# Africa by Élisée Reclus/Volume 4/Chapter 7

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CHAPTER VII.
PORTUGUESE POSSESSIONS NORTH OF THE LIMPOPO.
Inhambane — Sofala — Gazaland.
HE basins of the coast streams following northward between the Limpopo and Zambese estuaries are all of comparatively small extent. Nevertheless that of the Sabi, which is the largest, penetrates over 300 miles into the interior of the continent. But farther inland the whole of the plateau drains either to the Limpopo or to the Zambese, whose numerous affluents here intermingle their waters. The divide between these two great hydrographic systems, and those of the smaller rivers flowing in independent channels seaward, is partly indicated by an irregular mountain range forming the escarpment of the plateau. The zone of coastlands thus roughly limited westwards by the Matebele and Mashona highlands may be approximately estimated at about 112,000 square miles. On no very solid grounds, most travellers agree in giving a population of about half a million to this region, which comprises the south-eastern section of the long-dismembered empire of Monomotapa.
Apart from the Portuguese officials and traders who visited the inland districts before the present century, this territory of Gaza, with the surrounding lands, has been explored and described chiefly by the travellers Mauch, Erskine, Wood, Kuss, Cardozo, Paiva d'Andrada, d'Almeida, Browne, O'Donnel, and Kerr. But these daring pioneers have been followed by numerous other visitors, and expeditions organised in the mining towns of the Transvaal are at present traversing Gazaland and studying its mountains and rivers, in order to discover traces of gold in its quartzose rocks and alluvial deposits, with the view of determining once for all the value of the Portuguese traditions regarding the mineral treasures of this region.
Physical Features.
The mountains which in Natal, Zululand, and the Portuguese enclave of Delagoa Bay form the escarpment of the plateau west of the coastlands, do not continue to form north of the Limpopo a regular, well-defined orographic system. Here the ascent from the seaboard towards the elevated uplands of the interior is ​222 SOUTH AND EAST AFEICA. not abruptly interrupted, as it is farther south, by an unbroken rocky barrier. The track lies rather across grassy or wooded districts, which rise either almost imperceptibly or with a very gentle slope towards the inland plateaux. Amid these plains, however, stand out a few isolated eminences or even mountain masses, ftuch as the lofty hills round which the Sabi describes a great bend to the west and south, and which the Kafir ruler of Gazaland has chosen as the best site for his royal residence and citadel. Above this group of hills, the Ubiri of recent explorers,* rise three conspicuous summits, the Ubiri, Sipumgambili, and Silindi peaks, porphyry, trap, and basalt crags, with an estimated altitude of about 4,000 feet. The running waters, cutting their beds deep into the living rock, have carved these heights into several distinct sections, which are in many places of difficult access, owing to their steep slopes end the tall dense herbage, not easily penetrated by the explorer. Nevertheless the three highest crests are clothed with forests, where progress can be made with- out much trouble between the trunks of the trees. According to Erskine, the upper valleys of the Buzi, which has its source in these highlands, are destined one day to become a centre of European colonisation and culture. Here the climate is perfectly salubrious, and here both the sugar-cane and the coffee shrub find a congenial soil. Northwards this mountain group abuts on a red and white sandstone tableland over 3,000 feet high, connected by a few eminences with the Sita Tonga range, whose crests rise probably to a height of 5,000 feet. One of these crests, terminating in a sharp point, has received from the natives the expressive name of Gundi-Tnyanga, that is, " Moon-shaver." West of the Sabi the granite hills, resting on a more elevated plateau with a mean altitude exceeding 4,000 feet, present a far less imposing appearance. They are, in fact, for the most part mere undulations of the groimd with broad intervening depressions, where the waters lodge in shallow lacustrine or marshy basins. Nevertheless even here the Matoppo ridge presents granite domes rising to a height of 5,600 feet, while some of the crests are carved into obelisks and pyramids of the most eccentric outlines. Farther on the elevated ridges, whose axis continues the line of waterparting between the Limpopo and Zambese affluents, are disposed beyond the sources of the Sabi in an oblique direction with the coastline of the Sofala district. Here the highest chain, dominated by Mount Doe, which, according to Kuss, attains an altitude of 8,000 feet, presents the aspect less of a group of mountains than of an irregular plateau. Here is situated the Manica district, which has become famous for its gold-fields. The granite mass stands at a mean elevation of not less than 6,500 feet, while the surmounting crests are little more than low hills or gently sloping eminences. East of the Manica uplands the divide between the Zambese and the small coast streams is nothing more than an open plain interrupted at intervals by granite domes rising abruptly above the surface. South of this parting line of the waters the aspect of a frowning citadel is presented by the Gorongoza group • Browne and O'Donnel, Scottish Geographical Magazine for November, 1887. ​with its extremely precipitous outer slopes, and culminating in Mount Miranga, which exceeds 6,500 feet in height. This isolated mass, which, like the Manica uplands, is of granitic formation, is clothed on its upper parts by magnificent forests, presenting a pleasant contrast to the surrounding tracts, which are mostly covered with a stunted growth of brushwood.
