They thought that it was only because his eyes rested all night, that he could see the channel so well by day.

At difficult places the Mokadamo sometimes, however, made mistakes, and ran us aground; and the others, evidently imbued with the spirit of resistance to constituted authority, and led by Joao an aspirant for the office, jeered him for his stupidity.

"Was he asleep?
Why did he allow the boat to come there?
Could he not see the channel was somewhere else ?" At last the Mokadamo threw down the pole in disgust, and told Joao he might be a Mokadamo himself.

The office was accepted with alacrity; but in a few minutes he too ran us into a worse difficulty than his predecessor ever did, and was at once disrated amidst the derision of his comrades.
On the 16th September, we arrived at the inhabited island of Kichokomane.
The usual way of approaching an unknown people is to call out in a cheerful tone "Malonda!" Things for sale, or do you want to sell anything?
If we can obtain a man from the last village, he is employed, though only useful in explaining to the next that we come in a friendly way.

The people here were shy of us at first, and could not be induced to sell any food; until a woman, more adventurous than the rest, sold us a fowl.