I had with me two bottles of 1815 port, the re-
mainder of a present made me by my friend E. Borges
de Castro, and just as we reached the spot where we
proposed encamping, the young nigger Moero, under
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS. 243
whose care they were, stumbled and fell, breaking one
of the bottles in the act. Imagine my dismay at
beholding the precious nectar colouring the ground,
without my being able to taste a single drop !
From ^lavanda to the sources of tlie Moconco, whose
course I followed until its confluence with the Yarea,
the trees are perfectly splendid, and the summits of the
lofty hills which border the rivulet are very richly
wooded. Beyond the Yarea the wealth of vegetation
is, if possible, even greater.
From the time of leaving the Cuanza I heard the
river Cuime spoken of as the largest stream in the
Qnimbandes territory, an assertion that was confirmed
by the important affluents it received, and which
raised in me a great desire to inspect it with my own
eyes.
From the Cuanza eastward the country presents a
very different aspect to that which was observable on
the other side. The landscapes are more picturesque
and do not exhibit the monotony of the Bihe. The
rivers and rivulets dig deeper beds for their waters,
and the irregularities of the ground are more sensible.
Tlie banks of the streams, whether large or small,
appear, beyond tlie limits of high- water mark, covered
with fine trees, while shrubs and underwood form
almost impassable barriers in the forests.
In the east part of the Quimbandes territory the
population begins to thin. The Sova of Cabango is
also a tributary to him of" the Cuio or Mucuzo.
The customs of these people are simihir to those of
the Bihenos, saving in the matter of activity, which
among the Quimbandes is changed for the most shame-
ful sloth. They go almost naked, do no work, under-
take no journeys, and carry on no trade.
There are but few fire-arms among them, as they
have no means with which to purchase them. They
i; 2
244 THE KING'S RIFLE.
gather a little wax, which the Baihmdos take from them
in exchange for cowries and beads, but the barter is
effected upon tlie smallest possible scale.
The ground is cultivated by the women, and its
production is rich. I remarked that manioc and giji-
fjerha were most prevalent in the plantations.
This country ought to receive particular attention.
Bordered by navigable rivers which flow into a large
navigable tract of the Cuanza, with a magnificent
climate and most fertile soil, where cotton and the
sugar-cane, cereals and grass for pasturage, flourish in
equal abundance and perfection, inhabited by a people
easily subjected, it is in the very best condition for
rapid development.
On the 24th of June I crossed the river Onda and
encamped on the right bank tliree miles distant from
my last resting-place.
The river Onda at Cabango is about 16 yards wide
by IG feet deep, and runs from the east to the N.W.
to flow into the Varea.
After determining the position of my encampment, I
took a stroll up the river and met with a good deal of
game. I found that above Cabango the Onda speedily
narrows to 11 yards, but has a depth of 18 feet with
a current of 11 yards per minute; a current, be it
remarlced, which extends to the very bottom, as I dis-
covered, not only by sounding, but by the inclination
of the plants growing there ; which was easily visible
on account of the crystalline clearness of the waters
and the fine white sand forming the river bed.
I saw but one kind of fish in this river, to which
the natives give the name of Ditassoa ; it is not unplea-
sant eating.
While walking on the river banks I perceived at a
distance a group of trees which stood out in fine relief
from the landscape and which I took to be palms ; on a
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS. 245
nearer approach, however, I recognised them as most
beautiful specimens of the Fetus arboreos or tree fern.
The banks of the Onda are cut vertically and there
is the same depth of water at the sides as there is in
the middle. It is navigable like the others before
mentioned, and tlierefore presents another natural road-
way through this superb country.
On returning to camp an agreeable surprise awaited
me, for Dr. Chacaiombe was the first person who met
me at the entrance.
I was the more pleased to see him, as his disappear-
ance was one of the black clouds which helped to make
parts of my journey so gloomy.
Kio;. 39.— PiTAssoA — Fish of the 1!ivek Onda.
I have frequently spoken about Dr. Chacaiombe, and
never explained to my readers who he was.
He was the diviner who, it may be remembered,
predicted such agreeable things in respect of my future
fate, when I was temporarily staying in the lioiise of
the Captain of the Quingue's son.
Uniting in his own proper person the functions of
medicine-man and diviner, he had come, unsolicited, to
attach himself to my staff when in the Bihc, and had
never left me until he started on the mission to obtain
carriers from Capoco, and whence I thought he never
intended to return.
After many words of compliment, Chacaiombe in-
formed me that carriers would arrive within a couple
of days, so I resolved to wait for them.
246
THE KING'S BIFLE.
My man Augusto then communicated that the Sova
of Cabango had been to pay me a visit, and had gone
away much annoyed at not finding me.
I at once despatched my pombeiro, Chaquiconde, to
his Majesty with a request for a couple of men to be
Y\%. 40. — Thee-Ferns on the Banks of the Onda.
sent to Mavanda to fetch the boat I had left behind,
much to my own sorrow and that of my people, who
appreciated the services it had rendered us in crossing
the Cuqueima and the Cuanza.
This done, T dried myself thoroughly at the fire
AMONG THE OANOUELLAS.
247
(having arrived very wet from the river), as I remem-
bered with a shudder m}^ frightful attack of rheumatism
in the Bihe.
The following morning, early, I went out to seek for
game, directing my steps northward, where the country
was covered with dense forest. After a walk of some
eight miles, I fell in with the river Cuime just below its
great cataract. I then turned back, and did not reach
Fig. 41. — Cabango Woman's Head-Dress.
the camp before uight, M'hen I was regularly fngged
out. My sport, however, had been good, and I had seen
the river I so ardently desired to behold, so I soon
forgot my fatigue. The stieam is certainly a very
important one, and, if I am to believe the natives, it is
navigable from the great cataract to the Ouanza.
Next day I again explored the Onda, and was greatly
surprised at the appearance of a hamlet which I descried
at a distance on its banks. On a nearer approach I
248
THE KING'S RIFLE.
found that what I took for negro habitations were no
other tliaii tlie residences of white ants {termites),
collected in considerable groups, with conical tops and
having all the appearance, seen afar off, of native huts.
On getting back to camp I found the Sova of Cabango,
who had just arrived with a suite of sixty men and a
great many women.
Fig. 42. — Cabango Man.
Though in almost a complete state of nudity of body,
they were extraordinarily dressed about the head.
The head-dresses were infinite in variety, in fact w^ere
true works of art, and have a technology of their own.
The hair w^orn by the women, frizzed into the shape
of a Roman helmet is called tronda, and that which falls
in braids on each side of the head is styled cahengue.
The male head-dresses, on the other hand, are known
under the designation of sanica.
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS.
249
The Sova offered me an ox, which T returned in a
fashion that seemed perfectly to satisfy him.
On that same day the carriers from Capoco arrived ;
they were but four, it is true, but four were then
enough, two being required for the boat and two others
to help carry the heavier loads.
Fig. 43. — Cabango Man.
In the evening my negroes and those of the locality
had a jollification, which lasted amid great uproar until
})ast ten.
The cold that night was intense, and the thermometer
registered at 3.30 a.m. 0° F. The inequality between
the maximum and minimum was most extraordinary,
and the dryness of the atmosphere extreme, as my
meteorological records show.
The Sova paid me another visit and furnished me
2.30 THE KINO'S BIFLE.
witli scraps of infbrination about tlio eouiitiy. He
stated that lie did not recognise tlie sovereignty of the
Sova of Cuio or Miicuzo, but considered himself inde-
pendent.
There is a good deal of wax about the woods, and the
Bailundos come to seek it in exchange for cowries and
beads. The natives work in iron and make large
hatchets, balls and knives, but their war hatchets,
arrows and assegais, are obtained from the Luchazes and
their spades from the Ganguellns, Nliembas and Gon-
zellos.
I discovered that the Sova, whose name was Cha-
quiunde, was rather loose in his principles and did
not adhere very strictly to the truth when it suited his
])urpose to act otherwise. After another long talk
with me, he pretended that he was entitled to a variety
of things on the ground of another ox he had given me,
which was a pure invention. I saw myself under the
necessity of desiring him to leave my encampment ;
when observing my firmness he changed his tone, and
sought to excuse his want of faith by alleging that
his Macotas had put him up to the ruse v/ith the idea
of dividing among themselves whatever could be got
out of me.
Fortunately, about this time, the two Quimbandes
arrived with the boat, and I made up my mind to start
next day, tlie 28th.
This resolve I carried out, but not so early as I
intended, as the thermometer at 6 am. was only two
degrees above zero and piercingly cold. I therefore
broke up my camp at 8, and after nearly three hours'
walk in an E.S.E. direction I stopped again on the
banks of the river Onda.
Our marches were of necessity short ones on account
of my carriers being so heavily laden.
The ground from the river Yarea to that point was
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS. 251
covered with a layer of sand, the subsoil being formed
of stiff clay varying in colour from a dirty white to
ash grey.
Near the bed of the Onda the soil appeared to be
composed of a thick layer of mould, resting upon the
same subsoil of grey clay. Beside the river I observed
a few ant-hills which were cobalt blue in colour.
The open ground w^as inhabited by a different species
of ants (termite.^) to that which was located in the
forests. The former constructed hills with rounded tops,
exhibiting the appearance of stumps of trees covered
with hemispherical cupola, being from thirty-two to
forty inches in diameter at the base by about the
same in height. In the forests, on the other hand, they
are true cones from two to three inches in diameter at
the base, and from ten to twelve inches high.
Being very close together, they have a resemblance
to a fence of thorns, stuck into the ground.
These forest ants evidently use in the construction
of their dwellings the first material which comes to
hand, as the mould forming the surface soil of the
woods appears to be that selected, and notwithstanding
the cement employed in the fabric, the mounds have
not that tenacity and durability noticeable in the hills
raised by the ants of tlie open ground. The latter
employ the stiffest clay, and the consequence is, their
habitations are nearly as hard as stone. In fact, so
strong are they that, though the interior is honey-
combed like a bee-hive, a Snider bullet will not
penetrate deeper into them than four or five inches.
As I before observed, on the banks of the Onda
these ants crowd their hills into limited spaces, and they
have, at a distance, a remarkable resemblance to Quim-
Ijandes villages.
For upwards of an hour after leaving the encamp-
ment I strolled along the liver upon open ground,
252 TT1E KTNCrS BIFLE.
but I then came upon a splendid forest, tlirougli which
ran several brooks, affluents of the Onda.
At times the forest assumed the aspect of one of
those extensive English parks where the ground was
completely clothed with a soft green turf. I wandered
on and on, until at length my steps were arrested as if
by magic, while my eyes contemplated with delight one
of the most charming prospects they had ever beheld.
Before me lay in perfect repose a lake of crystalline
water, whose bed of fine sand was visible at a consider-
able depth. Enormous trees springing from the borders
of the lake formed an appropriate frame, while the rich,
deep green of the foliage, reflected to the smallest bough
on the placid surface of the water, greatly enhanced
the beauty of the landscape. The green turf to which
I have alluded ceased only at the water's edge, and
hundreds of birds chirped and twittered amid the
dense foliage, and at times skimmed rapidly over the lake.
The natives of the country, who are not much given
to poetry or sentiment, are nevertheless sensible of the
extreme loveliness of this spot, and call the sheet of
water — of which they had frequently spoken to me —
by the name of Lake Liguri.
All the rivulets in this territory have marshy banks,
and I constantly observed in the stagnant water a red
deposit which I at first attributed to the presence of
iron, but afterwards discovered that it must be an
error, as the green tea made with the water gave no
evidence, by the formation of tannate of iron, of the
presence of that substance. No doubt the red colour
is due to an accumulation of infusory animalcula.
I further observed on my way hither from the Bilie,
that all those places which have stagnant water abound
in leeches, and that these creatures were still more
abundant in the little pools collected beside the affluents
of the Onda.
AMONG THE GANOUELLAS.
253
The river continued to be between 11 and 13 yards
broad with a depth of 13 to 16 feet, without any very
sensible current. Its banks contained a large quantity
of game.
On the following day I travelled S.E., still upon the
right bank of the Onda, for a space of three hours,
forcing a passage with some difficulty through a dense
forest, and wading with even greater difficulty, on
account of the slimy nature of its bed, through the
Fig. 44. — Lake LiGURf.
Cobongo rivulet — 13 feet wide by 3 deep. After some
three more hours I got tired of the Onda, and on
meeting another little affluent, the Cangombo, kept
along its edge for some distance, then crossed it and
encamped on the left bank of a third rivulet, the
Bitovo.
On the 30th of June I continued my journey east-
ward on the bank of the Bitovo, traversed some miles
of forest, and then reached the valley of the Chiconde, a
254 THE KING'S lUFLE.
rivulet whose course I followed till I reaclied the Cuito,
where I camped. I was much moved on falling in with
the Chiconde to observe its waters runiiino' rapidly
towards the river Cuito, for until then I had only met
with streams which ran towards the Atlantic; and their
waters, whose ripple and rush had so often lulled me to
sleep, were, so to speak, a tie which still bound me
to my dear country, as they emptied themselves into
the same ocean which bathed the shores of my native
Portugal. Could those waters only have conveyed the
sighs and whispered words that were uttered over
them, how many tender messages would they not have
carried to my dear ones !
On leaving the Bitovo, that tie whicli united me to
the Western Coast was snapped, and Heaven only
knew whether it would again be joined. That very
day a year had passed since 1 bade farewell to my dear
old father ; and how vividly did I not i^emember his
parting words and the expression of his fears that we
were bidding each other an eternal adieu !
My camp was next pitched in the country of the
Luchazes, the Quimbandes being left behind me when
I quitted the Bitovo.
Several men and women from the village on the
right bank uf the Cuito came into camp ; but they
brought nothing with them for sale, and we wanted
food. They promised, however, next day to let us have
some canary-seed, as it appeared they did not grow
either Indian corn or massambala.
They cultivate in their fields, canary- seed {luassango),
a little manioc, beans, castor and cotton, but all upon a
small scale ; indeed, barely necessary for the consump-
tion of the growers.
They collect a good deal of wax about the forest,
from the hives built in the trees where the bees swarm.
This wax they barter for dried fish from the Cuanza,
A3I0NG THE QANGUELLAS.
255
wliich the Quimbandes bring- over, as their own river,
the Cuito, apparently produces no fish.
The Luchazes are Httle given to travelling, and
rarely leave their villages except to hunt the antelopes
for the sake of their skins. Their field work is carried
on by both men and women.
The petty chief who governs the sparse hamlets on
the borders of the river Cuito is the Moena-Calengo,
who pays tribute to another chief, Moena-Mutemba, the
Fig 45. — A LucHAZE of the Bakks of the Uiver Cuito.
situation of whose village I could not precisely ascer-
tain.
The Luchazes work in iron and produce all such
implements as they reqnire. Iron is to be found within
the country.
One thing particularly struck me among these
barbarians, viz. the use of tinder to procure fire, by
means of a flint and steel. The flints are imported
by the Quibocos or Quioco.s, and exchanged fur wax,
256
THE KING'S MIFLE.
and tlie steels are maiinfactured by themselves out of
wrought iron, tempered by cold water into which they
are thrown while the metal is red-hot. The tinder is
prepared from cotton mixed with the kernel contained
in the stone of a fruit called micha, well crushed.
The Luchazes women use baskets of a different kind
to tliose employed by the Quimbandes, and carry them
differently, inasmuch as they are suspended from their
heads by a broad strip of the bark of a tree, and fall
upon their backs. This mode of disposing of their
Fig. 46. — Tinder- Box,. Flint and Steel.
baskets prevents them carrying their children in the
mode generally in use in Africa, upon their shoulders,
so that the little ones are slung by their sides.
On the morning of the following day, several women
came to offer us some canary-seed {inassango), but in
such small quantities that it rather aggravated than
appeased our hunger.
The river Cuito, at the point where I crossed it,
is 23 feet wide by 3 deep, and has a current of 82 feet
per minute.
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS.
257
It is an afHnent of the Cubango, and at its confluence
stands the important village of Darico.
It takes its rise in the table-land of Cangala, at no
great distance from the sources of the Cuime and
Cuiba (affluents of the Cuanza), and that of the Lungo-
e-ungo, an affluent of the Zambesi.
Being unable to procure provisions, I resolved to go
forward, and while giving orders to break up the
Fi?. 47. — A LucHAZE Woman on the Road.
encampment, a gang of female slaves, conducted by
three negroes, arrived on the banks of the Cuito.
I seized the three blacks, and had the poor creatures
set at liberty. When they were assembled in my camp,
I informed them that they were free, and that if they
chose to join my company, I would find means ot
sending them on to Benguella.
I assured them they liad notliing more to fear from
vor I. s
258 rilE KING'S RIFLE.
their guards, and that they were quite at hberty to act
as they pleased. To my astonishment, they one and all
declared that they did not desire my protection, but
wished to continue their course, which I had interrupted.
AVhence came they ? None could furnish me with an
intelligible reply. What then was to be done ? I felt
a natural repugnance to take them with me against
their own will ; so, after due deliberation, I resolved to
let the poor women follo\y the sad fate, which they
had the means, but lacked the inclination, to escape.
And after all, would they have been better off if they
had followed me? It is no easy matter, whatever
people may think of it in Europe, to set a gang of
slaves at liberty when the operation has to be performed
at a distance from European dominion and influence. A
batch of slaves consists of natives of different districts,
som.e of which are exceedingly remote. If he who sets
them at liberty is desirous of restoring them to their
families, he will have to traverse a great part of
Africa in search of the homes of his protege's, which is
practically impossible.
To abandon them after giving them their freedom is
tantamount to delivering them up as a prey to the
first tribe which they fall in with.
It frequently happens that these unfortunates, carried
off from their villages in tender years, lose all recollec-
tion of the place where they were born, and learning to
speak a language different to that which they babbled
in childhood, end by adopting as their country the land
of their slavery, and, in fact, know no other.
Nowadays, that the English and Portuguese vessels
of war are cruising in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans,
the exportation of human cargoes is considerably im-
peded ; slavery constitutes an object of barter solely in
;the interior, and the system of the infamous trade is
Iconsiderably modified.
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS. 259
A slave, for instance, appears in Africa under two
guises : either as a prisoner of war, or in payment of a
debt due from the parents.
In former times wars were waged for the express
purpose of making prisoners and converting them into
slaves, nor has the system, unhappily, quite worn out
at the present day.
A human creature given by an impecunious parent
in payment of a debt contracted or of a fine levied, is
common enough.
Where wars occurred in the olden time, every
prisoner became a slave, and it was not easy for him,
even as an adult, to return to Africa after being once
landed on the American coast. The Atlantic Ocean
formed a pretty safe barrier.
Those same adults, as being capable of doing mucb
more work, were always preferred to mere youths and
children.
But it is not so to-day. A grown man takes to
flight, and has ever in his mind the thought of returning
to the nest whence he has been dragged, and this hope
never abandons him so long as he treads the soil of
tlie continent on which his country lies. As a negro
himself said to me : — " thei/ are alicays running awayT
A child, a youth and a woman offer far greater
security to the owner, for being more irresolute of spirit,
they do not dare face the thought of crossing vast tracts
of country to arrive at their own.
It consequently happens that at the present time, in
South Central Africa, a child and a woman have greater
value, and in the gangs of unhappy creatures who drag
tlicir cruel irons across the African soil, it is a rare thing
to find a full-grown man,
England, Portugal and France have, of late years,
vied with each other in making war upon this trade in
human flesh, and the change that time has brought
s 2
260 THE KING'S BIFLE.
about upon the American continent has aided very
considerably in diminishing tlie horrible traffic and, as
a matter of course, in essentially modifying its condition,
in Central Africa.
Nevertheless I will venture to assert that it is not
this generation or the next that will see the slave
disappear from the African soil.
The same principle that was formerly dominant in
America of using sLives as colonists exists, and will exist
for a long time to come in Africa.
Negro governments have likewise their colonising
policy, and we do not possess between them and the
places whence the slaves are derived a " silver streak "
whereon to float our squadrons and lend these poor
creatures the protection of batteries of steel. It is only
by the aid of a wide-spread civilisation that we may
hope one day to see the end of slavery, but unhappily
lliat day is, as yet, far distant, because the arguments
that have been hitherto used have been found far less
eloquent and persuasive than rifled shot have proved
in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
I am myself of opinion that the abolition of slavery
in the interior of South Central Africa will only become
an accomplished fact when polygamy ceases to exist
among the blacks, for although the princi^oles of civili-
sation may do away with slavery as an institution, the
brutal sensuality of the negro will retain the female slave.
I do not wish it to be inferred from this that I would
treat as useless any efforts that may be made to put
down this most shameful trade. I want merely to
point out the difficulty, as I consider it, of its complete
annihilation. The subject, however, is leading me away
from matters of more immediate interest. So I resume
my narrative.
I mentioned that the girls did not care to be set free,
and were therefore allowed to follow their leaders.
AMONG THE GANOUELLAS. 261
I also prepared for my departure, compelled thereto
more especially by the necessities of the stomach, which
ill journeys of exploration are just as imperious, and in
fact even more so than geographical societies.
I therefore set out in an easterly direction, and after
a two hours' march sighted a village and pitched my
camp on the banks of a rivulet close up to it. I learned
that both rivulet and village bore the name of Bembe.
When the work of cutting down the wood for our
encampment commenced, I saw a sudden commotion
among my blacks, who then took to their heels in every
direction. Not understanding the cause of their panic,
I immediately proceeded to the spot to make inquiries.
