Africana;

AFRICANA

OR,

THE HEAET OF HEATHEN AFRICA.

BY THE

Rev. DUFF MACDONALD, M.A., B.D.,

LATE OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND MISSION, BLANTYRE, EAST CENTRAL AFRICA.

Vol. II.— MISSION LIFE.

" Your vain conversation delivered by tradition from your fathers."

LONDON: SIMPKIN MAESHALL & CO.
EDINBUBGH: JOHN MENZIES & CO.
ABEBDEEN: A. BEOWN & CO.

18 82.

[^4 11 rights reserved.]

A' A' m'

THIS WORK IS INSCRIBED

IN REMEMBRANCE OF

THE GREATEST TRIALS PATIENTLY ENDURED

FOR THE GOOD OF AFRICA.

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2015

https://archive.org/details/africana02macd

CONTENTS OF VOL. II.

CHAPTER I. — Earlier Attempts to Christianise
Central Africa.

PAGE

Portuguese Discoveries. Early Missionaries — Santos, Carli,
Merolla. Exploration. Communication between
the East Coast and the West, . . . , . 1-9

CHAPTEE II. — The Universities' Mission to
Central Africa.

Livingstone and Slave Caravans. Battle with the Yao.
The Missionaries pledge themselves. Native
Treachery. Death of Bishop Mackenzie. Departure
from Magomero. The Mission Policy condemned.
The Field abandoned, 10-17

CHAPTER III— Scotch Missions.

The Scottish Churches. Missions at Livingstonia and Blan-
tyre. Relation between the Missions. Threatened
War. Part taken by the Europeans, . . . 18-25

CHAPTER TV.— Contact with Slavery.

The English Name. Slave Refugees. A Free Native Vil-
lage. Asylum for the Slave. Civil Jurisdiction,
Punishments, 26-37

viii Contents.

CHAPTER V.— Pioneer Work.

page

Difficulties. Industrial Work. Religious Work. Colonial
Work. Efforts made to find a Clergyman. Unfair
Position of Missionaries, 38-48

CHAPTER VI. — Quilimane to Blanttre.

Traces of early Missions. Detention at Quilimane. Jour-
ney to Mazaro. The Zanibeze. The Child. Hippopo-
tami, Lions, Elephants. The Native Kings, . . 49-72

CHAPTER VII.— The Mission Station.

The Houses. Fever. Artisans. Visitors. Neighbours.

Interpreters. School, 73-93

CHAPTER VIIL— First Half.

Translating and Teaching. Visiting. Diary. Native
Funeral. A Murder. The Blantyre Colony. Native
Law. Insecurity, 94-114

CHAPTER LX.— Second Half.

New Year's Day. Sewing Class. Housekeeping. School

Work. Native Wars 115-130

CHAPTER X.— Second Half— Continued.

Pilfering. The Station set on Fire. Expedition to Mlanje.
The Native Language. Scarcity. Trading Company.
Field for Emigration, 131-147

CHAPTER XL— Third Half.

Founding Zomba Mission. Lake Chirwa. Attack on the

Mission Carriers. A Slave Raid. Anxiety, . . 1 43-177

Contents.

ix

CHAPTEE XII.— Fourth Half.

PAGE

Improvements. Increase of Pupils. Boarders. Negro
Laziness. Preaching. Slavery, touching cases.
Missionary Methods. Amateur Physicians. At
Cherasulo and Zomba, 178-212

CHAPTEE XIII— Fifth Half.

Hermit Life. "War. Mission Difficulties. Kidnapping.
A Scare. "Wild Animals. Amusements. Visit to
Zomba. Young Elephants. Strange Eefugees, . 213-232

CHAPTEE XIV.— Sixth Half.

Native Headmen. Translating. Imprisonments. A Slav-
ing Chief. Sheep Stealing. Hopeful Pupils.
Evangelical "Work. The Colony again, . . . 233-261

CHAPTEE XV— Seventh Half.

Start for Scotland. "I wish to go with you." The Magololo.
Sabbath on the Eiver. "War in Front. Suspense.
Discomforts. A Native Crew. Magololo Harem.
Anyasa Carriers, ....... 262-287

CHAPTEE XVI— Conclusion.

"Work resumed. Eeturn of Pupils. Slavery. Second
Departure. Game. Adventure with Hippopotamus.
Matekenya's people. Morumbala. Mazaro. Civil
Jurisdiction again ! The Slave Trade. Quilimane.
Slaves in the land of their Captivity. Mission at
Zanzibar. Missionary Prospects in the Interior, . 288-315

APPENDIX. — Native Tales .

316-371

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

VOL. II.

PAGE

Magomero Mission, 10

Women of Mazaro, 61

Cutting up Hippopotamus for food, .... 64

The Blantyre Mission, 75

Native Female, 89

Mode of carrying in the hand, 121

The " Manse," Blantyre, 178

The Basket Makers, Blantyre, 185

Anyasa Village on the Chiri, 271

A dangerous Hippopotamus, 290

Hippopotami at Home, 293

Night Halt on the Eiver Bank, 296

The Kwagwa, 300

Chapter I,

EARLIER ATTEMPTS TO CHRISTIANISE
CENTRAL AFRICA.

The Ancients were not so ignorant about Africa as is
often supposed. Ever since that old Phenician fleet
went down the Red Sea and appeared, three years after-
wards, in the Mediterranean, people knew that it was
possible to sail round the Continent. It is said that the
great Portuguese explorers derived an impulse from old
maps which described Southern Africa as bounded by
sea, but in any case the Portuguese are justly celebrated
for their African discoveries, for all the knowledge on
this subject that came from antiquity was in their days
as faint as a half-forgotten dream.

No sooner had the Portuguese discovered places like
the " Empire of Monomotopa " than they wanted to
open them up. They sent their colonies and their
armies ; and the Church of Rome soon had missionaries
among the native tribes.

At Sofala the new settlers asked permission to build a
1 warehouse,' but built really a fortification. The native
king becoming aware of this, tried to surprise and

2

EARLY AFRICAN MISSIONS.

massacre them, but he failed, and they eventually be-
came masters of the country.

J oano Dos Santos tells us in his history of Eastern
Ethiopia how he left Portugal for Eastern Africa in
1586. His book contains several notes on the in-
habitants. He questioned them about their belief in
God, and inclines to think that at some period in the
past they had been acquainted with ' true religion '.
He mentions in confirmation of this that they kept
certain festivals with a strictness that might put Chris-
tians to shame. He found that they used 1 disagreeable
herbs ' for an ordeal, and thinks it is possible that the
Deity may interpose for the punishment of the guilty
and the acquittal of the innocent. He expresses the
view that the ordeal is founded on the Bible. The
natives were fond of showing him their hunting powers
and presenting him with what they caught.

In his book, which is more a history of the country
than of mission work, he takes note of the barbarous
customs of the people ; he speaks of their beer-drinkings,
which on special occasions would last for a week, during
which no one knew his companion. He mentions a tribe
near Tete where men, women, and children were kept in
pens, and killed and eaten in succession by their bar-
barous imprisoners. Sometimes the natives would over-
power the settlements of the Portuguese, who were then
treated in the most horrifying manner.

The monks that were in the country served more as
chaplains to the Portuguese armies than as missionaries
to the heathen. The Portuguese were endeavouring
to introduce some kind of order among the native

PORTUGUESE MISSIONARIES.

3

tribes, and to develop the resources of the country
especially in gold and silver mines. Hence the Portu-
guese soldiers appeared in this quarter following the
crucifix and the arms of Portugal. A successful chief
on the other side would don the ' clerical dress ' of some
monk that he had slain, and appear at the head of his
clan with the chalice in one hand and a spear in the
other. But in course of time the country became more
settled, and the missionaries had numerous stations.

On the west coast the Portuguese missionaries seem
to have laboured with great zeal. Father Carli (1666)
has recorded his experiences of African life both in health
and sickness, and many of his statements give a good
idea of inconveniences to be met with in Africa even at
the present day. He says, " 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 much,
running over me and biting my toes, which kept me
from sleep. I caused my bed to be put in the middle
of the room, but to no purpose, for those cursed
creatures knew where to find me. I caused mats to be
laid all about my bed for my blacks to lie on and
defend me, not only against the rats, but any other wild
creatures that might come. This precaution stood me
in no stead, for there was no night but the rats dis-
turbed me." In his distress he applied to the Great
Duke. " I took the freedom," he says, " to acquaint
the Great Duke with the trouble I had from the rats,
and the stink of my blacks who had always some wild
and disagreeable smell." The Duke promised him an
infallible cure, and sent him forthwith a tame monkey

4

EARLY AFRICAN MISSIONS.

which lay at the foot of his bed. When the rats
appeared the little monkey blew hard at them, two or
three times, which made them run away, and its scent
of musk corrected ' the ill smell' of the blacks. " The
little monkey," he adds, " kept my head and beard
clean and combed, better than any of the blacks would
have done ; and to say the truth, it is easier to teach
those monkeys than the blacks."

There is perhaps a note of bitterness and disappoint-
ment in the last remark, but those that can understand
the poor writer's condition at the time will readily for-
give it. For many weeks he had been watching by the
death-bed of his companion, and afterwards was pros-
trated by extreme sickness himself. He had no one with
him but the blacks, " who stole what they could and
brought him when they thought of it, a porringer of
broth ". One night his bed was attacked by a swarm
of ants, and he had to be carried outside. Alarms of
fire annoyed the poor invalid in the same way. Yet he
was not forgetful of his commission from the Church in
the way that he understood it. " Every day," he says,
" I baptised ten or twelve children ; and not being able
to sit up alone in my bed, was held up by two blacks,
another holding the book, and another the basin." The
instruction given at baptism was by no means elaborate,
even when the sacrament was administered to adults.
Though but a short time in the country he had baptised
an almost incredible number of natives. He says, as he
looks back on the ' great fatigues ' of his travels, that he
would think his days well spent " if but one of 2700
children and youths he baptized obtained salvation

BAPTISING.

5

through his ministry ". The good man, I have no doubt,
had some misgivings as to whether the mere rite of
baptism had permanently benefitted all that had received
it. His stay in the country though brief would be long
enough to raise doubts in his mind on that point. He
does not speak hopefully of all the baptized. If he had
been able to stay with them and teach them directly in
their own tongue, this criticism would be much modified.
Still the efforts of these missionaries would not be lost.
They tried to do God's work, and no one can have a
higher motive. If there be anything in their methods
that we now think inexpedient, let us learn the proper
lesson, and let us remember the courage and zeal they
manifested amidst their trials. Moreover, he does speak
of a school where natives were taught the Portuguese
language and received instruction in religion. Some of
them, " though blacks," showed considerable genius.
The people, he tells us, did not trouble about laying up
great stores of provisions ; they scarce cared in the
morning whether they should have anything at night.
When they accompanied the Father on any of his
journeys, sometimes he had nothing to give them be-
cause he had nothing for himself. Then they would
take a piece of wood for a mattock and cut up the
ground, and eat certain little white balls they found
near the roots of the grass. He says, " I could not for
the life of me swallow one of them, yet after such a
wretched meal they would skip, dance, and laugh as if
they had been at a feast ".

Merolla (1682) is one of the earliest to give a detailed
account of mission work in Central Africa. He and

6

EARLY AFEICAN MISSIONS.

his companions found themselves greatly opposed by
wizards, who were often seized and sent to the Portu-
guese Governor who condemned them to death. As the
native law itself possessed similar provisions, the people
supported the missionaries in this measure and assisted in
bringing wizards to justice. One of the laws introduced
was that after a person was absolved by the missionary,
he was freed from the consequences of any civil crime.
" If God has pardoned, how can man pretend to find
guilty ? " They had established the Confessional, and
many of them, like Luther, would try to make it a
means of correcting the faults and informing the minds
of their people.

They also had their troubles with slavery. A Cardi-
nal wrote them 1 in the name of the sacred college com-
plaining that the pernicious and abominable abuse of
selling slaves was still continued among them, and
asked them to use their power to remedy the said
abuse They had little hope of checking the evil,
because there was no trade in the country except ' in
slaves and ivory ' ; but they met together and petitioned
the authorities ' that heretics at least should be excluded
from this merchandise more especially the English who
made it their chief business to buy slaves here,' and
whose slaves were in danger of having the good prin-
ciples instilled into them perverted by contact with
Protestants ! The authorities granted their petition,
but opposed its operation. This brought the mission-
aries into serious collision w^ith their governors, whom,
however, they promptly excommunicated. When the
struggle was over, the Governors wished to be restored

MARRIAGE.

7

to the church, and the penance prescribed for them
is instructive, as showing how the Missionaries studied,
and tried to remodel, the whole social life of their
people. ' The penance I imposed upon the Count was
that he by his authority should oblige 300 of those that
lived in unlawful wedlock to marry.' The restored
Count did even more, he ' brought over 400 to the holy
state of matrimony '. On the whole the Missionaries
seem to have introduced greater purity into those
regions. They could also do much to prevent wars and
bloodshed. They had great influence with native rulers.
Occasionally kings and their subjects came expressing a
desire to be received into the Church in a body, but,
alas, their motives were not above suspicion — before
submitting to baptism, these converts insisted on making
stipulations about ' trade and commerce ' ; these stipula-
tions the Missionaries assented to and tried to fulfil.
On occasions of baptism, it was usual to bring presents
to the Mission, and nothing can better show the dis-
couragements that surrounded these men than the fact
that on such occasions they were often presented with
poisoned food. Merolla mentions seven Missionaries
that were thus poisoned, and he himself had a narrow
escape. They carried silver chalices, censers, &c, which
were, in some instances, an inducement to take
away their lives. They set themselves vigorously to
oppose all ' idolatry ' — under which head they classed
the native charms. They were not without apprehen-
sion of the power of sorcerers. Merolla mentions that
an old witch lay down on the ground beside him, and
began to scrape a hole in it. ' At the sight of this,' he

8

EARLY AFRICAN MISSIONS.

says, S I immediately ordered my interpreter to begone,
being more concerned for him than myself, for as a priest
that had always trusted in God, I doubted not but to
render her charms ineffectual as to myself.' But he
does not seem to have been quite at ease, and tried
afterwards to avoid her. He explains that when they
dig a hole thus in the ground they have the intention of
bewitching a person to death. In estimating the native
character, he says, ' The Negroes are both a malicious
and a subtle people, and I likewise must allow- that they
spend the most of their time in circumventing and
deceiving, yet I cannot allow that because they are
a stubborn soil they must be left uncultivated ' To
say that they are always obstinate and perverse, and
man-eaters is not to be made an objection against them,
because our Saviour says, ' Those that are well do not
stand in need of a physician \ He contends that they
really embrace Christianity

The above quoted Missionaries, it will be perceived, all
belonged to the Church of Eome, which was earliest at
work in this quarter of Africa. Their experiences are
valuable to this day, as showing the nature of the diffi-
culties to be met, and suggesting also that Missionaries
should study more and more closely the ideal of Mission
Life contained in the Acts of the Apostles. While
admitting that these men spent much of their time in
instructing their converts, 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 them. But printing

PORTUGUESE EXPLORERS.

9

presses were not easily procured in those days, and the
Missionaries did ' what they could '.

Before the time of Livingstone, the people of England
knew little or nothing of Central Africa. But the Portu-
guese were fairly familiar with it. They had explorers
as well as missionaries. Foremost among their explorers
was Dr. Lacerda, who set out from the neighbourhood
of Tete in July, 1798, and encountered quite his own
share of the difficulties of African travel. His carriers
left him in scores, and he was tortured by the fear that
they woultl all desert " in a body ". He had little confi-
dence in the tribes that he was to pass through ; and his
heart sank within him on finding that the natives with
him hardly knew how to use their muskets. After a
march of about three months, he died at Kazembe's.
Father Pinto kept a diary of the return journey, from
which it appears that the party sufTered much from
sickness and enemies. They had to fight their way
through the Awisa, and even after they were out of
Awisa territory, every little chief contrived either to
rob them or make them give up their goods as 'presents'.
They were so dispirited that the least threat made them
yield. Tete was so far civilised by this time, that Pinto
had a repugnance to appear on daylight except in
'decent clerical attire'. In 1806, Baptista performed
the journey across Africa between Angola and Tete,
and soon after, a decree was issued from the Palace of
Eio de Janeiro ordering the formation of a company of
pedestrians to be employed in the communication
between the East coast and the West.

Chapter II.

THE UNIVERSITIES' MISSION.

One brilliant effort to introduce Christianity into this
region of Africa was occasioned by the explorations of
Dr. Livingstone. An excellent staff of clergy headed
by Bishop Mackenzie was sent out by the English
Universities. The party reached the scene of their
work in July, 1861. They met with their first diffi-
culties at Mbami, a short day's march from the Shire.
A large caravan of 84 slaves brought from Zomba came
into this village, and Livingstone set the slaves free.
Bishop Mackenzie wrote on this occasion 1 Livingstone
is right to go with loaded guns and free the poor
slaves ; and there being so few English here, we are
right, though clergymen and preachers of the gospel, to
go with him '.

They soon chose Magomero, on a stream called the
Namasi, as the site of their first Mission station. The
rescued slaves felt that they were safe only with their
deliverers, and staid with them. The Wayao were now
pressing into the country of the Anyasa, killing, enslav-
ing, and spreading terror on all sides. On July 23rd,

A BATTLE.

11

Dr. Livingstone, the Bishop, and nearly all the party-
went toward their encampment. Dr. Livingstone told
them he was come for peace, but they did not believe
him, and a fight ensued. The Yao thought they were
more than a match for the Europeans and rushed
forward, but after receiving a few well directed rifle
shots they changed their minds. One Anyasa man was
slain on the English side, and another wounded.

By the 14th of August they were fully committed to
the policy of going against the Yao. The lesson this tribe
* had received already had not been sufficient, and great
bodies of them were pillaging the Anyasa. The latter
had applied to the Missionaries for aid, which, after
three days' deliberation, was promised them, on certain
conditions. These conditions were : —

" I. That all the chiefs then present should solemnly
promise that they would never buy or sell men, women,
and children again.

II. That all captives found with the Yao should be
perfectly free ; that no chief or person should claim any
one of them ; but that all should have liberty to go to
whom they liked, and where they liked.

III. That all chiefs present promise that they will
unite to punish any chief who sells his own people, or
the people of any other chief, and that each chief will
punish any of his own people found guilty of buying or
selling men, women, or children for slaves.

IV. That if any Portuguese or other foreign slavers
came into the land they would drive them away, or at
once let us know of their presence."

The Missionaries clearly saw what was needed, but

12 THE UNIVERSITIES' MISSION.

their theories were somewhat hold, at least for a begin-
ning. Probably if they had been as many weeks in the
country as they had been days, the idea of binding
natives to promises of this nature would have struck
them as a doubtful method. As I read these conditions
I think of the poor Interpreter that had to translate
them : the English idioms employed are not such as
would facilitate his task. The conditions, as we mio-ht
infallibly anticipate, were all received, and the English
undertook to help the Anyasa against the Yao. As we
might as infallibly anticipate from a slight knowledge of
the natives, those that appeared with guns on the event-
ful day had " no powder," and expected English ammu-
nition. August the 14th must have been felt to be the
beginning of a new era. All were up by four o'clock.
There were eight Englishmen, besides the great mul-
titude of Anyasa. The party marched straight on
Zomba, where a great body of Yao lay. A parley was
tried but failed. Then the battle began, and when the
Yao found that the English guns carried so far, they
were soon in retreat ; perhaps about five of them were
killed.

But the Yao tribe continued to give trouble. By
17th of October another march was made against them.
Though the Anyasa guns took about an hour to load,
the expedition was able to start at six in the morning.
The majority of the mission staff were unwell, and in no
fit state for such troubles. On the 18th the Mission
force reached Lake Shirwa. They found, as the Bishop
remarks, that they could rely on their Anyasa allies
" only for cowardice and falsehood". But the Wayao,

NATIVE TREACHERY.

13

instead of fighting, ran away after two shots were fired,
and the party went on and burned their huts.

During all this time, and in spite of difficulties and
interruption, the missionaries were labouring hard among
the natives. On the 4th of November the Bishop writes,
" We have plenty of room here for setting down six or
eight missions". On the 2nd of December another
interruption occurred. Messrs. Proctor and Scudamore,
two clergymen, went to see whether the Ruo could be
made available for the transport of goods. They were
received and treated civilly by Mwanasomba, a chief
near Mlanje, who offered them a hut to sleep in all
night. His plan was to burn this hut at midnight,
kill the missionaries, and then take possession of their
goods. The treachery was fortunately discovered, but
it was with difficulty that the party made their
escape.

On 31st December " it was arranged that they should
start very early, so as to get to Mwanasomba before
people were awake". " They were not going in private
revenge, but to free the captives and punish the robber
and would-be murderer in God's name. They had the
good word and the approval of the chiefs around."
When they were about half-an-hour from the village
they met Mwanasomba and his people who called out
" Stand still, do not come on," but when it was perceived
that the party was well armed and contained many
Englishmen Mwanasomba' s people ran away. The
natives with the English tried to catch some of the
opposite party for a consultation, but failed. The Eng-
lish party then pressed on to the village and set the huts

14

THE UNIVERSITIES' MISSION.

on fire. They recovered some of their go®ds, and found
a number of sheep, goats, and ducks, which would be a
great temptation to the natives that were with them.
As they were making their way through some reeds on
their return, they were fired on. Two of their natives
were wounded ; one afterwards died. The Bishop says,
" We had vindicated the English name, and had shown
in this neighbourhood that it is not safe to attack an
Englishman : and I hope the lesson may not be thrown
away on these people ".

On the 31st of January, 1862, Bishop Mackenzie died.
He had been little more than half-a-year on the Shire
Highlands, but he had fully faced all the difficulties and
trials of mission life there. A month before his death
he wrote, " I have much at times to depress me ; more
than ever I had. But I expected it, and must not com-
plain. I should not mind discouragement among the

J. O O

heathen, but it is among our Cape Town men." His
death was a great blow to the Mission. Still the Mission
was strong in its band of clergy, and they had one
medical man ; but war and famine desolated the country,
they had the greatest difficulty and anxiety in getting
food, sickness was ever among them, and death called
many of them away. The Eev. Mr. Burrup, a strong
young man, came into the country to die : he was buried
at Magomero.

In a short time the Station at Magomero was aban-
doned. A letter of Dr. James Stewart, now of Lovedale,
written in 1862, states that there was a stampede at the
end. " The Yao tribe had been ravaging the country
round about, and had come within a few miles of the

RETREAT FROM MAGOMEEO.

15

Station, which was threatened. Then a precipitate
retreat was made with nearly all their goods and chattels
down to the Eiver Shire." Both Dr. Livingstone and
Dr. Stewart thought the Mission had lost all "prestige".
I quote this merely to illustrate the atmosphere in which
the Missionaries lived. Everywhere was war, and they
may have felt to some extent unsettled. But they had
now been about a year in the country ; they had found
plenty of work to do in trying to acquire the language,
&c, and in proportion as they were busy these scares
would not so much affect them. But no doubt the
danger was great, and as they were suffering from fever
they would feel it all the more. The Anyasa were ever
asking their aid, but they ' determined to go and fight
for them no more,' and as they did not consider
Magomero a healthy site they settled on the banks of
the Shire. This was an advantage for communication,
but I fear they had by no means found a healthier spot.
The removal took place about May; on 1st January,
1863, the Eev. Mr. Scudamore died ; and in a short time
Mr. Dickinson, the surgeon, was in a grave beside him.
One of their greatest trials was want of food, which
rendered their position almost desperate. The Mission
never returned to the Shire Highlands again, although
some members like the Eev. Horace Waller were much
in favour of doing so, and this course would have
likely been pursued if the Mission had continued in
the country. But just as all their troubles seem to
have been overcome they withdrew. Most of the sur-
vivors were so reduced by sickness that it was necessary
for them to return home if they would save their lives.

16 THE UNIVEESITIES' MISSION.

One of their great difficulties had been to get pro-
visions. Large supplies were sent from England, but
scarcely anything reached them, as their stores were
plundered by the way. Many of the deaths might
have been prevented by proper food. It happened at
the same time, that there was a great famine in the
country, and it was difficult to get food for the poor
people that came under their protection. One sentence
from Mr. Rowley will describe this. " War and famine,"
he says, " had done their work, and ninety per cent of the
Anyasa were dead ; save in our immediate neighbour-
hood, the land was a desolation."

Their troubles with the natives had involved them in
misunderstanding with the Church at home. To quote
again from Mr. Rowley : — " The news from home, in-
formed us of the condemnation of our policy against
the Yao, by some of our friends at Oxford. This
did not come to us officially, for the committee simply
expressed confidence in us individually and collectively.
I do not think any of us were surprised that our
policy had been condemned, seeing the men who con-
demned it, did not understand the causes leading us
to adopt it, and the motives actuating us. We were
not angry ; but we were thankful that the Bishop
and Scudamore were removed from the pain, which
the manner of some in condemning, would have given
them."

In 1863, Livingstone refers to the famine and death
caused by the slave trade, and writes, " I have been
visiting Bishop Mackenzie's grave. At first, I thought
him wrong in fighting, but do not think so now."

THE DISTRICT ABANDONED. 17

Bishop Mackenzie's successor considered the country
too unsettled for continuing the Mission. For about
twelve years, nothing further was attempted for this
unhappy land.

2—2

Chapter III.

SCOTCH MISSIONS.

In the days of the Magomero Mission the Free Church
of Scotland had thought of Africa, and had sent out Dr.
Stewart to see the country. But at that time matters
were very discouraging : the difficulties of Mission work
had been clearly demonstrated, 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 England. Still, many Christians would think
of these heathen, and when Livingstone's death seemed
to call his countrymen to their duty, the Church of
Scotland and the Free Church awoke to a feeling of their
obligation to send the Gospel to Africa.

The first to move in the matter was the Rev. Dr.
MacRae of Hawick, who began to collect funds for a
Central African Mission in connection with the Church
of Scotland, and asked Mr. Young, R.N., to lead the
expedition. In a short time the Free Church also
entered heartily into the idea of sending a Mission to
Central Africa, and appealing to certain liberal and
wealthy members, soon secured the necessary funds, and

LAKE NYASSA.

19

applied also to Mr. Young. The naval officer made the
sensible suggestion that a sort of Scotch National Mis-
sion should be tried, but this idea was not entertained.
Dr. MacRae had not yet collected the necessary funds,
and when the Free Church party started, all he could
do was to send out one agent along with it.

In April, 1875, Mr. Henderson, the pioneer engaged
by the Church of Scotland to go to Lake Nyassa, was
introduced to the Foreign Committee by Dr. MacRae,
who then addressed him in these words : — " You will be
placed in circumstances in which you will feel that you
are an exile from home, and separate from your brethren.
In the path of duty in that far land you will encounter
difficulties, privations, and hazards, which it will require
no ordinary courage and patience to sustain and conquer;
and you will be brought into contact with scenes most
revolting to the sentiments of enlightened nature."

On arriving in Africa the Free Church missionaries
pressed on to Lake Nyassa, and settled at a station
which they called Livingstonia. Mr. Henderson started
from this Lake and passed down by Zomba till he
reached Ndilande, near which he chose a station, which
was named Blantyre, after Livingstone's birthplace.

Other agents for the Blantyre settlement were selected
in the course of the following year, when the Directors
appointed a medical missionary, Dr. Macklin, and five
artisans. Among the latter Mr. John Buchanan was
enrolled as gardener. The purpose before the mind of
the Church is well explained in its Missionary Record
as follows : —

" The Mission is industrial and evangelical, designed

20

SCOTCH MISSIONS.

to be a nucleus of advancing centres of Christian life
and civilisation to the Nyassa and surrounding region.
It is the first mission of the Church of Scotland to the
continent of Africa, her first contribution of Christian
love to the people who have been for ages the miserable
victims of blood and violence. 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 them." " It was observed with sur-
prise and regret that there were no ordained ministers
among the party, but the Directors hoped in the course
of a year to send out at least one clergyman and two or
three more artisans and teachers."

On 16th May, 1876, at a meeting held in Edinburgh,
this party were commended to the care of the Almighty.
On 16th June, they reached Capetown, and about a week
later, they found themselves at the ultimate limits of
civilisation ; and after they had travelled as far as they
could by the ordinary mail steamers, they chartered a
Swedish vessel called the Ansgarius. On 9th August,
they reached Quilimane. Mr. Henderson, who had gone
to wait for them at the mouth of the Zambeze, now
received a message requesting him to meet them at
Mazaro, which the party reached in the beginning of
September. Starting from Mazaro on 16th September,
they arrived at Makukani'S on 7th October, after a long
journey, during which they were never all free from
fever. It was 23rd October before they reached the
spot chosen for the Mission. At Blantyre there was a
native village, but as its chief had been recently killed
by Makukani, all the houses were deserted (41).

FEVER.

21

By the time they reached their destination some had
suffered severely, and were unable to walk. In those
days a large part of each man's time was spent in bed.
In this condition they were cut off from all communica-
tion with their friends. No letters could be sent home.
One of their first opportunities for writing was in April,
1877, when Mr. Henderson left the Mission.

It was a long time before the party regained health ;
but about the middle of 1877, we find letters reporting
considerable progress. One of these says : — " Mr.
Stewart has succeeded in making out a good line for a
water course. This will bring the water into the station,
and serve for irrigation as well. A large stream is not
necessary just now, but Mr. Stewart says twenty cubic
feet per -minute, or even thirty, can be got. This work,
however, will not be begun till the houses are finished."
Mr. Stewart was a civil engineer who, instead of
spending his Indian furlough in rest, went and engaged
in mission work in Africa.

Mr. Buchanan, writing in August, 1877, says : —
" Within the last two months Blantyre has got a very
different appearance from what it formerly had. Our
station is laid out in the form of a square — 100 yards
long and 55 yards broad. A road 11 feet wide goes
down both sides, and across both ends. In the centre
is a circle of 32 feet diameter. A road 12 feet wide
goes down the centre. From the centre, at the east
end, two roads take their start. One 400 yards long,
and 3 yards broad, runs in a south-easterly direction to
the stream where we get our water. Another 1000
yards long, and 4 yards broad, leads to the north-east in

22

SCOTCH MISSIONS.

the direction of Malunga's village ; the direction also to
Pimbd Another road, 700 yards long, and 4 yards
wide, leaves the centre at the west end, and leads in the
direction of Makukani's and the Shire\ A fourth road
from the south side goes to the rice ground. 60 yards
from the starting-point of the first two roads is one
crossing from the one to the other, and forming the
base of a triangle. In the centre of this triangle is a
mound 20 feet in diameter, in which at the proper
season I shall plant a few of the Eucalyptus globulus.
This angle is all I intend for a flower-garden, along with
some small spots besides these. Should flowers do well
this first season, it can be easily extended in the follow-
ing. On both sides of the square houses are being
built. Plans for eight are laid out, three are already
built. They are after what is called the Indian bungalow
style ; their dimensions are 30 feet by 20, with a
veranda of 5 feet all round. From the level of the floor
to the wall-plate is 10 feet, the perpendicular of the
couples 7 feet 6 inches. The frame is put up of posts
from 4 inches diameter, 45 inches apart ; bamboo is
tied on horizontally 8 inches apart ; sides, end, and roof
are thatched with grass. The walls are plastered out-
side and inside with mud, and finished with a white-
washing of lime. Tins is got by burning shells, which
the natives gather and bring for sale."

Relations between the Two Missions. — Although the
Church of Scotland and the Free Church have dif-
ferences at home, the missionaries sent to Africa felt
it to be their interest, as well as their duty, to over-
look such quarrels. The Missions needed each other's

CO-OPERATION.

23

assistance in various ways, and such assistance was
freely given. Those upon the spot saw that the
labours of both Missions were in the same cause. It
takes a long time to lay the simple Gospel message
before the natives in their own tongue. If a minister
were to begin by preaching to these poor negroes about
theories that separate good Christians at home, he
would be a miserable trifler. We believe that one
missionary got a hint from Scotland about " distinctive
principles," but he replied that he could not find a
native word to express these differences, and that he
did not care to invent one.

The Missions joined together in the transport of
provisions and the making of roads. On many oc-
casions the absence of one settlement would have been
a terrible calamity to the other. The missionaries were
dependent on supplies received from home. After
they ordered anything, a whole year would elapse be-
fore they received it, and occasionally a steamer would
sink with their goods. But for mutual help, the
missionaries would have been often reduced to ex-
tremities. The Church of Scotland had the healthier
station, and the Free Church men often went there to
recruit. At Blantyre it was possible to do a great deal
of work, both mental and physical, without suffering ;
but at Livingstonia, Europeans "had to be exceedingly
careful. Fever was ever lurking, ready to make them
a prey. They had to be on the shores of the Lake
for easy communication, but though they there en-
joyed a beautiful view of the Nyassa, they missed the
bracing influence of the mountainous regions.

24

SCOTCH MISSIONS.

Threatened War. — On July 16th, 1877, there were
alarming rumours of an incursion of the Mangoni
(Maviti). It was stated that they had crossed the
Chiri ; and the natives from all parts were fleeing to
the hills in great terror.

This country had been the scene of a constant suc-
cession of wars. In the time of the Magomero Mission,
the Yao drove the Anyasa out of the Blantyre region.
After this the Anyasa, under the Magololo, were con-
tinually making small attacks on the Yao, while the
latter were constantly retaliating. Then the Mangoni
appeared on the scene, and attacked both the Yao and the
Anyasa. They killed all that made any resistance, and
captured such as could not escape. The Yao ascended
their mountains, the Anyasa fled to islands in the Chiri,
while all their food and property fell into the hands of the
Mangoni. The Yao suffered most. Many of them were
surprised and killed, and those that escaped could only
look down with sad hearts from the tops of mountains
upon the invaders, who had possession of their wives and
children, and feasted upon their crops. It was

" The good old rule, the simple plan,
That he should take who has the power,
That he should keep who can."

Although the Yao had but lately profited by the maxim,
it was none the less bitter when applied to themselves.

When the Mangoni had consumed all the crops they
withdrew. The Yao then came down from their fast-
nesses and sowed another crop, but as soon as it
became valuable, the Mangoni appeared again. Others
might sow, but they would reap. This process was

REPELLING HOSTILE TRIBES.

25

carried on year after year. Some of the Mangoni
settled for a short time on the Blantyre side of the
Chiri. Yao chiefs were quite dispirited. But while
matters were at the darkest, the missionaries appeared
on the scene. A Yao headman said to me, " The
English are very clever. We could not tell them that
we were all dying — that the Mangoni were killing us,
but they knew themselves and came to help us "

On July 23rd, the missionaries held a meeting with
Kapeni and Malunga, regarding the defence of the
district, and the day after they began to load cartridges
with slugs, and to make bricks for a mud fort. In all
quarters of the country the natives seemed terribly
alarmed. From distant Zomba there came an embassy
to tell the Mission of the death of the former king or
chief. From Kumpama and Mkanda messages also
came, and it was clear that every native chief was
eager to secure the friendship of the Mission at that
crisis. It was an anxious time for the Europeans them-
selves. They thought it necessary to institute target
practice. The Mangoni being a branch of the Zulus,
were no contemptible foe. The danger happily passed
away, the Mangoni returned without attacking a single
village ; the occurrence was attributed to the presence
of the white men, and all the natives looked upon the
Europeans as their protectors. From the time that
the missionaries made their appearance, until now, the
Mangoni have not come at their wonted season. " They
were afraid to interfere with the friends of the white
men."

Chapter IV.

CONTACT WITH SLAVERY.

By and by not only oppressed tribes but oppressed
individuals looked to the Missions for succour. In the
interior the English name had long been associated with
opposition to slavery. The natives regarded Living-
stone and the members of the Universities' Mission as
the special friends of the slave. Such of them as had
visited the coast had picked up information about Eng-
lish ships of war which were the terror of the slave-
drivers.

The Free Church.— As, early as February, 1877, we
find Dr. Stewart saying : " 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 centre".
"When the Mission party arrived, there were hardly any
natives settled at Livingstonia. Soon many came seek-
ing protection, and were received by the missionaries.
It was proclaimed that any one that ran away to escape
being sold would be received. The great slaving chiefs,
as might be expected, would be against the Mission in
this polic}', but they took no hostile steps. It was

PROTECTING SLAVE REFUGEES.

27

seldom that owners inquired after refugees, and when
they did they had to go away very crestfallen. They
were told that refugees proved guilty of any crime would
be given up, but that innocent men and women crying
for English protection should not cry in vain. Dr.
Stewart had the Fugitive Slave Circular before his mind,
and recognised that many complications might arise,
and yet he expressed his conviction that the missionaries
could not do otherwise than they were doing.

Church of Scotland. — In the same manner the Direc-
tors of the Blantyre Mission proclaimed in their Eeports :
" No Arab gangs will come near an Englishman, if they
can help it. With them the English name is synony-
mous with destroyer of slavery. When Livingstone
was at Nyassa, they fled from his neighbourhood and
took to distant and circuitous paths to avoid meeting
him. This guilt and terror on their part is contrasted
with the confidence and reverence inspired by English-
men in the breasts of the natives. We are assured that
a Mission once established, they will settle around it,
receive our instructions and our help, place themselves
under our authority, and rise by order and Christian
observance into the state of civilised communities. What
is done on the coast, and at a vast expense (yet most
righteously), by vessels of war, will be done here by
Christian missions — with this difference, that in deliver-
ing the orphan, the outcast, and the captive, they will
introduce them to a home life of security and freedom,
will take them out of "the low prison, and show them
'the glorious liberty of the children of God'."

An extract from a letter of Dr. Macklin's, of 7th Dec,

28

CONTACT WITH SLAVERY.

1877, which was published in March, 1878, in the Mis-
sionary Record, will show that neither the Blantyre
missionaries nor the Directors at home hesitated to
espouse the cause of the slave : — " Some time ago there
were two boys here supposed to be brothers : after they
had been here some months their father came and took
them home because they got no calico. Well, not a long
time afterwards, one of them came back and told us he
had run away, and wanted to stay with us ; said he was
not the man's son, but a slave, and had been bought
some years ago. He asked our protection, and I said,
'You shall now stay with us, and no man can touch
you '. Two days afterwards his father, as he called him-
self, came for him. I brought Evangeli out and con-
fronted him with the man, and asked him the same
questions which I had previously, and he gave the same
answers. I then said to the man, ' He is not your son,
but a slave, and he has my protection, and is now free \
All this took place in public before a great many Yao
men. The man said he did not wish to be an enemy,
but that the boy was his. I told him we gave him his
freedom and English protection."

A Free Native Village. — Mr. Stewart, writing from
Blantyre in November, 1877, says: — "I must men-
tion another very interesting and promising circum-
stance. We have a native village growing up near us.
The first-comers were three or four families from the
neighbourhood of the Cataracts, who, on account of the
insecurity of their village from Mangoni raids, but
without having been actually hunted from their homes,
cime here, and spontaneously put themselves under our

ASYLUM FOR THE SLAVE.

29

protection. Land lias been given them, and a site for
their houses. They are required to build substantial
square houses ; the size adopted is 20 feet by 14 feet.
Four such are now being erected by their unassisted
labours. They have been joined by one or two families
from this district. The men are well built and athletic,
with open, smiling countenances. They and the women
frequently attend our meetings. They are^ I think, a
good beginning of our future tenantry." Of the school
he says : — " It fluctuates in numbers, and has not grown
as fast as might be wished. Parents cannot be induced
to leave their boys here for long at one time. The boys
are docile, and willing to attend ; the difficulty is with
the parents." Soon the children of these refugees became
the main hope of the school : while their parents attended
the religious meetings and formed a congregation. The
state of progress by March, 1878, is summed up in these
words, where special emphasis is given to the position
on slavery : — " Our Mission at Blantyre continues to
prosper in its various operations ; the natives are
friendly, and are impressed with a sense of its value ;
the school is well attended ; the area of cultivation has
much increased, and Blantyre has become an asylum for
the slave."

In Dr. Macklin's letter we find the following : — " We
have three more slave refugees here at present, two
women (one has a child) and a boy. The first one came
nearly two months ago, having run away from her
master because he abused her ; no inquiries were made
after her by any one. The second one — the boy — came
about three weeks ago, he having run away on his being

30

CONTACT WITH SLAVERY.

taken to join a gang of slaves from the Cherasulo district.
A man came after him next day and said he was his
son ; but this was an evident falsehood, for the boy
was not Yao at all. I dismissed farther hearing of the

o

case for four days, until Mr. Stewart should return with
the interpreter. But it seems after the boy had left the
house the man had attempted to seize him. but the boy
eluded him and ran back to the house, and the man
after him ; but my servant Kopa prevented him from
getting hold of the boy. I ordered the man off the
place^ but he would not go, and continued to talk to
me ; at this I ordered Eopa to catch hold of him, but
the man resisted ; whereupon both Mapas and myself
rushed at the man and disarmed him and sent him from
the place. I need hardly say he did not return again.
The third — the woman with the child — came three days
afterwards, having escaped from the large gang. We
learned that the gang was going to Nyungwi on the
Zambeze. Accordingly, we determined to try and stop
them ; and so we sent a present of two blankets to the
Magololo chief, Chiputula, asking him not to allow them
to cross the Shire, by refusing them canoes, but on no
account to fight with them. It is a fortnight nearly
since the woman came, and no one has come after her.
You thus see that, in a measure, we are succouring the
oppressed and setting the captive free. "Would that we
could as easily set them free from the bondage of sin
and the darkness of ignorance ! "

All the white men in the country disliked the system
of slavery, and struggled against it. In this they were
applauded by the Directors at home. They had no

HELPING THE WEAKEST.

31

clergyman regularly at the station, and, although
evangelistic work was not neglected, the secular side
of the Mission was by far the more prominent. The
Church of Scotland did not expect so much at first
from the religious side of the Mission, as from the
Industrial. It was felt, as in the days of Gregory the
Great, that Mission work would move by " steps and
not by leaps ". The cultivation of the soil was eagerly
looked to, as a means of rendering the Mission self-
supporting, and the missionaries were urged to acquire
land. By May, 1878, we find Dr. Macklin writing —
"There are evidences or indications that we are be-
ginning to influence the natives for good, by our
conduct towards them and by our example. We have
now got five women and one boy, escaped from slavery,
under our protection. Concerning the acquisition of
land as our own, I may here state that I have succeeded
in getting from the chief a large grant, of which much
of the land is excellent. In consideration of this grant
we must make some annual present to the chief."

Besides espousing the cause of weakest, the Mission
also commended itself by acts of kindness. Dr.
Macklin writes with reference to a famine — " During
the height of the distress I sent some hundredweights
of grain from our own store to Katunga, one of the
Magololo chiefs, who is a great friend of ours, and has
supplied us with most of the sugar-cane we have."

We conclude this chapter by extracts from a letter
of Dr. Macklin's, written in the end of March, 1878,
which throws much light on the various aspects of the
work.

32

CONTACT WITH SLAVERY.

" The Mission in its civil and social aspects is making
reasonable and satisfactory progress. As an asylum
for the poor, persecuted slave, Blantyre is becoming
known and prized. We have now six fellow-creatures
rescued from the lash of the slave driver, and miseries
worse than death. And this in turn, prepares them
for giving a ready reception to the free offers of the
greater emancipation, salvation by grace through Jesus
Christ our Lord. My present circumstances give a new
emphasis to the old law of the city of refuge. Just
think of the poor, fainting woman bearing her child,
fleeing for her life, but sustained by the hope that if
only she can reach the British flag, which already she
sees fluttering in the evening breeze, her child shall
live and herself be free.

"I think I told you in my last, that we were annoyed
with some pilfering, but had not been able to bring the
petty thefts home to any one. Becently, however, we
have found that the thieves do not belong to our
Africans, but to another tribe, namely, to Makukani's
people. Had we the benefits of a good Glasgow
reporter, your attention might be arrested by some
such heading as, ' Daring, Exciting Chase, and Clever
Capture '. The story is as follows : — On the morning
of the 13th February last, about four o'clock, both
Mapas and William Koyi were awakened by attempts
being made to pull the blankets off them. Mapas
recognising at once the position of affairs, waited for
the arm being put in again at the window — nor had he
Ions to wait ; but in the darkness he failed to secure
the arm. and only alarmed the thieves, who made off

PURSUIT OF A THIEF. 33

with the booty already secured, and well packed in two
large bundles. Mapas instantly roused the others in
that house — there are now eight houses — and gave
chase, Koyi who waited to put on some clothes, saw
another man coming from the line of the stores, where
our white men, Walker and Fenwick, sleep. The
thieves, observing that some one was approaching,
threw down the bundles and ran. Koyi, being armed,
threatened to fire on them if they did not stop, but on
hearing this the thieves plunged into the bush and
were lost to sight. William Koyi, being a man who can
endure a great deal of comfort, now gave up the pursuit;
but brave Mapas and Kumlomba, the headman of the
village, who had been roused by the noise, knowing
the thieves would try to strike the road at another
point, pushed on to anticipate them, and were just in
time to meet them face to face. On being challenged
they again plunged into the bush, whereupon Mapas
fired. The report of the gun brought us all to that
point, and I, having posted sentinels at several points,
led a small party into the bush for the purpose of
scouring it thoroughly, but we came upon no man.
In the meantime, Mapas had come upon the trail of
one man, and had pursued him for a space of eight
miles, and that, too, in his shirt and bare feet, through
tall, wet grass and stumps. It was, indeed an exciting
chase, the thief ran for dear life, Mapas for the glory
of victory, and the good of our Colony. You will say
he deserved to win, and he did win, and bring back
the thief a prisoner. We are Britons, and we are
fond of British pluck, but in what is this man's blood

3-2

34 CONTACT WITH SLAVERY.

and spirit inferior to our own? And surely there is
good hope of the race which can furnish such men.
The thief, when brought back, was called into ' Court,'
got a trial, in which, according to the phraseology of
Scotch forms, he emitted, admitted former thefts, and
implicated his chief in a charge of reset and participa-
tion. This, in all probability was a false charge,
and made in order to throw the shield of his chiefs
protection over himself. I hope this part of his story
is not true. In the afternoon, however, he was
sentenced to get nine dozen lashes, and before all the
people he got five dozen that day, and was then led
to the stocks. Three days after, he received the re-
maining four dozen, but the flogging was nothing like
the flogging which used to be for British sailors and
soldiers. Some skin only came off on the second day.
We kept him in all about a month, and then the people
being all assembled, we made proclamation that, if
after two days the prisoner should be found on the
Yao territory, or on this side the Kabula river, the
people were at liberty to kill him. Of course, this
proclamation was made by the Yao headman. After
this proclamation was made, the prisoner was escorted
out of the Yao country by armed men. The other thief
was never seen, and did not return home ; neither, indeed,
need our prisoner go back, for his people would kill
him — probably on the old Spartan principle, not be-
cause he stole, but because he was so inexpert as to
allow himself to be caught. The chief denies all know-
ledge of the thefts, and declared that we ought to have
shot the man. Mr. Stewart spoke to him on the sub-

INTRODUCTION OF CATTLE.

35

ject, and that is his statement ; but it is not right to
shoot the poor creatures ; and if they would let us, we
could show them a more excellent way ; and I hope the
day is not far, at all events, very far distant, when the
law of the eighth commandment will reach further in
Africa than the commands of any chief.

" The people among whom we live were delighted at
the capture of the thief, and they came up to me and
said proudly, ' Now, you see it is not Yao people who
steal your things ; we are friends, it is the Anyasa who
steal. They are thieves.' This affair has undoubtedly
been of use in clearing away those clouds of suspicion
which had settled down, impairing our confidence and
making all our intercourse less happy and enjoyable.
Horses, I think, would give a great impulse to civilisa-
tion in this part of Africa, and, of course, would
more than double man's ability in every question of
time and space. Will anybody bestow even one horse
on the Mission, and make a fair trial of the horse in
Eastern Africa ? The cows we got are doing well.
Senhor Nunes, of Quilimane, says a good horse could
be brought from Port Elizabeth for £50 or £60 — that
includes all charges of conveyances. Do not some of
your merchant princes spend that sum on a single
party ?

"I had almost omitted to state that the brave Mapas
belongs to the Livingstonia Mission and Dr. Laws, and
that we made him a present of £10 in all. "What I may
call the subscription sheet bore the following heading : —
1 Testimonial to Mr. Mapas Ntintili, as a mark of per-
sonal respect and recognition of his perseverance and

36

CONTACT WITH SLAVERY.

bravery on the morning of February 13th, 1878.' His
feet were so cut and torn with the long race, rough
ground, and tree stumps concealed among the tall grass,
that he was lame for several days. Hitherto we have
had to carry our goods from the river to this place, but
we expect the time will soon come when we will have a
bullock waggon ' trecking ' our goods from the rivers.
Convey my thanks to the kind friends who, through Mr.
Mackeith, have sent some things very valuable for
working the Mission and attracting the natives ; and
assure them that Dr. Laws, of the Livingstonia Mission,
shall have the free use of everything alternately with
myself. Just now, he is here writing beside me, and
the co-operation of the two Missions, as only different
branches of one, is very pleasant, and I think very use-
ful. Christianity ought to be presented as one thing
— not many — as our Lord's outer garment without
seam, woven from the top throughout, all one piece.
Our water course is now completed, and we have water
flowing throughout our station, and channels are cut in
several directions, enabling us to run water to our
wheat, corn, rice, and maize fields, and to our terraces
where our garden produce is raised. This supply of
water is an unspeakable advantage. Our Cape goose-
berries have done well, we have now an abundant
supply of them, and also of French beans, lettuce,
beetroot, tomatoes.

"Of all these and others we expect to have a supply
all the year round, now that we can water the beds.
Let me add one thing more. We have got upwards of
fifty orange, lemon, and lime trees — young, of course,

FEUIT.

37

but all doing well, so that in three years we may be
eating our own oranges. As for bananas, we have three
or four hundred of them, many of which are already
bearing fruit."

Chapter V.

PIONEER WORK AND CIVIL JURISDICTION.

4

Pioneer work is slow, and many people grumble at
this. Some imagine that pioneers are immediately to
enter into houses built of stone and lime, having grapes
hanging in clusters from the walls, and surrounded by
lovely bowers amidst orange groves. These houses,
they further expect, will be accessible by the easiest
roads, while at every stage there will be an inn erected
for the refreshment of travellers. If the pioneer do
not find all these things ready-made, 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 work. In reality, the first settler is beset with
difficulties at every step. Place a European in the centre
of a tropical forest extending twenty miles each way.
where no road has ever been made, tell him that within
two years he must there erect a model station, and though
he have several artisans to help him, his first idea will
be that it would take the whole of that time to clear
away the timber : at all events he will feel that his fruit
harvest will not fill his bosom very soon. This is no
fanciful supposition, for the pioneer may be placed in

DIFFICULTIES. 39

a much larger forest, and he soon realises that work at
home and work in his new circumstances are quite
different. After erecting some miserable shed for him-
self, he may wish to begin his task by making — say a
wheel-barrow. This duty he assigns to the joiner, who
sets to work, and for days upon days is occupied with
that wheel-barrow. The superior thinks that he is
trifling and begins to grumble.

" Why, I have known a carpenter at home make a
barrow in a third of the time. What can you be about?"

" True, sir, but the carpenter at home gets all the
wood properly cut up for him and well seasoned, and
for wheels he has nothing to do, but ."

" Still, if you reckon your time, that barrow has cost
more than £20 already."

" Yes, sir, but I had to go and cut down the trees
and convey them up here. Then I had to saw them up
and begin to cut out — "

As the practical man proceeds thus to enumerate the
stages of his work, his missionary friend begins to fear
that the victory over the forest will not be gained even
so soon as he at first expected. Perhaps the saddest
part of the experiment is to come. After the " barrow "
is made it is of no use ! Many early experiments end
in this way. The learned critic at home exclaims, " Why
should the blockhead want a barrow ? If I were there,
I would use the cattle and horses of the natives for
beasts of burden ! " But the critic has a great advan-
tage over the hapless pioneer — it is so much easier to
create cattle and horses in the imagination than in the
African jungle.

40 PIONEER WORK AND CIVIL JURISDICTION.

Religious Work — Difficult as it is to be a Pioneer
of Civilisation, it is still more so to be a Pioneer of
Religion. Christians in Central Africa find it easier
to make the forest a farm than to make the savage a
Christian. These Europeans were confronted with the
delicate and difficult problem of evangelising, and they
most realised their powerlessness when Sunday came
round. As the natives pressed about them on the
day of rest, they felt in their hearts " we must do some-
thing ". But what could they do ? Absolutely nothing.
They had no interpreters. Unable to speak to the
natives, they might try to show good feeling by looks
and gestures, but after all, these appeared to the savage
as nothing better than ridiculous grimaces. But they
happened to have a musical box, and on a Sabbath
afternoon, they judged it better to turn this on than
to do nothing !

The Livingstonia Mission fortunately possessed in-
terpreters, one of whom was ultimately lent to Blantyre.
Still unless interpreters are educated, and understand
something of Christianity, they cannot be relied on.
They may assist a missionary in learning the language,
but they will not do for preaching. On one occasion
a European missionary of much experience was de-
livering an able, and as he thought, a solemn address
to these natives through an interpreter, when all at
once the whole audience burst into a fit of laughter.
Everyone appreciated the joke intensely except the
speaker himself. Now an accident like this may happen
even where the interpreter is rendering most literally.
Indeed if a clergyman were suddenly introduced into

PREACHING TO THE NATIVES.

41

the heart of these tribes, able himself to speak their
words, he would find that many vocables he used, have
very different associations in their tongue from what
they have in his own. In order to benefit the natives
one must be able not merely to speak their words, but
to understand their mode of thought.

Civil Jurisdiction. — It would clearly be no light task
for men to perform all these duties, even where left to
work without interruption, and under a settled govern-
ment. But the missionaries discovered that life and
property were not so secure as in Britain, fir soon they
suffered much from thieves. They had good cause to
be watchful, as if their clothes were all carried off,
they had no chance of getting more for a whole year.
In that remote land there were no clothiers and tailors,
and through a successful theft, or a fire, a man might
be reduced to the primitive fig leaves. A European
superintending road-making at a distance from his
colleagues, awoke one night to find that his wardrobe
was — nothing to boast of !

The missionaries were bound to face the problems of
dealing with thieves, and the method adopted has been
described at the end of last chapter, in a letter which
was published in full in the Scotch newspapers, and
of which extracts were made in the Missionary
Eecord of the Church of Scotland. On that oc-
casion no one criticised the Mission or its Directors ;
but at a later period the method was entirely con-
demned. For myself, I was very much astonished
the first time I was told that the Directors had sanc-
tioned the practice. I thought it objectionable, not

42 PIONEER WORK AND CIVIL JURISDICTION.

because I fancied that there was the least suspicion
of cruelty or danger, but because I did not like to see
it connected in the remotest way with Mission work
Still those that know the state of the country will not
wonder that the Directors had assumed civil jurisdic-
tion, sanctioned flogging, and asked certain agents to
act as magistrates. In a letter which was sent out
long after, for the special guidance of the missionaries,
we found the words, " I do not see how you can pos-
sibly do without corporal punishment,"* and I strongly
advise it ". 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 fellows. By the
native law of the district, a thief puts himself beyond
the pale of human rights, and becomes liable to be
treated as a leopard. No sooner was that offender
(page 34) taken than certain of the native workmen
at Blantyre said, "Give him to us and we will kill
him ". But the punishment of death for theft, though
inflicted by African law, could never be countenanced
by English missionaries. Still it may be said, might
they not have thought of merely confining the criminal?
They did think of this, and sometimes wondered how
they could make the imprisonment proportionate to the
offence. These were thefts, often of valuable property

* After the subject of Civil Jurisdiction was re-adjusted by Com-
missioners sent out for the purpose, criminal cases were specially
considered by a lay superintendent in the Mission, and the offenders
were kept in slave-sticks by the headman of some of the Blantyre
villages. Any headman performed this task with great zest when
the offender was an alien, but when obliged to confine one of his own
people (his ' brothers '), ho grumbled very much.

PUNISHMENTS. 43

as compared with the native rate of wages, and if the
thief were kept till he wrought even for half the value,
he would not be liberated for years ! Though this
looks an absurd difficulty, yet it was discussed by some
of these pioneers in a grave manner. Only they seem
to have felt that imprisonment was hardly a punish-
ment at all to the native. He has no fine suscepti-
bilities, and if he had to do no work, to be housed and
cared for by Europeans, would be the acme of enjoy-
ment to him. In any case the real punishment of an
imprisonment would fall upon the European jailor that
attended the prisoner. In adopting the plan of flogging,
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 countrymen.

But strictly speaking the Mission (although this did
not appear at the outset) was wrong in assuming that it
had a right to inflict any punishment at all. The Agents
that were instructed to act as Magistrates, had the general
sanction of the African Law and the special consent of
the Native Chiefs, but while they remained British
subjects they were breaking Acts of Parliament which
forbade the civil jurisdiction that had been assumed.

This plan, however, went on without any incident for
about a year, when it terminated* as follows : — A

* One of the last cases where a flogging was proposed, took place
in the following manner : — A drunk man threatened to make a martyr
of one Englishman whom he attacked with an axe. After a struggle,
however, he was caught and laid past for a flogging. When told of
the matter I was very anxious that the poor fellow should he spared
this. He was a native doctor — a man of some standing among his
tribe. Fortunately the white man that had been assaulted was one

44 PIONEER WORK AND CIVIL JURISDICTION.

native carrier made away with a box containg about 70
lbs. of tea, and was subjected to the usual punishment.
But in this case the culprit seems to have been given
over to the tender mercies of some natives. Now this
might have been quite justifiable as an experiment in
carrying out native law, but it was a doubtful method
on the whole, as it is too common for natives to floor a
person to death for the most trivial offence. It happened
in this case, that the poor fellow died.

