,,africana4 ,a4 ,,king ,,and ,,co41 ,,printers ,,to ,,the ,,university4 ,,africana2 ,,or1 ,,the ,,heart ,,of ,,heathen ,,africa4 ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,duff ,,macdonald1 ,m4,a41 ,b4,d41 ,,late ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,scotland ,,mission1 ,,blantyre1 ,,east ,,central ,,africa4 ,,vol4 ,,ii4--,,mission ,,life4 8,your vain conversation delivered by tradition from your fathers40 ,,london3 ,,simpkin ,,marshall ,,co4 ,,edinburgh3 ,,john ,,menzies ,,co4 ,,aberdeen3 ,a4 ,,brown ,,co4 #ahhb4 ,all rights reserved4 ,,to ,h4 ,h4 ,m4 ,,this ,,work ,,is ,,inscribed ,,in ,,remembrance ,,of ,,the ,,greatest ,,trials ,,patiently ,,endured ,,for ,,the ,,good ,,of ,,africa4 ,,contents ,,of ,,vol4 ,,ii4 ,,page ,,chapter ,i4--,,earlier ,,attempts ,,to ,,christianise ,,central ,,africa4 ,portuguese ,discoveries4 ,early ,missionaries--,santos1 ,carli1 ,merolla4 ,exploration4 ,communication between the ,east ,coast and the ,west1 #a-i ,,chapter ,,ii4--,,the ,,universities' ,,mission ,,to ,,central ,,africa4 ,livingstone and ,slave ,caravans4 ,battle with the ,yao4 ,the ,missionaries pledge themselves4 ,native ,treachery4 ,death of ,bishop ,mackenzie4 ,departure from ,magomero4 ,the ,mission ,policy condemned4 ,the ,field abandoned1 #aj-ag ,,chapter ,,iii4--,,scotch ,,missions4 ,the ,scottish ,churches4 ,missions at ,livingstonia and ,blantyre4 ,relation between the ,missions4 ,threatened ,war4 ,part taken by the ,europeans1 #ah-be ,,chapter ,,iv4--,,contact ,,with ,,slavery4 ,the ,english ,name4 ,slave ,refugees4 ,a ,free ,native ,village4 ,asylum for the ,slave4 ,civil ,jurisdiction4 ,punishments1 #bf-cg ,,chapter ,v4--,,pioneer ,,work4 ,difficulties4 ,industrial ,work4 ,religious ,work ,colonial ,work4 ,efforts made to find a ,clergyman4 ,unfair ,position of ,missionaries1 #ch-dh ,,chapter ,,vi4--,,quilimane ,,to ,,blantyre4 ,traces of early ,missions4 ,detention at ,quilimane4 ,journey to ,mazaro4 ,the ,zambeze4 ,the ,chiri4 ,hippopotami1 ,lions1 ,elephants4 ,the ,native ,kings1 #di-gb ,,chapter ,,vii4--,,the ,,mission ,,station4 ,the ,houses4 ,fever4 ,artisans4 ,visitors4 ,neighbours4 ,interpreters4 ,school1 #gc-ic ,,chapter ,,viii4--,,first ,,half4 ,translating and ,teaching4 ,visiting4 ,diary4 ,native ,funeral4 ,a ,murder4 ,the ,blantyre ,colony4 ,native ,law4 ,insecurity1 #id-aad ,,chapter ,,ix4--,,second ,,half4 ,new ,year's ,day4 ,sewing ,class4 ,housekeeping4 ,school ,work4 ,native ,wars1 #aae-acj ,,chapter ,x4--,,second ,,half--,continued4 ,pilfering4 ,the ,station set on ,fire4 ,expedition to ,mlanje4 ,the ,native ,language4 ,scarcity4 ,trading ,company4 ,field for ,emigration1 #aca-adg ,,chapter ,,xi4--,,third ,,half4 ,founding ,zomba ,mission4 ,lake ,chirwa4 ,attack on the ,mission ,carriers4 ,a ,slave ,raid4 ,anxiety1 #adh-agg ,,chapter ,,xii4--,,fourth ,,half4 ,improvements4 ,increase of ,pupils4 ,boarders4 ,negro ,laziness4 ,preaching4 ,slavery1 touching cases4 ,missionary ,methods4 ,amateur ,physicians4 ,at ,cherasulo and ,zomba1 #agh-bab ,,chapter ,,xiii4--,,fifth ,,half4 ,hermit ,life4 ,war4 ,mission ,difficulties4 ,kidnapping4 ,a ,scare4 ,wild ,animals4 ,amusements4 ,visit to ,zomba4 ,young ,elephants4 ,strange ,refugees1 #bac-bcb ,,chapter ,,xiv4--,,sixth ,,half4 ,native ,headmen4 ,translating4 ,imprisonments4 ,a ,slaving ,chief4 ,sheep ,stealing4 ,hopeful ,pupils4 ,evangelical ,work4 ,the ,colony again1 #bcc-bfa ,,chapter ,,xv4--,,seventh ,,half4 ,start for ,scotland4 8,i wish to go with you40 ,the ,magololo4 ,sabbath on the ,river4 ,war in ,front4 ,suspense4 ,discomforts4 ,a ,native ,crew4 ,magololo ,harem4 ,anyasa ,carriers1 #bfb-bhg ,,chapter ,,xvi4--,,conclusion4 ,work resumed4 ,return of ,pupils4 ,slavery4 ,second ,departure4 ,game4 ,adventure with ,hippopotamus4 ,matekenya's people4 ,morumbala4 ,mazaro4 ,civil ,jurisdiction again6 ,the ,slave ,trade4 ,quilimane4 ,slaves in the land of their ,captivity4 ,mission at ,zanzibar4 ,missionary ,prospects in the ,interior1 #bhh-cae ,,appendix4--,,native ,,tales4 #caf-cga ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations4 ,,vol4 ,,ii4 ,,page ,magomero ,mission1 #aj ,women of ,mazaro1 #fa ,cutting up ,hippopotamus for food1 #fd ,the ,blantyre ,mission1 #ge ,native ,female1 #hi ,mode of carrying in the hand1 #aba ,the 8,manse10 ,blantyre1 #agh ,the ,basket ,makers1 ,blantyre1 #ahe ,anyasa ,village on the ,chiri1 #bga ,a dangerous ,hippopotamus1 #bij ,hippopotami at ,home1 #bic ,night ,halt on the ,river ,bank1 #bif ,the ,kwagwa1 #cjj ,,chapter ,i4 ,,earlier ,,attempts ,,to ,,christianise ,,central ,,africa4 ,the ,ancients were not so ignorant about ,africa as is often supposed4 ,ever since that old ,phenician fleet went down the ,red ,sea and appeared1 three years afterwards1 in the ,mediterranean1 people knew that it was possible to sail round the ,continent4 ,it is said that the great ,portuguese explorers derived an impulse from old maps which described ,southern ,africa as bounded by sea1 but in any case the ,portuguese are justly celebrated for their ,african discoveries1 for all the knowledge on this subject that came from antiquity was in their days as faint as a half-forgotten dream4 ,no sooner had the ,portuguese discovered places like the 8,empire of ,monomotopa0 than they wanted to open them up4 ,they sent their colonies and their armies2 and the ,church of ,rome soon had missionaries among the native tribes4 ,at ,sofala the new settlers asked permission to build a #8warehouse1' but built really a fortification4 ,the native king becoming aware of this1 tried to surprise and massacre them1 but he failed1 and they eventually became masters of the country4 ,joano ,dos ,santos tells us in his history of ,eastern ,ethiopia how he left ,portugal for ,eastern ,africa in #aehf4 ,his book contains several notes on the inhabitants4 ,he questioned them about their belief in ,god1 and inclines to think that at some period in the past they had been acquainted with #8true religion'4 ,he mentions in confirmation of this that they kept certain festivals with a strictness that might put ,christians to shame4 ,he found that they used #8disagreeable herbs' for an ordeal1 and thinks it is possible that the ,deity may interpose for the punishment of the guilty and the acquittal of the innocent4 ,he expresses the view that the ordeal is founded on the ,bible4 ,the natives were fond of showing him their hunting powers and presenting him with what they caught4 ,in his book1 which is more a history of the country than of mission work1 he takes note of the barbarous customs of the people2 he speaks of their beer-drinkings1 which on special occasions would last for a week1 during which no one knew his companion4 ,he mentions a tribe near ,tete where men1 women1 and children were kept in pens1 and killed and eaten in succession by their barbarous imprisoners4 ,sometimes the natives would overpower the settlements of the ,portuguese1 who were then treated in the most horrifying manner4 ,the monks that were in the country served more as chaplains to the ,portuguese armies than as missionaries to the heathen4 ,the ,portuguese were endeavouring to introduce some kind of order among the native tribes1 and to develop the resources of the country especially in gold and silver mines4 ,hence the ,portuguese soldiers appeared in this quarter following the crucifix and the arms of ,portugal4 ,a successful chief on the other side would don the #8clerical dress' of some monk that he had slain1 and appear at the head of his clan with the chalice in one hand and a spear in the other4 ,but in course of time the country became more settled1 and the missionaries had numerous stations4 ,on the west coast the ,portuguese missionaries seem to have laboured with great zeal4 ,father ,carli 7#afff7 has recorded his experiences of ,african life both in health and sickness1 and many of his statements give a good idea of inconveniences to be met with in ,africa even at the present day4 ,he says1 8,my bed was against a wall which might well be called a nest of rats--they were so many and so large that they troubled me very much1 running over me and biting my toes1 which kept me from sleep4 ,i caused my bed to be put in the middle of the room1 but to no purpose1 for those cursed creatures knew where to find me4 ,i caused mats to be laid all about my bed for my blacks to lie on and defend me1 not only against the rats1 but any other wild creatures that might come4 ,this precaution stood me in no stead1 for there was no night but the rats disturbed me40 ,in his distress he applied to the ,great ,duke4 8,i took the freedom10 he says1 8to acquaint the ,great ,duke with the trouble ,i had from the rats1 and the stink of my blacks who had always some wild and disagreeable smell40 ,the ,duke promised him an infallible cure1 and sent him forthwith a tame monkey which lay at the foot of his bed4 ,when the rats appeared the little monkey blew hard at them1 two or three times1 which made them run away1 and its scent of musk corrected #8the ill smell' of the blacks4 8,the little monkey10 he adds1 8kept my head and beard clean and combed1 better than any of the blacks would have done2 and to say the truth1 it is easier to teach those monkeys than the blacks40 ,there is perhaps a note of bitterness and disappointment in the last remark1 but those that can understand the poor writer's condition at the time will readily forgive it4 ,for many weeks he had been watching by the death-bed of his companion1 and afterwards was prostrated by extreme sickness himself4 ,he had no one with him but the blacks1 8who stole what they could and brought him when they thought of it1 a porringer of broth04 ,one night his bed was attacked by a swarm of ants1 and he had to be carried outside4 ,alarms of fire annoyed the poor invalid in the same way4 ,yet he was not forgetful of his commission from the ,church in the way that he understood it4 8,every day10 he says1 8,i baptised ten or twelve children2 and not being able to sit up alone in my bed1 was held up by two blacks1 another holding the book1 and another the basin40 ,the instruction given at baptism was by no means elaborate1 even when the sacrament was administered to adults4 ,though but a short time in the country he had baptised an almost incredible number of natives4 ,he says1 as he looks back on the #8great fatigues' of his travels1 that he would think his days well spent 8if but one of #bgjj children and youths he baptized obtained salvation through his ministry04 ,the good man1 ,i have no doubt1 had some misgivings as to whether the mere rite of baptism had permanently benefitted all that had received it4 ,his stay in the country though brief would be long enough to raise doubts in his mind on that point4 ,he does not speak hopefully of all the baptized4 ,if he had been able to stay with them and teach them directly in their own tongue1 this criticism would be much modified4 ,still the efforts of these missionaries would not be lost4 ,they tried to do ,god's work1 and no one can have a higher motive4 ,if there be anything in their methods that we now think inexpedient1 let us learn the proper lesson1 and let us remember the courage and zeal they manifested amidst their trials4 ,moreover1 he does speak of a school where natives were taught the ,portuguese language and received instruction in religion4 ,some of them1 8though blacks10 showed considerable genius4 ,the people1 he tells us1 did not trouble about laying up great stores of provisions2 they scarce cared in the morning whether they should have anything at night4 ,when they accompanied the ,father on any of his journeys1 sometimes he had nothing to give them because he had nothing for himself4 ,then they would take a piece of wood for a mattock and cut up the ground1 and eat certain little white balls they found near the roots of the grass4 ,he says1 8,i could not for the life of me swallow one of them1 yet after such a wretched meal they would skip1 dance1 and laugh as if they had been at a feast04 ,merolla 7#afhb7 is one of the earliest to give a detailed account of mission work in ,central ,africa4 ,he and his companions found themselves greatly opposed by wizards1 who were often seized and sent to the ,portuguese ,governor who condemned them to death4 ,as the native law itself possessed similar provisions1 the people supported the missionaries in this measure and assisted in bringing wizards to justice4 ,one of the laws introduced was that after a person was absolved by the missionary1 he was freed from the consequences of any civil crime4 8,if ,god has pardoned1 how can man pretend to find guilty80 ,they had established the ,confessional1 and many of them1 like ,luther1 would try to make it a means of correcting the faults and informing the minds of their people4 ,they also had their troubles with slavery4 ,a ,cardinal wrote them #8in the name of the sacred college complaining that the pernicious and abominable abuse of selling slaves was still continued among them1 and asked them to use their power to remedy the said abuse'4 ,they had little hope of checking the evil1 because there was no trade in the country except #8in slaves and ivory'2 but they met together and petitioned the authorities #8that heretics at least should be excluded from this merchandise more especially the ,english who made it their chief business to buy slaves here1' and whose slaves were in danger of having the good principles instilled into them perverted by contact with ,protestants6 ,the authorities granted their petition1 but opposed its operation4 ,this brought the missionaries into serious collision with their governors1 whom1 however1 they promptly excommunicated4 ,when the struggle was over1 the ,governors wished to be restored to the church1 and the penance prescribed for them is instructive1 as showing how the ,missionaries studied1 and tried to remodel1 the whole social life of their people4 #8,the penance ,i imposed upon the ,count was that he by his authority should oblige #cjj of those that lived in unlawful wedlock to marry4' ,the restored ,count did even more1 he #8brought over #djj to the holy state of matrimony'4 ,on the whole the ,missionaries seem to have introduced greater purity into those regions4 ,they could also do much to prevent wars and bloodshed4 ,they had great influence with native rulers4 ,occasionally kings and their subjects came expressing a desire to be received into the ,church in a body1 but1 alas1 their motives were not above suspicion--before submitting to baptism1 these converts insisted on making stipulations about #8trade and commerce'2 these stipulations the ,missionaries assented to and tried to fulfil4 ,on occasions of baptism1 it was usual to bring presents to the ,mission1 and nothing can better show the discouragements that surrounded these men than the fact that on such occasions they were often presented with poisoned food4 ,merolla mentions seven ,missionaries that were thus poisoned1 and he himself had a narrow escape4 ,they carried silver chalices1 censers1 c41 which were1 in some instances1 an inducement to take away their lives4 ,they set themselves vigorously to oppose all #8idolatry'--under which head they classed the native charms4 ,they were not without apprehension of the power of sorcerers4 ,merolla mentions that an old witch lay down on the ground beside him1 and began to scrape a hole in it4 #8,at the sight of this1' he says1 #8,i immediately ordered my interpreter to begone1 being more concerned for him than myself1 for as a priest that had always trusted in ,god1 ,i doubted not but to render her charms ineffectual as to myself4' ,but he does not seem to have been quite at ease1 and tried afterwards to avoid her4 ,he explains that when they dig a hole thus in the ground they have the intention of bewitching a person to death4 ,in estimating the native character1 he says1 #8,the ,negroes are both a malicious and a subtle people1 and ,i likewise must allow that they spend the most of their time in circumventing and deceiving1 yet ,i cannot allow that because they are a stubborn soil they must be left uncultivated'4 ,to say that they are always obstinate and perverse1 and man-eaters is not to be made an objection against them1 because our ,saviour says1 #8,those that are well do not stand in need of a physician'4 ,he contends that they really embrace ,christianity4 ,the above quoted ,missionaries1 it will be perceived1 all belonged to the ,church of ,rome1 which was earliest at work in this quarter of ,africa4 ,their experiences are valuable to this day1 as showing the nature of the difficulties to be met1 and suggesting also that ,missionaries should study more and more closely the ideal of ,mission ,life contained in the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,while admitting that these men spent much of their time in instructing their converts1 ,i still think that their work in the district of the ,zambeze would have been more permanent if they had set themselves to teach these natives to read and to form an intelligent judgment on the message that was brought them4 ,but printing presses were not easily procured in those days1 and the ,missionaries did #8what they could'4 ,before the time of ,livingstone1 the people of ,england knew little or nothing of ,central ,africa4 ,but the ,portuguese were fairly familiar with it4 ,they had explorers as well as missionaries4 ,foremost among their explorers was ,dr4 ,lacerda1 who set out from the neighbourhood of ,tete in ,july1 #agih1 and encountered quite his own share of the difficulties of ,african travel4 ,his carriers left him in scores1 and he was tortured by the fear that they would all desert 8in a body04 ,he had little confidence in the tribes that he was to pass through2 and his heart sank within him on finding that the natives with him hardly knew how to use their muskets4 ,after a march of about three months1 he died at ,kazembe's4 ,father ,pinto kept a diary of the return journey1 from which it appears that the party suffered much from sickness and enemies4 ,they had to fight their way through the ,awisa1 and even after they were out of ,awisa territory1 every little chief contrived either to rob them or make them give up their goods as #8presents'4 ,they were so dispirited that the least threat made them yield4 ,tete was so far civilised by this time1 that ,pinto had a repugnance to appear on daylight except in #8decent clerical attire'4 ,in #ahjf1 ,baptista performed the journey across ,africa between ,angola and ,tete1 and soon after1 a decree was issued from the ,palace of ,rio de ,janeiro ordering the formation of a company of pedestrians to be employed in the communication between the ,east coast and the ,west4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,universities' ,,mission4 ,one brilliant effort to introduce ,christianity into this region of ,africa was occasioned by the explorations of ,dr4 ,livingstone4 ,an excellent staff of clergy headed by ,bishop ,mackenzie was sent out by the ,english ,universities4 ,the party reached the scene of their work in ,july1 #ahfa4 ,they met with their first difficulties at ,mbami1 a short day's march from the ,shire4 ,a large caravan of #hd slaves brought from ,zomba came into this village1 and ,livingstone set the slaves free4 ,bishop ,mackenzie wrote on this occasion #8,livingstone is right to go with loaded guns and free the poor slaves2 and there being so few ,english here1 we are right1 though clergymen and preachers of the gospel1 to go with him'4 ,illustration3 ,,missionaries ,,buying ,,food ,,at ,,magomero4 7,see the ,story of the ,universities ,mission by the ,rev4 ,h4 ,rowley47 ,they soon chose ,magomero1 on a stream called the ,namasi1 as the site of their first ,mission station4 ,the rescued slaves felt that they were safe only with their deliverers1 and staid with them4 ,the ,wayao were now pressing into the country of the ,anyasa1 killing1 enslaving1 and spreading terror on all sides4 ,on ,july #bcrd1 ,dr4 ,livingstone1 the ,bishop1 and nearly all the party went toward their encampment4 ,dr4 ,livingstone told them he was come for peace1 but they did not believe him1 and a fight ensued4 ,the ,yao thought they were more than a match for the ,europeans and rushed forward1 but after receiving a few well directed rifle shots they changed their minds4 ,one ,anyasa man was slain on the ,english side1 and another wounded4 ,by the #adth of ,august they were fully committed to the policy of going against the ,yao4 ,the lesson this tribe had received already had not been sufficient1 and great bodies of them were pillaging the ,anyasa4 ,the latter had applied to the ,missionaries for aid1 which1 after three days' deliberation1 was promised them1 on certain conditions4 ,these conditions were3-- 8,i4 ,that all the chiefs then present should solemnly promise that they would never buy or sell men1 women1 and children again4 ,,ii4 ,that all captives found with the ,yao should be perfectly free2 that no chief or person should claim any one of them2 but that all should have liberty to go to whom they liked1 and where they liked4 ,,iii4 ,that all chiefs present promise that they will unite to punish any chief who sells his own people1 or the people of any other chief1 and that each chief will punish any of his own people found guilty of buying or selling men1 women1 or children for slaves4 ,,iv4 ,that if any ,portuguese or other foreign slavers came into the land they would drive them away1 or at once let us know of their presence40 ,the ,missionaries clearly saw what was needed1 but their theories were somewhat bold1 at least for a beginning4 ,probably if they had been as many weeks in the country as they had been days1 the idea of binding natives to promises of this nature would have struck them as a doubtful method4 ,as ,i read these conditions ,i think of the poor ,interpreter that had to translate them3 the ,english idioms employed are not such as would facilitate his task4 ,the conditions1 as we might infallibly anticipate1 were all received1 and the ,english undertook to help the ,anyasa against the ,yao4 ,as we might as infallibly anticipate from a slight knowledge of the natives1 those that appeared with guns on the eventful day had 8no powder10 and expected ,english ammunition4 ,august the #adth must have been felt to be the beginning of a new era4 ,all were up by four o'clock4 ,there were eight ,englishmen1 besides the great multitude of ,anyasa4 ,the party marched straight on ,zomba1 where a great body of ,yao lay4 ,a parley was tried but failed4 ,then the battle began1 and when the ,yao found that the ,english guns carried so far1 they were soon in retreat2 perhaps about five of them were killed4 ,but the ,yao tribe continued to give trouble4 ,by #agth of ,october another march was made against them4 ,though the ,anyasa guns took about an hour to load1 the expedition was able to start at six in the morning4 ,the majority of the mission staff were unwell1 and in no fit state for such troubles4 ,on the #ahth the ,mission force reached ,lake ,shirwa4 ,they found1 as the ,bishop remarks1 that they could rely on their ,anyasa allies 8only for cowardice and falsehood04 ,but the ,wayao1 instead of fighting1 ran away after two shots were fired1 and the party went on and burned their huts4 ,during all this time1 and in spite of difficulties and interruption1 the missionaries were labouring hard among the natives4 ,on the #dth of ,november the ,bishop writes1 8,we have plenty of room here for setting down six or eight missions04 ,on the #bnd of ,december another interruption occurred4 ,messrs4 ,proctor and ,scudamore1 two clergymen1 went to see whether the ,ruo could be made available for the transport of goods4 ,they were received and treated civilly by ,mwanasomba1 a chief near ,mlanje1 who offered them a hut to sleep in all night4 ,his plan was to burn this hut at midnight1 kill the missionaries1 and then take possession of their goods4 ,the treachery was fortunately discovered1 but it was with difficulty that the party made their escape4 ,on #cast ,december 8it was arranged that they should start very early1 so as to get to ,mwanasomba before people were awake04 8,they were not going in private revenge1 but to free the captives and punish the robber and would-be murderer in ,god's name4 ,they had the good word and the approval of the chiefs around40 ,when they were about half-an-hour from the village they met ,mwanasomba and his people who called out 8,stand still1 do not come on10 but when it was perceived that the party was well armed and contained many ,englishmen ,mwanasomba's people ran away4 ,the natives with the ,english tried to catch some of the opposite party for a consultation1 but failed4 ,the ,english party then pressed on to the village and set the huts on fire4 ,they recovered some of their goods1 and found a number of sheep1 goats1 and ducks1 which would be a great temptation to the natives that were with them4 ,as they were making their way through some reeds on their return1 they were fired on4 ,two of their natives were wounded2 one afterwards died4 ,the ,bishop says1 8,we had vindicated the ,english name1 and had shown in this neighbourhood that it is not safe to attack an ,englishman3 and ,i hope the lesson may not be thrown away on these people04 ,on the #cast of ,january1 #ahfb1 ,bishop ,mackenzie died4 ,he had been little more than half-a-year on the ,shire ,highlands1 but he had fully faced all the difficulties and trials of mission life there4 ,a month before his death he wrote1 8,i have much at times to depress me2 more than ever ,i had4 ,but ,i expected it1 and must not complain4 ,i should not mind discouragement among the heathen1 but it is among our ,cape ,town men40 ,his death was a great blow to the ,mission4 ,still the ,mission was strong in its band of clergy1 and they had one medical man2 but war and famine desolated the country1 they had the greatest difficulty and anxiety in getting food1 sickness was ever among them1 and death called many of them away4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,burrup1 a strong young man1 came into the country to die3 he was buried at ,magomero4 ,in a short time the ,station at ,magomero was abandoned4 ,a letter of ,dr4 ,james ,stewart1 now of ,lovedale1 written in #ahfb1 states that there was a stampede at the end4 8,the ,yao tribe had been ravaging the country round about1 and had come within a few miles of the ,station1 which was threatened4 ,then a precipitate retreat was made with nearly all their goods and chattels down to the ,river ,shire40 ,both ,dr4 ,livingstone and ,dr4 ,stewart thought the ,mission had lost all 8prestige04 ,i quote this merely to illustrate the atmosphere in which the ,missionaries lived4 ,everywhere was war1 and they may have felt to some extent unsettled4 ,but they had now been about a year in the country2 they had found plenty of work to do in trying to acquire the language1 c41 and in proportion as they were busy these scares would not so much affect them4 ,but no doubt the danger was great1 and as they were suffering from fever they would feel it all the more4 ,the ,anyasa were ever asking their aid1 but they #8determined to go and fight for them no more1' and as they did not consider ,magomero a healthy site they settled on the banks of the ,shire4 ,this was an advantage for communication1 but ,i fear they had by no means found a healthier spot4 ,the removal took place about ,may2 on #ast ,january1 #ahfc1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,scudamore died2 and in a short time ,mr4 ,dickinson1 the surgeon1 was in a grave beside him4 ,one of their greatest trials was want of food1 which rendered their position almost desperate4 ,the ,mission never returned to the ,shire ,highlands again1 although some members like the ,rev4 ,horace ,waller were much in favour of doing so1 and this course would have likely been pursued if the ,mission had continued in the country4 ,but just as all their troubles seem to have been overcome they withdrew4 ,most of the survivors were so reduced by sickness that it was necessary for them to return home if they would save their lives4 ,one of their great difficulties had been to get provisions4 ,large supplies were sent from ,england1 but scarcely anything reached them1 as their stores were plundered by the way4 ,many of the deaths might have been prevented by proper food4 ,it happened at the same time1 that there was a great famine in the country1 and it was difficult to get food for the poor people that came under their protection4 ,one sentence from ,mr4 ,rowley will describe this4 8,war and famine10 he says1 8had done their work1 and ninety per cent of the ,anyasa were dead2 save in our immediate neighbourhood1 the land was a desolation40 ,their troubles with the natives had involved them in misunderstanding with the ,church at home4 ,to quote again from ,mr4 ,rowley3--8,the news from home1 informed us of the condemnation of our policy against the ,yao1 by some of our friends at ,oxford4 ,this did not come to us officially1 for the committee simply expressed confidence in us individually and collectively4 ,i do not think any of us were surprised that our policy had been condemned1 seeing the men who condemned it1 did not understand the causes leading us to adopt it1 and the motives actuating us4 ,we were not angry2 but we were thankful that the ,bishop and ,scudamore were removed from the pain1 which the manner of some in condemning1 would have given them40 ,in #ahfc1 ,livingstone refers to the famine and death caused by the slave trade1 and writes1 8,i have been visiting ,bishop ,mackenzie's grave4 ,at first1 ,i thought him wrong in fighting1 but do not think so now40 ,bishop ,mackenzie's successor considered the country too unsettled for continuing the ,mission4 ,for about twelve years1 nothing further was attempted for this unhappy land4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,scotch ,,missions4 ,in the days of the ,magomero ,mission the ,free ,church of ,scotland had thought of ,africa1 and had sent out ,dr4 ,stewart to see the country4 ,but at that time matters were very discouraging3 the difficulties of ,mission work had been clearly demonstrated1 besides it would have been an invidious thing for another ,church to send its missionaries into the very spot then abandoned by the ,church of ,england4 ,still1 many ,christians would think of these heathen1 and when ,livingstone's death seemed to call his countrymen to their duty1 the ,church of ,scotland and the ,free ,church awoke to a feeling of their obligation to send the ,gospel to ,africa4 ,the first to move in the matter was the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,mac,rae of ,hawick1 who began to collect funds for a ,central ,african ,mission in connection with the ,church of ,scotland1 and asked ,mr4 ,young1 ,r4,n41 to lead the expedition4 ,in a short time the ,free ,church also entered heartily into the idea of sending a ,mission to ,central ,africa1 and appealing to certain liberal and wealthy members1 soon secured the necessary funds1 and applied also to ,mr4 ,young4 ,the naval officer made the sensible suggestion that a sort of ,scotch ,national ,mission should be tried1 but this idea was not entertained4 ,dr4 ,mac,rae had not yet collected the necessary funds1 and when the ,free ,church party started1 all he could do was to send out one agent along with it4 ,in ,april1 #ahge1 ,mr4 ,henderson1 the pioneer engaged by the ,church of ,scotland to go to ,lake ,nyassa1 was introduced to the ,foreign ,committee by ,dr4 ,mac,rae1 who then addressed him in these words3--8,you will be placed in circumstances in which you will feel that you are an exile from home1 and separate from your brethren4 ,in the path of duty in that far land you will encounter difficulties1 privations1 and hazards1 which it will require no ordinary courage and patience to sustain and conquer2 and you will be brought into contact with scenes most revolting to the sentiments of enlightened nature40 ,on arriving in ,africa the ,free ,church missionaries pressed on to ,lake ,nyassa1 and settled at a station which they called ,livingstonia4 ,mr4 ,henderson started from this ,lake and passed down by ,zomba till he reached ,ndilande1 near which he chose a station1 which was named ,blantyre1 after ,livingstone's birthplace4 ,other agents for the ,blantyre settlement were selected in the course of the following year1 when the ,directors appointed a medical missionary1 ,dr4 ,macklin1 and five artisans4 ,among the latter ,mr4 ,john ,buchanan was enrolled as gardener4 ,the purpose before the mind of the ,church is well explained in its ,missionary ,record as follows3-- 8,the ,mission is industrial and evangelical1 designed to be a nucleus of advancing centres of ,christian life and civilisation to the ,nyassa and surrounding region4 ,it is the first mission of the ,church of ,scotland to the continent of ,africa1 her first contribution of ,christian love to the people who have been for ages the miserable victims of blood and violence4 ,it is the first step which she has taken to make some reparation to the ,african people for the unnumbered wrongs which our forerunners perpetrated upon them40 8,it was observed with surprise and regret that there were no ordained ministers among the party1 but the ,directors hoped in the course of a year to send out at least one clergyman and two or three more artisans and teachers40 ,on #afth ,may1 #ahgf1 at a meeting held in ,edinburgh1 this party were commended to the care of the ,almighty4 ,on #afth ,june1 they reached ,capetown1 and about a week later1 they found themselves at the ultimate limits of civilisation2 and after they had travelled as far as they could by the ordinary mail steamers1 they chartered a ,swedish vessel called the ,ansgarius4 ,on #ith ,august1 they reached ,quilimane4 ,mr4 ,henderson1 who had gone to wait for them at the mouth of the ,zambeze1 now received a message requesting him to meet them at ,mazaro1 which the party reached in the beginning of ,september4 ,starting from ,mazaro on #afth ,september1 they arrived at ,makukani's on #gth ,october1 after a long journey1 during which they were never all free from fever4 ,it was #bcrd ,october before they reached the spot chosen for the ,mission4 ,at ,blantyre there was a native village1 but as its chief had been recently killed by ,makukani1 all the houses were deserted 7#da74 ,by the time they reached their destination some had suffered severely1 and were unable to walk4 ,in those days a large part of each man's time was spent in bed4 ,in this condition they were cut off from all communication with their friends4 ,no letters could be sent home4 ,one of their first opportunities for writing was in ,april1 #ahgg1 when ,mr4 ,henderson left the ,mission4 ,it was a long time before the party regained health2 but about the middle of #ahgg1 we find letters reporting considerable progress4 ,one of these says3--8,mr4 ,stewart has succeeded in making out a good line for a water course4 ,this will bring the water into the station1 and serve for irrigation as well4 ,a large stream is not necessary just now1 but ,mr4 ,stewart says twenty cubic feet per minute1 or even thirty1 can be got4 ,this work1 however1 will not be begun till the houses are finished40 ,mr4 ,stewart was a civil engineer who1 instead of spending his ,indian furlough in rest1 went and engaged in mission work in ,africa4 ,mr4 ,buchanan1 writing in ,august1 #ahgg1 says3--8,within the last two months ,blantyre has got a very different appearance from what it formerly had4 ,our station is laid out in the form of a square--#ajj yards long and #ee yards broad4 ,a road #aa feet wide goes down both sides1 and across both ends4 ,in the centre is a circle of #cb feet diameter4 ,a road #ab feet wide goes down the centre4 ,from the centre1 at the east end1 two roads take their start4 ,one #djj yards long1 and #c yards broad1 runs in a south-easterly direction to the stream where we get our water4 ,another #ajjj yards long1 and #d yards broad1 leads to the north-east in the direction of ,malunga's village2 the direction also to ,pimb4 ,another road1 #gjj yards long1 and #d yards wide1 leaves the centre at the west end1 and leads in the direction of ,makukani's and the ,shir4 ,a fourth road from the south side goes to the rice ground4 #fj yards from the starting-point of the first two roads is one crossing from the one to the other1 and forming the base of a triangle4 ,in the centre of this triangle is a mound #bj feet in diameter1 in which at the proper season ,i shall plant a few of the ,eucalyptus globulus4 ,this angle is all ,i intend for a flower-garden1 along with some small spots besides these4 ,should flowers do well this first season1 it can be easily extended in the following4 ,on both sides of the square houses are being built4 ,plans for eight are laid out1 three are already built4 ,they are after what is called the ,indian bungalow style2 their dimensions are #cj feet by #bj1 with a veranda of #e feet all round4 ,from the level of the floor to the wall-plate is #aj feet1 the perpendicular of the couples #g feet #f inches4 ,the frame is put up of posts from #d inches diameter1 #de inches apart2 bamboo is tied on horizontally #h inches apart2 sides1 end1 and roof are thatched with grass4 ,the walls are plastered outside and inside with mud1 and finished with a whitewashing of lime4 ,this is got by burning shells1 which the natives gather and bring for sale40 ,relations between the ,two ,missions4--,although the ,church of ,scotland and the ,free ,church have differences at home1 the missionaries sent to ,africa felt it to be their interest1 as well as their duty1 to overlook such quarrels4 ,the ,missions needed each other's assistance in various ways1 and such assistance was freely given4 ,those upon the spot saw that the labours of both ,missions were in the same cause4 ,it takes a long time to lay the simple ,gospel message before the natives in their own tongue4 ,if a minister were to begin by preaching to these poor negroes about theories that separate good ,christians at home1 he would be a miserable trifler4 ,we believe that one missionary got a hint from ,scotland about 8distinctive principles10 but he replied that he could not find a native word to express these differences1 and that he did not care to invent one4 ,the ,missions joined together in the transport of provisions and the making of roads4 ,on many occasions the absence of one settlement would have been a terrible calamity to the other4 ,the missionaries were dependent on supplies received from home4 ,after they ordered anything1 a whole year would elapse before they received it1 and occasionally a steamer would sink with their goods4 ,but for mutual help1 the missionaries would have been often reduced to extremities4 ,the ,church of ,scotland had the healthier station1 and the ,free ,church men often went there to recruit4 ,at ,blantyre it was possible to do a great deal of work1 both mental and physical1 without suffering2 but at ,livingstonia1 ,europeans had to be exceedingly careful4 ,fever was ever lurking1 ready to make them a prey4 ,they had to be on the shores of the ,lake for easy communication1 but though they there enjoyed a beautiful view of the ,nyassa1 they missed the bracing influence of the mountainous regions4 ,threatened ,war4--,on ,july #afth1 #ahgg1 there were alarming rumours of an incursion of the ,mangoni 7,maviti74 ,it was stated that they had crossed the ,chiri2 and the natives from all parts were fleeing to the hills in great terror4 ,this country had been the scene of a constant succession of wars4 ,in the time of the ,magomero ,mission1 the ,yao drove the ,anyasa out of the ,blantyre region4 ,after this the ,anyasa1 under the ,magololo1 were continually making small attacks on the ,yao1 while the latter were constantly retaliating4 ,then the ,mangoni appeared on the scene1 and attacked both the ,yao and the ,anyasa4 ,they killed all that made any resistance1 and captured such as could not escape4 ,the ,yao ascended their mountains1 the ,anyasa fled to islands in the ,chiri1 while all their food and property fell into the hands of the ,mangoni4 ,the ,yao suffered most4 ,many of them were surprised and killed1 and those that escaped could only look down with sad hearts from the tops of mountains upon the invaders1 who had possession of their wives and children1 and feasted upon their crops4 ,it was 8,the good old rule1 the simple plan1 ,that he should take who has the power1 ,that he should keep who can40 ,although the ,yao had but lately profited by the maxim1 it was none the less bitter when applied to themselves4 ,when the ,mangoni had consumed all the crops they withdrew4 ,the ,yao then came down from their fastnesses and sowed another crop1 but as soon as it became valuable1 the ,mangoni appeared again4 ,others might sow1 but they would reap4 ,this process was carried on year after year4 ,some of the ,mangoni settled for a short time on the ,blantyre side of the ,chiri4 ,yao chiefs were quite dispirited4 ,but while matters were at the darkest1 the missionaries appeared on the scene4 ,a ,yao headman said to me1 8,the ,english are very clever4 ,we could not tell them that we were all dying--that the ,mangoni were killing us1 but they knew themselves and came to help us40 ,on ,july #bcrd1 the missionaries held a meeting with ,kapeni and ,malunga1 regarding the defence of the district1 and the day after they began to load cartridges with slugs1 and to make bricks for a mud fort4 ,in all quarters of the country the natives seemed terribly alarmed4 ,from distant ,zomba there came an embassy to tell the ,mission of the death of the former king or chief4 ,from ,kumpama and ,mkanda messages also came1 and it was clear that every native chief was eager to secure the friendship of the ,mission at that crisis4 ,it was an anxious time for the ,europeans themselves4 ,they thought it necessary to institute target practice4 ,the ,mangoni being a branch of the ,zulus1 were no contemptible foe4 ,the danger happily passed away1 the ,mangoni returned without attacking a single village2 the occurrence was attributed to the presence of the white men1 and all the natives looked upon the ,europeans as their protectors4 ,from the time that the missionaries made their appearance1 until now1 the ,mangoni have not come at their wonted season4 8,they were afraid to interfere with the friends of the white men40 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,contact ,,with ,,slavery4 ,by and by not only oppressed tribes but oppressed individuals looked to the ,missions for succour4 ,in the interior the ,english name had long been associated with opposition to slavery4 ,the natives regarded ,livingstone and the members of the ,universities' ,mission as the special friends of the slave4 ,such of them as had visited the coast had picked up information about ,english ships of war which were the terror of the slave-drivers4 ,the ,free ,church4--,as early as ,february1 #ahgg1 we find ,dr4 ,stewart saying3 8,livingstonia seems to have taken a start and begun to grow in one of the directions we specially wish it to grow--as an anti-slavery centre04 ,when the ,mission party arrived1 there were hardly any natives settled at ,livingstonia4 ,soon many came seeking protection1 and were received by the missionaries4 ,it was proclaimed that any one that ran away to escape being sold would be received4 ,the great slaving chiefs1 as might be expected1 would be against the ,mission in this policy1 but they took no hostile steps4 ,it was seldom that owners inquired after refugees1 and when they did they had to go away very crestfallen4 ,they were told that refugees proved guilty of any crime would be given up1 but that innocent men and women crying for ,english protection should not cry in vain4 ,dr4 ,stewart had the ,fugitive ,slave ,circular before his mind1 and recognised that many complications might arise1 and yet he expressed his conviction that the missionaries could not do otherwise than they were doing4 ,church of ,scotland4--,in the same manner the ,directors of the ,blantyre ,mission proclaimed in their ,reports3 8,no ,arab gangs will come near an ,englishman1 if they can help it4 ,with them the ,english name is synonymous with destroyer of slavery4 ,when ,livingstone was at ,nyassa1 they fled from his neighbourhood and took to distant and circuitous paths to avoid meeting him4 ,this guilt and terror on their part is contrasted with the confidence and reverence inspired by ,englishmen in the breasts of the natives4 ,we are assured that a ,mission once established1 they will settle around it1 receive our instructions and our help1 place themselves under our authority1 and rise by order and ,christian observance into the state of civilised communities4 ,what is done on the coast1 and at a vast expense 7yet most righteously71 by vessels of war1 will be done here by ,christian missions--with this difference1 that in delivering the orphan1 the outcast1 and the captive1 they will introduce them to a home life of security and freedom1 will take them out of the low prison1 and show them #8the glorious liberty of the children of ,god'40 ,an extract from a letter of ,dr4 ,macklin's1 of #gth ,dec41 #ahgg1 which was published in ,march1 #ahgh1 in the ,missionary ,record1 will show that neither the ,blantyre missionaries nor the ,directors at home hesitated to espouse the cause of the slave3--8,some time ago there were two boys here supposed to be brothers3 after they had been here some months their father came and took them home because they got no calico4 ,well1 not a long time afterwards1 one of them came back and told us he had run away1 and wanted to stay with us2 said he was not the man's son1 but a slave1 and had been bought some years ago4 ,he asked our protection1 and ,i said1 #8,you shall now stay with us1 and no man can touch you'4 ,two days afterwards his father1 as he called himself1 came for him4 ,i brought ,evangeli out and confronted him with the man1 and asked him the same questions which ,i had previously1 and he gave the same answers4 ,i then said to the man1 #8,he is not your son1 but a slave1 and he has my protection1 and is now free'4 ,all this took place in public before a great many ,yao men4 ,the man said he did not wish to be an enemy1 but that the boy was his4 ,i told him we gave him his freedom and ,english protection40 ,a ,free ,native ,village4--,mr4 ,stewart1 writing from ,blantyre in ,november1 #ahgg1 says3--8,i must mention another very interesting and promising circumstance4 ,we have a native village growing up near us4 ,the first-comers were three or four families from the neighbourhood of the ,cataracts1 who1 on account of the insecurity of their village from ,mangoni raids1 but without having been actually hunted from their homes1 came here1 and spontaneously put themselves under our protection4 ,land has been given them1 and a site for their houses4 ,they are required to build substantial square houses2 the size adopted is #bj feet by #ad feet4 ,four such are now being erected by their unassisted labours4 ,they have been joined by one or two families from this district4 ,the men are well built and athletic1 with open1 smiling countenances4 ,they and the women frequently attend our meetings4 ,they are1 ,i think1 a good beginning of our future tenantry40 ,of the school he says3--8,it fluctuates in numbers1 and has not grown as fast as might be wished4 ,parents cannot be induced to leave their boys here for long at one time4 ,the boys are docile1 and willing to attend2 the difficulty is with the parents40 ,soon the children of these refugees became the main hope of the school3 while their parents attended the religious meetings and formed a congregation4 ,the state of progress by ,march1 #ahgh1 is summed up in these words1 where special emphasis is given to the position on slavery3--8,our ,mission at ,blantyre continues to prosper in its various operations2 the natives are friendly1 and are impressed with a sense of its value2 the school is well attended2 the area of cultivation has much increased1 and ,blantyre has become an asylum for the slave40 ,in ,dr4 ,macklin's letter we find the following3--8,we have three more slave refugees here at present1 two women 7one has a child7 and a boy4 ,the first one came nearly two months ago1 having run away from her master because he abused her2 no inquiries were made after her by any one4 ,the second one--the boy--came about three weeks ago1 he having run away on his being taken to join a gang of slaves from the ,cherasulo district4 ,a man came after him next day and said he was his son2 but this was an evident falsehood1 for the boy was not ,yao at all4 ,i dismissed farther hearing of the case for four days1 until ,mr4 ,stewart should return with the interpreter4 ,but it seems after the boy had left the house the man had attempted to seize him1 but the boy eluded him and ran back to the house1 and the man after him2 but my servant ,ropa prevented him from getting hold of the boy4 ,i ordered the man off the place1 but he would not go1 and continued to talk to me2 at this ,i ordered ,ropa to catch hold of him1 but the man resisted2 whereupon both ,mapas and myself rushed at the man and disarmed him and sent him from the place4 ,i need hardly say he did not return again4 ,the third--the woman with the child--came three days afterwards1 having escaped from the large gang4 ,we learned that the gang was going to ,nyungwi on the ,zambeze4 ,accordingly1 we determined to try and stop them2 and so we sent a present of two blankets to the ,magololo chief1 ,chiputula1 asking him not to allow them to cross the ,shir1 by refusing them canoes1 but on no account to fight with them4 ,it is a fortnight nearly since the woman came1 and no one has come after her4 ,you thus see that1 in a measure1 we are succouring the oppressed and setting the captive free4 ,would that we could as easily set them free from the bondage of sin and the darkness of ignorance60 ,all the white men in the country disliked the system of slavery1 and struggled against it4 ,in this they were applauded by the ,directors at home4 ,they had no clergyman regularly at the station1 and1 although evangelistic work was not neglected1 the secular side of the ,mission was by far the more prominent4 ,the ,church of ,scotland did not expect so much at first from the religious side of the ,mission1 as from the ,industrial4 ,it was felt1 as in the days of ,gregory the ,great1 that ,mission work would move by 8steps and not by leaps04 ,the cultivation of the soil was eagerly looked to1 as a means of rendering the ,mission self-supporting1 and the missionaries were urged to acquire land4 ,by ,may1 #ahgh1 we find ,dr4 ,macklin writing--8,there are evidences or indications that we are beginning to influence the natives for good1 by our conduct towards them and by our example4 ,we have now got five women and one boy1 escaped from slavery1 under our protection4 ,concerning the acquisition of land as our own1 ,i may here state that ,i have succeeded in getting from the chief a large grant1 of which much of the land is excellent4 ,in consideration of this grant we must make some annual present to the chief40 ,besides espousing the cause of weakest1 the ,mission also commended itself by acts of kindness4 ,dr4 ,macklin writes with reference to a famine--8,during the height of the distress ,i sent some hundredweights of grain from our own store to ,katunga1 one of the ,magololo chiefs1 who is a great friend of ours1 and has supplied us with most of the sugar-cane we have40 ,we conclude this chapter by extracts from a letter of ,dr4 ,macklin's1 written in the end of ,march1 #ahgh1 which throws much light on the various aspects of the work4 8,the ,mission in its civil and social aspects is making reasonable and satisfactory progress4 ,as an asylum for the poor1 persecuted slave1 ,blantyre is becoming known and prized4 ,we have now six fellow-creatures rescued from the lash of the slave driver1 and miseries worse than death4 ,and this in turn1 prepares them for giving a ready reception to the free offers of the greater emancipation1 salvation by grace through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,my present circumstances give a new emphasis to the old law of the city of refuge4 ,just think of the poor1 fainting woman bearing her child1 fleeing for her life1 but sustained by the hope that if only she can reach the ,british flag1 which already she sees fluttering in the evening breeze1 her child shall live and herself be free4 8,i think ,i told you in my last1 that we were annoyed with some pilfering1 but had not been able to bring the petty thefts home to any one4 ,recently1 however1 we have found that the thieves do not belong to our ,africans1 but to another tribe1 namely1 to ,makukani's people4 ,had we the benefits of a good ,glasgow reporter1 your attention might be arrested by some such heading as1 #8,daring1 ,exciting ,chase1 and ,clever ,capture'4 ,the story is as follows3--,on the morning of the #acth ,february last1 about four o'clock1 both ,mapas and ,william ,koyi were awakened by attempts being made to pull the blankets off them4 ,mapas recognising at once the position of affairs1 waited for the arm being put in again at the window--nor had he long to wait2 but in the darkness he failed to secure the arm1 and only alarmed the thieves1 who made off with the booty already secured1 and well packed in two large bundles4 ,mapas instantly roused the others in that house--there are now eight houses--and gave chase4 ,koyi who waited to put on some clothes1 saw another man coming from the line of the stores1 where our white men1 ,walker and ,fenwick1 sleep4 ,the thieves1 observing that some one was approaching1 threw down the bundles and ran4 ,koyi1 being armed1 threatened to fire on them if they did not stop1 but on hearing this the thieves plunged into the bush and were lost to sight4 ,william ,koyi1 being a man who can endure a great deal of comfort1 now gave up the pursuit2 but brave ,mapas and ,kumlomba1 the headman of the village1 who had been roused by the noise1 knowing the thieves would try to strike the road at another point1 pushed on to anticipate them1 and were just in time to meet them face to face4 ,on being challenged they again plunged into the bush1 whereupon ,mapas fired4 ,the report of the gun brought us all to that point1 and ,i1 having posted sentinels at several points1 led a small party into the bush for the purpose of scouring it thoroughly1 but we came upon no man4 ,in the meantime1 ,mapas had come upon the trail of one man1 and had pursued him for a space of eight miles1 and that1 too1 in his shirt and bare feet1 through tall1 wet grass and stumps4 ,it was1 indeed an exciting chase1 the thief ran for dear life1 ,mapas for the glory of victory1 and the good of our ,colony4 ,you will say he deserved to win1 and he did win1 and bring back the thief a prisoner4 ,we are ,britons1 and we are fond of ,british pluck1 but in what is this man's blood and spirit inferior to our own8 ,and surely there is good hope of the race which can furnish such men4 ,the thief1 when brought back1 was called into #8,court1' got a trial1 in which1 according to the phraseology of ,scotch forms1 he emitted1 admitted former thefts1 and implicated his chief in a charge of reset and participation4 ,this1 in all probability was a false charge1 and made in order to throw the shield of his chief's protection over himself4 ,i hope this part of his story is not true4 ,in the afternoon1 however1 he was sentenced to get nine dozen lashes1 and before all the people he got five dozen that day1 and was then led to the stocks4 ,three days after1 he received the remaining four dozen1 but the flogging was nothing like the flogging which used to be for ,british sailors and soldiers4 ,some skin only came off on the second day4 ,we kept him in all about a month1 and then the people being all assembled1 we made proclamation that1 if after two days the prisoner should be found on the ,yao territory1 or on this side the ,kabula river1 the people were at liberty to kill him4 ,of course1 this proclamation was made by the ,yao headman4 ,after this proclamation was made1 the prisoner was escorted out of the ,yao country by armed men4 ,the other thief was never seen1 and did not return home2 neither1 indeed1 need our prisoner go back1 for his people would kill him--probably on the old ,spartan principle1 not because he stole1 but because he was so inexpert as to allow himself to be caught4 ,the chief denies all knowledge of the thefts1 and declared that we ought to have shot the man4 ,mr4 ,stewart spoke to him on the subject1 and that is his statement2 but it is not right to shoot the poor creatures2 and if they would let us1 we could show them a more excellent way2 and ,i hope the day is not far1 at all events1 very far distant1 when the law of the eighth commandment will reach further in ,africa than the commands of any chief4 8,the people among whom we live were delighted at the capture of the thief1 and they came up to me and said proudly1 #8,now1 you see it is not ,yao people who steal your things2 we are friends1 it is the ,anyasa who steal4 ,they are thieves4' ,this affair has undoubtedly been of use in clearing away those clouds of suspicion which had settled down1 impairing our confidence and making all our intercourse less happy and enjoyable4 ,horses1 ,i think1 would give a great impulse to civilisation in this part of ,africa1 and1 of course1 would more than double man's ability in every question of time and space4 ,will anybody bestow even one horse on the ,mission1 and make a fair trial of the horse in ,eastern ,africa8 ,the cows we got are doing well4 ,senhor ,nunes1 of ,quilimane1 says a good horse could be brought from ,port ,elizabeth for #ej or #fj--that includes all charges of conveyances4 ,do not some of your merchant princes spend that sum on a single party8 8,i had almost omitted to state that the brave ,mapas belongs to the ,livingstonia ,mission and ,dr4 ,laws1 and that we made him a present of #aj in all4 ,what ,i may call the subscription sheet bore the following heading3--#8,testimonial to ,mr4 ,mapas ,ntintili1 as a mark of personal respect and recognition of his perseverance and bravery on the morning of ,february #acth1 #ahgh4' ,his feet were so cut and torn with the long race1 rough ground1 and tree stumps concealed among the tall grass1 that he was lame for several days4 ,hitherto we have had to carry our goods from the river to this place1 but we expect the time will soon come when we will have a bullock waggon #8trecking' our goods from the rivers4 ,convey my thanks to the kind friends who1 through ,mr4 ,mackeith1 have sent some things very valuable for working the ,mission and attracting the natives2 and assure them that ,dr4 ,laws1 of the ,livingstonia ,mission1 shall have the free use of everything alternately with myself4 ,just now1 he is here writing beside me1 and the co-operation of the two ,missions1 as only different branches of one1 is very pleasant1 and ,i think very useful4 ,christianity ought to be presented as one thing--not many--as our ,lord's outer garment without seam1 woven from the top throughout1 all one piece4 ,our water course is now completed1 and we have water flowing throughout our station1 and channels are cut in several directions1 enabling us to run water to our wheat1 corn1 rice1 and maize fields1 and to our terraces where our garden produce is raised4 ,this supply of water is an unspeakable advantage4 ,our ,cape gooseberries have done well1 we have now an abundant supply of them1 and also of ,french beans1 lettuce1 beetroot1 tomatoes4 8,of all these and others we expect to have a supply all the year round1 now that we can water the beds4 ,let me add one thing more4 ,we have got upwards of fifty orange1 lemon1 and lime trees--young1 of course1 but all doing well1 so that in three years we may be eating our own oranges4 ,as for bananas1 we have three or four hundred of them1 many of which are already bearing fruit40 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,pioneer ,,work ,,and ,,civil ,,jurisdiction4 ,pioneer work is slow1 and many people grumble at this4 ,some imagine that pioneers are immediately to enter into houses built of stone and lime1 having grapes hanging in clusters from the walls1 and surrounded by lovely bowers amidst orange groves4 ,these houses1 they further expect1 will be accessible by the easiest roads1 while at every stage there will be an inn erected for the refreshment of travellers4 ,if the pioneer do not find all these things ready-made1 he would need a magic wand to call them into existence in the short time that such people allow him for the accomplishment of his work4 ,in reality1 the first settler is beset with difficulties at every step4 ,place a ,european in the centre of a tropical forest extending twenty miles each way1 where no road has ever been made1 tell him that within two years he must there erect a model station1 and though he have several artisans to help him1 his first idea will be that it would take the whole of that time to clear away the timber3 at all events he will feel that his fruit harvest will not fill his bosom very soon4 ,this is no fanciful supposition1 for the pioneer may be placed in a much larger forest1 and he soon realises that work at home and work in his new circumstances are quite different4 ,after erecting some miserable shed for himself1 he may wish to begin his task by making--say a wheel-barrow4 ,this duty he assigns to the joiner1 who sets to work1 and for days upon days is occupied with that wheel-barrow4 ,the superior thinks that he is trifling and begins to grumble4 8,why1 ,i have known a carpenter at home make a barrow in a third of the time4 ,what can you be about80 8,true1 sir1 but the carpenter at home gets all the wood properly cut up for him and well seasoned1 and for wheels he has nothing to do1 but----40 8,still1 if you reckon your time1 that barrow has cost more than #bj already40 8,yes1 sir1 but ,i had to go and cut down the trees and convey them up here4 ,then ,i had to saw them up and begin to cut out--0 ,as the practical man proceeds thus to enumerate the stages of his work1 his missionary friend begins to fear that the victory over the forest will not be gained even so soon as he at first expected4 ,perhaps the saddest part of the experiment is to come4 ,after the 8barrow0 is made it is of no use6 ,many early experiments end in this way4 ,the learned critic at home exclaims1 8,why should the blockhead want a barrow8 ,if ,i were there1 ,i would use the cattle and horses of the natives for beasts of burden60 ,but the critic has a great advantage over the hapless pioneer--it is so much easier to create cattle and horses in the imagination than in the ,african jungle4 ,religious ,work4--,difficult as it is to be a ,pioneer of ,civilisation1 it is still more so to be a ,pioneer of ,religion4 ,christians in ,central ,africa find it easier to make the forest a farm than to make the savage a ,christian4 ,these ,europeans were confronted with the delicate and difficult problem of evangelising1 and they most realised their powerlessness when ,sunday came round4 ,as the natives pressed about them on the day of rest1 they felt in their hearts 8we must do something04 ,but what could they do8 ,absolutely nothing4 ,they had no interpreters4 ,unable to speak to the natives1 they might try to show good feeling by looks and gestures1 but after all1 these appeared to the savage as nothing better than ridiculous grimaces4 ,but they happened to have a musical box1 and on a ,sabbath afternoon1 they judged it better to turn this on than to do nothing6 ,the ,livingstonia ,mission fortunately possessed interpreters1 one of whom was ultimately lent to ,blantyre4 ,still unless interpreters are educated1 and understand something of ,christianity1 they cannot be relied on4 ,they may assist a missionary in learning the language1 but they will not do for preaching4 ,on one occasion a ,european missionary of much experience was delivering an able1 and as he thought1 a solemn address to these natives through an interpreter1 when all at once the whole audience burst into a fit of laughter4 ,everyone appreciated the joke intensely except the speaker himself4 ,now an accident like this may happen even where the interpreter is rendering most literally4 ,indeed if a clergyman were suddenly introduced into the heart of these tribes1 able himself to speak their words1 he would find that many vocables he used1 have very different associations in their tongue from what they have in his own4 ,in order to benefit the natives one must be able not merely to speak their words1 but to understand their mode of thought4 ,civil ,jurisdiction4--,it would clearly be no light task for men to perform all these duties1 even where left to work without interruption1 and under a settled government4 ,but the missionaries discovered that life and property were not so secure as in ,britain1 for soon they suffered much from thieves4 ,they had good cause to be watchful1 as if their clothes were all carried off1 they had no chance of getting more for a whole year4 ,in that remote land there were no clothiers and tailors1 and through a successful theft1 or a fire1 a man might be reduced to the primitive fig leaves4 ,a ,european superintending road-making at a distance from his colleagues1 awoke one night to find that his wardrobe was--nothing to boast of6 ,the missionaries were bound to face the problems of dealing with thieves1 and the method adopted has been described at the end of last chapter1 in a letter which was published in full in the ,scotch newspapers1 and of which extracts were made in the ,missionary ,record of the ,church of ,scotland4 ,on that occasion no one criticised the ,mission or its ,directors2 but at a later period the method was entirely condemned4 ,for myself1 ,i was very much astonished the first time ,i was told that the ,directors had sanctioned the practice4 ,i thought it objectionable1 not because ,i fancied that there was the least suspicion of cruelty or danger1 but because ,i did not like to see it connected in the remotest way with ,mission work4 ,still those that know the state of the country will not wonder that the ,directors had assumed civil jurisdiction1 sanctioned flogging1 and asked certain agents to act as magistrates4 ,in a letter which was sent out long after1 for the special guidance of the missionaries1 we found the words1 8,i do not see how you can possibly do without corporal punishment1#a and ,i strongly advise it04 ,a person on the spot would see that the criminal thus got more lenient treatment than he would have received at the hand of his fellows4 ,by the native law of the district1 a thief puts himself beyond the pale of human rights1 and becomes liable to be treated as a leopard4 ,no sooner was that offender 7page #cd7 taken than certain of the native workmen at ,blantyre said1 8,give him to us and we will kill him04 ,but the punishment of death for theft1 though inflicted by ,african law1 could never be countenanced by ,english missionaries4 ,still it may be said1 might they not have thought of merely confining the criminal8 ,they did think of this1 and sometimes wondered how they could make the imprisonment proportionate to the offence4 ,these were thefts1 often of valuable property as compared with the native rate of wages1 and if the thief were kept till he wrought even for half the value1 he would not be liberated for years6 ,though this looks an absurd difficulty1 yet it was discussed by some of these pioneers in a grave manner4 ,only they seem to have felt that imprisonment was hardly a punishment at all to the native4 ,he has no fine susceptibilities1 and if he had to do no work1 to be housed and cared for by ,europeans1 would be the acme of enjoyment to him4 ,in any case the real punishment of an imprisonment would fall upon the ,european jailor that attended the prisoner4 ,in adopting the plan of flogging1 ,i have no doubt all parties were fully persuaded that the criminal thus received a milder chastisement than he would have had from his own countrymen4 ,but strictly speaking the ,mission 7although this did not appear at the outset7 was wrong in assuming that it had a right to inflict any punishment at all4 ,the ,agents that were instructed to act as ,magistrates1 had the general sanction of the ,african ,law and the special consent of the ,native ,chiefs1 but while they remained ,british subjects they were breaking ,acts of ,parliament which forbade the civil jurisdiction that had been assumed4 ,this plan1 however1 went on without any incident for about a year1 when it terminated#b as follows3--,a native carrier made away with a box containing about #gj lbs4 of tea1 and was subjected to the usual punishment4 ,but in this case the culprit seems to have been given over to the tender mercies of some natives4 ,now this might have been quite justifiable as an experiment in carrying out native law1 but it was a doubtful method on the whole1 as it is too common for natives to flog a person to death for the most trivial offence4 ,it happened in this case1 that the poor fellow died4 ,the medical man testified that the flogging did not seem to have been sufficient cause of the death1 nor was it suspected at the time that the unfortunate thief had been beaten with undue severity4 ,but precognitions1 taken long after1 went to show that the punishment inflicted was much too severe4 ,this supposed evidence1 however1 was not carefully sifted1 and it came from men who were allowed to have an animus against an artisan who was afterwards found to be entirely innocent4 ,still the case gave a lesson to all and sundry regarding the danger of this method of punishment1 and though it was not connected with the ,mission it ultimately shewed the danger of mixing up ,mission work with civil affairs4 ,such a position as the ,church had taken might be necessary in a lawless land1 but the promoters of a colony ought to have considered exactly how it was to be carried on4 ,were they to ask an ,ordained ,minister to act as a ,civil ,governor8 ,such a one if he had the spirit of a ,missionary at all1 would find more congenial work1 and would reply1 8,i cannot come down3 why should the work cease1 whilst ,i leave it and come down to you80 ,at the same time1 if there did arise any suspicion that criminals were treated with too great severity1 it became the duty of everyone to endeavour to discourage such an administration of justice1 even though he could put nothing in its place4 ,efforts made to find a ,clergyman4--,hitherto1 the ,missionaries at ,blantyre had been laymen1 but the ,directors tried earnestly to get a clergyman to join the ,mission4 ,in the report of #ahgg1 they say3-- 8,it is with pain and regret that the ,committee have to report that1 notwithstanding many and sustained efforts1 they have not succeeded in obtaining an ordained minister to the ,mission4 ,the staff at ,blantyre were sent out to prepare the way for a minister1 and1 indeed1 it was plain some time would elapse before the services peculiarly called for at a minister's hands would be needed4 ,but it is felt the ,mission is the nucleus of a ,church1 with the minister as the proper head--the instrument and director of the ,christian agency among the people4 ,it was scarcely dreamed of1 that a year would elapse1 and yet1 notwithstanding many calls1 see the ,mission without its spiritual leader4 ,the want1 indeed1 is