Several Expeditions Went To The North As Far As To Cazembe,
And Dr. Lacerda, Himself Commandant Of Tete, Went To
That chief's residence.
Unfortunately, he was cut off while there, and his papers,
taken possession of by a Jesuit who
Accompanied him, were lost to the world.
This Jesuit probably intended to act fairly and have them published;
but soon after his return he was called away by death himself,
and the papers were lost sight of. Dr. Lacerda had a strong desire to open up
communication with Angola, which would have been of importance then,
as affording a speedier mode of communication with Portugal
than by the way of the Cape; but since the opening of the overland passage
to India, a quicker transit is effected from Eastern Africa to Lisbon
by way of the Red Sea. Besides Lacerda, Cazembe was visited by Pereira,
who gave a glowing account of that chief's power, which none of my inquiries
have confirmed. The people of Matiamvo stated to me that Cazembe
was a vassal of their chief: and, from all the native visitors
whom I have seen, he appears to be exactly like Shinte and Katema,
only a little more powerful. The term "Emperor", which has been
applied to him, seems totally inappropriate. The statement of Pereira that
twenty negroes were slaughtered in a day, was not confirmed by any one else,
though numbers may have been killed on some particular occasion
during the time of his visit, for we find throughout all the country
north of 20 Deg., which I consider to be real negro, the custom of
slaughtering victims to accompany the departed soul of a chief,
and human sacrifices are occasionally offered, and certain parts of the bodies
are used as charms. It is on account of the existence of such rites,
with the similarity of the language, and the fact that the names of rivers
are repeated again and again from north to south through all that region,
that I consider them to have been originally one family.
The last expedition to Cazembe was somewhat of the same nature as the others,
and failed in establishing a commerce, because the people of Cazembe,
who had come to Tete to invite the Portuguese to visit them, had not been
allowed to trade with whom they might. As it had not been free-trade there,
Cazembe did not see why it should be free-trade at his town;
he accordingly would not allow his people to furnish the party with food
except at his price; and the expedition, being half starved in consequence,
came away voting unanimously that Cazembe was a great bore.
When we left the Loangwa we thought we had got rid of the hills;
but there are some behind Mazanzwe, though five or six miles off
from the river. Tsetse and the hills had destroyed two riding oxen,
and when the little one that I now rode knocked up, I was forced
to march on foot.
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