The medical man testified that the flogging did not
seem to have been sufficient cause of the death, nor was it
suspected at the time that the unfortunate thief had been
beaten with undue severity. But precognitions, taken
long after, went to show that the punishment inflicted
was much too severe. This supposed evidence, however,
was not carefully sifted, and it came from men who
were allowed to have an animus against an artisan who
was afterwards found to be entirely innocent. Still the
case gave a lesson to all and sundry regarding the
danger of this method of punishment, and though it was
not connected with the Mission it ultimately shewed the
danger of mixing up Mission work with civil affairs.
Such a position as the Church had taken might be
necessary in a lawless land, but the promoters of a

who could make allowance for a native. Next night I got hold of an
interpreter and went to reason with the prisoner, pointing out that he
had forgotten himself, and was most likely to feel the consequences. I
explained that I was sorry for him, but that I could do nothing to
help him, and that the only way of escaping was to tell the injured
party that he was sorry for what had happened. I dont know how
he worded his apology, hut next morning be was described as having
been let off because he was so very penitent !

TRUE MISSIONARY WORK.

45

colony ought to have considered exactly how it was to
be carried on. Were they to ask an Ordained Minister
to act as a Civil Governor ? Such a one if he had the
spirit of a Missionary at all, would find more congenial
work, and would reply, " I cannot come down : why
should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down
to you ? " At the same time, if there did arise any
suspicion that criminals were treated with too great
severity, it became the duty of everyone to endeavour
to discourage such an administration of justice, even
though he could put nothing in its place.

Efforts made to find a Clergyman. — Hitherto, the
Missionaries at Blantyre had been laymen, but the
Directors tried earnestly to get a clergyman to join the
Mission. In the report of 1877, they say : —

" It is with pain and regret that ' the Committee have
to report that, notwithstanding many and sustained
efforts, they have not succeeded in obtaining an ordained
minister to the Mission. The staff at Blantyre were
sent out to prepare the way for a minister, and, indeed,
it was plain some time would elapse before the services
peculiarly called for at a minister's hands would be
needed. But it is felt the Mission is the nucleus of a
Church, with the minister as the proper head — the in-
strument and director of the Christian agency among
the people. It was scarcely dreamed of, that a year
would elapse, and yet, notwithstanding many calls, see
the Mission without its spiritual leader. The want, in-
deed, is temporally supplied by the charity of the sister
Mission (i.e., of the Free Church) but is it not matter of
humiliation that no one has come forth from the ordained

46 PIONEER WORK AXD CIVIL JURISDICTION".

ranks of the Church to go to Blantyre in the spirit of their
Master's love, and to gather into His gentle fold the
thousands of poor and crushed, but docile and willing
natives, who are day and night crying inarticulately for
the day of their redemption ? "

Even the above touching appeal although most widely
circulated had no effect. On this matter (which we
venture to allude to, as bearing greatly on Mission
work), it may be remarked that the difficulty in finding
Missionaries arises chiefly from the position that these
men occupy. Notwithstanding that the Church of
Scotland throughout her history has said much about
Presbyterian parity, her Missionaries are placed on a
very inferior footing as compared with her regular
Clergy. In using the word inferior, I do not apply
it to the Missionaries themselves (who have the same
training as other clergymen) but only to their posi-
tion, although, unfortunately, most young men feel
that the footing on which the Church appoints such
Agents gives a key t"> the value that she sets upon their
work. The Minister of a Parish in Scotland cannot be
deprived of his charge till an accusation is formulated
against him, and found proven by a regular legal
process, but the Missionary must put himself under a
Committee of Managers who may dispense with his
services at their pleasure. Hence we rarely hear of any
Minister of the Church of Scotland leaving a home
charge for the sake of Mission work, however urgent,
and indeed it is not often that the Church goes in
quest of Ordained Ministers, her Missionary posts being
usually filled from the ranks of students, and students

POSITION OF MISSIONARIES.

47

too whose education has been aided by the Foreign
Mission Funds. Another difficulty that meets the
Missionary arises from the want of interest in his work.
The Ministers at home are fully occupied with the affairs
of their own charges, and they cannot be expected to
attend to the comparatively insignificant efforts made
abroad, and when they have to think of Foreign Work
at aU, they lay hold of the views that lie nearest the
surface. It has frequently been the experience of
Missionaries that the ignorance of their true circum-
stances was as great as the amount of ocean-water that
separated them from their native land. Shortly after
being ordained to a charge in the North of Scotland, the
Writer had the Blantyre Mission first brought under his
notice when he received a letter of 12 Nov., 1877, which
began as follows :—

" I have no idea whether the following suggestion
may at all commend itself to you, but I write simply
because what I have heard of you is so favourable that
I am confident you would suit on your side, if the idea
should be entertained by you. A clerical head is
wanted for our new Mission in Africa." But although
the necessities of Africa appealed strongly to every
generous impulse, the Missionary Eegulations of the
Church seemed to present a barrier to any reasonable
adventure on behalf of that dark land. The missionary
requires some guarantee that he will not be torn away
from his work after he sets his heart on it. At the
request of the member of the Mission Committee who
had sent me the letter, I went to meet him, taking with
me a copy of the Missionary Eegulations. I pointed

48 PIONEER WORK AND CIVIL JURISDICTION.

out the Rules that I thought objectionable, and was
told that they applied to India and not to Africa at all,
and that my position would be practically that of a
parish minister. Eeceiving this statement with full
confidence, I inferred that the chief enemies to calculate
on now, were discomfort and dishealth. Still such cases
present a dilemma. While a person is convinced that
there is a strong call to mission work abroad, he feels also
that much good work may be done at home. After more
pressing representations from headquarters, and subse-
quent interviews with devoted men like Dr. MacRae of
Hawick, whose missionary zeal was infectious, I began
to feel that my duty was more clear. But I deliberated
much on the matter, and on 1st January, 1878, I wrote
Dr. MacRae not to trust to my going but I said, "I see
clearly it is the duty of some one to go ".

By the middle of January, however, I consented to
go to Africa. As it was deemed very dangerous to
encounter the tropical rivers till much later, our start
wras deferred till 11th April. By May 4th, we reached
Capetown, where we met Sir Bartle Frere, who takes
much interest in Central Africa. A few days more
brought us to Port Elizabeth. Here we received a letter
from Dr. Stewart, of Lovedale, warning us against en-
tering the country at such a dangerous season. But
since we had the promise of our Directors that the
Medical Missionary would meet us at Quilimane, we felt
that it would be unfair to make any European risk his
life in waiting for us at such an unhealthy place, and
consequently we pressed on.

«

Chaptek VI.

QUILIMANE TO BLANTYRE.

On our journey out we saw little or nothing that calls
for remark. Flying fish and frisking dolphins are great
wonders at first, but one soon gets used to them. In-
tending travellers sometimes trouble themselves by
speculating about the evils of intense heat and sea-sick-
ness. But our thoughts went beyond these annoyances,
knowing as we did that we should have to grapple with
the malaria of tropical rivers and mangrove swamps.
Still we found it a distressing experience to be shut up in
an underdeck cabin with the port-holes closed. It is a
pity that ships have no apparatus that would shut when
the waves come up and open when they recede : modern
mechanics ought to solve this problem. With regard
to sea-sickness, however, we seem with all our science
to be no better off than our fathers. We are told that
the motion of the vessel disturbs " cerebral circulation".
We are thankful for this information, but all the same
we must resolutely keep down our heads on the pillow !

By the 22nd of May, 1878, we passed the mouth of
the Zambeze. As we gazed on the spot where the great

river discharges itself into the sea, well might our

4—2

50 QUILIMANE TO BLANTYRE.

thoughts turn back to the time long gone by when the
Portuguese missionaries used to land there. These men
had stations all along the Zambeze before there was any
European settlement at Quiliraane. The name Quili-
mane, or more correctly Quelimane (Kwelimani) is said
to represent two native words which mean " Come and
hoe". This derivation I heard from the Portuguese,
and I have no hesitation in preferring it to one given
by Captain Burton, which would make the name mean
" From the hillock ". " Kwe-limani " might almost
mean " Come and hoe " in the Yao language. The
tradition is that an old missionary found out the place,
which was then under a native chieftainess ; and on
requesting her permission to settle, he was told that he
might " come and hoe ". The native name for Quili-
mane is Chuambo, which other dialects make Chuabo
and Chiwambo. The old missionaries worked hard, and
in course of time they had a convent of considerable
importance at Quilimane. But many are the changes
that take place amidst the lapse of centuries — the Quili-
mane river now flows over this consecrated ground.
The church of Luabo at the mouth of the Zambeze was
the victim of a similar fate. Houses " built on the
sand" are peculiarly unstable on the margin of a
great tropical river. Alas ! those missionary efforts
of the remote past have left no trace behind them
except in a few chants still sung by the boatmen
of Mazaro, who keep time with their paddles to the
fcune of some old missionary hymn. One of the
greatest favourites begins " Sina mama, sina baba,"
and the burden of it is "I have no father, I have no

TRACES OF EARLIER MISSIONS.

51

mother : thou, 0 Mary, art our mother ". 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 submerged. The natives would not
allow the old bell to be taken away — it was to them a
kind of patron saint, and might, amidst all their super-
stition, carry them back to a time when the Portuguese
tried to reach their hearts by something more sacred
than merchandise or military discipline. All that we
had heard of Quilimane led us to believe that it was one
of the most unhealthy and undesirable places in the
world. Livingstone speaks of it as a mangrove swamp,
and we knew that some of his European followers had
died there and been buried, although, as we afterwards
discovered, the natives did not allow them to rest long
in the grave. Even the Portuguese have to watch the
graves of their kindred for several weeks — a circum-
stance which does not prepossess one in favour of the
native population. With regard to the European in-
habitants we learned that Quilimane had been used as
a penal settlement, and that every second person we
should meet must either be a convict himself or a
descendant of convicts. Then as to its comforts, one of
our countrymen who had visited the place complained
that he had been charged an exorbitant sum for accom-
modation not good enough for a cow.

On the 23rd of May, our steamer anchored at the
mouth of the Quilimane river — a distance of twelve
miles from the town. We found to our great disap-
pointment that no one had come from the Mission to
meet us. But we soon got into a small boat manned

52

QUILIMANE TO BLANTYRE.

by Africans and proceeded up the river. Our black
boatmen were hearty fellows, and every few minutes
they struck up a lively song. The noise was something
terrific ! But we were delighted with their wild chants,
which seemed to afford equal pleasure to the singers.
I saw one man prepare a cigar, and just as he was pro-
ceeding to smoke, another song was begun. I watched
with interest to see whether he would prefer his pipe to
the music. At first he seemed disposed to try both ;
but soon he decided in favour of the song, and laid
aside his twisted tobacco leaf. After we had rowed for
about two miles, our boat captain shouted " Inglez "
(Englishman) — and pointed to an " Englishman " coming
down the river in another boat. There is a proverb
that every Englishman found on this coast is sure
to be a Scotchman, and it proved true on this occasion.
We had the pleasure of meeting a Scotch gentleman —
Mr. Fairlie — who had been hunting on the Zambeze,
and who was now hasting down to meet the steamer.
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 select. By the time
that wre arrived, it was dark. As the river had a broad
border of mud, in which the natives were sinking over
the knees, we could not step on terra Jirma, but had to
be taken out of the boat on the shoulders of two negroes.
A palanquin was brought for the lady. We now met
Senhor Nunes, the British Consul, who received us
kindly and conducted us to the hotel. Here our wants
were attended to by half-a-dozen little black boys and
one young girl who acted as housekeeper. At first we

WAITING AT QUILIMANE.

53

were greatly startled at the scantiness of their dress,
but we became accustomed to them, and found them
careful and attentive. The hotel accommodation was
much better than we had been led to expect. No doubt
charges must be high, as it is difficult to bring provisions
to this " outlandish " place. There is not even a butcher
in Quilimane, and at dinner here, as in many other
African places; the first course is fowls, the second course
fowls, and the third course fowls. Occasionally, we
were treated to delicious shrimps and prawns with which
the river abounds. We were soon informed that the
Mission boats had not come down and that we should
have to wait for ten or fifteen days. Wait in Quilimane
for fifteen days ! We were stunned by the very idea of
this, believing that it was certain death to spend a
week in this dreadful place. We were full of bright
plans in those days. A messenger must be sent on at
once to Blantyre to tell the missionaries of our arrival,
and to request them to come to our aid. Amidst our
anxiety we did not perceive how ridiculous our proposal
was. Why, it was as if a man had been despatched
from John o' Groats to Yorkshire six hundred years ago.
After such a messenger had passed through all the
'Grants, Mackenzies, and Mackays'— all the wild High-
land clans and fighting Lowland chiefs, very little of
him would have been left ; and so our devoted mes-
senger, after going on for about a week, wisely stopped
short at Mazaro.

Our objection was not to the people or to the hotel
and its fare — but to the place ; we wanted to get out of
Quilimane. The Portuguese we found exceedingly kind

54

QUILIMANE TO BLANTYEE.

to us, the only part of their sympathy that we did not
relish was when they remarked that Quilimane might,
after all, be a better place than Blantyre. Consumptive
people were able to tell us that after being sent to
Madeira without any benefit, they had recovered at
once on coming to Quilimane. The town, built on the
site first chosen by the missionary on account of the
harbour, bids fair to become a flourishing place. It
stands on an island : for besides the Quilimane river
and another twelve miles further north, there is a third
river connecting these two. 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 interior,
one of whom states that a river flows north while
another asserts that it flows south. The Portuguese
treat the natives with kindness, although they keep them
at a respectable distance. Their domestics live in whole
families at the back of the houses. When a visitor
takes a walk in the country, he is quite astonished at
the multitude of natives that have crowded round the
Portuguese. 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 chiefs.
But the Portuguese believe that the native is not
capable of much improvement, and they assert this
opinion with the greatest confidence. As we reflected
that they had been face to face with the natives
for generations, we were somewhat discouraged by

A TRANSITION.

55

the conclusions formed by these acute and practical
Europeans.

Language is a great difficulty here. In order to get
on at Quilimane one requires to know both Portuguese
and Kafir (or Ichuabo as the natives call it). We felt
as strange as the foreigner, who, being unable to com-
municate with any one, was deprived of all human
sympathy ; at last he heard a cock crow when he ex-
claimed, " Ah ! poor fowl, you are the only one that
understands me ". It is a considerable trial for one to
be in a country where he understands no human utter-
ance except perhaps the cries of a child. 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 transition. Here
the very birds seemed to sing in a foreign tongue. We
were ready to sympathise with the stanza : —

" The palm-tree waveth high,
And fair the myrtle springs,
And to the Indian Maid
The bulbul sweetly sings.

But I dinna see the broom
Wi' its tassels on the lea ;
Nor hear the lintie's sang
0' my ain countrie."

It would not have been correct to add with reference
to Quilimane,

" Ah ! here no Sabbath bell
Awakes the Sabbath morn,"

for there was one very active bell, whose tones were
heard almost every day. Opposite our abode stood a

56

QUILIMANE TO BLANTYRE.

small Roman Catholic Church, and all the bodies of the
deceased Portuguese were taken here for the funeral
service. The negroes do not receive Christian burial.
We asked whether they had any worship of God, and
the answer was, "No, No, the Kafirs are like brutes, but
the missionaries are teaching them in the interior".
The natives work on Sundays as on other days. They
are splendid porters, they carry everything on their
heads, — even weights of 70 pounds ; nor do they dash
boxes as is often done at railway stations in Britain.
They are never in haste about anything. They consider
sixpence a day very good wages. As they wear no
clothes and get food easily, they have hardly any
motives to work, and when they obtain a few coppers
they generally spend them in rum. There being no
carts or horses at Quilimane, many natives were em-
ployed in carrying enormous trees, each of which re-
quired about 30 bearers. Every party was accompanied
by a man with a w-hip who seemed to have as hard
work as any of them !

We were detained for nearly four weeks at Quilimane.
Often did we stand and look up the river to see whether
the Mission boats were coming, and even after they did
come there was much delay. A journey to the coast
occupied from six to eight weeks and was seldom under-
taken by the Missionaries. Consequently it was always
desirable to take up to Blantyre as much goods as pos-
sible. It is at Quilimane that strangers first realize the
nakedness of the land they are going to, and here they
have the last opportunity of buying anything.

The merchants are Banians, and the prices are three

BUYING GOODS.

times the rate of goods in England. There is not only
great expense but also great risk in taking goods to
such a remote place. Many articles that would not cost
fourpence at home were charged a rupee here. " It only
costs 4d. in England," says the buyer. " Oh yes, in Eng-
land ! Well you — my brother, I'll give it for two shill-
ing!"

We all suffered more or less from our stay at Quilimane.
One morning none of our party was able to be at break-
fast but myself, and I was far from well. As I thought
of the terrible journey that lay before us, I concluded
that our lives were not worth much. In this land one
is much impressed with the uncertainty of time. I
knew a Missionary that made no secret of carrying, on
every journey, a box containing a will — more I suppose
as a matter of form than because a poor Missionary has
anything to bequeath.

Besides making many friends among the Portuguese
gentlemen, we found that our landlord's black servants
began to take to us very much. They seemed to wish
to go to Blantyre in a body. Of course we endeavoured
to dissuade them from leaving their master, and took
pains to explain both to him and to themselves that we
did not want them at all. But one boy Lasertha whose
father lived at a great distance up the Quilimane river,
took the matter in his own hands. He disappeared
about a week before we started, and one day after we
had forgotten all about him, he and his father came to
us, and it was arranged that Lasertha should join our
party.

58

QUILIMANE TO BLANTYEE.

From Quilimane to Mazaro.

It was the afternoon of the 1 8th of June before we
started from Quilimane. We were taken up the river
in small boats, propelled by paddles. A grass awning
was put up to defend us from the rays of the sun. The
sides of the river being lined for many yards with deep
layers of mud, we had to be carried to and from the
boats on the shoulders of the negroes who were liable to
fall, and we therefore made the journey as seldom as
possible.

When we came to the place where we were to pass
the night, the boats were pushed towards the side of the
river, till grounded on the mud. As we suffered from
t'urst, we tried most eagerly to procure drinking water
— but none could be found. At this wretched spot there
had once been a village, but its inhabitants had run
away on account of lions, and their well had dried up.
The river was quite salt, 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 cooking.
In those days we possessed a big black kettle which
served as a tea pot : 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 off!

This was the first night that we spent beyond the
limits of civilization. Our cork beds were now spread
out for the first time. Though we afterwards found
them convenient, we had hitherto been used to a
softer couch, and might as well have tried to sleep on a

BEYOND CIVILIZATION.

59

section of Caithness pavement. Soon our rest was
disturbed by other causes. When the tide ebbed, we
were left on a mud bank far out of the river. The
mosquitoes scented fresh blood, and attacked us in
hundreds. We had already endured these little pests
for four weeks at Quilimane. There every night as soon
as the sun set we became their special prey. At first,
they rather astonished us by showing that they could
bite through a thick pair of trousers, though ultimately
we became more familiar with them. But the mosquitoes
of Quilimane were feeble compared with those of the
desert. Moreover, we found it difficult to arrange beds
and mosquito-curtains in the small space that was at
our disposal. Consequently we suffered much from
their attack — our faces were so bitten and swollen that
we could hardly recognise each other. After spending
three or four hours in trying to sleep, we passed a
unanimous resolution that sleep was impossible, and as
a measure of desperation we spent the remainder of
the night in proposing riddles to each other ! Next
morning, as soon as the tide flowed, we resumed our
miserable journey. We had to sit patiently under our
curtains till the sun rose and drove the mosquitoes
away. During these imprisonments we sometimes
debated why the book of Exodus says nothing about
the trouble that the Israelities must have had from
mosquitoes in the wilderness, only we were inclined to
think that these followers of Moses must have been as
impregnable as the natives around us. Besides our
curtains we tried another method of repelling this
troublesome foe. We kept pieces of twisted paper

CO

QUILIMANE TO BLANTYRE.

smouldering by us, and the disagreeable smoke held the
mosquitoes at bay. We were now far beyond the
region of daily or even weekly newspapers, and when
our supply of paper was exhausted, we burnt pieces of
cloth. This method of defence was soon brought into
discredit ; one of the party lighted a cloth without
twisting it sufficiently, and it suddenly flared up and
set his mosquito curtain on fire ! 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 turn. Our nights were extremely uncomfortable.
While the angry mosquitoes were buzzing outside our
curtains, the negroes were constantly talking and
beating drums to frighten the wild beasts. As we
proceeded up the river the water became very low,
and our crew had to go out and put their shoulders to
the boat in order to force it over sandbanks and along
shallows. This was tedious work ; but the richness of
tropical life and scenery unfolded itself around us.
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
solitude. At certain spots, enormous flocks of wild
fowl retreated in terror as we approached. Here and
there a monkey surveyed us for a moment from the
branches of some giant tree, and then hid itself among
the dense thickets. When night let her curtain fall on
the scene, the banks of the river were illuminated with
fire-flies, which made every tuft of grass shine and
sparkle.

Soon the water was so shallow that we had to leave

PALANQUINS.

61

our boats altogether at Mugurumbe. Here we slept
one night in a native hut. Our journey was continued
next clay in palanquins : about six natives were told off
to carry each European. Owing to the heat of the
climate none of the Portuguese here ever walk. Even
when they are going short distances, they employ
natives to carry them. The road is about two feet wide,
and lined on both sides with African grass (which rises to
a height sometimes of ten feet) and also with many
varieties of flowers, shrubs and grasses, some of which
were brought before our notice very forcibly, as the men
rattled along without thinking of their living; load. At
times we came to patches of cultivated ground, and
then we knew that we were near a village. The vil-
lagers welcomed us by a loud clapping of hands. They
looked much delighted when we responded to their
welcome in their own way. They seemed to feel as if
we spoke in their own tongue, and at one village they
repaid our condescension (as they thought it) by sending
out volunteers to help on our palanquins. At Mazaro
we got our first look of the Zambeze, and a magnificent
river it is. Though not very deep, at this spot it is
exceedingly broad — the natives take an hour to sail
across it. Here our steel boat awaited us, and a
welcome sight it was after the small boats that we had
hitherto had. We had now reached another important
stage, and we expected to complete our journey in three
weeks. The first week we should be among Portuguese
subjects, the second in the country of a Portuguese
outlaw, while the third week would find us among the
people we were to christianise.

62

QUILIMANE TO BLAXTYEE.

From Mazaro to Makukani's. — Leaving Mazaro on
Tuesday, 25th June, we committed ourselves to the
water once more. The navigation of the Zambeze is by-
no means easy. Generally we were sticking upon
sandbanks. Our boatmen were seldom able to use their
oars, they had either to push the boat by long poles,
or to drag it along the banks with a rope. Here and
there there is a deep channel, but the current is so
strong that it promises to carry everything down to
the sea.

We expected to reach Shupanga on the first night.
It is here that Mrs. Livingstone lies under the large
baobab tree. But we did not get so far, and, as the
channel of the river has changed, we passed next
morning on the other side. Mrs. Macdonald was dis-
appointed at this, as she wished to place a wreath of
flowers upon the lonely grave. Neither did we see
Bishop Mackenzie's last resting-place, as it was late at
night when we passed the spot. The natives perceiving
that we felt an interest in these graves, spoke of them
with an air of solemnity. Our boatmen were all from
Mazaro, and ought to have known something of Living-
stone while he stayed at Shupanga. We produced a
portrait of him on the lid of a match-box, and fondly
hoped they might recognise it !

On June 28th, we reached Shamo, where Dr. Macklin
wished to buy a score of cows for the Mission. As our
big boat was apt to fall behind, he sent us on before,
proposing to overtake us in a few days. Soon we were
on the river Shire (more properly Chiri) which is

FEVER.

63

narrower and deeper than the Zambeze.* Here the
boatmen used their oars oftener. On getting a favour-
able wind they put up a small sail, but as sails are not a
native contrivance, their method of using them was not
very assuring. Notwithstanding the force of the current
we made fair progress, but we waited longer at every
landing place, in order to be overtaken by the rest of
the party. Thus we had a better opportunity of seeing
the country. One night we walked over to see a cele-
brated hot spring at the base ©f Morumbala. Still, we
had a salutary dread of making ourselves too much at
home in this malarious region. Three or four of our
men in succession, suffered from fever, and as the
Doctor was behind, I had to try my hand at making
pills. The natives receive our medicine with such
implicit faith that the cure is half effected the moment
they swallow it. I took care, above all things, not to
give them anything too weak. We used saline draughts
both for ourselves and the natives. In malarial climes
there is a craving for such beverages. One medical man

* Often spelt Zambesi. Where my spelling of African names
differs from what is sometimes seen in English hooks, I had a reason.
My attention was directed to the subject in the following manner : —
One day I spent a long time in setting down the derivations of several
African names. To my great annoyance, I felt that in many cases I
was busying myself about words which no African native had ever
lieard ! Hence, although sometimes complying with use and wont, I
have often given what I think the more correct spelling. The Portu-
guese are more fortunate in spelling native names than English writers
are. Only when a man like Luther could spell his own name in four
different ways (Luther, Ludher, Lutter, Lother), people that are not
etymologists or phonographers, may excuse some laxity in writing
African words.

b4 I QUILIMANE TO BLAXTYRE.

told us that seidlitz powders required to be labelled
' poison ' as otherwise they disappeared like magic.

Along the Chiri we saw many hippopotami and cro-
codiles. The former are hunted by the natives for

NATIVES CUTTING UP A HIPPOPOTAMUS FOB FOOD.

their flesh, the latter are killed on account of their
venomous character. When any of these creatures
appeared, the men were very anxious that I should fire
on them, and as we never slept soundly at night, the
shooting was an agreeable excitement which revived us
for the day. One hippopotamus came against our boat
with all its might, and gave us a shock which would
have certainly upset a smaller craft. After passing, it
looked back as if to see how much damage it had done.
At times we had much conversation with the " boys ".
They formed a singing class, and made rapid progress.

ATTACKED BY LIONS.

65

There were with us, Bismarck, Armasao, Lasertha, and
Kondao. Bismarck was the philosopher of the party.
The boatmen have a habit of whistling for wind, and
he explained it thus, " When you have a friend far
away, you call on him when you wish him to come ".
But notwithstanding their whistling, the wind was
often slow in coming. At midnight on the 5th of July,
we were awakened by an awful screaming. My first
impression was that we were drifting down the river,
while the boys were trying to awaken us. I was sur-
prised at this, since T had taken special pains with the
anchor that night. But as the noise continued, I per-
ceived that it was a terrible cry of distress — at the
same time the dog we had brought from Quilimane
(which was known by the name of Elton), was barking
furiously. Before 1 had time to understand the situa-
tion, little Lasertha shouted out in a voice tremulous
with fear, " 0 master, master, take my hand ". This
he said in Portuguese. Then Bismarck entered by the
stern of the boat. " What is it, Bismarck ? " " Lions,
lions." " Are all the men in the boat ? " " No." For
the first time in my life, there flashed across my mind
the depth of meaning expressed by the simile of " the
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour". My rifle
which lav loaded beside me, I at once discharged, not
with the idea of shooting the lions, which could not be
well seen in the darkness, but in order to scare them.
Most of the men were in the boat in a moment. They
acted with great presence of mind. I often wondered
why in the excitement they had not tried to pull the
boat ashore before raising the anchor ! All swam to

66

QUILIMANE TO B IAN TYRE.

the boat with the exception of Armasao, who waited
till it was pulled nearer. He seemed more afraid of
the crocodiles in the water, than of the lions on the
bank. Of course, beds and cooking gear were left
behind in the terrible race for life. After all were safe,
the lions set up a hideous roaring, which continued for
hours. I asked whether Elton was in the boat, and
understood he was. But when we put back in the
morning, Bismarck called out in a piteous voice, " Elton
die ! " and held up the dead creature before me. He
had not been devoured by the lion, and the body had
no mark except in the region of the heart. This noble
dog had been the means of saving the life of at least
one of our men. He began to bark as the lions were
coming through the long grass, and as soon as the first
one presented itself he ran to attack. By this time
the men were entirely at the lion's mercy, but for the
diversion caused by the dog. As it was, the spot where
Elton lay dead was just at the side of Bismarck's bed.
In fact, the dog was lying dead almost at Armasao's
feet before he was safe himself. If this had been a
native dog, he would have been the first to flee. The
little incident sometimes served to illustrate anion?
simple natives, how one being might die to save others.
All our companions had been much alarmed, but none
more so than one of the little boys, who told us that
one evening as he sat with a group at his own home,
a lion dashed into the circle and killed a man.

We had still great trouble from mosquitoes. As soon
as it was dusk they were upon us in full force. We
would ask a little boy to light some grass, and as it

THE SCENERY.

67

kept smouldering beside us, the smoke filled the boat,
and made it easier to take our evening meal. The
boatful of smoke, though not pleasant, was more ac-
ceptable than mosquito bites.

Some evenings we encountered great shoals of white
moths. They fell upon the boat as thick as snowflakes.
One night I lighted a candle and such were their
numbers that they extinguished it several times before
I could put it into the lantern. Those harmless creatures
were very short lived, and in the morning the boat was
literally covered with their dead bodies.

Along the Chiri the scenery is for the most part
monotonous, but at times we see beautiful ranges of
mountains, some of which call up memories of a distant
land. We observed sharp-pointed conical hills like the
Pap of Caithness, craggy mountains like Arthur's Seat,
and no end of those common rounded hills with oval
tops.

On the 8th of July we descried a large herd of
elephants. We had observed a few on previous days,
but here was a herd of about forty. Such an instinct
have the natives for meat (nyama) that they were out
of the boat and standing close beside these huge animals
in a few moments. One lad went up to an elephant
and deliberately fired several revolver shots at his head.
The great monster merely shook himself, and moved off
with his companions. The boys pursued for some
distance, but returned complaining that elephants had
very thick skins. The natives do not fear the elephant
as they do the lion.

On the 10th we arrived at Makukani's, where we

68

QUILIMAXE TO BLAN'TTRE.

left our boats. "We met with a most enthusiastic
welcome here. About three hundred natives were on
the banks, and Bismarck said, "It is to see the white
lady ". By this time, we were among people who
understood yes and no, and said "good morning".
They were quite as fortunate in the use of their saluta-
tions as our friends had been at Quilimane. It was
common there for a gentleman to introduce himself in
the evening by holding out his hand and saying good
jiight, instead of good evening, greatly to the amuse-
ment of such of his friends as knew more of English.
Intercourse with foreigners calls attention to the peculi-
arities of our own idiom. When we say to a native,
" Now, look out," he is very likely to look out, and thus
expose himself to the very danger that he is warned
against. If he had warned himself, he would have said
'look in.' One morning Eopa burnt my hand through
my telling him to 1 hold on,' when I wanted him to let
go. He did ' hold on ' most faithfully. At this place
people came great distances to meet us. They had
heard that Englishmen were come, and the new arrivals
had been announced in such a way as to convey the
impression that the Eev. Horace Waller had come back.
Accordingly we had a visit from an old woman, accom-
panied by a man and woman much younger, who had
all been members of the Magomero Mission. The old
woman looked round to see if she could recognise
"Atate anga, atate anga" (My father, my father, —
meaning Mr. Waller), and when she failed she looked
disappointed, and said in a kind of despairing inquiry,
" There is no coming back for my father again ? " She

THE CHIEI HIGHLANDS.

69

had no pelele, and on asking the reason we were told
that Mr. Waller had taken it out. We soon discovered
that the natives were great beggars. At the beginning
of our river journey we were beset with people who
requested rum (kachaso), here the cry was chiefly for
cloth : it was only the men at the top of the social scale
that bested for rum ! The chief Makukani was a stout
man, somewhat bent, and blind of an eye. He could
be easily distinguished from his men, as his dress was
even scantier than theirs. He expressed an earnest
desire that the English would bring out a white wife
for him. He has an enormous harem in which we saw
one or two men armed with knob-sticks, whose duty,
we were told, was to keep order among his wives. He
promised to send his sons and daughters to school, but
this was only the promise of politeness. His sons had
been already at Livingstonia, where they had proved
rather troublesome, and two years elapsed before they
came to Blantyre. We occupied one of the chiefs huts
all night, and started next afternoon for the Chiri hills.
The carriers were at first likely to leave us at a spot
where there was no roof to sleep under except the
canopy of heaven, but on learning that Mr. Buchanan
was at the Kabula we made them push on to reach
him. IMrs. Maedonald arrived first, and by the time
I came up she was in possession of his snug little tent.
Next morning he went down to meet Dr. Macklin. By
this time I discovered that I had lost a small pocket
diary ; and it is worth saying that though lost among
the wildest-looking hills, it was found by a native and
restored with all that it contained. I began at once

70

THE MISSION STATION.

to extol the honesty of the negroes ! But the circum-
stance is easily understood when one considers that a
'paper' is of no use to a native. On Friday the 12th
of July, we started from the Kabula at eight o'clock,
and continued our journey through wild and beautiful
scenery. Our progress was much interrupted, and often
one of the natives would use his hatchet to cut down
small trees that obstructed the path. The sun was
exceedingly hot and the palanquins had no shade over
them. We also found that we could get no water to
quench our burning thirst. When on the Chili we
had drunk freely of its waters, ignorant of the number
of criminals that are thrown into this Tophet by the
Magololo. About mid-day wo came up to a beautiful
stream. Mrs. Macdonald had reached it more exhausted
than myself, and I found her fast asleep under a tree.
We had started without much breakfast, but we carried
a pocketful of boiled eggs for lunch, and partook of
them by the side of this mountain stream. At four
o'clock we reached Blantyre. Mrs. Macdonald was a
few yards in advance, and received a hearty welcome
from a crowd of native men and women who were in
the square expecting our arrival. It was three months
since we had left England. We were exceedingly tired
after such a long journey, and welcomed a night's rest.
All along I had kept a loaded gun by my side, which I
now wished to get rid of. The artisan opened his eyes
at my proposal, and said it had been judged safest to
sleep with weapons beside us. That very night our
slumbers were broken by a great commotion during
which we heard the report of a gun. We were prepared

THE BRAVE NATIVE KINGS.

71

to find that some enemy had come, but it was only a
leopard that had carried off a young pig.

On Sunday we had a short service in English and two
native meetings. At the meetings the schoolroom was
quite full. No Englishman in the country ventures to
use the native language, all rely on the interpreters.
On Monday there were over twenty pupils in school,
some reading small books and making letters on slates ;
others learning the alphabet.

After the heat experienced on the river, we felt Blantyre
quite cold especially in the morning and evening. We
were very thankful that we had enjoyed good health on
the whole. We were the first party that had travelled
from Quilimane to Blantyre without suffering from fever
by the way.

It was a few days before we got our baggage, and
Makukani had possessed himself of some valuables that
had been sent out for the Mission. We had come out
with a very high opinion of the brave native kings, but
incidents of this kind were fitted to destroy the enchant-
ment. 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 dungeon. I was told that the rest of the
staff would know how to manage all that. 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 them. On this occasion they
imprisoned several of Makukani's men and took their
guns from them. In order to get back his guns, the chief
sent up all the missing articles, which would have been
entirely lost but for this prompt measure. The belief

72

THE MISSION STATION.

at the Mission was that these chiefs would take every-
thing if they thought that they had more power than
the Missionaries.

Chapter VII.

THE MISSION STATION.

4

Fortunately we had seen too much of Africa to expect
a carpeted room and a cushioned chair at Blantyre. We
had slept so often in " shielins " incomparably worse than
a Scotch hen-house, that we did not care what kind ot
roof covered us. " If you want to make a man happy,"
it is said, " strive not to increase his comforts but to
lessen his desires." An experience like ours recom-
mended the proverb ; and as we stood for a minute (we
would have sat if there had been a spare chair) " glowrin
frae's " in what we might call our own " fowl-house,"
we saw that we should have many opportunities for
exercising self-denial. When our friends in Scotland
had tried to dissuade us from going to Africa, they had
pointed out how prudent the men were who go no farther
in mission work than to address drawing-room meetings.
Still, we were quite contented. We had been promised
the prayerful sympathy of the Church at home, and
now we knew most of our difficulties. At least we
thought so, and were happy, but " Dici beatus ante
obitum nemo supremaque funera debet". Blantyre,

74

THE MISSION STATION.

although highly praised at home, did not possess many
attractions for the newcomer. On our first introduction
to the manse we perceived that it contained two rooms.
In the larger of these there was nothing but a huge
table, which was noteworthy in many respects. It was
the only one we had seen for a month, and with the
exception of a board used by the artisans, it was the
only table within a hundred miles. It had to serve too
in surgical cases : when any poor native had to undergo
an operation, it was on this that the doctors had to
place him. The smaller room we may describe as a
bedroom, though when we were first ushered into it, it
contained neither bedstead nor bed, and boasted only of
one small chair of the rudest description. In our hut
there were two doors, but neither of them had a lock,
and one had no fastening; at all. When we learned that
thieves and wild beasts were frequent visitors, we began
to barricade doors and windows with chairs, books, and
buckets. At this moment, however, as our luggage had
not yet arrived, we were safe from theft, unless we
should be served as were certain members of the Uni-
versities' Mission, who had their very coat buttons cut
off. There were three other inhabited houses built on
the same plan as ours, but none of them were so well
furnished ! While there was one efficient door in the
manse, and perhaps another in the doctor's house,
the artisans' had no doors at all, but mattings of grass
were propped up in the doorways at night. Chairs
were a great rarity ; I do not think there were more
than four in the whole station, old boxes doing duty
instead.

THE HOUSES. 75

But although our houses were only mud huts they

THE BLANTYRE MISSION.

had an English finish about them and were very accept-
able to those that had wandered so long. Writing at
this time I said : — " The present houses promise to last
only for about three years, so that in a short time we
must make brick, with a view to more permanent
dwellings. Eats and white ants annoy us considerably.
With the former we are constantly at war, assisted by
traps, and cats, and a tame owl. Sometimes a gun is
used when half-a-dozen of them may be killed by a
single discharge. They are so troublesome from their
great numbers, that we must try phosphorus paste or
some such poison. White ants come up through the
floor, and attack books or clothes, rendering them quite

76

THE MISSION STATION.

useless in a single night. When a person wants a
skeleton for a specimen, he has only to put down the
animal near these ants, and in a short time he finds
nothing but the bones. Smaller ants creep every-
where. One method of placing our food out of their
reach is to put it in a box suspended by a rope from the
ceiling. In our house there was, by and by, an apology
for a cupboard the legs of which had to be placed in
water, but notwithstanding this precaution these insects
made a bridge over the bodies of their drowned com-
panions and covered our breakfast fowl in such numbers
that the fowl itself actually could not be seen. One of
their most annoying tricks is to visit a sleeper in bed.
More terrible still are the large red ants (salau). Their
attack has made many a traveller leave his bed and
stand in the smoke of a fire for the remainder of the
night. They bite furiously, and do not let go their
hold even after the head is severed from their body.
When a European happens to stand among them he has
to rush into the house at once, and divest him-
self of all his clothing. After he has apparently des-
troyed all his enemies, he has some difficulty in taking
their heads away from his skin. According to the
natives they will kill an elephant. Entering his nostrils
they cause such irritation that the animal commits
suicide by dashing against trees and rocks ; and then
the ants enjoy the carcase. They attack their victims
with much skill, waiting till they have spread themselves
all over his body, and then working by well understood
signals. When on the march, the smaller ants go in the
middle, while the larger who are the ' soldiers ' line the

FORMIDABLE ANTS.

77

sides. On a disturbance the soldiers hasten to the
scene of danger. The average line of march is hardly
an inch broad but may be half a mile long. They go
very closely probably about 30 being on every square
inch. When they threaten to enter a house the best
way of diverting them is by putting fire on their path.
Sometimes the Missionaries had to stand a siege for a
few hours from these formidable armies."

The Mission Station was situated on a knoll, and well
exposed to all the cool breezes. The wind is never
high ; seldom can a man get his hat blown off. But
occasionally there are whirlwinds which toss native
baskets in the air to a height of several feet. A " cloud-
less sky" has been often mentioned as a characteristic
of a happy land, but here one does not appreciate the
metaphor. There are large grasshoppers which the
natives catch for food, as also many small birds which
the schoolb6ys shoot with blunted arrows.

African Fever. All of us, not excepting the doctor
himself, paid the penalty for passing through the fever
region. We thought that after reaching Blantyre our
troubles were to be at an end. A week passes after our
arrival, and still no fever ; surely we are all right now.
Only let a man get a chill, and he will soon discover.
A person passes along our clay floors without his boots
of a morning, and the thing is done, — he may take any
preventive measure he chooses, but the fever will take
its course.

Our illness began ten days after our arrival, and we
were laid aside for about three weeks. During this
time all the other Europeans on the Station were also

78

THE MISSION STATION.

ill, and no one was able to take care of another. Dr.
Macklin often rose from a sick bed to do what he could.
One of our greatest difficulties was to get food. The
cooking of the natives when left to themselves exceeded
anything we had yet encountered. Besides, the black
people did not understand a word we said. If we asked
for a glass of milk they would bring a tin of biscuits,
after that they would try a tin of butter, and then in
despair they would bring in an armful of books ! But
it is when the invalid begins to recover that he misses
the comforts of his native land. There are certain
things that a sick man must have at home that he can-
not get here : he sees this at once and there is no use of
fretting over it. Not only is the invalid bereft of home
comforts, but he is subjected to a great many annoy-
ances. He hears the jackals and the hyaenas screaming
round the station, and a single night is sufficient to
convince him that these creatures have most powerful
lungs. Besides, a lion may be sitting coolly in the
verandah. The roads round the mission are marked each
morning with the footprints of animals of all kinds.
The station is just in the middle of a dense bush, which
has not been cleared farther than was absolutely neces-
sary. As one looks out at a window he may see large
buck at about 100 yards from him.

Artisans. — The first thing that struck us as we ap-
proached the station, was the paleness of the four or five
Englishmen that were standing- to welcome us. The
effect of this was heightened b}^ their contrast with the
hundreds of black faces that surrounded them. Members
of the Free Church Mission were there too. Most of

A MISSIONARY'S CHRISTMAS.

79

the young men felt their isolated position, all had
suffered severely from fever, and already death had
been thinning their ranks. An air of stillness, not to
say of sadness, overhung the place. After we had
recovered from attacks of fever ; there was a magic
lantern entertainment, where through an interpreter I
acted as demonstrator. I can never forget Dr. Mac-
klin's remark, that " there was more fun and laughing
that night, both among natives and Europeans, than
he had seen since the Mission began ". The men were
all of that age when hope is strongest in the human
soul, but they had met with much to discourage them.
As the dawn of Christmas morn reminded a man of
the festivities of the season, and of his friends in the
far off home, he found himself lying in bed overcome
by weakness, but obliged to hold up an umbrella to
shield his blankets from the rain. All had felt what it
is to undergo long periods of sickness while destitute
of every comfort. The Directors at home, who were
entrusted with the Church collections found it neces-
sary to cut down the Mission expenditure. The
poor fellows in Africa, though separated from friends
and weakened by sickness, had this grim fact ever
staring them in the face. The watchword was, " Man,
think of the bawbees at the Kirk door ! " On one
occasion, it had been settled that they must retrench.
They could not afford to pay the ordinary price for
fowls. On Christmas morning a native came to the
Mission, wishing to sell a beautiful cock. It seemed
as if Providence had designed them a special treat for
the festive season. They began to try to purchase this

80

THE MISSION STATION.

" tambala," but, alas, the owner was obstinate. He
expected the old price. Economy was supreme, but
said one, " I was very sorry as I looked after the man
going away with our dinner ! "

These hardships naturally caused irritation and dis-
content. The party for the Government, while making
the best of the circumstances, had often to face the
hungry Opposition — and the proverb says, " A hungry
man's an angry man ". The speech, " Now, you must
not think that I am standing over the provisions like a
dog set to keep you from them," would call forth the
reply, " It looks very like it ! " But the evil was
beyond the power of the Government and the Opposi-
tion, both parties being to some extent made victims.
Such evils generally begin at home. Persons sent out
are told that everything will be done to mitigate their
hard lot. Bright promises are held before their eyes,
perhaps not by the Directors formally, but by certain
of their members. Some of these would be found in
the young men's path at every turning, loudly shout-
ing, "Peace and plenty". I know nothing more pain-
ful than the action of such irresponsible go-betweens.
The Directors as a body, cannot, of course, approach the
various individuals. What they do, is to refer in an
off-hand manner to some of their most zealous members,
who take upon them the task of giving information, with-
out first informing themselves, and the result is the most
complete deception. Promises are made in good faith,
and seem most reasonable in themselves, but the very
men that volunteer to give such pledges, have no power
to fulfil them, and once the man is abroad, he finds

GOLDEN DREAMS.

81

that he has been outwitted. Such hardships as are
inevitable, are often a milder item in Mission life, and
are always borne with greater cheerfulness, than such
as are inflicted through culpable misrepresentation and
carelessness.

Men whose hearts are not in the work have little pati-
ence during such trials, while even earnest workers are
liable to be made discontented while always hearing the
grumbling of others, and knowing that it is not with-
out cause. Still amidst much to dishearten them these
poor fellows had their day dreams. Hope, the last god-
dess to forsake the miserable, hovered about their home
in the desert. A good story is told of a small' party
whose walk brought them by chance tc the banks of a
beautiful rivulet. Amidst the impressive vastness of the
African forest, and all the rare scenes of a new country,
their hearts were ready to admit most brilliant hopes.
As one of them looked about the rivulet he fell on
something whose effect was magical. All at once his
manner became dignified, the tones of his voice changed,
at last he had found a balm for his sorrows. " It's gold!
yes, gold ! we need never lift a hammer again." But
alas ! the vision of splendour was not realized. It gave
place to the usual wrangling about rations, and the pro-
verb "Golden dreams make one awake hungry" was
painfully appropriate.

It is most essential for a Church to see that when a
band of artisans is sent to places so isolated, every cause
of irritation should be avoided ; when this is not done the
results may be serious. When a great play is acted on
this world's theatre it is one thing to sit as a spectator,

82

THE MISSION STATION.

and another to be admitted behind the scenes. When I
read, as a little boy, of Waterloo, and such celebrated
battles, I thought everything connected with the victori-
ous party must be great, and good, and glorious, — that
every soldier and officer must be a model of virtue and
excellence. But once I met with a Waterloo veteran,
and my pre-conceived opinions received a cruel shock.
This man told me with the greatest complacency, as if
it had been the merest matter of course, that soldiers
were put under the strictest discipline, that many of
them were men that required this, that frequent quarrels
took place, and that many a soldier welcomed a battle
as an opportunity for killing not the public enemy, but
some private enemy who belonged to his own side and
fought in his own regiment ! Though man has heaven-
ward aspirations, it is true, alas ! that he standeth upon
the earth.

We arrived at Blantyre at a very critical period of
the Mission's history. A few months before, an able
Missionary on quitting the settlement, said that he left
it either to " sink or swim," and hinted that the former
alternative was not improbable. Many of the artisans did
not wish to continue in the service of the Mission, believ-
that they would find it better to become traders and
chiefs among the natives.

All the artisans had an enormous influence in the
country. In the service of the Mission, they had
hundreds of native workmen under their charge. In a
private capacity each had one or two black butlers, not
to speak of cooks and clothes-washers ! Some were
large landed proprietors on their own account. They

FREEHOLDS.

33

found that any chief would give 1000 acres without a
moment's hesitation, and some of them had acquired
whole tracts of territory. But their riches lay lightly
on their hearts, and a visitor to the station would not
have found out that such freeholds had been acquired.
Except in a moment of confidence, no artisan would
speak of his great fortune, and unless specially informed
we could not have distinguished the man that possessed
miles of land, from the man that had not a foot. But
it had been mooted at home that some missionaries held
land in their own name. Letters which had been quite
unintelligible at the time, showed that there was an
alarm over the ridiculous subject. Artisans that bar-
gained about large tracts of country were still in the
Mission, and did no more good or harm by the transac-
tion than they would have done by acquiring a freehold
in the moon !

Chiefs fawned upon Europeans or rather on their
goods. They would promise anything or everything for
the present of an old coat. When they made a grant
of land to one man and received his " present," they
saw nothing inconsistent in giving the same land to a
second man, or more correctly to a second " present ".
Soon these chiefs were better understood, and however
willing the artisans were to keep on good terms with
these " great ones," their constant begging was too
much for human patience. The sneaking beings were
found to be a perfect nuisance. They put themselves
on the footing of beggars, and the most unpretentious
of the Europeans had to treat them as such.

The artisans set themselves to train the natives to work.

8-4

THE MISSION STATION.

It was difficult at first, but they showed considerable firm-
ness. Some of them believed that the native despised
leniency, and formed the opinion that the more they
kicked him the more they were respected. This was an
unfortunate interpretation of the servility of the African.
The plan more frequently adopted was to dismiss any
obstinate man without payment, the only danger being
that the whole squad would have to be thus treated.
Many were slaves, and as they might have to give over
their wages to a master, they were not at all sorry to
be dismissed. Often masters and slaves would work
side by side under the European artisan who did justice
to all without respect of persons.

The industrial work was prosecuted with vigour,
many natives being employed in making roads. When
the bugle sounded on Monday morning, there was a
rush of hundreds of men and women who had come to
receive employment. One artisan stood ready to select
as many workers as he wanted, and he was soon hidden
from view as the people crowded around him. Before
enrolling the candidates he looked at their hoes and
axes, and rejected such as had inferior tools. He re-
jected also women that had babies on their backs, but
when this became known to a native mother, she handed
her child to some one else until her name was once on
the book. As the native names were sometimes very
long, the artisan had a great demand on his powers of
writing. " And what's your name ? " he asks. " Une-
chemtyosyamaguluwe.1 " Tut, man, the half of that

1 (I-am) the-driver-away-of-the-pigs : but owing to the abridged
notation the gentleman would go down on the roll-book as Mr. Pigs.

SALUTATIONS.

85

will do !" is the rejoinder; and a high sounding name
like Emmanuel is reduced to Emma.

Visitors. — For several days after our arrival there was
great excitement. Our larger room had four windows,
which were thrown open to admit the air, and every
morning a crowd gathered at each window to see the
white lady ! The natives of the Chiri Highlands had
seen white men before, but they had scarcely realised
that women too would be disfigured by this strange
complexion. Some visitors asked an introduction to
the newcomer on the ground that " they were women
too". We had to shake hands with all the groups.
This was not a native salutation, but we wished to be
cordial towards our black brothers and sisters. After
grasping a score of dark hands, our own partook of a
similar hue. A stranger might feel inclined to wash his
hands after the ceremony, but he would return to find
that more visitors had come, and that the whole process
had to be repeated. The natives are not much incon-
venienced by " matter out of place ". Even persons
that came from working clay would advance and hold
out their hands. But they had good excuse. At this
season they had no water on the spot except a little for
softening their clay, nor had they any towels. Their
loin-cloth seemed often too scanty for wiping the fingers.
But in later times when we visited the villages, we have
seen women run off to wash their hands, that the English
lady might have a proper welcome.

Neighbours. — I began to confine myself so closely to
the acquisition of the language and work in the Mission
School, that for a long time I knew nothing of the dis-

86

THE MISSION STATION.

trict round Blantyre. The first occasion on which I saw
a little of the country was on a visit to Sochi in company
with Dr. Macklin, who went to settle several quarrels
with Kapeni, the chief of the country. In going along
I was astonished to find so many villages. "When the
villagers saw us, they made a point of hasting up to say
"Morning, morning!" (which is their usual salutation
to Englishmen). The males seemed to have all their
time at their disposal. With the exception of one who
was sewing a piece of cloth, we saw nothing to show
that the men did any work at all. But the women
were pounding corn or working in the fields.

On reaching the chiefs village we asked for him, but
he could not be found. It was thought that he was
afraid to show himself. One by one his villagers gath-
ered round till they formed a great assemblage. Some
had bows, others knives, and one had a gun, so that
they had nothing to fear. We were without weapons
of any kind, only an Englishman is always believed to
carry a great supply of war medicine. After we had
waited a long time, the old chief appeared with a large
clear knife in his hand. He sat down at a great dis-
tance ; when asked to come near he said " No ". Some
time ago he had sent the Mission a present which had
not been accepted, and he "wTas ashamed to have it
returned ". Our interpreter went over and induced him,
after much persuasion, to come beside us ; then he sat
down on a skin under a large tree. After being intro-
duced, I went up to shake hands with him, and I am
not sure whether the poor old man did not regard me
with suspicion, for while he gave me his left hand, he

IN THE PRESENCE OF ROYALTY.

ST

held his knife very firmly with the right. Such was
my first acquaintance with the king of the country.
The sending back of the present was then discussed.
The Mission had two complaints against Kapeni : (1)
His men had carried off from Blantyre a slave woman
that had come there for protection. (2) One of the
Blantyre lads when hunting in the district of Sochi
came to a village where the chief's son and certain com-
panions were drinking beer, and they took away his gun
and gave him a beating. But the inhabitants of this
village feared that the matter would not end well. They
reasoned that the outrage had been done in their town,
and that the English would come with guns and inflict
a severe punishment upon them. Accordingly they took
back the gun and returned it to the Blantyre lad, whom
they escorted home. The old chief of course denied any
knowledge of these facts. He had just " heard about
them ". After a little talking, matters were settled in a
friendly way, and we ended by inviting the chief over
to Blantyre. He said he wished to see the white lady,
and to hear the harmonium which had just come,
and he bargained to be gratified in these respects.
He was much astonished when told that the lady, or
" Donna," never went out — he thought it strange that
she should not be seen hoeing the fields and pounding
corn.

On our way home we passed the village where the
gun had been taken, and the doctor invited the men
that restored it to come and see how the English people
valued their friends. On an appointed day they came
and received a present of calico. The chief of Sochi

8S

THE MISSION STATION.

also paid his visit and brought a present of fowls,
receiving in return a blanket and a piece of calico.

Interpreters. — When we arrived there were two inter-
preters— Tom and Sam. They had been in a slave
gang which was liberated by Bishop Mackenzie. Tom
remembered his capture. He was playing beside a
stream with his little sister when a man seized him.
He knew the reason at once. " The man wanted to
take me to the coast and sell me for calico." " Why
did you not scream ? " " Can't scream, they put flour
on my mouth." Thus the boy was separated from his
parents and his home, and the little stream that he
played beside, at once and for ever. He could never
tell where was the home of his infancy ; only he believed
that it "was far away in the Yao country". Sam's
story was much the same ; and they both remember how
glad they were when met by the white men who set
them free. They had acquired a knowledge of the
English language at Capetown, and had seen a great
deal of civilised life there — perhaps a great deal too
much. To these young men I had to look for instruc-
tion in the native tongue. I early recognised that I
need not expect to do the people any good unless I
could speak to them. During our voyage up the river
I collected a few wTords and formed a scheme of the
verb. 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 Yao. I
felt as if the interpreter had been playing a practical joke
upon me. Here I had a note-book filled with this
Chinyasa, and I was now coolly told that it would be of

DIFFICULTIES IN TRANSLATING.

89

no use ! I began next to find that some Yao words were
the same as their Chinyasa equivalents, and this made me
reserve my manuscript with more hope.

For some days after recovering from fever I was
unable to walk to school, and I got Katunga, a big chief
who came in to tell us about Doto Livisto (Dr. Living-
stone), to point out the names of common objects as
mountain, tree, &c. He laughed very heartily at my
imitation of his words. In beginning to form a voca-
bulary, I took a Dictionary and went over it day after
day with the interpreters, noting down all the native
words I could find. I also wrote a translation of several
passages of Scripture from their lips. But I found they
often had difficulties. When I wished to translate the
"Hail master" of Judas, they said that there was no
word for " Hail," but (referring to English salutations

NATIVE FEMALE (TRIBAL MARKS, TATOOS AND LIP RING).

90

THE MISSION STATION.

recently introduced) they assured me I would make
nothing of it unless I said "Morning Master". The
" kissed him " was a similar puzzle. For kiss they gave
me one word which, as I afterwards discovered, meant
to bite, and another which meant to smell ! They could
come no nearer the idea. No mother here kisses her
child. One has only to look at the photograph of a
native female to see that she cannot kiss.

Notwithstanding their residence at Cape Town these
men were often unable to translate the most ordinary
English into their own tongue, and yet they were better
interpreters than any we could expect to train for several
years. When I once tried hard to find a word for
guilty, they could give nothing but the word bad. One
gentleman said that they had occasionally been offenders
in Cape Town. He was sure that if I followed the usual
legal forms, and mentioned the sentence of working
for a month at the docks, they had sufficient experience
to tell me ! But though I supposed cases as like this as
I could without betraying the matter, I failed to get the
information required. "What I most deplored was that
if these men had got the word in the middle of an
address, it would have given them no trouble ! From
the translations I wrote down I afterwards formed a con-
ception of how they would treat such an expression as,
" His delight is in the Law of the Lord ". They would
break it up into two sentences, of which the first
would be " Light is low," and the second some very
unintelligible statement about God. I could not have
believed that such nonsense was possible unless I had
actually come into contact with it. The African inter-

INTERPRETERS.

01

preter who said, ' The salvation of the soul is a great
sack,' is I fear quite an average specimen of his class.
But this is due more to the difficulties of the English
language than to any natural incapacity in the African.
I have employed many to translate from one negro dia-
lect to another and they could do this very well. The
native congregations that listened to the interpreters
must have been much puzzled at first. Once they heard
an address on the healing of the leper — and every time
the word ' leper ' occurred it was rendered ' leopard '.

When the magic lantern was used for the entertain-
ment and instruction of the natives, they at first looked
on with fear. When told "This is a man that lived long
ago," they actually thought that people were brought
back from the dead. But soon they enjoyed seeing
English people and English buildings. One day we
showed them ' the house of John Knox '. The inter-
preter of course had never before heard of such a man,
but he was not the person to hesitate, and he said,
" This is the house of John the Ox I " (John Ng'ombe).

Still in telling people how to hoe and to carry grass
and on all ordinary occasions, the aid of interpreters was
most useful. They were also much valued for their
advice in difficulties that arose with the natives. They
understood matters of this kind better than Europeans
did. When I arrived they were just making ready to
leave the country and their departure was a great loss
to the Mission.

