1841-43] FIRST TWO YEARS IN AFRICA. 61 



helped by the native deacon, Mebalwe. All this Living- 

 stone and his companion had done on their own re- 

 sponsibility, and in the hope that the Directors would 

 approve of it. But if they did not, he told them that 

 he was at their disposal "to go anywhere — provided it 

 be forward/' 



The progress of medical and scientific work during 

 this period is noted in a letter to Dr. Risdon Bennett, 

 dated 30th June 1843. In addition to full details 

 of the missionary work, this letter enters largely into 

 the state of disease in South Africa, and records some 

 interesting cases, medical and surgical. Still more in- 

 teresting, perhaps, is the evidence it affords of the place 

 in Livingstone's attention which began to be occupied 

 by three great subjects of which we shall hear much 

 anon — Fever, Tsetse, and "the Lake." Fever he con- 

 sidered the greatest barrier to the evangelisation of Africa. 

 Tsetse, an insect like a common fly, destroyed horses 

 and oxen, so that many traders lost literally every 

 ox in their team. As for the Lake, it lay somewhat 

 beyond the outskirts of his new district, and was reported 

 terrible for fever. He heard that Mr. Moffat intended to 

 visit it, but he was somewhat alarmed lest his friend 

 should suffer. It was not Moffat but Livingstone, how- 

 ever, that first braved the risks of that fever swamp. 



A subject of special scientific interest to the mis- 

 sionary during this period was — the desiccation of Africa. 

 On this topic he addressed a long letter to Dr. Buckland in 

 1843, of which, considerably to his regret, no public notice 

 appears to have been taken, and perhaps the letter never 

 reached him. The substance of this paper may, however, 

 be gathered from a communication subsequently made to 

 the Royal Geographical Society 1 after his first impression 

 had been confirmed by enlarged observation and discovery. 

 Around, and north of Kuruman, he had found many 



1 See Journal, vol. xxvii. p. 356. 



