A 



126 LIFE OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE, LL.D. 



journal could be found on his return, which was a matter of much regret, as it 

 contained valuable notes on the habits of wild animals, etc. 



The following illustrates admirably the spirit which animated this extra- 

 ordinary man when ready to start on his dangerous enterprise. " The prospect 

 of passing away from this fair and beautiful world thus came before me in a 

 pretty plain matter-of-fact form ; and it did seem a serious thing to leave wife 

 and children, to break up all connection with earth, and enter on an untried 

 state of existence ; I find myself in my journal pondering over that fearful 

 migration which lands us in eternity ; wondering whether an angel will soothe 

 the fluttering soul, sadly flurried as it must be on entering the spirit world, 

 and hoping that Jesus might speak but one word of peace, for that would 

 establish in the bosom an everlasting calm. But as I had always believed that, 

 if we serve Grod at all, it ought to be done in a manly way, I wrote to my 

 brother, commending our little girl to his care, as I was determined to succeed 

 or perish in the attempt to open up this part of Africa. The Boers, by taking 

 possession of all my goods, had saved me the trouble of making a will ; and 

 considering the light heart now left in my bosom, and some faint efforts to 

 perform the duty of Christian forgiveness, I felt that it was better to be the 

 plundered party than one of the plunderers." 



Wisely resolving that his baggage should be so limited in quantity as not 

 to excite the cupidity of any unfriendly tribe, he took with him only three 

 muskets, a rifle, and a double-barrelled gun, with the necessary ammunition; a 

 few biscuits, several pounds of tea and sugar, and about twenty pounds of 

 coffee, a beverage greatly relished by the natives. Of wearing apparel, 

 independent of what they wore, they had a small tin canister filled with shirting, 

 trowsers, and shoes, to be donned when the party should reach the neighbour- 

 hood of civilization, and another supply in a bag was for use during the 

 journey. 



Another tin can contained a stock of medicines. A third contained his 

 books, consisting of a nautical almanac, Thomson's Logarithms, and a Bible ; 

 and a fourth box contained a magic lantern, a sextant and artificial horizon, 

 a thermometer, a chronometer watch with a stop for seconds, and a small but 

 powerful telescope, with a stand capable of being screwed to a tree, and two 

 compasses, one of them for the pocket, were carried apart. A small gipsy 

 tent to sleep in, a blanket, and a horse-rug, from the simplicity of the other 

 impedimenta, might be termed the luxuries of his baggage roll. As the 

 country so far as explored by him abounded in game, he trusted to his good 

 rifle and double-barrelled gun for furnishing the bulk of the food required ; 

 but in case of having to pass through a country where these were not plenti- 

 ful, twenty pounds of beads of the value of forty shillings, were set apart for 

 the purchase of such necessities in the way of food as they might require. In 

 addition to the absolutely necessary baggage, the party carried with them 



