340 A BOAT EXPEDITION. CHAP. XII. 



prise, professed by tlie Lisbon Ministry. We hoped to 

 benefit both Portuguese and Africans by introducing free- 

 trade and Christianity. Our allies, unfortunately, cannot 

 see the slightest benefit in any measure that does not 

 imply raising themselves up by thrusting others down. 

 The official paper of the Lisbon Government has since 

 let us know " that their policy was directed to frustrating 

 the grasping designs of the British Government to the 

 dominion of Eastern Africa." We, who were on the spot, 

 and behind the scenes, knew that feelings of private 

 benevolence had the chief share in the operations under- 

 taken for introducing the reign of peace and good will 

 on the Lakes and central regions, which for ages have 

 been the abodes of violence and bloodshed. But that 

 great change was not to be accomplished. The narrow- 

 minded would ascribe all that was attempted to the grasp- 

 ing propensity of the English. But the motives that 

 actuate many in England, both in public and private life, 

 are much more noble than the world gives them credit for. 



Seeing, then, that we were not yet arrived at " the 

 good time coming," and that it was quite impossible 

 to take the " Pioneer" down to the sea till the floods of 

 December, we made arrangements to screw the " Lady 

 Nyassa " together ; and, in order to improvethe time inter- 

 vening, we resolved to carry a boat past the Cataracts a 

 second time, sail along the eastern shore of the Lake, 

 and round the northern end, and also collect data by 

 which to verify the information collected by Colonel 

 Eigby, that the 19,000 slaves, who go through the 

 Custom-house of Zanzibar annually, are chiefly drawn 

 from Lake Nyassa and the Valley of the Shire. 



Our party consisted of twenty natives, some of whom 

 were Johanna men, and were supposed to be capable of 

 managing the six oxen which drew the small wagon with 

 a boat on it. A team of twelve Cape oxen, with a Hotten- 