River Systems. Marine Currents.
The Sabi (Sabia), the largest watercourse in the Gaza country, forms a very extensive fluvial basin, which stretches from the Matebele highlands north-
eastwards to the Manica Mountains, It has its chief source in the Mashona territory, at an altitude of over 3,000 feet above sea-level, and flows at first in a southerly direction. But after escaping from the uplands, while still at a distance of nearly 200 miles from the ocean, it trends round to the east, and maintains this direction for the rest of its course seawards. During the rainy season the Sabi expands into a potent stream, rushing between banks from one to two miles apart, with too swift a current to be stemmed by river craft. But on the return of the dry season the waters subside rapidly, and then the Sabi flows in a narrow channel not more than 100 feet broad, and even in the centre of the stream scarcely anywhere quite 2 feet deep. Nevertheless it develops a considerable delta, with a shoreline of at. least 60 miles in length, and an area of over 800 square miles intersected by the main branches of the Sabi proper. But this space ​224 SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA. might be greatly enlarged were it made to comprise the channels of the two neighbouring rivers, the Gorongozi on the north and the Gabulu on the south, both of which might be regarded as belonging to the same hydrographic system. During the dry season the main branches are converted into arms of the sea, the mano-roves everywhere fringing both banks bearing abundant evidence to the saline properties of the water circulating through the delta. The Buzi, which reaches the Indian Ocean a little to the north of Sofala, is a far less copious stream than the Sabi. Nevertheless it has been ascended for over 60 miles from its mouth by craft of light draft. Still farther north flows the Pungue, or Aruangua, which in its lower reaches is navigable for vessels drawing 6 or 7 feet. But several other watercourses, which are fed by rivulets having their sources in the uplands, fail to reach the sea, their mouths being everywhere closed by sandbanks. The great " ^lozambique Current," which flows from the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and the mainland southwards in the direction of the Antarctic waters, here impinges on the seaboard at the point where it projects farthest seawards. This headland, indicated from a distance by a blackish little island, takes the appropriate Portuguese name of Cabo das Correntes, for the stream, which at this place skirts the coast, sets steadily towards the south-south-west at a velocity ranging from Ij to over 2 miles an hour. But as farther south a counter-current is developed along the Amatonga coast east of Delagoa Bay and the St. Lucia lagoons, in the same way a backwater sets towards the equator north of Cape Correntes. This is clearly shown by the form of the tongues of sand and adjacent islets, all of which are here disposed in the direction of the north or north-north- east — that is, in the opposite direction to the great current flowing farther off the land in the Mozambique Channel. In the shallow waters separating the mainland from its fringe of islands, and especially near Barazuto, the natives fish for pearl oysters, which they open by exposing them to the action of heat, thereby injuring and diminishing the market value of the gems. Polyps are also at work along the Gazaland seaboard, where at certain points the navigation is endangered by the coral reefs. Here also most of the islands rest on a foundation of coral banks, although now covered with dunes, which give them a hilly aspect. Climate. — Flora,: — Fauna. The climate of Gazaland varies greatly between the low-lying zone of coast- lands and the terraces of the interior. The winds, which blow nearly always from the sea, whether from the north-east, the east, the south-east, or the south, bring scarcely any moisture to the plains of the coast region. Even the heavy rain- bearing clouds which sweep inland during the wet season — that is, when the sun approaches the zenith, from November to March — do not break till they strike against the heights rising above the tablelands and terraces of the interior. It seldom rains while the normal south-east current prevails, but when the wind ​FLORA OF OAZAIAND. 