The Personal Life of David Livingstone/CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XII.
THE ZAMBESI, AND FIRST EXPLORATION OF THE SHIRÉ.
A.D. 1858-1859.
Dr. and Mrs. Livingstone sail in the "Pearl"--Characteristic instructions to members of Expedition--Dr. Livingstone conscious of difficult position--Letter to Robert--Sierra Leone--Effects of British Squadron and of Christian Missions--Dr. and Mrs. Moffat at Cape Town--Splendid reception there--Illness of Mrs. Livingstone--She remains behind--The five years of the Expedition--Letter to Mr. James Young--to Dr. Moffat--Kongone entrance to Zambesi--Collision with Naval Officer--Disturbed state of the country--Trip to Kebrabasa Rapids--Dr. Livingstone applies for new steamer--Willing to pay for one himself--Exploration of the Shiré--Murchison Cataracts--Extracts from private Journal--Discovery of Lake Shirwa--Correspondence--Letters to Agnes Livingstone--Trip to Tette--Kroomen and two members of Expedition dismissed--Livingstone's vindication--Discovery of Lake Nyassa--Bright hopes for the future--Idea of a colony--Generosity of Livingstone--Letters to Mr. Maclear, Mr. Young, and Sir Roderick Murchison--His sympathy with the "honest poor"--He hears of the birth of his youngest daughter.
On the 10th March 1858, Dr. Livingstone, accompanied by Mrs.
Livingstone, their youngest son, Oswell, and the members of his
Expedition, sailed from Liverpool on board Her Majesty's colonial
steamer, the "Pearl," which carried the sections of the "Ma-Robert," the
steam launch with Mrs. Livingstone's African name, which was to be
permanently used in the exploration of the Zambesi and its tributaries.
At starting, the "Pearl" had fine weather and a favorable wind, and
quickly ran down the Channel and across the Bay of Biscay. With that
business-like precision which characterized him, Livingstone, as soon as
sea-sickness was over, had the instructions of the Foreign Office read
in presence of all the members of the Expedition, and he afterward wrote
out and delivered to each person a specific statement of the duties
expected of him.
In these very characteristic papers, it is interesting to observe that his first business was to lay down to each man his specific work, this being done for the purpose of avoiding confusion and collision, acknowledging each man's gifts, and making him independent in his own sphere. While no pains were to be spared to make the Expedition successful in its scientific and commercial aims, and while, for this purpose, great stress was laid on the subsidiary instructions prepared by Professor Owen, Sir W. Hooker, and Sir R. Murchison, Dr. Livingstone showed still more earnestness in urging duties of a higher class, giving to all the same wise and most Christian counsel to maintain the _moral_ of the Expedition at the highest point, especially in dealing with the natives:
"You will understand that Her Majesty's Government attach
more importance to the moral influence which may be exerted
on the minds of the natives by a well-regulated and orderly
household of Europeans, setting an example of consistent
moral conduct to all who may congregate around the
settlement; treating the people with kindness, and relieving
their wants; teaching them to make experiments in
agriculture, explaining to them the more simple arts,
imparting to them religious instruction, as far as they are
capable of receiving it, and inculcating peace and good-will
to each other.
"The expedition is well supplied with arms and ammunition,
and it will be necessary to use these in order to obtain
supplies of food, as well as to procure specimens for the
purposes of Natural History. In many parts of the country
which we hope to traverse, the larger animals exist in great
numbers, and, being comparatively tame, may be easily shot. I
would earnestly press on every member of the expedition a
sacred regard to life, and never to destroy it unless some
good end is to be answered by its extinction; the wanton
waste of animal life which I have witnessed from
night-hunting, and from the ferocious, but childlike, abuse
of the instruments of destruction in the hands of Europeans,
makes me anxious that this expedition should not be guilty of
similar abominations.
"It is hoped that we may never have occasion to use our arms
for protection from the natives, but the best security from
attack consists in upright conduct, and the natives seeing
that we are prepared to meet it. At the same time, you are
strictly enjoined to exercise the greatest forbearance toward
the people; and, while retaining proper firmness in the event
of any misunderstanding, to conciliate, as far as possibly
can be done with safety to our party.
"It is unnecessary for me to enjoin the strictest justice in
dealing with the natives. This your own principles will lead
you invariably to follow, but while doing so yourself, it is
decidedly necessary to be careful not _to appear_ to
overreach or insult any one by the conduct of those under
your command....
"The chiefs of tribes and leading men of villages ought
always to be treated with respect, and nothing should be done
to weaken their authority. Any present of food should be
accepted frankly, as it is impolitic to allow the ancient
custom of feeding strangers to go into disuse. We come among
them as members of a superior race, and servants of a
Government that desires to elevate the more degraded portions
of the human family. We are adherents of a benign, holy
religion, and may, by consistent conduct, and wise, patient
efforts, become the harbingers of peace to a hitherto
distracted and trodden-down race. No great result is ever
attained without patient, long-continued effort. In the
enterprise in which we have the honor to be engaged, deeds of
sympathy, consideration, and kindness, which, when viewed in
detail, may seem thrown away, if steadily persisted in, are
sure, ultimately, to exercise a commanding influence. Depend
upon it, a kind word or deed is never lost."
