FORMER C.ASEMBES. 553 



itor of scientific attainments, and he died at the rivulet called 

 Chungu, three or four miles from this. The spot is called 

 Nshinda, or Inchinda, which the Portuguese wrote Lucenda, 

 or Ucenda. The latitude given is nearly fifty miles wrong, but 

 the natives say that he lived only ten days after his arrival, and 

 if, as is probable, his mind was clouded with fever when he last 

 observed, those who have experienced what that is will readily 

 excuse any mistake he may have made. His object was to ac- 

 complish a much-desired project of the Portuguese to have an 

 overland communication between their eastern and western 

 possessions. This was never made by any of the Portuguese 

 nation ; but two black traders succeeded partially with a part 

 of the distance, crossing once from Cassange, in Angola, to 

 Tette on the Zambesi, and returning with a letter from the 

 Governor of Mosambique. It is remarkable that this journey, 

 which was less by a thousand miles than from sea to sea and 

 back again, should have forever quenched all white Portuguese 

 aspirations for an overland route. 



" The different Casembes visited by the Portuguese seem to 

 have varied much in character and otherwise. Pereira, the first 

 visitor, said (I quote from memory) that Casembe had twenty 

 thousand trained soldiers, watered his streets daily, and sacrificed 

 twenty human victims every day. I could hear nothing of 

 human sacrifices now, and it is questionable if the present 

 Casembe could bring a thousand stragglers into the field. 

 When he usurped power five years ago, his country was densely 

 peopled ; but he was so severe in his punishments — cropping 

 the ears, lopping off the hands, and other mutilations, selling 

 the children, for very slight offences, that his subjects gradually 

 dispersed themselves in the neighboring countries beyond his 

 power. This is the common mode by which tyranny is cured 

 in parts like these, where fugitives are never returned. The 

 present Casembe is very poor. When he had people who killed 

 elephants he was too stingy to share the profits of the sale of 

 the ivory with his subordinates. The elephant hunters have 

 either left him or neglect hunting, so he has now no tusks to 

 sell to the Arab traders who come from Tanganyika. Major 

 Monteiro, the third Portuguese who visited Casembe, appears 

 to have been badly treated by this man's predecessor, and no 