226 veers round to another quarter the conflict of the opposing movements results iu storms and tremendous downpours. On the uplands the changes of temperature are often very sudden. The heats, especially before the ruiny season, are most oppressive. A great change sets in with the cold southern breezes, and in the space of a few hours the glass will at times abruptly rise or fall as much as 50° or even 60° F. Thanks to the copious rainfall, the region of the inland plateaux is very fertile. Here the forests present a great variety of siiecies, whereas the low-lying plains offer but a scanty vegetation, far less varied than the animal kingdom. In the wooded districts of the south the trees, usually of small size and growing far apart, are all alike, whether living or dead, covered with a grey moss, which gives them a fantastic appearance. In some of the Ga/uland forests, as along the banks of the middle Zanibese, a prevailing species is the mopnue, a large odoriferous tree, which affords travellers very little shade, its leaves being disposed in a vertical position, like the wings of a butterfly at rest. The coast properly so-called is a mere strip of arid sands, but farther inland the ground, covered with a reddish arenaceous soil, is much more productive, yielding abundant crops in the well- watered bottom lands. But such tracts are rare, and the waters which during the passing rains lodge in the depressions of the surface, soon evaporate after the return of fine weather. Throughout nearly the whole extont of the low-lying plains savannahs everywhere alternate with scrub and thorny plants. In such a region the inhabitants might be expected to settle chiefly along the courses of the streams, where they might procure the water indispensable for field operations; yet the river banks are mostly deserted, and the tribes have taken refuge for the most part in remote and inaccessible retreats, in order to avoid the too frequent visits of their oppressive Zulu rulers. Hence, through long experience, the natives have become extremely skilful in discovering the smallest reservoir where the precious fluid may ooze out drop by drop. They are acquainted with all the forest plants whose leaves or berries contain water, and specially value the imbiinya, a caoutchouc creeper, the fruit of which serves to quench their thirst. As in many other parts of Africa, such as the Fazogl district of Senaar, in the Nile basin, and on the Quissama plateau on the west coast, the cavities formed in the trunk of the baobab are also carefully utilised as cisterns. These cavities are enlarged and deepened with the axe and fire until the whole stem becomes, as it were, converted into a sort of aerial well. But the winter rains do not always suffice to replenish it ; the water also gradually becomes foul, and at last evaporates altogether ; and when this happens, the inhabitants are fain to quit their forest retreats and remove to the more open riverain tracts. Wherever the population is thinly scattered over wide spaces, the fauna, free from the attacks of its worst enemy, is both numerous and diversified. The elephant still abounds throughout Gazaland, the hippopotamus and crocodile swarm in all the streams, large herds of antelopes bound over the plains, while the uplands are frequented by large numbers of buffaloes. The hyajnas, and especially the leopards, are much dreaded by the herdsmen. Erskine traversed some 112— AF ​226 SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA. districts where the leopards were so daring that the women scarcelj' venture to work even in broad daylight in the fields, and the huts have to be protected by stout enclosures made of stakes interlaced with trailing plants. On the other hand, the lion rarely attacks man, and the natives seldom complain of his presence, as they often come in for the remains of the feast — half a buffalo, an unfinished anteloj)e, and the like. In several districts the most noxious animals are various species of termites, which devour the vegetation, and commit such havoc on the plantations that all cultivation has to be abandoned. The domestic animals are unable to live on the low-lying plains, either owing to the tsetse fly or to some mysterious poison in the air.