The Personal Life of David Livingstone Part 18

"It is hoped that we may never have occasion to use our arms for protection from the natives, but the best security from attack consists in upright conduct, and the natives seeing that we are prepared to meet it. At the same time, you are strictly enjoined to exercise the greatest forbearance toward the people; and, while retaining proper firmness in the event of any misunderstanding, to conciliate, as far as possibly can be done with safety to our party.

"It is unnecessary for me to enjoin the strictest justice in dealing with the natives. This your own principles will lead you invariably to follow, but while doing so yourself, it is decidedly necessary to be careful not _to appear_ to overreach or insult any one by the conduct of those under your command....

"The chiefs of tribes and leading men of villages ought always to be treated with respect, and nothing should be done to weaken their authority. Any present of food should be accepted frankly, as it is impolitic to allow the ancient custom of feeding strangers to go into disuse. We come among them as members of a superior race, and servants of a Government that desires to elevate the more degraded portions of the human family. We are adherents of a benign, holy religion, and may, by consistent conduct, and wise, patient efforts, become the harbingers of peace to a hitherto distracted and trodden-down race. No great result is ever attained without patient, long-continued effort. In the enterprise in which we have the honor to be engaged, deeds of sympathy, consideration, and kindness, which, when viewed in detail, may seem thrown away, if steadily persisted in, are sure, ultimately, to exercise a commanding influence. Depend upon it, a kind word or deed is never lost."

Evidently, Dr. Livingstone felt himself in a difficult position at the head of this enterprise. He was aware of the trouble that had usually attended civil as contrasted with naval and military expeditions, from the absence of that habit of discipline and obedience which is so firmly established in the latter services. He had never served under Her Majesty's Government himself, nor had he been accustomed to command such men as were now under him, and there were some things in his antecedents that made the duty peculiarly difficult. On one thing only he was resolved: to do his own duty to the utmost, and to spare no pains to induce every member of the Expedition to do his. It was impossible for him not to be anxious as to how the team would pull together, especially as he knew well the influence of a malarious atmosphere in causing intense irritability of temper. In some respects, though not the most obvious, this was the most trying period of his life. His letters and other written papers show one little but not uninstructive effect of the pressure and distraction that now came on him--in the great change which his handwriting underwent--the neat, regular writing of his youth giving place to a large and heavyish hand, as if he had never had time to mend his pen, and his only thought had been how to get on most quickly. Yet we see also, very clearly, how n.o.bly he strove after self-control and conciliatory ways. The tone of courtesy, the recognition of each man's independence in his own sphere, and the appeal to his good sense and good feeling, apparent in the instructions, show a studious desire, while he took and intended to keep his place as Commander, to conceal the symbols of authority, and bind the members of the party together as a band of brothers. And though in his published book, _The Zambesi and its Tributaries_, which was mainly a report of his doings to the Government and the nation, he confined himself to the matters with which he had been intrusted by them, there are many little proofs of his seeking wisdom and strength from above with undiminished earnestness, and of his striving, as much as ever, to do all to the glory of G.o.d.

As the swift motion of the s.h.i.+p bears him farther and farther from home, he cannot but think of his orphan children. As they near Sierra Leone, on the 25th March, he sends a few lines to his eldest son:

"MY DEAR ROBERT,--We have been going at the rate of 200 miles a day ever since we left Liverpool, and have been much favored by a kind Providence in the weather. Poor Oswell was sorely sick while rolling through the Bay of Biscay, and ate nothing for about three days; but we soon got away from the ice and snow to beautiful summer weather, and we are getting nicely thawed. We sleep with all our port-holes open, and are glad of the awning by day. At night we see the Southern Cross; and the Pole Star, which stands so high over you, is here so low we cannot see it for the haze. We shall not see it again, but the same almighty gracious Father is over all, and is near to all who love Him. You are now alone in the world, and must seek his friends.h.i.+p and guidance, for if you do not lean on Him, you will go astray, and find that the way of transgressors is hard. The Lord be gracious to you, and accept you, though unworthy of his favor."