Evidently, Dr. Livingstone felt himself in a difficult position at the head of this enterprise. He was aware of the trouble that had usually attended civil as contrasted with naval and military expeditions, from the absence of that habit of discipline and obedience which is so firmly established in the latter services. He had never served under Her Majesty's Government himself, nor had he been accustomed to command such men as were now under him, and there were some things in his antecedents that made the duty peculiarly difficult. On one thing only he was resolved: to do his own duty to the utmost, and to spare no pains to induce every member of the Expedition to do his. It was impossible for him not to be anxious as to how the team would pull together, especially as he knew well the influence of a malarious atmosphere in causing intense irritability of temper. In some respects, though not the most obvious, this was the most trying period of his life. His letters and other written papers show one little but not uninstructive effect of the pressure and distraction that now came on him--in the great change which his handwriting underwent--the neat, regular writing of his youth giving place to a large and heavyish hand, as if he had never had time to mend his pen, and his only thought had been how to get on most quickly. Yet we see also, very clearly, how nobly he strove after self-control and conciliatory ways. The tone of courtesy, the recognition of each man's independence in his own sphere, and the appeal to his good sense and good feeling, apparent in the instructions, show a studious desire, while he took and intended to keep his place as Commander, to conceal the symbols of authority, and bind the members of the party together as a band of brothers. And though in his published book, _The Zambesi and its Tributaries_, which was mainly a report of his doings to the Government and the nation, he confined himself to the matters with which he had been intrusted by them, there are many little proofs of his seeking wisdom and strength from above with undiminished earnestness, and of his striving, as much as ever, to do all to the glory of God.
As the swift motion of the ship bears him farther and farther from home, he cannot but think of his orphan children. As they near Sierra Leone, on the 25th March, he sends a few lines to his eldest son:
"MY DEAR ROBERT,--We have been going at the rate of 200 miles
a day ever since we left Liverpool, and have been much
favored by a kind Providence in the weather. Poor Oswell was
sorely sick while rolling through the Bay of Biscay, and ate
nothing for about three days; but we soon got away from the
ice and snow to beautiful summer weather, and we are getting
nicely thawed. We sleep with all our port-holes open, and are
glad of the awning by day. At night we see the Southern
Cross; and the Pole Star, which stands so high over you, is
here so low we cannot see it for the haze. We shall not see
it again, but the same almighty gracious Father is over all,
and is near to all who love Him. You are now alone in the
world, and must seek his friendship and guidance, for if you
do not lean on Him, you will go astray, and find that the way
of transgressors is hard. The Lord be gracious to you, and
accept you, though unworthy of his favor."
Sierra Leone was reached in a fortnight. Dr. Livingstone was gratified to learn that, during the last ten years, the health of the town had improved greatly--consequent on the abatement of the "whisky fever," and the draining and paving of the streets through the activity of Governor Hill. He found the Sunday as well kept as in Scotland, and was sure that posterity would acknowledge the great blessing which the operations of the English Squadron on the one hand and the various Christian missions on the other had effected. He was more than ever convinced, notwithstanding all that had been said against it, that the English Squadron had been a great blessing on the West Coast. The Christian missions, too, that had been planted under the protection of the Squadron, were an evidence of its beneficial influence. He used constantly to refer with intense gratitude to the work of Lord Palmerston in this cause, and to the very end of his life his Lordship was among the men whose memory he most highly honored. Often, when he wished to describe his aim briefly, in regard to slavery, commerce, and missions, he would say it was to do on the East Coast what had been done on the West. At Sierra Leone a crew of twelve Kroomen was engaged and taken on board for the navigation of the "Ma-Robert," after it should reach the Zambesi. On their leaving Sierra Leone, the weather became very rough, and from the state of Mrs. Livingstone's health, inclining very much to fever, it was deemed necessary that she, with Oswell, should be left at the Cape, go to Kuruman for a time, and after her coming confinement, join her husband on the Zambesi in 1860. "This," says Livingstone in his Journal, "is a great trial to me, for had she come on with us, she might have proved of essential service to the Expedition in case of sickness or otherwise; but it may all turn out for the best." It was the first disappointment, and it was but partially balanced by his learning from Dr. Moffat, who, with his wife, met them at the Cape, that he had made out his visit to Mosilikatse, and had learned that the men whom Livingstone had left at Tette had not returned home, so that they would still be waiting for him there. He knew of what value they would be to him in explaining his intentions to the natives. From Sir George Grey, the excellent Governor of the Cape, and the inhabitants of Cape Town generally, the Expedition met with an unusually cordial reception. At a great meeting at the Exchange, a silver box containing a testimonial of eight hundred guineas was presented to Livingstone by the Governor; and two days after, a grand dinner was given to the members of the Expedition, the Attorney-General being in the chair. Mr. Maclear was most enthusiastic in the reception of his friend, and at the public meeting had so much to say about him that he could hardly be brought to a close. It must have been highly amusing to Livingstone to contrast Cape Town in 1852 with Cape Town in 1858. In 1852 he was so suspected that he could hardly get a pound of gunpowder or a box of caps while preparing for his unprecedented journey, and he had to pay a heavy fine to get rid of a cantankerous post-master. Now he returns with the Queen's gold band round his cap, and with brighter decorations round his name than Sovereigns can give; and all Cape Town hastens to honor him. It was a great victory, as it was also a striking illustration of the world's ways.