On the very place which I had selected for my camp,
appeared issuing from the earth millions of that terrible
ant called by the Bihenos quissonde, and it was the
sight of these formidable creatures which scattered my
men. The quissonde ant is one of the most redoubtable
wild bea.'fts of the African continent. The natives say it
will even attack and kill an elephant, by swarming into
his trunk and ears. It is an enemy which, from its
countless numbers, it is quite vain to attack, and the
only safety is to be found in flight. The length of the
quissonde is about the eighth of an inch ; its colour is a
light chestnut, which glistens in the sun.
The mandibles of this fierce hymenopter are of great
strength and utterly disproportioned to the size of the
trunk. It bites severely, and little streams of blood
issue from the wounds it makes.
The chiefs of these terrible warriors lead their
compact phalanxes to great distances and attack any
animal they find upon the way.
On more than one occasion during my journey I had
to flee from the presence of these dreadful insects.
Occasionally upon my road I have seen hundreds of
them, apparently crushed beneath the foot, get up and
262 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
continue their march, at firist somewhat slowly, but
after a time with their customaiy speed, so great is
their vitality.
It will not be out of place here to say a few words
about some other African ants of a more ordinary kind
than the quissonde.
One is a black ant, only half the length of the
quissonde, but, like the latter, armed with powerful
mandibles. The Bihenos call it the olunginge. It is
the sworn enemy of the termites, against which it wages
the fiercest wars, and generally comes off victorious,
notwithstanding the smallness of its size.
Tliese little ants are, how^ever, a positive benefit to the
natives, owing to the enormous havoc they make among
the larva3, nymphoe and eggs of the termites.
In certain places I foimd in the dwellings of the
termites a large quantity of giant ants, some of which
measured five-eighths of an inch in length_, and which
prey upon the abundant neuroptera of South Africa.
These ants, as I presumed, being but little given to
build houses for themselves, take up their lodging with
their more industrious neighbours.
None of these insects, with the exception of the
quissonde, will attack man, but the latter will do so
always, with the result of putting him to flight, as
my carriers were ignominiously forced to do on the
banks of the Bembe.
I had therefore to seek out another spot, as far
removed as possible from the former one, on which to
pitch my camp.
Some messengers whom I had despatched to the
village of Bembe returned with the unpleasant news
that the petty chief of tlie place had given orders to
his people to sell me no provisions.
We were all beginning to feel the cravings of hunger ;
game there was none, and our entire food during the
AMONG THE QANGUELLAS. 263
day had been a handful or so of massango, which
fell to each of us in the division I made of what was
obtained on the banks of the river Cuito.
The country in which we now stood was completely
unknown -to all of us, and as the natives without excep-
tion gave us a wide berth, we had no means of removing
our ignorance.
I called my pombeiros together, and pointed out to
them the absolute necessity of pushing ahead next day,
in the hope of reaching a more hospitable region.
They agreed with me as to the necessity of doing so,
and resolved to urge on their men as much as possible ;
no easy matter, however, on account of their being
weakened through insufficiency of food. For the last
two days I had observed vestiges of the country having
been at one time exceedingly populous — ruins of old
villages, some of them very old, being scattered here
and there.
The questions arose, why had they been deserted ?
was the devastation due to slavery ? was it owing to
the insalubrity of the climate ? was it caused by the
dearth of game ? Was it the inferior quality of the
soil?
I could find no satisfactory solution to these queries ;
but the first suggestion appeared to me the most likely
one.
Any way, this unexpected dearth of population caused
us the greatest embarrassment ; and as to myself, I that
night suffered positive torture from the cravings of
hunger.
Next morning, early, we had another mishap through
one of the carriers falling ill, but my Doctor, Chacai-
ombe, though he could not cure the patient, nevertheless
remedied the evil by shouldering the sick man's pack.
Just as we were leaving we had a visit from some
of the natives— envoys of the chief of the Bembe^ —
264 THE KIXG'i^ lUFLE.
who came to solicit something on his beh;tlf. My only
answer was a speech about what I thought of their
dusky master, with which I sent them about their
business.
I started at twenty minutes to nine. I had to wade
across the river Bembe, which at that spot was 1h
yards wide and 3 feet deep, and was running in a S.W.
direction into the Cuito.
The right bank was mountainous, but the left, after
an almost vertical cutting 11 yards in depth, stretched
out in a level and marshy plain nearly a mile in width.
The journey across, or rather through, the marshy
ground cost us an hour, and was very fatiguing to the
half-famished caravan.
The ground afterwards appeared slightly inclined
and covered with scrub, which was very difficult of
passage. After a trying march of another hour or so,
we came to an incline, at foot of which appeared a plain
whose extent was incalculable, owing to a dense forest.
We descended for some 60 yards or so till we reached
the edge of the wood, but liad then to alter our course,
as the jungle was simply impenetrable.
We lighted upon the track of some animal, which we
followed now eastward, now north-westward, and then
south, until we came to a dead stop on the edge of a
precipice, 300 feet at least in depth, at foot of which
was brawling a mountain torrent.
The difficulty of the path, the heavy loads with
which the men were weighted, and the weakness of the
latter, induced me to call a halt and pitch our camp.
The hunger from which we were suffering was
beginning to get unbearable. There was but one hope
which animated me, namely the having seen vestiges
of game.
It was not a pleasant circumstance that immediately
upon our arrival we should be visited by a cobra, which
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS. 265
we fortunately killed. My Doctor averred that it was
of a most poisonous kind, but that he possessed an anti-
dote to its bite. In spite of this assurance I felt more
confidence at seeing it most effectually put out of the
way. It was upwards of a yard in length, of a dusky
red upon the back and of a lighter tint upon the belly.
The eyes were green and brilliant as emeralds, and it
had a bipartite tongue.
The mouth was armed with four teeth disposed like
those of a dog. I mention these features as they may
be serviceable to those who follow^ me on this road.
I felt that game must be obtained, for nature could
not hold out much longer. Having therefore made my
arrangements, I started off in one direction and sent
my attendants Augusto and Miguel, the only trust-
worthy Avoodsmen I possessed, in another.
Shortly after leaving the camp I found the track of a
herd of buffaloes, and at once followed it.
I may here mention incidentally that few sportsmen in
Europe can form an idea of what it is to hunt for actual
food. If it can be called a pleasure it has a good alloy
of pain in it.
It may be likened in some measure to the mixed
feelings of a gambler who approaches the table for
the purpose of gaining the wherewithal to pay a debt
of honour, and who, wdiile delivering himself up to the
feverish joy of play, has in his heart the tearing anxiety
of uncertainty. The eyes of the man, while devouring
the cards which slowly fall from the banker's fingers,
and seeking to penetrate through the bits of cardboard,
the quicker to remove his agony of doubt as to whether
it is safety or destruction they will bring to him, must
surely wear some such expression as that of the half-
famished huntsman who follows the trail of an animal
whose possession is to him a matter of life or death.
There, however, the resemblance between them
266 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
ceases; for the huntsman can at least, in singleness
of heart, invoke Divine assistance in his quest and his
success.
How different again from the sensations of the hunter
stimulated by hard necessity, are those of the sportsman
whom pleasure only brings into the field ! However
keen may be the zest with which the latter pursues his
prey, he is not so indifferent to surrounding objects
but that he can stop awhile to admire the lovely land-
scape or pluck a brilliant flower, conscious as he is that
if he fail in bringing down his quarry, his table will be
none the less well supplied, or his bodily comforts be
less carefully ministered to.
The other man sees nothing, hears nothing, but that
has a bearing upon the one desired object. Heedless of
the thorns that tear him, or the boughs that bruise him
in pushing them too carelessly aside, with set teeth and
beating heart, his empty stomach egging on his waning
courage, he pushes forward to reduce to the utmost the
distance lying between him and "his prey, the surer
and the deadlier to make his aim.
The trail I followed led me at length to the very
bottom of the precipice, where the water was brawling
over its uneven bed, and for a considerable time I kept
along its right bank, till, finding an opportunity, I
crossed to the other side, whence I perceived my buffaloes
grazing at the outskirt of a dense virgin forest.
They were at least 500 yards from me.
Then began the fatiguing operation of stalking — my
gun on the trail, wading, as it were, through a sea of
dry grass. From time to time I would raise my head
to see how much my distance had been shortened, and
to make sure the creatures had not taken the alarm.
The very idea brought the moisture to my skin, for I
longed in fancy to return to the camp and bid my
followers hie to the banks of the torrent, where they
AMONG THE OANGUELLAS. 267
would find provision to stay the cravings of their
hunger.
My hopes and fancies were dispersed as if by an
enchanter's wand. When I hfted up my head for the
last time, not a buffalo was visible. They must have
disappeared within the forest.
I rose in all haste and, with the utmost speed of
which I was capable, followed in the direction they
must have taken. It was perfectly in vain. The thick
and springy moss which covered the ground left not a
trace of their passage, nor could my keenest endeavours
overcome the difficulty.
It was a deep disappointment, unrelieved by any after-
success ; so that about six in the evening, worn out with
fatigue and hunger, I made my way back to the camp,
having, as I calculated, covered some twelve miles in vain.
The others, however, had been more happy than
myself. Augusto came running out to meet me with
a radiant face, and with no little triumph led me up to
a suj)erb antelope which he had shot a little while before.
It was an enormous Uippotragus equinus, as bulky as
an ox.
I lost no time in cutting it up and dividing it equally
among us all ; and after so lengthened a fast, which, as
being most involuntary, I am afraid cannot be placed to
the credit side of my account hereafter, I made such
a meal as only those who have been in the same fearful
straits can adequately appreciate.
The contentment caused in my whole being by the
consumption of a hearty supper was somewhat dashed
at the aspect of my worthy Miguel, the elephant
slayer, who appeared before me with such a long face
that I was sure something very serious had occurred to
disturb him, and when I learned the cause, I did not
wonder, though I could not help being inwardly amused,
at his dismay.
268 THE KINO'S niFLE.
During his absence my pet goat Cora had got into
his tent and sacrilegiously munched up the wonderful
charm which he possessed for slaying elephants !
This marvellous talisman consisted of a human
tooth fallen from the jaw of some antiquated skull,
wrapped up in straw and rags by a medicine-man of
high repute who had imbued it with sovereign
virtues, so that the possessor of the treasure would
find it easy to fall in with and slay elephants without
the sliglitest danger to himself. Miguel was for a
time inconsolable, but I managed at length to pacify
him by the promise of a far more effective charm than
the one he had lost.
Nor did I deceive him in making such a promise,
since the excellent rifle I intended to bestow upon him,
when we reached the elephant country, would, I con-
ceived, be of far greater value than any amount of
rotten teeth packed up in rags and straw.
After our meal, my pombeiros gathered about my
fire, and, amid other things, related that, during my
absence, the men had wandered about the wood, where
some had collected a lot of honey, and others had
gathered quantities of a fruit which the Bihenos called
atundo, and which grew upon a stunted herbaceous
plant. The fruit-stalks spring from the stem quite
close to the ground, and the fruit is just as much below
as above the earth. It is agreeable enough to the
palate, but 1 doubt it being very nutritive.
It was necessary to be on the move betimes the
following morning, so that we broke up our camp much
earlier than usual, in spite of the cold.
We started in a S.E. direction, and after two hours'
march, came upon a river that was very difficult to
cross over. Its width was rather more than four yards,
and depth quite as much, with a violent current.
I gave orders for the felling of some large trees and
AMONG THE GANOUELLAS.
269
managed to throw tliem across the stream by way of
bridge, over which my entire caravan passed m safety.
A httle below the spot where we crossed the stream,
it receives the waters of a rivulet running from the
eastward I followed the course of this rivulet on its
right bank for upwards of an hour, and subsequently
halted near two villages.
Immediately upon our arrival several of their inhabi-
tants gathered about us, with whom we had a parley
about provisions. A lot of massango— the canary-seed
Fig. 47a. — Atundo, Plant and Fruit.
before alluded to — was soon brought into camp by
negroes who were almost entirely destitute of clothing,
and, as we did not dispute about price, we shortly had
sufficient for that day's consumption.
Friendly relations were soon established between the
natives and my people. I learnt from them that the
rivulet by which we encamped the evening before was
called Licocotoa, the one over which we had thrown
270 THE KINO'S TxIFLE.
the bridge, Nhongoaviranda, and the brook by whose
sources we were now staying, Cambinbia.
The two villages built upon the left bank of the
little stream were Luchazes, but that to the N.W. of my
camp was inhabited by Quiocos or Quibocos. They
were the latter with whom we were in communication.
I consumed more than a pint of massango boiled in
water, and did not find it an unpleasant food.
After satisfying my appetite, I calculated the position
in which the planet Jupiter would be that night at the
time of the eclipse of the first satellite, which I wanted
to observe, but my camp was pitched in a dense forest
which prevented me seeing the stars.
Directly I found by calculation the position of the
planet at the desired moment, I selected a fitting spot
on which to plant my telescope and gave orders to
make a sufficient clearance of the wood about me to
allow my observations to be made.
The tangled jungle was tremendously thick, but my
Bihenos, hatchets in hand, set to work with a will, and
in a couple of hours gave me a clear openiug. The
Quioco or Quiboco women who visited our camp carried
their children by their sides like the Luchazes, that is,
suspended from the opposite shoulder by means of a
sling formed of the bark of a tree.
In addition to the massango, they brought with them
for sale certain tuberculous roots called genamha, which
my people seemed to enjoy immensely, but which I found
anything but agreeable. They do not grow maize,
and feed almost entirely on massango.
The extravagant head-dresses to which I have more
than once alluded are not observable among the
Quibocos or Quiocos, and their body covering is more
miserable than that adopted by the Qnimbandes. The
women, as usual, are more scantily clad than the men.
My readers may, perhaps, feel some surprise to hear
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS. 271
me talk of Quiocos when I am in the very heart of the
Liichaze district, and I can assure them that my as-
tonishment was quite as great at finding them there.
The constant emigration of the Quiocos and the
colonisation by them of the Luchaze territory are
undoubted facts.
The country of these Quiocos or Quibocos (for they
are called indifferently by both names) is situated to
the north of Lobar, on the eastern slopes of the Serra
daMozamba. Livingstone makes it cut by parallel 11
south, and by the 20th meridian east of Greenwich.
The Quiocos are travellers and bold huntsmen. Many
of them, dissatisfied with their own country, emigrated
southwards, crossed the Lobar, and established them-
selves on the right bank of the Lungo-e-ungo in the
Luchaze territory.
Finding themselves unmolested, they were soon
followed by others, so that at the present day the
emigration is constant. They have not, however, all
stopped there, many having gone still farther south-
wards and settled on the banks of the Cubango. The
greater part of the inhabitants of Darico are Quiocos.
In answer to my inquiries as to the motives which
induced them to leave their country, they said it was
sickness and the scarcity of game.
The Quiocos with whom we were in communication
were only recent settlers and had no store of provisions
to dispose of; but they informed me that on the other
side of a lofty serra lying to the eastward, there were
several Luchaze villages and abundance of food.
I hired guides to take us thither and resolved on
starting the very next day, which, however, I was
prevented doing by the illness, during the night, of
several of the men.
My young nigger Pepeca appeared before me in the
morning with an enormous goitre-like swelling, and
272 THE KING'S lilFLE.
almost all my people were suffering more or less from
the stomach, no doubt owing to the massango they had
eaten, but to wliich they got quite habituated later on.
Happily, I myself felt no inconvenience from the new
kind of food.
T sent to the two Luchaze villages on the left bank
of the Cambinbia, but my messenger returned empty-
handed, as the natives refused to sell them anything.
We owed to the Quibocos the provisions we required
for that day's consumption.
There were some of the men on the sick list the next
day, but we were compelled to leave, as the natives
pointed out the impossibility of furnishing me with
anything more to eat. I obtained from them a few
men to supply the place of the carriers who were
invalided, and at nine next morning we left the camp
and, preceded by the guides, directed our course to the
Serra Cassara Caie'ra, the lofty mountain to which
allusion had been made the day before, and beyond
which we were to find abundance of provisions.
The actual height of the mountain is 5298 feet above
the sea-level, or 450 feet above my camp on the Cam-
binbia. It forms a table-land with tolerably steep
slopes. The climb to the top was fatiguing. During
the process the carriers beguiled the time, and perhaps
lightened their labours, by a monotonous chant, which
literally translated ran as follows :
" The cobra has no arms, no legs, no hands, no feet.
And yet he climbs the mount ! Why should not we
get up as well, with arms and legs and hands and
feet ? "
I went on for about an hour along the summit of the
serra from west to east until I came to the descent.
From the highest point, a magnificent panorama
meets the eye of the spectator, extending from N.E. to
N.W. The entire course is visible of the river Cuango,
as--^
AMONG THE QANGUELLAS. 273
the southern affluent of the Lungo-e-ungo. The
eye can distinguish the vast watershed of the latter
river from Caugala to the confluence of the Cuango,
together with the higher watersheds of the rivers
Cuito, Cuime and Cuiba. The extent of prospect is
truly surprising.
On the western slope of the Serra the arboreous
vegetation is splendid ; the summit, which, as I have
hinted, is of considerable length, is somewhat poor,
but the eastern slope again is wonderfully rich in trees
and shrubs. This eastern side bears the name of
Bongo-Jacongonzelo.
I pitched my camp at the source of the Cansampoa,
a rivulet which runs into the Cuango ; not having
met with a drop of water throughout the day's
journey.
In the immediate vicinity of my camp, but on the
other side of the rivulet, were five Luchaze hamlets.
They are all governed by a petty chief who does
homage to the Sova Chicoto, whose village is situated
at the confluence of the Cuango with the Lungo-e-uugo.
The other two Luchaze hamlets, which are on the
Cambinbia, are subject to the Moene Calengo on the
river Cuito.
The petty chief before alluded to, and who rejoices
in the name of Cassangassanga, came to call on me,
bringing with him a kid by way of present. A few
beads made him quite satisfied. He promised to send
me some massango, and guides to conduct me to the
village of Cambuta, where, as he alleged, I should find
abundance of provisions. He was as good as his word,
and the massango and guides appeared in due course.
The massango, when divided, supplied a scanty
ration to each of us, and, as the kid was but a small
one, we went to bed with appetites very inefliciently
satisfied.
VOL. I. T
274
THE KING'S RIFLE.
The natives cultivate massaugo, a little manioc, still
fewer beans, the castor-oil plant, in tolerable quantities,
and a few hops.
They work in iron with considerable skill, the ore
being found in the countr3^
On the Gth of July I started in an easterly direction,
and, after three hours' journey, the last of which
was along the bank of the Cansampoa rivulet, I
camped near the river Bicwpie, whicli runs in a
Fig. 48. — Village of Cambuta, Luchaze.
N.E. direction to unite its waters with tliose of the
Cutangjo, an affluent of the Lungo-e-ungo. The
country is dotted over with hamlets, whose populations
obey the Sova of Cambuta. I was able at the latter
place to get a tolerable supply of massango, the sole
article of food they cultivate in any quantity, and con-
sequently the only one they offered for sale.
Fortunately there were large flocks of wood-
pigeons: indeed, I never saw them more abundant
than in this district ; and I managed to bring down
AMONG THE QANGUELLAS.
275
not a few, chargiug my gun with little pebbles from
the bed of the rivulet.
At this time, several of my carriers fell ill ; some
suffering from goitre, and others from inflammation
of the stomacli, arising doubtless from bad and in-
sufficient food.
Among the girls who came into my camp to dispose
of massango 1 noticed more than one of elegant form
and graceful carriage. It could not be said that they
Fie;. 49. — LucHAZK Woman ok Cambuta.
owed anything to art, for clothing they had none ;
a little strip of the bark of a tree doing duty for the
traditional fig-leaf.
I further observed that both men and women,
without exception, liad their four front incisors
fashioned like a triangle, so that, the teeth being
closed, there appeared a lozenge-shaped aperture in
the middle.
The cold continued intense during the night, and
T 2
276
THE KING'S RIFLE.
we could get no rest except in the neighbourhood of
our fires.
On the following day there appeared greater sickness
than ever in camp. It is worthy of remark that the
Bihenos only were attacked, whilst the Benguella
negroes, who are far less inured to the exposure and
vicissitudes of travel, almost entirely escaped.
In the morning a large and ferocious bird was killed
Y'l". 50. — LxTCHAZE Max of Cambuta.
in the neighbourhood of the camp. It might have been
want of special knowledge on my part, but I could not
assign it to any of the kinds into which the family of
diurnal birds of l^rey are divided. I considered it a
species of vulture, although solitary of its kind. It
certainly greatly resembled the vulture, saving that
its dimensions were somewhat smaller, measuring but
3 feet inches from wing to wing.
Vulture or not, it was a bonne-bouc/ie to my Bihenos,
AMONG THE QAN0UELLA8.
217
to whom, in matters of gastronomy, notliing came amiss,
from their fellow men to cormorants, with crocodiles,
leopards and hyenas in between : all were welcome to
their insatiate jaws.
On that day, as the day before, every hour that I
could spare from my observations I spent in scouring
the neighbourhood and drawing up a rough map of the
€^^* ~'
Fig. 51. — Articles manufactured by the Luchazes.
1 and 3 ILntchet.s. 2. Arrow. 4, 4. Arrow-points. 5. Spade.
district, taking in three miles to the south of the source
of the Biceque, which area comjDrised the source of
another river, the Cuanavare, a great affluent of the
Cuito. Near the source of the Cuanavare I came u^jon
the village of Muenevinde, governed by a woman,
whose husband, by name Ungira, had no active voice
or part in the government.
