Still
Mindful, However, Of His Office, The Bishop Consoled Himself By
Thinking That He Might Gain The Friendship Of The Chief, Which Would
Be Of Essential Service To Him In His Future Labours.
That heartless
man, however, probably suspicious of all foreigners from the
knowledge he had acquired of white slave-traders, wanted to turn the
dying Bishop out of the hut, as he required it for his corn, but
yielded to the expostulations of the Makololo.
Day after day for
three weeks did these faithful fellows remain beside his mat on the
floor; till, without medicine or even proper food, he died. They dug
his grave on the edge of the deep dark forest where the natives
buried their dead. Mr. Burrup, himself far gone with dysentery,
staggered from the hut, and, as in the dusk of evening they committed
the Bishop's body to the grave, repeated from memory portions of our
beautiful service for the Burial of the Dead - "earth to earth, ashes
to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the resurrection
of the dead through our Lord Jesus Christ." And in this sad way
ended the earthly career of one, of whom it can safely be said that
for unselfish goodness of heart, and earnest devotion to the noble
work he had undertaken, none of the commendations of his friends can
exceed the reality. The grave in which his body rests is about a
hundred yards from the confluence of the Ruo, on the left bank of the
Shire, and opposite the island of Malo. The Makololo then took Mr.
Burrup up in the canoe as far as they could, and, making a litter of
branches, carried him themselves, or got others to carry him, all the
way back to his countrymen at Magomero. They hurried him on lest he
should die in their hands, and blame be attached to them. Soon after
his return he expired, from the disease which was on him when he
started to meet his wife.
Captain Wilson arrived at Shupanga on the 11th of March, having been
three weeks on the Shire. On the 15th the "Pioneer" steamed down to
the Kongone. The "Gorgon" had been driven out to sea in a gale, and
had gone to Johanna for provisions, and it was the 2nd of April
before she returned. It was fortunate for us that she had obtained a
supply, as our provisions were exhausted, and we had to buy some from
the master of the brig. The "Gorgon" left for the Cape on the 4th,
taking all, except one, of the Mission party who had come in January.
We take this opportunity of expressing our heartfelt gratitude to the
gallant Captain I. C. Wilson and his officers for innumerable acts of
kindness and hearty co-operation. Our warmest thanks are also due to
Captain R. B. Oldfield and the other officers from the Admiral
downwards, and we beg to assure them that nothing could be more
encouraging to us in our difficulties and trials, than the knowledge
that we possessed their friendship and sympathy in our labours.
The Rev. James Stewart, of the Free Church of Scotland, arrived in
the "Gorgon." He had wisely come out to inspect the country, before
deciding on the formation of a Mission in the interior. To this
object he devoted many months of earnest labour. This Mission was
intended to embrace both the industrial and the religious element;
and as the route by the Zambesi and Shire forms the only one at
present known, with but a couple of days' land journey to the
highlands, which stretch to an unknown distance into the continent,
and as no jealousy was likely to be excited in the mind of a man of
Bishop Mackenzie's enlarged views - there being moreover room for
hundreds of Missions - we gladly extended the little aid in our power
to an envoy from the energetic body above mentioned, but recommended
him to examine the field with his own eyes.
During our subsequent detention at Shupanga, he proceeded as far up
the Shire as the Upper Cataracts, and saw the mere remnants of that
dense population, which we at first had found living in peace and
plenty, but which was now scattered and destroyed by famine and
slave-hunting. The land, which both before and after we found so
fair and fruitful, was burned up by a severe drought; in fact, it was
at its very worst. With most praiseworthy energy, and in spite of
occasional attacks of fever, he then ascended the Zambesi as far as
Kebrabasa; and, what may be of interest to some, compared it, in
parts, to the Danube. His estimate of the highlands would naturally
be lower than ours. The main drawbacks in his opinion, however, were
the slave-trade, and the power allowed the effete Portuguese of
shutting up the country from all except a few convicts of their own
nation. The time of his coming was inopportune; the disasters which,
from inexperience, had befallen the Mission of the Universities, had
a depressing effect on the minds of many at home, and rendered a new
attempt unadvisable; though, had the Scotch perseverance and energy
been introduced, it is highly probable that they would have reacted,
most beneficially, on the zeal of our English brethren, and desertion
would never have been heard of. After examining the country, Mr.
Stewart descended the Zambesi in the beginning of the following year,
and proceeded homewards with his report, by Mosambique and the Cape.
On the 7th of April we had only one man fit for duty; all the rest
were down with fever, or with the vile spirit secretly sold to them
by the Portuguese officer of customs, in spite of our earnest request
to him to refrain from the pernicious traffic.
We started on the 11th for Shupanga with another load of the "Lady
Nyassa." As we steamed up the delta, we observed many of the natives
wearing strips of palm-leaf, the signs of sickness and mourning; for
they too suffer from fever.
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