It is not our object to follow Dr. Livingstone into all the details of his Expedition, but merely to note a few of the more salient points, in connection with the opportunities it afforded for the achievement of his object and the development of his character. It may he well to note here generally how the years were occupied. The remainder of 1858 was employed in exploring the mouths of the Zambesi, and the river itself up to Tette and the Kebrabasa Rapids, a few miles beyond. Next year--1859--was devoted mainly to three successive trips on the river Shiré, the third being signalized by the discovery of Lake Nyassa. In 1860 Livingstone went back with his Makololo up the Zambesi to the territories of Sekelétu. In 1861, after exploring the river Rovuma, and assisting Bishop Mackenzie to begin the Universities' Mission, he started for Lake Nyassa, returning to the ship toward the end of the year. In 1862 occurred the death of the Bishop and other missionaries, and also, during a detention at Shupanga, the death of Mrs. Livingstone: in the latter part of the year Livingstone again explored the Rovuma. In 1863 he was again exploring the Shiré Valley and Lake Nyassa, when an order came from Her Majesty's Government, recalling the Expedition. In 1864 he started in the "Lady Nyassa" for Bombay, and thence returned to England.
On the 1st May, 1858, the "Pearl" sailed from Simon's Bay, and on the 14th stood in for the entrance to the Zambesi, called the West Luabo, or Hoskins's Branch. Of their progress Dr. Livingstone gives his impressions in the following letter to his friend Mr. James Young:
"'PEARL,'10_th May_, 1858.
"Here we are, off Cape Corrientes ('Whaur's that, I
wonner?'), and hope to be off the Luabo four days hence. We
have been most remarkably favored in the weather, and it is
well, for had our ship been in a gale with all this weight on
her deck, it would have been perilous. Mrs. Livingstone was
sea-sick all the way from Sierra Leone, and got as thin as a
lath. As this was accompanied by fever, I was forced to run
into Table Bay, and when I got ashore I found her father and
mother down all the way from Kuruman to see us and help the
young missionaries, whom the London Missionary Society has
not yet sent. Glad, of course, to see the old couple again.
We had a grand to-do at the Cape. Eight hundred guineas were
presented in a silver box by the hand of the Governor, Sir
George Grey, a fine fellow. Sure, no one might be more
thankful to the Giver of all than myself. The Lord grant me
grace to serve Him with heart and soul--the only return I can
make!... It was a bitter parting with my wife, like tearing
the heart out of one. It was so unexpected; and now we are
screwing away up the coast.... We are all agreeable yet, and
all looking forward with ardor to our enterprise. It is
likely that I shall come down with the 'Pearl' through the
Delta to doctor them if they become ill, and send them on to
Ceylon with a blessing. All have behaved well, and I am
really thankful to see it, and hope that God will graciously
make some better use of us in promoting his glory. I met a
Dr. King in Simon's Bay, of the 'Cambrian' frigate, one of
our class-mates in the Andersonian. This frigate, by the way,
saluted us handsomely when we sailed out. We have a
man-of-war to help us (the 'Hermes'), but the lazy muff is
far behind. He is, however, to carry our despatches to
Quilimane...."
A letter to Dr. Moffat lets us know in what manner he was preparing to teach the twelve Kroomen who were to navigate the "Ma-Robert," and his old Makololo men:
"First of all, supposing Mr. Skead should take this back by
the 'Hermes' in time to catch you at the Cape, would you be
kind enough to get a form of prayer printed for me? We have
twelve Kroomen, who seem docile and willing to be taught;
when we are parted from the 'Pearl' we shall have prayers
with them every morning.... I think it will be an advantage
to have the prayers in Sichuana when my men join us, and if
we have a selection from the English Litany, with the Lord's
Prayer in Sichuana, all may join. Will you translate it,
beginning at 'Remember not, Lord, our offenses,' up to 'the
right way'? Thence, petition for chiefs, and on to the
end.... The Litany need not be literal. I suppose you are not
a rabid nonconformist, or else I would not venture to ask
this...."
By the time they reached the mouth of the Zambesi, Livingstone was suffering from a severe attack of diarrhoea. On the 16th of May, being Sunday, while still suffering, he deemed it a work of necessity, in order to get as soon as possible out of the fever-breeding region of mangrove swamps where they had anchored, that they should at remove the sections of the "Ma-Robert" from the "Pearl"; accordingly, with the exception of the time occupied in the usual prayers, that day was spent in labor. His constant regard for the day of rest and great unwillingness to engage in labor then, is the best proof that on this occasion the necessity for working was to his mind absolutely irresistible. He had found that active exercise every day was one of the best preventives of fever; certainly it is very remarkable how thoroughly the men of the Expedition escaped it at this time. In his Journal he says: "After the experience gained by Dr. M'William, and communicated to the world in his admirable _Medical History of the Niger Expedition_, I should have considered myself personally guilty had any of the crew of the 'Pearl' or of the Expedition been cut off through delay in the mangrove swamps." Afterward, when Mrs. Livingstone died during a long but unavoidable delay at Shupanga, a little farther up, he was more than ever convinced that he had acted rightly. But some of his friends were troubled, and many reflections were thrown on him, especially by those who bore him no good-will.
