284 SLAVERY AT TETTE. Chap. X. 



a loaded musket by his side. This opinion may apply to 

 slaves, but decidedly does not in our experience apply to 

 freemen. We paid his men for helping us, and believe 

 that even they, being paid, stole nothing from us. Our 

 friend farms pretty extensively the large island called 

 Sangwisa, — lent him for nothing by Senhor Ferrao, — and 

 raises large quantities of mapira and beans, and also beau- 

 tiful white rice, grown from seed brought a few years ago 

 from South Carolina. He furnished us with some, which 

 was very acceptable ; for though not in absolute want, we 

 were living on beans, salt pork, and fowls, all the biscuit 

 and flour on board having been expended. 



We fully expected that the owners of the captives we 

 had liberated would show their displeasure, at least by their 

 tongues ; but they seemed ashamed ; only one ventured a 

 remark, and he, in the course of common conversation, 

 said, with a smile, "You took the Governor's slaves, didn't 

 you ?" " Yes, we did free several gangs that we met in the 

 Manganja country." The Portuguese of Tette, from the 

 Governor downwards, were extensively engaged in slaving. 

 The trade is partly internal and partly external : they 

 send some of the captives, and those bought, into the 

 interior, up the Zambesi: some of these we actually met 

 on their way up the river. The young women were sold 

 there for ivory : an ordinary-looking one brought two 

 arrobas, sixty-four pounds weight, and an extra beauty 

 brought twice that amount. The men and boys were 

 kept as carriers, to take the ivory down from the interior 

 to Tette, or were retained on farms on the Zambesi, ready 

 for export if a slaver should call : of this last mode of 

 slaving we were witnesses also. The slaves were sent 

 down the river chained, and in large canoes. This 

 went on openly at Tette, and more especially so while the 

 French " Free Emigration " system was in full operation. 

 This double mode of disposing of the captives pays 



