PREFATORY LETTER. lvii 



At Selote they were for the first time presented with 

 rice — "the white man's food" — and for the first time they 

 were asked for a slave in exchange. These were words of 

 evil omen; and soon afterwards they met with signs of 

 hostility and defiance: but they were a strong party; and 

 Livingstone, helped by his right-hand man Sekwebu, soon 

 found means to pacify the Natives. Nor does he blame 

 them much : for they might well suspect treachery from a 

 party, headed by a strange white man, such as they had 

 never seen before. They knew, alas ! too much of trea- 

 chery; for marauding scoundrels had at different times 

 come up from Tete, and swept away some of the inhabitants 

 from the islands and river-banks : and not long before, an 

 Italian ruffian with some well-armed followers had come on 

 the like mission. Fortunately he had been cut off, while 

 on his return, and his captive slaves set free. 



Game continued abundant; and they were obliged to 

 slaughter some of the tsetse-bitten oxen that had gradually 

 become unfit for work. Before crossing the broad river 

 Loangwa they met with still more decided proofs of trea- 

 chery, and were in great risk of an attack. But they were 

 well prepared ; and Livingstone's courage, followed bywords 

 of peace and good-will, gradually won the Natives over. 

 The party crossed the river; and they then parted with 

 their ferry-men under some fine tamarind and mango-trees. 

 Here they found the ruins of a Portuguese station ; and we 

 can neither wonder at its ruins, nor mourn over its fallen 

 church, when we know that it was simply a military position 

 for the defence of dealers in slaves and ivory. Its position 

 is, however, noble — well fitted as a settlement for Chris- 

 tian dealers who wish to improve the Natives in the honest 

 arts of peace. 



After leaving the Loangwa, the last of the riding-oxen 

 failed, and they had all to travel on foot; and their diffi- 

 culties were increased by the sickness of one of the party 



