406 YOUNG WOMEN SOLD. Chap. XX. 



decidedly does not in our experience apply to freemen. We 

 paid his men for helping us, and believe that even they, 

 being paid, stole nothing from us. Our friend farms pretty 

 extensively the large island called Sangwisa, — lent him for 

 nothing by Senhor Ferrao, — and raises large quantities of 

 mapira and beans, and also beautiful white rice, grown 

 from seed brought a few years ago from South Carolina. 

 He furnished us with some, which was very acceptable ; for, 

 though not in absolute want, we were living on beans, salt 

 pork, and fowls, all the biscuit and flour on board having 

 been expended. 



We fully expected that the owners of the captives we had 

 liberated would show their displeasure, at least by their 

 tongues ; but they seemed ashamed ; only one ventured a 

 remark, and he, in the course of common conversation, said, 

 with a smile, " You took the Governor's slaves, didn't you ? " 

 " Yes, we did free several gangs that we met in the Manganja 

 country." The Portuguese of Tette, from the Governor down- 

 wards, were extensively engaged in slaving. The trade is 

 partly internal and partly external : they send some of the 

 captives, and those bought, into the interior, up the Zambesi ; 

 some of these we actually met on their way up the river. 

 The young women were sold there for ivory : an ordinary- 

 looking one brought two arrobas, sixty-four pounds weight, 

 and an extra beauty brought twice that amount. The men 

 and boys were kept as carriers, to take the ivory down from 

 the interior to Tette, or were retained on farms on the 

 Zambesi, ready for export if a slaver should call: of this 

 last mode of slaving we were witnesses also. The slaves 

 were sent down the river chained, and in large canoes. 

 This went on openly at Tette, and more especially so while 

 the French " Free Emigration " system was in full operation. 

 This double mode of disposing of the captives pays better 



