XII ARRIVAL AT BELLA VISTA 231 



to the depredations of locusts. The district is called 

 Matuta. To the south the land does not appear 

 to be so rich, and must be more sparsely populated, 

 as elephants are said to still maintain a precarious 

 footing there. After entering the mouth of the 

 Maputa, both wind and tide being favourable, we 

 ran up its course at racing speed, and by ten o'clock 

 had passed the limit of the mangrove swamps. So 

 far the only sign of life we had seen was numerous 

 large flocks of curlews feeding on the mud-banks on 

 both sides of the river. These birds appeared very 

 similar to the species so familiar to British shore- 

 shooters, and were equally wary and shy of close 

 acquaintanceship. 



About eleven o'clock we reached the Portuguese 

 military station of Bella Vista, in charge of an 

 officer, who, after he had inspected my papers and 

 found them all in order, was very civil, and invited 

 us to join him at the late breakfast which is one 

 of the two substantial meals partaken of by the 

 Portuguese in Africa. 



Our host seemed to be something more of a 

 sportsman than most of his countrymen, and only 

 the day previous to our arrival had shot a fine 

 reedbuck ram, and a short time before a bushbuck 

 ram, having killed both with buck shot. He also 

 possessed a good pair of inyala horns, which, he 

 told me, had been obtained from the natives on the 

 Pongolo river. We remained at Bella Vista for a 

 couple of hours, conversing in French on various 

 topics, especially the late Matabele rebellion, in 

 which our host seemed to take a great interest. 

 He was very emphatic in his condemnation of the 

 policy of raising a police force from amongst the 

 natives of a conquered country. *' However," said 

 he, "it is the English way; they have done it in 

 Natal and Zululand too, and may yet live to regret 

 it; qui vivra verra." ''But," said I, "you Portu- 



