PORTUGUESE CURIOSITY. 345 



much greater impartiality than has obtained in our 

 own dealings with the Caffres, for we have engaged in 

 most expensive wars with them without once inquiring 

 whether any of the fault lay with our frontier colonists. 

 The Cassange traders seem inclined to spread along the 

 Quango, in spite of the desire of their government to 

 keep them on one spot, for mutual protection in case of 

 war. If I might judge from the week of feasting I passed 

 among them, they are generally prosperous. 



As I always preferred to appear in my own character, 

 I was an object of curiosity to these hospitable Portuguese. 

 They evidently looked upon me as an agent of the English 

 Government, engaged in some movement for the suppres- 

 sion of slavery. They could not divine what a " mis- 

 sionario " had to do with the latitudes and longitudes, 

 which I was intent on observing. When we became a 

 little familiar, the questions put were rather amusing, " Is 

 it common for missionaries to be doctors ? " " Are you 

 a doctor of medicine and a ' doutor mathematico ' too ? 

 You must be more than a missionary to know how to 

 calculate the longitude ! Come ; tell us at once what rank 

 you hold in the English army." They may have given 

 credit to my reason for wearing the moustache, as that 

 explains why men have beards and women have none ; 

 but that which puzzled many besides my Cassange friends 

 was the anomaly of my being a " sacerdote," with a wife 

 and four children ! I usually got rid of the last question 

 by putting another, "Is it not better to have children 

 with a wife, than to have children without a wife ? " But 

 all were most kind and hospitable, and as one of their 

 festivals was near, they invited me to partake of the feast. 



The anniversary of the Resurrection of our Saviour was 

 observed on the 16th April as a day of rejoicing, though 

 the Portuguese have no priests at Cassange. The coloured 

 population dressed up a figure intended to represent Judas 

 Iscariot, and paraded him on a riding-ox about the village ; 

 .sneers and maledictions were freely bestowed on the poor 

 wretch thus represented. The slaves and free coloured 

 population, dressed in their gayest clothing, made visits 

 to all the principal merchants, and wishing them " a good 

 feast," expected a present in return. This, though fre- 

 quently granted in the shape of pieces of calico to make 

 new dresses, was occasionally refused, but the rebuff did 

 not much affect the petitioner. 



