390 DISCOVERY OF NYASSA. 



undertakings must be accomplished over the opposition of the 

 very people who are to be the recipients of its richest benefits. 

 The perversity of human nature invites our compassion ; it ought 

 not to provoke our impatience, or weaken our resolutions. Liv- 

 ingstone and his party pressed on and discovered Lake Nyassa, 

 a little before noon on the 16th of September, 1859, about two 

 months before the enterprising Dr. Roscher reached its northern 

 end. The southern extremity of the lake was found to be in 

 14° 25' south latitude, and 35° 30' east longitude. The valley 

 was about twelve miles wide, and ranges of hills extend along 

 both sides of the lake. It was not their policy to continue long 

 at the lake, because they had found that repeated visits did more 

 toward allaying the suspicions of the natives and engaging their 

 confidence. The little time that they were there was long enough 

 to reveal the fact that they had reached one of the great slave- 

 paths from the interior. They met a party headed by Arabs, a 

 villanous-looking set, whose whole demeanor indicated their 

 capacity for those deeds of cruelty which are inseparably con- 

 nected with this revolting business. 



In turning their steps again to their ship, the members of the 

 expedition agreed with Dr. Livingstone that, except the cataracts, 

 there was nothing in the way of free water transportation from 

 the sea to the great lake, and they were earnest in their appeal 

 to the home government for a boat to be launched on the Upper 

 Shire, to ply along that portion of the river and along the lake. 

 They felt confident that a single steamer on the lake would do 

 more than any other single agency in impressing the people 

 favorably, and in checking the slave-trade which had its great 

 crossing places at different points on the river and lake. Filled 

 Math the inspiration of these noble aspirations and rejoicing in 

 the hope to their realization, they hastened southward, and re- 

 joined their party at Chibisa's on the 6th of October, after a 

 land journey of forty days. 



From Chibisa, Dr. Kirk and Mr. Rae, the engineer, under- 

 took to cross the country and meet their friends again at Tete. 

 The passage down the stream was full of such mournful interest 

 as belongs to tormenting delays inseparable from a leaking craft 

 and daily conflicts with sandbanks. After a time they entered 

 the Zambesi, and landed at Tete February 2d, 1860. The 



