92 LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNALS. [Chaf. IT. 



St. Petersburg : it is said that portions of the flesh were 

 eaten by the men who dug it out of the ice.] 



24th December. — Between twenty-five and thirty slaves 

 have died in the present epidemic, and many Manyuenia ; 

 two yesterday at Kandawara. The feet swell, then the hands 

 and face, and in a day or two they drop dead ; it came from 

 the East, and is very fatal, for few escape who take it. 



A woman was accused of stealing maize, and the chief 

 here sent all his people yesterday, plundered all she had 

 in her house and garden, and brought her husband bound in 

 thongs till he shall pay a goat : she is said to be innocent. 



Monangoi does this by fear of the traders here ; and, as 

 the people tell him, as soon as they are gone the vengeance 

 he is earning by injustice on all sides will be taken: I 

 told the chief that his head would be cut off as soon as 

 the traders leave, and so it will be, and Kasessa's also. 



Three men went from Katomba to Kasongo's to buy 

 Viramba, and a man was speared belonging to Kasongo, 

 these three then fired into a mass of men who collected, 

 one killed two, another three, and so on ; so now that place 

 is shut up from traders, and all this country will be closed 

 as soon as the Manyuema learn that guns are limited in 

 their power of killing, and especially in the hands of slaves, 

 who cannot shoot, but only make a noise. These Suaheli 

 are the most cruel and bloodthirsty missionaries in existence, 

 and withal so impure in talk and acts, spreading disease 

 everywhere. The Lord sees it. 



28th Decemher. — Moenembegg, the most intelligent of the 

 two sons of Moenekuss, in power, told us that a man was 

 killed and eaten a few miles from this yesterday : hunger 

 was the reason assigned. On speaking of tainted meat, he 

 said that the Manyuema put meat in water for two days to 

 make it putrid and smell high. The love of high meat is the 

 only reason I know for their cannibalism, but the practice is 