1 never could be said to be passionately fond of
278 THE KING'S RIFLE.
kidney-beans, but that night, on my return to camp,
I had a small present of these dainties made me, and,
truth to say, I devoured them with infinite appetite.
The Sova of Cambuta was absent at the chase, and
the honours of his house were done me by his wives,
with whom I was soon on the most cordial terms. I
obtained from them not only a good share of massango,
but a dozen porters to carry it, and two guides to lead
me to the sources of the Cuando and the Cubangui, an
affluent of the latter — rivers which the natives of the
country told me were the largest in the world.
Grandiloquent as this designation undoubtedly is, it
is not bestowed without a show of reason, and, with the
permission of my readers, I will here say a few words
about these magnificent streams.
The river Cuando, of a certainty the largest affluent
of the Zambesi, was not first known to me through the
information furnished by the Luchazes of Cambuta.
In my journey from the Bihe to that place, I kept
much more to the north than the Biheno caravans are
accustomed to do ; and this I did purjDosely, fully aware
that sooner or later I should fall in with the watershed
of that great artery. I was influenced in the course I
took by conversations with Silva Porto, who had
already descended that river from the Cuchibi to
Liniante, conveying goods in canoes.
He had furnished me with certain data as to the
sources of the river (with the central and lower portions
of which he was personally acquainted), and which, from
information supplied him by the natives, he fixed at
very nearly the spots where I actually found them.
If Silva Porto could only give to the places that
he knows in South Central Africa their correct posi-
tions in latitude and longitude, many of the blanks
that now exist in the maps of the country would
speedily be filled up.
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS. 279
On leaving Cambiita, therefore, in search of the
sources of the Cuanclo, I was only completing the itine-
rary I had traced out, and was endeavouring to solve
one of the problems that I most ardently desired to
unravel. As I went on, I was collecting at every
step interesting matters of detail ; the general features
having already been delineated by Silva Porto.
My guides had informed me that we should have to
traverse, beyond the river Cutangjo, a waste and un-
populated region, so that it behoved us to provide
ourselves with ample stores for the journey. It was
this communication which led me to purchase so large
a quantity of massango, and to hire of tlie Sova's wives
twelve men to carry if.
I started on the th of July, at 9 o'clock in the
morning : three hours later I crossed the river
Cutangjo, and camped on the right bank of that
river near the village of Chaquissembo. The Cutangjo
is there 4i yards wide by 3 feet deep, and runs
N.N.E. towards the Lungo-c-ungo. I observed that
in the plantations there was some manioc and a great
deal of massango — that terrible massango, which
literally haunted me in Africa !
The Luchazes cultivate, to some extent, the cotton
and castor-oil plants. They work the iron whicli they
obtain from the banks of the Cassongo, and are
very skilful smiths.
Almost all the Luchazes are furnished w^th a beard
beneath the chin and a small moustache. But the
extraordinary fancy in head-dress, wdiich I have more
than once referred to as exciting my wonder and
admiration, is unknown among them.
The men w^ear a broad belt of untanned leather,
fastened with buckles of their own manufacture ; they
cover their nakedness with skins, and further shelter
themselves from the cold with licondes, a rough kind
280 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
of cloth woven from the bark of various forest-
trees.
They malce no pots or pipkins, and those they use are
obtained by barter from the Quimbandes.
They fashion bracelets out of copper, which is supplied
by the Lobares in exchange for wax, the Lobares tliem-
selves obtaining the metal from the Lunda.
I paid a visit to the village of Chaquicengo, which,
Fig. 52. — LucHAZK Woman of Cutangjo.
like the whole of the inhabited places throughout the
country, is very pretty and extremely neat. The liouses
are made of the trunks of trees, about 4 feet in height^
which is in fact the height of the walls. The space
between each upright is filled in, occasionally with clay,
and in other cases with straw. The roofs are thatched,
and, as the frame-work is composed of very fine rods,
tlie thatch bends inwards and produces an effect similar
to the roofs of the Chinese. The granaries are perched
AMONG THE OANOUELLAS.
281
at a considerable height upon a timber frame-work,
entirely of straw, and a movable cover, so that it is
necessary to remove it to get inside to seek for stores.
Fi." 53. — LucnAZE Pipe.
Access is obtained by means of a hand-ladder, and
they are, in fact, little more than gigantic water-proof
baskets, on which conical covers have been ])laced.
Fig. 54. — LucHAZE Fowl-house.
The fowl-houses are quadrangular pyramids of twigs
of trees, placed upon four lofty feet or stakes, to protect
the inmates from the attacks of small carnivora.
In the centre of the village I ol)served, as in the
282
THE KING'S RIFLE.
Cuambo, a Kiosque or temple for meeting or conver-
sation.
I found several men squatted round the hearth, busy
making bows and arrows. They received me very
courteously, and offered me for drink a liquor composed
of water, honey and powdered hops, which they mix
too-ether in a calabasli, where it is allowed to ferment.
They called it " Ijingundo," and I tlionght it the most
alcoholic stuff I had ever tasted.
The Luchazes make use of a gin or trap to catch
small antelopes and hares. It is ingenious in con-
Fig. 55. — The Urivi, ou 'I'k.m' for small (iASJK.
struction, and will be readily understood by a glance at
the drawing. The name they give it is Urivi.
On my return to camp, after an excursion to the
sources of the Cutangjo, I was accompanied by a large
number of men and women, who were never tired of
looking at and watching me. They w^ere none of them
remarkable for beauty ; but, on the other hand, among
the natives on the banks of the Cutangjo, I saw not a
few male specimens of perfectly revolting ugliness.
These people not only collect a great deal of wax
from the forest, but encourage the bees by furnishing
them with hives, formed of bark and strips of wood,
which they fasten in the branches of the trees.
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS.
283
Fig. 56. — LucHAZE OF the Cutangjo.
1
Fig. 57. — Luc'iuzE Articles.
1. Knife-sheiith. 2. Basket. 3. Wooden bolster. 4. Dee-hive.
284 THE KING'S lilFLE.
On tlie 10th of July we started at 8 in the morning,
and half an hour later, notwithstanding the presence of
the guides, we lost ourselves in a forest of excessive den-
sity, from which we only managed to emerge, with con-
siderable trouble, at 10 o'clock. We then traversed a
space that was free of underwood, but covered with
gigantic trees, which shaded us delightfully from the
sun. This pleasure, however, was short-lived, for in
another half-hour we were in a thick jungle again,
where locomotion was difficult and even painful. At
last, at 20 minutes past 11, I descried the pleasant slope
of an eminence, at whose feet lay the sparkling water
of a little lake, surrounded liy a verdant carpet of
waving grass.
Just as I reached it, I knocked over an animal, which
I believe is called Leopardus jubatus, whose skin went
to swell the number which constituted my feline bed.
This skin, on which I slept as far as Pretoria, I sub-
sequently presented to Dr. Bocage.
The Leopardus jubatus must be rare, as I only saw
two specimens throughout the course of my journey.
Its sight, I presume, is defective in the daytime ; my
supposition being based on the fact that both of those
animals, on my falling in with them, turned their ears,
rather than their eyes, in my direction, as if they
trusted more to their sense of hearing than their sight.
Having determined the position of the sheet of
water, 1 drew off fi'om it, and had my camp pitched
some hundred yards or so to the south upon the rising
ground, and about 90 feet above the surface of the
raai'sh ; for the spot where the great affluent of the
Zambesi takes its rise rather deserved that name than
the designation of a lake.
In the midst of my labours I had a sudden and
violent attack of fever, which completely prostrated me
for some three hours. When I came to ray senses, 1
'Mi
§Si^'
W w t ~ ^ -
O I
c/3 r
AMONG THE OANGUELLAS. 285
could scarcely refrain from smiling at my curious
plight. 1 was literally covered with amulets, ray chest
alone being thickly strewed with the horns of small
antelopes, full of the most precious medicines. A
bracelet of crocodiles' teeth encircled my right arm,
and two enormous buffalo-horns were suspended from a
couple of poles set upright in my tent.
During the fever, my negroes had lavished the
greatest care upon my person, and, in obedience to
Dr. Chacaiombe's instructions, had heaped these things
upon me with the utmost faith in the result.
A strong dose of quinine, which I took as soon as I
was able, brought about my speedy recovery, a result
that was no doubt, however, set down to the virtues of
the amulets.
My attendants, Augusto and Miguel, went out upon
the hunt for game, but brought nothing back with
them, though they sighted a few leopards in their
rambles. Many traces of larger game were, however,
visible on all sides.
Eai'ly next day I drew up a rough map of the
marsh •, rectified my position, and constructed a small
monument of clay in the hut where I made my obser-
vations. Witliin this tumulus I buried a bottle which
had contained quinine, carefully wrapped up, and
containing a paper, on one side of which I wrote the
names of the members of the Central Geographical
Commission, headed by that of His Majesty the King
of Portugal, and on the other the co-ordinates of the
spot and the date.
After mid-day the Luchaze guides took me to see
the source of the river Queimbo, an affluent of the
Cuando, on the western side. I set it down at 6
geographic miles S.W. of the marsh, forming the
source of the Cuando itself.
My twelve Luchaze carriers were very home-sick.
286 THE KJNG\ti lUFLE.
and complained bitterly of the cold. Tlie country
is depopulated, and should contain a great deal of
game, judging from the traces that were observable.
Another clear evidence of the fact was the number
of leopards we started, but, unfortunately for us, we
started nothing else. And we could not afford to
linger, for our provisions were rajDidly disappearing,
and our only chance of relieving our hunger was to
reach the Ambuella villages without delay.
On the morning of the 12th July, with a temperature
only 2 degrees above zero, I broke up my camp and
prepared to leave, tliough we did not make a start
before 8 o'clock.
Thousands of paroquets, that were harboured in the
woods, were all shrieking at once, and the noise they
made w^as perfectly deafening.
I kept along the right bank of the Cuando for a
couple of hours, and then, at the direction of the
guides, crossed over to the left, by a bridge which we
improvised out of the trunks of trees.
The river measured there between 6 and 7 feet wide,
and about the same in depth, with an excessively rapid
current.
I was just crossing the river, when I observed a
herd of gnus, at whicli, however, I could not get
a shot.
I encamped beside the river. The banks of the
Cuando are mountainous, and from its source to that
point they are flanked by marshy ground, some 30 to
40 yards wide, yielding abundance of water, which
drains into the river.
This peculiarity is noticeable with almost all the
rivers of those regions, which thus receive enormous
quantities of water, so that, even without any subsidiary
streams, they become navigable at only a few miles'
distance from their unpretending sources.
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS.
287
I observed on the right bank of tlie rivei', both at
that spot and others, several vertical stratifications of
a red, white, and azure colour.
The next morning, at 8, I was again on the move,
and tramped on till noon, camping at that hour near a
brook whicli ran into the Cuando.
Fig. 58. — The Cuchibi.
1 had some of the men on the sick-list, a few suflering
with goitre, and others with inflammation of the legs.
Happily, for tlieir sake, the loads of provisions had
sensibly diminished, and I had now carriers to spare.
The marshy banks of the Cuando abounded in leeclies,
and I had a lot of them caught to apply to such of my
patients as stood in need of their assistance.
The woods I had passed through, and the one where
I was now encamped, were almost exclu.sively composed
288
THE KING'S lilFLE.
of enormous trees, wliicli the Bihenos styled Cuchihi^
and that turned out most serviceable to my half-
famished caravan. They produced a fruit not unlike a
French bean, having one bright scarlet seed enclosed
in the dark-green husk. After a lengthened decoction,
the scarlet envelope separates from the white sheaths
and foiins the edible portion of the fruit. These seeds
are very oleaginous, and both the Ambuellas and
Fig. 59. — Leaf and Fuuit of the Cuciiidi.
(Natural size.)
Luchazes extract from them the oil with which they
moisten their food.
This fruit is undoubtedly a great resource to the
hungry traveller, but it is of no use to the hurried one,
as the decoction is a work of time.
There is also another fruit in these j^arts, and which
is exceedingly common. The Bihenos call it Mapole. It
is the product of a tree of medium size, the Mapoleque,
AMONG THE OANOUELLAS.
289
and resembles an orange botli in colour and dimensions.
It hangs vertically from the brandies of the tree,
susjDended from a longish stalk. The outer rind and
its lining, closely adhering to each other, form a husk
about an eighth of an inch in thickness, and hard as
horn. It can only be broken with a strong hatchet.
Fi^. 60. — 'I'liK Mapole, Tree and Leaf.
When opened, it displays a thick and coagulated
liquid, full of seeds similar in size and appearance to
the stones of small plums.
This liquid, of an acid-sweet taste, taken in any
quantity, is very purgative; but the Bilienos assured
me that it was most nutritive, and would suppoit a man
VOL. I. i;
290 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
for a day or two easily enough. I did not myself put
it to a personal test.
The next day I left the river Cuando, which already
at that spot inclines to the S.S.E., and, in obedience to
the orders of the guides, travelled eastward in search
of the sources of the Cubangui, a river which they
asserted to be very large.
After an hour's march, I passed a brook running to
the south, through marshy land, a hundred yards or so
in width, which it cost some labour to traverse. Four
miles further on I came upon another large brook,
running parallel to the previous one.
Between the beds of these brooks, as well as between
those of the affluents of the Cuando to the eastward,
is a chain of mountains lying north and south. These
mountains belong to a more important system, which
to the north lies east and west, and terminates in the
valley of the Lungo-e-ungo.
At about half-past 11 I arrived at the summit of
the Serra, whence the guides pointed out to me, in the
far distance, the sources of the river Cubangui. I could
define them perfectly to the eastward, but as I could
not, immediately on my arrival, determine the latitude,
I took a rest, and at noon fixed the latitude of the point
where I stood, which was the same as that of the
sources of the river ; the two lying due east and west
of each other.
At 2 in the afternoon I camped hard by the sources
themselves, and found them to be similar in character
to those of the Cuando. The axis of the marsh in
which the river takes its rise lies north and south, and
extends three-quarters of a mile in length ; the width
varying from 80 to 100 yards.
No game was visible, but many traces of it appeared,
and during the night the lions all about the camp kept
up a horrible concert.
AMONG THE QANOUELLAS.
291
Our last rations were here served out, and hunger
again stared us in the face.
The guides averred we were at no great distance
from the villages, but it would take us at least a couple
of days to reach them, owing to our numerous invalids,
and more especially a pombeiro of the name of
Canhengo, who was very ill ; forced marches, under
the circumstances, were therefore out of the question.
I felt excessively anxious, my great fear being that
Fig. 61. — Mapole, Fruit and arrangement of the Branches.
hunger and fatigue would so aggravate the condition
of the sick as to prevent me obtaining the requisite
resources for us all, in time to be of any use.
On the following day, in spite of all my efforts, I
could not keep up the march of the caravan over four
hours, and was compelled to camp alongside the
Cubangui, which river, in fact, I had not left from the
time of making its source. At the place where I came
to a halt it was already 3 yards wide, and between
3 and 4 feet deep.
u 2
292 THE KINO'S lilFLE.
A gnw which I shot, and a little honey which the
negroes gathered in the forest, furnished our only
rations for that day.
Next morning I went on again, following the right
bank of the stream, and after another 4 hours' march
camped beside the Linde rivulet, opposite three
Aml3uella villages. I at once despatched messengers,
not only to those places, but to others lying on the
same side of the river as ourselves, but all we obtained
was a scanty supply of massango. We, however,
received the information that another day's march
would bring us to the lands of the Sova, and that from
the latter we could obtain provisions.
I found by measurement that the Cubangui's dimen-
sions were increasing apace. Here, at the confluence
of the Linde, it was upwards of 5 yards across, and
was 9 feet deep.
My invalids improved very slowly, which could not
be attributed to want of strict diet. They must have
suffered too not a little from actual fatigue, as it took
6 hours next day to reach the Sova's village, Cangamba.
I forthwith desj^atched a present to the great man, in
the shape of an old uniform of an infantry captain, with
which he was delighted, and gave prompt orders to his
people to supply me with food. We obtained, in ex-
change for beads, some of that eternal — I had almost
said cursed — massango, from which there appeared now
to be no escape.
I discharged my guides and the 12 Luchazes who
had accompanied me thus far, and who took their leave
well satisfied with what I gave them.
They fraternised easily wath the inhabitants of the
Ambuella villages, which are in fact partly peopled by
Luchaze natives. Of this I had a clear proof a day or
so after my arrival, when several Luchaze families,
who had emigrated from their own country to establish
AMONG TEE GANQUELLAS.
293
themselves in this district, pitched their camp within a
stone's throw of mine.
I saw and conversed also with a band of hunters who
were travelling southwards in search of elephants. It
was the first time I had heard speak of elephants, as not
one is to be found throughout the country I traversed
Fig. G2. — Moene-Cahenga, Sova of Cangamba.
1. Fiy-flap.
from Benguella to the Cubangui, nor did I come upon
any old trace of them. Their haunts were even at a
considerable distance from the spot where we stood, as
the hunters informed me they had still 6 days' march
before them ere they could hope to fall in with the
desired game.
A couple of days after my arrival, I received a visit
294 TEE KING'S RIFLE.
from the Sova of Cangamba, by name Moeiie Cahenga,
who brought with him as a present four chickens and
a large basketful of massango.
He was wearing the uniform I sent him, to which he
had added a belt hung round with leopard-skins. He
carried in his hand an instrument formed of antelopes'
tails, with which he kept off the flies.
Field operations in the country appeared to be carried
on by both men and women, who cultivate in small plots
massango, cotton, a little manioc and, in- even less
quantity, sweet potatoes.
Fig. 63. — (Chimbenzengue.) Hatchet of the Ambuellas of
Cangamba.
The natives work a good deal in iron, which they
extract from the mines situated on the right bank of
the river, to the north of Cangamba, and which we had
passed on our way thither.
In Cangamba they reverse the practice common
among the other Ganguella natives, as in that village
the men make the baskets and the women the mats.
They weave the cotton they grow in rude looms,
and produce cloths about the size of an ordinary
towel, and very good they are.
Among the articles offered for sale was a little
tobacco, which they asserted to have been cultivated in
AMONG THE QANQUELLAS. 295
the country, but I did not see any growing in the
pLantations I visited.
Their arms consist of bows and arrows, and small
hatchets.
The Cubangui, as it flows near Cangamba, is 16 yards
wide and 19 feet deep, with a current running at the
rate of 13 yards a minute.
The natives told me it contained plenty of fish,
which I afterwards found to be the case ; but all I saw
in the neighbourhood were dried, and measured from
16 to 20 inches in length.
One soon learns to be thankful for small mercies,
and manioc and dried fish appeared in our eyes
Fig. 64. — Ambuella Pipe.
material for a luxurious banquet, after being so long
condemned to that abominable massango !
The river Cubangui is no exception to the general
law of the streams on the African continent, being
tolerably rich in crocodiles. They do not seem,
however, to be of a very voracious kind, if I can
believe the Ambuellas, who assured me there had
been no instance of a human being falling a victim to
their huge jaws.
I paid a farewell visit to the Sova, who was not by
any means a bad fellow. As his people no longer
offered for sale anything but massango, I begged him
to favour me with some manioc and sweet potatoes.
296 THE KING'S lilFLE.
He did so with a good grace, but the quantity was
very small ; and, as he gave it me, he apologised for
the scanty supply upon the unanswerable plea that he
had no more.
And so matters stood for tln^ee more days ! Three
days wherein we regaled upon massango !
Having obtained guides, a few carriers and a good
store of the despised food, I decided upon making a
fresh start on the 22nd July in the direction of the
villages under the sway of the Sova Cahu-heii-iie on the
river Cuchibi, through which runs the road originally
traversed by Silva Porto. The former part of that
track I abandoned at the Cuanza, to pursue a more
northerly direction.
My guides informed me that I should have to
travel through a desert country for 8 whole days, and
that I must consequently be well provided with pro-
visions. My invalids had, by this time, considerably
improved with the long rest and more abundant
food ; but they were far from being recovered, so tliat
Moene-Cahenga supplied me with 10 men to assist
in the carriage of the massango with which he fur-
nished me.
The guides having assured me that for a couple of
days we should have to stick to the river's bank, I
took it into my head to descend the stream in my
india-rubber boat. Having ordered it to be conveyed
to the river, I broke up my camp, and, entrusting the
command of the caravan to Yerissimo, I embarked
with two young niggers, my attendant Oatraio and
another little fellow, about 12 years of age, called
Sinjamba, the son of a Biheno carrier, whom I had
selected for his knowledge of the Ganguella tongue,
and converted into my interpreter.
I confess that it was not without a certain trepida-
tion that I pushed off from the bank into the middle of
AMONG THE GANGUELLAS. 297
an unknown stream, with mere children for com-
panions and a fragile canvas boat beneath me.
The river, which has its source 30 miles to the
N., and is, as I have already mentioned, 16 yards
across and 19 feet deep at Cangamba, widens out
a little below that village, and shortly displays a
breadth of 40 to 50 yards, and occasionally even more.
Its bottom, varying from 10 to 19 feet in depth,
is covered with a fine white sand, which evidently
rests upon a bed of mud, as the aquatic flora is some-
thing wonderful.
