Trees And Reeds Along The Banks
Overhang It So Much, That, Though We Had Brought Canoes And A Boat From
Tete,
we were unable to enter the Mutu with them, and left them at Mazaro.
During most of the year
This part of the Mutu is dry, and we were even now
obliged to carry all our luggage by land for about fifteen miles.
As Kilimane is called, in all the Portuguese documents,
the capital of the rivers of Senna, it seemed strange to me that the capital
should be built at a point where there was no direct water conveyance
to the magnificent river whose name it bore; and, on inquiry,
I was informed that the whole of the Mutu was large in days of yore,
and admitted of the free passage of great launches from Kilimane
all the year round, but that now this part of the Mutu had been filled up.
I was seized by a severe tertian fever at Mazaro, but went along
the right bank of the Mutu to the N.N.E. and E. for about fifteen miles.
We then found that it was made navigable by a river called the Pangazi,
which comes into it from the north. Another river, flowing from
the same direction, called the Luare, swells it still more;
and, last of all, the Likuare, with the tide, make up the river of Kilimane.
The Mutu at Mazaro is simply a connecting link, such as is so often
seen in Africa, and neither its flow nor stoppage affects
the river of Kilimane. The waters of the Pangazi were quite clear
compared with those of the Zambesi.*
-
* I owe the following information, of a much later date,
also to the politeness of Captain Washington. H. M. sloop "Grecian"
visited the coast in 1852-3, and the master remarks
that "the entrance to the Luabo is in lat. 18d 51' S., long. 36d 12' E.,
and may be known by a range of hummocks on its eastern side,
and very low land to the S.W. The entrance is narrow,
and, as with all the rivers on this coast, is fronted by a bar,
which renders the navigation, particularly for boats,
very dangerous with the wind to the south of east or west.
Our boats proceeded twenty miles up this river, 2 fathoms on the bar,
then 2-1/2 - 5 - 6 - 7 fathoms. It was navigable farther up,
but they did not proceed. It is quite possible for a moderate-sized vessel
to cross the bar at spring tides, and be perfectly landlocked and hidden
among the trees.
"The Maiudo, in 18d 52' S., 36d 12' E., IS NOT MENTIONED IN HORSBURGH,
NOR LAID DOWN IN THE ADMIRALTY CHART, but is, nevertheless,
one of some importance, and appears to be one of the principal stations
for shipping slaves, as the boats found two barracoons, about 20 miles up,
bearing every indication of having been very recently occupied,
and which had good presumptive evidence that the `Cauraigo',
a brig under American colors, had embarked a cargo from thence
but a short time before. The river is fronted by a portion
of the Elephant Shoals, at the distance of three or four miles outside.
The eastern bank is formed by level sea-cliffs (as seen from the ship
it has that appearance), high for this part of the coast, and conspicuous.
The western side is composed of thick trees, and terminates in dead wood,
from which we called it `Dead-wood Point'. After crossing the bar
it branches off in a W. and N.W. direction, the latter being
the principal arm, up which the boats went some 30 miles,
or about 10 beyond the barracoon. Fresh water can be obtained
almost immediately inside the entrance, as the stream runs down very rapidly
with the ebb tide. The least water crossing the bar (low-water - springs)
was 1-1/2 fathom, one cast only therefrom from 2 to 5 fathoms,
another 7 fathoms nearly the whole way up.
"The Catrina, latitude 18d 50' south, longitude 36d 24' east.
The external appearance of this river is precisely similar
to that of the Maiudo, so much so that it is difficult to distinguish them
by any feature of the land. The longitude is the best guide,
or, in the absence of observation, perhaps the angles contained
by the extremes of land will be serviceable. Thus, at nine miles
off the Maiudo the angle contained by the above was seven points,
the bearing being N.E. W. of N.W. (?); while off the Catrina,
at the same distance from shore (about nine miles), the angle was only
3-1/2 to 4 points, being N. to N.W. As we did not send the boats
up this river, no information was obtained."
-
My fever became excessively severe in consequence of traveling in the hot sun,
and the long grass blocking up the narrow path so as to exclude the air.
The pulse beat with amazing force, and felt as if thumping against
the crown of the head. The stomach and spleen swelled enormously, giving me,
for the first time, an appearance which I had been disposed to laugh at
among the Portuguese. At Interra we met Senhor Asevedo,
a man who is well known by all who ever visited Kilimane,
and who was presented with a gold chronometer watch by the Admiralty
for his attentions to English officers. He immediately tendered
his large sailing launch, which had a house in the stern.
This was greatly in my favor, for it anchored in the middle of the stream,
and gave me some rest from the mosquitoes, which in the whole of the delta
are something frightful. Sailing comfortably in this commodious launch
along the river of Kilimane, we reached that village (latitude 17d 53' 8" S.,
longitude 36d 40' E.) on the 20th of May, 1856, which wanted
only a few days of being four years since I started from Cape Town.
Here I was received into the house of Colonel Galdino Jose Nunes,
one of the best men in the country.
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