Sierra Leone was reached in a fortnight. Dr. Livingstone was gratified to learn that, during the last ten years, the health of the town had improved greatly--consequent on the abatement of the "whisky fever," and the draining and paving of the streets through the activity of Governor Hill. He found the Sunday as well kept as in Scotland, and was sure that posterity would acknowledge the great blessing which the operations of the English Squadron on the one hand and the various Christian missions on the other had effected. He was more than ever convinced, notwithstanding all that had been said against it, that the English Squadron had been a great blessing on the West Coast. The Christian missions, too, that had been planted under the protection of the Squadron, were an evidence of its beneficial influence. He used constantly to refer with intense grat.i.tude to the work of Lord Palmerston in this cause, and to the very end of his life his Lords.h.i.+p was among the men whose memory he most highly honored. Often, when he wished to describe his aim briefly, in regard to slavery, commerce, and missions, he would say it was to do on the East Coast what had been done on the West. At Sierra Leone a crew of twelve Kroomen was engaged and taken on board for the navigation of the "Ma-Robert," after it should reach the Zambesi. On their leaving Sierra Leone, the weather became very rough, and from the state of Mrs. Livingstone's health, inclining very much to fever, it was deemed necessary that she, with Oswell, should be left at the Cape, go to Kuruman for a time, and after her coming confinement, join her husband on the Zambesi in 1860. "This,"

says Livingstone in his Journal, "is a great trial to me, for had she come on with us, she might have proved of essential service to the Expedition in case of sickness or otherwise; but it may all turn out for the best." It was the first disappointment, and it was but partially balanced by his learning from Dr. Moffat, who, with his wife, met them at the Cape, that he had made out his visit to Mosilikatse, and had learned that the men whom Livingstone had left at Tette had not returned home, so that they would still be waiting for him there. He knew of what value they would be to him in explaining his intentions to the natives.

From Sir George Grey, the excellent Governor of the Cape, and the inhabitants of Cape Town generally, the Expedition met with an unusually cordial reception. At a great meeting at the Exchange, a silver box containing a testimonial of eight hundred guineas was presented to Livingstone by the Governor; and two days after, a grand dinner was given to the members of the Expedition, the Attorney-General being in the chair. Mr. Maclear was most enthusiastic in the reception of his friend, and at the public meeting had so much to say about him that he could hardly be brought to a close. It must have been highly amusing to Livingstone to contrast Cape Town in 1852 with Cape Town in 1858. In 1852 he was so suspected that he could hardly get a pound of gunpowder or a box of caps while preparing for his unprecedented journey, and he had to pay a heavy fine to get rid of a cantankerous post-master. Now he returns with the Queen's gold band round his cap, and with brighter decorations round his name than Sovereigns can give; and all Cape Town hastens to honor him. It was a great victory, as it was also a striking ill.u.s.tration of the world's ways.

It is not our object to follow Dr. Livingstone into all the details of his Expedition, but merely to note a few of the more salient points, in connection with the opportunities it afforded for the achievement of his object and the development of his character. It may he well to note here generally how the years were occupied. The remainder of 1858 was employed in exploring the mouths of the Zambesi, and the river itself up to Tette and the Kebrabasa Rapids, a few miles beyond. Next year--1859--was devoted mainly to three successive trips on the river s.h.i.+re, the third being signalized by the discovery of Lake Nya.s.sa. In 1860 Livingstone went back with his Makololo up the Zambesi to the territories of Sekeletu. In 1861, after exploring the river Rovuma, and a.s.sisting Bishop Mackenzie to begin the Universities' Mission, he started for Lake Nya.s.sa, returning to the s.h.i.+p toward the end of the year. In 1862 occurred the death of the Bishop and other missionaries, and also, during a detention at Shupanga, the death of Mrs. Livingstone: in the latter part of the year Livingstone again explored the Rovuma. In 1863 he was again exploring the s.h.i.+re Valley and Lake Nya.s.sa, when an order came from Her Majesty's Government, recalling the Expedition. In 1864 he started in the "Lady Nya.s.sa" for Bombay, and thence returned to England.