* Hence travellers wishing to reach the plateaux of Gazaland with their horses or cattle, have to approach from the west through the Matebele or Miishona territories. Historic; Retrospect. The Sofala seaboard was possibly frequented by the ancient navigators, and the fleets of the Phoenicians are said to have penetrated southwards as far as these eastern waters. According to numerous authorities, here was even situated the far-famed Ophir, whence Solomon brought gold, precious woods, and pearls. But other Biblical commentators have placed this same Ophir either in India or in the Eastern Archipelago, while the total absence of any trustworthy geographical information regarding the true situation of this land of gold gives ample scope for any hypothesis. But whatever be the correct view, there can be no doubt that (iazaland had already been visited by civilised strangers long before the arrival of the Portuguese on the east coast of Africa, for the followers of Vasco de Gama here found the ruins of buildings far superior in architecture to anything the present inhabitants are capable of erecting. Hence it is not, perhaps, surprising that the Lusitanian mariners fancied these edifices must have been the remains of the stations or factories constructed by the Queen of Saba for storing the gold intended as a tribute for Solomon. Since the time of the first Portuguese explorers the memory of these monu- ments had never been forgotten, although all attempts of numerous travellers to I discover them had proved abortive until the year 1871, when the geologist Carl Muuch at last succeeded in bringing them to light. They consist of the remains of two fortresses built of granite on two neighbouring hills, situated near a western affluent of the Sabi. about 180 miles west of Sofala. From amid the thistles also rose a tower still some forty feet high, and Mauch supposed that these military works were intended to guard the gold mines of the surrounding district. The term Zimbaoe given to them by the Portuguese— that is, the Zirababye of the present inhabitants— has the meaning of "royal residence." It is also note- worthy that the designs traced on the granite blocks are circles, diamonds, parallel lines, and scrolls, presenting a certain resemblance to the ornamental work on the Kafir utensils. This may, perhaps, point at some connection or affinity between
the builders of Zirnbaby^ and the present rulers of Gazaland. Nevertheless the unanimous tradition of the natives is that the " Residence " had formerly been occupied by white people who " could do everything," Possibly the renowned Benomatapa, or " Emperor of Monorootapu " — that is to suy, the Muene Motapa, or " august lord " — who held sway over all the peoples of this region at the time of the arrival of the Portuguese on the east African seaboard, may have been descended from the kings who created the Zimbaby^ forts and the other struc- tures still scattered over the plateau and now mostly overgrown by forest growths. Possibly, also, the sacrifices which the surrounding aborigines still offer to the genii within the enclosure of these ruins may but perpetuate the tradition of the great feasts formerly celebrated by some potent sovereign. Mauch — who, however, speaks only on report, not having been himself present at these ceremonies — fancies they betray a great resemblance to the Jewish rites. Some remains of granite walls met here and there round about Zimbaby^ are said to be still designated by the name of " altars." All the structures that have subsequently been discovered in this region are invariably situated in the vicinity of gold mines.* The Zulus of Gazaland. Since the middle of the sixteenth century the Portuguese possessed establish- ments on the coast, which served as revictualling stations for their vessels on the long route between Lisbon and Goa. On several occasions they made expeditions to the interior, and especially towards the gold region of Manica ; and various works connected with mining operations attest their residence in districts fur removed from the seaboard. But it is evident that their enterprising spirit gradually waned, and till recently the sphere of their influence had been limited to the neighbourhood of Inbambane, Chiloane, and Sofala. But the nation is again bestirring itself, and active steps are now being taken to resume the effective possession of the domain that has been assigned to Portugal by the common con- sent of the European Powers. Nor can there be any doubt that these efforts will be crowned with success, thanks to the indirect support afforded to the Government by the immigrants, missionaries, traders, and gold-hunters. Nevertheless the true sovereign of the country is still the Eafir King of Gaza, a blood relation of the warlike Zulu chief Manikussa, who escaped in 1830 with thirty thousand followers from the oppressive rule of the terrible Cbaka, and who, retreat- ing northwards like the Matebeles, founded a new empire in this region. The territor}' whose inhabitants are at present tributary to the King of Gaza, is bounded on the south, near Louren^o Marques, by the course of the Nkomati, an affluent of the Maucissa, often confounded with the main stream. Northwards it extends as far as the Zambese, and on the west side is conterminous with the Matebele State. The political centre of the empire lies within the stronghold of inaccessible hills where the Buzi takes its source. Till recently the kraal where
