±22 MANICA. Chap. XXXII. 



the woodwork being all of country trees, some of which take a 

 fine polish and are very durable. 



There are several conical hills in the neighbourhood of 

 Senna, some of which command a fine view of the surrounding 

 country. One standing about half a mile west of the village, 

 called Baramuana, has another behind it; hence the name, 

 which means "carry a child on the back." The prospect 

 from it is very fine ; below, on the eastward, lies the Zambesi, 

 with the village of Senna ; and some twenty or thirty miles 

 beyond stands the lofty mountain Morumbala, which is pro- 

 bably 3000 or 4000 feet high, and, from its form, is evidently 

 igneous. On the northern end there is a hot sulphurous 

 fountain, which my Portuguese friends refused to allow 

 me to visit, because the mountain is well peopled, and the 

 mountaineers are at present on bad terms with the Portu- 

 guese. They have plenty of garden-ground and running 

 waters on its summit. To the north of Morumbala we have 

 a fine view of the mountains of the Maganja, which here 

 come close to the river and terminate in Morumbala. To 

 the south-east, the west, and the north, the country is flat 

 and covered with forest, which gives it a sombre appearance ; 

 but just in the haze of the horizon, south-west by south, there 

 rises a mountain range equal in height to Morumbala, and 

 called Nyamonga. In a clear day another range beyond 

 this may be seen, named Gorongozo, once a station of the 

 Jesuits. It is famed for its clear cold waters and healthiness, 

 and there are some inscriptions engraved on large square 

 slabs on the top of the mountain, which have probably been 

 the work of the fathers. Manica lies three days north-west 

 of Gorongozo, and is the best gold country known in Eastern 

 Africa. The only evidence the Portuguese have of its 

 identity with the ancient Ophir consists of some pieces of 

 wrought gold which have been dug up near the fort, and 

 in the gardens of Sofala, its nearest port. They also report 

 the existence of hewn stones in the neighbourhood, but these 

 cannot have been abundant, for all the stones of the fort of 

 Sofala are said to have been brought from Portugal. Natives 

 from Manica whom I met in the country of Sekeletu state 

 that there are several caves in the country and walls of hewn 

 stone, which they believe to have been made by their ances- 