School. — Next to the acquisition of the language came
school work. This had formerly occupied about two hours
in the forenoon, but I introduced an afternoon school.

02

THE MISSION STATION.

At first we felt teaching very hard, owing to the heat,
and often we were almost fainting. But we succeeded
in keeping our pupils interested. Had we possessed
books in the native language we might have done much
more good, for our pupils must have found it a hard
task to read English. But in a short time we intro-
duced a little of the African. One of my first attempts
was to write out a simple English verse with a Yao
translation. Mrs. Macdonald printed this in large
letters, and in a short time the pupils could both read
and sing,

" Set thou thy trust upon the Lord,

And be thou doing good ;
For so thou in the land shalt dwell,

And verily have food."

When I asked which of the verses was best, Anyasa

pupils said they liked the English, but the majority of

the school preferred —

" Tululani mtima wenu Mulungu,
Tendani yambone mowa gosepe
Iyoyo somchitania niuchilambo
Mwainbone somchikola yakulia."

The words of this other verse were much longer, but
they conveyed a meaning to the natives, while the
English words conveyed none. Notwithstanding all
that I could do with the interpreters, the translation
would come out in eleven syllables. Now there was a
puzzle to find a tune. It happens that a metre like this
is common in Scottish songs, and we tried an adaptation
of the " Flowers of the Forest," which acted admirably.
I never saw any melody tell so much on the natives.
It actually brought tears to their eyes the first day we

NATIVE NUMERATION.

93

sang it. The harmonium was a great attraction in the
school. The children seemed more amendable to music
than their parents. The old folk were fond of coming to
hear this wonderful instrument, but when something
lively was played they frequently looked grave, while
they were almost certain to laugh at a plaintive air !
Only the great novelty of the instrument itself affected
them so much at first, that they could not appreciate
emotional effects. The pupils began to do a little
arithmetic. The numerical system in central Africa is
quinary. Hence the English notation puzzled them at
first, but not so greatly as might have been expected.
As natives seldom count, their own numerical system
had not engaged their thoughts so much as to oppose
the new one. In the Yao language there are three dis-
tinct methods of numeration. One of these calls in
the aid of the human voice in order to bring out
certain numerical distinctions, and would require a
ventriloquist to do justice to it !

But it is high time to point out that the Minister
himself had now gone to school, and to describe his
progress thereat. Looking back upon this period I may
now characterise it as follows: — First "half" — Dark-
ness; Second " half "—Groping ; Third "half-
Efforts at making a fire ; Fourth " half " — Beginning to
see the bystanders ; Fifth " half" — Forming friendships ;
Sixth "half" — Instructing our friends; Seventh "half" —
Farewells.

Chapter VIII.

FIKST HALF. JULY 1878— DEC. 1878.

Weekly work. — On Sunday morning, I devoted my
attention to the revisal of Yao discourses and prayers
prepared during the previous week. The first discourse
had to be given at nine o'clock in the morning. It was
chiefly a translation of some passage of Scripture, with
one or two remarks for the purpose of explaining or
applying the subject. I stuck to the Scripture itself
as much as possible. After this I prepared for our
English service at two p.m., which was conducted after
the method usual at home. Next I had to revise my
Yao discourse for the evening service. Every week-day
except Saturday I took the school from eight to ten, the
]ast half hour being occupied with the more advanced
pupils. At ten we breakfasted ; and till two p.m. I was
occupied with various items. A long time was spent over
the language. There was a meeting for the natives every
evening, and I required nearly the whole day to prepare
for it, having not only to find words, but to verify their
application. As the boys that assisted me could not
speak a sentence of English, my task was difficult. I
found it necessary to use signs, nor was it easy to

SPEAKING BY SIGNS.

95

devise suitable ones. After earnest endeavours I often
failed to make the natives understand me. Then I
practised my signals before a European, and he could
not understand them either, and what was worse could
suggest no improvement. I sometimes felt as helpless
in my efforts to talk with a native before me as if I
had been still in Scotland.

At two o'clock school was resumed till four. I had not
much difficulty in sustaining the attention of a class of
twenty-two, a fact which said much for the docility of
the pupils. At four o'clock we dined, and after dinner I
again prepared busily for the native meeting at six.
At its close we had time for a short walk in what would
be the twilight at home. We generally went to one or
other of our three villages for the purpose of talking a
little with the villagers, and making them feel at home
with us. At seven p.m. we had evening prayers, and after
that my time Was free for linguistic studies. We pro-
posed at first to have classes for mutual instruction in
the native tongue, but it was soon felt that each man
must study by himself before there could be any
instructor. The language became the largest part of
my work. The Scripture readings I gave took a great
deal of time. I found it interesting work, and was
always delighted to get hold of a new word. Occasionally
I got words for which I could find no exact English
equivalent, and in that case I had to construct a kind
of mental formula. Sometimes I made best progress in
translating the Old Testament, although I chiefly tried
the Gospels.

The school-children, as a rule, are very agreeable with

96

FIRST HALF.

each other. I have seen few cases of strife, and these
were easily quieted. The very fact of making a formal
examination settled everything. In one case, where a
little boy complained of a bigger one, I first instituted
a long, solemn inquiry, to see whether the bigger one
was to blame ; when it was found that he was, he,
rather to his astonishment, was sent out to bring a
bamboo ! Then followed a long dissertation on the
bamboo, in which I pointed out how it would hurt and
cut. By this time, the little boy had tears in his eyes,
and said he did not wish the other one to be punished ;
which was the very effect I aimed at. But after a time
this failed. On asking a boy whether he wished a
companion beaten, I would often receive the answer,
"I do not know, you, father, know best". As girls
came to the station, Mrs. Macdonald took them under
her care, she had first to improve their habits and get
them to wash their own clothes. Soap was a great
novelty to the natives ; they were much amused with
the peculiar " feel " it gave to clothes. They thought
it was a kind of clothes "medicine," and trusted more
to its magic than to their own rubbing. They used
to dye their cloth black, a custom which made washing
unnecessary. But after becoming acquainted with soap,
men and women made a great rush upon the com-
modity, and notwithstanding every care in distributing,
our six tins of soft soap were speedily reduced to two,
and we had great anxiety as to what should be done
when the two remaining tins shared the fate of their
predecessors. The natives began to like the coloured
clothes which were sent out. A box of clothes was a

POWERS OF OBSERVATION.

97

great acquisition. Shirts, trousers, and blankets were
eagerly sought after, and some of the workers accepted
these as payment in preference to calico, while our
pupils regarded them as the best kind of prizes.

Visiting. — On Saturday mornings, accompanied by
a little boy, called Walani, I used to visit native vil-
lages. On these occasions I was much impressed with
the African's powers of observation. Once we had gone
a great distance and were very tired. We came to a
little hill, from the top of which we saw smoke, which
guided us to a quiet little hamlet. As we were ap-
proaching, I wondered whether the villagers would
know anything of the " white men " at all. Here they
lived in a wild spot, apparently without communication
with the rest of the world. I was surprised to find
that at this distance (at least six miles), they at once
called Walani by his name, and knew about all the
Englishmen on the station. In such villages I en-
deavoured to speak about the God of heaven ; and the
people looked thoughtful, and were quite disposed to
listen. The natives are by no means a stupid people,
and I should not like to hear them called utter savages.
Certain it is that had they been acquainted with writing
and other contrivances, chiefly of a mechanical nature,
they would have presented a very different appearance.
They seem to stand before us as a people destitute of
every religious observance. But this may be accounted
for by their want of men set apart for religion. It is
with them only what it might be with any people
destitute of books, and without a form of church

government. Besides, in judging the natives we ought

7—2

98

FIRST HALF.

to bear in mind how easy it is to proceed upon incom-
plete observation. The other day I made a discovery
which surprised me very much. Though for three
months I had been teaching girls to read, I did not
know that they carried a number of little stones in the
mouth ! The other Europeans were equally ignorant
of the custom. Still it is .the fact that all the native
girls carry from six to ten little peebles under the
tongue. They told me it was for the purpose of
making them speak well ! After this it would not
astonish me to discover one day a complex ritual among
the natives ! Meanwhile, in their constant cheerfulness
and kindness to each other, we find aspects of character
that true religion would inculcate ; nay, more, may we
not see in these features of their disposition, some
traces of the working of that m'tv^a which " bloweth
where it listeth " ? At this time I wrote : " We have
made little progress in setting the Bible truths before
them as a system. As yet I have found no words to
express the ideas of trust, faith, substitution, mercy, or
justice. Hitherto I have stated the simple narratives of
Christ's life. But I am confident that they would ap-
preciate trains of reasoning, and be as able to follow the
Epistle of the Eomans as ordinary people are at home."

I add now small cuttings from my journal which will
give a general idea of our life at this period.

Saturday, Nov. 16. — In the morning before 10 o'clock
I had a walk with Walani, now called John MacRae, for
the purpose of learning the language, and speaking to
any people we might find in the villages. John is now
fond of plucking all the flowers he sees, in order to take

VISIT OF A CHIEF.

90

them home to Mrs. Macdonald. A few months ago the
natives laughed at the idea of gathering flowers, but
now they are rather fond of doing so. The boys, under
Mrs. Macdonald's more immediate care, put up bunches
in their bedrooms.

Sunday, Nov. 17. — Maseo, one of the Magololo chiefs,
arrived on a visit : he was accompanied by two of his
wives and one of his sons. He was present at our
evening service. Having been a long time with Dr.
Livingstone he knows a few English words, and likes to
use them, e.g., "thank you," "look here," &c.

Monday, Nov. 18. — The chief comes to breakfast, and
we get a great deal of practice in trying to converse
with him. He speaks both Yao and Chinyasa.

Tuesday, Nov. 19. — We had a " Magic-lantern enter-
tainment ". The chief recognised Dr. Livingstone, and
stood up before the screen to have a good view. His
two wives visited Mrs. Macdonald in the forenoon, and
got a present of a dress each, and listened to some
music.

We received the report of a mwai case which resulted
in the death of an old man who lived beside us. I
found that our schoolboys all believed in the mwai, and
I began to argue against the superstition. We happened
at the time to be poisoning rats, and I asked whether
the rats died because they were " bewitchers ! " The
little fellows appreciated the illustration very much,
but still retained this faith of their fathers.

Wednesday, Nov. 20. — A man came and asked leave
to "propose" to a woman that Mrs. Macdonald has
been training to do washing and other household duties.

100

FIRST HALF.

The woman in question came up much disappointed.
She seemed to fear that she would be compelled to
marry in the native fashion, — i.e., without having any
choice in the matter. She admitted that she was
willing to marry, but said that she wanted another
man. When we stated that she might certainly marry
the man she preferred, she went away highly satisfied.

Thursday, Nov. 21. — Four couples paid me a visit
in the forenoon, expecting to be married on the spot.
After trying to explain the nature of marriage, I told
them to come back next day. Mrs. Macdonald's ser-
vant was among the number, and seemed to be the
ringleader.

Friday, Nov. 22. — Four marriages were celebrated in
the schoolroom with as great solemnity as possible. I
should have put on a pulpit-gown if I had possessed one.
We killed a goat for the occasion, and presented each of
the ladies with a dress. Dr. Macklin gave each man a
knife. All the previous marriages on the station had
been civil marriages, which were arranged by the Doctor.
These cases were almost semi-christian marriages.

In the evening two other men asked for wires. We
inquired whether the ladies had agreed, and presently
they were brought up to declare their consent. But the
men had no houses, and the marriages were deferred till
houses could be built. The females said they were
willino- to wait.

Saturday, Nov. 23. — We discovered that one of the
men married yesterday had another wife. We had been
particularly careful to enforce that this could not be ;
and therefore, partly as a punishment for his unblushing

INCREASE OF PUPILS.

101

falsehood, we executed a summary sentence of banish-
ment on him. His other wife was on bad terms with
her rival. The man that was refused the other day by
Mrs. Macdonald's servant, now comes to say that he has
found a wife ; and that there may be no mistake this
time, he brings the lady with him. As he has no house,
the marriage is deferred till its erection.

1 paid a visit to various villages for the purpose of
getting more children to school ; I met a few naked
boys playing beside a stream, who said they would
come. They looked at my umbrella, and seemed to be
astonished at the folding up of it. As usual on such
occasions, I showed them my watch, which has been
exhibited so often that I begin to regard it more as a
magic-box than a timepiece.

Monday, Nov. 25. — One nice boy has been added to
school as a result of Saturday's visit.

The chief takes his departure. We pressed him to
send his boys to school, and he said " he would dream
about it ". He tells us that the Mao-ololo chiefs are
much guided by dreams. After some talk on the subject,
we gave him a parting present, with the view of inducing
a favourable dream !

Tuesday, Nov. 26. — A messenger came from Chipu-
tula, accompanied by two of the chiefs sons, and carry-
ing a present of goats and bananas. A Yao man had
run off with one of Chiputula's wives and a gun.
Kapeni is the man's chief. Chiputula wishes the English
to tell Kapeni that if he does not deliver up the offender
Chiputula will make war.

Wednesday, Nov. 27. — Mrs. Macdonald took up

102

FIRST HALF.

Chiputula's two sons, and entertained them with books,
music, and sweetmeats. She was much pleased with
the two little princes of the Ruo.

Thursday, Nov. 28. — Dr. Macklin went over to Sochi
to see Kapeni concerning Chiputula's message. But the
old chief was not to be found. The Dr. thought he
was at home, nevertheless, and left a message for him
to come to Blantyre.

Friday, Nov. 29. — Kapeni sent a message to ask for
an interview at a half-way village. He requested me
to come " because I could speak Yao ! " I started at
6 "30 in the morning, and reached Kapeni very early.
He gave the utmost satisfaction, and professed much
friendship for Chiputula.

But I believe he bears a secret grudge against us for
the protection given to run-away slaves of his. This
subject is a delicate one. It looks very well to give
protection to slaves when they come and say they are
going to be sold. Yet the relation between a chief and
his servants is one of the things that go to form the
social order of these tribes ; and by treating the matter
rashly, we may bring about a great deal of anarchy.

Friday, Dec. 6. — Mrs. Macdonald's sewing-class con-
tains twelve girls, who seem very willing to learn. "We
had some difficulty in obtaining female pupils, as the
Yao girls are engaged at a very early age, and after such
engagement they are not so free as they would other-
wise be. Many of our female pupils are slave girls
who have come here for protection ; they live on the
station, and as they increase in number, they will re-
quire a female monitor for themselves. At present the

CHEERFULNESS OF THE NATIVES.

103

care of them gives us much anxiety ; only they marry
as soon as they find a husband.

All our earlier intercourse with the natives brought
before us the cheerful side of their character. I found
them always full of fun. As they have no difficulty in
procuring food, clothes, or houses, they suffer from none
of the cares that press so heavily on Europeans. Still,
we discovered that they had their troubles too. The
first occasion I saw any sorrow, was in connection with
death. 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 child. On enquiring when
the funeral would take place, I found that it was to be
immediately. On going to the village, we saw that a
few of the man's neighbours had assembled, and were
waiting for our arrival. As soon as the Englishmen had
all come, two natives entered the house. Here the little
child was stretched upon a bamboo mat, with a piece of
calico thrown over its body. The mother lay mourning
on the side of the mat. The father we had already
passed sitting outside the house with a few men round
him. He took no farther part in the funeral ceremony ;
contrary to our expectation, he did not accompany the
body to its last resting-place. The two natives that
went inside removed the calico from the child's body,
then they folded the mat round the corpse, and tied it
up so that the whole formed a small cylindrical parcel.
After this the men came to the outside again and washed
their hands very carefully. They did this, not for the
purpose of ordinary cleanliness (natives are not so care-
ful in this respect), it was a ceremonial act, deemed

104

FIRST HALT.

necessary after touching the dead. Two men now took
up the body, and carried it the whole way. The head-
man of the village seemed to think it was his place to
follow next the bearers. Some of us had an idea that
the child would be interred near the house, but the pro-
cession went on to a time-consecrated burying-ground.
Once or twice the bearers seemed to lose their way, and
then the headman went to the front and carefully
examined the paths. When at length they arrived at
their destination, we were puzzled to find that no little
grave ha.pl been dug. The body was then laid down
under one of the large trees, and the headman came and
asked what was the English method of burial. We said
that we wished them to bury after their own manner,
only we took the opportunity of stating that when the
English were buried a prayer wras offered up to God.
Then we engaged briefly in prayer.

By this time a procession of females approached.
They had been following us all the way at a short dis-
tance. At their head came the child's mother, who was
supported by two other women. As soon as she arrived
she sat down nearest the body of her child, while her
companions threw themselves on the grass beside her.
The little band of females looked more like mourners
than did the men, for the latter sometimes talked and
laughed more than would be considered proper at an
English funeral. The women carried a few earthen
pots to place on the grave. A Yao burial-ground is
easily known by the number of pots that are there.
The place where we stood was covered with pots as
thickly as a home churchyard is with tombstones. The

GRAVE DIGGING.

105

men now began to break up the ground for a grave,
while the women watched the sad work. On asking
how deep they made it, we found that it was to be
about three feet. After watching their work for a while,
we concluded that they would take three hours to com-
plete it, and we requested to be excused from waiting
longer. Then we all shook hands with the mother, and
tried to comfort her. She had been throwing dust upon
her person as a sign of her sorrow Before leaving, we
enquired whether an English implement would not be
better than their hoes. They heartily assented to this,
and despatched one of their number to bring a spade.
In the evening I went down to see the mother, and tried
to speak to her. From what I could gather, she seemed
to think that she would meet her child again (10).
How much I wished that I had been able to use their
language, so as to bring home to their minds all the
comforting truths about that child's great Elder Brother !
Had we been able to stay till the burial took place, we
might have seen some more instructive rites. I won-
dered whether their ceremonial washing spake of some
connection in their minds, or in the minds of their
fathers, between physical death and moral pollution (or
sin) : and whether the pots placed on the grave spake
of a hope that the activities of their owner were not
ended for ever.

A murder. — The next funeral I saw was much
sadder. The female mourners wrung their hands and
shed tears of grief and despair. The men attended in
great numbers, and their dark faces spoke of rage and
determination. The previous evening a poor woman

106

FIB ST HALF.

had gone to the stream to wash her maize. About sun-
set a gun was heard, which, however, caused no concern.
Though the woman had not come back the villagers did
not miss her, and retired to bed as usual. But at night
they heard the cries of a child, and discovered one little
creature wandering alone in the darkness, and weeping
for its mother. The villagers immediately arose and
hastened to the stream, where they soon found the
woman's dress and her basket of grain, but the woman
herself was nowhere seen.

That night the Missionaries on the Station were
all sitting together after evening prayers. It was
Christmas time, and our friends had come down from
Livingstonia. We had received no letters from Eng-
land for three months, the natives of Mazaro had
rebelled against the Portuguese, and war had put an
end to all communication. Matters were looking dark.
We had no calico to pay native labour, the little that
remained was required for buying the necessaries of
life, and as it was nearly exhausted, starvation loomed
in the distance. The white men were seriously talking
of an expedition to get up goods, when a loud rap was
heard at the door. " The mail ! here's the mail ! " was
shouted, but it was Kumlomba with half-a-dozen of his
villagers. In great excitement he rushed forward and
threw down at the Doctor's feet the bit of calico that
had been the woman's covering, as he exclaimed, " My
child is dead ! " This unexpected " mail " took the
breath from us all. We tried to calm the poor man.
" There was no evidence," we argued, " that the woman
had been killed. A slave-gang was being made up bv

ASSASSINATION.

107

Kapeni's people — it was certain she had been caught
for slavery." A celebrated lawyer said to a novice who
was going to act at a trial, " Give your opinion boldly,
but don't give any reasons for it : your opinion may be
correct, but your reasons will almost certainly be
wrong". The advice is noteworthy, and often have I
thought of it when dealing with an African : what he
states in expressing his belief is generally right, what he
adds by way of argument is often wrong, and it seems
doubly so to persons unacquainted with the native
mind. Kumlomba said a few things that appeared very
disjointed to Europeans, and confirmed our belief that
the woman was still alive. The chief listened to us
with patience but did not seem satisfied.

Next morning the mystery was solved — the woman
was found lying dead in the stream without any cloth-
ing, and brutally mutilated (36). The Doctors were
soon informed, who examined the body, and told the
people to bury it. After the funeral was over, Kumlomba
and other natives, as also all the Europeans, met to
discuss what ought to be the method of procedure on
this sad occurrence. The natives were only too familiar
with such cases, and some of the Europeans had been
three years in the country, and were well acquainted
with native law. They agreed that a message must be
sent to Kapeni asking him to give up the guilty party.
On being thus appealed to, Kapeni convened an enor-
mous meeting of his people at Sochi. He there stated
that he had not yet discovered who the assassin was,
but he assured us that as the Yao people always
"talked," everyone would know in a few days. But

108

FIRST HALF.

according to native law, Kapeni must either deliver up
the assassin or forfeit the friendship of the Mission
people. Being anxious to find a third alternative, he
asked, what would happen if he could not find the man,
but native law appeared to recognise no such neutral
ground. In the end two sticks were brought, and the
question was asked, " Which of these does Kapeni
choose?" Finally, he agreed to give up the assassin.
But he was in no haste to do so ; nor was this wonder-
ful, since the Ndilande people threatened to kill him if
he attempted to fulfil his promise. After a long delay,
Kumlomba became impatient, and went over himself
unaccompanied by any European. Kapeni asked him
whether he had not heard all about it : for by this time
the truth was generally known, but Kumlomba stood
on his dignity and kept to the previous question,
" Give up the man ". One thing was remarkable about
this visit. The Englishmen always admitted, at least
for the sake of argument, that Kapeni might not know
the man, but Kumlomba refused to entertain the sup-
position; and in fact Kapeni did not dare to urge this
plea upon him. Kumlomba said among other things,
" Don't take me for a white man. I am a Yao like
yourself, and I know all the customs of my country."
The natives about us were strangely unanimous in
asserting that Kapeni knew who was guilty. They led
us to understand that he had received a present from
the murderer, and had granted him absolution. Of
course few of us were then old enough to know even
that the natives shaved their heads in a case of ordinary
death, much less that they observed a complicated

NATIVE LAW.

109

ritualism for murder. Kumlomba did not ask Kapeni
to punish the criminal. Such a demand would have
been abhorrent to native custom. The chief is the
father of his people, and native law is too polite to ask
a man to execute justice on his own son. The native
custom, moreover, is in accordance with native religion.
A man's deceased relatives become his gods. While
Kumlomba persisted in demanding his rights at this
meeting, one of Kapeni's counsellors said to him : —

" Why should you come bothering Kapeni, the men
live beside yourselves % "

Soon after this the assassins were captured, but
although Kumlomba insisted, " Give them over to us
and we will kill them," which would have been native
law pure and simple, the Europeans that were present,
not being accustomed to see human beings killed with
so little ceremony, refused to do so. By this step they
did credit to their own humane feelings, but they trans-
gressed native custom. Kumlomba was but ill satisfied
when about a month after, in the execution of native
justice, he levelled his musket at one of the men — the
other having meanwhile escaped. His view was that
besides killing this man he ought to have got "six
people ". The six people, or slaves, he fixed as the
ransom of the person that had escaped. By native law
he was entitled to damages of this kind. ] have known
Kapeni himself concede larger demands.

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 English. In a
short time the population of Kumlomba's village became

110

FIRST HALF.

about five times as many. The slaves that escaped
were aware that they exposed themselves to the danger
of assassination. 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 life, and that it was a murderer
himself that ought to die for his deed, and not " two or
three" of his slaves (96) ? In this unsettled land these
statements somehow were much prized both by bond
and free.

Another effect of the case was to terrify Kapeni from
coming to Blantyre. Happening to be at Kapeni's
about a month after, I found him from home. I asked
his son when he was coming to see us, and received the
answer, " The Ndilande people say that they will kill
him if he go to Blantyre ". The Ndilande people had
wished Kapeni to be more decided, and to refuse to
negociate against them. The old man had wavered.
In such circumstances a native must feel it hard to come
to a conclusion. He cannot tell by inspection which
course will be most for his interest. Nor can he talk
with any certainty of eternal and immutable morality.
No wonder that amidst this thick darkness and painful
suspense he attempts to confer with the spirits of his
fathers (14).

But while Kapeni had a duty to perform in giving
up the transgressor, whose duty was it to punish him ?
Kumlomba asserted that it was for him to deal with tlie
case. As this man was my instructor in the native
language at the time, I was thrown much into his
society, and I heard him declare that he wanted to take

THE COLONY.

Ill

the whole responsibility. Besides he had carried out a
capital sentence long before. It might be true that in
the eyes of Englishmen these negroes looked bad dis-
pensers of equity. Some of the Portuguese also said
that it was not right for the Mission to allow savages to
figure as administrators of justice. Still the natives had
dispensed their own laws for hundreds of years.

But at Blantyre was there not a Colony as well as a
Mission, and had not the Colony power to punish ?
Undoubtedly the Blantyre settlement was established
on this principle, and when Dr. Macklin wrote to the
Convener of the Committee giving an account of the
occurrence, and stating his determination to give judg-
ment on the murderer, the latter at once agreed with
the Doctor's reasons, remarking that the native mind
would accord with the doom decreed, while he ever
afterwards defended the execution on the supposition
that it was the duty of the Colony to carry it out.
But against this position it was argued that it was not
lawful for British subjects to punish transgressors with-
out the authority of the Government. This objection
was found to be serious, though it did not occur to any
worker in Africa. Even the promoters of the settle-
ment, many of whom were legal men, seem to have
overlooked this difficulty though they had by them
books on statute law of which there were none in the
desert. But though I for one never thought of statute
law, I had once read carefully the old Acts of the
Scottish General Assembly, and though I had no books
of authority by me I was aware that clergymen had
been censured or deposed for acting as magistrates, and

112

FIliST HALF.

I mentioned to the others that I was bound by laws or
precedents like these. At the same time I held strong
views to the effect that no clergyman ought to act in
civil matters at all. In every colony I could think of,
such duties fell to laymen. So far as I could under-
stand the case, there were two civil authorities both
asserting their right to punish the offender, one being
the natives and the other the Blantyre colony.

In such circumstances various courses were open.
The case might be taken up (1) by the natives alone,
(2) by the colony alone, (3) by both acting together.
The natives acting alone would in accordance with then-
own laws have killed the offender at once as they pro-
posed to do. If the English colony was to act it had
to determine its relations to Kumlomba. These were
not clear. At one time (page 34) this man figures as
the chief of the Blantyre territory, at other times as a
subject of the colony. If he were the superior power
he would execute offenders at his own discretion, 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 him. If the colony were to ignore
native law, and try to carry out purely English law,
then it would have to judge and deal with the prisoner
on English principles. 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 trial.
After such explanation all Kumlomba's men would have
sworn to anything, and all the prisoner's friends would
have sworn to the opposite. In the same way if a jury

FEELING OF INSECURITY.

113

of natives had been impanelled, their verdict would
have depended on whether they were friends of Kum-
lomba or of the prisoner. Suppose the Englishmen had
wished to get out of the difficulty by an ordeal like
mwai, the natives would have insisted that it was not a
case for the ordeal, while to Christians the measure
would have seemed an enormity. The same might be
said of the plan of redeeming a murderer and executing
slaves in his stead.

As a matter of fact the colony acted along with the
natives. A formal trial was held at which all the
Europeans were present : at this I declined to attend
because I had been acting as chaplain to these prisoners,
consequently I cannot tell whether it was the colony or
the natives that took the lead on this occasion. It was
also deemed expedient for the Europeans to attend the
execution in case the natives should follow their bar-
barous custom of dishonouring the criminal's body.

Every circumstance was reported to the Directors,
and the workers in Africa felt that the view taken at
home would be of importance. One day an assassin
might cut down some native that had left a home at
Quilimane or Mazaro in order to stay at the Mission,
and of whom the Europeans were the sole protectors.
Long ago Dr. Macklin had asked the Directors what
was to be done in the case of murder, but had got no
advice.

After the execution the feeling of insecurity soon
passed away. The air had been full of threats to the
effect that the Mission people would be all similarly
treated. By thus killing the enemy, one after another,

114

FIRST HALF.

had not the Yao destroyed certain Anyasa that had
ventured to settle by them ? Lads were now afraid to
take charge of the Mission cattle, children would not
venture to come to school, and those that stayed at
Blantyre were afraid to sleep in the dormitory. One
sees at a glance that fear is a large ingredient in the
native character, but a stranger born in a well-ordered
country has difficulty in realising the extent of this
fear. A boy who ventures out at night is apt to see
some one that wishes to shoot him, and forthwith he
rushes into the house screaming with fright. Girls and
women feel if possible more unsafe, knowing how many
of their comrades have been surprised and carried off.
Occasionally we had an opportunity of pointing out that
their fears might be sometimes groundless. Nothing
is more ridiculous to an African than the sight of his
friend under a false alarm. One night an Englishman
had gone out for the purpose of making astronomical
observations. He had carefully prepared his artificial
horizon, and was bending down over it with a sextant
in his hand when the stillness of the evening was
broken by a terrible scream, and the observer had a
large basin thrown full in his face. One of our boys
had gone out from the light, and had taken the as-
tronomer for a lion. It was long before his companions
allowed the lad to forget the incident.

Chapter IX.

SECOND HALF. JANUARY, 1879 — JUNE, 1879.

The first day of the New Year was celebrated in proper
Scottish fashion. Our brethren of Livingstonia, and all
the Englishmen within our reach, had been invited to
Blantyre. At an early hour all the gentlemen, lay and
clerical, donned aprons and .began to cook. Some pre-
pared a "haggis," others a plum-pudding, others had
charge of soups and meats. Though kindly exempted
from culinary duties, I thought that the exemption
would prove of small service. Every corner of our
little house was filled with plates, cups, trays, crystal,
&c, &c, and so great was the stir that study was im-
possible. At last I went to another hut, and sat in the
verandah with a group of natives, who enabled me to
add a few more words to my African vocabulary. I
could not help contrasting a tropical New -Year's Day
with an English. In Africa I did not venture to leave
the shade of the verandah without a thick hat and an
umbrella. Coats and vests were dispensed with, and
even the lightest clothing that we had was burdensome.

116

SECOND HALF.

But amidst our new surroundings it was pleasant to
remember the old customs of our native land, and we
sat down in due season to a New- Year's Day dinner.
The natives had been watching the strange preparations
with breathless interest, utterly at a loss to know what
it all meant ; and as dinner proceeded, more than a
hundred — men, women, and children — stood gazing in
at the windows and doors, which had been thrown wide
open on account of the heat. We observed all the time-
honoured ceremonies as gravely and formally as if we
had been at home. In connection with the toast of
"The Queen" it was remarked that most of us had
been long enough in Africa to appreciate the value of
an orderly government. One gentleman proposed that
we should take a note of each other's names, and see
where we should all be four years later, little thinking
that long ere then he would sleep by the soft-flowing
waters of the Chiri. At the close we joined hands and
sung "Auld Lang Syne". That day was quite an
oasis in our desert, it brought us the long-expected
mail.

Next morning saw the first pic-nic in the history of
the school. At sunrise we started for the top of
Michiru. I was the only European that went, but my
valour exceeded my discretion, for at one spot I had to
lie down till two boys ran to a stream for water. Little
fellows of 10 years put me to shame. as they ran up the
steep sides of the hill like baboons. A buck was shot,
cooked, and nearly all eaten on the spot. It was late
in the afternoon before we returned.

Since our first arrival at Blantyre the School attend-

SEWING CLASSES.

117

ance had doubled, and by this time a good number of
girls had come, to whom Mrs. Macdonald's sewing class
formed an attraction. They were set to make dresses
for themselves, and the first few days all the old men
and women in the neighbourhood came to watch the
operation. It was regarded a privilege for girls to be
allowed to take so much cloth in their hands, not to
mention the prospect of wearing it. At first, these
pupils wore awkward. They had never attempted to
sew before, for it is the men that sew in this country,
nor had they ever seen scissors, or thimbles. Scissors,
or " the little knives " they were specially fond of.
But the thimble they did not half appreciate, as the
skin of their fingers would set ordinary needles at
defiance. It was amusing to see our young ladies fitting
on their thimbles. A new comer when told to select
the one that suited her, would respond by putting a
thimble on each of her fingers ! The sewing class had
to face difficulties that would not occur at home.
When the war at Mazaro disturbed communications,
the girls could not be supplied with enough of cloth.
One night robbers entered by our windows and carried
away among other things their half-finished dresses and
all their sewing materials ! This was a serious mis-
fortune. Though thimbles and needles are of little
intrinsic value yet we could not manufacture them,
and eight months might elapse before their place could
be filled. The thimbles, however, wrere all found not
far from the station, having been thrown away as of no
value. But the needles would be considered a splendid
prize, and if the thief were at all enterprising he might

118

SECOND HALF.

buy a wife for them ! The natives at first would gladly
sell a dozen eggs for a single needle. Although sewing
was a novelty for girls, old men were to be seen at
every village engaged in the art. "While plying the
needle, they sit on a mat holding one end of the cloth
with their toes. We were very anxious to teach the
natives to knit, but at this time we had no worsted.

Housekeeping. — The difficulties of Housekeeping were
great, the subject being quite new to the African girls.
Untidy and dirty in their habits, they considered us
very peculiar when we objected to plates and spoons
that they thought clean. Besides teaching them to do
indoor work, Mrs. Macdonald had to see that they
dressed their hair, and washed every morning, and as
they wore light clothes their wardrobes required special
supervision. Hence the native girls that came to assist
Mrs. Macdonald did not immediately win her confi-
dence, and at first did little to lighten her task. "When
nursing they would even let the child fall, a mistake
that they were liable to by attempting to hold their
charge not in native but in English fashion. So to
ensure safety the nurse had to sit beside her mistress,
while the latter amused the baby and did the household
washing at the same time.

The introduction of anything new was always note-
worthy. At first the cook-boy caught his fowls about
an hour before breakfast, and plucked them before they
were dead, because the feathers thus came off more
easily. As soon as facts of this kind came under one's
notice improvements were tried. In order that the
fowls might not be plucked alive, the cook was asked to

COOKS AND HOUSEMAIDS.

119

get them the night before. He was most carefully
instructed in the new part that he had to play, and
specially told to "hang up" the fowls in the kitchen.
That night the usual stillness was considerably broken.
I always valued the evening hours for study : they were
so much quieter ; but on this particular night it seemed
as if some fowl house had been transported to my study
window. As the unwonted noise continued, a light was
got, and efforts were made to solve the mystery, the
kitchen was explored, and several fowls were found hang-
ing on pegs in the wall with their legs tightly bound to-
gether, while others similarly secured had fallen down
and were struggling on the floor, but all were alive !
The boy had faithfully " hung them up," but he had
seen no necessity for killing them !

The natives that acted as housemaids had similar
interesting experiences. Of course, they had never
before seen teapots, cups and saucers, tumblers, forks,
or spoons. Forks they called " thorns ! " Consequently
they were ushered into a new world, and found a
pleasure in being permitted to touch the white people's
dishes. They now had at their disposal spoons of all
varieties, and it was perhaps in spoons that they were
most interested. They have a large ladle of their own
for transferring porridge from the clay pot to a wooden
platter, but their spoon is an instrument of much
greater antiquity. A good idea of its use may be gathered
from Mr. Anderssen's description. A repast was pro-
vided for him anions; the Ovambo. He hesitated as no
spoon was to be found. " On seeing the dilemma we
were in, our host quickly plunged his greasy fingers

120

SECOND HALF.

into the middle of the steaming mass and brought out
a handful which he dashed into the milk. Having
stirred it quickly with all his might, he next opened his
capacious mouth, and the agreeable mixture vanished as
if by magic. He finally licked his fingers and smacked
his lips with evident satisfaction, looking at us as much
as to say, ' that's the trick, my boys '."

At first one could never be sure of the native servants,
except when standing over them. Their views had to
pass through many phases : one day they would wash
knives in mass by putting a whole collection in a tub
and stirring them round, without thinking of dealing
with each separately ; next day they would take silver
plated articles and rub them one by one in the sand !
The first dishes brought out for the Mission, were for-
tunately of enamelled tin, which did not break. But
in that region amid fever and discomfort, the appe-
tite becomes fastidious. Those accustomed to civilised
plates said that their food did not taste the same when
placed on the iron dishes. Accordingly, other plates
were tried, but they were short lived. 'Accidents will
happen', and at first they were frequent. When at
length glass tumblers ventured to take the place of the
iron jug that held our water, the natives felt that they
had to deal with a serious innovation. Some who had
seen glass at Quilimane, informed the others of its
strange qualities. A dark deputation visited the white
people, and represented that these dishes were " all the
same as eggs," and that the waiters would have serious
difficulty in keeping a tumbler together. Feeling the
force of these representations, the Europeans took the

METHODS OF CARRYING.

121

tumblers under special protection for a time. But as
in all such day of reckoning was sure to come.

The natives carry plates, tumblers, and everything of
this kind on the head. To them this habit is so much a
second nature that if asked to fetch a kettle of boiling
water, their first impulse I fancy would be to set it on
the head ! Still they thus carry things with a steadiness
most surprising. I was once much struck with the
expertness of a little girl who was sent to a brook for
water. She picked up a very narrow bottle about 18
inches long ; although her hands were both empty she
set it on her head, walked off to fill it, and returned
carrying it the same way. Such is the usual custom ;
and hence though the native can make baskets of every
variety he never puts a handle on one of them. In
carrying soup, they balance the plate on the palm of

METHOD OF CARRYING IN THE HAND.

their hand, which they throw back above the shoulder.
Their method is better suited for jars than for plates.

The missionary party had to be their own bakers,
butchers, and what not. When settled in such a dis-

122

SECOND HALF.

trict a man learns for the first time how many manipu-
lations are required before he can have dinner. The
first-comers made it a rule never to see the cooking.
What the natives brought they got through as well as
they could, but they suspected that if they looked at
all the cooking processes their peace would be broken.
On one occasion two of us were at Zomba. I was suf-
fering slightly from over- work, and enjoyed a change of
labour. We were much delighted with a supply of
goat's milk, which a boy brought each day. After
school I used to sit in the verandah studying the lan-
gunge. I often observed a piece of cloth lying on the
ground at the foot of the wall. It had once been white,
but was now very dingy. It was generally damp, and
covered with sand and mud. Further, it had an attrac-
tion for the playful toes of the group of natives that
were always about me. I had a vague idea that it was
used for cleaning the lamps, and regarded the rag with
a kind of affection. But one morning my companion
shouted out, " Look here ! Just fancy ! See the abom-
inable thing that he puts our milk through !" The boy
was carefully straining the milk which we so much ap-
preciated by means of the dirty piece of cloth. At once
all the enchantment of that rag was gone, and so was
the enjoyment of our nice milk. But the boy's diligence
was quite commendable : he might fancy that the white
people strained milk in order to effect a " charm," and
so far as he saw, one rag was as good as another.

On our first arrival we often had dishes that tempted
curiosity ; but an appeal to the senior members of the
Mission was always answered with a suggestive quota-

THE FOOD TASTERS.

123

tion of the maxim " Where ignorance is bliss, &c."
Seldom, therefore, did the processes of Meg Dods' art,
as practised by the natives, engage attention. Some-
times a boy was asked, " Do you call that roast fowl V
He listened to the implied rebuke with a marked air of
penitence ; but as soon as he rejoined his companions
outside, he repeated, " Do you call that roastee fowlee ?
Ha! ha! ha!" and there followed a burst of loud and
prolonged laughter, which greatly amused the Euro-
peans also. The white man's mess was tacitly regarded
as common property, but if the cook happened to be on
bad terms with the various " tasters," the affair might
become public. One day I was addressing a class,
everything was calm and still, the pupils sat in respect-
ful attention, the subject had advanced to the point of
greatest interest, when all at once a boy dashed into
school with a half-eaten potato, and the cook dashed
after him with a ladle. The interruption was a grave
misdemeanour. But the cook called out in great indig-
nation, " I am cooking for the white men and not for
this boy!" The little boy had evidently regarded the
school as a house of refuge, could he only reach it before
his pursuer. But the building had no doors, and many
large holes for windows as well as a large doorway, and
before they were aware, they had both committed them-
selves, and might expect to be much laughed at. The
natives, however, were usually too prudent to let these
things come to light.

Baking was not without its difficulties. Bread was
made at first by means of the native beer, and was ex-
ceedingly sour. Still those that had become accustomed

124

SECOND HALF.

to it generally took it without a murmur. Occasionally
a native of some originality would bake several loaves
with water alone, only this was apt to cause considerable
criticism.

In many articles native taste differs from European.
Though few natives eat eggs (c), those that do, resemble
the Hottentots, who are said to take kindly to eggs that
would "alarm a European at six paces' distance !" Be-
fore the use of spoons was properly understood, our
servants attempted to take the eggs out of boiling water
with their fingers, one half standing to laugh at the
experiment, while the other half tried to carry it out !

In times of health one enjoyed these amateur cooks
and their productions, but when sickness came, the
joke was not so well appreciated. After an attack of
malarial fever passes away, the invalid often has strange
cravings of appetite. Forgetting for the moment where
he is, he expresses a wish for "bread and butter".
He can eat nothing else but he fancies he could take
this. He is soon reminded that butter cannot be had,
and the sour bread alone would hardly tempt even a
healthy man. But what about milk ? Why not let
the poor fellow have a little milk ? This is ordered,
and the invalid has his hopes raised. After a long
time the milk appears. But what makes the sick man
hesitate so ? He looks as if he were going to ask what
the milk was made of. The new-comer may have yet
to learn that there are no milk-strainers in this part of
the world ! Sometimes he may be glad if he get water.
The water used on the Mission was taken from the
little stream and was very unwholesome. Still it had

WATER SUPPLY.

125

the advantage of being quite cool in the morning.
At Nyassa on the other hand, when a person ordered
water he would wonder whether it had been taken from
the kettle instead of the Lake, and be tempted to think
it must be useful chiefly as an emetic, but after being
placed for some time in an earthen pot, it becomes cool
and agreeable.

There was a certain provision made for sickness but
of a very limited description. Beef-tea was in the
store ; as was also a little wine, but the supply was
generally so small that it could not be used except in
extremity. At one period there was only a single cork
screw on the settlement, so that when the Doctor
ordered a bottle of wine the invalid had to wait for the
man that possessed the screw !

We had two great methods of dealing with the
difficulties of housekeeping — training the natives and
ordering appliances from home. The education of the
natives was slow but it was sure, and in time some of
them began to be very useful. Appliances were ordered
from home, 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 way.

Regarding the school-ivork we wrote at this time,
" The natives are beginning to see meaning in our
teaching. One of our more advanced boys put to me
the question, ' What must I do to receive the Holy
Spirit ? ' He said he was wicked, and had much need of
the Holy Spirit to make him better. We are glad that
the Sabbath-school children of Scotland take an interest
in our pupils. Some of our boys and girls they would

126

SECOND HALF

like very much. They might at first shrink from them
because they are black, but after a time they would find
them attractive. I could show them some broad little
figures with broad little faces beaming with fun and
good temper. Some of our pupils would run if they
were to see white children : but after the first fright was
over they would come near, and soon become good
friends. The other day I was at the back of a hill
where children had never seen a white man before, and
they all took to their heels ; but after a short time they
gathered round me, and when I spoke to them and
showed them my watch and my boots, they became
better acquainted ; and as we shook hands, some of
them said they would like to go to Blantyre to school.
If we could send home photographs of our pupils, the
school children would have a better idea of them. They
would then wonder a good deal at the woolly heads and
flat nose's. Before we came here all the women and
girls had their upper lips bored to hold a large ugly
ring, which made them a terrible fright ; but now they
are laying aside this custom. I told all our black
pupils that the children in Scotland were sending them
clothes and money, and they were delighted. One said
that he would like to know English, to be able to thank
the white children. Another said — ' Tell the children
that we are glad to hear they are good, and can read
about God. Mrs. Macdonald and all the white men are
very kind to us, and teach us about God. Before, we
knew nothing, but now we can understand a little, and
we thank the children very much.' The communion of
the Lord's Supper has now been celebrated twice at

EVANGELIZING.

127

Blantyre. Dr. Laws was present on both occasions,
and addressed us after the ordinance. "VVe called in the
more advanced boys as witnesses of the rite. Hitherto
we have not baptised any natives. I am not so familiar
with their language as I should like to be before doing
so. Meanwhile our teaching is so carried on that I
should not wonder though some soon ask admission to
the ordinance. I pray that we may be directed in
these matters ; they will mark a crisis of spiritual life
among our pupils.

" I have written out about 40 pages of Scripture
matter in the Yao language, which I shall send down to
Lovedale to be printed. Attempts of this kind will
show the natives the use of reading."

The natives are fond of paying compliments, and by
this time Kumlomba would tell me that I had finished
Yao. I proposed therefore that he should now teach
me Chinyasa, but he said, " If you speak Yao for
another year, you will understand Chinyasa without
learning it". I found afterwards that the native was
not far wrong. It is well for the Missionary not to
attempt at first to speak more than one language. Thus
he might expect that after seven or eight years' persis-
tent training he could wield the weapon with consider-
able effect, though I fear he would fall behind the
native orator by an immense distance. We all know
what a mess many a man makes of a foreign language
after he thinks he has acquired it. But though only
speaking one tongue, the Missionary might write as
many as he pleases, for the various dialects throw much
light on each other.

128

SECOND HALF.

In trying to form a native reading book, I had to
grapple with all the difficulties of the native language.
Not only so but I required to form a special vocabulary
for Theology. Hence the first three months of this year
was a time of very hard study, but I succeeded in
drawing up a small Reading book, and forming at the
same time an extensive vocabulary. From this period,
and during my whole stay in Africa, I used at least
twenty native words for every English word that I
employed, and latterly the English proportion became
still smaller. But often in my efforts at translation I
had to pause a while in despair, and devote more time
to writing down native tales. For a long period we had
nothing but English books. This is one great disadvan-
tage that new Missions have to contend with. Had we
possessed Yao books at the outset, the great part of
the school would have been able by this time to read
their own language. As it was, many could read English
very fluently — although they did not understand it. A
free-thinker who frankly declared that he did not believe
in Missions, expressed much surprise on hearing English
read by some boys that had not known a single letter a
twelvemonth before. Their drill in English was by no
means lost for, when our printed matter arrived, we had
fifty pupils that could read it without hesitation.

During this period there occurred an episode that
was invested with all " the pomp and circumstance of
glorious war ", Chelomoni, a Blantyre headman, was
attacked when on a journey by another headman, and
had his wife taken from him. He was himself wounded
by an arrow, and came to the Station bleeding very

THE MISSION TERRITORY.

129

profusely. The outrage called for some remonstrance,
and Chelomoni's villagers at once prepared to march
upon the offender, and some of the white men
thought it best to accompany. As the party ap-
proached the village, the inhabitants came out to
meet them, and to ask what was to be done in view
of the action of their headman. They explained at the
same time that the guilty man had run away. After
some consultation it was agreed to set fire to his huts,
and the men belonging to the village, some of whom
had been patients of Dr. Macklin, shewed which huts
were owned by the aggressor, and after the valuables
were all carried out, fire was applied. In such a case
Chelomoni being the injured party was the proper
person to punish. 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 punish, and the native punishment for such offences
is to make war on the offending village, and obtain
damages by capturing slaves. As it was, the presence
of the white men that happened to be there, did much
to calm the opposing parties.

The Directors hoped that the Mission would become
self-supporting, but although the territory that belonged
to the settlement was about 600 square miles, this
result was far from being attained. They advised
extended cultivation, but it was gradually discovered
that this meant extended loss. Dr. Macklin, however,
made an arrangement that promised to be remunerative.
He gave some of the villagers an allowance of powder

with which they went out in search of elephants.

9—2

130

SECOND HALF.

When they killed an elephant, the Mission was pre-
sented with one of the tusks and bought the other at a
fixed rate. This plan was afterwards largely adopted
by various traders. But soon the natives began to take
advantage of the white men. They would beg a large
supply of powder, representing that they had seen a
herd of elephants, and after hunting for several weeks
and even trading with the powder, they would come
back to report that they had shot an elephant which
had no tusks !

Chapter X.

SECOND HALF— Continued.

Besides stealing articles that were on the way to the
Mission, the natives gave considerable annoyance by
pilfering at the station itself. Before becoming accus-
tomed to the heat of the country, we preferred to sleep
with the windows open. At Quilimane our landlord
would not permit this, but bolted all the window shut-
ters " to prevent the blacks from coming in ". But at
Blantyre we ventured for some time to keep a window
open at night, and, strange to tell, no one came in. Be-
coming more used to the climate, we shut our windows;
but one night thieves broke into our house, and took
everything that was of value to them. Most of our
goods they carried outside and spread before the win-
dow. Then they selected everything that was made of
cloth. Many things that we could hardly have done
without, such as waterproofs, &c, they fortunately left.
Books also escaped, while they carefully placed some
silver articles off the table, in order that they might
carry off the tablecloth. Anything that has the ap-
pearance of " calico " at once appeals to the natives'
cupidity. When we were honoured by the visit of a

132

SECOND HALF.

great chief, our royal guest carefully felt first the table-
cloth, then the window-blinds, and after that the paper
on the walls ! It was not our neighbours that had
committed the theft, for they had long seen the windows
kept open all night, and had not entered. All who had
been in the Mission during the previous thefts blamed
the Anyasa people. After this, two night watchmen
were employed, and bamboo shutters were fixed on the
windows. But for many months the station was beset
with thieves, who had been encouraged by this success.
It was chiefly by windows that they tried to enter,
though occasionally they pushed the doors till the rafters
of our little houses cracked. Each night before retiring
to rest we piled empty tins behind every window, so
that they might fall and frighten the robbers. But to
our great annoyance, the rats frequently knocked these
down. We had no ambition to catch a thief in the act,
for in that case we should have likely felt the sharpness
of his assagai. For a long time we were in a miserable
condition. While we had the hardest work during the
day, we could never enjoy a night of undisturbed repose.
On one occasion nearly all the cloth windows in two of
the houses were cut by thieves. It almost seemed that
a band of housebreakers had encamped near us, for the
express purpose of besieging the station. They carried
on their operations with great coolness, for when they
laid hold of a tin of split peas, they opened it and left
it beside the house. They were too knowing to trouble
themselves with the carriage of anything that was un-
suitable. They would at times plait a ladder to reach
a store window, and go off leaving the ladder beside the

LAUGHING RATS !

133

wall. The watchmen were of no service ; they some-
times became plunderers themselves, and disappeared
before morning. The first parties that were employed
as watchmen came from the same chief as the thieves,
and were probably glad of their position in order to
assist their friends. As the natives wear no boots and
hardly any clothing, they can break into houses without
making much noise. Still the Europeans became very
expert in attending to everything that betokened the
presence of a thief. Our houses were full of rats, which
are here better equipped for making a disturbance than
rats are in England. It was Livingstone, I think, that
first complained of the laughing rats of the Zambeze !
These inmates of our dwellings not content with biting
our fingers, knocking down tins, and dancing at large
over everything that was capable of giving out a noise,
aspired to divert us by going into fits of loud laughter !
All this performance, it will be thought, made the task
of the housebreaker more easy. Yet it sometimes
produced the very opposite effect. When the rats
discontinued their dance, the European was at once all
ear. " My rats are quiet. What can be the matter ?
There must either be a snake on the verandah, or a
robber at the window." This reasoning, strange as it
may seem, led, at least, on one occassion, to very
important results. But the thieves gave indications of
their presence in various other ways. As I lay one
night in bed, the moon which seems always to shine
brightly here, cast the shadow of a native on the calico
window. The man's movements were suspicious :
although he would not contemplate anything more

134

SECOND HALF.

serious than theft ; yet so small was our room that a
native could have easily given us the full benefit of his
assagai as we lay in bed. I thought that this chance of
scaring a thief was too good to be lost, and I fired a
revolver bullet through the calico. From the man's
shadow I could easily see where he stood, and so avoid
the risk of striking him. It need scarcely be said that
he disappeared at once. As we were all expected to
get up on any nocturnal disturbance, the other members
of the Mission were over in a few minutes, but could
find no trace of the person, and it was not likely that
the same individual would return that night. Several
nights after this, a noise was heard at midnight in our
larger room. I got up and stood before one of the
windows for a long time, till I began to shiver with
cold. But everything was quiet except that I could
hear our two watchmen snoring very loudly under a
large tree not far from our door. Becoming tired with
waiting, and wishing also to rouse the watchmen, I
fired the revolver through the calico as before, when to
my surprise, I heard a great scamper. A thief had
really been at the window. In his rapid retreat he
threw away his bow. The calico in the window was
cut in the usual way, but so quietly had he been
working, that even although I had been sitting awake
in the dark room, he might have ultimately entered
without my hearing him ! Afterwards we kept a lamp
burning all night, and I had only to carry it to the
window where a thief was, in order to secure his instant
departure. We often wondered why negroes who were so
lazy at work, put themselves to so much trouble in order

PRECAUTIONS.

135

to steal. But their thieving propensities are everywhere
recognised. When we were at Quilimane, I remember
that after the custom-house was closed for the night,
Dr. Macklin was asked by the Portuguese authorities
to send a watch in order to protect the goods that he
was taking out. Blantyre men were accordingly armed
with guns and cautioned against falling asleep. Up
at the Mission, Makukani was believed to be the in-
stigator of all the pilfering. The other Magololo said
that if the English would visit him on a beer-drinking,
they would see all their stolen clothes and dresses.
After a great "take," this chief would send up request-
ing the present of a box to hold his clothes ! When
spoken to by Dr. Macklin on the subject, he was quite
pleasant, but of course, declared that he knew nothing
of the thefts. To put a stop if possible to this annoy-
ance we determined to surround the station with a hedge
of thorn, and take various other precautions.

But before these improvements could be carried out,
we were made still more alive to the dangers of our
position. In the beginning of June, I wrote to the
Committee to the following effect : — " On looking at
the journal of last month, I see that the greater part
of the time has passed without anything noteworthy,
Happy, it has been said, are the people that have no
history ; still there are a few items that we could have
' spared \ On 21st May an attempt was made at fire-
raising, which would have been serious if successful.
Our own house was chosen, as being to windward of the
others, and at midnight we were visited by a man who
carried a few embers in a clay-pot, and set fire to the

136

SECOND HALF.

roof. Our roofs are merely grass, tied down with
bamboo. But for an ever-watchful Providence, the
whole house would soon have been in flames. The
incendiary had waited for a windy night, his plan being
to burn all the houses in the same row. If this house
had been set fairly ablaze, one half of the station would
have been demolished. But one of the artisans on the
opposite side of the square being sleepless on account
of ill-health, observed the glare through his calico win-
dow, and at once gave the alarm. The bugle was
sounded, and all the natives turned out, as well as our-
selves. By means of a good supply of water and wet
blankets, we soon extinguished the flames. We have
since taken several steps with a view to additional
security. We are giving every attention to the watch
at night. We have not swords, as you suggest ; and a
native would be of more service with his assagai on an
emergency. Hitherto the watch has been armed with
guns. You are anxious that natives should not form
an acquaintance with fire-arms, but the country is al-
ready full of them. One can hardly take a walk to
Ndilande without meeting half-a-dozen men with guns.
In a single day's march here, a person sees more guns
than he would see in Scotland in a six days' journe}T.
Another precaution has been the cutting down of the
bush for several hundred yards round the station
Hitherto, a native had to run but a few yards in order
to make his capture impossible. To prevent fire we
have had our houses covered with a coating of clay,
thin on the top, and thicker on the veranda. The rainy
season will probably wash off this ; but it will serve its

MISSION EXTENSION.

137

purpose, as roofs are not so easily set on fire during the
rains.

" The best way of securing the goodwill of the natives
is to mingle much with them. Those in our neighbour-
hood are all most friendly, but they are impulsive. I
must explain that I have thought it my duty to stick
closely to school work, so that my time for visiting in
the country is not much. But Dr. Macklin and I have
begun to spend Saturday forenoons in going about
among the people. The other week we were at the
back of Sochi where there is a good view of the Mlanje
range. I had been reading, for the first time, Mr.
Rowley's book on the Universities' Mission, and it gave
a new interest to the prospect that lay before us.
As we stood gazing on the very valley that our pre-
decessors must have passed through to Magomero, we
felt that we were amidst hallowed associations. We
cannot help thinking that the dealings of Providence
were very mysterious with regard to a Mission so well
equipped.

" Our new villages show much improvement. Instead
of the original little round hut the Blantyre natives are
beginning to erect square houses with verandahs and
calico windows. It would be desirable to spread our
energies over a larger field. When we succeed in plant-
ing one or two stations this end will be gained. We
cannot predict what course our work will take in the
future. After we have a few stations besides Blantyre,
we may be able to subdivide the district thus occupied
into twenty parishes. Were we at this stage, we could
secure for the native pastors an endowment in the form

138

SECOND HALF.

of a small freehold. Such an organisation as this would,
with the blessing of God, tell strongly on the heathenism
of the country; but the attainment of such an end,
whether it be near or distant, will not be secured with-
out many a prayer, and many a persevering effort both
of the Church at home and of its representatives in this
distant land."

After the Mission Directors recommended extension,
we turned our thoughts to Mlanje and to Zomba. Dr.
Macklin went to the former district, but found the
country very unsettled. At one place he underwent
considerable anxiety, and his men kept awake all night,
but he was relieved by discovering that his interpreter
was acquainted with one of the chiefs. The Doctor
wrote, " This was a very pleasant discovery, and quite
set my mind at rest. The chief said he knew the
English were friends ; he knew them long ago when he
lived on the coast ; how that the English had saved his
people from being enslaved by the Portuguese ; and
how the English ships of war used to capture dhows
and set the slaves free. He was glad to have a visit
from us, and expressed himself pleased at the prospect
of the English coming to stay amongst his people to
teach their children, as he knew learning was good.
Next morning I received a present of a fine goat, a large
quantity of rice and native beer. I had another inter-
view with him. I told him I wished to explore the
district and visit Matapwiri. He thereupon earnestly
recommended me not to go to the other side of Mlanje,
or go up the hills, or visit Matapwiri at present, but to
come back again, and then he himself or his brother

PROGRESS.

