XXXIII.] PASSAGE TO SAN PAUL DE LOANDA. 487 



The loyalty of the soldiers to their flag I did not expect to November, 

 find very marked ; but I was scarcely prepared for the proposal ^^"^^^ 

 made to me by a white non-commissioned officer, that, if I de- 

 sired to take the town, he would place himself and his com- 

 rades at my disposal, and would give up the fort to me, on con- 

 dition that I should give them meat three times a week instead 

 of only once, which was the allowance they received from the 

 Portuguese. 



The inhabitants of Benguela were all ready to show every 

 kindness to me, and I was frequently invited to the houses of 

 Dr. Aguia, Mr. Ben Chimol, and Dr. Calasso. 



There are many good gardens, where European vegetables 

 and fruits are grown, the light and sandy soil only requiring 

 water to make it fertile; and that is always obtainable with- 

 in six feet of the surface, though near the sea it is slightly 

 brackish. 



A few horses are also kept there, and the place boasts of one 

 carriage ; but the usual means of locomotion — as no white man 

 ever walked during the day-time — is the maxella, which is slung 

 from long poles, over which awnings are spread, and carried 

 by two men. The bearers walk with a peculiar step, and avoid 

 jolting, and altogether it is a very comfortable mode of moving 

 about. 



My men, I regret to say, did not behave very well, owing to 

 the cheapness of vile spirits ; and it was necessary to deprive 

 them of their arms to prevent bloodshed in their drunken 

 squabbles. One fellow hacked another over the head with a 

 sword-bayonet, for which offense I had him confined in the 

 cells in the fort, and kept on bread and water, for the remain- 

 der of our stay. 



On the return of the mail steamer from Mossamedes, the 

 southernmost Portuguese settlement, the governor ordered a 

 passage for me and my men to San Paul de Loanda. Nearly 

 all the town came to see us off ; and as it was night before we 

 sailed, there were fire-works in honor of the occasion. 



The steamer was the Bengo, of Hull, but sailed by Portu- 

 guese oflacers under the Portuguese flag, the only Englishman 

 on board being the chief-engineer, Mr. Lindsay. 



On the morning of the 21st of November, a fortnight after 