temporally supplied by the charity of the sister ,mission 7i4e41 of the ,free ,church7 but is it not matter of humiliation that no one has come forth from the ordained ranks of the ,church to go to ,blantyre in the spirit of their ,master's love1 and to gather into ,his gentle fold the thousands of poor and crushed1 but docile and willing natives1 who are day and night crying inarticulately for the day of their redemption80 ,even the above touching appeal although most widely circulated had no effect4 ,on this matter 7which we venture to allude to1 as bearing greatly on ,mission work71 it may be remarked that the difficulty in finding ,missionaries arises chiefly from the position that these men occupy4 ,notwithstanding that the ,church of ,scotland throughout her history has said much about ,presbyterian parity1 her ,missionaries are placed on a very inferior footing as compared with her regular ,clergy4 ,in using the word inferior1 ,i do not apply it to the ,missionaries themselves 7who have the same training as other clergymen7 but only to their position1 although1 unfortunately1 most young men feel that the footing on which the ,church appoints such ,agents gives a key to the value that she sets upon their work4 ,the ,minister of a ,parish in ,scotland cannot be deprived of his charge till an accusation is formulated against him1 and found proven by a regular legal process1 but the ,missionary must put himself under a ,committee of ,managers who may dispense with his services at their pleasure4 ,hence we rarely hear of any ,minister of the ,church of ,scotland leaving a home charge for the sake of ,mission work1 however urgent1 and indeed it is not often that the ,church goes in quest of ,ordained ,ministers1 her ,missionary posts being usually filled from the ranks of students1 and students too whose education has been aided by the ,foreign ,mission ,funds4 ,another difficulty that meets the ,missionary arises from the want of interest in his work4 ,the ,ministers at home are fully occupied with the affairs of their own charges1 and they cannot be expected to attend to the comparatively insignificant efforts made abroad1 and when they have to think of ,foreign ,work at all1 they lay hold of the views that lie nearest the surface4 ,it has frequently been the experience of ,missionaries that the ignorance of their true circumstances was as great as the amount of ocean-water that separated them from their native land4 ,shortly after being ordained to a charge in the ,north of ,scotland1 the writer had the ,blantyre ,mission first brought under his notice when he received a letter of #ab ,nov41 #ahgg1 which began as follows3-- 8,i have no idea whether the following suggestion may at all commend itself to you1 but ,i write simply because what ,i have heard of you is so favourable that ,i am confident you would suit on your side1 if the idea should be entertained by you4 ,a clerical head is wanted for our new ,mission in ,africa40 ,but although the necessities of ,africa appealed strongly to every generous impulse1 the ,missionary ,regulations of the ,church seemed to present a barrier to any reasonable adventure on behalf of that dark land4 ,the missionary requires some guarantee that he will not be torn away from his work after he sets his heart on it4 ,at the request of the member of the ,mission ,committee who had sent me the letter1 ,i went to meet him1 taking with me a copy of the ,missionary ,regulations4 ,i pointed out the ,rules that ,i thought objectionable1 and was told that they applied to ,india and not to ,africa at all1 and that my position would be practically that of a parish minister4 ,receiving this statement with full confidence1 ,i inferred that the chief enemies to calculate on now1 were discomfort and dishealth4 ,still such cases present a dilemma4 ,while a person is convinced that there is a strong call to mission work abroad1 he feels also that much good work may be done at home4 ,after more pressing representations from headquarters1 and subsequent interviews with devoted men like ,dr4 ,mac,rae of ,hawick1 whose missionary zeal was infectious1 ,i began to feel that my duty was more clear4 ,but ,i deliberated much on the matter1 and on #ast ,january1 #ahgh1 ,i wrote ,dr4 ,mac,rae not to trust to my going but ,i said1 8,i see clearly it is the duty of some one to go04 ,by the middle of ,january1 however1 ,i consented to go to ,africa4 ,as it was deemed very dangerous to encounter the tropical rivers till much later1 our start was deferred till #aath ,april4 ,by ,may #dth1 we reached ,capetown1 where we met ,sir ,bartle ,frere1 who takes much interest in ,central ,africa4 ,a few days more brought us to ,port ,elizabeth4 ,here we received a letter from ,dr4 ,stewart1 of ,lovedale1 warning us against entering the country at such a dangerous season4 ,but since we had the promise of our ,directors that the ,medical ,missionary would meet us at ,quilimane1 we felt that it would be unfair to make any ,european risk his life in waiting for us at such an unhealthy place1 and consequently we pressed on4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,quilimane ,,to ,,blantyre4 ,on our journey out we saw little or nothing that calls for remark4 ,flying fish and frisking dolphins are great wonders at first1 but one soon gets used to them4 ,intending travellers sometimes trouble themselves by speculating about the evils of intense heat and sea-sickness4 ,but our thoughts went beyond these annoyances1 knowing as we did that we should have to grapple with the malaria of tropical rivers and mangrove swamps4 ,still we found it a distressing experience to be shut up in an underdeck cabin with the port-holes closed4 ,it is a pity that ships have no apparatus that would shut when the waves come up and open when they recede3 modern mechanics ought to solve this problem4 ,with regard to sea-sickness1 however1 we seem with all our science to be no better off than our fathers4 ,we are told that the motion of the vessel disturbs 8cerebral circulation04 ,we are thankful for this information1 but all the same we must resolutely keep down our heads on the pillow6 ,by the #bbnd of ,may1 #ahgh1 we passed the mouth of the ,zambeze4 ,as we gazed on the spot where the great river discharges itself into the sea1 well might our thoughts turn back to the time long gone by when the ,portuguese missionaries used to land there4 ,these men had stations all along the ,zambeze before there was any ,european settlement at ,quilimane4 ,the name ,quilimane1 or more correctly ,quelimane 7,kwelimani7 is said to represent two native words which mean 8,come and hoe04 ,this derivation ,i heard from the ,portuguese1 and ,i have no hesitation in preferring it to one given by ,captain ,burton1 which would make the name mean 8,from the hillock04 8,kwe-limani0 might almost mean 8,come and hoe0 in the ,yao language4 ,the tradition is that an old missionary found out the place1 which was then under a native chieftainess2 and on requesting her permission to settle1 he was told that he might 8come and hoe04 ,the native name for ,quilimane is ,chuambo1 which other dialects make ,chuabo and ,chiwambo4 ,the old missionaries worked hard1 and in course of time they had a convent of considerable importance at ,quilimane4 ,but many are the changes that take place amidst the lapse of centuries--the ,quilimane river now flows over this consecrated ground4 ,the church of ,luabo at the mouth of the ,zambeze was the victim of a similar fate4 ,houses 8built on the sand0 are peculiarly unstable on the margin of a great tropical river4 ,alas6 those missionary efforts of the remote past have left no trace behind them except in a few chants still sung by the boatmen of ,mazaro1 who keep time with their paddles to the tune of some old missionary hymn4 ,one of the greatest favourites begins 8,sina mama1 sina baba10 and the burden of it is 8,i have no father1 ,i have no mother3 thou1 ,o ,mary1 art our mother04 ,we were told that the belfry of the church of ,luabo stood out in the middle of the broad ,zambeze long after the rest of the building was submerged4 ,the natives would not allow the old bell to be taken away--it was to them a kind of patron saint1 and might1 amidst all their superstition1 carry them back to a time when the ,portuguese tried to reach their hearts by something more sacred than merchandise or military discipline4 ,all that we had heard of ,quilimane led us to believe that it was one of the most unhealthy and undesirable places in the world4 ,livingstone speaks of it as a mangrove swamp1 and we knew that some of his ,european followers had died there and been buried1 although1 as we afterwards discovered1 the natives did not allow them to rest long in the grave4 ,even the ,portuguese have to watch the graves of their kindred for several weeks--a circumstance which does not prepossess one in favour of the native population4 ,with regard to the ,european inhabitants we learned that ,quilimane had been used as a penal settlement1 and that every second person we should meet must either be a convict himself or a descendant of convicts4 ,then as to its comforts1 one of our countrymen who had visited the place complained that he had been charged an exorbitant sum for accommodation not good enough for a cow4 ,on the #bcrd of ,may1 our steamer anchored at the mouth of the ,quilimane river--a distance of twelve miles from the town4 ,we found to our great disappointment that no one had come from the ,mission to meet us4 ,but we soon got into a small boat manned by ,africans and proceeded up the river4 ,our black boatmen were hearty fellows1 and every few minutes they struck up a lively song4 ,the noise was something terrific6 ,but we were delighted with their wild chants1 which seemed to afford equal pleasure to the singers4 ,i saw one man prepare a cigar1 and just as he was proceeding to smoke1 another song was begun4 ,i watched with interest to see whether he would prefer his pipe to the music4 ,at first he seemed disposed to try both2 but soon he decided in favour of the song1 and laid aside his twisted tobacco leaf4 ,after we had rowed for about two miles1 our boat captain shouted 8,inglez0 7,englishman7--and pointed to an 8,englishman0 coming down the river in another boat4 ,there is a proverb that every ,englishman found on this coast is sure to be a ,scotchman1 and it proved true on this occasion4 ,we had the pleasure of meeting a ,scotch gentleman--,mr4 ,fairlie--who had been hunting on the ,zambeze1 and who was now hasting down to meet the steamer4 ,from him we learned that in ,quilimane there was only one person that could speak ,english--hence we could see that our society would be very select4 ,by the time that we arrived1 it was dark4 ,as the river had a broad border of mud1 in which the natives were sinking over the knees1 we could not step on terra firma1 but had to be taken out of the boat on the shoulders of two negroes4 ,a palanquin was brought for the lady4 ,we now met ,senhor ,nunes1 the ,british ,consul1 who received us kindly and conducted us to the hotel4 ,here our wants were attended to by half-a-dozen little black boys and one young girl who acted as housekeeper4 ,at first we were greatly startled at the scantiness of their dress1 but we became accustomed to them1 and found them careful and attentive4 ,the hotel accommodation was much better than we had been led to expect4 ,no doubt charges must be high1 as it is difficult to bring provisions to this 8outlandish0 place4 ,there is not even a butcher in ,quilimane1 and at dinner here1 as in many other ,african places1 the first course is fowls1 the second course fowls1 and the third course fowls4 ,occasionally1 we were treated to delicious shrimps and prawns with which the river abounds4 ,we were soon informed that the ,mission boats had not come down and that we should have to wait for ten or fifteen days4 ,wait in ,quilimane for fifteen days6 ,we were stunned by the very idea of this1 believing that it was certain death to spend a week in this dreadful place4 ,we were full of bright plans in those days4 ,a messenger must be sent on at once to ,blantyre to tell the missionaries of our arrival1 and to request them to come to our aid4 ,amidst our anxiety we did not perceive how ridiculous our proposal was4 ,why1 it was as if a man had been despatched from ,john o' ,groats to ,yorkshire six hundred years ago4 ,after such a messenger had passed through all the #8,grants1 ,mackenzies1 and ,mackays'--all the wild ,highland clans and fighting ,lowland chiefs1 very little of him would have been left2 and so our devoted messenger1 after going on for about a week1 wisely stopped short at ,mazaro4 ,our objection was not to the people or to the hotel and its fare--but to the place2 we wanted to get out of ,quilimane4 ,the ,portuguese we found exceedingly kind to us1 the only part of their sympathy that we did not relish was when they remarked that ,quilimane might1 after all1 be a better place than ,blantyre4 ,consumptive people were able to tell us that after being sent to ,madeira without any benefit1 they had recovered at once on coming to ,quilimane4 ,the town1 built on the site first chosen by the missionary on account of the harbour1 bids fair to become a flourishing place4 ,it stands on an island3 for besides the ,quilimane river and another twelve miles further north1 there is a third river connecting these two4 ,so level is the country that this river flows sometimes in one direction and sometimes in the opposite--a phenomenon which the ,portuguese are fond of pointing to as an explanation of the conflicting statements of travellers in the interior1 one of whom states that a river flows north while another asserts that it flows south4 ,the ,portuguese treat the natives with kindness1 although they keep them at a respectable distance4 ,their domestics live in whole families at the back of the houses4 ,when a visitor takes a walk in the country1 he is quite astonished at the multitude of natives that have crowded round the ,portuguese4 ,i marched on for miles before coming to the end of these villages--a circumstance which shows how much the natives prefer the government of the white man to the misrule of their own chiefs4 ,but the ,portuguese believe that the native is not capable of much improvement1 and they assert this opinion with the greatest confidence4 ,as we reflected that they had been face to face with the natives for generations1 we were somewhat discouraged by the conclusions formed by these acute and practical ,europeans4 ,language is a great difficulty here4 ,in order to get on at ,quilimane one requires to know both ,portuguese and ,kafir 7or ,ichuabo as the natives call it74 ,we felt as strange as the foreigner1 who1 being unable to communicate with any one1 was deprived of all human sympathy2 at last he heard a cock crow when he exclaimed1 8,ah6 poor fowl1 you are the only one that understands me04 ,it is a considerable trial for one to be in a country where he understands no human utterance except perhaps the cries of a child4 ,in every way it is a great change to be transported from the snows of the ,north into the heart of tropical scenery and many are the thoughts called forth by the transition4 ,here the very birds seemed to sing in a foreign tongue4 ,we were ready to sympathise with the stanza3-- 8,the palm-tree waveth high1 ,and fair the myrtle springs1 ,and to the ,indian ,maid ,the bulbul sweetly sings4 ,but ,i dinna see the broom ,wi' its tassels on the lea2 ,nor hear the lintie's sang ,o' my ain countrie40 ,it would not have been correct to add with reference to ,quilimane1 8,ah6 here no ,sabbath bell ,awakes the ,sabbath morn10 for there was one very active bell1 whose tones were heard almost every day4 ,opposite our abode stood a small ,roman ,catholic ,church1 and all the bodies of the deceased ,portuguese were taken here for the funeral service4 ,the negroes do not receive ,christian burial4 ,we asked whether they had any worship of ,god1 and the answer was1 8,no1 ,no1 the ,kafirs are like brutes1 but the missionaries are teaching them in the interior04 ,the natives work on ,sundays as on other days4 ,they are splendid porters1 they carry everything on their heads1--even weights of #gj pounds2 nor do they dash boxes as is often done at railway stations in ,britain4 ,they are never in haste about anything4 ,they consider sixpence a day very good wages4 ,as they wear no clothes and get food easily1 they have hardly any motives to work1 and when they obtain a few coppers they generally spend them in rum4 ,there being no carts or horses at ,quilimane1 many natives were employed in carrying enormous trees1 each of which required about #cj bearers4 ,every party was accompanied by a man with a whip who seemed to have as hard work as any of them6 ,we were detained for nearly four weeks at ,quilimane4 ,often did we stand and look up the river to see whether the ,mission boats were coming1 and even after they did come there was much delay4 ,a journey to the coast occupied from six to eight weeks and was seldom undertaken by the ,missionaries4 ,consequently it was always desirable to take up to ,blantyre as much goods as possible4 ,it is at ,quilimane that strangers first realize the nakedness of the land they are going to1 and here they have the last opportunity of buying anything4 ,the merchants are ,banians1 and the prices are three times the rate of goods in ,england4 ,there is not only great expense but also great risk in taking goods to such a remote place4 ,many articles that would not cost fourpence at home were charged a rupee here4 8,it only costs #d;d4 in ,england10 says the buyer4 8,oh yes1 in ,england6 ,well you--my brother1 ,i'll give it for two shilling60 ,we all suffered more or less from our stay at ,quilimane4 ,one morning none of our party was able to be at breakfast but myself1 and ,i was far from well4 ,as ,i thought of the terrible journey that lay before us1 ,i concluded that our lives were not worth much4 ,in this land one is much impressed with the uncertainty of time4 ,i knew a ,missionary that made no secret of carrying1 on every journey1 a box containing a will--more ,i suppose as a matter of form than because a poor ,missionary has anything to bequeath4 ,besides making many friends among the ,portuguese gentlemen1 we found that our landlord's black servants began to take to us very much4 ,they seemed to wish to go to ,blantyre in a body4 ,of course we endeavoured to dissuade them from leaving their master1 and took pains to explain both to him and to themselves that we did not want them at all4 ,but one boy ,lasertha whose father lived at a great distance up the ,quilimane river1 took the matter in his own hands4 ,he disappeared about a week before we started1 and one day after we had forgotten all about him1 he and his father came to us1 and it was arranged that ,lasertha should join our party4 ,from ,quilimane to ,mazaro4 ,it was the afternoon of the #ahth of ,june before we started from ,quilimane4 ,we were taken up the river in small boats1 propelled by paddles4 ,a grass awning was put up to defend us from the rays of the sun4 ,the sides of the river being lined for many yards with deep layers of mud1 we had to be carried to and from the boats on the shoulders of the negroes who were liable to fall1 and we therefore made the journey as seldom as possible4 ,when we came to the place where we were to pass the night1 the boats were pushed towards the side of the river1 till grounded on the mud4 ,as we suffered from thirst1 we tried most eagerly to procure drinking water--but none could be found4 ,at this wretched spot there had once been a village1 but its inhabitants had run away on account of lions1 and their well had dried up4 ,the river was quite salt1 but the natives dug a hole with their hands and feet in the dirty mud at the side and procured some water which we had to use for cooking4 ,in those days we possessed a big black kettle which served as a tea pot3 it was sometimes my duty to empty this vessel and ,i can testify that there was often fully an inch of mud in the bottom after our tea had been poured off6 ,this was the first night that we spent beyond the limits of civilization4 ,our cork beds were now spread out for the first time4 ,though we afterwards found them convenient1 we had hitherto been used to a softer couch1 and might as well have tried to sleep on a section of ,caithness pavement4 ,soon our rest was disturbed by other causes4 ,when the tide ebbed1 we were left on a mud bank far out of the river4 ,the mosquitoes scented fresh blood1 and attacked us in hundreds4 ,we had already endured these little pests for four weeks at ,quilimane4 ,there every night as soon as the sun set we became their special prey4 ,at first1 they rather astonished us by showing that they could bite through a thick pair of trousers1 though ultimately we became more familiar with them4 ,but the mosquitoes of ,quilimane were feeble compared with those of the desert4 ,moreover1 we found it difficult to arrange beds and mosquito-curtains in the small space that was at our disposal4 ,consequently we suffered much from their attack--our faces were so bitten and swollen that we could hardly recognise each other4 ,after spending three or four hours in trying to sleep1 we passed a unanimous resolution that sleep was impossible1 and as a measure of desperation we spent the remainder of the night in proposing riddles to each other6 ,next morning1 as soon as the tide flowed1 we resumed our miserable journey4 ,we had to sit patiently under our curtains till the sun rose and drove the mosquitoes away4 ,during these imprisonments we sometimes debated why the book of ,exodus says nothing about the trouble that the ,israelites must have had from mosquitoes in the wilderness1 only we were inclined to think that these followers of ,moses must have been as impregnable as the natives around us4 ,besides our curtains we tried another method of repelling this troublesome foe4 ,we kept pieces of twisted paper smouldering by us1 and the disagreeable smoke held the mosquitoes at bay4 ,we were now far beyond the region of daily or even weekly newspapers1 and when our supply of paper was exhausted1 we burnt pieces of cloth4 ,this method of defence was soon brought into discredit2 one of the party lighted a cloth without twisting it sufficiently1 and it suddenly flared up and set his mosquito curtain on fire6 ,during the day as the boats moved wearily along we lay under our grass awning in a little space where we had scarcely room to turn4 ,our nights were extremely uncomfortable4 ,while the angry mosquitoes were buzzing outside our curtains1 the negroes were constantly talking and beating drums to frighten the wild beasts4 ,as we proceeded up the river the water became very low1 and our crew had to go out and put their shoulders to the boat in order to force it over sandbanks and along shallows4 ,this was tedious work2 but the richness of tropical life and scenery unfolded itself around us4 ,amidst the vast tangle of bushes and branches there sat birds of bright plumage which gazed on us as tamely as if man had never before disturbed their solitude4 ,at certain spots1 enormous flocks of wild fowl retreated in terror as we approached4 ,here and there a monkey surveyed us for a moment from the branches of some giant tree1 and then hid itself among the dense thickets4 ,when night let her curtain fall on the scene1 the banks of the river were illuminated with fire-flies1 which made every tuft of grass shine and sparkle4 ,illustration3 ,,women ,,of ,,mazaro ,,drawing ,,water4 ,soon the water was so shallow that we had to leave our boats altogether at ,mugurumbe4 ,here we slept one night in a native hut4 ,our journey was continued next day in palanquins3 about six natives were told off to carry each ,european4 ,owing to the heat of the climate none of the ,portuguese here ever walk4 ,even when they are going short distances1 they employ natives to carry them4 ,the road is about two feet wide1 and lined on both sides with ,african grass 7which rises to a height sometimes of ten feet7 and also with many varieties of flowers1 shrubs and grasses1 some of which were brought before our notice very forcibly1 as the men rattled along without thinking of their living load4 ,at times we came to patches of cultivated ground1 and then we knew that we were near a village4 ,the villagers welcomed us by a loud clapping of hands4 ,they looked much delighted when we responded to their welcome in their own way4 ,they seemed to feel as if we spoke in their own tongue1 and at one village they repaid our condescension 7as they thought it7 by sending out volunteers to help on our palanquins4 ,at ,mazaro we got our first look of the ,zambeze1 and a magnificent river it is4 ,though not very deep1 at this spot it is exceedingly broad--the natives take an hour to sail across it4 ,here our steel boat awaited us1 and a welcome sight it was after the small boats that we had hitherto had4 ,we had now reached another important stage1 and we expected to complete our journey in three weeks4 ,the first week we should be among ,portuguese subjects1 the second in the country of a ,portuguese outlaw1 while the third week would find us among the people we were to christianise4 ,from ,mazaro to ,makukani's4--,leaving ,mazaro on ,tuesday1 #beth ,june1 we committed ourselves to the water once more4 ,the navigation of the ,zambeze is by no means easy4 ,generally we were sticking upon sandbanks4 ,our boatmen were seldom able to use their oars1 they had either to push the boat by long poles1 or to drag it along the banks with a rope4 ,here and there there is a deep channel1 but the current is so strong that it promises to carry everything down to the sea4 ,we expected to reach ,shupanga on the first night4 ,it is here that ,mrs4 ,livingstone lies under the large baobab tree4 ,but we did not get so far1 and1 as the channel of the river has changed1 we passed next morning on the other side4 ,mrs4 ,macdonald was disappointed at this1 as she wished to place a wreath of flowers upon the lonely grave4 ,neither did we see ,bishop ,mackenzie's last resting-place1 as it was late at night when we passed the spot4 ,the natives perceiving that we felt an interest in these graves1 spoke of them with an air of solemnity4 ,our boatmen were all from ,mazaro1 and ought to have known something of ,livingstone while he stayed at ,shupanga4 ,we produced a portrait of him on the lid of a match-box1 and fondly hoped they might recognise it6 ,on ,june #bhth1 we reached ,shamo1 where ,dr4 ,macklin wished to buy a score of cows for the ,mission4 ,as our big boat was apt to fall behind1 he sent us on before1 proposing to overtake us in a few days4 ,soon we were on the river ,shire 7more properly ,chiri7 which is narrower and deeper than the ,zambeze4#c ,here the boatmen used their oars oftener4 ,on getting a favourable wind they put up a small sail1 but as sails are not a native contrivance1 their method of using them was not very assuring4 ,notwithstanding the force of the current we made fair progress1 but we waited longer at every landing place1 in order to be overtaken by the rest of the party4 ,thus we had a better opportunity of seeing the country4 ,one night we walked over to see a celebrated hot spring at the base of ,morumbala4 ,still1 we had a salutary dread of making ourselves too much at home in this malarious region4 ,three or four of our men in succession1 suffered from fever1 and as the ,doctor was behind1 ,i had to try my hand at making pills4 ,the natives receive our medicine with such implicit faith that the cure is half effected the moment they swallow it4 ,i took care1 above all things1 not to give them anything too weak4 ,we used saline draughts both for ourselves and the natives4 ,in malarial climes there is a craving for such beverages4 ,one medical man told us that seidlitz powders required to be labelled #8poison' as otherwise they disappeared like magic4 ,illustration3 ,,natives ,,cutting ,,up ,a ,,hippopotamus ,,for ,,food4 ,along the ,chiri we saw many hippopotami and crocodiles4 ,the former are hunted by the natives for their flesh1 the latter are killed on account of their venomous character4 ,when any of these creatures appeared1 the men were very anxious that ,i should fire on them1 and as we never slept soundly at night1 the shooting was an agreeable excitement which revived us for the day4 ,one hippopotamus came against our boat with all its might1 and gave us a shock which would have certainly upset a smaller craft4 ,after passing1 it looked back as if to see how much damage it had done4 ,at times we had much conversation with the 8boys04 ,they formed a singing class1 and made rapid progress4 ,there were with us1 ,bismarck1 ,armasao1 ,lasertha1 and ,rondao4 ,bismarck was the philosopher of the party4 ,the boatmen have a habit of whistling for wind1 and he explained it thus1 8,when you have a friend far away1 you call on him when you wish him to come04 ,but notwithstanding their whistling1 the wind was often slow in coming4 ,at midnight on the #eth of ,july1 we were awakened by an awful screaming4 ,my first impression was that we were drifting down the river1 while the boys were trying to awaken us4 ,i was surprised at this1 since ,i had taken special pains with the anchor that night4 ,but as the noise continued1 ,i perceived that it was a terrible cry of distress--at the same time the dog we had brought from ,quilimane 7which was known by the name of ,elton71 was barking furiously4 ,before ,i had time to understand the situation1 little ,lasertha shouted out in a voice tremulous with fear1 8,o master1 master1 take my hand04 ,this he said in ,portuguese4 ,then ,bismarck entered by the stern of the boat4 8,what is it1 ,bismarck80 8,lions1 lions40 8,are all the men in the boat80 8,no40 ,for the first time in my life1 there flashed across my mind the depth of meaning expressed by the simile of 8the roaring-lion1 seeking whom he may devour04 ,my rifle which lay loaded beside me1 ,i at once discharged1 not with the idea of shooting the lions1 which could not be well seen in the darkness1 but in order to scare them4 ,most of the men were in the boat in a moment4 ,they acted with great presence of mind4 ,i often wondered why in the excitement they had not tried to pull the boat ashore before raising the anchor6 ,all swam to the boat with the exception of ,armasao1 who waited till it was pulled nearer4 ,he seemed more afraid of the crocodiles in the water1 than of the lions on the bank4 ,of course1 beds and cooking gear were left behind in the terrible race for life4 ,after all were safe1 the lions set up a hideous roaring1 which continued for hours4 ,i asked whether ,elton was in the boat1 and understood he was4 ,but when we put back in the morning1 ,bismarck called out in a piteous voice1 8,elton die60 and held up the dead creature before me4 ,he had not been devoured by the lion1 and the body had no mark except in the region of the heart4 ,this noble dog had been the means of saving the life of at least one of our men4 ,he began to bark as the lions were coming through the long grass1 and as soon as the first one presented itself he ran to attack4 ,by this time the men were entirely at the lion's mercy1 but for the diversion caused by the dog4 ,as it was1 the spot where ,elton lay dead was just at the side of ,bismarck's bed4 ,in fact1 the dog was lying dead almost at ,armasao's feet before he was safe himself4 ,if this had been a native dog1 he would have been the first to flee4 ,the little incident sometimes served to illustrate among simple natives1 how one being might die to save others4 ,all our companions had been much alarmed1 but none more so than one of the little boys1 who told us that one evening as he sat with a group at his own home1 a lion dashed into the circle and killed a man4 ,we had still great trouble from mosquitoes4 ,as soon as it was dusk they were upon us in full force4 ,we would ask a little boy to light some grass1 and as it kept smouldering beside us1 the smoke filled the boat1 and made it easier to take our evening meal4 ,the boatful of smoke1 though not pleasant1 was more acceptable than mosquito bites4 ,some evenings we encountered great shoals of white moths4 ,they fell upon the boat as thick as snowflakes4 ,one night ,i lighted a candle and such were their numbers that they extinguished it several times before ,i could put it into the lantern4 ,those harmless creatures were very short lived1 and in the morning the boat was literally covered with their dead bodies4 ,along the ,chiri the scenery is for the most part monotonous1 but at times we see beautiful ranges of mountains1 some of which call up memories of a distant land4 ,we observed sharp-pointed conical hills like the ,pap of ,caithness1 craggy mountains like ,arthur's ,seat1 and no end of those common rounded hills with oval tops4 ,on the #hth of ,july we descried a large herd of elephants4 ,we had observed a few on previous days1 but here was a herd of about forty4 ,such an instinct have the natives for meat 7nyama7 that they were out of the boat and standing close beside these huge animals in a few moments4 ,one lad went up to an elephant and deliberately fired several revolver shots at his head4 ,the great monster merely shook himself1 and moved off with his companions4 ,the boys pursued for some distance1 but returned complaining that elephants had very thick skins4 ,the natives do not fear the elephant as they do the lion4 ,on the #ajth we arrived at ,makukani's1 where we left our boats4 ,we met with a most enthusiastic welcome here4 ,about three hundred natives were on the banks1 and ,bismarck said1 8,it is to see the white lady04 ,by this time1 we were among people who understood yes and no1 and said 8good morning04 ,they were quite as fortunate in the use of their salutations as our friends had been at ,quilimane4 ,it was common there for a gentleman to introduce himself in the evening by holding out his hand and saying good night1 instead of good evening1 greatly to the amusement of such of his friends as knew more of ,english4 ,intercourse with foreigners calls attention to the peculiarities of our own idiom4 ,when we say to a native1 8,now1 look out10 he is very likely to look out1 and thus expose himself to the very danger that he is warned against4 ,if he had warned himself1 he would have said #8look in4' ,one morning ,ropa burnt my hand through my telling him to #8hold on1' when ,i wanted him to let go4 ,he did #8hold on' most faithfully4 ,at this place people came great distances to meet us4 ,they had heard that ,englishmen were come1 and the new arrivals had been announced in such a way as to convey the impression that the ,rev4 ,horace ,waller had come back4 ,accordingly we had a visit from an old woman1 accompanied by a man and woman much younger1 who had all been members of the ,magomero ,mission4 ,the old woman looked round to see if she could recognise 8,atate anga1 atate anga0 7,my father1 my father1--meaning ,mr4 ,waller71 and when she failed she looked disappointed1 and said in a kind of despairing inquiry1 8,there is no coming back for my father again80 ,she had no pelele1 and on asking the reason we were told that ,mr4 ,waller had taken it out4 ,we soon discovered that the natives were great beggars4 ,at the beginning of our river journey we were beset with people who requested rum 7kachaso71 here the cry was chiefly for cloth3 it was only the men at the top of the social scale that begged for rum6 ,the chief ,makukani was a stout man1 somewhat bent1 and blind of an eye4 ,he could be easily distinguished from his men1 as his dress was even scantier than theirs4 ,he expressed an earnest desire that the ,english would bring out a white wife for him4 ,he has an enormous harem in which we saw one or two men armed with knob-sticks1 whose duty1 we were told1 was to keep order among his wives4 ,he promised to send his sons and daughters to school1 but this was only the promise of politeness4 ,his sons had been already at ,livingstonia1 where they had proved rather troublesome1 and two years elapsed before they came to ,blantyre4 ,we occupied one of the chiefs huts all night1 and started next afternoon for the ,chiri hills4 ,the carriers were at first likely to leave us at a spot where there was no roof to sleep under except the canopy of heaven1 but on learning that ,mr4 ,buchanan was at the ,kabula we made them push on to reach him4 ,mrs4 ,macdonald arrived first1 and by the time ,i came up she was in possession of his snug little tent4 ,next morning he went down to meet ,dr4 ,macklin4 ,by this time ,i discovered that ,i had lost a small pocket diary2 and it is worth saying that though lost among the wildest-looking hills1 it was found by a native and restored with all that it contained4 ,i began at once to extol the honesty of the negroes6 ,but the circumstance is easily understood when one considers that a #8paper' is of no use to a native4 ,on ,friday the #abth of ,july1 we started from the ,kabula at eight o'clock1 and continued our journey through wild and beautiful scenery4 ,our progress was much interrupted1 and often one of the natives would use his hatchet to cut down small trees that obstructed the path4 ,the sun was exceedingly hot and the palanquins had no shade over them4 ,we also found that we could get no water to quench our burning thirst4 ,when on the ,chiri we had drunk freely of its waters1 ignorant of the number of criminals that are thrown into this ,tophet by the ,magololo4 ,about mid-day we came up to a beautiful stream4 ,mrs4 ,macdonald had reached it more exhausted than myself1 and ,i found her fast asleep under a tree4 ,we had started without much breakfast1 but we carried a pocketful of boiled eggs for lunch1 and partook of them by the side of this mountain stream4 ,at four o'clock we reached ,blantyre4 ,mrs4 ,macdonald was a few yards in advance1 and received a hearty welcome from a crowd of native men and women who were in the square expecting our arrival4 ,it was three months since we had left ,england4 ,we were exceedingly tired after such a long journey1 and welcomed a night's rest4 ,all along ,i had kept a loaded gun by my side1 which ,i now wished to get rid of4 ,the artisan opened his eyes at my proposal1 and said it had been judged safest to sleep with weapons beside us4 ,that very night our slumbers were broken by a great commotion during which we heard the report of a gun4 ,we were prepared to find that some enemy had come1 but it was only a leopard that had carried off a young pig4 ,on ,sunday we had a short service in ,english and two native meetings4 ,at the meetings the schoolroom was quite full4 ,no ,englishman in the country ventures to use the native language1 all rely on the interpreters4 ,on ,monday there were over twenty pupils in school1 some reading small books and making letters on slates2 others learning the alphabet4 ,after the heat experienced on the river1 we felt ,blantyre quite cold especially in the morning and evening4 ,we were very thankful that we had enjoyed good health on the whole4 ,we were the first party that had travelled from ,quilimane to ,blantyre without suffering from fever by the way4 ,it was a few days before we got our baggage1 and ,makukani had possessed himself of some valuables that had been sent out for the ,mission4 ,we had come out with a very high opinion of the brave native kings1 but incidents of this kind were fitted to destroy the enchantment4 ,before leaving home ,i had asked very anxiously what we were to do if a native caught a white man and put him in a dungeon4 ,i was told that the rest of the staff would know how to manage all that4 ,this was quite correct for their years of experience in the country gave them the practical tact necessary in dealing with the strange people about them4 ,on this occasion they imprisoned several of ,makukani's men and took their guns from them4 ,in order to get back his guns1 the chief sent up all the missing articles1 which would have been entirely lost but for this prompt measure4 ,the belief at the ,mission was that these chiefs would take everything if they thought that they had more power than the ,missionaries4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,mission ,,station4 ,fortunately we had seen too much of ,africa to expect a carpeted room and a cushioned chair at ,blantyre4 ,we had slept so often in 8shielins0 incomparably worse than a ,scotch hen-house1 that we did not care what kind of roof covered us4 8,if you want to make a man happy10 it is said1 8strive not to increase his comforts but to lessen his desires40 ,an experience like ours recommended the proverb2 and as we stood for a minute 7we would have sat if there had been a spare chair7 8glowrin frae's0 in what we might call our own 8fowl-house10 we saw that we should have many opportunities for exercising self-denial4 ,when our friends in ,scotland had tried to dissuade us from going to ,africa1 they had pointed out how prudent the men were who go no farther in mission work than to address drawing-room meetings4 ,still1 we were quite contented4 ,we had been promised the prayerful sympathy of the ,church at home1 and now we knew most of our difficulties4 ,at least we thought so1 and were happy1 but 8,dici beatus ante obitum nemo supremaque funera debet04 ,blantyre1 although highly praised at home1 did not possess many attractions for the newcomer4 ,on our first introduction to the manse we perceived that it contained two rooms4 ,in the larger of these there was nothing but a huge table1 which was noteworthy in many respects4 ,it was the only one we had seen for a month1 and with the exception of a board used by the artisans1 it was the only table within a hundred miles4 ,it had to serve too in surgical cases3 when any poor native had to undergo an operation1 it was on this that the doctors had to place him4 ,the smaller room we may describe as a bedroom1 though when we were first ushered into it1 it contained neither bedstead nor bed1 and boasted only of one small chair of the rudest description4 ,in our hut there were two doors1 but neither of them had a lock1 and one had no fastening at all4 ,when we learned that thieves and wild beasts were frequent visitors1 we began to barricade doors and windows with chairs1 books1 and buckets4 ,at this moment1 however1 as our luggage had not yet arrived1 we were safe from theft1 unless we should be served as were certain members of the ,universities' ,mission1 who had their very coat buttons cut off4 ,there were three other inhabited houses built on the same plan as ours1 but none of them were so well furnished6 ,while there was one efficient door in the manse1 and perhaps another in the doctor's house1 the artisans' had no doors at all1 but mattings of grass were propped up in the doorways at night4 ,chairs were a great rarity2 ,i do not think there were more than four in the whole station1 old boxes doing duty instead4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,blantyre ,,mission4 ,but although our houses were only mud huts they had an ,english finish about them and were very acceptable to those that had wandered so long4 ,writing at this time ,i said3--8,the present houses promise to last only for about three years1 so that in a short time we must make brick1 with a view to more permanent dwellings4 ,rats and white ants annoy us considerably4 ,with the former we are constantly at war1 assisted by traps1 and cats1 and a tame owl4 ,sometimes a gun is used when half-a-dozen of them may be killed by a single discharge4 ,they are so troublesome from their great numbers1 that we must try phosphorus paste or some such poison4 ,white ants come up through the floor1 and attack books or clothes1 rendering them quite useless in a single night4 ,when a person wants a skeleton for a specimen1 he has only to put down the animal near these ants1 and in a short time he finds nothing but the bones4 ,smaller ants creep everywhere4 ,one method of placing our food out of their reach is to put it in a box suspended by a rope from the ceiling4 ,in our house there was1 by and by1 an apology for a cupboard the legs of which had to be placed in water1 but notwithstanding this precaution these insects made a bridge over the bodies of their drowned companions and covered our breakfast fowl in such numbers that the fowl itself actually could not be seen4 ,one of their most annoying tricks is to visit a sleeper in bed4 ,more terrible still are the large red ants 7salau74 ,their attack has made many a traveller leave his bed and stand in the smoke of a fire for the remainder of the night4 ,they bite furiously1 and do not let go their hold even after the head is severed from their body4 ,when a ,european happens to stand among them he has to rush into the house at once1 and divest himself of all his clothing4 ,after he has apparently destroyed all his enemies1 he has some difficulty in taking their heads away from his skin4 ,according to the natives they will kill an elephant4 ,entering his nostrils they cause such irritation that the animal commits suicide by dashing against trees and rocks2 and then the ants enjoy the carcase4 ,they attack their victims with much skill1 waiting till they have spread themselves all over his body1 and then working by well understood signals4 ,when on the march1 the smaller ants go in the middle1 while the larger who are the #8soldiers' line the sides4 ,on a disturbance the soldiers hasten to the scene of danger4 ,the average line of march is hardly an inch broad but may be half a mile long4 ,they go very closely probably about #cj being on every square inch4 ,when they threaten to enter a house the best way of diverting them is by putting fire on their path4 ,sometimes the ,missionaries had to stand a siege for a few hours from these formidable armies40 ,the ,mission ,station was situated on a knoll1 and well exposed to all the cool breezes4 ,the wind is never high2 seldom can a man get his hat blown off4 ,but occasionally there are whirlwinds which toss native baskets in the air to a height of several feet4 ,a 8cloudless sky0 has been often mentioned as a characteristic of a happy land1 but here one does not appreciate the metaphor4 ,there are large grasshoppers which the natives catch for food1 as also many small birds which the schoolboys shoot with blunted arrows4 ,african ,fever4 ,all of us1 not excepting the doctor himself1 paid the penalty for passing through the fever region4 ,we thought that after reaching ,blantyre our troubles were to be at an end4 ,a week passes after our arrival1 and still no fever2 surely we are all right now4 ,only let a man get a chill1 and he will soon discover4 ,a person passes along our clay floors without his boots of a morning1 and the thing is done1--he may take any preventive measure he chooses1 but the fever will take its course4 ,our illness began ten days after our arrival1 and we were laid aside for about three weeks4 ,during this time all the other ,europeans on the ,station were also ill1 and no one was able to take care of another4 ,dr4 ,macklin often rose from a sick bed to do what he could4 ,one of our greatest difficulties was to get food4 ,the cooking of the natives when left to themselves exceeded anything we had yet encountered4 ,besides1 the black people did not understand a word we said4 ,if we asked for a glass of milk they would bring a tin of biscuits1 after that they would try a tin of butter1 and then in despair they would bring in an armful of books6 ,but it is when the invalid begins to recover that he misses the comforts of his native land4 ,there are certain things that a sick man must have at home that he cannot get here3 he sees this at once and there is no use of fretting over it4 ,not only is the invalid bereft of home comforts1 but he is subjected to a great many annoyances4 ,he hears the jackals and the hynas screaming round the station1 and a single night is sufficient to convince him that these creatures have most powerful lungs4 ,besides1 a lion may be sitting coolly in the verandah4 ,the roads round the mission are marked each morning with the footprints of animals of all kinds4 ,the station is just in the middle of a dense bush1 which has not been cleared farther than was absolutely necessary4 ,as one looks out at a window he may see large buck at about #ajj yards from him4 ,artisans4--,the first thing that struck us as we approached the station1 was the paleness of the four or five ,englishmen that were standing to welcome us4 ,the effect of this was heightened by their contrast with the hundreds of black faces that surrounded them4 ,members of the ,free ,church ,mission were there too4 ,most of the young men felt their isolated position1 all had suffered severely from fever1 and already death had been thinning their ranks4 ,an air of stillness1 not to say of sadness1 overhung the place4 ,after we had recovered from attacks of fever2 there was a magic lantern entertainment1 where through an interpreter ,i acted as demonstrator4 ,i can never forget ,dr4 ,macklin's remark1 that 8there was more fun and laughing that night1 both among natives and ,europeans1 than he had seen since the ,mission began04 ,the men were all of that age when hope is strongest in the human soul1 but they had met with much to discourage them4 ,as the dawn of ,christmas morn reminded a man of the festivities of the season1 and of his friends in the far off home1 he found himself lying in bed overcome by weakness1 but obliged to hold up an umbrella to shield his blankets from the rain4 ,all had felt what it is to undergo long periods of sickness while destitute of every comfort4 ,the ,directors at home1 who were entrusted with the ,church collections found it necessary to cut down the ,mission expenditure4 ,the poor fellows in ,africa1 though separated from friends and weakened by sickness1 had this grim fact ever staring them in the face4 ,the watchword was1 8,man1 think of the bawbees at the ,kirk door60 ,on one occasion1 it had been settled that they must retrench4 ,they could not afford to pay the ordinary price for fowls4 ,on ,christmas morning a native came to the ,mission1 wishing to sell a beautiful cock4 ,it seemed as if ,providence had designed them a special treat for the festive season4 ,they began to try to purchase this 8tambala10 but1 alas1 the owner was obstinate4 ,he expected the old price4 ,economy was supreme1 but said one1 8,i was very sorry as ,i looked after the man going away with our dinner60 ,these hardships naturally caused irritation and discontent4 ,the party for the ,government1 while making the best of the circumstances1 had often to face the hungry ,opposition--and the proverb says1 8,a hungry man's an angry man04 ,the speech1 8,now1 you must not think that ,i am standing over the provisions like a dog set to keep you from them10 would call forth the reply1 8,it looks very like it60 ,but the evil was beyond the power of the ,government and the ,opposition1 both parties being to some extent made victims4 ,such evils generally begin at home4 ,persons sent out are told that everything will be done to mitigate their hard lot4 ,bright promises are held before their eyes1 perhaps not by the ,directors formally1 but by certain of their members4 ,some of these would be found in the young men's path at every turning1 loudly shouting1 8,peace and plenty04 ,i know nothing more painful than the action of such irresponsible go-betweens4 ,the ,directors as a body1 cannot1 of course1 approach the various individuals4 ,what they do1 is to refer in an off-hand manner to some of their most zealous members1 who take upon them the task of giving information1 without first informing themselves1 and the result is the most complete deception4 ,promises are made in good faith1 and seem most reasonable in themselves1 but the very men that volunteer to give such pledges1 have no power to fulfil them1 and once the man is abroad1 he finds that he has been outwitted4 ,such hardships as are inevitable1 are often a milder item in ,mission life1 and are always borne with greater cheerfulness1 than such as are inflicted through culpable misrepresentation and carelessness4 ,men whose hearts are not in the work have little patience during such trials1 while even earnest workers are liable to be made discontented while always hearing the grumbling of others1 and knowing that it is not without cause4 ,still amidst much to dishearten them these poor fellows had their day dreams4 ,hope1 the last goddess to forsake the miserable1 hovered about their home in the desert4 ,a good story is told of a small party whose walk brought them by chance to the banks of a beautiful rivulet4 ,amidst the impressive vastness of the ,african forest1 and all the rare scenes of a new country1 their hearts were ready to admit most brilliant hopes4 ,as one of them looked about the rivulet he fell on something whose effect was magical4 ,all at once his manner became dignified1 the tones of his voice changed1 at last he had found a balm for his sorrows4 8,it's gold6 yes1 gold6 we need never lift a hammer again40 ,but alas6 the vision of splendour was not realized4 ,it gave place to the usual wrangling about rations1 and the proverb 8,golden dreams make one awake hungry0 was painfully appropriate4 ,it is most essential for a ,church to see that when a band of artisans is sent to places so isolated1 every cause of irritation should be avoided2 when this is not done the results may be serious4 ,when a great play is acted on this world's theatre it is one thing to sit as a spectator1 and another to be admitted behind the scenes4 ,when ,i read1 as a little boy1 of ,waterloo1 and such celebrated battles1 ,i thought everything connected with the victorious party must be great1 and good1 and glorious1--that every soldier and officer must be a model of virtue and excellence4 ,but once ,i met with a ,waterloo veteran1 and my pre-conceived opinions received a cruel shock4 ,this man told me with the greatest complacency1 as if it had been the merest matter of course1 that soldiers were put under the strictest discipline1 that many of them were men that required this1 that frequent quarrels took place1 and that many a soldier welcomed a battle as an opportunity for killing not the public enemy1 but some private enemy who belonged to his own side and fought in his own regiment6 ,though man has heavenward aspirations1 it is true1 alas6 that he standeth upon the earth4 ,we arrived at ,blantyre at a very critical period of the ,mission's history4 ,a few months before1 an able ,missionary on quitting the settlement1 said that he left it either to 8sink or swim10 and hinted that the former alternative was not improbable4 ,many of the artisans did not wish to continue in the service of the ,mission1 believing that they would find it better to become traders and chiefs among the natives4 ,all the artisans had an enormous influence in the country4 ,in the service of the ,mission1 they had hundreds of native workmen under their charge4 ,in a private capacity each had one or two black butlers1 not to speak of cooks and clothes-washers6 ,some were large landed proprietors on their own account4 ,they found that any chief would give #ajjj acres without a moment's hesitation1 and some of them had acquired whole tracts of territory4 ,but their riches lay lightly on their hearts1 and a visitor to the station would not have found out that such freeholds had been acquired4 ,except in a moment of confidence1 no artisan would speak of his great fortune1 and unless specially informed we could not have distinguished the man that possessed miles of land1 from the man that had not a foot4 ,but it had been mooted at home that some missionaries held land in their own name4 ,letters which had been quite unintelligible at the time1 showed that there was an alarm over the ridiculous subject4 ,artisans that bargained about large tracts of country were still in the ,mission1 and did no more good or harm by the transaction than they would have done by acquiring a freehold in the moon6 ,chiefs fawned upon ,europeans or rather on their goods4 ,they would promise anything or everything for the present of an old coat4 ,when they made a grant of land to one man and received his 8present10 they saw nothing inconsistent in giving the same land to a second man1 or more correctly to a second 8present04 ,soon these chiefs were better understood1 and however willing the artisans were to keep on good terms with these 8great ones10 their constant begging was too much for human patience4 ,the sneaking beings were found to be a perfect nuisance4 ,they put themselves on the footing of beggars1 and the most unpretentious of the ,europeans had to treat them as such4 ,the artisans set themselves to train the natives to work4 ,it was difficult at first1 but they showed considerable firmness4 ,some of them believed that the native despised leniency1 and formed the opinion that the more they kicked him the more they were respected4 ,this was an unfortunate interpretation of the servility of the ,african4 ,the plan more frequently adopted was to dismiss any obstinate man without payment1 the only danger being that the whole squad would have to be thus treated4 ,many were slaves1 and as they might have to give over their wages to a master1 they were not at all sorry to be dismissed4 ,often masters and slaves would work side by side under the ,european artisan who did justice to all without respect of persons4 ,the industrial work was prosecuted with vigour1 many natives being employed in making roads4 ,when the bugle sounded on ,monday morning1 there was a rush of hundreds of men and women who had come to receive employment4 ,one artisan stood ready to select as many workers as he wanted1 and he was soon hidden from view as the people crowded around him4 ,before enrolling the candidates he looked at their hoes and axes1 and rejected such as had inferior tools4 ,he rejected also women that had babies on their backs1 but when this became known to a native mother1 she handed her child to some one else until her name was once on the book4 ,as the native names were sometimes very long1 the artisan had a great demand on his powers of writing4 8,and what's your name80 he asks4 8,unechemtyosyamaguluwe40#d 8,tut1 man1 the half of that will do60 is the rejoinder2 and a high sounding name like ,emmanuel is reduced to ,emma4 ,visitors4--,for several days after our arrival there was great excitement4 ,our larger room had four windows1 which were thrown open to admit the air1 and every morning a crowd gathered at each window to see the white lady6 ,the natives of the ,chiri ,highlands had seen white men before1 but they had scarcely realised that women too would be disfigured by this strange complexion4 ,some visitors asked an introduction to the newcomer on the ground that 8they were women too04 ,we had to shake hands with all the groups4 ,this was not a native salutation1 but we wished to be cordial towards our black brothers and sisters4 ,after grasping a score of dark hands1 our own partook of a similar hue4 ,a stranger might feel inclined to wash his hands after the ceremony1 but he would return to find that more visitors had come1 and that the whole process had to be repeated4 ,the natives are not much inconvenienced by 8matter out of place04 ,even persons that came from working clay would advance and hold out their hands4 ,but they had good excuse4 ,at this season they had no water on the spot except a little for softening their clay1 nor had they any towels4 ,their loin-cloth seemed often too scanty for wiping the fingers4 ,but in later times when we visited the villages1 we have seen women run off to wash their hands1 that the ,english lady might have a proper welcome4 ,neighbours4--,i began to confine myself so closely to the acquisition of the language and work in the ,mission ,school1 that for a long time ,i knew nothing of the district round ,blantyre4 ,the first occasion on which ,i saw a little of the country was on a visit to ,sochi in company with ,dr4 ,macklin1 who went to settle several quarrels with ,kapeni1 the chief of the country4 ,in going along ,i was astonished to find so many villages4 ,when the villagers saw us1 they made a point of hasting up to say 8,morning1 morning60 7which is their usual salutation to ,englishmen74 ,the males seemed to have all their time at their disposal4 ,with the exception of one who was sewing a piece of cloth1 we saw nothing to show that the men did any work at all4 ,but the women were pounding corn or working in the fields4 ,on reaching the chief's village we asked for him1 but he could not be found4 ,it was thought that he was afraid to show himself4 ,one by one his villagers gathered round till they formed a great assemblage4 ,some had bows1 others knives1 and one had a gun1 so that they had nothing to fear4 ,we were without weapons of any kind1 only an ,englishman is always believed to carry a great supply of war medicine4 ,after we had waited a long time1 the old chief appeared with a large clear knife in his hand4 ,he sat down at a great distance2 when asked to come near he said 8,no04 ,some time ago he had sent the ,mission a present which had not been accepted1 and he 8was ashamed to have it returned04 ,our interpreter went over and induced him1 after much persuasion1 to come beside us2 then he sat down on a skin under a large tree4 ,after being introduced1 ,i went up to shake hands with him1 and ,i am not sure whether the poor old man did not regard me with suspicion1 for while he gave me his left hand1 he held his knife very firmly with the right4 ,such was my first acquaintance with the king of the country4 ,the sending back of the present was then discussed4 ,the ,mission had two complaints against ,kapeni3 7#a7 ,his men had carried off from ,blantyre a slave woman that had come there for protection4 7#b7 ,one of the ,blantyre lads when hunting in the district of ,sochi came to a village where the chief's son and certain companions were drinking beer1 and they took away his gun and gave him a beating4 ,but the inhabitants of this village feared that the matter would not end well4 ,they reasoned that the outrage had been done in their town1 and that the ,english would come with guns and inflict a severe punishment upon them4 ,accordingly they took back the gun and returned it to the ,blantyre lad1 whom they escorted home4 ,the old chief of course denied any knowledge of these facts4 ,he had just 8heard about them04 ,after a little talking1 matters were settled in a friendly way1 and we ended by inviting the chief over to ,blantyre4 ,he said he wished to see the white lady1 and to hear the harmonium which had just come1 and he bargained to be gratified in these respects4 ,he was much astonished when told that the lady1 or 8,donna10 never went out--he thought it strange that she should not be seen hoeing the fields and pounding corn4 ,on our way home we passed the village where the gun had been taken1 and the doctor invited the men that restored it to come and see how the ,english people valued their friends4 ,on an appointed day they came and received a present of calico4 ,the chief of ,sochi also paid his visit and brought a present of fowls1 receiving in return a blanket and a piece of calico4 ,interpreters4--,when we arrived there were two interpreters--,tom and ,sam4 ,they had been in a slave gang which was liberated by ,bishop ,mackenzie4 ,tom remembered his capture4 ,he was playing beside a stream with his little sister when a man seized him4 ,he knew the reason at once4 8,the man wanted to take me to the coast and sell me for calico40 8,why did you not scream80 8,can't scream1 they put flour on my mouth40 ,thus the boy was separated from his parents and his home1 and the little stream that he played beside1 at once and for ever4 ,he could never tell where was the home of his infancy2 only he believed that it 8was far away in the ,yao country04 ,sam's story was much the same2 and they both remember how glad they were when met by the white men who set them free4 ,they had acquired a knowledge of the ,english language at ,capetown1 and had seen a great deal of civilised life there--perhaps a great deal too much4 ,to these young men ,i had to look for instruction in the native tongue4 ,i early recognised that ,i need not expect to do the people any good unless ,i could speak to them4 ,during our voyage up the river ,i collected a few words and formed a scheme of the verb4 ,but on attempting to make some use of this material ,i was told that the ,blantyre people did not understand my ,chinyasa because they spoke ,yao4 ,i felt as if the interpreter had been playing a practical joke upon me4 ,here ,i had a note-book filled with this ,chinyasa1 and ,i was now coolly told that it would be of no use6 ,i began next to find that some ,yao words were the same as their ,chinyasa equivalents1 and this made me reserve my manuscript with more hope4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,female 7,,tribal ,,marks1 ,,tatoos ,,and ,,lip ,,ring74 ,for some days after recovering from fever ,i was unable to walk to school1 and ,i got ,katunga1 a big chief who came in to tell us about ,doto ,livisto 7,dr4 ,livingstone71 to point out the names of common objects as mountain1 tree1 c4 ,he laughed very heartily at my imitation of his words4 ,in beginning to form a vocabulary1 ,i took a ,dictionary and went over it day after day with the interpreters1 noting down all the native words ,i could find4 ,i also wrote a translation of several passages of ,scripture from their lips4 ,but ,i found they often had difficulties4 ,when ,i wished to translate the 8,hail master0 of ,judas1 they said that there was no word for 8,hail10 but 7referring to ,english salutations recently introduced7 they assured me ,i would make nothing of it unless ,i said 8,morning ,master04 ,the 8kissed him0 was a similar puzzle4 ,for kiss they gave me one word which1 as ,i afterwards discovered1 meant to bite1 and another which meant to smell6 ,they could come no nearer the idea4 ,no mother here kisses her child4 ,one has only to look at the photograph of a native female to see that she cannot kiss4 ,notwithstanding their residence at ,cape ,town these men were often unable to translate the most ordinary ,english into their own tongue1 and yet they were better interpreters than any we could expect to train for several years4 ,when ,i once tried hard to find a word for guilty1 they could give nothing but the word bad4 ,one gentleman said that they had occasionally been offenders in ,cape ,town4 ,he was sure that if ,i followed the usual legal forms1 and mentioned the sentence of working for a month at the docks1 they had sufficient experience to tell me6 ,but though ,i supposed cases as like this as ,i could without betraying the matter1 ,i failed to get the information required4 ,what ,i most deplored was that if these men had got the word in the middle of an address1 it would have given them no trouble6 ,from the translations ,i wrote down ,i afterwards formed a conception of how they would treat such an expression as1 8,his delight is in the ,law of the ,lord04 ,they would break it up into two sentences1 of which the first would be 8,light is low10 and the second some very unintelligible statement about ,god4 ,i could not have believed that such nonsense was possible unless ,i had actually come into contact with it4 ,the ,african interpreter who said1 #8,the salvation of the soul is a great sack1' is ,i fear quite an average specimen of his class4 ,but this is due more to the difficulties of the ,english language than to any natural incapacity in the ,african4 ,i have employed many to translate from one negro dialect to another and they could do this very well4 ,the native congregations that listened to the interpreters must have been much puzzled at first4 ,once they heard an address on the healing of the leper--and every time the word #8leper' occurred it was rendered #8leopard'4 ,when the magic lantern was used for the entertainment and instruction of the natives1 they at first looked on with fear4 ,when told 8,this is a man that lived long ago10 they actually thought that people were brought back from the dead4 ,but soon they enjoyed seeing ,english people and ,english buildings4 ,one day we showed them #8the house of ,john ,knox'4 ,the interpreter of course had never before heard of such a man1 but he was not the person to hesitate1 and he said1 8,this is the house of ,john the ,ox60 7,john ,ng'ombe74 ,still in telling people how to hoe and to carry grass and on all ordinary occasions1 the aid of interpreters was most useful4 ,they were also much valued for their advice in difficulties that arose with the natives4 ,they understood matters of this kind better than ,europeans did4 ,when ,i arrived they were just making ready to leave the country and their departure was a great loss to the ,mission4 ,school4--,next to the acquisition of the language came school work4 ,this had formerly occupied about two hours in the forenoon1 but ,i introduced an afternoon school4 ,at first we felt teaching very hard1 owing to the heat1 and often we were almost fainting4 ,but we succeeded in keeping our pupils interested4 ,had we possessed books in the native language we might have done much more good1 for our pupils must have found it a hard task to read ,english4 ,but in a short time we introduced a little of the ,african4 ,one of my first attempts was to write out a simple ,english verse with a ,yao translation4 ,mrs4 ,macdonald printed this in large letters1 and in a short time the pupils could both read and sing1 8,set thou thy trust upon the ,lord1 ,and be thou doing good2 ,for so thou in the land shalt dwell1 ,and verily have food40 ,when ,i asked which of the verses was best1 ,anyasa pupils said they liked the ,english1 but the majority of the school preferred-- 8,tululani mtima wenu ,mulungu1 ,tendani yambone mowa gosepe ,iyoyo somchitama muchilambo ,mwambone somchikola yakulia40 ,the words of this other verse were much longer1 but they conveyed a meaning to the natives1 while the ,english words conveyed none4 ,notwithstanding all that ,i could do with the interpreters1 the translation would come out in eleven syllables4 ,now there was a puzzle to find a tune4 ,it happens that a metre like this is common in ,scottish songs1 and we tried an adaptation of the 8,flowers of the ,forest10 which acted admirably4 ,i never saw any melody tell so much on the natives4 ,it actually brought tears to their eyes the first day we sang it4 ,the harmonium was a great attraction in the school4 ,the children seemed more amendable to music than their parents4 ,the old folk were fond of coming to hear this wonderful instrument1 but when something lively was played they frequently looked grave1 while they were almost certain to laugh at a plaintive air6 ,only the great novelty of the instrument itself affected them so much at first1 that they could not appreciate emotional effects4 ,the pupils began to do a little arithmetic4 ,the numerical system in central ,africa is quinary4 ,hence the ,english notation puzzled them at first1 but not so greatly as might have been expected4 ,as natives seldom count1 their own numerical system had not engaged their thoughts so much as to oppose the new one4 ,in the ,yao language there are three distinct methods of numeration4 ,one of these calls in the aid of the human voice in order to bring out certain numerical distinctions1 and would require a ventriloquist to do justice to it6 ,but it is high time to point out