139

would be my guide. He said 1 was likely to get into
trouble if I went on now. He asked me to stay a few
days among his people, to let them get acquainted with
me. He said he was sorry he must go away that day,
but he was desirous his people should learn more of me.
He also expressed his regret that the people in the first
village had given me trouble, and he was angry with
them. Indeed, he went that way to take away the
present from the headman."

Then the chief departed to carry on his wars. We
kept up communication with him to the last. Various
presents were exchanged, and on one occasion he sent
over his young son on a visit to Blantyre.

Meanwhile the Mission was steadily advancing in
every department. Details may be gathered from the
following extracts : —

"By this time many natives are more decently
clothed. Saturday is the great washing-day, so that on
Sunday we have quite a respectable (not to say a gaudy)
congregation.

" The dresses with bright and variegated colours have
been highly prized, especially by the school children
and the females. Some of the men, however, are not so
much influenced by colour in selecting their garments.
They are so utilitarian that they form an opinion of a
dress only after giving it a few good £ tugs

" Our pupils make marked progress. We have two
boys that did not know a single letter last year, who
can now read the 37th Psalm. I have set one class to
read the metrical version of the psalms, as the rhyme
pleases them. They also gain insight into our language,

140

SECOND HALF.

by reading the poetical version along with the prose

one."

We had long felt the necessity of building larger
houses, and had thought of various plans. Turf houses
were, suggested, but none of us had ever seen turf in
this country. Bricks were next spoken of. But Dr.
Macklin, learning that the earth of the ant-hills could
be used for mortar, proposed to build with stone, and
Mr. Buchanan in a very short time reared the walls of
the first stone house that had been seen in this region.
Its erection gave the mission a new standing altogether.
The natives had been of opinion that in a short time we
should become tired of them and go away like our pre-
decessors. But when they saw that we no longer built
masakasa, as they said the " Magomero Mission had also
done," they reasoned that we gave more promise of a
permanent stay. Besides, the white people had children
on whom many hopes were placed.

Kapeni's sister paid Mrs. Macdonald a visit of compli-
ment on the birth of her son, and asked to see the
white baby. She brought with her a little girl of about
six years, and made some hints to the effect that she
would like a marriage with the white people ! She said
the young Scotchman was a Yao child, and I replied
that I had little doubt he would soon speak Yao.
When asked whether she would leave the little girl for
school, she said she would attend school with " him " !
The natives, although afraid that their own children
would not learn to read, never admitted the same
doubts regarding the white child, who had the medicine
of its fathers.

AN UNWRITTEN LANGUAGE.

141

By the end of this half-year I was able to converse
with the natives sufficiently well to profit by their
instructions in the language. From morning till noon
and from noon till night, I kept noting down native
words wherever I heard them, and I hired special
teachers besides. Having realised from the beginning
that the first work of a Missionary was to acquire the
language of his people, I was daily discovering that the
best way of mastering an unwritten tongue wTas to note
down native tales. By this time I could write as
follows : —

" I am glad that I have advanced so far in the
language as to have overcome the mere drudgery part.
I now pay special attention to the idioms. From twelve
noon till two every day I have a man engaged to give me
stories, for which I pay him in handkerchiefs, needles, or
soap. I write down these tales to dictation, and occa-
sionally in shorthand. I believe that in a little I shall
be able to utilise phonography in this language for
private use, and thus save much time. The tense-
sequence is more simple than I at first thought ; the
natives have a device like what Hebrew grammar has
called the Waw consecutive. Thus, when they speak of
the past, they put the first verb in the past indicative,
while the rest of the verbs in the series are infinitives.

" These people are not destitute of a traditional litera-
ture : they have a great many riddles, which I am
trying to collect. They have also many tales. At the
head of these there is an account of the first man ; this
is followed up by genealogies of all the tribes in their
neighbourhood \ then there comes a long catalogue of

142

SECOND HALF.

wars and consequent famines, interspersed at intervals
with times of peace and prosperity. I have also accounts
of their important ceremonies, some of which are very
objectionable, and much resemble practices that were
associated with the idolatry of ancient Israel. Some
particulars my informant communicated in a whisper ;
others were ' hidden,' and if he revealed them he would
die. The man that has been my chief instructor is
anxious to get ' our stories,' by which he means the
stories in the Bible. After coming to Africa and seeing
the effect of Scripture narratives on the native mind,
my appreciation of the Old Testament history has been
much deepened. To take one instance. The natives
were greatly impressed with the incident in the history
of David, where he had Saul in his power and spared
him — they considered David's action a most admirable
one.

" Congregations at home are anxious to get truth in a
more abstract form, and would consider time wasted if
the sermon were taken up with these simple stories ;
but these natives like to ruminate on every particular,
and to conceive the whole narrative as vividly as pos-
sible. Though we, from familiarity, look on these
narratives as simple, people hearing them for the first
time may recognise in them not only a divine sublimity,
but a supernatural intellectual power."

When we reached the Mission last year, the natives
used to bring large numbers of fowls for sale : at first
they brought more than could be used. They were
equally ready to sell eggs. Moreover, when there was
a rumour of war in the district, they fetched in fowls

SCARCITY.

143

from every quarter, for when they had to run to the
hills they could carry their " money " more easily than
their fowls. The effect of all this was that the native
villagers in the neighbourhood soon sold off their stock,
and as a consequence the Missionaries had no meat.
On fowls we depended almost entirely, for though the
Magololo had a few sheep and goats, they did not care
to sell them. Various means were tried in order to
keep the wolf from the door. In the early days of the
Mission, before there was much to do, and when most of
the staff were unwell, it had been possible to tell off an
invalid to look after the fowls, but all of us were too
busy now. We adopted the plan of giving fowls over
to villagers, and we soon found that if they could not
take better care of them than the white man they could
always account for them better, for every now and then
they were able to report that a dozen had been killed
by a leopard ! But the matter became serious — we
often found ourselves without food. On one occasion
we had to live chiefly on beans for nearly five weeks.
The only good solution of this difficulty was found when
we planted a new Mission. To it we looked for a
supply till the Blantyre district recovered itself. Many
a time the petition for daily bread had a significance for
us here that it never had in Britain. It might be
supposed that a Missionary is in danger of becoming
less spiritually-minded when surrounded by the heathen.
But on the contrary, not to mention the solemn call
which he feels when he is face to face with heathen-
dom, he is apt to realize his dependence on God much
more vividly than in a civilized land. Each night he

144

SECOND HALF.

knows that a drunk native might easily burn him in
his hut before he awakes.

Trading. In a short time the African Lakes Com-
pany began to exert an influence in the country. Its
agents brought out a steamer to ply between Mazaro
and the Mission settlements. The intention was to aid
the Missions and encourage the natives in commerce.
The negroes, it was felt, might easily wonder what
could be the object of the Missionary, but they could
all understand the object of the Trader. Hitherto the
great trade of the country had been in slaves, nor could
a native chief be expected to lay aside this traffic all at
once, seeing, as he did, no harm in dealing in human flesh
and blood. He pleaded, and that truly, that he had no-
thing to sell but slaves. Some legitimate trade required
therefore to be introduced. In dealing with the natives,
Trading Companies would evidently have to face great
difficulties. Unfortunately these negroes had learned
to look to all traders for rum and powder. Besides, as
time is of no value to the native, he demands for his
goods the same price in the interior that he would get
at the coast. Like the Missionary, the Trader in such
lands has to educate the people gradually But the
Trading Company soon conferred a great boon on the
Mission Stations. At first we had always great diffi-
culty in getting ordinary stores from England. For a
long time while we had plenty of tea we had no sugar,
on other occasions while we had plenty of sugar we had
no tea ! But the superior means of communication put
an end to these difficulties.

This company is desirous of opening up the country

ROAD TO TANGANYIKA.

145

by making a road as far as Lake Tanganyika. This is
certainly a very good programme. When operations
are extended over such a large field, no doubt, many
difficulties may be expected. On one occasion a chief
robbed and murdered no fewer than fourteen natives
that were employed by the company, and when a party
went back to remonstrate, another man lost his life in
the scuffle. But the making of roads is a work that the
natives much like, and which soon advances the civili-
zation of a district.

Field for Emigration. Livingstone as he passed
through this region often thought of the poor in his
native land. He knew how human beings were crowded
together in large cities, where they seldom saw a green
field or enjoyed the pure air. There they lived, cast
aside into some filthy street to be hidden as it were
from the more respectable citizens. Might not this hard
fate be modified ? 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 world.

The state of the lake region of Africa just now, points

back to what Britain must have been many centuries

before Christianity reached it. If we had then sailed

up the Thames or the Clyde in some canoe, we should

have seen only an occasional savage clad perhaps in

skins, who would quickly rush in terror into the dense

jungle. Could the man of those primitive days now

revisit his old haunts, he would not recognise them. A

greater contrast could scarcely be imagined. What in

his time was a swamp is now a railway station, places

then quite impassable by reason of bush and branches

10-*-2

146

SECOND HALF.

are now busy streets, spots which were then a barren
waste are now fertile farms. For every person that
could subsist in the country then, there are thousands
now. With reference to Africa, many Englishmen say
that if Britain instead of Portugal had held the coast,
the country would have been already opened up. The
remark looks invidious, but in any case it cannot change
the past, and those who have at heart the sad condition
of the African must seek to improve the present. I
have no doubt that settlers willing to endure the hard-
ships common in uncivilised countries, would by steady
perseverance soon make themselves comfortable homes.
Sugar grows well in the district. The natives have the
cane, though they know nothing of the manufactured
article. Tobacco also grows everywhere. The same
may be said of India-rubber. Cotton is indigenous, and
flax thrives well. Coffee has succeeded, and it is almost
certain that tea would. Oil seeds (like the castor-oil
bean, ground nuts and sesamum) are abundant. Native
labour is cheap. The rate of wages at one time was a
foot of calico per day for each man, and nine inches for
a woman ; and as the Mission had always more appli-
cants for work than could be received, even this small
wage was reduced. Still, parties settling far inland
would not gain by exporting, as for a long time the
expense of carriage must be high.

One thing much to be regretted in connection with
the opening up of the country for commerce is the
wholesale destruction of the elephant. At every port
along the East coast the mail steamers receive tons of
ivory. It is a pity that the African elephant cannot be

ELEPHANTS.

147

utilised in some other way. Unless the noble animals
have some mercy shown them, they will speedily become
extinct.

Chapter XL

THIED HALF. JULY, 1879— DEC, 1879.

Mlanje district having proved too unsettled for
Mission Work, our thoughts turned to Zomba, where
there was greater quietness. The Eev. Horace Waller
said that he had ever looked upon this great mountain
as a ' Land of Promise '. Its height gave us good
reason for expecting that a healthy site could be found
in its neighbourhood. We started for Zomba on July
30. It was 8.45 before we had all the carriers in
motion. I went off in front, while Mr. Buchanan
brought up the rear. We carried with us provisions for
a month, and tools to build a house if we should find a
good settlement with friendly natives. As we crossed
the shoulder of Ndilande, our march was quite an ovation,
the natives running from every village to salute us.
Two hours from Blantyre brought us to a wooded
plain, uninhabited but well watered, in which we pro-
ceeded for two hours more, till we reached a village on
the side of Cherasulo at one o'clock. After resting for
two hours we resumed our journey, which now lay

NATIVE RESERVE.

149

through a valley at the foot of Cherasulo — a most fertile
spot, with sparkling brooks and gigantic trees.

At this point one of our carriers fell behind, and
could not be found. He managed his little trick so
skilfully that I did not understand it till long after.
When we started we intended to pass Mkanda's, but on
further inquiry we resolved to go by Kumpama's. On
our change of route becoming known, this poor carrier
who had been a slave of Kumpama's, contrived to ' miss
the way,' although beside his old home. He then
' wandered a long time is search of us ' and at last re-
turned to Blantyre. I mention this to shew the reserve
of the natives. All knew the facts as well as I do now,
but no one hinted at them and we were left to suppose,
if we liked, that the carrier had run off and stolen his
load.

That night we pitched our tent in the village of a
'brother' of Mityoche's, who treated us with great
kindness. Since the expedition to Mlanje had caused so
much anxiety we took the opportunity at this place of
writing back to Blantyre, and two of the villagers were
very willing to act as postmen.

On July SI we resumed at 7 o'clock hardly expecting
to see a single habitation till we were near Zomba. But
there are a few hamlets a little way off the path. One
large village we reached at 9, and there we rested before
entering the desert. We partook of breakfast while
our carriers regaled themselves with native beer. As
the ' English ' are held in high estimation as Physicians,
a poor man covered with a kind of leprosy was brought
to us here. At 11 "20 we came to the Namasi, the

150

THIRD HALF.

largest stream we had yet crossed. The road is uni-
formly level. It seems as if nature had meant it for a
railway. On the sides, here and there, are rocky
heights rising about 150 feet above the plain. l-50
p.m. brought us to the Ntondwe, another large stream.
After 3 the descent was gradual, almost imperceptible,
till we reached, at the foot of Zomba, a fine stream
called the Likangala, by the side of which at 5*30 we
pitched our tent under the shadow of the great moun-
tain. At this spot there are some villages on sites as
beautiful as could be conceived. The inhabitants are
numerous and intelligent. They have had much inter-
course with the coast, which they can reach in about
seven days. Their chief is Chemlumbe. All the
people were exceedingly kind and each headman recom-
mended us to stay beside himself. The Cherasulo
people could not see why we preferred Zomba, and
Chemlumbe's subjects were sure that we would settle
with him.

Aug. 1. — We started for Chemlumbe's own residence.
He wished us to rest three days before doing anything.
This is an example of some of the lazy customs of the
country. But there are certain principles in human
nature quite as strong as habit : through the offer of
two shirts we procured a guide, and by twelve o'clock
we stood on the top of Zomba. Once there, we went
round the whole of the side towards Blantyre, and the
whole of the side towards Chirwa. To our disappoint-
ment we found that, at the nearest point, the lake
was at a great distance from the base of Zomba. One
hill called Chikala is nearer the lake only our guide said

A NIGHT ON ZOMBA.

151

that it was the chosen abode of war and tsetse. By the
time we were ready to descend the mountain, it was
dark. Our guide had left us in the afternoon because
we were going too far in the direction of a hostile chief
called Malemya. We were not sure whether to sleep on
the hill or to press onwards in the moonlight. Ultim-
ately we resolved to press on. Our men were so tired
that they preferred to stay behind and we went on
alone, though very faint, having eaten nothing since
morning. Before we had gone fifteen minutes Buchanan,
who was leading, declared that it would be a difficult
descent, and in about fifteen minutes more we were in a
perfect ' fix '. At one point it seemed to be quite im-
possible to go down, while it was nearly equally difficult
to go back. We kept struggling for about two hours.
Once we thought of lying down till the moon came
round ; at another time we proceeded to take off our
clothing to serve as a rope by which we might project
ourselves to a certain tree. We cannot be too thankful
that this last plan was abandoned, as we should have
reached the tree only to be precipitated down hun-
dreds of feet of perpendicular rock. The want of food,
and the exertions of the day, had made us exceedingly
weak ; we could hardly speak. But we did not lose our
trust in God ; and it gave us comfort to think that we
were not forgotten by praying people at home. In a
short time we found a less dangerous path, and reached
a stream about midnight. A few draughts of its deli-
cious water made up for want of food ; and in a short
time we tried to wade down the channel, as having thus
the easiest passage to the foot of the mountain. In the

152

THIED HALF.

stream our progress was no longer obstructed by bush,
but we encountered large slippery stones. One or two
falls among these convinced us that the mountain
must be our abode all night. We found a level stone
for a bed, and a few logs, which made a fire. One of us
was to sleep, the other to watch and scare the wild
beasts. I was constituted watchman, as Buchanan who
was better acquainted with Chemlumbe was to bring
round the carriers next day.

Aug. 2. — In the morning we were as fresh as could
be expected, and urged on by hunger, we resumed
our journey as soon as we could see. We now
discovered that we had reason to be thankful for not
having attempted to descend farther in the night.
Towards the foot of the mountain we found timber,
bamboos, and other requisites for building, growing
more plentifully than at Blantyre. Having started at
six we reached a native village — Kalimbuka's — about
eight, and our knowledge of the language at once re-
commended us to the people. We allayed the pangs of
hunger by devouring a few raw eggs, which we bought for
a handkerchief. Though some of these had been taken
from under a hen as usual, we found as many fresh as
served our purpose. Then we made a meal of sweet
potatoes which were roasted among the ashes. After
we had time to examine ourselves we found our clothes
had been cut by our falls among the stones the previous
night. An aneroid barometer which we laid down in
the chiefs verandah, soon collected a great crowd.
The chief had tried to catch the hands below the glass !
and was so much surprised at his failure that he called

THE WARRIOR AND THE WATCH.

153

his people. They were all still more surprised when I
produced my watch. They thought the larger hand
might be a " picture " but they saw the seconds hand
actually moving, yet despite all their efforts, they could
not catch it. Every man in the village had to try the
experiment for himself before he was convinced. A
brave old veteran who had slain his hundreds, came for-
ward perfectly certain that he could take hold of the
" little stick ". He pushed aside the rest of the people
with an air of contempt — they were good for nothing if
they could not hold that stick. They made way for the
mighty man who placed his forefinger opposite his large
thumb and pounced upon the watch glass with the
greatest confidence. He repeated the attack again and
again, but the seconds hand still kept moving on as
before. Gradually a puzzled look crept over his face,
and the crowd raised a loud laugh, while the warrior
tried to cover his defeat, by saying, " Can you catch hold
of it, father ? " By the time that the men had all tried
to catch the "stick," the female population paused amidst
the labours of their busier fife, and came forward in a
body to see the phenomenon that had so puzzled their
husbands. They showed equal astonishment. The
watch opened with the usual spring. And being anxious
to get an illustration of the " post hoc, propter hoc "
fallacy, I invited one man to blow upon the back of it,
when to his astonishment, the lid opened at once !
After this all the villagers crowded round for the
purpose of blowing on the watch, and they clapped
their hands and huzzaed, when the lid always opened !
Before the exhibition had finished, every villager had to

154

THIRD HALF.

put the watch to his ear to hear what it said. Then
he told his friends that it said, " Telu ! telu ! -telu ! "
The natives often gave an interpretation of sounds
which was different from ours. According to them a
cat does not say " mew," but " nyao ".

In the course of the day, our goods were brought
round from Chemlumbe's, who seemed offended be-
cause we had not settled at his village which was
unfortunately unsuitable. Chemlumbe is related to
Mityoche, and had we settled with him, the latter might
have always allowed our carriers to pass in peace. We
asked Kalimbuka whether we could get leave' to choose
a spot in his neighbourhood, and he was delighted with
the idea. But wishing to observe every little point of
native manners, we requested him to take us first to
Malemya, the chief of the whole district.

Sunday, August 3. — We held two services in the
native language, which were well attended. When we
repeated the Lord's prayer, our new friends specially
noted its last petition, "Deliver us from evil ".*

* The translation " Deliver us from the Evil One," adopted in the
Revised Version, is not so easily understood by persons that hear the
prayer for the first time. But (as will be seen from the 3rd and 4th
chapters of Vol. L, as well as from the Native Tales in the Appendix)
the supernatural world of the African is by no means tenantless. More-
over, the negro is very eager to hear all that the European has to say
on this subject. When a Missionary rendered the well-known words
addressed to Nathanael, " Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the
angels of God craivling up and crawling down upon the Son of Man,"
he was soon asked to explain what he meant by " angels " ! The
moment the native understood they were spirits, he was able to
improve the translation which had led him to place them in a different
category.

PERSONATING A CHIEF.

155

Monday, August 4- — With Kalimbuka's son as guide
we set out for Malemya's. In this journey we found
more traces of foreign influence than are seen at
Blantyre. We met with one man that could speak
Swahili, and with another that had been the slave of
some Portuguese planter. When we expressed a doubt
as to whether a Portuguese slaVe would run so far in-
land, Bismark said, " There can be no doubt about the
matter, if you look at his side, you may see the mark ! "
and so it was. When the man raised his arm, we
found that he had a brand on the side.

On reaching Malemya's, we asked an interview with
the chief. After some delay, an old man who was
evidently a great snuff-taker, made his appearance, and
announced himself as Malemya. We shewed him all
the tokens of respect due to a king, and stated our
errand. He was quite favourable and condescended to
give us a general idea of his kingdom and its relations.
He bitterly complained of his neighbour Kawinga, who
tried to capture all his subjects. After everything had
been discussed, he said he would take a few minutes to
consider how he would deal with us, and retired.
During his absence, Bismark and some of our men were
asked to a private interview. In a little, Bismark
returned laughing and said, " That man you saw is not
the chief at all ! The chief is a young man. You will
see him if you come round to the back of the house."
On this explanation being given, all the natives laughed,
feeling that the white men had been cheated ! Though
some even of our own retinue must have known that
Malemya was a young man, they gave us no hint of

156

THIRD HALF.

this, but seemed to enjoy the little game : they after-
wards remarked that Machinga chiefs always acted in
this manner with strangers. Malemya himself was very
cordial. When we tried to explain that we wanted a
little bit of ground as well as a house, he did not under-
stand how we could have a house without getting all
the land about it ! In his view, the one gift implied
the other. We were careful to explain that we should
not interfere in the usual native wars. He wished us to
stay and rest with him, but we declined, promising to
call again.

Next day we set ourselves to choose a spot for a
house, and to begin operations. In choosing the site
we had many conditions to fulfil. (1) There must be
people about us. On seeing this spot from the top of
the mountain, we were delighted with the cluster of
little villages. Here we were on the borders between
Chemlumbe and Malemya, having a ready access to both
kingdoms, and the subjects of these hostile chiefs laid
aside their petty jealousies and worked side by side with
us. (2) There must be a supply of good water. On the
banks of the Mlungusi we had as favourable a position
in this respect as could be desired. (3) It must be a
healthy spot. The elevation of the site at Zomba
secured this, our station being on the southern side
of the hill, about 400 feet higher than Blantyre, and
quite accessible to every wind except the north, which
would be a hot wind. Here, too, the mountain juts
out, giving us even more than our fair share of fresh
air. (4) It must be a secure spot. This site seemed
specially suited for preserving us from such trouble

LIFE AT ZOMBA.

157

from thieves as we had at Blantyre. The whole
district round as far as Malemya's is well watered
and populous. The people, too, are quite as knowing
as those at Blantyre, most of the men having been at
Quilimane. They were able to give me much help with
the language. At Blantyre 1 had been long searching
for a Yao word equivalent to our " hundred " but with-
out success. At Zomba I got it at once, but it is seldom
used — the natives rarely counting so high.

Tuesday, August 5, found us at our new settlement.
After clearing a little spot we raised a grass hut. In
this we had just room for our beds and a table. The
bedsteads which we had brought with us were not strong
and sometimes fell down and knocked our heads through
our wall ! A table was made by driving four posts into
the floor, and fixing a bamboo boarding above them.
For chairs, we had old boxes. Our cooking was done
under a big tree. We had no windows, but the walls
of our house were convenient, as we could at once make
holes to look through when a disturbance arose. The
native workers slept in similar grass tents around us.
One night they accidentally set fire to a dwelling, the
flames spread and destroyed several others, soon the
whole bush was in a blaze ; but our hut escaped. It
did service for three weeks, until the larger house was
finished, when Mr. Buchanan abandoned it in favour of
some fowls that he had bought.

We were glad that we could address the people in
their own tongue, and they listened with much attention.
Of course they did not yet know to come to us, and we
had to go to them. One Sunday I held a great many

158

TH1KD HALF.

services, moving about from village to village and
preaching in them all. When I returned in the evening,
a congregation soon assembled. By this time I was
quite tired, and when addressing them I adopted a
sitting posture ; but so earnest was their manner in list-
ening, that it soon brought me to my feet. I often
asked Bismark to address the natives, and his words
produced a profound impression. He delivered some
addresses of such an earnest, practical character, that
they would not have been amiss in the English language,
and in a home pulpit. Zomba on the whole gave
promise of doing well as a Mission station, and secular
work was also carried on with great vigour. Besides
building a house, Mr. Buchanan had to hoe the ground
for crops and to make a road to the new Station. The
natives in the neighbourhood were exceedingly anxious
to obtain employment. Those about Blantyre had all
benefited by working at the Mission, and by this time
they were more civilized in dress. Compared with our
people, the inhabitants of Zomba looked very naked. In
their district there was no cloth except some Blantyre
calico which they had purchased from other natives, and
a little that had been bought from the slave-drivers a
few months before. Every Monday, workers were en-
rolled for a fortnight. More applied than could be
engaged, but as several came from great distances, Mr.
Buchanan always took on as many as he could.

One afternoon I started to pay a second visit to
Malemya. He and his people were in the midst of a
beer-drinking, which had lasted a few days already, but
which he assured me was only beginning. He gave me

A NIGHT AT CHIRWA.

159

a hut in a village at some distance from the scene of the
beer drinking. Though he was quite drunk when I
arrived, he soon recovered and came down beside me.
We spoke of the great numbers of people that could
be reached from Chirwa, and he promised me a guide to
its shores. He said the Lake used to be full of water,
but that it was becoming drier every year — " What
could be the reason ? " Problems of this kind often
occupy native chiefs, who are always glad to hear the
opinions of a stranger. On going along its shores next
day, I saw that the Lake at one time had been broader,
and that over a great part of the land still covered, the
water was only a few feet in depth. That night I slept
in a village near the Lake. The headman urged me to
occupy his own dwelling and accordingly proceeded to
clear out his poultry. Bismark warned me against
entering the hut as it was full of " what was called
fleas ". But since the people were so kind as to give up
their home for me, I thought it best not to be fastidious.
On the whole I was comfortable ; once I awoke and was
quite overawed at hearing the gnawing of the rats. It
seemed a i if hundreds of mouths were munching at once.
I lighted a match, and then there was a great scamper,
which disturbed the few fowls that still roosted above
me. I could see that the roof wThere my host kept
his maize was alive with rats. For a while they paused
in their carnival, but slowrly and surely the dread
sound returned. I buried my head under the blankets
and wished for the Pied Piper of Hamelin ! In this
village there was great plenty, and in its neighbourhood
we saw large herds of game. As the, village was situ-

160

TIUED HALF.

ated beside a stream, the people were all experts at
spearing fish.

The time had now come when it was necessary for
me to return to Blantyre. There Dr. Laws was waiting
with his bride, and we had the prospect of celebrating
the first European marriage ever witnessed in this land.
Before I left Zomba the supply of calico was low, and
Mr. Buchanan had to face his workmen one morning
with an empty exchequer. Some grumbled, and said
they were to be "cheated". But the Blantyre men
came forward in a body to explain " that the English
did not cheat ". I often found that I could be of con-
siderable service when a dispute arose among the negro
workmen about wages. As I did not interfere with
secular affairs, I was appealed to by the natives as being
a neutral party, and I could keep them amused till
calmer counsels prevailed. When I set out on my
return journey at the end of August, Mr. Buchanan was
left to work at Zomba alone. On reaching Blantyre
we were much pleased at the arrival of copies of our
new books in the native language, which soon gave a
fresh impulse to all our school teaching. It was no
uncommon thing this half year to see lads in every
corner with books in their hands. Formerly we were
quite satisfied when they attended to their lessons
during school hours, but now there was a revolution,
and many began to study with real enthusiasm. The
only drawback was that here a book would be read
threadbare long before other translations could be
printed.

In travelling one sees and learns much more than

NATIVE TRAPS.

161

when closely confined to school-work. The days occu-
pied in founding the new station at Zomba were the
first I had as yet spent out of Blantyre. As we passed
through the country we were often in danger of walking
into native traps. Some of these are constructed so as
to hang the party that enters, others bring down a log
or a heavy stone upon his head. Pitfalls of about five
feet deep are dug, and carefully covered over. These
are dangerous, and white men often fall into them.
But the natives are good observers, and when one
knows what they say, he always gets warning in time.
In the same way when marching after sunset, they warn
each other very faithfully of any stone on the path or
any hole in it. Should there be a stone each man says
"stone" (liganga) as he comes to it, and the word
passes along the whole file with solemn regularity. The
red ants are a great trial to the unwary traveller. If he
walk for a few miuutes upon them, he will feel severe
bites all over his body, and will soon be compelled to
take off every stitch of clothing. When marching as
we did in single file, we are apt to incur peculiar
dangers. Most natives carry a bunch of poisoned
arrows over the shoulder, 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
him. As we passed Cherasulo, which was a great
slaving district, we occasionally saw some poor woman
standing in a slave-stick. Our carriers showed a desire
to go and release such people ; and since every European
that travelled in this country figured to some extent as

a liberator of the slave, they expected us to encourage

11—2

162

THIRD HALF.

them, but we felt that it would be most inexpedient to
interfere.

At this period we had the Eev. Horace Waller con-
gratulating us on the peaceful state of the country, as
compared with his own experience. But a very painful
incideDt now occurred which I shall describe mainly by
extracts from letters of this date. On Tuesday, 16th
September, when I was in school, a note came from Mr.
Buchanan, stating that the goods sent to him had been
taken away after a brisk battle with the carriers, in which
guns and arrows were freely used and some wounds in-
flicted. The Livingstonia Mission were then removing
a great quantity of stores which had been waiting for
them at Blantyre, and it was said that a number of
Mityoche's men had for days been waiting on the
Livingstonia road to secure this booty. But they were
a little too late ; all the goods passed safely, and the
robbers had to return. On their way home, however,
they met a party of ours going to Zomba, and the
result was a successful attack upon them.

When Mr. Buchanan's note came to the station,
Fenwick and I prepared to go at once and have an in-
terview with Mityoche. My great difficulty was to get
away from School for the purpose, but Mr. Moir of the
African Lakes Company who was then recovering from
fever undertook to teach for me. The people of Zomba
had earnestly entreated me to go back to see them soon,
and I would thus have an opportunity of paying them a
visit. Taking duplicates of what had been lost, we
started at five o'clock in the afternoon, about an hour after
the news arrived. We intended to camp at Cherasulo,

MARCHING BY NIGHT.

163

but it was found that our tent had been left behind, and
as the sun is so very hot just now during the day, we
pressed on all night fearing, as we did, that Mr. Buchanan
who had been without cloth for some time, would
have difficulty in making a settlement with his workers.
About one o'clock in the morning we reached Kumpama's,
and might have stayed there, but a guide volunteered
to take us to Mityoche's at once. As we should thus be
able to reach Zomba in the course of the day, we
accepted the offer, and after resting a while we resumed
our journey. It was interesting to pass the villages at
night. The guide was a great smoker and at every
place he roused half-a-dozen men to light his pipe. The
natives rise at night with great ease as compared with
people that have to put on clothes. It was nearly day-
light when we came to Mityoche's. We sent the guide
to tell that we wanted an interview. All at once the
fellows seemed to know our errand, and they would not
be cordial. We never failed so entirely in getting
natives to be friendly. When we asked to see the chief
they demanded whether we wanted war, and when we
told them that we were men of peace, they replied that
we might have an interview with the chief if we sent
him a present. A present of calico was accordingly sent
to show that our intentions were friendly. The reply
came that it was too little — the chief wanted more.
But by this time his fighting men came rushing in with
loaded guns, and assumed threatening attitudes towards
our party. Although it was the standard present and
the natives with us were determined to stand by it, we
sent another to prevent any cause of offence. Still we

164

THIRD HALF.

were told it was too little and another increase followed
with the same result. By this time we began to fear
that a thorough " brush " was inevitable, and we wished
to get out of the village if possible. The other party-
brandished their guns, and swung them about in a sort
of wild war dance. Our own villagers advised them to
caution, and cried out, ' The English are your friends and
they could eat you all if they liked '. Some considera-
tions of this kind weighed with them, and the chief told
us that we might go. We were much relieved even by
this concession.

The guide was loud in condemning Mityoche's
conduct, and set off to lead us to Zomba. We left the
village, but we had not got two hundred yards away,
when we saw a party rushing after us. Some of our last
men were seized and stripped, and in a moment we had
iron bullets whistling about our ears. Self defence
was inevitable, and we fired. We did not act for one
moment on the offensive. I had only a small fowling-
piece loaded with shot. I discharged both barrels in
the air, and reloaded for the purpose of showing how
quickly our loading could be done, and then remem-
bering the criticisms on good Bishop Mackenzie we
retreated. Fortunately no one was killed or wounded.
We thought we were marching on Zomba, but we found
that our natives, who were afraid to go farther, were
merely taking us across to the Blantyre road. We
were much afraid for Buchanan. He might be safe so
long as he staid at the station, but what if he should
come on, as he indicated in his letter, and enter Mity-
oche's village without knowing what sort of a man he

A BATTLE.

165

had to deal with ! We were full of anxiety as we hurried
back to Blantyre, which we reached at six p.m. on Wed-
nesday, after twenty-four hours of continuous marching.

On the following day, messengers came from Kapeni,
regarding men of his that had been with us, and who
were believed to have been taken prisoners. Some of
Kumlomba's villagers were supposed to be captured
also. We heard, too, that Mityoche's men had become
afraid, and deserted his village. They had all fled, it
wTas said, to the top of a hill. Next day, Mr. Walker
set out to effect a union with Mr. Buchanan, to see after
prisoners, and do all he could to smooth matters. He
had little doubt he would be successful in getting things
peacefully arranged ; the natives, he said, would come
and say chonde ! chonde ! (please, please). I men-
tioned to him that in the event of any difficulty it
would be better to go on to Zomba directly. He took
with him the two best interpreters that were at Blantyre,
and said he would be able to get on with their aid. I
urged that if there were any further difficulties he
should first see Mr. Buchanan and Bismark. This party,
however, got into a fight. When they came back, I
was told that Mityoche's people had met them ; Kum-
lomba, the Blantyre headman, got a severe wound below
the knee, and one of Mityoche's men was killed, while
another was believed to be wounded in the leg. Poor
Kumlomba had to be carried back, and was taken to a
hut out in the fields, in anticipation of death. When
a bullet breaks a piece of bone, the case is by the
natives considered hopeless. But under English treat-
ment Kumlomba gradually recovered. Mityoche after

166

THIRD HALF.

this last adventure, lived for a long time on a hill — as
the natives always do in times of trouble. When Kum-
lomba heard, in two months after, that Mityoche had
returned and " was eating porridge " at his own village,
he thought it was a great scandal ! He would have
eagerly gone to attack him. The natives take a strange
pleasure in war — which reminds one of the ancient days
when the women chanted in the cities, " Saul has
slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands."

So far this adventure with Mityoche had proved very
unfortunate. Hitherto the Missionaries had got on well
with the native, much by reason of their very boldness.
When something was done that seemed to proclaim
war against the Missionaries, they had gone straight to
the aggressor as if nothing had happened. Still, unless
he was assisted by slave dealers, Mityoche was not likely
to make war upon the Mission. He had not so strong
a force at his command as any of the headmen of the
three largest Blantyre villages. Kapeni and all the
leading men around us were most eager to go and make
war against him, so were certain of the Magololo. (The
Directors of the Mission when they heard of the matter
recommended that these men should be asked to punish
him.) But unfortunately the African chiefs would have
looked at the step not so much as a method of adminis-
tering justice, as an excuse for killing Mityoche and
capturing his wives. There would have been no use of
crushing the man, and for a long time we tried to send
messages to him. All these efforts were fruitless. The
great difficulty was that he lived so far away : had he
been within a day's journey I should have visited him

COLONIAL WORK.

167

on my Saturday holiday with every hope of removing
the misunderstanding.

At the end of September, I wrote to the Directors,
" Now we could go and use greater force than Mityoche's,
but nothing can be farther from our inclination. We
trust that all you can do to release us from political work
will be done. The Committee must make up their mind
to get some one to do the Police of the country. The
only safe alternative is to recall the Mission." At this
time there was no one to manage the " colony ". The
Directors advised that the natives living at Blantyre
should select one of the laymen to carry out some kind
of government. Mr. Walker perhaps would have
been the successful candidate, and might have been
willing to take the duty, but I learned from other home
letters that he and the other artisans were required to
work under Mr. Henderson, who had returned to
Blantyre a few days before, and who was expected to
" act as a Christian Magistrate ". But Mr. Henderson
himself declined to take the responsibility of the office.
As for myself, I was precluded as a clergyman of the
Church of Scotland, from any thing like civil or colonial
work, and the Directors themselves recognised that the
magistrate must be a layman. At this time I u^ged that
the political work should be held quite independent of
the spiritual. If civil government was to be well con-
ducted it would require a man's constant attention. In
connection with this subject, I wrote. " For myself, I am
anxious only for immunity in carrying out the evangelical
work, though I by no means overlook the importance of
peace and civilisation. It is hard that a great many quiet

1G8

THIRD HALF.

and docile natives should be deprived of this teaching
owing to the presence of a few roughs. We do not think
that matters will ever be satisfactory, while Missionaries
are expected to be their own protectors. Missionaries
are ever being called off their proper work for subjects
of the most delicate kind, and for which they have no
special aptitude."

The Directors had long contemplated the formation of
a trading company in connection with the Mission, and
it was hoped that this company would manage all civil
affairs.

The policy of the Scotch Missions on the slave trade,
was expressly given as the reason for this conduct of
Mityoche's. A great many refugees had come from his
district, and according to native view^s, the reception of
such refugees was a good cause for war. Having been
opposed to this policy all through, I wrote home at
this time, " All the Missions to this region have run
their heads against the question of slavery, and out of
it has sprung a world of troubles. We might have done
our duty as missionaries, and let slavery alone entirely.
We do not find that the great Church of the Middle
Ages ran against the question, and it had as many
opportunities as we have now. To say the least of it,
our taking the matter up hitherto, has been premature ;
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 this."

The remainder of October was quiet. In the course
of the month, Mr. Henderson visited Zomba. We had
asked Mr. Buchanan to consider the expediency of

MIDNIGHT ATTACK.

169

abandoning this station, but he felt quite safe. We
also suggested that he should try a stockade but he
wrote, " I do not think we should try a stockade.* The
particular kind of wood is not at all plentiful, and the
expense would be more serious than the chance of an
attack." Upon the mountain side he had very little
trouble, but the whole plain between him and Chirwa
was scoured in the interests of the slave trade.

Soon we had more trouble at Blantyre as the following
extracts will show : —

"A little after midnight on November 5, we were
told that an attack had been made on Malopa's village
and that prisoners had been carried off. This was a
new hamlet about twenty minutes' walk from Blantyre.
Malopa had escaped to bring the intelligence. The
attacking party had retreated by the back of the
Nyambadwe, and there was little hope of capturing
them. Mr. Henderson and an artisan hastened to the
spot. One house was in flames and beside another they
found the mangled corpse of Nampala, and his little
child standing by it. Nampala's wife and his elder
child had been captured and carried off. Another
woman with two children had been lodging;, for the
night, in this unfortunate place. One of her children
had been taken, but she rescued the other, although one
of the ruffians had cut its face severely by a stroke of
his gun. It appears the attack took place in this way.
A disturbance was made in the village, and one house
set on fire. Nampala was the first to awake, and when
he went out to see what was the matter, two men
* Our stockades were formed of growing trees.

170

THIRD HALF.

standing on opposite sides of his door poured the con-
tents of their guns into his body. Everyone that after-
wards appeared on the scene was carried off, and the
attacking party retreated in great haste. Next day
which was my Saturday holiday, Malopa, Chendombo,
and myself, traced the footprints for miles. The
natives have an almost miraculous power of doing this.
They concluded that the attacking party had come from
a distance.

" That night we told Kapeni that one of his people was
among the captives. As to who were the offenders he
had no suspicion whatever, but he assured us that in a
few days we should have full information. Kampala's
brother came to the funeral, accompanied by several
friends. The most friendless object was the little child
who being unacquainted with its uncle, and its other
relatives, could only cling to Malopa. We offered to
take it and bring it up like an English infant, but the
uncle naturally wished to keep it.

"This sad incident is an illustration of one of the
effects of the Slave Trade, being quite a normal instance
of kidnapping as it goes on around us. It is the first
that has taken place at Blantyre since I came here. It
takes us to the heart of the sufferings of the people.
Surely if in any place on this earth the cry of the
oppressed goes up to heaven, it is in Africa."

Here was another unfortunate problem. We had
learned from the Mityoche case that it was dangerous to
go to negotiate with a chief that had anything upon his
conscience, and no native messengers would go alone.
This attack had been premeditated, and moreover some

CONSCIENCE MAKETH COWARDS. 171

of our natives had been forewarned. For several nights
before, one of our large villages had kept awake all
night. Long afterwards I went to visit a pupil who
lived about six miles off. While I was in his father's
village, a man entered it carrying a large basket of
fowls. He seemed much astonished to find me, but I
began to talk with him, and after he became acquainted,
he asked me several times whether he might come
to Blantyre to sell his fowls, and he seemed anxious
to get a very definite answer. I told him that I
should be very glad to have his company all the
way back. Then he gave over his fowls to two men
that were with him, whom he took aside and instructed
to proceed, and he told me that he and his daughter
would wait till the white man was ready to go with
them. After a little we started for Blantyre. The day
was exceedingly hot and there was not a breath of
wind. All the trees and bushes were as still as if they
had been pictures. My companion was a very fat man,
and at one point we agreed that we must sit down to
rest. After we had rested a while, I glanced at my
watch to know the time. A native has such an eye for
the objective world that a European cannot move a
single muscle without attracting his attention. Per-
ceiving that the man wanted me to explain myself, I
took out the watch and told him what I used it for, and
then I handed it to his little daughter telling her to
catch the seconds hand. While she was amusing her-
self by trying to do this, her father asked to see the
time-piece, and tried the same experiment. The man at
once became greatly agitated ! His fright was unmis-

172

THIRD HALT.

takeable — his limbs actually trembled. He " wanted to
go on — we might rest at a village farther along ! " So
we proceeded and came up with one of the men that had
gone before us with the fowls. A little further on two
negroes with guns came rapidly out of the jungle and
appeared on the path before us. In a short time
they disappeared as rapidly. Soon after, I happened
to look behind me and found another stranger fol-
lowing noiselessly with a gun. I thought that the
whole appearance and conduct of these men were
rather suspicious. No Missionary in this land goes
unarmed, and I had a small revolver by my side.
But on a narrow path in the middle of a dense
jungle a person might easily be assassinated by an
unseen hand. I saluted all these mysterious strangers,
and kept up a spirited conversation with my com-
panion. When at last we came to the end of Kapeni's
territory, he said he would not go any farther himself,
but that his little girl and his slave would go on to
Blantyre and sell the fowls. When near the station I
told them where the storekeeper lived, and then said
good-bye. In less than half-an-hour I found that these
two individuals had plunged the whole settlement into
a dreadful state of excitement. Both of them had been
captured bv the Blantyre villagers. The man, it was
said, had taken part in the recent slave raid, while the
little ffirl was the daughter of a small chief who was our
most deadly enemy, and had planned the whole attack
I had some difficulty before I could persuade the villagers
to release the unfortunate captives. I insisted that the
little girl at least was quite innocent, and I was very

MY RESPONSIBILITY AS GUIDE !

173

glad to find that she was unharmed ; but the man's
head, unfortunately, required sticking plaster. As the
party had come to the Station under my escort, they
naturally appealed to me for protection, while I was
fairly responsible to the Mission people for bringing in
such friends ! The Blantyre natives were always en-
thusiastic in the defence of the settlement. On one
occasion a great number of them, on hearing that a
woman had been kidnapped, ran a distance of ten miles
in order to intercept the kidnappers.

At this period the whole country was greatly un-
settled for a long time, as the following extracts from
my journal will show.

13th Nov. — " Chologwe came to seek protection from
Chiputula. He is one of the men that left their home
to accompany Dr. Livingstone in his researches here.
The majority of these adventurers have established
themselves in the country as chiefs. But Chologwe
lived with his ' brother ' Chiputula, who now threatens
to kill him. Chiputula sometimes gets brandy, and on
these occasions this usually fierce man becomes a per-
fect tiger. In the beginning of the week we had six
other citizens of Chiputula asking an asylum ; but
knowing the danger of meddling with the Magololo
chiefs, we advised them to go home. As poor Cho-
logwe had come so far from his native land, and that
in company with a white man, we thought he might
stay till Chiputula enquired about him. Eefugees from
the Yao come to avoid being sold ; refugees from the
Magololo to avoid being killed.

"16th. — A letter came from Zomba showing that

174

THIRD HALF.

everything was peaceful there. So far as we can keep
Blantyre and Zomba distinct, they will be valuable
experiments of two widely different methods of mission
work. Blantyre has received refugees, Zomba admits
none.

" 19 th. — A man came in from Mkanda's neighbour-
hood with his wife and two daughters. He stated that
his headman had threatened to kill him because he
would not let his daughters be sold. The man had
originally belonged to the foot of Sochi, and manv of
our people came to confirm his story. Being a free-
man, he was allowed to stay.

" 20th, — The Livingstonia Mission has had great
difficulty in bringing up a boiler for the steamer. Dr.
Laws has sent down many men to accomplish the
work.

" 21st. — The air is full of wars and rumours of war.
Many of our villagers keep watch on their own account
all night. Yesterday, carriers that were sent from
Blantyre with food for the Livingstonia workmen,
returned as they came to a scene of bloodshed. Chelo-
moni, who had come up the road, was the first to
enlighten us on the subject. He said Mkanda wanted
to attack the carriers belonging to Blantyre. Ten men
went armed with guns. They saw a party carrying
maize, and immediately fired 'on them. One man
received a bullet in the forehead ; another fell with a
severe wound. If Mkanda did want to attack the
Blantyre people he had played himself a clever trick.
The attacked party were, surely enough, carrying maize,
as well as our people, but they had come from Mkanda's

THE SLAVE TRADE.

175

own district, and were going to sell their maize for salt
at the Lower Chiri.

" It is probable that Mkanda wanted to strike a blow
at Blantyre by this raid. The leader was a headman
of his that has had some provocation. About a week
ago he is reported to have lost five slaves in this way : —
The traffic has been so brisk that they had not slave-
sticks ready for their victims ; so this headman made
the slaves fast by tying. Some of the slaves, however,
had strong teeth : and when one is liberated he is not
always forgetful of his companions. The result was
that they escaped and started for Blantyre. But they
were not a match for the pursuers that tracked their
steps. They were all overtaken and slain, when but
half-way.

"The Arab slave-traders are clever men and show
much tact in managing the chiefs. They are carrying
on their work between our two mission stations. Their
popularity is due to the fact that they deal in rum and
powder which the natives cannot get elsewhere.

" 23rd. — Slave refugees have come in. Those traders
have the whole country in a perfect uproar.

" 29th. — I had a walk with ' John " to Ndilande. At
every village we have the pleasure now of meeting
some of our scholars spending the Saturday holiday at
home. They are among the first to greet us. There
is six times as much cultivation here as there was the
first time I saw the district.

" 8th December. — At Zomba there are four thousand
people who wish to be received under 1 English ' pro-
tection. Several of these are at present kidnapped to

176

THIRD HALF.

make up the Arab caravans. We all feel as if we
should like to go and put these Arabs in stocks. We
should be told, however, and truly,* that it was no
business of ours to interfere. We wish that some civil
power would take the matter up."

About the end of the year Mr. Buchanan wrote : —
" Much annoyance has been caused in the district by
a company of Arabs, who have come to Kawinga, on
Mount Chikala. Kawinga having been supplied by them
with powder, sent his men, armed with flint-locks, into
Malemya's territory to capture and carry off all the
people they could lay hands on. At one village, about
twenty women and children were carried off during the
night ; at another village four people ; and in a number
of cases single individuals have been taken away. In
the midst of it all, not a few have lost their lives.
Fortunately things have quieted down, but the natives
themselves say that Kawinga is only preparing for
another raid."

During a visit of slave dealers we often were afraid
of being attacked. We put on night watch-men but, as
they frequently fell asleep, their presence did not
entirely remove our anxiety. For a long time I used
to get up about two o'clock in the morning in order to
look for enemies. On such occasions I tried to observe
whether there were signs of a new camp fire. During
the darkness of the night, one sees, along the hill-sides,
a multitude of fires that are not visible by day. Most

* This sentence of mine was published in the Church Missionary
Record, but the words, and truly, were inadvertently omitted. They
were, however, in the original letter.

TRIAL.

177

of these arise from trunks of large trees which may keep
burning for weeks. Parties on leaving a camp fire do
not extinguish it, and travellers coming after them
gladly make use of the old fire. The natives taught us
to look carefully at all these fires ! We had times of
great trial. Being obliged to live in a miserably small
hut with little or no furniture, we did not enjoy robust
health, while the food that we could procure was not of
the most tempting character. But we saw what an enor-
mous field for labour lay around us, and we were seldom
home-sick. Instead of writing home about difficulties,
we rather tried to derive amusement from our peculiar
circumstances. Dr. Macklin used to tell us playfully
that he had never written but one grumbling letter,
and the steamer sank with its weight ! Now, although
the trials of a Missionary's life might be heavy enough
to sink a steamer any day, we could not afford to do
such damage to the mail service ! Usually we were
without letters for about two months, and when a mail
did come there was much excitement. We had no
inclination, and indeed no time, to read the daily papers
minutely. The events had happened so long ago, that
we regarded them as fragments of ancient history. But
after perusing our letters we found a good mental tonic
in the pages of Punch : while scores of our dark pupils
came up after school and studied the Illustrated London
News and the Graphic.

12—2

Chapter XII.

FOURTH HALF. JAN., 1880 — JUNE, 1880.

During this half year there was a great removal of
discomforts. In particular the minister's lot was im-
proved. For nearly two years, he and his family had

THE "MANSE," BLANTTRE.

been cooped up in the small hut already alluded to,

THE NEW HOUSE.

179

which contained less space than one ordinary room in a
civilised land. A fourth of the hut was filled with
boxes, another quarter was a bed-room too small to be
healthy : while the remaining half, though occupied
very fully by an enormous table, had to serve not only
for dining-room, but also for nursery and study. At
the beginning of April we bade adieu to our old home i
and entered a larger house built of stone. This was an j
acceptable change for the purposes of study, as well as
for many other reasons. It had the advantage of being
much cooler than the grass huts, its thick walls appar-
ently warding off the rays of the sun better than the
wattle and daub. Being one of the largest houses the
natives had ever seen, it was an object of great admira-
tion from the outside. But when inside, the natives did
not feel at ease ; since they saw none of the posts that
they were accustomed to in their own houses, they
feared that the roof would fall on their heads ! Un-
fortunately we shared their apprehensions, for the roof
had not been well bound together and threatened to
push out the walls.

Cloth windows began to disappear while the introduc-
tion of glass gave the settlement a different appearance.
These new windows were a great marvel to the natives
few of whom knew that glass could be broken. Thieves,
especially, were disappointed as they feared they would
not be able to cut the glass as they had done the calico.
But soon the natives became aware that glass was brittle.
As it was np breach of etiquette to gaze into windows,
a girl one day pressed her head through, and as there
was no glass to mend the pane, it remained a standing

180

FOURTH HALF.

text to convince all and sundry that windows would not
resist every force. So when an inquisitive chief asked
what would happen if he struck a window, we had
simply to point to what had happened, and to warn him
against cutting his hand.

When we reached Blantyre, we had only one very
small looking-glass, and though we made an effort to
obtain a larger one we were unsuccessful, the article
like many others being stolen by the Magololo when on
its way up from the coast. But this half year a large
mirror arrived safely and caused a great sensation. The
smaller one was now available as a toy, and was much
appreciated by old and young. When a visitor came
from a distance, our little natives suggested that he had
not seen the mirror. I would then ask the man if he
wanted to see ' my friend '. The children knew what
was coming and began to clap their hands, while our
guest looked as if afraid of some magical trick. I went
and fetched the mirror, and my visitor soon gazed on
the white man's friend. He shouted out Amao !
(mother) or Ngondo ! (war) which are two native inter-
jections of surprise. Acting on his first impulse, he
would look behind the mirror to see if there was any
one there ! He was quite overcome, and it was long
before he was composed ; as he opened his mouth in
exclamation, the white man's friend did the same, as he
laughed, the figure laughed in his face. He easily recog-
nised himself, but this mimicry at close quarters was
new and tickled him exceedingly.

By this time we had been able to procure many ne-
cessaries from home, our baking was improved, milk

OUR FOOD SUPPLY.

181

strainers were introduced. At first, jams were sent out
in small quantities, and could scarcely be obtained even
by an invalid, but the medical man after some experi-
ence of the climate, pointed out that these were often
not so much a luxury as a necessity, and now they
could be bought from the store. Sometimes the dis-
tinction between luxury and necessity was mooted again,
and then one would hear the pathetic appeal, ' Tell us
where we have a single luxury in this wilderness ! '
When the supply of fowls became deficient, we could
fall back on a small store of tinned meats, but these
were so few that we tried to reserve them for cases of
extremity. If ever the Station should be besieged we
could live for a week on our own resources ! The
expense of the Mission was great, it could not be other-
wise. About this time I wrote, ' If the old monks had
been so dependent on help from their homes, Britain
would have never seen Christianity We were recom-
mended to trust a good deal to the productions of the
country. But the true question was, not how the
Missionaries could be kept alive, but how they could be
kept in such health as would enable them to labour
with vigour. The difficulty was likely to be gradually
solved by each man ordering what he wanted, the only
drawback being that out of six boxes sent from home,
only one might arrive. This extra risk fell heavy
on the Missionaries, not to mention the famine caused
by the loss and delay. The want of milk was a great
hardship especially for children. Only this discomfort
would not have occurred if we had been in the country
avowedly as farmers, because then we should have been

182

FOURTH HALF.

free to direct our attention to all these little points.
Everything brought here was expensive owing to the
carriage upon it. Most things were double the usual
price, and a pound of flour or of oatmeal cost about
8d. Still we had now made a great advance nearer
civilization. Brown boots had been our original outfit
for Africa, now we aspired to have them blackened !
At the same time we learned to look more favourably
on negro civilization. At first we had a prejudice
against native cooking, but now we often had the
pleasure of 'dining out'. When going to a distant
place, I would order dinner at a village on my way, and
ask the people to have it ready by my return. The
villagers were very prompt ; they went at once to the
fowl-house and caught some hen that happened to be
sitting on eggs, and when I came back in about two
hours, I found this fowl cooked, eggs and all I The eggs
proved to be young fowls too, and were consigned to
the 1 boys/ while I felt inclined to lecture the villagers
on the inhumanity of taking ' the dam ' when sitting
upon eggs. The natives use an endless variety of vege-
tables. Being desirous to taste every sort, we asked
them to cook samples for us. When any dish was
more unpalatable than usual, the cook explained that he
had tried to prepare it in "the white man's way".
Often and earnestly had we to beseech them to " cook
all these things in the black man's way " !

Our picnic this year was to the top of Ndilande, a
mountain about four miles to the east of Blantyre. It
is one of the range that runs across this district from
north to south. The view from the top is most

A PICNIC.

183

magnificent. On the south-east lofty Mlanje towers
above the clouds, farther round there lies the massive
form of Zomba, while Lake Chirwa stretches between
them like a sheet of polished silver. 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-dealer, while towards the west we descry moun-
tains which melt into blue clouds near the banks of the
broad Zambeze.

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 lives.
Many of our pupils had been in that terrible scramble.
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 Scotland. After descending we had a little rest and
refreshment at one of the villages on the brow of the
mountain. The party were not fatigued, for a walk of
four miles and the climbing of a steep hill are nothing to
an African boy ! Chants were extemporised and lustily
sung all the way back, the burden of them being that
we had climbed Ndilande, and feasted on fowls, and
would eat mutton at Blantyre !

How great was the contrast between this picnic and
the one we had organised last year! There were about
as many flags in the company as there were pupils on
the last occasion. The number of scholars had much
increased. "We had fully 150 this half-year and it
would not have been difficult to collect over 200, but

184

FOUKTH HALF.

we could not encourage more children to come as we had
neither sufficient teaching power, nor any prospect of
assistance. In January I wrote, ' We are not so anxious
to increase the number as to manage well those that we
have '.

The majority of the boys lived in the Blantvre
villages. Except the Magololo children, none of our
pupils came from a distance, and most of the Magololo
chiefs had built huts for their sons in the neighbour-
hood. Still many preferred to stay at the station, and
were allowed to do so on the understanding that they
must go home during work hours. The few boys that
regularly boarded were all kept busy for about an hour
in the forenoon, and two hours after school was dis-
missed in the afternoon. Their work was of the lightest
character, having been instituted mainly for the purpose
of keeping them from harm. But the little fellows cer-
tainly did much to make the station tidy. During the
rains the grass threatens to overtop everything. A man
may then "dig" a road or a walk, and in a few weeks
after find it covered with grass so tall that it reaches
up to the shoulders, and makes it impossible to tell
where the track was. Thus the roads made by the
Mission entailed much labour, the grass requiring to be
continually hoed down. Hence during the wet season
the boys were constantly occupied in cutting the grass,
which if allowed to grow might have concealed a large
native army ! In the dry season they used to carry
water for the gardeners, but in the end of 1879, 1 began
to make them practice the ordinary arts of their native
land, encouraging them to make baskets and hats under

THE BOARDERS.

185

THE BASKET MAKERS.

a teacher of their own tribe. They were thus kept
occupied for a time, and although sometimes rebelling
against the old men who taught them, they soon made
more baskets and hats than were necessary. The hats
they wore, the small round baskets (iselo) they used for
plates. When daubed with a kind of pitch these
baskets did not leak even when filled with soup.

