234 ARRIVAL AT CASSANGE. 



clothing among our Portuguese allies. The first gentleman 

 1 met in the village asked if I had a passport, and said it 

 was necessary to take me before the authorities. As I was 

 in the same state of mind in which individuals are who 

 commit a petty depredation in order to obtain the shelter 

 and food of a prison, I gladly accompanied him to the house 

 of the commandant or Chefe, Senhor de Silva Eego. Having 

 shown my passport to this gentleman, he politely asked me 

 to supper, and, as we had eaten nothing except the farina 

 of Cypriano from the Quango to this, I suspect I appeared 

 particularly ravenous to the other gentlemen around the 

 table. They seemed, however, to understand my position 

 pretty well, from having all travelled extensively them- 

 selves : had they not been present, I might have put some 

 in my pocket to eat by night ; for, after fever, the appetite 

 is excessively keen, and manioc is one of the most unsatisfy- 

 ing kinds of food.. Captain Antonio Eodrigues Neves then 

 kindly invited me to take up my abode in his house. Next 

 morning this generous man arrayed me in decent clothing, 

 and continued during the whole period of my stay to treat 

 me as if I had been his brother. I feel deepty grateful to 

 him for his disinterested kindness. He not only attended 

 to my wants, but also furnished food for my famishing 

 party free of charge. 



The village of Cassange (pronounced Kassanje) is com- 

 posed of thirty or forty traders' houses, slattered about, 

 without any regularity, on an elevated flat spot in the great 

 Quango or Cassange valley. They are built of wattle and 

 daub, and surrounded by plantations of manioc, maize, &c. 

 There are about forty Portuguese traders in this district, 

 all of whom are officers in the militia, and many of them 

 have become rich from adopting the plan of sending out 

 pombeiros, or native traders, with large quantities of goods, 

 to trade in the more remote parts of the country. If .1 

 might judge from the week of feasting I passed among 

 them, they are generally prosperous. 



As I always preferred to appear in my owd proper cha- 



