The recent expedition of the British cutter, “Herald,” up the Manakusi river, has shown its capabilities for navigation and commercial intercourse with the interior; and, if it should be proved that this is the outlet of the Limpopo, it is not the miserable hybrids at the Portuguese factory of Lourenço Marques who will prevent British traders establishing themselves on some healthy elevation in Delagoa Bay.
The value of the exports of these industrious Boers, in a few years, when they have settled themselves, and turned their attention to the riches of the soil, both on the surface and below it, may be estimated from the fact that, last year, in the short space of three months, the ivory obtained by the Boers, in Zoutpansberg alone, was computed at 60,000 pounds weight Dutch, or nearly thirty tons.
CHAPTER IX.
Appearance of the Coast to the North of Delagoa Bay—Facility of Shipping Slaves—Slavers’ Signals—Rivers Lagoa and Inhampura—Cape Corrientes—“Sail, ho!”—The Chase—“Zambesi”—Ex-Governor Leotti—A Slaver Clears from Cardiff—Inhambane—Products—Mineral Wealth.
Soon after anchoring in Delagoa Bay, and while the boat was getting ready to take Captain Gordon and myself on shore, the Captain of an Arab brig, lying at anchor opposite to the town, came on board the “Hermes,” accompanied by some other Arabs. These Arabs or Moors recognized Mr. Soares, to whom they appeared to be well-known, and they willingly took charge of some dispatches for the Governor of Lourenço Marques.
The delivery of these dispatches was the only cause of our visiting the bay, besides that of looking in to see if the “Minnetonka,” or some other slaver, might not be loading with a cargo of slaves, provided for her by the accommodating Governor Mochado, of whom we shall have to speak further during this truthful narrative.
Finding the “Minnetonka” could neither be seen nor heard of at Delagoa Bay, after a stay of only two hours, we proceeded in search of her to the northward; steaming close in shore up to Cape Corrientes, which we had heard at Natal was the point on the coast which she was to make.
Steaming along this coast, we remarked that all the trees, or rather bushes (for they were not higher), close along the sandy beach, had an inclination towards the south-west, showing the fury with which the hurricanes, coming down the Mozambique Channel, strike this coast from the north-east.