At last we came to the mouth of the Fernand-Yaz, and
our fame had gone before us. Some of the Commi ])eo-
ple, the inhabitants of the Fernand-Vaz, had seen me be-



/ AM TAKEN FOR A SLA VER. 175

fore at Cape Lopez. The news had spread that I wanted
to settle at the viUage of a chief called Eanpano ; so, as
we parsed his sea-shore villa;xe, a canoe came off to ask
me to land ; but, as the breakers ^vere rather formidable,
I begged to be excused.
lianpano's men wanted much to hug me, and were so
extravagant in their joy that 1 had to order them to keep
their hands off, their shining and oih' l>odies ha\ing quite
soiled my clothes. They went back to the king to tell
him the good news. I kept one of these men on board
for a pilot, being now anxious to get acr<jss the intricate
bar, and fairly into the river, before dark.
As -^ve sailed along iip the river, canoes belonging to
different villages shot out to meet us, and presently I
had a crowd alongside anxious to come on board, and
sufKcient almost to sink us. They took inc for a slaver
at fu'st, and their joy was unbomided, for there is noth-
ing tlie Afincan loves so mncli as to sell his fellovv'-men.
They innnediately called out their Jiames in Portuguese:
one was Don Miguel, another Don Pedro, anotlier Don
Francisco. They began to jabber away in Portuguese.
