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 every thing 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
ruin manifest in every building, but the half-castes appear to be in
league with the rebels and Landeens; for when any attempt is made by
the Portuguese to coerce the enemy or defend themselves, information
is conveyed at once to the 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 speed, but Senhor
Isidore had in the mean time gone to Kilimane, remained there a
fortnight, and reached Senna again before the courier came. He coul