Chap. V. SEQUASHA. 143 



men belonged, left Tette, with four hundred slaves, armed 

 with the old Sepoy Brown Bess, to hunt elephants and 

 trade in ivory. On our way up, we heard from natives of 

 their lawless deeds, and again, on our way down, from 

 several, who had been eyewitnesses of the principal crime, 

 and all reports substantially agreed. The story is a sad 

 one. After the traders reached Zumbo, one of them, called 

 by the natives Sequasha, entered into a plot with the 

 disaffected headman, Namakusuru, to kill his chief, 

 Mpangwe, in order that Namakusuru might seize upon the 

 chieftainship ; and for the murder of Mpangwe the trader 

 agreed to receive ten large tusks of ivory. Sequasha, 

 with a picked party of armed slaves, went to visit 

 Mpangwe who received him kindly, and treated him with 

 all the honour and hospitality usually shown to distin- 

 guished strangers, and the women busied themselves in 

 cooking the best of their provisions for the repast to be set 

 before him. Of this, and also of the beer, the half-caste 

 partook heartily. Mpangwe was then asked by Sequasha 

 to allow his men to fire their guns in amusement. Inno- 

 cent of any suspicion of treachery, and anxious to hear the 

 report of firearms, Mpangwe at once gave his consent ; and 

 the slaves rose and poured a murderous volley into the 

 merry group of unsuspecting spectators, instantly killing 

 the chief and twenty of his people. The survivors fled in 

 horror. The children and young women were seized as 

 slaves, and the village sacked. Sequasha sent the mes- 

 sage to Xamakusuru : " I have killed the lion that troubled 

 you ; come and let us talk over the matter. " He came, 

 and brought the ivory. " No," said the half-caste, " let us 

 divide the land : " and he took the larger share for himself, 

 and compelled the would-be usurper to deliver up his 

 bracelets, in token of subjection on becoming the child or 

 vassal of Sequasha. These were sent in triumph to the 

 authorities at Tette. The governor of Quillimane had 



