The Eight Years Spent In
Africa, Since My Last Work Was Published, Have Not, I Fear, Improved
My Power Of
Writing English; but I hope that, whatever my
descriptions want in clearness, or literary skill, may in a measure
be
Compensated by the novelty of the scenes described, and the
additional information afforded on that curse of Africa, and that
shame, even now, in the 19th century, of an European nation, - the
slave-trade.
I took the "Lady Nyassa" to Bombay for the express purpose of selling
her, and might without any difficulty have done so; but with the
thought of parting with her arose, more strongly than ever, the
feeling of disinclination to abandon the East Coast of Africa to the
Portuguese and slave-trading, and I determined to run home and
consult my friends before I allowed the little vessel to pass from my
hands. After, therefore, having put two Ajawa lads, Chuma and
Wakatani, to school under the eminent missionary the Rev. Dr. Wilson,
and having provided satisfactorily for the native crew, I started
homewards with the three white sailors, and reached London July 20th,
1864. Mr. and Mrs. Webb, my much-loved friends, wrote to Bombay
inviting me, in the event of my coming to England, to make Newstead
Abbey my headquarters, and on my arrival renewed their invitation:
and though, when I accepted it, I had no intention of remaining so
long with my kind-hearted generous friends, I stayed with them until
April, 1865, and under their roof transcribed from my own and my
brother's journal the whole of this present book.
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