546 HOSTILE APPEARANCES. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



14th. — WE reached the confluence of the I,oangwa and 

 the Zambesi, most thankful to God for his great mercies 

 in helping us thus far. Mburuma's people had behaved 

 so suspiciously, that, though we had guides from him, 

 we were by no means sure that we should not be attacked 

 in crossing the Loangwa. We saw them here collecting 

 in large numbers, and, though professing friendship, they 

 kept at a distance from our camp. They refused to lend 

 us more canoes than two, though they have many. They 

 have no intercourse with Buropeans, except through the 

 B abisa. They tell us that this was formerly the residence 

 of the Bazunga, and maintain silence as to the cause of 

 their leaving it. I walked about some ruins I discovered, 

 built of stone, and found the remains of a church, and on 

 one side lay a broken bell, with the letters I. H. V S. and 

 a cross, but no date. There were no inscriptions on stone, 

 and the people could not tell what the Bazunga called 

 their place. We found afterwards it was Zumbo. 



I felt some turmoil of spirit in the evening, at the 

 prospect of having all my efforts for the welfare of this 

 great region and its teeming population, knocked on the 

 head by savages to-morrow, who might be said to " know 

 not what they do." It seemed such a pity that the 

 important fact of the existence of the two healthy ridges 

 which I had discovered, should not become known in 

 Christendom, for a confirmation would thereby have been 

 given to the idea that Africa is not open to the Gospel. 

 But I read that Jesus said, " All power is given unto me 

 in heaven and on earth : go ye, therefore, and teach all 



nations and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the 



end of the world." I took this as His word of honour, 

 and then went out to take observations for latitude and 

 longitude, which, I think, were very successful. (The 

 church : lat. 15 37' 22" S., long. 30 32' E.) 



i$th. — The natives of the surrounding country collected 

 around us this morning, all armed. The women and 

 children were sent away, and one of Mburuma's wives, 

 who lives in the vicinity, was not allowed to approach, 

 though she had come from her village to pay me a •visit. 

 Only one canoe was lent to us, though we saw two otners 



