首页 >出版文学> Travels and Researches in South Africa>第113章
  WhilestillatTetethesonofMonomotapapaidthecommandantavisit。
  HeisnamedMozungo,or“WhiteMan“,hasanarrowtaperinghead,andprobablynoneoftheabilityorenergyhisfatherpossessed。
  Hewasthefavoriteofhisfather,whohopedthathewouldoccupyhisplace。
  Astrongparty,however,inthetribeplacedKatalosainthechieftainship,andthesonbecame,astheysay,achildofthismanThePortuguesehaverepeatedlyreceivedoffersofterritoryiftheywouldonlyattendtheintermentofthedepartedchiefwithtroops,fireoffmanyroundsofcartridgesoverthegrave,andthengiveeclattotheinstallmentofthenewchiefTheirpresencewouldprobablyinfluencetheelection,formanywouldvoteonthesideofpower,andacandidatemightfeelitworthwhiletograntagoodpieceofland,iftherebyhecouldsecurethechieftainshiptohimself。
  WhenthePortuguesetraderswishtopassintothecountrybeyondKatalosa,theypresenthimwithaboutthirty-twoyardsofcalicoandsomeothergoods,andhethengivesthemleavetopassinwhateverdirectiontheychoosetogoTheymust,however,givecertainquantitiesofclothtoanumberofinferiorchiefsbeside,andtheyaresubjecttothegame-laws。
  Theyhavethusabodyofexclusivetribesaroundthem,preventingdirectintercoursebetweenthemandthepopulationbeyond。
  Itisstrangethat,whentheyhadthepower,theydidnotinsistonthefreenavigationoftheZambesiIcanonlyaccountforthisinthesamewayinwhichIaccountedforasimilarstateofthingsinthewestAllthetradershavebeeninthehandsofslaves,andhavewantedthatmoralcouragewhichafreeman,withfreeservantsonwhomhecandepend,usuallypossessesIftheEnglishhadbeenhere,theywouldhaveinsistedonthefreenavigationofthispathwayasanindispensableconditionoffriendshipThepresentsystemisaseriousdifficultyinthewayofdevelopingtheresourcesofthecountry,andmightprovefataltoanunarmedexpeditionIfthisdesirableandmostfertilefieldofenterpriseisevertobeopenedup,menmustproceedonadifferentplanfromthatwhichhasbeenfollowed,andIdonotapprehendtherewouldbemuchdifficultyincommencinganewsystem,ifthosewhoundertookitinsistedthatitisnotourcustomtopayforahighwaywhichhasnotbeenmadebymanThenativesthemselveswouldnotdenythattheriverisfreetothosewhodonottradeinslaves。
  If,inadditiontoanopen,frankexplanation,asmallsubsidyweregiventotheparamountchief,thewillingconsentofallthesubordinateswouldsoonbesecured。
  Onthe1stofAprilIwenttoseethesiteofaformerestablishmentoftheJesuits,calledMicombo,abouttenmilesS。EofTete。
  LikealltheirsettlementsIhaveseen,bothjudgmentandtastehadbeenemployedintheselectionofthesiteAlittlestreamofmineralwaterhadbeencollectedinatankandconductedtotheirhouse,beforewhichwasalittlegardenforraisingvegetablesattimesoftheyearwhennorainfallsItisnowburiedinadeepshadygroveofmango-trees。
  IwasaccompaniedbyCaptainNunes,whosegreat-grandfather,alsoacaptaininthetimeoftheMarquisofPombal,receivedsealedorders,tobeopenedonlyonacertaindayWhenthatdayarrived,hefoundthecommandtogowithhiscompany,seizealltheJesuitsofthisestablishment,andmarchthemasprisonerstothecoast。
  Therichesofthefraternity,whichwereimmense,weretakenpossessionofbythestateLargequantitiesofgoldhadoftenbeensenttotheirsuperiorsatGoa,inclosedinimagesTheJesuitsheredonotseemtohavepossessedthesympathiesofthepeopleastheirbrethreninAngoladidTheywerekeentradersinivoryandgold-dust。
  AllpraisetheirindustryWhatevertheydid,theydiditwithalltheirmight,andprobablytheirsuccessfullaborsinsecuringthechiefpartofthetradetothemselveshadexcitedtheenvyofthelaity。
  Noneofthenativesherecanread;andthoughtheJesuitsaresaidtohavetranslatedsomeoftheprayersintothelanguageofthecountry,IwasunabletoobtainacopyTheonlyreligiousteachersnowinthispartofthecountryaretwogentlemenofcolor,nativesofGoa。
