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the Portugese, though I could not find that this  appellation is since in use. That the same people inhabit the country now, who then peopled it, appears both from the testimony of the Portuguese writers, & from the identity of their language. The following are a few words found scattered through the work of João de Santos "Da Ethiopia Oriental" [[strikethrough]] which is one of the [[/strikethrough]] published in 1608. Their great similarity to the words of the existing dialect is very apparent.

[[a table with three columns]]
[[first column]]
Cotton cloth
sword
lots [(sortes)?]
lizard
sea horse
head
robber
white men
[[second column]]João de Santos 
Mɑchirɑs
Cupɑngɑ
chɑcɑtɑs
gōnɑ
zovo
mocɑ'te
[[strikethrough]] moko [[/strikethrough]]
bɑvɑ
musungo
[[third column]]Modern dialect
Matshīrɑ
kipɑngɑ
zɑcɑ'tɑ
go'nɑ, gwe'nɑ
zovo
mukɑ'ti
bɑvɑ
muzungu

De Santos says that this language is very soft & agreeable to the ear, & he contrasts it with the harsh & guttural Arabic. His words are "E [assi ?] como as Mouros de Affrica e de Arabia fallaõ de papo, que parece que vomitãs, o arrancão as [[strikethrough]] palabias [[/strikethrough]]palavias da garganta, assi pollo contiario estes Mocacanguas [pallãs ?] as provenciãs as palaoras com a ponta do lingua e beiças, de tal maneira que [muytos ?][[strikethrough]] que [[/strikethrough]] vocabulos dizem quasi assoviando no que tem [muyta ?] graça" p. 63

By way of marks, these natives have several groups of dots of scars imprinted on various parts of the forehead & temples, & also on the [[strikethrough]] cheeks [[/strikethrough]] head.
[[image - sketch of head with dots above the brow and beside each eye and a sketch of torso showing a large scar of five jagged lines that meet at a center point, with groups of dots at each outer end.]]

Takwa'ni is situated four days journey up the river Zambese; the dialect spoken there is probably the same as prevails in & around Quilimane.

Vocabulary