592 CURIOUS REPORT OF UVTNGSTONE. 



coming up the Zambesi boats must cross it and the Luenya 

 separately, even going a little way up that river, so as not 

 ±o be driven away by its current in the bed of the Zambesi, 

 and dashed on the rock which stands on the opposite 

 shore. In coming up to the Luenya for this purpose, all 

 boats and canoes came close to the stockade to be robbed. 

 Nyaude kept the Portuguese shut up in their fort at Tete 

 during two years, and they could only get goods sufficient 

 to buy food, by sending to Kilimane by an overland route 

 along the north bank of the Zambesi. The mother country 

 did not in these " Caffre wars " pay the bills, so no one 

 either became rich or blamed the missionaries. 



The merchants were unable to engage in trade ; and 

 •commerce, which the slave-trade had rendered stagnant, 

 was completely obstructed. The present Commandant of 

 Tete, Major Sicard, having great influence among the 

 natives from his good character, put a stop to the war 

 more than once by his mere presence on the spot. We 

 heard of him among the Banyai as a man with whom they 

 -would never fight, because " he had a good heart." Had 

 I come down to this coast instead of going to Loanda in 

 1853, I should have come among the belligerents while the 

 war was still raging, and should probably have been cut 

 off. My present approach was just at the conclusion of 

 the peace ; and when the Portuguese authorities here 

 were informed, through the kind offices of Lord Clarendon 

 and Count de Lavradio, that I was expected to come this 

 way, they all declared that such was the existing state of 

 affairs that no European could possibly pass through the 

 tribes. Some natives at last came down the river to Tete 

 and said, alluding to the sextant and artificial horizon, 

 that " the Son of God had come," and that he was " able 

 to take the sun down from the heavens and place it under 

 his arm ! " Major Sicard then felt sure that this was the 

 rnan mentioned in Lord Clarendon's despatch. 



On mentioning to the Commandant that I had discovered 

 a small seam of coal, he stated that the Portuguese were 

 already aware of nine such seams, and that five of them 

 were on the opposite bank of the river. As soon as I had 

 recovered from my fatigue I went to examine them. We 

 proceeded in a boat to the mouth of the Lofubu or 

 P-evubu, which is about two miles below Tete, and on the 

 ■opposite or northern bank. Ascending this about four 

 miles against a strong current of beautifully clear water, 