that the ,minister himself had now gone to school1 and to describe his progress thereat4 ,looking back upon this period ,i may now characterise it as follows3--,first 8half0--,darkness2 ,second 8half0--,groping2 ,third 8half0--,efforts at making a fire2 ,fourth 8half0--,beginning to see the bystanders2 ,fifth 8half0--,forming friendships2 ,sixth 8half0--,instructing our friends2 ,seventh 8half0--,farewells4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,first ,,half4 ,,july #ahgh-;,,dec4 #ahgh4 ,weekly work4--,on ,sunday morning1 ,i devoted my attention to the revisal of ,yao discourses and prayers prepared during the previous week4 ,the first discourse had to be given at nine o'clock in the morning4 ,it was chiefly a translation of some passage of ,scripture1 with one or two remarks for the purpose of explaining or applying the subject4 ,i stuck to the ,scripture itself as much as possible4 ,after this ,i prepared for our ,english service at two ,p4,m41 which was conducted after the method usual at home4 ,next ,i had to revise my ,yao discourse for the evening service4 ,every week-day except ,saturday ,i took the school from eight to ten1 the last half hour being occupied with the more advanced pupils4 ,at ten we breakfasted2 and till two ,p4,m4 ,i was occupied with various items4 ,a long time was spent over the language4 ,there was a meeting for the natives every evening1 and ,i required nearly the whole day to prepare for it1 having not only to find words1 but to verify their application4 ,as the boys that assisted me could not speak a sentence of ,english1 my task was difficult4 ,i found it necessary to use signs1 nor was it easy to devise suitable ones4 ,after earnest endeavours ,i often failed to make the natives understand me4 ,then ,i practised my signals before a ,european1 and he could not understand them either1 and what was worse could suggest no improvement4 ,i sometimes felt as helpless in my efforts to talk with a native before me as if ,i had been still in ,scotland4 ,at two o'clock school was resumed till four4 ,i had not much difficulty in sustaining the attention of a class of twenty-two1 a fact which said much for the docility of the pupils4 ,at four o'clock we dined1 and after dinner ,i again prepared busily for the native meeting at six4 ,at its close we had time for a short walk in what would be the twilight at home4 ,we generally went to one or other of our three villages for the purpose of talking a little with the villagers1 and making them feel at home with us4 ,at seven ,p4,m4 we had evening prayers1 and after that my time was free for linguistic studies4 ,we proposed at first to have classes for mutual instruction in the native tongue1 but it was soon felt that each man must study by himself before there could be any instructor4 ,the language became the largest part of my work4 ,the ,scripture readings ,i gave took a great deal of time4 ,i found it interesting work1 and was always delighted to get hold of a new word4 ,occasionally ,i got words for which ,i could find no exact ,english equivalent1 and in that case ,i had to construct a kind of mental formula4 ,sometimes ,i made best progress in translating the ,old ,testament1 although ,i chiefly tried the ,gospels4 ,the school-children1 as a rule1 are very agreeable with each other4 ,i have seen few cases of strife1 and these were easily quieted4 ,the very fact of making a formal examination settled everything4 ,in one case1 where a little boy complained of a bigger one1 ,i first instituted a long1 solemn inquiry1 to see whether the bigger one was to blame2 when it was found that he was1 he1 rather to his astonishment1 was sent out to bring a bamboo6 ,then followed a long dissertation on the bamboo1 in which ,i pointed out how it would hurt and cut4 ,by this time1 the little boy had tears in his eyes1 and said he did not wish the other one to be punished2 which was the very effect ,i aimed at4 ,but after a time this failed4 ,on asking a boy whether he wished a companion beaten1 ,i would often receive the answer1 8,i do not know1 you1 father1 know best04 ,as girls came to the station1 ,mrs4 ,macdonald took them under her care1 she had first to improve their habits and get them to wash their own clothes4 ,soap was a great novelty to the natives2 they were much amused with the peculiar 8feel0 it gave to clothes4 ,they thought it was a kind of clothes 8medicine10 and trusted more to its magic than to their own rubbing4 ,they used to dye their cloth black1 a custom which made washing unnecessary4 ,but after becoming acquainted with soap1 men and women made a great rush upon the commodity1 and notwithstanding every care in distributing1 our six tins of soft soap were speedily reduced to two1 and we had great anxiety as to what should be done when the two remaining tins shared the fate of their predecessors4 ,the natives began to like the coloured clothes which were sent out4 ,a box of clothes was a great acquisition4 ,shirts1 trousers1 and blankets were eagerly sought after1 and some of the workers accepted these as payment in preference to calico1 while our pupils regarded them as the best kind of prizes4 ,visiting4--,on ,saturday mornings1 accompanied by a little boy1 called ,walani1 ,i used to visit native villages4 ,on these occasions ,i was much impressed with the ,african's powers of observation4 ,once we had gone a great distance and were very tired4 ,we came to a little hill1 from the top of which we saw smoke1 which guided us to a quiet little hamlet4 ,as we were approaching1 ,i wondered whether the villagers would know anything of the 8white men0 at all4 ,here they lived in a wild spot1 apparently without communication with the rest of the world4 ,i was surprised to find that at this distance 7at least six miles71 they at once called ,walani by his name1 and knew about all the ,englishmen on the station4 ,in such villages ,i endeavoured to speak about the ,god of heaven2 and the people looked thoughtful1 and were quite disposed to listen4 ,the natives are by no means a stupid people1 and ,i should not like to hear them called utter savages4 ,certain it is that had they been acquainted with writing and other contrivances1 chiefly of a mechanical nature1 they would have presented a very different appearance4 ,they seem to stand before us as a people destitute of every religious observance4 ,but this may be accounted for by their want of men set apart for religion4 ,it is with them only what it might be with any people destitute of books1 and without a form of church government4 ,besides1 in judging the natives we ought to bear in mind how easy it is to proceed upon incomplete observation4 ,the other day ,i made a discovery which surprised me very much4 ,though for three months ,i had been teaching girls to read1 ,i did not know that they carried a number of little stones in the mouth6 ,the other ,europeans were equally ignorant of the custom4 ,still it is the fact that all the native girls carry from six to ten little pebbles under the tongue4 ,they told me it was for the purpose of making them speak well6 ,after this it would not astonish me to discover one day a complex ritual among the natives6 ,meanwhile1 in their constant cheerfulness and kindness to each other1 we find aspects of character that true religion would inculcate2 nay1 more1 may we not see in these features of their disposition1 some traces of the working of that which 8bloweth where it listeth08 ,at this time ,i wrote3 8,we have made little progress in setting the ,bible truths before them as a system4 ,as yet ,i have found no words to express the ideas of trust1 faith1 substitution1 mercy1 or justice4 ,hitherto ,i have stated the simple narratives of ,christ's life4 ,but ,i am confident that they would appreciate trains of reasoning1 and be as able to follow the ,epistle of the ,romans as ordinary people are at home40 ,i add now small cuttings from my journal which will give a general idea of our life at this period4 ,saturday1 ,nov4 #af4--;,in the morning before #aj o'clock ,i had a walk with ,walani1 now called ,john ,mac,rae1 for the purpose of learning the language1 and speaking to any people we might find in the villages4 ,john is now fond of plucking all the flowers he sees1 in order to take them home to ,mrs4 ,macdonald4 ,a few months ago the natives laughed at the idea of gathering flowers1 but now they are rather fond of doing so4 ,the boys1 under ,mrs4 ,macdonald's more immediate care1 put up bunches in their bedrooms4 ,sunday1 ,nov4 #ag4--,maseo1 one of the ,magololo chiefs1 arrived on a visit3 he was accompanied by two of his wives and one of his sons4 ,he was present at our evening service4 ,having been a long time with ,dr4 ,livingstone he knows a few ,english words1 and likes to use them1 e4g41 8thank you10 8look here10 c4 ,monday1 ,nov4 #ah4--,the chief comes to breakfast1 and we get a great deal of practice in trying to converse with him4 ,he speaks both ,yao and ,chinyasa4 ,tuesday1 ,nov4 #ai4--,we had a 8,magic-lantern entertainment04 ,the chief recognised ,dr4 ,livingstone1 and stood up before the screen to have a good view4 ,his two wives visited ,mrs4 ,macdonald in the forenoon1 and got a present of a dress each1 and listened to some music4 ,we received the report of a mwai case which resulted in the death of an old man who lived beside us4 ,i found that our schoolboys all believed in the mwai1 and ,i began to argue against the superstition4 ,we happened at the time to be poisoning rats1 and ,i asked whether the rats died because they were 8bewitchers60 ,the little fellows appreciated the illustration very much1 but still retained this faith of their fathers4 ,wednesday1 ,nov4 #bj4--;,a man came and asked leave to 8propose0 to a woman that ,mrs4 ,macdonald has been training to do washing and other household duties4 ,the woman in question came up much disappointed4 ,she seemed to fear that she would be compelled to marry in the native fashion1--i4e41 without having any choice in the matter4 ,she admitted that she was willing to marry1 but said that she wanted another man4 ,when we stated that she might certainly marry the man she preferred1 she went away highly satisfied4 ,thursday1 ,nov4 #ba4--;,four couples paid me a visit in the forenoon1 expecting to be married on the spot4 ,after trying to explain the nature of marriage1 ,i told them to come back next day4 ,mrs4 ,macdonald's servant was among the number1 and seemed to be the ringleader4 ,friday1 ,nov4 #bb4--;,four marriages were celebrated in the schoolroom with as great solemnity as possible4 ,i should have put on a pulpit-gown if ,i had possessed one4 ,we killed a goat for the occasion1 and presented each of the ladies with a dress4 ,dr4 ,macklin gave each man a knife4 ,all the previous marriages on the station had been civil marriages1 which were arranged by the ,doctor4 ,these cases were almost semi-christian marriages4 ,in the evening two other men asked for wives4 ,we inquired whether the ladies had agreed1 and presently they were brought up to declare their consent4 ,but the men had no houses1 and the marriages were deferred till houses could be built4 ,the females said they were willing to wait4 ,saturday1 ,nov4 #bc4--,we discovered that one of the men married yesterday had another wife4 ,we had been particularly careful to enforce that this could not be2 and therefore1 partly as a punishment for his unblushing falsehood1 we executed a summary sentence of banishment on him4 ,his other wife was on bad terms with her rival4 ,the man that was refused the other day by ,mrs4 ,macdonald's servant1 now comes to say that he has found a wife2 and that there may be no mistake this time1 he brings the lady with him4 ,as he has no house1 the marriage is deferred till its erection4 ,i paid a visit to various villages for the purpose of getting more children to school2 ,i met a few naked boys playing beside a stream1 who said they would come4 ,they looked at my umbrella1 and seemed to be astonished at the folding up of it4 ,as usual on such occasions1 ,i showed them my watch1 which has been exhibited so often that ,i begin to regard it more as a magic-box than a timepiece4 ,monday1 ,nov4 #be4--,one nice boy has been added to school as a result of ,saturday's visit4 ,the chief takes his departure4 ,we pressed him to send his boys to school1 and he said 8he would dream about it04 ,he tells us that the ,magololo chiefs are much guided by dreams4 ,after some talk on the subject1 we gave him a parting present1 with the view of inducing a favourable dream6 ,tuesday1 ,nov4 #bf4--;,a messenger came from ,chiputula1 accompanied by two of the chiefs sons1 and carrying a present of goats and bananas4 ,a ,yao man had run off with one of ,chiputula's wives and a gun4 ,kapeni is the man's chief4 ,chiputula wishes the ,english to tell ,kapeni that if he does not deliver up the offender ,chiputula will make war4 ,wednesday1 ,nov4 #bg4--,mrs4 ,macdonald took up ,chiputula's two sons1 and entertained them with books1 music1 and sweetmeats4 ,she was much pleased with the two little princes of the ,ruo4 ,thursday1 ,nov4 #bh4--;,dr4 ,macklin went over to ,sochi to see ,kapeni concerning ,chiputula's message4 ,but the old chief was not to be found4 ,the ,dr4 thought he was at home1 nevertheless1 and left a message for him to come to ,blantyre4 ,friday1 ,nov4 #bi4--,kapeni sent a message to ask for an interview at a half-way village4 ,he requested me to come 8because ,i could speak ,yao60 ,i started at #fcj in the morning1 and reached ,kapeni very early4 ,he gave the utmost satisfaction1 and professed much friendship for ,chiputula4 ,but ,i believe he bears a secret grudge against us for the protection given to run-away slaves of his4 ,this subject is a delicate one4 ,it looks very well to give protection to slaves when they come and say they are going to be sold4 ,yet the relation between a chief and his servants is one of the things that go to form the social order of these tribes2 and by treating the matter rashly1 we may bring about a great deal of anarchy4 ,friday1 ,dec4 #f4--,mrs4 ,macdonald's sewing-class contains twelve girls1 who seem very willing to learn4 ,we had some difficulty in obtaining female pupils1 as the ,yao girls are engaged at a very early age1 and after such engagement they are not so free as they would otherwise be4 ,many of our female pupils are slave girls who have come here for protection2 they live on the station1 and as they increase in number1 they will require a female monitor for themselves4 ,at present the care of them gives us much anxiety2 only they marry as soon as they find a husband4 ,all our earlier intercourse with the natives brought before us the cheerful side of their character4 ,i found them always full of fun4 ,as they have no difficulty in procuring food1 clothes1 or houses1 they suffer from none of the cares that press so heavily on ,europeans4 ,still1 we discovered that they had their troubles too4 ,the first occasion ,i saw any sorrow1 was in connection with death4 ,it was about seven o'clock in the morning when a message came from a father asking me to be present at the interment of his little child4 ,on enquiring when the funeral would take place1 ,i found that it was to be immediately4 ,on going to the village1 we saw that a few of the man's neighbours had assembled1 and were waiting for our arrival4 ,as soon as the ,englishmen had all come1 two natives entered the house4 ,here the little child was stretched upon a bamboo mat1 with a piece of calico thrown over its body4 ,the mother lay mourning on the side of the mat4 ,the father we had already passed sitting outside the house with a few men round him4 ,he took no farther part in the funeral ceremony2 contrary to our expectation1 he did not accompany the body to its last resting-place4 ,the two natives that went inside removed the calico from the child's body1 then they folded the mat round the corpse1 and tied it up so that the whole formed a small cylindrical parcel4 ,after this the men came to the outside again and washed their hands very carefully4 ,they did this1 not for the purpose of ordinary cleanliness 7natives are not so careful in this respect71 it was a ceremonial act1 deemed necessary after touching the dead4 ,two men now took up the body1 and carried it the whole way4 ,the headman of the village seemed to think it was his place to follow next the bearers4 ,some of us had an idea that the child would be interred near the house1 but the procession went on to a time-consecrated burying-ground4 ,once or twice the bearers seemed to lose their way1 and then the headman went to the front and carefully examined the paths4 ,when at length they arrived at their destination1 we were puzzled to find that no little grave had been dug4 ,the body was then laid down under one of the large trees1 and the headman came and asked what was the ,english method of burial4 ,we said that we wished them to bury after their own manner1 only we took the opportunity of stating that when the ,english were buried a prayer was offered up to ,god4 ,then we engaged briefly in prayer4 ,by this time a procession of females approached4 ,they had been following us all the way at a short distance4 ,at their head came the child's mother1 who was supported by two other women4 ,as soon as she arrived she sat down nearest the body of her child1 while her companions threw themselves on the grass beside her4 ,the little band of females looked more like mourners than did the men1 for the latter sometimes talked and laughed more than would be considered proper at an ,english funeral4 ,the women carried a few earthen pots to place on the grave4 ,a ,yao burial-ground is easily known by the number of pots that are there4 ,the place where we stood was covered with pots as thickly as a home churchyard is with tombstones4 ,the men now began to break up the ground for a grave1 while the women watched the sad work4 ,on asking how deep they made it1 we found that it was to be about three feet4 ,after watching their work for a while1 we concluded that they would take three hours to complete it1 and we requested to be excused from waiting longer4 ,then we all shook hands with the mother1 and tried to comfort her4 ,she had been throwing dust upon her person as a sign of her sorrow4 ,before leaving1 we enquired whether an ,english implement would not be better than their hoes4 ,they heartily assented to this1 and despatched one of their number to bring a spade4 ,in the evening ,i went down to see the mother1 and tried to speak to her4 ,from what ,i could gather1 she seemed to think that she would meet her child again 7#aj74 ,how much ,i wished that ,i had been able to use their language1 so as to bring home to their minds all the comforting truths about that child's great ,elder ,brother6 ,had we been able to stay till the burial took place1 we might have seen some more instructive rites4 ,i wondered whether their ceremonial washing spake of some connection in their minds1 or in the minds of their fathers1 between physical death and moral pollution 7or sin73 and whether the pots placed on the grave spake of a hope that the activities of their owner were not ended for ever4 ,a murder4--,the next funeral ,i saw was much sadder4 ,the female mourners wrung their hands and shed tears of grief and despair4 ,the men attended in great numbers1 and their dark faces spoke of rage and determination4 ,the previous evening a poor woman had gone to the stream to wash her maize4 ,about sunset a gun was heard1 which1 however1 caused no concern4 ,though the woman had not come back the villagers did not miss her1 and retired to bed as usual4 ,but at night they heard the cries of a child1 and discovered one little creature wandering alone in the darkness1 and weeping for its mother4 ,the villagers immediately arose and hastened to the stream1 where they soon found the woman's dress and her basket of grain1 but the woman herself was nowhere seen4 ,that night the ,missionaries on the ,station were all sitting together after evening prayers4 ,it was ,christmas time1 and our friends had come down from ,livingstonia4 ,we had received no letters from ,england for three months1 the natives of ,mazaro had rebelled against the ,portuguese1 and war had put an end to all communication4 ,matters were looking dark4 ,we had no calico to pay native labour1 the little that remained was required for buying the necessaries of life1 and as it was nearly exhausted1 starvation loomed in the distance4 ,the white men were seriously talking of an expedition to get up goods1 when a loud rap was heard at the door4 8,the mail6 here's the mail60 was shouted1 but it was ,kumlomba with half-a-dozen of his villagers4 ,in great excitement he rushed forward and threw down at the ,doctor's feet the bit of calico that had been the woman's covering1 as he exclaimed1 8,my child is dead60 ,this unexpected 8mail0 took the breath from us all4 ,we tried to calm the poor man4 8,there was no evidence10 we argued1 8that the woman had been killed4 ,a slave-gang was being made up by ,kapeni's people--it was certain she had been caught for slavery40 ,a celebrated lawyer said to a novice who was going to act at a trial1 8,give your opinion boldly1 but don't give any reasons for it3 your opinion may be correct1 but your reasons will almost certainly be wrong04 ,the advice is noteworthy1 and often have ,i thought of it when dealing with an ,african3 what he states in expressing his belief is generally right1 what he adds by way of argument is often wrong1 and it seems doubly so to persons unacquainted with the native mind4 ,kumlomba said a few things that appeared very disjointed to ,europeans1 and confirmed our belief that the woman was still alive4 ,the chief listened to us with patience but did not seem satisfied4 ,next morning the mystery was solved--the woman was found lying dead in the stream without any clothing1 and brutally mutilated 7#cf74 ,the ,doctors were soon informed1 who examined the body1 and told the people to bury it4 ,after the funeral was over1 ,kumlomba and other natives1 as also all the ,europeans1 met to discuss what ought to be the method of procedure on this sad occurrence4 ,the natives were only too familiar with such cases1 and some of the ,europeans had been three years in the country1 and were well acquainted with native law4 ,they agreed that a message must be sent to ,kapeni asking him to give up the guilty party4 ,on being thus appealed to1 ,kapeni convened an enormous meeting of his people at ,sochi4 ,he there stated that he had not yet discovered who the assassin was1 but he assured us that as the ,yao people always 8talked10 everyone would know in a few days4 ,but according to native law1 ,kapeni must either deliver up the assassin or forfeit the friendship of the ,mission people4 ,being anxious to find a third alternative1 he asked1 what would happen if he could not find the man1 but native law appeared to recognise no such neutral ground4 ,in the end two sticks were brought1 and the question was asked1 8,which of these does ,kapeni choose80 ,finally1 he agreed to give up the assassin4 ,but he was in no haste to do so2 nor was this wonderful1 since the ,ndilande people threatened to kill him if he attempted to fulfil his promise4 ,after a long delay1 ,kumlomba became impatient1 and went over himself unaccompanied by any ,european4 ,kapeni asked him whether he had not heard all about it3 for by this time the truth was generally known1 but ,kumlomba stood on his dignity and kept to the previous question1 8,give up the man04 ,one thing was remarkable about this visit4 ,the ,englishmen always admitted1 at least for the sake of argument1 that ,kapeni might not know the man1 but ,kumlomba refused to entertain the supposition1 and in fact ,kapeni did not dare to urge this plea upon him4 ,kumlomba said among other things1 8,don't take me for a white man4 ,i am a ,yao like yourself1 and ,i know all the customs of my country40 ,the natives about us were strangely unanimous in asserting that ,kapeni knew who was guilty4 ,they led us to understand that he had received a present from the murderer1 and had granted him absolution4 ,of course few of us were then old enough to know even that the natives shaved their heads in a case of ordinary death1 much less that they observed a complicated ritualism for murder4 ,kumlomba did not ask ,kapeni to punish the criminal4 ,such a demand would have been abhorrent to native custom4 ,the chief is the father of his people1 and native law is too polite to ask a man to execute justice on his own son4 ,the native custom1 moreover1 is in accordance with native religion4 ,a man's deceased relatives become his gods4 ,while ,kumlomba persisted in demanding his rights at this meeting1 one of ,kapeni's counsellors said to him3-- 8,why should you come bothering ,kapeni1 the men live beside yourselves80 ,soon after this the assassins were captured1 but although ,kumlomba insisted1 8,give them over to us and we will kill them10 which would have been native law pure and simple1 the ,europeans that were present1 not being accustomed to see human beings killed with so little ceremony1 refused to do so4 ,by this step they did credit to their own humane feelings1 but they transgressed native custom4 ,kumlomba was but ill satisfied when about a month after1 in the execution of native justice1 he levelled his musket at one of the men--the other having meanwhile escaped4 ,his view was that besides killing this man he ought to have got 8six people04 ,the six people1 or slaves1 he fixed as the ransom of the person that had escaped4 ,by native law he was entitled to damages of this kind4 ,i have known ,kapeni himself concede larger demands4 ,one effect of the execution was to bring in an enormous number not only of slave refugees but also of free people who wanted to live near the ,english4 ,in a short time the population of ,kumlomba's village became about five times as many4 ,the slaves that escaped were aware that they exposed themselves to the danger of assassination4 ,but at the beginning of this case had not one ,missionary of the greatest standing told them that an ,englishman considered the life of a black person as precious as his own life1 and that it was a murderer himself that ought to die for his deed1 and not 8two or three0 of his slaves 7#if78 ,in this unsettled land these statements somehow were much prized both by bond and free4 ,another effect of the case was to terrify ,kapeni from coming to ,blantyre4 ,happening to be at ,kapeni's about a month after1 ,i found him from home4 ,i asked his son when he was coming to see us1 and received the answer1 8,the ,ndilande people say that they will kill him if he go to ,blantyre04 ,the ,ndilande people had wished ,kapeni to be more decided1 and to refuse to negociate against them4 ,the old man had wavered4 ,in such circumstances a native must feel it hard to come to a conclusion4 ,he cannot tell by inspection which course will be most for his interest4 ,nor can he talk with any certainty of eternal and immutable morality4 ,no wonder that amidst this thick darkness and painful suspense he attempts to confer with the spirits of his fathers 7#ad74 ,but while ,kapeni had a duty to perform in giving up the transgressor1 whose duty was it to punish him8 ,kumlomba asserted that it was for him to deal with the case4 ,as this man was my instructor in the native language at the time1 ,i was thrown much into his society1 and ,i heard him declare that he wanted to take the whole responsibility4 ,besides he had carried out a capital sentence long before4 ,it might be true that in the eyes of ,englishmen these negroes looked bad dispensers of equity4 ,some of the ,portuguese also said that it was not right for the ,mission to allow savages to figure as administrators of justice4 ,still the natives had dispensed their own laws for hundreds of years4 ,but at ,blantyre was there not a ,colony as well as a ,mission1 and had not the ,colony power to punish8 ,undoubtedly the ,blantyre settlement was established on this principle1 and when ,dr4 ,macklin wrote to the ,convener of the ,committee giving an account of the occurrence1 and stating his determination to give judgment on the murderer1 the latter at once agreed with the ,doctor's reasons1 remarking that the native mind would accord with the doom decreed1 while he ever afterwards defended the execution on the supposition that it was the duty of the ,colony to carry it out4 ,but against this position it was argued that it was not lawful for ,british subjects to punish transgressors without the authority of the ,government4 ,this objection was found to be serious1 though it did not occur to any worker in ,africa4 ,even the promoters of the settlement1 many of whom were legal men1 seem to have overlooked this difficulty though they had by them books on statute law of which there were none in the desert4 ,but though ,i for one never thought of statute law1 ,i had once read carefully the old ,acts of the ,scottish ,general ,assembly1 and though ,i had no books of authority by me ,i was aware that clergymen had been censured or deposed for acting as magistrates1 and ,i mentioned to the others that ,i was bound by laws or precedents like these4 ,at the same time ,i held strong views to the effect that no clergyman ought to act in civil matters at all4 ,in every colony ,i could think of1 such duties fell to laymen4 ,so far as ,i could understand the case1 there were two civil authorities both asserting their right to punish the offender1 one being the natives and the other the ,blantyre colony4 ,in such circumstances various courses were open4 ,the case might be taken up 7#a7 by the natives alone1 7#b7 by the colony alone1 7#c7 by both acting together4 ,the natives acting alone would in accordance with their own laws have killed the offender at once as they proposed to do4 ,if the ,english colony was to act it had to determine its relations to ,kumlomba4 ,these were not clear4 ,at one time 7page #cd7 this man figures as the chief of the ,blantyre territory1 at other times as a subject of the colony4 ,if he were the superior power he would execute offenders at his own discretion1 and if he were a headman of the ,english colony he had a right according to native law to expect the latter to hand over entirely to him those that were alleged to have offended against him4 ,if the colony were to ignore native law1 and try to carry out purely ,english law1 then it would have to judge and deal with the prisoner on ,english principles4 ,if it resolved to call witnesses it would have been a fair thing first to explain what the precise effect of testimony was in a purely ,english trial4 ,after such explanation all ,kumlomba's men would have sworn to anything1 and all the prisoner's friends would have sworn to the opposite4 ,in the same way if a jury of natives had been impanelled1 their verdict would have depended on whether they were friends of ,kumlomba or of the prisoner4 ,suppose the ,englishmen had wished to get out of the difficulty by an ordeal like mwai1 the natives would have insisted that it was not a case for the ordeal1 while to ,christians the measure would have seemed an enormity4 ,the same might be said of the plan of redeeming a murderer and executing slaves in his stead4 ,as a matter of fact the colony acted along with the natives4 ,a formal trial was held at which all the ,europeans were present3 at this ,i declined to attend because ,i had been acting as chaplain to these prisoners1 consequently ,i cannot tell whether it was the colony or the natives that took the lead on this occasion4 ,it was also deemed expedient for the ,europeans to attend the execution in case the natives should follow their barbarous custom of dishonouring the criminal's body4 ,every circumstance was reported to the ,directors1 and the workers in ,africa felt that the view taken at home would be of importance4 ,one day an assassin might cut down some native that had left a home at ,quilimane or ,mazaro in order to stay at the ,mission1 and of whom the ,europeans were the sole protectors4 ,long ago ,dr4 ,macklin had asked the ,directors what was to be done in the case of murder1 but had got no advice4 ,after the execution the feeling of insecurity soon passed away4 ,the air had been full of threats to the effect that the ,mission people would be all similarly treated4 ,by thus killing the enemy1 one after another1 had not the ,yao destroyed certain ,anyasa that had ventured to settle by them8 ,lads were now afraid to take charge of the ,mission cattle1 children would not venture to come to school1 and those that stayed at ,blantyre were afraid to sleep in the dormitory4 ,one sees at a glance that fear is a large ingredient in the native character1 but a stranger born in a well-ordered country has difficulty in realising the extent of this fear4 ,a boy who ventures out at night is apt to see some one that wishes to shoot him1 and forthwith he rushes into the house screaming with fright4 ,girls and women feel if possible more unsafe1 knowing how many of their comrades have been surprised and carried off4 ,occasionally we had an opportunity of pointing out that their fears might be sometimes groundless4 ,nothing is more ridiculous to an ,african than the sight of his friend under a false alarm4 ,one night an ,englishman had gone out for the purpose of making astronomical observations4 ,he had carefully prepared his artificial horizon1 and was bending down over it with a sextant in his hand when the stillness of the evening was broken by a terrible scream1 and the observer had a large basin thrown full in his face4 ,one of our boys had gone out from the light1 and had taken the astronomer for a lion4 ,it was long before his companions allowed the lad to forget the incident4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,second ,,half4 ,,january1 #ahgi--;,,june1 #ahgi4 ,the first day of the ,new ,year was celebrated in proper ,scottish fashion4 ,our brethren of ,livingstonia1 and all the ,englishmen within our reach1 had been invited to ,blantyre4 ,at an early hour all the gentlemen1 lay and clerical1 donned aprons and began to cook4 ,some prepared a 8haggis10 others a plum-pudding1 others had charge of soups and meats4 ,though kindly exempted from culinary duties1 ,i thought that the exemption would prove of small service4 ,every corner of our little house was filled with plates1 cups1 trays1 crystal1 c41 c41 and so great was the stir that study was impossible4 ,at last ,i went to another hut1 and sat in the verandah with a group of natives1 who enabled me to add a few more words to my ,african vocabulary4 ,i could not help contrasting a tropical ,new-,year's ,day with an ,english4 ,in ,africa ,i did not venture to leave the shade of the verandah without a thick hat and an umbrella4 ,coats and vests were dispensed with1 and even the lightest clothing that we had was burdensome4 ,but amidst our new surroundings it was pleasant to remember the old customs of our native land1 and we sat down in due season to a ,new-,year's ,day dinner4 ,the natives had been watching the strange preparations with breathless interest1 utterly at a loss to know what it all meant2 and as dinner proceeded1 more than a hundred--men1 women1 and children--stood gazing in at the windows and doors1 which had been thrown wide open on account of the heat4 ,we observed all the time-honoured ceremonies as gravely and formally as if we had been at home4 ,in connection with the toast of 8,the ,queen0 it was remarked that most of us had been long enough in ,africa to appreciate the value of an orderly government4 ,one gentleman proposed that we should take a note of each other's names1 and see where we should all be four years later1 little thinking that long ere then he would sleep by the soft-flowing waters of the ,chiri4 ,at the close we joined hands and sung 8,auld ,lang ,syne04 ,that day was quite an oasis in our desert1 it brought us the long-expected mail4 ,next morning saw the first pic-nic in the history of the school4 ,at sunrise we started for the top of ,michiru4 ,i was the only ,european that went1 but my valour exceeded my discretion1 for at one spot ,i had to lie down till two boys ran to a stream for water4 ,little fellows of #aj years put me to shame as they ran up the steep sides of the hill like baboons4 ,a buck was shot1 cooked1 and nearly all eaten on the spot4 ,it was late in the afternoon before we returned4 ,since our first arrival at ,blantyre the ,school attendance had doubled1 and by this time a good number of girls had come1 to whom ,mrs4 ,macdonald's sewing class formed an attraction4 ,they were set to make dresses for themselves1 and the first few days all the old men and women in the neighbourhood came to watch the operation4 ,it was regarded a privilege for girls to be allowed to take so much cloth in their hands1 not to mention the prospect of wearing it4 ,at first1 these pupils were awkward4 ,they had never attempted to sew before1 for it is the men that sew in this country1 nor had they ever seen scissors1 or thimbles4 ,scissors1 or 8the little knives0 they were specially fond of4 ,but the thimble they did not half appreciate1 as the skin of their fingers would set ordinary needles at defiance4 ,it was amusing to see our young ladies fitting on their thimbles4 ,a new comer when told to select the one that suited her1 would respond by putting a thimble on each of her fingers6 ,the sewing class had to face difficulties that would not occur at home4 ,when the war at ,mazaro disturbed communications1 the girls could not be supplied with enough of cloth4 ,one night robbers entered by our windows and carried away among other things their half-finished dresses and all their sewing materials6 ,this was a serious misfortune4 ,though thimbles and needles are of little intrinsic value yet we could not manufacture them1 and eight months might elapse before their place could be filled4 ,the thimbles1 however1 were all found not far from the station1 having been thrown away as of no value4 ,but the needles would be considered a splendid prize1 and if the thief were at all enterprising he might buy a wife for them6 ,the natives at first would gladly sell a dozen eggs for a single needle4 ,although sewing was a novelty for girls1 old men were to be seen at every village engaged in the art4 ,while plying the needle1 they sit on a mat holding one end of the cloth with their toes4 ,we were very anxious to teach the natives to knit1 but at this time we had no worsted4 ,housekeeping4--,the difficulties of ,housekeeping were great1 the subject being quite new to the ,african girls4 ,untidy and dirty in their habits1 they considered us very peculiar when we objected to plates and spoons that they thought clean4 ,besides teaching them to do indoor work1 ,mrs4 ,macdonald had to see that they dressed their hair1 and washed every morning1 and as they wore light clothes their wardrobes required special supervision4 ,hence the native girls that came to assist ,mrs4 ,macdonald did not immediately win her confidence1 and at first did little to lighten her task4 ,when nursing they would even let the child fall1 a mistake that they were liable to by attempting to hold their charge not in native but in ,english fashion4 ,so to ensure safety the nurse had to sit beside her mistress1 while the latter amused the baby and did the household washing at the same time4 ,the introduction of anything new was always noteworthy4 ,at first the cook-boy caught his fowls about an hour before breakfast1 and plucked them before they were dead1 because the feathers thus came off more easily4 ,as soon as facts of this kind came under one's notice improvements were tried4 ,in order that the fowls might not be plucked alive1 the cook was asked to get them the night before4 ,he was most carefully instructed in the new part that he had to play1 and specially told to 8hang up0 the fowls in the kitchen4 ,that night the usual stillness was considerably broken4 ,i always valued the evening hours for study3 they were so much quieter2 but on this particular night it seemed as if some fowl house had been transported to my study window4 ,as the unwonted noise continued1 a light was got1 and efforts were made to solve the mystery1 the kitchen was explored1 and several fowls were found hanging on pegs in the wall with their legs tightly bound together1 while others similarly secured had fallen down and were struggling on the floor1 but all were alive6 ,the boy had faithfully 8hung them up10 but he had seen no necessity for killing them6 ,the natives that acted as housemaids had similar interesting experiences4 ,of course1 they had never before seen teapots1 cups and saucers1 tumblers1 forks1 or spoons4 ,forks they called 8thorns60 ,consequently they were ushered into a new world1 and found a pleasure in being permitted to touch the white people's dishes4 ,they now had at their disposal spoons of all varieties1 and it was perhaps in spoons that they were most interested4 ,they have a large ladle of their own for transferring porridge from the clay pot to a wooden platter1 but their spoon is an instrument of much greater antiquity4 ,a good idea of its use may be gathered from ,mr4 ,anderssen's description4 ,a repast was provided for him among the ,ovambo4 ,he hesitated as no spoon was to be found4 8,on seeing the dilemma we were in1 our host quickly plunged his greasy fingers into the middle of the steaming mass and brought out a handful which he dashed into the milk4 ,having stirred it quickly with all his might1 he next opened his capacious mouth1 and the agreeable mixture vanished as if by magic4 ,he finally licked his fingers and smacked his lips with evident satisfaction1 looking at us as much as to say1 #8that's the trick1 my boys'40 ,at first one could never be sure of the native servants1 except when standing over them4 ,their views had to pass through many phases3 one day they would wash knives in mass by putting a whole collection in a tub and stirring them round1 without thinking of dealing with each separately2 next day they would take silver plated articles and rub them one by one in the sand6 ,the first dishes brought out for the ,mission1 were fortunately of enamelled tin1 which did not break4 ,but in that region amid fever and discomfort1 the appetite becomes fastidious4 ,those accustomed to civilised plates said that their food did not taste the same when placed on the iron dishes4 ,accordingly1 other plates were tried1 but they were short lived4 #8,accidents will happen'1 and at first they were frequent4 ,when at length glass tumblers ventured to take the place of the iron jug that held our water1 the natives felt that they had to deal with a serious innovation4 ,some who had seen glass at ,quilimane1 informed the others of its strange qualities4 ,a dark deputation visited the white people1 and represented that these dishes were 8all the same as eggs10 and that the waiters would have serious difficulty in keeping a tumbler together4 ,feeling the force of these representations1 the ,europeans took the tumblers under special protection for a time4 ,but as in all such cases1 a day of reckoning was sure to come4 ,the natives carry plates1 tumblers1 and everything of this kind on the head4 ,to them this habit is so much a second nature that if asked to fetch a kettle of boiling water1 their first impulse ,i fancy would be to set it on the head6 ,still they thus carry things with a steadiness most surprising4 ,i was once much struck with the expertness of a little girl who was sent to a brook for water4 ,she picked up a very narrow bottle about #ah inches long2 although her hands were both empty she set it on her head1 walked off to fill it1 and returned carrying it the same way4 ,such is the usual custom2 and hence though the native can make baskets of every variety he never puts a handle on one of them4 ,in carrying soup1 they balance the plate on the palm of their hand1 which they throw back above the shoulder4 ,their method is better suited for jars than for plates4 ,illustration3 ,,method ,,of ,,carrying ,,in ,,the ,,hand4 ,the missionary party had to be their own bakers1 butchers1 and what not4 ,when settled in such a district a man learns for the first time how many manipulations are required before he can have dinner4 ,the first-comers made it a rule never to see the cooking4 ,what the natives brought they got through as well as they could1 but they suspected that if they looked at all the cooking processes their peace would be broken4 ,on one occasion two of us were at ,zomba4 ,i was suffering slightly from over-work1 and enjoyed a change of labour4 ,we were much delighted with a supply of goat's milk1 which a boy brought each day4 ,after school ,i used to sit in the verandah studying the language4 ,i often observed a piece of cloth lying on the ground at the foot of the wall4 ,it had once been white1 but was now very dingy4 ,it was generally damp1 and covered with sand and mud4 ,further1 it had an attraction for the playful toes of the group of natives that were always about me4 ,i had a vague idea that it was used for cleaning the lamps1 and regarded the rag with a kind of affection4 ,but one morning my companion shouted out1 8,look here6 ,just fancy6 ,see the abominable thing that he puts our milk through60 ,the boy was carefully straining the milk which we so much appreciated by means of the dirty piece of cloth4 ,at once all the enchantment of that rag was gone1 and so was the enjoyment of our nice milk4 ,but the boy's diligence was quite commendable3 he might fancy that the white people strained milk in order to effect a 8charm10 and so far as he saw1 one rag was as good as another4 ,on our first arrival we often had dishes that tempted curiosity2 but an appeal to the senior members of the ,mission was always answered with a suggestive quotation of the maxim 8,where ignorance is bliss1 c40 ,seldom1 therefore1 did the processes of ,meg ,dods' art1 as practised by the natives1 engage attention4 ,sometimes a boy was asked1 8,do you call that roast fowl80 ,he listened to the implied rebuke with a marked air of penitence2 but as soon as he rejoined his companions outside1 he repeated1 8,do you call that roastee fowlee8 ,ha6 ha6 ha60 and there followed a burst of loud and prolonged laughter1 which greatly amused the ,europeans also4 ,the white man's mess was tacitly regarded as common property1 but if the cook happened to be on bad terms with the various 8tasters10 the affair might become public4 ,one day ,i was addressing a class1 everything was calm and still1 the pupils sat in respectful attention1 the subject had advanced to the point of greatest interest1 when all at once1 a boy dashed into school with a half-eaten potato1 and the cook dashed after him with a ladle4 ,the interruption was a grave misdemeanour4 ,but the cook called out in great indignation1 8,i am cooking for the white men and not for this boy60 ,the little boy had evidently regarded the school as a house of refuge1 could he only reach it before his pursuer4 ,but the building had no doors1 and many large holes for windows as well as a large doorway1 and before they were aware1 they had both committed themselves1 and might expect to be much laughed at4 ,the natives1 however1 were usually too prudent to let these things come to light4 ,baking was not without its difficulties4 ,bread was made at first by means of the native beer1 and was exceedingly sour4 ,still those that had become accustomed to it generally took it without a murmur4 ,occasionally a native of some originality would bake several loaves with water alone1 only this was apt to cause considerable criticism4 ,in many articles native taste differs from ,european4 ,though few natives eat eggs 7,c71 those that do1 resemble the ,hottentots1 who are said to take kindly to eggs that would 8alarm a ,european at six paces' distance60 ,before the use of spoons was properly understood1 our servants attempted to take the eggs out of boiling water with their fingers1 one half standing to laugh at the experiment1 while the other half tried to carry it out6 ,in times of health one enjoyed these amateur cooks and their productions1 but when sickness came1 the joke was not so well appreciated4 ,after an attack of malarial fever passes away1 the invalid often has strange cravings of appetite4 ,forgetting for the moment where he is1 he expresses a wish for 8bread and butter04 ,he can eat nothing else but he fancies he could take this4 ,he is soon reminded that butter cannot be had1 and the sour bread alone would hardly tempt even a healthy man4 ,but what about milk8 ,why not let the poor fellow have a little milk8 ,this is ordered1 and the invalid has his hopes raised4 ,after a long time the milk appears4 ,but what makes the sick man hesitate so8 ,he looks as if he were going to ask what the milk was made of4 ,the new-comer may have yet to learn that there are no milk-strainers in this part of the world6 ,sometimes he may be glad if he get water4 ,the water used on the ,mission was taken from the little stream and was very unwholesome4 ,still it had the advantage of being quite cool in the morning4 ,at ,nyassa on the other hand1 when a person ordered water he would wonder whether it had been taken from the kettle instead of the ,lake1 and be tempted to think it must be useful chiefly as an emetic1 but after being placed for some time in an earthen pot1 it becomes cool and agreeable4 ,there was a certain provision made for sickness but of a very limited description4 ,beef-tea was in the store2 as was also a little wine1 but the supply was generally so small that it could not be used except in extremity4 ,at one period there was only a single cork screw on the settlement1 so that when the ,doctor ordered a bottle of wine the invalid had to wait for the man that possessed the screw6 ,we had two great methods of dealing with the difficulties of housekeeping--training the natives and ordering appliances from home4 ,the education of the natives was slow but it was sure1 and in time some of them began to be very useful4 ,appliances were ordered from home1 but often just when we fancied we were about to be properly supplied we were informed that our valuable boxes had been stolen on the way4 ,regarding the school-work we wrote at this time1 8,the natives are beginning to see meaning in our teaching4 ,one of our more advanced boys put to me the question1 #8,what must ,i do to receive the ,holy ,spirit8' ,he said he was wicked1 and had much need of the ,holy ,spirit to make him better4 ,we are glad that the ,sabbath-school children of ,scotland take an interest in our pupils4 ,some of our boys and girls they would like very much4 ,they might at first shrink from them because they are black1 but after a time they would find them attractive4 ,i could show them some broad little figures with broad little faces beaming with fun and good temper4 ,some of our pupils would run if they were to see white children2 but after the first fright was over they would come near1 and soon become good friends4 ,the other day ,i was at the back of a hill where children had never seen a white man before1 and they all took to their heels2 but after a short time they gathered round me1 and when ,i spoke to them and showed them my watch and my boots1 they became better acquainted2 and as we shook hands1 some of them said they would like to go to ,blantyre to school4 ,if we could send home photographs of our pupils1 the school children would have a better idea of them4 ,they would then wonder a good deal at the woolly heads and flat noses4 ,before we came here all the women and girls had their upper lips bored to hold a large ugly ring1 which made them a terrible fright2 but now they are laying aside this custom4 ,i told all our black pupils that the children in ,scotland were sending them clothes and money1 and they were delighted4 ,one said that he would like to know ,english1 to be able to thank the white children4 ,another said--#8,tell the children that we are glad to hear they are good1 and can read about ,god4 ,mrs4 ,macdonald and all the white men are very kind to us1 and teach us about ,god4 ,before1 we knew nothing1 but now we can understand a little1 and we thank the children very much4' ,the communion of the ,lord's ,supper has now been celebrated twice at ,blantyre4 ,dr4 ,laws was present on both occasions1 and addressed us after the ordinance4 ,we called in the more advanced boys as witnesses of the rite4 ,hitherto we have not baptised any natives4 ,i am not so familiar with their language as ,i should like to be before doing so4 ,meanwhile our teaching is so carried on that ,i should not wonder though some soon ask admission to the ordinance4 ,i pray that we may be directed in these matters2 they will mark a crisis of spiritual life among our pupils4 8,i have written out about #dj pages of ,scripture matter in the ,yao language1 which ,i shall send down to ,lovedale to be printed4 ,attempts of this kind will show the natives the use of reading40 ,the natives are fond of paying compliments1 and by this time ,kumlomba would tell me that ,i had finished ,yao4 ,i proposed therefore that he should now teach me ,chinyasa1 but he said1 8,if you speak ,yao for another year1 you will understand ,chinyasa without learning it04 ,i found afterwards that the native was not far wrong4 ,it is well for the ,missionary not to attempt at first to speak more than one language4 ,thus he might expect that after seven or eight years' persistent training he could wield the weapon with considerable effect1 though ,i fear he would fall behind the native orator by an immense distance4 ,we all know what a mess many a man makes of a foreign language after he thinks he has acquired it4 ,but though only speaking one tongue1 the ,missionary might write as many as he pleases1 for the various dialects throw much light on each other4 ,in trying to form a native reading book1 ,i had to grapple with all the difficulties of the native language4 ,not only so but ,i required to form a special vocabulary for ,theology4 ,hence the first three months of this year was a time of very hard study1 but ,i succeeded in drawing up a small ,reading book1 and forming at the same time an extensive vocabulary4 ,from this period1 and during my whole stay in ,africa1 ,i used at least twenty native words for every ,english word that ,i employed1 and latterly the ,english proportion became still smaller4 ,but often in my efforts at translation ,i had to pause a while in despair1 and devote more time to writing down native tales4 ,for a long period we had nothing but ,english books4 ,this is one great disadvantage that new ,missions have to contend with4 ,had we possessed ,yao books at the outset1 the great part of the school would have been able by this time to read their own language4 ,as it was1 many could read ,english very fluently--although they did not understand it4 ,a free-thinker who frankly declared that he did not believe in ,missions1 expressed much surprise on hearing ,english read by some boys that had not known a single letter a twelvemonth before4 ,their drill in ,english was by no means lost for1 when our printed matter arrived1 we had fifty pupils that could read it without hesitation4 ,during this period there occurred an episode that was invested with all 8the pomp and circumstance of glorious war04 ,chelomoni1 a ,blantyre headman1 was attacked when on a journey by another headman1 and had his wife taken from him4 ,he was himself wounded by an arrow1 and came to the ,station bleeding very profusely4 ,the outrage called for some remonstrance1 and ,chelomoni's villagers at once prepared to march upon the offender1 and some of the white men thought it best to accompany4 ,as the party approached the village1 the inhabitants came out to meet them1 and to ask what was to be done in view of the action of their headman4 ,they explained at the same time that the guilty man had run away4 ,after some consultation it was agreed to set fire to his huts1 and the men belonging to the village1 some of whom had been patients of ,dr4 ,macklin1 shewed which huts were owned by the aggressor1 and after the valuables were all carried out1 fire was applied4 ,in such a case ,chelomoni being the injured party was the proper person to punish4 ,but if the ,directors at home assumed that the ,mission was a colony with ,chelomoni for a subject then it would become the duty of the ,mission to punish1 and the native punishment for such offences is to make war on the offending village1 and obtain damages by capturing slaves4 ,as it was1 the presence of the white men that happened to be there1 did much to calm the opposing parties4 ,the ,directors hoped that the ,mission would become self-supporting1 but although the territory that belonged to the settlement was about #fjj square miles1 this result was far from being attained4 ,they advised extended cultivation1 but it was gradually discovered that this meant extended loss4 ,dr4 ,macklin1 however1 made an arrangement that promised to be remunerative4 ,he gave some of the villagers an allowance of powder with which they went out in search of elephants4 ,when they killed an elephant1 the ,mission was presented with one of the tusks and bought the other at a fixed rate4 ,this plan was afterwards largely adopted by various traders4 ,but soon the natives began to take advantage of the white men4 ,they would beg a large supply of powder1 representing that they had seen a herd of elephants1 and after hunting for several weeks and even trading with the powder1 they would come back to report that they had shot an elephant which had no tusks6 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,second ,,half--,,continued4 ,besides stealing articles that were on the way to the ,mission1 the natives gave considerable annoyance by pilfering at the station itself4 ,before becoming accustomed to the heat of the country1 we preferred to sleep with the windows open4 ,at ,quilimane our landlord would not permit this1 but bolted all the window shutters 8to prevent the blacks from coming in04 ,but at ,blantyre we ventured for some time to keep a window open at night1 and1 strange to tell1 no one came in4 ,becoming more used to the climate1 we shut our windows2 but one night thieves broke into our house1 and took everything that was of value to them4 ,most of our goods they carried outside and spread before the window4 ,then they selected everything that was made of cloth4 ,many things that we could hardly have done without1 such as waterproofs1 c41 they fortunately left4 ,books also escaped1 while they carefully placed some silver articles off the table1 in order that they might carry off the tablecloth4 ,anything that has the appearance of 8calico0 at once appeals to the natives' cupidity4 ,when we were honoured by the visit of a great chief1 our royal guest carefully felt first the tablecloth1 then the window-blinds1 and after that the paper on the walls6 ,it was not our neighbours that had committed the theft1 for they had long seen the windows kept open all night1 and had not entered4 ,all who had been in the ,mission during the previous thefts blamed the ,anyasa people4 ,after this1 two night watchmen were employed1 and bamboo shutters were fixed on the windows4 ,but for many months the station was beset with thieves1 who had been encouraged by this success4 ,it was chiefly by windows that they tried to enter1 though occasionally they pushed the doors till the rafters of our little houses cracked4 ,each night before retiring to rest we piled empty tins behind every window1 so that they might fall and frighten the robbers4 ,but to our great annoyance1 the rats frequently knocked these down4 ,we had no ambition to catch a thief in the act1 for in that case we should have likely felt the sharpness of his assagai4 ,for a long time we were in a miserable condition4 ,while we had the hardest work during the day1 we could never enjoy a night of undisturbed repose4 ,on one occasion nearly all the cloth windows in two of the houses were cut by thieves4 ,it almost seemed that a band of housebreakers had encamped near us1 for the express purpose of besieging the station4 ,they carried on their operations with great coolness1 for when they laid hold of a tin of split peas1 they opened it and left it beside the house4 ,they were too knowing to trouble themselves with the carriage of anything that was unsuitable4 ,they would at times plait a ladder to reach a store window1 and go off leaving the ladder beside the wall4 ,the watchmen were of no service2 they sometimes became plunderers themselves1 and disappeared before morning4 ,the first parties that were employed as watchmen came from the same chief as the thieves1 and were probably glad of their position in order to assist their friends4 ,as the natives wear no boots and hardly any clothing1 they can break into houses without making much noise4 ,still the ,europeans became very expert in attending to everything that betokened the presence of a thief4 ,our houses were full of rats1 which are here better equipped for making a disturbance than rats are in ,england4 ,it was ,livingstone1 ,i think1 that first complained of the laughing rats of the ,zambeze6 ,these inmates of our dwellings not content with biting our fingers1 knocking down tins1 and dancing at large over everything that was capable of giving out a noise1 aspired to divert us by going into fits of loud laughter6 ,all this performance1 it will be thought1 made the task of the housebreaker more easy4 ,yet it sometimes produced the very opposite effect4 ,when the rats discontinued their dance1 the ,european was at once all ear4 8,my rats are quiet4 ,what can be the matter8 ,there must either be a snake on the verandah1 or a robber at the window40 ,this reasoning1 strange as it may seem1 led1 at least1 on one occasion1 to very important results4 ,but the thieves gave indications of their presence in various other ways4 ,as ,i lay one night in bed1 the moon which seems always to shine brightly here1 cast the shadow of a native on the calico window4 ,the man's movements were suspicious3 although he would not contemplate anything more serious than theft2 yet so small was our room that a native could have easily given us the full benefit of his assagai as we lay in bed4 ,i thought that this chance of scaring a thief was too good to be lost1 and ,i fired a revolver bullet through the calico4 ,from the man's shadow ,i could easily see where he stood1 and so avoid the risk of striking him4 ,it need scarcely be said that he disappeared at once4 ,as we were all expected to get up on any nocturnal disturbance1 the other members of the ,mission were over in a few minutes1 but could find no trace of the person1 and it was not likely that the same individual would return that night4 ,several nights after this1 a noise was heard at midnight in our larger room4 ,i got up and stood before one of the windows for a long time1 till ,i began to shiver with cold4 ,but everything was quiet except that ,i could hear our two watchmen snoring very loudly under a large tree not far from our door4 ,becoming tired with waiting1 and wishing also to rouse the watchmen1 ,i fired the revolver through the calico as before1 when to my surprise1 ,i heard a great scamper4 ,a thief had really been at the window4 ,in his rapid retreat he threw away his bow4 ,the calico in the window was cut in the usual way1 but so quietly had he been working1 that even although ,i had been sitting awake in the dark room1 he might have ultimately entered without my hearing him6 ,afterwards we kept a lamp burning all night1 and ,i had only to carry it to the window where a thief was1 in order to secure his instant departure4 ,we often wondered why negroes who were so lazy at work1 put themselves to so much trouble in order to steal4 ,but their thieving propensities are everywhere recognised4 ,when we were at ,quilimane1 ,i remember that after the custom-house was closed for the night1 ,dr4 ,macklin was asked by the ,portuguese authorities to send a watch in order to protect the goods that he was taking out4 ,blantyre men were accordingly armed with guns and cautioned against falling asleep4 ,up at the ,mission1 ,makukani was believed to be the instigator of all the pilfering4 ,the other ,magololo said that if the ,english would visit him on a beer-drinking1 they would see all their stolen clothes and dresses4 ,after a great 8take10 this chief would send up requesting the present of a box to hold his clothes6 ,when spoken to by ,dr4 ,macklin on the subject1 he was quite pleasant1 but of course1 declared that he knew nothing of the thefts4 ,to put a stop if possible to this annoyance we determined to surround the station with a hedge of thorn1 and take various other precautions4 ,but before these improvements could be carried out1 we were made still more alive to the dangers of our position4 ,in the beginning of ,june1 ,i wrote to the ,committee to the following effect3--8,on looking at the journal of last month1 ,i see that the greater part of the time has passed without anything noteworthy4 ,happy1 it has been said1 are the people that have no history2 still there are a few items that we could have #8spared'4 ,on #bast ,may an attempt was made at fire-raising1 which would have been serious if successful4 ,our own house was chosen1 as being to windward of the others1 and at midnight we were visited by a man who carried a few embers in a clay-pot1 and set fire to the roof4 ,our roofs are merely grass1 tied down with bamboo4 ,but for an ever-watchful ,providence1 the whole house would soon have been in flames4 ,the incendiary had waited for a windy night1 his plan being to burn all the houses in the same row4 ,if this house had been set fairly ablaze1 one half of the station would have been demolished4 ,but one of the artisans on the opposite side of the square being sleepless on account of ill-health1 observed the glare through his calico window1 and at once gave the alarm4 ,the bugle was sounded1 and all the natives turned out1 as well as ourselves4 ,by means of a good supply of water and wet blankets1 we soon extinguished the flames4 ,we have since taken several steps with a view to additional security4 ,we are giving every attention to the watch at night4 ,we have not swords1 as you suggest2 and a native would be of more service with his assagai on an emergency4 ,hitherto the watch has been armed with guns4 ,you are anxious that natives should not form an acquaintance with fire-arms1 but the country is already full of them4 ,one can hardly take a walk to ,ndilande without meeting half-a-dozen men with guns4 ,in a single day's march here1 a person sees more guns than he would see in ,scotland in a six days' journey4 ,another precaution has been the cutting down of the bush for several hundred yards round the station4 ,hitherto1 a native had to run but a few yards in order to make his capture impossible4 ,to prevent fire we have had our houses covered with a coating of clay1 thin on the top1 and thicker on the veranda4 ,the rainy season will probably wash off this2 but it will serve its purpose1 as roofs are not so easily set on fire during the rains4 8,the best way of securing the goodwill of the natives is to mingle much with them4 ,those in our neighbourhood are all most friendly1 but they are impulsive4 ,i must explain that ,i have thought it my duty to stick closely to school work1 so that my time for visiting in the country is not much4 ,but ,dr4 ,macklin and ,i have begun to spend ,saturday forenoons in going about among the people4 ,the other week we were at the back of ,sochi where there is a good view of the ,mlanje range4 ,i had been reading1 for the first time1 ,mr4 ,rowley's book on the ,universities' ,mission1 and it gave a new interest to the prospect that lay before us4 ,as we stood gazing on the very valley that our predecessors must have passed through to ,magomero1 we felt that we were amidst hallowed associations4 ,we cannot help thinking that the dealings of ,providence were very mysterious with regard to a ,mission so well equipped4 8,our new villages show much improvement4 ,instead of the original little round hut the ,blantyre natives are beginning to erect square houses with verandahs and calico windows4 ,it would be desirable to spread our energies over a larger field4 ,when we succeed in planting one or two stations this end will be gained4 ,we cannot predict what course our work will take in the future4 ,after we have a few stations besides ,blantyre1 we may be able to subdivide the district thus occupied into twenty parishes4 ,were we at this stage1 we could secure for the native pastors an endowment in the form of a small freehold4 ,such an organisation as this would1 with the blessing of ,god1 tell strongly on the heathenism of the country2 but the attainment of such an end1 whether it be near or distant1 will not be secured without many a prayer1 and many a persevering effort both of the ,church at home and of its representatives in this distant land40 ,after the ,mission ,directors recommended extension1 we turned our thoughts to ,mlanje and to ,zomba4 ,dr4 ,macklin went to the former district1 but found the country very unsettled4 ,at one place he underwent considerable anxiety1 and his men kept awake all night1 but he was relieved by discovering that his interpreter was acquainted with one of the chiefs4 ,the ,doctor wrote1 8,this was a very pleasant discovery1 and quite set my mind at rest4 ,the chief said he knew the ,english were friends2 he knew them long ago when he lived on the coast2 how that the ,english had saved his people from being enslaved by the ,portuguese2 and how the ,english ships of war used to capture dhows and set the slaves free4 ,he was glad to have a visit from us1 and expressed himself pleased at the prospect of the ,english coming to stay amongst his people to teach their children1 as he knew learning was good4 ,next morning ,i received a present of a fine goat1 a large quantity of rice and native beer4 ,i had another interview with him4 ,i told him ,i wished to explore the district and visit ,matapwiri4 ,he thereupon earnestly recommended me not to go to the other side of ,mlanje1 or go up the hills1 or visit ,matapwiri at present1 but to come back again1 and then he himself or his brother would be my guide4 ,he said ,i was likely to get into trouble if ,i went on now4 ,he asked me to stay a few days among his people1 to let them get acquainted with me4 ,he said he was sorry he must go away that day1 but he was desirous his people should learn more of me4 ,he also expressed his regret that the people in the first village had given me trouble1 and he was angry with them4 ,indeed1 he went that way to take away the present from the headman40 ,then the chief departed to carry on his wars4 ,we kept up communication with him to the last4 ,various presents were exchanged1 and on one occasion he sent over his young son on a visit to ,blantyre4 ,meanwhile the ,mission was steadily advancing in every department4 ,details may be gathered from the following extracts3-- 8,by this time many natives are more decently clothed4 ,saturday is the great washing-day1 so that on ,sunday we have quite a respectable 7not to say a gaudy7 congregation4 8,the dresses with bright and variegated colours have been highly prized1 especially by the school children and the females4 ,some of the men1 however1 are not so much influenced by colour in selecting their garments4 ,they are so utilitarian that they form an opinion of a dress only after giving it a few good #8tugs'4 8,our pupils make marked progress4 ,we have two boys that did not know a single letter last year1 who can now read the #cgth ,psalm4 ,i have set one class to read the metrical version of the psalms1 as the rhyme pleases them4 ,they also gain insight into our language1 by reading the poetical version along with the prose one40 ,we had long felt the necessity of building larger houses1 and had thought of various plans4 ,turf houses were suggested1 but none of us had ever seen turf in this country4 ,bricks were next spoken of4 ,but ,dr4 ,macklin1 learning that the earth of the ant-hills could be used for mortar1 proposed to build with stone1 and ,mr4 ,buchanan in a very short time reared the walls of the first stone house that had been seen in this region4 ,its erection gave the mission a new standing altogether4 ,the natives had been of opinion that in a short time we should become tired of them and go away like our predecessors4 ,but when they saw that we no longer built masakasa1 as they said the 8,magomero ,mission had also done10 they reasoned that we gave more promise of a permanent stay4 ,besides1 the white people had children on whom many hopes were placed4 ,kapeni's sister paid ,mrs4 ,macdonald a visit of compliment on the birth of her son1 and asked to see the white baby4 ,she brought with her a little girl of about six years1 and made some hints to the effect that she would like a marriage with the white people6 ,she said the young ,scotchman was a ,yao child1 and ,i replied that ,i had little doubt he would soon speak ,yao4 ,when asked whether she would leave the little girl for school1 she said she would attend school with 8him06 ,the natives1 although afraid that their own children would not learn to read1 never admitted the same doubts regarding the white child1 who had the medicine of its fathers4 ,by the end of this half-year ,i was able to converse with the natives sufficiently well to profit by their instructions in the language4 ,from morning till noon and from noon till night1 ,i kept noting down native words wherever ,i heard them1 and ,i hired special teachers besides4 ,having realised from the beginning that the first work of a ,missionary was to acquire the language of his people1 ,i was daily discovering that the best way of mastering an unwritten tongue was to note down native tales4 ,by this time ,i could write as follows3-- 8,i am glad that ,i have advanced so far in the language as to have overcome the mere drudgery part4 ,i now pay special attention to the idioms4 ,from twelve noon till two every day ,i have a man engaged to give me stories1 for which ,i pay him in handkerchiefs1 needles1 or soap4 ,i write down these tales to dictation1 and occasionally in shorthand4 ,i believe that in a little ,i shall be able to utilise phonography in this language for private use1 and thus save much time4 ,the tense-sequence is more simple than ,i at first thought2 the natives have a device like what ,hebrew grammar has called the ,waw consecutive4 ,thus1 when they speak of the past1 they put the first verb in the past indicative1 while the rest of the verbs in the series are infinitives4 8,these people are not destitute of a traditional literature3 they have a great many riddles1 which ,i am trying to collect4 ,they have also many tales4 ,at the head of these there is an account of the first man2 this is followed up by genealogies of all the tribes in their neighbourhood2 then there comes a long catalogue of wars and consequent famines1 interspersed at intervals with times of peace and prosperity4 ,i have also accounts of their important ceremonies1 some of which are very objectionable1 and much resemble practices that were associated with the idolatry of ancient ,israel4 ,some particulars my informant communicated in a whisper2 others were #8hidden1' and if he revealed them he would die4 ,the man that has been my chief instructor is anxious to get #8our stories1' by which he means the stories in the ,bible4 ,after coming to ,africa and seeing the effect of ,scripture narratives on the native mind1 my appreciation of the ,old ,testament history has been much deepened4 ,to take one instance4 ,the natives were greatly impressed with the incident in the history of ,david1 where he had ,saul in his power and spared him--they considered ,david's action a most admirable one4 8,congregations at home are anxious to get truth in a more abstract form1 and would consider time wasted if the sermon were taken up with these simple stories2 but these natives like to ruminate on every particular1 and to conceive the whole narrative as vividly as possible4 ,though we1 from familiarity1 look on these narratives as simple1 people hearing them for the first time may recognise in them not only a divine sublimity1 but a supernatural intellectual power40 ,when we reached the ,mission last year1 the natives used to bring large numbers of fowls for sale3 at first they brought more than could be used4 ,they were equally ready to sell eggs4 ,moreover1 when there was a rumour of war in the district1 they fetched in fowls from every quarter1 for when they had to run to the hills they could carry their 8money0 more easily than their fowls4 ,the effect of all this was that the native villagers in the neighbourhood soon sold off their stock1 and as a consequence the ,missionaries had no meat4 ,on fowls we depended almost entirely1 for though the ,magololo had a few sheep and goats1 they did not care to sell them4 ,various means were tried in order to keep the wolf from the door4 ,in the early days of the ,mission1 before there was much to do1 and when most of the staff were unwell1 it had been possible to tell off an invalid to look after the fowls1 but all of us were too busy now4 ,we adopted the plan of giving fowls over to villagers1 and we soon found that if they could not take better care of them than the white man they could always account for them better1 for every now and then they were able to report that a dozen had been killed by a leopard6 ,but the matter became serious--we often found ourselves without food4 ,on one occasion we had to live chiefly on beans for nearly five weeks4 ,the only good solution of this difficulty was found when we planted a new ,mission4 ,to it we looked for a supply till the ,blantyre district recovered itself4 ,many a time the petition for daily bread had a significance for us here that it never had in ,britain4 ,it might be supposed that a ,missionary is in danger of becoming less spiritually-minded when surrounded by the heathen4 ,but on the contrary1 not to mention the solemn call which he feels when he is face to face with heathendom1 he is apt to realize his dependence on ,god much more vividly than in a civilized land4 ,each night he knows that a drunk native might easily burn him in his hut before he awakes4 ,trading4 ,in a short time the ,african ,lakes ,company began to exert an influence in the country4 ,its agents brought out a steamer to ply between ,mazaro and the ,mission settlements4 ,the intention was to aid the ,missions and encourage the natives in commerce4 ,the negroes1 it was felt1 might easily wonder what could be the object of the ,missionary1 but they could all understand the object of the ,trader4 ,hitherto the great trade of the country had been in slaves1 nor could a native chief be expected to lay aside this traffic all at once1 seeing1 as he did1 no harm in dealing in human flesh and blood4 ,he pleaded1 and that truly1 that he had nothing to sell but slaves4 ,some legitimate trade required therefore to be introduced4 ,in dealing with the natives1 ,trading ,companies would evidently have to face great difficulties4 ,unfortunately these negroes had learned to look to all traders for rum and powder4 ,besides1 as time is of no value to the native1 he demands for his goods the same price in the interior that he would get at the coast4 ,like the ,missionary1 the ,trader in such lands has to educate the people gradually4 ,but the ,trading ,company soon conferred a great boon on the ,mission ,stations4 ,at first we had always great difficulty in getting ordinary stores from ,england4 ,for a long time while we had plenty of tea we had no sugar1 on other occasions while we had plenty of sugar we had no tea6 ,but the superior means of communication put an end to these difficulties4 ,this company is desirous of opening up the country by making a road as far as ,lake ,tanganyika4 ,this is certainly a very good programme4 ,when operations are extended over such a large field1 no doubt1 many difficulties may be expected4 ,on one occasion a chief robbed and murdered no fewer than fourteen natives that were employed by the company1 and when a party went back to remonstrate1 another man lost his life in the scuffle4 ,but the making of roads is a work that the natives much like1 and which soon advances the civilization of a district4 ,field for ,emigration4 ,livingstone as he passed through this region often thought of the poor in his native land4 ,he knew how human beings were crowded together in large cities1 where they seldom saw a green field or enjoyed the pure air4 ,there they lived1 cast aside into some filthy street to be hidden as it were from the more respectable citizens4 ,might not this hard fate be modified8 ,the vast unpeopled plains and mountains of ,africa impressed us with the lesson that ,great ,britain is but a little part of ,god's vast world4 ,the state of the lake region of ,africa just now1 points back to what ,britain must have been many centuries before ,christianity reached it4 ,if we had then sailed up the ,thames or the ,clyde in some canoe1 we should have seen only an occasional savage clad perhaps in skins1 who would quickly rush in terror into the dense jungle4 ,could the man of those primitive days now revisit his old haunts1 he would not recognise them4 ,a greater contrast could scarcely be imagined4 ,what in his time was a swamp is now a railway station1 places then quite impassable by reason of bush and branches are now busy streets1 spots which were then a barren waste are now fertile farms4 ,for every person that could subsist in the country then1 there are thousands now4 ,with reference to ,africa1 many ,englishmen say that if ,britain instead of ,portugal had held the coast1 the country would have been already opened up4 ,the remark looks invidious1 but in any case it cannot change the past1 and those who have at heart the sad condition of the ,african must seek to improve the present4 ,i have no doubt that settlers willing to endure the hardships common in uncivilised countries1 would by steady perseverance soon make themselves comfortable homes4 ,sugar grows well in the district4 ,the natives have the cane1 though they know nothing of the manufactured article4 ,tobacco also grows everywhere4 ,the same may be said of ,india-rubber4 ,cotton is indigenous1 and flax thrives well4 ,coffee has succeeded1 and it is almost certain that tea would4 ,oil seeds 7like the castor-oil bean1 ground nuts and sesamum7 are abundant4 ,native labour is cheap4 ,the rate of wages at one time was a foot of calico per day for each man1 and nine inches for a woman2 and as the ,mission had always more applicants for work than could be received1 even this small wage was reduced4 ,still1 parties settling far inland would not gain by exporting1 as for a long time the expense of carriage must be high4 ,one thing much to be regretted in connection with the opening up of the country for commerce is the wholesale destruction of the elephant4 ,at every port along the ,east coast the mail steamers receive tons of ivory4 ,it is a pity that the ,african elephant cannot be utilised in some other way4 ,unless the noble animals have some mercy shown them1 they will speedily become extinct4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,third ,,half4 ,,july1 #ahgi-;,,dec41 #ahgi4 ,mlanje district having proved too unsettled for ,mission ,work1 our thoughts turned to ,zomba1 where there was greater quietness4 ,the ,rev4 ,horace ,waller said that he had ever looked upon this great mountain as a #8,land of ,promise'4 ,its height gave us good reason for expecting that a healthy site could be found in its neighbourhood4 ,we started for ,zomba on ,july #cj4 ,it was #hde before we had all the carriers in motion4 ,i went off in front1 while ,mr4 ,buchanan brought up the rear4 ,we carried with us provisions for a month1 and tools to build a house if we should find a good settlement with friendly natives4 ,as we crossed the shoulder of ,ndilande1 our march was quite an ovation1 the natives running from every village to salute us4 ,two hours from ,blantyre brought us to a wooded plain1 uninhabited but well watered1 in which we proceeded for two hours more1 till we reached a village on the side of ,cherasulo at one o'clock4 ,after resting for two hours we resumed our journey1 which now lay through a valley at the foot of ,cherasulo--a most fertile spot1 with sparkling brooks and gigantic trees4 ,at this point one of our carriers fell behind1 and could not be found4 ,he managed his little trick so skilfully that ,i did not understand it till long after4 ,when we started we intended to pass ,mkanda's1 but on further inquiry we resolved to go by ,kumpama's4 ,on our change of route becoming known1 this poor carrier who had been a slave of ,kumpama's1 contrived to #8miss the way1' although beside his old home4 ,he then #8wandered a long time is search of us' and at last returned to ,blantyre4 ,i mention this to shew the reserve of the natives4 ,all knew the facts as well as ,i do now1 but no one hinted at them and we were left to suppose1 if we liked1 that the carrier had run off and stolen his load4 ,that night we pitched our tent in the village of a #8brother' of ,mityoche's1 who treated us with great kindness4 ,since the expedition to ,mlanje had caused so much anxiety we took the opportunity at this place of writing back to ,blantyre1 and two of the villagers were very willing to act as postmen4 ,on ,july #ca we resumed at #g o'clock hardly expecting to see a single habitation till we were near ,zomba4 ,but there are a few hamlets a little way off the path4 ,one large village we reached at #i1 and there we rested before entering the desert4 ,we partook of breakfast while our carriers regaled themselves with native beer4 ,as the #8,english' are held in high estimation as ,physicians1 a poor man covered with a kind of leprosy was brought to us here4 ,at #aabj we came to the ,namasi1 the largest stream we had yet crossed4 ,the road is uniformly level4 ,it seems as if nature had meant it for a railway4 ,on the sides1 here and there1 are rocky heights rising about #aej feet above the plain4 #aej ,p4,m4 brought us to the ,ntondwe1 another large stream4 ,after #c the descent was gradual1 almost imperceptible1 till we reached1 at the foot of ,zomba1 a fine stream called the ,likangala1 by the side of which at #ecj we pitched our tent under the shadow of the great mountain4 ,at this spot there are some villages on sites as beautiful as could be conceived4 ,the inhabitants are numerous and intelligent4 ,they have had much intercourse with the coast1 which they can reach in about seven days4 ,their chief is ,chemlumbe4 ,all the people were exceedingly kind and each headman recommended us to stay beside himself4 ,the ,cherasulo people could not see why we preferred ,zomba1 and ,chemlumbe's subjects were sure that we would settle with him4 ,aug4 #a4--,we started for ,chemlumbe's own residence4 ,he wished us to rest three days before doing anything4 ,this is an example of some of the lazy customs of the country4 ,but there are certain principles in human nature quite as strong as habit3 through the offer of two shirts we procured a guide1 and by twelve o'clock we stood on the top of ,zomba4 ,once there1 we went round the whole of the side towards ,blantyre1 and the whole of the side towards ,chirwa4 ,to our disappointment we found that1 at the nearest point1 the lake was at a great distance from the base of ,zomba4 ,one hill called ,chikala is nearer the lake only our guide said that it was the chosen abode of war and tsetse4 ,by the time we were ready to descend the mountain1 it was dark4 ,our guide had left us in the afternoon because we were going too far in the direction of a hostile chief called ,malemya4 ,we were not sure whether to sleep on the hill or to press onwards in the moonlight4 ,ultimately we resolved to press on4 ,our men were so tired that they preferred to stay behind and we went on alone1 though very faint1 having eaten nothing since morning4 ,before we had gone fifteen minutes ,buchanan1 who was leading1 declared that it would be a difficult descent1 and in about fifteen minutes more we were in a perfect #8fix'4 ,at one point it seemed to be quite impossible to go down1 while it was nearly equally difficult to go back4 ,we kept struggling for about two hours4 ,once we thought of lying down till the moon came round2 at another time we proceeded to take off our clothing to serve as a rope by which we might project ourselves to a certain tree4 ,we cannot be too thankful that this last plan was abandoned1 as we should have reached the tree only to be precipitated down hundreds of feet of perpendicular rock4 ,the want of food1 and the exertions of the day1 had made us exceedingly weak2 we could hardly speak4 ,but we did not lose our trust in ,god2 and it gave us comfort to think that we were not forgotten by praying people at home4 ,in a short time we found a less dangerous path1 and reached a stream about midnight4 ,a few draughts of its delicious water made up for want of food2 and in a short time we tried to wade down the channel1 as having thus the easiest passage to the foot of the mountain4 ,in the stream our progress was no longer obstructed by bush1 but we encountered large slippery stones4 ,one or two falls among these convinced us that the mountain must be our abode all night4 ,we found a level stone for a bed1 and a few logs1 which made a fire4 ,one of us was to sleep1 the other to watch and scare the wild beasts4 ,i was constituted watchman1 as ,buchanan who was better acquainted with ,chemlumbe was to bring round the carriers next day4 ,aug4 #b4--;,in the morning we were as fresh as could be expected1 and urged on by hunger1 we resumed our journey as soon as we could see4 ,we now discovered that we had reason to be thankful for not having attempted to descend farther in the night4 ,towards the foot of the mountain we found timber1 bamboos1 and other requisites for building1 growing more plentifully than at ,blantyre4 ,having started at six we reached a native village--,kalimbuka's--about eight1 and our knowledge of the language at once recommended us to the people4 ,we allayed the pangs of hunger by devouring a few raw eggs1 which we bought for a handkerchief4 ,though some of these had been taken from under a hen as usual1 we found as many fresh as served our purpose4 ,then we made a meal of sweet potatoes which were roasted among the ashes4 ,after we had time to examine ourselves we found our clothes had been cut by our falls among the stones the previous night4 ,an aneroid barometer which we laid down in the chiefs verandah1 soon collected a great crowd4 ,the chief had tried to catch the hands below the glass6 and was so much surprised at his failure that he called his people4 ,they were all still more surprised when ,i produced my watch4 ,they thought the larger hand might be a 8picture0 but they saw the seconds hand actually moving1 yet despite all their efforts1 they could not catch it4 ,every man in the village had to try the experiment for himself before he was convinced4 ,a brave old veteran who had slain his hundreds1 came forward perfectly certain that he could take hold of the 8little stick04 ,he pushed aside the rest of the people with an air of contempt--they were good for nothing if they could not hold that stick4 ,they made way for the mighty man who placed his forefinger opposite his large thumb and pounced upon the watch glass with the greatest confidence4 ,he repeated the attack again and again1 but the seconds hand still kept moving on as before4 ,gradually a puzzled look crept over his face1 and the crowd raised a loud laugh1 while the warrior tried to cover his defeat1 by saying1 8,can you catch hold of it1 father80 ,by the time that the men had all tried to catch the 8stick10 the female population paused amidst the labours of their busier life1 and came forward in a body to see the phenomenon that had so puzzled their husbands4 ,they showed equal astonishment4 ,the watch opened with the usual spring4 ,and being anxious to get an illustration of the 8post hoc1 propter hoc0 fallacy1 ,i invited one man to blow upon the back of it1 when to his astonishment1 the lid opened at once6 ,after this all the villagers crowded round for the purpose of blowing on the watch1 and they clapped their hands and huzzaed1 when the lid always opened6 ,before the exhibition had finished1 every villager had to put the watch to his ear to hear what it said4 ,then he told his friends that it said1 8,telu6 telu6 telu60 ,the natives often gave an interpretation of sounds which was different from ours4 ,according to them a cat does not say 8mew10 but 8nyao04 ,in the course of the day1 our goods were brought round from ,chemlumbe's1 who seemed offended because we had not settled at his village which was unfortunately unsuitable4 ,chemlumbe is related to ,mityoche1 and had we settled with him1 the latter might have always allowed our carriers to pass in peace4 ,we asked ,kalimbuka whether we could get leave to choose a spot in his neighbourhood1 and he was delighted with the idea4 ,but wishing to observe every little point of native manners1 we requested him to take us first to ,malemya1 the chief of the whole district4 ,sunday1 ,august #c4--,we held two services in the native language1 which were well attended4 ,when we repeated the ,lord's prayer1 our new friends specially noted its last petition1 8,deliver us from evil04#e ,monday1 ,august #d4--,with ,kalimbuka's son as guide we set out for ,malemya's4 ,in this journey we found more traces of foreign influence than are seen at ,blantyre4 ,we met with one man that could speak ,swahili1 and with another that had been the slave of some ,portuguese planter4 ,when we expressed a doubt as to whether a ,portuguese slave would run so far inland1 ,bismark said1 8,there can be no doubt about the matter1 if you look at his side1 you may see the mark60 and so it was4 ,when the man raised his arm1 we found that he had a brand on the side4 ,on reaching ,malemya's1 we asked an interview with the chief4 ,after some delay1 an old man who was evidently a great snuff-taker1 made his appearance1 and announced himself as ,malemya4 ,we shewed him all the tokens of respect due to a king1 and stated our errand4 ,he was quite favourable and condescended to give us a general idea of his kingdom and its relations4 ,he bitterly complained of his neighbour ,kawinga1 who tried to capture all his subjects4 ,after everything had been discussed1 he said he would take a few minutes to consider how he would deal with us1 and retired4 ,during his absence1 ,bismark and some of our men were asked to a private interview4 ,in a little1 ,bismark returned laughing and said1 8,that man you saw is not the chief at all6 ,the chief is a young man4 ,you will see him if you come round to the back of the house40 ,on this explanation being given1 all the natives laughed1 feeling that the white men had been cheated6 ,though some even of our own retinue must have known that ,malemya was a young man1 they gave us no hint of this1 but seemed to enjoy the little game3 they afterwards remarked that ,machinga chiefs always acted in this manner with strangers4 ,malemya himself was very cordial4 ,when we tried to explain that we wanted a little bit of ground as well as a house1 he did not understand how we could have a house without getting all the land about it6 ,in his view1 the one gift implied the other4 ,we were careful to explain that we should not interfere in the usual native wars4 ,he wished us to stay and rest with him1 but we declined1 promising to call again4 ,next day we set ourselves to choose a spot for a house1 and to begin operations4 ,in choosing the site we had many conditions to fulfil4 7#a7 ,there must be people about us4 ,on seeing this spot from the top of the mountain1 we were delighted with the cluster of little villages4 ,here we were on the borders between ,chemlumbe and ,malemya1 having a ready access to both kingdoms1 and the subjects of these hostile chiefs laid aside their petty jealousies and worked side by side with us4 7#b7 ,there must be a supply of good water4 ,on the banks of the ,mlungusi we had as favourable a position in this respect as could be desired4 7#c7 ,it must be a healthy spot4 ,the elevation of the site at ,zomba secured this1 our station being on the southern side of the hill1 about #djj feet higher than ,blantyre1 and quite accessible to every wind except the north1 which would be a hot wind4 ,here1 too1 the mountain juts out1 giving us even more than our fair share of fresh air4 7#d7 ,it must be a secure spot4 ,this site seemed specially suited for preserving us from such trouble from thieves as we had at ,blantyre4 ,the whole district round as far as ,malemya's is well watered and populous4 ,the people1 too1 are quite as knowing as those at ,blantyre1 most of the men having been at ,quilimane4 ,they were able to give me much help with the language4 ,at ,blantyre ,i had been long searching for a ,yao word equivalent to our 8hundred0 but without success4 ,at ,zomba ,i got it at once1 but it is seldom used--the natives rarely counting so high4 ,tuesday1 ,august #e1 found us at our new settlement4 ,after clearing a little spot we raised a grass hut4 ,in this we had just room for our beds and a table4 ,the bedsteads which we had brought with us were not strong and sometimes fell down and knocked our heads through our wall6 ,a table was made by driving four posts into the floor1 and fixing a bamboo boarding above them4 ,for chairs1 we had old boxes4 ,our cooking was done under a big tree4 ,we had no windows1 but the walls of our house were convenient1 as we could at once make holes to look through when a disturbance arose4 ,the native workers slept in similar grass tents around us4 ,one night they accidentally set fire to a dwelling1 the flames spread and destroyed several others1 soon the whole bush was in a blaze2 but our hut escaped4 ,it did service for three weeks1 until the larger house was finished1 when ,mr4 ,buchanan abandoned it in favour of some fowls that he had bought4 ,we were glad that we could address the people in their own tongue1 and they listened with much attention4 ,of course they did not yet know to come to us1 and we had to go to them4 ,one ,sunday ,i held a great many services1 moving about from village to village and preaching in them all4 ,when ,i returned in the evening1 a congregation soon assembled4 ,by this time ,i was quite tired1 and when addressing them ,i adopted a sitting posture2 but so earnest was their manner in listening1 that it soon brought me to my feet4 ,i often asked ,bismark to address the natives1 and his words produced a profound impression4 ,he delivered some addresses of such an earnest1 practical character1 that they would not have been amiss in the ,english language1 and in a home pulpit4 ,zomba on the whole gave promise of doing well as a ,mission station1 and secular work was also carried on with great vigour4 ,besides building a house1 ,mr4 ,buchanan had to hoe the ground for crops and to make a road to the new ,station4 ,the natives in the neighbourhood were exceedingly anxious to obtain employment4 ,those about ,blantyre had all benefited by working at the ,mission1 and by this time they were more civilized in dress4 ,compared with our people1 the inhabitants of ,zomba looked very naked4 ,in their district there was no cloth except some ,blantyre calico which they had purchased from other natives1 and a little that had been bought from the slave-drivers a few months before4 ,every ,monday1 workers were enrolled for a fortnight4 ,more applied than could be engaged1 but as several came from great distances1 ,mr4 ,buchanan always took on as many as he could4 ,one afternoon ,i started to pay a second visit to ,malemya4 ,he and his people were in the midst of a beer-drinking1 which had lasted a few days already1 but which he assured me was only beginning4 ,he gave me a hut in a village at some distance from the scene of the beer drinking4 ,though he was quite drunk when ,i arrived1 he soon recovered and came down beside me4 ,we spoke of the great numbers of people that could be reached from ,chirwa1 and he promised me a guide to its shores4 ,he said the ,lake used to be full of water1 but that it was becoming drier every year--8,what could be the reason80 ,problems of this kind often occupy native chiefs1 who are always glad to hear the opinions of a stranger4 ,on going along its shores next day1 ,i saw that the ,lake at one time had been broader1 and that over a great part of the land still covered1 the water was only a few feet in depth4 ,that night ,i slept in a village near the ,lake4 ,the headman urged me to occupy his own dwelling and accordingly proceeded to clear out his poultry4 ,bismark warned me against entering the hut as it was full of 8what was called fleas04 ,but since the people were so kind as to give up their home for me1 ,i thought it best not to be fastidious4 ,on the whole ,i was comfortable2 once ,i awoke and was quite overawed at hearing the gnawing of the rats4 ,it seemed as if hundreds of mouths were munching at once4 ,i lighted a match1 and then there was a great scamper1 which disturbed the few fowls that still roosted above me4 ,i could see that the roof where my host kept his maize was alive with rats4 ,for a while they paused in their carnival1 but slowly and surely the dread sound returned4 ,i buried my head under the blankets and wished for the ,pied ,piper of ,hamelin6 ,in this village there was great plenty1 and in its neighbourhood we saw large herds of game4 ,as the village was situated beside a stream1 the people were all experts at spearing fish4 ,the time had now come when it was necessary for me to return to ,blantyre4 ,there ,dr4 ,laws was waiting with his bride1 and we had the prospect of celebrating the first ,european marriage ever witnessed in this land4 ,before ,i left ,zomba the supply of calico was low1 and ,mr4 ,buchanan had to face his workmen one morning with an empty exchequer4 ,some grumbled1 and said they were to be 8cheated04 ,but the ,blantyre men came forward in a body to explain 8that the ,english did not cheat04 ,i often found that ,i could be of considerable service when a dispute arose among the negro workmen about wages4 ,as ,i did not interfere with secular affairs1 ,i was appealed to by the natives as being a neutral party1 and ,i could keep them amused till calmer counsels prevailed4 ,when ,i set out on my return journey at the end of ,august1 ,mr4 ,buchanan was left to work at ,zomba alone4 ,on reaching ,blantyre we were much pleased at the arrival of copies of our new books in the native language1 which soon gave a fresh impulse to all our school teaching4 ,it was no uncommon thing this half year to see lads in every corner with books in their hands4 ,formerly we were quite satisfied when they attended to their lessons during school hours1 but now there was a revolution1 and many began to study with real enthusiasm4 ,the only drawback was that here a book would be read threadbare long before other translations could be printed4 ,in travelling one sees and learns much more than when closely confined to school-work4 ,the days occupied in founding the new station at ,zomba were the first ,i had as yet spent out of ,blantyre4 ,as we passed through the country we were often in danger of walking into native traps4 ,some of these are constructed so as to hang the party that enters1 others bring down a log or a heavy stone upon his head4 ,pitfalls of about five feet deep are dug1 and carefully covered over4 ,these are dangerous1 and white men often fall into them4 ,but the natives are good observers1 and when one knows what they say1 he always gets warning in time4 ,in the same way when marching after sunset1 they warn each other very faithfully of any stone on the path or any hole in it4 ,should there be a stone each man says 8stone0 7liganga7 as he comes to it1 and the word passes along the whole file with solemn regularity4 ,the red ants are a great trial to the unwary traveller4 ,if he walk for a few minutes upon them1 he will feel severe bites all over his body1 and will soon be compelled to take off every stitch of clothing4 ,when marching as we did in single file1 we are apt to incur peculiar dangers4 ,most natives carry a bunch of poisoned arrows over the shoulder1 and if there be a sudden halt a ,european needs to be careful that he does not run against the armoury of the man that marches before him4 ,as we passed ,cherasulo1 which was a great slaving district1 we occasionally saw some poor woman standing in a slave-stick4 ,our carriers showed a desire to go and release such people2 and since every ,european that travelled in this country figured to some extent as a liberator of the slave1 they expected us to encourage them1 but we felt that it would be most inexpedient to interfere4 ,at this period we had the ,rev4 ,horace ,waller congratulating us on the peaceful state of the country1 as compared with his own experience4 ,but a very painful incident now occurred which ,i shall describe mainly by extracts from letters of this date4 ,on ,tuesday1 #afth ,september1 when ,i was in school1 a note came from ,mr4 ,buchanan1 stating that the goods sent to him had been taken away after a brisk battle with the carriers1 in which guns and arrows were freely used and some wounds inflicted4 ,the ,livingstonia ,mission were then removing a great quantity of stores which had been waiting for them at ,blantyre1 and it was said that a number of ,mityoche's men had for days been waiting on the ,livingstonia road to secure this booty4 ,but they were a little too late2 all the goods passed safely1 and the robbers had to return4 ,on their way home1 however1 they met a party of ours going to ,zomba1 and the result was a successful attack upon them4 ,when ,mr4 ,buchanan's note came to the station1 ,fenwick and ,i prepared to go at once and have an interview with ,mityoche4 ,my great difficulty was to get away from ,school for the purpose1 but ,mr4 ,moir of the ,african ,lakes ,company who was then recovering from fever undertook to teach for me4 ,the people of ,zomba had earnestly entreated me to go back to see them soon1 and ,i would thus have an opportunity of paying them a visit4 ,taking duplicates of what had been lost1 we started at five o'clock in the afternoon1 about an hour after the news arrived4 ,we intended to camp at ,cherasulo1 but it was found that our tent had been left behind1 and as the sun is so very hot just now during the day1 we pressed on all night fearing1 as we did1 that ,mr4 ,buchanan who had been without cloth for some time1 would have difficulty in making a settlement with his workers4 ,about one o'clock in the morning we reached ,kumpama's1 and might have stayed there1 but a guide volunteered to take us to ,mityoche's at once4 ,as we should thus be able to reach ,zomba in the course of the day1 we accepted the offer1 and after resting a while we resumed our journey4 ,it was interesting to pass the villages at night4 ,the guide was a great smoker and at every place he roused half-a-dozen men to light his pipe4 ,the natives rise at night with great ease as compared with people that have to put on clothes4 ,it was nearly daylight when we came to ,mityoche's4 ,we sent the guide to tell that we wanted an interview4 ,all at once the fellows seemed to know our errand1 and they would not be cordial4 ,we never failed so entirely in getting natives to be friendly4 ,when we asked to see the chief they demanded whether we wanted war1 and when we told them that we were men of peace1 they replied that we might have an interview with the chief if we sent him a present4 ,a present of calico was accordingly sent to show that our intentions were friendly4 ,the reply came that it was too little--the chief wanted more4 ,but by this time his fighting men came rushing in with loaded guns1 and assumed threatening attitudes towards our party4 ,although it was the standard present and the natives with us were determined to stand by it1 we sent another to prevent any cause of offence4 ,still we were told it was too little and another increase followed with the same result4 ,by this time we began to fear that a thorough 8brush0 was inevitable1 and we wished to get out of the village if possible4 ,the other party brandished their guns1 and swung them about in a sort of wild war dance4 ,our own villagers advised them to caution1 and cried out1 #8,the ,english are your friends and they could eat you all if they liked'4 ,some considerations of this kind weighed with them1 and the chief told us that we might go4 ,we were much relieved even by this concession4 ,the guide was loud in condemning ,mityoche's conduct1 and set off to lead us to ,zomba4 ,we left the village1 but we had not got two hundred yards away1 when we saw a party rushing after us4 ,some of our last men were seized and stripped1 and in a moment we had iron bullets whistling about our ears4 ,self defence was inevitable1 and we fired4 ,we did not act for one moment on the offensive4 ,i had only a small fowling-piece loaded with shot4 ,i discharged both barrels in the air1 and reloaded for the purpose of showing how quickly our loading could be done1 and then remembering the criticisms on good ,bishop ,mackenzie we retreated4 ,fortunately no one was killed or wounded4 ,we thought we were marching on ,zomba1 but we found that our natives1 who were afraid to go farther1 were merely taking us across to the ,blantyre road4 ,we were much afraid for ,buchanan4 ,he might be safe so long as he staid at the station1 but what if he should come on1 as he indicated in his letter1 and enter ,mityoche's village without knowing what sort of a man he had to deal with6 ,we were full of anxiety as we hurried back to ,blantyre1 which we reached at six ,p4,m4 on ,wednesday1 after twenty-four hours of continuous marching4 ,on the following day1 messengers came from ,kapeni1 regarding men of his that had been with us1 and who were believed to have been taken prisoners4 ,some of ,kumlomba's villagers were supposed to be captured also4 ,we heard1 too1 that ,mityoche's men had become afraid1 and deserted his village4 ,they had all fled1 it was said1 to the top of a hill4 ,next day1 ,mr4 ,walker set out to effect a union with ,mr4 ,buchanan1 to see after prisoners1 and do all he could to smooth matters4 ,he had little doubt he would be successful in getting things peacefully arranged2 the natives1 he said1 would come and say chonde6 chonde6 7please1 please74 ,i mentioned to him that in the event of any difficulty it would be better to go on to ,zomba directly4 ,he took with him the two best interpreters that were at ,blantyre1 and said he would be able to get on with their aid4 ,i urged that if there were any further difficulties he should first see ,mr4 ,buchanan and ,bismark4 ,this party1 however1 got into a fight4 ,when they came back1 ,i was told that ,mityoche's people had met them2 ,kumlomba1 the ,blantyre headman1 got a severe wound below the knee1 and one of ,mityoche's men was killed1 while another was believed to be wounded in the leg4 ,poor ,kumlomba had to be carried back1 and was taken to a hut out in the fields1 in anticipation of death4 ,when a bullet breaks a piece of bone1 the case is by the natives considered hopeless4 ,but under ,english treatment ,kumlomba gradually recovered4 ,mityoche after this last adventure1 lived for a long time on a hill--as the natives always do in times of trouble4 ,when ,kumlomba heard1 in two months after1 that ,mityoche had returned and 8was eating porridge0 at his own village1 he thought it was a great scandal6 ,he would have eagerly gone to attack him4 ,the natives take a strange pleasure in war--which reminds one of the ancient days when the women chanted in the cities1 8,saul has slain his thousands1 and ,david his ten thousands40 ,so far this adventure with ,mityoche had proved very unfortunate4 ,hitherto the ,missionaries had got on well with the native1 much by reason of their very boldness4 ,when something was done that seemed to proclaim war against the ,missionaries1 they had gone straight to the aggressor as if nothing had happened4 ,still1 unless he was assisted by slave dealers1 ,mityoche was not likely to make war upon the ,mission4 ,he had not so strong a force at his command as any of the headmen of the three largest ,blantyre villages4 ,kapeni and all the leading men around us were most eager to go and make war against him1 so were certain of the ,magololo4 7,the ,directors of the ,mission when they heard of the matter recommended that these men should be asked to punish him47 ,but unfortunately the ,african chiefs would have looked at the step not so much as a method of administering justice1 as an excuse for killing ,mityoche and capturing his wives4 ,there would have been no use of crushing the man1 and for a long time we tried to send messages to him4 ,all these efforts were fruitless4 ,the great difficulty was that he lived so far away3 had he been within a day's journey ,i should have visited him on my ,saturday holiday with every hope of removing the misunderstanding4 ,at the end of ,september1 ,i wrote to the ,directors1 8,now we could go and use greater force than ,mityoche's1 but nothing can be farther from our inclination4 ,we trust that all you can do to release us from political work will be done4 ,the ,committee must make up their mind to get some one to do the ,police of the country4 ,the only safe alternative is to recall the ,mission40 ,at this time there was no one to manage the 8colony04 ,the ,directors advised that the natives living at ,blantyre should select one of the laymen to carry out some kind of government4 ,mr4 ,walker perhaps would have been the successful candidate1 and might have been willing to take the duty1 but ,i learned from other home letters that he and the other artisans were required to work under ,mr4 ,henderson1 who had returned to ,blantyre a few days before1 and who was expected to 8act as a ,christian ,magistrate04 ,but ,mr4 ,henderson himself declined to take the responsibility of the office4 ,as for myself1 ,i was precluded as a clergyman of the ,church of ,scotland1 from any thing like civil or colonial work1 and the ,directors themselves recognised that the magistrate must be a layman4 ,at this time ,i urged that the political work should be held quite independent of the spiritual4 ,if civil government was to be well conducted it would require a man's constant attention4 ,in connection with this subject1 ,i wrote1 8,for myself1 ,i am anxious only for immunity in carrying out the evangelical work1 though ,i by no means overlook the importance of peace and civilisation4 ,it is hard that a great many quiet and docile natives should be deprived of this teaching owing to the presence of a few roughs4 ,we do not think that matters will ever be satisfactory1 while ,missionaries are expected to be their own protectors4 ,missionaries are ever being called off their proper work for subjects of the most delicate kind1 and for which they have no special aptitude40 ,the ,directors had long contemplated the formation of a trading company in connection with the ,mission1 and it was hoped that this company would manage all civil affairs4 ,the policy of the ,scotch ,missions on the slave trade1 was expressly given as the reason for this conduct of ,mityoche's4 ,a great many refugees had come from his district1 and according to native views1 the reception of such refugees was a good cause for war4 ,having been opposed to this policy all through1 ,i wrote home at this time1 8,all the ,missions to this region have run their heads against the question of slavery1 and out of it has sprung a world of troubles4 ,we might have done our duty as missionaries1 and let slavery alone entirely4 ,we do not find that the great ,church of the ,middle ,ages ran against the question1 and it had as many opportunities as we have now4 ,to say the least of it1 our taking the matter up hitherto1 has been premature2 we have not such a knowledge of the language and the feelings of the natives as to justify us in dashing at once into a difficult question like this40 ,the remainder of ,october was quiet4 ,in the course of the month1 ,mr4 ,henderson visited ,zomba4 ,we had asked ,mr4 ,buchanan to consider the expediency of abandoning this station1 but he felt quite safe4 ,we also suggested that he should try a stockade but he wrote1 8,i do not think we should try a stockade4#f ,the particular kind of wood is not at all plentiful1 and the expense would be more serious than the chance of an attack40 ,upon the mountain side he had very little trouble1 but the whole plain between him and ,chirwa was scoured in the interests of the slave trade4 ,soon we had more trouble at ,blantyre as the following extracts will show3-- 8,a little after midnight on ,november #e1 we were told that an attack had been made on ,malopa's village and that prisoners had been carried off4 ,this was a new hamlet about twenty minutes' walk from ,blantyre4 ,malopa had escaped to bring the intelligence4 ,the attacking party had retreated by the back of the ,nyambadwe1 and there was little hope of capturing them4 ,mr4 ,henderson and an artisan hastened to the spot4 ,one house was in flames and beside another they found the mangled corpse of ,nampala1 and his little child standing by it4 ,nampala's wife and his elder child had been captured and carried off4 ,another woman with two children had been lodging1 for the night1 in this unfortunate place4 ,one of her children had been taken1 but she rescued the other1 although one of the ruffians had cut its face severely by a stroke of his gun4 ,it appears the attack took place in this way4 ,a disturbance was made in the village1 and one house set on fire4 ,nampala was the first to awake1 and when he went out to see what was the matter1 two men standing on opposite sides of his door poured the contents of their guns into his body4 ,everyone that afterwards appeared on the scene was carried off1 and the attacking party retreated in great haste4 ,next day which was my ,saturday holiday1 ,malopa1 ,chendombo1 and myself1 traced the footprints for miles4 ,the natives have an almost miraculous power of doing this4 ,they concluded that the attacking party had come from a distance4 8,that night we told ,kapeni that one of his people was among the captives4 ,as to who were the offenders he had no suspicion whatever1 but he assured us that in a few days we should have full information4 ,nampala's brother came to the funeral1 accompanied by several friends4 ,the most friendless object was the little child who being unacquainted with its uncle1 and its other relatives1 could only cling to ,malopa4 ,we offered to take it and bring it up like an ,english infant1 but the uncle naturally wished to keep it4 8,this sad incident is an illustration of one of the effects of the ,slave ,trade1 being quite a normal instance of kidnapping as it goes on around us4 ,it is the first that has taken place at ,blantyre since ,i came here4 ,it takes us to the heart of the sufferings of the people4 ,surely if in any place on this earth the cry of the oppressed goes up to heaven1 it is in ,africa40 ,here was another unfortunate problem4 ,we had learned from the ,mityoche case that it was dangerous to go to negotiate with a chief that had anything upon his conscience1 and no native messengers would go alone4 ,this attack had been premeditated1 and moreover some of our natives had been forewarned4 ,for several nights before1 one of our large villages had kept awake all night4 ,long afterwards ,i went to visit a pupil who lived about six miles off4 ,while ,i was in his father's village1 a man entered it carrying a large basket of fowls4 ,he seemed much astonished to find me1 but ,i began to talk with him1 and after he became acquainted1 he asked me several times whether he might come to ,blantyre to sell his fowls1 and he seemed anxious to get a very definite answer4 ,i told him that ,i should be very glad to have his company all the way back4 ,then he gave over his fowls to two men that were with him1 whom he took aside and instructed to proceed1 and he told me that he and his daughter would wait till the white man was ready to go with them4 ,after a little we started for ,blantyre4 ,the day was exceedingly hot and there was not a breath of wind4 ,all the trees and bushes were as still as if they had been pictures4 ,my companion was a very fat man1 and at one point we agreed that we must sit down to rest4 ,after we had rested a while1 ,i glanced at my watch to know the time4 ,a native has such an eye for the objective world that a ,european cannot move a single muscle without attracting his attention4 ,perceiving that the man wanted me to explain myself1 ,i took out the watch and told him what ,i used it for1 and then ,i handed it to his little daughter telling her to catch the seconds hand4 ,while she was amusing herself by trying to do this1 her father asked to see the time-piece1 and tried the same experiment4 ,the man at once became greatly agitated6 ,his fright was unmistakeable--his limbs actually trembled4 ,he 8wanted to go on--we might rest at a village farther along60 ,so we proceeded and came up with one of the men that had gone before us with the fowls4 ,a little farther on two negroes with guns came rapidly out of the jungle and appeared on the path before us4 ,in a short time they disappeared as rapidly4 ,soon after1 ,i happened to look behind me and found another stranger following noiselessly with a gun4 ,i thought that the whole appearance and conduct of these men were rather suspicious4 ,no ,missionary in this land goes unarmed1 and ,i had a small revolver by my side4 ,but on a narrow path in the middle of a dense jungle a person might easily be assassinated by an unseen hand4 ,i saluted all these mysterious strangers1 and kept up a spirited conversation with my companion4 ,when at last we came to the end of ,kapeni's territory1 he said he would not go any farther himself1 but that his little girl and his slave would go on to ,blantyre and sell the fowls4 ,when near the station ,i told them where the storekeeper lived1 and then said good-bye4 ,in less than half-an-hour ,i found that these two individuals had plunged the whole settlement into a dreadful state of excitement4 ,both of them had been captured by the ,blantyre villagers4 ,the man1 it was said1 had taken part in the recent slave raid1 while the little girl was the daughter of a small chief who was our most deadly enemy1 and had planned the whole attack4 ,i had some difficulty before ,i could persuade the villagers to release the unfortunate captives4 ,i insisted that the little girl at least was quite innocent1 and ,i was very glad to find that she was unharmed2 but the man's head1 unfortunately1 required sticking plaster4 ,as the party had come to the ,station under my escort1 they naturally appealed to me for protection1 while ,i was fairly responsible to the ,mission people for bringing in such friends6 ,the ,blantyre natives were always enthusiastic in the defence of the settlement4 ,on one occasion a great number of them1 on hearing that a woman had been kidnapped1 ran a distance of ten miles in order to intercept the kidnappers4 ,at this period the whole country was greatly unsettled for a long time1 as the following extracts from my journal will show4 #acth ,nov4--8,chologwe came to seek protection from ,chiputula4 ,he is one of the men that left their home to accompany ,dr4 ,livingstone in his researches here4 ,the majority of these adventurers have established themselves in the country as chiefs4 ,but ,chologwe lived with his #8brother' ,chiputula1 who now threatens to kill him4 ,chiputula sometimes gets brandy1 and on these occasions this usually fierce man becomes a perfect tiger4 ,in the beginning of the week we had six other citizens of ,chiputula asking an asylum2 but knowing the danger of meddling with the ,magololo chiefs1 we advised them to go home4 ,as poor ,chologwe had come so far from his native land1 and that in company with a white man1 we thought he might stay till ,chiputula enquired about him4 ,refugees from the ,yao come to avoid being sold2 refugees from the ,magololo to avoid being killed4 8#afth4--,a letter came from ,zomba showing that everything was peaceful there4 ,so far as we can keep ,blantyre and ,zomba distinct1 they will be valuable experiments of two widely different methods of mission work4 ,blantyre has received refugees1 ,zomba admits none4 8#aith4--,a man came in from ,mkanda's neighbourhood with his wife and two daughters4 ,he stated that his headman had threatened to kill him because he would not let his daughters be sold4 ,the man had originally belonged to the foot of ,sochi1 and many of our people came to confirm his story4 ,being a freeman1 he was allowed to stay4 8#bjth4--,the ,livingstonia ,mission has had great difficulty in bringing up a boiler for the steamer4 ,dr4 ,laws has sent down many men to accomplish the work4 8#bast4--,the air is full of wars and rumours of war4 ,many of our villagers keep watch on their own account all night4 ,yesterday1 carriers that were sent from ,blantyre with food for the ,livingstonia workmen1 returned as they came to a scene of bloodshed4 ,chelomoni1 who had come up the road1 was the first to enlighten us on the subject4 ,he said ,mkanda wanted to attack the carriers belonging to ,blantyre4 ,ten men went armed with guns4 ,they saw a party carrying maize1 and immediately fired on them4 ,one man received a bullet in the forehead2 another fell with a severe wound4 ,if ,mkanda did want to attack the ,blantyre people he had played himself a clever trick4 ,the attacked party were1 surely enough1 carrying maize1 as well as our people1 but they had come from ,mkanda's own district1 and were going to sell their maize for salt at the ,lower ,chiri4 8,it is probable that ,mkanda wanted to strike a blow at ,blantyre by this raid4 ,the leader was a headman of his that has had some provocation4 ,about a week ago he is reported to have lost five slaves in this way3--,the traffic has been so brisk that they had not slave-sticks ready for their victims2 so this headman made the slaves fast by tying4 ,some of the slaves1 however1 had strong teeth2 and when one is liberated he is not always forgetful of his companions4 ,the result was that they escaped and started for ,blantyre4 ,but they were not a match for the pursuers that tracked their steps4 ,they were all overtaken and slain1 when but half-way4 8,the ,arab slave-traders are clever men and show much tact in managing the chiefs4 ,they are carrying on their work between our two mission stations4 ,their popularity is due to the fact that they deal in rum and powder which the natives cannot get elsewhere4 8#bcrd4--,slave refugees have come in4 ,those traders have the whole country in a perfect uproar4 8#bith4--,i had a walk with #8,john' to ,ndilande4 ,at every village we have the pleasure now of meeting some of our scholars spending the ,saturday holiday at home4 ,they are among the first to greet us4 ,there is six times as much cultivation here as there was the first time ,i saw the district4 8#hth ,december4--,at ,zomba there are four thousand people who wish to be received under #8,english' protection4 ,several of these are at present kidnapped to make up the ,arab caravans4 ,we all feel as if we should like to go and put these ,arabs in stocks4 ,we should be told1 however1 and truly1#g that it was no business of ours to interfere4 ,we wish that some civil power would take the matter up40 ,about the end of the year ,mr4 ,buchanan wrote3-- 8,much annoyance has been caused in the district by a company of ,arabs1 who have come to ,kawinga1 on ,mount ,chikala4 ,kawinga having been supplied by them with powder1 sent his men1 armed with flint-locks1 into ,malemya's territory to capture and carry off all the people they could lay hands on4 ,at one village1 about twenty women and children were carried off during the night2 at another village four people2 and in a number of cases single individuals have been taken away4 ,in the midst of it all1 not a few have lost their lives4 ,fortunately things have quieted down1 but the natives themselves say that ,kawinga is only preparing for another raid40 ,during a visit of slave dealers we often were afraid of being attacked4 ,we put on night watch-men but1 as they frequently fell asleep1 their presence did not entirely remove our anxiety4 ,for a long time ,i used to get up about two o'clock in the morning in order to look for enemies4 ,on such occasions ,i tried to observe whether there were signs of a new camp fire4 ,during the darkness of the night1 one sees1 along the hillsides1 a multitude of fires that are not visible by day4 ,most of these arise from trunks of large trees which may keep burning for weeks4 ,parties on leaving a camp fire do not extinguish it1 and travellers coming after them gladly make use of the old fire4 ,the natives taught us to look carefully at all these fires6 ,we had times of great trial4 ,being obliged to live in a miserably small hut with little or no furniture1 we did not enjoy robust health1 while the food that we could procure was not of the most tempting character4 ,but we saw what an enormous field for labour lay around us1 and we were seldom home-sick4 ,instead of writing home about difficulties1 we rather tried to derive amusement from our peculiar circumstances4 ,dr4 ,macklin used to tell us playfully that he had never written but one grumbling letter1 and the steamer sank with its weight6 ,now1 although the trials of a ,missionary's life might be heavy enough to sink a steamer any day1 we could not afford to do such damage to the mail service6 ,usually we were without letters for about two months1 and when a mail did come there was much excitement4 ,we had no inclination1 and indeed no time1 to read the daily papers minutely4 ,the events had happened so long ago1 that we regarded them as fragments of ancient history4 ,but after perusing our letters we found a good mental tonic in the pages of ,punch3 while scores of our dark pupils came up after school and studied the ,illustrated ,london ,news and the ,graphic4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,fourth ,,half4 ,,jan41 #ahhj--;,,june1 #ahhj4 ,illustration3 ,,the 8,,manse10 ,,blantyre4 ,during this half year there was a great removal of discomforts4 ,in particular the minister's lot was improved4 ,for nearly two years1 he and his family had been cooped up in the small hut already alluded to1 which contained less space than one ordinary room in a civilised land4 ,a fourth of the hut was filled with boxes1 another quarter was a bed-room too small to be healthy3 while the remaining half1 though occupied very fully by an enormous table1 had to serve not only for dining-room1 but also for nursery and study4 ,at the beginning of ,april we bade adieu to our old home and entered a larger house built of stone4 ,this was an acceptable change for the purposes of study1 as well as for many other reasons4 ,it had the advantage of being much cooler than the grass huts1 its thick walls apparently warding off the rays of the sun better than the wattle and daub4 ,being one of the largest houses the natives had ever seen1 it was an object of great admiration from the outside4 ,but when inside1 the natives did not feel at ease2 since they saw none of the posts that they were accustomed to in their own houses1 they feared that the roof would fall on their heads6 ,unfortunately we shared their apprehensions1 for the roof had not been well bound together and threatened to push out the walls4 ,cloth windows began to disappear while the introduction of glass gave the settlement a different appearance4 ,these new windows were a great marvel to the natives few of whom knew that glass could be broken4 ,thieves1 especially1 were disappointed as they feared they would not be able to cut the glass as they had done the calico4 ,but soon the natives became aware that glass was brittle4 ,as it was no breach of etiquette to gaze into windows1 a girl one day pressed her head through1 and as there was no glass to mend the pane1 it remained a standing text to convince all and sundry that windows would not resist every force4 ,so when an inquisitive chief asked what would happen if he struck a window1 we had simply to point to what had happened1 and to warn him against cutting his hand4 ,when we reached ,blantyre1 we had only one very small looking-glass1 and though we made an effort to obtain a larger one we were unsuccessful1 the article like many others being stolen by the ,magololo when on its way up from the coast4 ,but this half year a large mirror arrived safely and caused a great sensation4 ,the smaller one was now available as a toy1 and was much appreciated by old and young4 ,when a visitor came from a distance1 our little natives suggested that he had not seen the mirror4 ,i would then ask the man if he wanted to see #8my friend'4 ,the children knew what was coming and began to clap their hands1 while our guest looked as if afraid of some magical trick ,i went and fetched the mirror1 and my visitor soon gazed on the white man's friend4 ,he shouted out ,amao6 7mother7 or ,ngondo6 7war7 which are two native interjections of surprise4 ,acting on his first impulse1 he would look behind the mirror to see if there was any one there6 ,he was quite overcome1 and it was long before he was composed2 as he opened his mouth in exclamation1 the white man's friend did the same1 as he laughed1 the figure laughed in his face4 ,he easily recognised himself1 but this mimicry at close quarters was new and tickled him exceedingly4 ,by this time we had been able to procure many necessaries from home1 our baking was improved1 milk strainers were introduced4 ,at first1 jams were sent out in small quantities1 and could scarcely be obtained even by an invalid1 but the medical man after some experience of the climate1 pointed out that these were often not so much a luxury as a necessity1 and now they could be bought from the store4 ,sometimes the distinction between luxury and necessity was mooted again1 and then one would hear the pathetic appeal1 #8,tell us where we have a single luxury in this wilderness6' ,when the supply of fowls became deficient1 we could fall back on a small store of tinned meats1 but these were so few that we tried to reserve them for cases of extremity4 ,if ever the ,station should be besieged we could live for a week on our own resources6 ,the expense of the ,mission was great1 it could not be otherwise4 ,about this time ,i wrote1 #8,if the old monks had been so dependent on help from their homes1 ,britain would have never seen ,christianity'4 ,we were recommended to trust a good deal to the productions of the country4 ,but the true question was1 not how the ,missionaries could be kept alive1 but how they could be kept in such health as would enable them to labour with vigour4 ,the difficulty was likely to be gradually solved by each man ordering what he wanted1 the only drawback being that out of six boxes sent from home1 only one might arrive4 ,this extra risk fell heavy on the ,missionaries1 not to mention the famine caused by the loss and delay4 ,the want of milk was a great hardship especially for children4 ,only this discomfort would not have occurred if we had been in the country avowedly as farmers1 because then we should have been free to direct our attention to all these little points4 ,everything brought here was expensive owing to the carriage upon it4 ,most things were double the usual price1 and a pound of flour or of oatmeal cost about #h;d4 ,still we had now made a great advance nearer civilization4 ,brown boots had been our original outfit for ,africa1 now we aspired to have them blackened6 ,at the same time we learned to look more favourably on negro civilization4 ,at first we had a prejudice against native cooking1 but now we often had the pleasure of #8dining out'4 ,when going to a distant place1 ,i would order dinner at a village on my way1 and ask the people to have it ready by my return4 ,the villagers were very prompt2 they went at once to the fowl-house and caught some hen that happened to be sitting on eggs1 and when ,i came back in about two hours1 ,i found this fowl cooked1 eggs and all6 ,the eggs proved to be young fowls too1 and were consigned to the #8boys1' while ,i felt inclined to lecture the villagers on the inhumanity of taking #8the dam' when sitting upon eggs4 ,the natives use an endless variety of vegetables4 ,being desirous to taste every sort1 we asked them to cook samples for us4 ,when any dish was more unpalatable than usual1 the cook explained that he had tried to prepare it in 8the white man's way04 ,often and earnestly had we to beseech them to 8cook all these things in the black man's way06 ,our picnic this year was to the top of ,ndilande1 a mountain about four miles to the east of ,blantyre4 ,it is one of the range that runs across this district from north to south4 ,the view from the top is most magnificent4 ,on the south-east lofty ,mlanje towers above the clouds1 farther round there lies the massive form of ,zomba1 while ,lake ,chirwa stretches between them like a sheet of polished silver4 ,to the north we see the hills of the ,achipeta which some of our pupils point to as the land from which they were taken by the slave-dealer1 while towards the west we descry mountains which melt into blue clouds near the banks of the broad ,zambeze4 ,as we stood on this mountain summit we were reminded that there had not been such a crowd here since the last inroad of the ,mangoni when the people had all rushed to the mountain to save their lives4 ,many of our pupils had been in that terrible scramble4 ,but now the cries of terror had given place to the melody of old tunes which in the days of ,claverhouse had been often heard on the wild moors and mountains of ,scotland4 ,after descending we had a little rest and refreshment at one of the villages on the brow of the mountain4 ,the party were not fatigued1 for a walk of four miles and the climbing of a steep hill are nothing to an ,african boy6 ,chants were extemporised and lustily sung all the way back1 the burden of them being that we had climbed ,ndilande1 and feasted on fowls1 and would eat mutton at ,blantyre6 ,how great was the contrast between this picnic and the one we had organised last year6 ,there were about as many flags in the company as there were pupils on the last occasion4 ,the number of scholars had much increased4 ,we had fully #aej this half-year and it would not have been difficult to collect over #bjj1 but we could not encourage more children to come as we had neither sufficient teaching power1 nor any prospect of assistance4 ,in ,january ,i wrote1 #8,we are not so anxious to increase the number as to manage well those that we have'4 ,the majority of the boys lived in the ,blantyre villages4 ,except the ,magololo children1 none of our pupils came from a distance1 and most of the ,magololo chiefs had built huts for their sons in the neighbourhood4 ,still many preferred to stay at the station1 and were allowed to do so on the understanding that they must go home during work hours4 ,the few boys that regularly boarded were all kept busy for about an hour in the forenoon1 and two hours after school was dismissed in the afternoon4 ,their work was of the lightest character1 having been instituted mainly for the purpose of keeping them from harm4 ,but the little fellows certainly did much to make the station tidy4 ,during the rains the grass threatens to overtop everything4 ,a man may then 8dig0 a road or a walk1 and in a few weeks after find it covered with grass so tall that it reaches up to the shoulders1 and makes it impossible to tell where the track was4 ,thus the roads made by the ,mission entailed much labour1 the grass requiring to be continually hoed down4 ,hence during the wet season the boys were constantly occupied in cutting the grass1 which if allowed to grow might have concealed a large native army6 ,in the dry season they used to carry water for the gardeners1 but in the end of #ahgi1 ,i began to make them practice the ordinary arts of their native land1 encouraging them to make baskets and hats under a teacher of their own tribe4 ,they were thus kept occupied for a time1 and although sometimes rebelling against the old men who taught them1 they soon made more baskets and hats than were necessary4 ,the hats they wore1 the small round baskets 7iselo7 they used for plates4 ,when daubed with a kind of pitch these baskets did not leak even when filled with soup4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,basket ,,makers4 ,since the custom of the country requires that men should sew1 the husband of many wives has a great demand made upon his skill as a tailor4 ,this induced us to ask some of the boys to make dresses for themselves4 ,for a while our verandah was filled with a lively band of stitchers4 ,after cutting their cloth1 ,mrs4 ,macdonald superintended them as far as her other duties permitted1 and one of the ,magololo lads1 who was dull at reading1 displayed much genius here1 and was able both to teach his juniors and to make the 8story0 go round4 ,day pupils1 who usually declined to work1 entered into shirt-making so zealously that they denied themselves the usual hours of play2 not only so1 but they did not go home at night4 ,hence mothers came to the station to see what was wrong2 but they were quite satisfied with the explanation4 ,in this land there is much to make mothers anxious--a child might easily be kidnapped on the way to school4 ,saturday was a holiday except an hour in the forenoon1 which was set apart for sweeping the dormitories4 ,there were three edifices of this kind at ,blantyre1 one was for the women and the girls1 the other two for the boys3 and one of the boys' houses was divided into two sections1 one of which was occupied by advanced pupils1 who acted as monitors4 ,the first time we saw these houses they were quite new1 but a 8foolish woman pulleth down her house with her hands10 and foolish boys did the same4 ,the lads never slept without a fire1 and they found the grass of the walls very useful in making it blaze4 ,consequently the walls of these houses gradually disappeared4 ,then just as our boarders were beginning to increase1 a poor herd-boy was hurt in some quarrel1 and died in one of these dormitories4 ,after this1 no native would sleep in that house 7#dj74 ,it was vain to remonstrate with the little fellows1 the superstition terrified them4 ,it was even questionable whether they would enter a new dormitory built on the old site4 ,the natives1 it will be seen1 have reasons against expensive architecture1 besides laziness and incapacity4 ,at night the sleepers liked to be near each other1 and though there was plenty of room1 they lay in half-dozens1 packed together like tinned sardines4 ,they had raised beds