250 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. [chap. xn. 



newspapers the affair was much commented on. In due 

 time there came a reply from Lord Malmesbury, then 

 Foreign Secretary, dated 26th April 1859, to the effect 

 that after full inquiry by himself, and after consulting with 

 the Admiralty, his opinion was that the officer had failed 

 to clear himself, and that Dr. Livingstone's proceedings 

 were fully approved. Livingstone had received authority 

 to stop the pay of any member of the expedition that 

 should prove unsatisfactory ; this, of course, subjected 

 his conduct to the severer criticism. 



When the officer left, Livingstone calmly took his 

 place, adding the charge of the ship to his other duties. 

 This step would appear alike rash and presumptuous, did 

 we not know that he never undertook any work without 

 full deliberation, and did we not remember that in the 

 course of three sea- voyages which he had performed he 

 had had opportunities of seeing how a ship was managed 

 — opportunities of which no doubt, with his great activity 

 of mind, he had availed himself most thoroughly. The 

 facility with which he could assume a new function, and 

 do its duties as if he had been accustomed to it all his 

 life, was one of the most remarkable things about him. 

 His chief regret in taking the new burden was, that it 

 would limit his intercourse with the natives, and prevent 

 him from doing as much missionary work as he desired. 

 Writing soon after to Miss Whately of Dublin, he says : 

 " It was imagined we could not help ourselves, but I took 

 the task of navigating on myself, and have conducted 

 the steamer over 1600 miles, though as far as my likings 

 go I would as soon drive a cab in November fogs in 

 London, as be ' skipper ' in this hot sun ; but I shall go 

 through with it as a duty." To his friend Mr. Young 

 he makes humorous reference to his awkwardness in 

 nautical language : " My great difficulty is calling out 

 ' starboard ' when I mean ' port,' and feeling crusty when 

 I see the helmsman putting the helm the wrong way." 



