THE WILDEST OF ALL. 115 



of the land, and enjoyed all the respect to be desired. The 

 public meetings were attended readily, the people heard with 

 quietness, and the best decorum was observed in all the services. 



Beyond the 14° S. latitude the forests converged until they 

 cast their shadows upon the river again, and the party passed 

 along between the stately trees and clinging vines as far as the 

 confluence of the Leeba. But nowhere could be found a spot 

 exempt from the poisonous atmosphere so antagonistic to health. 

 The destiny of Livingstone was more than quiet teaching; 

 Providence had in hand to open Africa by this man. He was 

 allowed to find no home. 



The regions through which he had passed were fertile to 

 rankness. The inhabitants were the most thoroughly ignorant 

 and wild of any people he had seen. The forests and plains 

 were filled with every variety of animal and beast. At Libonta 

 he counted eighty-one buffaloes pass slowly before his fire. 

 The roar of the lion was continuous and loud. Everything, 

 animate and inanimate, was wild and monstrous. 



On returning to jSTaliele Livingstone rejoined Sekeletu, enjoy- 

 ing the adulations of his subjects, who did all they could to 

 charm the young chief in his first visit to their borders. The 

 dance which constituted their principal entertainment was in- 

 deed a strange and grotesque performance, admirably appro- 

 priate to a mad-house. The nearly naked men, standing in a 

 circle, brandish their clubs and battle-axes, while they stamp 

 first the right then the left foot, all moving together in this 

 artistic performance ; while their wild, indescribable contortions 

 of countenance and body conspired,. with the interminable and 

 demoniacal laughter, to drive one almost crazy with perplexity 

 and confusion. They consider it " very nice," and Sekeletu 

 "gives them an ox for dancing for him ; " so light-heartedness 

 and hunger are oddly joined in the spirit of the scene. The 

 women have only a very unimportant part in the performance. 

 Surrounding the circle, they clap their hands continually, only 

 now and then venturing to slip into the midst of the men, cut 

 a few capers, and retire to the observant and applauding place. 



The heart of the missionary had endured a great trial during 

 the nine weeks of this journey. How helplessly he looked up 

 to the great Master out of the midst of these poor degraded 