Many kinds of rushes and other aquatic plants take
root in the prolific bed, shoot their leaves and stems,
in constant motion with the current, through nearly
20 feet of water till they reach the surface, where they
display their multi-coloured and elegantly shaped
flowers. Ocasioually this wealth of vegetation will
occupy the whole expanse of the river, and seem to
bar the passage of any floating thing. At the outset
I had some hesitation about venturing my boat upon
this aquatic meadow, as I thought it betokened too
shallow a depth of water for navigation ; but when
my sound constantly gave me 12 and then 20 feet of
depth, I acquired more confidence, and steered boldly
through the floating garden.
There were points, indeed, where we came to a dead-
lock. These were places where the current, owing to
some peculiarity of the river-bed, was scarcely percep-
tible, and the vegetation was so thick that it was more
like a virgin forest than the growth of aquatic plants.
I saw abundance of fish darting hither and thither
through the watery mass, many of them being at least
a couple of feet in length.
Flocks of geese fled at my approach, astonished,
doubtless, at so unseemly an interruption as the visit ot
such a monster to regions hitherto sacred.
298 THE KINO'S IIIFLE.
Thousands of birds chirped and fluttered among the
reeds and canes which hned the banks ; the weight
of a dozen of them producing scarce an impression on
the gigantic grass-stems.
Occasionally a brilliant kingfisher would be seen
hovering motionless in the air, until at a given moment
it would descend from its lofty observatory like an
arrow from a bow, and carry off its gUttering prey
from the surface of the water.
The birds were not the sole inhabitants of the cluster-
ing rushes on the banks. A sudden commotion amid
the green stems would attract my attention, and a
rapid glance would discover a crocodile just disappear-
ing beneath the waters. Or the splash of a heavy body
in the stream would betray the presence of an otter,
either alarmed at our approach or, like the kingfisher,
intent upon his daily meal. The whole place was
instinct with life, and death, as usual, was following
quickly in its train.
The river, whose general direction is north and
south, winds in the most capricious manner ; to such an
extent, indeed, as to quadruple the journey. The right
bank is a vast marsh of very variable width, attaining
in some places to a tliousand yards. It yields, in
drainage, a huge volume of water, which produces a
perceptible influence upon the growth of the stream.
Some three miles below Cangamba I came upon a
bevy of 18 women, who were standing on the bank and
fishing up small fry by means of osier-baskets.
At one of the turns of the river I perceived three
antelopes, of an unknown species, at least to me ; but,
just as I v/as in the act of letting fly at them, they
leaped into the water and disappeared beneath its
surface.
The circumstance caused me immense surprise, which
was increased as I went further on, as I occasionally
Siiliiii!iii!iiMliU
AMONG THE OANQUELLAS. 299
came across several of these creatures, swimming and
then rapidly diving, keeping their heads under water,
so that only the tips of their horns were visible.
This strange animal, which I afterwards found an
opportunity of shooting on the Cuchibi, and of whose
habits I had by that time acquired some knowledge, is
of sufficient interest to induce me for a moment to
suspend my narrative, to say a few words con-
cerning it.
It bears among the Bihenos the name of Quichobo,
and among the Ambuellas that of Buzi. Its size, when
full grown, is that of a one-year-old steer. The colour
of the hair is dark grey, from one quarter to half an
inch long, and extremely smooth ; the hair is shorter on
the head, and a white stripe crosses the top of the
nostrils. The length of the horns is about 2 feet, the
section at the base being semicircular, with an almost
rectilinear chord. This section is retained up to about
three-fourths of their height, after which they become
almost circular to the tips. The mean axis of the horns
is straight, and they form a slight angle between them.
They are twisted around the axis without losing their
rectilinear shape, and terminate in a broad spiral.
The feet are furnished with long hoofs similar to
those of a sheep, and are curved at the points.
This arrangement of its feet and its sedentary habits
render this remarkable ruminant unfitted for run-
ning. Its life is therefore, in a great measure, passed
in the water, it never straying far from the river-banks,
on to which it crawls for pasture, and then chiefly
in the night-time. It sleeps and reposes in the water.
Its diving powers are equal, if not superior, to
those of the hippopotamus. During sleep it comes
near to the surface of the water, so as to show half its
horns above it.
It is very timid by nature, and plunges to the
300 THE KINO'S IIIFLE.
bottom of the river at the sh'ghtest symptom of
danger.
It can easily be captured and killed, so that the
natives hunt it successfully, turning to account its
magnificent skin and feeding off" its carcass, which is,
however, but poor meat.
Upon leaving the water for pasture, its little skill
in running allows the natives to take it alive; and it is
not dangerous, even at bay, like most of the antelope
tribe. The female, as well as the male, is furnished
with horns.
There are many points of contact between the life of
this strange ruminant and that of the hippopotamus,
its near neighbour.
The rivers Cubangui, Cuchibi and the upjjer Cuando
offer a refuge to thousands of Quichobos, whilst they
do not appear either in the lower Cuando or the
Zambesi. I exi)lain this fact by the greater ferocity
of the crocodiles in the Zambesi and lower Cuando,
which would make short work of so defenceless an
animal if it ventui'ed to show itself in their waters.
In an interview which I had at Pretoria with a
celebrated antelope-hunter, Mr. Selous, I learned that
he had heard my antelope spoken of by the natives of
the upper Cafucue, a stream which, it appears, con-
tained an animal similar to the one I had met with.
I regret that my very limited knowledge of zoology
did not permit me to make a more minute study of a
creature which I deem worthy the attention of men of
science on account of the strangeness of its habits.
Resuming my narrative, I cannot but speak in the
highest terms of praise of my mackintosh boat, which
carried me so bravely over the waters of the Cubangui.
Its only drawback was its restricted size, which confined
me to so constrained a position that by 4 o'clock in the
afternoon every joint in my body was aching.
AMONG THE QANGUELLAS. 801
I liad seen no signs of my people since T left Can-
gamba^ and, at the hour above mentioned, to the pain
caused by my cramped posture were added considerable
anxiety of mind and undoubted hunger of body. My
young rowers were perfectly exhausted with fatigue. I
made them pull up on the left bank, and ordered little
Sinjamba to climb to the top of a tree in order that he
might, from that elevation, see whether there were
any signs on the other bank of the smoke of the
encampment.
He thought that he perceived smoke in a N.W.
direction, and consequently higher up the stream than
the point we had then reached.
We therefore retraced our course, and, after some
difficulty, I managed to get ashore upon the marsh on
the right bank, and threaded my way towards the
spot whence the smoke appeared to proceed.
I had walked about three-quarters of a mile, when I
came upon traces of my caravan towards the south.
The impressions of the men's footsteps might have
misled me, but there was no mistaking the tracks of
my goat and the dogs.
I returned to the boat, and again steered down the
river. From time to time we pulled up, and the boy
was set to climb a tree and look out, but the operation
was repeated in vain.
Evening was now coming on, and my anxiety
increased. Not only were we all desperately hungry,
but I did not like sleeping away from the camp, on
account of my chronometers, which would not be
wound up.
The sun at last disappeared, and, as twilight is
exceedingly short in these latitudes, I deemed it wiser
to go ashore ; which I did, with the two young niggers,
on the left bank of the stream. Before we had settled
ourselves down, [ fancied I heard the distant report of
302 THE KINO'S RIFLE
a gun to the S.W. We at once got back into the
boat, and pushed on vigorously upon hearing another
report, to which I repHed.
My signal was immediately answered by another,
the flash of which I saw at some 200 yards' distance.
I steered the boat in that direction, and shortly came
upon my henchman Augusto, who was up to his waist
in water in the marsh, along with a Biheno who had
accompanied him. His delight at seeing me was very
great, and he and his companion lost no time in pulling
me out of the boat and conveying me across the marsh
to the higher ground.
It was an arduous task, which it took half-an-hour
to accomplish, but we reached terra firma at last. The
lads, having secured the boat to some canes, quickly
followed us. Augusto informed me that the camp was
at some distance, and that we should have to cross a
dense forest ere we reached it.
Unfortunately the night was pitch-dark, and loco-
motion was excessively difficult, owing to the uneven-
ness of the ground and the resistance of the underwood.
Stumbling here, falling there, covering a dozen
yards of ground in about as many minutes, tearing
one's clothes, and one's flesh too, with the thorns of the
brambles ; such are the incidents which accompany a
journey by night through a virgin forest.
After an hour of violent exercise, we heard, with
indescribable pleasure, the report of rifles and the buzz
of human voices.
Tliey came from my own people, who were speedily
gathered round us.
Yerissimo Gon9alves appeared at the head of a troop
ofBihenos, who insisted upon conveying me to the
camp on a litter which they improvised with stout poles
and the branches of trees.
It was in tins guise that I ]"eturned to the encamp-
AMONG THE QANOUELLAS. 303
ment, where at miduight, beside a roaring fire, I
appeased my hunger, made almost ravenous with a
36 hours' fast.
I remained in this spot the whole of the next day;
but on the following one, at early morning, I com-
menced the passage of the river, which was a work
of time, as my mackintosh boat was the only floating
thing I had to trust to.
At about 9, I set out with my peoj)le along the left
bank of the river, and an hour afterwards I" fell in
with a brook, and started a good deal of game. Con-
tinuing on, I came to a halt at 1 o'clock, pitching my
camp close to another little stream which, like the
former one, is a tributary of the Cubangui.
While here, I was visited by two Ambuellas, who
styled themselves " wax-hunters," and who informed my
guides that it would be highly imprudent to proceed
just then to the Cuchibi, inasmuch as a chief of one
of the districts we should have to pass through had
recently died, and that we should run the risk of
being fleeced and maltreated, in accordance with the
customs practised on such occasions.
The guides duly communicated this sinister intefli-
gence to me ; but, as I had resolved to go on, I told them
I should do so in spite of the decease of all the Sovetas
of the country. In proof of my sincerity, I broke up
the camp next day, and, after a somewhat forced
march of 6 hours' duration, I reached the right bank
of the river Cuchibi.
I must here remark that several of my followers
were on the sick-list, suffering from a malady whicli,
though sufficiently painful, was not without a touch
of the ridiculous. Some 18 or 20 of them had got a
goitre !
304 THE KING'S lUFLE.
CHAPTER YIII.
THE KIXG OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS.
The Cucliibi — The Sova Cahu-heu-iie — The Mucassoqucrcs— Opinio and
Capeu— Abundance— Kindness of the Aborigines — Peoples and Customs
— A Ford of the Cuchibi— The River Chicului — Game— Wild Animals
— The River Chalongo — An awful day — The Sources of the Ninda — The
Tomb of Luiz Albino — The Plain of the Nhengo — Labour and Hunger —
The Zambesi at last !
It was the 25tli July tliat I camped on the right bank
of the river Cuchibi.
The ground lying between this river and the Cubaii-
gui is clothed with a primeval forest, the vegetation
of which is of the richest nature.
A botanist would there discover a vast field for
lengthened study, so great is the variety of plants
growing, one in the shadow of the other, in that
enormous jungle.
In places it was most difficult to force a passage, and
again and again the hatchets were drawn from the
stout leather belts, to cut a path through underwood
which had never probably before been invaded by the
presence of man.
While traversing the forest, I became conscious of a
most delicious and delicate odour, which I found to
emanate from the flower of a tree that grew abund-
antly about me. There is not perhaps any known
flower that has a more fragrant perfume than the
blossom of the Oiico, for by that name do the natives
designate the plant.
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 305
The configuration of the tree, the arrangement of
its leaves, the flowers in chisters, and, above all, my
ignorance of botany, induced me to speak of it in my
diary as an acacia.
Some time after my return home, the apothecary of
my village called upon me, and, turning over one
of my sketch-books, he came upon a drawing of this
particular tree. With the frankness which belongs to a
villager, he observed : " Your Worship has committed
a great blunder here. This can't be the flower of an
Fig. C6.— The OCico.
Flower ten times the natural size. The flowers form bunches 3 cent, long by 15"""'
in diameter. White petals, brown ovary and stamens; delicious perfume.
acacia, for it has only 2 petals and 3 stamens, whilst
tlie blossom of the acacia has 5 petals and 10
stamens ; it therefore belongs to the Papilionaceous
family, and comes under the class of Leguminous plants,
as I will show you presently, from the pages of
Candolle. . . " " Don't trouble yourself," I said, as he
was about to run off for his authority ; " I will take
your word for it. The flower is correctly represented,
though I may be wrong about its parentage."
This tree, whose delicious flowers many a lady in
VOL. I. X
306
TEE KINO'S BIFLE.
Europe would have rejoiced to possess, 1 never met
with before reaching this particular spot, and I looked
for it in vain as I approached the river Ninda.
There was another tree I also found in this forest
that attracted my attention, — not, however, this time
on account of the scent of its blossom, but the delicate
flavour of its fruit, — and which the natives called
Opumbulume. The fruit is, in shape, like that of the
Fio;. 67. — The Opumbui-ume.
Mapoleque, but with a different taste, and springs from
a tree of a very dissimilar kind.
The river Ouchibi presents a diiferent aspect from that
of the other affluents of the Cuando, at least up to the
point I investigated it. It flows through a long valley,
enclosed by the gentle slopes of mountains covered
with thick wood. This valley is perfectly dry, and
not marshy, like almost all those through which flow
the numerous streams of South- Western Africa, and
TEE KING OF TEE AMBUELLAS' DAUOETERS. 307
which occasionally present a surface of water 6 miles
in breadth. The river winds along, not in curves of
short radius, like the Cuhangui, but in a long undulated
line, so that at a distance it seems almost straight.
Rich and abundant grasses cover its banks, but stop
at the rather steep sides which enclose the river-bed,
while the water, of the clearest crystal, courses along
and allows the white sand beneath to be distinctly
visible. It is entirely wanting in aquatic flora, so
abundant in the Cubangui, although its fauna, of which
I shall have something to say by and by, is by no
means inferior.
Game was not wanting, and I was fortunate enough
to bring down a smgue, an antelope common enough
on the banks of the Cuando and its affluents.
On that day several of my carriers complained to
me of certain tumours which had broken out in the
joints of the legs, and prevented them walking.
Happily, the consumption of stores left a few of my
men with nothing to carry, so that they were enabled
to relieve the sufiierers of their loads.
Most of the carriers were suffering from wounds of
the ankle, instep and tendo Achillis, which there were
no means of curing. I was soon at the end of my
medical science borrowed from Chernoviz, and the
same was the case with Dr. Chncaiombe, though his
medicaments were supported by the most potent
charms and stupendous arts of sorcery. Nothing
would do them any good.
I attributed the sores, rightly or wrongly, to two
causes, viz. the constant exercise of walking and the
insufficiency or nnwholesomeness of their food.
Let not my readers imagine that I am about to
indulge in another tirade against that innocent
massaiigo. Oh, no ! I am far too lo^al an enemy to
attack that pet aversion of mine during its absence :
X 2
308
THE KING'S RIFLE.
I leave tlie massango alone, \\\i\\ tlie remark tliat it is
in itself an inoffensive, and may be even a good and
wholesome diet, — for those who take to it.
The food to which I refer, and to whose charge I
lay in great part the fruitlessness of my efforts and
those of Dr. Chacaiombe, is a very different one.
I have already had occasion to mention that the
Bihenos will eat any mortal thing, and prefer their
meat, when tliey can get it, in a state of pnti'e faction.
The circumstance which I am about to record will
Fig. C8.— Rat.
speak volumes upon this subject, and the fact that it
does so must serve as my excuse for the somewhat
disgusting narration.
My favourite hound, Traviata, had a litter of eight
pups, all born dead. 1 gave orders to Augusto to bury
them secretly in as inaccessible a place as possible, so
as to remove them out of the way of the voracious jaws
of my Bihenos ; but two of those in the rear tracked
out their burial-place, dug them up, and incontinently
feasted upon them.
But it was not surprising that they should consider
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGETEBS. 309
young pups a delicacy, when they hunted out and
devoured termites with as insatiable an appetite as an
ant-eater, gathering them as they ran, and cramming
them by handfuls into their mouths !
Rats, too, were a favourite food ; one kind in par-
ticular, a small species which burrowed in the bee-holes,
and doubtless fed on the honey, being highly esteemed
by these epicures !
To return to my narrative. The part of the river
Cuchibi w'here I was encamped w^as entirely unpopu-
lated, and the guides informed me that it would take
4 days' march to arrive at human habitations.
Next morning we recommenced our journey, follow-
ing the dow^nward course of the river by the right
bank.
About noon I discovered that many of my people
were absent. I called a halt, and retraced my steps to
look for tliem, when I found several of the fellows in
the wood, bartering my cartridges, which they had
stolen, with sundry Ambuella natives, for Quichobo
flesh, fish, and other articles.
On finding themselves discovered, they took to their
heels, saving two, viz. the pombeiro Chaqui9onde
and Doctor Chacaiombe, wliom I caught in the act.
The latter threw himself on his knees and prayed for
pardon ; but not so Chaqui^onde, who drew his hatchet
and made a movement as if to strike me. I wrenched
the weapon from his grasp, and gave him such a blow
with the haft of it on the head, that it felled him
senseless to the ground. I thought I had killed him :
a mishap which occasioned my mind less pain than the
cause which led to it, as it was the first time I had
experienced positive insubordination from one of my
own people. 1 turned to the men, who had now
gathered about me, and ordered them to carry the
wounded man into cam[), which they at once did, the
310 THE KING'S RIFLE.
sight of the blood oozing- from a rather ugly Avound
rendering tliem very silent and submissive.
On an examination of the hurt, I felt convinced
that it was not mortal ; and wounds in the head, if
they do not kill at once, soon heal up. I did wliat
my little skill dictated on behalf of the foolish fellow,
and then called a council of the other pombeiros, to
decide what punishment should be awarded for his
double crime. The majority of them were for putting
him to death, the rest for thrashing him within an
inch of his life. .As he had recovered his senses, I
ordered him to be brought up for judgment, and having
harangued him on the heinousness of his offences,
ordered him to be set at libei-ty, with an injunction
to " sin no more." My forbearance produced a great
effect, though at first the fellows had a difficulty in
believing tliat I was in earnest.
On the following day we had a march of 6 hours,
still along the right bank of the river.
A good deal of game was visible in the course of
the journey, but it was very wild, and the only animal
killed was a songue.
This elegant creature differs considerably from the
one on which the Bihenos bestow the same name
between the coast and the Bilie country.
The one I shot measured 4 feet 7 inches to the
shoulder, and was 4 feet 5 inches in length from the
shoulder to the root of the tail.
Its short hair was of a reddish yellow, and uniform
in tint. I found, on examination, that it could cover
17^ feet in a leap, and I saw several of them go over
the tops of canes which stood 6 feet out of the ground.
When brought to bay, it will fight with great
courage and ferocity. The flesh is tasty enough, but,
like that of all antelopes, it is very dry.
It feeds in herds, and always in the open ; and sets
TEE KING OF TEE AMBUELLAS' DAUGETERS. 311
a watch while grazing. It takes to the forest only
wlien it is closely pursued, on which occasions it will
not hesitate to swim across a stream. Beyond the
upper reaches of the river Ninda it disappears
altogether.
Slut of the Son'ijue.
Next day I pursued my journey. As I got lower
down the stream, I observed that the level ground on
eacli side kept increasing in width, and that the
antelopes — the songues more especially — abounded.
Our stores of provisions had again run dry, and
312 THE KING'S RIFLE.
on this day we consumed our last rations of mas-
sango.
It was on the 20th July, after a march of 3 hours,
that we pitched our camp opposite the village of
Cahu-heu-iie, w^here the Sova of the Cuchibi has his
residence.
Before speaking of the Amhuellas tribe, and of the
rich country watered by the Cuchibi, I wish to say a
few words about my mode of travelling, or rather mode
of life in Africa.
Undoubtedly all my predecessors have had their
own particular system; those that come after me
will have theirs, and each will think his own the
best. My custom, therefore, with very rare exceptions,
was the following. I rose at 5 o'clock ; removed my
clothes (as I always slept dressed and armed), and
took a bath in water at a temperature of G5'^ Fahren-
heit.
The English are accustomed to bathe in cold water,
which is a capital tonic ; I, for my part, used simply
to wash for the purpose of cleanliness, and always
had an iron pot with hot water ready, to produce the
desired temperature. In referring to this subject, I
must not fail to speak of my india-rubber bath, which
came from the firm of Mackintosh of London. I found
it a perfect treasure, and it still, after long and rough
usage, is in capital condition. But this praise is due
to all the india-rubber wares produced in England.
After my bath came my toilet. My wash-basin
was formed out of a calabash, 18 inches in diameter.
My towels were of the finest Guimaraes linen.
The brushes, sponges, soaps and perfumery (I used
a good deal of the latter in Africa) were of the very
best quality, furnished by Charles Godfroy, whose
goods, though very dear, are all excellent of their
kind. My toilet over, in which 1 was assisted by my
THE KING OF TEE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 313
body-servant Catraio, that worthy collected and put
carefully away all articles that had been used, and
then brought me the chronometers, thermometers and
barometer.
I wound up and compared the first, and registered
the indications of the others.
By that time, young Pepeca had got tea ready, and
brouf>:ht it in.
It was served in a china tea-service to which 1
attached the very highest importance, it having been
the gift of the wife of Lieutenant Rosa in Quillengues.
Fine as a sheet of paper, transparent in texture and
elegant in form, that tea-service was my delight, and.
I thought the beverage never had the same flavour
taken from any other vessel as out of that delicate
porcelain cup.
Having swallowed three cupfuls of green tea with-
out sugar, as I had. not got any, the traps were packed
up, and. I gave orders to start ; which, however, we
rarely did before 8 o'clock, as it was next to impossible
to get the men away from the fires, round which they
gathered out of the intense cold.