after the ,english method and as the ordinary natives merely spread mats on the ground this was a great novelty4 ,but some boys more cautious than the rest1 spread their mats under the bedstead and barricaded themselves1 8so that no kidnapper could see them06 ,after a time blankets were procured1 but there was never a sufficiency1 and those that had them were fond of using them as a dress all day4 ,we were often at a loss to find work for the boys4 ,they could not be handed over to the artisans1 who being all very busy1 would have found them a great annoyance4 ,we much needed a master to superintend them while they were out of school4 ,in industrial missions pupils ought to be sent to the various artisans in order to learn the special department of work professed by each tradesman1 but we were far from the attainment of this ideal1 and besides a great many of our pupils were too young4 ,one of the last days that ,i had charge of them1 they came to me1 after lessons were finished1 and asked for work2 by this time they had gone the round of several occupations and wanted something new3 but ,i could think of nothing1 and was of opinion that they deserved a holiday4 ,at last ,i asked if they would like to catch rats for a week4 ,this proposal amused them intensely1 and a premium of a week's wages was offered for every six rats4 ,this was a high reward1 for after the tail was taken off1 the rat-catcher might cook his animal for himself or sell it to some of the workmen6 ,the ,african schoolboy is as fond of rat catching as a ,scotch lad is of fishing for trout4 ,only the ,blantyre rats began to fall under the suspicion of strangers4 ,we often had great poisonings1 and on such occasions we proclaimed the danger of eating rats caught on the premises4 ,after doses of arsenic1 or phosphorus paste1 had been distributed1 many rats were found dead1 while others could run but slowly1 and were easily caught3 and great was our fear that some poor native might make a meal of these4 ,the boys1 however1 caught but few4 ,under the idea that the #8white man would send them home to show what the ,african rats were like1' some hunted the fields for various specimens2 one day ,i was offered about a score of little field-mice 7mapuku71 but ,i had to decline them as the reward was for rats 7makoswe74 ,the boy felt this no hardship1 as his #8take' was of great intrinsic value--the mapuku being a #8relish' of prime quality6 ,much is said against the ,african on account of his laziness4 ,at ,quilimane ,i was told that it was common for natives to choose starvation rather than work4 ,cases were pointed to1 where negroes had died of hunger1 while work and food had been offered them4 ,i was pleased1 therefore1 to find the boys coming to tell me that they wanted work4 ,still much of this was due to the ,mission discipline4 ,the boarders had been put under a native teacher1 who sent boys that did no work1 away from the table4 ,my first acquaintance with the subject was when this young lad came to me and said1 8,master1 this is not right at all1 boys that do no work come and take away the boarder's food60 ,hence there was established for a long time a tacit understanding1 that he that 8would not work1 should not eat10 and it was only when the usual organisation was disturbed1 that the whole of the school boys would make an onslaught on the boarders' food4 ,at first few boys cared to engage in the little tasks assigned for the boarders4 ,their parents advised them against working2 they reasoned1 8,if our children go to ,blantyre and do work1 there will be no work left for ourselves1 and we shall get no calico04 ,they would also say1 8,when our children do work for the ,english1 and get food and clothes from them1 this is the same as being slaves to the ,english1 and one day the ,english will take our children from us04 ,sometimes1 on the other hand1 it was made an objection against the ,mission that the pupils did too little4 ,i was once told that children sent to school would become lazy4 ,this criticism from a native1 who gets credit for being the laziest dog in existence1 rather astonished me1 but it brought the hard lot of the ,african female clearly before my notice4 ,frequently little girls were absent from school1 and my plan was never to let an absence pass without explanation1 and ,i generally found that they had been helping their mothers to pound the corn4 ,but as prizes depended on regular attendance1 the girls were anxious to be present every day1 and consequently they became less useful at home1 while the parents naturally regarded reading and sewing 7by females7 as mere pastimes4 ,it might have been better if we could have professed to teach girls to pound corn6 ,few will say that laziness is a sin of the ,african female4 ,the pounding of corn is as hard work as any woman need try4 ,on this department of toil ,i have often looked with sadness1 while ,i wished that ,i had known some simple mechanical device for lightening the task4 ,such a device would greatly improve the lot of the ,african woman1 and were her labour thus lightened1 it would be easier to persuade the men to assist her4 ,i once suggested to a young lad that he ought to aid his mother in pounding the grain2 but although he was fond of his mother1 he felt that this method of assisting her would appear ridiculous4 ,a man pounding corn would be as strange a spectacle to a native of ,central ,africa as a woman driving a railway train would be to an ,englishman4 ,as to food1 the boarders were supplied with what was usual in the country4 ,the staple was 8porridge10 and one woman was hired to cook it4 ,this functionary in times of scarcity held a delicate position4 ,the boys accused her of not making enough of porridge1 and she accused the storekeeper of not giving her enough of flour6 ,the porridge was made without salt1 and eaten along with vegetables4 ,salt was a great luxury here2 while many people hardly used it at all1 others obtained it by burning plants4 ,from ,lake ,chirwa1 whose waters are salt1 we could always obtain a good supply for the children after we had a ,mission at ,zomba1 but at first it could rarely be got4 ,some say that the last point in which we should change a native's habit is in food--as he soon becomes fastidious1 and looks down on the simpler fare of his countrymen4 ,but these boys did much mental work1 which was a new thing for a native4 ,hence several proposals were formed for improving their diet4 ,for a time all the extra soup and fowls left at ,european meals went to the school table4 ,but this required the co-operation of all the white men1 and many gave these things to the boys that washed their own plates and brought their dinner4 ,we expected some help from the dairy1 but even if there had been no native superstition against milk1 there was never a supply sufficient for the few ,europeans4 ,even when well supplied with meat1 the natives that lived in our own house seldom used it in any quantity1 eating it only in small portions along with their porridge4 ,in the season of scarcity there was difficulty in getting native flour1 and it became necessary to store some for the month or two that preceded the rains4 ,at that time the women gathered the leaves of shrubs1 while the boys and girls of the native villages were sent out to forage for themselves and might often be seen breakfasting on beetles6 ,it was much easier to maintain order among a large number of native lads than it would have been among a corresponding number of ,english boys4 ,the native children were most obedient and docile4 ,so long as they all belonged to the same tribe there was seldom any strife among them4 ,when they stole from each other1 they did not1 as a rule1 complain to the schoolmaster4 ,some of them appealed to the sorcerer at once4 ,the following extracts from letters sent home at the time will throw light on other details3-- ,saturday ,visits in the ,neighbourhood4 8,on ,february #adth1 ,i went to ,ndilande in company with ,john ,mac,rae4 ,first1 we reached the home of one of our ,blantyre pupils1 called ,mpakata1 a dear little fellow4 ,i went there to dress his mother's shoulder1 which had been severely burned4 ,the natives keep a big log smouldering in the hut all night3 and often come into contact with it while asleep4 ,accidents by burning are frequent1 especially among children1 and it is chiefly at night that they take place4 8,in another village we met with a musical instrument of quite a novel kind4 ,it was formed in this way4 ,two sticks were laid parallel to each other1 and about a foot apart4 ,above them was placed a layer of grass1 on the top of which lay the keys of the instrument4 ,these keys were made of wood and kept in their places by upright pegs4 ,the keys were about the thickness of one's arm1 and differed in length so as to produce a succession of notes4 ,i had seen the same instrument often1 and had conceived that it might be a shelter for chickens4 ,great was my surprise when ,i found that there1 in the village green1 ,i stood beside a splendid piano6 ,the instrument was quite complete4 ,it was even provided with a neat drumstick for striking the keys6 ,before any one came to us we were rude enough to take the drumstick and begin to play4 ,this brought a number of the village ladies to the spot2 and ,i had a feeling that we ought to apologise for making free with the instrument4 ,john had told me that it was called #8ngolongondo'2 and it would have covered our retreat very well to take this name on our lips2 but what if they should hear only the last syllables8 ,ngondo 7war7 is the word that speaks to the ,africans of famine1 slavery1 and death2 it is a word too1 that they are always straining their ears to hear4 ,no wonder that ,i shrank for a moment from calling that piano by its name1 and that when ,i did speak of it1 ,i put special emphasis on the first syllables4 ,soon we had a crowd of happy villagers around us4 ,all of them1 old and young1 were fond of sweets4 ,they showed us other curiosities4 ,one of these was a rat-trap1 which reminded me of ,english mole-traps1 only it was made of a single piece of wood4 ,in the thick end the rat is provided with accommodation1 the other end tapers to a point4 ,the thin end is tied down with threads of bark1 and when the rat eats these1 it recoils with great force1 and a big belt of bark comes up and imprisons the victim1 which is cooked for the next meal4 ,as these villagers had traps by the dozen ,i thought of buying some1 but ,john told me that ,i need not1 as his father could make them4 ,it is a great step to gain the confidence of the people by mixing with them freely1 like one of themselves4 ,an ,englishman is not quite at ease with a number of strange natives in a place entirely strange1 and it is too much to expect that all at once they will feel at home with him4 ,further on1 we received a hearty welcome in a large village at the back of ,ndilande4 ,about forty men were there1 and a proportionate number of women and children4 ,as a heavy shower came on1 we had to stay even longer than we wished4 ,after talking of the native chiefs1 the work going on at ,blantyre1 and the chances in favour of a given man or woman getting enrolled as a worker on ,monday1 ,i gave them an address1 to which they were very attentive4 8,the conversation turned specially on ,kumpama of ,cherasulo1 and ,i expressed a desire to see him at ,blantyre4 ,they sympathised with this1 and one man volunteered to take a message to this important ,chief4 ,i gave him a piece of paper 7with ,kumpama's name on it7--to indicate that the messenger was from us4 ,on our way home this man escorted us some distance4 ,by this time the grass1 which is in many places about eight feet high1 was quite wet1 and as the paths are narrow ,i had the pleasure of a cold bath for a great part of the way4 ,this1 if not so healthy1 is more agreeable than intense heat4 ,our guide by and by discovered that his paper was wet4 ,i suggested that it might dry4 ,next he asked whether the ,chief would not like a bigger piece of paper6 ,also1 he naturally wondered how much pay he would get for going to ,cherasulo6 ,such are some of the everyday difficulties of these simple but attractive people4 ,having already made many efforts to see ,kumpama1 ,i was not full of hope on this occasion2 but1 strange to say1 on ,wednesday night all eyes were turned towards the ,matope road to observe a long procession entering ,blantyre4 ,first1 there came a man1 carrying a letter2 next a few bearers with a goat and several fowls2 behind these came a large body of men armed1 some with guns1 others with bows1 in the front of whom we could descry one young man holding aloft an ,arab parasol4 ,the man with the letter was rather disappointing--he had nothing but the little bit of paper of ,saturday--though it was in a wonderful state of preservation2 but the young man with the ,arab parasol was the veritable ,kumpama of ,cherasulo1 whose ancestor had fought against ,bishop ,mackenzie4 ,according to the custom in such cases1 we received the chief's present1 and gave him accommodation4 ,he was at tea in the evening1 and we found him most agreeable4 ,he was fond1 as most natives are1 of the ,cape gooseberry1 and we took care that he should have plenty of plants4 ,this berry grows everywhere luxuriantly1 it is becoming a weed with ourselves1 but the natives plant it in their fields4 ,the chief wished to return on ,thursday but was persuaded to stay till ,friday4 ,he visited the school1 in which he took much interest1 for in the evening he could point out the boys that could read well4 ,he was present in the evening when ,mrs ,macdonald's adult pupils came in1 and ,i have no doubt that he would learn to read himself if he were with us4 ,he is only about #ba years of age4 ,on his departure1 the gardener gave him orange plants1 ,english potatoes1 and other young trees1 and vegetables4 ,on ,saturday the #bast of ,february1 ,john and ,i started for ,mpingwi4 ,we set out at #g ,a4,m4 ,the roads are wet in the morning1 owing to a heavy dew that falls during this season4 ,i did my best to keep dry1 but the second stream was much swollen1 and an unsuccessful jump landed me in the middle4 ,after this1 care became unnecessary4 ,on reaching ,mpingwi1 however1 ,i sat down on a rock and tried to wring my stockings4 ,here we had a fine view of ,ngludi4 ,so attractive was the appearance of the whole country1 that ,i proposed to ,john that we should go on to this hill4 ,john1 who was in excellent spirits1 agreed to proceed4 ,it was now about #icj4 ,we passed through a fine wooded plain1 in which we crossed four brooks1 though these would not be all full in the dry season4 ,looking behind us we obtain a fine view of ,mpingwi and ,bangwe1 which now appear much higher than when seen from the ,blantyre side4 ,about twelve o'clock we are among the ,ngludi villages4 ,one beautiful stream flows not far from the foot of the hill4 ,as we stop to drink we are much impressed with the romantic beauty that surrounds us4 ,the picture is so lovely1 that we would not change the place of a stone1 the form of a branch1 or the size of a leaf4 ,the people were glad to see us1 but wondered much why we had come alone4 ,the last visit they had from the ,mission was when ,dr4 ,macklin passed with a great caravan on his way to ,mlanje4 ,we went round the corner of the hill till we reached ,matache's1 where ,john has a cousin--a boy about the same age as himself4 ,matache seems to have considerable influence4 ,we were close to his principal village1 and about #ajj of his people came to see us4 ,before leaving ,i recited to them the parable of 8the talents04 ,john's little cousin was determined to go back with us1 and he came on for some distance1 till his mother followed1 asking him to stay with her4 ,he seemed disposed to rebel1 but ,i told him that it would not be right to leave his mother4 ,he went back with tears in his eyes2 and his mother promised to send him to school again4 ,he had spent a few months at school last year4 ,we had now to return1 if possible1 before dark4 ,ngludi is set down as being #ag miles from ,blantyre2 and after marching #ag miles1 one would like to decline the return journey4 ,though we had many a hospitable invitation to stay for the night1 we pushed on4 ,we were quite fatigued as we ascended ,mpingwi again1 but here a heavy shower came on1 which had a refreshing effect4 ,slavery4--,every ,english trader or hunter that made a long stay in this land figured as an enemy of the slave trade1 began to receive refugees1 and after a time found himself surrounded by a small colony in which he had to act as governor4 ,he felt it absurd to apply to the neighbouring chief for assistance in civil matters4 ,his relation to the native chief cannot be better explained than by an incident like the following3--8,one morning the hunter wishes to set out on a journey1 and requires a large number of men4 ,he sends a messenger to request the native chief to send him some of his people4 ,the chief sends back word that he #8can send no men to-day as he has a beer-drinking'4 ,on receiving this intelligence the ,european says to the messenger1 #8,go back and tell the chief that if he does not send me men at once ,i will come up and flog him6' ,in a very short time the messenger returns with more men than are required1 while the chief sends1 at the same time1 a very humble apology60 ,such being the character of a native chief each ,european was a 8great king10 and was expected to be ready to defend all the subjects that he received1 by his power1 or in other words1 by the usual wars4 ,now1 although a position of this kind might be taken by ,industrial ,agents or ,traders1 it was clearly a false position for a ,missionary1 who1 being sent with a message for 8every creature10 must stand forth as equally friendly to all classes of the community4 ,as ,i mingled more with our neighbours1 ,i saw that our reception of runaway slaves had alienated many excellent men who might have been our best friends1 and who were better able to rule slaves than we4 ,if the colonial work disappeared the purely ,missionary work would be more successful1 and the colonial work might gradually be suffered to disappear if slave refugees were denied an asylum4 ,slaves were still coming to the station in great numbers1 but ,i did all that ,i could to discourage their arrival4 ,we had now learned that they were by no means paragons of virtue4 ,after they settled1 it was difficult to keep them in order4 ,they quarrelled both with the freemen about us1 and with each other4 ,most of them resided in the village of ,kumlomba1 a ,blantyre headman1 and he was expected to govern them1 but he had the greatest difficulty in doing so4 ,more refugees could not safely be received unless the ,mission ,directors appointed some layman to take charge of them4 ,such government might have been a blessing to the poor slaves1 but as matters stood1 the ,mission ran the risk of collecting around it a number of people each of whom would do 8what was right in his own eyes04 ,the reception of slaves no doubt had certain advantages4 ,already nearly #djj had gathered about the station1 and a great number of these had sought an asylum in order to escape death4 ,the ,mission had thus saved a great many lives1 but at a terrible risk4 ,its course of action had made enemies of all the slave-owners in the district1 and even tended to increase the slave-trade1 for when a master saw that his slaves might run to the ,english1 he resolved to sell them off as soon as possible4 ,again1 the reception of persons who had fled to escape death or any of the other hard consequences of slavery1 soon led anyone that fancied he had a grievance1 to desert his master and seek refuge at the ,mission1 while the kindly treatment he experienced made him desirous of having his friends or relatives with him to share his advantages4 ,thus the settlement was in danger of becoming a large state1 composed of all the discontented people of the country4 ,livingstone attributes the failure of the old ,portuguese ,missions1 to the fact that they made little or no resistance to slavery1 and the difficulty is greater than might at first sight appear4 ,when a missionary stands by and sees the evils of slavery without actively interfering1 the sympathy that he expresses for the slave1 or the protests that he utters1 are regarded as insincere by the natives3 while the moment that he goes beyond moral methods1 he steps out of his proper sphere4 ,it must ever be a dangerous experiment to set hundreds of slaves free1 and leave them to live without any of the terrible restraints that their owners find necessary4 ,already ,kumlomba and his brethren were loudly declaring that some of the refugees were very bad men1 and could not live in peace4 ,one grave offender they escorted back to his master4 ,i watched this experiment with much interest1 and ,kumlomba's men were able to tell me the effect4 ,as they went along with the slave they rested in many villages and talked the matter over1 and the villagers made the remark that the slave's master was 8very fortunate04 ,arrived at their destination1 the ,blantyre headman said1 8,here is your man1 he will not stay peaceably with us10 and the slave's master thought that he had found 8rare luck60 ,often slaves left a master for slight reasons4 ,many a woman ran away because her husband had bought more wives1 or because he would not sew her clothes6 ,perhaps the poor creature inferred from such indications of neglect that she was destined to be the prey of the first slave-dealer4 ,all that we could do for these refugees was to try that their application to the ,mission should not compromise them when they returned to their home4 ,on one occasion we asked some ,blantyre people to accompany two run-aways with the view of interceding for them with their chief4 ,on the way1 however1 the slaves dashed off from their guides and were not heard of again6 ,sadder cases occurred where slaves tried to escape immolation--they were going to be buried with their master1 and craved the ,mission's protection4 ,we saw some painful cases where the slave and his master were both present and both appealing to us4 ,once a young man and his mother came and begged most earnestly to be allowed to stay at the ,mission4 ,the woman represented that her husband had just been murdered by a headman who wanted to take her for a wife4 ,she said that the murder had been committed for the very purpose of carrying out this marriage1 and protested that she would not go to the harem of the man who had slain her husband4 ,the ,chief ,kapeni was the uncle of this unscrupulous headman1 and came over1 claiming the young lad and his mother too1 and asserting his right to dispose of them both4 ,the party begging protection were in a state of frantic excitement4 ,as we explained our position1 they cried1 8,oh ,father1 cut our throats here1 we will die here1 do not send us back with ,kapeni04 ,i said to ,kapeni1 8,would it be right in us to protect you if you were running from a man that sought to kill you80 ,he replied1 8,it would be right10 adding1 8,i do not want to kill the lad1 and if you come over to my village you will find him alive04 ,the first time ,i visited ,kapeni after this event1 ,i saw the young man1 but on no subsequent visit could ,i find a trace of him6 ,another case struck me as being unspeakably sad4 ,it arose in the following manner3--,as two boys were playing at ,kapeni's1 the son of ,mtambo was killed by his companion1 a lad of #ac years4 ,all admitted that the death was purely accidental4 ,the lad's mother was a widow with six children2 one of her daughters was immediately taken from her and slain in order 8to go along with0 ,mtambo's deceased son 7#cb74 ,but ,mtambo not content with this1 demanded the woman and all her other children for slaves4 ,the parties lived close by ,kapeni who granted ,mtambo's demand4 ,the woman fled to ,blantyre with all her children4 ,as she brought them in1 we were struck with their appearance1 they looked most interesting children4 ,the youngest was quite a baby1 the others1 mostly girls1 stood each about a handbreadth taller than the next younger1 the eldest being the poor lad that had occasioned the misfortune4 ,the elder sister had been already slain4 ,how our hearts bled for these poor children6 ,the widow believed that ,mtambo would kill more of them4 ,i wrote to the directors at the time1 8,putting a remorseless logic in the place of mercy1 we think the ,mission has nothing to do with this case of ,kapeni's at all04 ,sometimes we tried whether unfortunate people might not be redeemed from these hardships1 but such redemption was uniformly refused4 ,two relatives of ,antani1 our cook-boy1 ran away from their master and came to ,blantyre1 but had to be surrendered on demand4 ,antani was exceedingly sorry1 although he saw quite clearly that if he retained these people1 he was on ground that according to native views1 made war against us perfectly justifiable4 ,we hinted that if he redeemed them he might then keep them in his own village4 ,he entered gladly into this idea1 but the owner replied1 after ,antani had sent his brother and negotiated for about a week1 8,you1 ,english1 say it is not right to sell people1 and therefore ,i will not do it60 ,one of the last cases we saw was that of a man who had escaped from ,cherasulo4 ,kumpama's people came to ask for him and although quite confident that he would be restored 7for by this time the poor slaves had always to go away71 they thought it necessary to bring most damaging evidence against him4 ,accordingly they produced a piece of calico stained with blood1 to show that this man had committed murder before he took to flight4 ,the people about ,blantyre asserted that ,kumpama's party had shot a guinea-fowl whose blood would account for the stained cloth6 ,the slave himself insisted that he had run away owing to bad treatment and pleaded to be allowed to stay1 otherwise his master would kill him4 ,but he had to be given up1 ,mr4 ,buchanan saying to his master1 8,remember now1 ,i am going to pass ,cherasulo and ,i will not believe you1 unless you can shew him alive when ,i come04 ,the ,mission ,directors had been for a long time debating whether the ,mission could really exercise civil or criminal jurisdiction at all4 ,at first they had claimed such jurisdiction1 but grave doubts arose on the execution for the murder 7page #aji7 and we did not yet know which way they were likely to decide4 ,they had taken about a year to consider the subject1 and no decision had yet reached us4 ,though well aware that the ,law of the ,church prevented a ,clergyman from being a ,magistrate1 ,i thought it was competent for the ,directors to carry out their plans by means of ,laymen1 but it might be argued that the civil ,law of ,scotland was against the exercise of any jurisdiction1 as the ,directors had taken no steps to legalise their colony4 ,if this proved correct1 then it was clear that even should the ,directors insist on ,civil ,jurisdiction1 any magistrate appointed by them was liable in the circumstances to all the consequences of breaking ,british ,law4 ,it was a question in principle like what ,scotch ,churchmen were familiar with in the ,disruption ,controversy4 ,should the ,directors decide that the exercise of ,jurisdiction was necessary for propagating the ,gospel in these parts1 and that jurisdiction was to go on as before1 the decision was quite intelligible so far as the ,church was concerned1 but it would not do for any ,british subject to act on the view4 ,the matter had an important bearing on the question of fugitive slaves4 ,some of the ,directors had at one time admitted1 to my great comfort1 that it was not expedient to receive refugees4 ,but letters of a subsequent date were strongly in favour of continuing the old practice1 and ,dr4 ,macklin who was now at home1 refused1 we understand1 to return to ,africa1 if slaves were denied protection3 so great is the proverbial detestation of slavery in the true ,briton4 ,in official letters that arrived at this time1 we were urged to adopt a spirited ,foreign ,policy towards certain troublesome chiefs4 ,the directors indicated a plan of punishing some of these offenders1 but as the layman that they had sent out to act as a ,christian magistrate1 declined to take such a delicate task1 ,i was much puzzled to know who was to be responsible for carrying out the scheme1 and on ,april #eth1 ,i wrote to the ,directors with reference to this plan3--8,but take into account that we are only poor dominies and tradesmen4 ,the dominies have the ,saturday holiday at their disposal1 but no other day without doing injustice to school-work40 ,it was1 perhaps1 fortunate that the arrangement for the civil management of the ,mission was in a state of chaos at this time4 ,so far as the ,directors of a ,foreign ,mission are personally concerned1 it is a comparatively safe thing for them to send abroad instructions of the above kind1 for if complications should arise1 they will be the judges of their own conduct1 and will1 in any case1 escape all the suffering that may ultimately be caused4 ,while1 at the same time1 they are conscious that they are doing their very best to establish order in a lawless land4 ,most certainly they are actuated by the purest motives4 ,but by such commands they would place a zealous lay superintendent in great difficulty4 ,he knows that he can easily raise the country against an offending chief1 and he reasons1 8,these are the instructions of my superiors4 ,i am aware that they cannot be carried out without the loss perhaps of thirty lives4 ,but the ,mission ,directors are honourable men1 they will stand by me40 ,suppose then that the man goes forth and fulfils his instructions with the loss say of only twenty lives4 ,he may now think that he deserves the praise of his superiors for carrying out their orders at a smaller cost than he could have anticipated6 ,but when he sends home his report1 he finds that scarcely has he received the congratulations of the ,convener1 when other members of the ,mission ,committee protest that they 8had not attended the meetings1 and did not know that the ,mission was a colony at all60 ,the lay superintendent may then see a piece of chess-playing more like what he might have expected among the heathen than among the church leaders whom he has honoured and trusted2 while the weapon of misrepresentation would be wielded with great success4 ,if the victorious army of the colony really killed twenty1 it would get credit for having slain its 8tens of thousands04 ,had we been desirous to figure as civil magistrates or as ,african chiefs we might have soon gained an influence like what was once wielded by ,papal ,rome4 ,even persons that lived at great distances insisted on coming to tell us of their grievances1 and to ask for advice1 while our own neighbours were constantly appealing to us4 ,in ,scotland there was a time when it was considered a reproach to allow a funeral to pass without drunkenness3 here it seems to be a reproach to have a beer-drinking without a fight4 ,in the more serious cases the combatants fire at each other 7usually missing71 and then endeavour to strike their companions with the butt-end of their muskets4 ,if their skulls were not very strong1 there would be many fatalities4 ,in such cases1 however1 although requested to interfere1 we were content with merely supplying the sticking-plaster6 ,a printing press had been set out1 which enabled us to supply wall-cards for the ,junior ,classes4 ,we printed also a few hymns and passages of scripture1 but our work at this was very slow4 ,it would be most economical for such presses to be accompanied by a good printer4 ,as a rule the ,missionary is much more serviceable at his own calling1 and feels that while setting type he is precluded from work that he is better fitted for4 ,the ,english characters are well adapted for all sounds in the ,yao language1 but not so adequate for ,chinyasa4 ,we found that the usual naming of the ,english alphabet might be simplified with advantage to our pupils4 ,we call the letter b1 be1 while we call1 m1 em3 why not be consistent and call them either be1 me1 or eb1 em8 ,again as w1 is always a consonant in this language1 we named it we1 and not double-u4 ,it is a pity that our system of ,english spelling is so intricate1 it makes our language very difficult to acquire4 ,we felt inclined to order for the school the 8,fonetik ,nuz60 ,all this time ,i was intensely busy4 ,a great part of my time was occupied in teaching and preaching1 and in the short intervals at my disposal for my special work of translating1 ,i could seldom sit down without being liable to interruption4 ,many sick people looked upon me as a physician4 ,for a long time we had been in the centre of ,africa without any medical man4 ,natives came with all manner of diseases4 ,one day we had a man that was said to be mad4 ,in some of his fits he had wounded a neighbour with an arrow4 ,whether he was mad or not1 he was evidently far from well1 and ,i gave him a large dose of ,eno's ,fruit ,salt4 ,the poor fellow came back next morning to tell us that he was better4 ,his breath was no longer offensive1 and he looked cheerful4 ,we were sorry when our supply of ,fruit ,salt went done1 it was a favourite both with natives and ,europeans1 and is much used along the malarious coasts4 ,once ,i offered a sick girl a dose of ordinary salts1 but when she tasted it1 she regarded me with an injured look and the tears came to her eyes4 ,reflecting that ,i would not have liked to take the stuff myself1 ,i did not insist that she should4 ,but as a general rule1 the natives1 especially when there is little wrong with them1 will swallow the most nauseous medicines with great composure4 ,a chief sometimes came with a number of men and women1 and three times as many children1 declaring that they were all sick1 and demanding medicine4 ,in such cases the doctor had given ,bismark the keg with castor oil1 and told him to go round and administer a spoonful to each4 ,although there might be a wail from some disgusted infant1 most of the party considered the medicine a treat1 and after the ceremony there would be a great smacking of lips6 ,an effervescing medicine was a novelty to the natives4 ,they thought it was boiling1 and anxiously asked1 8,is it hot80 ,even where we did not know what was wrong with a negro1 we gave him something4 ,it was prudent to do so1 as he would otherwise go to the sorcerer1 who might make him believe he was bewitched1 and ultimately get some one poisoned4 ,even when he received ,english medicine1 he was very anxious about shaving his head1 and otherwise conforming to ,african customs4 ,it was always difficult to diagnose a native patient1 his answers to questions about his symptoms were not to be relied on4 ,he seemed to think it a religious duty to declare that he felt pain everywhere4 ,the influence of the native medicine man was very great4 ,often a sick native will part with all his property to procure some amulet4 ,occasionally the school children were robbed of new dresses by this greedy practitioner4 ,at the end of this half year1 a new medical man arrived4 ,he brought us the mail which told us that the ,mission was to cease to be a colony4 ,we were now informed that our position 8must be understood as excluding the power and jurisdiction known as civil government04 ,all along ,i had felt that my own position excluded this jurisdiction4 ,i was aware that the ,directors had 8no right to give0 me1 and that ,i had 8no right to receive0 any powers of this kind4 ,but ,i was not aware that even in their days of greatest perplexity1 the ,directors had desired me to act as their magistrate1 or to be conjoined in such work4 ,the letter continued1 8,we cannot make you civil magistrates over any portion of ,africa1 even though we may possess property therein04 ,well1 why had they given commission to various individuals to act as magistrates8 ,why had they1 from the beginning of the ,mission down to the very last mail1 urged the carrying out of civil jurisdiction8 ,we could only hold up our hands in amazement6 ,besides1 the real question at issue was of the simplest character4 ,it was not 8whether civil jurisdiction was necessary in the region occupied by the ,mission02 it was not 8whether ,livingstone and other travellers and hunters had caned offenders02 it was not 8whether the humblest artisan had not as good a right to protect himself in this way as ,livingstone had02 it was not 8whether the laws of ,britain were good or bad10 but simply 8what were the laws of ,britain on the subject04 ,now the ,missionaries received information that certain ,british statutes were against the assumption of civil jurisdiction4 8,any assumption1 therefore1 of jurisdiction by us or by you in ,africa1 and any act of punishment done in virtue thereof1 would1 in the opinion of the ,committee1 make us or you liable to the provisions of these statutes40 ,this information would have been worth a great deal to the poor ,missionaries if it had been given when they first left their homes4 ,along with the ,doctor1 there arrived a servant to assist ,mrs4 ,macdonald2 this was a great accession4 ,for a long time ,i had been desirous of going to ,zomba and ,cherasulo1 but could never get away from school4 ,mrs4 ,macdonald being relieved from an oppressive amount of other duties1 now undertook the teaching during my absence4 ,on ,june #hth the ,doctor and ,i started for ,cherasulo at #icj4 ,we reached the mountain itself by two o'clock1 but before we arrived at ,kumpama's the sun was setting4 ,most of the natives live on the sides of high hills4 ,this is partly from fear of war1 and partly because they find plenty of water in such situations4 ,in this land the streams of the mountain are much dried up before they reach the plains4 ,june #i4--,kumpama introduced me to his principal wife4 ,owing to the custom of inheriting wives1 this lady was a matron who could have been his grandmother4 ,we found the chief's people exceedingly friendly4 ,i had bought a supply of beads from the ,mission store1 which ,i distributed among the children4 ,a present of small beads is valued by a native child as much as a present of coppers is by a child in civilised lands4 ,judged by the standard of these natives1 a ,missionary is considered very wealthy4 ,the blankets on the poor man's bed1 if cut up1 would clothe half-a-score of negroes6 ,as ,i lay in the tent ,i heard some of our dark friends discussing a proposal to rob us6 ,one man good-humouredly represented that it was not right to let us go out of their land with so much goods6 ,the others laughed1 and said that they would like the goods1 only they were afraid of 8the little guns60 7revolvers74 ,when we arose we found a great crowd of natives waiting to give us presents1 and as soon as we had cooked1 the chief and some of his principal men came to breakfast4 ,they afterwards shewed us that the plants that had come from ,blantyre were growing well with them4 ,we were conducted round the district by ,kumpama's ,prime ,minister4 ,the chief himself had to judge some cases2 and invited us to hear the pleadings1 but we declined1 being anxious to spend the day in looking for a likely site for a ,cherasulo ,mission4 ,we saw many good spots1 but we wished ,mr4 ,henderson to make the selection4 ,june #aj4--,we started from ,kumpama's at seven ,a4,m4 while the dew was yet heavy on the long grass1 but notwithstanding very hard marching it was sunset before we reached the ,likangala4 ,at this stream we were several miles from ,zomba1 but we pressed on in the dark4 ,with the roads that are here we can understand how it is that one walking in the darkness 8stumbleth04 ,as we approached the ,mission1 we saw a great many little fires at ,lake ,chirwa1 which indicated that people were fishing there4 ,june #aa4--,zomba has improved greatly within the last ten months4 ,near the station1 roads have been made1 which are much appreciated by the natives4 ,june #ac4--;,besides the usual meetings here1 ,i had a service in the village to the east of the station4 ,june #ad4--,mr4 ,henderson and the doctor left for ,cherasulo to settle about the new site4 ,some of the pupils here can read the native language1 although they have been reading ,english chiefly hitherto4 ,this time last year1 none of them had seen a book4 ,the girls are not so civilised as the ,blantyre ones4 ,even in their games they shew this4 ,at the station there are many soft stones1 and they amuse themselves by rubbing or grinding these to make 8flour04 ,during the process they cover their bodies with dust1 which sticks to them for the rest of the day4 ,but they say that they are willing to sew1 and by and by ,mrs4 ,macdonald will pay them a visit4 ,the last week or two ,i have studied ,chinyasa4 ,it will be a very easy task to get acquainted with this language after the previous acquisition of ,chiyao4 ,what a glorious field for energy one sees from this station--right across ,lake ,chirwa6 ,the lake is quite full of water now1 and may be useful to us yet4 ,to evangelize the country on its shores1 would be the work of a life time4 ,bismark looks forward to being stationed on ,lake ,chirwa when he 8knows more04 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,fifth ,,half ,,year4 ,,july1 #ahhj--;,,december1 #ahhj4 ,when left alone in a hut on the hill-side1 one feels that domestic comforts are a great help in ,mission work4 ,the old monks must have encountered many difficulties when placed at any time among people that knew nothing of civilisation4 ,in such circumstances they would have been obliged to leave their proper calling1 and attend to their dinner1 and when one's time is so divided1 neither work can be well done4 ,i leave the commissariat entirely to the natives1 and the order in which my food is brought is often somewhat peculiar4 ,in the morning there first comes a small bowlful of milk1 and then a piece of roast fowl3 after a time tea appears1 then potatoes1 and finally a plate of porridge6 ,at dinner too1 after ,i have begun to flatter myself that ,i have got to the end of my task1 the boy will appear with a large plate of soup6 ,my cook showed considerable originality in the matter of dress4 ,a few old cuffs had been thrown away1 and when ambitious to appear in a finer costume than usual1 he put one of them on his wrist1 and as he wore neither coat nor shirt1 nor any such thing1 the cuff looked very odd upon the bare arm4 ,i was thankful that instead of showing a similar originality in the matter of cookery1 he confined himself to an old bill of fare1 for although cats were very rare at ,blantyre1 ,i knew that they were plentiful at ,zomba1 and that the natives did not despise them as an article of food4 ,while we were at ,zomba1 a war broke out at our very door4 ,it was between ,malemya our own chief1 and one of his headmen called ,kumtaja1 whose relations have been explained above 7 #ih74 ,one morning about eight o'clock1 as we sat in the verandah studying the language1 we heard the report of guns4 ,in a short time we saw that ,malowa's village was in flames4 ,twenty minutes later1 ,kalimbuka 7or ,kalambuka87 and his men arrived at the ,mission station in great excitement1 clamouring for powder4 ,the village of their friend had been attacked1 and one of their 8brothers0 was slain6 ,while expressing much sympathy with our neighbours1 we had to refuse them powder4 ,on this ,kalimbuka protested that we were not his friends1 and declared that he would send none of his children to school4 ,true to his word1 he called away about twenty pupils that came from his village4 ,our conduct in refusing powder seemed most dishonourable--we could not expect the natives to understand it4 ,had we been attacked ,kalimbuka would have at once come to the rescue with all his forces4 ,we could not have complained if he and ,malemya had proceeded against us as enemies4 ,yet when we settled in #ahgi1 we warned them both1 that we would have nothing to do with their wars3 but ,kalimbuka was not willing to be bound by this4 ,it was not without emotion that ,i saw my old friend go away with such a poor opinion of us4 ,still he had listened to what we said4 ,we insisted that he should wait for ,malemya's help1 for if he attacked ,kumtaja alone he would likely be beaten4 ,we pointed out that his own village was yet safe1 but that if he was afraid for the lives of his people1 he might bring them all up to our station4 ,this reasoning had little effect on a man burning to avenge the death of his relative4 ,messages were soon sent in all directions4 ,it is surprising how quickly natives communicate with each other on such occasions4 ,during the day several detachments passed through the station for ,kalimbuka's village1 which was soon the headquarters of a large army4 ,all night the war drums were beaten4 ,next morning we heard of nothing but great preparations1 and as the school was dismissed that evening1 the wail of those that were mourning the slain1 came plaintively along the hill side4 ,soon the time arrived for our return to ,blantyre4 ,when we passed ,kalimbuka1 we found him more composed4 ,but he knew that the ,english had 8something0 that would burn any village from a great distance1 and he was anxious to try its effect on ,kumtaja6 ,on our way back1 ,i was desirous to visit ,mityoche1 the headman that gave some trouble last year4 ,at first our men had concurred in the proposal1 but when the first of them came to the parting of the ways1 they quietly kept to the ,blantyre road4 ,on reaching ,blantyre1 ,i wrote to ,kalimbuka's son exhorting him to return to school as soon as his father would let him4 ,it is a great gain when a native is once taught to read a letter in his own tongue4 ,on ,july #ajth1 two men of ,kalimbuka's came to describe another battle1 in which they reported that four were killed1 and four wounded4 ,they took back a message requesting that the wounded men should be sent over to the doctor4 ,a similar message we wanted to send to their enemies1 but no one cared to go there in case of being fired on4 ,many people were now gathering round the ,mission at ,zomba1 judging that they would there be more free from war and kidnapping4 ,malowa's villagers who had been first attacked soon formed a large settlement close to the station4 ,at ,blantyre we still had difficulties about rations3 grave disputes would arise as to whether salt was to be supplied free1 or charged at #f;d a pound--whether a pot of jam was to cost #i;d or a shilling6 ,the sister ,mission at ,livingstonia1 after experiencing this trouble1 made a clear arrangement4 ,no doubt it looked very ungallant to tell a young lady that she would get the daily allowance of an able bodied seaman--but its ,directors had to define what they meant1 and they did so4 ,after all1 new difficulties were sure to arise4 ,the subject of salaries and rations was hydra-headed2 when one head was cut off1 others appeared4 ,on #dth ,june1 #ahhj1 ,i wrote1 8,i am beginning to despair of seeing an ultimate understanding on this subject1 and the game is not worth the candle60 ,the game1 however1 had often threatened to play havoc in the ,mission4 ,i was told that on one occasion in #ahgg1 every artisan was on the point of leaving for ,england over this matter4 ,but the difficulty most felt by the ,directors had reference to civil jurisdiction1 and a deputation was to be sent from ,scotland to examine the whole subject4 ,during the last half year ,i had suffered much from ulcerated limbs4 ,the complaint was exceedingly common among the natives1 and white men that do not suffer much from fever in this country1 pay the penalty in some other way4 ,after the journey to ,zomba1 ,i was worse1 and had to be carried back in a litter4 ,i was then condemned to lie in bed for several weeks4 ,the ,doctor had charge of many natives suffering from the same complaint1 but he found great difficulty in making them keep quiet till the ulcers healed4 ,a medical man fond of his practice is greatly discouraged by negro patients4 ,they will eat any quantity of his 8little bullets0 as they term pills1 but they will pay no attention to his other instructions4 ,a native girl once knocked down a revolver1 which went off1 when a bullet passed through one leg1 and lodged in the thigh of the other4 ,fortunately ,dr4 ,laws of ,livingstonia was on the spot4 ,he dressed her wounds and told her that she must not move4 ,most of us were afraid she was killed4 ,judge his surprise when on going to her in the evening1 he found her meeting him at the door6 ,we had never yet succeeded in getting a hospital for native invalids4 ,one difficulty arose from negro superstition4 ,when a man dies in a house1 that dwelling must be pulled down4 ,hence if the doctor collected many cases that proved fatal1 native custom would require him to be constantly building new hospitals4 ,the people were all much astonished when on the death of a white man1 the survivors continued to 8enter0 his house4 ,they expected some evil would follow4 ,at the ,livingstonia ,station a number of ,missionaries died in succession1 and the negroes were apt to think that much of this fatality might arise because ,europeans entered the houses of the deceased4 ,at ,blantyre1 a poor woman died in the girls' dormitory1 which the ,african young ladies consequently refused to occupy again4 ,the next inmate of that building was a young elephant1 which also died4 8,did we not tell you so60 was the reflection of the natives4 ,but notwithstanding the superstition1 they vied with each other in endeavouring to get slices of the deceased animal for food4 ,about twelve o'clock one night1 a slave raid took place1 and two children were carried off from a ,blantyre village4 ,an alarm was raised1 and most of us turned out4 ,amidst the darkness and the excitement1 the ,blantyre party got divided into two sections1 which had to signal to each other by firing revolvers4 ,the deputation that had just arrived from ,scotland1 being accustomed to enjoy a night's rest without all this disquietude1 were naturally alarmed1 and they thought there were two hostile armies firing on each other in deadly combat4 ,however they soon became acquainted with the facts1 and imprisoned one man who was found lurking about near the scene of the kidnapping4 ,amidst the darkness a great number of people could have hid in the jungle near the station1 but during the tumult some one set fire to half-a-score of native huts which lighted up the landscape most magnificently4 ,the poor man that was imprisoned could give no information about the slave raid4 ,i left the various parties in consultation and went back to bed4 ,but a little later a band of men were supplied with ammunition and sent out for the purpose of hunting up the robbers4 ,they marched on to a distance of about five or six miles1 but they could find no trace of an enemy4 ,next day it was contemplated to send an expedition with the view of recovering these children1 but fortunately this was abandoned4 ,meanwhile it was discovered that one ,blantyre man had proved a traitor4 ,during the disturbance he did not appear because as he represented1 #8the enemy had overcome him by a powerful dose of medicine so that he was unable to awake6' ,the deputation immediately went to deal with him1 but they seem to have been misinterpreted for the fellow went over to the kidnappers and proclaimed war and every kind of evil unless the children were restored6 ,a few nights after this a rumour arose that ,mityoche the headman of a ,cherasulo village1 was going to attack the station4 ,the old members of the ,mission heard the news with comparative unconcern1 but it took them all their might to prevent a panic4 ,a plan was set on foot to pack us all together into one spot4 ,now ignorant as these savages may be1 there is nothing that they interpret sooner than cowardice1 and nothing that they more despise4 ,they actually laughed at the exhibitions of terror that were but too manifest among the new comers4 ,they said1 8,we are all about you--we will not run away60 ,on serious occasions it has always done us good to reflect that the lives of the natives are as precious as our own4 ,we had all along seen that in the event of an attack on the station1 any attempt at a scamper would be terribly hopeless4 ,the natives1 we believed1 would run but we could not4 ,all our prestige would be gone4 ,we need never go back4 ,mrs4 ,macdonald on hearing of the expected attack hastened home from an evening visit to ,kumlomba's to prevent an alarm in her household1 but the news had spread like wild-fire and she found her visitors declaring in great excitement that the manse would be set on fire by the enemy1 and that everything valuable ought to be removed6 ,she thought it would be better to pack a few of the children's clothes and send to a safer place4 ,while she was thus engaged some of her servant boys came and asked what she was doing1 and on being told they were much astonished at the novel proceeding1 and exclaimed 8,you doing that1 ,ma'am6 you never did that before6 ,people set fire to your house6 ,not when your boys are standing round it all night60 ,gradually the excitement toned down and only the strangers left the manse4 ,the nurse however kept our eldest boy dressed all night1 so that she might be in readiness to flee with him if it were necessary4 ,from the earliest days of the ,mission1 the rule had been for each man to have a supply of powder and shot4 ,i found ,i had been transgressing this and went in quest of cartridges4 ,several of the schoolboys came in1 and we spent the evening in loading these4 ,our great hope1 however1 was placed in two military rockets which were to be discharged into the air4 ,we thought a native army would be so terrified by such an exhibition1 that it would not wait to see what the white man would do next6 ,the deputation wished barrels of powder placed round the station1 which were to be exploded when a hostile group drew near6 ,our house was filled with a number of women and children4 ,one boy went into a bedroom and locked himself in4 ,he had evidently been frightened1 and would answer no calling or knocking4 ,everyone was now prepared for the enemy2 but no enemy appeared6 ,some thought was given this half-year to the civil jurisdiction of the ,mission4 ,the feeling of the deputation was that native chiefs should1 in accordance with ,english views1 be called in to punish criminals that belonged to their own tribe1 but that they should be invoked as seldom as possible1 and that a summary method of punishment might be quietly and judiciously carried out at the ,mission itself4 ,but it was distinctly mentioned that artisans1 when not at a distance from the ,station1 should refer every grave case to the medical officer4 ,this plan was important1 for while the majority of the artisans were men of humanity1 we occasionally heard of instances where white men had punished almost as severely as did the natives themselves4 ,it could not1 of course1 be expected that a deputation would be able1 after a visit of a few weeks1 to tell what plans would be best for the settlement4 ,all that they could do would be to indicate how much responsibility the ,directors might be willing to incur in succouring the oppressed or in liberating the slave4 ,so peculiar are the circumstances of missionary life in districts beyond the range of ordinary civilisation1 that there is a proverb to the effect that 8a ,missionary must not expect to do any good the first year1 while he may be very glad if he do no harm60 ,this applies with tenfold force to the case of agents that deal with civil matters4 ,hitherto ,i had believed that a person working as a clergyman would always have so much personal influence that his own work would not suffer although mistakes were made in other departments1 but ,i now realized for the first time that individuals entirely unacquainted with the natives might so manage secular matters as to endanger the life of every ,european in the country4 ,the deputation proposed a scheme for the protection of the ,mission4 ,the idea was to give ,kapeni a large supply of gunpowder1 and ask him to send over a garrison to the station6 ,we cannot say what protection this garrison would have been against other natives1 but we fancy the ,missionaries would ultimately have found the greatest difficulty in protecting themselves from their protectors6 ,probably if it had been known that on the appearance or even the threat of a single artisan1 ,kapeni and his available forces would run to the hills1 we might have heard less of this scheme4 ,after an interview1 however1 the deputation was content to part with ,kapeni on the following understanding3--8,if you don't give us notice when ,mityoche's people are to attack the station1 we shall kill only a few of them2 but if you give us notice1 we shall kill them all06 ,during the ,mityoche scare1 a strong watch was put on4 ,our cook boy was one night making a circuit round our house when he met a foeman who is a great terror to watchmen here--viz41 a leopard4 ,the lad acted with admirable presence of mind4 ,he felt that if he tried to get inside the house1 the leopard would have him before the door could be opened2 so he ran with all his might to his own abode which was about #ajj yards off4 ,his wife and family were sleeping in our house1 but he did not resume his watching that night6 ,such wild animals were still about us4 ,one night a lion and a hyna had a tough fight beside the ,station1 and the hyna was found dead next morning4 ,sometimes a leopard would enter a fowl-house and kill scores of fowls1 although he could devour only a few of them4 ,leopards seem to kill for the purpose of gratifying their blood-thirsty propensity4 ,they do not come back to eat their victims2 at least when a strong trap was set in expectation of their return1 it was never disturbed4 ,near the ,mission seldom was any wild animal seen during the day2 but on the way to ,zomba lions were occasionally observed4 ,as a rule1 these animals are cowardly1 and run off at a tremendous speed4 ,on one occasion1 however1 a traveller came upon a lioness with cubs4 ,it must have been a moment of terrible suspense4 ,a few days before1 we had been talking on the subject1 and discussing what would be the best plan in such an emergency4 ,we had agreed that the tones of the human voice might act as a talisman6 ,the gentleman accordingly1 as he retreated with his eyes fixed on the lioness1 began to talk to an imaginary ,johnnie--the name which he gave to one of his native lads4 7,johnnie1 it is unnecessary to say1 was several hundred yards off and had gone up a tree47 ,when he reached a bend of the path where he got out of the animal's sight1 he turned round and ran as fast as ,johnnie had done6 ,one day an elephant gave chase to a party of ,missionaries who were on the way to ,blantyre4 ,fortunately they threw down an umbrella in their hurry1 and when the great animal came upon this1 his fancy was so taken by it that he did not pursue its owners any farther4 ,in finding suitable amusements for our pupils we had at first considerable difficulty4 ,owing to the heat of the climate1 the native children are not so fond of active games as ,english children are4 ,so long as we took part in a game they played heartily but almost as soon as we ceased1 they also gave it up4 ,each ,friday afternoon we had races and gave small prizes4 ,after a time they began to enjoy swings and football1 but the favourite game was 8cricket04 ,we were glad that they showed a special fondness for this game1 as it proved a pleasant means of conveying instruction4 ,the calculation of the 8runs0 gave them exercise in arithmetic 7as we threw aside the ,yao notation in favour of the ,english71 and when any one was appointed umpire1 he learned to form an opinion for himself and abide by it4 ,some sturdy bowler would often be heard calling out 8,pray sir60 ,he meant 8,play sir60 but as the batsman with his bare legs and arms was sometimes in greater danger than his wicket1 the formula was allowed to pass1 with an occasional laugh from any that could speak better4 ,the native technical terms used in this game were amusing4 ,a ball rolled along the ground was termed a 8rat10 while a ball that was overpitched was called a 8bird0 7chijuni74 ,soon they learned the value of pitching their balls properly1 and a little piece of paper placed to show the spot was called a cricket 8charm04 ,again1 the umpire1 instead of saying that the batsman was out1 declared that he was 8dead60 ,owing to the great heat1 the game was confined to the evening1 and ,i found it a simple means of securing that amount of physical exercise which is indispensable for preventing a ,european from becoming a continual martyr to fever4 ,the remainder of this half year ,i may describe by a few notes from my ,journal4 ,october #bb4--,some children asked me to go with them to the top of a hill behind ,blantyre4 ,the ascent was very fatiguing4 ,i saw and admired a fine instance of native endurance4 ,one girl of about eight years of age carried a child to the top4 ,i helped her at intervals1 but she seemed able to carry her charge for longer distances than ,i could4 ,but alas6 my admiration was soon dispelled for in a short time she quarrelled with a companion and bit her6 ,this mode of fighting is common here1 bare arms and legs presenting a temptation to it4 ,a boy found a hare in a trap and wanted to make off with it all1 but we called the owner of the trap and had native law on the subject4 ,the owner of course claimed the hare1 and allowed the finder one leg4 ,he consented1 however1 to sell the rest of the animal1 and the children of the party had a feast4 ,when natives have meat they always eat bones and all1 and they are not fastidious3 ,i have seen a man drive a dog from a bone and begin chewing it himself4 ,a few days ago a man came to ,blantyre with his wife who was suffering from a large tumor on her neck4 ,the ,doctor explained that the operation was a dangerous one2 and so it proved1 for the woman died soon after it was performed4 ,such a result is always awkward in a land like this4 ,notwithstanding that the man saw how attentive the ,doctor was to the poor woman1 he charged the ,english with murder1 and made a great disturbance4 ,he came back some time after with the intention as he said1 of mourning for his wife4 ,although none of our pupils were quite at ease during his stay1 it was not till his departure that we clearly understood the object of his visit4 ,taking advantage of the ,mission hospitality to lay some plans for kidnapping1 he was able by the night of his departure to carry off a number of children from a village beside us4#h ,to-day ,i have been visited by the parents of these children1 who have as tender hearts as ,christian parents4 ,october #bi4--;,a slave of ,chikumbu's had come and lurked about the ,blantyre villages without permission4 ,he was now sent back1 but it was suspected that his conductors allowed him to run off on the way and seek an asylum elsewhere4 ,november #i4--,mrs4 ,macdonald taking the nurse and the children and also some native girls with her1 went over to ,zomba4 ,the ,doctor and ,i went too--all the workers much needed a change1 and ,mr4 ,buchanan had consented to take ,blantyre for a while4 ,november #aa4--,we reached ,zomba4 ,a white lady had never been here before1 and the inhabitants of the district were much excited over the matter4 ,i addressed the natives each day as usual4 ,when ,anyasa people were present ,i used a native interpreter4 ,i spoke in ,yao1 which the majority of the people understood1 while my friend translated into the speech of the ,anyasa4 ,a speaker is safe in using an interpreter when he can understand what he says4 ,often ,i had to give my man the exact ,chinyasa word4 ,sometimes he would make a careless inference1 while at other times he evidently thought that ,i did not do justice to the subject6 ,i mentioned one day that bad people would go away after death to 8a bad place04 ,he enlarged considerably upon this item4 ,one of my reasons for using an interpreter was to show the natives what interpretation really meant1 for when an ,englishman had to speak through an interpreter the majority of the natives did not realise that there was any connection between the speech of the white man and that of his interpreter4 ,sunday #ad4--;,after preaching at the station and one of the villages1 we had a pleasant evening among the children4 ,they overcame their shyness1 and recited the parables to us4 ,for the rest of the week we gave them a parable each day1 and asked them to recite it to us in the evening4 ,sat41 ,nov4 #bj1 was a school holiday1 and we went to the top of ,zomba4 ,mrs4 ,macdonald intended to make tea1 but when the boy produced the match-box to light a fire1 it was found to be filled with ,mr4 ,buchanan's pens4 ,as we descended we heard the 8horn0 blowing4 ,on arriving we saw that there had been a great disturbance4 ,just before we started ,i had spoken to three natives1 who said that they were going to drink beer4 ,i found them very agreeable men1 and they stayed with me for some time talking and laughing about the derivation of their names4 ,in our absence they came back quite drunk1 and began to interfere with ,bismark1 who was buying some goods for the ,mission4 ,after some altercation they threatened to shoot him4 ,taking up his position in front of the ,mission house the poor lad was comparatively resigned to his fate4 ,he said1 8,well6 you may shoot me4 ,i have just my mother in ,quilimane and that is all60 ,but it occurred to them that they might shoot the ,european nurse1 who was with the children1 for then they might expect to carry off some plunder4 ,but various natives quietly interposed1 and managed the drunk men4 ,at length they made off with the tablecloth6 ,as soon as they were gone ,bismark ran to inform ,kalimbuka1 and his people pursued them4 ,the pursuit was very hot1 for although the offenders might have gained miles before ,bismark could give the alarm1 one of them was caught4 ,he had been brought back to the station just as we returned1 and hundreds of natives had collected4 ,i entreated ,kalimbuka to take the captive away as 8we did not want drunk men04 ,the man's gun was also captured1 and was found to be loaded with two iron bullets and an enormous charge of powder4 ,a 8medicine0 bag was attached which contained small fragments of bones1 which were so pulverised that one could not tell what they had originally been4 ,the natives said they were human bones1 but the doctor was doubtful4 ,the ,zomba pupils were very diligent4 ,their supply of slates was deficient1 but they interchanged with each other1 and groups of boys were to be seen writing in the verandah after school4 ,the other side of the house was occupied by a crowd of girls who were getting their first lessons in sewing4 ,saturday1 ,november #bg4--,mr4 ,buchanan came back1 and there was a great meeting over the drunk men of last ,saturday4 ,malemya's judge had cited all parties--not excepting the man who had supplied the beer4 ,indeed it was the beer that came under the gravest suspicion4 ,it might have been bewitched6 ,if beer were held as responsible for crime in ,england1 we should soon have nothing but temperance hotels6 ,the witnesses1#i as we should call them1 recited what they knew of the case1 and at the end the learned judge gave an excellent and very impartial summary of each man's speech4 ,he stayed with us all night1 and we had an exhibition of the magic lantern4 ,mr4 ,buchanan brought over cattle from ,blantyre1 which were a novelty to the people here4 ,few had seen cows before4 ,yet in many respects ,zomba was not so primitive4 ,one day a party visited us on their way from ,quilimane to ,makanjira's on ,lake ,nyassa4 ,they wanted to see whether we had a key that would open their box6 ,here also we met a man that had seen us a little above ,quilimane after our arrival in the country4 ,sunday1 ,november #bh4--,the attendance at the morning service was over #cjj4 ,monday1 ,november #bi4--,we left ,zomba1 and as we slept at the end of our first day's journey1 a heavy shower fell4 ,the rain came through our tents and we were obliged to put waterproofs over our beds4 ,a shower here is a perfect waterspout1 and when it rains during day the more lively natives avail themselves of the splendid bath4 ,but on the present occasion our dark companions were as much annoyed as ourselves4 ,as each flash of lightning made their figures visible1 we could see them huddling together in the corner of a tent4 ,near our halting place we found the remains of a buffalo which had been killed by a lion4 ,our school work at ,blantyre was much enlivened by competition for prizes1 which took the form of blankets4 ,the highest class had written examinations every fortnight4 ,all the little creatures kept working as heartily as ,english children do in similar circumstances4 ,various efforts were made to catch elephants with a view to training them as carriers4 ,several young ones were secured but they all died4 ,on ,christmas we had a school trip to ,mpingwi4 ,we passed the village that had been concerned in the recent slave raid at ,blantyre4#aj ,on seeing the great band of children in full dress1 the villagers all ran away carrying their baskets and mortars with them4 ,the scholars understood the matter and cheered the fugitives4 ,we go in single file1 and ,i was among the last4 ,i had to hurry up in order to check these martial exhibitions1 and on our return we found the villagers quite reconciled and coming to offer us food4 ,monday1 #bgth ,december4--,we had two of the strangest refugees ,i had yet seen4 ,they were little brothers1 the oldest could not have been over six years of age1 and his brother was quite a baby4 ,they had run away from their home1 and come to the 8,english04 ,they had walked about four miles1 and appeared tired and hungry at ,blantyre4 ,as they were too small to be left among other children1 ,i went in search of a native woman to take charge of them at night4 ,while the poor creatures sat weary and footsore in the ,blantyre manse1 ,i could not but wonder what reason they had for leaving a home to cast themselves upon strangers4 ,they had heard that the ,english were 8kind0 to people1 and the oldest said something about his 8mother04 ,some poor slave woman she had been4 ,but she was all the good that they had seen in the world4 ,now she was taken away from them4 ,her dying wish may have been to see them safe with the ,english1 and now they had come4 ,we knew the man whose village they had left1 for the children told most truthfully every particular that older slaves knew so well to conceal4 ,soon their master appeared to claim them2 they1 poor things1 could tell no reason why they should not go back with him1 and their tiny feet had to retrace the weary journey4 ,they did not weep as older slaves always do in such circumstances2 they did not even speak1 but their looks meant a great deal4 ,hard falls the discipline of life on the poor ,african6 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,sixth ,,half4 ,,january #ahha-;,,june #ahha4 ,on the first day of the ,new ,year we had a party of ,headmen to dinner4 ,a cow had been killed the night before1 and two boys were sent with letters of invitation6 ,the ,headmen came dressed in shirts and gaudy handkerchiefs4 ,as they were not used to knives and forks1 the meat was cut up in small pieces and the vegetables mashed so that all could be