Several sets of them placed so much confidence in us, as to decline receiving payment at the end of the first day; they wished to work another day, and so receive both days' wages in one piece.The young headman of a new village himself came on with his men.The march was a pretty long one, and one of the men proposed to lay the burdens down beside a hut a mile or more from the next village.The headman scolded the fellow for his meanness in wishing to get rid of our goods where we could not procure carriers, and made him carry them on.The village, at the foot of the cataracts, had increased very much in size and wealth since we passed it on our way up.A number of large new huts had been built; and the people had a good stock of cloth and beads.We could not account for this sudden prosperity, until we saw some fine large canoes, instead of the two old, leaky things which lay there before.This had become a crossing-place for the slaves that the Portuguese agents were carrying to Tette, because they were afraid to take them across nearer to where the ship lay, about seven miles off.Nothing was more disheartening than this conduct of the Manganja, in profiting by the entire breaking up of their nation.
We reached the ship on the 8th of November, 1861, in a very weak condition, having suffered more from hunger than on any previous trip.Heavy rains commenced on the 9th, and continued several days;the river rose rapidly, and became highly discoloured.Bishop Mackenzie came down to the ship on the 14th, with some of the "Pioneer's" men, who had been at Magomero for the benefit of their health, and also for the purpose of assisting the Mission.The Bishop appeared to be in excellent spirits, and thought that the future promised fair for peace and usefulness.The Ajawa having been defeated and driven off while we were on the Lake, had sent word that they desired to live at peace with the English.Many of the Manganja had settled round Magomero, in order to be under the protection of the Bishop; and it was hoped that the slave-trade would soon cease in the highlands, and the people be left in the secure enjoyment of their industry.The Mission, it was also anticipated, might soon become, to a considerable degree, self-supporting, and raise certain kinds of food, like the Portuguese of Senna and Quillimane.Mr.
Burrup, an energetic young man, had arrived at Chibisa's the day before the Bishop, having come up the Shire in a canoe.A surgeon and a lay brother followed behind in another canoe.The "Pioneer's"
Draught being too much for the upper part of the Shire, it was not deemed advisable to bring her up, on the next trip, further than the Ruo; the Bishop, therefore, resolved to explore the country from Magomero to the mouth of that river, and to meet the ship with his sisters and Mrs. Burrup, in January.This was arranged before parting, and then the good Bishop and Burrup, whom we were never to meet again, left us; they gave and received three hearty English cheers as they went to the shore, and we steamed off.
The rains ceased on the 14th, and the waters of the Shire fell, even more rapidly than they had risen.A shoal, twenty miles below Chibisa's, checked our further progress, and we lay there five weary weeks, till the permanent rise of the river took place.During this detention, with a large marsh on each side, the first death occurred in the Expedition which had now been three-and-a-half years in the country.The carpenter's mate, a fine healthy young man, was seized with fever.The usual remedies had no effect; he died suddenly while we were at evening prayers, and was buried on shore.He came out in the "Pioneer," and, with the exception of a slight touch of fever at the mouth of the Rovuma, had enjoyed perfect health all the time he had been with us.The Portuguese are of opinion that the European who has immunity from this disease for any length of time after he enters the country is more likely to be cut off by it when it does come, than the man who has it frequently at first.
