Savage Africa, 
17 
of gorilla bone, goat horn, shells, strange tags to stranger 
tackle ? and of the things worn around their necks, brain 
of mice, skin of viper, * adder's fork, and blind worm's 
sting ' ? And how strangely they smell, all these queer 
man-like creatures who stood regarding me ! Not silently ; 
on the contrary, there is a loud interchange of comments 
upon the white man's appearance, a manifestation of broad 
interest to know whence I came, whither I am going, and 
what is my business, and no sooner are the questions asked, 
than they are replied to by such as pretend to know. The 
replies were followed by long-drawn ejaculations of ' Men ! ' 
* And these are men ! ' Now imagine this ! While we 
whites are loftily disputing among ourselves as to whether 
the beings before us are human, here were these creatures 
actually expressing strong doubts as to whether we whites 
were men. A dead silence prevailed for a short time^ during 
which all the females dropped their lower jaws far down, and 
then cried out again, ^ Men ! ' The lower jaws indeed dropped 
so low that, when in a posture of reflection they put their 
hands up to their chins, it really looked as if they had done 
so to lift the jaws up to their proper position, and to sustain 
them there. And in that position they pondered upon the 
fact that there were men white all over, in this queer world." 
The vast continent of Africa is estimated to contain, as 
has been said already, from three hundred millions to three 
hundred and fifty millions of human beings, of different 
races, faiths, languages, and kingdoms. Around the north- 
east coast may be found specimens of the great Arab family, 
professing the Mohammedan faith. Proceeding into South 
Africa, we find a large number of tribes, which Livingstone 
classified generally under three heads : — ist, the Kaffir 
family, to which the Zulus and Matabele belong ; 2nd, the 
Bakoni, or Basuto family, some of the divisions of which are 
c 