the king resided was at Chama-Cliaina, in the upland valley of the Um-Swelizi or Upper Buzi, but since then the court has already been transferred to two other nites in these highlands. The Zulus of Gazuland are usually called Umgoni by the southern populations, and Landins by the Portuguese. Camping round about the royal residence, they retain their original military organisation, being marshalled in regular troops, bittalions, and regiments, and officered by indunaa or captains, who endeavour to keep alive the warlike traditions of their victorious forefathers. The mainte- nance of this system is the more necessary that the hosts of the ruling nation, being vastly less numerous than the population of the subject tribes, their political ascendancy can be secured only by terror. The army is so constituted that it can l)e moved rapidly now on one point now on another, stamping out all resistance by wasting the land and carrying off all supplies and live stock. As is ever the case, this method of government has had the inevitable consequence of impoverishing the land and stifling all genns of civilisation. These Zulu sovereigns have no longer a hoe as the emblem of authority, like the old Monomotapa emperors, for they rule only by the sword. The former sedentary and agricultural tribes have become hordes of fugitives ever ready at the shortest notice to abandon their villages and settlements at the approach of the royal army. They were forbidden to work the mines, lest they might grow rich and dangerous ; they are prevented from hunting the elephant because that is a noble pursuit, and slaves must not aspire to equality with their masters. Certain communities had lately ventured to keep cattle, and the Ma-Ndai'das, who inhabit the plains lying south and south- east of the hills occupied by the royal kraal, have begun to breed dogs, in the hope that their oppressors might at least leave them that despised food. Till recently the policy of the king was inspired by a feeling of profound jealousy towards Europeans, fie allowed them to hunt and trade, but only within rigorously defined limits ; he assigned thera fixed camping grounds, and levied black-mail on all visitors under the name of " presents." In 1872 he made the I'higlish traveller, Erskine. wait two months -and a half before granting him an audience, although he was the political envoy of the Natal Government, and had actually been invited to the court by the King of Gaza himself At present the attitude of the sovereign has undergone a change, and the imminent danger of bis position has obliged him to display more deference and seeming courtesy towards envoys, missionaries, and miiiers. Feeling himself no longer strong enough to defy those who will ere long be his masters, he has become, after a vain attempt at resistance, the formal vassal of the Portuguese Government, and has undertaken to respect the mandates of the Resident appointed by the Lisbon ministers. The Aborigines of Gazaland. The indigenous populations are commonly known by the collective name of Tongas, although differing considerably from the Amatongas dwelling to the south of Delagoa Bay. They appear to bt^ for the most nart related to the Basutos, I ​INHABITANTS OP OAZAIAND. 229 whom they reBcmblc in physicul uppeuniiice, U8up;t'8, and jjcaceful temperament. I^e them, they show u decided preferenee for agriculture and stock-breeding, so far at least as permitted by their Umgoni masters, and also speak dialects showing inarke<l affinities to the Sesuto language. All these despised Tongas are gifted with a clear intellect and a passion for learning. Whenever they can escape from the tyranny of the Zulus, they imme- diately resume the cultivation of the land and their other industrial pursuits. Being entirely averse from the military spirit, they discuss all affairs of general interest in common, leaving the administration to a council of elders and petty chiefs. Their circular huts, formed of stakes connected by creepers, with all interstices filled in by clay, are generally higher and better conslructed than those of the southern Zulu Kafir peoples. The Chobi, that is, " Bowmen," occupy the southernmost di>trict8 in Gazaland. Those dwelling in the neighbourhood of the Limpopo along the coast dunes have all been reduced by the Zulus. But the northern Chobi, called also Mindongs by the Portuguese, have succeeded in safeguarding their independence, thanks to the support accorded them by the garrison