Since the custom of the country requires that men
should sew, the husband of many wives has a great
demand made upon his skill as a tailor. This in-
duced us to ask some of the boys to make dresses
for themselves. For a while our verandah was filled
with a lively band of stitchers. After cutting their
cloth, Mrs. Macdonald superintended them as far as
her other duties permitted, and one of the Magololo
lads, who was dull at reading, displayed much genius
here, and was able both to teach his juniors and to
make the " story " go round. Day pupils, who usually

186

FOURTH HALF.

declined to work, entered into shirt-making so zealously
that they denied themselves the usual hours of play ;
not only so, but they did not go home at night. Hence
mothers came to the station to see what was wrong ;
but they were quite satisfied with the explanation. In
this land there is much to make mothers anxious — a
child might easily be kidnapped on the way to schooL

Saturday was a holiday except an hour in the fore-
noon, which was set apart for sweeping the domitories.
There were three edifices of this kind at Blantvre, one
was for the women and the girls, the other two for the
boys : and one of the boys' houses was divided into two
sections, one of which was occupied by advanced pupils,
who acted as monitors. The first time we saw these
houses they were quite new, but a " foolish woman
pulleth down her house with her hands," and foolish
boys did the same. The lads never slept without a fire,
and they found the grass of the walls very useful in
making it blaze. Consequently the walls of these
houses gradually disappeared. Then just as our
boarders were beginning to increase, a poor herd-boy
was hurt in some quarrel, and died in one of these
dormitories. After this, no native would sleep in that
house (40). It was vain to remonstrate with the little
fellows, the superstition terrified them. It was even
questionable whether they would enter a new dormitory
built on the old site. The natives, it will be seen, have
reasons against expensive architecture, besides laziness
and incapacity.

At night the sleepers liked to be near each other, and
though there was plently of room, they lay in half-

FEAR OF KIDNAPPERS.

187

dozens, packed together like tinned sardines. They had
raised beds after the English method and as the ordinary
natives merely spread mats on the ground this was a
great novelty. But some boys more cautious than the
rest, spread their mats under the bedstead and barri-
caded themselves, " so that no kidnapper could see
them " ! After a time blankets were procured, but there
was never a sufficiency, and those that had them were
fond of using them as a dress all day.

We were often at a loss to find work for the boys.
They could not be handed over to the artisans, who
being all very busy, would have found them a great
annoyance. We much needed a master to superintend
them while they were out of school. In industrial
missions pupils ought to be sent to the various artisans
in order to learn the special department of work pro-
fessed by each tradesman, but we were far from the
attainment of this ideal, and besides a great many of
our pupils were too young.

One of the last days that I had charge of them, they
came to me, after lessons were finished, and asked for
work ; by this time they had gone the round of several
occupations and wanted something new : but I could
think of nothing, and was of opinion that they de-
served a holiday. At last I asked if they would like
to catch rats for a week. This proposal amused them
intensely, and a premium of a week's wages was offered
for every six rats. This was a high reward, for after the
tail was taken off, the rat-catcher might cook his animal
for himself or sell it to some of the workmen ! The
African schoolboy is as fond of rat catching as a Scotch

188

FOURTH HALF.

lad is of fishing for trout. Only the Blantyre rats
began to fall under the suspicion of strangers. We
often had great poisonings, and on such occasions we
proclaimed the danger of eating rats caught on the
premises. After doses of arsenic, or phosphorus
paste, had been distributed, many rats were found dead,
while others could run but slowly, and were easily
caught : and great was our fear that some poor native
might make a meal of these. The boys, however,
caught but few. Under the idea that the ' white man
would send them home to show what the African rats
were like,' some hunted the fields for various speci-
mens ; one day I was offered about a score of little
field-mice (mapuku), but I had to decline them as the
reward was for rats (makoswe). The boy felt this no
hardship, as his 'take' was of great intrinsic value —
the mapuku being a ' relish ' of prime quality !

Much is said against the African on account of his
laziness. At Quilimane I was told that it was common
for natives to choose starvation rather than work.
Cases were pointed to, where negroes had died of
hunger, while work and food had been offered them.
I was pleased, therefore, to find the boys coming to tell
me that they wanted work. Still much of this was
due to the Mission discipline. The boarders had been
put under a native teacher, who sent boys that did no
work, away from the table. My first acquaintance with
the subject was when this young lad came to me and
said, " Master, this is not right at all, boys that do no
work come and take away the boarder's food ! " Hence
there was established for a long time a tacit under-

NATIVE SUSPICION.

189

standing, that he that " would not work, should not
eat," and it was only when the usual organisation was
disturbed, that the whole of the school boys would
make an onslaught on the boarders' food. At first
few boys cared to engage in the little tasks assigned
for the boarders. Their parents advised them against
working ; they reasoned, " If our children go to Blan-
tyre and do work, there will be no work left for our-
selves, and we shall get no calico ". They would also
say, " When our children do work for the English, and
get food and clothes from them, this is the same as
being slaves to the English, and one day the English
will take our children from us ".

Sometimes, on the other hand, it was made an objec-
tion against the Mission that the pupils did too little.
I was once told that children sent to school would
become lazy. This criticism from a native, who gets
credit for being the laziest dog in existence, rather as-
tonished me, but it brought the hard lot of the African
female clearly before my notice. Frequently little girls
were absent from school, and my plan was never to let
an absence pass without explanation, and I generally
found that they had been helping their mothers to
pound the corn. But as prizes depended on regular
attendance, the girls were anxious to be present every
day, and consequently they became less useful at home,
while the parents naturally regarded reading and sewing
(by females) as mere pastimes. It might have been
better if we could have professed to teach girls to pound
corn ! Few will say that laziness is a sin of the African
female. The pounding of corn is as hard work as any

190

FOURTH HALF.

woman need try. On this department of toil I have
often looked with sadness, while I wished that I had
known some simple mechanical device for lightening
the task. Such a device would greatly improve the lot
of the African woman, and were her labour thus light-
ened, it would be easier to persuade the men to assist
her. I once suggested to a young lad that he ought to
aid his mother in pounding the grain ; but although he
was fond of his mother, he felt that this method of
assisting her would appear ridiculous. 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 Englishman.

As to food, the boarders wTere supplied with what was
usual in the country. The staple was " porridge," and
one woman was hired to cook it. This functionary in
times of scarcity held a delicate position. The boys
accused her of not making enough of porridge, and she
accused the storekeeper of not giving her enough of
flour ! The porridge was made without salt, and eaten
along with vegetables. Salt was a great luxury here ;
while many people hardly used it at all, others obtained
it by burning plants. From Lake Chirwa, whose waters
are salt, we could always obtain a good supply for the
children after we had a Mission at Zomba, but at first
it could rarely be got.

Some say that the last point in which we should
change a native's habit is in food — as he soon becomes
fastidious, and looks down on the simpler fare of his
countrymen. But these boys did much mental work,
which was a new thing for a native. Hence several

SCHOOLBOYS AND THE SORCERER.

191

proposals were formed for improving their diet. For a
time all the extra soup and fowls left at European meals
went to the school table. But this required the co-ope-
ration of all the white men, and many gave these things
to the boys that washed their own plates and brought
their dinner. We expected some help from the dairy,
but even if there had been no native superstition against
milk, there was never a supply sufficient for the few
Europeans. Even when well supplied with meat, the
natives that lived in our own house seldom used it in
any quantity, eating it only in small portions along
with their porridge.

In the season of scarcity there was difficulty in getting
native flour, and it became necessary to store some for
the month or two that preceded the rains. At that
time the women gathered the leaves of shrubs, while
the boys and girls of the native villages were sent
out to forage for themselves and might often be seen
breakfasting on beetles !

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 boys. The
native children were most obedient and docile. So
long as they all belonged to the same tribe there was
seldom any strife among them. When they stole from
each other, they did not, as a rule, complain to the
schoolmaster. Some of them appealed to the sorcerer
at once.

The following extracts from letters sent home at the
time will throw light on other details

192 FOURTH HALF.

Saturday Visits in the Neighbourhood.

" On February 14th, I went to Nclilande in company
with John MacRae. First, we reached the home of one
of our Blantyre pupils, called Mpakata, a dear little
fellow. I went there to dress his mother's shoulder,
which had been severely burned. The natives keep a
big log smouldering in the hut all night : and often
come into contact with it while asleep. Accidents by
burning are frequent, especially among children, and it
is chiefly at night that they take place.

" In another village we met with a musical instru-
ment of quite a novel kind. It was formed in this way.
Two sticks were laid parallel to each other, and about a
foot apart. Above them was placed a layer of grass, on
the top of which lay the keys of the instrument. These
keys were made of wood and kept in their places by
upright pegs. The keys were about the thickness of
one's arm, and differed in length so as to produce a suc-
cession of notes. I had seen the same instrument
often, and had conceived that it might be a shelter for
chickens. Great was my surprise when I found that
there, in the village green, I stood beside a splendid
piano ! The instrument was quite complete. It was
even provided with a neat drumstick for striking the
keys ! Before any one came to us we were rude enough
to take the drumstick and begin to play. This brought
a number of the village ladies to the spot ; and I had
a feeling that we ought to apologise for making free
with the instrument. John had told me that it was
called 1 ngolongondo ' ; and it would have covered our

MIXING WITH THE NATIVES. 193

retreat very well to take this name on our lips ; but

what if they should hear only the last syllables? Ngondo

(war) is the word that speaks to the Africans of famine,

slavery, and death ; it is a word too, that they are

always straining their ears to hear. No wonder that I

shrank for a moment from calling that piano by its

name, and that when I did speak of it, I put special

emphasis on the first syllables. Soon we had a crowd of

happy villagers around us. All of them, old and young,

were fond of sweets. They showed us other curiosities.

One of these was a rat-trap, which reminded me of

English mole-traps, only it was made of a single piece

of wood. In the thick end the rat is provided with

accommodation, the other end tapers to a point. The

thin end is tied down with threads of bark, and when

the rat eats these, it recoils with great force, and a big

belt of bark comes up and imprisons the victim, which

is cooked for the next meal. As these villagers had

traps by the dozen I thought of buying some, but John

told me that I need not, as his father could make them.

It is a great step to gain the confidence of the people

by mixing with them freely, like one of themselves.

An Englishman is not quite at ease with a number of

strange natives in a place entirely strange, and it is too

much to expect that all at once they will feel at home

with him. Further on, we received a hearty welcome

in a large village at the back of Ndilande. About forty

men were there, and a proportionate number of women

and children. As a heavy shower came on, we had to

stay even longer than we wished. After talking of the

native chiefs, the work going on at Blantyre, and the

13—2

194

FOURTH HALF.

chances In favour of a given man or woman getting
enrolled as a worker on Monday, I gave them an address,
to which they were very attentive.

" The conversation turned specially on Kumpama of
Cherasulo, and I expressed a desire to see him at
Blantyre. They sympathised with this, and one man
volunteered to take a message to this important Chief.
I gave him a piece of paper (with Kumpama's name on
it) — to indicate that the messenger was from us. On
our way home this man escorted us some distance. Bv
this time the grass, which is in many places about eight
feet high, was quite wet, and as the paths are narrow I
had the pleasure of a cold bath for a great part of the
way. This, if not so healthy, is more agreeable than
intense heat. Our guide by and by discovered that his
paper was wet. I suggested that it might dry. Next
he asked whether the Chief would not like a bigger
piece of paper ! Also, he naturally wondered how
much pay he would get for going to Cherasulo ! Such
are some of the everyday difficulties of these simple but
attractive people. Having already made many effort-
to see Kumpama, I was not full of hope on this occa-
sion ; but, strange to say, on Wednesday night all eyes
were turned towards the Matope road to observe a long
procession entering Blantyre. First, there came a man,
carrying a letter ; next a few bearers with a goat and
several fowls ; behind these came a large body of men
armed, some with guns, others with bows, in the front
of whom we could descry one young man holding aloft
an Arab parasol. The man with the letter was rather
disappointing — he had nothing but the little bit of

KUMPAMA.

195

paper of Saturday — though it was in a wonderful state
of preservation ; but the young man with the Arab
parasol was the veritable Kumpama of Cherasulo,
whose ancestor had fought against Bishop Mackenzie.
According to the custom in such cases, we received
the chief's present, and gave him accommodation. He-
was at tea in the evening, and we found him most
agreeable. He was fond, as most natives are, of the
Cape gooseberry, and we took care that he should have
plenty of plants. This berry grows everywhere lux-
uriantly, it is becoming a weed with ourselves, but the
natives plant it in their fields. The chief wished to
return on Thursday but was persuaded to stay till
Friday. He visited the school, in which he took much
interest, for in the evening he could point out the boys
that could read well. He was present in the evening
when Mrs Macdonald's adult pupils came in, and I have
no doubt that he would learn to read himself if he were
with us. He is only about 21 years of age. On his
departure, the gardener gave him orange plants, English
potatoes, and other young trees, and vegetables.

On Saturday the 21st of February, John and I
started for Mpingwi. "We set out at 7 a.m. The roads
are wet in the morning, owing to a heavy dew that falls
during this season. I did my best to keep dry, but the
second stream was much swollen, and an unsuccessful
jump landed me in the middle. After this, care
became unnecessary. On reaching Mpingwi, however,
I sat down on a rock and tried to wring my stockings.
Here we had a fine view of Ngludi. So attractive was
the appearance of the whole country, that I proposed to

196

FOURTH HALF.

John that we should go on to this hill. John, who was
in excellent spirits, agreed to proceed. It was now
about 9 30. We passed through a fine wooded plain,
in which we crossed four brooks, though these would
not be all full in the dry season. Looking behind us
we obtain a fine view of Mpingwi and Bangwe, which
now appear much higher than when seen from the
Blantyre side. About twelve o'clock we are among
the Ngludi villages. One beautiful stream flows not
far from the foot of the hill. As we stop to drink we
are much impressed with the romantic beauty that
surrounds us. The picture is so lovely, that we would
not change the place of a stone, the form of a branch,
or the size of a leaf.

The people were glad to see us, but wondered much
why we had come alone. The last visit they had from
the Mission was when Dr. Macklin passed with a great
caravan on his way to Mlanje. We went round the
corner of the hill till we reached Matache's, where John
has a cousin — a boy about the same age as himself.
Matache seems to have considerable influence. We
were close to his principal village, and about 100 of his
people came to see us. Before leaving I recited to
them the parable of " the talents ". John's little cousin
was determined to go back with us, and he came on
for some distance, till his mother followed, asking him
to stay with her. He seemed disposed to rebel, but I
told him that it would not be right to leave his mother.
He went back with tears in his eyes ; and his mother
promised to send him to school again. He had spent a
few months at school last year.

A LONG MARCH.

197

We had now to return, if possible, before dark.
Ngludi is set down as being 1 7 miles from Blantyre ;
and after marching 17 miles, one would like to decline
the return journey. Though we had many a hospitable
invitation to stay for the night, we pushed on. We
were quite fatigued as we ascended Mpingwi again, but
here a heavy shower came on, which had a refreshing
effect.

Slavery. — Every English trader or hunter that made
a long stay in this land figured as an enemy of the
slave trade, began to receive refugees, and after a time
found himself surrounded by a small colony in which he
had to act as governor. He felt it absurd to apply to
the neighbouring chief for assistance in civil matters.
His relation to the native chief cannot be better ex-
plained than by an incident like the following : — " One
morning the hunter wishes to set out on a journey, and
requires a large number of men. He sends a messenger
to request the native chief to send him some of his
people. The chief sends back word that he ' can send
no men to-day as he has a beer-drinking '. On receiv-
ing this intelligence the European says to the messenger,
' Go back and tell the chief that if he does not send me
men at once I will come up and flog him ! ' In a very
short time the messenger returns with more men than
are required, while the chief sends, at the same time, a
very humble apology ! " Such being the character of a
native chief each European was a "great king," and
was expected to be ready to defend all the subjects
that he received, by his power, or in other words, by the
usual wars. Now, although a position of this kind

198

FOURTH HALF.

might be taken by Industrial Agents or Traders, it was
clearly a false position for a Missionary, who, being sent
with a message for " every creature," must stand forth
as equally friendly to all classes of the community. As
I mingled more with our neighbours, I saw that our
reception of runaway slaves had alienated many ex-
cellent men who might have been our best friends, and
who were better able to rule slaves than we. If the
colonial work disappeared the purely Missionary work
would be more successful, and the colonial work might
gradually be suffered to disappear if slave refugees were
denied an asylum.

Slaves were still coming to the station in great
numbers, but I did all that I could to discourage
their arrival. We had now learned that they were by
no means paragons of virtue. After they settled, it
was difficult to keep them in order. They quarrelled
both with the freemen about us, and with each other.
Most of them resided in the village of Kumlomba, a
Blantyre headman, and he was expected to govern
them, but he had the greatest difficulty in doing so.
More refugees could not safely be received unless the
Mission Directors appointed some layman to take
charge of them. Such government might have been
a blessing to the poor slaves, but as matters stood, the
Mission ran the risk of collecting around it a number
of people each of whom would do " what was right in
his own eyes ". The reception of slaves no doubt had
certain advantages. Already nearly 400 had gathered
about the station, and a great number of these had
sought an asylum in order to escape death. The

SAVING LIVES.

199

Mission had thus saved a great many lives, but at a
terrible risk. Its course of action had made enemies
of all the slave-owners in the district, and even tended
to increase the slave-trade, for when a master saw that
his slaves might run to the English, he resolved to sell
them off as soon as possible. Again, the reception of
persons who had fled to escape death or any of the other
hard consequences of slavery, soon led anyone that
fancied he had a grievance, to desert his master and
seek refuge at the Mission, while the kindly treat-
ment he experienced made him desirous of having his
friends or relatives with him to share his advantages.
Thus the settlement was in danger of becoming a large
state, composed of all the discontented people of the
country. Livingstone attributes the failure of the
old Portuguese Missions, to the fact that they made
little or no resistance to slavery, and the difficulty is
greater than might at first sight appear. When a
missionary stands by and sees the evils of slavery
without actively interfering, the sympathy that he
expresses for the slave, or the protests that he utters,
are regarded as insincere by the natives : while the
moment that he goes beyond moral methods, he steps
out of his proper sphere. It must ever be a dangerous
experiment to set hundreds of slaves free, and leave
them to live without any of the terrible restraints that
their owners find necessary

Already Kumlomba and his brethren were loudly
declaring that some of the refugees were very bad men,
and could not live in peace. One grave offender they
escorted back to his .master. I watched this experi-

200

FOURTH HALF.

ment with much interest, and Kumlomba's men were
able to tell me the effect. As they went along with
the slave they rested in many villages and talked the
matter over, and the villagers made the remark that
the slave's master was " very fortunate ". Arrived at
their destination, the Blantyre headman said, " Here
is your man, he will not stay peaceably with us," and
the slave's master thought that he had found " rare
luck ! "

Often slaves left a master for slight reasons. Many
a woman ran away because her husband had bought
more wives, or because he would not sew her clothes !
Perhaps the poor creature inferred from such indications
of neglect that she was destined to be the prey of the
first slave-dealer. 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 home. On one occasion we asked some Blantp-e
people to accompany two run-aways with the view of
interceding for them with their chief. On the way,
however, the slaves dashed off from their guides and
were not heard of again ! Sadder cases occurred where
slaves tried to escape immolation — they were going to
be buried with their master, and craved the Mission's
protection. We saw some painful cases where the slave
and his master were both present and both appealing to
us. Once "a young man and his mother came and
begged most earnestly to be allowed to stav at the
Mission. The woman represented that her husband had
just been murdered by a headman who wanted to take
her for a wife. She said that the murder had been

TOUCHING CASES.

201

committed for the very purpose of carrying out this
marriage, and protested that she would not go to the
harem of the man who had slain her husband. The
Chief Kapeni was the uncle of this unscrupulous head-
man, and came over, claiming the young lad and his
mother too, and asserting his right to dispose of them
both. The party begging protection were in a state of
frantic excitement. As we explained our position, they
cried, " Oh Father, cuj our throats here, we will die
here, do not send us back with Kapeni ". I said to
Kapeni, " "Would it be right in us to protect you if you
were running from a man that sought to kill you?" He
replied, " It would be right," adding, " I do not want to
kill the lad, and if you come over to my village you will
find him alive ". The first time I visited Kapeni after
this event, I saw the young man, but on no subsequent
visit could I find a trace of him ! Another case struck
me as being unspeakably sad. It arose in the following
manner : — As two boys were playing at Kapeni's, the
son of Mtambo was killed by his companion, a lad of 1 3
years. All admitted that the death was purely acci-
dental. The lad's mother was a widow with six
children ; one of her daughters was immediately taken
from her and slain in order " to go along with. "
Mtambo's deceased son (32). But Mtambo not content
with this, demanded the woman and all her other chil-
dren for slaves. The parties lived close by Kapeni who
granted Mtambo's demand. The woman fled to Blan-
tyre with all her children. As she brought them in, we
were struck with their appearance, they looked most
interesting children. The youngest was quite a baby,

202

FOURTH HALF.

the others, mostly girls, stood each about a handbreadth
taller than the next younger, the eldest being the poor
lad that had occasioned the misfortune. The elder
sister had been already slain. How our hearts bled for
these poor children ! The widow believed that Mtambo
would kill more of them. I wrote to the directors at
the time, " Putting a remorseless logic in the place of
mercy, we think the Mission has nothing to do with
this case of Kapeni's at all ".

Sometimes we tried whether unfortunate people
might not be redeemed from these hardships, but such
redemption was uniformly refused. Two relatives of
Antani, our cook-boy, ran away from their master and
came to Blantyre, but had to be surrendered on demand.
Antani was exceedingly sorry, although he saw quite
clearly that if he retained these people, he was on ground
that according to native views, made war against us
perfectly justifiable. We hinted that if he redeemed
them he might then keep them in his own village. He
entered gladly into this idea, but the owner replied, after
Antani had sent his brother and negotiated for about a
week, " You, English, say it is not right to sell people,
and therefore I will not do it ! "

One of the last cases we saw was that of a man who
had escaped from Cherasulo. Kumpama's people came
to ask for him and although quite confident that he
would be restored (for by this time the poor slaves had
always to go away), they thought it necessary to bring
most damaging evidence against him. Accordingly
they produced a piece of calico stained with blood, to
show that this man had committed murder before

CIVIL GOVERNMENT.

203

he took to flight. The people about Blantyre asserted
that Kumpama's party had shot a guinea-fowl whose
blood would account for the stained cloth ! The slave
himself insisted that he had run away owing to bad
treatment and pleaded to be allowed to stay, otherwise
his master would kill him. But he had to be given up,
Mr. Buchanan saying to his master, " Remember now,
I am going to pass Cherasulo and I will not believe
you, unless you can shew him alive when I come ".

The Mission Directors had been for a long time
debating whether the Mission could really exercise civil
or criminal jurisdiction at all. At first they had claimed
such jurisdiction, but grave doubts arose on the execu-
tion for the murder (page 109) and we did not yet know
which way they were likely to decide. They had taken
about a year to consider the subject, and no decision
had yet reached us. Though well aware that the Law
of the Church prevented a Clergyman from being a
Magistrate, I thought it was competent for the Direc-
tors to carry out their plans by means of Laymen, but
it might be argued that the civil Law of Scotland
was against the exercise of any jurisdiction, as the
Directors had taken no steps to legalise their colony.
If this proved correct, then it was clear that even
should the Directors insist on Civil Jurisdiction, any
magistrate appointed by them was liable in the
circumstances to all the consequences of breaking
British Law. It was a question in principle like what
Scotch Churchmen were familiar with in the Disruption
Controversy. Should the Directors decide that the
exercise of Jurisdiction was necessary for propagating

204

FOURTH HALF.

the Gospel in these parts, and that jurisdiction was to
go on as before, the decision was quite intelligible so far
as the Church was concerned, but it would not do for
any British subject to act on the view. The matter
had an important bearing on the question of fugitive
slaves. Some of the Directors had at one time ad-
mitted, to rny great comfort, that it was not expedient
to receive refugees. But letters of a subsequent date
were strongly in favour of continuing the old practice,
and Dr. Macklin who was now at home, refused, we
understand, to return to Africa, if slaves were denied
protection : so great is the proverbial detestation of
slavery in the true Briton. In official letters that
arrived at this time, we were urged to adopt a spirited
Foreign Policy towards certain troublesome chiefs.
The directors indicated a plan of punishing some of
these offenders, but as the layman that they had sent
out to act as a Christian magistrate, declined to take
such a delicate task, I was much puzzled to know who
was to be responsible for carrying out the scheme, and
on April 5th, I wrote to the Directors with reference
to this plan : — " But take into account that we are only
poor dominies and tradesmen. The dominies have the
Saturday holiday at their disposal, but no other day
without doing injustice to school-work."

It was, perhaps, fortunate that the arrangement for
the civil management of the Mission was in a state of
chaos at this time. So far as the Directors of a Foreign
Mission are personally concerned, it is a comparatively
safe thing for them to send abroad instructions of the
above kind, for if complications should arise, they will

DANGER OF OBEYING INSTRUCTIONS.

205

be the judges of their own conduct, and will, in any
case, escape all the suffering that may ultimately be
caused. While, at the same time, they are conscious
that they are doing their very best to establish order
in a lawless land. Most certainly they are actuated by
the purest motives. But by such commands they
would place a zealous lay superintendent in great diffi-
culty. He knows that he can easily raise the country
against an offending chief, and he reasons, " These are
the instructions of my superiors. I am aware that they
cannot be carried out without the loss perhaps of thirty
lives. But the Mission Directors are honourable men,
they will stand by me." Suppose then that the man
goes forth and fulfils his instructions with the loss say
of only twenty lives. 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 antici-
pated ! But when he sends home his report, he finds
that scarcely has he received the congratulations of the
Convener, when other members of the Mission Com-
mittee protest that they " had not attended the meet-
ings, and did not know that the Mission was a colony
at all ! " 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 trusted ; while the weapon
of misrepresentation would be wielded with great success.
If the victorious army of the colony really killed twenty,
it would get credit for having slain its " tens of
thousands ".

Had we been desirous to figure as civil magistrates or

206

FOURTH HALF.

as African chiefs we might have soon gained an in-
fluence like what was once wielded by Papal Eome.
Even persons that lived at great distances insisted on
coming to tell us of their grievances, and to ask for
advice, while our own neighbours were constantly
appealing to us. In Scotland there was a time when it
was considered a reproach to allow a funeral to pass
without drunkenness : here it seems to be a reproach to
have a beer-drinking without a fight. In the more
serious cases the combatants fire at each other (usually
missing), and then endeavour to strike their companions
with the butt-end of their muskets. If their skulls
were not very strong, there would be many fatalities.
In such cases, however, although requested to interfere,
we were content with merely supplying the sticking-
plaster !

A printing press had been set out, which enabled us
to supply wall-cards for the Junior Classes. We printed
also a few hymns and passages of scripture, but our
work at this was very slow. It would be most econo-
mical for such presses to be accompanied by a good
printer. As a rule the Missionary is much more
serviceable at his own calling, and feels that while
setting type he is precluded from work that he is
better fitted for. The English characters are well
adapted for all sounds in the Yao language, but not
so adequate for Chinyasa. We found that the usual
naming of the English alphabet might be simplified with
advantage to our pupils. We call the letter b, be, while
we call, m, em : why not be consistent and call them
either be, me, or eb, em? Again as w, is always a

MEDICINE.

207

consonant in this language, we named it ive, and not
double-u. It is a pity that our system of English
spelling is so intricate, it makes our language very
difficult to acquire. We felt inclined to order for the
school the " Fonetik Nuz ! "

All this time I was intensely busy. A great part of
my time was occupied in teaching and preaching, and
in the short intervals at my disposal for my special
work of translating, I could seldom sit down without
being liable to interruption. Many sick people looked
upon me as a physician. For a long time we had
been in the centre of Africa without any medical man.
Natives came with all manner of diseases. One day
we had a man that was said to be mad. In some of
his fits he had wounded a neighbour with an arrow,
Whether he was mad or not, he was evidently far from
well, and I gave him a large dose of Eno's Fruit Salt.
The poor fellow came back next morning to tell us that
he was better. His breath was no longer offensive, and
he looked cheerful. We were sorry when our supply
of Fruit Salt went done, it was a favourite both with
natives and Europeans, and is much used along the
malarious coasts. Once I offered a sick girl a dose of
ordinary salts, but when she tasted it, she regarded me
with an injured look and the tears came to her eyes.
Keflecting that I would not have liked to take the stuff
myself, I did not insist that she should. But as a
general rule, the natives, especially when there is little
wrong with them, will swallow the most nauseous
medicines with great composure. A chief sometimes
came with a number of men and women, and three

208

FOURTH HALF.

times as many children, declaring that they were all
sick, and demanding medicine. In such cases the
doctor had given Bismark the keg with castor oil, and
told him to go round and administer a spoonful to each.
Although there might be a wail from some disgusted
infant, most of the party considered the medicine a
treat, and after the ceremony there would be a great
smacking of lips !

An effervescing medicine was a novelty to the natives.
They thought it was boiling, and anxiously asked, " Is
it hot ? " Even where we did not know what was
wrong with a negro, we gave him something. It was
prudent to do so, as he would otherwise go to the
sorcerer, who might make him believe he was bewitched,
and ultimately get some one poisoned. Even when
he received English medicine, he was very anxious about
shaving his head, and otherwise conforming to African
customs. It was always difficult to diagnose a native
patient, his answers to questions about his symptoms
were not to be relied on. He seemed to think it a
religious duty to declare that he felt pain even-where.
The influence of the native medicine man was very
great. Often a sick native will part with all his pro-
perty to procure some amulet. Occasionally the school
children were robbed of new dresses by this greedy
practitioner.

At the end of this half year, a new medical man
arrived. He brought us the mail which told us that
the Mission was to cease to be a colony. We were
now informed that our position "must be understood
as excluding the power and jurisdiction known as

*

JURISDICTION' LAID ASIDE.

209

civil government ". All along I had felt that my own
position excluded this jurisdiction. I was aware that
the Directors had " no right to give " me, and that I
had " no right to receive " any powers of this kind.
But I was not aware that even in their days of greatest
perplexity, the Directors had desired me to act as
their magistrate, or to be conjoined in such work.
The letter continued, " We cannot make you civil
magistrates over any portion of Africa, even though we
may possess property therein". Well, why had they
given commission to various individuals to act as magis-
trates ? Why had they, from the beginning of the
Mission down to the very last mail, urged the carrying
out of civil jurisdiction ? We could only hold up our
hands in amazement ! Besides, the real question at
issue was of the simplest character. It was not " whether
civil jurisdiction was necessary in the region occupied
by the Mission " ; it was not " whether Livingstone and
other travellers and hunters had caned offenders " ; it
was not " whether the humblest artisan had not as good
a right to protect himself in this way as Livingstone
had " ; it was not " whether the laws of Britain were
good or bad,'"' but simply "what were the laws of
Britain on the subject". Now the Missionaries received
information that certain British statutes were against
the assumption of civil jurisdiction. " Any assumption,
therefore, of jurisdiction by us or by you in Africa, and
any act of punishment done in virtue thereof, would, in
the opinion of the Committee, make us or you liable to
the provisions of these statutes." This information
would have been worth a great deal to the poor

210

FOURTH HALF.

Missionaries if it had been given when they first left
their homes.

Along with the Doctor, there arrived a servant to
assist Mrs. Macdonald ; this was a great accession.
For a long time I had been desirous of going to
Zomba and Cherasulo, but could never get away from
school. Mrs. Macdonald being relieved from an op-
pressive amount of other duties, now undertook the
teaching during my absence. On June 8th the Doctor
and I started for Cherasulo at 9 "30. We reached
the mountain itself by two o'clock, but before we
arrived at Kumpama's the sun was setting. Most of
the natives live on the sides of high hills. This is
partly from fear of war, and partly because they find
plenty of water in such situations. In this land the
streams of the mountain are much dried up before they
reach the plains.

June 9. — Kumpama introduced me to his principal
wife. Owing to the custom of inheriting wives, this
lady was a matron who could have been his grand-
mother. We found the chiefs people exceedingly
friendly. I had bought a supply of beads from the
Mission store, which I distributed among the children.
A present of small beads is valued by a native child as
much as a present of coppers is by a child in civilised
lands. Judged by the standard of these natives, a
Missionary is considered very wealthy. The blankets
on the poor man's bed, if cut up, would clothe half-a-
score of negroes ! As I lay in the tent I heard some of
our dark friends discussing a proposal to rob us ! One
man good-humouredly represented that it was not right

AT CHEEASULO.

211

to let us go out of their land with so much goods !
The others laughed, and said that they would like the
goods, only they were afraid of " the little guns ! "
(revolvers). When we arose we found a great crowd of
natives waiting to give us presents, and as soon as we
had cooked, the chief and some of his principal men
came to breakfast. They afterwards shewed us that the
plants that had come from Blantyre were growing well
with them.

We were conducted round the district by Kumpama's
Prime Minister. The chief himself had to judge some
cases ; and invited us to hear the pleadings, but we
declined, being anxious to spend the day in looking for
a likely site for a Cherasulo Mission. We saw many
good spots, but we wished Mr. Henderson to make the
selection.

June 10. — We started from Kumpama's at seven a.m.
while the dew was yet heavy on the long grass, but not-
withstanding very hard marching it was sunset before
we reached the Likangala. At this stream we were
several miles from Zomba, but we pressed on in the
dark. With the roads that are here we can understand
how it is that one walking in the darkness " stumbleth".
As we approached the Mission, we saw a great many
little fires at Lake Chirwa, which indicated that people
were fishing there.

June 11. — Zomba has improved greatly within the
last ten months. Near the station, roads have been
made, which are much appreciated by the natives.

June 13. — Besides the usual meetings here, I had a
service in the village to the east of the station.

212

FOURTH HALF.

June 14-. — Mr. Henderson and the doctor left for
Cherasulo to settle about the new site.

Some of the pupils here can read the native language,
although they have been reading English chiefly
hitherto. This time last year, none of them had seen a
book. The girls are not so civilised as the Blantvre
ones. Even in their games they shew this. At the
station there are many soft stones, and they amuse
themselves by rubbing or grinding these to make
;' flour ". During the process they cover their bodies
with dust, which sticks to them for the rest of the day.
But they say that they are willing to sew, and by anVl
by Mrs. Macdonald will pay them a visit. The last
week or two I have studied Chinyasa, It will be a very
easy task to get acquainted with this language after the
previous aquisition of Chiyao. What a glorious field
for energy one sees from this station — right across Lake
Chirwa ! The lake is quite full of water now, and may
be useful to us yet. To evangelize the country on its
shores, would be the work of a life time. Bismark
looks forward to being stationed on Lake Chirwa when
tie " knows more ".

Chapter XIIL

FIFTH HALF YEAR JULY, 1880 — DECEMBER,

1880.

"When" left alone in a hut on the hill-side, one feels
that domestic comforts are a great help in Mission
work. The old monks must have encountered many
difficulties when placed at any time among people that
knew nothing of civilisation. In such circumstances
they would have been obliged to leave their proper
calling, and attend to their dinner, and when one's time
is so divided, neither work can be well done. I leave
the commissariat entirely to the natives, and the order
in which my food is brought is often somewhat peculiar.
In the morning there first comes a small bowlful of
milk, and then a piece of roast fowl : after a time tea
appears, then potatoes, and finally a plate of porridge !
At dinner too, after I have begun to flatter myself that
I have got to the end of my task, the boy will appear
with a large plate of soup ! My cook showed consider-
able originality in the matter of dress. A few old
cuffs had been thrown away, and when ambitious to
appear in a finer costume than usual, he put one of

214

FIFTH HALF.

them on his wrist, and as he wore neither coat nor
shirt, nor any such thing, the cuff looked very odd
upon the bare arm. I was thankful that instead of
showing a similar originality in the matter of cookery,
he confined himself to an old bill of fare, for although
cats were very rare at Blantyre, I knew that they
were plentiful at Zomba, and that the natives did not
despise them as an article of food.

While we were at Zomba, a war broke out at our
very door. It was between Malemya our own chief,
and one of his headmen called Kumtaja, whose relations
have been explained above (§ 98).

One morning about eight o'clock, as we sat in the
verandah studying the language, we heard the report of
guns. In a short time we saw that Malowa's village was
in flames. Twenty minutes later, Kalimbuka (or Kalam-
buka ?) and his men arrived at the Mission station in
great excitement, clamouring for powder. The village
of their friend had been attacked, and one of their
" brothers " was slain ! While expressing much sym-
pathy with our neighbours, we had to refuse them
powder. On this Kalimbuka protested that we were
not his friends, and declared that he would send none
of his children to school. True to his word, he called
away about twenty pupils that came from his village.
Our corjduct in refusing powder seemed most dishonour-
able— we could not expect the natives to understand it.
Had we been attacked Kalimbuka would have at once
come to the rescue with all his forces. We could not
have complained if he and Malemya had proceeded
against us as enemies. Yet when we settled in 1879,

WAR AT ZOMBA.

215

we warned them both, that we would have nothing to do
with their wars : but Kalimbuka was not willing to be
bound by this. It was not without emotion that I saw
my old friend go away with such a poor opinion of us.
Still he had listened to what we said. We insisted
that he should wait for Malemya's help, for if he
attacked Kumtaja alone he would likely be beaten.
We pointed out that his own village was yet safe, but
that if he wTas afraid for the lives of his people, he
might bring them all up to our station. This reason-
ing had little effect on a man burning to avenge the
death of his relative.

Messages wTere soon sent in all directions. It is sur-
prising how quickly natives communicate with each
other on such occasions. During the day several
detachments passed through the station for Kalim-
buka's village, which was soon the headquarters of a
large army. All night the war drums were beaten.
Next morning we heard of nothing but great prepara-
tions, and as the school was dismissed that evening,
the wail of those that were mourning the slain, came
plaintively along the hill side.

Soon the time arrived for our return to Blantyre.
When we passed Kalimbuka, we found him more com-
posed. But he knew that the English had " something"
that would burn any village from a great distance, and
he was anxious to try its effect on Kumtaja ! On our
way back, I was desirous to visit Mityoche, the head-
man that gave some trouble last year. At first our
men had concurred in the proposal, but when the first
of them came to the parting of the ways, they quietly

210

FIFTH HALF.

kept to the Blantyre road. On reaching Blantyre, I
wrote to Kalimbuka's son exhorting him to return to
school as soon as his father would let him. It is a
great gain when a native is once taught to read a letter
in his own tongue.

On July 10th, two men of Kalimbuka's came to
describe another battle, in which they reported that
four were killed, and four wounded. They took back a
message requesting that the wounded men should be
sent over to the doctor. A similar message we wanted
to send to their enemies, but no one cared to go there
in case of being fired on.

Many people were now gathering round the Mission
at Zomba, judging that they would there be more free
from war and kidnapping. Malowa's villagers who had
been first attacked soon formed a large settlement close
to the station.

At Blantyre we still had difficulties about rations :
grave disputes would arise as to whether salt was to be
supplied free, or charged at 6d a pound — whether a pot
of jam was to cost 9d or a shilling ! The sister Mission
at Livingstonia, after experiencing this trouble, made a
clear arrangement. No doubt it looked very ungallaut
to tell a young lady that she would get the daily allow-
ance of an able bodied seaman — but its Directors had to
define what they meant, and they did so. After all,
new difficulties were sure to arise. The subject of
salaries and rations was hydra-headed ; when one head
was cut off, others appeared. On 4th June, 1880, I
wrote, " I am beginning to despair of seeing an ultimate
understanding on this subject, and the game is not

NEGRO PATIENTS.

217

worth the candle ! ' The game, however, had often
threatened to play havoc in the Mission. I was told
that on one occasion in 1877, every artisan was on the
point of leaving for England over this matter. But
the difficulty most felt by the Directors had reference to
civil jurisdiction, and a deputation was to be sent from
Scotland to examine the whole subject.

During the last half year I had suffered much from
ulcerated limbs. The complaint was exceedingly com-
mon among the natives, and white men that do not
suffer much from fever in this country, pay the penalty
in some other way. After the journey to Zomba, I was
worse, and had to be carried back in a litter. I was
then condemned to lie in bed for several weeks. The
Doctor had charge of many natives suffering from the
same complaint, but he found great difficulty in making
them keep quiet till the ulcers healed. A medical man
fond of his practice is greatly discouraged by negro
patients. They will eat any quantity of his " little
bullets " as they term pills, but they will pay no
attention to his other instructions. A native girl once
knocked down a revolver, which went off, when a bullet
passed through one leg, and lodged in the thigh of the
other. Fortunately Dr. Laws of Livingstonia was on the
spot. He dressed her wounds and told her that she
must not move. Most of us were afraid she was killed.
Judge his surprise when on going to her in the even-
ing, he found her meeting him at the door ! We
had never yet succeeded in getting a hospital for native
invalids. One difficulty arose from negro superstition.
When a man dies in a house, that dwelling must be

218

FIFTH HALF.

pulled down. Hence if the doctor collected many cases
that proved fatal, native custom would require him to
be constantly building new hospitals. The people were
all much astonished when on the death of a white man,
the survivors continued to " enter " his house. They
expected some evil would follow. At the Livingstonia
Station a number of Missionaries died in succession, and
the negroes were apt to think that much of this fatality
might arise because Europeans entered the houses of the
deceased. At Blantyre, a poor woman died in the girls'
dormitory, which the African young ladies consequently
refused to occupy again. The next inmate of that
building was a young elephant, which also died. " Did
we not tell you so ! " was the reflection of the natives.
But notwithstanding the superstition, they vied with
each other in endeavouring to get slices of the deceased
animal for food.

About twelve o'clock one night, a slave raid took
place, and two children were carried off from a Blantyre
village. An alarm was raised, aud most of us turned
out. Amidst the darkness and the excitement, the
Blantyre party got divided into two sections, which had
to signal to each other by firing revolvers. The depu-
tation that had just arrived from Scotland, being
accustomed to enjoy a night's rest without all this dis-
quietude, were naturally alarmed, and they thought
there were two hostile armies firing on each other in
deadly combat. However they soon became acquainted
with the facts, and imprisoned one man who was found
lurking about near the scene of the kidnapping.
Amidst the darkness a great number of people could

RUMOURS OF WAR

219

have hid in the jungle near the station, but during the
tumult some one set fire to half-a-score of native huts
which lighted up the landscape most magnificently.
The poor man that was imprisoned could give no
information about the slave raid.. I left the various
parties in consultation and went back to bed. But a
little later a band of men were supplied with ammuni-
tion and sent out for the purpose of hunting up the
robbers. They marched on to a distance of about five
or six miles, but they could find no trace of an enemy.
Next day it was contemplated to send an expedition
with the view of recovering these children, but fortu-
nately this was abandoned. Meanwhile it was discovered
that one Blantyre man had proved a traitor. During
the disturbance he did not appear because as he re-
presented, ' the enemy had overcome him by a power-
ful dose of medicine so that he was unable to awake I '
The deputation immediately went to deal with him, 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 restored !

A few nights after this a rumour arose that Mityoche
the headman of a Cherasulo village, was going to attack
the station. The old members of the Mission heard the
news with comparative unconcern, but it took them all
their might to prevent a panic. A plan was set on foot
to pack us all together into one spot. Now ignorant as
these savages may be, there is nothing that they inter-
pret sooner than cowardice, and nothing that they more
despise. They actually laughed at the exhibitions of
terror that were but too manifest among the new comers.

220

FIFTH HALF.

They said, " "We are all about you — we will not run
away ! ' On serious occasions it has always done us good
to reflect that the lives of the natives are as precious
as our own. We had all along seen that in the event
of an attack on the station, any attempt at a scamper
would be terribly hopeless. The natives, we believed,
would run but we could not. All our prestige would be
gone. We need never go back. Mrs. Macdonald on
hearing of the expected attack hastened home from an
evening visit to Kumlomba's to prevent an alarm in her
household, 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 enemy, and that
everything valuable ought to be removed ! She thought
it would be better to pack a few of the children's clothes
and send to a safer place. While she was thus engaged
some of her servant boys came and asked what she was
doing, and on being told they were much astonished at
the novel proceeding, and exclaimed 'You doing that,
Ma'am ! you never did that before ! People set fire to
your house ! Not when your boys are standing round
it all night ! " Gradually the excitement toned down
and only the strangers left the manse. The nurse
however kept our eldest boy dressed all night, so that
she might be in readiness to flee with him if it were
necessary.

From the earliest days of the Mission, the rule had
been for each man to have a supply of powder and
shot. I found 1 had been transgressing this and went
in quest of cartridges. Several of the schoolboys came
in, and we spent the evening in loading these. Our

PREPARING FOE AN ENEMY '.

221

great hope, however, was placed in two military rockets
which were to be discharged into the air. We thought
a native army would be so terrified by such an exhibi-
tion, that it would not wait to see what the white man
would do next ! The deputation wished barrels of
powder placed round the station, which were to be
exploded when a hostile group drew near ! Our house
was filled with a number of women and children. One
boy went into a bedroom and locked himself in. He
had evidently been frightened, and would answer no
calling or knocking.

Everyone was now prepared for the enemy ; but no
enemy appeared !

Some thought was given this half-year to the civil
jurisdiction of the Mission. The feeling of the deputa-
tion was that native chiefs should, in accordance with
English views, be called in to punish criminals that
belonged to their own tribe, but that they should be
invoked as seldom as possible, and that a summary
method of punishment might be quietly and judiciously
carried out at the Mission itself. But it was distinctly
mentioned that artisans, when not at a distance from
the Station, should refer every grave case to the medical
officer. This plan was important, for while the majority
of the artisans were men of humanity, we occasionally
heard of instances where white men had punished almost
as severely as did the natives themselves.

It could not, of course, be expected that a deputation
would be able, after a visit of a few weeks, to tell what
plans would be best for the settlement. All that they
could do would be to indicate how much responsibility

222

FIFTH HALF.

the Directors might be willing to incur in succouring
the oppressed or in liberating the slave. So peculiar
are the circumstances of missionary life in districts
beyond the range of ordinary civilisation, that there is
a proverb to the effect that " a Missionary must not
expect to do any good the first year, while he may be
very glad if he do no harm ! " This applies with tenfold
force to the case of agents that deal with civil matters.
Hitherto I had believed that a person working as a
clergyman would always have so much personal influ-
ence that his own work would not suffer although mis-
takes were made in other departments, but I now
realized for the first time that individuals entirely un-
acquainted with the natives might so manage secular
matters as to endanger the life of every European in
the country. The deputation proposed a scheme for
the protection of the Mission. The idea was to give
Kapeni a large supply of gunpowder, and ask him to
send over a garrison to the station ! We cannot say
what protection this garrison would have been against
other natives, but we fancy the Missionaries would ulti-
mately have found the greatest difficulty in protecting
themselves from their protectors ! Probably if it had
been known that on the appearance or even the threat
of a single artisan, Kapeni and his available forces
would run to the hills, we might have heard less of this
scheme. After an interview, however, the deputation
was content to part with Kapeni on the following under-
standing:— "If you don't give us notice when Mityoche's
people are to attack the station, we shall kill only a few of
them ; but if you give us notice, we shall kill them all " !

WILD ANIMALS.

223

During the Mityoche scare, a strong watch was put
on. 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 — viz., a leopard. The lad acted with
admirable presence of mind. He felt that if he tried
to get inside the house, the leopard would have him
before the door could be opened ; so he ran with all his
might to his own abode which was about 100 yards off.
His wife and family were sleeping in our house, but he
did not resume his watching that night ! Such wild
animals were still about us. One night a lion and a
hyaena had a tough fight beside the Station, and the
hyaena was found dead next morning. Sometimes a
leopard would enter a fowl-house and kill scores of fowls,
although he could devour only a few of them. Leopards
seem to kill for the purpose of gratifying their blood-
thirsty propensity. They do not come back to eat
their victims ; at least when a strong trap was set in
expectation of their return, it was never disturbed.

Near the Mission seldom was any wild animal seen
during the day ; but on the way to Zomba Hons were
occasionally observed. As a rule, these animals are
cowardly, and run off at a tremendous speed. On one
occasion, however, a traveller came upon a lioness with
cubs. It must have been a moment of terrible suspense.
A few days before, we had been talking on the subject,
and discussing what would be the best plan in such an
emergency. We had agreed that the tones of the
human voice might act as a talisman ! The gentleman
accordingly, as he retreated with his eyes fixed on the
lioness, began to talk to an imaginary Johnnie — the

224

FIFTH HALF.

name which he gave to one of his native lads. (Johnnie,
it is unnecessary to say, was several hundred yards off
and had gone up a tree.) When he reached a bend of
the path where he got out of the animal's sight, he
turned round and ran as fast as Johnnie had done !
One day an elephant gave chase to a party of Mission-
aries who were on the way to Blantyre. Fortunately
they threw down an umbrella in their hurry, and when
the great animal came upon this, his fancy was so taken
by it that he did not pursue its owners any farther.

In finding suitable amusements for our pupils we had
at first considerable difficulty. Owing to the heat of
the climate, the native children are not so fond of active
games as English children are. So long as we took
part in a game they played heartily but almost as soon
as we ceased, they also gave it up. Each Friday after-
noon we had races and gave small prizes. After a time
they began to enjoy swings and football, but the favourite
game was " cricket We were glad that they showed
a special fondness for this game, as it proved a pleasant
means of conveying instruction. The calculation of the
" runs " gave them exercise in arithmetic (as we threw
aside the Yao notation in favour of the English), and
when any one was appointed umpire, he learned to form
an opinion for himself and abide by it. Some sturdy
bowler would often be heard calling out " Pray sir ! "
He meant " Play sir ! " but as the batsman with his
bare legs and arms was sometimes in greater danger
than his wicket, the formula was allowed to pass, with
an occasional laugh from any that could speak better.
The native technical terms used in this game were

GAMES.

225

amusing. A ball rolled along the ground was termed
a " rat," while a ball that was overpitched was called a
" bird " (chijuni). Soon they learned the value of
pitching their balls properly, and a little piece of paper
placed to show the spot was called a cricket " charm ".
Again, the umpire, instead of saying that the batsman
was out, declared that he was " dead ! " Owing to the
great heat, the game was confined to the evening, and
I found it a simple means of securing that amount
of physical exercise which is indispensable for prevent-
ing a European from becoming a continual martyr to
fever.

The remainder of this half year I may describe by a
few notes from my Journal.

October 22. — Some children asked me to go with
them to the top of a hill behind Blantyre. The ascent
was very fatiguing. I saw and admired a fine instance
of native endurance. One girl of about eight years of
age carried a child to the top. I helped her at intervals,
but she seemed able to carry her charge for longer dis-
tances than I could. But alas! my admiration was soon
dispelled for in a short time she quarrelled with a com-
panion and bit her ! This mode of fighting is common
here, bare arms and legs presenting a temptation to it.
A boy found a hare in a trap and wanted to make off
with it all, but we called the owner of the trap and had
native law on the subject. The owner of course claimed
the hare, and allowed the finder one leg. He consented,
however, to sell the rest of the animal, and the children
of the party had a feast. When natives have meat they

always eat bones and all, and they are not fastidious : I

15—2

226

FIFTH HALF.

have seen a man drive a dog from a bone and begin
chewing it himself.

A few days ago a man came to Blantyre with his wife
who was suffering from a large tumor on her neck.
The Doctor explained that the operation was a danger-
ous one ; and so it proved, for the woman died soon
after it was performed. Such a result is always awk-
ward in a land like this. Notwithstanding that the man
saw how attentive the Doctor was to the poor woman,
he charged the English with murder, and made a great
disturbance. He came back some time after with the
intention as he said, of mourning for his wife. Although
none of our pupils were quite at ease during his stay,
it was not till his departure that we clearly understood
the object of his visit. Taking advantage of the Mission
hospitality to lay some plans for kidnapping, he was
able by the night of his departure to carry off a number
of children from a village beside us.* To-day I have
been visited by the parents of these children, who have
as tender hearts as Christian parents.

October 29. — A slave of Chikumbu's had come and
lurked about the Blantyre villages without permission.
He was now sent back, but it was suspected that his
conductors allowed him to run off on the way and seek
an asylum elsewhere.

November 9. — Mrs. Macdonald taking the nurse and
the children and also some native girls with her, went

* Since my return to England, I was told in a letter from a native
that this man still figures as a kidnapper, and that he recently lighted
a great fire and threw some children into it, who were reduced to

ashes.

INTERPRETERS.

227

over to Zomba. The Doctor and I went too — all the
workers much needed a change, and Mr. Buchanan had
consented to take Blantyre for a while.

November 11. — We reached Zomba. A white lady
had never been here before, and the inhabitants of the
district were much excited over the matter.

I addressed the natives each day as usual. When
Anyasa people were present I used a native interpreter.
I spoke in Yao, which the majority of the people under-
stood, while my friend translated into the speech of the
Anyasa. A speaker is safe in using an interpreter when
he can understand what he says. Often I had to give
my man the exact Chinyasa word. Sometimes he would
make a careless inference, while at other times he
evidently thought that I did not do justice to the
subject ! I mentioned one day that bad people would
go away after death to " a bad place ". He enlarged
considerably upon this item. One of my reasons for
using an interpreter was to show the natives what inter-
pretation really meant, 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 inter-
preter.

Sunday 14. — After preaching at the station and one
of the villages, we had a pleasant evening among the
children. They overcame their shyness, and recited the
parables to us. For the rest of the week we gave them
a parable each day, and asked them to recite it to us in
the evening.

Sat., Nov. 20, was a school holiday, and we went to

228

FIETH HA.LF.

the top of Zomba. Mrs. Macdonald intended to make
tea, but when the boy produced the match-box to light
a fire, it was found to be filled with Mr. Buchanan's
pens. As we descended we heard the " horn " blowing.
On arriving we saw that there had been a great dis-
turbance. Just before we started I had spoken to three
natives, who said that they were going to drink beer.
I found them very agreeable men, and they stayed with
me for some time talking and laughing about the deri-
vation of their names. In our absence they came back
quite drunk, and began to interfere with Bismark, who
was buying some goods for the Mission. After some
altercation they threatened to shoot him. Taking up
his position in front of the Mission house the poor lad
was comparatively resigned to his fate. He said,
" Well ! you may shoot me. I have just my mother
in Quilimane and that is all ! " But it occurred to them
that they might shoot the European nurse, who was
with the children, for then they might expect to carry
off some plunder. But various natives quietly inter-
posed, and managed the drunk men. At length they
made off with the tablecloth ! As soon as they were
gone Bismark ran to inform Kalimbuka, and his people
pursued them. The pursuit was very hot, for although
the offenders might have gained miles before Bismark
could give the alarm, one of them was caught. He had
been brought back to the station just as we returned,
and hundreds of natives had collected. I entreated
Kalimbuka to take the captive away as "we did not
want drunk men". The man's gun was also captured,
and was found to be loaded- with two iron bullets and

CAPTURE OF A GUN !

229

an enormous charge of powder. A "medicine" bag
was attached which contained small fragments of bones,
which were so pulverised that one could not tell what
the)'' had originally been. The natives said they were
human bones, but the doctor was doubtful.

The Zomba pupils were very diligent. Their supply
of slates was deficient, but they interchanged with each
other, and groups of boys were to be seen writing in the
verandah after school. The other side of the house was
occupied by a crowd of girls who were getting their first
lessons in sewing.

Saturday, November 27. — Mr. Buchanan came back,
and there was a great meeting over the drunk men of
last Saturday. Malemya's judge had cited all parties
— not excepting the man who had supplied the beer.
Indeed it was the beer that came under the gravest
suspicion. It might have been bewitched ! If beer
were held as responsible for crime in England, we should
soon have nothing but temperance hotels ! The wit-
nesses,* as we should call them, recited what they kuew
of the case, and at the end the learned judge gave an
excellent and very impartial summary of each man's
speech. He stayed -with us all night, and we had an
exhibition of the magic lantern.

Mr. Buchanan brought over cattle from Blantyre,
which were a novelty to the people here. Few had seen
cows before. Yet in many respects Zomba was not so
primitive. One day a party visited us on their way
from. Quilimane to Makanjira's on Lake Nyassa. They

* Although many native females saw the disturbance, they did not
come to speak (§ 68).

230

FIFTH HALF.

wanted to see whether we had a key that would open
their box ! Here also we met a man that had seen
us a little above Quilimane after our arrival in the
country.

Sunday, November 28. — The attendance at the morn-
ing service was over 300.

Monday, November 29. — We left Zomba, and as we
slept at the end of our first day's journey, a heavy shower
fell. The rain came through our tents and we were obliged
to put waterproofs over our beds. A shower here is a
perfect waterspout, and when it rains during day the
more lively natives avail themselves of the splendid
bath. But on the present occasion our dark compan-
ions were as much annoyed as ourselves. As each flash
of lightning made their figures visible, we could see
them huddling together in the corner of a tent. Near
our halting place we found the remains of a buffalo which
had been killed by a lion.

Our school work at Blantyre was much enlivened by
competition for prizes, which took the form of blankets.
The highest class had written examinations every
fortnight. All the little creatures kept working as
heartily as English children do in similar circum-
stances.

Various efforts were made to catch elephants with a
view to training them as carriers. Several young ones
were secured but they all died.

On Christmas we had a school trip to Mpingwi. We
passed the village that had been concerned in the
recent slave raid at Blantyre.* On seeing the great

* Page 218.

INFANT REFUGEES !

231

band of children in full dress, the villagers all ran away
carrying their baskets and mortars with them. The
scholars understood the matter and cheered the fugi-
tives. We go in single file, and I was among the last.
I had to hurry up in order to check these martial
exhibitions, and on our return we found the villagers
quite reconciled and coming to offer us food.

Monday, 27th December. — We had two of the
strangest refugees I had yet seen. They were little
brothers, the oldest could not have been over six years
of age, and his brother was quite a baby. They had
run away from their home, and come to the " English ".
They had walked about four miles, and appeared tired
and hungry at Blantyre. As they were too small to be
left among other children, I went in search of a native
woman to take charge of them at night. While the
poor creatures sat weary and footsore in the Blantyre
manse, I could not but wonder what reason they had
for leaving a home to cast themselves upon strangers.
They had heard that the English were " kind " to people,
and the oldest said something about his " mother ".
Some poor slave woman she had been. But she was all
the good that they had seen in the world. Now she
was taken away from them. Her dying wish may have
been to see them safe with the English, and now they
had come. We knew the man whose village they had
left, for the children told most truthfully every parti-
cular that older slaves knew so well to conceal. Soon
their master appeared to claim them ; they, poor things,
could tell no reason why they should not go back with
him, and their tiny feet had to retrace the weary

232 FIFTH HALF.

journey. They did not weep as older slaves always do
in such circumstances ; they did not even speak, but
their looks meant a great deal. Hard falls the discipline
of life on the poor African !

