306 LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNALS. [Chap. XII. 



of the outlying huts of the village came in sight, and they 

 tried to rally him by telling him that he would quickly be 

 in the house that the others had gone on to build, but they 

 were obliged as it was to allow him to remain for an hour in 

 the native gardens outside the town. 



On reaching their companions it was found that the work 

 was not quite finished, and it became necessary therefore to 

 lay him under the broad eaves of a native hut till things 

 were ready. 



Chitambo's village at this time was almost empty. When 

 the crops are growing it is the custom to erect little tem- 

 porary houses in the fields, and the inhabitants, leaving their 

 more substantial huts, pass the time in watching their crops, 

 which are scarcely more safe by day than by night ; thus it 

 was that the men found plenty of room and shelter ready to 

 their hand. Many of the people approached the spot where 

 he lay whose praises had reached them in previous years, 

 and in silent wonder they stood round him resting on their 

 bows. Slight drizzling showers were falling, and as soon as 

 possible his house was made ready and banked round with 

 earth. 



Inside it, the bed was raised from the floor by sticks and 

 grass, occuping a position across and near to the bay-shaped 

 end of the hut : in the bay itself bales and boxes were de- 

 posited, one of the latter doing duty for a table, on which 

 the medicine chest and sundry other things were placed. 

 A fire was lighted outside, nearly opposite the door, whilst 

 the boy Majwara slept just within to attend to his master's 

 wants in the night. 



On the 30^ April, 1873, Chitambo came early to pay a 

 visit of courtesy, and was shown into the Doctor's presence, 

 but he was obliged to send him away, telling him to come 

 again on the morrow, when he hoped to have more strength 

 to talk to him, and he was not again disturbed. In the 

 afternoon he asked Susi to bring his watch to the bedside, 



