252 the bishop's doubts. Chap. IX. 



ought to live with the father rather than with the child." 

 But the old man's object was so evidently to have the 

 Mission as a shield against the Ajawa, that his invitation 

 was declined. While begging us to drive away the 

 marauders, that he might live in peace, he adopted the 

 stratagem of causing a number of his men to rush into the 

 village, in breathless haste, with the news that the Ajawa 

 were close upon us. And having been reminded that we 

 never fought, unless attacked, as we were the day before, 

 and that we had come among them for the purpose of pro- 

 moting peace, and of teaching them to worship the 

 Supreme, to give up selling His children, and to cultivate 

 other objects for barter than each other, he replied, in a 

 huff, " Then I am dead already." 



The Bishop, feeling, as most Englishmen would, at the 

 prospect of the people now in his charge being swept off 

 into slavery by hordes of men-stealers, proposed to go at 

 once to the rescue of the captive Manganja, and drive the 

 marauding Ajawa out of the country. All were warmly 

 in favour of this, save Dr. Livingstone, who opposed it on 

 the ground that it would be better for the Bishop to wait, 

 and see the effect of the check the slave-hunters had just 

 experienced. The Ajawa were evidently goaded on by 

 Portuguese agents from Tette, and there was no bond of 

 union among the Manganja on which to work. It was 

 possible that the Ajawa might be persuaded to something 

 better, though, from having long been in the habit of 

 slaving for the Quillimane market, it was not very 

 probable. But the Manganja could easily be overcome 

 piecemeal by any enemy; old feuds made them glad to 

 see calamities befall their next neighbours. We counselled 

 them to unite against the common enemies of their 

 country, and added distinctly that we English would on 

 no account enter into their quarrels. On the Bishop 

 inquiring whether, in the event of the Manganja again 