Chapter XIV.

SIXTH HALF. JANUARY 1881. — JUNE 1881.

Ox the first day of the New Year we had a party of
Headmen to dinner. A cow had been killed the night
before, and two boys were sent with letters of invitation !
The Headmen came dressed in shirts and gaudy hand-
kerchiefs. As they were not used to knives and forks,
the meat was cut up in small pieces and the vegetables
mashed so that all could be eaten with spoons. Their
table-talk is just like the ordinary conversation in other
lands. Some of them had been unfriendly to each
other, but here was a little reunion. One Headman
who lived outside Blantyre was led to speak of a slave
who had run away from him. He sat beside Chibowa,
a Blantyre Headman, who had been notorious for giving
secret protection to slaves ever since the Mission was
against the policy. We referred the slave-owner to
Chibowa, "because when a person was missing every
one went to him ! " The two men had often disputed
with each other before, but they could now join in the
general laugh.

This half year I translated the greater part of the

234

SIXTH HALF.

Pilgrim's Progress. Certain personages like Giant Pope
I had of course to omit. Through viva voce teach-
ing some of the classes knew and appreciated a great
part of this allegory. I was also very busy in trans-
lating the Scriptures. We knew that the time required
to translate the whole Bible was about fifteen years,
and Buchanan and I were anxious to try whether we
might not, by working as for a wager, complete the
task in a much shorter time. While we were thus busy
on the Yao Bible we knew that Dr. Laws and the
Missionaries on Nyassa were advancing in the transla-
tion of the Chinyasa Bible.

Towards the end of 1880, Chelomoni, a Blantyre Head-
man, captured two men from Mpingwi, and put them in
slave-sticks. They belonged to the village that had
kidnapped the children (page 218) a few months before,
and native law did not require proof that the men were
personally guilty. They were undoubtedly innocent.
Still they were kept in close confinement till their friends
returned the captives in February. Chelomoni was not
content with simply receiving the children ; he demanded
compensation as well, and insisted on having paid over
to him as damages " many men ". But ultimately he
accepted one little boy, whom the Doctor took charge
of. During their long imprisonment the Doctor did
wThat he could to see that the prisoners were properly
fed, and as Mrs. Macdonald employed them in comb-
making (an art which they could practice with their
neck in the stocks) they had some wages to receive
on their release ; hence though their imprisonment was
very long they did not seem to feel it so much after alL

VISIT TO A SLAVING CHIEF.

235

Saturday, 26th February. — Having gone to visit
Kapeni, I was conducted by his sons to see Cholobwe —
a man of royal blood, and often talked of as Kapeni's
probable successor. I found a boy with him that had
once lived at Zomba and attended school there. The
little fellow promised to come to Blantyre, and Kapeni's
sons were to come with him.

March 3. — I had a visit from Kumpama. He told
me that he had been " very busy for some time," but
had now come to see me. As we think ourselves more
and more into the natives' views of life, we must admit
that some of them may be " very busy," though at first
we give them credit for being extremely lazy. We
were anxious to form an acquaintance with Mkanda,
who dealt largely in slaves and was understood to be
hostile to the Mission. When first visited by the
Missionaries in 1877, he had proved very uncivil, and
since then he had often threatened to attack the Mission
settlement, which had done so much to ruin the slave
trade. Even when Dr. Macklin was returning from
Mlanje in 1879, his caravan had been afraid to pass too
near this chief, and at the period of Mityoche's attack
on the Mission carriers, Mkanda was believed to be
hostile also. Hence he required to be approached with
caution. While talking to Kumpama about his neigh-
bours, I asked whether he could give us a guide to
Mkanda's, and he at once consented to do so. It
happened also that Kapeni's "captain" was working at
Blantyre, and he was willing to accompany.

March 4- — The Doctor and I started for Mkanda's
along with Kumpama. When we entered Kumpama's

236

SIXTH HALF.

villages he left us with a headman whom he instructed
to conduct us to a sub-chief called Sapula.

Notwithstanding all our care, we arrived at Sapula's
at a very critical time. The old man came forth and
perched on the top of a large rock overlooking our
party and said, " Oh yes ! at Mkanda's it is good — very
good — plenty of war ! " As we looked up to this chief,
we might have taken him for an apparition, while his
strange utterances reminded us of the responses of an
ancient oracle. Soon he explained that Mkanda expected
an attack from Chikumbu that very night. The people
who lived on this side of Cherasulo were all full of
terror, and had fled far up the mountain to spots almost
inaccessible. But a man who called himself Mkanda's
father came down among us, and volunteered to be our
guide, and after some consultation we proceeded.
Mkanda's village was surrounded by maize which was
higher than the houses, so that we were close on it
before we were seen. When our party approached,
some of those that saw us first were scared and shouted
" war ". This is always an awkward thing in Africa,
and it now made me quite anxious. Shouting out " war "
to a party is much the same as declaring war against
them. In cases like this, everything depends on the
guide, and Mkanda's " father " exerted himself and
proved equal to the occasion. Soon we mingled with
Mkanda's villagers, and I recognised several that often
came to Blantyre for work. Mkanda himself was afraid
to appear and kept hiding among the huts, while his
people could not refrain from laughing at him. It was

CLIMBING CHERASULO.

237

not till all his children were sitting about us that he
came forth.

His conversation shewed that he was well informed
regarding his country, and I soon had a very favourable
impression of his abilities. The thing most on his mind
was the danger of an attack from Chikumbu, but he was
of opinion that our presence would be in his favour.
He has one square hut which he put at our disposal.

Next morning he was able to congratulate us that
Chikumbu had not come. The time had been when
Mkanda himself was expected in like manner to attack
Blantyrc ! In a short time he gave us a guide to the
top of Cherasulo, and directed the man to lead us by
the easiest way. Mkanda's own children and most of
the boys in his village accompanied us. They could
climb the rocky sides of the hill like monkeys. We soon
discovered that there was no easy way to the top of the
mountain, and the guide thought that, after we found
out this, we should be glad to return. To add to our
danger, several loose stones lay on the mountain side.
While climbing we pulled ourselves up by anything we
could lay hold of, and the stones that did not bear the
strain became detached and endangered the lives of
those that were following further down. The Doctor
wanted to find the height of the mountain and brought
a kettleful of water to ascertain the boiling point, but
the boys drank the water on the way. Probably they
left as much as would have been sufficient, but our own
thirst was so terrible that the whole was drunk, and no
more could be found on the mountain top. While we
rested on the summit we had an opportunity of noting

238

SIXTH HALF.

how many villages there were in such parts of the
country as we had not yet visited. The young lads
that went with us became very friendly and professed
great interest in schools and "reading," and after our
return to the village we gave them an illustration of
what reading meant. The Chief dictated words and
names which I wrote down on a paper. Three or four
Blantyre boys who were with me were conveyed far out
of hearing, and carefully watched till the writing was
finished. They were called back one by one. Then
each looked at the paper and read. As soon as the
words passed his lips there arose a great shout of
wonder and applause from the chief's people. The
experiment was carried on for a long time because every
old man that joined the crowd refused to believe that it
could be done, until he saw it for himself.

This simple test of reading I often employed after-
wards in other places. Sometimes I varied the experi-
ment by giving a boy my pencil, and then asking to
be conducted to the back of a distant hut. The natives
compared the " wisdom " to that of the witch detective,
who is believed to possess miraculous means of gaining
information.

That day there had been a great trial at Mkanda's.
The particulars of the case were these. Across the
stream from Blantyre, a few minutes' walk from the
Station is a native village under a chief called Mkao.
Two sheep-stealers from Mkanda's region came and
carried off one of Mkao's goats. But they were pursued
by terrible avengers. A native described to me with
great delight the fate that overtook them. When they

PUNISHMENT OF THEFT. 239

•

were about six miles from Mkao's village they stopped
in order to dine. They lighted a fire and prepared to
feast on the goat. As they were thus engaged, Mkao's
men overtook them, and killed one of them on the spot.
He was " divided into pieces, and the parts of his body
were mingled with those of the goat ". The other thief
escaped for a little, but his pursuers, according to my
informer, chased him round till he was down on the
plain opposite Ndilande, and then killed him "and hung
up his body on a tree ". Mkao himself had told me
about the matter, but he left the impression that he had
killed only one thief, and that he wanted more vengeance.
The case happened to come up for consideration at
Mkanda's just now. When we were on the top of the
hill, guns were fired at the village to signify that the
complaint had been dismissed (kususa). 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
English ! Indeed, on our arrival, Mkao had been
introduced to me as a Headman belonging to Blantyre,
and he called us his Fathers, but, although he constantly
came to visit, we never heard much about the civil
government of this " son," except once that a herd boy
allowed some of our cattle to eat his corn, when Mkao's
people gave him a severe beating, and broke his arm.

Mkanda was very friendly, and expressed a desire to
have a Mission planted among his people, in order that
his children might learn to read, and that his people
might get work. As we might expect, these Africans,
at first, value Mission settlements chiefly for the em-
ployment that is given, and the calico that is paid :

240

SIXTH HALF.

"We want something to wear," is the general cry. The
Mission, they think, must first clothe the naked.

While the natives get employment, they receive at the
same time some industrial training. They can learn a
great deal from gardeners and agriculturists, yet such
training is apt to be overestimated. Bishop Mackenzie,
who wished to teach the natives how to farm, found
that they knew better than himself. They certainly
know all about their own crops. Mr. Duncan, the
Blantyre gardener, had a few natives taught to look
after European plants, and he considered that they were
nearly as good as European workmen, but of course they
had him to guide them. It is said, 'They have not
shoes, how can they dig with a spade ! ' Yet they do
dig with spades. The bare foot of the native is a very
different instrument from the bare foot of the European.
Although their own skill in carpentry is not to be
despised, they were much delighted with our tools and
methods. They soon learned to do the rougher work,
under the Blantyre joiners ; and if they were able to
read figures they could be taught to be very valuable
workmen. Sometimes, however, they excelled them-
selves ! One might see a native carpenter making a
great show of using a plumb-line, while he did not
observe that the lead rested on the ground !

When Mrs. MacDonald had time to accompany me
in visiting native villages, she found a walk of four miles
in the hot sun quite enough, and waited in some village
till I returned. During these stavs she became ac-
quainted with the women, who usually demanded why
she had not brought the children with her. The latter

INCREASE OF PUPILS.

241

were special favourites with the natives. Some old
warriors, whose very look was suggestive of the assagai,
were very kind to the white children.

Saturday, March 19. — We paid a visit to Kapeni,
and a great crowd of children followed us back. In
such journeys the heat compels us to rest by the
streams : and if we have carried any food we take lunch
on the banks.

Monday, 21. — Kapeni's children came and attended

school. "We consider this one of the most important

gains that have been made by the Mission. We had

Ions; had all the children of the Mao;ololo chiefs with

us, but their presence did not make the Mission school

popular among our neighbours. The Yao had given us

the land and had made us welcome to settle, 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 ' take away their country Hence they were

slow in sending their children to school. Ever since my

arrival I had been asking Kapeni about pupils whom he

promised me. " Don't be in a hurry about that," Dr.

Laws would say, " the day will yet come " : and now

more than a dozen children were sent over. They

stipulated that they must be allowed to stay with Mrs.

Macdonald's boys and that the Magololo boys should

not be allowed to interfere with them. Mrs. Mactlonald

took the main charge of teaching them to read, and out

of school hours they were supplied with cards and

studied most diligently by themselves. On Friday

night they returned to Kapeni's but appeared in full

force on Monday morning and brought a few of their

16—2

242

SIXTH HALF.

companions besides. They soon made themselves at
home on the Station. When any stranger called at our
house, they generally introduced him and as they knew
all the people in the district better than our Blantyre
friends did, they were useful in this way. It was seldom
that their royal blood got them into trouble. But
on one occasion they all attacked a boy that ventured
to speak of their father Kapeni as "an old man".
Another time they had to be restrained from an assault
on a lad that had spoken to them in the Chinyasa lan-
guage. They demanded to be treated as Yao ! They
pressed me to visit their home on Saturdays. One day
that I went they asked me to go up the mountain
(Sochi) to shoot baboons, which greatly destroy the
crops. Kapeni's oldest son also came and we had the
appearance of being a hunting party ! I wounded a
baboon, and the boys gave it chase and soon secured it.
I suggested that they should leave it behind till we found
more. But African hunters don't care to let their
"meat" out of sight, and in a few minutes they bored
holes in the baboon's legs through which they put cords
of bark, and then two boys were told off to carry it on
a pole. The carcase was borne faithfully, sometimes up
the steep mountain side, for about two hours. When we
were going back I remarked that it might be taken on to
the village, but none of them liked the idea of eating
it "on the village green," which would mean that every
villager would have a right to share it with them (67.)
On reaching the fields they lighted a fire and prepared
to enjoy their feast. I was expected to claim a large
share of the "meat" as having shot the baboon, and

A feast!

243

when I waived my claim they were much astonished
— some were deeply disappointed that 'father would
not take his meat But notwithstanding their kind
solicitations, I would take nothing but the skin, which
they took off very neatly, preserving the "ringers"
of the animal that they might "shew them to Mrs.
Macdonald ! " I pointed out that they should reserve
some meat as a present for Kapeni, and he was
allowed a hind leg. In the middle of the feast the
owner of the field drew near in great alarm. " Who
has been making a fire among my corn?" he asked,
but when he saw the glorious roast he said nothing
farther : he smacked his lips and congratulated himself
that he had come in time. After the party had satisfied
themselves by eating the internal organs the rest of the
meat was divided among them, not equally but rather
in accordance with their views of seniority. A baboon
is a large animal and is considered a great prize.

These boys from Kapeni's all made fair progress.
By the time we left them at the end of June they
were able to read their own language. They wanted
only practice, but as they left the Mission then, they
would soon forget much that they had acquired. The
more advanced classes pleased us well. Some lads would
have got on swimmingly not only with Arithmetic, but
also with Euclid and Algebra, had we only possessed
text books in their own tongue. In April we devoted
some time to the preparation of a Grammar for them
with progressive exercises. Geography and History
we had left entirely alone except so far as the Bible and
Christianity were concerned. Friday afternoon was

244

SIXTH HALF.

devoted to instruction of a more amusing kind. They
all enjoyed seeing a light burning under water on the
diving-bell principle, and similar small experiments.

I always considered that the school had the first
claim on my time ; and when teaching I refused to
admit any interruption although all the chiefs in the
country should come to talk with me. This was well
known, and some chiefs, on arriving during school
hours, sat about the doors, while others came in and
listened. Except when there was a European mar-
riage or some great event, we never had a single holi-
day. Even when groups of armed men, almost on the
point of deadly combat, were watching each other round
the school, I carried on the usual routine of school-work
as if all had been quiet. The religious meetings for the
natives were also conducted with unfailing regularity,
although we had seen days when the white men judged
it prudent to come to the Sunday service with revolvers
in their pockets. The native men always appeared at
our meeting with their guns, which they laid down
beside them during the service just as a European
worshipper does with his hat.

In May there was a scare. The Mangoni were be-
lieved to be coming, and some of our villagers ran to
the top of a hill. The Magololo carried their ivory and
other valuables to islands in the river. The mention of
the word Mangoni seems sufficient to clear out a whole
village. One day two boys began to fight in the jungle
near Blantyre. In a little while, the women of a neigh-
bouring village were seen hurrying into the Station
with their children on their backs. They had taken the

NATIVE SUSPICION.

245

screams of the combatants for the war-cry of the Man-
goni.

At Blantyre we had many visitors, and they were
received outside and squatted on a mat in the verandah.
When Kapeni or any of the greater chiefs came, a chair
was brought. All these native potentates were fond of
sweets. At first they had viewed them with the
greatest suspicion. I saw a headman once wait till all
his companions had eaten, and when he found that they
were delighted with the strange eatable (yakulya), he
summoned courage and began to eat, saying, " Well, if I
die, you will all die too ! " Kapeni would never taste
jam because it was " like blood," but on one occasion we
called his own children who did not hesitate long. In-
deed they were so fond of jam that they always pressed
round Mrs. Macdonald when she was making it, and if any
was spilt, they would insist on licking it off the floor.
Although the visits of native chiefs and headmen called
me from my work in translating the Bible, yet I ever
found that such visits contributed to my knowledge of
the language, and I carefully noted down new words or
phrases that they might use. 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 presents. All African chiefs
are strong on "presents," and the custom was both
expensive to the Mission and demoralising to the chiefs ;
but it was very difficult to make a change. Inciden-
tally, however, we fell on a plan that modified matters.
When a chief came up and obtained his present, we
bought some goats from him and paid the price there

246

SIXTH HALF.

and then. When he went back to his home, he did not
send up the goats, and as he wanted us to forget all
about the bargain, he did not visit the Mission to
ask presents for a long time ! The habit of giving
presents to the Magololo headmen provoked the jealousy
of those beside us. Kumlomba and the other Blantyre
headmen would say, " Why do the English not give us
' big presents ' too ? "

At first the Missionaries had occasionally asked the
natives, " For what purpose did we leave our homes to
come here % " The latter, who never leave their friends
except when driven away by war, replied, " You came
here because there was war in your country " But as
the evangelistic work was steadily conducted, it gradu-
ally became more hopeful. At sunrise we had prayers,
at which all the workers were present, and such of our
pupils as lived close at hand. Before sunset there was
a similar service. At mid-day I preached to the natives.
On Sunday we had two native services, and after one of
these the natives began to hold a little prayer meeting
of their own. Statements that are taken for granted in
a Christian congregation at home will not pass here.
Instead of allowing that he is a sinner, the ordinary
Dative maintains that he has never done anything
wrong : although he will admit that a great many other
people have sinned. Out of compliment to the tradi-
tional policy of the English in this country, the natives
say that it is bad to sell people : 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
wrong. Hence when a man goes over to stock his farm

EVANGELIZING.

247

or his harem at the great slave mart in the Mangoni
country, he declares that he goes there to redeem
(kuwombola) people ! " The Mangoni had captured
slaves, he goes to release them ! " But he does not
venture to pretend that he gives these " ransomed "
persons their liberty (62). Another thing which the
natives condemn is war. The party that first arrived
in the country had made the evils of war a very common
subject of meditation. They almost betrayed a per-
sonal interest in doing so, for they would frequently
say, " Eemember, now, that if one Englishman be killed,
twenty will come to his funeral ! " This statement of
itself would be enough to frighten the native from
trying his slugs on the white man ! 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
peace. " We," it was said, " come from a country which
does not fight." If the black man had known anything
of English history, I fear he would have drawn a
different conclusion, and been much perplexed at the
coolness with which his instructor repeated the ques-
tionable assertion ! In the same way the exhortations
to civilisation were of a doubtful nature, and could only
proclaim how little the foreigners knew of the natives'
condition. 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
message. After he has exhausted that theme, it is time
enough to take up others. Many think that barbarians
might be improved if a Missionary confined himself to
purely secular teaching. But the purely secular in-

248

SIXTH HALF.

structor would find it difficult to meet the objections of
his audience. " Why should we try to buy English
clothes, if we like our own better ? Why should we
build larger houses — our own suit us very well ? Why
should we farm more ground when we are quite con-
tented with the food we have ! " If they asked further
whether this civilisation always made men happier and
better, the civilised man could not tell them that it did.

Undoubtedly, a native might become a very good
Christian, and still be content with his small hut and
his coarse fare. If mere civilising agents had met with
a man like Abraham, I fear that the life and manners of
the patriarch would have been too simple for their
tastes. Yet, while the Missionary takes for his text
" One thing is needful," he knows that other things will
be added thereunto. He feels that he has to proclaim
" good news " which will bring happiness to everyone
that believes it, 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 die, the Missionary
knows that these glad tidings will soon brighten the
whole.

The native beliefs regarding witchcraft must occupy
the attention of the preacher, who will fail to impart
Scripture ideas of the government of the world unless
he refer to the opposing views. The opinion that a
man cannot die without being bewitched, is one which
they cling to most tenaciously; and withal they are
very metaphysical. We might think that a single
lecture on physiology from a medical man would cut up

EVANGELIZING.

249

this doctrine by the very roots. But no. The natives
admit that death is always the result of injury or decay,
but they maintain that this fact does not in the least
discredit their own theory. It rather confirms their
belief, for did not the witch use means to bring about
these causes of death ? As the natives seldom speak of
their customs and beliefs, one may live here for years
before becoming aware of the evils and hardships that
so many Africans endure : but when these things are
known in all their horrid enormity, they furnish a text
for a great many "practical remarks," and the poor
people listen attentively to every subject that bears on
their ordinary life. To ourselves the sad practice of the
witch-detective gave a new meaning to the text " Thou
shalt not suffer a witch to live " : for if there be beings
that ought not to be suffered to live these sorcerers
must be among the number. Each year they consign
scores of their fellow mortals to an untimely grave.

By certain parts of their experience, these natives, it
might almost be said, have had their minds prepared
for receiving the Gospel message. They know what it
is to be redeemed from the evil consequences of their
own actions (80), as well as from slavery, and they see
numerous cases where a criminal is legally set free
while another man occupies his place. As a matter of
fact, many of them began to understand what was
meant by the statement that " the Son of God died to
save sinners," and were affected by it, and told their
companions that it was wonderful news. Often, in
places where a religious creed has been long established,
persons hear these words without reflecting on their

250

SIXTH HALF.

meaning, but intelligent Africans cannot do this. Again
in our Western world we do not know so well as they
do what it is to be entirely at the disposal of another,
and to have no private ends. Amidst the ordinary life
of struggle and bustle, our ideal of a successful man is a
person that is intensely devoted to his own interests,
while their state of society, with all its defects, produces
men that are as intensely devoted to the interests of
another, and some of whom could enter with much
sympathy into the feelings of the apostle who called
himself the slave of Jesus Christ.

We occupied a position of most momentous impor-
stance, standing as we did at a point where a savage
assemblage was becoming more like a Christian church.
Already we could discover the workings of a mind that
had shewed itself in the history of the past. 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 faith. 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 Syrian. In accordance with this
they would attribute the greatest powers to the Mis-
sionary, and, as regards the majority of the people, who
depended on him for all their religious information, that
personage would be to them nothing if he were not
infallible. To such views the people around us, many
of whom had once been slaves, seemed very much
inclined when they approached the subject with earnest-
ness. Well might one suggest to them the prayer : —

THE POOR COLONISTS.

251

" Be with us in this darkened place
This weary, restless, dangerous night,
And teach, 0 teach us by thy grace
To struggle onward into light ! "

May 21. — The mail for the Livingstonia Mission has
arrived from Scotland, and we learn now from a news-
paper that all the Missionaries that were labouring at
Blantyre during the time that the settlement was a
colony have been recalled, and to some extent censured ;
but the grounds on which the Directors have proceeded
are by no means clear. At all events the same method
if carried out consistently would have recalled all the
Missionaries that had laboured at the two Scotch
Missions. The Church of Scotland through the Blantyre
Committee first established a colonial settlement. While
this settlement was in full swing I was asked to join it
as a clergyman. All the Directors ought to have been
well aware that they could not require a minister of the
church to act as a magistrate, or to interfere in such
civil jurisdiction. They understood that the secular
department was getting on very successfully, and seem
to have imagined that the colonial government which
they had set up would protect the minister in his
special work, just as clergymen and others are under the
protection of the civil powers in Britain. Hence I had
been officially and specially instructed to leave such
matters to the lay agents of the Mission, who were
presumably more familiar with them than clergymen,
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 else. If a man desires

252

SIXTH HALF.

to be signally useful in any department of activity, his
motto must be "this one thing I do". But as the
whole subject was now examined by persons that did
not know its special circumstances, I was held respon-
sible for carrying out the details of a policy in which I
never interfered.* So far as the colonial work came
under my notice, I had watched it with interest, and
I found that in many respects my own views were
entirely against the policy that had been sanctioned at
home.

This morning I went round Ndilande for the purpose
of finding a spot where I could form another Mission
Station. It will be a great pity to leave these poor
people because of the censure of Directors who know so
little about the subject.

May 28. — I went over to visit Mr. Buchanan at
Zomba. The inhabitants of the villages I passed
through, all knew that Kapeni's children had gone to stay
at the Mission Station, and they talked of this as if it
had been quite a new feature in our work. The villagers

* Even one of the Deputation publicly declared that blame was
due not "on account of wrong doing, but of want of action". Kow
the one object that I had aimed at, was to act towards the Committee's
colony at Blantyre exactly as clergymen act towards colonies in all
parts of the world, 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 arrival. According to the minute of appoint-
ment, I had been sent out as " Clerical Head of the Mission," and I
had always given the Committee credit for knowing the laws of the
Church too well to make me anything else. But now it appeared
that we had been playing at cross purposes : for the Directors began
to insist that " Clerical Head of the Mission " really meant " Civil
Governor of the Colony ".

MAKING A FIRE.

253

thought that it was a great advance and said, ' 0 father
all our children will now come to learn ! '

On stopping for food in the forenoon, we found that
we had no matches, and it seemed therefore that we
could cook no dinner. But the natives in a few minutes
produced fire by friction, and then carried a piece of
burning wood all the rest of the journey. Almost every
party of native travellers has its fire-carrier who is
appealed to when his companions wish to smoke, and
who is able to light the fire at a halting-place without
any delay.

I stayed at a spot which is now covered with dense
jungle, but on clearing a space to pitch my tent for the
night, I found that there had once been a village which
reached down to the side of a pleasant stream, but it
had been sacked long ago by the Mangoni. At mid-
night we heard two hyenas very close to the tent, while
about four o'clock in the morning, a great herd of buck
came to the stream to drink.

May 29. — I reached Zomba about three o'clock in the
afternoon and found Mr. Buchanan looking pale and
dispirited on account of the hard sentence which had
been passed against him. He had no idea what the
grounds could be. As we subsequently learned from
the best authorities, the so-called leaders of the Church
had feared that the British Government would enquire
into their assumption and exercise of civil jurisdiction :
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 sem-
blance of a trial. So far as I could judge, every one

254

SIXTH HALF.

that carried out the details of civil punishment felt
called to the unpleasant task by the Church herself,
and, indeed the " leaders " now much regretted that the
Church had instructed its agents to act as civil magis-
trates ; but while they were most generous in sharing
the blame they did not seem desirous tc share the loss
and the suffering, which they were so anxious to inflict
on the Missionaries. Nor did they wait to see whether
the latter had any defence to offer. As I spent that
hot day at Zomba, I felt that a great injustice had been
done. I knew the Lay Agents that had been dismissed
and I knew the men that had condemned them. For
five years the former, while devoting all their time and
talents to the service of the heathen, had been obliged
to live in hovels, to spend sleepless nights amidst
enemies and many dangers, to battle with discomfort
and fever and hunger, while the latter lived in comfort-
able homes amidst friends and relatives. The Mission-
aries were much puzzled to know where they had done
wrong, and in some cases there were years of their
engagements yet to expire. One might have expected,
with Shylock's judge, that the Church leaders would
have been less hasty even although it had not been £ in
the bond \ By condemning men whom they had not
heard, they had given their Missionary work in Africa a
severe check for several years to come. They would
not however realise this — there is an unfortunate tend-
ency to look quite as much at the fame of organisations
as at the good done among the heathen.

After considering our prospects we felt that we could
easily form a good Mission in some corner of the vast

CIVIL JURISDICTION.

255

district. "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 long.
For myself I was greatly in favour of this step, but in
case I should find it expedient to leave for England, I
began to revise the native Grammar and Vocabulary
that I had drawn up.

Although civil jurisdiction was now disclaimed by the
leaders of the Church, it was still, as might have been
anticipated, exercised at the Mission Settlement. Every
now and then something had to be done which was
liable to be represented as an atrocity. At first the
Blantyre villagers had willingly come forward when
their services were required by the Missionaries, but
now they often declined in cases where their aid seemed
indispensible. Even when the deputation was present,
these natives were forced out to do work of this kind.
As a general rule, African savages are blamed for being
timorous and easily overawed, but this is not always
true. A man refused on one occasion to do some duty
that was required, and received a message from the Lay
Superintendent requesting him to come up and state
what excuse he had to give. But the native refused
even to make this small concession, remarking that ' he
was not the slave of the Blantyre Settlement'. He was
then told that his home would be burned down, when
he replied that he did not care ; and the result was that
he sat with his family and looked on till his house was
reduced to ashes. Even this did not banish him from
the Settlement. For several days he was sheltered by
certain of the Blantyre villagers, who did so, even

256

SIXTH HALF.

although threatened with a similar punishment. Indeed,
natives often risk a great deal in aiding their friends.
Owing perhaps to the paternal nature of their govern-
ment, they are more willing to share the punishment of
a relative, however bad he may be, than to turn their
backs upon him. This half-year, one of the Blantyre
villagers had given a great amount of disturbance.
When the Lay-Superintendent tried to reason with him,
the native threatened to burn his house. One night an
effort was made to capture the man, and all the fire-arms
of the Mission were turned out in the adventure. It
seems that the Mission party expected to capture him
by surrounding his house, but they found that he had
escaped, one of the natives remarking that the "English
need not go to capture anyone because their boots spoke
too much" (i.e., made too much noise as compared with
the bare feet of the negroes). On this occasion one of
the Blantyre Headmen joined so zealously in the. pursuit
that he did not go to bed. Judge the surprise of the
Lay-Superintendent when he discovered that in a few
nights after the hunt, the fugitive was the guest of this
very headman !

We still had many instances around us of a rough and
ready form of executing justice which we should have
liked to see entirely abolished. One evening a native,
through a piece of very clever, but at the same time,
very mean treachery, stole two valuable rings from an
artisan ; the latter felt that if he informed the Superin-
tendent he would certainly lose his rings, and taking his
gun on his shoulder, he marched straight to the village
where the thief lived, and secured the man's wife and

ROUGH AND READY JUSTICE.

257

daughter and began, with great show of severity, to
" beat and confine in slave sticks ". The headman of
that village, who was then returning from Ndilande, met
" all his people calling out ' murder ' I " So much were
the villagers terrified that they were afraid to sleep in
their village, and the headman came in to me with a sad
tale. The artisan, however, recovered the rings, whereas
if he had tried to reason calmly, he would certainly have
exposed himself to the ridicule of the natives, who are
too ready to assume that clemency springs from want of
power. Nor, indeed, does the British Government itself
resort to reasoning as the method of dealing with
criminals.

The natives sometimes behaved in a very peculiar
manner on the exercise of such discipline (which is,
indeed, the only kind of justice they are familiar with).
A strange case was brought under my notice in the
following way : — On going to a village one Saturday
morning, I was greatly astonished to find all the
villagers running away on my approach. Unless my
pupils had shouted out who I was, I should not have
found any one to speak to. But the people all hastened
back, and explained why they had been afraid at the
appearance of a white man. A person from their neigh-
bourhood had stolen, and an artisan, after failing to get
satisfaction, had gone over and set fire to the village
where the thief lived and shot down the fowls. Im-
mediately after this exploit the artisan found the
villagers coming in with presents to him, admitting
that they had done wrong in stealing, and professing
their willingness to pay damages ! Native character

258

SIXTH HALF.

is sometimes an enigma. On one occasion a chief
stayed for a few days at Blantyre. Several English
visitors courted his friendship very much, and often
went a long distance out of their way in order to shake
hands with him when he was drunk; the sable chieftain
laughed at them and called them hard names ! A
Portuguese gentleman who was present at the same
time, gave the chief no such honour, and explained that,
though acquainted with natives all his days, he had never
shaken hands with one in his life ; yet he gained the
chieftain's sincere respect.

Traits of character like this, force themselves at once
upon the attention of persons that settle among the
negroes, and though even a little experience shows that
the native can value goodness, men that have no love for
him, are apt to treat him in a shameful way.

June 2nd. — Shortly after my return from Zomba,
there occurred a melancholy incident which illustrates
the difficulties that may flow from sending to a Mission
men who do not even profess Christianity, and who are
destitute of all education or refinement. A misunder-
standing arose between an artisan and a native headman,
and the matter was being settled by the Lay- Superin-
tendent, when the artisan so far lost his temper, as to
strike the poor headman a violent blow, which covered
his face with blood. The conduct was deplored by
everyone, except, perhaps, the actor himself. But in
such cases (which are too common, whether in connec-
tion with Missionary or other settlements) little can be
done. The artisan, if dismissed, has it in his power to
stay in the country and give a great deal of annoyance,

NEED OF A CIVIL GOVERNMENT.

259

while it is not possible to fill his place, perhaps, for a
whole year. Indeed, one often felt the need of a proper
government in such remote places. It was no uncommon
thincr for an artisan to threaten to shoot his fellow
labourers, and to send them letters challenging them to
deadly combat. Such men, as might be expected, would
treat the natives very badly.

June 9. — By this time the mail arrived for Blantyre
which brought us further particulars, as to the manner
in which the Church had treated all that were supposed
to have any share in the management of the Colony.
We now saw a report in which hearsay matter was pub-
lished even though it was the words of a person who
had not been present at the events in question. 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 intended. When I
wished to correct these notes on being asked to testify
their substantial correctness, the proceeding had been
demurred to by the deputation who stated that explana-
tions or corrections could be sent after them. Such
corrections in the absence of the notes of which no
copy was left, took the form of a general statement
which was sent afterwards but was never considered.
The method in which many Churches manage their
Missions is not encouraging. "A Mission is put under a
committee which although shewing many names in the
Eeports really consists of one man. In cases of emerg-
ency a Committee of advice is formed — which gives
another man. A Presbyterian Church, by its gradation
of Courts (Presbyteries, Synods, and General Assemblies),

260

SIXTH HALF.

secures the advantage of mature deliberation. But in
the treatment of Missions we find neither Presbyterian-
ism nor Episcopacy nor any known form of Ecclesiastical
Government. The Missionary is liable to be handed
over to a clique composed partly of those that have
' gained popularity,' and partly of men who are held in
respect on account of their wealth." In so far as Mis-
sionary Methods come under a criticism of this kind
they should be re-considered. The cause of Christianity
among the heathen is one of the most important subjects
that can occupy the attention of any Church.

In accordance with the wishes of a great many of our
old friends in Scotland, I made up my mind to return
home. When I mentioned this all our natives paid
parting visits to us. Many brought what they called
keepsakes (malangano.) Some were very pathetic, one
lad was to " save calico and by and by pay his passage
to England ". Bismark had been promised " an English
education " and he wished to go with us. So also did
Ndiagani, a native girl whom we were to educate our-
selves. She had consented to become Bismark's wife,
and he " did not want to marry a stupid girl that knew
nothing".

After all, I expected to be of some service to the
Mission by going home at this time. Besides having
Matthew and Mark ready for the printer, I had trans-
lated the historical parts of the Old Testament, and hoped
to get these printed and illustrated. I had also rendered
a great many of iEsop's Fables. I thought I should
succeed in forming two interesting books for the school,
especially if I could get them well illustrated. Young

LOVE FOR LETTERS.

2G1

natives much appreciate pictorial teaching. I had taken
special pains to see that the language was accurate ; all
my earlier efforts I could easily improve upon. Litera-
ture is likely to be an important means of elevating and
purifying the native. All Africans from the lad that
writes his grammar exercise to the postman who con-
veys a written message in a split wand, have a liking
for kalata (letters.) When my last printed translations
came back the boys and girls found out the place where
they were kept before being issued, and would steal an
hour from their work or their play in order to have the
pleasure of reading something in their own tongue.

On the last day of June we said Good-bye to
the school children. We found it unspeakably hard to
part with them.

Chapter XV.

SEVENTH HALF.

On July 1st we left Blantyre about 6 '30 a.m. This was
an unusually early hour. It generally happens that
people wishing to start at six in the morning are
detained till nine. The carriers may come about seven
o'clock, but they say that they must go back to their
homes for food. Some of our carriers, although they
had been warned beforehand, neglected to bring provi-
sions with them, but so many natives had come that we
had no difficulty in filling their places.

Once fairly started, the carriers proceeded at a rattling
pace. The road for a long way was filled with the
school children and other acquaintances who wished
again to say farewell. Among others Kumlomba made
his way through the crowd a little above his village, and
placed a knife in my hand as a keepsake. Great
numbers of the school children came running along for
nearly two miles. One of the last to leave was Kanjira,
who had been the first to meet us on our arrival in 1878,
and had since then been a very regular attendant at
school. He was now regretting the departure of his
'teacher' in very touching words, and expressing his

PARTING WITH THE NATIVES.

263

intention to go with me. I had to impress upon him
that this idea could not be entertained, but the little
fellow did not go back till we were near the Nampele, a
stream four miles from Blantyre. Another lad was
more determined still, and resisted every argument.
As a last resource I filled both his hands with beads to
see if this would not make him fall behind, but not-
withstanding our rapid pace he persisted in following.
Farther on we met a company of men going to Blantyre,
but he could not be induced to return with them. He
answered me much in the words of Euth to Naomi,
" Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from follow-
ing after thee ". Now he was so far on that it would
have been unsafe for him to go back alone. But as we
were approaching Mbami we met more men going to
Blantyre, and as we now insisted on his return, he
sorrowfully obeyed. The little fellow must have been
tired, having come about twelve miles.

We reached Mbami about ten o'clock, here the carriers
rested a short time, while I talked with the headman
and his people.

Soon we started again ; to see that no one fell
behind I went last. The carriers marched in single file
— often forming a line which might extend for a mile or
more, as they did not keep close together. Scarcely was
I out of sight of the village when I heard a great com-
motion— people were running and shouting. All the
inhabitants of Mbami seemed to be in pursuit of a girl
who was running as if in desperation. When within
a few yards of me, she was caught by a young man, but
she struggled most violently. I asked what was the

264

SEVENTH HALF.

matter, when the girl whose face was wet with tears,
cried out, " I wish to go with you ". She laid hold of
me with the greatest earnestness just as the other
pursuers were coming near. The girl's mother was
there reproving her with " Will you leave your own
mother?" I tried to calm the girl and told her to
stay contentedly at her home. All the people said,
"Do you hear that now? he tells you to stay at your
home," but by this time her little fingers had clutched
my coat. I put beads into her hands, 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
land. But this creature held on and let the beads fall.
It was the mother that let go her hold of the girl in
order to pick them up. 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
(white man) would come back again and teach her, but
after all she went away weeping most bitterly. I was
myself deeply affected. Perhaps the girl was a poor slave
who had been stolen away from her true mother. One
may know natives a long time without making out
their true relationships (59.)

Mbarai is a pretty spot, and has a good supply of
water. It may one day form a small Mission station.
A little beyond it we could hear the sound of a water-
fall. The headman lived once with the Magololo, but
he disliked their laws, and now he is practically a chief
himself. But if a war broke out between the Yao and
the Anyasa he would have to join either the one party or
the other, else he would be liable to the attacks of both.

PARTING WITH THE NATIVES.

265

The next places we pass are Mazibango (water-reeds),
Makoka, and Chipindu, which are of great interest to
the traveller, as being the only places where water can
be found to quench his thirst. After Chipindu the
road, which is hitherto level, descends rapidly to the
plain of the Chiri. Just as we entered on the plain we
were agreeably surprised to meet Katunga's sons, and,
after advancing a little, we found the chief himself with
about sixty men engaged in making a canoe, beside a
stream called the Namyala. Having now walked about
twenty-five miles, I was very thirsty, not to say hungry.
Katunga was sitting on a box, which he gave up
for me. I pressed him to share it, but he sat down
beside me on the ground. We had now some refresh-
ment. The Chief explained that he was not able to walk,
as he had been for some time suffering from bad legs, but
he said his men would carry him to the village, to say
good-bye. A march of another hour brought us to Kat-
unga's capital. All his sons had accompanied us, and I
told them to write out a few lines of their books, that I
might shew my friends in England how they could
write. They soon finished this little task.

Now came another of those sad farewells. When the
carriers had finished their work they came to us for the
last time. We knew most of these men so well — men
of Kapeni's, men of Matache's, and men of Blantyre
were there. There, too, were Ndiagani's mother and
little sister, — the latter a small child, whom I had often
carried along the road during the day. I wished to give
her all the beads I had, but though I turned out my
pocket, I could not find as many as would fill her tiny

2C6

SEVENTH HALF.

hand. We were now left among the Anyasa, all of
whom, except the chief and his family, were strangers
to us. Just as it was getting dark, the chief came in,
as he had promised. He gave me a present of two
goats and a bag of rice. I pointed out that one goat
would be enough, but he said, thoughtfully, that we had
better take them both 'for the journey'. On going
down to the boat, I found Mrs. Macdonald and the
children preparing for the night. Much was yet to be
done in arranging the boxes, so as to make a level place
for our beds. The Anyasa, whether from want of
acquaintance with us or from the more enervating
nature of their climate, were not so ready to render
help as the Yao. We had to do all this work ourselves ;
the natives merely looking on, with the exception of the
chief's sons, who soon found their way down to the boat.

What a magnificent river glided past ! How glorious
it seemed to us, who, for three years, had seen nothing
bigger than a mountain-stream. The native girl,
Ndiagani, was in ecstasy at the sight, while our little boy
lay over the boat, apparently lost in contemplation. The
great silent river was smooth as a vast mirror: and yet on
its surface we could see thousands of little ripples passing
down in quiet succession, and speaking of the individual
men and women that pass down the great stream of time.
How insignificant is each ripple in itself, yet none is small
enough to be overlooked : all are carried silently on and
on — to the eternal shore I

After the boat was ready for the night, I went up to
the chief's again. He was sitting outside in his court-
yard, all alone, beside a bright fire, expecting my return.

A KEEPSAKE.

267

The shades of night were now gathering round us, and
his thoughts reverted to days gone by. He talked of
Dr. Livingstone, and Mr. Waller, and others that had
long-lived in his memory. Before we separated he wished
me to remember him to Dr. Kirk (the British Consul at
Zanzibar), and to report to him that Katuhga's gun was
broken ! Then he found a boy to conduct me through
his village to the boat. Just outside the village, we
passed a herd of pigs. These animals seemed quite wild :
they run at large all day, and come in to the villages at
night.

Our bedroom was the small open boat. Mosquitoes
were numerous and vicious, and the children were bitten
severely. Next morning as soon as it was dawn, I went
up to the chief to get boatmen as quickly as possible.
He was sitting where I had left him last night, and a little
boy was by him cooking a fowl for his breakfast. The
natives cook fowls in a very primitive method, which,
however, we have often adopted with satisfaction. The
legs and wings are turned backwards and joined together,
so as to hold a small stick which goes along the back of
the fowl. The stick is fixed in the ground, and the
fowl at the end of it is so placed as to get the full
benefit of the fire.

The Chief promised to send men soon, and to come
down himself to see us off, but he wished to find some-
thing to give us as a keepsake. In a short time he
came and had a second breakfast with us (two breakfasts
are nothing to an African !) Then he produced a small
tusk of ivory. This present we could not fail to regard
as a token of sincere friendship, and the only return we

268

SEVENTH HALF.

could then make was to write out an order for tea, sugar,
and such food as the Chief could not readily procure for
himself.

Soon the boat was off, and we were afloat on the
beautiful river. What a pity that such a spot should
be the chosen abode of malaria; only a few yards up the
stream were the graves of certain martyrs of the Mago-
mero Mission. As we passed out of sight there was a
waving of hats and hands, which continued till we could
see our friends no longer.

The Chiri here is about 150 yards broad, sometimes
more, but it is not very deep. In many places the boat
would touch the bottom and unskilful boatmen often
run aground on sandbanks ; 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
speed, the current doing the greater part of the work.
A favourable sail brought us to Maseo's about midday.
I went up to the Chiefs residence and soon found
myself surrounded by all his boys who conducted me to
the Chief himself. He is one of the kindest of the
Magololo, and yet the sight of a man lying in the slave-
stick reminded us that even he needs to exercise string-
ent jurisdiction. 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 " home ". (There is a striking pathos and poetry
about many of the expressions of the native.) In
return Mrs. Macdonald gave his children some books
and the chief was much interested in hearing them read.
They also wrote out something for us, but this perform-

RUMOURS OF WAR.

269

ance on board an unsteady boat scarcely did justice to
the little fellows' handwriting.

Maseo warned us as we left that if Chiputula had
gone to war with Matekenya we should not try to pass
on. Katunga had also touched on this subject, and
now we thought that we had heard the last of it. We
reached Kumbewe, Chiputula's upper village, in the
middle of the afternoon. The lower village is within
sight of this on the opposite side of the river. We
were now told that Chiputula had gone away four days
ago to hunt. This Chief's large house is an object of
interest. It is of fabulous dimensions. Palm trees
enter largely into its construction, and the rooms are of
their height ! Chiputula's sons and wives were very
active in finding fowls and a goat for us : we accepted
these presents as we did not wish to call at more
villages for some time. That evening we reached a
spot where we had spent a night on our journey up to
Blantyre. A little incident brought the place to our
recollection. One of our party had been for a long
time greatly puzzled at the brightness of the night.
He looked everywhere but could see no trace of the
moon. Having been familiar with the position of the
moon in Scotland, he had not thought of looking di-
rectly overhead.

Next day was Sunday but we went on. The African
traveller, must sometimes find a difficulty in deciding
how to act on the Lord's day. With regard to the
Jewish Sabbath the doubts would be fewer perhaps.
Now we were far from any human dwelling, and to
remain for a single day on the banks of the Elephant

270

SEVENTH HALF.

marsh with the thermometer above 100° would be to in-
vite an attack of fever. We might be none the worse, it
is true, just as the ox that falls into the pit might some-
times be none the worse of being left in the pit till
Monday morning. Hence although we claimed a fair
share of the Scottish idea as to the strict observance of
the Sabbath day, it seemed to dawn upon us without
the severe sanctity that surrounds it in our native land.
As we were quietly moving along, one of our natives
startled us by firing his gun ; and very soon it became
my turn to break the sacred stillness of the day by
following his example. At this spot the Chiri is full of
islands. We took one side of an island while the canoe
that accompanied us took the other, and had not pro-
ceeded far, before it had the misfortune to disturb some
hippopotami. To clear a passage one of the canoe men
fired upon them. Just at this moment we came down
the other channel to find the huge beasts rounding the
corner in their retreat. After the shot they had kept
under the water so that we hardly thought of them. I
was standing at the bow of the boat looking back on the
beautiful hills we were leaving, when all of a sudden we
received a shock which made us feel as if our little craft
were going from under us. A hippopotamus had struck
it and not satisfied with that, it seemed determined to
come on board. 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 us. Again and again the enraged
animal charged, till, finding my gun I fired upon it,
when it ultimately withdrew after making two deep dents

ATTACKED BY A HIPPOPOTAMUS.

271

on the steel side of the boat, and leaving the point of one
of its tusks beside me. The men were all much excited,
but they were thankful that we were in deep water else,
they said, the hippopotamus would have undoubtedly
come in. They told us that one of the Mazaro men
that had come up with us three years ago had been
"cut in two and devoured by a hippopotamus"
" But," I remarked, " the hippopotamus does not eat
flesh ! " " Oh yes," said one, " it will devour a man very
fast." " But then," replied another, " it has always its
companion the crocodile (ngwena) with it." That day
we were beset with hippopotami at every other turning.
In some herds we counted over 20. They detained
us a long time ; we had expected to sleep at the Euo,
but sunset found us considerably short of this, so
that we had to spend another night in the Elephant
Marsh.

Monday, July 4- — We started early without waiting
to cook any food, as we intended to breakfast at the
Ruo, at Chipu tula's lowest settlement (Ku Chilomo).
On reaching this village we landed, and soon met one of
our Blantyre pupils who paid us special attention. In
passing through the village we saw many signs of
mourning, and heard the " wails " rendered in the same
pathetic way as at Blantyre. On returning for break-
fast in order that we might resume our journey without
delay, great was our surprise, on reaching the boat, to
find nothing but a scene of confusion. No cooking had
been attempted, and our boatmen were removing all
their goods as if they meant to desert us. What could
be the matter %

272

SEVENTH HALF.

" We cannot go any farther," they said. " There is
war ! Matekenya will kill us all without any reason ! "

I expostulated with them for a long time. At first I
could not even entertain the idea of turning back-
Katunga's men agreed with me, but Maseo's strongly
opposed, and pointed out that their chief had told them
not to proceed if Chiputula had gone to fight with
Matekenya. I now learned that Chiputula had gone
away not for hunting but for war. Still I did every-
thing in my power to prevail upon the boatmen to
proceed. I went to hurry them with their cooking, and
to divert their minds as much as possible. Still, after
talking with them a good while, I began to be less con-
fident. They had much to say "Why," I asked,
"should you be afraid to go down with an English-
man ? " They replied that they were specially afraid to
go with an Englishman. Matekenya's headmen blamed
the English for giving the Magololo guns and powder.

" But not the Mission people ? " " Yes, the Mission
people." Unfortunately, though all the people more
intimately associated with Blantyre were innocent in
this matter, there was too good foundation for the
charge. The deputation that visited us had thought-
lessly begun to present guns. The natives said, "Had
not a stout man seen at Blantyre given Makukani a
gun V I also found that the inhabitants of this village
were trying to dissuade the men from proceeding.
When I was present with the boatmen those villagers
protested that there was "nothing — nothing to fear".
But when I was not by, they said there was everything
to fear. Indeed, they had terrified the boatmen so

BOUND FOR BLANTYRE AGAIN.

273

much that at one time I was on the verge of despair. I
feared that none of the rowers would enter the boat
again. They had got the idea that Matekenya's men
would make an attack on the boat even if we went
back the way we came. Their plan was to run away
and leave us to our fate, while they escaped to their
homes by land. This would have been a terrible
calamity for such a party as we were, for some of us
must have perished through the hardships that would
have ensued. But the over-ruling Providence which
had shielded us hitherto did not now forsake us. After
a long time of intense suspense we were relieved to see
the men enter the boat again, and turn her bow up
the river. On considering all the particulars we saw
they had some cause for alarm. Chiputula had des-
troyed several villages of the enemy, and had a number
of prisoners here, while several men of this very village
were already known to have fallen in battle.

But the idea of a return journey was dismal enough.
Our boat, being laden for going down the stream, would
give much trouble. We had descended in two days, but
we should require six or eight days to go up. Mr.
Kowley tells how Dr. Livingstone and the Magomero
party took twenty-four days to accomplish the journey
that we had now before us. We had been able to buy
several fowls. Fortunately, we did not now know that
our supply was rather scanty, else we might have had
more anxiety. That night we stayed in the place where
we had slept the previous night. Rain came on and
drenched us thoroughly.

Tuesday, July 5, was a wet day, and we made but

18—2

274

SEVENTH HALF.

slow progress. At night there was again a very heavy
shower, of which we had the full benefit. "Wednesday
was a repetition of Tuesday in every particular. This
morning I was quite ill. A traveller often finds it very
trying to watch the native boatmen lazily doinc their
work. They make such a mess of it that one cannot
look on without disappointment and irritation. The
best preventive of such feelings is to lay hold of a
pole or a paddle and engage in assisting the men. This
I was quite unable to do to-day. A soaking in bed does
not fit one for physical exertion under a tropical sun.
But one refuge was open still. We had brought some
newspapers with us, and these were all acceptable now,
no matter what their date might be. When, however,
I could not read, I was obliged to be a spectator of the
boatmen, but I tried to observe their work as a piece of
mere curiosity and to forget that we had any interest in
it. The defect in this Anyasa crew was that they had
not learned to concentrate their energy in an emergency.
The poor fellows expended much more force than would
have been necessary had they employed it well. The
Mazaro lads are much better boatmen, but since the
arrival of the Missions many of the Anyasa have made
trips to Mazaro, and now know all about the journey.

On his engagement each man gets a fathom of cloth
(value 5d. in Scotland, and 9d. here) to buy food, and
meet the ordinary expenses of the voyage. The first
thing he does with this money is to buy a bed, which is
just a bag made of strips of mlasa woven together like a
straw hat. At night the owner, and one or more friends
crawl into this bag, which is placed near a fire on the

A MORNING START.

275

bank. Once in they are very comfortable, the mosquitoes
cannot touch them, and in this climate they cannot suffer
from cold. As soon as morning dawns the boatmen may
be seen emerging one by one from their sacks. But
they are in no hurry t© make a start. There are
generally a few logs smouldering in what had been the
fire-place last night. Eound these they gather, and put
on a few handfuls of grass, and seem preparing to —
watch the course of events. Happy for the traveller if
he has decided that the boat must start at once, for the
slightest semblance of cooking risks at least an hour's
detention. But many travellers believe that a hot cup
of coffee keeps off fever, and stay a few minutes to boil
water. The natives themselves in ordinary circum-
stances do not eat at this hour ; all they do is to pass
round a large pipe, of which each man takes a whiff,
and desires nothing more. But when water has to be
boiled, everyone takes advantage of the occasion. The
traveller's captain or interpreter, or whatever he may be
termed, will be the first to entertain the idea of pro-
longing " the boiling of the water " till a great deal of
other cooking can be done. The traveller, if a stranger,
must depend much on his " captain " ; and the latter
distinguishes himself by shouting to the others to " make
haste ". But although he bawls at the top of his voice,
they sit quite unmoved by the terrible earnestness of
this functionary. The traveller is much puzzled ! On
such occasions he finds it instructive to watch the posi-
tion of affairs on the bank. It then appears that all the
delay arises from the gallant captain himself, who is
quietly cooking some dainty for his own personal use,

276

SEVENTH HALF.

while the rest of the crew listen calmly to his terrible
threatenings, knowing that they are all " kindly meant ".

After the " water has been boiled " to the satisfaction
of everybody, the captain's awful voice is again heard,
and now words of mutual exhortation pass round. One
man lays hold of the anchor, while the rest stand in an
attitude of respectful attention ! Only after the anchor
has been put into the boat does it occur to the others to
pick up their beds, and, one by one, each carries his own
property with his own hands, and with his own hands
deposits it in the boat ! Occasionally one man that
happens to be in the boat already, will receive a com-
panion's consignment, but oftener this companion is
allowed to enter and deposit his goods without any
help, while the man who is already in the boat goes to
the bank to fetch his own property. This is not because
they wish to disoblige each other. But they see no
reason why anything should be done quickly, and
consequently they undervalue every method that
savours of haste. Livingstone well speaks of this
country as " that blissful land where time is of no
importance ". The language of a great part of their
actions is, " Why should we do to-day what may as
well be done to-morrow ? "

After all are in the boat one man pushes it off with
his pole — the others meanwhile watching the operation.
As soon as the boat is clear of the bank, the current
begins to carry it back over last day's track ; when it
occurs to them to get their paddles. One man who had
left his paddle at the other side of the boat calls for it ;
another begins to search ; while the rest await the

NATIVE BOATMEN.

277

result with the most exemplary patience. By and by,
another boatman finds that the paddle he has is not the
one that he used last day, and a great search is insti-
tuted by his companions, who are duly waited for. The
poor traveller will now ask whether the captain is going
down to Mazaro, and this question produces the desired
effect, for the captain begins to charge all and sundry in
accents of thunder. But though the paddles are all
plied with the utmost strength, little progress is made
against the rapid current. The great hope of the boat-
men is to keep close to the bank ; if reeds grow there,
they can pull the boat along by laying hold of them ;
or, if the bank is clear, they can land and draw the boat
by means of a long rope. Another thing that helps
them is the shallow water. There they make wonderful
speed. They have long poles which reach the bottom of
the river, and propel the boat very effectively; the boat
becomes a kind of land animal and may be described as
walking along on these legs. Such walks along the
sandbanks are by far our happiest times. The only
drawback is that they will come to an end ; and what
will the end be % Sometimes we find ourselves in places
so shallow that the boat touches the bottom. While we
were coming down stream this was the cause of much
delay, the force of the current having often carried the
boat far along the sandbank before we could stop ; and
then we stuck fast for a long time. But now that the
current is against us, we never get so much involved.
Yet we become fixed again and again, and the boatmen
all get out (notwithstanding the risk of crocodiles) to
drag and push till we find deeper water. By and by,

278

SEVENTH HALF.

the water is too deep for the poles to touch the bottom,
and the men debate which bank to make for. Much
time is wasted in the discussion. But after their
resolution is formed, something like determination is
seen in their faces as they make for the bank of their
choice. They ply their little paddles with all their
might. On our first journey up, the crew were equipped
with oars, but these had been taken away during the
war between the Natives and the Portuguese, and the
paddles which have taken their place are not nearly so
powerful implements. Still the men now use them with
a will — there is no doubt as to their earnestness now.
They advance very well, and soon reach the very centre
of the current. "Now pull, pull, pull with all your
might, pull as for your very lives ! there ! " The man
who was wounded by the hippopotamus is at the helm,
because he is too ill to be anywhere else. Of course he
has never been at a helm before. The critical moment
has come, " Oh, turn the head of the boat right against
the stream ! Quick ! Quick ! " The poor fellow has to
consider which movement of the rudder will do this ;
but in the midst of the terrible crisis, his presence of
mind is gone, he turns the wrong way, the boat wheels
rioht round and shoots down the stream swift as an
arrow. A sad disappointment this, but we must try
again. Fortunately the sandbank that we had left
intercepts our downward course. If the disappointment
affected the traveller only, very likely no great effort
would be made, but it is getting towards sunset, and
the men must reach the bank to cook their supper.
" Try again, my boys I " The little paddles are set in

BOWING AGAINST THE RAPIDS.

279

motion with a terrible swiftness. The great captain
himself has come to the rescue. Once more they
approach the same critical spot. " Now, then, all your
might ! " but their previous exertions have weakened
them — just as they feel the full force of the opposing
current, their energies flag. The captain flies to his
snuff box for a stimulant, all the others press round him
to share it. But, alas ! the stimulant is a few seconds
too late, the height of the contest had come, and has
now gone. The boat is completely beaten, and makes
her way, stern first, down the river.

