THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 283 



The annexation of the Soudan has been of much advantage to 

 Egypt, and has resulted in diminishing the slave trade, since 

 ivory traffic is found to be more profitable ; but Egypt is not 

 entitled to the credit of this improvement more than America 

 and the European powers, which have demanded a suppression 

 of the slave trade. 



LIVINGSTONE'S 



TRAVELS IN AFRICA, 



CHAPTER XVI. 



MISSIONARY SERVICE AND FIRST ADVENTURE. 



DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE, a Scotchman, has won a greater 

 reputation for travel and research in Africa than any other man, 

 though his actual discoveries have not been so important as those 

 of our own Stanley. Livingstone was a born philantropist. The 

 son of uncommonly observant and strict Presbyterians, he was 

 encouraged to read only theological literature, all other reading 

 being prohibited under pain of condign punishment. As might 

 be expected, he disliked religion in his youth, and smuggled 

 books of travel and adventure to such retreats as offered immu- 

 nity from detection. He mentions it as a fact that the last pun- 

 ishment he ever received from his father was for reading books 

 which he declared were inimical to religion. 



Livi-jg.stone gained the means to school himself by spinning 

 cotton : and completed a course of medicine by the same ener- 

 getic application. He was now ready to see the world, and his 