The first important fact in the history of the Expedition was the discovery of the advantage of the Kongone entrance of the Zambesi, the best of all the mouths of the river for navigation. Soon after a site was fixed on as a depôt, and while the luggage and stores were being landed at it, there occurred an unfortunate collision with the naval officer, who tendered his resignation. At first Livingstone declined to accept of it, but on its being tendered a second time he allowed the officer to go. It vexed him to the last degree to have this difference so early, nor did he part with the officer without much forbearance and anxiety to ward off the breach. In his despatches to Government the whole circumstances were fully detailed. Letters to Mr. Maclear and other private friends give a still more detailed narrative. In a few quarters blame was cast upon him, and in the Cape newspapers the affair was much commented on. In due time there came a reply from Lord Malmesbury, then Foreign Secretary, dated 26th April, 1859, to the effect that after full inquiry by himself, and after consulting with the Admiralty, his opinion was that the officer had failed to clear himself, and that Dr. Livingstone's proceedings were fully approved. Livingstone had received authority to stop the pay of any member of the Expedition that should prove unsatisfactory; this, of course, subjected his conduct to the severer criticism.
When the officer left, Livingstone calmly took his place, adding the charge of the ship to his other duties. This step would appear alike rash and presumptuous, did we not know that he never undertook any work without full deliberation, and did we not remember that in the course of three sea-voyages which he had performed he had had opportunities of seeing how a ship was managed--opportunities of which, no doubt, with his great activity of mind, he had availed himself most thoroughly. The facility with which he could assume a new function, and do its duties as if he had been accustomed to it all his life, was one of the most remarkable things about him. His chief regret in taking the new burden was, that it would limit his intercourse with the natives, and prevent him from doing as much missionary work as he desired. Writing soon after to Miss Whately, of Dublin, he says: "It was imagined we could not help ourselves, but I took the task of navigating on myself, and have conducted the steamer over 1600 miles, though as far as my likings go, I would as soon drive a cab in November fogs in London as be 'skipper' in this hot sun; but I shall go through with it as a duty." To his friend Mr. Young he makes humorous reference to his awkwardness in nautical language: "My great difficulty is calling out 'starboard' when I mean 'port,' and feeling crusty when I see the helmsman putting the helm the wrong way."
Another difficulty arose from the state of the country north of the Zambesi, in consequence of the natives having rebelled against the Portuguese and being in a state of war. Livingstone was cautioned that he would be attacked if he ventured to penetrate into the country. He resolved to keep out of the quarrel, but to push on in spite of it. At one time his party, being mistaken for Portuguese, were on the point of being fired on, but on Livingstone shouting out that they were English the natives let them alone. On reaching Tette he found his old followers in ecstasies at seeing him; the Portuguese Government had done nothing for them, but Major Sicard, the excellent Governor of Tette, had helped them to find employment and maintain themselves. Thirty had died of small-pox; six had been killed by an unfriendly chief. When the survivors saw Dr. Livingstone, they said: "The Tette people often taunted us by saying, 'Your Englishman will never return;' but we trusted you, and now we shall sleep." It gave Livingstone a new hold on them and on the natives generally, that he had proved true to his promise, and had come back as he had said. As the men had found ways of living at Tette, Livingstone was not obliged to take them to their home immediately.
One of his first endeavors after reaching Tette was to ascertain how far the navigation of the Zambesi was impeded by the rapids at Kebrabasa, between twenty and thirty miles above Tette, which he had heard of but not seen on his journey from Linyanti to Quilimane. The distance was short and the enterprise apparently easy, but in reality it presented such difficulties as only his dogged perseverance could have overcome. After he had been twice at the rapids, and when he believed he had seen the whole, he accidentally learned, after a day's march on the way home, that there was another rapid which he had not yet seen. Determined to see all, he returned, with Dr. Kirk and four Makololo, and it was on this occasion that his followers, showing the blisters on their feet burst by the hot rocks, told him, when he urged them to make another effort, that hitherto they had always believed he had a heart, but now they saw he had none, and wondered if he were mad. Leaving them, he and Dr. Kirk pushed on alone; but their boots and clothes were destroyed; in three hours they made but a mile. Next day, however, they gained their point and saw the rapid. It was plain to Dr. Livingstone that had he taken this route in 1856, instead of through the level Shidina country, he must have perished. The party were of opinion that when the river was in full flood the rapids might be navigated, and this opinion was confirmed on a subsequent visit paid by Mr. Charles Livingstone and Mr. Baines during the rainy season. But the "Ma-Robert" with its single engine had not power to make way. It was resolved to apply to Her Majesty's Government for a more suitable vessel to carry them up the country, stores and all. Until the answer should come to this application, Dr. Livingstone could not return with his Makololo to their own country.
While making this application, he was preparing another string for his bow. He wrote to his friend Mr. James Young that if Government refused he would get a vessel at his own expense, and in a succession of letters authorized him to spend £2000 of his own money in the purchase of a suitable ship. Eventually, both suggestions were carried into effect. The Government gave the "Pioneer" for the navigation of the Zambesi and lower Shiré; Livingstone procured the "Lady Nyassa" for the Lake (where, however, she never floated), but the cost was more than £6000--the greater part, indeed, of the profits of his book.
