Chap. XXXI. SEAMS OF COAL. 633 



the spot. We heard of him among the Banyai as a man with 

 whom they would never fight, because " he had a good heart." 

 Had I come down to this coast instead of going to Loanda in 

 1853, I should have come among the belligerents while the war 

 was still raging, and should probably have been cut off. My 

 present approach was just at the conclusion of the peace ; and 

 when the Portuguese authorities here were informed, through the 

 kind offices of Lord Clarendon and Count de Lavradio, that I was 

 expected to come this way, they all declared that such was the 

 existing state of affairs that no European could possibly pass 

 through the tribes. Some natives at last came down the river to 

 Tete and said, alluding to the sextant and artificial horizon, that 

 " the Son of God had come," and that he was " able to take the 

 sun down from the heavens and place it under his arm ! " 

 Major Sicard then felt sure that this was the man mentioned in 

 Lord Clarendon's despatch. 



On mentioning to the Commandant that I had discovered 

 a small seam of coal, he stated that the Portuguese were 

 already aware of nine such seams, and that five of them were 

 on the opposite bank of the river. As soon as I had recovered 

 from my fatigue I went to examine them. We proceeded in 

 a boat to the mouth of the Lofubu or Bevubu, which is about 

 two miles below Tete, and on the opposite or northern bank. 

 Ascending this about four miles against a strong current of 

 beautifully clear water, we landed near a small cataract, and 

 walked about two miles through very fertile gardens to the seam, 

 which we found to be in one of the feeders of the Lofubu, called 

 Muatize or Motize. The seam is in the perpendicular bank, and 

 dips into the rivulet, or in a northerly direction. There is first of 

 all, a seam 10 inches in diameter, then some shale, below which 

 there is another seam, 58 inches of which are seen, and, as the 

 bottom touches the water of the Muatize, it may be more. Tins 

 part of the seam is about 30 yards long. There is then a fault. 

 About 100 yards higher up the stream, black vesicular trap is 

 seen, penetrating in thin veins the clay shale of the country, 

 converting it into porcellanite, and partially crystallizing the coal 

 with which it came into contact. On the right bank of the Lo- 

 fubu there is another feeder entering that river near its con- 

 fluence with the Muatize, which is called the Morongozi, in which 