eaten with spoons4 ,their table-talk is just like the ordinary conversation in other lands4 ,some of them had been unfriendly to each other1 but here was a little reunion4 ,one ,headman who lived outside ,blantyre was led to speak of a slave who had run away from him4 ,he sat beside ,chibowa1 a ,blantyre ,headman1 who had been notorious for giving secret protection to slaves ever since the ,mission was against the policy4 ,we referred the slave-owner to ,chibowa1 8because when a person was missing every one went to him60 ,the two men had often disputed with each other before1 but they could now join in the general laugh4 ,this half year ,i translated the greater part of the ,pilgrim's ,progress4 ,certain personages like ,giant ,pope ,i had of course to omit4 ,through viv voce teaching some of the classes knew and appreciated a great part of this allegory4 ,i was also very busy in translating the ,scriptures4 ,we knew that the time required to translate the whole ,bible was about fifteen years1 and ,buchanan and ,i were anxious to try whether we might not1 by working as for a wager1 complete the task in a much shorter time4 ,while we were thus busy on the ,yao ,bible we knew that ,dr4 ,laws and the ,missionaries on ,nyassa were advancing in the translation of the ,chinyasa ,bible4 ,towards the end of #ahhj1 ,chelomoni1 a ,blantyre ,headman1 captured two men from ,mpingwi1 and put them in slave-sticks4 ,they belonged to the village that had kidnapped the children 7page #bah7 a few months before1 and native law did not require proof that the men were personally guilty4 ,they were undoubtedly innocent4 ,still they were kept in close confinement till their friends returned the captives in ,february4 ,chelomoni was not content with simply receiving the children2 he demanded compensation as well1 and insisted on having paid over to him as damages 8many men04 ,but ultimately he accepted one little boy1 whom the ,doctor took charge of4 ,during their long imprisonment the ,doctor did what he could to see that the prisoners were properly fed1 and as ,mrs4 ,macdonald employed them in comb-making 7an art which they could practice with their neck in the stocks7 they had some wages to receive on their release2 hence though their imprisonment was very long they did not seem to feel it so much after all4 ,saturday1 #bfth ,february4--,having gone to visit ,kapeni1 ,i was conducted by his sons to see ,cholobwe--a man of royal blood1 and often talked of as ,kapeni's probable successor4 ,i found a boy with him that had once lived at ,zomba and attended school there4 ,the little fellow promised to come to ,blantyre1 and ,kapeni's sons were to come with him4 ,march #c4--;,i had a visit from ,kumpama4 ,he told me that he had been 8very busy for some time10 but had now come to see me4 ,as we think ourselves more and more into the natives' views of life1 we must admit that some of them may be 8very busy10 though at first we give them credit for being extremely lazy4 ,we were anxious to form an acquaintance with ,mkanda1 who dealt largely in slaves and was understood to be hostile to the ,mission4 ,when first visited by the ,missionaries in #ahgg1 he had proved very uncivil1 and since then he had often threatened to attack the ,mission settlement1 which had done so much to ruin the slave trade4 ,even when ,dr4 ,macklin was returning from ,mlanje in #ahgi1 his caravan had been afraid to pass too near this chief1 and at the period of ,mityoche's attack on the ,mission carriers1 ,mkanda was believed to be hostile also4 ,hence he required to be approached with caution4 ,while talking to ,kumpama about his neighbours1 ,i asked whether he could give us a guide to ,mkanda's1 and he at once consented to do so4 ,it happened also that ,kapeni's 8captain0 was working at ,blantyre1 and he was willing to accompany4 ,march #d4--,the ,doctor and ,i started for ,mkanda's along with ,kumpama4 ,when we entered ,kumpama's villages he left us with a headman whom he instructed to conduct us to a sub-chief called ,sapula4 ,notwithstanding all our care1 we arrived at ,sapula's at a very critical time4 ,the old man came forth and perched on the top of a large rock overlooking our party and said1 8,oh yes6 at ,mkanda's it is good--very good--plenty of war60 ,as we looked up to this chief1 we might have taken him for an apparition1 while his strange utterances reminded us of the responses of an ancient oracle4 ,soon he explained that ,mkanda expected an attack from ,chikumbu that very night4 ,the people who lived on this side of ,cherasulo were all full of terror1 and had fled far up the mountain to spots almost inaccessible4 ,but a man who called himself ,mkanda's father came down among us1 and volunteered to be our guide1 and after some consultation we proceeded4 ,mkanda's village was surrounded by maize which was higher than the houses1 so that we were close on it before we were seen4 ,when our party approached1 some of those that saw us first were scared and shouted 8war04 ,this is always an awkward thing in ,africa1 and it now made me quite anxious4 ,shouting out 8war0 to a party is much the same as declaring war against them4 ,in cases like this1 everything depends on the guide1 and ,mkanda's 8father0 exerted himself and proved equal to the occasion4 ,soon we mingled with ,mkanda's villagers1 and ,i recognised several that often came to ,blantyre for work4 ,mkanda himself was afraid to appear and kept hiding among the huts1 while his people could not refrain from laughing at him4 ,it was not till all his children were sitting about us that he came forth4 ,his conversation shewed that he was well informed regarding his country1 and ,i soon had a very favourable impression of his abilities4 ,the thing most on his mind was the danger of an attack from ,chikumbu1 but he was of opinion that our presence would be in his favour4 ,he has one square hut which he put at our disposal4 ,next morning he was able to congratulate us that ,chikumbu had not come4 ,the time had been when ,mkanda himself was expected in like manner to attack ,blantyre6 ,in a short time he gave us a guide to the top of ,cherasulo1 and directed the man to lead us by the easiest way4 ,mkanda's own children and most of the boys in his village accompanied us4 ,they could climb the rocky sides of the hill like monkeys4 ,we soon discovered that there was no easy way to the top of the mountain1 and the guide thought that1 after we found out this1 we should be glad to return4 ,to add to our danger1 several loose stones lay on the mountain side4 ,while climbing we pulled ourselves up by anything we could lay hold of1 and the stones that did not bear the strain became detached and endangered the lives of those that were following further down4 ,the ,doctor wanted to find the height of the mountain and brought a kettleful of water to ascertain the boiling point1 but the boys drank the water on the way4 ,probably they left as much as would have been sufficient1 but our own thirst was so terrible that the whole was drunk1 and no more could be found on the mountain top4 ,while we rested on the summit we had an opportunity of noting how many villages there were in such parts of the country as we had not yet visited4 ,the young lads that went with us became very friendly and professed great interest in schools and 8reading10 and after our return to the village we gave them an illustration of what reading meant4 ,the ,chief dictated words and names which ,i wrote down on a paper4 ,three or four ,blantyre boys who were with me were conveyed far out of hearing1 and carefully watched till the writing was finished4 ,they were called back one by one4 ,then each looked at the paper and read4 ,as soon as the words passed his lips there arose a great shout of wonder and applause from the chief's people4 ,the experiment was carried on for a long time because every old man that joined the crowd refused to believe that it could be done1 until he saw it for himself4 ,this simple test of reading ,i often employed afterwards in other places4 ,sometimes ,i varied the experiment by giving a boy my pencil1 and then asking to be conducted to the back of a distant hut4 ,the natives compared the 8wisdom0 to that of the witch detective1 who is believed to possess miraculous means of gaining information4 ,that day there had been a great trial at ,mkanda's4 ,the particulars of the case were these4 ,across the stream from ,blantyre1 a few minutes' walk from the ,station is a native village under a chief called ,mkao4 ,two sheep-stealers from ,mkanda's region came and carried off one of ,mkao's goats4 ,but they were pursued by terrible avengers4 ,a native described to me with great delight the fate that overtook them4 ,when they were about six miles from ,mkao's village they stopped in order to dine4 ,they lighted a fire and prepared to feast on the goat4 ,as they were thus engaged1 ,mkao's men overtook them1 and killed one of them on the spot4 ,he was 8divided into pieces1 and the parts of his body were mingled with those of the goat04 ,the other thief escaped for a little1 but his pursuers1 according to my informer1 chased him round till he was down on the plain opposite ,ndilande1 and then killed him 8and hung up his body on a tree04 ,mkao himself had told me about the matter1 but he left the impression that he had killed only one thief1 and that he wanted more vengeance4 ,the case happened to come up for consideration at ,mkanda's just now4 ,when we were on the top of the hill1 guns were fired at the village to signify that the complaint had been dismissed 7kususa74 ,on our return we heard that the ,chief had told the friends of the thieves that they ought not to have stolen so near the ,english6 ,indeed1 on our arrival1 ,mkao had been introduced to me as a ,headman belonging to ,blantyre1 and he called us his ,fathers1 but1 although he constantly came to visit1 we never heard much about the civil government of this 8son10 except once that a herd boy allowed some of our cattle to eat his corn1 when ,mkao's people gave him a severe beating1 and broke his arm4 ,mkanda was very friendly1 and expressed a desire to have a ,mission planted among his people1 in order that his children might learn to read1 and that his people might get work4 ,as we might expect1 these ,africans1 at first1 value ,mission settlements chiefly for the employment that is given1 and the calico that is paid3 8,we want something to wear10 is the general cry4 ,the ,mission1 they think1 must first clothe the naked4 ,while the natives get employment1 they receive at the same time some industrial training4 ,they can learn a great deal from gardeners and agriculturists1 yet such training is apt to be overestimated4 ,bishop ,mackenzie1 who wished to teach the natives how to farm1 found that they knew better than himself4 ,they certainly know all about their own crops4 ,mr4 ,duncan1 the ,blantyre gardener1 had a few natives taught to look after ,european plants1 and he considered that they were nearly as good as ,european workmen1 but of course they had him to guide them4 ,it is said1 #8,they have not shoes1 how can they dig with a spade6' ,yet they do dig with spades4 ,the bare foot of the native is a very different instrument from the bare foot of the ,european4 ,although their own skill in carpentry is not to be despised1 they were much delighted with our tools and methods4 ,they soon learned to do the rougher work1 under the ,blantyre joiners2 and if they were able to read figures they could be taught to be very valuable workmen4 ,sometimes1 however1 they excelled themselves6 ,one might see a native carpenter making a great show of using a plumb-line1 while he did not observe that the lead rested on the ground6 ,when ,mrs4 ,mac,donald had time to accompany me in visiting native villages1 she found a walk of four miles in the hot sun quite enough1 and waited in some village till ,i returned4 ,during these stays she became acquainted with the women1 who usually demanded why she had not brought the children with her4 ,the latter were special favourites with the natives4 ,some old warriors1 whose very look was suggestive of the assagai1 were very kind to the white children4 ,saturday1 ,march #ai4--,we paid a visit to ,kapeni1 and a great crowd of children followed us back4 ,in such journeys the heat compels us to rest by the streams3 and if we have carried any food we take lunch on the banks4 ,monday1 #ba4--,kapeni's children came and attended school4 ,we consider this one of the most important gains that have been made by the ,mission4 ,we had long had all the children of the ,magololo chiefs with us1 but their presence did not make the ,mission school popular among our neighbours4 ,the ,yao had given us the land and had made us welcome to settle1 and now we had nearly a third of our pupils from chiefs who were hostile to them and who might be plotting to come up and #8take away their country'4 ,hence they were slow in sending their children to school4 ,ever since my arrival ,i had been asking ,kapeni about pupils whom he promised me4 8,don't be in a hurry about that10 ,dr4 ,laws would say1 8the day will yet come03 and now more than a dozen children were sent over4 ,they stipulated that they must be allowed to stay with ,mrs4 ,macdonald's boys and that the ,magololo boys should not be allowed to interfere with them4 ,mrs4 ,macdonald took the main charge of teaching them to read1 and out of school hours they were supplied with cards and studied most diligently by themselves4 ,on ,friday night they returned to ,kapeni's but appeared in full force on ,monday morning and brought a few of their companions besides4 ,they soon made themselves at home on the ,station4 ,when any stranger called at our house1 they generally introduced him and as they knew all the people in the district better than our ,blantyre friends did1 they were useful in this way4 ,it was seldom that their royal blood got them into trouble4 ,but on one occasion they all attacked a boy that ventured to speak of their father ,kapeni as 8an old man04 ,another time they had to be restrained from an assault on a lad that had spoken to them in the ,chinyasa language4 ,they demanded to be treated as ,yao6 ,they pressed me to visit their home on ,saturdays4 ,one day that ,i went they asked me to go up the mountain 7,sochi7 to shoot baboons1 which greatly destroy the crops4 ,kapeni's oldest son also came and we had the appearance of being a hunting party6 ,i wounded a baboon1 and the boys gave it chase and soon secured it4 ,i suggested that they should leave it behind till we found more4 ,but ,african hunters don't care to let their 8meat0 out of sight1 and in a few minutes they bored holes in the baboon's legs through which they put cords of bark1 and then two boys were told off to carry it on a pole4 ,the carcase was borne faithfully1 sometimes up the steep mountain side1 for about two hours4 ,when we were going back ,i remarked that it might be taken on to the village1 but none of them liked the idea of eating it 8on the village green10 which would mean that every villager would have a right to share it with them 7#fg47 ,on reaching the fields they lighted a fire and prepared to enjoy their feast4 ,i was expected to claim a large share of the 8meat0 as having shot the baboon1 and when ,i waived my claim they were much astonished--some were deeply disappointed that #8father would not take his meat'4 ,but notwithstanding their kind solicitations1 ,i would take nothing but the skin1 which they took off very neatly1 preserving the 8fingers0 of the animal that they might 8shew them to ,mrs4 ,macdonald60 ,i pointed out that they should reserve some meat as a present for ,kapeni1 and he was allowed a hind leg4 ,in the middle of the feast the owner of the field drew near in great alarm4 8,who has been making a fire among my corn80 he asked1 but when he saw the glorious roast he said nothing farther3 he smacked his lips and congratulated himself that he had come in time4 ,after the party had satisfied themselves by eating the internal organs the rest of the meat was divided among them1 not equally but rather in accordance with their views of seniority4 ,a baboon is a large animal and is considered a great prize4 ,these boys from ,kapeni's all made fair progress4 ,by the time we left them at the end of ,june they were able to read their own language4 ,they wanted only practice1 but as they left the ,mission then1 they would soon forget much that they had acquired4 ,the more advanced classes pleased us well4 ,some lads would have got on swimmingly not only with ,arithmetic1 but also with ,euclid and ,algebra1 had we only possessed text books in their own tongue4 ,in ,april we devoted some time to the preparation of a ,grammar for them with progressive exercises4 ,geography and ,history we had left entirely alone except so far as the ,bible and ,christianity were concerned4 ,friday afternoon was devoted to instruction of a more amusing kind4 ,they all enjoyed seeing a light burning under water on the diving-bell principle1 and similar small experiments4 ,i always considered that the school had the first claim on my time2 and when teaching ,i refused to admit any interruption although all the chiefs in the country should come to talk with me4 ,this was well known1 and some chiefs1 on arriving during school hours1 sat about the doors1 while others came in and listened4 ,except when there was a ,european marriage or some great event1 we never had a single holiday4 ,even when groups of armed men1 almost on the point of deadly combat1 were watching each other round the school1 ,i carried on the usual routine of school-work as if all had been quiet4 ,the religious meetings for the natives were also conducted with unfailing regularity1 although we had seen days when the white men judged it prudent to come to the ,sunday service with revolvers in their pockets4 ,the native men always appeared at our meeting with their guns1 which they laid down beside them during the service just as a ,european worshipper does with his hat4 ,in ,may there was a scare4 ,the ,mangoni were believed to be coming1 and some of our villagers ran to the top of a hill4 ,the ,magololo carried their ivory and other valuables to islands in the river4 ,the mention of the word ,mangoni seems sufficient to clear out a whole village4 ,one day two boys began to fight in the jungle near ,blantyre4 ,in a little while1 the women of a neighbouring village were seen hurrying into the ,station with their children on their backs4 ,they had taken the screams of the combatants for the war-cry of the ,mangoni4 ,at ,blantyre we had many visitors1 and they were received outside and squatted on a mat in the verandah4 ,when ,kapeni or any of the greater chiefs came1 a chair was brought4 ,all these native potentates were fond of sweets4 ,at first they had viewed them with the greatest suspicion4 ,i saw a headman once wait till all his companions had eaten1 and when he found that they were delighted with the strange eatable 7yakulya71 he summoned courage and began to eat1 saying1 8,well1 if ,i die1 you will all die too60 ,kapeni would never taste jam because it was 8like blood10 but on one occasion we called his own children who did not hesitate long4 ,indeed they were so fond of jam that they always pressed round ,mrs4 ,macdonald when she was making it1 and if any was spilt1 they would insist on licking it off the floor4 ,although the visits of native chiefs and headmen called me from my work in translating the ,bible1 yet ,i ever found that such visits contributed to my knowledge of the language1 and ,i carefully noted down new words or phrases that they might use4 ,we were inclined to think that one reason why the ,magololo sent their children was that they thus found an excuse for visiting the ,mission and obtaining presents4 ,all ,african chiefs are strong on 8presents10 and the custom was both expensive to the ,mission and demoralising to the chiefs2 but it was very difficult to make a change4 ,incidentally1 however1 we fell on a plan that modified matters4 ,when a chief came up and obtained his present1 we bought some goats from him and paid the price there and then4 ,when he went back to his home1 he did not send up the goats1 and as he wanted us to forget all about the bargain1 he did not visit the ,mission to ask presents for a long time6 ,the habit of giving presents to the ,magololo headmen provoked the jealousy of those beside us4 ,kumlomba and the other ,blantyre headmen would say1 8,why do the ,english not give us #8big presents' too80 ,at first the ,missionaries had occasionally asked the natives1 8,for what purpose did we leave our homes to come here80 ,the latter1 who never leave their friends except when driven away by war1 replied1 8,you came here because there was war in your country40 ,but as the evangelistic work was steadily conducted1 it gradually became more hopeful4 ,at sunrise we had prayers1 at which all the workers were present1 and such of our pupils as lived close at hand4 ,before sunset there was a similar service4 ,at mid-day ,i preached to the natives4 ,on ,sunday we had two native services1 and after one of these the natives began to hold a little prayer meeting of their own4 ,statements that are taken for granted in a ,christian congregation at home will not pass here4 ,instead of allowing that he is a sinner1 the ordinary native maintains that he has never done anything wrong3 although he will admit that a great many other people have sinned4 ,out of compliment to the traditional policy of the ,english in this country1 the natives say that it is bad to sell people3 to possess slaves is quite right--every rich native has his wealth invested in this species of goods--but to buy or sell slaves is wrong4 ,hence when a man goes over to stock his farm or his harem at the great slave mart in the ,mangoni country1 he declares that he goes there to redeem 7kuwombola7 people6 8,the ,mangoni had captured slaves1 he goes to release them60 ,but he does not venture to pretend that he gives these 8ransomed0 persons their liberty 7#fb74 ,another thing which the natives condemn is war4 ,the party that first arrived in the country had made the evils of war a very common subject of meditation4 ,they almost betrayed a personal interest in doing so1 for they would frequently say1 8,remember1 now1 that if one ,englishman be killed1 twenty will come to his funeral60 ,this statement of itself would be enough to frighten the native from trying his slugs on the white man6 ,the negro was also told that the white man had acquired clothes and money and all such good things because he was a man of peace4 8,we10 it was said1 8come from a country which does not fight40 ,if the black man had known anything of ,english history1 ,i fear he would have drawn a different conclusion1 and been much perplexed at the coolness with which his instructor repeated the questionable assertion6 ,in the same way the exhortations to civilisation were of a doubtful nature1 and could only proclaim how little the foreigners knew of the natives' condition4 ,i refer to subjects like these because ,i have ever felt that a ,missionary is in a doubtful position except when he sets himself to deliver his one great message4 ,after he has exhausted that theme1 it is time enough to take up others4 ,many think that barbarians might be improved if a ,missionary confined himself to purely secular teaching4 ,but the purely secular instructor would find it difficult to meet the objections of his audience4 8,why should we try to buy ,english clothes1 if we like our own better8 ,why should we build larger houses--our own suit us very well8 ,why should we farm more ground when we are quite contented with the food we have80 ,if they asked further whether this civilisation always made men happier and better1 the civilised man could not tell them that it did4 ,undoubtedly1 a native might become a very good ,christian1 and still be content with his small hut and his coarse fare4 ,if mere civilising agents had met with a man like ,abraham1 ,i fear that the life and manners of the patriarch would have been too simple for their tastes4 ,yet1 while the ,missionary takes for his text 8,one thing is needful10 he knows that other things will be added thereunto4 ,he feels that he has to proclaim 8good news0 which will bring happiness to everyone that believes it1 and as he looks along all the stages of the native life from the day that the ,african draws his first breath beside a stream in the dense forest till the day that he lies down on his mat to die1 the ,missionary knows that these glad tidings will soon brighten the whole4 ,the native beliefs regarding witchcraft must occupy the attention of the preacher1 who will fail to impart ,scripture ideas of the government of the world unless he refer to the opposing views4 ,the opinion that a man cannot die without being bewitched1 is one which they cling to most tenaciously2 and withal they are very metaphysical4 ,we might think that a single lecture on physiology from a medical man would cut up this doctrine by the very roots4 ,but no4 ,the natives admit that death is always the result of injury or decay1 but they maintain that this fact does not in the least discredit their own theory4 ,it rather confirms their belief1 for did not the witch use means to bring about these causes of death8 ,as the natives seldom speak of their customs and beliefs1 one may live here for years before becoming aware of the evils and hardships that so many ,africans endure3 but when these things are known in all their horrid enormity1 they furnish a text for a great many 8practical remarks10 and the poor people listen attentively to every subject that bears on their ordinary life4 ,to ourselves the sad practice of the witch-detective gave a new meaning to the text 8,thou shalt not suffer a witch to live03 for if there be beings that ought not to be suffered to live these sorcerers must be among the number4 ,each year they consign scores of their fellow mortals to an untimely grave4 ,by certain parts of their experience1 these natives1 it might almost be said1 have had their minds prepared for receiving the ,gospel message4 ,they know what it is to be redeemed from the evil consequences of their own actions 7#hj71 as well as from slavery1 and they see numerous cases where a criminal is legally set free while another man occupies his place4 ,as a matter of fact1 many of them began to understand what was meant by the statement that 8the ,son of ,god died to save sinners10 and were affected by it1 and told their companions that it was wonderful news4 ,often1 in places where a religious creed has been long established1 persons hear these words without reflecting on their meaning1 but intelligent ,africans cannot do this4 ,again in our ,western world we do not know so well as they do what it is to be entirely at the disposal of another1 and to have no private ends4 ,amidst the ordinary life of struggle and bustle1 our ideal of a successful man is a person that is intensely devoted to his own interests1 while their state of society1 with all its defects1 produces men that are as intensely devoted to the interests of another1 and some of whom could enter with much sympathy into the feelings of the apostle who called himself the slave of ,jesus ,christ4 ,we occupied a position of most momentous importance1 standing as we did at a point where a savage assemblage was becoming more like a ,christian church4 ,already we could discover the workings of a mind that had shewed itself in the history of the past4 ,the natives might easily be led to believe that certain ordinances were as important in the ,christian religion as certain charms were in their old faith4 ,they would soon infer that the waters of ,baptism would have as great an effect upon them as the waters of the ,jordan had on ,naaman the ,syrian4 ,in accordance with this they would attribute the greatest powers to the ,missionary1 and1 as regards the majority of the people1 who depended on him for all their religious information1 that personage would be to them nothing if he were not infallible4 ,to such views the people around us1 many of whom had once been slaves1 seemed very much inclined when they approached the subject with earnestness4 ,well might one suggest to them the prayer3-- 8,be with us in this darkened place ,this weary1 restless1 dangerous night1 ,and teach1 ,o teach us by thy grace ,to struggle onward into light60 ,may #ba4--,the mail for the ,livingstonia ,mission has arrived from ,scotland1 and we learn now from a newspaper that all the ,missionaries that were labouring at ,blantyre during the time that the settlement was a colony have been recalled1 and to some extent censured2 but the grounds on which the ,directors have proceeded are by no means clear4 ,at all events the same method if carried out consistently would have recalled all the ,missionaries that had laboured at the two ,scotch ,missions4 ,the ,church of ,scotland through the ,blantyre ,committee first established a colonial settlement4 ,while this settlement was in full swing ,i was asked to join it as a clergyman4 ,all the ,directors ought to have been well aware that they could not require a minister of the church to act as a magistrate1 or to interfere in such civil jurisdiction4 ,they understood that the secular department was getting on very successfully1 and seem to have imagined that the colonial government which they had set up would protect the minister in his special work1 just as clergymen and others are under the protection of the civil powers in ,britain4 ,hence ,i had been officially and specially instructed to leave such matters to the lay agents of the ,mission1 who were presumably more familiar with them than clergymen1 and when ,i reached ,africa the enormous claims that the ,missionary work of the settlement made upon me left me no time to consider anything else4 ,if a man desires to be signally useful in any department of activity1 his motto must be 8this one thing ,i do04 ,but as the whole subject was now examined by persons that did not know its special circumstances1 ,i was held responsible for carrying out the details of a policy in which ,i never interfered4#aa ,so far as the colonial work came under my notice1 ,i had watched it with interest1 and ,i found that in many respects my own views were entirely against the policy that had been sanctioned at home4 ,this morning ,i went round ,ndilande for the purpose of finding a spot where ,i could form another ,mission ,station4 ,it will be a great pity to leave these poor people because of the censure of ,directors who know so little about the subject4 ,may #bh4--;,i went over to visit ,mr4 ,buchanan at ,zomba4 ,the inhabitants of the villages ,i passed through1 all knew that ,kapeni's children had gone to stay at the ,mission ,station1 and they talked of this as if it had been quite a new feature in our work4 ,the villagers thought that it was a great advance and said1 #8,o father all our children will now come to learn6' ,on stopping for food in the forenoon1 we found that we had no matches1 and it seemed therefore that we could cook no dinner4 ,but the natives in a few minutes produced fire by friction1 and then carried a piece of burning wood all the rest of the journey4 ,almost every party of native travellers has its fire-carrier who is appealed to when his companions wish to smoke1 and who is able to light the fire at a halting-place without any delay4 ,i stayed at a spot which is now covered with dense jungle1 but on clearing a space to pitch my tent for the night1 ,i found that there had once been a village which reached down to the side of a pleasant stream1 but it had been sacked long ago by the ,mangoni4 ,at midnight we heard two hyenas very close to the tent1 while about four o'clock in the morning1 a great herd of buck came to the stream to drink4 ,may #bi4--;,i reached ,zomba about three o'clock in the afternoon and found ,mr4 ,buchanan looking pale and dispirited on account of the hard sentence which had been passed against him4 ,he had no idea what the grounds could be4 ,as we subsequently learned from the best authorities1 the so-called leaders of the ,church had feared that the ,british ,government would enquire into their assumption and exercise of civil jurisdiction3 still ,i could not appreciate any motives of expediency however urgent that led to inflict on such an earnest worker so much loss and suffering without the semblance of a trial4 ,so far as ,i could judge1 every one that carried out the details of civil punishment felt called to the unpleasant task by the ,church herself1 and1 indeed the 8leaders0 now much regretted that the ,church had instructed its agents to act as civil magistrates2 but while they were most generous in sharing the blame they did not seem desirous to share the loss and the suffering1 which they were so anxious to inflict on the ,missionaries4 ,nor did they wait to see whether the latter had any defence to offer4 ,as ,i spent that hot day at ,zomba1 ,i felt that a great injustice had been done4 ,i knew the ,lay ,agents that had been dismissed and ,i knew the men that had condemned them4 ,for five years the former1 while devoting all their time and talents to the service of the heathen1 had been obliged to live in hovels1 to spend sleepless nights amidst enemies and many dangers1 to battle with discomfort and fever and hunger1 while the latter lived in comfortable homes amidst friends and relatives4 ,the ,missionaries were much puzzled to know where they had done wrong1 and in some cases there were years of their engagements yet to expire4 ,one might have expected1 with ,shylock's judge1 that the ,church leaders would have been less hasty even although it had not been #8in the bond'4 ,by condemning men whom they had not heard1 they had given their ,missionary work in ,africa a severe check for several years to come4 ,they would not however realise this--there is an unfortunate tendency to look quite as much at the fame of organisations as at the good done among the heathen4 ,after considering our prospects we felt that we could easily form a good ,mission in some corner of the vast district4 ,we might have much difficulty in maintaining ourselves but we were resolved to do what we could to teach the poor people that we had struggled for so long4 ,for myself ,i was greatly in favour of this step1 but in case ,i should find it expedient to leave for ,england1 ,i began to revise the native ,grammar and ,vocabulary that ,i had drawn up4 ,although civil jurisdiction was now disclaimed by the leaders of the ,church1 it was still1 as might have been anticipated1 exercised at the ,mission ,settlement4 ,every now and then something had to be done which was liable to be represented as an atrocity4 ,at first the ,blantyre villagers had willingly come forward when their services were required by the ,missionaries1 but now they often declined in cases where their aid seemed indispensible4 ,even when the deputation was present1 these natives were forced out to do work of this kind4 ,as a general rule1 ,african savages are blamed for being timorous and easily overawed1 but this is not always true4 ,a man refused on one occasion to do some duty that was required1 and received a message from the ,lay ,superintendent requesting him to come up and state what excuse he had to give4 ,but the native refused even to make this small concession1 remarking that #8he was not the slave of the ,blantyre ,settlement'4 ,he was then told that his home would be burned down1 when he replied that he did not care2 and the result was that he sat with his family and looked on till his house was reduced to ashes4 ,even this did not banish him from the ,settlement4 ,for several days he was sheltered by certain of the ,blantyre villagers1 who did so1 even although threatened with a similar punishment4 ,indeed1 natives often risk a great deal in aiding their friends4 ,owing perhaps to the paternal nature of their government1 they are more willing to share the punishment of a relative1 however bad he may be1 than to turn their backs upon him4 ,this half-year1 one of the ,blantyre villagers had given a great amount of disturbance4 ,when the ,lay-,superintendent tried to reason with him1 the native threatened to burn his house4 ,one night an effort was made to capture the man1 and all the fire-arms of the ,mission were turned out in the adventure4 ,it seems that the ,mission party expected to capture him by surrounding his house1 but they found that he had escaped1 one of the natives remarking that the 8,english need not go to capture anyone because their boots spoke too much0 7i4e41 made too much noise as compared with the bare feet of the negroes74 ,on this occasion one of the ,blantyre ,headmen joined so zealously in the pursuit that he did not go to bed4 ,judge the surprise of the ,lay-,superintendent when he discovered that in a few nights after the hunt1 the fugitive was the guest of this very headman6 ,we still had many instances around us of a rough and ready form of executing justice which we should have liked to see entirely abolished4 ,one evening a native1 through a piece of very clever1 but at the same time1 very mean treachery1 stole two valuable rings from an artisan2 the latter felt that if he informed the ,superintendent he would certainly lose his rings1 and taking his gun on his shoulder1 he marched straight to the village1 where the thief lived1 and secured the man's wife and daughter and began1 with great show of severity1 to 8beat and confine in slave sticks04 ,the headman of that village1 who was then returning from ,ndilande1 met 8all his people calling out #8murder'60 ,so much were the villagers terrified that they were afraid to sleep in their village1 and the headman came in to me with a sad tale4 ,the artisan1 however1 recovered the rings1 whereas if he had tried to reason calmly1 he would certainly have exposed himself to the ridicule of the natives1 who are too ready to assume that clemency springs from want of power4 ,nor1 indeed1 does the ,british ,government itself resort to reasoning as the method1 of dealing with criminals4 ,the natives sometimes behaved in a very peculiar manner on the exercise of such discipline 7which is1 indeed1 the only kind of justice they are familiar with74 ,a strange case was brought under my notice in the following way3--,on going to a village one ,saturday morning1 ,i was greatly astonished to find all the villagers running away on my approach4 ,unless my pupils had shouted out who ,i was1 ,i should not have found any one to speak to4 ,but the people all hastened back1 and explained why they had been afraid at the appearance of a white man4 ,a person from their neighbourhood had stolen1 and an artisan1 after failing to get satisfaction1 had gone over and set fire to the village where the thief lived and shot down the fowls4 ,immediately after this exploit the artisan found the villagers coming in with presents to him1 admitting that they had done wrong in stealing1 and professing their willingness to pay damages6 ,native character is sometimes an enigma4 ,on one occasion a chief stayed for a few days at ,blantyre4 ,several ,english visitors courted his friendship very much1 and often went a long distance out of their way in order to shake hands with him when he was drunk2 the sable chieftain laughed at them and called them hard names6 ,a ,portuguese gentleman who was present at the same time1 gave the chief no such honour1 and explained that1 though acquainted with natives all his days1 he had never shaken hands with one in his life2 yet he gained the chieftain's sincere respect4 ,traits of character like this1 force themselves at once upon the attention of persons that settle among the negroes1 and though even a little experience shows that the native can value goodness1 men that have no love for him1 are apt to treat him in a shameful way4 ,june #bnd4--,shortly after my return from ,zomba1 there occurred a melancholy incident which illustrates the difficulties that may flow from sending to a ,mission men who do not even profess ,christianity1 and who are destitute of all education or refinement4 ,a misunderstanding arose between an artisan and a native headman1 and the matter was being settled by the ,lay-,superintendent1 when the artisan so far lost his temper1 as to strike the poor headman a violent blow1 which covered his face with blood4 ,the conduct was deplored by everyone1 except1 perhaps1 the actor himself4 ,but in such cases 7which are too common1 whether in connection with ,missionary or other settlements7 little can be done4 ,the artisan1 if dismissed1 has it in his power to stay in the country and give a great deal of annoyance1 while it is not possible to fill his place1 perhaps1 for a whole year4 ,indeed1 one often felt the need of a proper government in such remote places4 ,it was no uncommon thing for an artisan to threaten to shoot his fellow labourers1 and to send them letters challenging them to deadly combat4 ,such men1 as might be expected1 would treat the natives very badly4 ,june #i4--;,by this time the mail arrived for ,blantyre which brought us further particulars1 as to the manner in which the ,church had treated all that were supposed to have any share in the management of the ,colony4 ,we now saw a report in which hearsay matter was published even though it was the words of a person who had not been present at the events in question4 ,i found notes that had been taken down from myself quoted without the explanations ,i had given and sometimes used to convey a meaning that was not intended4 ,when ,i wished to correct these notes on being asked to testify their substantial correctness1 the proceeding had been demurred to by the deputation who stated that explanations or corrections could be sent after them4 ,such corrections in the absence of the notes of which no copy was left1 took the form of a general statement which was sent afterwards but was never considered4 ,the method in which many ,churches manage their ,missions is not encouraging4 8,a ,mission is put under a committee which although shewing many names in the ,reports really consists of one man4 ,in cases of emergency a ,committee of advice is formed--which gives another man4 ,a ,presbyterian ,church1 by its gradation of ,courts 7,presbyteries1 ,synods1 and ,general ,assemblies71 secures the advantage of mature deliberation4 ,but in the treatment of ,missions we find neither ,presbyterianism nor ,episcopacy nor any known form of ,ecclesiastical ,government4 ,the ,missionary is liable to be handed over to a clique composed partly of those that have #8gained popularity1' and partly of men who are held in respect on account of their wealth40 ,in so far as ,missionary ,methods come under a criticism of this kind they should be re-considered4 ,the cause of ,christianity among the heathen is one of the most important subjects that can occupy the attention of any ,church4 ,in accordance with the wishes of a great many of our old friends in ,scotland1 ,i made up my mind to return home4 ,when ,i mentioned this all our natives paid parting visits to us4 ,many brought what they called keepsakes 7malangano47 ,some were very pathetic1 one lad was to 8save calico and by and by pay his passage to ,england04 ,bismark had been promised 8an ,english education0 and he wished to go with us4 ,so also did ,ndiagani1 a native girl whom we were to educate ourselves4 ,she had consented to become ,bismark's wife1 and he 8did not want to marry a stupid girl that knew nothing04 ,after all1 ,i expected to be of some service to the ,mission by going home at this time4 ,besides having ,matthew and ,mark ready for the printer1 ,i had translated the historical parts of the ,old ,testament1 and hoped to get these printed and illustrated4 ,i had also rendered a great many of sop's ,fables4 ,i thought ,i should succeed in forming two interesting books for the school1 especially if ,i could get them well illustrated4 ,young natives much appreciate pictorial teaching4 ,i had taken special pains to see that the language was accurate2 all my earlier efforts ,i could easily improve upon4 ,literature is likely to be an important means of elevating and purifying the native4 ,all ,africans from the lad that writes his grammar exercise to the postman who conveys a written message in a split wand1 have a liking for kalata 7letters47 ,when my last printed translations came back the boys and girls found out the place where they were kept before being issued1 and would steal an hour from their work or their play in order to have the pleasure of reading something in their own tongue4 ,on the last day of ,june we said ,good-bye to the school children4 ,we found it unspeakably hard to part with them4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,seventh ,,half4 ,on ,july #ast we left ,blantyre about #fcj ,a4,m4 ,this was an unusually early hour4 ,it generally happens that people wishing to start at six in the morning are detained till nine4 ,the carriers may come about seven o'clock1 but they say that they must go back to their homes for food4 ,some of our carriers1 although they had been warned beforehand1 neglected to bring provisions with them1 but so many natives had come that we had no difficulty in filling their places4 ,once fairly started1 the carriers proceeded at a rattling pace4 ,the road for a long way was filled with the school children and other acquaintances who wished again to say farewell4 ,among others ,kumlomba made his way through the crowd a little above his village1 and placed a knife in my hand as a keepsake4 ,great numbers of the school children came running along for nearly two miles4 ,one of the last to leave was ,kanjira1 who had been the first to meet us on our arrival in #ahgh1 and had since then been a very regular attendant at school4 ,he was now regretting the departure of his #8teacher' in very touching words1 and expressing his intention to go with me4 ,i had to impress upon him that this idea could not be entertained1 but the little fellow did not go back till we were near the ,nampele1 a stream four miles from ,blantyre4 ,another lad was more determined still1 and resisted every argument4 ,as a last resource ,i filled both his hands with beads to see if this would not make him fall behind1 but notwithstanding our rapid pace he persisted in following4 ,farther on we met a company of men going to ,blantyre1 but he could not be induced to return with them4 ,he answered me much in the words of ,ruth to ,naomi1 8,entreat me not to leave thee1 or to return from following after thee04 ,now he was so far on that it would have been unsafe for him to go back alone4 ,but as we were approaching ,mbami we met more men going to ,blantyre1 and as we now insisted on his return1 he sorrowfully obeyed4 ,the little fellow must have been tired1 having come about twelve miles4 ,we reached ,mbami about ten o'clock1 here the carriers rested a short time1 while ,i talked with the headman and his people4 ,soon we started again2 to see that no one fell behind ,i went last4 ,the carriers marched in single file--often forming a line which might extend for a mile or more1 as they did not keep close together4 ,scarcely was ,i out of sight of the village when ,i heard a great commotion--people were running and shouting4 ,all the inhabitants of ,mbami seemed to be in pursuit of a girl who was running as if in desperation4 ,when within a few yards of me1 she was caught by a young man1 but she struggled most violently4 ,i asked what was the matter1 when the girl whose face was wet with tears1 cried out1 8,i wish to go with you04 ,she laid hold of me with the greatest earnestness just as the other pursuers were coming near4 ,the girl's mother was there reproving her with 8,will you leave your own mother80 ,i tried to calm the girl and told her to stay contentedly at her home4 ,all the people said1 8,do you hear that now8 he tells you to stay at your home10 but by this time her little fingers had clutched my coat4 ,i put beads into her hands1 as this is usually an infallible way of getting the hands of a native diverted--so great is the desire for the money of the land4 ,but this creature held on and let the beads fall4 ,it was the mother that let go her hold of the girl in order to pick them up4 ,again ,i tried to soothe the child while her mother and all the women coaxed her by saying she would get to ,blantyre to school and the ,msungu 7white man7 would come back again and teach her1 but after all she went away weeping most bitterly4 ,i was myself deeply affected4 ,perhaps the girl was a poor slave who had been stolen away from her true mother4 ,one may know natives a long time without making out their true relationships 7#ei47 ,mbami is a pretty spot1 and has a good supply of water4 ,it may one day form a small ,mission station4 ,a little beyond it we could hear the sound of a waterfall4 ,the headman lived once with the ,magololo1 but he disliked their laws1 and now he is practically a chief himself4 ,but if a war broke out between the ,yao and the ,anyasa he would have to join either the one party or the other1 else he would be liable to the attacks of both4 ,the next places we pass are ,mazibango 7water-reeds71 ,makoka1 and ,chipindu1 which are of great interest to the traveller1 as being the only places where water can be found to quench his thirst4 ,after ,chipindu the road1 which is hitherto level1 descends rapidly to the plain of the ,chiri4 ,just as we entered on the plain we were agreeably surprised to meet ,katunga's sons1 and1 after advancing a little1 we found the chief himself with about sixty men engaged in making a canoe1 beside a stream called the ,namyala4 ,having now walked about twenty-five miles1 ,i was very thirsty1 not to say hungry4 ,katunga was sitting on a box1 which he gave up for me4 ,i pressed him to share it1 but he sat down beside me on the ground4 ,we had now some refreshment4 ,the ,chief explained that he was not able to walk1 as he had been for some time suffering from bad legs1 but he said his men would carry him to the village1 to say good-bye4 ,a march of another hour brought us to ,katunga's capital4 ,all his sons had accompanied us1 and ,i told them to write out a few lines of their books1 that ,i might shew my friends in ,england how they could write4 ,they soon finished this little task4 ,now came another of those sad farewells4 ,when the carriers had finished their work they came to us for the last time4 ,we knew most of these men so well--men of ,kapeni's1 men of ,matache's1 and men of ,blantyre were there4 ,there1 too1 were ,ndiagani's mother and little sister1--the latter a small child1 whom ,i had often carried along the road during the day4 ,i wished to give her all the beads ,i had1 but though ,i turned out my pocket1 ,i could not find as many as would fill her tiny hand4 ,we were now left among the ,anyasa1 all of whom1 except the chief and his family1 were strangers to us4 ,just as it was getting dark1 the chief came in1 as he had promised4 ,he gave me a present of two goats and a bag of rice4 ,i pointed out that one goat would be enough1 but he said1 thoughtfully1 that we had better take them both #8for the journey'4 ,on going down to the boat1 ,i found ,mrs4 ,macdonald and the children preparing for the night4 ,much was yet to be done in arranging the boxes1 so as to make a level place for our beds4 ,the ,anyasa1 whether from want of acquaintance with us or from the more enervating nature of their climate1 were not so ready to render help as the ,yao4 ,we had to do all this work ourselves2 the natives merely looking on1 with the exception of the chief's sons1 who soon found their way down to the boat4 ,what a magnificent river glided past6 ,how glorious it seemed to us1 who1 for three years1 had seen nothing bigger than a mountain-stream4 ,the native girl1 ,ndiagani1 was in ecstasy at the sight1 while our little boy lay over the boat1 apparently lost in contemplation4 ,the great silent river was smooth as a vast mirror3 and yet on its surface we could see thousands of little ripples passing down in quiet succession1 and speaking of the individual men and women that pass down the great stream of time4 ,how insignificant is each ripple in itself1 yet none is small enough to be overlooked3 all are carried silently on and on--to the eternal shore6 ,after the boat was ready for the night1 ,i went up to the chief's again4 ,he was sitting outside in his courtyard1 all alone1 beside a bright fire1 expecting my return4 ,the shades of night were now gathering round us1 and his thoughts reverted to days gone by4 ,he talked of ,dr4 ,livingstone1 and ,mr4 ,waller1 and others that had long-lived in his memory4 ,before we separated he wished me to remember him to ,dr4 ,kirk 7the ,british ,consul at ,zanzibar71 and to report to him that ,katunga's gun was broken6 ,then he found a boy to conduct me through his village to the boat4 ,just outside the village1 we passed a herd of pigs4 ,these animals seemed quite wild3 they run at large all day1 and come in to the villages at night4 ,our bedroom was the small open boat4 ,mosquitoes were numerous and vicious1 and the children were bitten severely4 ,next morning as soon as it was dawn1 ,i went up to the chief to get boatmen as quickly as possible4 ,he was sitting where ,i had left him last night1 and a little boy was by him cooking a fowl for his breakfast4 ,the natives cook fowls in a very primitive method1 which1 however1 we have often adopted with satisfaction4 ,the legs and wings are turned backwards and joined together1 so as to hold a small stick which goes along the back of the fowl4 ,the stick is fixed in the ground1 and the fowl at the end of it is so placed as to get the full benefit of the fire4 ,the ,chief promised to send men soon1 and to come down himself to see us off1 but he wished to find something to give us as a keepsake4 ,in a short time he came and had a second breakfast with us 7two breakfasts are nothing to an ,african67 ,then he produced a small tusk of ivory4 ,this present we could not fail to regard as a token of sincere friendship1 and the only return we could then make was to write out an order for tea1 sugar1 and such food as the ,chief could not readily procure for himself4 ,soon the boat was off1 and we were afloat on the beautiful river4 ,what a pity that such a spot should be the chosen abode of malaria2 only a few yards up the stream were the graves of certain martyrs of the ,magomero ,mission4 ,as we passed out of sight there was a waving of hats and hands1 which continued till we could see our friends no longer4 ,the ,chiri here is about #aej yards broad1 sometimes more1 but it is not very deep4 ,in many places the boat would touch the bottom and unskilful boatmen often run aground on sandbanks2 but as our men were well acquainted with this part of the river and kept in the middle of the strongest currents we went at a delightful speed1 the current doing the greater part of the work4 ,a favourable sail brought us to ,maseo's about mid-day4 ,i went up to the ,chiefs residence and soon found myself surrounded by all his boys who conducted me to the ,chief himself4 ,he is one of the kindest of the ,magololo1 and yet the sight of a man lying in the slave-stick reminded us that even he needs to exercise stringent jurisdiction4 ,he went back with me to the boat carrying with him a gazelle's skin which he asked us to accept that we might remember him in the distant land of our 8home04 7,there is a striking pathos and poetry about many of the expressions of the native47 ,in return ,mrs4 ,macdonald gave his children some books and the chief was much interested in hearing them read4 ,they also wrote out something for us1 but this performance on board an unsteady boat scarcely did justice to the little fellows' handwriting4 ,maseo warned us as we left that if ,chiputula had gone to war with ,matekenya we should not try to pass on4 ,katunga had also touched on this subject1 and now we thought that we had heard the last of it4 ,we reached ,kumbewe1 ,chiputula's upper village1 in the middle of the afternoon4 ,the lower village is within sight of this on the opposite side of the river4 ,we were now told that ,chiputula had gone away four days ago to hunt4 ,this ,chief's large house is an object of interest4 ,it is of fabulous dimensions4 ,palm trees enter largely into its construction1 and the rooms are of their height6 ,chiputula's sons and wives were very active in finding fowls and a goat for us3 we accepted these presents as we did not wish to call at more villages for some time4 ,that evening we reached a spot where we had spent a night on our journey up to ,blantyre4 ,a little incident brought the place to our recollection4 ,one of our party had been for a long time greatly puzzled at the brightness of the night4 ,he looked everywhere but could see no trace of the moon4 ,having been familiar with the position of the moon in ,scotland1 he had not thought of looking directly overhead4 ,next day was ,sunday but we went on4 ,the ,african traveller1 must sometimes find a difficulty in deciding how to act on the ,lord's day4 ,with regard to the ,jewish ,sabbath the doubts would be fewer perhaps4 ,now we were far from any human dwelling1 and to remain for a single day on the banks of the ,elephant marsh with the thermometer above #ajj would be to invite an attack of fever4 ,we might be none the worse1 it is true1 just as the ox that falls into the pit might sometimes be none the worse of being left in the pit till ,monday morning4 ,hence although we claimed a fair share of the ,scottish idea as to the strict observance of the ,sabbath day1 it seemed to dawn upon us without the severe sanctity that surrounds it in our native land4 ,as we were quietly moving along1 one of our natives startled us by firing his gun2 and very soon it became my turn to break the sacred stillness of the day by following his example4 ,at this spot the ,chiri is full of islands4 ,we took one side of an island while the canoe that accompanied us took the other1 and had not proceeded far1 before it had the misfortune to disturb some hippopotami4 ,to clear a passage one of the canoe men fired upon them4 ,just at this moment we came down the other channel to find the huge beasts rounding the corner in their retreat4 ,after the shot they had kept under the water so that we hardly thought of them4 ,i was standing at the bow of the boat looking back on the beautiful hills we were leaving1 when all of a sudden we received a shock which made us feel as if our little craft were going from under us4 ,a hippopotamus had struck it and not satisfied with that1 it seemed determined to come on board4 ,one of our rowers received a severe wound from its tusks whereupon all the men at that side rushed over to the other with a violence which threatened to upset us4 ,again and again the enraged animal charged1 till1 finding my gun ,i fired upon it1 when it ultimately withdrew after making two deep dents on the steel side of the boat1 and leaving the point of one of its tusks beside me4 ,the men were all much excited1 but they were thankful that we were in deep water else1 they said1 the hippopotamus would have undoubtedly come in4 ,they told us that one of the ,mazaro men that had come up with us three years ago had been 8cut in two and devoured by a hippopotamus04 8,but10 ,i remarked1 8the hippopotamus does not eat flesh60 8,oh yes10 said one1 8it will devour a man very fast40 8,but then10 replied another1 8it has always its companion the crocodile 7ngwena7 with it40 ,that day we were beset with hippopotami at every other turning4 ,in some herds we counted over #bj4 ,they detained us a long time2 we had expected to sleep at the ,ruo1 but sunset found us considerably short of this1 so that we had to spend another night in the ,elephant ,marsh4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,village ,,of ,,the ,,anyasa ,,on ,,the ,,lower ,,chiri4 ,monday1 ,july #d4--,we started early without waiting to cook any food1 as we intended to breakfast at the ,ruo1 at ,chiputula's lowest settlement 7,ku ,chilomo74 ,on reaching this village we landed1 and soon met one of our ,blantyre pupils who paid us special attention4 ,in passing through the village we saw many signs of mourning1 and heard the 8wails0 rendered in the same pathetic way as at ,blantyre4 ,on returning for breakfast in order that we might resume our journey without delay1 great was our surprise1 on reaching the boat1 to find nothing but a scene of confusion4 ,no cooking had been attempted1 and our boatmen were removing all their goods as if they meant to desert us4 ,what could be the matter8 8,we cannot go any farther10 they said4 8,there is war6 ,matekenya will kill us all without any reason60 ,i expostulated with them for a long time4 ,at first ,i could not even entertain the idea of turning back4 ,katunga's men agreed with me1 but ,maseo's strongly opposed1 and pointed out that their chief had told them not to proceed if ,chiputula had gone to fight with ,matekenya4 ,i now learned that ,chiputula had gone away not for hunting but for war4 ,still ,i did everything in my power to prevail upon the boatmen to proceed4 ,i went to hurry them with their cooking1 and to divert their minds as much as possible4 ,still1 after talking with them a good while1 ,i began to be less confident4 ,they had much to say4 8,why10 ,i asked1 8should you be afraid to go down with an ,englishman80 8,they replied that they were specially afraid to go with an ,englishman4 ,matekenya's headmen blamed the ,english for giving the ,magololo guns and powder4 8,but not the ,mission people80 8,yes1 the ,mission people40 ,unfortunately1 though all the people more intimately associated with ,blantyre were innocent in this matter1 there was too good foundation for the charge4 ,the deputation that visited us had thoughtlessly begun to present guns4 ,the natives said1 8,had not a stout man seen at ,blantyre given ,makukani a gun80 ,i also found that the inhabitants of this village were trying to dissuade the men from proceeding4 ,when ,i was present with the boatmen those villagers protested that there was 8nothing--nothing to fear04 ,but when ,i was not by1 they said there was everything to fear4 ,indeed1 they had terrified the boatmen so much that at one time ,i was on the verge of despair4 ,i feared that none of the rowers would enter the boat again4 ,they had got the idea that ,matekenya's men would make an attack on the boat even if we went back the way we came4 ,their plan was to run away and leave us to our fate1 while they escaped to their homes by land4 ,this would have been a terrible calamity for such a party as we were1 for some of us must have perished through the hardships that would have ensued4 ,but the over-ruling ,providence which had shielded us hitherto did not now forsake us4 ,after a long time of intense suspense we were relieved to see the men enter the boat again1 and turn her bow up the river4 ,on considering all the particulars we saw they had some cause for alarm4 ,chiputula had destroyed several villages of the enemy1 and had a number of prisoners here1 while several men of this very village were already known to have fallen in battle4 ,but the idea of a return journey was dismal enough4 ,our boat1 being laden for going down the stream1 would give much trouble4 ,we had descended in two days1 but we should require six or eight days to go up4 ,mr4 ,rowley tells how ,dr4 ,livingstone and the ,magomero party took twenty-four days to accomplish the journey that we had now before us4 ,we had been able to buy several fowls4 ,fortunately1 we did not now know that our supply was rather scanty1 else we might have had more anxiety4 ,that night we stayed in the place where we had slept the previous night4 ,rain came on and drenched us thoroughly4 ,tuesday1 ,july #e1 was a wet day1 and we made but slow progress4 ,at night there was again a very heavy shower1 of which we had the full benefit4 ,wednesday was a repetition of ,tuesday in every particular4 ,this morning ,i was quite ill4 ,a traveller often finds it very trying to watch the native boatmen lazily doing their work4 ,they make such a mess of it that one cannot look on without disappointment and irritation4 ,the best preventive of such feelings is to lay hold of a pole or a paddle and engage in assisting the men4 ,this ,i was quite unable to do to-day4 ,a soaking in bed does not fit one for physical exertion under a tropical sun4 ,but one refuge was open still4 ,we had brought some newspapers with us1 and these were all acceptable now1 no matter what their date might be4 ,when1 however1 ,i could not read1 ,i was obliged to be a spectator of the boatmen1 but ,i tried to observe their work as a piece of mere curiosity and to forget that we had any interest in it4 ,the defect in this ,anyasa crew was that they had not learned to concentrate their energy in an emergency4 ,the poor fellows expended much more force than would have been necessary had they employed it well4 ,the ,mazaro lads are much better boatmen1 but since the arrival of the ,missions many of the ,anyasa have made trips to ,mazaro1 and now know all about the journey4 ,on his engagement each man gets a fathom of cloth 7value #e;d4 in ,scotland1 and #i;d4 here7 to buy food1 and meet the ordinary expenses of the voyage4 ,the first thing he does with this money is to buy a bed1 which is just a bag made of strips of mlasa woven together like a straw hat4 ,at night the owner1 and one or more friends crawl into this bag1 which is placed near a fire on the bank4 ,once in they are very comfortable1 the mosquitoes cannot touch them1 and in this climate they cannot suffer from cold4 ,as soon as morning dawns the boatmen may be seen emerging one by one from their sacks4 ,but they are in no hurry to make a start4 ,there are generally a few logs smouldering in what had been the fire-place last night4 ,round these they gather1 and put on a few handfuls of grass1 and seem preparing to--watch the course of events4 ,happy for the traveller if he has decided that the boat must start at once1 for the slightest semblance of cooking risks at least an hour's detention4 ,but many travellers believe that a hot cup of coffee keeps off fever1 and stay a few minutes to boil water4 ,the natives themselves in ordinary circumstances do not eat at this hour2 all they do is to pass round a large pipe1 of which each man takes a whiff1 and desires nothing more4 ,but when water has to be boiled1 everyone takes advantage of the occasion4 ,the traveller's captain or interpreter1 or whatever he may be termed1 will be the first to entertain the idea of prolonging 8the boiling of the water0 till a great deal of other cooking can be done4 ,the traveller1 if a stranger1 must depend much on his 8captain02 and the latter distinguishes himself by shouting to the others to 8make haste04 ,but although he bawls at the top of his voice1 they sit quite unmoved by the terrible earnestness of this functionary4 ,the traveller is much puzzled6 ,on such occasions he finds it instructive to watch the position of affairs on the bank4 ,it then appears that all the delay arises from the gallant captain himself1 who is quietly cooking some dainty for his own personal use1 while the rest of the crew listen calmly to his terrible threatenings1 knowing that they are all 8kindly meant04 ,after the 8water has been boiled0 to the satisfaction of everybody1 the captain's awful voice is again heard1 and now words of mutual exhortation pass round4 ,one man lays hold of the anchor1 while the rest stand in an attitude of respectful attention6 ,only after the anchor has been put into the boat does it occur to the others to pick up their beds1 and1 one by one1 each carries his own property with his own hands1 and with his own hands deposits it in the boat6 ,occasionally one man that happens to be in the boat already1 will receive a companion's consignment1 but oftener this companion is allowed to enter and deposit his goods without any help1 while the man who is already in the boat goes to the bank to fetch his own property4 ,this is not because they wish to disoblige each other4 ,but they see no reason why anything should be done quickly1 and consequently they undervalue every method that savours of haste4 ,livingstone well speaks of this country as 8that blissful land where time is of no importance04 ,the language of a great part of their actions is1 8,why should we do to-day what may as well be done tomorrow80 ,after all are in the boat one man pushes it off with his pole--the others meanwhile watching the operation4 ,as soon as the boat is clear of the bank1 the current begins to carry it back over last day's track2 when it occurs to them to get their paddles4 ,one man who had left his paddle at the other side of the boat calls for it2 another begins to search2 while the rest await the result with the most exemplary patience4 ,by and by1 another boatman finds that the paddle he has is not the one that he used last day1 and a great search is instituted by his companions1 who are duly waited for4 ,the poor traveller will now ask whether the captain is going down to ,mazaro1 and this question produces the desired effect1 for the captain begins to charge all and sundry in accents of thunder4 ,but though the paddles are all plied with the utmost strength1 little progress is made against the rapid current4 ,the great hope of the boatmen is to keep close to the bank2 if reeds grow there1 they can pull the boat along by laying hold of them2 or1 if the bank is clear1 they can land and draw the boat by means of a long rope4 ,another thing that helps them is the shallow water4 ,there they make wonderful speed4 ,they have long poles which reach the bottom of the river1 and propel the boat very effectively2 the boat becomes a kind of land animal and may be described as walking along on these legs4 ,such walks along the sandbanks are by far our happiest times4 ,the only drawback is that they will come to an end2 and what will the end be8 ,sometimes we find ourselves in places so shallow that the boat touches the bottom4 ,while we were coming down stream this was the cause of much delay1 the force of the current having often carried the boat far along the sandbank before we could stop2 and then we stuck fast for a long time4 ,but now that the current is against us1 we never get so much involved4 ,yet we become fixed again and again1 and the boatmen all get out 7notwithstanding the risk of crocodiles7 to drag and push till we find deeper water4 ,by and by1 the water is too deep for the poles to touch the bottom1 and the men debate which bank to make for4 ,much time is wasted in the discussion4 ,but after their resolution is formed1 something like determination is seen in their faces as they make for the bank of their choice4 ,they ply their little paddles with all their might4 ,on our first journey up1 the crew were equipped with oars1 but these had been taken away during the war between the ,natives and the ,portuguese1 and the paddles which have taken their place are not nearly so powerful implements4 ,still the men now use them with a will--there is no doubt as to their earnestness now4 ,they advance very well1 and soon reach the very centre of the current4 8,now pull1 pull1 pull with all your might1 pull as for your very lives6 there60 ,the man who was wounded by the hippopotamus is at the helm1 because he is too ill to be anywhere else4 ,of course he has never been at a helm before4 ,the critical moment has come1 8,oh1 turn the head of the boat right against the stream6 ,quick6 ,quick60 ,the poor fellow has to consider which movement of the rudder will do this2 but in the midst of the terrible crisis1 his presence of mind is gone1 he turns the wrong way1 the boat wheels right round and shoots down the stream swift as an arrow4 ,a sad disappointment this1 but we must try again4 ,fortunately the sandbank that we had left intercepts our downward course4 ,if the disappointment affected the traveller only1 very likely no great effort would be made1 but it is getting towards sunset1 and the men must reach the bank to cook their supper4 8,try again1 my boys60 ,the little paddles are set in motion with a terrible swiftness4 ,the great captain himself has come to the rescue4 ,once more they approach the same critical spot4 8,now1 then1 all your might60 but their previous exertions have weakened them--just as they feel the full force of the opposing current1 their energies flag4 ,the captain flies to his snuff box for a stimulant1 all the others press round him to share it4 ,but1 alas6 the stimulant is a few seconds too late1 the height of the contest had come1 and has now gone4 ,the boat is completely beaten1 and makes her way1 stern first1 down the river4 ,this last trial illustrates what we often see among the natives4 ,a vast attempt is made1 much strength is expended1 and just at the nick of time the whole result is nullified through utter childishness4#ab ,now for a third attempt4 ,meanwhile the sail had been dangling about4 ,it was believed to be unlucky1 and as it did no good1 it was taken down4 ,a third effort is now to be made4 ,our second trial had given us a little hope1 for after our defeat the current had brought us very near the bank at one point in our downward journey4 ,the method to be followed now is to go up a little farther1 and then trust that the current will bring us a few yards nearer that spot4 ,a drizzling rain and the approach of darkness make our position more unpleasant4 ,another hard pull brings us once more to the point where we had been twice before4 ,now they feel that it is quite hopeless to work against the current1 but they expect to keep so near the bank as to be able to lay hold of the reeds while the current carries us down4 ,it is a moment of great suspense4 ,the current is stronger than the men1 and is decidedly carrying us down again1 but they have come much nearer the bank and are quite confident that at yonder point where the bank juts out they will catch hold of the reeds1 or will be able at the very least to reach something with their poles4 ,if the traveller be able to stand1 he is certain to be standing now and watching with the greatest anxiety1 but see6 the men are already able to touch the bank with their poles6 ,one has done so1 but alas6 his thrust is ill timed1 and the boat swings right round till its head is again looking towards ,mazaro4 ,oh6 this is dreadful1 is that foolish poke at the bank to undo all our efforts8 ,it looks as if it would1 and the boat is going at a terrible speed2 but in a few minutes the doubt is solved1 and the prow of the boat runs full tilt against the bank just at the little promontory that we are trusting to4 ,the effect is quite magical4 ,everyone knows what happens if1 while he is riding at full speed1 his horse stops without giving the slightest warning4 ,so it was here4 ,the boat was brought to a dead stand before the passengers had time to acquiesce in the arrangement4 ,the crew were jostled against each other at a terrible rate3 some spread themselves out at full length along the sides of the boat while others narrowly escaped a ducking in the river4 ,but the great study was the white man4 ,all the natives like to see how the ,englishman behaves in an emergency4 ,this personage is standing on a narrow platform a few inches higher than the rest1 and just at the most interesting point in the collision1 he is observed1 apparently quite regardless of consequences1 to make a desperate dive headforemost into the bottom of the boat1 his head coming into contact with a pile of plates and pots that had been stowed away there4 ,from this adventure he returns with his face cut and bleeding1 but he ought to have remembered his 8mechanics0 more promptly4 ,still the situation was much better than being carried down the stream again4 ,the boatmen after their success held on by the reeds and pulled the boat along the side of the bank with all their might1 and in a short time we were above the dreaded current4 ,poor fellows1 how much work they might have spared themselves by a little method6 ,i began to speculate on how different our situation would have been if our boat had been manned by ,scotch fishermen3 but ,i remembered that the sun which shone so pleasantly all day on these negroes might have been too much for my countrymen4 ,at last we are to stay for the night4 ,we must try to find a clear space where the natives will have room to light a fire and arrange their beds4 ,besides1 the clearer a place is1 the fewer are the mosquitoes4 ,there is difficulty in finding a spot in the ,elephant marsh even with these slender qualifications4 ,to-night1 moreover1 everything is wet4 ,but the natives1 in cases where cooking is required1 can soon work wonders4 ,one of them lands1 exclaiming1 8,i am like a monkey--without a knife1 without a fire04 ,in his story of the ,magomero ,mission1 ,mr4 ,rowley tells us that this place was destitute of firewood1 and we find it so still4 ,but the native gets hold of a knife with which he cuts down a few of the tall reeds1 and in a short time there is a blazing fire1 and the cooking goes on in excellent style4 ,the party then dry their beds and their clothes1 and keep talking till midnight4 ,the roar of the lion is occasionally heard1 and the hippopotami are quite close--snorting and splashing4 ,since our adventure on ,sunday their presence has always caused some remark1 and now we are specially warned that it is dangerous to keep a light burning in the boat in case they should charge us again4 ,on ,thursday the rains have cleared off1 and a special effort is to be made to reach the palm trees4 ,we saw them before us yesterday1 and had hoped to reach them4 ,the ,missionaries of ,magomero had this 8immense grove before them for several days04 ,on reaching them we shall have firewood1 but for the present the men pick up any stray piece of wood that they see and carefully put it in the boat4 ,we stop at noon1 and then the crew have breakfast4 ,this consists of porridge and a 8relish10 which may be ground nuts1 beans or a piece of flesh or fish4 ,their method of eating would strike a new comer as being very unrefined1 but when we remember that the use of knives and forks 7especially of the latter7 is quite an innovation1 we can easily excuse the manners of the native4 ,besides1 he does not at once acknowledge the superiority of the ,european methods4 ,as soon as the porridge is produced1 all the boatmen wash their hands very slightly1 and then fall upon the 8mess0 with their fingers4 ,each man helps himself to a large handful of porridge4 ,this he gives an affectionate squeeze for the purpose of adapting part of it to the size of his mouth1 and then the business proceeds4 ,one hand is occupied with the relish1 while the other supplies the porridge and makes it into proper morsels4 ,when the large dish is emptied they all lick their hands1 and one man whirls his finger round the inside of the plate and takes off all the porridge that remains4 ,they next wipe their hands on their loin cloth 7their only garment7 or on the grass2 and then these simple children of nature have finished their repast4 ,on coming to islands we sometimes have great difficulty in deciding which channel to take4 ,we often try one where the heavy boat will not pass at all1 and to our great disappointment we have to go back4 ,our boatmen bathe very frequently1 using a charred stick as a flesh brush4 ,they have no tooth brush1 but they rub their teeth very carefully with their fingers4 ,the appearance of herds of hippopotami#ac always causes much excitement4 ,the ,mission boat has done good service for five years1 but it is hardly seaworthy now1 and a well directed knock would at once admit the water4 ,accordingly1 we pass these animals in great suspense4 ,towards sunset we are just approaching the palm trees 7mivumu71 and our hearts are full of thankfulness2 only ,i have to record a report that ,i heard yesterday forenoon4 ,it was so painful that ,i did not set it down at the time1 and ,i have been reasoning ever since that it is likely false4 ,it is to the effect that a white man has been killed by men of ,matekenya's4 ,this young man reached the ,ruo on ,saturday night1 being just a day's journey before ourselves4 ,he was told that ,chiputula had gone to make war1 and was advised to proceed with the greatest haste so as to pass ,matekenya's country before hostilities had actually commenced4 ,he went on during night1 but on ,sunday afternoon1 they say1 he was attacked and massacred along with all his crew4 ,the report was brought by ,chiputula's fighting men1 who passed along the bank4 ,they said they had been told this by prisoners4 ,our crew profess to believe it as it somewhat excuses them for turning back4 ,friday #h4--,we start from the palm trees4 ,a dense vapour rises off the river1 as if its waters were beginning to boil4 ,the sun is up for some time before we can see it on account of the fog4 ,to-night we reach a village4 ,here there is great mourning for people slain in war4 ,the headman tells us that many of ,chiputula's men are dead4 ,he points out some of the neighbouring villages1 and enumerates how many inhabitants are mourned for in each4 ,here nothing can be bought1 which is unfortunate1 as our provisions are now nearly exhausted1 and we may take three days to reach another hamlet4 ,our men seem to take pleasure in teasing the villagers about their poverty4 ,they ask 8,have you fowls08--8,pabe10 8,have you maize08--8,pabe10 c41 c4 ,to dozens of such questions the answer was ,pabe 7,there is not74 ,this made us all laugh1 and ,i asked one of the boatmen why the villagers would sell nothing4 ,he explained that they had not very much after all1 as they lived by fishing4 ,down here fish are found in abundance1 but higher up the river they become less plentiful1 and at ,katunga's there are hardly any4 ,saturday #i4--,the men are in good spirits4 ,we expect to reach ,chiputula's upper village1 ,kumbewe1 at noon4 ,in this we are disappointed4 ,we meet a strong current which baffles all our efforts1 and carries us back a long distance4 ,late in the afternoon ,kumbewe is reached4 ,we land and look at the pleasant village4 ,meeting with ,mrs4 ,chiputula1 or rather ,mrs4 ,chiputula number one1 we are taken round the harem where the chiefs other wives are sitting in scores4 ,we are shown his garden which is full of pine apples4 ,the boys' house is a large circular building without any walls1 and supported by wooden pillars4 ,towards the outside the boys' beds are suspended all round4 ,in the centre there is a fireplace near which are scattered cooking utensils of various sorts4 ,more than forty of the chief's wives tell us that they are going to visit the boat with a present for 8little ,kapeni0--as they called one of the white children4 ,this was a formidable matter4 ,when the last party passed down an ,english lady was reported to have been terribly frightened by a visit from ,mrs4 ,chiputula4 ,on the present occasion about forty volumes of ,mrs4 ,chiputula contended for the privilege of entering our boat3 but their kindness and good feeling was unmistakeable4 ,the natives are fond of bringing us honey1 but as the bees feed on the eucalyptus1 much of the honey is believed to be poisonous4 ,sunday#ad #aj4--,we again much missed the quietness of the ,scottish ,sabbath4 ,in the forenoon we reached ,katunga's lower villages4 ,all these chiefs have their important villages near islands to which they can flee in case of danger4 ,we had to ask ,katunga for men to take us up to ,blantyre4 ,we also saw ,maseo1 who promised to send us carriers4 ,we learned that we had been all mourned for as dead4 ,to-night we reached our destination4 ,this day three years before1 we had also come to the end of our river journey1 and it was the same day--the #ajth of ,july--twenty years ago1 that the ,magomero ,missionaries had reached the same spot4 ,monday #aa4--,we have much anxiety about getting carriers4 ,it seems impossible to get as many as we want4 ,some are enrolled and sent away with such loads as must go up with us again1 but what gives us most concern is to find no men for palanquins4 ,the danger from fever makes us anxious4 ,what a relief we experience when we see ,maseo himself coming up with twenty carriers6 ,in a little after1 about as many of ,katunga's men come direct from the chief himself1 who has thoughtfully sent his palanquin with them4 ,maseo with his own hands makes another palanquin of one of our blankets1 and we are soon able to start off4 ,our thoughts revert to the #aath of ,july three years ago4 ,we marvelled at the great contrast6 ,how much we felt at home among the natives now6 ,in the afternoon we reached ,mbami4 ,the first to come to salute us was the little girl that had wished to accompany me4 ,our men were lazy1 and wanted to stay here for the night4 ,i have always found the ,anyasa carriers from the ,lower river inferior to the ,yao4 ,perhaps it is because the ,magololo rule them as slaves4 ,we reached ,blantyre at eight o'clock4 ,the beautiful moon had lighted up our way for us with as kindly an eye as it had done three years ago1 and we found the children had got out of bed and were meeting us before we had well passed the stream4 ,we were very glad after our hardships to sleep for the night on the floor of our old dining room4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,conclusion4 ,the day after our arrival ,i rested1 as my limbs were aching after the long march4 ,next day ,i was able to return to school4 ,the daily meeting for the natives had ceased1 but ,i had no difficulty in resuming it4 ,kapeni's children had all left1 and on ,saturday ,i went to visit them4 ,i met ,kapeni himself on the way to see me1 and walked back with him4 ,his boys promised to return to school1 but ,i found afterwards that this was merely the promise of politeness4 ,they asked whether ,i was to leave them now1 and ,i replied that if ,i could get down before the rains1 ,i would go1 otherwise ,i should have to wait till the rains were over4 #8,and then you would go8' #8,yes4' ,malunga was another man whose children ,i had long desired to have4 ,just as ,i was leaving1 he regretted my departure1 because he #8was going to send them all'4 ,now ,i was come back1 here was a test for his sincerity4 ,still he had his excuse1 too4 ,ever since the ,magomero people left them1 the natives have been inclined to look upon the #8,english' as mere birds of passage4 ,katunga's boys came up1 but although ,maseo had promised in like manner1 his were not sent4 ,kumpama came and took his leave on the ,saturday following--a day when ,i was free to escort him to the boundary of his own territory4 ,as we passed ,ndilande ,i noticed a great change4 ,the people that were living on the plains about a month ago1 had gone up the mountain from fear of ,chikumbu4 ,we missed the welcomes that used to greet us in this quarter4 ,we passed village after village and found them all deserted4 ,on our way back we climbed the mountain and saw the people in their new abodes4 ,they said that if ,chikumbu molested them farther they would all go to ,blantyre4 ,about the beginning of ,august ,chikumbu attacked the carriers of the ,trading ,company and captured some goods4 ,we saw another instance of the difficulty of sending messengers in such cases4 ,according to ,kapeni1 any neutral party would at once make himself the enemy of ,chikumbu by carrying a message to him regarding the robbery1 because ,chikumbu would naturally wish to guard against the slightest appearance of treachery4 ,the slave question began to revive again4 ,for nearly two years it had been practically laid aside1 no slaves had been received and no master thought of claiming the persons that had formerly received protection4 ,but many masters had recently come in and stated that when ,i went home1 they would ask their slaves back4 ,i turned the matter off with a joke1 but ,i found that soon after my departure some ,magololo had given much trouble about slaves4 ,one lad that had been at school for three years1 and was able to act as a teacher1 was demanded by ,makukani4 ,this poor fellow had been for a long time saving a great part of his wages to give this greedy chief4 ,the slave trade is by no means defunct1 as many poor ,africans know to their cost4 ,human beings are still hunted as legitimate game1 and great numbers of slave caravans still leave the interior4 ,powder is a great assistance in carrying on this terrible traffic4 ,fortunately the ,portuguese restrict its importation at ,quilimane1 but they allow it to be imported at ,chisanga1 and many slaves are disposed of at the latter place1 from which ,mukukani quite recently brought up nine kegs of powder and fifteen new guns4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,dangerous ,,hippopotamus4 ,mr4 ,henderson set out towards the coast to see whether communication could be restored4 ,bismark went to guide him4 ,the latter considered that he would be in danger1 and wrote out his will--which was sent back to ,mrs4 ,macdonald4 ,however1 he returned safe1 although sad at heart1 that his young girl refused to go to ,england with him4 ,she had been quite frightened by the dangers of the way4 ,the hippopotami and the threatened war proved too much for her nerves1 and she was afraid to try the journey to ,england again4 ,besides we had been now so long delayed1 that we should not arrive till winter1 and the doctor judged that the cold would be dangerous for ,bismark himself4 ,on the #bcrd of ,august we were enabled to leave ,blantyre the second time4 ,mr4 ,moir1 of the ,trading ,company1 had come up the river with a ,mazaro crew1 and there was no longer any doubt about getting men for the journey4 ,the ,mazaro men were anxious to get home again4 ,not only so1 but ,mr4 ,moir engaged a number of ,yao men to go down to assist in work at ,mazaro4 ,we were soon on the river once more4 ,the first day's sail brought us beside the celebrated grove of palm trees4 ,next day 7,thursday #beth71 tempting herds of buck were seen1 and we had several opportunities of firing upon them4 ,when there is a crowd of hungry natives1 it is a great boon to get hold of a buck4 ,one should shoot at these animals with explosive bullets4 ,in the ordinary method severe wounds are inflicted1 but the creatures get away to suffer considerably4 ,a large herd of ,zebras was also seen--they are swift as the wind4 ,soon after starting in the afternoon we had an adventure4 ,the other boats had all passed on before us4 ,the last one1 with ,mrs4 ,macdonald and the children1 was just disappearing at a bend of the river4 ,we were going nicely along1 when ,i saw a hippopotamus coming towards us4 ,i took up a rifle and had him #8covered1' but as he seemed peaceful ,i gave him the benefit of the doubt2 and he disappeared again4 ,after we had sailed down a little farther the boat got a blow that seemed to raise it out of the water4 ,we were agreed that #8,now that fellow must get a lesson1' and we seized our rifles4 ,but water soon rushed into the boat at such a rate as to direct our attention to another matter4 ,i laid hold of a bucket and began to bale1 but ,i found the task hopeless and urged the boatmen to pull hard4 ,we were in the very middle of the stream1 and the situation was most critical4 ,it was really a question of life or death4 ,we had always held a theory that if a hole were knocked in the boat we could stuff it1 but theories are often difficult to practice4 ,before we could have reached the bottom of the boat1 through all the bags and boxes1 the necessity for stuffing the hole would have passed away4 ,the natives rowed but feebly4 ,they lose their heads in an emergency4 ,it looked as if we were to sink on the spot4 ,mr4 ,moir at this crisis seized an oar and rowed with the strength of any four of them4 ,i was told off to the helm2 the baling being of no use4 ,the boat rapidly filled with water--it was questionable whether we could reach the bank before it sank4 ,the river here was very deep4 ,one of the canoes saw our position and made towards us4 ,however1 we reached the bank just as the boat sunk4 ,all the cargo was under the water and had to be fetched out4 ,after the accident we held a short council4 ,one was to stay with the boat and the other to go and obtain assistance from the rest of the party4 ,ultimately ,i went in a small canoe1 but notwithstanding hard rowing ,i could not overtake the others4 ,sometimes the canoe found itself among herds of hippopotami1 whose presence made me somewhat uncomfortable after the last encounter4 ,santos has the following account of these animals3--8,the head of the hippopotamus is three times the size of our ordinary horse1 and its body thick in proportion4 ,what is extraordinary in this species of animal is their practice of destroying each other for food1 whence it rarely happens that two are found together40 ,how much ,i could have wished on the present occasion to be able to confirm the last part of the ,reverend ,father's remarks6 ,but ,i found scores of them1 all regarding my frail bark at the same time1 so that they must have laid aside this inhuman practice of the #afth century6 ,illustration3 ,,hippopotami ,,at ,,home4 ,the above incident was my third experience of a hippopotamus attack1 and ,i believe that such attacks are made partly through fright4 ,on each occasion a boat or a small canoe had passed immediately before and while the hippopotamus was trying to get away from the first vessel1 the second was upon it before it was aware4 ,driven to desperation1 and confiding in its great strength1 #8leviathan' then charged with all its might4 ,i found the first party at the ,ruo 7encamping beside the village where we had to turn back on our former journey7 and told ,mr4 ,moir's carpenter of the necessity for his services4 ,but it would have taken a whole day to row against the current up to the scene of the disaster4 ,some natives however were sent off4 ,the rest of us stayed for the night4 ,chiputula the chief was here himself4 ,a sickening smell pervaded the village4 ,an elephant had been killed and long strips of flesh were hanging on the trees4 ,chiputula has a war canoe capable of containing #dj soldiers which he put at my disposal as ,i wanted to visit ,bishop ,mackenzie's grave4 ,next morning ,mr4 ,moir appeared with the boat1 which bore sad traces of the prowess of the hippopotamus4 ,the chief gave him a basin of elephant fat which was of great use in effecting a temporary repair4 ,this afternoon we reached the territory of the dreaded ,matekenya4 ,his poor people had been driven far down by ,chiputula1 and villages that were flourishing when we came up were now deserted4 ,the natives soon descried our approach1 and some shouted at us to stop1 but we saw no reason to listen to them4 ,soon there arose a great stir on the bank1 and a rush was made as if to meet us farther down4 ,about five o'clock we were warned that they would kill us1 but threats of this kind were nothing new and we pressed on4 ,to shew the least sign of alarm in such circumstances would have been a serious experiment4 ,but the critical moment soon arrived4 ,the natives stood in a mass with a considerable shew of guns and ordered us to come at once to the side4 ,we were now within range of their muskets and some of our party as they afterwards confessed did not feel at all comfortable4 ,fortunately they did not understand all that was said else they would have been much worse4 ,i stood up in the boat and asked #8,why do you want us to stop8 ,have you anything to sell8' ,the last remark was received with a grim smile but a smile all the same1 and ,i felt that the danger was past4 ,i then leapt out of the boat and began to talk to them4 ,i explained that #8,i was not ,anyasa at all1 but ,yao'4 ,i was soon recognised as the #8chief of ,bulantaya' 7,blantyre7 and they opened their hearts to me over the hardship they had suffered from ,chiputula4 ,they said that since we settled at ,blantyre1 ,chiputula had let the ,yao alone4 #8,why do the ,english not come down and stay to protect us also8 ,we would be your children#ae6' ,their great anxiety was to see ,mr4 ,moir who1 ,i told them1 had been treating with their enemy4 ,mr4 ,moir had been detained by his boat1 and was left in close conversation with ,chiputula whom he was warning against interfering with ,matekenya lest he should bring the ,portuguese against himself4 ,the incorrigible chieftain replied that while he was afraid of the ,english1 he did not care for the ,portuguese1 as he had often fought with their forces near ,senna4 ,when ,mr4 ,moir arrived he made an appointment to meet ,matekenya on ,sunday at a village a day's journey farther on4 ,matekenya rules his subjects with a rod of iron so that with ,chiputula's wars on the one hand1 and a fearfully despotic government on the other1 they are much to be pitied4 ,we found them interesting people4 ,they had never seen white children before1 and the two babies were objects of much wonder4 ,when we reached ,morumbala marsh we found innumerable flocks of wild fowl4 ,they fell as fast as we could fire and were very acceptable both to ourselves and to the natives4 ,illustration3 ,,halting ,,for ,,the ,,night ,,on ,,the ,,river ,,bank4 ,by ,monday forenoon we reached the confines of civilization once more and met a ,french trader who shewed us great kindness4 ,we were now under the shadow of misty ,morumbala4 ,we passed the night at ,shamo1 the abode of ,ferrao who sometimes kept ,dr4 ,livingstone from starving amidst the various accidents and incidents of his wanderings4 ,according to native custom the house of the deceased gentleman had been taken down 7#dj47 ,but as we wandered through the village we met an old servant of ,ferrao who volunteered to shew us the spirit 7,mulungu7 of his master for a present of calico4 ,a ,portuguese merchant now occupies the place and sells umbrellas1 cups1 cloth1 and rum for the ground nuts of the natives4 ,on ,tuesday morning we went off quite early wishing to reach ,mazaro4 ,for the last week ,mrs4 ,macdonald with the nurse and two children had been confined in a corner of an open boat where they had scarcely room to turn4 ,when one remembers the intense heat of these days and nights1 he will understand why we wished to press on4 ,soon we were on the broad ,zambeze and within a district where the natives have been in contact with ,europeans for nearly #djj years4 ,if the ,portuguese had only established schools and taught the natives to read1 a great change would have been effected4 ,but since the recall of the ,jesuits1 the ,portuguese have not tried to christianize the natives1 many of them believing that the negroes are not susceptible of improvement4 ,here most of the native huts are two storeys because of the floods in the rainy season4 ,we were anxious to visit ,shupanga house1 but the boatmen were too afraid of the ,zulus4 ,as we were talking with reverence of ,mrs4 ,livingstone1 one of our party pointed towards her grave and said 8,ah6 they know all about it--ask what they say04 ,i remarked that unless we knew what ,livingstone had been called by the natives in this district there was little chance of finding an answer without a long explanation4 ,however my companion shouted to one of them1 8,livingstone6 ,livingstone60 and pointed towards the house4 ,at first the boatman was puzzled1 he thought it was an order4 ,but when the word was repeated he was bound to believe that it conveyed some information and he said #8,yes6' ,the great ,doctor himself warns against the danger of receiving an ,african's statement with confidence4 ,he points out that the native has no conception that the truth or falsehood of his answer can be of the least importance1 and just tells a stranger what he thinks will best please him4 ,but another danger is that persons are apt to mistake for information what was never so intended4 ,a learned gentleman sees a lizard and asks its name3 the native replies #8,kaya' which means #8,i don't know'4 ,down goes ,kaya in the note-book as #8the name of a green lizard6' ,if an ,english traveller may ask near the birth-place of the author of ,paradise ,lost #8where ,milton was born1' and be told by a countryman that a woman of that name once lived in the district1 we need not blame an ,african for not knowing the name of ,livingstone which is unpronounceable by him1 and which he likely never heard 7#df47 ,we stuck repeatedly on sandbanks1 and could not reach ,mazaro this night4 ,we slept on the opposite side of the river4 ,on this bank our boatmen do not feel secure3 they are not entirely out of the reach of a ,zulu tribe which gives great trouble here1 and levies blackmail on the ,portuguese themselves4 ,we thought of going over the bank and pretending to be ,zulus1 but when we observed that our natives had their flint locks lying in readiness we did not care to carry out the idea4 ,there are hippopotami here1 and one came very close1 but they are few in number1 as the natives harpoon them4 ,on ,wednesday morning we started a little after five1 and reached ,mazaro early4 ,we had a few days to wait here before we could get ready for the ,quilimane part of the journey4 ,all my time since leaving ,blantyre had been devoted to the revisal of my vocabularies1 but after this point the ,yao-speaking natives were left behind4 ,here we met ,mwanasa1 a girl who had lived for two years with ,mrs4 ,macdonald4 ,she would have willingly come to ,england to learn more1 but we feared she would be lonely4 ,when at ,blantyre she had learned to read and write in her own language4 ,when we were at ,mazaro a letter was read from the ,zanzibar consul1 which had been addressed to one of the ,livingstonia employs4 ,certain chiefs on ,lake ,nyassa had been making themselves notorious in connection with the slave trade1 and the consul asked the man whether he could not clear out one of these slavers4 ,we believe it must often be felt by those on the coast that they could cope with the evils of slavery much better if they had an agency in the interior4 ,saturday evening found us on the ,kwagwa4 ,here our journey was1 if possible1 more uncomfortable than before4 ,there was only one boat3 and ,mrs4 ,macdonald with the nurse and family had just room to stow themselves away under the little grass awning that had been thrown over it4 ,my bed was placed in the steerage6 ,hitherto1 throughout the whole journey on the ,chiri and ,zambeze1 we had been obliged to sleep in the boats and under mosquito curtains4 ,at ,mazaro we had occupied a house2 but this means that the plague of rats is added to the plague of heat and mosquitoes4 ,the lad that was our pilot here had been at ,blantyre for a few months1 and he showed us great attention4 ,we always pressed on during night4 ,one can go down the ,kwagwa at a beautiful rate4 ,as soon as the terrible sun was set ,i made a point of getting hold of a pole1 when we had great amusement in endeavouring to race with the light canoes4 ,i thus secured a few hours' exercise1 which is one of the best antidotes to fever in this pestilential district4 ,on ,monday the #eth we passed ,mugurumbe1 and reached a sleeping place about one o'clock next morning4 ,the vegetation is so dense that one cannot land on the bank just where he chooses4 ,there are but few places so clear that we could light a fire1 and of these many are found already occupied by numbers of other travellers4 ,but when one party arrives certain of the others will often make a fresh start4 ,night and day are much the same to the travellers on this river4 ,our sleeping station of ,tuesday morning became a scene of confusion4 ,when our boat reached it a score of natives began to appeal to me on civil matters4 ,i was inclined to smile at the situation4 ,some people that ought to have known better had taken me for a civil magistrate before1 and now ,i am to be pressed into that service again6 ,all explanations were useless4 8,master1 here--a boy has been stabbed60 ,the knife with which the wound had been inflicted is thrust into my hands1 while our men pointed out that it had been bent in the rencontre4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,kwagwa4 ,i felt as sick of the matter as an ,english jury when shut in to give a decision4 ,i said ,i was suffering from want of sleep1 but what was want of sleep to them6 ,native patience is sometimes great1 and native eloquence long4 ,the 8,governor of ,quilimane0 was an expression that ,i tried to conjure with1 but without effect1 and in the end ,i had to beseech them to defer the matter1 and it was only after ,i promised to listen to them next day that ,i obtained this concession4 ,next morning as soon as ,i awoke the palaver began1 and to my astonishment an old ,portuguese came out of one of the sack-beds1 and requested my interference4 ,he was the 8other party0 in the transaction4 ,he had landed here the previous night1 and as he slept in a mat on the bank1 some natives stole most of his clothing and some of his goods4 ,a little after1 he found another native 7not the actual thief7 prowling about1 and put his knife into him4 ,the old man was now determined not to go away until his property was restored4 ,i told him that the thief was not one of my boatmen1 neither was the other unfortunate lad1 and that ,i was merely a traveller and could not interfere4 ,it was a strange spectacle1 the two white men unable to speak to each other except through the medium of two black interpreters6 ,as ,i explained my position to my brother ,european he looked at his own interpreter1 and they agreed that my interpreter was against them1 and was not translating properly4 ,he knew 8that the governor of ,quilimane was far away10 but if ,i could show these natives that ,i did not support them in stealing1 it would help a poor traveller1 and do no one any harm6 ,perhaps the poor fellow thought that ,i must be some ,englishman that had a grudge against the ,portuguese4 ,i soon condemned the theft1 and succeeded in getting the bent knife returned to him4 ,i think that his antagonists hinted that ,i was going to carry it off to use as a witness against him in ,quilimane6 ,in a short time his goods were also restored4 ,now he was delivered from anxiety1 and ,i soon saw that he could expound native law to them4 8,you must pay me for this theft and annoyance40 ,they replied1 8,you must pay us for the boy04 ,his answer was that the boy was of the same fraternity1 and had to expect what he got4 ,we left them before they had finished1 but from the bold manner of the traveller it is likely that he got damages4 ,only the matter was hardly worth insisting on unless he had frequent occasion to pass that way4 ,after a short repose of three or four hours we made an easy start on ,tuesday morning4 ,antani was my philosopher1 and pointed out rivers that were said to be associated with the slave trade4 ,he had expected me to be more in favour of the black man this morning1 and therefore recounted the hardships of the poor slaves3-- 8,they are taken down here in slave sticks4 ,if a woman have a child on her back she is put in the slave stick too4 ,one piece of cloth 7#af yds41 say #ds47 is the price of a man3 two pieces is the price of a woman4 ,a woman costs more because she will be the mother of other people4 ,if she have a child in her arms she fetches half a piece more4 ,if the master cannot sell his slave he takes him back again1 and cheats him by saying ,i did not want to sell you4 ,i only took you down to frighten you that you might respect me more40 ,he promised to tell me if he saw any with the ,yao tatoo4 ,he found none except those that had been bought by the ,portuguese long ago3 the new ones1 he insisted1 were kept in distant plantations4 ,though told several times this morning to fill every bottle with water1 ,antani was very remiss in doing so1 as he could not see the reason4 ,in the forenoon he sat in the bow of the boat looking at the river1 which was gradually becoming broader4 ,we asked him to taste the water now4 ,the other natives1 although not in the secret1 understood the joke at once1 and one handed him a dish4 ,they waited to see if this lad1 fresh from the mountains of the interior1 could be so green after all6 ,he dipped over the side of the boat1 and proceeded to drink the water with as great confidence as he had done throughout our journey4 8,ah6 salt1 salt10 he cried1 and began to spit1 while his companions enjoyed a boisterous laugh at his expense4 ,this evening a great wind rose1 and our tiny boat had to put back into a sheltered corner4 ,we expected the breeze would allow us to sleep2 but it was soon calm and hot4 ,the mosquitoes did not give much trouble1 but the sand flies came through our curtains and rendered our position wretched in the extreme4 ,seldom have we passed a more miserable night4 ,yet we could not fail to appreciate one beautiful episode4 ,a canoe passed us playing a sansa 7,i4 #bgb71 while certain voices attempted to sing with the instrument4 ,every note was distinctly heard in the midnight stillness1 and the canoe-men made the grand old woods resound with the melody4 ,we listened with great fondness till the strains of their rude music died away in the distance4 ,about twelve o'clock at night we asked the boys whether they could not push off the boat1 but after a fruitless endeavour to move it along the sand1 we had to make up our minds to endure the situation longer4 ,it was about two ,a4,m4 before the tide reached us1 and then they promptly released us from our sufferings4 ,as soon as the tide turned the boys all went to sleep again1 and we glided smoothly along4 ,but before reaching ,quilimane we had to face big waves4 ,we arrived at mid-day4 ,it was fifteen days since we had left ,blantyre4 ,we enjoyed the welcome and cordial hospitality of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,nunes4 ,they had nearly been killed by the same journey1 and could sympathise with us4 ,our oldest boy's face was one large blister owing to mosquito bites1 and he and ,mrs4 ,macdonald suffered much from fever4 ,we had to wait a few days for the steamer4 ,antani often walked with me1 and made his own observations on men and manners4 ,we would meet a ,portuguese boy going to school with a negro behind him carrying his books and cigars6 ,antani said that the ,portuguese 8drove the native children out of school lest they should by and by know as much as white men04 ,one day a man passed wearing a tall silk hat4 ,when at ,blantyre1 we had great difficulty in explaining the pictures in the ,graphic and ,london ,news on account of the dreadful head-dress of the ,european4 ,here we were fortunate in finding an actual specimen4 ,antani gazed with wonder1 and promised to report1 on his return to the interior that these strange hats were a reality after all6 ,once ,i took a long solitary walk into the country to see whether ,i could meet with slaves that had been brought from our district4 ,i saw several ,anyasa and ,walolo tatoos4 ,after marching till ,i was tired ,i sat down at a village to rest4 ,here ,i found a lad that could speak ,chinyasa4 ,as we talked he stumbled on a characteristic ,yao word1 and this led to his finding for me two people that had come from the ,blantyre district long ago4 ,they were charmed with an opportunity of speaking their mother tongue1 which they had not used for many years1 but which they said they would never forget4 ,as a group gathered round they took a pride in shewing their ,quilimane companions that they could converse with a ,european in an unknown language4 ,but they were far behind in the history of their country1 and were taking for granted the existence of chiefs and headmen that had long been gathered to their fathers4 ,i could not but think of the touching picture that ,homer gives of ,helen looking from the ,trojan wall and trying to see ,castor and ,pollux1 not knowing that the grave 8already possessed them in their dear native land04 ,i could perceive that one especially looked back fondly to olden days1 while his breast filled with thoughts of the friends of his youth4 #8,perhaps his mother was yet alive4' #8,had his brothers and sisters gone into slavery like himself1 or would they still send a thought after him as they lingered about the scenes of bygone days8' ,he could not tell4 ,he had formed new ties now1 and was quite happy1 enjoying under the ,portuguese a security that he could not have found beside his own mountains4 ,still1 in spite of the treatment he had received in his native land1 there was a poetry about the past that prompted a #8lingering look behind'4 ,he made an errand to ,quilimane in order to accompany me back4 ,his use of his native tongue was considerably #8generalized' by some twenty years' disuse4 ,he would often hesitate for a word and employ general terms where his countrymen would have given the special one4 ,he complained of the sun 8killing0 the corn3 the time was when he would have said 8scorching04 ,we passed a ,portuguese churchyard where each tombstone was ornamented with a large cross1 but he said he had no idea what was the meaning of the symbol4 ,many ,portuguese think that the natives are worse off since the abolition of slavery4 ,formerly1 masters were at great pains to give their slaves personal comforts and ornaments1 which they do not think of giving now1 because 8the negro might make off with the gift next day04 ,wages is but little motive to work in a land where there is no difficulty in getting the necessaries of life4 ,but under the ,portuguese the natives may store up property to an extent that would be dangerous in the interior4 ,there the possession of wealth makes a man's life worth taking4 ,strangers severely criticise the native for want of foresight4 ,a critic says3--8,he ought to cultivate a few more feet of ground1 as a time of scarcity might come40 ,but it is the very foresight of the native that prevents him from taking such a step4 ,it is his critic that lacks discrimination and not he4 ,his critic applies to him calculations that may be presumed upon1 under a civilised government4 ,the native1 on the contrary1 is familiar with the real situation4 ,i once asked a schoolboy1 8,will you keep a cow when you become a man80 ,his reply was 8,as if ,i had three lives60 ,nothing could better express the secret4 ,if a man had food in a time of famine1 when all the others had not1 his position would not be an enviable one4 ,unless in the immediate neighbourhood of the ,mission1 few had goods laid up except chiefs1 but if security were guaranteed1 native avarice and ambition would take this direction4 ,natives see that they could make many improvements1 but they count the cost4 ,bishop ,steere says3--8,there are no roads in this part of ,africa1 no carriages and no beasts of burden1 only a narrow footpath1 so overgrown sometimes that one wonders the men who pass along do not clear it1 until one remembers that the very last thing an ,african wishes1 is to have an easy road to his village4 ,if he could persuade himself that the next comer was likely to turn back and think that there was no road1 he would sleep much more securely40 ,we were once walking along a native path with a person just come into the country1 and were amused to notice how his taste was offended by small branches that were lying on the path4 ,he carefully laid them aside with his staff1 under the belief that he was teaching the natives a lesson1 and conferring on them a permanent benefit6 ,in ,quilimane where natives enjoy ,european protection1 they make advances in material improvement4 ,but it is the lowest class of native that is found there4 ,when masters in the interior sell slaves1 they first dispose of the worst characters4 ,hence the settler on the coast forms a harsh view of the black man4 ,in short he begins to despair of the native1 and the native in his turn may despair of him6 ,a ,portuguese gentleman told me the following anecdote1 which ,i mention in illustration4 ,a chief from ,mlanje frequently went to ,quilimane1 and a certain ,portuguese lady used to treat this native king with much deference4 ,but one day she had a young lad with her1 and as they sat together1 ,matapwiri came up and squatted beside the young ,portuguese gentleman4 ,the latter resented this1 and promptly gave ,matapwiri a blow4 ,the lady interposed1 #8,but this is the great ,matapwiri--there will be a quarrel if--' #8,i don't care who he is4 ,a native shan't come and sit down by me that way6' ,nothing could better shew the light in which the ,european settler often regards the negro4 ,but some natives here show a desire for advancement4 ,one chief left his son as a slave in ,quilimane for several years4 ,after the boy had been initiated into civilized life he disappeared at once1 no one knew how or where3 but he is said now to occupy an important position in his native land4 ,his father had seen the importance of civilization and employed this stratagem to educate his son4 ,there are traits of character to be met with1 even among the lowest natives1 that remind us of the words3-- 8,deem our nation brutes no longer1 ,till some reason ye shall find1 ,worthier of regard and stronger1 ,than the colour of our kind4 ,slaves of gold1 whose sordid dealings ,tarnish all your boasted powers1 ,prove that you have human feelings1 ,ere you proudly question ours40 ,quilimane1 like all other places which we might think beyond the reach of history has its incidents too4 ,one day we found the whole population in a state of great consternation owing to a report that ,tete had been attacked1 and that its ,portuguese inhabitants were in danger of being massacred4 ,all these ,portuguese stations on the ,zambeze are usually well protected by soldiers1 but the garrison had been temporarily absent and now news had come that the natives had risen against the townsmen4 ,the keeping of standing armies here is a hard task4 ,some of the soldiers are half-castes and they as a rule are more troublesome than pure natives4 ,we lodged near the barracks and the commander used to send to the ,english lady to apologise for having to flog his soldiers near her window4 ,at ,quilimane there was a functionary appointed to dispense floggings1 and when a slave or servant offended1 the custom was to send him to this man with a slip of paper which stated how much punishment the culprit was to receive6 ,one point where the ,portuguese differ very much from us1 is in their estimate of ,livingstone1 whose life they criticise with the greatest severity1 their remarks almost reminding one of the hard things that old ,roman ,catholic writers used to state regarding ,luther4 ,when at ,blantyre1 we used to get the ,magololo headmen to talk about their late master1 and they certainly recounted many exploits that were quite new to us1 only before being influenced by their statements we had to remember that these men would speak what they thought would please us best1 and when they discovered that we looked on ,livingstone as a hero1 they would mention a great many things that agreed better with their own ideal of a hero than with ours4 ,when the steamer at length arrived1 ,antani came on board with us and went over the whole of it1 promising to tell his friends1 on his return1 of the wonders of the #8large boat1' and so we parted4 ,at ,zanzibar as ,i looked down from the side of the steamer on the native boats1 ,i was hailed in the ,yao language4 ,i replied in the same1 and a spirited conversation began4 ,the young man that accosted me was not a ,yao but a ,makua1 only he had been in the ,yao district4 ,he soon collected his friends1 and they were in great glee over an ,msungu who could speak in the languages of the interior4 ,natives are here much freer in conversing with the ,european than in ,quilimane1 where the ,portuguese make them keep a respectful distance4 ,they told their friends in the town about us1 and as we passed along the streets we met some that could say #8achimwene' and who gave us a cordial greeting4 ,at ,zanzibar we saw ,dr4 ,steere's ,mission1 which was a very cheering sight4 ,at ,blantyre we were often sustained1 and much more than sustained1 by the thought of what we looked forward to as the infallible result of some ten years' honest work4 ,here we saw the result of twenty years' work and it could not fail to be gratifying to one that considered the subject4 ,dr4 ,steere says to those that would estimate ,missionary difficulties1 #8,you must pause for a while and find yourselves1 as we did1 standing opposite five boys with scarce any clothing1 in dreadful fear of something far worse than slavery or death1 and we unable to make them understand one word'4 ,such is the commencement4 ,by and by he can write1 8,we have no longer to begin with an ,english reading card because we have nothing else4 ,we have reduced the ,swahili to writing and found out its grammatical rules40 ,when ,i passed ,zanzibar the ,swahili ,bible was fast approaching its completion6 ,we ask any one to reflect what great labour this implies4 ,if we lived in times when ,church censures took a tangible form1 and if any man were ordered to write out the whole of the ,bible in his own language before he could be restored to the ,church1 the sentence would be equivalent to excommunication for life4 ,most men would be too discouraged to attempt the task amidst other work1 and the various interruptions that they might count on4 ,but the ,missionary has to write the ,bible in a ,,foreign language amidst much pressure of other work1 and many interruptions that no man is subjected to amidst ,european civilization1 and if a single or even a twofold copying of his material be sufficient1 the circumstance would say a great deal more for his present peace of mind than for the permanent value of his work4 ,all the time he is translating he is obliged to keep up the closest intercourse with the natives1 ever learning from them1 and ever teaching them1 introducing reading books1 founding schools1 forming friendships and consecrating these friendships by imparting views of life that go beyond the seen and temporary4 ,besides having stations on ,zanzibar1 ,bishop ,steere#af has been carrying his work far into the interior of the ,dark ,continent4 ,the interior is in some respects the more promising field4 ,there are many highland sites where the ,european can work with all his might4 ,he can study hard1 and personally engage in teaching without suffering in health1 whereas the climate is so enervating in stations on the coast and fever is so prevalent that few constitutions can do more than keep this enemy at bay4 ,again in large places where an artificial civilization shews itself1 the ,missionary takes his position not merely as a man1 but as a civilized man1 and this makes a breach between him and his dark friend1 which the latter feels very much4 ,i have sometimes been sitting in conversation with an old headman when another ,european would join us4 ,then the ,english language was spoken1 and our native friend would say with sadness that he 8did not know ,english10 and he would sit in silence evidently regretting that his white friend was not so near him after all4 ,this is only an illustration of peculiar disadvantages which are greatly done away with in the wilds of the ,interior4 ,all this1 it may be said1 is counterbalanced by the fact that in the interior there are constant wars4 ,such difficulties however will gradually pass away as the evangelistic work is quietly carried on1 and most of them may be met by the simple plan of carefully placing a ,mission station in the disturbed district4 ,the one great obstacle in the interior is the difficulty of communication1 and the want of all appliances from books downwards4 ,beyond ,zanzibar1 the next place where we see anything of the ,african is at ,aden1 where we meet specimens of the ,samali in a few active boys with dyed hair1 who crowd round the steamer to dive for coins4 ,there happened to be a ,samali boy on board our steamer1 as also a ,makua4 ,owing to quarantine laws their masters could not land1 and a number of pilgrims for ,mecca had to be brought on to ,london4 ,the mention of ,london had a dispiriting effect upon the ,asiatics4 ,they were certain the cold would kill them1 and went about weeping--not weeping like a ,european--the poor fellows actually 8lifted up their voice and wept04 ,withal their misfortune made them more demonstrative in their devotions4 ,some of the passengers evinced a strong disposition to laugh at this1 others maintained that few ,christians would be so exemplary in calling upon their ,god4 ,we should be able to get some good out of everything1 and we have often admired the regularity with which as the moment arrived1 they turned their faces towards ,mecca and knelt down to pray4 ,one feature in the ,christian is that when on a journey1 although he meet other ,christians1 he wishes to worship by himself4 ,thus he avoids the dreaded charge of hypocrisy1 but there is something that should be dreaded on the other side4 ,he may begin to forget that his religion is something that ought not to be selfishly shut up in his own bosom4 ,the forms of ,mahommedanism seem to draw its worshippers together4 ,but alas6 they appeared to derive but little comfort from their earnest supplications4 ,they always had a sadness about them4 ,after a long residence among natives that kept sorrow no longer than sorrow kept them1 this struck me as the manifestation of a new temperament4 ,the only man that could be cheerful was the ,makua servant1 who was known as the 8big grinning nigger04 ,the grief of the others threatened to make them unmanageable4 ,but the hopefulness of this representative of the ,lake ,region1 might well make us hopeful for his race1 and we have no doubt that the time is fast approaching when these ,african tribes will be 8made glad according to the days in which they have seen evil06 ,we gazed wistfully as the great continent was within sight for the last time4 ,on one side we had ,gibraltar brightly lighted up1 and suggesting so much historical interest4 ,but on the other side there was a solitary lighthouse that touched a deeper chord in our hearts as it flashed a farewell from the ,dark ,continent4 ,there rose before our minds all the hopeful days we had spent in that land of promise1 while to our lips came the line which we ventured thus to misquote3-- 8,moritur1 et moriens dulces reminiscitur ,afros40 ,,end ,,of ,,vol4 ,,ii4 ,,appendix4 ,,african ,,folk ,,lore4 ,,appendix ,,to ,,vol4 ,,ii4 ,,native ,,tales4 8,children's ,tales now1 but not the invention of a child's intellect40--,,bishop ,,callaway4 ,the time has now come when ,folk ,lore is considered valuable for its own sake4 ,it is hoped1 too1 that these simple ,african ,tales will throw some light on the native mind4 ,but it must be remembered that when rendered by a native reciter they have a character which no translation can reproduce2 moreover1 tales that appear quite pointless to a ,european1 will make an old native laugh till tears run down his cheeks4 ,originally1 some of these ,tales may have been an account of actions that really happened1 and which floated down the stream of time long after the agents had sunk in oblivion4 ,then as now1 the name of each native was significant1 and as these actions kept afloat they drew to themselves appropriate names4 ,if the action was clever1 it was attributed to a ,mr4 ,rabbit 7who corresponds to the ,fox of ,european tales73 while every hero remarkable for gluttony--a trait of character likely to be noted in those primitive days--is a ,mr4 ,hyna 7who corresponds to the ,wolf of our ,western tales74 ,as might be expected there is a great difference between ,african ,folk ,lore and ,european4 ,after seeing ,african habitations1 we scarcely expect to be told of a damsel 8shut up in a tower0 or 8peering into a forbidden room10 and after meeting natives in their ordinary costume1 we should be surprised to find ,tales of 8beautiful dresses and slippers of gold04 ,again1 in ,african ,legends we seldom encounter statements like the following which meet us almost everywhere in ,grimm's ,fairy ,tales3--8,a poor peasant was so destitute that he did not possess a foot of land04 8,it was with difficulty they could maintain themselves1 at length matters became worse1 they had no longer even bread to eat40 8,a poor man had twelve children1 and was obliged to work day and night to obtain even bread for them40 8,what will become of us8 ,how can we feed these poor children when we have nothing for ourselves80 ,except in days of famine sad pictures like these would have no meaning for the ,african4 ,but at the same time there are pleasant pictures in the ,european ,tales that the ,african cannot appreciate4 ,rarely does the ,bard of ,central ,africa go into raptures over a 8handsome virgin0 or a 8maiden of rare beauty04 ,he knows nothing of such a personage4 ,but this is not the fault of the negro woman4 ,the enormous ring in the upper lip and the deep tatoos that mark her face1 chest1 and arms shew how desirous she is to please and to attract attention4 ,yet1 although she carries small stones in her mouth to improve her speech 7which has no defect like that of ,demosthenes71 she does not induce any poet to sing that 8her voice is low and sweet04 ,she certainly does not merit all this neglect1 and it is chiefly on account of ,african marriage customs that it falls upon her4 ,it will be perceived that the style of these stories is very primitive compared with ,english4 ,the sentence1 8,he proposed to go back1 and on arriving at his home he gave meat to the nurse1 and asked after his children10 would in the mouth of the ,african become3--,he said1 8,let us go back0 7and they replied1 8,very well1 let us go074 ,then they set out to go back4 ,when they arrived at the village he 7stood on the path and7 called and said1 8,nurse04 ,the latter said1 8,yes1 ,i am here04 ,then he said1 8,take this meat04 ,he said also1 8,now1 are the children all well10 and the nurse said1 8,yes1 all are well04 ,so when our pupils wrote on ,scripture subjects they did not hesitate to attribute to speakers a conversation which was not recorded4 ,for instance1 if the third verse of ,genesis had really been1 8,and ,god created light10 they would have rendered it1 8,and ,god said1 ,let there be light1 and there was light04 ,we often felt that their peculiarity might illustrate questions about the ,verbal ,inspiration of the ,scriptures4 ,these tales have been selected and literally translated from my ,manuscript ,collection of ,tales1 ,songs1 ,enigmas and ,itagu4 ,number #ed was communicated by ,mr4 ,john ,buchanan1 ,f4,l4,s4 #ca4 ,,the ,,dead ,,chief ,,and ,,his ,,younger ,,brother4 ,there was a chief that built his village large1 and he had many women1 and he had a younger brother who did not come to his chief4 ,the chief became ill and died1 his brother was left1 and went to inherit the title 7#ig74 ,then arose a great war in order to capture those women4 ,the 7new7 village chief had tied up bundles of beans4 ,and the people that wanted war came and sat in the forum1 and he hid himself and peered at them as they sat there4 ,then he said1 8,these people are many1 ,i will consult the chief at the grave0 7#ad74 ,so he went and clapped#ag his hands and told the chief who was dead4 ,the latter said1 8,it is long since you visited me when ,i was alive1 what is the matter now80 ,he replied1 8,alas6 ,o chief1 ,i have seen enemies1 yea1 many are at the village 7here71 and ,i said1 #8,i will go to ask of the chief'04 ,the latter said1 8,go and salute these people04 ,then he went to salute them1 and the people that wanted war1 said1 8,in this land many plants have yielded fruit which are tied in bundles04 ,so they said to themselves1 8,he 7the chief7 is a very wise#ah man1 and knows about a relish stored in bundles04 ,they returned1 and went home and met the king of their own home1 who was called ,manjelele1 and said1 8,o king1 you are very stupid4 ,that man is exceedingly wise04 ,he said1 8,nonsense--go away again1 capture in war all the women and bring them04 ,then the army went back and caught all the women4 ,the chief himself also ran away1 and again he went to the grave and said 7to his dead brother71 8,chief1 ,i have come on account of my women1 they are all carried off by war04 ,then his brother gave him four small bags1 and said1 8,well1 follow the army to their village03 and he added1 8,should you find a large tree unloose one little bag04 ,so he took them1 and he found the large tree put in his way1 and he opened1 and a wood-moth came forth and entered the tree and gnawed1 and a passage was made1 and the chief passed through with his attendant4 ,again he followed on in the track of the army1 and he found that a stone had been put in his way farther on1 and he opened another bag and there came out a manis 7mbawe7 and dug under the stone2 and he passed through with his attendant4 ,again he followed the tracks of the army1 and beyond that he found the river1 which the army had passed in a boat4 ,then he opened 7the third bag71 and there came forth a spider and went to the other side1 and he crossed with his attendant and arrived at the village whence the war had come1 and he sat down at the road to the village to wait till darkness came on4 ,as soon as it was dark1 he opened the other bag also1 and a rat set off for that village and went to a basket1 and it slept there4 ,by and by the king that had begun the war came to sleep1 and on going to sleep he took away his eyes#ai and put in the basket1 and the rat took the king's eyes4 ,at dawn he called his men1 and said1 8,let all assemble with their captives that ,i may see them04 ,the men assembled1 and said1 8,now1 tell the king to come and see his prisoners04 ,the king came and took a chair to sit on1 and called for his eyes1 saying1 8,fetch my eyes from the basket10 and they looked in the basket and found that his eyes were not there4 ,the king cried1 saying1 8,what shall ,i see my prisoners with80 ,the other chief stood across the stream and said1 8,let me go back with my people4 ,i also have captured in war1 ,i followed you4 ,the eyes of the king ,i have carried off40 ,and the king cried1 saying1 8,my men1 give up his people04 ,then his men said to him1 8,we told you1 ,o king1 that we must not go yonder to capture in war4 ,lo6 the people will return without being seen with your eyes10 and they restored all the people4 ,then the chief at the grave said1 8,i told you to follow the army4 ,lo6 all the people have returned40 #cb4 ,,the ,,chief ,,that ,,hoed ,,at ,,the ,,graves4 ,there was a woman that had a little child1 and she hoed a garden at the graves1 and there came a little man from the graves--little ,amlele4 ,the woman wished to hoe1 and she loosed the child1 and made the stump of a tree bear him 7tied him to a tree74 ,then rose ,amlele and said 8,to make the stump bear him rather than a person's side60 and he took care of the child and carried him to the graves4 ,then she hoed till she was tired4 ,and she said1 8,now ,i will call for my child10 and she called for him1 saying1 8,amlele1 give me my child04 ,and he gave him to the mother herself4 ,then she went to the village1 but did not tell that she hoed at the graves and that there was a spirit nursing her child4 ,when she went on the morrow to hoe1 she saw that little ,amlele was come again2 again he began to call for the child4 ,again he went with him to the graves1 and cut open his skin and put him in the sand 7beside the water74 ,and the woman hoed and was tired again1 and she called ,amlele without success--he did not bring back the child again4 ,and she went to call those at the village1 saying1 8,my son was carried away to the graves by one that did not come back with him04 ,then the people ran and went to the graves there1 and they found him put down in the sand1 and they cleaned off the sand1 and returned from the graves to the village1 mourning4 ,and they went away to the oracle of the ,humble-bee1#bj and he spoke with a low voice1 and said1 8,but the chief is the man that wants to destroy us out of the country04 ,all the people ran away because of witchcraft4 ,the oracle has caught the chief of the village1 because he hoed at the graves and bewitched his child in order that ,amlele should eat it 7#ajf74 ,the chief said1 8,now ,i am left alone4 ,i will make friendship with the guinea-fowl10 and he did so4 ,and he said1 8,go away1 pick up many masukus and their stones1 and sleep in a plain without trees04 ,it picked for him ten baskets1 and he said1 8,sow everywhere10 and it sowed in the whole plain4 ,he himself slept in the middle of the plain4 ,next day he awoke and found many houses1 the masukus had become men4 ,then he brewed beer1 saying1 8,now1 ,i have found another village04 ,and he called the guinea-fowl1 saying1 8,friend1 come now1 there are many people04 ,and they went together 7the guinea-fowl and ,simwe#ba7 to drink beer4 ,and it said1 8,but do you1 my friend1 leave off speaking evil1 lest the people be startled at you04 ,then they drank beer1 and ,simwe became drunk1 and said1 8,i am the chief1 these are my own people1 ,i picked up ten baskets of masukus1 ,i sowed in the plain1 and the masukus became men04 ,then his friend ran away from him1 saying1 8,his words are bad1 he cannot stay with people04 ,so he slept again1 and he awoke--his people were not1 because 7said they7 he takes us for masukus#bb3 so he was alone4 ,then he clothed himself with the skin of a civet 787 7ngwime7 7a creature which sleeps on an ant-hill71 and whenever he saw a person he called him1 saying1 8,you there6 come near10 and the person ran away4 ,when the person ran away1 he said1 8,i am bad4 ,i cannot stay with my fellow men40 ,then he went away journeying in the great bush4 ,he asked for a village1 and the tolo 7a small mole7 responded and said1 8,come to my home and dwell there4 ,i have built a stone house40 ,so he accompanied 7the tolo72 let the man look at its house6 it is not good6 its door is the heads of cockroaches6 ,and he said1 8,ay6 you deceiver of me3 ,i enter a small hole60 ,and ,simwe said1 8,i will bring the nyingalwe against you04 ,and he brought against him his friend 7the nyingalwe71 who said1 8,you are a great liar--a rascal--a deceiver of the chief1 saying to him1 #8,come let us enter a stone house1' which was just a little hole1 but may you never thrive04 ,but the tolo cursed the nyingalwe1 saying1 8,but may you never cross the road except you die10 and the nyingalwe crossed the road and died4 ,as the natives believe strongly in charms we need not wonder that they invoke a sorcerer to curse their enemies1 in the same way as did ,balak the son of ,zippor4 #cc4 ,,the ,,fox ,,and ,,the ,,hyena4 ,the hyena made friendship2 two days after1 he set out1 and he said1 8,but let an attendant go with me04 ,they said1 8,let him go with the mbendu10 7a creature with little spots like the njusi#bc74 ,they were going along the road and the hyena said1 8,if we meet with women washing grains of millet1 you will ask for water1 and ,i shall ask for millet60 ,as they went on they met the women washing the millet and the mbendu said1 8,give me water10 while the hyena said1 8,give me millet04 ,the women took millet in a plate to give the hyena1 and they give the mbendu water in a cup4 ,the latter said1 8,come let us wash it that it may become soft10 but the hyena refused and said1 8,why did you not beg your own for yourself80 and he chewed it alone#bd without giving to his attendant4 ,farther on he began to tell him again saying1 8,if we meet with the women cutting sugar cane1 you will beg the leaves1 ,i shall beg the canes1 we shall tie them up04 ,they went forward and met with the women cutting sugar cane4 ,the hyena said1 8,give me the canes10 the mbendu said1 8,give me the leaves04 ,they cut four canes and gave the hyena1 and they took leaves and gave the mbendu4 ,the mbendu said1 8,let us tie them04 ,the hyena was fierce and said1 8,ah6 for whom80 and did not give him4 ,and they went beyond that and came to another place and found a lake1 and he said1 8,the village we go to is there4 ,if we have porridge cooked for us and tie it up in a leaf1#be then if you hear at the lake lino-lino-lino-lino-lino you ought to run away and throw down the leaf of porridge40 ,farther on the hyena said1 8,this is medicine1 if we get porridge1 you will come to dig it04 ,he went on and arrived at the village of his friend1 and the latter said1 8,my friend has come10 and he killed fowls1 and cooked1 and made porridge1 and said1 8,let us give the strangers10 and porridge was put down3 when the hyena began1 8,bring that medicine that we may eat it to the porridge04 ,the mbendu went off running4 ,after that the hyena cut leaves to set down everywhere and he ate up all the porridge4 ,when the mbendu returned1 he said1 8,there came a great party1 look at the leaves 7which were used as plates7 here sat some1 here sat others1 here sat others04 ,the hyena said1 8,let us go home to-morrow04 ,the mbendu said1 8,yes1 let us go20 the mbendu was starving4 ,next day there was porridge cooked for them1 and he said1 8,tie it all up1 tie it in leaves04 ,the mbendu tied up the porridge and carried it4 ,on the way the hyena said1 8,i will pass this way1 let us meet farther on04 ,the mbendu kept going just on the path1 the hyena went to the pool and dived1 and put out his mouth1 and said1 8,lino-lino-lino-lino-lino60 ,the mbendu was afraid1 and threw the leaf with the porridge into the lake4 ,the hyena took it out and went to devour it4 ,when he came farther on he met with the mbendu who had nothing to carry4 ,he asked him saying1 8,you have thrown away that leaf8 ,quite right6 you were wise1 the wild beast would have bitten you40 ,when they reached their home the villagers said1 8,you are thin1 mbendu1 you are thin60 ,he said1 8,umph6 hunger04 ,they staid five days at home4 ,the hyena said1 8,i will go to my friend's again4 ,who shall ,i go with to-day80 ,then the ,mbendu refused1 and he said1 8,come1 fox1#bf let us go together04 ,the fox said1 8,yes1 chief1 come04 ,so they went together4 ,when arrived at the road1 the hyena gave instructions1 8,you1 fox1 if we meet with women--you will beg water1 ,i shall beg grain04 ,they came to the women4 ,the hyena said1 8,give me grain04 ,the fox said1 8,give me grain and the water also04 ,the hyena took grain1 and it was given him on a plate1 the fox also took grain1 and it was given him in his hands1 and water also in a cup4 ,the hyena said1 8,give the hyena that water04 ,the fox said1 8,why did you not beg your own80 ,then the fox refused to give him4 ,further on the hyena said1 8,now this pool is dreadful04 ,the fox asked1 8,why is it dreadful80 ,the hyna said1 8,if one carry porridge1 a wild beast is dreadful04 ,the fox said1 8,how does it say when roaring80 ,the hyna said1 8,it says ,lino-lino-lino-lino04 ,the fox said1 8,ay60 ,the hyena said1 8,if you carry a leaf with porridge you should throw it down04 ,he said1 8,yes04 ,they advanced and came farther on1 and he said1 8,this is medicine1 if porridge is cooked at the village you will come to dig it04 ,but the fox left his arrow1 he went farther