The Mildest Remedies Only
Are Used At First, And, If That Period Be Passed, Then The More Severe.
The fort of Tete has been the salvation of the Portuguese power
in this quarter.
It is a small square building, with a thatched apartment
for the residence of the troops; and, though there are but few guns, they are
in a much better state than those of any fort in the interior of Angola.
The cause of the decadence of the Portuguese power in this region
is simply this: In former times, considerable quantities of grain,
as wheat, millet, and maize, were exported; also coffee, sugar,
oil, and indigo, besides gold-dust and ivory. The cultivation of grain
was carried on by means of slaves, of whom the Portuguese possessed
a large number. The gold-dust was procured by washing at various points
on the north, south, and west of Tete. A merchant took all his slaves
with him to the washings, carrying as much calico and other goods
as he could muster. On arriving at the washing-place,
he made a present to the chief of the value of about a pound sterling.
The slaves were then divided into parties, each headed by
a confidential servant, who not only had the supervision of his squad
while the washing went on, but bought dust from the inhabitants,
and made a weekly return to his master. When several masters united
at one spot, it was called a "Bara", and they then erected a temporary church,
in which a priest from one of the missions performed mass.
Both chiefs and people were favorable to these visits,
because the traders purchased grain for the sustenance of the slaves
with the goods they had brought.
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