In Using The Plural Number They
Are Meant, And I Wish To Bear Testimony To The Untiring Zeal, Energy,
Courage, And Perseverance With Which My Companions Laboured;
Undaunted By Difficulties, Dangers, Or Hard Fare.
It is my firm
belief that, were their services required in any other capacity, they
might be implicitly relied on to perform their duty like men.
The
reason why Dr. Kirk's name does not appear on the title-page of this
narrative is, because it is hoped that he may give an account of the
botany and natural history of the Expedition in a separate work from
his own pen. He collected above four thousand species of plants,
specimens of most of the valuable woods, of the different native
manufactures, of the articles of food, and of the different kinds of
cotton from every spot we visited, and a great variety of birds and
insects; besides making meteorological observations, and affording,
as our instructions required, medical assistance to the natives in
every case where he could be of any use.
Charles Livingstone was also fully occupied in his duties in
following out the general objects of our mission, in encouraging the
culture of cotton, in making many magnetic and meteorological
observations, in photographing so long as the materials would serve,
and in collecting a large number of birds, insects, and other objects
of interest. The collections, being Government property, have been
forwarded to the British Museum, and to the Royal Botanic, Gardens at
Kew; and should Dr. Kirk undertake their description, three or four
years will be required for the purpose.
Though collections were made, it was always distinctly understood
that, however desirable these and our explorations might be, "Her
Majesty's Government attached more importance to the moral influence
that might be exerted on the minds of the natives by a well-regulated
and orderly household of Europeans setting an example of consistent
moral conduct to all who might witness it; treating the people with
kindness, and relieving their wants, teaching them to make
experiments in agriculture, explaining to them the more simple arts,
imparting to them religious instruction as far as they are capable of
receiving it, and inculcating peace and good will to each other."
It would be tiresome to enumerate in detail all the little acts which
were performed by us while following out our instructions. As a
rule, whenever the steamer stopped to take in wood, or for any other
purpose, Dr. Kirk and Charles Livingstone went ashore to their
duties: one of our party, who it was intended should navigate the
vessel and lay down the geographical positions, having failed to
answer the expectations formed of him, these duties fell chiefly to
my share. They involved a considerable amount of night work, in
which I was always cheerfully aided by my companions, and the results
were regularly communicated to our warm and ever-ready friend, Sir
Thomas Maclear of the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope. While
this work was going through the press, we were favoured with the
longitudes of several stations determined from observed occultations
of stars by the moon, and from eclipses and reappearances of
Jupiter's satellites, by Mr. Mann, the able Assistant to the Cape
Astronomer Royal; the lunars are still in the hands of Mr. G. W. H.
Maclear of the same Observatory. In addition to these, the
altitudes, variations of the compass, latitudes and longitudes, as
calculated on the spot, appear in the map by Mr. Arrowsmith, and it
is hoped may not differ much from the results of the same data in
abler bands. The office of "skipper," which, rather than let the
Expedition come to a stand, I undertook, required no great ability in
one "not too old to learn:" it saved a salary, and, what was much
more valuable than gold, saved the Expedition from the drawback of
any one thinking that he was indispensable to its further progress.
The office required attention to the vessel both at rest and in
motion. It also involved considerable exposure to the sun; and to my
regret kept me from much anticipated intercourse with the natives,
and the formation of full vocabularies of their dialects.
I may add that all wearisome repetitions are as much as possible
avoided in the narrative; and, our movements and operations having
previously been given in a series of despatches, the attempt is now
made to give as fairly as possible just what would most strike any
person of ordinary intelligence in passing through the country. For
the sake of the freshness which usually attaches to first
impressions, the Journal of Charles Livingstone has been incorporated
in the narrative; and many remarks made by the natives, which ho put
down at the moment of translation, will convey to others the same
ideas as they did to ourselves. Some are no doubt trivial; but it is
by the little acts and words of every-day life that character is
truly and best known. And doubtless many will prefer to draw their
own conclusions from them rather than to be schooled by us.
CHAPTER I.
Arrival at the Zambesi - Rebel Warfare - Wild Animals - Shupanga -
Hippopotamus Hunters - The Makololo - Crocodiles.
The Expedition left England on the 10th of March, 1858, in Her
Majesty's Colonial Steamer "Pearl," commanded by Captain Duncan; and,
after enjoying the generous hospitality of our friends at Cape Town,
with the obliging attentions of Sir George Grey, and receiving on
board Mr. Francis Skead, R.N., as surveyor, we reached the East Coast
in the following May.
Our first object was to explore the Zambesi, its mouths and
tributaries, with a view to their being used as highways for commerce
and Christianity to pass into the vast interior of Africa. When we
came within five or six miles of the land, the yellowish-green tinge
of the sea in soundings was suddenly succeeded by muddy water with
wrack, as of a river in flood. The two colours did not intermingle,
but the line of contact was as sharply defined as when the ocean
meets the land.
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