The Cretan rebellion had
terminated <1866-1868>; a Spanish revolution had driven Isabella
from the throne of Spain, and a Regent had been appointed: General
Prim was assassinated; a Castelar had electrified Europe with his
advanced ideas upon the liberty of worship; Prussia had humbled Denmark,
and annexed Schleswig-Holstein <1864>, and her armies were now around
Paris; the "Man of Destiny" was a prisoner at Wilhelmshohe;
the Queen of Fashion and the Empress of the French was a fugitive;
and the child born in the purple had lost for ever the Imperial
crown intended for his head; the Napoleon dynasty was extinguished
by the Prussians, Bismarck and Von Moltke; and France, the proud
empire, was humbled to the dust.
What could a man have exaggerated of these facts? What a budget
of news it was to one who had emerged from the depths of the
primeval forests of Manyuema! The reflection of the dazzling
light of civilisation was cast on him while Livingstone was thus
listening in wonder to one of the most exciting pages of history
ever repeated. How the puny deeds of barbarism paled before
these! Who could tell under what new phases of uneasy life Europe
was labouring even then, while we, two of her lonely children,
rehearsed the tale of her late woes and glories? More worthily,
perhaps, had the tongue of a lyric Demodocus recounted them; but,
in the absence of the poet, the newspaper correspondent performed
his part as well and truthfully as he could.
Not long after the Arabs had departed, a dishful of hot hashed-meat
cakes was sent to us by Sayd bin Majid, and a curried chicken was
received from Mohammed bin Sali, and Moeni Kheri sent a dishful of
stewed goat-meat and rice; and thus presents of food came in
succession, and as fast as they were brought we set to. I had a
healthy, stubborn digestion - the exercise I had taken had put it in
prime order; but Livingstone - he had been complaining that he had
no appetite, that his stomach refused everything but a cup of tea
now and then - he ate also - ate like a vigorous, hungry man; and,
as he vied with me in demolishing the pancakes, he kept repeating,
"You have brought me new life. You have brought me new life."
"Oh, by George!" I said, "I have forgotten something. Hasten,
Selim, and bring that bottle; you know which and bring me the silver
goblets. I brought this bottle on purpose for this event, which
I hoped would come to pass, though often it seemed useless to expect
it."
Selim knew where the bottle was, and he soon returned with it - a
bottle of Sillery champagne; and, handing the Doctor a silver
goblet brimful of the exhilarating wine, and pouring a small
quantity into my own, I said,
