DISTRESSING HUNGER. 505 



to carry this burden a stage to help Baraka, while he gave his 

 own load, in which there was no cloth, in exchange. The 

 forest was so dense and high there was no chance of getting a 

 glimpse of the fugitives, who took all the dishes, a large box of 

 powder, the flour we had purchased dearly to help us as far as 

 the Zambesi, the tools, two guns, and a cartridge-pouch ; but 

 the medicine-chest was the sorest loss of all ! I felt as if I had 

 now received the sentence of death, like poor Bishop Mackenzie." 



He was prepared for losses and all manner of discourage- 

 ments ; but such a loss as this cast a shadow over his ordinarily 

 buoyant soul. And yet he did not murmur. " Everything of 

 this kind," says he, " happens by the permission of one who 

 watches over us with most tender care ; and this may turn out 

 for the best, by taking away a source of suspicion among more 

 superstitious charm-dreading people farther north. I meant it 

 as a source of benefit to my party and other heathen." 



All their efforts to find the AVaiyau were in vain. We can- 

 not appreciate the feelings of one so far away from friends, so 

 entirely dependent on himself, under God, in an hour of such 

 misfortune. Yet he found it in his heart to make many ex- 

 cuses for the men who had robbed him so seriously. The loss 

 must be endured. 



The want of food and continuous rains greatly hindered 

 them, but they were now drawing near the Zambesi ; the 

 streams which they crossed were all flowing northwest toward 

 that great river, and all the reports were, that beyond it, in the 

 immediate territory of the paramount chief, there was plenty of 

 food. This hope renewed their flagging energies. Livingstone 

 was not thinking of nice dishes, but real, biting hunger was 

 torturing him. This was partly relieved at Moaba, on the 

 banks of the Movushi. But the cloth — which was their main 

 dependence as currency — was of little value here, as indeed it 

 was in all the upland country, where the bark cloth is so abun- 

 dant. But fortunately there was a demand for beads, and for- 

 tunately, too, they had some of these. It may be interesting 

 for the reader to know something about this important item of 

 currency all through Africa. 



"With a few exceptions they are all manufactured in Venice. 

 The greatest care must be exercised, or the traveller — ignorant 

 26 



