A Place Nearer The Shire Would Have Been Chosen Had He
Expected His Supplies To Come Up That River; But The Portuguese,
Claiming The River Shire, Though Never Occupying Even Its Mouth, Had
Closed It, As Well As The Zambesi.
Our hopes were turned to the Rovuma, as a free highway into Lake
Nyassa and the vast interior.
A steamer was already ordered for the
Lake, and the Bishop, seeing the advantageous nature of the highlands
which stretch an immense way to the north, was more anxious to be
near the Lake and the Rovuma, than the Shire. When he decided to
settle at Magomero, it was thought desirable, to prevent the country
from being depopulated, to visit the Ajawa chief, and to try and
persuade him to give up his slaving and kidnapping courses, and turn
the energies of his people to peaceful pursuits.
On the morning of the 22nd we were informed that the Ajawa were near,
and were burning a village a few miles off. Leaving the rescued
slaves, we moved off to seek an interview with these scourges of the
country. On our way we met crowds of Manganja fleeing from the war
in front. These poor fugitives from the slave hunt had, as usual, to
leave all the food they possessed, except the little they could carry
on their heads. We passed field after field of Indian corn or beans,
standing ripe for harvesting, but the owners were away. The villages
were all deserted: one where we breakfasted two years before, and
saw a number of men peacefully weaving cloth, and, among ourselves,
called it the "Paisley of the hills," was burnt; the stores of corn
were poured out in cartloads, and scattered all over the plain, and
all along the paths, neither conquerors nor conquered having been
able to convey it away.
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