6l6 RUINS OF SEXSTA. 



canoes toiling laboriously against it. They use long ropes 

 and pull the boats from the shore. They usually take 

 about twenty days to ascend the distance we had descended 

 in about four. The wages paid to boatmen are considered 

 high. Part of the men who had accompanied me gladly 

 accepted employment from Lieutenant Miranda, to take 

 a load of goods in a canoe from Senna to Tete. 



I thought the state of Tete quite lamentable, but that 

 of Senna was ten times worse. At Tete there is some 

 life ; here everything is in a state of stagnation and ruin. 

 The fort, built of sun-dried bricks, has the grass growing 

 over the walls, which have been patched in some places 

 by paling. The Landeens visit the village periodically, 

 and levy fines upon the inhabitants, as they consider the 

 Portuguese a conquered tribe, and very rarely does a 

 native come to trade. Senhor Isidore, the Commandant, 

 a man of considerable energy, had proposed to surround 

 the whole village with palisades as a protection against the 

 Landeens, and the villagers were to begin this work the 

 day after I left. It was sad to look at the nun manifest 

 in every building, but the half-castes appear to be hi 

 league with the rebels and Landeens ; for when any 

 attempt is made by the Portuguese to coerce the enemy or 

 to defend themselves, information is conveyed at once to 

 Landeen camp, and, though the Commandant prohibits the 

 payment of tribute to the Landeens, on their approach the 

 half-castes eagerly ransom themselves. When I was there, 

 a party of Kisaka's people were ravaging the fine country 

 on the opposite shore. They came down with the prisoners 

 they had captured, and forthwith the half-castes of Senna 

 went over to buy slaves. Encouraged by this, Kisaka's 

 people came over into Senna fully armed and beating 

 their drums, and were received into the house of a native 

 Portuguese. They had the village at their mercy, yet 

 could have been driven off by half a dozen policemen. 

 The Commandant could only look on with bitter sorrow. 

 He had soldiers, it is true, but it is notorious that the 

 native militia of both Senna and Kilimane never think of 

 standing to fight, but invariably run away, and leave 

 their officers to be killed. They are brave only among 

 the peaceable inhabitants. One of them sent from 

 Kilimane with a packet of letters or expresses arrived 

 while I was at Senna. He had been charged to deliver 

 them with all s eed, but Senhor Isidore had in the mean 



