14 REACH THE COAST. Chap. I. 



CHAPTER I. 



Beach the Coast — Explore Eiver Luawe — Mouths of Zambesi — Concealed to 

 deceive English cruisers — The deception palmed off on European Govern- 

 ments by Ministers in Portugal — Official testimony — Kongone — Scenery 

 on the river — Fertility of Delta soil — Colonos or serfs — Deep channel of 

 river — Land luggage on Expedition Island — Country in a state of war — 

 "Free emigrants" — Atrocities of Mariano — Meet so-called "rebels" — A 

 fight between natives and Portuguese — An army waiting for ammunition — 

 Birds and beasts met with on the river — Mazaro — The reshipment of 

 merchandise there for Quillimane — Shupanga — Zulu dominion on right 

 bank of Zambesi — Tribute paid by the Portuguese — Senna and Senhor 

 Ferrao — Seguati or present — Hippopotamus hunters — Peculiarity of 

 Baobab-trees — Lupata gorge. 



The Expedition left England on the 10th of March, 1858, 

 in Her Majesty's Colonial Steamer u Pearl," commanded by 

 Captain Duncan ; and, after enjoying the generous hospi- 

 tality of our friends at Cape Town, with the obliging atten- 

 tions of Sir George Grey, and receiving on board Mr. Francis 

 Skead, E.N., as surveyor, we reached the East Coast in the 

 following May. 



Our first object was to explore the Zambesi, its mouths 

 and tributaries, with a view to their being used as highways 

 for commerce and Christianity to pass into the vast interior of 

 Africa. When we came within five or six miles of the land, the 

 yellowish-green tinge of the sea in soundings was suddenly 

 succeeded by muddy water with wrack, as of a river in flood. 

 The two colours did not intermingle, but the line of contact 

 was as sharply defined as when the ocean meets the land. 

 It was observed that under the wrack — consisting of reeds, 