On the 1st May, 1858, the "Pearl" sailed from Simon's Bay, and on the 14th stood in for the entrance to the Zambesi, called the West Luabo, or Hoskins's Branch. Of their progress Dr. Livingstone gives his impressions in the following letter to his friend Mr. James Young:

"'PEARL,'10_th May_, 1858.

"Here we are, off Cape Corrientes ('Whaur's that, I wonner?'), and hope to be off the Luabo four days hence. We have been most remarkably favored in the weather, and it is well, for had our s.h.i.+p been in a gale with all this weight on her deck, it would have been perilous. Mrs. Livingstone was sea-sick all the way from Sierra Leone, and got as thin as a lath. As this was accompanied by fever, I was forced to run into Table Bay, and when I got ash.o.r.e I found her father and mother down all the way from Kuruman to see us and help the young missionaries, whom the London Missionary Society has not yet sent. Glad, of course, to see the old couple again.

We had a grand to-do at the Cape. Eight hundred guineas were presented in a silver box by the hand of the Governor, Sir George Grey, a fine fellow. Sure, no one might be more thankful to the Giver of all than myself. The Lord grant me grace to serve Him with heart and soul--the only return I can make!... It was a bitter parting with my wife, like tearing the heart out of one. It was so unexpected; and now we are s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g away up the coast.... We are all agreeable yet, and all looking forward with ardor to our enterprise. It is likely that I shall come down with the 'Pearl' through the Delta to doctor them if they become ill, and send them on to Ceylon with a blessing. All have behaved well, and I am really thankful to see it, and hope that G.o.d will graciously make some better use of us in promoting his glory. I met a Dr. King in Simon's Bay, of the 'Cambrian' frigate, one of our cla.s.s-mates in the Andersonian. This frigate, by the way, saluted us handsomely when we sailed out. We have a man-of-war to help us (the 'Hermes'), but the lazy m.u.f.f is far behind. He is, however, to carry our despatches to Quilimane...."

A letter to Dr. Moffat lets us know in what manner he was preparing to teach the twelve Kroomen who were to navigate the "Ma-Robert," and his old Makololo men:

"First of all, supposing Mr. Skead should take this back by the 'Hermes' in time to catch you at the Cape, would you be kind enough to get a form of prayer printed for me? We have twelve Kroomen, who seem docile and willing to be taught; when we are parted from the 'Pearl' we shall have prayers with them every morning.... I think it will be an advantage to have the prayers in Sichuana when my men join us, and if we have a selection from the English Litany, with the Lord's Prayer in Sichuana, all may join. Will you translate it, beginning at 'Remember not, Lord, our offenses,' up to 'the right way'? Thence, pet.i.tion for chiefs, and on to the end.... The Litany need not be literal. I suppose you are not a rabid nonconformist, or else I would not venture to ask this...."

By the time they reached the mouth of the Zambesi, Livingstone was suffering from a severe attack of diarrhoea. On the 16th of May, being Sunday, while still suffering, he deemed it a work of necessity, in order to get as soon as possible out of the fever-breeding region of mangrove swamps where they had anch.o.r.ed, that they should at remove the sections of the "Ma-Robert" from the "Pearl"; accordingly, with the exception of the time occupied in the usual prayers, that day was spent in labor. His constant regard for the day of rest and great unwillingness to engage in labor then, is the best proof that on this occasion the necessity for working was to his mind absolutely irresistible. He had found that active exercise every day was one of the best preventives of fever; certainly it is very remarkable how thoroughly the men of the Expedition escaped it at this time. In his Journal he says: "After the experience gained by Dr. M'William, and communicated to the world in his admirable _Medical History of the Niger Expedition_, I should have considered myself personally guilty had any of the crew of the 'Pearl' or of the Expedition been cut off through delay in the mangrove swamps." Afterward, when Mrs. Livingstone died during a long but unavoidable delay at Shupanga, a little farther up, he was more than ever convinced that he had acted rightly. But some of his friends were troubled, and many reflections were thrown on him, especially by those who bore him no good-will.

