Chap. XXIII. PAYMENT FOR CANOE-WORK. 473 



however, it became no longer possible to keep up the sham, 

 the river was thrown open to him ; and Mr. Waller has seen 

 in a single day from fifteen to twenty canoes of different 

 sizes going down, laden with slaves, to the Portuguese settle- 

 ments from the so-called rebel camp. These cargoes were 

 composed entirely of women and children. For three months 

 this traffic was incessant, and at last, so completely was the 

 mask thrown off, that one of the officials came to pay a visit 

 to Bishop Tozer on another part of the same mountain, and, 

 combining business with pleasure, collected payment for some 

 canoe work done for the Missionary party, and with this pur- 

 chased slaves from the rebels, who had only to be hailed from 

 the bank of the river. When he had concluded the bargain he 

 trotted the slaves out for inspection in Mr. Waller's presence. 

 This official, Senhor Mesquita, was the only officer who could 

 be forced to live at the Kongone. From certain circum- 

 stances in his life, he had fallen under the power of the 

 local Government; all the other Custom-house officers re- 

 fused to go to Kongone, so here poor Mesquita must live 

 on a miserable pittance — must live, and perhaps slave, sorely 

 against his will. His name is not brought forward with a 

 view of throwing any odium on his character. The disinter- 

 ested kindness which he showed to Dr. Meller, and others, 

 forbids that he should be mentioned by us with anything like 

 unkindness. 



Other parties were out to the south-east of Senna, slaving 

 for exportation from Inhambane. While we were at Shu- 

 panga, an embassy was sent to us with an offer of ivory, and 

 all the land not occupied by the Zulus, if we would only send 

 a few people to expel the Senna slave-hunters from the 

 neighbourhood. Here, as with what are called the emigrant 

 Boers of the interior of the Cape, the secret of power is, the 

 possession of gunpowder ; bowmen cannot stand the attack of 