of the town of Inharabane. These are the Boa Gente, or " good folks " spoken of by Vasco de Gama. This tribe disfigure themselves in a way which to Europeans seems absolutely repulsive. They raise three rows of warty excrescences on the face, one from the top of the forehead to the tip of the nose, the other two from ear to ear, forming two chains, which are brought round one by the upper lip the other by the chin. They seem, better entitled to the nume or Knob-noses even than their Transvaal neighbours. The costume of their women is a sort of bark toga. North-west of the Chobi the plains are occupied by the Ma-Kwakwa people, where territory may be traversed in all directions without obtaining a sight of a single village, so completely are their settlements concealed in the brushwood. For a stretch of about sixty miles, Richards came upon nothing but abandoned kraals. These unfortunate Ma-Kwakwas do not dare even to cultivate their little garden plots, such is their dread of sudden visits from their Zulu kinsmen and oppressors. But they carefully tend their wine- yielding palms, small trees from 5 to 10 feet high, which resemble cabbage stumps in appearance, but give a large supply of liquor. The Ma-Gwanzas, who dwell west and north-west of the Ma-Kwakwas, along the banks of the Limpopo and its affluents, are exempt from the visits of the Zulu soldiery, and are consequently a very numerous people. They own large well- cultivated gardens, and even herds of cattle in all the districts not infested by the tsetse fly. Their northern neighbours, the Ma-Longwas or Ma-Rongwis, dwell in bark huts of a rudimentary type. The district stretching still farther north in the direction of the Sabi delta is held by the Bila-Kulu tribe, while the far more numerous Illenga nation occupies at some distance inland from the coast the region of plains extending towards the interior between the Limpopo and Sabi valleys. Their country being mainly scrub, the Illengas might almost be called ​280 SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA. bushmen. Being unable to till the land for want of water and through fear of the neighbouring Zulus, they are obliged to live almost exclusively on the produce of the chase. They pursue the game by the trail, like hounds, and when they have wounded an animal they follow it up unflaggingly for days together, sleeping at night near the drops of blood so as not to lose the track. They study the starry skies and consult the flight of the vulture in order to take part with it in the carrion feast. They also show great skill in constructing pitfalls, and despite the edicts forbidding all the Tongas from hunting the elephant, they. contrive to plant u sharp stake concealed by the foliage across the path of the huge pachyderm. The wounded animal, overcome by the acute pain, is unable to advance farther and falls an easy prey to his enemies. North of the Sabi the Tonga tribes, being under the more direct control of the Zulus, are reduced to the condition of abject slaves. Such are the Ma-Ndandas and ^la-Ndowas, who appear to have been formerly a very powerful people, but who are now fain to conceal themselves in the bush, clothed in long robes made from the bark of the baobab. Still farther north, and not far from the Manica uplands, dwell the Ki-Tevi (Gwa-Tevi or Aba-Tevi), probably descendants of the (luiteve people mentioned by the Dominican friar, De Santos, as a large nation forming the central nucleus of the Monomotapa empire. The traditional ceremo- nious formalities observed at the court of the Umgoni king appear to have been in great part inherited from the Quiteve sovereign. Amongst these natives are 8cattor(;'d some groups of Ba-Lempas, who practise circumcision, and who are said by Mauch to resemble the Jews in their features and social customs. Most of them are distinguished by red eyes and fiery eyebrows, like the Polish Jews. They dwell in separate villages, living by usury and a retail barter trade. They also manufacture the iron wire required for the elaborate headdresses of some of the surrounding tribes. The Banyans, Perhaps the most important section of the population, not only here, but in all the Portuguese East African possessions, are the Hindu traders collectively known as Banyans, or Banians, who have almost monopolised the export traffic of this seaboard for many generations. " Attracted from India more than half a century before Clive laid the foundations of the Eastern British Empire, by an edict of the Portuguese Viceroy, Conde de Alvor, which gave to a Banyan Company in 1686 an exclusive monopoly of the trade between Diu and Mozambique, the Banyans, strengthened afterwards by the Battias and other Hindu sects, gradually increased in number and in influence, until at this day, despite the loss of all monopolies, they are in sole possession of the trade of the coast. Others there are, wholesale European merchants, at the chief centres of trade ; but they alone are to be found in every accessible port and river of the coast, bartering European manufactures for native produce, and thus, by searching out new markets and creating trade, stimulating the industry of the natives. " Beyond the trade monopoly, they were formerly granted extensive and pecu​TOPOOBAPHY OF OAZALAND. 