4 2 4 DA VID LIVINGSTONE. [chap. xxi. 



that universal respect was paid to him. Even the Mohammedans never 

 passed his house without calling to pay their compliments, and to 

 say, ' The blessing of God rest on you ! ' Each Sunday morning he 

 gathers his little flock around him, and reads prayers and a chapter 

 from the Bible, in a natural, unaffected, and sincere tone ; and after- 

 wards delivers a short address in the Kisawahili language, about the 

 subject read to them, which is listened to with evident interest and 

 attention." 



It was agreed that the two travellers should make a 

 short excursion to the north end of Lake Tanganyika, to 

 ascertain whether the lake had an outlet there. This 

 was done, but it was found that instead of flowing out, the 

 river Lusize flowed into the lake, so that the notion that 

 the lake discharged itself northwards turned out to be an 

 error. Meanwhile the future arrangements of Dr. Living- 

 stone were matter of anxious consideration. One thing was 

 fixed and certain from the beginning : Livingstone would 

 not go home with Stanley. Much though his heart yearned 

 for home and family — all the more that he had just 

 learned that his son Thomas had had a dangerous accident, 

 — and much though he needed to recruit his strength 

 and nurse his ailments, he would not think of it while 

 his work remained unfinished. To turn back to those 

 dreary sponges, sleep in those flooded plains, encounter 

 anew that terrible pneumonia which was "worse than ten 

 fevers," or that distressing hemorrhage which added 

 extreme weakness to extreme agony — might have turned 

 any heart ; Livingstone never flinched from it. What a 

 reception awaited him if he had gone home to England ! 

 What welcome from friends and children, what triumphal 

 cheers from all the great Societies and savants, what 

 honours from all who had honours to confer, what oppor- 

 tunity of renewing efforts to establish missions and 

 commerce, and to suppress the slave-trafhc I Then he 

 might return to Africa in a year, and finish his work. 

 If Livingstone had taken this course, no whisper would 

 have been heard against it. The nobility of his soul 



