210 THANKSGIVING SERVICE. 



same entreaties. The following day we observed as our thanks- 

 giving to God for his goodness in bringing us all back in 

 safety to our friends. My men decked themselves out in their 

 best, and I found that, although their goods were finished, they 

 had managed to save suits of European clothing, which, being 

 white, with their red caps, gave them rather a dashing ap- 

 pearance. They tried to walk like the soldiers they had seen 

 in Loanda, and called themselves my 'braves' (batlabani). 

 During the service they all sat with their guns over their 

 shoulders, and excited the unbounded admiration of the women 

 and children." 



It was a scene for angels' eyes; that good man pointing 

 those poor heathen away from their own prowess and their 

 charms and himself to God's goodness in returning them safely, 

 after so long a time and such hardships. They heard him 

 gladly, and were lavish of gifts ; almost every day oxen were 

 slaughtered. They manifested no concern about gifts for them- 

 selves ; they were only glad to see the whole party back safely, 

 and were immediately engaged in collecting tusks for a second 

 journey. 



The rejoicing of the men, after so long an absence, at being 

 once more in their own country, had some drawbacks in cer- 

 tain changes that time had wrought. Their wives had in many 

 instances grown weary of watching, and found a solace for their 

 grief in the wedded love of other men. The faithful Mashuana 

 was one of the disappointed ones, and he contradicted his philo- 

 sophic declaration, " Wives are plentiful as grass; I can get an- 

 other ; she may go," by muttering immediately, '' If I had that 

 fellow, I would open his ears for him." For some of the poor 

 fellows who had thus lost their only wives, Livingstone inter- 

 ceded with the chief and had them repossessed of their loving 

 spouses ; others he comforted with the reminder, that after their 

 loss they still had more wives than he. But that was an unsatis- 

 factory reflection, in view of the fact that " while they were 

 toiling another was devouring their corn." 



On the 13th of August, the party left Naliele and were glid- 

 ing along very quietly when, most unexpectedly, they were re- 

 minded of the fact that they were no longer in the lifeless border 

 region. The hippopotamus which struck the boat lifted it quite 



