202 SEQUASHA. Chap. IX. 



Mpangwe at once gave his consent ; and the slaves rose and 

 poured a murderous volley into the merry group of unsuspect- 

 ing spectators, instantly killing the chief and twenty of his 

 people. The survivors fled in horror. The children and young- 

 women were seized as slaves, and the village sacked. Sequasha 

 sent the message to Namakusura : " I have killed the lion 

 that troubled you, come and let us talk over the matter." He 

 came, and brought the ivory ; " No," said the half-caste, 

 " let us divide the land :" and he took the larger share for 

 himself, and compelled the would-be usurper to deliver up 

 his bracelets, in token of subjection on becoming the child 

 or vassal of Sequasha. These were sent in triumph to the 

 authorities at Tette. The Governor of Quillimane had told 

 us that he had received orders from Lisbon to take advantage 

 of our passing to re-establish Zumbo ; and, accordingly, these 

 traders had built a small stockade on the rich plain of the 

 right bank of Loangwa, a mile above the site of the ancient 

 mission church of Zumbo, as part of the royal policy. The 

 bloodshed was quite unnecessary, because, the land at Zumbo 

 having of old been purchased, the natives would have always 

 of their own accord acknowledged the right thus acquired ; 

 they pointed it out to Dr. Livingstone in 1856 that, though 

 they were cultivating it, it was not theirs, but white man's 

 land. Sequasha and his mate had left their ivory in charge of 

 some of their slaves, who, in the absence of their masters, 

 were now having a gay time of it, and getting drunk every 

 day with the produce of the sacked villages. The head slave 

 came and begged for the musket of the delinquent ferry- 

 man, which was returned. He thought his master did per- 

 fectly right to kill Mpangwe, when asked to do it for the fee 

 of ten tusks, and he even justified it thus : " If a man invites 

 you to eat, will you not partake ? " 



