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A dhow had been built by two Arabs, who were running her regularly, crowded with slaves, across its waters. Part of the captives are carried to the Portuguese slave-exporting town of Iboe, while others go to Kilwa. The chiefs showed but little inclination to trade, their traffic being chiefly in human chattels.
Our allies have occupied the Fort of Mosambique for three hundred years, but in this, as in all other cases, have no power further than they can see from a gun-carriage. The Makoa chief, Matingula, was hospitable and communicative, telling us all he knew of the river and country beyond. He had been once to Iboe and once at Mosambique with slaves. Our men understood his language easily.
This establishment is in the latitude of the Portuguese slave-exporting town of Iboe, and partly supplies that vile market; but the greater number of the slaves go to Kilwa. We did not see much evidence of a wish to barter. Some ivory was offered for sale; but the chief traffic was in human chattels.
The Ajawa offer cloth, brass rings, pottery, and sometimes handsome young women, and agree to take the trouble of carrying off by night all those whom the chief may point out to them. They give four yards of cotton cloth for a man, three for a woman, and two for a boy or girl, to be taken to the Portuguese at Mozambique, Iboe, and Quillimane.
We had also a party at the vessel, and any indiscretion on their part might have proved fatal to the character of the Expedition. The trade of Cazembe and Katanga's country, and of other parts of the interior, crosses Nyassa and the Shire, on its way to the Arab port, Kilwa, and the Portuguese ports of Iboe and Mozambique.
He said that the traders from Kilwa and Iboe cross the Lake either at this bay, or at Tsenga, or at the southern end of the Lake; and that wherever they may cross they all go by this path to the interior. They have slaves with them to carry their goods, and when they reach a spot where they can easily buy others, they settle down and begin the traffic, and at once cultivate grain.
They were more hospitably treated by a Makoa chief higher up, who had been to Iboe, and once to Mozambique with slaves. His people refused to receive gaily-coloured prints, having probably been deceived by sham ones before, preferring the plain blue stuff of which they had experience. Another old chief, on seeing them go by, laid down his gun, and when they landed approached them.
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