We Met There
Several Other Influential Portuguese.
All seemed friendly, and
expressed their willingness to assist the expedition in every way in
their power; and better still, Colonel Nunes and Major Sicard put
their good-will into action, by cutting wood for the steamer and
sending men to help in unloading.
It was observable that not one of
them knew anything about the Kongone Mouth; all thought that we had
come in by the "Barra Catrina," or East Luabo. Dr. Kirk remained
here a few weeks; and, besides exploring a small lake twenty miles to
the south-west, had the sole medical care of the sick and wounded
soldiers, for which valuable services he received the thanks of the
Portuguese Government. We wooded up at this place with African ebony
or black wood, and lignum vitae; the latter tree attains an immense
size, sometimes as much as four feet in diameter; our engineer,
knowing what ebony and lignum vitae cost at home, said it made his
heart sore to burn wood so valuable. Though botanically different,
they are extremely alike; the black wood as grown in some districts
is superior, and the lignum vitae inferior in quality, to these
timbers brought from other countries. Caoutchouc, or India-rubber,
is found in abundance inland from Shupanga-house, and calumba-root is
plentiful in the district; indigo, in quantities, propagates itself
close to the banks of the Aver, and was probably at some time
cultivated, for manufactured indigo was once exported. The India-
rubber is made into balls for a game resembling "fives," and calumba-
root is said to be used as a mordant for certain colours, but not as
a dye itself.
We started for Tette on the 17th August, 1858; the navigation was
rather difficult, the Zambesi from Shupanga to Senna being wide and
full of islands; our black pilot, John Scisssors, a serf, sometimes
took the wrong channel and ran us aground. Nothing abashed, he would
exclaim in an aggrieved tone, "This is not the path, it is back
yonder." "Then why didn't you go yonder at first?" growled out our
Kroomen, who had the work of getting the vessel off. When they spoke
roughly to poor Scissors, the weak cringing slave-spirit came forth
in, "Those men scold me so, I am ready to run away." This mode of
finishing up an engagement is not at all uncommon on the Zambesi;
several cases occurred, when we were on the river, of hired crews
decamping with most of the goods in their charge. If the trader
cannot redress his own wrongs, he has to endure them. The Landeens
will not surrender a fugitive slave, even to his master. One
belonging to Mr. Azevedo fled, and was, as a great favour only,
returned after a present of much more than his value.
We landed to wood at Shamoara, just below the confluence of the
Shire. Its quartz hills are covered with trees and gigantic grasses;
the buaze, a small forest-tree, grows abundantly; it is a species of
polygala; its beautiful clusters of sweet-scented pinkish flowers
perfume the air with a rich fragrance; its seeds produce a fine
drying oil, and the bark of the smaller branches yields a fibre finer
and stronger than flax; with which the natives make their nets for
fishing.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 15 of 263
Words from 7322 to 7876
of 136856
