Many Had Taken Up With Slave-Women, Whom They
Assisted In Hoeing, And In Consuming The Produce Of Their Gardens.
Some fourteen children had been born to them; and in consequence of
now having no chief to order them, or
To claim their services, they
thought that they were about as well off as they had been in their
own country. They knew and regretted that they could call neither
wives nor children their own; the slave-owners claimed the whole; but
their natural affections had been so enchained, that they clave to
the domestic ties. By a law of Portugal the baptized children of
slave women are all free; by the custom of the Zambesi that law is
void. When it is referred to, the officers laugh and say, "These
Lisbon-born laws are very stringent, but somehow, possibly from the
heat of the climate, here they lose all their force." Only one woman
joined our party - the wife of a Batoka man: she had been given to
him, in consideration of his skilful dancing, by the chief, Chisaka.
A merchant sent three of his men along with us, with a present for
Sekeletu, and Major Sicard also lent us three more to assist us on
our return, and two Portuguese gentleman kindly gave us the loan of a
couple of donkeys. We slept four miles above Tette, and hearing that
the Banyai, who levy heavy fines on the Portuguese traders, lived
chiefly on the right bank, we crossed over to the left, as we could
not fully trust our men. If the Banyai had come in a threatening
manner, our followers might, perhaps, from having homes behind them,
have even put down their bundles and run. Indeed, two of them at
this point made up their minds to go no further, and turned back to
Tette. Another, Monga, a Batoka, was much perplexed, and could not
make out what course to pursue, as he had, three years previously,
wounded Kanyata, the headman, with a spear. This is a capital
offence among the Makololo, and he was afraid of being put to death
for it on his return. He tried, in vain, to console himself with the
facts that he had neither father, mother, sisters, nor brothers to
mourn for him, and that he could die but once. He was good, and
would go up to the stars to Yesu, and therefore did not care for
death. In spite, however, of these reflections, he was much cast
down, until Kanyata assured him that he would never mention his
misdeed to the chief; indeed, he had never even mentioned it to the
Doctor, which he would assuredly have done had it lain heavy on his
heart. We were right glad of Monga's company, for he was a merry
good-tempered fellow, and his lithe manly figure had always been in
the front in danger; and, from being left-handed, had been easily
recognized in the fight with elephants.
We commenced, for a certain number of days, with short marches,
walking gently until broken in to travel.
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