281 liar privileges, umongst which one of the most cunous was a right to have all ca>>e8 of eriiiie and dispute occurring amongst themselves settled by their own judges, who generally consisted of padres chosen from the order of the Jesuits. Some say that from this union of commerce and religion much trouble and disorder sprang ; others, that the power of the Jesuits and the prosperity of the Banyans alike excited the envy of the authorities. Both were 8jx)ken of in terms of harsh and severe censure. A drastic measure was therefore taken yfiih their reverences, and in 1759 they were packed off as prisoners to their respective convents in Goa, and the whole of their property in the colony confiscated to the Crown. " Soon after the Banyans were ordered to return to Mozambique, ' because of disorders spread by them on the coast,' undin 1777 their monopoly was withdrawn. But these restrictions appear to have had little effect, as for nearly a century past their field of trade has been steadily extending. The feeling of antagonism with which these traders are regarded arises chiefly from the fact that the profits made by them are neither invested in, nor serve any useful purpose to, this country. India is the land of their nativity, and out of it the law of their race does not permit them to permanently settle, or even to carry their women. Residence abroad is, therefore, to them but a temporary sojourn, and the wealth they gain is naturally remitted to the only country custom allows them to call their own."* Topography. In the southern part of this region the only town hitherto founded by the Portuguese bears the Kafir name of Inhambane.f It is situated on the east side of a large open bay, free from reefs, which somewhat resembles that of Louren^o Marques, although offering fewer advantages to shipping. Towards the south the inlet gradually narrows to a small creek, and here is situated the harbour, accessible only to vessels drawing 10 or 12 feet of water. The town, which is fairly well constructed, stands on a long hill or ridge, which is almost entirely surrounded by water at the flood. It has a motley population of about two thousand blacks, whites, and copper- coloured Christians, Mohammedans, Banyans, and Parsees. Inhambane being a centre of the Moslem propaganda amongst the surrounding Negro populations, has its mosque as well as its churches. On an island near the coast, some GO miles farther north, are seen the ruins of on old Arab settlement. Slaves and ivory, which were formerly the only exports, have now given place to beeswax, caoutchouc, gum copal, cocoanuts and groundnuts. In their dealings with the natives the Inhambane traders use as currency little iron bars. The neighbouring palm-groves, which cover a space of over a thousand acres, contain about a hundred and eighty thousand cocoanut- trees. Of late years some sugar- cane, tea, and cinchona plantations have also been formed in the vicinity of the town. It is of considerable importance that the whole of this district should be • Consul H. E. O'Neill, Proctfdi»g» of th« Royal Grographical Society, October, 1882. t The two syUables inha, forming the initialM of hu many nHUios of pIac*eH in the Portugucfte Eaitt African poMesfdons simplj represent the Spaninh A, tnuutliterated in English by ng. Consequently JmhamboH* ia to be pronounced ygambane. ​brought under cultivation and made to yield sufficient produce for the local consumption, because the port is encompassed by solitudes, and lies at a far greater distance than Lourengo Marques from the agricultural and mining regions of the interior. From these it is separated by the valley of the Limpopo and by extensive plains, rendered almost uninhabitable by the presence of the deadly tsetse fly. The town itself was captured in 1834 by the Landins (Zulus), and even recently reports were current of impending fresh attacks. Yet with all these drawbacks the yearly trade of the place has of late years risen to nearly £60,000.
