214 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. [chap. x. 



the London trade alone. Thirteen thousand eight hundred have been 

 ordered from an edition of twelve thousand, so the printers are again 

 at work to supply the demand. Sir Koderick gave it a glowing 

 character last night at the Royal Geographical Societjr, and the 

 Athenceum has come out strongly on the same side. This is con- 

 sidered a successful launch for a guinea book." 



It has sometimes been a complaint that so much of 

 the book is occupied with matters of science, geographical 

 inquiries, descriptions of plants and animals, accounts of 

 rivers and mountains, and so little with what directly 

 concerns the work of the missionary. In reply to this, it 

 may be stated, in the first place, that if the information 

 given and the views expressed on missionary topics were 

 all put together, they would constitute no insignificant 

 contribution to missionary literature. But there was 

 another consideration. Livingstone regarded himself as 

 but a pioneer in missionary enterprise. During sixteen 

 years he had done much to bring the knowledge of Christ 

 to tribes that had never heard of Him — probably no mis- 

 sionary in Africa had ever preached to so many blacks. 

 In some instances he had been successful in the highest 

 sense — he had been the instrument of turning men from 

 darkness to light ; but he did not think it right to dwell 

 on these cases, because the converts were often incon- 

 sistent, and did not exemplify a high moral tone. In 

 most cases, however, he had been a sower of seed, and 

 not a reaper of harvests. He had no triumphs to record, 

 like those which had gladdened the hearts of some of his 

 missionary brethren in the South Sea Islands. He wished 

 his book to be a record of facts, not a mere register of 

 hopes. The missionary work was yet to be done. It 

 belonged to the future, not to the past. By showing 

 what vast fields there were in Africa ripe for the harvest, 

 he sought to stimulate the Christian enterprise of the 

 Churches, and lead them to take possession of Africa for 

 Christ. He would diligently record facts which he had 

 ascertained about Africa, facts that he saw had some 



