1870.] THE STEANGE DISEASE! 93 



now hidden on account of the disgust that the traders ex- 

 pressed against open man-eating when they first arrived. 



Lightning was very near us last night. The Manyuema 

 say that when it is so loud fishes of large size fall with it, 

 an opinion shared by the Arabs, but the large fish is really 

 the Clarias Gapensis of Smith, and it is often seen migrating 

 in single file along the wet grass for miles : it is probably 

 this that the Manyuema think falls from the lightning. 



The strangest disease I have seen in this country seems 

 really to be broken-heartedness, and it attacks free men 

 who have been captured and made slaves. My attention 

 was drawn to it when the elder brother of Syde bin Habib 

 was killed in Sua by a night attack, from a spear being- 

 pitched through his tent into his side. Syde then vowed 

 vengeance for the blood of his brother, and assaulted all 

 he could find, killing the elders, and making the young- 

 men captives. He had secured a very large number, and 

 they endured the chains until they saw the broad River 

 Lualaba roll between them and their free homes ; they 

 then lost heart. Twenty-one were unchained as being now 

 safe; however, all ran away at once, but eight, with many 

 others still in chains, died in three days after crossing. 

 They ascribed their only pain to the heart, and placed the 

 hand correctly on the spot, though many think that the 

 organ stands high up under the breast bone. Some slavers 

 expressed surprise to me that they should die, seeing they 

 had plenty to eat and no work. One fine boy of about 

 twelve years was carried, and when about to expire, was 

 kindly laid down on the side of the path, and a hole dug 

 to deposit the body in. He, too, said he had nothing the 

 matter with him, except pain in his heart: as it attacks 

 only the free (who are captured and never slaves), it seems 

 to be really broken-hearts of which they die. 



[Livingstone's servants give some additional particulars 



