574 RISING OF THE SHIRE. Chap. XXVIII. 



title of many of these men to take rank with the Saints and 

 Martyrs of primitive times. More experience of the climate 

 has since greatly diminished the mortality, and in 1861 there 

 were, on the West Coast, one hundred and ten principal 

 Mission-stations, thirteen thousand scholars in the schools, 

 and nineteen thousand members in the churches. 



Bishop Mackenzie had in a short time gained the 

 first step, he had secured the confidence of the people. 

 This step it often takes several years to attain ; and we 

 cannot but regret that subsequently the Mission of the 

 Universities, when contrasted with others, should appear to 

 so much disadvantage. In fact, though representing all that 

 is brave and good and manly, in the chief seats of English 

 learning, the Mission, in fleeing from Morambala to an island 

 in the Indian Ocean, acted as St. Augustine would have 

 done, had he located himself on one of the Channel Islands, 

 Avhen sent to christianize the natives of Central England. 

 This is, we believe, the first case of a Protestant Mission 

 having been abandoned without being driven away. 



In January, 1864, the natives all confidently asserted that 

 at next full moon the river would have its great and per- 

 manent flood. It had several times risen as much as a 

 foot, but fell again as suddenly. It was curious that their 

 observation coincided exactly with ours, that the flood of 

 inundation happens when the sun comes overhead on his 

 way back to the Equator. We mention this more minutely 

 because, from the observation of several years, we believe 

 that in this way the inundation of the Nile is to be 

 explained. On the 19th the Shire suddenly rose several 

 feet, and we started at once ; and stopping only for a 

 short time at Chibisa's to bid adieu to the Ajawa and 

 Makololo, who had been extremely useful to us of late 

 in supplying maize and fresh provisions, we hastened on 