  TheonewhoofficiatesatTete,namedPedroAntoniod’Araujo,isagraduateinDogmaticTheologyandMoralPhilosophy。
  ThereisbutasingleschoolinTete,anditisattendedonlybythenativePortuguesechildren,whoaretaughttoreadandwrite。
  TheblackpopulationistotallyuncaredforThesoldiersaremarchedeverySundaytohearmass,andbutfewothersattendchurch。
  Duringtheperiodofmystay,akindoftheatricalrepresentationofourSavior’spassionandresurrectionwasperformed。
  Theimagesandotherparaphernaliausedwereofgreatvalue,butthepresentrichesoftheChurcharenothingtowhatitoncepossessed。
  Thecommandantisobligedtolockupallthegoldandsilverinthefortforsafety,thoughnotfromanyapprehensionofitsbeingstolenbythepeople,fortheyhaveadreadofsacrilege。
  Thestateofreligionandeducationis,Iamsorrytosay,aslowasthatofcommerce;buttheEuropeanPortuguesevalueeducationhighly,andsendtheirchildrentoGoaandelsewhereforinstructioninthehigherbranchesThereisnotasinglebookseller’sshop,however,ineithereasternorwesternAfricaEvenLoanda,withits12,000or14,000souls,cannotboastofonestoreforthesaleoffoodforthemind。
  Onthe2dtheZambesisuddenlyroseseveralfeetinheight。
  Threesuchfloodsareexpectedannually,butthisyeartherewerefour。
  Thislastwasaccompaniedbydiscoloration,andmusthavebeencausedbyanothergreatfallofraineastoftheridgeWehadobservedafloodofdiscoloredwaterwhenwereachedtheriverattheKafue;
  itthenfelltwofeet,andfromsubsequentrainsagainrosesohighthatwewereobligedtoleaveitwhenoppositethehillPinkwe。
  Aboutthe10thofMarchtheriverroseseveralfeetwithcomparativelyclearwater,anditcontinuedtoriseuntilthe21st,withbutveryslightdiscolorationThisgradualrisewasthegreatest,andwasprobablycausedbythewaterofinundationintheinterior。
  Thesuddenrisewhichhappenedonthe2d,beingdeeplydiscolored,showedagaintheeffectofrainsatacomparativelyshortdistance。
  Thefactoftheriverrisingthreeorfourtimesannually,andtheonefloodofinundationbeingmixedwiththeothers,mayaccountforthePortuguesenotrecognizingthephenomenonoftheperiodicalinundation,sowellknowninthecentralcountry。
  Theindependentnativescultivatealittlecotton,butitisnotatallequal,eitherinquantityorquality,towhatwefoundinAngolaThepileisshort,anditclingstotheseedsomuchthattheyuseanironrollertodetachit。
  Thesoil,however,isequaltotheproductionofanytropicalplantorfruit。
  Thenativeshaveneverbeenencouragedtocultivatecottonforsale,norhasanynewvarietybeenintroducedWesawnopalm-oil-trees,theoilwhichisoccasionallyexportedbeingfromtheground-nut。
  OneofthemerchantsofTetehadamilloftherudestconstructionforgrindingthisnut,whichwasdrivenbydonkeysItwastheonlyspecimenofamachineIcouldexhibittomymen。
  Averysuperiorkindofsaladoilisobtainedfromtheseedsofcucumbers,andismuchusedinnativecookery。
  Anoffer,saidtohavebeenmadebythe“Times“,havingexcitedattentioneveninthisdistantpart,IaskedthecommandantifheknewofanyplantfitfortheproductionofpaperHeprocuredspecimensofthefibroustissueofaspeciesofaloe,namedConge,andsomealsofromtherootofawilddate,and,lastly,ofaplantnamedBuaze,thefibresofwhich,thoughuselessforthemanufactureofpaper,areprobablyasuitablesubstituteforflaxIsubmittedasmallquantityofthesefibrestoMessrsPye,Brothers,ofLondon,whohaveinventedasuperiormodeforthepreparationofsuchtissuesforthemanufacturerTheymostpolitelyundertooktheexamination,andhavegivenafavorableopinionoftheBuaze,asmaybeseeninthenotebelow。*
  *80LombardStreet,20thMarch,1857。
  DearSir,WehavethepleasuretoreturnyouthespecimensoffibrousplantsfromtheZambesiRiver,onwhichyouweredesiroustoseetheeffectsofourtreatment;
  wethereforeinclosetoyou,No1Buaze,inthestatereceivedfromyou。