The first important fact in the history of the Expedition was the discovery of the advantage of the Kongone entrance of the Zambesi, the best of all the mouths of the river for navigation. Soon after a site was fixed on as a depot, and while the luggage and stores were being landed at it, there occurred an unfortunate collision with the naval officer, who tendered his resignation. At first Livingstone declined to accept of it, but on its being tendered a second time he allowed the officer to go. It vexed him to the last degree to have this difference so early, nor did he part with the officer without much forbearance and anxiety to ward off the breach. In his despatches to Government the whole circ.u.mstances were fully detailed. Letters to Mr. Maclear and other private friends give a still more detailed narrative. In a few quarters blame was cast upon him, and in the Cape newspapers the affair was much commented on. In due time there came a reply from Lord Malmesbury, then Foreign Secretary, dated 26th April, 1859, to the effect that after full inquiry by himself, and after consulting with the Admiralty, his opinion was that the officer had failed to clear himself, and that Dr. Livingstone's proceedings were fully approved. Livingstone had received authority to stop the pay of any member of the Expedition that should prove unsatisfactory; this, of course, subjected his conduct to the severer criticism.

When the officer left, Livingstone calmly took his place, adding the charge of the s.h.i.+p to his other duties. This step would appear alike rash and presumptuous, did we not know that he never undertook any work without full deliberation, and did we not remember that in the course of three sea-voyages which he had performed he had had opportunities of seeing how a s.h.i.+p was managed--opportunities of which, no doubt, with his great activity of mind, he had availed himself most thoroughly. The facility with which he could a.s.sume a new function, and do its duties as if he had been accustomed to it all his life, was one of the most remarkable things about him. His chief regret in taking the new burden was, that it would limit his intercourse with the natives, and prevent him from doing as much missionary work as he desired. Writing soon after to Miss Whately, of Dublin, he says: "It was imagined we could not help ourselves, but I took the task of navigating on myself, and have conducted the steamer over 1600 miles, though as far as my likings go, I would as soon drive a cab in November fogs in London as be 'skipper' in this hot sun; but I shall go through with it as a duty." To his friend Mr. Young he makes humorous reference to his awkwardness in nautical language: "My great difficulty is calling out 'starboard' when I mean 'port,' and feeling crusty when I see the helmsman putting the helm the wrong way."

Another difficulty arose from the state of the country north of the Zambesi, in consequence of the natives having rebelled against the Portuguese and being in a state of war. Livingstone was cautioned that he would be attacked if he ventured to penetrate into the country. He resolved to keep out of the quarrel, but to push on in spite of it. At one time his party, being mistaken for Portuguese, were on the point of being fired on, but on Livingstone shouting out that they were English the natives let them alone. On reaching Tette he found his old followers in ecstasies at seeing him; the Portuguese Government had done nothing for them, but Major Sicard, the excellent Governor of Tette, had helped them to find employment and maintain themselves. Thirty had died of small-pox; six had been killed by an unfriendly chief. When the survivors saw Dr. Livingstone, they said: "The Tette people often taunted us by saying, 'Your Englishman will never return;' but we trusted you, and now we shall sleep." It gave Livingstone a new hold on them and on the natives generally, that he had proved true to his promise, and had come back as he had said. As the men had found ways of living at Tette, Livingstone was not obliged to take them to their home immediately.

One of his first endeavors after reaching Tette was to ascertain how far the navigation of the Zambesi was impeded by the rapids at Kebrabasa, between twenty and thirty miles above Tette, which he had heard of but not seen on his journey from Linyanti to Quilimane. The distance was short and the enterprise apparently easy, but in reality it presented such difficulties as only his dogged perseverance could have overcome.

