All Were
Warmly In Favour Of This, Save Dr. Livingstone, Who Opposed It On The
Ground That It Would Be Better For The Bishop To Wait, And See The
Effect Of The Check The Slave-Hunters Had Just Experienced.
The
Ajawa were evidently goaded on by Portuguese agents from Tette, and
there was no bond of union among the Manganja on which to work.
It
was possible that the Ajawa might be persuaded to something better,
though, from having long been in the habit of slaving for the
Quillimane market, it was not very probable. But the Manganja could
easily be overcome piecemeal by any enemy; old feuds made them glad
to see calamities befall their next neighbours. We counselled them
to unite against the common enemies of their country, and added
distinctly that we English would on no account enter into their
quarrels. On the Bishop inquiring whether, in the event of the
Manganja again asking aid against the Ajawa, it would be his duty to
accede to their request, - "No," replied Dr. Livingstone, "you will be
oppressed by their importunities, but do not interfere in native
quarrels." This advice the good man honourably mentions in his
journal. We have been rather minute in relating what occurred during
the few days of our connection with the Mission of the English
Universities, on the hills, because, the recorded advice having been
discarded, blame was thrown on Dr. Livingstone's shoulders, as if the
missionaries had no individual responsibility for their subsequent
conduct. This, unquestionably, good Bishop Mackenzie had too much
manliness to have allowed. The connection of the members of the
Zambesi Expedition, with the acts of the Bishop's Mission, now
ceased, for we returned to the ship and prepared for our journey to
Lake Nyassa. We cheerfully, if necessary, will bear all
responsibility up to this point; and if the Bishop afterwards made
mistakes in certain collisions with the slavers, he had the votes of
all his party with him, and those who best knew the peculiar
circumstances, and the loving disposition of this good-hearted man,
will blame him least. In this position, and in these circumstances,
we left our friends at the Mission Station.
As a temporary measure the Bishop decided to place his Mission
Station on a small promontory formed by the windings of the little,
clear stream of Magomero, which was so cold that the limbs were quite
benumbed by washing in it in the July mornings. The site chosen was
a pleasant spot to the eye, and completely surrounded by stately,
shady trees. It was expected to serve for a residence, till the
Bishop had acquired an accurate knowledge of the adjacent country,
and of the political relations of the people, and could select a
healthy and commanding situation, as a permanent centre of Christian
civilization. Everything promised fairly. The weather was
delightful, resembling the pleasantest part of an English summer;
provisions poured in very cheap and in great abundance. The Bishop,
with characteristic ardour, commenced learning the language, Mr.
Waller began building, and Mr. Scudamore improvised a sort of infant
school for the children, than which there is no better means for
acquiring an unwritten tongue.
On the 6th of August, 1861, a few days after returning from Magomero,
Drs. Livingstone and Kirk, and Charles Livingstone started for Nyassa
with a light four-oared gig, a white sailor, and a score of
attendants. We hired people along the path to carry the boat past
the forty miles of the Murchison Cataracts for a cubit of cotton
cloth a day. This being deemed great wages, more than twice the men
required eagerly offered their services. The chief difficulty was in
limiting their numbers. Crowds followed us; and, had we not taken
down in the morning the names of the porters engaged, in the evening
claims would have been made by those who only helped during the last
ten minutes of the journey. The men of one village carried the boat
to the next, and all we had to do was to tell the headman that we
wanted fresh men in the morning. He saw us pay the first party, and
had his men ready at the time appointed, so there was no delay in
waiting for carriers. They often make a loud noise when carrying
heavy loads, but talking and bawling does not put them out of breath.
The country was rough and with little soil on it, but covered with
grass and open forest. A few small trees were cut down to clear a
path for our shouting assistants, who were good enough to consider
the boat as a certificate of peaceful intentions at least to them.
Several small streams were passed, the largest of which were the
Mukuru-Madse and Lesungwe. The inhabitants on both banks were now
civil and obliging. Our possession of a boat, and consequent power
of crossing independently of the canoes, helped to develop their good
manners, which were not apparent on our previous visit.
There is often a surprising contrast between neighbouring villages.
One is well off and thriving, having good huts, plenty of food, and
native cloth; and its people are frank, trusty, generous, and eager
to sell provisions; while in the next the inhabitants may be ill-
housed, disobliging, suspicious, ill-fed, and scantily clad, and with
nothing for sale, though the land around is as fertile as that of
their wealthier neighbours. We followed the river for the most part
to avail ourselves of the still reaches for sailing; but a
comparatively smooth country lies further inland, over which a good
road could be made. Some of the five main cataracts are very grand,
the river falling 1200 feet in the 40 miles. After passing the last
of the cataracts, we launched our boat for good on the broad and deep
waters of the Upper Shire, and were virtually on the lake, for the
gentle current shows but little difference of level. The bed is
broad and deep, but the course is rather tortuous at first, and makes
a long bend to the east till it comes within five or six miles of the
base of Mount Zomba.
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