EXTRACTS FROM DR. KIRk's LETTERS. 11 



out, and desirous of seeing if any of the loads still re- 

 mained, they stealthily approached the place. Find- 

 ing nothing where they had laid them down, and see- 

 ing no one, they became bolder, and cautiously ad- 

 vanced, when they saw Dr. Livingstone's body strip- 

 ped of all but the trousers, and presenting one wound 

 in the back of the neck. They scraped a hole in the 

 soil, and placed the body there, covering it over with 

 earth. They did not stay longer. Near Living- 

 stone's corpse were the bodies of the two boys, which 

 they recognised in the dim light by the ragged trou- 

 sers still on them. The corpses of two Mavite lay 

 near — it might be about twenty yards off — their 

 shields by their sides, but spears and axes had been 

 carried off. Nothing remained to bring away. The 

 Mavite had taken all. The nine Johanna men who 

 have come back saw two boys dead. One Johanna 

 man and all the Bombay and Zambesi boys are miss- 

 ing, and there is little chance that any of them ever 

 return, taking as truth the statements solemnly made 

 by the Johanna man and his eight companions, who 

 all declare that, with the exception of Moosa, none 

 saw Dr. Livingstone fall, yet they assisted afterwards 

 in depositing the body in its shallow grave. 



"12. On theirway — "(the Johanna men returning) — 

 " to the coast at Quioloa, the party was suddenly at- 

 tacked by a party of Mavite and dispersed." — (Arabs, 

 slaves, &c., and all the caravan with which they were 

 travelling.) " Everyone fled — the Johanna men 

 now for the second time. Ivory and slaves were 

 abandoned and left to the will of the dreaded ma- 

 rauders. 