After he had been twice at the rapids, and when he believed he had seen the whole, he accidentally learned, after a day's march on the way home, that there was another rapid which he had not yet seen. Determined to see all, he returned, with Dr. Kirk and four Makololo, and it was on this occasion that his followers, showing the blisters on their feet burst by the hot rocks, told him, when he urged them to make another effort, that hitherto they had always believed he had a heart, but now they saw he had none, and wondered if he were mad. Leaving them, he and Dr. Kirk pushed on alone; but their boots and clothes were destroyed; in three hours they made but a mile. Next day, however, they gained their point and saw the rapid. It was plain to Dr. Livingstone that had he taken this route in 1856, instead of through the level s.h.i.+dina country, he must have perished. The party were of opinion that when the river was in full flood the rapids might be navigated, and this opinion was confirmed on a subsequent visit paid by Mr. Charles Livingstone and Mr.

Baines during the rainy season. But the "Ma-Robert" with its single engine had not power to make way. It was resolved to apply to Her Majesty's Government for a more suitable vessel to carry them up the country, stores and all. Until the answer should come to this application, Dr. Livingstone could not return with his Makololo to their own country.

While making this application, he was preparing another string for his bow. He wrote to his friend Mr. James Young that if Government refused he would get a vessel at his own expense, and in a succession of letters authorized him to spend 2000 of his own money in the purchase of a suitable s.h.i.+p. Eventually, both suggestions were carried into effect.

The Government gave the "Pioneer" for the navigation of the Zambesi and lower s.h.i.+re; Livingstone procured the "Lady Nya.s.sa" for the Lake (where, however, she never floated), but the cost was more than 6000--the greater part, indeed, of the profits of his book.

The "Ma-Robert," which had promised so well at first, now turned out a great disappointment. Her consumption of fuel was enormous; her furnace had to be lighted hours before the steam was serviceable; she snorted so horribly that they called her "The Asthmatic," and after all she made so little progress that canoes could easily pa.s.s her. Having taken much interest in the purchase of the vessel, and thought he was getting a great bargain because its owner professed to do so much through "love of the cause," Livingstone was greatly mortified when he found he had got an inferior and unworthy article; and many a joke he made, as well as remarks of a more serious kind, in connection with the manner which the "eminent s.h.i.+pbuilder" had taken to show his love.

Early in 1859 the exploration of the s.h.i.+re was begun--a river hitherto absolutely unknown. The country around was rich and fertile, the natives not unfriendly, but suspicious. They had probably never been visited before but by man-stealers, and had never seen Europeans. The s.h.i.+re Valley was inhabited by the Manganja, a very warlike race. Some days'

journey above the junction with the Zambesi, where the s.h.i.+re issues from the mountains, the progress of the party was stopped by rapids, to which they gave the name of the "Murchison Cataracts." It seemed in vain to penetrate among the people at that time without supplies, considering how suspicious they were. Crowds went along the banks watching them by day; they had guards over them all night, and these were always ready with their bows and poisoned arrows. Nevertheless, some progress was made in civilizing them, and at a future time it was hoped that further exploration might take place.

Some pa.s.sages in Livingstone's private Journal give us a glimpse of the more serious thoughts that were pa.s.sing through his mind at this time:

"_March_ 3, 1859.--If we dedicate ourselves to G.o.d unreservedly He will make use of whatever peculiarities of const.i.tution He has imparted for his own glory, and He will in answer to prayer give wisdom to guide. He will so guide as to make useful. O how far am I from that hearty devotion to G.o.d I read of in others! The Lord have mercy on me a sinner!"

"_March 5th_.--A woman left Tette yesterday with a cargo of slaves (20 men and 40 women) in irons to sell to St. Cruz [a trader], for exportation at Bourbon. Francisco at Shupanga is the great receiver for Cruz. This is carnival, and it is observed chiefly as a drinking feast."

"_March 6th_.--Teaching Makololo Lord's Prayer and Creed.

