Chap. XI. the missionaries successful. 289 



which an appeal could be made ; for in him Church and 

 State were, in the disorganized state of the country, 

 virtually united. It seemed to him to be clearly his duty 

 to try and rescue these kidnapped members of the Mission 

 family. He accordingly invited the veteran Makololo to 

 go with him on this somewhat hazardous errand. No- 

 thing could have been proposed to them which they 

 would have liked better, and they went with alacrity to 

 eat the sheep of the Anguru, only regretting that the 

 enemy did not keep cattle as well. Had the matter been 

 left entirely in their hands, they would have made a clean 

 sweep of that part of the country ; but the Bishop re- 

 strained them, and went in an open manner, thus com- 

 mending the measure to all the natives, as one of justice. 

 This deliberation, however, gave the delinquents a chance 

 of escape. 



The missionaries were successful ; the offending village 

 was burned, and a few sheep and goats were secured, 

 which could not be considered other than a very mild 

 punishment for the offence committed; the headman, 

 Muana-somba, afraid to retain the prisoners any longer, 

 forthwith liberated them, and they returned to their homes. 

 This incident took place at the time we were at the Euo 

 and during the rains, and proved very trying to the health 

 of the missionaries ; they were frequently wetted, and had 

 hardly any food but roasted maize. Mr. Scudamore was 

 never well afterwards. Directly on their return to Mago- 

 mero, the Bishop and Mr. Burrup, both suffering from 

 diarrhoea in consequence of wet, hunger, and exposure, 

 started for Chibisa's to go down to the Euo by the Shire. 

 So fully did the Bishop expect a renewal of the soa king- 

 wet from which he had just returned, that on leaving Ma- 

 gomero he walked through the stream. The rivulets were 

 so swollen that it took five days to do a journey that 

 would otherwise have occupied only two days and a half. 



