32 EARLY EAST AFRICA 



the cafres came to pfoiFer their new friends the 

 discovery of the silver mines. 



" With this were our people very merry, and on 

 the day set apart for the journey, there staying 

 forty in the stockade for its ordinary guard, the 

 remainder, who numbered 150, set out with their 

 arms on their journey of discovery, accompanied 

 by guides who pretended they had not more than 

 a league to go. In this way they marched, until, 

 entering a close jungle, they were in a moment 

 attacked by more than 3,000 armed cafres, who feU 

 upon them with great fury, killing and wounding 

 as many as they could ; and although the Portu- 

 guese slew many, nevertheless, surrounded as they 

 were by dense jungle, they could not fight with 

 order, and but few escaped and fled back to the 

 fort, where they were soon besieged. There they 

 remained several months, suffering greatly from 

 hunger, until at length they determined to sally 

 forth and die, if need be, like soldiers with arms in 

 their hands. This they put into effect, and fell 

 suddenly on the natives with such fury that they 

 put them to flight, slaying many ; but when they 

 would fain have re-formed their ranks, the cafres 

 returned and fell upon them from all sides, and 

 seeing them in their power slew them so that not 

 one escaped. Thus fell they all, seUing their hves 

 as dearly as might be." 



With much difficulty and greatly hindered by his 

 sick and wounded, Barreto now returned to Sena, 

 his expedition still further enfeebled by the men 

 he had left behind, when he found messengers from 