The "Ma-Robert," which had promised so well at first, now turned out a great disappointment. Her consumption of fuel was enormous; her furnace had to be lighted hours before the steam was serviceable; she snorted so horribly that they called her "The Asthmatic," and after all she made so little progress that canoes could easily pass her. Having taken much interest in the purchase of the vessel, and thought he was getting a great bargain because its owner professed to do so much through "love of the cause," Livingstone was greatly mortified when he found he had got an inferior and unworthy article; and many a joke he made, as well as remarks of a more serious kind, in connection with the manner which the "eminent shipbuilder" had taken to show his love.
Early in 1859 the exploration of the Shiré was begun--a river hitherto absolutely unknown. The country around was rich and fertile, the natives not unfriendly, but suspicious. They had probably never been visited before but by man-stealers, and had never seen Europeans. The Shiré Valley was inhabited by the Manganja, a very warlike race. Some days' journey above the junction with the Zambesi, where the Shiré issues from the mountains, the progress of the party was stopped by rapids, to which they gave the name of the "Murchison Cataracts." It seemed in vain to penetrate among the people at that time without supplies, considering how suspicious they were. Crowds went along the banks watching them by day; they had guards over them all night, and these were always ready with their bows and poisoned arrows. Nevertheless, some progress was made in civilizing them, and at a future time it was hoped that further exploration might take place.
Some passages in Livingstone's private Journal give us a glimpse of the more serious thoughts that were passing through his mind at this time:
"_March_ 3, 1859.--If we dedicate ourselves to God
unreservedly He will make use of whatever peculiarities of
constitution He has imparted for his own glory, and He will
in answer to prayer give wisdom to guide. He will so guide as
to make useful. O how far am I from that hearty devotion to
God I read of in others! The Lord have mercy on me a sinner!"
"_March 5th_.--A woman left Tette yesterday with a cargo of
slaves (20 men and 40 women) in irons to sell to St. Cruz [a
trader], for exportation at Bourbon. Francisco at Shupanga is
the great receiver for Cruz. This is carnival, and it is
observed chiefly as a drinking feast."
"_March 6th_.--Teaching Makololo Lord's Prayer and Creed.
Prayers as usual at 9-1/2 A.M. When employed in active
travel, my mind becomes inactive, and the heart cold and
dead, but after remaining some time quiet, the heart revives
and I become more spiritually-minded. This is a mercy which I
have experienced before, and when I see a matter to be duty I
go on regardless of my feelings. I do trust that the Lord is
with me, though the mind is engaged in other matters than the
spiritual. I want my whole life to be out and out for the
Divine glory, and my earnest prayer is that God may accept
what his own Spirit must have implanted--the desire to
glorify Him. I have been more than usually drawn out in
earnest prayer of late--for the Expedition--for my
family--the fear lest ----'s misrepresentation may injure the
cause of Christ--the hope that I may be permitted to open
this dark land to the blessed gospel. I have cast all before
my God. Good Lord, have mercy upon me. Leave me not, nor
forsake me. He has guided well in time past. I commit my way
to Him for the future. All I have received has come from Him.
Will He be pleased in mercy to use me for his glory? I have
prayed for this, and Jesus himself said, 'Ask, and ye shall
receive, and a host of statements to the same effect. There
is a great deal of trifling frivolousness in not trusting in
God. Not trusting in Him who is truth itself, faithfulness,
the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever! It is presumption
not to trust in Him implicitly, and yet this heart is
sometimes fearfully guilty of distrust. I am ashamed to think
of it. Ay; but He must put the trusting, loving, childlike
spirit in by his grace. O Lord, I am Thine, truly I am
Thine--take me--do what seemeth good in Thy sight with me,
and give me complete resignation to Thy will in all things."
Two months later (May, 1859), a second ascent of the Shiré was performed, and friendly relations were established with a clever chief named Chibisa, "a jolly person, who laughs easily--which is always a good sign." Chibisa believed firmly in two things--the divine right of kings, and the impossibility that Chibisa should ever be in the wrong. He told them that his father had imparted an influence to him, which had come in by his head, whereby every person that had heard him speak respected him greatly. Livingstone evidently made a great impression on Chibisa; like other chiefs, he began to fall under the spell of his influence.
Making a détour to the east, the travelers now discovered Lake Shirwa, "a magnificent inland lake." This lake was absolutely unknown to the Portuguese, who, indeed, were never allowed by the natives to enter the Shiré. Livingstone had often to explain that he and his party were not Portuguese but British. After discovering this lake, the party returned to the ship, and then sailed to the Kongone harbor, in hopes of meeting a man-of-war and obtaining provisions. In this, however, they were disappointed.
Some idea of the voluminous correspondence carried on by Dr. Livingstone may be formed from the following enumeration of the friends to whom he addressed letters in May of this year: Lords Clarendon and Palmerston, Bishop of Oxford, Miss Burdett Coutts, Mr. Venn, Lord Kinnaird, Mr. James Wilson, Mr. Oswell, Colonel Steele, Dr. Newton of Philadelphia, his brother John in Canada, J.B. and C. Braithwaite, Dr. Andrew Smith, Admiral F. Grey, Sir R. Murchison, Captain Washington, Mr. Maclear, Professor Owen, Major Vardon, Mrs. Livingstone, Viscount Goderich.
