222 
LIVINGSTONE’S LAST JOURNEY. 
Livingstone, who was to be taken over when the rough work was 
done, rested on his litter in a shady place. 
The canoes not being wide enough to admit of the litter being 
laid in any one of them, it was now a difficult question how best to 
get the doctor across. Taking his bed off his litter, the men placed 
it in the strongest canoe and tried to lift him on to it, but he 'Tould 
not bear the pain of a hand being placed under his back.” Making 
a sign to Chumah, our hero then faintly whispered a request to 
him “to stoop down over him as low as possible, so that he might 
clasp his hands together behind his head,” at the same time begging 
him “to avoid putting any pressure on the lumbar region of the 
back.” His wishes were tenderly carried out, and in this manner 
he was laid in the canoe, ferried over as rapidly as possible, and 
once more placed in his litter on the other side. 
LIFE FAST EBBING AWAY. 
Susi now hastened on with several servants to the next village, 
the now celebrated Chitambo’s, to superintend the building of a 
house for the reception of his beloved master, the rest of the party 
following more slowly, and bearing their precious charge “through 
swamps and plashes,” till they came, to their great relief, to some¬ 
thing “like a dry plain at last.” 
The strength of the great explorer was now ebbing rapidly 
away. Chumah, who helped to carry him on this the very last 
stage of his journey, says that he and his comrades were every 
now and then “implored to stop and place their burden on the 
ground.” Sometimes a drowsiness come over the sufferer, and he 
seemed insensible to all that was going on; sometimes he suffered 
terribly for want of water, of which, now that it was so sorely 
needed, not a drop could be obtained, until, fortunately, they met 
a member of their party returning from ChitamboT, with a supply 
thoughtfully sent off by Susi. 
A little later, a clearing was reached, and Livingstone again 
begged to be set down and left alone, but at that very moment the 
first huts of Chitambo’s village came in sight, and his bearers begged 
him to endure yet a little longer. 
