Finding Himself Unable To Defend Himself Against The Invaders
By Force Of Arms, The King Of Quiteve Had Recourse To
Policy, and caused
all the people and provisions to be removed from the towns, so that the
Portuguese suffered extreme
Distress till they arrived at Zimbao[398],
the residence of the king, whence he had fled and taken refuge in
inaccessible mountains. Homem burnt the city, and marched on to the
kingdom of Chicanga, where he was received by the king rather through
fear than love, was supplied with provisions, and allowed a free passage
to the mines. At these the Portuguese vainly expected that they would be
able to gather gold in great abundance; but seeing that the natives
procured only very small quantities in a long time and with much
difficulty, and being themselves very inexpert in that labour, they soon
abandoned the place which they had so long and anxiously sought for, and
returned towards the coast, parting from the king of Chicanga in much
friendship. Thus, though disappointed in their main design of acquiring
rich gold mines, the ease with which they had penetrated to the place
evinced how great an error had been formerly committed by subjecting
Barreto to the direction of Monclaros, who had led him by a tedious and
dangerous way merely to gratify his own extravagant humour.
[Footnote 397: In modern geography, which indeed is mainly ignorant of
the foreign possessions of the Portuguese, the dominion of Sofala on
both sides of the river of that name, extend about 520 miles from east
to west, in lat. 20 deg. S. from the Mozambique channel, by about 100 miles
in breadth. The commercial station of Sofala belonging to the Portuguese
is at the mouth of the river; and about 220 miles from the sea is a town
called Zimbao of Quiteve. Manica the kingdom of Chicanga is an inland
district to the west of the kingdoms of Sofala and Sabia; all three
dependent upon Monomotapa. - E.]
[Footnote 398: This Zimbao of Quiteve is to be carefully distinguished
from a town of the same name in Monomotapa. The former is nearly in lat.
20 deg. S. on the river of Sofala, the latter is about 16 deg. 20' S. near the
river Zambezi or Cuama. - E]
Homem returned to the kingdom of Quiteve, and the king of that country
now permitted him to march for the mines of Maninnas[399], on
condition that the Portuguese should pay him twenty crowns yearly. Homem
accordingly marched for the kingdom of Chicova[400], which borders upon
the inland frontier of Monomotapa towards the north, having heard that
there were rich mines of silver in that country. Having penetrated to
Chicova, he inquired among the natives for the way to the mines; and as
they saw that it was in vain for them to resist, while they feared the
discovery of the mines would prove their ruin, they scattered some ore
at a place far distant from the mines, and shewing this to the
Portuguese told them that this was the place of which they were in
search.
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