Our order of march was the following. The lead
was taken by Silva Porto's negro, Cahinga, bearing
the flag, and immediately behind him came the cases
containing the cartridges, and the wood and ropes for
camp use. The other carriers followed indiscrimi-
nately, in single file, and I, Yerissimo, and the pom-
beiros brought up the rear.
If a carrier, from any cause, had to fall out and lay
down his load, the pombeiro under whose charge he
was stopped also to assist and look after him.
During the journey I noted the course we took, and
calculated our marches by the pedometer and watch.
Our regular marches might be reckoned at from 8 to
10 geographic miles, although, wdicn circumstances
314 THE KINO'S lilFLE.
required it, they were mucli longer. Then came
camping-time, and for the next hour all hands were
employed in constructing huts.
In order to do so, some of the men were set to felling
timber, others to lop off branches, and others again to
gather grass. I meanwhile, if I had nothing else to
do, stretched myself on the turf and slept, or at least tried
to do~ so, till they came and told me my hut was ready.
It generally took about an hour ; but, before I re-
tired to my quarters, I used to take my observations
for the meteorological record, which was regulated at
hr. 43 min. of Greenwich.
To learn the hour, I consulted a watch which Pereira
de Mello had sent me from Benguella to the Bilie ; it
was in a brass case, was a pure cylinder, of Swiss make
with 8 rubies, &c., and went admirably.
At the proper time I called Catraio, who brought me
the instruments. I used a swing-thermometer which
had been the property of the ill-fated Baron de Barth ;
and each time I moved the instrument the whole of the
Biheno carriers would stand at a distance watching
the operation in wonder, and though it was regularly
repeated every day, they always did the same thing,
and always expressed the same mute surprise.
The observations having been duly registered, tlie
young nigger, Moero, brought in the plates and my
ration ; for I cannot dignify with the name of dinner
the handful of massango, boiled in water, which con-
stituted the repast.
When it was over, if I were too tired to hunt up
game or scour the neighbourhood, I employed my time
in writing up my diary from my rough notes, in
calculating observations, or in drawing. The ink
which I used for all my work was obtained fiora small,
so-called, " magic " ink-bottles, each of which lasted me
from two to three months.
THE KING OF TEE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 315
This system of taking notes during the marches and
in the daytime, and subsequently transcribing them in
the diary, gave me a duph'cate record of my proceedings,
and thus allowed me the chance of saving one, even if
the other were lost. The daily notes were written in
pencil, in little note-books, which, when full, I sealed
up with wax. Besides the transcript of actual facts, T
recorded in these little books all the initial observations,
both astronomical and meteorological. On quitting
Darban, I despatched them to Portugal via England,
and they all arrived safely at Lisbon. They still
remain there, unopened, whilst the copy which w^as
made up from them remained constantly in my posses-
sion, and constitutes the basis of the narrative which I
am now composing.
Until this journey was undertaken, I never knew the
entire value of time, or how much can be done with it,
if judiciously employed.
When night fell, the wood crackled on the temporary
hearth, and gave me warmth and light. If I had no
observations to make during the hours of darkness, or if
— as was often the case — my fatigue compelled me to
seek rest, I would lie down on the leopard-skins which
formed my bed, using as a pillow the little valise in
which I kept my papers.
A habit which I acquired during the journey,
springing probably in the first instance from the cold
which always preceded daybreak, was to wake regu-
larly at 3 o'clock. I then rose and replenished the
expiring fire, came to the door of the hut, just outside
which hung a thermometer, and noted the point at
which the mercury stood, for at that hour I could
obtain a pretty correct minimum. I had not got w^ith
me any maximum and minimum thermometer, and
therefore the figures which appear under these heads in
my records are only approximate ones ; the maximum
316 THE KING'S RIFLE.
temperature being that recorded at 1 hr. 30 inin. ot
my register, or hr. 43 min. Greenwich time.
From 3 a.m. till 5, my time was passed beside the
fire, smoking ; and I would often thus consume from
10 to 12 cigars, whilst tliinking of my country and
the dear ones I had left behind me.
How often at that hour — my time for meditation
and sad reflections — did 1 not cogitate over present
troubles and the uncertain future which lay before me !
At the time of which I am now writing I was on the
Cuchibi, at 20 degrees E. of Grreenwich and 14^ to
the S. of the Equator. I was far removed from all
assistance of which I might stand in need, and where
was I to seek for means and resources to pursue my
onward journey ?
From the Bihe to that point I possessed the few bales
of cotton of which I made use ; but the last pieces
were now before me, and they constituted my entire
stock of money.
In all the villages I passed through I met with more
or less facility in bartering cotton-stuft' for food, the
zuarte, printed zuarte and white being most preferred.
On very rare occasions could business be done with
the striped or trade cloth. Cowries, which are higlily
esteemed among the Quimbandes and disregarded by
the Luchazes, recover all their value by the Cuchibi,
although in the latter place they put them to a different
use. Instead of employing them for the adornment of
the head, they convert them into girdles, upon which
they bestow extraordinary care.
The Maria II. beads have great value everywhere ;
but on the Cuchibi they are preferred to all other
articles, powder only excepted.
On reaching the Cuchibi, I was asked, for tlie first
time during my journey, for copper bracelets, and for
wire to make them.
L-Tn/L-m.; Samptvyn Low. Mar/rtcin . Semrle. & Shnnfftan .
THE KINO OF TEE AMBUELLAS' D A UO TITERS. 31 7
Immediately after my encampment was completed, a
stranger came to me, stating that he was a Biheno,
and had been left behind, on account of sickness, by a
caravan three years before.
Being recognised by several of my carriers, I en-
gaged him in my service.
I was now upon the track of the Bihe caravans, and
as I intended remaining there a few days, I sent a
little present to the Sova, and a message informing him
of my determination.
I learned from the stranger Bilieno that news
had come of a revolution in the Baroze country, the
native chief, Manuauino, having been expelled and
another proclaimed in his stead, about whom little or
nothing was known.
This intelligence was anything but agreeable to me,
for 1 had heard that, though Manuauino \vas ferocious
and sanguinary with his own people, he was very
hospitable to strangers.
The Ambuellas among whom I was now sojourning
were of the pure Ambuella race, whilst those of the
Cubangui are a good deal mixed with the Luchazes.
The inhabitants of tlie Cuchibi are at emnity with
the Ambuellas of the west, and they are frequently
eno-a^'ed in internecine war.
The Ambuella race occupy the whole of the country
watered by the upper Cuando, and are collected more
especially in the district where that river receives
its confluents, the Queimbo, Cubangui, Cuchibi and
Chicului.
The villages on the river Cubangui are constructed
either on the islands which dot the stream or upon piles
driven down into the river. As the inhabitants are the
only people possessed of canoes, they rejiose at night
ill tlieir aipiatic habitations without the slightest tear
of molestation.
318
THE KING'S lUFLE.
The Sova lost no time in sending me provisions and
a good supply of maize. "What a treat was not that
dish of boiled Indian corn ! I saluted it with reverence,
moved by the reflection that the reign of massango
was for the moment at an end ! His ^lajesty further
sent me word that he would pay me a visit next day.
Early on the following morning I turned out for a
stroll, but found walking difficult on account of the
thorny nature of the underwood. Still, I managed to
( n
Fig. 70. — The Sova Caeu-heu-le.
get about 3 miles from the encampment, when I came
across an enormous snare for catching game.
It was formed of a lofty hedge, which must have
been a mile or two in extent, enclosing a nearly
circular space. At about every 20 yards there was
an opening in the fence, which led into smaller
enclosures, carefully covered by a strong gin or urivi.
A band of men being assembled, they beat the wood all
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAVGHTERS. 319
round, and with loud cries frightened the hares, small
antelopes and other animals, which, in their efforts to
escape, darted into the enclosures referred to, and were
caught in the urivi prepared for their reception.
On my way back to the huts I found in the wood
an encampment of Mucassequeres, which gave evi-
dence of being only recently abandoned.
The Sova called on me in due course. I found him
a man somewhat advanced in years, of a sympathetic
countenance, and rather a Jewish profile. He was ex-
tremely well dressed, wearing, over a sort of uniform,
a cloak of white linen, with a large and handsome
kerchief round his neck. His head was covered with
a cap of red and black list, and in his hand he carried
a concertina, out of which he wrung the most painful
sounds.
He made me a fresh present of maize, manioc, beans
and fowls, which I returned in the shape of a few
charges of powder, the most valuable gift that could be
made on the Cuchibi.
The old chief retired, extremely satisfied, and pro-
mised shortly to return.
In the course of our conversation, he informed me
that the sovereigns of the Baroze were accustomed to
demand tribute of him, and that, in order to avoid
war, he had duly paid it, thus establishing a species of
vassalage ; that he knew little or nothing of the
revolution on the Zambesi, and less of the new poten-
tate who was in the ascendant, so that I still remained
in utter ignorance of the state of the country I was
about to enter.
During tlie afternoon my negroes captured in the
forest two Mucassequeres, whom they at once brought
before me.
The poor savages were trembling with fear, and
gave themselves up for lost.
'^20 TriE KING'S RIFLE.
Tliey knew a little of the Ambiiella dialect, and by
means of an interpreter we were able to undenstand
each other. They imagined that sentence of death
was about to be passed upon them, or that, at the least,
tlie rest of their days was to be spent in slavery.
I desired my men to let them go, and return them
their arms. I then told them that they were free, and
might return to their people, and I gave them also a
few strings of beads for their wives.
Their surprise knew no bounds, and they had much
ado to believe that I was in earnest in what I said and
did. Having ordered them something to eat, I inquired
whether they would take me to see their camp.
After a warm discussion between them, carried on
in a language unknown to all the bystanders, and
completely different in intonation to any tongue I had
hitherto heard spoken in Africa, they said they were
quite wilhng to conduct me to their tribe, if I would
trust myself to go alone. I accepted the offer, and
immediately started with the two ill-favoured abori-
gines.
Accustomed as I was to the forest, I liad much ado to
keep up with jny agile guides, who more than once had
to wait for me to join them.
An hour's fatiguing walk brought us to a patch of
cleared ground, in the middle of which was the en-
campment of the tribe.
Its inmates were three other men, seven women and
five children.
A few branches of trees, bent downwards, with others
interlaced in front, constituted their only shelter.
Of cooking-appliances there was not a semblance.
Their food consisted of roots and fragments of flesh
roasted upon wooden spits. Salt is quite unknown to
them.
Both men and women barely cover their nakedness
THE KINO OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUOIITERS. 321
with small monkey-skins. Their arms are bows and
arrows.
I had come among them, but was perfectly at a loss
how to act, now I had done so, for we neither of us
could understand the other.
I thought the best thing to do w^as to ingratiate the
w^omen, so gave them a few strings of beads I had
brought with me for the purpose. They received
them, however, without the slightest sign of pleasure
at the gift.
I was touched by tlie abject misery of these poor
people. I examined them closely, and was much struck
by their excessive ugliness. The eyes were small, and
out of the right line ; the cheek-bones very far apart
and high ; the nose flat to the face, and nostrils dis-
proportionately wide. The hair was crisp and woolly,
growing in separate patches, and thickest on the top of
the head.
A few strips of the skin of some animal, encircling
their wrists and ankles, constituted their sole ornament,
and these were perhaps worn rather as amulets than
for the purpose of adornment.
I managed to make my guides understand that I
wanted to return, when, without leave-taking, they
preceded me, and just as night fell left me at the edge
of the wood, where I could hear the voices and merry
songs of the people of my camp.
During my stay on the Cuchibi I managed to gather
a few more scraps of information about these strange
aborigines.
The Mucassequeres occupy, jointly with the Ambu-
ellas, the territory lying between the Cubango and
Cuando, the latter dwelling on the rivers and the
former in the foi'ests ; in describing the two tribes, one
may say that the latter are barbaiians and the former
downright savages.
VOL. I. Y
322 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
They bold but Kttle communication with eacb other,
but, on the otlier band, they do not break out into
hostilities.
When pressed by hunger, the Mucassequeres will
come over to the Ambuellas and procure food by the
barter of ivory and wax.
Each tribe would seem to be independent, and not
recognise any common chief. If they do not fight with
their neighbours, they nevertheless quarrel among
themselves ; and the prisoners taken in these conflicts
are sold as slaves to the Ambuellas, wbo subsequently
dispose of them to the Bihe caravans.
The Mucassequeres may be styled the true savages
of South tropical Africa. They construct no dwelling-
houses or anything in the likeness of them. They are
born under the shadow of a forest-tree, and so they are
content to die.
They despise alike the rains which deluge the earth
and the sun which burns it ; and bear the rigours of
the seasons with the same stoicism as the wild beasts.
In some respects they would seem to be even below
the wild denizens of the jungle, for the lion and tiger
have at least a cave or den in which they seek shelter,
whilst the Mucassequeres have neither.
As they never cultivate the ground, implements of
agriculture are entirely unknown among them ; roots,
honey, and the animals caught in the chase constitute
their food, and each tribe devotes its entire time to
hunting for roots, honey and game.
They rarely sleep to-day where they lay down
yesterday. The arrow is their only weapon ; but so
dexterous are they in its use, that an animal sighted
is as good as bagged. Even the elephant not unfre-
quently falls a prey to these dexterous hunters, whose
arrows find every vulnerable point in his otherwise
impervious hide.
THE KINO OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUOHTERS. 323
The two races which inhabit this country are as
different in personal appearance as they are in habits.
The Ambuella, for instance, is a black of the type of
the Caucasian race ; the Mucassequere is a white of the
type of the Hottentot race, in all its hideousness.
Many of our sailors, browned by the sun and beaten
by the winds of many a storm, are darker than the
Mucassequeres, whose complexion besides has so much
of dirty yellow in it as to make the ugliness more
repulsive.
I regret exceedingly my inability to obtain more
precise data concerning this curious race, which I
consider to be worthy tlie special attention of anthro-
pologists and ethnographers.
In my opinion this branch of the Ethiopic race may
be classified in the group of the Hottentot division. In
form it possesses many of the characteristics of the
latter, and we may observe in this peculiar race a
sensible variation in the colour of the skin. The
Bushmen to the south of the Calaari are very fair of
hue, and I have noticed some who were almost white.
They are low of stature and thin of body, but exhibit
all the characteristics of the Hottentot type. To the
north of that same desert tract, more especially about
the salt-lakes, there is another nomad race, that of the
Massaruae, strongly built, of lofty stature, and of a deep
black, who possess the same Hottentot type, and who
indubitably belong to the same group. I was tokl on
the Cuchibi that between the Cubango and the Cuando,
but a good deal to the south, there existed another
race, in every respect similar to the Mucassequeres,
both in type and habits, but of a deep black colour.
In consideration, therefore, of the alHnity of character,
I have no hesitation in admitting that the Hottentot
group of the Ethiopic race extends to the N. of the
Cape as far as the country lying between the Cubango
Y 2
324 THE KING'S lilFLE.
and tlie Ciiando, passing through sundry modifications
of colour and stature, due probably to the conditions
under wliich they live, to altitude, to the great differ-
ence of latitude, or even to other causes that are less
apparent.
The subdivisions of the Ethiopic race in tropical
Africa will remain for a long time but indifferently
known in Europe, on account of the difih'culty of collect-
ing reliable data wherewith to complete their study.
Where can we find any members of these barbarous
tribes w^illing to allow their forms to be moulded ?
And, even if this difficulty could be overcome, how
could the anthropologist convey thither materials to
form his moulds, or how, if taken, could he convey his
moulds to the coast ? How could he manage to collect
skeletons, or even skulls, in countries where the pro-
fanation of a grave might lead to the ruin of an expedi-
tion ? How could he conceal from his own caravan,
from the very carriers in his service, these human spoils,
which would be regarded as articles of witchcraft ?
Photography, of all means the most incomplete
whereon to base serious studies, presents in itself
almost insuperable difficulties.
In the first place, it is no easy matter to employ
photography on a journey of exploration. Fancy, for
instance, the conveyance of an apparatus, with its
appliances in glass bottles, upon the head of a carrier
who stumbles and falls at least a dozen times a day !
My own experience will, I am sure, in this particular be
supported by that of Capello and Ivens.
And, even supposing that that difficulty were got
over, and that photography could be effectively em-
ployed, where is the native of the interior who would
allow an apparatus to be set up, and stand before it as
a subject for the camera obscura ?
In the course of my narrative I shall have occasion
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUOHTERS. 325
to relate an adv^enture which occurred to myself and a
Swiss photographer, a M. Gross, where I managed to
obtain a group of Betjuanos who were in a semi-civilised
condition, after an expenditure of patience and time
that was almost incalculable.
In respect of the Mucassequeres, I did not even
succeed in making a satisfactory sketch with pencil and
paper.
But to return to our narrative.
Fig. 71. — Ambuella Woman.
When my Mucassequere guides left me, as related,
at nightfall at the edge of the forest, they uttered a
few words, which probably meant a farewell, and
disa[)peared in the darkness. The ruddy state of
the atmosphere, due to the numerous camp-fires, and
the sound of merry voices, guided my footsteps, and
shortly after I found myself within the precincts of
the encampment, where, to the notes of the barbarous
326 TEE KINO'S RIFLE.
music of the Ambuellas, the fellows were capering like
madmen.
There were several Ambuella girls who were
dancing with my carriers, and the bangles on their
arms and wrists made a tinkling accompaniment to
their motions.
I was much struck with the type of many of these
girls, which was perfectly European, and I saw several
Fig. 72. — Opudo.
whose forms, as they undulated in the dance, would
have raised envy in the hearts of many European
ladies, whom they equalled in beauty and surpassed in
grace of motion.
What followed was calculated to increase my
surprise.
It would appear that these Ambuellas, on the arrival
in the country of a caravan, are accustomed to flock
into the camp, to sing and dance ; and, as night
THE KING OF TEE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 327
advances, the men retire, and leave their women-folks
behind them. It is their hospitable custom thus to
furnish the stranger wayfarers with a few hours of
female society.
On the following morning, at daybreak, the visitors
steal away to their villages, and rarely fail to return
to bring gifts to their husbands of a night.
This custom led to an extraordinary adventure which
befell myself.
Moene Cahu-heu-iie, the old Sova, sent me his two
daughters, Opudo and Capeu.
Opudo was about 20, and Capeu counted some 1 6
years.
The elder was a plain girl enough, and was won-
derfully haughty in manner ; but the other was an
attractive little creature, with a smiling and agreeable
countenance.
From the moment of my setting foot in Africa I had
determined to lead an austere life, a practice which
gave me considerable influence over my negroes, who,
seeing me only drink water, and detecting me in
no aventure galante, looked upon me as altogetlier a
superior being.
But now, notwithstanding my fixed determination,
I was called upon to exercise no little restraint upon
ray feelings to resist the temptations of the younger
daughter of the Sova Cahu-heii-ue.
Cape'u only spoke the Ganguella dialect, which I did
not understand, but Opudo talked Hambundo fluently.
" Why do you despise us ? " she inquired in an
imperious tone. " Are the women in your country
more lovely and loving than my sister ? Any way, we
intend to sleep here ; for it shall never be said that the
daughters of the chief of the Ambuellas have been
thrust out of his tent by a white man."
Here was a ridiculous position for a man to be placed
328
THE KINO'S RIFLE.
in ! I was indeed so taken aback that I had not a word
to say for myself.
Of course, a ready reply might have been found, but
it was just the one that 1 had no intention to give.
There sat the two girls upon my leopard-skins, and
there stood I. The large fire whicli separated us cast
over the interior of the hut a ruddy light, somewhat
subdued and softened by the green foliage which lined
the cabin walls. The bright flame displayed to great
Fig;. 73. — Capeu.
advantage the undraped figure of the young girl, whose
languishing eyes were occasionally fixed upon me with
an expression half-pouting, half-beseeching. My own
looks wandered away, but involuntarily turned again
and again to the statuesque and graceful figure.
Without, the noisy sounds of the barbarous music
had ceased ; the voices were more subdued, and silence
was gradually taking the place of the previous uproar.
My braves were evidently selecting their companions
TEE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 329
for the night ; aud there was I, still shut up with those
irrepressible girls.
" We intend to remain here," repeated the haughty
Ambuella princess. " I don't mean to expose my
sister to the scorn of all the old women of the villages ;
and let me tell you, white man, that if you are a chief
of the White King, I am the daughter of a Sova."
The ridicule of my position increased ; I was com-
pelled to put the firmest restraint upon myself, and,
conscious that if I looked or spoke softly I was lost, I
had to assume a severity of aspect and hardness of
behaviour that were quite foreign to my character.
Still, things could not remain in the state in which
they were, and I did not know how to alter them. I
would have preferred, a thousand times over, risking a
conflict with the warrior father to continuing this
colloquy with the amorous little daughter.
Suddenly the skin which formed the door of my hut
was raised, and some one entered.
It was little Mariana, who had overheard our limited
conversation and came to the rescue.
She approached the fire, which she mended and
replenished. Then, turning to the Ambuellas and
repeatedly clapping her hands, as is the customary
mode of complimentary salutation in the country, she
uttered the words Co-qde-tu Cu-que-tu, and added : " The
white man does not scorn you ; but if he does not wish
you to sleep here it is because I am the only one who
does so, the white man is mine. My hut is alongside
this one, and you are quite welcome to sleep there."
