ENCOUNTER WITH SLA VE-HUNTERS. 325 



alone remained ; and he, from being in front, had his hand tightly grasped by 

 a Makololo ! He proved to be a well-known slave of the late commandant at 

 Tete, and for some time our own attendant while there. On asking him how 

 he obtained these captives, he replied, he had bought them ; but on our 

 inquiring of the people themselves, all save four said they had been captured 

 in war. While this inquiry was going on, he bolted too. The captives knelt 

 down, and in their way of expressing thanks, clapped their hands with great 

 energy. They were thus left entirely in our hands, and knives were soon at 

 work cutting women and children loose. It was more difficult to cut the men 

 adrift, as each had his neck in the fork of a stout stick, six or seven feet long, 

 and kept in by an iron rod, which was riveted at both ends across the throat. 

 With a saw, luckily in the bishop's baggage, one by one the men were sawn 

 out into freedom. The women, on being told to take the meal they were 

 carrying and cook breakfast for themselves and the children, seemed to con- 

 sider the news too good to be true ; but after a little coaxing went at it with 

 alacrity, and made a capital fire by which to boil their pots with the slave 

 sticks and bonds, their old acquaintances through many a sad night and weary 

 day. Many were mere children, about four years of age and under. One 

 little boy, with the simplicity of childhood, said to our men, ' The others tied 

 and starved us, you cut the ropes and tell us to eat ; what sort of people are 

 you ? where do you come from ?' Two of the women had been shot the day 

 before for attempting to untie the thongs. . . . One woman had her 

 infant's brains knocked out, because she could not carry her load and it ; and 

 a man was despatched with an axe, because he had broken down with fatigue." 



The number liberated was eighty-four in all; and on being told that they 

 were at liberty to go where they pleased, or remain with the mission, they 

 chose the latter. During several days following many more captives were 

 liberated, their drivers running from before the faces of the white men. 

 Months afterwards at Tete, several merchants, all of whom were engaged in 

 the slave trade, remarked to Dr. Livingstone that he had released some of the 

 governor's slaves, to which he replied that he had liberated several groups of 

 slaves in the Manganja country ; and this was all that passed in regard to the 

 transaction. 



Leaving the rescued slaves, the party started to visit the Ajawa people, 

 who were carrying war and slavery among the Manganja, and came upon them 

 in the act of sacking and burning a village, where Dr. Livingstone and his 

 friends had been previously entertained by the peaceful inhabitants, so many 

 of whom were then engaged in weaving cotton, that they had jestingly called 

 it " the Paisley of the hills." After engaging with the bishop in fervent prayer, 

 the party advanced to demand a parley. The poor Manganja seeing them 

 shouted out, " Our Chibisa is come ;" Chibisa being well known as a great gene- 

 ral and conjurer. The Ajawa ran off yelling, War ! war ! and refused to listen 



