744 CARRIED ON A KITANDA. 



embarkation, whilst Dr. Livingstone told his bearers to take 

 him to a tree at a little distance off, that he might rest in the 

 shade till most of the men were on the other side. A good 

 deal of care was required, for the river, by no means a large one 

 in ordinary times, spread its waters in all directions, so that a 

 false step, or a stumble in any unseen hole, would have drenched 

 the invalid and the bed also on which he was carried. 



" The passage occupied some time, and then came the difficult 

 task of conveying the doctor across, for the canoes were not 

 wide enough to allow the kitanda to be deposited in the bottom 

 of either of them. Hitherto, no matter how weak, Livingstone 

 had always been able to sit in the various canoes they had used 

 on like occasions, but now he had no power to do so. Taking 

 his bed off the kitanda, they laid it in the bottom of the 

 strongest canoe, and tried to lift him ; but he could not bear the 

 pain of a hand being passed under his back. Beckoning to 

 Chuma, in a faint voice he asked him to stoop down over him 

 as low as possible, so that he might clasp his hands together 

 behind his head, directing him at the same time how to avoid 

 putting any pressure on the lumbar region of the back ; in this 

 way he was deposited in the bottom of the canoe, and quickly 

 ferried across the Mulilamo by Chowpere, Susi, Farijala, and 

 Chuma. The same precautions were used on the other side : 

 the kitanda was brought close to the canoe, so as to prevent any 

 unnecessary pain in disembarking. 



" Susi now hurried on ahead to reach Chitambo's village, and 

 superintend the building of another house. For the first mile 

 or two they had to carry the doctor through swamps and 

 plashes, glad to reach something like a dry plain at last. 



" It would seem that his strength was here at its very lowest 

 ebb. Chuma, one of his bearers on these the last weary miles 

 the great traveller was destined to accomplish, says that they 

 were every now and then implored to stop and place their bur- 

 den on the ground. So great were the pangs of his disease 

 during this day that he could make no attempt to stand, and if 

 lifted for a few yards a drowsiness came over him which alarmed 

 them all excessively. This was specially the case at one spot 

 where a tree stood in the path. Here one of his attendants was 

 called to him, and on stooping down he found him unable to 