The daughters of Sova Cahu-heii-iie at once rose and
left with Mariana, to whom I felt myself very greatly
indebted for getting me out of my dilemma ; but a few
moments after, Opudo came back and whispered fiercely
in my ear, "To-night we sleep elsewhere, but my sister
does not mean to let you off."
330 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
I must confess it, this young woman inspired me with
more fear than the wildest of wild cats could occasion.
I lay down on my couch, reflecting upon my extra-
ordinary adventure, and beginning to credit, with more
sincerity than I had hitherto done, the story of a certain
Joseph who left his garment behind him in Egypt.
Next day the cliiefs daughters came in the usual
way, to bring me presents. I gave them a few beads in
return, and they retired without alluding to the scene
of the previous night.
Shortly afterwards a messenger came from the father,
to announce that he expected me that afternoon, and
that he would send a boat to convey me to his village.
Our encampment had fresh visitors, in the shape
of some cobras, which the negroes declared to be
venomous, and several black scorpions, from 4 to 4J
inches in length. One or two of the men were
bitten by these disgusting reptiles, whose poison,
however, produced no further mischief than violent
pain and swelling of the parts affected.
The Ambuellas were the first people I fell in with on
my journey who did not conceal their plantations in
the forest.
Their fields under cultivation were all in the open,
by the banks of the stream, and to this cause may be
attributed their reputation as husbandmen.
The inundations which occasionally occur leave
deposits on the land of the richest kind, and the fields
become thereby naturally manured.
Although they do not, so to speak, irrigate the land
— an operation which I never saw any African tribe
practise — they nevertheless take the precaution, as I
observed, of draining the ground by digging deep
trenches beside their plantations.
My occupations had so engaged me during the day
that it was not till evening that I remembered the canoe
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 331
which the Sova told me would be in waiting near the
river to convey me to his village.
On reaching the appointed spot my surprise was
considerable at finding the frail skiff referred to manned
by Opudo and Capeu, the two daughters of the chief!
I do not consider myself a man of a particularly timid
nature, but the sight of these two girls caused me some
alarm.
This was no time, however, for indulging in such
feelings, so I stepped into the canoe, and settling myself
down, gave the signal for departure. The dexterity
of these young women was remarkable, and they soon
cleared the little creek or canal which led into the river.
Tlie sun was fast nearing the horizon. The canoe
Fig. 74. — Ciu'iiiiii Canok and Paddle.
sped swiftly through the open spaces left by the
abundant aquatic vegetation, which displayed upon the
surface of the water a vast wealth of beautiful flowers.
So thick were the clusters of Victoria-regias and many
species of the Nenuphar, that at times they held us as
in a net. On one occasion we were so imprisoned
that I fully expected an upset, and in imagination saw
those dark-skinned nymphs and myself struggling in
the water among the crocodiles.
No such mishap, however, occurred. By a skilful
manoeuvre of the paddles we were set free, and Opudo
then found her tongue.
"It is too late now," she said, " to go to our father's
house. We waited for you long. We will return by
land, and you shall come to-morrow."
332
THE KING'S RIFLE.
Sliortly after, at a convenient spot, ^ve went ashore,
and tliey accompanied me to tlie camp.
Night fell, and found the Sova's daughters again
witliin ray hut, conversing on indifferent subjects,
whilst the sounds of dancing and merriment were
heard without.
When the noise attendant on these festivities had
ceased, they la}' down near the
entrance of the hut, beside the
brightly burning fire. I wanted
them to take up their quarters
once more in the hut of little
Mariana ; but Opudo declined,-
saying she was a fawn of the
forest, and little cared where she
took her rest.
In the course of that day
Augusto, who had been scour-
ing the wood for game, fell in
with a troop of small monkeys,
the first I had come across in
my journey from the coast west-
ward.
On the following morning I
paid my visit to the Sova ; but,
being desirous of avoiding further
adventures, I got out my india-
rubber boat, and proceeded to
the village in that conveyance.
The canal I traversed communicated with an arm of
the river, 22 yards wide by 19 feet deep, with a rapid
current coursing along at the rate of 54 yards per
minute.
The river divides, forming aits, little bays and
marshes, which are the beds of thick and lofty canes.
It is upon these small islands, themselves intersected
Fig. 75. — Drum used at
Ambuella Feasts.
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 333
by other channels, which form a perfect labyrinth,
that these Ambiiella villages are planted, springing
from a marshy soil, on the level of the river. The
houses are perfectly imbedded in the thick tufts of cane.
Their walls are formed of reeds ; their foundations are
stakes driven into the muddy ground, and the roofs are
composed of thatch.
A& may readily be imagined, they are wretched
habitations, badly constructed, and affording little effec-
tive slielter. Outside the doors, suspended from large
poles, are immense calabashes, in whicli the inhabi-
tnnts preserve their wax and other articles.
The huts themselves are filled with calabashes.
Indeed, among the Ambuellas these useful vegetables
perform the office of trunks, cupboards, and other
household receptacles.
The store-Louses only differ from the dwelling-houses
in being raised upon stakes a couple of yards high,
and therefore out of the reach of the inundations of
the river.
On one of the small islands above referred to a little
group of buildings constitutes the residence of the Sova
Moene Cahu-heii-ue. One hut is occupied by himself,
four more are assigned to his four wives, and the rest
are store-houses.
I observed near the chief's own habitation a kind
of rustic trophy, composed of the skulls and horns of
animals and other spoils of the chase.
The Sova received me very graciously^ he having
two of his favourites by his side.
No sooner was I seated than my interpreter and one
of the favourites commenced vigorously clapping the
palms of their hands together, after w^hich, scraping
up a little earth, they rubbed it on the breast, and
repeated many times, in a rapid way, the words hamha
and calwiga, terminating with another clapping of
334 ' THE KINO'S lilFLE.
hands, not quite so vigorous as before. This com-
pleted the ceremony of introduction.
Tlie chief expressed a wish to see my boat, and made
a little excursion in it upon the river. His wonder at
the floating power of this portable canoe knew no
bounds ; and again and again he urged upon me not to
sell any such to the Ambuellas of the Cubangui, for
that, if I did, he and his people were lost.
I pacified him on this head by the assurance tliat
the whites did not wish for war between them, and
would take all possible care not to furnish them with
the means of w^aging it.
On our return to his island-home he sent for a
calabash of hingundo and a tin cup, together with a pot
of Lisbon marmalade, left there by some Biheno trader
during one of his business journeys.
Having filled the cnp, the chief allowed some drops
of the foaming liquid to fall upon the ground, and,
covering the place with damp earth, he drank off the
contents without drawing breath.
The interpreter having informed him that I only drank
water, he passed the calabash round to his favourites,
who lost no time in disposing of what was left in it.
At noon I took my leave, and returned to the
encampment.
I passed the rest of the day with a petty chief, the
brother of the Sova, who informed me that he intended
starting for the Zambesi by way of the Cuchibi and
Cuando.
I found him to be a very intelligent fellow, speaking
Portuguese pretty fluently, he having picked up the
language while serving as a soldier in Loanda, to which
place he had been sent as a slave when the horrid
traffic was in the ascendant. He w^as a great hunter,
and had frequently scoured the banks of the Cuando as
far as Linianti during his sporting excursions.
THE KING OF THE AMBV ELLAS' DAUOETEBS. 335
He assured me that the Ciiando was completely
navigable, that it was without rapids, and occasionally
spread over so wide a bed as to present but little depth.
Its aquatic vegetation was, however, so abundant and
powerful that it not unfrequently barred the passage
of auy boats, and made navigation a matter of con-
siderable difficulty.
He further asserted, and I had afterwards occasion
Fiii. 77. — Till'; Suva's Brother.
to confirm the correctness of the assertion, that the
river Cuando bears that name as far as Linianti, and
thence to the Zambe either Cuando or Linianti, but
never Chobe or Tchobe, as designated on the maps.
The Ambuella race continue on the Cuando the
same system of existence as they practise on the Cu-
chibi, and the little islands are always selected for the
establishment of tlieir villages.
336 THE KINO'S RIFLE.
On the banks of the Cuchibi the preposterous licad-
dresses, wliich disappear among the Quimbandes, again
become visible. Cowries, too, are once more in liigh
esteem among the people, not for the purpose of adorn-
ing the head, but for the enrichment of their belts,
which appear quite studded with them.
At the end of the canal where I embarked on my
visit to the Sova I observed two faggots of thick sticks
placed vertically at a few yards' distance from each
other. From these sticks were hanging remnants of
rush-mats, half-rotten by exposure to the weather. On
inquiry, I learned that they were places where the rite
of circumcision was practised upon male children of 6
to 7 years of age, who were subsequently turned adrift
in the wood, bereft of their usual garment until they
were completely cured, food being supplied them by
those who had undergone the operation the year before.
A piece of matting was given them to cover their
nakedness, and, on being re-admitted to their village-
homes, they left their mats hanging to the stakes
where the ojoeration had been performed.
I was also shown in this place another contrivance,
of a very curious character.
Upon two stout pitch-forks, sticking half a yard or
so out of the ground, was laid a sort of club, about a
yard in length and 8 or 10 inches in diameter, wrapped
tightly round with straw, looking for all the world like
a large rolling-pin.
This notable apparatus was the work of a medicine-
man of great fame, who had endowed it with most
extraordinary virtues. When a husband had reason to
suspect his wife of sterility, he sent for the doctor, who
conducted her to this place of cure.
While muttering sundry cabalistic words, he passed
the mysterious rolling-pin over her breast and sides,
and so infallible was the result, as the Sova assured me,
TEE KINO OF TEE AMBUELLAS' DAUOETERS. 337
that nine months had barely elapsed than the desired
end was attained.
Notwithstanding the deep faith reposed by the
Ambuellas in this system of putting an end to sterility,
I could not conscientiously recommend it for practice
in Europe.
My relations with the aborigines continued to be
most cordial and pleasant.
The Sova's daughters were indefatigable in bringino-
me presents, and, in fact, my own food and that of the
young niggers about my person was su2:)j)lied entirely
by these good Samaritans.
Anything for which I expressed a wish was at once
procured, and presumably their desire was to make
others believe that closer ties than those of platonic
friendship existed between us. I had learned by this
time that they would have been held up to scorn if
suspected of being repudiated by the stranger of their
choice, and, out of regard for their feelings, I allowed
them to have their own way.
We consequently lived on, the best friends in the
world, and their co-operation was really of the highest
importance in procuring me the carriers and stores of
which I stood in need for traversing a vast depopulated
space, where provisions would be simply unattainable.
By their exertions, chiefly, I was thus enabled to get
together a good store of maize and a certain quantity
of beans.
My pecuniary resources were drawing to an end,
and, saving a quantity of powder in the shape of car-
tridges, a few beads, and a little copper for bangles, I had
literally nothing left. Two of my carriers were bearers
of the present I had reserved for the sovereign of the
Baroze, the chief article being a small organ, havin^'- a
couple of automatic dolls, which executed a dance to
the sound of the music. This was a universal source
VOL. I. /
338 THE KING'S RIFLE.
of amusement to the aborigines. Angusto turned it to
very profitable account, and many an egg did lie con-
jure from the natives by the exhibition of the dancing
figures. I was amused to find liim testing his eggs by
putting them into water, before accepting them in pay-
ment of the show, for, owing to the popularity of the
entertainment, the eager sight-seers had more than once
endeavoured to palm off on him eggs which they had
surreptitiously abstracted from beneath a sitting hen !
Moene Cahu-heii-ile, no doubt upon the recommen-
dation of his daughters, solved every difficulty as it
arose, and actively aided me in my preparations for
departure.
The daughters themselves had resolved to accompany
me to the borders of their father's territory, and it was
Opudo who assumed the command of my escort.
Before resuming tlie narrative of my journey, I
deem it well to say a few words about the country
of the Ambuellas and the people themselves, whose
hospitality towards me had been so remarkable.
The Ambnella tongue is no other tlian that used by
the Ganguellas, and which is heard for the first time to
the east of the river Cuqueima.
Like the Hambundo, of which it is a dialect, it is
exceedingly poor, very irregular in the verbs, and
wanting in all those words which express noble and
generous sentiments.
Can it be that these people are so unhappy that they
do not feel the necessity of giving utterance to such
sentiments in words, from the fact of their being foi'eign
to their nature ?
I tried in vain to discover if it were so, but I should
have no difficulty in believing the conjecture a true one.
In this country, where I was received as a friend, and
was therefore unbiassed by any influence adverse to
the African, I sought in vain to read in the negro soul
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTEBS. 339
other than the most sordid cupidity, the most sensual
appetites, cowardice in presence of the strong, and
tyranny to the weak.
Of all the peoples I met with on my road, the
Ambuellas were the greatest and most successful
cultivators of the soil, which repays with wonderful
prodigality the care and labour bestowed upon it.
Beans, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, ground-nuts, the
castor-oil plant and cotton, are raised among enormous
fields of maize of excellent quality. Manioc is like-
wise grown by these people, but I was able, unfortu-
nately, to obtain little, owing to the destruction of the
crops that year by inundations of an unusually heavy
character.
Domestic poultry is the only live-stock possessed by
tlie Ambuellas. Their mode of life, constantly dis-
turbed by apprehensions of attacks from their neigh-
bours, prevents them ever becoming herdsmen or
shepherds ; so that vast tracts of land, covered with
admirable pasture, upon which enormous flocks and
herds might be easily raised, are totally abandoned.
Cattle disappear with the last of the Quimbandes.
Among the Lucliazes one may meet occasionally with
a few goats, and still fewer swine, whilst pigs abound
in the Bilie and between the Bihe and the West Coast.
Why happens it that, in countries covered with the
richest pasture, unvisited by the terrible tzee-tzee fly,
and having all the requisite conditions for the breeding
of cattle, no cattle whatsoever should be found ?
An answer to tliis question may not perhaps be far
to seek. Cattle constitute the greatest wealth of tlie
African peoples, and, as a matter of course, always
excite the cupidity of their neighbours ; in fact, as I
have already liad occasion to explain, they are the per-
manent cause of the wars ever waging between the
tribes residing between the West Coast and the Bihe'.
z 2
340
THE KING'S RIFLE.
Tliis appreliension of being rich, and of being in
consequence open to attack and robbery, no doubt has
its weight in making cattle scarce between the Cuanza
and the Zambesi. Among these barbarians, paradoxes
are common enough, and we find principles planted
and rooted among them that would with difficulty be
comprehended in Europe.
The dog, that faithful and devoted friend of man,
does not lorfeit among the negroes his character as a
sociable companion and trusty guard, and he is found
among all the tribes of the Ganguella race. It is true
that a variety of shaggy hounds and a few degenerate
water-spaniels are almost the only specimens of the
canine race that are met with in this part of Africa.
Among the Quimbandes and Bihenos the dog is treated
contumeliously enough —
and little wonder, seeing
that he is used there only
as an article of food. He
is most esteemed when he
is dead, for his flesh is held
to be a delicacy.
The Ambuellas, as I ob-
served above, though fur-
nished with the elements to
become the first breeders
of sheep and cattle in South
Central Africa, possess
neither cattle nor sheep,
and breed common poultry
only, and that of a small
and inferior kind.
^-^^ Among the inhabitants
of the river Cuchibi there
FiK. 78. — AiUBUELLA Hunter. ■. ^ , ,.
ai'e no places set apart tor
the interment of the dead. Their Sovas are bnried
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DATJOHTEBS. 341
in any convenient spot in the wood, but the people
find an unmarked grave in the mud by the river-
side.
The customs of tlie Ambuellas may be designated as
mild and. sociable, and their hospitality, as will be
gathered from what I have already recorded, is of the
frankest order.
They are tolerable woodsmen, and gather a great deal
of wax from the forest.
Women enjoy much more consideration among them
than with any other tribes I had hitherto visited, for,
Fig. 79. — Chinguene.
One-foui-th the natural size. Soft skin without scales. Brown back with darker
spots : triangular shape, the back being the vertex ; 3 belly fins, 2 subdorsal
and 2 dorsal. Two muscular feelers upon the mouth, and two on the lower jaw.
It belongs to a family that is very common in Africa and which comprises many
species.
as a rule, they are the most abject slaves of their
husbands.
The Ambuellas are skilful fishermen, which of
course is not surprising, living as they do upon a river
whose aquatic fauna is extremely varied.
In fact, of all the rivers I had come across, it was the
richest in fish I had yet beheld.
During my stay I was able to obtain from the natives
18 different varieties^ and they assured me that the
specimens were far from complete.
I enumerate below, under the names furnished me
by the aborigines, those which I was enabled to see
and examine.
342
THE KING'S RIFLE.
Small Fish, measuring under 8 inches.
1. Mussozi Skin fish.
2. Mango ilo.
3. Chingueue flo.
4. Chibembc ilo.
5. Limbumbo do.
6. Dipa Scaly fish.
7. Chitungulo do.
8. Lincumba do.
9. Nhele do.
10. Lingumveno do.
80. — Lincumba.
Natural size. Scales broad and hard ; grey back, silver -white belly ; 5 belly-fins,
1 lumbar, all soft.
Large Fish, between 8 and 20 inches.
11. Ch(5 Skin fish.
12. Mucunga Scaly fish.
13. Undo do.
14. Chinganja do.
15. Nassi do.
16. Bula do.
17. Ganzi do.
18. Boei-io do.
Fig. 81. — Chipulo or Nhele.
Natural size. Scales hard and small ; back of a reddish-grey ; belly reddish-white ;
3 belly fins, 2 super-ventral, and 1 lumbar, occupying the whole back, and spiky.
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 343
Six different large Mammiferi inhabit the Eiver CucHini.
1. The Hippopotamus.
2. The Quicliobo or Buzi (antelope).
3. The Nhiindo (common Otter).
4. Lihao (large Otter, s[)Otted with white).
5. Chitoto (small Otter, perfectly black).
6. Dima (herbivorous, about the size of a small goat ; w itliout hums, existing
under the same conditions as the Quicliubo or Buzi).
The reptiles, also, which inliabit the waters of the
river are numerous, but the crocodiles are small and
not of a very voracious character, and the cobras are
not all of them venomous.
There is a great variety of the frog-tribe ; but the
Ambuellas do not specially distinguish them, but bestow
upon all, generally, the name of Manjunda.
In canals and pools where the waters stagnate there
exist myriads of leeches, as is the case with all the
rivers in this part of Africa.
I had made a great provision of maize, and had got
together carriers to convey it, under the command of
the daughters of the Sova ; so that on the 4th August I
took my departure, after the most cordial adieux, and
continued the descent of the river upon its right bank.
Two hours after leaving Cahu-heii-iie the guides
pointed out to me a ford where the passage of tlie
river might be safely effected. They themselves
crossed over to show me the way, and I observed that
a man of medium stature could wade breast-high for a
space of 21 yards.
The river at that spot was between 77 and 87 yards
in width. I stripped off my clothes, and proceeded to
examine the ford. I found it was a narrow bar, with a
depth immediately above and below it of 10 to 12 feet,
with a very hard sandy bottom. The current of tlie
river over the ford was at least G5 vai'ds a jtn'nute,
ft/
Under these circumstances the passage must be always
diflicult to a laden caravan.
344 THE KING'S RIFLE.
I gave orders to commence the passage, wliicli took
a couple of hours in the performance. I remained the
wljole of that time in the water, with Yerissimo and
Augusto, the only two who were capable of swimming,
ready to assist any of the men wdio should lose their
footing. Not the slightest accident, liowever, occurred ;
nor, indeed, such was our care and precaution, was a
single package wetted.
The passage of the river having been an excessively
fatiguing operation, I determined to pitch our camp
shortly after crossing, which was done on our arrival at
the village of Lienzi.
The natives soon flocked in great numbers into the
camp, bringing with them presents, and provisions for
barter or sale. I never saw before in Africa so many
fowls as w^ere that day brought over by the Ambuellas.
There was not a carrier or the youngest nigger but
feasted that day on roast chicken.
I could not help being struck by the moderation and
good-nature of the natives, which were really remark-
able for an African people.
The whole of the men were armed with bows and
arrows ; a few of them carried assegais, and there were a
good many who, besides the native arms, were pos-
sessed of long flint-lock guns of Belgian manufacture.
Both men and women cat the two front incisors in
the shape of a triangle, but with a much more open
angle than I observed among the Quimbandes.
Their arms are manufactured by themselves, the
iron-work being of a very inferior kind. The iron
itself is extracted from mines lying below the con-
fluence of the Cuchibi and Cuando.
Those Ambuellas who use fire-arms greatly favour,
as I have before had occasion to mention, the " Laza-
rinas " now manufactured in Belgium, and round the
barrel of each gun they fasten a strip of skin of the
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 345
animal it has brought down in the chase, which
enables any one by a mere inspection of the weapon
to know how many victims have fallen to its share.
The only result is to spoil the look of the gun and
injure its utility by destroying the aim ; but as they
only risk a shot at 10 paces, they sometimes accident-
allj bring down their prey.
The hunter who had been most successful in his sport
displayed no more than ten strips of skin about the
barrel of his weapon.
This being the case, the poor people would get but
few skins wherewith to cover their nakedness, if it
were not for the snares they set in the woods.
Powder is an extremely rare commodity amongst
them, and it is only very occasionally, with an interval
<!y gg gA^
Fig. 83. — Assegais of the Ambuellas.
of months between, that a Biheno trader passes that
way and sells them — for an enormous equivalent — the
smallest possible quantity.
Among the Ambuellas who came into the encamp-
ment was one exceedingly pleasant-mannered fellow.
