TROUBLES WITH FOLLOWERS. 429 



of that which they are unwilling to attempt. It is easier to 

 say that such heathen as these along the Rovuma cannot be 

 taught anything than it is to teach them, therefore the covetous 

 representatives of the Moslem creeds say with eagerness: "They 

 cannot be instructed ; they know nothing of God ; have no idea 

 of God ; it is impossible ; " that is the way Ben Ali talked about 

 the Makonde on Sunday at Nachuchu. 



While examining a specimen of the gum-copal tree with some 

 of these Makonde, in the vicinity of Nachuchu, there was at 

 least a little evidence picked up which contradicted the Arabs' 

 representations. The people dig in the vicinity of modern trees 

 in the belief that more ancient trees, which dropped their gum 

 before it became an article of commerce, must have stood there. 

 Speaking of this, some of them said : " In digging none may be 

 found on one day, but God (Mungu) may give it to us on the 

 next." This simple remark, made as naturally as any other, 

 revealed certainly more than an idle dream only of God. It 

 breathed much like faith, and not improbably expressed a spirit 

 of submission to God and dependence on his care which Ben 

 Ali had never dreamed of, although a boasting follower of 

 Mohammed. 



As may be seen by a glance at the map, Livingstone was only 

 about one hundred miles from the coast at Nachuchu. The 

 villanous vagabonds who had charge of his camels subjected 

 him to the inconvenience of distressingly slow travel. The 

 difficulties had been great enough supposing his attendants the 

 best, but between rascally Sepoys and impenetrable jungles it 

 had been impossible to make more than four miles a day. After 

 leaving Nachuchu the country was more open, and the party ad- 

 vanced without the continual cutting that had been necessary 

 before. Livingstone described the scenery as beautiful. The 

 country was covered with great masses of umbrageous foliage, 

 mostly of a dark green color ; the leaves of nearly all the trees 

 have the glossiness of the laurel. The kumbe or gum-copal 

 tree is conspicuous among the trees of these forests, and perhaps 

 possesses for the traveller more interest than any other on ac- 

 count of the important contribution it makes to the commerce 

 of the country. Burton makes more particular mention of this 

 tree than Dr. Livingstone does : he says, " it is by no means a 

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