This last trial illustrates what we often see among
the natives. A vast attempt is made, much strength is
expended, and just at the nick of time the whole result
is nullified through utter childishness.*

Now for a third attempt. Meanwhile the sail had
been dangling about. It was believed to be unlucky,
and as it did no good, it was taken down. A third
effort is now to be made. Our second trial had given
us a little hope, for after our defeat the current had
brought us very near the bank at one point in our
downward journey. The method to be followed now is
to go up a little farther, and then trust that the current

* On one ocasion there was a great conflagration at Zomba, in
which a house was burned down. Although the danger was great a
certain native was not afraid to mount on the roof. He then called
for water, but the only method available was to hand up some in an
old tea-kettle, which his companions did. He might as well have
hoped to extinguish the flames by throwing on a pinch of snuff.
Still he persevered, but, which was more ridiculous, when the fire
came nearer, the man became very thirsty, and had to drink a large
percentage of the water with which he expected to extinguish the
flames !

280

SEVENTH HALF.

will bring us a few yards nearer that spot. A drizzling
rain and the approach of darkness make our position
more unpleasant. Another hard pull brings us once
more to the point where we had been twice before.
Now they feel that it is quite hopeless to work against
the current, but they expect to keep so near the bank
as to be able to lay hold of the reeds while the current
carries us down. It is a moment of great suspense.
The current is stronger than the men, and is decidedly
carrying us down again, 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 reeds, or will be able at the very least to reach
something with their poles.

If the traveller be able to stand, he is certain to be
standing now and watching with the greatest anxiety,
but see ! the men are already able to touch the bank
with their poles ! One has done so, but alas ! his thrust
is ill timed, and the boat swings right round till its
head is again looking towards Mazaro. Oh ! this is
dreadful, is that foolish poke at the bank to undo all
our efforts ? It looks as if it would, and the boat is
going at a terrible speed ; but in a few minutes the
doubt is solved, and the prow of the boat runs full tilt
against the bank just at the little promontory that we
are trusting to. The effect is quite magical. Everyone
knows what happens if, while he is riding at full speed,
his horse stops without giving the slightest warning.
So it was here. The boat was brought to a dead stand
before the passengers had time to acquiesce in the
arrangement. The crew were jostled against each other

A SUDDEN HALT !

281

at a terrible rate : some spread themselves out at full
length along the sides of the boat while others narrowly
escaped a ducking in the river. But the great study
was the white man. All the natives like to see how the
Englishman behaves in an emergency. This personage
is standing on a narrow platform a few inches higher
than the rest, and just at the most interesting point in
the collision, he is observed, apparently quite regardless
of consequences, to make a desperate dive headforemost
into the bottom of the boat, his head coming into
contact with a pile of plates and pots that had been
stowed away there. From this adventure he returns
with his face cut and bleeding, but he ought to have
remembered his " mechanics " more promptly. Still
the situation was much better than being carried down
the stream again. The boatmen after their success held
on by the reeds and pulled the boat along the side of
the bank with all their might, and in a short time we
were above the dreaded current.

Poor fellows, how much work they might have spared
themselves by a little method ! I began to speculate on
how different our situation would have been if our boat
had been manned by Scotch fishermen : but 1 remem-
bered that the sun which shone so pleasantly all day on
these negroes might have been too much for my
countrymen.

At last we are to stay for the night. We must try
to find a clear space where the natives will have room
to light a fire and arrange their beds. Besides, the
clearer a place is, the fewer are the mosquitoes. There
is difficulty in finding a spot in the Elephant marsh

282

SEVENTH HALF.

even with these slender qualifications. To-night, more-
over, everything is wet. But the natives, in cases
where cooking is required, can soon work wonders.
One of them lands, exclaiming, " I am like a monkey —
without a knife, without a fire". In his story of the
Magomero Mission, Mr. Rowley tells us that this place
was destitute of firewood, and we find it so still. But
the native gets hold of a knife with which he cuts down
a few of the tall reeds, and in a short time there is a
blazing fire, and the cooking goes on in excellent style.
The party then dry their beds and their clothes, and
keep talking till midnight.

The roar of the lion is occasionally heard, and the
hippotami are quite close — snorting and splashing.
Since our adventure on Sunday their presence has
always caused some remark, and now we are specially
warned that it is dangerous to keep a light burning in
the boat in case they should charge us again.

On Thursday the rains have cleared off, and a special
effort is to be made to reach the palm trees. We saw
them before us yesterday, and had hoped to reach them.
The Missionaries of Magomero had this " immense grove
before them for several days ". On reaching them we
shall have firewood, but for the present the men pick
up any stray piece of wood that they see and carefully
put it in the boat. We stop at noon, and then the
crew have breakfast. This consists of porridge and a
" relish," which may be ground nuts, beans or a piece of
flesh or fish. Their method of eating would strike a
new comer as being very unrefined, but when we re-
member that the use of knives and forks (especially of

A NATIVE REPAST.

283

the latter) is quite an innovation, we can easily excuse
the manners of the native. Besides, he does not at
once acknowledge the superiority of the European
methods. As soon as the porridge is produced, all the
boatmen wash their hands very slightly, and then fall
upon the " mess " with their fingers. Each man helps
himself to a large handful of porridge. This he gives
an affectionate squeeze for the purpose of adapting part
of it to the size of his mouth, and then the business
proceeds. One hand is occupied with the relish, while
the other supplies the porridge and makes it into proper
morsels. When the large dish is emptied they all lick
their hands, and one man whirls his finger round the
inside of the plate and takes off all the porridge that
remains. They next wipe their hands on their loin
cloth (their only garment) or on the grass ; and then
these simple children of nature have finished their
repast.

On coming to islands we sometimes have great diffi-
culty in deciding which channel to take. We often try
one where the heavy boat will not pass at all, and to our
great disappointment we have to go back. Our boat-
men bathe very frequently, using a charred stick as a
flesh brush. They have no tooth brush, but they rub
their teeth very carefully with their fingers.

The appearance of herds of hippopotami * always
causes much excitement. The Mission boat has done

* The Anyasa name for a hippopotamus is mvu, the Yao name is
ndomondo. The first word is undoubtedly taken from the snorting
of the animal, while the second word may be taken from the splash
with which the animal returns to the river after feeding on the bank.

284

SEVENTH HALF.

good service for five years, but it is hardly seaworthy
now, and a well directed knock would at once admit
the water. Accordingly, we pass these animals in great
suspense. Towards sunset we are just approaching the
palm trees (mivumu), and our hearts are full of thank-
fulness ; only I have to record a report that I heard
yesterday forenoon. It was so painful that I did not
set it down at the time, and I have been reasoning ever
since that it is likely false. It is to the effect that a
white man has been killed by men of Matekenya's.
This young man reached the Ruo on Saturday night,
being just a day's journey before ourselves. He was
told that Chiputula had gone to make war, and was
advised to proceed with the greatest haste so as to pass
Matekenya's country before hostilities had actually
commenced. He went on during night, but on Sunday
afternoon, they say, he was attacked and massacred along
with all his crew. The report was brought by Chipu-
tula's fighting men, who passed along the bank. They
said they had been told this by prisoners. Our crew
profess to believe it as it somewhat excuses them for
turning back.

Friday 8. — We start from the palm trees. A dense
vapour rises off the river, as if its waters were beginning
to boil. The sun is up for some time before we can see
it on account of the fog. To-night we reach a village.
Here there is great mourning for people slain in war.
The headman tells us that many of Chiputula's men are
dead. He points out some of the neighbouring villages,
and enumerates how many inhabitants are mourned for
in each.

A MAGOLOLO HAREM.

285

Here nothing can be bought, which is unfortunate, as
our provisions are now nearly exhausted, and we may
take three days to reach another hamlet. Our men seem
to take pleasure in teasing the villagers about their
poverty. They ask " Have you fowls " ? — " Pabe,"
"Have you maize"? — "Pabe," &c, &c. To dozens of
such questions the answer was Pabe (There is not).
This made us all laugh, and I asked one of the boatmen
why the villagers would sell nothing. He explained
that they had not very much after all, as they lived by
fishing. Down here fish are found in abundance, but
higher up the river they become less plentiful, and at
Katunga's there are hardly any.

Saturday, 9. — The men are in good spirits. We
expect to reach Chiputula's upper village, Kumbewe, at
noon. In this we are disappointed. We meet a strong
current which baffles all our efforts, and carries us back
a long distance. Late in the afternoon Kumbewe is
reached. We land and look at the pleasant village.
Meeting with Mrs. Chiputula, or rather Mrs. Chiputula
number one, we are taken round the harem where the
chief's other wives are sitting in scores. We are shown
his garden which is full of pine apples. The boys'
house is a large circular building without any walls,
and supported by wooden pillars. Towards the outside
the boys' beds are suspended all round. In the centre
there is a fireplace near which are scattered cooking
utensils of various sorts. More than forty of the chiefs
wives tell us that they are going to visit the boat with
a present for "little Kapeni" — as they called one of
the white children. This was a formidable matter.

286

SEVENTH HALF.

When the last party passed down an English lady
was reported to have been terribly frightened by a
visit from Mrs. Chiputula. On the present occasion
about forty volumes of Mrs. Chiputula contended for
the privilege of entering our boat : but their kindness
and good feeling was unmistakeable. The natives are
fond of bringing us honey, but as the bees feed on the
eucalyptus, much of the honey is believed to be
poisonous.

Sunday* 10. — We again much missed the quietness
of the Scottish Sabbath. In the forenoon we reached
Katunga's lower villages. All these chiefs have their
important villages near islands to which they can flee
in case of danger. We had to ask Katunga for men to
take us up to Blantyre. We also saw Maseo, who pro-
mised to send us carriers. We learned that we had
been all mourned for as dead. To-night we reached our
destination. This day three years before, we had also
come to the end of our river journey, and it was the
same day — the 10th of July — twenty years ago, that the
Magomero Missionaries had reached the same spot.

Monday 11, — We have much anxiety about getting
carriers. It seems impossible to get as many as we
want. Some are enrolled and sent away with such
loads as must go up with us again, but what gives us

* On such a journey as ours the traveller may make every day so
much of a Sabbath or so little of a Sabbath (as the case may be) that
he loses bis reckoning. It is exceedingly easy for a person to do this,
and having nothing to refer to he becomes quite helpless. We were
told that on one occasion, on Lake Xyassa, a party of Missionaries
mistook their days, and while " one day in seven " was diligently ob-
served by them, " the first day of the week" was profaned !

RETURN TO BLANTYRE.

287

most concern is to find no men for palanquins. The
danger from fever makes us anxious. What a relief we
experience when we see Maseo himself coming up with
twenty carriers ! In a little after, about as many of
Katunga's men come direct from the chief himself, who
has thoughtfully sent his palanquin with them. Maseo
with his own hands makes another palanquin of one of
our blankets, and we are soon able to start off. Our
thoughts revert to the 11th of July three years ago.
We marvelled at the great contrast ! How much we
felt at home among the natives now !

In the afternoon we reached Mbami. The first to
come to salute us was the little girl that had wished to
accompany me. Our men were lazy, and wanted to
stay here for the night. I have always found the
Anyasa carriers from the Lower river inferior to the
Yao. Perhaps it is because the Magololo rule them as
slaves.

We reached Blantyre at eight o'clock. The beautiful
moon had lighted up our way for us with as kindly an
eye as it had done three years ago, and we found the
children had got out of bed and were meeting us before
we had well passed the stream. We were very glad
after our hardships to sleep for the night on the floor of
our old dining room.

Chapter XVI.

CONCLUSION.

The day after our arrival I rested, as my limbs were

aching after the long march. Next day I was able to

return to school. The daily meeting for the natives had

ceased, but I had no difficulty in resuming it. Kapeni's

children had all left, and on Saturday I went to visit

them. I met Kapeni himself on the way to see me, and

walked back with him. His boys promised to return to

school, but I found afterwards that this was merely the

promise of politeness. They asked whether I was to

leave them now, and I replied that if I could get down

before the rains, I would go, otherwise I should have to

wait till the rains were over. ' And then you would

so ? ' ' Yes.' Malunga was another man whose chil-
es ©

dren I had long desired to have. Just as I was leaving,
he regretted my departure, because he ' was going to
send them all '. Now I was come back, here was a test
for his sincerity. Still he had his excuse, too. Ever
since the Magomero people left them, the natives have
been inclined to look upon the ' English ' as mere birds
of passage. Katunga's boys came up, but although
Maseo had promised in like manner, his were not sent.

THE SLAVE TRADE.

289

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 territory. As we passed Ndilande
I noticed a great change. The people that were living
on the plains about a month ago, had gone up the
mountain from fear of Chikumbu. We missed the
welcomes that used to greet us in this quarter. We
passed village after village and found them all deserted.
On our way back we climbed the mountain and saw the
people in their new abodes. They said that if Chikumbu
molested them farther they would all go to Blantyre.

About the beginning of August Chikumbu attacked
the carriers of the Trading Company and captured some
goods. We saw another instance of the difficulty of
sending messengers in such cases. According to Kapeni,
any neutral party would at once make himself the
enemy of Chikumbu by carrying a message to him
regarding the robbery, because Chikumbu would natur-
ally wish to guard against the slightest appearance of
treachery.

The slave question began to revive again. For nearly

two years it had been practically laid aside, no slaves

had been received and no master thought of claiming

the persons that had formerly received protection. But

many masters had recently come in and stated that

when I went home, they would ask their slaves back.

I turned the matter off with a joke, but I found that

soon after my departure some Magololo had given much

trouble about slaves. One lad that had been at school

for three years, and was able to act as a teacher, was

demanded by Makukani. This poor fellow had been for

19—2

290 COMMUNICATION WITH THE COAST.

a long time saving a great part of his wages to give
this greedy chief.

The slave trade is by no means defunct, as many
poor Africans know to their cost. Human beings are
still hunted as legitimate game, and great numbers of
slave caravans still leave the interior. Powder is a
great assistance in earning on this terrible traffic.
Fortunately the Portuguese restrict its importation at
Quilimaue, but they allow it to be imported at Chi-
sanga, and many slaves are disposed of at the latter
place, from which Mukukani quite recently brought up
nine kegs of powder and fifteen new guns.

Mr. Henderson set out towards the coast to see
whether communication could be restored. Bismark

A DANGEROUS HIPPOPOTAMUS.

went to guide him. The latter considered that he

A SECOND JOURNEY.

291

would be in danger, and wrote out his will — which was
sent back to Mrs. Macdonald. However, he returned
safe, although sad at heart, that his young girl refused
to go to England with him. She had been quite
frightened by the dangers of the way. The hippopo-
tami and the threatened war proved too much for her
nerves, and she was afraid to try the journey to
England again. Besides we had been now so long
delayed, that we should not arrive till winter, and the
doctor judged that the cold would be dangerous for
Bismark himself.

On the 23rd of August we were enabled to leave
Blantyre the second time. Mr. Moir, of the Trading
Company, had come up the river with a Mazaro crew,
and there was no longer any doubt about getting men
for the journey. The Mazaro men were anxious to get
home again. Not only so, but Mr. Moir engaged a
number of Yao men to go down to assist in work at
Mazaro. We were soon on the river once more. The
first day's sail brought us beside the celebrated grove of
palm trees. Next day (Thursday 25th), tempting herds
of buck were seen, and we had several opportunities of
firing upon them. "When there is a crowd of hungry
natives, it is a great boon to get hold of a buck. One
should shoot at these animals with explosive bullets.
In the ordinary method severe wounds are inflicted, but
the creatures get away to suffer considerably. A large
herd of Zebras was also seen — they are swift as the wind.

Soon after starting in the afternoon we had an
adventure. The other boats had all passed on before
us. The last one, with Mrs. Macdonald and the

292 AN ADVENTURE.

i

children, was just disappearing at a bend of the river.
We were going nicely along, when I saw a hippopotamus
coming towards us. I took up a rifle and had him
' covered,' but as he seemed peaceful I gave him the
benefit of the doubt ; and he disappeared again. After
we had sailed down a little farther the boat got a blow
that seemed to raise it out of the water. We were
agreed that ' Now that fellow must get a lesson/ and
we seized our rifles. But water soon rushed into the
boat at such a rate as to direct our attention to another
matter. I laid hold of a bucket and began to bale, but
I found the task hopeless and urged the boatmen to pull
hard. We were in the very middle of the stream, and
the situation was most critical. It was really a question
of life or death. We had always held a theory that if
a hole were knocked in the boat we could stuff it, but
theories are often difficult to practice. Before we could
have reached the bottom of the boat, through all the
bags and boxes, the necessity for stuffing the hole would
have passed away. The natives rowed but feebly.
They lose their heads in an emergency. It looked as if
we were to sink on the spot. Mr. Moir at this crisis
seized an oar and rowed with the strength of any four
of them. I was told off to the helm ; the baling being
of no use. The boat rapidly filled with water — it
was questionable whether we could reach the bank
before it sank. The river here was very deep. One of
the canoes saw our position and made towards us.
However, we reached the bank just as the boat sunk.
All the cargo was under the water and had to be fetched
out. After the accident we held a short council. One

HIPPOPOTAMI.

293

was to stay with the boat and the other to go and obtain
assistance from the rest of the party. Ultimately I
went in a small canoe, but notwithstanding hard rowing
I could not overtake the others. Sometimes the canoe
found itself among herds of hippopotami, whose presence
made me somewhat uncomfortable after the last en-
counter. Santos has the following account of these
animals: — "The head of the hippopotamus is three times
the size of our ordinary horse, and its body thick in
proportion. What is extraordinary in this species of
animal is their practice of destroying each other for
food, whence it rarely happens that two are found
together." How much I could have wished on the
present occasion to be able to confirm the last part of
the Eeverend Father's remarks ! But I found scores of
them, all regarding my frail bark at the same time, so
that they must have laid aside this inhuman practice of
the 16th century !

The above incident was my third experience of a
hippopotamus attack, and I believe that such attacks
are made partly through fright. 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 vessel, the second was upon it before it was aware.
Driven to desperation, and confiding in its great
strength, ' leviathan ' then charged with all its might.

I found the first party at the Ruo (encamping beside
the village where we had to turn back on our former
journey) and told Mr. Moir's carpenter of the necessity
for his services. But it would have taken a whole day
to row against the current up to the scene of the dis-

294

THREATENED WITH DEATH.

aster. Some natives however were sent off. The rest
of us stayed for the night. Chiputula the chief was
here himself. A sickening smell pervaded the village.
An elephant had been killed and long strips of flesh
were hanging on the trees. Chiputula has a war canoe
capable of containing 40 soldiers which he put at my
disposal as I wanted to visit Bishop Mackenzie's grave.

Next morning Mr. Moir appeared with the boat, which
bore sad traces of the prowess of the hippopotamus.
The chief gave him a basin of elephant fat which was
of great use in effecting a temporary repair.

This afternoon we reached the territory of the dreaded
Matekenya. His poor people had been driven far down
by Chiputula, and villages that were flourishiug when
we came up were now deserted. The natives soon
descried our approach, and some shouted at us to stop,
but we saw no reason to listen to them. Soon there
arose a great stir on the bank, and a rush was made
as if to meet us farther down. About five o'clock we were
warned that they would kill us, but threats of this kind
were nothing new and we pressed on. To shew the least
sign of alarm in such circumstances would have been a
serious experiment. But the critical moment soon
arrived. The natives stood in a mass with a consider-
able shew of guns and ordered us to come at once to the
side. We were now within range of their muskets and
some of our party as they afterwards confessed did not
feel at all comfortable. Fortunately they did not under-
stand all that was said else they would have been much
worse. I stood up in the boat and asked ' Why do you
want us to stop ? Have you anything to sell ? ' The

NATIVE POLITICS.

295

last remark was received with a grim smile but a smile
all the same, and I felt that the danger was past. I
then leapt out of the boat and began to talk to them.
I explained that ' I was not Anyasa at all, but Yao '. I
was soon recognised as the ' chief of Bulantaya ' (Blan-
tyre) and they opened their hearts to me over the hard-
ship they had suffered from Chiputula. They said that
since we settled at Blantyre, Chiputula had let the Yao
alone. ' Why do the English not come down and stay to
protect us also ? We would be your children * ! ' Their
great anxiety was to see Mr. Moir who, I told them,
had been treating with their enemy. Mr. Moir had
been detained by his boat, and was left in close conversa-
tion with Chiputula whom he was warning against inter-
fering with Matekenya lest he should bring the Portu-

* The longer one labours in Africa the more does he feel what a
call there is in that land for Missionary effort. Christian agency
could effect a great deal more if better directed. Here we have a
land teeming with population. Each Missionary has a field for him-
self alone, perhaps as extensive as Great Britain which has its
thousands of Clergy. In a quiet rural parish of Scotland we may
have the United Presbyterian, the Free Church, and the Church of
Scotland (all three Presbyterian.) This gives us three clergymen
doing a work which one clergyman could easily accomplish. 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 fight-
ing with Home Heathenism fight with each other. What a great
deal might be done " to make disciples of all nations " by employing
existing agents ! But it is said " Clergymen are unwilling to go to
heathen lands ". This raises the question, ' What encouragement have
they to become Missionaries 1 ' The Church of England, for instance,
has no difficulty in finding Clergymen who will become Bishops. A
great deal depends upon the inducements that are held out, and we
may say so without implying that the English Bishop is more
mercenary or less self-denying than a city Missionary.

296

AT MORUMBALA.

guese against himself. The incorrigible chieftain replied
that while he was afraid of the English, he did not care
for the Portuguese, as he had often fought with their
forces near Senna.

When Mr. Moir arrived he made an appointment to
meet Matekenya on Sunday at a village a day's journey
farther on. Matekeuya rules his subjects with a rod of
iron so that with Chiputula's wars on the one hand, and
a fearfully despotic government on the other, they are
much to be pitied. We found them interesting people.
They had never seen white children before, and the two
babies were objects of much wonder. When we reached

HALTING FOR THE NIGHT ON THE RIVER BANK.

Morumbala marsh we found innumerable flocks of wild
fowl. They fell as fast as we could fire and were very
acceptable both to ourselves and to the natives.

By Monday forenoon we reached the confines of

THE CONFINES OF CIVILISATION.

297

civilization once more and met a French trader who
shewed us great kindness. We were now under the
shadow of misty Morumbala. We passed the night at
Shamo, the abode of Ferrao who sometimes kept Dr.
Livingstone from starving- amidst the various accidents
and incidents of his wanderings. According to native
custom the house of the deceased gentleman had been
taken down (40.) But as we wandered through the
village we met an old servant of Ferrao who volun-
teered to shew us the spirit (Mulungu) of his master for
a present of calico. A Portuguese merchant now occu-
pies the place and sells umbrellas, cups, cloth, and rum
for the ground nuts of the natives.

On Tuesday morning we went off quite early wishing
to reach Mazaro. For the last week Mrs. Macdonald
with the nurse and two children had been confined in
a corner of an open boat where they had scarcely room
to turn. When one remembers the intense heat of
these days and nights, he will understand why we
wished to press on. Soon we were on the broad Zam-
beze and within a district where the natives have been
in contact with Europeans for nearly 400 years. If the
Portuguese had only established schools and taught the
natives to read, a great change would have been
effected. But since the recall of the Jesuits, the Portu-
guese have not tried to christianize the natives, many
of them believing that the negroes are not susceptible
of improvement. Here most of the native huts are
two storeys because of the floods in the rainy season.
We were anxious to visit Shupanga house, but the
boatmen were too afraid of the Zulus. As we were

298

CROSS PURPOSES.

talking with reverence of Mrs. Livingstone, one of our
party pointed towards her grave and said " Ah ! they
know all about it — ask what they say ". I remarked that
unless we knew what Livingstone had been called by the
natives in this district there was little chance of finding

o

an answer without a long explanation. However my
companion shouted to one of them, " Livingstone ! Living-
stone ! " and pointed towards the house. At first the
boatman was puzzled, he thought it was an order. But
when the word was repeated he was bound to believe
that it conveyed some information and he said ' Yes ! '
The great Doctor himself warns against the danger of
receiving an African's statement with confidence. He
points out that the native has no conception that the
truth or falsehood of his answer can be of the least
importance, and just tells a stranger what he thinks
will best please him. But another danger is that per-
sons are apt to mistake for information what was never
so intended. A learned gentleman sees a lizard and
asks its name : the native replies 1 Kaya ' which means
1 1 don't know '. Down goes Kaya in the note-book as
' the name of a green lizard ! ' If an English traveller
may ask near the birth-place of the author of Paradise
Lost ' where Milton was born,' and be told by a country-
man that a woman of that name once lived in the dis-
trict, we need not blame an African for not knowing
the name of Livingstone which is unpronounceable by
him, and which he likely never heard (46.)

We stuck repeatedly on sandbanks, and could not
reach Mazaro this night. We slept on the opposite side
of the river. On this bank our boatmen do not feel

SLAVING CHIEFS.

299

secure : they are not entirely out of the reach of a
Zulu tribe which gives great trouble here, and levies
blackmail on the Portuguese themselves. We thought
of going over the bank and pretending to be Zulus, but
when we observed that our natives had their flint locks
lying in readiness we did not care to carry out the idea.
There are hippopotami here, and one came very close,
but they are few in number, as the natives harpoon
them. On Wednesday morning we started a little after
five, and reached Mazaro early. We had a few days to
wait here before we could get ready for the Quilimane
part of the journey All my time since leaving Blantyre
had been devoted to the revisal of my vocabularies, but
after this point the Yao-speaking natives were left
behind. Here we met Mwanasa, a girl who had lived
for two years with Mrs. Macdonald. She would have
willingly come to England to learn more, but we feared
she would be lonely. When at Blantyre she had
learned to read and write in her own language.

When we were at Mazaro a letter was read from the
Zanzibar consul, which had been addressed to one of the
Livingstonia employes. Certain chiefs on Lake Nyassa
had been making themselves notorious in connection
with the slave trade, and the consul asked the man
whether he could not clear out one of these slavers.
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 interior.

Saturday evening found us on the Kwagwa. Here
our journey was, if possible, more uncomfortable than
before. There was only one boat : and Mrs. Macdonald

300

ON THE KWAGWA.

with the nurse and family had just room to stow them-
selves away under the little grass awning that had been
thrown over it. My bed was placed in the steerage !
Hitherto, throughout the whole journey on the Chiri
and Zambeze, we had been obliged to sleep in the boats
and under mosquito curtains. At Mazaro we had occu-
pied a house ; but this means that the plague of rats is
added to the plague of heat and mosquitoes.

The lad that was our pilot here had been at Blantyre
for a few months, and he showed us great attention.
"We always pressed on during night. One can go down
the Kwagwa at a beautiful rate. As soon as the terrible
sun was set I made a point of getting hold of a pole,
when we had great amusement in endeavouring to race
with the light canoes. I thus secured a few hours'
exercise, which is one of the best antidotes to fever in
this pestilential district. On Monday the 5th we passed
Mugurumbe, and reached a sleeping place about one
o'clock next morning. The vegetation is so dense that
one cannot land on the bank just where he chooses.
There are but few places so clear that we could light a
fire, and of these many are found already occupied by
numbers of other travellers. But when one party
arrives certain of the others will often make a fresh
start. Night and day are much the same to the tra-
vellers on this river. Our sleeping station of Tuesday
morning became a scene of confusion. When our boat
reached it a score of natives began to appeal to me on
civil matters. I was inclined to smile at the situation.
Some people that ought to have known better had
taken me for a civil magistrate before, and now I am to

CIVIL JURISDICTION AGAIN !

301

be pressed into that service again ! All explanations
were useless. " Master, here — a boy has been stabbed ! "
The knife with which the wound had been inflicted is
thrust into my hands, while our men pointed out that it
had been bent in the rencontre.

I felt as sick of the matter as an English jury when
shut in to give a decision. I said I was suffering from
want of sleep, but what was want of sleep to them !
Native patience is sometimes great, and native elo-
quence long. The " Governor of Quilimane " was an
expression that I tried to conjure with, but without
effect, and in the end I had to beseech them to defer the
matter, and it was only after I promised to listen to
them next day that I obtained this concession. Next
morning as soon as I awoke the palaver began, and to
my astonishment an old Portuguese came out of one of
the sack-beds, and requested my interference. He was
the " other party " in the transaction. He had landed
here the previous night, and as he slept in a mat on the
bank, some natives stole most of his clothing and some
of his goods. A little after, he found another native
(not the actual thief) prowling about, and put his knife
into him. The old man was now determined not to go
away until his property was restored. I told him that
the thief was not one of my boatmen, neither was the
other unfortunate lad, and that I was merely a traveller
and could not interfere. It was a strange spectacle, —
the two white men unable to speak to each other except
through the medium of two black interpreters ! As I
explained my position to my brother European he
looked at his own interpreter, and they agreed that my

302

hardships of slavery.

interpreter was against them, and was not translating
properly. He knew "that the governor of Quilimane
was far away," but if I could show these natives that I
did not support them in stealing, it would help a poor
traveller, and do no one any harm ! Perhaps the poor
fellow thought that I must be some Englishman that
had a grudge against the Portuguese. I soon con-
demned the theft, and succeeded in getting the bent
knife returned to him. I think that his antagonists
hinted that I was going to carry it off to use as a
witness against him in Quilimane ! In a short time his
goods were also restored. Now he was delivered from
anxiety, and I soon saw that he could expound native
lawT to them. " You must pay me for this theft and
annoyance." They replied, " You must pay us for the
boy ". His answer was that the boy was of the same
fraternity, and had to expect what he got. We left
them before they had finished, but from the bold
manner of the traveller it is likely that he got damages.
Only the matter was hardly worth insisting on unless
he had frequent occasion to pass that way

After a short repose of three or four hours we made
an easy start on Tuesday morning. Antani was my
philosopher, and pointed out rivers that were said to be
associated with the slave trade. He had expected me
to be more in favour of the black man this morning,
and therefore recounted the hardships of the poor
slaves : —

" They are taken down here in slave sticks. If a
woman have a child on her back she is put in the slave
stick too. One piece of cloth (16 yds., say 4s.) is the

A PRACTICAL JOKE.

303

price cf a man : two pieces is the price of a woman. A
woman costs more because she will be the mother of
other people. If she have a child in her arms she
fetches half a piece more. If the master cannot sell his
slave he takes him back again, and cheats him by saying
1 did not want to sell you. I only took you down to
frighten you that you might respect me more."

He promised to tell me if he saw any with the Yao
tatoo. He found none except those that had been
bought by the Portuguese long ago : the new ones, he
insisted, were kept in distant plantations.
. Though told several times this morning to fill every
bottle with water, Antani was very remiss in doing so,
as he could not see the reason. In the forenoon he sat
in the bow of the boat looking at the river, which was
gradually becoming broader. We asked him to taste
the water now. The other natives, although not in the
secret, understood the joke at once, and one handed
him a dish. They waited to see if this lad, fresh from
the mountains of the interior, could be so green after
all ! He dipped over the side of the boat, and proceeded
to drink the water with as great confidence as he had
done throughout our journey. " Ah ! salt, salt," he
cried, and began to spit, while his companions enjoyed
a boisterous laugh at his expense.

This evening a great wind rose, and our tiny boat had
to put back into a sheltered corner. We expected the
breeze would allow us to sleep ; but it was soon calm and
hot. The mosquitoes did not give much trouble, but the
sand flies came through our curtains and rendered our
position wretched in the extreme. Seldom have we

304

A MISERABLE NIGHT.

passed a more miserable night. Yet we could not fail
to appreciate one beautiful episode. A canoe passed us
playing a sansa (I. 272), while certain voices attempted
to sing with the instrument. Every note was distinctly
heard in the midnight stillness, and the canoe-men made
the grand old woods resound with the melody. We
listened with great fondness till the strains of their rude
music died away in the distance. About twelve o'clock
at night we asked the boys whether they could not push
off the boat, but after a fruitless endeavour to move it
along the sand, we had to make up our minds to endure
the situation longer. It was about two a.m. before the
tide reached us, and then they promptly released us
from our sufferings. As soon as the tide turned the
boys all went to sleep again, and we glided smoothly
along. But before reaching Quilimane we had to face
big waves. We arived at mid-day It was fifteen days
since we had left Blantyre.

We enjoyed the welcome and cordial hospitality of
Mr. and Mrs. Nunes. They had nearly been killed by
the same journey, and could sympathise with us. Our
oldest boy's face was one large blister owing to mos-
quito bites, and he and Mrs. Macdonald suffered much
from fever. We had to wait a few days for the steamer.
Antani often walked with me, and made his own obser-
vations on men and manners. We would meet a Por-
tuguese boy going to school with a negro behind him
carrying his books and cigars ! Antani said that the
Portuguese "drove the native children out of school
lest they should by and by know as much as white
men ". One day a man passed wearing a tall silk hat.

SLAVES IN THE LAND OF THEIR CAPTIVITY. 305

When at Blantyre,we had great difficulty in explaining

the pictures in the Graphic and London News on

account of the dreadful head-dress of the European.

Here we were fortunate in finding an actual specimen.

Antani gazed with wonder, and promised to report, on

his return to the interior that these strange hats were a

reality after all !

Once I took a long solitary walk into the country to

see whether I could meet with slaves that had been

brought from our district. I saw several Anyasa and

Walolo tatoos. After marching till I was tired I sat

down at a village to rest. Here I found a lad that

could speak Chinyasa. As we talked he stumbled on a

characteristic Yao word, and this led to his finding for

me two people that had come from the Blantyre district

long ago. They were charmed with an opportunity of

speaking their mother tongue, which they had not used

for many years, but which they said they would never

forget. As a group gathered round they took a pride

in shewing their Quilimane companions that they could

converse with a European in an unknown language.

But they were far behind in the history of their country,

and were taking for granted the existence of chiefs and

headmen that had long been gathered to their fathers.

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 Pollux, not knowing that the grave

" already possessed them in their dear native land ".

I could perceive that one especially looked back fondly

to olden days, while his breast filled with thoughts of

the. friends of his youth. ' Perhaps his mother was vet

20—2

306

MEMORIES OF HOME.

alive.' ' Had his brothers and sisters gone into slavery
like himself, or would they still send a thought after
him as they lingered about the scenes of bygone days ? '
He could not tell. He had formed new ties now, and was
quite happy, enjoying under the Portuguese a security
that he could not have found beside his own mountains.
Still, in spite of the treatment he had received in his native
land, there was a poetry about the past that prompted a
' lingering look behind '. He made an errand to Quili-
mane in order to accompany me back. His use of his
native tongue was considerably ' generalized ' by some
twenty years' disuse. He would often hesitate for a
word and employ general terms where his countrymen
would have given the special one. He complained of
the sun " killing " the com : the time was when he
would have said "scorching". We passed a Portuguese
churchyard where each tombstone was ornamented with
a large cross, but he said he had no idea what was the
meaning of the symbol.

Many Portuguese think that the natives are worse off
since the abolition of slavery. Formerly, masters were
at great pains to give their slaves personal comforts and
ornaments, which they do not think of giving now,
because " the negro might make off with the gift next
day ". Wages is but little motive to work in a land
where there is no difficulty in getting the necessaries of
life. But under the Portuguese the natives may store
up property to an extent that would be dangerous in
the interior. There the possession of wealth makes a
man's life worth taking.

Strangers severely criticise the native for want of

NATIVE FORESIGHT.

307

foresight. A critic says : — " He ought to cultivate a
few more feet of ground, as a time of scarcity might
come." But it is the very foresight of the native that
prevents him from taking such a step. It is his critic
that lacks discrimination and not he. His critic applies
to him calculations that may be presumed upon, under
a civilised government. The native, on the contrary,
is familiar with the real situation. I once asked a
schoolboy, " Will you keep a cow when you become a
man ? " His reply was " As if I had three lives ! »
Nothing could better express the secret. If a man had
food in a time of famine, when all the others had not,
his position would not be an enviable one. Unless in
the immediate neighbourhood of the Mission, few had
goods laid up except chiefs, but if security were guaran-
teed, native avarice and ambition would take this
direction.

Natives see that they could make many improvements,
but they count the cost. Bishop Steere says : — " There
are no roads in this part of Africa, no carriages and no
beasts of burden, only a narrow footpath, so overgrown
sometimes that one wonders the men who pass along do
not clear it, until one remembers that the very last
thing an African wishes, is to have an easy road to his
village. If he could persuade himself that the next
comer was likely to turn back and think that there was
no road, he would sleep much more securely." We were
once walking along a native path with a person just
come into the country, and were amused to notice how
his taste was offended by small branches that were
lying on the path. He carefully laid them aside with

308 THE PORTUGUESE AND THE NATIVE.

his staff, under the belief that he was teaching the

O

natives a lesson, and conferring on them a permanent
benefit !

In Quilimane where natives enjoy European protec-
tion, they make advances in material improvement
But it is the lowest class of native that is found there.
When masters in the interior sell slaves, they first
dispose of the worst characters. Hence the settler on
the coast forms a harsh view of the black man. In
short he begins to despair of the native, and the native
in his turn may despair of him ! A Portuguese gentle-
man told me the following anecdote, which I mention
in illustration. A chief from Mlanje frequently went to
Quilimane, and a certain Portuguese lady used to treat
this native king with much deference. But one day she
had a young lad with her, and as they sat together, Mat-
apwiri came up and squatted beside the young Portuguese
gentleman. The latter resented this, and promptly gave
Matapwiri a blow. The lady interposed, 1 But this is
the great Matapwiri — there will be a quarrel if — ' ' I
don't care who he is. A native shan't come and sit
down by me that way ! ' Nothing could better shew
the light in which the European settler often regards
the negro. But some natives here show a desire for
advancement. One chief left his son as a slave in
Quilimane for several years. After the boy had been
initiated into civilized life he disappeared at once, no
one knew how or where : but he is said now to occupy
an important position in his native land. His father
had seen the importance of civilization and employed
this stratagem to educate his son. There are traits of

ALARMING REPORTS.

309

character to be met with, even amoDg the lowest natives,
that remind us of the words : —

" Deem our nation brutes no longer,

Till some reason ye shall find,
"Worthier of regard and stronger,

Than the colour of our kind.
Slaves of gold, whose sordid dealings

Tarnish all your boasted powers,
Prove that you have human feelings,

Ere you proudly question ours."

Quilimane, like all other places which we might think
beyond the reach of history has its incidents too. One
day we found the whole population in a state of great con-
sternation owing to a report that Tete had been attacked,
and that its Portuguese inhabitants were in danger
of being massacred. All these Portuguese stations on
the Zambeze are usually well protected by soldiers, but
the garrison had been temporarily absent and now news
had come that the natives had risen against the towns-
men. The keeping of standing armies here is a hard
task. Some of the soldiers are half-castes and they as
a rule are more troublesome than pure natives. 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 window.

At Quilimane there was a functionary appointed to
dispense floggings, and when a slave or servant offended,
the custom was to send him to this man with a slip of
paper which stated how much punishment the culprit
was to receive !

One point where the Portuguese differ very much
from U3, is in their estimate of Livingstone, whose life

310

AT ZANZIBAR.

they criticise with the greatest severity, their remarks
almost reminding one of the hard things that old
Roman Catholic writers used to state regarding Luther.
When at Blantyre, we used to get the Magololo head-
men to talk about their late master, and they certainly
recounted many exploits that were quite new to us,
only before being influenced by their statements we had
to remember that these men would speak what they
thought would please us best, and when they discovered
that we looked on Livingstone as a hero, they would
mention a great many things that agreed better with
their own ideal of a hero than with ours.

When the steamer at length arrived, Antani came on
board with us and went over the whole of it, promising
to tell his friends, on his return, of the wonders of the
1 large boat,' and so we parted.

At Zanzibar as I looked down from the side of the
steamer on the native boats, I was hailed in the Yao
language. I replied in the same, and a spirited con-
versation began. The young man that accosted me was
not a Yao but a Makua, only he had been in the Yao
district. He soon collected his friends, and they were
in great glee over an Msungu who could speak in the
languages of the interior. Natives are here much freer in
conversing with the European than in Quilimane, where
the Portuguese make them keep a respectful distance.
They told their friends in the town about us, and as we
passed along the streets we met some that could say
' achimwene ' and who gave us a cordial greeting. At
Zanzibar we saw Dr. Steere's Mission, which was a
very cheering sight. At Blantyre we were often sus-

MISSIONARY WORK.

311

tained, and much more than sustained, by the thought of
what we looked forward to as the infallible result of
some ten years' honest work. Here we saw the result of
t wenty years' work and it could not fail to be gratifying
to one that considered the subject. Dr. Steere says to
those that would estimate Missionary difficulties, ' You
must pause for a while and find yourselves, as we did,
standing opposite five boys with scarce any clothing,
in dreadful fear of something far worse than slavery or
death, and we unable to make them understand one
word'. Such is the commencement. By and by he
can write, "We have no longer to begin with an English
reading card because we have nothing else. We have

p

reduced the Swahili to writing and found out its
grammatical rules."

When I passed Zanzibar the Swahili Bible was fast
approaching its completion ! We ask any one to reflect
what great labour this implies. If we lived in times
when Church censures took a tangible form, 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
Church, the sentence would be equivalent to excom-
munication for life. Most men would be too discouraged
to attempt the task amidst other work, and the various
interruptions that they might count on. But the •
Missionary has to write the Bible in a Foreign language
amidst much pressure of other work, and many inter-
ruptions that no man is subjected to amidst European
civilization, and if a single or even a twofold copying of
his material be sufficient, the circumstance would say a
great deal more for his present peace of mind than for

312

THE INTERIOR.

the permanent value of his work. All the time he
is translating he is obliged to keep up the closest inter-
course with the natives, ever learning from them, and ever
teaching them, introducing reading books, founding
schools, forming friendships and consecrating these
friendships by imparting views of life that go beyond
the seen and temporary. Besides having stations on
Zanzibar, Bishop Steere * has been carrying his work far
into the interior of the Dark Continent.

The interior is in some respects the more promising
field. There are many highland sites where the Euro-
pean can work with all his might. He can study hard,
and personally engage in teaching without suffering
in health, 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 bay.
Again in large places where an artificial civilization
shews itself, the Missionary takes his position not
merely as a man, but as a civilized man, and this
makes a breach between him and his dark friend,
which the latter feels very much. I have sometimes
been sitting in conversation with an old headman when
another European would join us. Then the English

* Since the above was written we have received the sad news that
this devoted servant of God has been called away. His death will be
a great loss not only to his own Mission, but to the whole cause of
African Missions. While at Elantyre we occasionally corresponded
with him, and it was with interest and sympathy that he looked upon
our work in the region once occupied by one of his predecessors.
Indeed he had himself laboured for a short time as far inland as
Morumbala. His contributions to the study of African languages are
of the greatest value.

SPECIAL DIFFICULTIES.

313

language was spoken, and our native friend would say
with sadness that he " did not know English," and he
would sit in silence evidently regretting that his white
friend was not so near him after all. This is only an
illustration of peculiar disadvantages which are greatly
done away with in the wilds of the Interior. All
this, it may be said, is counterbalanced by the fact that
in the interior there are constant wars. Such diffi-
culties however will gradually pass away as the evan-
gelistic work is quietly carried on, and most of them
may be met by the simple plan of carefully placing a
Mission station in the disturbed district. The one
great obstacle in the interior is the difficulty of com-
munication, and the want of all appliances from books
downwards.

Beyond Zanzibar, the next place where we see any-
thing of the African is at Aden, where we meet speci-
mens of the Samali in a few active boys with dyed hair,
who crowd round the steamer to dive for coins. There
happened to be a Samali boy on board our steamer,
as also a Makua. Owing to quarantine laws their
masters could not land, and a number of pilgrims for
Mecca had to be brought on to London. The mention
of London had a dispiriting effect upon the Asiatics.
They were certain the cold would kill them, and went
about weeping — not weeping like a European — the poor
fellows actually " lifted up their voice and wept ".
Withal their misfortune made them more demonstrative
in their devotions. Some of the passengers evinced a
strong disposition to laugh at this, others maintained that
few Christians would be so exemplary in calling upon

314

NEGRO HOPKFuLNESS.

their God. "We shoulcl be able to get some good out of
everything, and we have often admired the regularity
with which as the moment arrived, they turned their
faces towards Mecca and knelt down to pray. One
feature in the Christian is that when on a journey,
although he meet other Christians, he wishes to worship
by himself. Thus he avoids the dreaded charge of
hypocrisy, but there is something that should be
dreaded on the other side. He may begin to forget
that his religion is something that ought not to be
selfishly shut up in his own bosom. The forms of
Mahonimedanism seem to draw its worshippers together.
But alas ! they appeared to derive but little comfort
from their earnest supplications. They always had a
sadness about them. After a long residence among
natives that kept sorrow no longer than sorrow kept
them, this struck me as the manifestation of a new
temperament. The only man that could be cheerful
was the Makua servant, who was known as the " big
grinning nigger ". The grief of the others threatened to
make them unmanageable. But the hopefulness of this
representative of the Lake Begion, might well make us
hopeful for his race, and we have no doubt that the
time is fast approaching when these African tribes will
be "made glad according to the days in which they
have seen evil " !

We gazed wistfully as the great continent was within
sioht for the last time. On one side we had Gibraltar

o

brightly lighted up, and suggesting so much historical
interest. But on the other side there was a solitary
lighthouse that touched a deeper chord in our hearts

A FAREWELL.

315

as it flashed a farewell from the Dark Continent. There
rose before our minds all the hopeful days we had spent
in that land of promise, while to our lips came the
line which we ventured thus to misquote : —
" Moritur3 et moriens dulces reminiscitur Afros."

End of Vol. JL

APPENDIX.

AFRICAN FOLK LORE.

APPENDIX TO VOL. II.

NATIVE TALES.

" Children's Tales now, but not the invention of a child's intellect." —
Bishop Callaway.

The time has now come when Folk Lore is considered
valuable for its own sake. It is hoped, too, that these
simple African Tales will throw some light on the native
mind. But it must be remembered that when rendered
by a native reciter they have a character which no
translation can reproduce ; moreover, tales that appear
quite pointless to a European, will make an old native
laugh till tears run down his cheeks.

Orginally, some of these Tales may have been an
account of actions that really happened, and which
floated down the stream of time long after the agents
had sunk in oblivion. Then as now, the name of each
native was significant, and as these actions kept afloat
they drew to themselves appropriate names. If the
action was clever, it was attributed to a Mr. Eabbit
(who corresponds to the Fox of European talcs) : while
every hero remarkable for gluttony — a trait of character

320

ON AFRICAN FOLK LORE.

likely to be noted in those primitive days — is a Mr.
Hyaena (who corresponds to the Wolf of our Western
tales).

As might be expected there is a great difference
between African Folk Lore and European. After seeing
African habitations, we scarcely expect to be told of a
damsel "shut up in a tower "or "peering into a for-
bidden room," and after meeting natives in their or-
dinary costume, we should be surprised to find Tales of
" beautiful dresses and slippers of gold ". Again, in
African Legends we seldom encounter statements like
the following which meet us almost everywhere in
Grimm's Fairy Tales : — " A poor peasant was so desti-
tute that he did not possess a foot of land ". " It was
with difficulty they could maintain themselves, at length
matters became worse, they had no longer even bread
to eat." "A poor man had twelve children, and was
obliged to work day and night to obtain even bread for
them." "What will become of us? How can we feed
these poor children when we have nothing for our-
selves ? " Except in days of famine sad pictures like
these would have no meaning for the African. But at
the same time there are pleasant pictures in the Euro-
pean Tales that the African cannot appreciate. Earely
does the Bard of Central Africa go into raptures over a
" handsome virgin " or a " maiden of rare beauty ". He
knows nothing of such a personage. But this is not the
fault of the negro woman. The enormous ring in the
upper lip and the deep tatoos that mark her face, chest,
and arms shew how desirous she is to please and to
attract attention. Yet, although she carries small stones

THE STYLE OF AFRICAN TALES.

321

in her mouth to improve her speech (which has no
defect like that of Demosthenes), she does not induce
any poet to sing that "her voice is low and sweet".
She certainly does not merit all this neglect, and it is
chiefly on account of African marriage customs that it
falls upon her.

It will be perceived that the style of these stories is
very primitive compared with English. The sentence,
" He proposed to go back, and on arriving at his home
he gave meat to the nurse, and asked after his children,"
would in the mouth of the African become : — He said,
" Let us go back " (and they replied, " Very well, let us
go"). Then they set out to go back. When they
arrived at the village he (stood on the path and) called
and said, " Nurse ". The latter said, " Yes, I am here ".
Then he said, " Take this meat "• He said also, " Now,
are the children all well," and the nurse said, " Yes, all
are well ". So when our pupils wrote on Scripture
subjects they did not hesitate to attribute to speakers a
conversation which was not recorded. For instance, if
the third verse of Genesis had really been, " And God
created light," they would have rendered it, "And
God said, Let there be light, and there was light ".
We often felt that their peculiarity might illustrate
questions about the Verbal Inspiration of the Scrip-
tures.

These tales have been selected and literally translated
from my Manuscript Collection of Tales, Songs, Enig-
mas and Itagu. Number 54 was communicated by Mr.
John Buchanan, F.L.S.

21—2

322

NATIVE TALES.

31. THE DEAD CHIEF AND HIS YOUNGER BROTHER.

There was a chief that built his village large, and he
had many women, and he had a younger brother who
did not come to his chief. The chief became ill and
died, his brother was left, and went to inherit the title
(97). Then arose a great war in order to capture those
women. The (new) village chief had tied up bundles of
beans. And the people that wanted war came and sat
in the forum, and he hid himself and peered at them as
they sat there. Then he said, " These people are many,
I will consult the chief at the grave" (14). So he went
and clapped1 his hands and told the chief who was
dead. The latter said, "It is long since you visited me
when I was alive, what is the mater now ? " He
replied, " Alas ! 0 chief, I have seen enemies, yea,
many are at the village (here), and I said, ' I will go
to ask of the chief". The latter said, "Go and
salute these people ". Then he went to salute them,
and the people that wanted war, said, " In this land
many plants have yielded fruit which are tied in
bundles". So they said to themselves, "He (the chief)
is a very wise 2 man, and knows about a relish stored
in bundles ".

They returned, and went home and met the king of

1 Clapping the hands is a form of salutation. His elder brother
whom he succeeded is now his god.

s Besides regarding the strength of armies, the natives look greatly
to the cleverness of those that possess tempting property, believing, as
they do, that a clever man is sure to have a powerful war-medicine.

WISDOM VERSUS POWER.

323

their own home, who was called Manjelele, and said,
" 0 king, you are very stupid. That man is exceedingly
wise". He said, "Nonsense — go away again, capture
in war all the women and bring them". Then the
army went back and caught all the women. The chief
himself also ran away, and again he went to the grave
and said (to his dead brother), " Chief, I have come on |
account of my women, they are all carried off by war ". J
Then his brother gave him four small bags, and said,
" Well, follow the army to their village " : and he added,
" Should you find a large tree unloose one little bag ".
So he took them, and he found the large tree put in his
way, and he opened, and a wood-moth came forth and
entered the tree and gnawed, and a passage was made,
and the chief passed through with his attendant.
Again he followed on in the track of the army, and
he found that a stone had been put in his way farther
on, and he opened another bag and there came out a
manis (mbawe) and dug under the stone ; and he passed
through with his attendant. Again he followed the
tracks of the army, and beyond that he found the
river, which the army had passed in a boat. Then
he opened (the third bag), and there came forth a
spider and went to the other side, and he crossed
with his attendant and arrived at the village whence
the war had come, and he sat down at the road to
the village to wait till darkness came on. As soon as
it was dark, he opened the other bag also, and a rat
set off for that village and went to a basket, and it
slept there. By and by the king that had begun
the war came to sleep, and on going to sleep he took

324

NATIVE TALES.

away his eyes3 and put in the basket, and the rat
took the king's eyes. At dawn he called his men,
and said, " Let all assemble with their captives that I
may see them ". The men assembled, and said, " Now,
tell the king to come and see his prisoners ".

The king came and took a chair to sit on, and called
for his eyes, saying, " Fetch my eyes from the basket,"
and they looked in the basket and found that his eyes
were not there. The king cried, saying, " What shall I
see my prisoners with ? " The other chief stood across
the stream and said, " Let me go back with my people.
I also have captured in war, I followed you. The eyes
of the king I have carried off."

And the king cried, saying, "My men, give up his
people ". Then his men said to him, " We told you, 0
king, that we must not go yonder to capture in war.
Lo ! the people will return without being seen with
your eyes," and they restored all the people. Then the
chief at the grave said, " I told you to follow the army.
Lo ! all the people have returned."

32. THE CHIEF THAT HOED AT THE GRAVES.

There was a woman that had a little child, and she
hoed a garden at the graves, and there came a little
man from the graves — little Amlele. The woman
wished to hoe, and she loosed the child, and made the

' Here we may trace some hazy idea about the use of spectacles.

THE CHIEF HELD RESPONSIBLE.

;]25

stump of a tree bear him (tied him to a tree). Then
rose Amlele and said "To make the stump bear him
rather than a person's side ! " and he took care of the
child and carried him to the graves. Then she hoed till
she was tired. And she said, " Now I will call for my
child," and she called for him, saying, "Amlele, give
me my child". And he gave him to the mother her-
self. Then she went to the village, but did not tell
that she hoed at the graves and that there was a spirit
nursing her child.

"When she went on the morrow to hoe, she saw that
little Amlele was come again ; again he began to call
for the child. Again he went with him to the graves,
and cut open his skin and put him in the sand (beside
the water). And the woman hoed and was tired again,
and she called Amlele without success — he did not bring
back the child again.

And she went to call those at the village, saying,
" My son was carried away to the graves by one that
did not come back with him". Then the people ran
and went to the graves there, and they found him put
down in the sand, and they cleaned off the sand, and
returned from the graves to the village, mourning.
And they went away to the oracle of the Humble-bee,4
and he spoke with a low voice, and said, " But the
chief is the man that wants to destroy us out of the
country ".

All the people ran away because of witchcraft. The
oracle has caught the chief of the village, because he

4 "We translate the sorcerer's name.

326

NATIVE TALE?.

hoed at the graves and bewitched his child in order that
Amlele should eat it (106).

The chief said, " Now I am left alone. I will
make friendship with the guinea-fowl," and he did so.
And he said, " Go away, pick up many masukus and
their stones, and sleep in a plain without trees". It
picked for him ten baskets, and he said, " Sow every-
where," and it sowed in the whole plain. He him-
self slept in the middle of the plain. Next day he
awoke and found many houses, the masukus had become
men.

Then he brewed beer, saying, "Now, I have, found
another village ", And he called the guinea-fowl, say-
ing, " Friend, come now, there are many people ". And
they went together (the guinea-fowl and Simwe *) to
drink beer. And it said, " But do you, my friend,
leave off speaking evil, lest the people be startled at
you".

Then they drank beer, and Simwe became drunk, and
said, " I am the chief, these are my own people, 1
picked up ten baskets of masukus, I sowed in the plain,
and the masukus became men". Then his friend ran
away from him, saying, " His words are bad, he cannot
stay with people ". So he slept again, and he awoke —
his people were not, because (said they) he takes us for
masukus 6 : so he was alone. Then he clothed himself

* Simwe was the name of the chief.

5 The fruit of a native tree. The creation of these men reminds us
of the story of Cadmus, while a disappearance of this kind is common
in other native tales ; sometimes the people go away because " called
by their birth names " (§ 52).

THE WIZARD FORSAKEN BY ALL.

327

with the skin of a civet (?) (ngwime) (a creature which
sleeps on an ant-hill), and whenever he saw a person he
called him, saying, " You there ! come near," and the
person ran away. When the person ran away, he said,
" I am bad. I cannot stay with my fellow men."
Then he went away journeying in the great bush. He
asked for a village, and the tolo (a small mole) responded
and said, " Come to my home and dwell there. I have
built a stone house." So he accompanied (the tolo) ;
let the man look at its house ! it is not good ! its door
is the heads of cockroaches ! And he said, " Ay ! you
deceiver of me : I enter a small hole ! " And Simwe
said, " I will bring the nyingalwe against you ". And
he brought against him his friend (the nyingalwe), who
said, "You are a great liar — a rascal — a deceiver of the
chief, saying to him, ' Come let us enter a stone house,'
which was just a little hole, but may you never
thrive ".

But the tolo cursed the nyingalwe, saying, " But may
you never cross the road except you die," and the
nyingalwe crossed the road and died. [As the natives
believe strongly in charms we need not wonder that
they invoke a sorcerer to curse their enemies, in the
same way as did Balak the son of Zippor.]

33. THE FOX AND THE HYENA.

The hyena made friendship ; two days after, he set
out, and he said, " But let an attendant go with me ".

328

NATIVE TALES.

They said, " Let him go with the mbendu," (a creature
with little spots like the njusi *).

They were going along the road and the hyena
said, " If we meet with women washing grains of millet,
you will ask for water, and I shall ask for millet ! " As
they went on they met the women washing the millet
and the mbendu said, " Give me water," while the
hyena said, " Give me millet ". The women took
millet in a plate to give the hyena, and they give the
mbendu water in a cup.

The latter said, " Come let us wash it that it may be-
come soft," but the hyena refused and said, " Why did
you not beg your own for yourself ? " and he chewed it
alone 6 without giving to his attendant.

Farther on he began to tell him again saying, " If
we meet with the women cutting sugar cane, you will
beg the leaves, I shall beg the canes, we shall tie them
up". They went forward and met with the women
cutting sugar cane. The hyena said, " Give me the
canes," the mbendu said, " Give me the leaves ". They
cut four canes and gave the hyena, and they took
leaves and gave the mbendu. The mbendu said, " Let
us tie them ". The hyena was fierce and said, " Ah I
for whom ? " and did not give him.

And they went beyond that and came to another
place and found a lake, and he said, " The village we go
to is there. If we have porridge cooked for us and tie

* Parenthetical remark made by the narrator.

6 This character is always given to the hyena (litunu), which corres-
ponds to the wolf in European tales.

SELFISHNESS.

329

it up in a leaf,7 then if you hear at the lake lino-lino-
lino-lino-lino you ought to run away and throw down
the leaf of porridge."