He tried every possible means to convince me that I
should be driving a capital bargain by exchanging a
charge of powder for a fine cock he carried under his
arm. I was much diverted with the ingratiating way
in which he tried to persuade me to effect the ex-
change ; and at last I told him that I would consent if
he could kill the cock at 50 paces' distance with a
bow and arrow.
He accepted the proposal, and I measured the dis-
tance.
The cock being set up at the allotted place, eight
346
THE KINO'S lilFLE.
arrows, each of which was infinitely wide of the marlc,
were fired at the intended victim.
A lot of the bystanders got quite excited with the
sport, and at length a perfect cloud of arrows might
he seen flying in the direction of the poor cock ; but
though the distance had been lessened to 40 paces, the
best shot was still half a yard away from the mark. I
then told the Bihenos that I would make the cock a
present to whomsoever could kill it. The best marks-
men from my caravan now came forward ; the most
successful of whom was Silva Porto's negro Jamba, who
Fig. 84. — Ambuella Arrow-Heads.
planted an arrow within a quarter of an inch of the
cock, which might, however, have lived and crowed
for some time longer had I not put an end to the sport
with a bullet from my Winchester rifle.
We discovered in the wood in which we were en-
camped an enormous quantity of white spiders, with
bodies as large as the top of the thumb. They bit
sharply, causing a violent though transitory pain.
Our camp was the resort of a considerable number
of women, attracted probably by the presence of the
daughters of their chief. They wore a great quan-
THE KINO OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUOHTEES. 347
tity of iron bangles Touncl their wrists, about an
eighth of an inch in thickness, of a qiiadrano;ular
section, having the two outer edges indented. When
they danced (and the Ambuellas are much given to
dancing) the tinkle of these bangles had a very musical
sound.
They compliment each other by repeatedly striking
their open palms upon their naked breasts.
A custom which I met with among all the Granguella
people, but more rigorously observed in the Cuchibi
than elsewhere, is noteworthy, and refers to the mode
of addressing the Sova or Soveta.
The person who wishes to speak to the great man does
not do so directly, but addresses his words to one of the
negroes standing by the chiefs side : he in turn repeats
the remark or request to a second negro, who transmits
it to the Sova. The reply passes through the same
channel.
The explanation that was given to me of this ar-
rangement was the following. The party who first
speaks, by hearing his words repeated twice, has an
opportunity of correcting any wrongful interpretation
of his idea, and this is likewise the case with the
party who answers.
My own notion, however, is that the Sovas have
established the custom in order, during the triple
repetition of the phrase, to secure time to prepare a
suitable reply.
From Lienzi I went on a hunting-excursion down
the river to its confluence with the Cuando, the position
of wliicli I marked roughly, being unable to take any
observations ; but I feel pretty confident in its being
correct, on account of my having perfectly determined
the position of Lienzi itself.
Close to the confluence of the Cuchibi I fell in \Adth
two large Ambuella villages, Linhonzi and Maramo,
348 THE KING'S BIFLE.
and between them and Lienzi a large Chimbambo
village.
At the confluence of the river Queimbo is situated
the village of Catiba, governed by a black from Cahu-
heii-iie, and subject to the Sova of the Ouchibi.
When I got back to the encampment I found my
followers so given up to the delights of Capua, that
there was no tearing them from the arms of the lovely
daughters of this new African Nineveh.
The double intoxication produced by hingimdo and
love made the fellows deaf alike to entreaties and
threats.
The Soveta of Lienzi came to call upon me, in com-
pany of a Mucassequere, his guest. I gladly engaged
the latter to serve as my guide to the sources of the
river Ninda, which I was desirous of reaching ; and as
the inclination was strong upon me to start at once, I
called the pombeiros together and told them of my
intention to go on with the Ambuellas and my young
attendants, and that they might remain behind if they
thought proper, but that, in any case, I should carry
away with me the whole of the rations.
Having made them this communication, I set off
under the guidance of the Mucassequere, and accom-
panied by the daughters of the Sova and their followers.
My Quimbares, seeing me in earnest, at once left the
camp and followed me, leaving the Quimbundos and
Verissimo's niggers behind.
After a painful march of 6 hours through the
tangled forest, and where not a drop of water was
met witlj, we reached the right bank of the Chicului,
parched with thirst.
This river runs through a desert and swampy plain
from 1800 to 2000 yards in width, and the forest, of
imvarying density, only terminates where the marsh
begins.
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUOHTEBS. 349
During the night the lions and leopards roamed
incessantly around my encampment, roaring in the
most frightful manner.
Next morning, at daybreak, I decided upon crossing
to the o^^posite bank.
I passed the river at a place where a bridge had
evidently at one time been tlirown across the stream
by Biheno caravans, and which I reconstructed. The
passage was effected easily enough, but it was not so
easy to reach the forest on the left bank, as we had to
traverse the swampy plain, where we occasionally sunk
to above our waists.
My little nigger Pepeca more than once remained
with only his head out of the bog, and we had much
ado to disinter him ; and there were 1600 yards of this
most trying and fatiguing swamp to get over.
The river I found to be 16 yards in width by 12 to
15 feet deep, with a current running at the rate of 45
to 50 yards per minute. I saw quantities offish in the
stream, both large and small, and a few crocodiles, but
of no great size.
After crossing the river, I sighted, at about 600
yards down stream, a considerable herd of Songues,
and, stealing a rapid march upon them through the
brushwood, I managed to kill three.
My favourite goat Cora never left my side for a
moment, and since she had heard the roaring of the
lions was in a constant state of nervous alarm.
A good many birds were caught by my negroes,
among which were a variety of quails and a white
lapwing with white legs.
About 1 o'clock in the day my Qiiiinbundos made
their appearance, with the pombeiros, who in very
humble guise entreated my pardon for not having come
on with me tlie day before.
I was in no mood just then to be too hard u})on them.
350 THE KING'S RIFLE.
SO forgave their temporary desertion, and shortly
after I went on a fisliing-excursion, with a very large
net, by the aid of which I caught a good many fish,
very similar to the mullet of the Portuguese rivers.
This same net or barhal, as it is called by the river
Douro fishermen, was a present made me by my father,
and which on various occasions proved our sole re-
source against the cravings of hunger.
The serious illness of one of my blacks induced me
to remain a couple of days in that place, which put me
out exceedingly ; for, having with me a numerous
company of Ambuellas, the provisions I had brought
from the Cuchibi were disappearing rapidly, and I had
before me an enormous tract of country to get over
ere reaching the Zambesi, with the prospect of meeting
witli no resources beyond the spoils of the chase — a
very problematical source of supply in Africa.
During one of those days the Ambuellas penetrated
the forest in search of honey, guided by the Indicators,
and were fortunate in securing a goodly quantity.
Many well-known naturalists from the time of
Sparmann and Leveillant, the first who studied the
habits of this curious bird, down to the most modern
explorers, have made it the subject of lengthened
description. Nevertheless, I must be pardoned if I say
a few words more about so interesting a creature,
dictated by my own experience and observation of its
habits in Africa.
Whether the indicator is or is not a cuckoo is a
matter which I will not attempt to discuss, but leave it
to the authority of the Bocages and the Giinters. Nor
will I enter upon the other question, of deciding
whether it should be called Cuculus alhirostris, as
1'emminck asserts, or simply Indicator as averred by
others. To attempt to describe it, with my limited
knowledge of ornithology, would be presumption, so I
THE KING OF TEE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTEBS. 351
shall confine myself to relating what I saw it do, and
draw my owm conclusions from the observation.
No sooner does man penetrate into one of the
extensive forests of South Central Africa than the
indicator makes its appearance, hopping from bough
to bough, in close proximity to the adventurer, and
endeavouring by its monotonous note to attract his
attention. Tliis end having been attained, it rises
heavily upon the wing, and perches a little distance
off, w^atching to see if it is followed.
If no attention be paid to it, it again returns, hopping
and chirping as before, and, by its conduct and the
manner of its flight, evidently invites the stranger to
follow in its wake. The wayfarer yields at length,
moved by the pertinacity of the bird, w^hich, now
flying, now hopping, but so as never to get out of sight
of its follower, guides him through the intricacies of
the forest, almost unerringly, to a bee's nest.
This is the most common instance, and the abo-
rigines who are hunting after wax invariably allow
themselves to be guided by its indications.
Some explorers, and among them the Portuguese
Gamito, declare that the bird likewise entices men on
to the den of the wild beast. This I cannot endorse of
my own experience, as I have followed dozens of
indicators, nor did I ever hear it afiirmed by any
native.
True, this restless bird has guided me and others to
the carcass of some animal wasting in putrefaction,
to an encampment recently abandoned, to a lake, or to
other wayfarers ; but why it should do any of tliese
things is a mystery, inasmuch as it is in no wise a
gainer by such a proceeding. But the fact remains
that it shows man almost always the way to honey, and
I believe it to be its fixed intention so to do ; although,
if the other destinations to which I have alluded, and
352 THE KING'S BIFLE.
which have produced the impression made upon many
travellers, have been reached upon the road, it can
scarcely be deemed remarkable in African forests.
For the same reason, it is very possible that a lion's
den may stand in the way, without its being the bird's
intention to entice the traveller into the beast's jaws.
Admitting, however, that the general rule, that the
indicator points the road to where honey may be found,
has exceptions, the examples of the rule being fol-
lowed are so many and so various, that I have no
hesitation in pronouncing this bird to Ije a friend to
humanity.
I found near the river Chicului a cobra's skin, 22 feet
long by 1 foot 5 inches wide, and was assured by the
natives that even larger ones existed in the neighbour-
hood.
It was on the 9th of August that I was at length
enabled to pursue my journey. I was very desirous
that the daughters of the Sova of the Cuchibi should
return home with their followers, as the rations we had
with us were decreasing visibly, and my anxiety, as I
surveyed the future, was anything but light.
After a march of 3 hours we fell in with a rivulet
running S.S.E , and, having waded across it, we
came upon a lake a couple of hundred yards wide,
which we were also forced to wade through, with the
water up to our waists.
The rivulet, which empties itself into the Chicului
near its mouth, is the Chalongo, and is probably the
same that figures on the maps under the name of Longo,
and whicli, through erroneous information, our carto-
graphers have made debouch into the Zambesi.
Whilst crossing the lake we observed several
vultures hovering round, and descending to one par-
ticular spot about a quarter of a mile from us. Moved
by curiosity, I went to see what was tlie special object
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 353
of attraction of these disgusting birds ; and, as I drew
nearer, I saw a perfect flock of them whirling about
some large carca.-s that was surrounded by hyenas,
which made off without my being able to get a shot at
them. On reaching the spot, 1 foimd an enormous
malanca (Rippotragus equinus) recently killed by a lion.
The skin of this superb antelope was torn into
strips by the lion's talons, and, what was remarkable
Fiu;. H5. — Malanca.
and inexplicable, the animal's hoofs were completely
gnawed away.
Tlic eyes had been torn out of the sockets, evidently
by the rapacious birds.
My Quimbundos, who had i'ol lowed in my steps, no
sooner saw the malanca than they literally threw
themselves upon it, and disputed with each other Ibr
the remnants of the carcass, mangled as it was by the
VOL. I. 2 a
354
THE KlXCrS ItlFLE.
beasts and birds of prey : an infinitely more liorrible
spectacle in my eyes than that whicli I had observed a
few minutes before, when the wild beasts were at their
dreadful work. Of the two, the men were the more
deserving of the title.
And be it observed that at this particular time there
was no necessity for their so acting, as I had killed
game but recently, and
the stores brought from
the Cuchibi were not yet
exhausted.
My very Quimbares
could not resist the temp-
tation, and soon joined the
Quirabundos in their dis-
gusting banquet.
Setting the caravan
once more in order, we
pursued our onward way,
I pondering, as I went, on
the power which savage
life exercises over the
negro.
Here were these Quim-
bares, who came from Ben-
guella, and were, so to
speak, semi-civilised, and yet they were no better than
the Quimbundos in savagery and brutishness.
I cannot at times help thinking that what is con-
sidered by many people in Europe as quite possible,
viz. the civilising the negro in Africa is a pure
chimera.
The civilising element is, at all events at the present
time, so infinitesimal as compared with the savage
element, that the latter must inevitably preponderate
until the other shall assume far larger proportions.
f"ig. 86. — 1. Direction of horns seen from
the front.
2. Slot of the Malanca.
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 355
In order to realise this dream of many exalted spirits
in the old world, there must be a white man for every
black upon the African soil, as by such means only can
the element of civilisation be made to outweigh the
savage.
We have an instance of this among the Boers of the
Transvaal, who, European by origin, have in less than
a century of time lost all the civilisation they brought
with them fi'om Europe, have become conquered by the
savage element amid which they have been living, and
now, though Europeans in colour and professing
the faith of Christ, are the veriest barbarians in
customs and behaviour.
It should be borne in mind that, in my journey
hither, I had passed through many barbarous peoples,
among whom not the slightest civilising element had
ever permeated, and that, w^ith the sole exception of the
Bihenos, I had met with none in contact with the
civilisation of the Western coast.
As I trudged on, I frequently thought of these
things, and revolved in my mind a phrase which had
been often repeated to me by my friend Silva Porto :
" Mark this, — the best of the Bihenos are incorrigible ;
impress this truth upon your memory, and you are safe
in dealing with them."
It was after I became acquainted with the Ham-
bundo dialect that I learned to value them at their true
price.
Occasionally at night, when quiet in my hut, I over-
heard the snatches of talk uttered around me, and no
one would believe what I did hear.
One night, in particular, the subject of conversation
turned upon certain ej^isodes of a war that had broken
out in the Bihe a year previous against certain Bihenos
who refused to recognise the authority of the Sova
Quilemo, when, in tlie midst of roars of laughter and
2 A 2
356 THE KING'S JilFLE.
otlier sig'iis of approbation from his listeners, one of the
fellows told tlie following story.
He made, it appears, a couple of prisoners, a Lul and
a young girl, and as the latter annoyed him with her
tears and cries, he bound her arms strongly together,
and cut off one of her ears. As this did not tend to
make the unhappy victim more quiet, he struck his
hatchet into her breast, but was careful to give such a
blow as should not at once destroy life. The wretch
then described to his auditors, in dramatic style, the
contortions and groans of his poor captive, and narrated
in sickening detail the mode by which he at Length
produced her death. It was a grim satisfaction to me
to hear that he repented of what he had done, as lier
family, unknowing of her fate, had come to offer, in
ransom, three able-bodied slaves, by whose aid he might
have set up in business.
It would be painful and unnecessary to multiply
descriptions of such horrible scenes as the foregoing ;
but it may well be believed that no chief of bandits
in Europe requires, to maintain discipline among his
horde of miscreants, greater energy and firmness than
the European in Africa requires to lead and keep in.
hand savages of such a nature.
!My camp was pitched at the source of a little
brook called Combule, which, at about a mile from its
spring-head, after a westerly course, empties itself into
the river Chicului ; its waters at no time being strong
enough to move a mill.
I succeeded in persuading the Sova's daughters to
return to their father's roof ; and they departed, after
a very cordial leave-taking. Even Opudo deigned
to entreat me to take Cuchibi on my return, and come
and live among them ; whilst Capeu made her suppli-
cation still more eloquent by a glance of her eye, —
one of those women's glances which are so powerful
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 357
when spoutaneous, and not acquired in the scliool of
coquetry.
It was not without regret that I saw those two
faithful girls depart ; the only examples, as they were,
that I had met with in Africa of natives forming an
actual friendship.
AVhen they were gone, my Mucassequere guide came
to me and said :
'^ I have passed my life upon the road you are about
to take from here to the Limbai, and I therefore know
the country welh Have your best rifle always ready
to your hand, and be ever on the alert while in the
jungle, for you will be many days surrounded by wild
beasts. Above all, be careful of the buffaloes of the
Ninda. Many a grave will you pass — and some, too,
covering the white man — that contain victims of those
ferocious beasts. I am your friend, for you never
did me harm, but gave me powder and beads, and
therefore I put you on your guard."
After the departure of the Ambuellas, I was alone
with my own people, and discovered, not without some
alarm, that there was an enormous reduction in the
provisions.
On the following day we penetrated into an exten-
sive thorny forest, through which we had literally to
cut our road.
After a fatiguing march of 5 hours, the most
difficult and painful I had yet had in the coinitry, we
pitched our camp at the source of the river Ninda,
having left a great part of our wearing apparel on
the brambles by the wayside. Half-an-hour after our
arrival 1 must have cut a very ridiculous figure in
the eyes of any one but a native, as I was covered
with bits of court-plaster where the thorns had picked
out pieces of my flesh.
I had then at length reached the birthplace of that
358 THE KING'S RIFLE.
Ninda which was so renowned for the ferocity of the
denizens of its banks. The hons which favoured it
had not yet succeeded in devouring me ; but I could
not help thinking if they wished to do so they must
make haste about it, or they M'ould find only the
miserable remnants left by thousands of insects who
considered me fair prey.
As evening fell, a cloud of flies, so small that they
were impossible of measurement, swooped down upon
the encampment, and, whirling about in a mad dance,
penetrated the nostrils, the mouth, the ears and eyes,
till we were nearly wild with pain and annoyance.
The encampment was surrounded by strong palisades
and enormous abattis, and every precaution was taken
to protect ourselves against any possible attack of wild
beasts.
I had a visitation of another kind, in the shape of
a violent attack of fever, which did not, however,
prevent me getting up more than once during the
night, and turning out to learn why the dogs were
barking.
All through the dark hours the lions roared about
the camp, and towards morning a chorus of hyenas
helped to complete the infernal uproar.
I will not hesitate to put here upon record, — for the
benefit of those who, in the enthusiasm of a fearless
heart, have built up pleasant illusions concerning the
delights of a sylvan life, — that where that life is
thickly sprinkled with wikl beasts it is positively most
unpleasant.
I remained whei'e I was till tlie afternoon of the
next day, in order to determine my position, and then
moved my camp a mile further to the eastward.
Close to the spot where I took up my new quarters
was the grave of a fellow-countryman, the trader Luiz
Albino, who was there killed by a buffalo. Among my
THE KlXa OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTEBS. 359
followers I had Luiz Albino's favourite negro, old
Antonio de Pungo Andongo, the very man I converted
into the Sova Mavanda's tailor.
Luiz Albino had left the Bihe' with a large quantity
of goods which he was carrying to the Zambesi to trade
with, and pitched his camp on the very same spot
where mine was then standing. He turned out to give
chase to a buffalo, which he wounded in the leg, — a
proof that he was no great sportsman, as it was not the
place to hit the animal.
Seeing it fall, he came back to camp, and summoning
old Antonio (who was young Antonio then), bade him
call the men and go out to seek a buffalo he had
mortally wounded.
The Bihenos, who push caution to a fault, declined
the task, and Albino, calling them a set of cowards,
started off with Antonio for sole companion. On
reaching the wood, the buffalo, which like all wounded
buffaloes was waiting its chance to avenge the blow it
had received, staggered to its feet and rushed at him.
Luiz Albino fired off in quick succession, but without
taking aim, both barrels of his gun ; they had no effect
in stopping the animal, which drove its horns into the
unfortunate man's body.
Antonio fired with better success, but too late to
save his master, for the corpse of the huge beast
toppled over on to the corpse of the white man.
A strong wooden stockade, enclosing a piece of
ground, some 15 feet square, protects a rude timber
cross, and reminds the wayfarer of the necessity of
having his rifle prepared and his arm steady when
sojourning irt these regions.
I had now reached the first stage of my journey
where elephants appear, and I therefore deemed it
advisable to send out some men as scouts, l)ut they
returned without discovering anything but old tiacks
360 THE KJS<rS RTFLE.
of them. I then took a stroll into the wood, but saw
nothing at which I could get a shot.
1 continued my journey next day, still keeping on
the right bank of the Ninda, without anything of note
disturbing us on our march.
On the 13th August I shifted my camp 10 miles to
the eastward of the spot where I had been staying the
day before. A vague apprehension was beginning to
take possession of my mind. The provisions wei'e
rapidly melting away, and I was still at a long distance
from any country where resources were attainable. I
beat about the forest for game, but without any result,
although I perceived recent evidence of its existence ;
I thought I even saw some in the distance, but too far
to be within rifle shot.
The following morning, the 14th, I happened to be
marching along at the head of the caravan, with no
other companion than young Pepeca, when, on reach-
ing the place where I resolved to come to a halt for
the day^ I perceived an enormous buffalo quietly
grazing.
Sheltered by the wood, I was able to get close up
to him, and let fly at about 35 yards, aiming at the
shoulder-blade, as he stood right across me. The
animal fell like a stone, to my great astonishment,
because the point I aimed at, if attained, would have
produced death, it is true, but not so suddenly as
occurred on this occasion. My surprise was redoubled,
on examining the beast, to find that the ball instead of
hitting him where I intended, struck just 6 inches
higher, cutting the vertebra? and producing instan-
taneous death by the solution of coiitinnity of the
spinal marrow.
This circumstance caused me very grave reflection,
inasmuch as such a deviation of the ball might one day
be the cause of my ruin. So that, no sooner was the
THE KING OF THE A31BUELLAS' DAUGnTEBS. 361
encampment got a little straight, than I began testing
the rifle at 30 yards.
The vei'tical deviation observable in fii'ing at the
buffalo continued to show itself.
It was my Lepage rifle, of large calibre and steel
balls.
