THE AUTHOR B POSITION. 
429 
death, to soil tho tusks and deliver the proceeds to my 
men ; but I intended, if my life should be prolonged, to 
purchaso tho goods ordered by Sokclotu in England with 
my own money, and pay myself on my return out of tho 
price of tho ivory. This I explained to the men fully, and 
they, understanding tho matter, roplied, “ IN ay, father, you 
will not die ; you will return to take us back to Sekolotu.” 
Thoy promised to wait till I came back; and, on my part, 
I assured them that nothing but death would prevent my 
roturn. This I said, though whilo waiting at Kilimano a 
letter camo from tho Directors of tho London Missionary 
Society stating that “they wore restricted in their power 
of aiding plans connected only remotely with tho spread 
of tho gospol, and that the financial circumstances of tho 
society wero not such as to afford any ground of hope that 
it would bo in a position, within any definite period, to 
enter upon untried, remote, and difficult fields of labor.’- 
This has been explained since as an effusion caused by tom 
porary financial depression ; but, fooling perfect confidence 
in my Makololo friends, I was dotorminod to roturn and 
trust to their generosity. Tho old lovo of independence, 
which I hud so strongly before joining the society, again 
returned. It was roused by a mistaken view of what this 
letter mount; for tho directors, immediately on my reach- 
ing homo, saw tho great importance of tho opening, and 
entered with enlightened zeal on tho work of sending tho 
gospol into tho new field. It is to bo hoped that their con- 
-<titu«nts will not only enable them to begin, but to carry 
out thoir plans, and that no material depression will ovot 
gain bo permitted, nor appearances of spasmodic bonevo- 
ienco recur. Whilo I hope to continue tho same cordial 
°o -operation and friendship which have always character- 
ized our intercourse, various reasons induce mo to withdraw 
from pecuniary depondenco on any society. I have done 
something for tho heathen; but for an aged mother, who has 
still more sacred claims than they, I have been ablo to do 
nothing, and a continuance of the connection would be a 
