308 COUNTRY OF CHONGA MICHI. Chap. XL 



tribe, who treated strangers with civility. A body of 

 Makoa had come from their own country in the south, and 

 settled here. The Makoa are known by a cicatrice in the 

 forehead shaped like the new moon with the horns turned 

 downwards. The tribe possesses all the country west of 

 Mosambique ; and they will not allow any of the Portu- 

 guese to pass into their country more than two hours' dis- 

 tance from the fort. A hill some ten or twelve miles 

 distant, called Pau, has been visited during the present 

 generation only by one Portuguese and one English officer, 

 and this visit was accomplished only by the influence 

 of the private friendship of a chief for this Portuguese 

 gentleman. Our allies have occupied the Port of Mosam- 

 bique for three hundred years, but in this, as in all other 

 cases, have no power further than they can see from a 

 gun-carriage. „ 



The Makoa chief, Matingula, was hospitable and com- 

 municative, telling us all he knew of the river and country 

 beyond. He had been once to Iboe and once at Mosam- 

 bique with slaves. Our men understood his language 

 easily. A useless musket he had bought at one of the 

 above places was offered us for a little cloth. Having re- 

 ceived a present of food from him, a railway rug was 

 handed to him : he looked at it — had never seen cloth like 

 that before — did not approve of it, and would rather have 

 cotton cloth. " But this will keep you warm at night." — 

 " Oh, I do not wish to be kept warm at night." — We gave 

 him a bit of cotton cloth, not one-third the value of the 

 rug, but it was more highly prized. His people refused to 

 sell their fowls for our splendid prints and drab cloths. 

 They had probably been taken in with gaudy-patterned 

 sham prints before. They preferred a very cheap, plain, 

 blue stuff of which they had experience. A great quan- 

 tity of excellent honey is collected all along the river, by 

 bark hives being placed for the bees on the high trees on 



