By Some Means These Papers Were Intercepted And
Sent To Barreto, Who On His Arrival At Mozambique Immediately Shewed
Them To Brandam, Who Fell On His Knees And Asked Pardon In The Most
Humble Manner.
Barreto forgave him, but deprived him of the command over
the fort at Mozambique, which he committed to the charge of Lorenzo
Godino, and returned to prosecute the expedition in Monomotapa.
On his arrival at Sena, where Homem had halted with the army, Monclaros
accosted him in a violent manner commanding him to desist from that wild
enterprise of conquering the mines, in which he had imposed on the king,
declaring that he should be held responsible for all who had died or
might die in future in this wild and impracticable design. It is certain
that Barreto was not the promoter of this intended conquest, and that
Manclaros was actually to blame for the miscarriage; yet Barreto took
the insolence of this proud priest so much to heart that he died in two
days without any other sickness. Assuredly the Jesuit had more to answer
for on account of the death of the governor, than he for the unfortunate
result of the expedition, which was all owing to the arrogant ignorance
of the Jesuit in forcing it into a wrong direction. Thus fell, by the
angry words of a priest, a great man who had escaped from many bullets
among the Indians, from numerous darts and arrows of the Mongas, and
from the malice of a villain. King Sebastian greatly lamented his
untimely end, which he expressed by giving an honourable reception to
his body when brought to Lisbon.
After the death of Barreto, a royal order was found among his papers by
which Vasco Fernandez Homem was appointed his successor. By the
persuasions of Monclaros, who was now disgusted with the expedition of
Monomotapa, Homem returned with the troops to Mozambique, abandoning the
projected conquest of the mines. At that place some judicious persons,
and particularly Francisco Pinto Pimentel, urged him to resume the
execution of the orders which had been given by the king to Barreto, and
he determined upon resuming the enterprise for the conquest of
Monomotapa; but as Monclaros was now gone back to Portugal, he found
himself at liberty to take the route for the mines through Sofala, as
Barreto wished to have done originally. Landing therefore at Sofala, he
marched directly inland towards the mines of Manica in the kingdom of
Chicanga, bordering by the inland with the kingdom of Quiteve
which is next in power to Monomotapa[397]. To conciliate the king of
Quiteve, Homem sent messengers with presents to request the liberty of
passing through his dominions, but being jealous of his intentions, that
king received his propositions very coldly. Homem advanced however,
having nearly a similar force with that which accompanied Barreto on the
former expedition into the kingdom of Monomotapa, and several bodies of
Kafrs that attempted to stop his progress were easily routed with great
slaughter.
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