Farther on the hyena said, "This is medicine, if we
get porridge, you will come to dig it ".

He went on and arrived at the village of his
friend, and the latter said, " My friend has come," and
he killed fowls, and cooked, and made porridge, and
said, " Let us give the strangers," and porridge was
put down : when the hyena began, " Bring that medi-
cine that we may eat it to the porridge ". The mbendu
went off running. After that the hyena cut leaves to
set down everywhere and he ate up all the porridge
When the mbendu returned, he said, " There came a
great party, look at the leaves (which were used as
plates) here sat some, here sat others, here sat others".

The hyena said, "Let us go home to-morrow". The
mbendu said, " Yes, let us go ; " the mbendu was starv-
ing. Next day there was porridge cooked for them,
and he said, "Tie it all up, tie it in leaves". The
mbendu tied up the porridge and carried it. On the
way the hyena said, " I will pass this way, let us meet
farther on ". The mbendu kept going just on the path,
the hyena went to the pool and dived, and put out his
mouth, and said, " Lino-lino-lino-lino-lino ! " The
mbendu was afraid, and threw the leaf with the por-
ridge into the lake. The hyena took it out and went
to devour it.

When he came farther on he met with the mbendu

7 Nothing is commoner than to see natives carrying porridge in
leaves.

330

NATIVE TALES.

who had nothing to carry. He asked him saying,
"You have thrown away that leaf? Quite right ! you
were wise, the wild beast would have bitten you."
When they reached their home the villagers said, " You
are thin, mbendu, you are thin ! " He said, " Umph !
hunger ",

They staid five days at home. The hyena said, " I
will go to my friend's again. Who shall 1 go with
to-day ? " Then the Mbendu refused, and he said,
"Come, fox,* let us go together". The fox said, "Yes,
chief, come ", So they went together.

When arrived at the road, the hyena gave instruc-
tions, " You, fox, if we meet with women — you will
beg water, I shall beg grain"- They came to the
women. The hyena said, " Give me grain ". The
fox said, " Give me grain and the water also ". The
hyena took grain, and it was given him on a plate,
the fox also took grain, and it was given him in his
hands, and water also in a cup. The hyena said,
" Give the hyena that water ". The fox said, " Why
did you not beg your own ? " Then the fox refused to
give him.

Further on the hyena said, " Now this pool is dread-
ful ". The fox asked, " Why is it dreadful 3 " The
hyaena said, " If one carry porridge, a wild beast is
dreadful ". The fox said, " How does it say when
roaring ? " The hysena said, " It says Lino-lino-lino-
lino". The fox said, "Ay!" The hyena said, "If
you carry a leaf with porridge you should throw it

* The original is Eabbit or Hare.

PUNISHMENT OF SELFISHNESS.

331

down ". He said, " Yes " They advanced and came
farther on, and he said, " This is medicine, if porridge
is cooked at the village you will come to dig it ". But
the fox left his arrow, he went farther on, and said,
" Master, I have forgotten that arrow ". He said,
"Where?" He said, "Where you showed me the
medicine there"- He said, "Fetch it"- The Fox
went running and came to the medicine, where he had
left his arrow, and he dug and put the medicine in his
bag, and returned. And he said, " Have you picked it
(your arrow) up ? " He said, " Yes, I have ". And he
said, " Well, let us go on ".

They went on and arrived. The hyena's friend
said, " My friend has come. Kill a fowl for him."
They killed a fowl for him, and cooked porridge too,
and came with it and set it down. The hyena then
began saying, " Go and seek that medicine But the
fox took the medicine out of his bag and said, " Master,
this is that medicine". Then was the hyena very fierce,
and said, " You, fox, are clever at evil ! " The hyena
refused his porridge, saying, " You go on eating ", So
the fox ate.

The hyena said, " Let us go away to-morrow ". In
the evening a fowl was killed, that they might eat it with
their porridge. Next day porridge was cooked and the
fowl also and was given. He said, " Fox, tie it up
The fox then tied it, and went along the road. The
hysena said, " Go on before me, I will go this way, and
we shall meet in front". Then the hyena went
stealthily, and arrived in front, and let himself down
into the pool, and dived and put out his mouth wide

332

NATIVE TALES.

open, and said, " Lino-lino-lino-lino The fox said,
" Ah ! there's the wild beast ". The fox sat down and
took his knife and commenced to cut the bark-cords
(which tied the leaves), and he took a stone, then he
unloosed the porridge, and ate and finished it, entirely
eating it up, reserving only a mouthful, which he
plastered on the stone, and threw it into the mouth at
the pool, and the hyena died. The fox then ran and
cut off his head, and made a little drum and covered it
with the hyena's skin : then he went along the road,
and met women digging beans (njama). The fox beat
his drum, saying, " Ti, ti, war ". The women fled,* the
fox picked up the baskets and went home.

At the village they said, " "Where did you leave the
hyena ? " And he said, " We left them brewing beer
for him " • They found that it was indeed a stay, the
hyena never returned.

35. TAMING MONKEYS AND BUCK.

There was a man that tamed monkeys, while another
tamed buck, and they became friends. The owner of
the monkeys said, " Come to my home, you will see
monkeys ". Then he went to his home and found they
had gone out. He said " Friend, where have they
gone ? " He said, " They have gone to feed ". He
said, " Call them ". He went to call them and they
came : and he said, " These are my monkeys," and he
he said, " If I had seen them, I should have taken them

* This would be the certain result of shouting " war ".

SETTLING SMALLER QUAKRELS.

333

for food".8 (The monkeys heard this.) He said,
" Friend, don't say so, you will make my monkeys run
away ". Thereupon the monkeys did run away. He
(the stranger) said, " Come you to my home, you will
see buck that I have tamed". He went and found the
buck, and said, " These are meat to give me to eat ? "
The buck ran away to go to the jungle. His friend said,
" You have made my buck run away ". He said, " You
come and answer my accusation, let us go to the forum"-
Then the judges came and asked, "Who began it," then
they decided, " You must just pay each other " So
they paid each other in beer. They brewed, and in-
vited each other, and drank, and said, " That case is
finished ". Then both were contented. [This exempli-
fies a popular method of settling small quarrels.]

36. TAMING DOGS.

There was a land with a man.* This man used to go
to the moors of marsh pigs (?). When this man with
his dogs was going near a lake, they started a marsh
pig. and it fell into the lake. In the lake was a croco-
dile, and the man also went down there, and the
crocodile caught him, without biting him. The dogs
kept searching much for their master : their master was
placed in a cavern. Now the dogs in their search
sometimes went to smell the earth, and they scented
him. The dogs then set to dig in the earth there, and
they dug three days. On the fourth they penetrated

* A native version of " Once upon a time there lived a man ".
8 Monkeys are an article of food.

334

NATIVE TALES.

down, and their master was afraid again when he saw

9 O

(light). But soon he said, " These are my dogs ". Let
him look out, it is all light ! " Now my dogs have
penetrated ! ™ And he came out and went to the
village.

The villagers were mourning, and one child on going
round the house met him and returned again, and said,
" Mother, be quiet, don't cry, I saw my father ". Its
mother said, " You lie, your father was lost long ago ".
It said, " Mother, no, come, let us go to see".

"When she went along with the child she saw him, and
said, "Child, you don't lie," and she caught her husband
by the arm, saying, " Come to my house ".

And she said, " Explain where you went ". He said,
" I went to the moors, I was hunting a marsh pig, and
it sank in a pond, I also sank there, and my dogs sought
me, I came out, so that you see me here. Had it not
been my dogs, the crocodiles would have eaten me.
Dogs are good. People should keep dogs. " Then
many people said, " Yes, yes, yes, let us get dogs.
That man's dogs saved his life."

And each one there was buying dogs, each one there
was buying dogs. Then people got many dogs because
dogs had dug their master from the cavern.

37. ON OUE HOME (a YAO's HISTORY OF HIS TRIBE).

Here is not our home. We lived long ago at
Mansfochi, a large hill like Zomba. The Walolo lived
on the other side of the (river) Lujeuda, on the road to
Chisanga, The Walolo were capturing the Machinga to

A CHAPTER OF AFRICAN HISTORY.

335

carry them to Chisanga and exchange them for cloth.
The Walolo were brave, and had many guns. The
Machinga dwelt at Mandimbi, and the Walolo made
them flee. So the Machinga came to the country of the
Wayao, and the "Wayao fled. We removed from that
place, and went along the road, and the Wanyasa inter-
fered with us, and pierced us with arrows, and we began
war, and took their food from them.

The English lived with the Wanyasa. The Wanyasa
said, " Help us," and there began war with the English.
They all came to Ulumba (Vol. II 12). The English
read the book and prayed to God. On that day the
Wayao fled in all directions, and they returned and
found the Machinga following behind them. They said,
"Why do you turn back?" They said, "Why! we
have encountered white men ! " Then the Machinga
staid there, without advancing farther. After this all
the Wanyasa fled across the river, and the Wayao
settled in this land.

The Wayao had many fierce chiefs. The Mach-
inga killed one by treachery, some began to sell their
own people and were left alone, their people ran away
from them ; another was killed by the Mangoni.

War is an evil, it destroys people, there came famine :
after that people said, " Now let us go and hoe ". They
hoed much food.

The Magololo accompanied the English. When the
English reached their boat they left them and said,
" Now, be friends, war is bad, so leave it off, agree with
the Wayao ". The Book of God was brought forth and
all assented. The English said, "Now let us go home".

336

NATIVE TALES.

[Livingstone made the natives swear on the Bible that
they would live in peace.]

After this the Mangoni came, they crossed by boat,
they came in war. The Wayao ran to Ndilande. The
Wanyasa ran to the islands. They have many islands.
The Machinga ran to Zomba. The Walolo did not run
away.

Before those that fled had come down from the
mountains, the English came and settled in this land,
and the Mangoni went away. The people came down
from the mountains and farmed again (Vol. II. 25).

38. KALIK AL AN JE. 9

There was a woman who had a husband, and they
went to hoe in the garden and the man sneezed, and the
woman said, Gwigwigwi.10 The man asked her saying,
" What do you want ? " The woman said, " I want the
eggs of an ostrich ". The man said, " I want water
where frogs do not croak ". They both assented to the
bargain. The man went to seek the eggs of an ostrich,
and brought five, and gave them to his wife. The
woman went to seek water where frogs did not croak.
She went far, far away and found water. At that
water she met with Namzimu, the owner, who asked,
" What do you want ? " The woman replied, " I want

9 A similar story is found in Bishop Callaway's Zulu collection.
The name of the hero there is Uthlakanyana.

10 1 translated this from Chinyasa. I had also several Yao versions
of the tale, one of which says that the occasion of the bargain was
that they had knocked their hoes together.

AN AFRICAN " JACK THE GIANT KILLER ". 337

water, where frogs croak not " Namzimu said, " What
do you give in exchange for it " ? The woman
bargained with Namzimu saying, " I am with child :
when I bear the child I will give it to you ". Then
Namzimu said, " Draw water ". So she drew water,
and went to the village and gave her husband. The
husband said, "That is right, my wife". After this,
Namzimu went to the woman's, and said, " Give me the
child to eat ". The woman said, " No, the child is not
born ". Then Namzimu went away. There passed
three days, and the child was born, and the woman was
roasting* castor-oil beans, and the child leapt on the pot-
sherd, and said, "I am Kalikalanje ".

He went from the pot-sherd with his bow and his
spear and his four dogs. Then Namzimu quickly came
and said, " Now, give me the child to eat ". The
woman said, " Yes, I will give you him ". So she took
Namzimu and hid him in the grain basket, and took
bananas and put above him, and at night the woman
called her son, Kalikalanje, and said, " 0 please my son,
Kalikalanje, climb up here, and fetch bananas ".
Kalikalanje said, " No, I will climb upon the roof where
nothing dances (shakes) ". Then the woman told
Namzimu saying, " Dance on the roof there " ; (because
the woman wished to cheat her son). When Namzimu
danced, Kalikalanje however stood at the door and said,
" Ho ! what's that dancing there ? I don't want to
climb now on the roof where there is dancing ". Then

* The word for "roast" in Chiyao is Kalanga, hence the name
Kalikalanje.

22—2

338

NATIVE TALES.

Kalikalanje ran away, and Namzimu did not catch him
that night.

Next day the woman took Namzimu and went with
him to the garden,11 and hid him in the grass and said,
" Stay you here, this night I send Kalikalanje to come
and burn grass, and you will see (a lad) whose head is
shaved on one side 12 and who wears a black loin cloth.
That is Kalikalanje." That night the woman shaved
Kalikalanje on one side of the head, and put on him
black cloth and sent him to the garden and said, " Go,
burn the grass in the garden ".u So Kalikalanje took
his shaving knife and black cloth, and his dogs, and his
spear, and called his companions and said, " Come, to
the garden of my mother, to play ". When they came
to the parting of the roads, Kalikalanje told his friends
saying, " Come, let me shave your hair on one side, that
we may play properly". When he had shaved his
companions' heads, he put on them pieces of black cloth,
and said, " You all — your names are Kalikalanje, and
we shall go to the garden, when we burn grass, every-
one is Kalikalanje, Kalikalanje" His comrades assented
saying, " Very Good ! "

They came to the garden and burned the grass, and
all of them said. " Kalikalanje, Kalikalanje, Kalika-
lanje ". When they came to the large grass Kalikalanje
said, " Let us all come, and burn this grass with fire,

11 Or field.

12 It is quite common to see this mode of wearing the hair. As
the natives wear so little clothing, it is difficult to describe a person
so as to make identification easy.

13 Perhaps preparatory to hoeing.

THE "GIANT" KILLED.

339

round and round, and let us hold our bows in our
hands

Quickly Namzimu came out of the grass and Kalik-
alanje told his comrades saying, " Come, let us kill
him ". So they killed Namzimu with their bows. Then
Kalikalanje returned to the village and met with his
mother, and spoke to her, saying, " Mother, you wanted
a wild beast to eat me, now I kill you ", So Kalikalanje
killed his mother.

39. THE MAN AND THE LION.

There was a man that had four dogs for catching
meat, and one day the man was very hungry and he
said to his wife, " I go to the bush to kill meat ". His
wife said, " Yes, go and kill meat, my husband ".

The man took his dogs and his spear and went to the
bush. As he hunted he killed five buck.

Suddenly there came a lion and spoke with the man
and said,

"Take these buck, give your dogs to eat. When
they have eaten you must eat your dogs, then let me
eat you." The man said " No. I do not want to give
my meat to the dogs " . Whereupon there arose a great
quarrel between the man and the lion. Suddenly there
came a rabbit (fox) with his bag, and found them
quarrelling. The rabbit asked them saying, " What are
you quarrelling over ? " The man explained to the
rabbit the reason of the quarrelling saying, ' ' We quarrel
about meat that I have caught with my dogs ".

Then the rabbit spoke with the lion saying, " Why do

340

NATIVE TALES.

you want to eat your fellow-creature without a reason
against him." The lion said, " The reason of it is that
this bush is mine, and he has come to kill meat here.
Now I want him to give this meat to his dogs, then
his dogs will eat the meat, then he must eat his dogs,
and I shall eat him." The rabbit said, " Lion you
must not eat your fellow-creature because of his buck.
Come here I shall give you good meat, which is in a
pit-fall." The rabbit had seen a great pit-fall where a
serpent dwelt, and he said to the lion, " Enter this pit-
fall" When the lion entered, the rabbit called the
man and said, " Come with fire, now he who wanted to
eat you has gone into a pit, now come and let us kill
him ". The rabbit and the man lighted a fire at the pit
and killed the lion. After the lion died, the man and
the rabbit entered into a compact of eternal friendship.

40. THE BOASTED SEEDS.

There was an elephant and a rabbit that contracted
friendship. They agreed saying, " Let us go and hoe
our gardens ; " so they hoed. Then the rabbit said,
" But let us plant roasted seeds ". The rabbit cheated
the elephant, and the elephant assented saying, " Yes,
we shall roast them," so he roasted. But the rabbit hid
some of his seeds, then he roasted a few and said,
" Come let us plant," and the elephant planted roasted
seeds, but the rabbit planted seeds that were not roasted,
and ate his roasted seeds.

The rain came ; the seeds of the rabbit grew, but
those of the elephant did not grow, and he asked the

PUNISHING THEFT.

341

rabbit, "Well, when will my seed grow?" And the
rabbit said, " Wait, they will grow ". In the garden of
the rabbit many pumpkins bare fruit, and the elephant
said, " My friend has deceived me ". Then the elephant
went to the garden of the rabbit at night to steal the
rabbit's pumpkins.

In the morning the rabbit said, " I wonder who has
stolen my pumpkins ". The elephant said, " I do not
know ". The rabbit made a drum and went secretly to
his garden, and entered a large pumpkin* with his drum.
At night the elephant went and ate pumpkins. Next
day the rabbit was in the stomach of the elephant, and
he beat his drum; he beat and said, "You were finishing
my pumpkins, I have caught you myself " . Then the
elephant was very ill and died.

People came and said, " Meat has died for us here,"
and they opened the body and said, "Look at this
pumpkin ! " Others said, " Split it," and they split it,
— it broke — they found the rabbit. The rabbit on see-
ing people, ran away. And the people said, " Yes ! this
is what killed the elephant. No wonder the elephant
died!"

41. EOMBAO.

There was a man who had a wife and he took his fish
trap and went to the water to catch fish, and he caught
a large one. The fish said to the man, " Go inside me,
and you will find a knife and a bundle of millet, fetch

* In some of the largest native pumpkins a rabbit might be con-
cealed.

342

NATIVE TALES.

them and come here with them " So the man went
inside the fish and found a knife and a bundle of millet,
and he fetched them and came out with them. The
fish said, " Cut off my upper lip," and the man cut it off.

Then the fish said, " Take that meat, give it to your
wife that she may eat it alone, while you eat the
millet ".

So he went to the village. He found his wife and
gave her the meat saying, " My wife eat this meat alone.
When you have eaten throw the bones of it out there."
The man went to put the millet in the lake, when
it became .soft he went and ate it alone, for five days,
and his wife ate the fish five days !

After this the woman bare two children with their
two dogs, and two spears, and two guns, and their
names were the one Eombao, and the other Antonyo.14
Then they went to the bush and found many birds and
many buck, and they began to fire their guns, and the
buck ran to one place and the children followed them.
On their following there they met the owner, and he
asked them saying, " What do you want ? " They said,
"We want meat". The owner said, "What do you
give me, and I shall give you my meat ? " They replied,
" We will not give you anything, but come let us fight,
and whoever dies, the meat belongs to him that killed
him ". They began to fight and the owner of the meat
died, and they took the land and built houses and
settled there.

One day Eombao talked with his brother, and said,

14 This story comes from a native of Quilimane, and resembles a
European tale found in Grimm's Collection.

MARRIAGE CUSTOMS ON THE COAST.

343

" You stay here, I go yonder to kill meat ". Then he
met with a whale. He wanted to drink, and the whale
said, " Why should you drink my water \ " Eombao
said, " I am thirsty ". The whale said, " Pay me a
price for my water ". He refused, and said, " Come, let
us fight". Then they began to fight, and the whale
died, and Eombao cut off his tongue and put salt on it.

Now at that land there was a celebrated chief, the
owner of the country, and he gave up his own daughter
to buy water from the whale. The whale was dead,
and three days passed without the wind coming as a
token (that the girl had been eaten). So the chief sent
his captain and his soldiers, and said, " Go and see
whether the whale has come to eat my child". The
captain went with his soldiers to see the whale, and
came to where it was and found it dead.

Then the captain said to the soldiers, " Come let us
fire guns for two days, and go to the village and tell
that it was I that killed the whale. Then the chief
will give me his daughter to wed, and I will pay you
with much goods." They said, " Yes, what he says is
good". So they fired guns for two days, and went
back to the village with the girl and found the chief,
and said, "The captain has killed the whale". The
chief said to him, "Very well, I will give you my
daughter to wed ".

When the marriage day came Rombao sent his
younger brother, saying, " Go and see the wedding ".
He returned, and said, " The marriage feast is ready ".
Then Rombao went to the village of the chief and found
the people all assembled. The girl was speechless, and

344

NATIVE TALES.

her mother asked her, " Do you wish that captain to
marry you". The girl did not answer, but continued
weeping. Her father said, " But you will marry that
captain ". Rombao asked, " Why is the captain going
to marry her ? " They said, " Because he has killed the
whale ". Rombao said, " But where's the tongue of the
whaie ? " All the people said, "Yes, we want to see
its tongue ". So the captain sent his soldiers to bring
its tongue, and they went to look for the tongue and
found that the tongue was wanting. So they returned,
and said, " The whale has not a tongue — it is rotten ".
Rombao said, " That's false, that captain did not kill
the whale — it was I. Wait now, I will go and fetch its
tongue." He returned with the tongue to the chief.
Then the chief said, "Very well, do you take my
daughter to be your wife". Then the chief took much
goods and gave Rombao. Then he killed that captain
and his men likewise.

V

42. THE HYENA AND THE BEES.

A hyena and a fox went a journey; they found honey
(lit. bees) on a tree, but at the foot of the tree were the
cubs (lit. children) of the fox. The hyena said, " Give
me my bag," and he got it ; and the fox climbed the
tree to fetch the honey. Then the hyena took the
children of the fox, saying, " he would shew them to
his brethren," and he put them in his bag. But the fox
quickly observed that the hyena took her children, and
the fox took much honey (lit. bees) and came down with
it. Then the hyena ate the honey, but the fox said,

CATCHING A TARTAR.

345

" Give me the bag to carry for you ". The hyena said,
" Take it ". So the fox took the hyena's bag. Then
the fox said, "I have forgotten my knife". The hyena
said, " Go and fetch it "■ The fox went back to the
foot of the tree, and took out her cubs. Then she took
many living bees,15 and put in the hyena's bag, and
went back to the hyena himself. Then the hyena said,
" Have you found your knife ? " The fox said, " Yes, I
have found it ". But the hyena did not know that she
had taken her children out of his bag. Then they came
to the village, and he said, " Give me my bag. Good-
bye. Now we have reached my village." The fox gave
it him.

The hyena then went to his brethren, and said, "Have
you ever seen the children of a fox % " His brethren
said, " No " The hyena said, " There are in my bag
here ! " His brethren said, " Give it us that we may
see them ". The hyena said, " No, we must be in the
house ". So they went into the house and shut the
door, and then undid the bag. Then his brethren said,
" So these are the children of a fox ? Are they not
bees ? " They were stung. The hyena's brethren
roared terribly, and the fox heard their roaring, and
came to the door, and said, " What's the matter ? "
The hyena's brethren said, " The hyena has deceived
us, saying ' Come and see a fox's children '. We said,
' No ' " The fox said, " Oh, hyena, you took my

16 The Anyasa have the same word for bees as for honey. If we
were to translate the above so as to make this evident, we should
have " much honey of life," or, " much living honey ". The Yao
have two different words.

346 NATIVE TALES.

children, did you ? I put living bees in your bag.
You knew it not. Now they sting (lit. bite) you ! "
So the hyena and his brethren died.16

43. THE CROCODILE.

There was a man that lived by setting traps, and he
set his trap on a meadow by a stream and caught meat.
Then came a crocodile and took out (untied) his meat
and ate it, and went home. Next morning the owner
of the trap found that his meat had been eaten. Then
was he sad at heart, and said, " Who is this that has
eaten my meat ? " He set his trap again and went
back to the village. And meat17 came and was caught
(tied) again, and again the crocodile ate it. Next
morning the owner was sad at heart.

Then he set the trap at another place, and the
crocodile came again to eat the meat, but did not find
anything, and he began to search, and was caught in
the trap himself. Next morning the owner of the trap
came and found the crocodile caught in the trap. So
he took a spear and wanted to kill the crocodile, but
the crocodile said, " Please don't kill me, but let me
go out, I will go home and pay you because I have
been a thief". Then the crocodile said, "Carry me,
we shall go to my home," and it leapt on the man's
back, its claws (ikalawesa) entering his body.

16 Many tales 6peak of fatal results from bees. The unclothed
native we might think, would be peculiarly helpless among them.
Still, by using fire, he soon secures the honey.

17 JSyania applies to the animal when alive, as well as to the flesh.

A RESCUE.

347

Then a hare saw them moving in the water and
said, "You, man — where are you going?" The man
answered, "I set my trap, and caught my buck, and
this gentleman (chief) used to come and steal, but to-day
he was caught in my trap himself and said, ' Let me out,
I will go home and pay you for your goods ' "

The hare said, " I don't hear you, what do you say ? "
Then the man said the same words. Then the hare
said, " Are you abusing me? I don't hear what you
say. Come near, come near."18 Then the man said to
the crocodile, " Chief, listen, the hare says we must go
back a little ". Then the man repeated the same words
to the hare. The hare said to the crocodile, " Yes, that
is right. But first come off his back there." Then the
hare asked the man, " How did you set your trap ? Let
me see it." Then the man set it. The hare then asked
the crocodile, " And chief, pray, how did you get in ?
Let me see." The crocodile said, "I passed here, and
I passed here, and I went Gwede ! " there the crocodile
was caught.19 The hare said, " Now, do you, 0 man,
kill that vermin. It wanted to eat you." The man
killed the crocodile, but to this day remains a feud
between the crocodile and man.

18 In this way it is usual for villagers on the river hanks to chal-
lenge canoes. It would he very unusual for the crews to pass on
without heeding the call, for then the villagers might fire on them.
It is no excuse to speak of " heing in a hurry " in this land. The
same rule applies in the case of strangers passing a village. Euro-
peans, however, are understood to be always in great haste, and are
seldom interrupted.

19 The Hottentots have tales whose main feature is an incident
like this.

348

NATIVE TALES.

44. THE HARE AND THE BANGLES.

A hyena and a hare went to a village20 to marry.
They found women and said, " We want to marry ".
The women assented, but their mother said, " We don't
wear calico,* but the skins of lions, leopards and
pythons ". The hyena and the hare said, " Very
well, give us salt and bangles," and she gave them.

The hyena and the hare then went away, and on the
road they found a dead elephant. The hyena said, " I
will stay here," but the hare said, " No, chief, but let
us wait one day (without touching the meat) ". The
hyena said, " You are bad, such is your nature. Then
you may look for the skins of lions, leopards, and
pythons. But the lion is terrible." The hare said,
" I will try to kill a lion that my wife may rejoice and
say the hare is strong."

Then the hare took his bag of salt, and arrived at the
lion's village wearing bangles on his legs.21 When the
chief lion saw the hare disguised like a woman he said,
" You are my wife ". The hare consented and said,
" Yes, but your chief wife abuses me ". Then the lion
killed his chief wife and all her children. The hare .
said, " Take off their skins ". The lion then took off the
skins of his own kindred — and the hare and he were left
alone. Then the hare said,22 " My husband, your eyes

* A present of calico is usual at betrothals.

20 A man stays at his wife's village.

21 The ordinary dress does not distinguish a male from a female,
bangles would.

22 All these arrangements are concessions that the hare obtains
before the " marriage."

A DISGUISE.

349

terrify me ". The lion said, " Take them out ". The
Hare then put out the eyes of the lion, and killed him
and took off his skin, and took it and hid it by the
road, and then went to the village of the leopard.

When the leopard saw him, he said, " You are my
wife The hare said, " Very well — but your chief wife
abuses me ". The leopard then killed his chief wife and
all her children. The hare said "Take off their skins"-
So the leopard took off the skins of his relatives. Then
the hare said, "My husband, I want pythons' skins"-
The leopard went and killed pythons. The hare said,
" That is right, only your eyes terrify me " . The
leopard then said, " Put them out," then the hare put
out his eyes, and killed the leopard and took his skin.
The hare was then very glad, and said, " I have been
clever Then he took the skins of the lions, leopards
and pythons, and went away and met the hyena. The
hyena was astonished, and said, " Ugwi ! How have

you, 0 hare, slain . The skins of lions, leopards

and pythons ! " The hare answered, " I have slain
them with my bag of salt ".

The hyena said, " I will go to kill my skins ". The
hare said, " I am going for my wife ". He said, " Yes,
I will meet you there". The hare went to his wife.
She was very glad, and said, " My husband is clever,"23
and she put on the lions' skins. The hyena attacked a
lion, the lions were angry, and said, " 0 hyena, is it
war that you want ? " and they killed the hyena. The

23 A cleverness like this is much prized and practised by the
natives.

350

NATIVE TALES.

hyena's wife asked the hare, " Where is my husband " ?
The hare said, " He is dead ".

Then the hare staid at that village and was a great
chief.

45. THE HUNTER.

There was a man that used to kill game, and he went
to the bush to kill game, and shot a buffalo in the
evening. He cut it through the middle and took the
two hind legs, and left the other two and its horns, and
said, " I will take them to-morrow". So he went back
where his companions were, and found them, and said,
" Well, I have killed a buffalo and taken these two legs,
I left the other legs and the horns, but we shall go and
fetch them to-morrow ". His friends said, " Yes, that
is best (good) ". At night there came a hyena and
found the buffalo, and went round about it and put his
head into the breast (ribs) of the buffalo, and took it
and went with it to his village.

Next morning the owner of the meat called his
friends, and said, " Come now, let us go and cut up our
meat " . They went to the bush and found the meat
carried off by a hyena. Then the owner followed after
in the track in which the hyena had gone, and at noon
he met with the hyena going with his meat. "When it
heard his tread it sang, "Go in the path where it is
pleasant," and began to try to get out its head, but the
meat had dried oh its hair. And it sang again the same
strain, trying to get out its head but not succeeding.

The owner laid hold of the horns of the buffalo.

THE THIEF EEDEEMS HIMSELF.

351

When the hyena felt that the meat was stuck, it asked,
" Who is it that is catching me ? " The owner said,
"I, the hunter," and he scolded the hyena, and said,
" Where did you take this meat from ? " Then the
hvena began to speak with him, and said, " Please,
hunter, do not kill me, but release me, and I will pay
you when I go home ",24 So the hunter took his knife
and cut the ribs of the buffalo, and said, " Now come to
your home," and they went to the cave, and the hyena
said, "My wife is with children. Go now to your
home, but when this moon has finished, return, come
here and I will give you three children 26 because of
your meat." The hunter said, " I understand, I go
home ". So he took his meat and went home with it.

After this the hyena went and met with a lion, and
said, " Well, chief, if I give you an animal (meat) with-
out hair, what will you pay me % " The lion said, " I
will pay you whatever you want ". Then the hyena
took the lion and conducted him to his cave, and said,
" Do you, lion, go into this cave, and at the end of the
moon (month) there shall come an animal without hair ".
The lion asked, and said, " Where lives an animal with-
out hair ? In the bush here all the animals have hair.
But where will the animal without hair come from ?
Do you mean a man ? " The hyena said, " I mean a

24 The man is allowed his meat and the compensation besides.
But for the promise made by the thief, his life would not have been
spared. All these fables are in exact accordance with native customs.

25 This is one way in which the natives may " over-draw their
bills ". The promise does not seem in the least strange to those ac-
quainted with the slave system.

352

NATIVE TALES.

man ". So the lion entered the cave and waited for his

meat.

At the end of the month there came the man to
receive payment for his meat, and he found at the cave
the footprints of a lion, and he began to be astonished,
and said, " Has that hyena changed to a lion ? " He
was strong in heart and went into the cave ; but when
he met the lion and his wife in the cave he wanted to
go back. The lion began to be fierce, and said, " Why
do you go back, my meat ? " The man said, "I am not
your meat, but you ate my meat, and said, 1 Come at
the end of the month and I will pay you with three
children ' ". The lion said, " No, I did not eat your
meat. It was a hyena, and he told me to dwell in this
cave, and promised to give me meat without hair."

The man objected, and there arose a great quarrel,
and the hare came and found them quarrelling, and
said, " Pray, chiefs, leave off this dispute of yours. 0
lion, your elder brother 26 sent me to go and tell his
younger brother not to eat the man." The lion was
angry with the hare, and said, " Get away "• The hare
said, " You are angry, but I was sent by your elder
brother to ask you not to eat the man ". The lion
said, " Well ! but what am I to do with the man ? "
The hare said, " Give him to me, I will conduct him to
the path ". Then the hare took out a vessel of honey
and snuff (lit. tobacco for the nostrils), and took, and
the lion said, " Give me 27 that I may taste your snuff"

26 The elder brother is the head of the family or small clan (97).
37 A general that led an army against the Scotch Highlanders was
said to have committed a great mistake in putting his baggage

FOX STORIES.

353

The hare gave him, and the lion took (ate) it, and said,
" It is good ". The hare then took the honey into his
hands and began to eat, and asked the lion, " Do you
want these sweets that I am eating ". The lion said,
" Yes," and he gave him a little and told him to lick it.
Then the lion licked it, and said, " It is good, give me
more ".28 The hare said, " Well, I am willing to give
you, but you must first give me your tails, and I will
tie them together ". Then the lion assented, and asked
his wife, saying, " Listen, my wife, do you want to eat
sweets ? " His wife said " Yes ". The hare said,
" Come, I will tie your tails together," and the wife
came and gave her tail. Then the hare tied them
together. Next he took the man and went out with
him. The lion said, " Are you going away without
giving me my sweets'?" The hare laughed at him,
saying, " Ah ! I will never give you ". Then he took a
stone and threw into the cave and closed it, and the
lions died.

46. THE ELEPHANT AND THE HARE.

The elephant and the hare formed a friendship. The
elephant said, " Friend let us go and hoe a field ". The
hare said, " Come let us cut handles (for our hoes) ".

behind his army, and not in front. If the goods had been in front,
they would have absorbed all his enemy's attention ! The appearance
of eatables will divert the mind of a native king amidst the most
pressing civil cases.

28 Anything sweet is greatly liked. We often used to give the
natives sweetmeats. At first they were afraid to taste them. After
a time, however, their desire for these things became insatiable.

23—2

354

NATIVE TALES.

When they had cut the handles they said, " Come let us
put on our hoes ".29 When they had put on the hoes,
they said, " Come let us hoe ". As they were hoeing
the hoe of the hare came out, and it said, " I am here,
my chief, I have come to you to put in my hoe ". The
elephant said, " How will you put it in ! " The hare
said, " I will put it in on your head, I will use it (your
head) for a stone. When your hoe comes out, you will
come to me". The elephant said, "Fix it in". So the
hare knocked his hoe in, on the elephant's head. Soon
the hare's hoe fell out again and the hare came once
more to the elephant and said, " 0 chief, I have come to
put in my hoe on your head," and it put it in on the
elephant's head and then went away.

As they hoed, the hoe of the elephant fell out. The
elephant said. " Hare, 0 chief, my hoe has fallen out !
I will fasten it in on your head."30 The hare said,
"Wait for me a little:" and it ran off. When the
elephant went to look he saw no one.

47. THE FISH EAGLE AND THE MXG'OMBA.

A fish eagle and a mng'omba (a large bird that feeds
on shells) contracted friendship, and the fish eagle said,
"Friend, let us go and marry wives". They went to a
village and found a woman that had two girls. The
fish eagle said, " WTe have come to marry ". The man

-9 We should rather speak of putting on the handle (see H.).

30 Simple humour like this is greatly enjoyed by the natives. I
suppose their hares (sungula) like English ones, are most easily killed
by a stroke on the head.

THE DECEIVER.

355

said, " Very well. You have found girls here." So the
fish eagle married his wife and his comrade married also
his wife.

Then the fish eagle said one day to his companion,
" Come and let us kill fish ". So they went to a lake
to kill fish. The fish eagle killed many fish and the
mng'omba killed many shells. At night they said,
" Let us go home ". So the fish eagle tied up his fish
and the mng'omba his shells, and set out to return to
their village.31 When they were half-way, the mng'omba
persuaded the fish eagle saying, " Give me your fish, I
will carry them for you ". So the fish eagle gave him
his fish while he took his comrade's shells.

Then the mng'omba went on before32 and ran fast and
arrived at the village and took the fish eagle's fishes and
gave to his mother-in-law. Afterwards the fish eagle
came and found that the mng'omba had divided his
fishes. But the fish eagle did not speak a word, he
preserved silence.33 His mother-in-law said, " You told
us you were going out to catch fish, but where are
they ? " But the fish eagle did not answer his mother-
in-law. Then she kept abusing him and said, "You

31 The village according to native law (97), would belong to their
father-in-law, and neither they nor their wives could succeed him. The
father-in-law even if he had no younger brothers, would be succeeded
by the children of his eldest sister.

32 People always march in Indian or rather in African file. The
paths do not admit of two going abreast. Even after a wide road is
made, the natives still march behind each other (one by one), in a
long line.

33 Natives often act thus, knowing perhaps that the value of their
word is very little.

356

NATIVE TALES.

are not a good husband. I will take my daughter from
you and give her to the other man." The fish eagle
went to his house to sleep without speaking a word.

Next morning the fish eagle said to his comrade,
" Come again to the lake to catch fish"- They went.
The fish eagle killed many fishes, the mng'omba many
shells. On their way back34 when they were half way
to the village the mng'omba wished to persuade the fish
eagle again. But the fish eagle refused and said, "No.
You cheated me yesterday and said, ' Give me your fish
and I will carry them for you,' and I gave them and you
ran away with them and went to the village and gave
vour mother-in-law saying, ' I have killed these fishes,'
and my mother-in-law laughed at me yesterday, but to-
day I don't want to give you my fishes, I will carry
them myself". The mng'omba was very angry and said,
" You are not good," and the fish eagle asked, " How?"

Then they came to the village and the fish eagle
gave his fishes to his mother-in-law, and she was glad
and said, " Now ! you are indeed a good son-in-law ".
But with the mng'omba she was angry and said, " Yes-
terdav you came with fishes, but to-day where are
they 1 " The mng'omba told a lie and said, " The fish
eagle took my fish from me ". The fish eagle heard the
words that the mng'omba spake.

Next morning the fish eagle called his father-in-law.*

34 Abridged. In the native tales we always have repetitions like
what are found in Homer's Iliad and such ancient books.

35 In these genderless languages, we have for father-in-law and
mother-in-law the same word in the original. But for native glosses,
I should have been inclined to translate ' father-in-law ' all through.

THE DECEIVER PUNISHED.

357

" To-day I want five men to go with me to the lake to
fetch fish " . His father-in-law said, " Very well," and
gave him five men. The mng'omba said also, " Give
me five men to carry fish". His father-in-law said,
"Very well," and gave him five men. Then they both
wTent to the lake and the fish eagle said to his men,
" Put up tents (of grass), let us dry our fishes (in the
sun)," and they put up (tied)36 three tents. The mng'-
omba told his people saying, " Put up three tents, let
us dry our fishes " .

The fish eagle went into the lake and began to kill
fishes and killed many. His men opened them up and
dried them. The mng'omba went into the lake and
began to kill many shell fish, and he called his men and
said, " Bring baskets and put in the shellfish " . His
men said, " We don't want to carry shells (or shell-
fish.37) At the village you spoke saying, ' I go to kill
fish,' but where are your fish ? "

Then the mng'omba began to be angry and abused
the fish eagle. The fish eagle became angry too, and
they began to fight.38 The fish eagle scratched the
mng'omba on the face (eyes) and on the neck, and the
mng'omba was ill and cried, saying, " Mh'm mh'm
mh'm !"

36 " Tie " is always used for " build ". Their houses are " tied "
together. Even in the houses built for the mission there was not a
single iron nail.

37 Same word.

38 Private parties often settle differences thus. Two women will
roll in the mud biting and scratching each other like furies. They
don't tear each other's hair, their hair being so short ; but their com-
parative nudity makes biting convenient.

358

NATIVE TALES.

Then they all went back to the village. The fish
eagle gave many fishes to his mother-in-law,35 but the
mng'omba gave nothing. Then his father-in-law35 drove
him away, saying, " Go from our home. I don't want
you.39 I want the fish eagle." Then the mng'omba
went away and the fish eagle remained.

48. THE LAD THAT FED ON AIR.

There was a lad that went to a large village to seek
(a girl) in marriage, and he found a woman that had a
female child. He asked the woman and said, " Please
give me your daughter, that I may marry her ". The
woman said, " Yes, I will give her to you ". Then the
lad was happy, and built his house and married his
wife.

Then his mother-in-law cooked porridge, and gave
him, but he refused, saying, " I don't eat porridge, but
air (mp'epo) " . The mother-in-law was surprised, and
said, " My son-in-law does not eat porridge, but air ! "

One day his mother-in-law sent him to the garden to
hoe, and he was seized with hunger, but his mother-in-
law did not give him porridge because he never ate
porridge.

At midnight he arose and went to the mortar and
put in his head and licked all the tlour (food) where the
women had been pounding. But his head stuck fast in
the mortar, and remained there. His (little) wife went
outside to seek him, and found him in the mortar, and
told her mother, saying, " Mother, come here and see

39 A good specimen of native divorce.

FIXED IN A MORTAR !

359

what my husband has done ". Her mother came and
found her son-in-law in the mortar, and said, " Son-in-
law, why did you refuse to eat porridge, lo ! your head
has stuck in the mortar, and what am I to do ? " The
son-in-law was much ashamed and did not speak. The
mother-in-law took an axe and split the mortar : the
son-in-law came out, and went into the house and did
not go out again.

[A similar tale is told of a woman whose husband did
not make her a proper mortar. At night she went to
lick any flour that might be left in the mortars of the
other wives. Her head stuck, but by her efforts to
disengage herself she turned the mortar over, when it
rolled down the hill, woman and all, greatly to the
alarm of the villagers, who all got up to see what could
be the matter.]

49. THE GIRL OF CLAY.40

There was a woman that took clay and made a child,
and clothed her with fine calico, and said, " My child,
I have made you of clay, if you see rain, run to the
village ". The girl assented to her mother. One day
there came other girls, and said to their companion,
" Companion, come and play ". They went to play.
They came to a lake, and took off their clothing, and
began to bathe. They spoke to their companion, and
said, "Come and bathe," she refused. They said, "You
are not good. Why do you refuse to bathe ? Are you
ill?" She said, "lam not ill".

40 This tale is exceedingly common — in various versions.

360

NATIVE TALES.

Next day they went to a distant lake, and took off
their clothes, and they said to her, " Come and play in
the lake " • Her mother had forbidden her. But she
went into the lake, and began to melt with the water,
and cried, "0 mother, come and take me". Her mother
refused, saying, " I told you long ago not to go into the
water, but you have disobeyed ". Then she died.

50. THE PYTHON.

There was a python, and it caught the child of a
buck (Ndogolo). It happened that the bush was
burning, and a flock of buck passed. The python said,
" Hoe to save me at the side here ". The buck said,
"What have you fed on? (What are you stuffed with?)"
The python said, " I have not fed on anything ". The
buck replied, " But we should be burned ". Then the
flock of buck passed on.

Then came a man with an axe in his hand. The
Python said, " 0 chief, hoe to save me ".41 The man
said, " Why, if I hoed to save you, you would devour
me". The python said, "No, I would not devour you".
The man came and hoed beside the python. The python
then said to the man, " Stay (sleep) four days, on the
fifth come back ". He said, " Yes, I understand, I will
come back ". So he went home and staid four days ; on
the fifth he went back, and found that the python had

41 Hoeing is one method of self-preservation, "when one is caught by
a bush fire. These fires are exceedingly dangerous. The smoke
accompanying them is quite blinding. On one occasion I was rescued
by natives from considerable danger.

A POTENT CHARM.

361

vomited — vomited everything — and had become a young
lad. It said, " Draw near, chief, that we may converse
over our business ". The man drew near, and the lad
said, " Put me on your shoulders ". He put him on his
shoulders, then they both entered a hole ; in that hole they
went on for three days. On the fourth day they came to
the home of the python, and he put down the python.
The latter said, "I should have died but for this man, he
hoed by my side. Those fellows of buck all refused to
hoe for me. He came and hoed to save me, else I should
have died." The python then brewed beer, and they set
to drinking, and drinking, and drinking. The man then
said, "I go home now". The python said, "Wait," and
he gave him four bales of calico, and also a bottle, saying,
" Should you encounter war, turn this bottle upon your
enemies, and you will find that they are dead ". The
man said, " Stay, friend," the latter said, " Go ",42

When the man arrived at his home, he found that it
was deserted — that war had been made against it.43 On
reaching his village he encountered enemies. Then he
1 ) rough t out his bottle, and pointed towards his enemies.
They were all pupulu (!) — dead and gone (!) (Wosepe
'wo pupulu ! kumala kuwa !)

Then the man went to his fields. While hoeing went
on an army had gathered against his village43. The
enemy pursued him to the fields where he was. 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
village, and the enemy had taken it. Now the enemy

42 The usual good-bye.

43 A common experience in these unsettled lauds.

362

NATIVE TALES.

caught the man and tied him with ropes (of bark), and
took him to their home. The capturers said, " Don't
kill him now, we shall kill to-morrow when the people
assemble". Then they went to put him in the slave-
stick. As he lay there, a Rat came, and the man said,
" Who is it that is gnawing at my feet ? "u The Eat
answered and said, " I am a Eat ". The man said, " If
you are a Eat, go into the house of the chief, and if you
find his basket, make a hole in it, when you have made
a hole, if you find a bottle bring it and come here ". So
the Eat set off and went into the house of the chief and
found the basket. It w7as lying so. Then came the
Eat and made a hole in the basket and took the bottle
and went with it to the bondman. The bondman said,
" I will pay you in the morning ".

In the morning as soon as it was dawm, the king
assembled all his people, and went to bring forth the
man from his prison. He had his bottle with him.
He wTas set down in the forum. Some said, " Fetch the
spear to kill him ". He produced his bottle. The
people who sat there when he held it up were dead and
gone ! The man took all the property and called his
friend the Eat and divided it with him.

51. HIDE AND SEEK.

The honey bird and the bat formed a friendship.
The honey bird said, " Let us play at hiding ". So
the bat went under the trees near the river (or lake)

** The natives sleep through this treatment. The European
awakes with a scream !

HIDE-AND-SEEK.

(nyasa). Then came the likuse and swallowed the bat,
a crocodile swallowed the likuse, and a hippopotamus
swallowed the crocodile.45 The honey bird was going
about in search of his friend, but without finding him.
As he was returning from his search he met a hippopota-
mus and shot it. The hippopotamus died. The honey
bird went away to the village to call the people to cut
up the meat. Many people collected and went to that
meat. As they were cutting it up, they found the cro-
codile in the inside (chitumbo) of the hippopotamus. On
opening the crocodile they found the likuse, on opening
the likuse they found the bat. The bat came forth and
said, " You have gained ".

Next the honey bird went away. It went into a
hole (in a tree) of bees. The bat then went about in
search of its friend. In returning from this, it found
bees. The bat then said, " I will go away to the vil-
lage ". Then it took fire and said, " I will fetch my
bees (honey) I found there ". It carried the fire to the
tree and began to fell the tree, which came down. As
it looked at the bees, it found the honey bird there.
It said, " Take care, take care, we are going to burn ".
So the honey bird came out of the tree. The bat and
the honey bird then sang. Both went home to the
village laughing. When they arrived porridge46 was
cooked and they feasted.

The honey bird and the bat said, " Let us hide
again ". The honey bird had a gun, the bat had a bow.
The honey bird went to the bush, and killed a buffalo,

45 Natives are fond of working out a long series of this kind.

46 A great element in native rejoicings. It is the negro's bread.

364

NATIVE TALES.

and then went inside his gun, and the meat just lay
there. The bat came and found the meat lying, but
did not see where its owner had gone. Though he
called, all was silent — the owner came not. The bat
went to the village to call the people, saying, " I have
found meat yonder, which the honey bird has slain,
but I have not found where he has gone himself, only the
gun is lying there. An offering was then pounded by
his wives and put on the top of the buffalo he had slain.
The honey bird then came out of the gun, and cut up
the buffalo, and it was carried to the village. The
honey bird said, " Cook the hearts47 that we may eat,"
and they were cooked. All the people that carried ate
the hearts (mitima).

Next the bat went away with his bow to the bush,
and shot a buck (ndogolo) and it died. The bat itself
then went into the reed of the arrow. The honey bird
found the meat of the bat. Though he tried to see
where it had gone itself, he failed, and he said, " I must
just go back to the village to tell that the bat has slain
meax ". Then the honey bird went away to the village
to tell many people. The bat's wives prepared an
offering, and put on the head of the buck. The bat
then came out of the reed. The buck was cut open
and carried to the village, and the bat said, "Cook its
heart " (hearts), and the heart was cooked and all eaten.

Then they were happy together saying, " We have
played at hiding every day".

47 The word here includes heart, lungs, liver, stomach, entrails —
all the inner part of the animal. The natives eat these first, and may
preserve the rest of the meat.

THE PRAYER TREE.

365

52. THE MAN WITH DOGS.

There was a man that had ten dogs. Early m the
morning he had porridge cooked for them, and went
away to the bush; and killed ten marsh-pigs. When
they were running after another it began to rain, and
the man ran to a cave with his dogs.

Before he was well seated he saw an aged one
coming, and the aged one began to ask, " Who is
sitting in the cave ? ' The man then came out of the
cave and climbed a tree. The aged one said, " Now
you are eaten," and began to fell the tree.48 When
the tree was about to fall they heard a bird (Mlamba)
saying, " The tree of God shall never fall ". The
old man again began to fell it ; they heard the same
little bird saying, " The tree for the Offering will never
fall ".

They heard a mpuli49 crying, " Puli ! " when one dog
died — " Puli ! " another dog died, and so all the dogs
were finished. The man then began to call the dog at
the village which wore the beads. Let the mpuli try to
sing again — they heard the dog call " Puli ! " and the
aged one died.

[At the end of this tale the narrator gave the advice
to keep dogs found in tale 36. The native dogs look
so unpromising that recommendations of this kind are
not uncalled for.]

48 Many Zulu stories have incidents like the above. In another
version I was told that the instrument used by the old man was his
teeth.

49 The great number of birds have their names formed from their
notes, the root being often doubled as ngwale-gwale.

366

NATIVE TALES.

53. THE GIRL THAT REFUSED A HUSBAND.

There was a girl that refused men,50 and there came a
hyena and married her. The hyena said, "1 will
conduct her to my home that she may pay a visit".
His mother-in-law said, "She does not pound. She
only pounds castor-oil beans."51 The son-in-law said,
"Yes," and she accompanied him on the journey and
arrived at the village. At the village they staid (slept)
four days : then the husband said, " I will go and cut
bark (to make cloth) ". He told his chief wife saying,
"That girl does not pound". "When the husband
went away, his wife went for the husked grain and
said, "Girl, pound this". The girl said, "I do not
pound, I can only pound castor-oil beans " . She said,
" Who will pound for you % Take the mortar, put in
your grain, and pound ". As she pounded water
appeared up to her loins, she pounded again, and it was
at her neck, as she tried again, she was covered over.

A little bird followed after her master, saying, " Your
wife is dead ". When he returned from his bark cloth
he found the water everywhere. The man then took
his small sticks, and said, "Piti, piti, ukosolya mbinji ' .
As for the water it was not seen where it had gone
The people then came out, and che man said, "What did

50 A tale which is very common under various forms. 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 to. They
are used in connection with the mysteries, and have built up a public
opinion which is too strong for any poor girl to resist. Many young
girls applied at the mission to be freed from this kind of bondage.

61 Used for anointing (ornamenting ?) the person.

THE " BEGINNINGS " OF EVIL.

367

1 tell you then ? I said that the girl could not pound.
What you won't hear, you hear when your head is
boiling in a pot." 52

54. THE GUINEA FOWL.53

As the guinea-fowl flew, it found bamboos springing
up, and it called the partridge and the dove, and all the
birds and said, " This is springing up, come together
and look at it, it will destroy people. Come let us peck
it while it grows." The partridge refused and said,
" I will look out for myself". The guinea fowl said, " 1
have warned you now ". So they left the bamboos
growing. When they were grown then came men and
found the foot-prints of guinea fowl and said, " Come
bt us set traps," and they said, " Go and cut bamboos,"
so they cut bamboos and set traps.

As the guinea fowl passed, it found the partridge
caught, and said, " Ah ! I warned you saying, 'Come let
us peck that which was springing up When you ob-
jected it sprung up, and now people have taken it and
made a trap, and you are caught." The partridge
said, " It was for you they set it, and you have
escaped ". The partridge continued, " Release me,
peck the cord, peck it with your beak, when it is broken
let us flee and escape." As the guinea fowl pecked, the
partridge was pecked in the eye and died.

Then came a man. The guinea fowl flew away.

52 This is a native proverb which applies to people that are not
moved by the prospect of danger.

53 Communicated by Mr. Buchanan.

368

NATIVE TALES.

He said, " A guinea fowl was here and has fled ".
He took off his belt and set for the guinea-fowls.
Then he went off to return to the village, and he
took the partridge. He found the river swollen.54 A-
he crossed, the water took away his clothes. When he
came to the village they said, " "Where did you put your
calico ". He said, " It was taken away by the water ".
They said, " You did not make it firm with your belt ".
He replied, " I left my belt to snare guinea fowl."

They plucked the partridge and cooked it. While
his wife was cooking it, she went out to the stream for
water. The man took a plate and took off a leg and
went to a chamber saving, " I will eat it in the
chamber ". But the woman came and washed the ladle
and took a plate, and took off one leg, and went to the
chamber. The man then went away before he had eaten,
and said, " She will see me, I must hide my plate ".
The woman said (aside), " I must hide my plate, lest he
see it ". She said to him, " Let me pass, let me pass to
the door ". The man said, " Where are you going V
She said, " Let me pass," and the plates met — thwack !
and were broken. She said, " What did you carry ? "
He said, " What did you carry ? " * She said, " Eating
a relish alone! I was tasting it." He said, "And I
was tasting it too ! "

The man took goods and gave the woman, and said,
<:Do not bring disgrace on me". The woman brewed
beer, and gave the man, and the matter ended.

* There being no windows it is very dark inside native huts.
54 In the rainy season, streams that one can easily leap over, be-
come in a few hours quite impassible.

" don't tell ! "

369

[The native husband is highly susceptible to ridicule.
The next story has a similar conclusion].

55 THE MAN WITH THE BRAN PORRIDGE.

There was a man that did not eat bran-porridge, and
he married at a village, and built a house with rooms.
Then he killed an elephant, and carried its tusks to the
coast. " Good-bye, my wife ; I go a journey to buy
goods ". " Take bran, eat it on the way." " I don't
eat bran, but flour " ; and he set off to the coast,
and sold his ivory ; and he got a fez — he got it to the
bargain.

" Now, good-bye, my friend," the other said — " Good-
bye ; you will meet us next year ; bring more ivory
again. We shall sell you more goods. We shall tell
you the price of goods ; come to say farewell." He
went to the house to say farewell, and went off for his
home in the Yao country. He arrived at the village
there, and they rejoiced that the caravan had come and
brought goods.

The woman pounded corn55 and put the bran in a
plate, and went to the stream to wash the husked grain.
The man took the bran and put it in his hat (the new
fez), and took water, and put it in, and stirred, and
ate. The woman then came to the door, and he took
the hat and covered his head to hide the bran-porridge ;
lest his wife should see him. " There, I said I did not

65 Natives do not keep food or even flour in readiness, and the
slow cooking is a great trial to a hungry man.

24—2

370

NATIVE TALES.

eat bran-porridge ; my wife will laugh at me." His
wife said, " What is that on your head, that you are
hiding ? " He said, " Medicine that I prepared — for the
journey".

As the bran-porridge trickled down, he said, " Oh, my
wife, hunger, hunger. Some hunger eats weeds of the
field, some hunger eats what is bad. After hoeing for
food, we shall eat what is nice at a feast. My wife,
do not tell people that I was seen with bran-porridge on
my head. I will pay you with goods." So he paid
her with goods. The woman brewed beer, and people
collected, and danced and feasted.

56. DISOBEDIENCE.

A man and his wife went to the garden to hoe. The
wife saw a nang'kabai (a bird), and told her husband.
He shot it and gave the children to cook. As they
were cooking the bird sang a song, " Eoast me well,
roast me well ! " They took it to their father, and it
sang again, " Eoast me weD, te, le ; te, le , roast me
well ! " He said, "It is nothing, I will eat it ". Then
he called his wife and said, " Now, that food is cooked,
divide it for me. I will eat it." So his wife divided it
for him and he ate it to his porridge.56

Next morning they went to the field and said to
their children, " You must wait to cook the porridge
for breakfast to which the party will return at midday.

66 Their porridge like our bread is seldom eaten alon6 — but milk is
not used to it.

THE SISTER RESCUED.

371

See that you don't eat of that bird." They said, " We
understand, we will not eat it".

After that the daughter cooked porridge, and brought
some57 and gave her brother fowl for a relish. Then
her brother refused the fowl and said, " I will eat of the
bird to my porridge ". As he ate he began to grow
the horns of a rhinoceros, and a tail. His sister heard57
a breaking of plates and cried, " Tembo, what are you
doing ? " Then he came out of the house and began
to chase his sister. His sister began to sing, " Mother
you are in the field, Tembo has become a rhinoceros.
But your daughter is not a rhinoceros." The woman
said, " My husband, a person is coming and singing a
song : perhaps it is our children ". But her husband
struck her58 and said, " You are lazy, you do not want
to hoe ". The wife said, " No, I am not lazy," and
soon they heard it again. And they saw their daughter
coming running from a rhinoceros. The father took
his gun and killed the rhinoceros.* Such was the fate
of the disobedient boy.59

* The natives have two names for a rhinoceros according to the
number of its horns. Similarly they have one word for a black cat
and quite a different word for a red cat. If we try to derive the
names of all animals, &c, from sounds produced by them or associated
with them we meet a difficulty here. The natives have about twenty
different names for beads according as they are black, blue, &c, &c.
The scarcity of adjectives makes this necessary to some extent.

67 The brother and sister, though sharing their food with each
other, eat apart.

68 When a man goes to hoe, one of his reasons is that he may be on
the spot to keep his wives from trifling !

69 Such stories, stupid as they seem, are valued by the guardians
of children and impress the infant mind with lessons of obedieuce.

DATE DUE

DEMCO 38-297