PREFATORY LETTER. Ixxiii 



of great natural intelligence, and had been of constant service 

 to his friends, by his good sense, tact, and command of the 

 dialects of the tribes on the lower portion of the great river. 

 Without his help (writes our Author), " I believe we should 

 scarcely have reached the coast: and I thought it would be 

 beneficial to him to see the effects of civilization and to report 

 them to his countrymen: I wished also to make some return 

 for his important services." The poor African soon began to 

 pick up some English ; became a favourite both with the 

 officers and men; was much pleased with his company; and 

 began to have some notion of the use of the sextant. He was 

 however bewildered by the strange world of waters; and 

 being a thoughtful man, there was a constant and unhealthy 

 strain upon his untutored mind. The night after they reached 

 the Mauritius, the excitement was too much for him, and he 

 became insane, and seemed to think of drowning himself. 

 By kind words he was somewhat soothed; but the officers 

 proposed to secure him from mischief by putting him in irons. 

 To this Livingstone objected: for he could not bear to think 

 of having it said at Linyanti, on their return, that he had 

 put such a disgrace on one of his principal men, and chained 

 him as if he had been a slave. Perhaps this tenderness was 

 unfortunate; for the following evening, the poor African under 

 a fresh access of insanity, " tried to spear one of the crew, 

 and then leapt overboard: and though he could swim well, 

 pulled himself down, hand under hand, by the chain cable; 

 and his body was never seen again." 



This is a sorrowful passage in the concluding page of a 

 large Volume filled with matter of deep interest, and written 

 throughout in a spirit of thankfulness, cheerfulness, and hope. 

 Perhaps some Cambridge men, when they read this passage, 

 will think of the joyful greeting we should have given poor 

 Sekwebu, had it been God's will that he should appear on the 

 platform of our Senate-House at the side of his "Father." 

 TVe should have welcomed him and greeted him as a brother 



