CHAP. XVI. WOMEN TO BE SOLD. 353 perpendicular rocks by a sudden and mysterious boiling up of the river, which occurs at irregular intervals. Dr. Kirk was seen resisting the sucking-down action of the water, which must have been fifteen fathoms deep, and raising himself by his arms on to the ledge, while his steersman, holding on to the same rocks, saved the canoe; but nearly all its contents were swept away down the stream. Dr. Livingstone's canoe meanwhile, which had distracted the men's attention, was saved by the cavity in the whirlpool filling up as the frightful eddy was reached. A few of the things in Dr. Kirk's canoe were left; but all that was valuable, including a chronometer, a barometer, and, to our great sorrow, his notes of the journey and botanical drawings of the fruit-trees of the interior, perished. We now left the river, and proceeded on foot, sorry that we had not done so the day before. The men were thoroughly frightened; they had never seen such perilous navigation. They would carry all the loads rather than risk Kebrabasa any longer; but the fatigue of a day's march over the hot rocks and burning sand changed their tune before night, and then they regretted having left the canoes; they thought they should have dragged them past the dangerous places, and then launched them again. One of the two donkeys died from exhaustion near the Luia. Though the men eat zebras and quaggas, blood relations of the donkey, they were shocked at the idea of eating the ass; "it would be like eating man himself, because the donkey lives with man, and is his bosom companion." We met two large trading parties of Tette slaves on their way to Zumbo, leading, to be sold for ivory, a number of Manganja women, with ropes round their necks, and all made fast to one long rope. Panzo, the head man of the village east of Kebrabasa, re Ꮓ 354 ENGLISH SAILORS' FARM. CHAP. XVI. ceived us with great kindness. After the usual salutation he went up the hill, and, in a loud voice, called across the valley to the women of several hamlets to cook supper for us. About eight in the evening he returned, followed by a procession of women bringing the food. There were eight dishes of nsima, or porridge, six of different sorts of very good wild vegetables, with dishes of beans and fowls, all deliciously well cooked and scrupulously clean. The wooden dishes were nearly as white as the meal itself: food also was brought for our men. Ripe mangoes, which usually indicate the vicinity of the Portuguese, were found on the 21st of November; and we reached Tette early on the 23d, having been absent a little over six months. The two English sailors left in charge of the steamer were well, had behaved well, and had enjoyed excellent health all the time we were away. Their farm had been a failure. We left a few sheep, to be slaughtered when they wished for fresh meat, and two dozen fowls. Purchasing more, they soon had doubled the number of the latter, and anticipated a good supply of eggs; but they also bought two monkeys, and they ate all the eggs. A hippopotamus came up one night, and laid waste their vegetable garden; the sheep broke into their cotton patch when it was in flower, and ate it all except the stems; then the crocodiles carried off the sheep, and the na tives stole the fowls. Nor were they more successful as gunsmiths: a Portuguese trader, having an exalted opinion of the ingenuity of English sailors, showed them a double-barreled rifle, and inquired if they could put on the browning, which had rusted off. "I think I knows how," said one, whose father was a blacksmith; "it's very easy; you have only to put the barrels in the fire." A great fire of wood was made on shore, and the unlucky barrels put over it, to secure CHAP. XVI. THEIR HUMANITY. 355 the handsome rifle color. To Jack's utter amazement, the barrels came asunder. To get out of the scrape, his companion and he stuck the pieces together with resin, and sent it to the owner, with the message, "It was all they could do for it, and they would not charge him any thing for the job!" They had also invented an original mode of settling a bargain; having ascertained the market price of provisions, they paid that, but no more. If the traders refused to leave the ship till the price was increased, a chameleon, of which the natives have a mortal dread, was brought out of the cabin; and the moment the natives saw the creature, they at once sprang overboard. The chameleon settled every dispute in a twinkling. But, besides their good-humored intercourse, they showed humanity worthy of English sailors. A terrible scream roused them up one night, and they pushed off in a boat to the rescue. A crocodile had caught a woman, and was drag ging her across a shallow sand-bank. Just as they came up to her she gave a fearful shriek: the horrid reptile had snapped off her leg at the knee. They took her on board, bandaged the limb as well as they could, and, not thinking of any better way of showing their sympathy, gave her a glass of rum, and carried her to a hut in the village. Next morning they found the bandages torn off, and the unfortu nate creature left to die. "I believe," remarked Rowe, one of the sailors, "her master was angry with us for saving her life, seeing as how she had lost her leg." Having heard a great deal about a military and agricultural colony which was sent out by the late King of Portugal, Don Pedro V., well known as a true-hearted man, we felt much interest in an experiment begun under his enlightened auspices. Immediately after our arrival at Tette we called 356 IMPOSITION ON DON PEDRO V. CHAP. XVI. upon the new governor. His excellency coolly said that the king had been grossly deceived by those appointed to select the men. He smiled at his government sending out military convicts as colonists, and said, "These men are not fitted to do any thing in the country; they know how to keep their arms clean, and nothing else. Of what possible use was it to send agricultural implements for men like these? The government is deceived respecting Africa." CHAP. XVII. THE "ASTHMATIC" GROUNDED. 357 CHAPTER XVII. Down to Kongone.-Latest Bulletin of "the Asthmatic."-The old Lady's Demise. Reach Senna by Canoe. - Unprofitable Trading by Slaves. — The Biter bit, or Sequasha squeezed.-Coals dear by Slave Labor.-His Excellency's Yacht.-Kongone.-English Papers.-Flesh, Fowl, Fish, and harmonious Crabs of the Mangrove Swamps.-Busungu.-The Sawfish. THE Zambesi being unusually low, we remained at Tette till it rose a little, and then left on the 3d of December for the Kongone. It was hard work to keep the vessel afloat; indeed, we never expected her to remain above water. New leaks broke out every day; the engine-pump gave way; the bridge broke down; three compartments filled at night; except the cabin and front compartment, all was flooded; and in a few days we were assured by Rowe that "she can't be worse than she is, sir." He and Hutchins had spent much of their time, while we were away, in patching her bottom, puddling it with clay, and shoring it, and it was chiefly to please them that we again attempted to make use of her. We had long been fully convinced that the steel plates were thoroughly unsuitable. On the morning of the 21st the uncomfortable "Asthmatic" grounded on a sand-bank and filled. She could neither be emptied nor got off. The river rose during the night, and all that was visible of the worn-out craft next day was about six feet of her two masts. Most of the property we had on board was saved, and we spent the Christmas of 1860 encamped on the island of Chimba. Canoes were sent for from Senna; and we reached it on the 27th, to be again hospitably entertained by our friend, Senhor Ferrão. A large party of slaves belonging to the commandant, after having been away the greater part of a year, had just re |