Here is the account he gave of his proceedings to his little daughter Agnes:
"_River Shiré, 1st June_ 1859.--We have been down to the
mouth of the river Zambesi in expectation of meeting a
man-of-war with salt provisions, but, none appearing on the
day appointed, we conclude that the Admiral has not received
my letters in time to send her. We have no post-office here,
so we buried a bottle containing a letter on an island in the
entrance to Kongone harbor. This we told the Admiral we
should do in case of not meeting the cruiser, and whoever
comes will search for our bottle and see another appointment
for 30th of July. This goes with despatches by way of
Quilimane, and I hope some day to get from you a letter by
the same route. We have got no news from home since we left
Liverpool, and we long now to hear how all goes on in Europe
and in India. I am now on my way to Tette, but we ran up the
Shiré some forty miles to buy rice for our company. Uncle
Charles is there, He has had some fever, but is better. We
left him there about two months ago, and Dr. Kirk and I,
with some fifteen Makololo, ascended this river one hundred
miles in the 'Ma-Robert,' then left the vessel and proceeded
beyond that on foot till we had discovered a magnificent lake
called Shirwa (pronounced Shurwah). It was very grand, for we
could not see the end of it, though some way up a mountain;
and all around it are mountains much higher than any you see
in Scotland. One mountain stands in the lake, and people live
on it. Another, called Zomba, is more than six thousand feet
high, and people live on it too, for we could see their
gardens on its top, which is larger than from Glasgow to
Hamilton, or about from fifteen to eighteen miles. The
country is quite a Highland region, and many people live in
it. Most of them were afraid of us. The women ran into their
huts and shut the doors. The children screamed in terror, and
even the hens would fly away and leave their chickens. I
suppose you would be frightened, too, if you saw strange
creatures, say a lot of Trundlemen, like those on the Isle of
Man pennies, come whirling up the street. No one was impudent
to us except some slave-traders, but they became civil as
soon as they learned we were English and not Portuguese. We
saw the sticks they employ for training any one whom they
have just bought. One is is about eight feet long, the head,
or neck rather, is put into the space between the dotted
lines and shaft, and another slave carries the end. When they
are considered tame they are allowed to go in chains.
[Illustration]
"I am working in the hope that in the course of time this
horrid system may cease. All the country we traveled through
is capable of growing cotton and sugar, and the people now
cultivate a good deal. They would grow much more if they
could only sell it. At present we in England are the mainstay
of slavery in America and elsewhere by buying slave-grown
produce. Here there are hundreds of miles of land lying
waste, and so rich that the grass towers far over one's head
in walking. You cannot see where the narrow paths end, the
grass is so tall and overhangs them so. If our countrymen
were here they would soon render slave-buying unprofitable.
Perhaps God may honor us to open up the way for this. My
heart is sore when I think of so many of our countrymen in
poverty and misery, while they might be doing so much good to
themselves and others where our Heavenly Father has so
abundantly provided fruitful hills and fertile valleys. If
our people were out here they would not need to cultivate
little snatches by the side of railways as they do. But all
is in the hands of the all-wise Father We must trust that He
will bring all out right at last.
"My dear Agnes, you must take Him to be your Father and
Guide. Tell Him all that is in your heart, and make Him your
confidant. His ear is ever open, and He despiseth not the
humblest sigh. He is your best friend and loves at all times.
It is not enough to be a servant, you must be a friend of
Jesus. Love Him and surrender your entire being to Him. The
more you trust Him, casting all your care upon Him, the more
He is pleased, and He will so guide you that your life will
be for his own glory. The Lord be with you. My kind love to
Grandma and to all your friends. I hope your eyes are better,
and that you are able to read books for yourself. Tell Tom
that we caught a young elephant in coming down the Shiré,
about the size of the largest dog he ever saw, but one of the
Makololo, in a state of excitement, cut its trunk, so that it
bled very much, and died in two days. Had it lived we should
have sent it to the Queen, as no African elephant was ever
seen in England. No news from mamma and Oswell.
Another evidence of the place of his children in his thoughts is found in the following lines in his Journal:
"_20th June_, 1859.--I cannot and will not attribute any of
the public attention which has been awakened to my own wisdom
or ability. The great Power being my Helper, I shall always
say that my success is all owing to his favor. I have been
the channel of the Divine Power, and I pray that his gracious
influence may penetrate me so that all may turn to the
advancement of his gracious reign in this fallen world.
"Oh, may the mild influence of the Eternal Spirit enter the
bosoms of my children, penetrate their souls, and diffuse
through their whole natures the everlasting love of God in
Jesus Christ! Holy, gracious, almighty Power, I hide myself
in Thee through Thy almighty Son. Take my children under Thy
care. Purify them and fit them for Thy service. Let the beams
of the Sun of Righteousness produce spring, summer, and
harvest in them for Thee."
The short trip from Kongone to Tette and back was marked by some changes in the composition of the party. The Kroomen being found to be useless, were shipped on board a man-of-war. The services of two members of the Expedition were also dispensed with, as they were not found to be promoting its ends. Livingstone would not pay the public money to men who, he believed, were not thoroughly earning it. To these troubles was added the constantly increasing mortification arising from the state of the ship.
