758 THE PREPARATION OF THE BODY. 



which they describe as dried up, and covered with black and 

 white patches. 



The heart, with the other parts removed, were placed in a tin 

 box, which had formerly contained flour, and decently and 

 reverently buried in a hole dug some four feet deep on the spot 

 where they stood. Jacob was then asked to read the burial 

 service, which he did in the presence of all. The body was left 

 to be fully exposed to the sun. No other means were taken to 

 preserve it, beyond placing some brandy in the mouth and 

 some on the hair ; nor can one imagine for an instant that any 

 other process would have been available either for Europeans or 

 natives, considering the rude appliances at their disposal. The 

 men kept watch day and night to see that no harm came to their 

 sacred charge. Their huts surrounded the building, and had 

 force been used to enter its strongly-barred door, the whole 

 camp would have turned out in a moment. Once a day the 

 position of the body was changed, but at no other time was any 

 one allowed to approach it. 



No molestation of any kind took place during the fourteen 

 days' exposure. At the end of this period preparations were 

 made for retracing their steps. The corpse, by this time toler- 

 ably dried, was wrapped round in some calico, the legs being 

 bent inwards at the knees to shorten the package. The next 

 thing was to plan something in which to carry it, and, in the 

 absence of planking or tools, an admirable substitute was found 

 by stripping from a Myonga tree enough of the bark in one 

 piece to form a cylinder, and in it their master was laid. Over 

 this case a piece of sail-cloth was sewn, and the whole package 

 was lashed securely to a pole, so as to be carried by two men. 



Jacob Wainwright was asked to carve an inscription on the 

 large Mvula tree which stands by the place where the body 

 rested, stating the name of Dr. Livingstone and the date of his 

 death, and, before leaving, the men gave strict injunctions to 

 Chitambo to keep the grass cleared away, so as to save it from 

 the bush fires which annually sweep over the country and 

 destroy so many trees. Besides this, they erected close to the 

 spot two high thick posts, with an equally strong cross-piece, 

 like a lintel and door-posts in form, which they painted thor- 

 oughly with the tar that was intended for the boat; this sign 



