528 
Their enmity is inveterate, and is 
confessed to have arisen from the 
shameful practices of the traders 
who have gone among them to 
purchase slaves. They fight chief- 
ly with spears, darts, and poisoned 
arrows; but they also possess no 
inconsiderable number of mus- 
quets, which they procure in the 
northern districts from the Arabs, 
and very frequently, as the Go- 
vernor assured me, from the Por- 
tuguese dealers themselves; who, 
in the eager pursuit of wealth, 
are thus content to barter their 
own security for the gold, slaves, 
and ivory, which they get in re- 
turn. 
These obnoxious neighbours 
have latterly been quiet, but in 
their last incursion they advanced 
with such a force into the penin- 
sula of Cabaceiro, as actually to 
oblige the Portuguese to quit the 
field. In their progress they de- 
stroyed the plantations, burnt the 
slave-huts, and killed or carried 
off every person who fell into their 
hands. They penetrated even 
into the fort of Mesuril and threw 
down the image of St. John which 
was in the chapel, plundered the 
one adjoining the Government- 
house, and converted the priest’s 
dress, in which he celebrates mass, 
into a habit of ceremony for their 
chief. This occurred about three 
years ago, and most clearly evin- 
ces the very weak and precarious 
state of this settlement. 
The only force on an adequate 
scale which the Portuguese have 
to oppose these marauders, is de- 
rived from the alliance of certain 
tribes on the coast, who speak the 
same language as the Makooa, but 
who early fell under the jurisdic- 
tion of the Arabs. These were 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1815. 
conquered bythe Portuguese soon 
after the settlement of the colony, 
and were bound to render mili- 
tary service, besides the payment 
of a tribute in kind, which is now 
often commuted by the trifling 
present of a few limes. These 
tribes are ruled by chiefs, styled 
Sheiks, whose appointment de- 
pends on the Governor of Mosam- 
bique. Several of them are very 
powerful, and have extensive ju- 
risdiction, but their support is not 
much to be relied upon, from their 
rarely acting in unison. 
The principal chiefs among 
these are the Sheiks of Quintan- 
gone, St. Cal, and the Sovereign 
of Sereima. The latter was at this 
time a queen, and much attached 
to the Portuguese, being then ona 
visit at Mosambique: she com- 
mands a large district, and can 
bring fifteen hundred men into 
the field. The Sheik of Quintan- 
gone is still more powerful: his 
district lies north of Mosambique, 
and he is said to command four or 
five thousand men capable of bear= 
ing arms, His predecessor was 
for a long time at enmity with the 
Portuguese, and frequently com- 
mitted great ravages in the penin- 
sula of Cabaceiro, which he en- 
tered by way of Saué Souah. At 
length he fell into the hands of a 
Portuguese detachment, and was, 
by the order of the ruling gover- 
nor, shot off from the mouth of a 
cannon, an example which was 
thought necessary to strike the 
neighbouring chigftains with awe. 
To the south of Mosambique lies 
the district of St. Cal, which sup - 
plies about three thousand fight- 
ing men. The Sheik of this dis- 
trict died about a month before [ 
arrived at Mosambique, and asuc- 
