DEATH OF MARIANO. 347 



which I formerly crossed that river ?* All agreed in asserting that no river 

 flowed eastward into Lake Nyassa Two small ones do, but at a distance of, 

 say, SO or 90 miles from the lake ; the watershed is to the west. One should 

 have no bias in investigating these questions by the aid of travelled natives ; 

 but I had a strong leaning to a flow from Tanganyika into Nyassa or the 

 Zambesi. I was, however, stoutly opposed by all ; and I had crossed so many 

 running streams, which, from entering the lake among reeds, had not been 

 observed from the boat on our first visit, that, before reaching Kota-Kota, I 

 had come to the conclusion that a large river from the North was not needed 

 to account for the perennial flow of the Shire. I am sorry I have only native 

 information to give instead of my own direct observations ; but, having been 

 confined to work of much greater importance than exploration, the above was 

 all I could achieve when set free. 



" As the steward and myself were obliged to try our best during the limited 

 time at our disposal, it may be worth mentioning that we travelled 660 geo- 

 graphical miles in 55 travelling days, averaging 12 miles per day in straight 

 lines. The actual distance along the wavy, up-and-down paths we had was 

 of course much greater. The new leaves on the trees of the plateau were 

 coming out fresh and green, and of various other hues, when we were there, 

 and on reaching the ship on the 31st of October, we found all, except the 

 evergreen ones by streams, as bare of leaves as in mid-winter. 



The party reached the ship early in November, and found those they had 

 left there in good health. The exploring party had travelled nearly seven 

 hundred miles in a straight line, which gave a mileage of twelve and a half 

 per day, but taking the windings into account, Livingstone put their rate of 

 advance down at fifteen miles, a wonderful progress truly in an unknown 

 country. An Ajawa chief, named Kapeni, waited upon them, and gratified 

 Livingstone by saying that he and most of his people were anxious to receive 

 English missionaries as their teachers. The effect of this was marred by intelli- 

 gence which reached him shortly afterwards, that Bishop Tozer, Bishop 

 Mackenzie's successor, after a short stay near the mouth of the Shire, on the 

 top of Mount Marambala, had determined to leave the country. In descend- 

 ing the river they heard that Mariano, the infamous slave-stealing half-caste, 

 had died of debauchery some time previous. 



From Shupanga he wrote on the 10th of Feb., 1864 : — " The river rose in 

 tremendous force on the 19th of January — much later than usual. Its lateness 

 extracted many a groan from me, for it was plain that I had plenty of time 

 to have examined Lake Bemba, which I suppose to be the beginning of the 

 drainage system which finds an outlet by the Congo. Mofu, or Mofue, was 



* In his last journey Dr. Livingstone found that the river he alludes to had no connection with 

 Lake Tanganyika, but is, as he supposed, the head waters of the Nile. 



