36 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. [chap. ii. 



It seemed likely to prove fatal, and the only chance of 

 recovery appeared to be a visit to his home, and return 

 to his native air. In accompanying him to the steamer, 

 Mr. Moore found him so weak that he could scarcely walk 

 on board. He parted from him in tears, fearing that he 

 had but a few days to live. But the voyage and the 

 visit had a wonderful effect, and very soon Living- 

 stone was in his usual health. The parting with his 

 father and mother, as they afterwards told Mr. Moore, 

 was very affecting. It happened, however, that they met 

 once more. It was felt that the possession of a medical 

 diploma would be of service, and Livingstone returned to 

 Scotland in November 1840, and passed at Glasgow as 

 Licentiate of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons. It 

 was on this occasion he found it so inconvenient to have 

 opinions of his own and the knack of sticking to them. 

 It seemed as if he was going to be rejected for obstinately 

 maintaining his views in regard to the stethoscope ; but 

 he pulled through. A single night was all that he could 

 spend with his family, and they had so much to speak of 

 that David proposed they should sit up all night. This, 

 however, his mother would not hear of. " I remember 

 my father and him," writes his sister, " talking over the 

 prospects of Christian missions. They agreed that the 

 time would come when rich men and great men would 

 think it an honour to support whole stations of mission- 

 aries, instead of spending their money on hounds and 

 horses. On the morning of 17th November, we got up at 

 five o'clock. My mother made coffee. David read the 

 121st and 135th Psalms, and prayed. My father and he 

 walked to Glasgow to catch the Liverpool steamer." On 

 the Broomielaw, father and son looked for the last time 

 on earth on each other's faces. The old man walked back 

 slowly to Blantyre, with a lonely heart no doubt, yet 

 praising God. David's face was now set in earnest 

 toward the Dark Continent. 



