312 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



them, the residences of Portuguese traders, Hving here 

 two years ago. There were then, I afterwards learned, 

 over twenty white men here ; but they had all left, 

 owing to the badness of trade. Senhor Mendon(^a 

 alone remained. A half-caste Portuguese who was 

 living here with the Shakundas came to see us, 

 Gregorio by name. We heard afterwards that a few 

 days before our arrival this gentleman had found out 

 that one of his wives (one of very many) had mistaken 

 another man for himself, and under that impression 

 had committed herself considerably. Mr. Gregorio 

 invited the pair of them to drink beer with him, and, 

 whilst the lovers were enjoying the repast, shot them 

 both dead. No questions were asked about the 

 affair, though the other wives were probably more 

 circumspect in the future. Upon our arrival opposite 

 the island, Mendon^a sent over a boat for us. On 

 the highest portion of the island he had his dwelling- 

 place, a square thatched house, with a wide verandah, 

 in front of which, on a flagstaff, flaunted the Portuguese 

 flag. Besides the large house, there were several 

 store-rooms and outhouses, and below, occupying 

 half the island, a village of Mendon^a's slaves and 

 dependants. Just at sundown two more Portuguese 

 arrived here from Zumbo in a large flat-bottomed 

 boat. One of them was going trading to the Manica 

 country, in company with Canyemba, in a short 

 time ; and I afterwards met him there. This man, 

 Mendon^'a told me later on, had left Portugal at his 

 country's expense ; the other, a little man with 

 rather a pleasant face, had belonged to the Zambesi 

 battalion which was sent from Portugal to take part 

 in the Bonga war in 1867. Both of them seemed 

 to be terribly knocked out of time bv fever, from 

 which the little man was still suffering. Mendon^a 