  1ADoaspreparedbyus。
  1BThetowwhichhascomefromitinhackling。
  No2Conge,asreceivedfromyou。
  2ADoaspreparedbyus。
  Withregardtoboththesefibres,wemuststatethattheVERYMINUTEQUANTITYofeachspecimenhaspreventedoursubjectingthemtoanythinglikethefulltreatmentofourprocess,andwecanthereforeonlygiveyouanAPPROXIMATEideaoftheirvalue。
  TheBuazeevidentlypossessesaverystrongandfinefibre,assimilatingtoflaxinitscharacter,butwebelieve,whentreatedINQUANTITYbyourprocess,itwouldshowbothastrongerandfinerfibrethanflax;butbeingunabletoapplytherollingorpressingprocesseswithanyefficiencytosoverysmallaquantity,thegumsarenotyetsoperfectlyextractedastheywouldbe,northefibreopenedouttosofineaqualityasitwouldthenexhibit。
  ThisisevenyetmorethecasewiththeConge,which,beingnaturallyaharshfibre,fullofgums,wantsexactlythatpowerfultreatmentwhichourprocessiscalculatedtogiveit,butwhichcannotbeappliedtosuchminiaturespecimensWedonotthereforeconsiderthisasmorethanhalftreated,itsfibreconsequentlyremainingyetharsh,andcoarse,andstiff,ascomparedwithwhatitwouldbeiftreatedINQUANTITY。
  Judgingthatitwouldbesatisfactorytoyoutobeinpossessionofthebestpracticalopiniontobeobtainedonsuchasubject,wetookthelibertyofforwardingyourlittlespecimenstoMessrsMarshall,ofLeeds,whohavekindlyfavoreduswiththefollowingobservationsonthem:
  “Wehaveexaminedthesamplesyousentusyesterday,andthinktheCongeoraloefibrewouldbeofnousetous,buttheBuazefibreappearstoresembleflax,andaspreparedbyyouwillbeequaltoflaxworth50Poundsor60Poundsperton,butwecouldhardlyspeakpositivelytothevalueunlesswehad1cwtor2cwttotryonourmachineryHowever,wethinktheresultispromising,andwehopefurtherinquirywillbemadeastotheprobablesupplyofthematerial。”
  Weare,dearsir,yourveryobedientservants,Pye,Brothers。
  TheRevDrLivingstone。
  Arepresentationoftheplantisgivenintheannexedwoodcut,*
  asahelptoitsidentificationIwasunabletoprocureeithertheflowersorfruit;but,asitisnotrecognizedatsightbythataccomplishedbotanistandeminenttraveler,DrJDHooker,itmaysafelybeconcludedthatitisquiteunknowntobotanists。
  ItisstatedbythePortuguesetogrowinlargequantitiesintheMaravicountrynorthoftheZambesi,butitisnotcultivated,andtheonlyknownuseithasbeenputtoisinmakingthreadsonwhichthenativesstringtheirbeadsElsewherethesplittendonsofanimalsareemployedforthispurposeThisseemstobeofequalstrength,forafirmthreadofitfeelslikecatgutinthehand,andwouldrathercutthefingersthanbreak。
  *Unfortunately,thiswoodcutcannotberepresentedinthisASCIItext,butbuaze,orbwazi,is`Securidacalongipedunculata’AL。,1997。
  HavingwaitedamonthforthecommencementofthehealthyseasonatKilimane,IwouldhavestartedatthebeginningofApril,buttarriedafewdaysinorderthatthemoonmightmakeherappearance,andenablemetotakelunarobservationsonmywaydowntheriverAsuddenchangeoftemperaturehappeningonthe4th,simultaneouslywiththeappearanceofthenewmoon,thecommandantandmyself,withnearlyeverypersoninthehouse,werelaidupwithasevereattackoffeverIsoonrecoveredbytheuseofmywontedremedies,butMajorSicardandhislittleboywereconfinedmuchlongerTherewasageneralfallof4DegoftemperaturefromthemiddleofMarch,84Degat9A。M。,and87Degat9P。M。;
  thegreatestheatbeing90Degatmidday,andthelowest81Degatsunrise。
  Itaffordedmepleasuretoattendtheinvalidsintheirsickness,thoughIwasunabletoshowatitheofthegratitudeIfeltforthecommandant’sincreasingkindnessMyquinineandotherremedieswerenearlyallexpended,andnofreshsupplywastobefoundhere,therebeingnodoctorsatTete,andonlyoneapothecarywiththetroops,whosestockofmedicinewasalsosmallThePortuguese,however,informedmethattheyhadthecinchonabarkgrowingintheircountry