on1 and said1 8,master1 ,i have forgotten that arrow04 ,he said1 8,where80 ,he said1 8,where you showed me the medicine there04 ,he said1 8,fetch it04 ,the ,fox went running and came to the medicine1 where he had left his arrow1 and he dug and put the medicine in his bag1 and returned4 ,and he said1 8,have you picked it 7your arrow7 up80 ,he said1 8,yes1 ,i have04 ,and he said1 8,well1 let us go on04 ,they went on and arrived4 ,the hyena's friend said1 8,my friend has come4 ,kill a fowl for him40 ,they killed a fowl for him1 and cooked porridge too1 and came with it and set it down4 ,the hyena then began saying1 8,go and seek that medicine04 ,but the fox took the medicine out of his bag and said1 8,master1 this is that medicine04 ,then was the hyena very fierce1 and said1 8,you1 fox1 are clever at evil60 ,the hyena refused his porridge1 saying1 8,you go on eating04 ,so the fox ate4 ,the hyena said1 8,let us go away to-morrow04 ,in the evening a fowl was killed1 that they might eat it with their porridge4 ,next day porridge was cooked and the fowl also and was given4 ,he said1 8,fox1 tie it up04 ,the fox then tied it1 and went along the road4 ,the hyna said1 8,go on before me1 ,i will go this way1 and we shall meet in front04 ,then the hyena went stealthily1 and arrived in front1 and let himself down into the pool1 and dived and put out his mouth wide open1 and said1 8,lino-lino-lino-lino04 ,the fox said1 8,ah6 there's the wild beast04 ,the fox sat down and took his knife and commenced to cut the bark-cords 7which tied the leaves71 and he took a stone1 then he unloosed the porridge1 and ate and finished it1 entirely eating it up1 reserving only a mouthful1 which he plastered on the stone1 and threw it into the mouth at the pool1 and the hyena died4 ,the fox then ran and cut off his head1 and made a little drum and covered it with the hyena's skin3 then he went along the road1 and met women digging beans 7njama74 ,the fox beat his drum1 saying1 8,ti1 ti1 war04 ,the women fled1#bg the fox picked up the baskets and went home4 ,at the village they said1 8,where did you leave the hyena80 ,and he said1 8,we left them brewing beer for him04 ,they found that it was indeed a stay1 the hyena never returned4 #ce4 ,,taming ,,monkeys ,,and ,,buck4 ,there was a man that tamed monkeys1 while another tamed buck1 and they became friends4 ,the owner of the monkeys said1 8,come to my home1 you will see monkeys04 ,then he went to his home and found they had gone out4 ,he said 8,friend1 where have they gone80 ,he said1 8,they have gone to feed04 ,he said1 8,call them04 ,he went to call them and they came3 and he said1 8,these are my monkeys10 and he said1 8,if ,i had seen them1 ,i should have taken them for food04#bh 7,the monkeys heard this47 ,he said1 8,friend1 don't say so1 you will make my monkeys run away04 ,thereupon the monkeys did run away4 ,he 7the stranger7 said1 8,come you to my home1 you will see buck that ,i have tamed04 ,he went and found the buck1 and said1 8,these are meat to give me to eat80 ,the buck ran away to go to the jungle4 ,his friend said1 8,you have made my buck run away04 ,he said1 8,you come and answer my accusation1 let us go to the forum04 ,then the judges came and asked1 8,who began it10 then they decided1 8,you must just pay each other04 ,so they paid each other in beer4 ,they brewed1 and invited each other1 and drank1 and said1 8,that case is finished04 ,then both were contented4 ,this exemplifies a popular method of settling small quarrels4 #cf4 ,,taming ,,dogs4 ,there was a land with a man4#bi ,this man used to go to the moors of marsh pigs 7874 ,when this man with his dogs was going near a lake1 they started a marsh pig1 and it fell into the lake4 ,in the lake was a crocodile1 and the man also went down there1 and the crocodile caught him1 without biting him4 ,the dogs kept searching much for their master3 their master was placed in a cavern4 ,now the dogs in their search sometimes went to smell the earth1 and they scented him4 ,the dogs then set to dig in the earth there1 and they dug three days4 ,on the fourth they penetrated down1 and their master was afraid again when he saw 7light74 ,but soon he said1 8,these are my dogs04 ,let him look out1 it is all light6 8,now my dogs have penetrated60 ,and he came out and went to the village4 ,the villagers were mourning1 and one child on going round the house met him and returned again1 and said1 8,mother1 be quiet1 don't cry1 ,i saw my father04 ,its mother said1 8,you lie1 your father was lost long ago04 ,it said1 8,mother1 no1 come1 let us go to see04 ,when she went along with the child she saw him1 and said1 8,child1 you don't lie10 and she caught her husband by the arm1 saying1 8,come to my house04 ,and she said1 8,explain where you went04 ,he said1 8,i went to the moors1 ,i was hunting a marsh pig1 and it sank in a pond1 ,i also sank there1 and my dogs sought me1 ,i came out1 so that you see me here4 ,had it not been my dogs1 the crocodiles would have eaten me4 ,dogs are good4 ,people should keep dogs40 ,then many people said1 8,yes1 yes1 yes1 let us get dogs4 ,that man's dogs saved his life40 ,and each one there was buying dogs1 each one there was buying dogs4 ,then people got many dogs because dogs had dug their master from the cavern4 #cg4 ,,on ,,our ,,home 7,a ,,yao',s ,,history ,,of ,,his ,,tribe74 ,here is not our home4 ,we lived long ago at ,mangochi1 a large hill like ,zomba4 ,the ,walolo lived on the other side of the 7river7 ,lujenda1 on the road to ,chisanga4 ,the ,walolo were capturing the ,machinga to carry them to ,chisanga and exchange them for cloth4 ,the ,walolo were brave1 and had many guns4 ,the ,machinga dwelt at ,mandimbi1 and the ,walolo made them flee4 ,so the ,machinga came to the country of the ,wayao1 and the ,wayao fled4 ,we removed from that place1 and went along the road1 and the ,wanyasa interfered with us1 and pierced us with arrows1 and we began war1 and took their food from them4 ,the ,english lived with the ,wanyasa4 ,the ,wanyasa said1 8,help us10 and there began war with the ,english4 ,they all came to ,ulumba 7,vol4 ,,ii4 #ab74 ,the ,english read the book and prayed to ,god4 ,on that day the ,wayao fled in all directions1 and they returned and found the ,machinga following behind them4 ,they said1 8,why do you turn back80 ,they said1 8,why6 we have encountered white men60 ,then the ,machinga staid there1 without advancing farther4 ,after this all the ,wanyasa fled across the river1 and the ,wayao settled in this land4 ,the ,wayao had many fierce chiefs4 ,the ,machinga killed one by treachery1 some began to sell their own people and were left alone1 their people ran away from them2 another was killed by the ,mangoni4 ,war is an evil1 it destroys people1 there came famine3 after that people said1 8,now let us go and hoe04 ,they hoed much food4 ,the ,magololo accompanied the ,english4 ,when the ,english reached their boat they left them and said1 8,now1 be friends1 war is bad1 so leave it off1 agree with the ,wayao04 ,the ,book of ,god was brought forth and all assented4 ,the ,english said1 8,now let us go home04 ,livingstone made the natives swear on the ,bible that they would live in peace4 ,after this the ,mangoni came1 they crossed by boat1 they came in war4 ,the ,wayao ran to ,ndilande4 ,the ,wanyasa ran to the islands4 ,they have many islands4 ,the ,machinga ran to ,zomba4 ,the ,walolo did not run away4 ,before those that fled had come down from the mountains1 the ,english came and settled in this land1 and the ,mangoni went away4 ,the people came down from the mountains and farmed again 7,vol4 ,,ii4 #be74 #ch4 ,,kalikalanje4#cj ,there was a woman who had a husband1 and they went to hoe in the garden and the man sneezed1 and the woman said1 ,gwigwigwi4#ca ,the man asked her saying1 8,what do you want80 ,the woman said1 8,i want the eggs of an ostrich04 ,the man said1 8,i want water where frogs do not croak04 ,they both assented to the bargain4 ,the man went to seek the eggs of an ostrich1 and brought five1 and gave them to his wife4 ,the woman went to seek water where frogs did not croak4 ,she went far1 far away and found water4 ,at that water she met with ,namzimu1 the owner1 who asked1 8,what do you want80 ,the woman replied1 8,i want water1 where frogs croak not04 ,namzimu said1 8,what do you give in exchange for it08 ,the woman bargained with ,namzimu saying1 8,i am with child3 when ,i bear the child ,i will give it to you04 ,then ,namzimu said1 8,draw water04 ,so she drew water1 and went to the village and gave her husband4 ,the husband said1 8,that is right1 my wife04 ,after this1 ,namzimu went to the woman's1 and said1 8,give me the child to eat04 ,the woman said1 8,no1 the child is not born04 ,then ,namzimu went away4 ,there passed three days1 and the child was born1 and the woman was roasting#cb castor-oil beans1 and the child leapt on the pot-sherd1 and said1 8,i am ,kalikalanje04 ,he went from the pot-sherd with his bow and his spear and his four dogs4 ,then ,namzimu quickly came and said1 8,now1 give me the child to eat04 ,the woman said1 8,yes1 ,i will give you him04 ,so she took ,namzimu and hid him in the grain basket1 and took bananas and put above him1 and at night the woman called her son1 ,kalikalanje1 and said1 8,o please my son1 ,kalikalanje1 climb up here1 and fetch bananas04 ,kalikalanje said1 8,no1 ,i will climb upon the roof where nothing dances 7shakes704 ,then the woman told ,namzimu saying1 8,dance on the roof there02 7because the woman wished to cheat her son74 ,when ,namzimu danced1 ,kalikalanje however stood at the door and said1 8,ho6 what's that dancing there8 ,i don't want to climb now on the roof where there is dancing04 ,then ,kalikalanje ran away1 and ,namzimu did not catch him that night4 ,next day the woman took ,namzimu and went with him to the garden1#cc and hid him in the grass and said1 8,stay you here1 this night ,i send ,kalikalanje to come and burn grass1 and you will see 7a lad7 whose head is shaved on one side#cd and who wears a black loin cloth4 ,that is ,kalikalanje40 ,that night the woman shaved ,kalikalanje on one side of the head1 and put on him black cloth and sent him to the garden and said1 8,go1 burn the grass in the garden04#ce ,so ,kalikalanje took his shaving knife and black cloth1 and his dogs1 and his spear1 and called his companions and said1 8,come1 to the garden of my mother1 to play04 ,when they came to the parting of the roads1 ,kalikalanje told his friends saying1 8,come1 let me shave your hair on one side1 that we may play properly04 ,when he had shaved his companions' heads1 he put on them pieces of black cloth1 and said1 8,you all--your names are ,kalikalanje1 and we shall go to the garden1 when we burn grass1 everyone is ,kalikalanje1 ,kalikalanje04 ,his comrades assented saying1 8,very ,good60 ,they came to the garden and burned the grass1 and all of them said1 8,kalikalanje1 ,kalikalanje1 ,kalikalanje04 ,when they came to the large grass ,kalikalanje said1 8,let us all come1 and burn this grass with fire1 round and round1 and let us hold our bows in our hands04 ,quickly ,namzimu came out of the grass and ,kalikalanje told his comrades saying1 8,come1 let us kill him04 ,so they killed ,namzimu with their bows4 ,then ,kalikalanje returned to the village and met with his mother1 and spoke to her1 saying1 8,mother1 you wanted a wild beast to eat me1 now ,i kill you04 ,so ,kalikalanje killed his mother4 #ci4 ,,the ,,man ,,and ,,the ,,lion4 ,there was a man that had four dogs for catching meat1 and one day the man was very hungry and he said to his wife1 8,i go to the bush to kill meat04 ,his wife said1 8,yes1 go and kill meat1 my husband04 ,the man took his dogs and his spear and went to the bush4 ,as he hunted he killed five buck4 ,suddenly there came a lion and spoke with the man and said1 8,take these buck1 give your dogs to eat4 ,when they have eaten you must eat your dogs1 then let me eat you40 ,the man said 8,no4 ,i do not want to give my meat to the dogs04 ,whereupon there arose a great quarrel between the man and the lion4 ,suddenly there came a rabbit 7fox7 with his bag1 and found them quarrelling4 ,the rabbit asked them saying1 8,what are you quarrelling over80 ,the man explained to the rabbit the reason of the quarrelling saying1 8,we quarrel about meat that ,i have caught with my dogs04 ,then the rabbit spoke with the lion saying1 8,why do you want to eat your fellow-creature without a reason against him40 ,the lion said1 8,the reason of it is that this bush is mine1 and he has come to kill meat here4 ,now ,i want him to give this meat to his dogs1 then his dogs will eat the meat1 then he must eat his dogs1 and ,i shall eat him40 ,the rabbit said1 8,lion you must not eat your fellow-creature because of his buck4 ,come here ,i shall give you good meat1 which is in a pit-fall40 ,the rabbit had seen a great pit-fall where a serpent dwelt1 and he said to the lion1 8,enter this pit-fall40 ,when the lion entered1 the rabbit called the man and said1 8,come with fire1 now he who wanted to eat you has gone into a pit1 now come and let us kill him04 ,the rabbit and the man lighted a fire at the pit and killed the lion4 ,after the lion died1 the man and the rabbit entered into a compact of eternal friendship4 #dj4 ,,the ,,roasted ,,seeds4 ,there was an elephant and a rabbit that contracted friendship4 ,they agreed saying1 8,let us go and hoe our gardens20 so they hoed4 ,then the rabbit said1 8,but let us plant roasted seeds04 ,the rabbit cheated the elephant1 and the elephant assented saying1 8,yes1 we shall roast them10 so he roasted4 ,but the rabbit hid some of his seeds1 then he roasted a few and said1 8,come let us plant10 and the elephant planted roasted seeds1 but the rabbit planted seeds that were not roasted1 and ate his roasted seeds4 ,the rain came2 the seeds of the rabbit grew1 but those of the elephant did not grow1 and he asked the rabbit1 8,well1 when will my seed grow80 ,and the rabbit said1 8,wait1 they will grow04 ,in the garden of the rabbit many pumpkins bare fruit1 and the elephant said1 8,my friend has deceived me04 ,then the elephant went to the garden of the rabbit at night to steal the rabbit's pumpkins4 ,in the morning the rabbit said1 8,i wonder who has stolen my pumpkins04 ,the elephant said1 8,i do not know04 ,the rabbit made a drum and went secretly to his garden1 and entered a large pumpkin#cf with his drum4 ,at night the elephant went and ate pumpkins4 ,next day the rabbit was in the stomach of the elephant1 and he beat his drum2 he beat and said1 8,you were finishing my pumpkins1 ,i have caught you myself04 ,then the elephant was very ill and died4 ,people came and said1 8,meat has died for us here10 and they opened the body and said1 8,look at this pumpkin60 ,others said1 8,split it10 and they split it1--it broke--they found the rabbit4 ,the rabbit on seeing people1 ran away4 ,and the people said1 8,yes6 this is what killed the elephant4 ,no wonder the elephant died60 #da4 ,,rombao4 ,there was a man who had a wife and he took his fish trap and went to the water to catch fish1 and he caught a large one4 ,the fish said to the man1 8,go inside me1 and you will find a knife and a bundle of millet1 fetch them and come here with them04 ,so the man went inside the fish and found a knife and a bundle of millet1 and he fetched them and came out with them4 ,the fish said1 8,cut off my upper lip10 and the man cut it off4 ,then the fish said1 8,take that meat1 give it to your wife that she may eat it alone1 while you eat the millet04 ,so he went to the village4 ,he found his wife and gave her the meat saying1 8,my wife eat this meat alone4 ,when you have eaten throw the bones of it out there40 ,the man went to put the millet in the lake1 when it became soft he went and ate it alone1 for five days1 and his wife ate the fish five days6 ,after this the woman bare two children with their two dogs1 and two spears1 and two guns1 and their names were the one ,rombao1 and the other ,antonyo4#cg ,then they went to the bush and found many birds and many buck1 and they began to fire their guns1 and the buck ran to one place and the children followed them4 ,on their following there they met the owner1 and he asked them saying1 8,what do you want80 ,they said1 8,we want meat04 ,the owner said1 8,what do you give me1 and ,i shall give you my meat80 ,they replied1 8,we will not give you anything1 but come let us fight1 and whoever dies1 the meat belongs to him that killed him04 ,they began to fight and the owner of the meat died1 and they took the land and built houses and settled there4 ,one day ,rombao talked with his brother1 and said1 8,you stay here1 ,i go yonder to kill meat04 ,then he met with a whale4 ,he wanted to drink1 and the whale said1 8,why should you drink my water80 ,rombao said1 8,i am thirsty04 ,the whale said1 8,pay me a price for my water04 ,he refused1 and said1 8,come1 let us fight04 ,then they began to fight1 and the whale died1 and ,rombao cut off his tongue and put salt on it4 ,now at that land there was a celebrated chief1 the owner of the country1 and he gave up his own daughter to buy water from the whale4 ,the whale was dead1 and three days passed without the wind coming as a token 7that the girl had been eaten74 ,so the chief sent his captain and his soldiers1 and said1 8,go and see whether the whale has come to eat my child04 ,the captain went with his soldiers to see the whale1 and came to where it was and found it dead4 ,then the captain said to the soldiers1 8,come let us fire guns for two days1 and go to the village and tell that it was ,i that killed the whale4 ,then the chief will give me his daughter to wed1 and ,i will pay you with much goods40 ,they said1 8,yes1 what he says is good04 ,so they fired guns for two days1 and went back to the village with the girl and found the chief1 and said1 8,the captain has killed the whale04 ,the chief said to him1 8,very well1 ,i will give you my daughter to wed04 ,when the marriage day came ,rombao sent his younger brother1 saying1 8,go and see the wedding04 ,he returned1 and said1 8,the marriage feast is ready04 ,then ,rombao went to the village of the chief and found the people all assembled4 ,the girl was speechless1 and her mother asked her1 8,do you wish that captain to marry you04 ,the girl did not answer1 but continued weeping4 ,her father said1 8,but you will marry that captain04 ,rombao asked1 8,why is the captain going to marry her80 ,they said1 8,because he has killed the whale04 ,rombao said1 8,but where's the tongue of the whale80 ,all the people said1 8,yes1 we want to see its tongue04 ,so the captain sent his soldiers to bring its tongue1 and they went to look for the tongue and found that the tongue was wanting4 ,so they returned1 and said1 8,the whale has not a tongue--it is rotten04 ,rombao said1 8,that's false1 that captain did not kill the whale--it was ,i4 ,wait now1 ,i will go and fetch its tongue40 ,he returned with the tongue to the chief4 ,then the chief said1 8,very well1 do you take my daughter to be your wife04 ,then the chief took much goods and gave ,rombao4 ,then he killed that captain and his men likewise4 #db4 ,,the ,,hyena ,,and ,,the ,,bees4 ,a hyena and a fox went a journey2 they found honey 7lit4 bees7 on a tree1 but at the foot of the tree were the cubs 7lit4 children7 of the fox4 ,the hyena said1 8,give me my bag10 and he got it2 and the fox climbed the tree to fetch the honey4 ,then the hyena took the children of the fox1 saying1 8he would shew them to his brethren10 and he put them in his bag4 ,but the fox quickly observed that the hyena took her children1 and the fox took much honey 7lit4 bees7 and came down with it4 ,then the hyena ate the honey1 but the fox said1 8,give me the bag to carry for you04 ,the hyena said1 8,take it04 ,so the fox took the hyena's bag4 ,then the fox said1 8,i have forgotten my knife04 ,the hyena said1 8,go and fetch it04 ,the fox went back to the foot of the tree1 and took out her cubs4 ,then she took many living bees1#ch and put in the hyena's bag1 and went back to the hyena himself4 ,then the hyena said1 8,have you found your knife80 ,the fox said1 8,yes1 ,i have found it04 ,but the hyena did not know that she had taken her children out of his bag4 ,then they came to the village1 and he said1 8,give me my bag4 ,good-bye4 ,now we have reached my village40 ,the fox gave it him4 ,the hyena then went to his brethren1 and said1 8,have you ever seen the children of a fox80 ,his brethren said1 8,no04 ,the hyena said1 8,there are in my bag here60 ,his brethren said1 8,give it us that we may see them04 ,the hyena said1 8,no1 we must be in the house04 ,so they went into the house and shut the door1 and then undid the bag4 ,then his brethren said1 8,so these are the children of a fox8 ,are they not bees80 ,they were stung4 ,the hyena's brethren roared terribly1 and the fox heard their roaring1 and came to the door1 and said1 8,what's the matter80 ,the hyena's brethren said1 8,the hyena has deceived us1 saying #8,come and see a fox's children'4 ,we said1 #8,no'04 ,the fox said1 8,oh1 hyena1 you took my children1 did you8 ,i put living bees in your bag4 ,you knew it not4 ,now they sting 7lit4 bite7 you60 ,so the hyena and his brethren died4#ci #dc4 ,,the ,,crocodile4 ,there was a man that lived by setting traps1 and he set his trap on a meadow by a stream and caught meat4 ,then came a crocodile and took out 7untied7 his meat and ate it1 and went home4 ,next morning the owner of the trap found that his meat had been eaten4 ,then was he sad at heart1 and said1 8,who is this that has eaten my meat80 ,he set his trap again and went back to the village4 ,and meat#dj came and was caught 7tied7 again1 and again the crocodile ate it4 ,next morning the owner was sad at heart4 ,then he set the trap at another place1 and the crocodile came again to eat the meat1 but did not find anything1 and he began to search1 and was caught in the trap himself4 ,next morning the owner of the trap came and found the crocodile caught in the trap4 ,so he took a spear and wanted to kill the crocodile1 but the crocodile said1 8,please don't kill me1 but let me go out1 ,i will go home and pay you because ,i have been a thief04 ,then the crocodile said1 8,carry me1 we shall go to my home10 and it leapt on the man's back1 its claws 7ikalawesa7 entering his body4 ,then a hare saw them moving in the water and said1 8,you1 man--where are you going80 ,the man answered1 8,i set my trap1 and caught my buck1 and this gentleman 7chief7 used to come and steal1 but to-day he was caught in my trap himself and said1 #8,let me out1 ,i will go home and pay you for your goods'04 ,the hare said1 8,i don't hear you1 what do you say80 ,then the man said the same words4 ,then the hare said1 8,are you abusing me8 ,i don't hear what you say4 ,come near1 come near40#da ,then the man said to the crocodile1 8,chief1 listen1 the hare says we must go back a little04 ,then the man repeated the same words to the hare4 ,the hare said to the crocodile1 8,yes1 that is right4 ,but first come off his back there40 ,then the hare asked the man1 8,how did you set your trap8 ,let me see it40 ,then the man set it4 ,the hare then asked the crocodile1 8,and chief1 pray1 how did you get in8 ,let me see40 ,the crocodile said1 8,i passed here1 and ,i passed here1 and ,i went ,gwede60 there the crocodile was caught4#db ,the hare said1 8,now1 do you1 ,o man1 kill that vermin4 ,it wanted to eat you40 ,the man killed the crocodile1 but to this day remains a feud between the crocodile and man4 #dd4 ,,the ,,hare ,,and ,,the ,,bangles4 ,a hyena and a hare went to a village#dc to marry4 ,they found women and said1 8,we want to marry04 ,the women assented1 but their mother said1 8,we don't wear calico1#dd but the skins of lions1 leopards and pythons04 ,the hyena and the hare said1 8,very well1 give us salt and bangles10 and she gave them4 ,the hyena and the hare then went away1 and on the road they found a dead elephant4 ,the hyena said1 8,i will stay here10 but the hare said1 8,no1 chief1 but let us wait one day 7without touching the meat704 ,the hyena said1 8,you are bad1 such is your nature4 ,then you may look for the skins of lions1 leopards1 and pythons4 ,but the lion is terrible40 ,the hare said1 8,i will try to kill a lion that my wife may rejoice and say the hare is strong40 ,then the hare took his bag of salt1 and arrived at the lion's village wearing bangles on his legs4#de ,when the chief lion saw the hare disguised like a woman he said1 8,you are my wife04 ,the hare consented and said1 8,yes1 but your chief wife abuses me04 ,then the lion killed his chief wife and all her children4 ,the hare said1 8,take off their skins04 ,the lion then took off the skins of his own kindred--and the hare and he were left alone4 ,then the hare said1#df 8,my husband1 your eyes terrify me04 ,the lion said1 8,take them out04 ,the ,hare then put out the eyes of the lion1 and killed him and took off his skin1 and took it and hid it by the road1 and then went to the village of the leopard4 ,when the leopard saw him1 he said1 8,you are my wife04 ,the hare said1 8,very well--but your chief wife abuses me04 ,the leopard then killed his chief wife and all her children4 ,the hare said 8,take off their skins04 ,so the leopard took off the skins of his relatives4 ,then the hare said1 8,my husband1 ,i want pythons' skins04 ,the leopard went and killed pythons4 ,the hare said1 8,that is right1 only your eyes terrify me04 ,the leopard then said1 8,put them out10 then the hare put out his eyes1 and killed the leopard and took his skin4 ,the hare was then very glad1 and said1 8,i have been clever04 ,then he took the skins of the lions1 leopards and pythons1 and went away and met the hyena4 ,the hyena was astonished1 and said1 8,ugwi6 ,how have you1 ,o hare1 slain ----4 ,the skins of lions1 leopards and pythons60 ,the hare answered1 8,i have slain them with my bag of salt04 ,the hyena said1 8,i will go to kill my skins04 ,the hare said1 8,i am going for my wife04 ,he said1 8,yes1 ,i will meet you there04 ,the hare went to his wife4 ,she was very glad1 and said1 8,my husband is clever10#dg and she put on the lions' skins4 ,the hyena attacked a lion1 the lions were angry1 and said1 8,o hyena1 is it war that you want80 and they killed the hyena4 ,the hyena's wife asked the hare1 8,where is my husband08 ,the hare said1 8,he is dead04 ,then the hare staid at that village and was a great chief4 #de4 ,,the ,,hunter4 ,there was a man that used to kill game1 and he went to the bush to kill game1 and shot a buffalo in the evening4 ,he cut it through the middle and took the two hind legs1 and left the other two and its horns1 and said1 8,i will take them to-morrow04 ,so he went back where his companions were1 and found them1 and said1 8,well1 ,i have killed a buffalo and taken these two legs1 ,i left the other legs and the horns1 but we shall go and fetch them to-morrow04 ,his friends said1 8,yes1 that is best 7good704 ,at night there came a hyena and found the buffalo1 and went round about it and put his head into the breast 7ribs7 of the buffalo1 and took it and went with it to his village4 ,next morning the owner of the meat called his friends1 and said1 8,come now1 let us go and cut up our meat04 ,they went to the bush and found the meat carried off by a hyena4 ,then the owner followed after in the track in which the hyena had gone1 and at noon he met with the hyena going with his meat4 ,when it heard his tread it sang1 8,go in the path where it is pleasant10 and began to try to get out its head1 but the meat had dried on its hair4 ,and it sang again the same strain1 trying to get out its head but not succeeding4 ,the owner laid hold of the horns of the buffalo4 ,when the hyena felt that the meat was stuck1 it asked1 8,who is it that is catching me80 ,the owner said1 8,i1 the hunter10 and he scolded the hyena1 and said1 8,where did you take this meat from80 ,then the hyena began to speak with him1 and said1 8,please1 hunter1 do not kill me1 but release me1 and ,i will pay you when ,i go home04#dh ,so the hunter took his knife and cut the ribs of the buffalo1 and said1 8,now come to your home10 and they went to the cave1 and the hyena said1 8,my wife is with children4 ,go now to your home1 but when this moon has finished1 return1 come here and ,i will give you three children#di because of your meat40 ,the hunter said1 8,i understand1 ,i go home04 ,so he took his meat and went home with it4 ,after this the hyena went and met with a lion1 and said1 8,well1 chief1 if ,i give you an animal 7meat7 without hair1 what will you pay me80 ,the lion said1 8,i will pay you whatever you want04 ,then the hyena took the lion and conducted him to his cave1 and said1 8,do you1 lion1 go into this cave1 and at the end of the moon 7month7 there shall come an animal without hair04 ,the lion asked1 and said1 8,where lives an animal without hair8 ,in the bush here all the animals have hair4 ,but where will the animal without hair come from8 ,do you mean a man80 ,the hyena said1 8,i mean a man04 ,so the lion entered the cave and waited for his meat4 ,at the end of the month there came the man to receive payment for his meat1 and he found at the cave the footprints of a lion1 and he began to be astonished1 and said1 8,has that hyena changed to a lion80 ,he was strong in heart and went into the cave3 but when he met the lion and his wife in the cave he wanted to go back4 ,the lion began to be fierce1 and said1 8,why do you go back1 my meat80 ,the man said1 8,i am not your meat1 but you ate my meat1 and said1 #8,come at the end of the month and ,i will pay you with three children'04 ,the lion said1 8,no1 ,i did not eat your meat4 ,it was a hyena1 and he told me to dwell in this cave1 and promised to give me meat without hair40 ,the man objected1 and there arose a great quarrel1 and the hare came and found them quarrelling1 and said1 8,pray1 chiefs1 leave off this dispute of yours4 ,o lion1 your elder brother#ej sent me to go and tell his younger brother not to eat the man40 ,the lion was angry with the hare1 and said1 8,get away04 ,the hare said1 8,you are angry1 but ,i was sent by your elder brother to ask you not to eat the man04 ,the lion said1 8,well6 but what am ,i to do with the man80 ,the hare said1 8,give him to me1 ,i will conduct him to the path04 ,then the hare took out a vessel of honey and snuff 7lit4 tobacco for the nostrils71 and took1 and the lion said1 8,give me#ea that ,i may taste your snuff04 ,the hare gave him1 and the lion took 7ate7 it1 and said1 8,it is good04 ,the hare then took the honey into his hands and began to eat1 and asked the lion1 8,do you want these sweets that ,i am eating04 ,the lion said1 8,yes10 and he gave him a little and told him to lick it4 ,then the lion licked it1 and said1 8,it is good1 give me more04#eb ,the hare said1 8,well1 ,i am willing to give you1 but you must first give me your tails1 and ,i will tie them together04 ,then the lion assented1 and asked his wife1 saying1 8,listen1 my wife1 do you want to eat sweets80 ,his wife said 8,yes04 ,the hare said1 8,come1 ,i will tie your tails together10 and the wife came and gave her tail4 ,then the hare tied them together4 ,next he took the man and went out with him4 ,the lion said1 8,are you going away without giving me my sweets80 ,the hare laughed at him1 saying1 8,ah6 ,i will never give you04 ,then he took a stone and threw into the cave and closed it1 and the lions died4 #df4 ,,the ,,elephant ,,and ,,the ,,hare4 ,the elephant and the hare formed a friendship4 ,the elephant said1 8,friend let us go and hoe a field04 ,the hare said1 8,come let us cut handles 7for our hoes704 ,when they had cut the handles they said1 8,come let us put on our hoes04#ec ,when they had put on the hoes1 they said1 8,come let us hoe04 ,as they were hoeing the hoe of the hare came out1 and it said1 8,i am here1 my chief1 ,i have come to you to put in my hoe04 ,the elephant said1 8,how will you put it in60 ,the hare said1 8,i will put it in on your head1 ,i will use it 7your head7 for a stone4 ,when your hoe comes out1 you will come to me04 ,the elephant said1 8,fix it in04 ,so the hare knocked his hoe in1 on the elephant's head4 ,soon the hare's hoe fell out again and the hare came once more to the elephant and said1 8,o chief1 ,i have come to put in my hoe on your head10 and it put it in on the elephant's head and then went away4 ,as they hoed1 the hoe of the elephant fell out4 ,the elephant said4 8,hare1 ,o chief1 my hoe has fallen out6 ,i will fasten it in on your head40#ed ,the hare said1 8,wait for me a little30 and it ran off4 ,when the elephant went to look he saw no one4 #dg4 ,,the ,,fish ,,eagle ,,and ,,the ,,mng',,omba4 ,a fish eagle and a mng'omba 7a large bird that feeds on shells7 contracted friendship1 and the fish eagle said1 8,friend1 let us go and marry wives04 ,they went to a village and found a woman that had two girls4 ,the fish eagle said1 8,we have come to marry04 ,the man said1 8,very well4 ,you have found girls here40 ,so the fish eagle married his wife and his comrade married also his wife4 ,then the fish eagle said one day to his companion1 8,come and let us kill fish04 ,so they went to a lake to kill fish4 ,the fish eagle killed many fish and the mng'omba killed many shells4 ,at night they said1 8,let us go home04 ,so the fish eagle tied up his fish and the mng'omba his shells1 and set out to return to their village4#ee ,when they were half-way1 the mng'omba persuaded the fish eagle saying1 8,give me your fish1 ,i will carry them for you04 ,so the fish eagle gave him his fish while he took his comrade's shells4 ,then the mng'omba went on before#ef and ran fast and arrived at the village and took the fish eagle's fishes and gave to his mother-in-law4 ,afterwards the fish eagle came and found that the mng'omba had divided his fishes4 ,but the fish eagle did not speak a word1 he preserved silence4#eg ,his mother-in-law said1 8,you told us you were going out to catch fish1 but where are they80 ,but the fish eagle did not answer his mother-in-law4 ,then she kept abusing him and said1 8,you are not a good husband4 ,i will take my daughter from you and give her to the other man40 ,the fish eagle went to his house to sleep without speaking a word4 ,next morning the fish eagle said to his comrade1 8,come again to the lake to catch fish04 ,they went4 ,the fish eagle killed many fishes1 the mng'omba many shells4 ,on their way back#eh when they were half way to the village the mng'omba wished to persuade the fish eagle again4 ,but the fish eagle refused and said1 8,no4 ,you cheated me yesterday and said1 #8,give me your fish and ,i will carry them for you1' and ,i gave them and you ran away with them and went to the village and gave your mother-in-law saying1 #8,i have killed these fishes1' and my mother-in-law laughed at me yesterday1 but to-day ,i don't want to give you my fishes1 ,i will carry them myself04 ,the mng'omba was very angry and said1 8,you are not good10 and the fish eagle asked1 8,how80 ,then they came to the village and the fish eagle gave his fishes to his mother-in-law1 and she was glad and said1 8,now6 you are indeed a good son-in-law04 ,but with the mng'omba she was angry and said1 8,yesterday you came with fishes1 but to-day where are they80 ,the mng'omba told a lie and said1 8,the fish eagle took my fish from me04 ,the fish eagle heard the words that the mng'omba spake4 ,next morning the fish eagle called his father-in-law4#ei 8,to-day ,i want five men to go with me to the lake to fetch fish04 ,his father-in-law said1 8,very well10 and gave him five men4 ,the mng'omba said also1 8,give me five men to carry fish04 ,his father-in-law said1 8,very well10 and gave him five men4 ,then they both went to the lake and the fish eagle said to his men1 8,put up tents 7of grass71 let us dry our fishes 7in the sun710 and they put up 7tied7#fj three tents4 ,the mng'omba told his people saying1 8,put up three tents1 let us dry our fishes04 ,the fish eagle went into the lake and began to kill fishes and killed many4 ,his men opened them up and dried them4 ,the mng'omba went into the lake and began to kill many shell fish1 and he called his men and said1 8,bring baskets and put in the shellfish04 ,his men said1 8,we don't want to carry shells 7or shellfish4#fa7 ,at the village you spoke saying1 #8,i go to kill fish1' but where are your fish80 ,then the mng'omba began to be angry and abused the fish eagle4 ,the fish eagle became angry too1 and they began to fight4#fb ,the fish eagle scratched the mng'omba on the face 7eyes7 and on the neck1 and the mng'omba was ill and cried1 saying1 8,mh'm mh'm mh'm60 ,then they all went back to the village4 ,the fish eagle gave many fishes to his mother-in-law1#ei but the mng'omba gave nothing4 ,then his father-in-law#ei drove him away1 saying1 8,go from our home4 ,i don't want you4#fc ,i want the fish eagle40 ,then the mng'omba went away and the fish eagle remained4 #dh4 ,,the ,,lad ,,that ,,fed ,,on ,,air4 ,there was a lad that went to a large village to seek 7a girl7 in marriage1 and he found a woman that had a female child4 ,he asked the woman and said1 8,please give me your daughter1 that ,i may marry her04 ,the woman said1 8,yes1 ,i will give her to you04 ,then the lad was happy1 and built his house and married his wife4 ,then his mother-in-law cooked porridge1 and gave him1 but he refused1 saying1 8,i don't eat porridge1 but air 7mp'epo704 ,the mother-in-law was surprised1 and said1 8,my son-in-law does not eat porridge1 but air60 ,one day his mother-in-law sent him to the garden to hoe1 and he was seized with hunger1 but his mother-in-law did not give him porridge because he never ate porridge4 ,at midnight he arose and went to the mortar and put in his head and licked all the flour 7food7 where the women had been pounding4 ,but his head stuck fast in the mortar1 and remained there4 ,his 7little7 wife went outside to seek him1 and found him in the mortar1 and told her mother1 saying1 8,mother1 come here and see what my husband has done04 ,her mother came and found her son-in-law in the mortar1 and said1 8,son-in-law1 why did you refuse to eat porridge1 lo6 your head has stuck in the mortar1 and what am ,i to do80 ,the son-in-law was much ashamed and did not speak4 ,the mother-in-law took an axe and split the mortar3 the son-in-law came out1 and went into the house and did not go out again4 ,a similar tale is told of a woman whose husband did not make her a proper mortar4 ,at night she went to lick any flour that might be left in the mortars of the other wives4 ,her head stuck1 but by her efforts to disengage herself she turned the mortar over1 when it rolled down the hill1 woman and all1 greatly to the alarm of the villagers1 who all got up to see what could be the matter4 #di4 ,,the ,,girl ,,of ,,clay4#fd ,there was a woman that took clay and made a child1 and clothed her with fine calico1 and said1 8,my child1 ,i have made you of clay1 if you see rain1 run to the village04 ,the girl assented to her mother4 ,one day there came other girls1 and said to their companion1 8,companion1 come and play04 ,they went to play4 ,they came to a lake1 and took off their clothing1 and began to bathe4 ,they spoke to their companion1 and said1 8,come and bathe10 she refused4 ,they said1 8,you are not good4 ,why do you refuse to bathe8 ,are you ill80 ,she said1 8,i am not ill04 ,next day they went to a distant lake1 and took off their clothes1 and they said to her1 8,come and play in the lake04 ,her mother had forbidden her4 ,but she went into the lake1 and began to melt with the water1 and cried1 8,o mother1 come and take me04 ,her mother refused1 saying1 8,i told you long ago not to go into the water1 but you have disobeyed04 ,then she died4 #ej4 ,,the ,,python4 ,there was a python1 and it caught the child of a buck 7,ndogolo74 ,it happened that the bush was burning1 and a flock of buck passed4 ,the python said1 8,hoe to save me at the side here04 ,the buck said1 8,what have you fed on8 7,what are you stuffed with870 ,the python said1 8,i have not fed on anything04 ,the buck replied1 8,but we should be burned04 ,then the flock of buck passed on4 ,then came a man with an axe in his hand4 ,the ,python said1 8,o chief1 hoe to save me04#fe ,the man said1 8,why1 if ,i hoed to save you1 you would devour me04 ,the python said1 8,no1 ,i would not devour you04 ,the man came and hoed beside the python4 ,the python then said to the man1 8,stay 7sleep7 four days1 on the fifth come back04 ,he said1 8,yes1 ,i understand1 ,i will come back04 ,so he went home and staid four days2 on the fifth he went back1 and found that the python had vomited--vomited everything--and had become a young lad4 ,it said1 8,draw near1 chief1 that we may converse over our business04 ,the man drew near1 and the lad said1 8,put me on your shoulders04 ,he put him on his shoulders1 then they both entered a hole2 in that hole they went on for three days4 ,on the fourth day they came to the home of the python1 and he put down the python4 ,the latter said1 8,i should have died but for this man1 he hoed by my side4 ,those fellows of buck all refused to hoe for me4 ,he came and hoed to save me1 else ,i should have died40 ,the python then brewed beer1 and they set to drinking1 and drinking1 and drinking4 ,the man then said1 8,i go home now04 ,the python said1 8,wait10 and he gave him four bales of calico1 and also a bottle1 saying1 8,should you encounter war1 turn this bottle upon your enemies1 and you will find that they are dead04 ,the man said1 8,stay1 friend10 the latter said1 8,go04#ff ,when the man arrived at his home1 he found that it was deserted--that war had been made against it4#fg ,on reaching his village he encountered enemies4 ,then he brought out his bottle1 and pointed towards his enemies4 ,they were all pupulu 767--dead and gone 767 7,wosepe 'wo pupulu6 kumala kuwa67 ,then the man went to his fields4 ,while hoeing went on an army had gathered against his village#fg4 ,the enemy pursued him to the fields where he was4 ,when the man saw the army--let him try ever so much to shew his bottle--it happened that he had left it at the village1 and the enemy had taken it4 ,now the enemy caught the man and tied him with ropes 7of bark71 and took him to their home4 ,the capturers said1 8,don't kill him now1 we shall kill to-morrow when the people assemble04 ,then they went to put him in the slave-stick4 ,as he lay there1 a ,rat came1 and the man said1 8,who is it that is gnawing at my feet80#fh ,the ,rat answered and said1 8,i am a ,rat04 ,the man said1 8,if you are a ,rat1 go into the house of the chief1 and if you find his basket1 make a hole in it1 when you have made a hole1 if you find a bottle bring it and come here04 ,so the ,rat set off and went into the house of the chief and found the basket4 ,it was lying so4 ,then came the ,rat and made a hole in the basket and took the bottle and went with it to the bondman4 ,the bondman said1 8,i will pay you in the morning04 ,in the morning as soon as it was dawn1 the king assembled all his people1 and went to bring forth the man from his prison4 ,he had his bottle with him4 ,he was set down in the forum4 ,some said1 8,fetch the spear to kill him04 ,he produced his bottle4 ,the people who sat there when he held it up were dead and gone6 ,the man took all the property and called his friend the ,rat and divided it with him4 #ea4 ,,hide ,,and ,,seek4 ,the honey bird and the bat formed a friendship4 ,the honey bird said1 8,let us play at hiding04 ,so the bat went under the trees near the river 7or lake7 7nyasa74 ,then came the likuse and swallowed the bat1 a crocodile swallowed the likuse1 and a hippopotamus swallowed the crocodile4#fi ,the honey bird was going about in search of his friend1 but without finding him4 ,as he was returning from his search he met a hippopotamus and shot it4 ,the hippopotamus died4 ,the honey bird went away to the village to call the people to cut up the meat4 ,many people collected and went to that meat4 ,as they were cutting it up1 they found the crocodile in the inside 7chitumbo7 of the hippopotamus4 ,on opening the crocodile they found the likuse1 on opening the likuse they found the bat4 ,the bat came forth and said1 8,you have gained04 ,next the honey bird went away4 ,it went into a hole 7in a tree7 of bees4 ,the bat then went about in search of its friend4 ,in returning from this1 it found bees4 ,the bat then said1 8,i will go away to the village04 ,then it took fire and said1 8,i will fetch my bees 7honey7 ,i found there04 ,it carried the fire to the tree and began to fell the tree1 which came down4 ,as it looked at the bees1 it found the honey bird there4 ,it said1 8,take care1 take care1 we are going to burn04 ,so the honey bird came out of the tree4 ,the bat and the honey bird then sang4 ,both went home to the village laughing4 ,when they arrived porridge#gj was cooked and they feasted4 ,the honey bird and the bat said1 8,let us hide again04 ,the honey bird had a gun1 the bat had a bow4 ,the honey bird went to the bush1 and killed a buffalo1 and then went inside his gun1 and the meat just lay there4 ,the bat came and found the meat lying1 but did not see where its owner had gone4 ,though he called1 all was silent--the owner came not4 ,the bat went to the village to call the people1 saying1 8,i have found meat yonder1 which the honey bird has slain1 but ,i have not found where he has gone himself1 only the gun is lying there04 ,an offering was then pounded by his wives and put on the top of the buffalo he had slain4 ,the honey bird then came out of the gun1 and cut up the buffalo1 and it was carried to the village4 ,the honey bird said1 8,cook the hearts#ga that we may eat10 and they were cooked4 ,all the people that carried ate the hearts 7mitima74 ,next the bat went away with his bow to the bush1 and shot a buck 7ndogolo7 and it died4 ,the bat itself then went into the reed of the arrow4 ,the honey bird found the meat of the bat4 ,though he tried to see where it had gone itself1 he failed1 and he said1 8,i must just go back to the village to tell that the bat has slain meat04 ,then the honey bird went away to the village to tell many people4 ,the bat's wives prepared an offering1 and put on the head of the buck4 ,the bat then came out of the reed4 ,the buck was cut open and carried to the village1 and the bat said1 8,cook its heart0 7hearts71 and the heart was cooked and all eaten4 ,then they were happy together saying1 8,we have played at hiding every day04 #eb4 ,,the ,,man ,,with ,,dogs4 ,there was a man that had ten dogs4 ,early in the morning he had porridge cooked for them1 and went away to the bush1 and killed ten marsh-pigs4 ,when they were running after another it began to rain1 and the man ran to a cave with his dogs4 ,before he was well seated he saw an aged one coming1 and the aged one began to ask1 8,who is sitting in the cave80 ,the man then came out of the cave and climbed a tree4 ,the aged one said1 8,now you are eaten10 and began to fell the tree4#gb ,when the tree was about to fall they heard a bird 7,mlamba7 saying1 8,the tree of ,god shall never fall04 ,the old man again began to fell it2 they heard the same little bird saying1 8,the tree for the ,offering will never fall04 ,they heard a mpuli#gc crying1 8,puli60 when one dog died--8,puli60 another dog died1 and so all the dogs were finished4 ,the man then began to call the dog at the village which wore the beads4 ,let the mpuli try to sing again--they heard the dog call 8,puli60 and the aged one died4 ,at the end of this tale the narrator gave the advice to keep dogs found in tale #cf4 ,the native dogs look so unpromising that recommendations of this kind are not uncalled for4 #ec4 ,,the ,,girl ,,that ,,refused ,a ,,husband4 ,there was a girl that refused men1#gd and there came a hyena and married her4 ,the hyena said1 8,i will conduct her to my home that she may pay a visit04 ,his mother-in-law said1 8,she does not pound4 ,she only pounds castor-oil beans40#ge ,the son-in-law said1 8,yes10 and she accompanied him on the journey and arrived at the village4 ,at the village they staid 7slept7 four days3 then the husband said1 8,i will go and cut bark 7to make cloth704 ,he told his chief wife saying1 8,that girl does not pound04 ,when the husband went away1 his wife went for the husked grain and said1 8,girl1 pound this04 ,the girl said1 8,i do not pound1 ,i can only pound castor-oil beans04 ,she said1 8,who will pound for you8 ,take the mortar1 put in your grain1 and pound04 ,as she pounded water appeared up to her loins1 she pounded again1 and it was at her neck1 as she tried again1 she was covered over4 ,a little bird followed after her master1 saying1 8,your wife is dead04 ,when he returned from his bark cloth he found the water everywhere4 ,the man then took his small sticks1 and said1 8,piti1 piti1 ukosolya mbinji04 ,as for the water it was not seen where it had gone4 ,the people then came out1 and the man said1 8,what did ,i tell you then8 ,i said that the girl could not pound4 ,what you won't hear1 you hear when your head is boiling in a pot40#gf #ed4 ,,the ,,guinea ,,fowl4#gg ,as the guinea-fowl flew1 it found bamboos springing up1 and it called the partridge and the dove1 and all the birds and said1 8,this is springing up1 come together and look at it1 it will destroy people4 ,come let us peck it while it grows40 ,the partridge refused and said1 8,i will look out for myself04 ,the guinea fowl said1 8,i have warned you now04 ,so they left the bamboos growing4 ,when they were grown then came men and found the foot-prints of guinea fowl and said1 8,come let us set traps10 and they said1 8,go and cut bamboos10 so they cut bamboos and set traps4 ,as the guinea fowl passed1 it found the partridge caught1 and said1 8,ah6 ,i warned you saying1 #8,come let us peck that which was springing up'4 ,when you objected it sprung up1 and now people have taken it and made a trap1 and you are caught40 ,the partridge said1 8,it was for you they set it1 and you have escaped04 ,the partridge continued1 8,release me1 peck the cord1 peck it with your beak1 when it is broken let us flee and escape40 ,as the guinea fowl pecked1 the partridge was pecked in the eye and died4 ,then came a man4 ,the guinea fowl flew away4 ,he said1 8,a guinea fowl was here and has fled04 ,he took off his belt and set for the guinea-fowls4 ,then he went off to return to the village1 and he took the partridge4 ,he found the river swollen4#gh ,as he crossed1 the water took away his clothes4 ,when he came to the village they said1 8,where did you put your calico04 ,he said1 8,it was taken away by the water04 ,they said1 8,you did not make it firm with your belt04 ,he replied1 8,i left my belt to snare guinea fowl40 ,they plucked the partridge and cooked it4 ,while his wife was cooking it1 she went out to the stream for water4 ,the man took a plate and took off a leg and went to a chamber saying1 8,i will eat it in the chamber04 ,but the woman came and washed the ladle and took a plate1 and took off one leg1 and went to the chamber4 ,the man then went away before he had eaten1 and said1 8,she will see me1 ,i must hide my plate04 ,the woman said 7aside71 8,i must hide my plate1 lest he see it04 ,she said to him1 8,let me pass1 let me pass to the door04 ,the man said1 8,where are you going80 ,she said1 8,let me pass10 and the plates met--thwack6 and were broken4 ,she said1 8,what did you carry80 ,he said1 8,what did you carry80#gi ,she said1 8,eating a relish alone6 ,i was tasting it40 ,he said1 8,and ,i was tasting it too60 ,the man took goods and gave the woman1 and said1 8,do not bring disgrace on me04 ,the woman brewed beer1 and gave the man1 and the matter ended4 ,the native husband is highly susceptible to ridicule4 ,the next story has a similar conclusion4 #ee4 ,,the ,,man ,,with ,,the ,,bran ,,porridge4 ,there was a man that did not eat bran-porridge1 and he married at a village1 and built a house with rooms4 ,then he killed an elephant1 and carried its tusks to the coast4 8,good-bye1 my wife2 ,i go a journey to buy goods04 8,take bran1 eat it on the way40 8,i don't eat bran1 but flour02 and he set off to the coast1 and sold his ivory2 and he got a fez--he got it to the bargain4 8,now1 good-bye1 my friend10 the other said--8,good-bye2 you will meet us next year2 bring more ivory again4 ,we shall sell you more goods4 ,we shall tell you the price of goods2 come to say farewell40 ,he went to the house to say farewell1 and went off for his home in the ,yao country4 ,he arrived at the village there1 and they rejoiced that the caravan had come and brought goods4 ,the woman pounded corn#hj and put the bran in a plate1 and went to the stream to wash the husked grain4 ,the man took the bran and put it in his hat 7the new fez71 and took water1 and put it in1 and stirred1 and ate4 ,the woman then came to the door1 and he took the hat and covered his head to hide the bran-porridge2 lest his wife should see him4 8,there1 ,i said ,i did not eat bran-porridge2 my wife will laugh at me40 ,his wife said1 8,what is that on your head1 that you are hiding80 ,he said1 8,medicine that ,i prepared--for the journey04 ,as the bran-porridge trickled down1 he said1 8,oh1 my wife1 hunger1 hunger4 ,some hunger eats weeds of the field1 some hunger eats what is bad4 ,after hoeing for food1 we shall eat what is nice at a feast4 ,my wife1 do not tell people that ,i was seen with bran-porridge on my head4 ,i will pay you with goods40 ,so he paid her with goods4 ,the woman brewed beer1 and people collected1 and danced and feasted4 #ef4 ,,disobedience4 ,a man and his wife went to the garden to hoe4 ,the wife saw a nang'kabai 7a bird71 and told her husband4 ,he shot it and gave the children to cook4 ,as they were cooking the bird sang a song1 8,roast me well1 roast me well60 ,they took it to their father1 and it sang again1 8,roast me well1 te1 le2 te1 le1 roast me well60 ,he said1 8,it is nothing1 ,i will eat it04 ,then he called his wife and said1 8,now1 that food is cooked1 divide it for me4 ,i will eat it40 ,so his wife divided it for him and he ate it to his porridge4#ha ,next morning they went to the field and said to their children1 8,you must wait to cook the porridge for breakfast to which the party will return at mid-day4 ,see that you don't eat of that bird40 ,they said1 8,we understand1 we will not eat it04 ,after that the daughter cooked porridge1 and brought some#hb and gave her brother fowl for a relish4 ,then her brother refused the fowl and said1 8,i will eat of the bird to my porridge04 ,as he ate he began to grow the horns of a rhinoceros1 and a tail4 ,his sister heard#hb a breaking of plates and cried1 8,tembo1 what are you doing80 ,then he came out of the house and began to chase his sister4 ,his sister began to sing1 8,mother you are in the field1 ,tembo has become a rhinoceros4 ,but your daughter is not a rhinoceros40 ,the woman said1 8,my husband1 a person is coming and singing a song3 perhaps it is our children04 ,but her husband struck her#hc and said1 8,you are lazy1 you do not want to hoe04 ,the wife said1 8,no1 ,i am not lazy10 and soon they heard it again4 ,and they saw their daughter coming running from a rhinoceros4 ,the father took his gun and killed the rhinoceros4#hd ,such was the fate of the disobedient boy4#he ,,footnotes #a ,after the subject of ,civil ,jurisdiction was re-adjusted by ,commissioners sent out for the purpose1 criminal cases were specially considered by a lay superintendent in the ,mission1 and the offenders were kept in slave-sticks by the headman of some of the ,blantyre villages4 ,any headman performed this task with great zest when the offender was an alien1 but when obliged to confine one of his own people 7his #8brothers'71 he grumbled very much4 #b ,one of the last cases where a flogging was proposed1 took place in the following manner3--,a drunk man threatened to make a martyr of one ,englishman whom he attacked with an axe4 ,after a struggle1 however1 he was caught and laid past for a flogging4 ,when told of the matter ,i was very anxious that the poor fellow should be spared this4 ,he was a native doctor--a man of some standing among his tribe4 ,fortunately the white man that had been assaulted was one who could make allowance for a native4 ,next night ,i got hold of an interpreter and went to reason with the prisoner1 pointing out that he had forgotten himself1 and was most likely to feel the consequences4 ,i explained that ,i was sorry for him1 but that ,i could do nothing to help him1 and that the only way of escaping was to tell the injured party that he was sorry for what had happened4 ,i don't know how he worded his apology1 but next morning he was described as having been let off because he was so very penitent6 #c ,often spelt ,zambesi4 ,where my spelling of ,african names differs from what is sometimes seen in ,english books1 ,i had a reason4 ,my attention was directed to the subject in the following manner3--,one day ,i spent a long time in setting down the derivations of several ,african names4 ,to my great annoyance1 ,i felt that in many cases ,i was busying myself about words which no ,african native had ever heard6 ,hence1 although sometimes complying with use and wont1 ,i have often given what ,i think the more correct spelling4 ,the ,portuguese are more fortunate in spelling native names than ,english writers are4 ,only when a man like ,luther could spell his own name in four different ways 7,luther1 ,ludher1 ,lutter1 ,lother71 people that are not etymologists or phonographers1 may excuse some laxity in writing ,african words4 #d 7,i-am7 the-driver-away-of-the-pigs3 but owing to the abridged notation the gentleman would go down on the roll-book as ,mr4 ,pigs4 #e ,the translation 8,deliver as from the ,evil ,one10 adopted in the ,revised ,version1 is not so easily understood by persons that hear the prayer for the first time4 ,but 7as will be seen from the #crd and #dth chapters of ,vol4 ,i41 as well as from the ,native ,tales in the ,appendix7 the supernatural world of the ,african is by no means tenantless4 ,moreover1 the negro is very eager to hear all that the ,european has to say on this subject4 ,when a ,missionary rendered the well-known words addressed to ,nathanael1 8,hereafter ye shall see heaven open1 and the angels of ,god crawling up and crawling down upon the ,son of ,man10 he was soon asked to explain what he meant by 8angels06 ,the moment the native understood they were spirits1 he was able to improve the translation which had led him to place them in a different category4 #f ,our stockades were formed of growing trees4 #g ,this sentence of mine was published in the ,church ,missionary ,record1 but the words1 and truly1 were inadvertently omitted4 ,they were1 however1 in the original letter4 #h ,since my return to ,england1 ,i was told in a letter from a native that this man still figures as a kidnapper1 and that he recently lighted a great fire and threw some children into it1 who were reduced to ashes4 #i ,although many native females saw the disturbance1 they did not come to speak 7 #fh74 #aj ,page #bah4 #aa ,even one of the ,deputation publicly declared that blame was due not 8on account of wrong doing1 but of want of action04 ,now the one object that ,i had aimed at1 was to act towards the ,committee's colony at ,blantyre exactly as clergymen act towards colonies in all parts of the world1 while ,i understood that the ,lay ,missionaries were to go on with the colonial work in the same way as they had been doing before my arrival4 ,according to the minute of appointment1 ,i had been sent out as 8,clerical ,head of the ,mission10 and ,i had always given the ,committee credit for knowing the laws of the ,church too well to make me anything else4 ,but now it appeared that we had been playing at cross purposes3 for the ,directors began to insist that 8,clerical ,head of the ,mission0 really meant 8,civil ,governor of the ,colony04 #ab ,on one occasion there was a great conflagration at ,zomba1 in which a house was burned down4 ,although the danger was great a certain native was not afraid to mount on the roof4 ,he then called for water1 but the only method available was to hand up some in an old tea-kettle1 which his companions did4 ,he might as well have hoped to extinguish the flames by throwing on a pinch of snuff4 ,still he persevered1 but1 which was more ridiculous1 when the fire came nearer1 the man became very thirsty1 and had to drink a large percentage of the water with which he expected to extinguish the flames6 #ac ,the ,anyasa name for a hippopotamus is mvu1 the ,yao name is ndomondo4 ,the first word is undoubtedly taken from the snorting of the animal1 while the second word may be taken from the splash with which the animal returns to the river after feeding on the bank4 #ad ,on such a journey as ours the traveller may make every day so much of a ,sabbath or so little of a ,sabbath 7as the case may be7 that he loses his reckoning4 ,it is exceedingly easy for a person to do this1 and having nothing to refer to he becomes quite helpless4 ,we were told that on one occasion1 on ,lake ,nyassa1 a party of ,missionaries mistook their days1 and while 8one day in seven0 was diligently observed by them1 8the first day of the week0 was profaned6 #ae ,the longer one labours in ,africa the more does he feel what a call there is in that land for ,missionary effort4 ,christian agency could effect a great deal more if better directed4 ,here we have a land teeming with population4 ,each ,missionary has a field for himself alone1 perhaps as extensive as ,great ,britain which has its thousands of ,clergy4 ,in a quiet rural parish of ,scotland we may have the ,united ,presbyterian1 the ,free ,church1 and the ,church of ,scotland 7all three ,presbyterian47 ,this gives us three clergymen doing a work which one clergyman could easily accomplish4 ,in the interests of ,christ's ,kingdom this is surely a pernicious arrangement which is all the worse if the various ,christian bodies instead of fighting with ,home ,heathenism fight with each other4 ,what a great deal might be done 8to make disciples of all nations0 by employing existing agents6 ,but it is said 8,clergymen are unwilling to go to heathen lands04 ,this raises the question1 #8,what encouragement have they to become ,missionaries8' ,the ,church of ,england1 for instance1 has no difficulty in finding ,clergymen who will become ,bishops4 ,a great deal depends upon the inducements that are held out1 and we may say so without implying that the ,english ,bishop is more mercenary or less self-denying than a city ,missionary4 #af ,since the above was written we have received the sad news that this devoted servant of ,god has been called away4 ,his death will be a great loss not only to his own ,mission1 but to the whole cause of ,african ,missions4 ,while at ,blantyre we occasionally corresponded with him1 and it was with interest and sympathy that he looked upon our work in the region once occupied by one of his predecessors4 ,indeed he had himself laboured for a short time as far inland as ,morumbala4 ,his contributions to the study of ,african languages are of the greatest value4 #ag ,clapping the hands is a form of salutation4 ,his elder brother whom he succeeded is now his god4 #ah ,besides regarding the strength of armies1 the natives look greatly to the cleverness of those that possess tempting property1 believing1 as they do1 that a clever man is sure to have a powerful war-medicine4 #ai ,here we may trace some hazy idea about the use of spectacles4 #bj ,we translate the sorcerer's name4 #ba ,simwe was the name of the chief4 #bb ,the fruit of a native tree4 ,the creation of these men reminds us of the story of ,cadmus1 while a disappearance of this kind is common in other native tales2 sometimes the people go away because 8called by their birth names0 7 #eb74 #bc ,parenthetical remark made by the narrator4 #bd ,this character is always given to the hyena 7litunu71 which corresponds to the wolf in ,european tales4 #be ,nothing is commoner than to see natives carrying porridge in leaves4 #bf ,the original is ,rabbit or ,hare4 #bg ,this would be the certain result of shouting 8war04 #bh ,monkeys are an article of food4 #bi ,a native version of 8,once upon a time there lived a man04 #cj ,a similar story is found in ,bishop ,callaway's ,zulu collection4 ,the name of the hero there is ,uthlakanyana4 #ca ,i translated this from ,chinyasa1 ,i had also several ,yao versions of the tale1 one of which says that the occasion of the bargain was that they had knocked their hoes together4 #cb ,the word for 8roast0 in ,chiyao is ,kalanga1 hence the name ,kalikalanje4 #cc ,or field4 #cd ,it is quite common to see this mode of wearing the hair4 ,as the natives wear so little clothing1 it is difficult to describe a person so as to make identification easy4 #ce ,perhaps preparatory to hoeing4 #cf ,in some of the largest native pumpkins a rabbit might be concealed4 #cg ,this story comes from a native of ,quilimane1 and resembles a ,european tale found in ,grimm's ,collection4 #ch ,the ,anyasa have the same word for bees as for honey4 ,if we were to translate the above so as to make this evident1 we should have 8much honey of life10 or1 8much living honey04 ,the ,yao have two different words4 #ci ,many tales speak of fatal results from bees4 ,the unclothed native we might think1 would be peculiarly helpless among them4 ,still1 by using fire1 he soon secures the honey4 #dj ,nyama applies to the animal when alive1 as well as to the flesh4 #da ,in this way it is usual for villagers on the river banks to challenge canoes4 ,it would be very unusual for the crews to pass on without heeding the call1 for then the villagers might fire on them4 ,it is no excuse to speak of 8being in a hurry0 in this land4 ,the same rule applies in the case of strangers passing a village4 ,europeans1 however1 are understood to be always in great haste1 and are seldom interrupted4 #db ,the ,hottentots have tales whose main feature is an incident like this4 #dc ,a man stays at his wife's village4 #dd ,a present of calico is usual at betrothals4 #de ,the ordinary dress does not distinguish a male from a female1 bangles would4 #df ,all these arrangements are concessions that the hare obtains before the 8marriage40 #dg ,a cleverness like this is much prized and practised by the natives4 #dh ,the man is allowed his meat and the compensation besides4 ,but for the promise made by the thief1 his life would not have been spared4 ,all these fables are in exact accordance with native customs4 #di ,this is one way in which the natives may 8over-draw their bills04 ,the promise does not seem in the least strange to those acquainted with the slave system4 #ej ,the elder brother is the head of the family or small clan 7#ig74 #ea ,a general that led an army against the ,scotch ,highlanders was said to have committed a great mistake in putting his baggage behind his army1 and not in front4 ,if the goods had been in front1 they would have absorbed all his enemy's attention6 ,the appearance of eatables will divert the mind of a native king amidst the most pressing civil cases4 #eb ,anything sweet is greatly liked4 ,we often used to give the natives sweetmeats4 ,at first they were afraid to taste them4 ,after a time1 however1 their desire for these things became insatiable4 #ec ,we should rather speak of putting on the handle 7see ,h74 #ed ,simple humour like this is greatly enjoyed by the natives4 ,i suppose their hares 7sungula7 like ,english ones1 are most easily killed by a stroke on the head4 #ee ,the village according to native law 7#ig71 would belong to their father-in-law1 and neither they nor their wives could succeed him4 ,the father-in-law even if he had no younger brothers1 would be succeeded by the children of his eldest sister4 #ef ,people always march in ,indian or rather in ,african file4 ,the paths do not admit of two going abreast4 ,even after a wide road is made1 the natives still march behind each other 7one by one71 in a long line4 #eg ,natives often act thus1 knowing perhaps that the value of their word is very little4 #eh ,abridged4 ,in the native tales we always have repetitions like what are found in ,homer's ,iliad and such ancient books4 #ei ,in these genderless languages1 we have for father-in-law and mother-in-law the same word in the original4 ,but for native glosses1 ,i should have been inclined to translate #8father-in-law' all through4 #fj 8,tie0 is always used for 8build04 ,their houses are 8tied0 together4 ,even in the houses built for the mission there was not a single iron nail4 #fa ,same word4 #fb ,private parties often settle differences thus4 ,two women will roll in the mud biting and scratching each other like furies4 ,they don't tear each other's hair1 their hair being so short2 but their comparative nudity makes biting convenient4 #fc ,a good specimen of native divorce4 #fd ,this tale is exceedingly common--in various versions4 #fe ,hoeing is one method of self-preservation1 when one is caught by a bush fire4 ,these fires are exceedingly dangerous4 ,the smoke accompanying them is quite blinding4 ,on one occasion ,i was rescued by natives from considerable danger4 #ff ,the usual good-bye4 #fg ,a common experience in these unsettled lands4 #fh ,the natives sleep through this treatment4 ,the ,european awakes with a scream6 #fi ,natives are fond of working out a long series of this kind4 #gj ,a great element in native rejoicings4 ,it is the negro's bread4 #ga ,the word here includes heart1 lungs1 liver1 stomach1 entrails--all the inner part of the animal4 ,the natives eat these first1 and may preserve the rest of the meat4 #gb ,many ,zulu stories have incidents like the above4 ,in another version ,i was told that the instrument used by the old man was his teeth4 #gc ,the great number of birds have their names formed from their notes1 the root being often doubled as ngwale-gwale4 #gd ,a tale which is very common under various form4 ,such tales are meant to impress the mind of the young ,african girl with the danger of not taking the husband that she has been bound to4 ,they are used in connection with the mysteries1 and have built up a public opinion which is too strong for any poor girl to resist4 ,many young girls applied at the mission to be freed from this kind of bondage4 #ge ,used for anointing 7ornamenting7 the person4 #gf ,this is a native proverb which applies to people that are not moved by the prospect of danger4 #gg ,communicated by ,mr4 ,buchanan4 #gh ,in the rainy season1 streams that one can easily leap over1 become in a few hours quite impassible4 #gi ,there being no windows it is very dark inside native huts4 #hj ,natives do not keep food or even flour in readiness1 and the slow cooking is a great trial to a hungry man4 #ha ,their porridge like our bread is seldom eaten alone--but milk is not used to it4 #hb ,the brother and sister1 though sharing their food with each other1 eat apart4 #hc ,when a man goes to hoe1 one of his reasons is that he may be on the spot to keep his wives from trifling6 #hd ,the natives have two names for a rhinoceros according to the number of its horns4 ,similarly they have one word for a black cat and quite a different word for a red cat4 ,if we try to derive the names of all animals1 c41 from sounds produced by them or associated with them we meet a difficulty here4 ,the natives have about twenty different names for beads according as they are black1 blue1 c41 c4 ,the scarcity of adjectives makes this necessary to some extent4 #he ,such stories1 stupid as they seem1 are valued by the guardians of children and impress the infant mind with lessons of obedience4