A JOURNEY! 



17 



lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fet- 

 ters of Habit, the leaden weight of Routine, the 

 cloak of many Cares and the slavery of Home, 

 man feels once more happy. The blood flows 

 with the fast circulation of childhood, Excite- 

 ment lends unwonted vigour to the muscles, and 

 the sudden sense of freedom adds a cubit to the 

 mental stature. Afresh dawns the morn of life ; 

 again the bright world is beautiful to the eye, 

 and the glorious face of nature gladdens the 

 soul. A journey, in fact, appeals to Imagination, 

 to Memory, to Hope, — the three sister Graces of 

 our moral being. ' 1 



The 18| days spent in sailing 2400 direct 

 miles e far o'er the red equator ' w^ere short for 

 our occupations. I read all that had been 

 written upon the subject of Zanzibar, from 

 Messer Marco Miglione to the learned Vincent, 

 who always suspected either the existence or the 

 place of the absurd 6 Maravi Lake.' We rubbed 

 up our acquaintance with the sextant and the alti- 

 tude and azimuth ; and we registered barometer 

 and thermometer, so as to have a base for observ- 

 ations ashore. The nearest reference point of 

 known pressure to Zanzibar was then Aden, dis- 



1 Somewhat boisterous, but true. (Note 14 years after- 

 wards.) 



VOL. i. 2 