It has sometimes been represented, in view of such facts as have just been recorded, that Livingstone was imperious and despotic in the management of other men, otherwise he and his comrades would have got on better together. The accusation, even at first sight, has an air of improbability, for Livingstone's nature was most kindly, and it was the aim of his life to increase enjoyment. In explanation of the friction on board his ship it must be remembered that his party were a sort of scratch crew brought together without previous acquaintance or knowledge of each other's ways; that the heat and the mosquitoes, the delays, the stoppages on sandbanks, the perpetual struggle for fuel[59], the monotony of existence, with so little to break it, and the irritating influence of the climate, did not tend to smooth their tempers or increase the amenities of life. The malarious climate had a most disturbing effect. No one, it is said, who has not experienced it, could imagine the sensation of misery connected with the feverish attacks so common in the low districts. And Livingstone had difficulties in managing his countrymen he had not in managing the natives. He was so conscientious, so deeply in earnest, so hard a worker himself, that he could endure nothing that seemed like playing or trifling with duty. Sometimes, too, things were harshly represented to him, on which a milder construction might have been put. One of those with whom he parted at this time afterward rejoined the Expedition, his pay being restored on Livingstone's intercession. Those who continued to enjoy his friendship were never weary of speaking of his delightful qualities as a companion in travel, and the warm sunshine which he had the knack of spreading around.
[Footnote 59: This was incredible. Livingstone wrote to his friend José Nunes that it took all hands a day and a half to cut one day's fuel.]
A third trip up the Shiré was made in August, and on the 16th of September Lake Nyassa was discovered. Livingstone had no doubt that he and his party were the discoverers; Dr. Roscher, on whose behalf a claim was subsequently made, was two months later, and his unfortunate murder by the natives made it doubtful at what point he reached the lake. The discovery of Lake Nyassa, as well as Lake Shirwa, was of immense importance, because they were both parallel to the ocean, and the whole traffic of the regions beyond must pass by this line. The configuration of the Shiré Valley, too, was favorable to colonization. The valley occupied three different levels. First there was a plain on the level of the river, like that of the Nile, close and hot. Rising above this to the east there was another plain, 2000 feet high, three or four miles broad, salubrious and pleasant. Lastly, there was a third plain 3000 feet above the second, positively cold. To find such varieties of climate within a few miles of each other was most interesting.
In other respects the region opened up was remarkable. There was a great amount of fertile land, and the products were almost endless. The people were industrious; in the Upper Shiré, notwithstanding a great love of beer, they lived usually to a great age. Cleanliness was not a universal virtue; the only way in which the Expedition could get rid of a troublesome follower was by threatening to wash him. The most disagreeable thing in the appearance of the women was their lip-ornament, consisting of a ring of ivory or tin, either hollow or made into a cup, inserted in the upper lip. Dr. Livingstone used to give full particulars of this fearful practice, having the idea that the taste of ladies at home in dress and ornament was not free from similar absurdity; or, as he wrote at this time to the Royal Geographical Society of Vienna, in acknowledging the honor of being made a corresponding member, "because our own ladies, who show so much virtuous perseverance with their waists, may wish to try lip-ornament too." In regard to the other sex, he informed the same Society: "I could see nothing encouraging for the gentlemen who are anxious to prove that we are all descended from a race that wore tails."
In the highland regions of the Shiré Valley, the party were distinctly conscious of an increase of energy, from the more bracing climate. Dr. Livingstone was thoroughly convinced that these highlands of the Shiré Valley were the proper locality for commercial and missionary stations. Thus one great object of the Expedition was accomplished. In another point of view, this locality would be highly serviceable for stations. It was the great pathway for conveying slaves from the north and northwest to Zanzibar. Of this he had only too clear evidence in the gangs of slaves whom he saw marched along from time to time, and whom he would have been most eager to release had he known of any way of preventing them from falling again into the hands of the slave-sellers. In this region Englishmen "might enjoy good health, and also be of signal benefit, by leading the multitude of industrious inhabitants to cultivate cotton, maize, sugar, and other valuable produce, to exchange for goods of European manufacture, at the same time teaching them, by precept and example, the great truths of our holy religion." Water-carriage existed all the way from England, with the exception of the Murchison Cataracts, along which a road of forty miles might easily be made. A small steamer on the lake would do more good in suppressing the slave-trade than half-a-dozen men-of-war in the ocean. If the Zambesi could be opened to commerce the bright vision of the last ten years would be realized, and the Shiré Valley and banks of the Nyassa transformed into the garden of the Lord.
From the very first Livingstone saw the importance of the Shiré Valley and Lake Nyassa as the key to Central Africa. Ever since, it has become more and more evident that his surmise was correct. To make the occupation thoroughly effective, he thought much of the desirableness of a British colony, and was prepared to expend a great part of the remainder of his private means to carry it into effect. On August 4th, he says in his Journal:
"I have a very strong desire to commence a system of
colonization of the honest poor; I would give £2000 or £3000
for the purpose. Intend to write my friend Young about it,
and authorize him to draw if the project seems feasible. The
Lord remember my desire, sanctify my motives, and purify all
my desires. Wrote him.
"Colonization from a country such as ours ought to be one of
hope, and not of despair. It ought not to be looked upon as
the last and worst shift that a family can come to, but the
performance of an imperative duty to our blood, our country,
our religion, and to humankind. As soon as children begin to
be felt an incumbrance, and what was properly in ancient
times Old Testament blessings are no longer welcomed, parents
ought to provide for removal to parts of this wide world
where every accession is an addition of strength, and every
member of the household feels in his inmost heart, 'the more
the merrier.' It is a monstrous evil that all our healthy,
handy, blooming daughters of England have not a fair chance
at least to become the centres of domestic affections. The
state of society, which precludes so many of them from
occupying the position which Englishwomen are so well
calculated to adorn, gives rise to enormous evils in the
opposite sex,--evils and wrongs which we dare not even
name,--and national colonization is almost the only remedy.
