Chap. XX. GOVERNOR OF QUILLIMANE. 403 



with the mild sentence of imprisonment for three years, and 

 a fine. Not having money enough with him to pay the fine, 

 the Mosambique authorities considerately allowed him to go 

 back to Quillimane, to collect some debts which he asserted 

 were due to him ; but, when he got there, it was found that 

 his debts were due somewhere up the country. His Quilli- 

 mane creditors, however, most feelingly petitioned the Govern- 

 ment to allow Mariano to go thither, in order to obtain ivory 

 to pay both debts and fine. Permission was graciously given, 

 and he was also allowed to take several hundreds of muskets 

 and much ammunition ; but, instead of collecting ivory, he 

 returned to his own people up the Shire, and betook himself 

 at once to his former course of robbery, murder, and kidnap- 

 ping, and set the Portuguese authority at defiance. The 

 Governor of Quillimane then declared war against his old 

 enemy, and with all his available soldiers and slaves in a 

 fleet of boats and canoes, sailed up the Shire to capture the 

 rebel, but could not find him — so sailed down again. The 

 whole thing . had the appearance — to the uncharitable, who 

 knew that nothing could be done in a district, without the 

 knowledge of the Governor — of Mariano's having been 

 allowed to run away with a large assortment of arms and 

 ammunition, out of a small hamlet, where every one, by 

 means of his slaves, knows the affairs of every one else. It 

 is true the Governor ran after him, but at the pace one does 

 after a child in play — and, of course, could not catch him. A 

 captain was afterwards sent across the country with a force, 

 and was more fortunate than the Governor, for he reached 

 Mariano. Unluckily, however, instead of capturing the rebel, 

 the rebel captured him, in a night attack it was said, with 

 all his ammunition and a number of his men. The captain, 

 according to the account of his brother officers, was allowed 

 to depart, after receiving a present of ivory. To us, this was 



2 d 2 



