THE EASTERN COAST. 
fully, they still persevered, and, at length, through 
a thousand difficulties reached Manica, where the 
principal gold mines were situated. These were 
found in no degree to correspond with the magni- 
ficent expectations formed of them, or the labours 
and dangers through which they had been reached. 
They appear, by the description of Santos, to be 
similarly situated with those of Bambouk, in allu* 
vial earth, which is collected by digging deep pits* 
and from which the gold is separated by long agi- 
tation in water. The Portuguese, in viewing the 
process, felt no inclination to dispute with the na- 
tives the performance of so long arid laborious an 
operation. Barreto judged it expedient to con- 
clude a treaty with the Quiteve, by which the mo- 
narch granted a free passage to the Portuguese 
through his dominions, in return for which a tri- 
bute of two hundred ells of linen cloth was stipu* 
lated to be paid to him. 
Barreto, meantime, was not discouraged ; he 
resolved to search in the more remote country of 
the Mongas for other gold mines, which he hoped 
might prove more productive. The Mongas op- 
posed a still more formidable resistance. A great 
battle was fought, in which, though the sorceress 
on whom they placed their main reliance was early 
slain, they long maintained the field. At length 
they were defeated, and had recourse, like their 
neighbours, to irregular and protracted warfare* 