Prayers as usual at 9-1/2 A.M. When employed in active travel, my mind becomes inactive, and the heart cold and dead, but after remaining some time quiet, the heart revives and I become more spiritually-minded. This is a mercy which I have experienced before, and when I see a matter to be duty I go on regardless of my feelings. I do trust that the Lord is with me, though the mind is engaged in other matters than the spiritual. I want my whole life to be out and out for the Divine glory, and my earnest prayer is that G.o.d may accept what his own Spirit must have implanted--the desire to glorify Him. I have been more than usually drawn out in earnest prayer of late--for the Expedition--for my family--the fear lest ----'s misrepresentation may injure the cause of Christ--the hope that I may be permitted to open this dark land to the blessed gospel. I have cast all before my G.o.d. Good Lord, have mercy upon me. Leave me not, nor forsake me. He has guided well in time past. I commit my way to Him for the future. All I have received has come from Him.

Will He be pleased in mercy to use me for his glory? I have prayed for this, and Jesus himself said, 'Ask, and ye shall receive, and a host of statements to the same effect. There is a great deal of trifling frivolousness in not trusting in G.o.d. Not trusting in Him who is truth itself, faithfulness, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever! It is presumption not to trust in Him implicitly, and yet this heart is sometimes fearfully guilty of distrust. I am ashamed to think of it. Ay; but He must put the trusting, loving, childlike spirit in by his grace. O Lord, I am Thine, truly I am Thine--take me--do what seemeth good in Thy sight with me, and give me complete resignation to Thy will in all things."

Two months later (May, 1859), a second ascent of the s.h.i.+re was performed, and friendly relations were established with a clever chief named Chibisa, "a jolly person, who laughs easily--which is always a good sign." Chibisa believed firmly in two things--the divine right of kings, and the impossibility that Chibisa should ever be in the wrong.

He told them that his father had imparted an influence to him, which had come in by his head, whereby every person that had heard him speak respected him greatly. Livingstone evidently made a great impression on Chibisa; like other chiefs, he began to fall under the spell of his influence.

Making a detour to the east, the travelers now discovered Lake s.h.i.+rwa, "a magnificent inland lake." This lake was absolutely unknown to the Portuguese, who, indeed, were never allowed by the natives to enter the s.h.i.+re. Livingstone had often to explain that he and his party were not Portuguese but British. After discovering this lake, the party returned to the s.h.i.+p, and then sailed to the Kongone harbor, in hopes of meeting a man-of-war and obtaining provisions. In this, however, they were disappointed.

Some idea of the voluminous correspondence carried on by Dr. Livingstone may be formed from the following enumeration of the friends to whom he addressed letters in May of this year: Lords Clarendon and Palmerston, Bishop of Oxford, Miss Burdett Coutts, Mr. Venn, Lord Kinnaird, Mr.

James Wilson, Mr. Oswell, Colonel Steele, Dr. Newton of Philadelphia, his brother John in Canada, J.B. and C. Braithwaite, Dr. Andrew Smith, Admiral F. Grey, Sir R. Murchison, Captain Was.h.i.+ngton, Mr. Maclear, Professor Owen, Major Vardon, Mrs. Livingstone, Viscount G.o.derich.

Here is the account he gave of his proceedings to his little daughter Agnes:

