26 CONTACT WITH THE "KEBELS." Chap. L 



exaggerations of the incensed Portuguese, who natural] y 

 enough were exasperated with him for stopping their trade, 

 and harbouring their runaway slaves ; but we learned after- 

 wards from the natives, that the accounts given us by the 

 Portuguese had not exceeded the truth ; and that Mariano 

 was quite as great a ruffian as they had described him. 

 One expects slave-owners to treat their human chattels as 

 well as men do other animals of value, but the slave-trade 

 seems always to engender an unreasoning ferocity, if not 

 bloodthirstiness. 



War was declared against Mariano, and a force sent to take 

 him ; he resisted for a time ; but seeing that he was likely to 

 get the worst of it, and knowing that the Portuguese gover- 

 nors have small salaries, and are therefore " disposed to be 

 reasonable," he went down to Quillimane to " arrange " with 

 the Governor, as it is termed here ; but Colonel da Silva 

 put him in prison, and then sent him for trial to Mosambique. 

 When we came into the country, his people were fighting 

 under his brother Bonga. The war had lasted six months 

 and stopped all trade on the river during that period. On 

 the 15th June we first came into contact with the "rebels." 

 They appeared as a crowd of well-armed and fantastically- 

 dressed people under the trees at Mazaro. On explaining 

 that we were English, some at once came on board and called 

 to those on shore to lay aside their arms. On landing among 

 them we saw that many had the branded marks of slaves 

 on their chests, but they warmly approved our objects, and 

 knew well the distinctive character of our nation on the 

 slave question. The shout at our departure contrasted 

 strongly with the suspicious questioning on our approach. 

 Henceforth we were recognised as friends by both parties. 



At a later period we were taking in wood within a mile of 



