LIVINGSTONE'S STORES, A DELUSION. 457 



his accounts, he had a stock of jellies and crackers, soups, fish, and potted ham, 

 besides cheese, awaiting him at Unyanyembe." Mr. Stanley, who had suf- 

 fered from several attacks of fever, was longing for a change of diet, and the 

 prospect of such variety cheered him. " I wondered," he says, " that people 

 who have access to such luxuries, should ever get sick, and become tired of 

 life. I thought that if a wheaten loaf, with a mere pat of fresh butter 

 were presented to me, I would be able, though dying, to spring up and dance 

 a wild fandango." 



Arrived at Unyanyembe, the two toil-worn travellers found welcome 

 letters and newspapers from home. Among other letters to Mr. Stanley was 

 one from Dr. Kirk, H.M.'s Consul at Zanzibar, requesting him to do all he 

 could to push on the Livingstone caravan. It will be remembered that Mr. 

 Stanley found it at Unyanyembe as he passed through on his way to Ujiji, and 

 it was still there when he returned. The man who had gone and relieved 

 Livingstone, and was half-way on his return journey when he received this 

 request in connection with a caravan which left Zanzibar two months prior 

 to his own expedition, has some grounds for the terms in which he speaks 

 throughout his book of the carelessness of Dr. Kirk. He dryly remarked 

 to Dr. Livingstone that the request came too late for his visit to Ujiji, but 

 that he had done better, he had brought him to the caravan. 



When Dr. Livingstone's boxes came to be opened, Mr. Stanley, who had 

 been looking forward to luxuriating on all the delicacies of 'civilization, was 

 grievously disappointed. We must let him tell the result in his own words ; 

 it is a fine commentary on commercial morality, and the watchful care of the 

 traveller's friends : — 



" The first box opened contained three tins of biscuits, six tins of potted 

 hare — tiny things, not much larger than thimbles, which, when opened, proved 

 to be nothing more than a table-spoonful of minced meat, plentifully sprinkled 

 with pepper : the Doctor's stores fell five hundred degrees below Zero in my 

 estimation. Next were brought out five pots of jam, one of which was opened 

 — this was also a delusion. The stone jars weighed a pound, and in each was 

 found a little over a tea-spoonful of jam. Verily, we began to think our hopes 

 and expectations had been raised to too high a pitch. Three bottles of curry 

 were next produced — but who cares for curry ? Another box was opened, and 

 out tumbled a fat dumpy Dutch cheese, hard as a brick, but sound and good, 

 although it is bad for the liver in Unyamwezi. Then another cheese was seen, 

 but this was all eaten up — it was hollow, and a fraud. The third box con- 

 tained nothing but two sugar loaves ; the fourth candles ; the fifth, bottles of 

 salt, Harvey, Worcester, and Reading sauces, essences of anchovies, pepper and 

 mustard. Bless me I what food were these for the revivifying of a moribund 

 such as I was ! The sixth box contained four sheets, two stout pair of shoes, 

 some stockings, and shoe-strings, which delighted the Doctor so much when he 



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