FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 
io 3 
•of which Captain Maguire had landed, were either not there or had escaped 
before our coming. 
We now returned to Zomba, leaving a garrison behind at Fort Johnston. We 
had no sooner reached Zomba than we heard of trouble from Kawinga, a power¬ 
ful Yao chief who lived on a hill which was at the north-eastern extremity of 
the Zomba range. It was deemed advisable to dispatch an expedition against 
Kawinga, and this was accompanied by Mr. John Buchanan, C.M.G., who had 
become a Vice-Consul in the service of the Protectorate. Kawinga’s fortress 
proved however to be a much harder nut to crack than we had expected. A 
gallant attempt was made by Captain 
Maguire and Mr. Buchanan to scale the 
hill in face of a heavy fire. Captain 
Maguire was wounded in the chest, 
several of our men were killed or 
wounded, and the force was partially 
repulsed, though it had captured nearly 
all Kawinga’s positions except the 
highest, and had so far scared him that 
he treated for peace and obtained it. 
After the conclusion of peace with 
Kawinga, Captain Maguire considered 
it necessary to return to Fort Johnston, 
to complete the building at that place, 
and relieve the garrison. He was to be 
back at Zomba to spend Christmas with 
me, but I was doomed never to see him 
again. 
Upon reaching Fort Johnston he 
had received information as to the 
locality where Makanjira’s two daus 
were hidden. Without waiting to con¬ 
sult me, therefore, he started in the 
Domira, with a small force of Indian 
soldiers. He found the daus—in a little 
•cove close to where Fort Maguire is 
now situated, and somewhat to the north of Makanjira’s main town. He 
landed with a small force of about 28 men, and was proceeding to destroy 
and incapacitate the daus, when Makanjira, with about 2,000 men, attacked 
him. He retreated to the beach. 
Unfortunately a storm had arisen which had wrenched his boat from her 
moorings, and had dashed her on to the rocks. The Domira in endeavouring 
to approach as near as possible in order to come to his assistance, was blown on 
to a sand-bank, and stuck fast within a short distance of the shore. When 
he had lost three of his men Captain Maguire told the others to enter the 
water and make for the Domira. After seeing them off, and with a few faithful 
Sikhs repulsing with the bayonet the onslaught of the enemy, he turned to the 
water himself, but just as he was nearing the steamer a bullet apparently struck 
him in the back of the head and he sank. Just about this time the master 
of the Domira, Mr. Keiller, was wounded, and shortly after Mr. Urquhart, 
the second engineer, was severely wounded. All the Indian soldiers except the 
three who had been killed reached the steamer safely, and preparations were at 
i 
CAPTAIN CECIL MONTGOMERY MAGUIRE 
DIED DECEMBER 15, 1691 
