410 NYAUDE AND KISAKA. Chap. XXXI. 



opposite bank of the river, likewise rebelled. He imagined 

 that his father had been bewitched by the Portuguese, and 

 he therefore plundered all the plantations of the rich mer- 

 chants of Tete on the north bank, which is the most fertile, and 

 on which the Portuguese had their villas. When these were 

 destroyed, the Tete people were completely impoverished. 

 An attempt to punish this rebel proved unsuccessful, and he 

 has lately been pardoned by the home Government. The 

 Portuguese were thus placed between two enemies, Nyaude 

 on the right bank and Kisaka on the left, the former of whom, 

 having placed his stockade on the point of land on the right 

 banks of both the Luenya and Zambesi, could prevent inter- 

 course with the sea. The Luenya rushes with great force into 

 the Zambesi when it is low, and in ascending the Zambesi 

 boats must even go a little way up the former river, so as 

 not to be carried away by its current, and dashed on the 

 rock which stands on the opposite shore of the Zambesi. In 

 coming up to the Luenya for this purpose all boats and canoes 

 that came close to the stockade were robbed. Nyaude kept 

 the Portuguese shut up in their fort at Tete during two years, 

 and they could only get goods sufficient to buy food by 

 sending to Kilimane by an overland route along the north 

 bank of the Zambesi. Commerce, which the slave-trade had 

 rendered stagnant, was now completely obstructed. The pre- 

 sent Commandant of Tete, Major Sicard, having great influence 

 among the natives, put a stop to the war more than once by 

 his mere presence on the spot. Had I attempted to reach 

 this coast instead of going to Loanda in 1853, I should pro- 

 bably have been cut off, as the war was still raging. My 

 present approach was just at the conclusion of the peace ; and 

 when the Portuguese authorities here were informed that I 

 was expected to come this way, they all declared that no 

 European could possibly pass through the tribes. Some 

 natives at last came down the river to Tete, and, in allusion 

 to the sextant and artificial horizon, said that " the Son of 

 God had come," and that he was " able to take the sun down 

 from the heavens and place it under his arm ! " Major Sicard 

 then felt sure that this was the man whom he expected. 



On mentioning to the Commandant that I had discovered a 

 small seam of coal, he stated that the Portuguese were already 



