offered to guide us to his
Excellency's own agents. Two of the Bishop's black men from the Cape,
having once been slaves, were now zealous emancipators, and volunteered
to guard the prisoners during the night. So anxious were our heroes to
keep them safe, that instead of relieving each other, by keeping watch
and watch, both kept watch together, till towards four o'clock in the
morning, when sleep stole gently over them both; and the wakeful
prisoners, seizing the opportunity, escaped: one of the guards,
perceiving the loss, rushed out of the hut, shouting, "They are gone, the
prisoners are off, and they have taken my rifle with them, and the women
too! Fire! everybody fire!" The rifle and the women, however, were all
safe enough, the slave-traders being only too glad to escape alone. Fifty
more slaves were freed next day in another village; and, the whole party
being stark-naked, cloth enough was left to clothe them, better probably
than they had ever been clothed before. The head of this gang, whom we
knew as the agent of one of the principal merchants of Tette, said that
they had the license of the Governor for all they did. This we were
fully aware of without his stating it. It is quite impossible for any
enterprise to be undertaken there without the Governor's knowledge and
connivance.

The portion of the highlands which the Bishop wished to look at before
deciding on a settlement belonged to Chiwawa, or Chibaba, the most manly
and generous Manganja chief we had met with on our previous journey. On
reaching Nsambo's, near Mount Chiradzuru, we heard that Chibaba was dead,
and that Chigunda was chief instead. Chigunda, apparently of his own
accord, though possibly he may have learnt that the Bishop intended to
settle somewhere in the country, asked him to come and live with him at
Magomero, adding that there was room enough for both. This hearty and
spontaneous invitation had considerable influence on the Bishop's mind,
and seemed to decide the question. A place nearer the Shire would have
been chosen had he expected his supplies to come up that river; but the
Portuguese, claiming the river Shire, though never occupying even its
mouth, had closed it, as well as the Zambesi.

Our hopes were turned to the Rovuma, as a free highway into Lake Nyassa
and the vast interior. A steamer was already ordered for the Lake, and
the Bishop, seeing the advantageous nature of the highlands which stretch
an immense way