Chap. XXL ANNOYED BY THIEVES. 423 



"We now proceeded with preparations for the launch of the 

 Lady Nyassa. Ground was levelled on the bank at Shupanga, 

 for the purpose of arranging the compartments in order : she 

 was placed on palm-trees which were brought from a place 

 lower down the river for ways, and the engineer and his 

 assistants were soon busily engaged ; about a fortnight after 

 they were all brought from Kongone, the sections were 

 screwed together. The blacks are more addicted to stealing 

 where slavery exists than elsewhere. "We were annoyed by 

 thieves who carried off the iron screw-bolts, but were gratified 

 to find that strychnine saved us from the man-thief as well 

 as the hyena-thief. A hyena was killed by it, and after the 

 natives saw the dead animal and knew how we had de- 

 stroyed it, they concluded that it was not safe to steal from 

 men who possessed a medicine so powerful. The half-caste, 

 who kept Shupanga-house, said he wished to have some to 

 give to the Zulus, of whom he was mortally afraid, and to 

 whom he had to pay an unwilling tribute. 



The Pioneer made several trips to the Kongone, and re- 

 turned with the last .load on the 12th of June. On the 23rd 

 the Lady Nyassa was safely launched, the work of putting her 

 together having been interrupted by fever and dysentery, and 

 many other causes which it would only weary the reader to 

 narrate in detail. Natives from all parts of the country came 

 to see the launch, most of them quite certain that, being 

 made of iron she must go to the bottom as soon as she 

 entered the water. Earnest discussions had taken place 

 among them with regard to the propriety of using iron for 

 ship-building. The majority affirmed that it would never 

 answer. They said, "If we put a hoe into the water, or 

 the smallest bit of iron, it sinks immediately. How then 

 can such a mass of iron float? it must go to the bottom." 

 The minority answered that this might be true with them, 



