no CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 



shewed us at least that we had little to fear from the warlike 

 disposition of this people. 



This morning I dispatched a canoe to the Congo, >vith 

 instructions for bringing her up the river, and employed the 

 afternoon in sounding the river. 



On the following morning (29th), I visited the Chenoo, at 

 his request, unceremoniously, taking only two marines. I 

 found him seated on a mat, in a court of his tenement, dis- 

 tributing palm wine to a family party consisting of about 40 

 men and boys, of all ages ; a seat being placed for me, he 

 sent for a small box full of papers, which he requested me to 

 read, and which I found to be all Portuguese, generally cer- 

 tificates of the Chenoo's good conduct ; and one letter from 

 the governor of St. Paul de Loando, complaining that the 

 Sonio men had killed some of the missionaries, and cut off 

 a Portuguese trading pinnace; its date 1813. After a 

 palaver of half an hour, in which I was obliged to repeat 

 my assurances of not coming to prevent the slave trade, or 

 to make war, the Chenoo led the way to a pen in which 

 were six fine cows, a young bull and a calf; and one of the 

 largest and fattest cows was selected as a present for me. 

 This animal, I found, had been introduced by the Portu- 

 guese, and was now considerably multiplied, though no care 

 whatever seems to be taken to encrease them, the cows in 



