104 ^^EN, Mines, and Animals in South Africa. 



The former had been sent by the Higli Com- 

 missioner ecaiiy in ]\Iay up the Pungwe River with 

 despatches for the Portuguese Governor and for 

 Colonel Pennefather at Fort Salisbury, command- 

 ing the Chartered Company's Police. He told me 

 he had left everything quiet and peaceful on the 

 frontier round Massi Kessi, but that it was unlikely 

 that the Pun2:we route would l)e available as an 

 ordinary travelling route for a considerable time, 

 probably not for another year. He added that he 

 had l)een treated with the greatest politeness and 

 courtesy by all the Portuguese, not only liy the 

 officials, but also by the detached groups of 

 Portuo-uese soldiers who had l^een encountered on 

 the road. Mr. Victor Morier, who had been 

 present at the skirmish near Massi Kessi, between 

 the Portuguese and the Chartered Company's 

 Police, fi'ave me an iuterestins; account of that in- 

 cident. It appears that the Portuguese advanced 

 from Massi Kessi to the position held by the police, 

 informed the officer in command of the police that 

 Manicaland was in a state of siege, that all 

 strangers were to be turned out, and demanded 

 that he should evacuate the position. This the 

 officer declined to do, upon which, after a brief 

 interval, the Portuguese, some 400 or 500 strong, 

 natives and Europeans combined, advanced to 

 attack the position, firing the first shots. They 

 were fired upon in return, and after two hours' 

 shirmishing the Portuguese retired with much pre- 

 cipitation and some loss, and so great was their 

 discomfiture that they stayed not in Massi Kessi 



