294 LIFE OF DA VID LIVINGSTONE, LL.D. 



the Zambesi with Mr. Rae (the engineer), who was about to return to England 

 to superintend the construction of a successor to the Ma-Robert, which was now 

 of no use for the purposes for which she was intended. At Shupanga, Sinin- 

 yane, one of the Makololo, exchanged names with a Zulu, and ever afterwards 

 only answered to the name of Moshoshoma. This custom is common among 

 the tribes on the Zambesi. After exchanging names the parties owe to each 

 other special duties and services , ever afterwards. While at Kebra-basa, 

 Charles Livingstone was made a comrade for life — -names not being ex- 

 changed — of a hungry native traveller to whom he gave some food and a small 

 piece of cloth. Eighteen months afterwards, the man having prospered in 

 the interval, he came into the camp of the party while on their journey into 

 the interior, bringing a liberal present of rice, meal, beer, and a fowl, saying, 

 " that he did not like them to sleep hungry or thirsty." Some of the Mako- 

 lolo took the names of friendly chiefs, and others took the names of famous 

 places they had visited ; the assumed names being retained after their return 

 to their own country. 



"While anchored in the river the party suffered from the visits of certain 

 animals and insects. Mosquitoes of course were plentiful at certain seasons 

 in the low-lying districts, but other tormentors were of a novel description. 

 Livingstone gives a graphic account of some of them, from which we quote 

 the following: — "The rats, or rather large mice of this region, are quite 

 facetious, and, having a great deal of fun in them, often laugh heartily. 

 . . . No sooner were we all asleep, than they made a sudden dash over 

 the lockers and across our faces for the cabin door, where all broke out into a 

 loud he ! he ! he ! he I he ! he ! showing how keenly they enjoyed the joke. 

 They next went forward with as much delight and scampered over the men. 

 Every evening they went fore and aft, rousing with impartial feet every 

 sleeper, and laughing to scorn the aimless blows, growls, and deadly rushes of 

 outraged humanity. . . . Scorpions, centipedes, and poisonous spiders 

 were not unfrequently brought into the ship with the wind, and occasionally 

 found their way into our beds ; but in every instance we were fortunate 

 enough to discover and destroy them, before they did any harm. . . . 

 Snakes sometimes came in with the wood, but oftener floated down the river 

 to us, climbing on board with ease by the chain-cable, and some poisonous 

 ones were caught in the cabin. A green snake lived with us several weeks, 

 concealing himself behind the casing of the deck in the day time. To be 

 aroused in the dark by five feet of cold green snake gliding over one's face 

 is rather unpleasant, however rapid the movement may be. Myriads of two 

 varieties of cockroaches infested the vessel ; they not only ate round the roots 

 of our nails, but even devoured and defiled our food, flannels, and boots ; vain 

 were all our efforts to extirpate these destructive pests j if you kill one, say 

 the sailors, a hundred come down to his funeral 1 " 