Its trajectory being very curved, the gunsmith had
calculated the last groove of the rise for 87 yards, and
as I had not used the gun for a shorter distance, I had
not become aware of the danger I ran in aiming at 20
to 30 yards. So it happened that at those distances,
and when, on account of the rifling, I could ill discover
the culminating point of the aim, the vertical deviation
was constant.
I at once took measures to remedy the defect, and
little by little managed to deepen the groove of the
rise, nntil I obtained the greatest precision at the
shorter distance.
This episode, which I registered in my diary and
now describe here, although of no interest whatsoever
to the majority of my readers, may be useful as a hint
to those who follow me in Africa, a hint that may
perhaps serve them in good stead.
The river Ninda runs through a plaiu, slightly rising
to the eastward, and which I was assured extends
southward all the way to the junction of the Cuando
and Zambesi.
Up to the point where I was encamped the forest
descended thickly to the very brink of the river, but
from that s])ot onwards there are merely groups of trees,
scattered here and there over the enormous plain.
The Oilco, before referred to, is there a grand tree,
and so abundant is it, and so plentiful its blossom, that
for hours and hours the wayfarer is living in an atmos-
phere of almost overpowering perfume.
Next day we had a G hours' march, and deviated
362 THE KINO'S BIFLE.
somewliat from the bank of tlie rivei*, as tlie reeds and
canes wliicli lined it were an obstacle to our progress.
We then encamped alongside a lake of good water, not
far from the little villnge of Calombeu, an advanced
post of the sovereign of the Baroze country.
Tiie people wonld sell us nothing, and provisions
were beginning to get scarce.
Not liking my position, and yet being unable to re-
sume my march on the following day, on account of
several of the men being on the sick-list, I moved my
camp a mile further to the eastward, and continued to
draw water from the lake, or rather marsh, for it
partook more of the character of the latter.
I was now in the vast plain of the Nhengo, lying
3900 Teet above the level of the sea, which extends
eastwards to the Zambesi and southwards to the
continence with that river of the Cuando.
The ground, dry in appearance, is little better than
a sponge, yielding slowly but surely to the pressure of
the body, the water oozing up and filling the cavity
thus made.
During the nights that I was forced to stop there, I
lay down on a bed that was dry enough, formed of
dry leaves and covered with skins, but I always woke
up in a puddle.
My life at this particular time was one of constant
torment, as I failed to procure during the dark hours
that refreshing sleep which repairs the fatigues of the
day and helps one to bear better the troubles and
apprehensions of the mind.
The dearth of provisions to which we were fast
hurrying, the ditificulties presented by the country that
lay before me, the state of my own health, which I felt
was deeply shattered, and the unsatisfactory condition
of my people, among whom symptoms of insurbordi-
nation had frequently shown themselves, affected my
THE KING OF TEE AMBUELLAS' DAUGETERS. 363
spirits to such a degree that I was in a constant state
of ill-liumoiir.
On the 16th August there came upon me a feehng
of despair. I felt myself alone, — completely alone, —
not a man of my whole crew seemed to have a scrap
of energy left in him.
Besides the tangible difficulties which rose up be-
fore me, all the fellows created, or seemed desirous of
creating, imaginary ones. I had to interfere in, and to
decide the minutest questions, — pure matters of detail
with which I ought never to have been bothered at all.
I do not mean that my followers absolutely shirked
their work, or purposely worried me, but what they did
was done without heart or brain ; they would obey
an order if given to them in precise terms, but were
incapable of procuring from others a like obedience.
Verissimo was no coward, but he was timid,
wanting in strength of will, and irresolute ; in fact,
had no power to ensure obedience to his commands.
Besides this, from being connected with some of the
pombeiros, he had little or no hold over them. Tlie
consequence was, I had not only to issue orders, but
myself see that they were obeyed.
I transcribe a few lines from my diary at this period,
which will show the state of mind through which I was
then passing.
'• This upset me, and put me in a very bad humour.
Great Heaven ! how mucli will, how much pertinacity,
how much energy are required by the man who,
standing alone, surrounded by difficulties, created as
much by his own followers as by natural causes, strives
to fulfil a mission such as mine 1 Alone as I am in
the centi-e of Africa with a great duty to perform and
the lionour of my country's flag to sustain, how much
do [ not suffer ! Shall I ever bring it through un-
tarnished ? 'J'rulv, in situations such as these one
364 THE KING'S niFLE.
must be either an angel or a demon, and at times
I cannot help thinking 1 play the double })art ! "
It was on the day I wrote the above entry that we
were put upon rations, and maize was the only article
we had left.
Seated at the door of my hut, as evening was fall-
ing, I was finishing my frugal meal, and listlessly
watching my carriers, who were squatting about and
eating in silence.
It seemed as if some profound sadness had fallen
upon the camp, and cast a s^oell over the whole of its
inmates.
Suddenly my dogs started up and ran towards the
wood, barking furiously.
A stranger man, followed by a woman and two lads,
came from the bush, and, paying no heed to the dogs,
entered the encampment, and giving a rapid glance
round, advanced and seated himself at my feet.
He was a negro, whose bits of rags scantily covered
his nakedness. What had once been a mantle hung
from his bare shoulders. On his head he wore wliat
only a great stretch of the imagination could call
a cap, and in his hand he carried a stout stick.
His weapons were borne by the lads who followed him.
The energetic physiognomy, keen eye, and decision
of manner of the stranger immediately commanded
my attention.
"Who are you?" I enquired, "and what do you
want of me ? "
He answered me in Hambundo : " T am Caiumbuca,
and I have come to seek you."
On hearing the name of Caiumbuca I could not
restrain my emotion.
I beheld before me the boldest of the Bihe traders.
The name of Caiumbuca, the old pombeiro of Silva
Porto, is known from the Nyangvve to Lake Ngami.,
THE KTNG OF THE AMBUELLA8' DAUGHTERS. 365
In Beii.G^nella Silva Porto said to me: "Seek out
Caiuml)nca ; engage liiiii in your service, and you will
have tlie best assistant you can meet with in all South
Central Africa."
On reaching the Bihe' I sought him high and low,
hut none could give intelligence of him.
" lie is gone into the interior, and nobody knows
where." This was the unvarying answer to my inquiries.
It happened that Caiumbuca was on the Cuando, just
below the confluence of the Cuchibi, when, hearing
of my approach, he started across country, with the
woman and two young niggers, to join me.
I had a talk with him for an hour, I even read him
a letter which Silva Porto had given me in Benguella
for him : I made him my proposals, and by nightfall,
everything being settled, I called my carriers together,
and presented him to them as my second in command.
On the 17th August T made a forced march of 6
hours' duration, for our provisions were at an end, and
it was absolutely necessary to reach human dwellings.
I camped on the right bank of the river Nhengo,
which is in fact the Ninda, after receiving from the
north an affluent of considerable volume, the Loati.
The Nhengo is from 87 to 110 yards wide, by up-
wards of 12 feet in depth, with an almost imperceptible
current. At times it looks like a long lake in which
thousands of aquatic plants are growing. Both banks
are clothed with trees, so thick and luxuriant that
their vigorous branches occasionally meet across the
river, intertwine and form a romantic shade.
This important affluent of the Zambesi runs through
the immense plain of which I have already made
mention, a plain so spongy and humid that it may be
considered a veritable swamp. It is the resort of
myriads of snails, which drag their spiral houses
through and over the short and wiry grass.
oOG THE KING'S BIFLE.
A vast miniber of tortoises {Eniydes) also find a
home in that congenial territory, and a few palm-trees,
the first I had seen since leaving Benguella, were
likewise visible, their elegant heads waving with the
passing wind.
My negroes made a good collection of the tortoises,
which hunger induced them to devour with avidity, not-
withstanding the disgusting smell which emanates
from these peculiar creatures.
Caiumbuca having informed me that at a short
distance from the encampment there were some native
villages, I decided upon stopping where I was for
another day, in order to obtain provisions.
Early next morning I sent off some of the men for
the purpose, but the natives turned out to be so shy,
that they fled at their approach, and would not even
listen to them.
Our position was now sufficiently serious, as we had
literally nothing to eat, and all attempts both at hunt-
ing and fishing yielded no result whatsoever.
A group of our fellows, headed by Augusto, came
running into shelter, pursued by several lions, which
only retired on hearing the noise of the encampment.
I held a conference with Caiumbuca, and we decided
on making a long march next day, as far as certain
villages, which he called Cacapa, and where he assured
me we should be able to obtain food.
We set off again, therefore, on the 19th, having
eaten our last ration on the morning of the 17th !
The march was kept up for 8 hours, and at the close
we pitched our camp near a lake, having left the banks
of the river in order to get nearer to the villages.
In spite of the fatigue of the journey and the weak-
ness produced by hunger, I sent off a deputation to
procure provisions, Caiumbuca himself being one of the
party. At nightfall they returned, but empty handed.
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 367
They obtained absolutely nothing. And the natives
not only refused to part with any stores, but showed a
disposition to hostilities !
What was to be done ? To attempt another march,
weakened as we were by hunger, was to run the risk of
fainting and dying by the way. I therefore called the
pombeiros together, and pointed out to them the
precarious circumstances of the caravan ; but I found
them so disheartened, that they had not the ghost of a
counsel to offer me.
I then summoned some of the negroes who had been
up to the villages, and questioned them as to the
actual existence of stores among the inhabitants. On
their answering me in the affirmative, I took an
immediate resolution, and I bade the pombeiros en-
courage their men with the assurance that next
morning they should have a good feed.
When alone with Caiumbuca, I informed him of the
resolution I had taken to march on to the villages and
procure provisions at any cost.
In pursuance of this determination, at daybreak of
the 20th I again sent off Augusto with a few negroes
to the villages, to request the people to sell me maize
or manioc, and explain the circumstances under which
we were placed.
The only reply my envoys obtained were insults
and threatened blows.
Thereupon I collected all my people who were not
completely prostrated by exhaustion, amounting to
some eighty semi-valiant men.
I placed myself at their head, and at once attacked
the chief's compound ; but, after a skirmish with no
casualties, the place surrendered at discretion.
I lost no time in repairing to the general stores,
which were full of sweet potatoes, and took out the
quantity required to appease my people's hunger,
3G8 THE KLxrrs L'TFLE.
returning afterwards to tlie camp witli the pc-tty eliief
and a few other negro prisoners. I then gave them
the value of the potatoes in heads and powder, and
set them at liberty, after pointing out to them tliat in
future it would be far better to act in a more liospitable
spirit. They were astounded at my generosity, and
promised to supply me with everything I needed
directly I applied for it.
At 1.30 P.M. of that day, the sky being clear, saving
a dark bar on the horizon, a hurricane swept down
from the N., shifting subsequently to the S.W. Its
focus was fortunately three-quarters of a mile to
the west of us, where it tore up trees and destroyed
everything on its passage.
Even in camp the wind was so powerful that we
were compelled to lie down flat on the ground until
its chief violence was spent.
The thermometer rose from 20 to 32 degrees, and
the barometer fell fi^om 667mm. to 663. This was
the most rapid barometric oscillation that I observed
in tropical Africa.
At 2.30 the wind calmed down as suddenly as it
rose, leaving the atmosphere completely covered with
a dense fog.
The villages, which lay at somewhat less than a mile
to the south of where I was camped, are called LutTie ;
but Caiumbuca informed me that among the Bihenos
they are known by the name of Cacapa, on account
of their being so rich in sweet potatoes, which in the
Hambundo dialect is called ecnpa.
The inhabitants of these villages, like all tlie abori-
gines of the Nhengo plain, are of the Ganguella race,
subjected, by force, to the Luinas, or Barozes. They
are a miserable and intractable set.
Towards evening, a troop of Luinas arrived at the
camp. It appears they were scouring the country
THE KINO OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUOHTERS. 369
round, and, learning that it was my intention to come
to a halt in the neighbourhood, they gave me a look up.
The band was commanded by three chiefs, the
principal of wdiom was named Cic6ta.
These chiefs were wonderfully civil, and offered me
their services. On my requesting them to obtain
provisions for me, they replied that they were them-
selves badly off in the way of food ; but that on the
following day they would accompany me to other
villages, where resources were to be obtained. They
offered to guide me to the residence of the King of the
Lui, and said I should want for
nothing on the road so soon as I
reached the Luina villages, now
only at a short distance from us.
My Luina visitors were of good
presence, tall, and robust. An ante-
lope's skin, nicely dressed, passed
between the legs and was fastened
to the leather belt in front and at
the sides, and an ample mantle of
skins completed the costume. All
three chiefs had rifles, of large bore,
of English manufacture. The men
carried shields of an oval shape,
measuring -ia feet long, by 20 inches
wide, and were armed with a sheaf
of assegais for casting. The chest
and arms were covered with amulets.
The wrists were adorned with brace-
lets of copper, brass, and ivory, and
below the knees were from three to Fig. 87.— Luina Shield.
five very fine brass bangles. Their
heads were the most remarkable, not on account of
their hair, wliieli was cut sliort, but from the way in
which they were adorned.
VOL. T. 2 15
370
TnE KINO'S RIFLE.
That of" the chief, Cicota, for example, was covered
with an enormous wig made out of a lion's mane. The
others had plumes of multi-coloured feathers, completely
shadowing their features.
During the night we were visited by numerous
scorpions, and some of my men were bitten by them.
Ficr. 88. — The Chief Cic6ta.
The ground continued spongy and wet, which must
render life in such a country a perfect torment.
The palm-trees appeared in greater abundance ; and
the termites presented, in their ingenious habitations, a
new form and aspect.
On August 22nd I broke up the camj^, and 5
hours later pitched it again, close to the village of
Oanhete, the first occupied by the Luina race. A dense
fog prevailed during the morning.
THE KINO OF TTTE AMBUELLAS' DAUOHTEBS. 371
We passed througli woods composed of enormous
trees, but without any jungle, so that locomotion was
easy and pleasant.
No sooner were my liuts raised, than, at Cicota's
instigation, many girls came into camp, bringing me
poultry, manioc, massamballa and earthy-nuts.
During the whole of the afternoon presents continued
to pour in, which I i-eturued in the best way I could,
so that before nio:htf;ill there was abundance of food !
Fiff. 89. — Ant-hili.s of the Nhengo.
I asked for tobacco (of which, by the by, I had still
a good store), and salt. Salt ! which I had not tasted
for many months past !
To this they answered that, much to their regret,
they were unable to comply with my wishes, as tobacco
and salt could neither be given nor sold without a
special licence from the King.
Hear it, ye free-traders ! There is a country in the
heart of Afiica where there are two articles of contra-
band ! Fortunately there are no custom-houses yet.
I paid a visit to the village of Canhete. In the fields
there tobacco and tlie sugar-cane were growing in the
utmost luxuriance.
Tlie houses were built of reeds, covered with tliatch ;
their shape being sometimes semi-cylindrical, with a
radius of a yard and a half, and at others oval, of no
greater height tlian the former.
372
THE KING'S RIFLE.
'V\\e store-houses or granaries are similar to those
of the Amhnella villages, but of smaller dimensions.
The Lninas returned my visit, and treated me in the
camji to a war-dance, a very picturesque performance,
in which a masked figure played the part of buffoon.
When night had fallen, my negro Cainga, whom I
had despatched two days previously to the King to
inform him of my ai'rival in his country, returned in
safety.
f-
Fig. 90.
1 & 2. Luina houses, 4 ft. 7 in. high. 3. Granary. 4. 4. Luina hne.
With him came various chiefs, bearing presents from
his Majesty, among which were 6 oxen !
I could scarcely believe my eyes, and kept repeating,
" Beef! We have I'eally got beef to eat ! "
Cainga told me that he seemed very proud at the
idea of my visiting him by order of the Mueneputo, the
White King, and that he intended giving me a splendid
reception.
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGETERS. 373
The news did not put me quite at my ease, for I
knew the negroes well, and was aware of the treacliery
which frequently underlies their blandishments ; never-
theless, I was not displeased at the intelligence.
With a view to display his greatness, he had ordered
many boats to be got in readiness, so that my whole
caravan might cross at the same time.
Cainga informed me that he was a young man of
some twenty years of age, and that when he learned I
was myself young, he said we should be friends.
I ate so much meat and so many potatoes, seasoned
too with salt, which I obtained through contraband,
that I made myself quite ill, and passed a horrible
night.
The Luina chiefs, who came direct from His Majesty,
brought orders for the people to supply me with what I
wanted, gratis. This was a mercy, as I had little left
to pay them with.
Just as I was breaking up my camp, fresh envoys
arrived from the King, bringing salt and tobacco as a
present, and with them a message desiring me not to
follow the direct road to the mouth of the Nheugo,
as he wished to punish the inhabitants of the villages
lying on the route, by depriving them of the pleasure
of my visit.
I sent word, in reply, that I intended to come by
no other road, as it was the one that would suit me
best. That I could not think of becoming the means
whereby he should punish his delinquent subjects,
and that if he did not send me boats at the point of
the Zambesi I had indicated, I should cross the river
without his assistance.
No sooner had we quitted Canhete than we fell in
witli a horrible swamp, which, though scarcely 550
yards wide, took us an hour to pass. We travelled
eastward, and 3 hours later reached the village of Tapa,
374
TUE KING'S RIFLE.
where I accepted a house offered me by the chief, it
being impossible to camp without tlie precincts of the
village, owing to the swampy character of the ground.
The houses in this place were shaped like a trun-
cated cone, being built of canes plastered both inside
and out with mud. The doors were about H feet high
and 16 inches wide. The house I occupied was sur-
rounded by another one of granite, of concentric
shape, with 3 feet greater radius. Tbe roof covered
both houses, and was also formed of canes covered with
thatch.
The chief made me a present of a brace of fowls and
some sweet potatoes.
I marked, at 2 miles to the south of ray position, the
large village of Aruchicho.
Fig. !J1. — Vertical Section of a Ldina House in the
A^ILLAGE OF TaPA.
a. Interior house, h. Space between the two walls, c. Internal door, l.^ ft. by
IG in. d. External door, 3 ft. by 1^ ft. e. Ventilator. /. Wall, of cane and
mud. rj. Cane wall, 6 ft. h. Framing of cane. k. Thatch-roof.
On the 24th August we started at 8 o'clock in the
morning. After crossing a swamp similar to that of the
day before, we reached the right bank of the Nhengo
at 9 o'clock ; and, keeping along it until half-past 10,
we arrived at that hour at the Zambesi.
THE KINO OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. 375
With what enthusiasm did I not salute the grand
river! A group of hippopotami were poking their
huge snouts out of the water, at some 30 yards' dis-
tance, and two of them fell victims to their imprudence.
An enormous crocodile, that was basking in the sun
on an island hard by, shortly after shared the same
fate.
I had thus appropriately saluted the mighty
Liambai, by dyeing its waters with the blood of its
ferocious denizens !
It was while the enthusiasm of my own people and
of the numerous Luinas who accompanied me was
at its height that the King's canoes arrived, and at
mid-day we crossed to the left bank of the river.
Keeping still in an easterly direction, at 2 o'clock
we fell in with another branch of the Liambai, which
separates from it near Nariere. We therefore pro-
ceeded to a large island, on which there are hamlets,
the chief of which is Liondo.
The branch of the river above referred to, although
1G4 yards wide, is very shallow, and we waded across
it. On the other bank a good many natives were
assembled, envoys of the King.
Still proceeding on, at 3 o'clock I arrived at a large
lake near the village of Liara, which I crossed in a boat.
This lake, formed by the overflowing of the Zambesi
in the rainy season, is called Noroco.
My course continued easterly, and led through a
perfect labyrinth of little lakes that had to be avoided,
and it was not until 5 in the evening that I reached
Lialui, the great capital of the Baroze or Kingdom of
the Lui.
I found the King had drawn uji a programme !
Two great surprises had, therefore, come upon me
within scarcely more than as many days ; for they were
surprises to one who was already half a savage, and
370 THE KING'S lUFLK.
upon whose memory European customs were growing
dim. Tobacco and salt were articles of contraband,
and here was an African king making programmes !
Some twelve himdred warriors were drawn up
in parallel lines, extending to the house I was pro-
visionally to occupy, and one of the grandees of the
Court, accompanied by 30 attendants, formed my
suite.
On my arrival at the house, which had a \diXgQ pateo
or court-yard, surrounded by a cane fence, I found a
dais, on which I was compelled to sit to receive the
compliments of the Court.
Four of the King's counsellors, with Gainbella their
President at their head, then arrived. At their back
came all the grandees forming the Court of King
Lobossi .
They seated themselves, and then began, both on
their side and mine, a series of compliments and cere-
monies, with a thousand protestations of friendship. '
Wlien they gravely retired, their place was taken
by other envoys, who only left me when night had
fallen.
I was then able to retire to the house set apart for
me, and which was one of those semi-cylindrical ones I
have already described ; but I got little or no sleep,
owing to my speculations on the future of my enter-
prise.
As tlie reader knows, I was at the end of my
resources ; and if the King did not energetically yd-
tronise my journey, wliat could I do ? But for his
generosity, I should not at that moment have had
wherewith to stay the pangs of hunger.
He had informed me that next day w^e should meet
and converse. What would be the result of our
conference ? That Gambella, the President of tlie
Council, who had only recently left me, the man
THE KING OF THE AMBUELLAS' DAUGHTERS. Sll
who, as I was informed on all sides, was the de facto
king, how would he act towards me ?
The following chapter will show that it was not
without reason that an undefined presentiment of evil
took possession of my mind, and caused me that sleep-
less night on the 24th of August, 1878.
KND OP VOL. I.
VOL, L 2 C
LONDON:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, Limited,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARIKG CROSS.
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