"_River s.h.i.+re, 1st June_ 1859.--We have been down to the mouth of the river Zambesi in expectation of meeting a man-of-war with salt provisions, but, none appearing on the day appointed, we conclude that the Admiral has not received my letters in time to send her. We have no post-office here, so we buried a bottle containing a letter on an island in the entrance to Kongone harbor. This we told the Admiral we should do in case of not meeting the cruiser, and whoever comes will search for our bottle and see another appointment for 30th of July. This goes with despatches by way of Quilimane, and I hope some day to get from you a letter by the same route. We have got no news from home since we left Liverpool, and we long now to hear how all goes on in Europe and in India. I am now on my way to Tette, but we ran up the s.h.i.+re some forty miles to buy rice for our company. Uncle Charles is there, He has had some fever, but is better. We left him there about two months ago, and Dr. Kirk and I, with some fifteen Makololo, ascended this river one hundred miles in the 'Ma-Robert,' then left the vessel and proceeded beyond that on foot till we had discovered a magnificent lake called s.h.i.+rwa (p.r.o.nounced Shurwah). It was very grand, for we could not see the end of it, though some way up a mountain; and all around it are mountains much higher than any you see in Scotland. One mountain stands in the lake, and people live on it. Another, called Zomba, is more than six thousand feet high, and people live on it too, for we could see their gardens on its top, which is larger than from Glasgow to Hamilton, or about from fifteen to eighteen miles. The country is quite a Highland region, and many people live in it. Most of them were afraid of us. The women ran into their huts and shut the doors. The children screamed in terror, and even the hens would fly away and leave their chickens. I suppose you would be frightened, too, if you saw strange creatures, say a lot of Trundlemen, like those on the Isle of Man pennies, come whirling up the street. No one was impudent to us except some slave-traders, but they became civil as soon as they learned we were English and not Portuguese. We saw the sticks they employ for training any one whom they have just bought. One is is about eight feet long, the head, or neck rather, is put into the s.p.a.ce between the dotted lines and shaft, and another slave carries the end. When they are considered tame they are allowed to go in chains.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

"I am working in the hope that in the course of time this horrid system may cease. All the country we traveled through is capable of growing cotton and sugar, and the people now cultivate a good deal. They would grow much more if they could only sell it. At present we in England are the mainstay of slavery in America and elsewhere by buying slave-grown produce. Here there are hundreds of miles of land lying waste, and so rich that the gra.s.s towers far over one's head in walking. You cannot see where the narrow paths end, the gra.s.s is so tall and overhangs them so. If our countrymen were here they would soon render slave-buying unprofitable.

Perhaps G.o.d may honor us to open up the way for this. My heart is sore when I think of so many of our countrymen in poverty and misery, while they might be doing so much good to themselves and others where our Heavenly Father has so abundantly provided fruitful hills and fertile valleys. If our people were out here they would not need to cultivate little s.n.a.t.c.hes by the side of railways as they do. But all is in the hands of the all-wise Father We must trust that He will bring all out right at last.

"My dear Agnes, you must take Him to be your Father and Guide. Tell Him all that is in your heart, and make Him your confidant. His ear is ever open, and He despiseth not the humblest sigh. He is your best friend and loves at all times.

It is not enough to be a servant, you must be a friend of Jesus. Love Him and surrender your entire being to Him. The more you trust Him, casting all your care upon Him, the more He is pleased, and He will so guide you that your life will be for his own glory. The Lord be with you. My kind love to Grandma and to all your friends. I hope your eyes are better, and that you are able to read books for yourself. Tell Tom that we caught a young elephant in coming down the s.h.i.+re, about the size of the largest dog he ever saw, but one of the Makololo, in a state of excitement, cut its trunk, so that it bled very much, and died in two days. Had it lived we should have sent it to the Queen, as no African elephant was ever seen in England. No news from mamma and Oswell.

Another evidence of the place of his children in his thoughts is found in the following lines in his Journal:

"_20th June_, 1859.--I cannot and will not attribute any of the public attention which has been awakened to my own wisdom or ability. The great Power being my Helper, I shall always say that my success is all owing to his favor. I have been the channel of the Divine Power, and I pray that his gracious influence may penetrate me so that all may turn to the advancement of his gracious reign in this fallen world.

"Oh, may the mild influence of the Eternal Spirit enter the bosoms of my children, penetrate their souls, and diffuse through their whole natures the everlasting love of G.o.d in Jesus Christ! Holy, gracious, almighty Power, I hide myself in Thee through Thy almighty Son. Take my children under Thy care. Purify them and fit them for Thy service. Let the beams of the Sun of Righteousness produce spring, summer, and harvest in them for Thee."