Englishwomen are, in general, the most beautiful in the
world, and yet our national emigration has often, by
selecting the female emigrants from workhouses, sent forth
the ugliest huzzies in creation to be the mothers--the model
mothers--of new empires. Here, as in other cases, State
necessities have led to the ill-formed and ill-informed being
preferred to the well-formed and well-inclined honest poor,
as if the worst as well as better qualities of mankind did
not often run in the blood."
The idea of the colony quite fascinated Livingstone, and we find him writing on it fully to three of his most confidential business friends--Mr. Maclear, Mr. Young, and Sir Roderick Murchison. In all Livingstone's correspondence we find the tone of his letters modified by the character of his correspondents. While to Mr. Young and Sir Roderick he is somewhat cautious on the subject of the colony, knowing the keen practical eye they would direct on the proposal, to Mr. Maclear he is more gushing. He writes to him:
"I feel such a gush of emotion on thinking of the great work
before us that I must unburden my mind. I am becoming every
day more decidedly convinced that English colonization is an
essential ingredient for our large success.... In this new
region of Highlands no end of good could be effected in
developing the trade in cotton and in discouraging that in
slaves.... You know how I have been led on from one step to
another by the overruling Providence of the great Parent, as
I believe, in order to a great good for Africa. 'Commit thy
way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will bring it to
pass.' I have tried to do this, and now see the prospect in
front spreading out grandly.... But how is the land so
promising to be occupied?... How many of our home poor are
fighting hard to keep body and soul together! My heart yearns
over our own poor when I see so much of God's fair earth
unoccupied. Here it is really so; for the people have only a
few sheep and goats, and no cattle. I wonder why we cannot
have the old monastery system without the celibacy. In no
other part where I have been does the prospect of
self-support seem so inviting, and promising so much
influence. Most of what is done for the poor has especial
reference to the blackguard poor."
In his letter to Mr. Young he expressed his conviction that a great desideratum in mission agency was missionary emigration by honest Christian poor to give living examples of Christian life that would insure permanency to the gospel once planted. He had always had a warm side to the English and Scottish poor--his own order, indeed. If twenty or thirty families would come out as an experiment, he was ready to give £2000 without saying from whom. He bids Mr. Young speak about the plan to Thorn of Chorley, Turner of Manchester, Lord Shaftesbury, and the Duke of Argyll. "Now, my friend," he adds, "do your best, and God's blessing be with you. Much is done for the blackguard poor. Let us remember our own class, and do good while we have opportunity. I hereby authorize you to act in my behalf, and do whatever is to be done without hesitancy."
These letters, and their references to the honest poor, are characteristic. We have seen that among Dr. Livingstone's forefathers and connections were some very noble specimens of the honest poor. It touched him to think that, with all their worth, their life had been one protracted struggle. His sympathies were cordially with the class. He desired with all his heart to see them with a little less of the burden and more of the comfort of life. And he believed very thoroughly that, as Christian settlers in a heathen country, they might do more to promote Christianity among the natives than solitary missionaries could accomplish.
His parents and sisters were not forgotten. His letters to home are again somewhat in the apologetic vein. He feels that some explanation must be given of his own work, and some vindication of his coadjutors:
"We are working hard," he writes to his mother, "at what some
can see at a glance the importance of, while to others we
appear following after the glory of discovering lakes,
mountains, jenny-nettles, and puddock-stools. In reference to
these people I always remember a story told me by the late
Dr. Philip with great glee. When a young minister in
Aberdeen, he visited an old woman in affliction, and began to
talk very fair to her on the duty of resignation, trusting,
hoping, and all the rest of it, when the old woman looked up
into his face, and said, 'Peer thing, ye ken naething aboot
it.' This is what I say to those who set themselves up to
judge another man's servant. We hope our good Master may
permit us to do some good to our fellow-men."
His correspondence with Sir Roderick Murchison is likewise full of the idea of the colony. He is thoroughly persuaded that no good will ever be done by the Portuguese. They are a worn-out people--utterly worn out by disease--their stamina consumed. Fresh European blood must be poured into Africa. In consequence of recent discoveries, he now sees his way open, and all his hopes of benefit to England and Africa about to be realized. This must have been one of Livingstone's happiest times. Visions of Christian colonies, of the spread of arts and civilization, of the progress of Christianity and the Christian graces, of the cultivation of cotton and the disappearance of the slave-trade, floated before him. Already the wilderness seemed to be blossoming. But the bright consummation was not so near as it seemed. One source of mischief was yet unchecked, and from it disastrous storms were preparing to break on the enterprise.
On his way home, Dr. Livingstone's health was not satisfactory, but this did not keep him from duty. "14_th October>_.--Went on 17th part way up to Murchison's Cataracts, and yesterday reached it. Very ill with bleeding from the bowels and purging. Bled all night. Got up at one A.M. to take latitude."
At length, on 4th November, 1859, letters reached him from his family. "A letter from Mrs. L. says we were blessed with a little daughter on 16th November, 1858, at Kuruman. A fine healthy child. The Lord bless and make her his own child in heart and life!" She had been nearly a year in the world before he heard of her existence.