Mrs. Pringle, one of the few English travellers who have in late years visited
Inhambane, speaks of it as quite a charming town. "We thought it quite the most beautiful place we had yet seen in Africa. As we approached our anchorage the broad river became blocked with wooded islands. Everywhere we looked there were forest and low-spreading bushes. The town, nestling under wooded hills, is situated at the head of a deep bay about fourteen miles from the mouth of the river. Quite a number of picturesque little huts peeped out from amongst a clump of cocoanut palms, looking from the steamer very like Swiss chalets, only they had uo stones about them, and were thatched with palm-leaves. Several were surrounded by high palisades, Kafir fashion. The contrast between this little bit of uative town and the more solid-looking Kuropean houses, situated on a rising knoll, was very striking. Then the sunset, though short, was exquisite. The whole ​TOPOGRAPHY OF OAZAJ.AND. 288 sky was full of fleecy clouds, a mass of red uud yellow, while the bay looked as brilliant as a rainbow under the evening sun, which slanted across its waves, lighting them up with the constantly varying tints of green and gold."* North of the Inhambane inlet the seaboard is guarded by some small Portuguese posts. One of these stands on the island of Jiazarufo, where the neighbouring pearl and holothuria fisheries are little utilised. Another, on the island of Shi/oane, in the marshy delta of the 8abi, serves as a convict station, which is surrounded by brackish waters frequented by the hippopotamus. Formerly the most frequented harbour on the Gaza coast lay beyond the fluvial basin on the low beach of an inlet penetrating far into the interior. Here stands the port of So/ala, at a point which is unfortunately inaccessible to vessels of heavy draught. When the Portuguese founded in this place their first settlement between the Limpopo and the Zambese, they supposed they were restoring Solomon's city of Ophir, and gave this appella- tion to the little fort, one of whose towers is still standing. They were also under the impression that the river Sabi itself had been so named from the Queen of Saba. Before the discovery of the far more commodious port of Bamjue, formed by the mouth of the Pungue or Aruanga River, Sofala had the advantage of being the nearest seaport to the highland district where the Zulu conquerors have established their headquarters, as well as to the ^lanica plateau, famous for its gold-bearing alluvia. Gold-dust has even been found in the sands of the beach close to Sofala itself. This place is no longer, as formerly, the centre of a brisk export trade. The geologists that have visited the Manica country have hitherto failed to discover either the auriferous rocks in these granitic uplands or the deposits of precious stones where the native women find their beautiful pendants and earrings. The valley of the stream whose sands are washed for gold opens on the southern side of the mountains. Here the pits, sunk to a depth of 18 or 20 feet in the alluvial soil, and still perfectly preserved, date from the time of the early Portu- guese operations, which were themselves preceded by much older works, traditionally attributed to a " white people with long black hair." Near the village of Massikcsse, which was formerly the capital of the province, are also seen some ruins of the ancient city, which had already been almost entirely abandoned at the end of the last century. It was deserted in consequence of the "just reprisals " of the revolted natives, and subsequently destroyed by the Zulu invaders, who massacred most of the inhabitants, and forbade the survivors to continue the mining operations. A so-called " Ophir Company " has lately been constituted for the purpose of resuming these works and reviving the important " fair of Manica," which was formerly held at Massikess^. But according to some geologists, the sands of the Manica valleys are but slightly auriferous, the proportion of the precious metal apparently not averaging more than half a gramme, or about eight grains, to thirty-five cubic feet of matter. The future wealth of the country will be derived, not so much from its mineral resources as from the great fertility of its valleys. • Op. eit. p. 68. ​234 SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA. In no part of South Africa are the lands better watered or more productive, and in the Manica territory " droughts and scarcity are unknown." A Negro ngulo or " kinglet " resides at Mulmsa, on the south-west slope of the Manica hills. As a vassal of the Portuguese Government, he is kept in awe by an officer with the title of " capitao-mor," whose little garrison is stationed in the natural fortress of Masmra, a huge bluff with precipitous walls, accessible only by a giddy zigzag path. On one occasion three thousand Zulus in vain attempted to storm this rocky citadel, from which large stones were rolled down, crushing great numbers of the assailants. The capital of this extensive district, which bears the alternative names of Manica and Qm/V»7v {lufi're), has been recently founded in the Serra de Gorongoza, at the village of lultaiuju, usually called Villa Gonreia, from the name which the natives give to the capitao-mor. Formerly the surrounding hills were completely deserted, but they are now being gradually repeopled, and companies of disciplined Landins are now enlisted by the Government to protect this new Portuguese conquest from the attacks of their southern kinsmen. The ancient kingdom of Ba-Rue has also been entirely reduced by the capitao-mor of Manica, and is now held by him as his personal domain. This highly favoured official further enjovs a complete monopoly of the local traffic in beeswax and other produce.