The short trip from Kongone to Tette and back was marked by some changes in the composition of the party. The Kroomen being found to be useless, were s.h.i.+pped on board a man-of-war. The services of two members of the Expedition were also dispensed with, as they were not found to be promoting its ends. Livingstone would not pay the public money to men who, he believed, were not thoroughly earning it. To these troubles was added the constantly increasing mortification arising from the state of the s.h.i.+p.

It has sometimes been represented, in view of such facts as have just been recorded, that Livingstone was imperious and despotic in the management of other men, otherwise he and his comrades would have got on better together. The accusation, even at first sight, has an air of improbability, for Livingstone's nature was most kindly, and it was the aim of his life to increase enjoyment. In explanation of the friction on board his s.h.i.+p it must be remembered that his party were a sort of scratch crew brought together without previous acquaintance or knowledge of each other's ways; that the heat and the mosquitoes, the delays, the stoppages on sandbanks, the perpetual struggle for fuel[59], the monotony of existence, with so little to break it, and the irritating influence of the climate, did not tend to smooth their tempers or increase the amenities of life. The malarious climate had a most disturbing effect. No one, it is said, who has not experienced it, could imagine the sensation of misery connected with the feverish attacks so common in the low districts. And Livingstone had difficulties in managing his countrymen he had not in managing the natives. He was so conscientious, so deeply in earnest, so hard a worker himself, that he could endure nothing that seemed like playing or trifling with duty.

Sometimes, too, things were harshly represented to him, on which a milder construction might have been put. One of those with whom he parted at this time afterward rejoined the Expedition, his pay being restored on Livingstone's intercession. Those who continued to enjoy his friends.h.i.+p were never weary of speaking of his delightful qualities as a companion in travel, and the warm suns.h.i.+ne which he had the knack of spreading around.

[Footnote 59: This was incredible. Livingstone wrote to his friend Jose Nunes that it took all hands a day and a half to cut one day's fuel.]

A third trip up the s.h.i.+re was made in August, and on the 16th of September Lake Nya.s.sa was discovered. Livingstone had no doubt that he and his party were the discoverers; Dr. Roscher, on whose behalf a claim was subsequently made, was two months later, and his unfortunate murder by the natives made it doubtful at what point he reached the lake. The discovery of Lake Nya.s.sa, as well as Lake s.h.i.+rwa, was of immense importance, because they were both parallel to the ocean, and the whole traffic of the regions beyond must pa.s.s by this line. The configuration of the s.h.i.+re Valley, too, was favorable to colonization. The valley occupied three different levels. First there was a plain on the level of the river, like that of the Nile, close and hot. Rising above this to the east there was another plain, 2000 feet high, three or four miles broad, salubrious and pleasant. Lastly, there was a third plain 3000 feet above the second, positively cold. To find such varieties of climate within a few miles of each other was most interesting.

In other respects the region opened up was remarkable. There was a great amount of fertile land, and the products were almost endless. The people were industrious; in the Upper s.h.i.+re, notwithstanding a great love of beer, they lived usually to a great age. Cleanliness was not a universal virtue; the only way in which the Expedition could get rid of a troublesome follower was by threatening to wash him. The most disagreeable thing in the appearance of the women was their lip-ornament, consisting of a ring of ivory or tin, either hollow or made into a cup, inserted in the upper lip. Dr. Livingstone used to give full particulars of this fearful practice, having the idea that the taste of ladies at home in dress and ornament was not free from similar absurdity; or, as he wrote at this time to the Royal Geographical Society of Vienna, in acknowledging the honor of being made a corresponding member, "because our own ladies, who show so much virtuous perseverance with their waists, may wish to try lip-ornament too." In regard to the other s.e.x, he informed the same Society: "I could see nothing encouraging for the gentlemen who are anxious to prove that we are all descended from a race that wore tails."

In the highland regions of the s.h.i.+re Valley, the party were distinctly conscious of an increase of energy, from the more bracing climate. Dr.

Livingstone was thoroughly convinced that these highlands of the s.h.i.+re Valley were the proper locality for commercial and missionary stations.

Thus one great object of the Expedition was accomplished. In another point of view, this locality would be highly serviceable for stations.