Chap. I. " C0L0N0S," OR SERFS. 13 



ably few people seen appear to be tolerably well fed, but 

 there was a dearth of clothing among them ; all were 

 blacks, and nearly all Portuguese "colonos" or serfs. 

 They manifested no fear of white men, and stood in 

 groups on the bank gazing in astonishment at the 

 steamers, especially at the " Pearl," which accompanied us 

 thus far up the river. One old man who came on board 

 remarked that never before had he seen any vessel so large 

 as the " Pearl," it was like a village, " Was it made 

 out of one tree ? " All were eager traders, and soon 

 came off to the ship in light swift canoes with every 

 kind of fruit and food they possessed; a few brought 

 honey and beeswax, which are found in quantities in the 

 mangrove forests. As the ships steamed off, many anxious 

 sellers ran along the bank, holding up fowls, baskets of 

 rice and meal, and shouting " Malonda, Malonda," " things 

 for sale," while others followed in canoes, which they sent 

 through the water with great velocity by means of short 

 broad-bladed paddles. 



Finding the " Pearl's " draught too great for that part 

 of the river near the island of Simbo, where the i branch 

 called the Doto is given off to the Kongone on the right 

 bank, and another named Chinde departs to the secret 

 canal already mentioned on the left, the goods belonging 

 to the expedition were taken out of her, and placed on 

 one of the grassy islands about forty miles from the bar. 

 The " Pearl " then left us, and we had to part with our 

 good friends Duncan and Skead ; the former for Ceylon, 

 the latter to return to his duties as Government Surveyor 

 at the Cape. 



Of those who eventually did the work of the expedition 

 the majority took a sober common-sense view of the enter- 

 prise in which we were engaged. Some remained on 

 Expedition Island from the 18th June until the 13th 

 August, while the launch and pinnace were carrying the 



