TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD PALMERSTON, K.G., G.C.B. My Lord, I beg leave to dedicate this Volume to your Lordship, as a tribute justly due to the great Statesman who has ever had at heart the amelioration of the African race; and as a token of admiration of the beneficial effects of that policy which he has so long laboured to establish on the West Coast of Africa; and which, in improving that region, has most forcibly shown the need of some similar system on the opposite side of the Continent. DAVI

The name of the late Mr. Charles Livingstone takes a prominent place amongst those who acted under the leadership of Dr. Livingstone during the adventurous sojourn of the “Zambesi Expedition” in East Africa.  In laying the result of their discoveries before the public, it was arranged that Mr. Charles Livingstone should place his voluminous notes at the disposal of his brother: they are incorporated in the present work, but in a necessarily abridged form....

It has been my object in this work to give as clear an account as I was able of tracts of country previously unexplored, with their river systems, natural productions, and capabilities; and to bring before my countrymen, and all others interested in the cause of humanity, the misery entailed by the slave-trade in its inland phases; a subject on which I and my companions are the first who have had any opportunities of forming a judgment.  The eight years spent in Africa, since my last work was pu

Objects of the Expedition—Personal Interest shown by Naval Authorities—Members of the Zambesi Expedition. When first I determined on publishing the narrative of my “Missionary Travels,” I had a great misgiving as to whether the criticism my endeavours might provoke would be friendly or the reverse, more particularly as I felt that I had then been so long a sojourner in the wilderness, as to be quite a stranger to the British public.  But I am now in this, my second essay at authorship, cheered b

Arrival at the Zambesi—Rebel Warfare—Wild Animals—Shupanga—Hippopotamus Hunters—The Makololo—Crocodiles. The Expedition left England on the 10th of March, 1858, in Her Majesty’s Colonial Steamer “Pearl,” commanded by Captain Duncan; and, after enjoying the generous hospitality of our friends at Cape Town, with the obliging attentions of Sir George Grey, and receiving on board Mr. Francis Skead, R.N., as surveyor, we reached the East Coast in the following May. Our first object was to explore the

Kebrabasa Rapids—Tette—African fever—Exploration of the Shiré—Discovery of Lake Shirwa. Our curiosity had been so much excited by the reports we had heard of the Kebrabasa rapids, that we resolved to make a short examination of them, and seized the opportunity of the Zambesi being unusually low, to endeavour to ascertain their character while uncovered by the water.  We reached them on the 9th of November.  The country between Tette and Panda Mokua, where navigation ends, is well wooded and hill

The Steamer in difficulties—Elephant hunting—Arrival at Chibisa’s—Search for Lake Nyassa—The Manganja country—Weavers and smelters—Lake Pamalombé. Late in the afternoon of the first day’s steaming, after we left the wooding-place, we called at the village of Chikanda-Kadzé, a female chief, to purchase rice for our men; but we were now in the blissful region where time is absolutely of no account, and where men may sit down and rest themselves when tired; so they requested us to wait till next da

The Upper Shiré—Discovery of Lake Nyassa—Distressing exploration—Return to Zambesi—Unpleasant visitors—Start for Sekeletu’s Country in the interior. Our path followed the Shiré above the cataracts, which is now a broad deep river, with but little current.  It expands in one place into a lakelet, called Pamalombé, full of fine fish, and ten or twelve miles long by five or six in breadth.  Its banks are low, and a dense wall of papyrus encircles it.  On its western shore rises a range of hills run

Magnificent scenery—Method of marching—Hippopotamus killed—Lions and buffalo—Sequasha the ivory-trader. Sandia gave us two guides; and on the 4th of June we left the Elephant valley, taking a westerly course; and, after crossing a few ridges, entered the Chingereré or Paguruguru valley, through which, in the rainy season, runs the streamlet Pajodzé.  The mountains on our left, between us and the Zambesi, our guides told us have the same name as the valley, but that at the confluence of the Pajod

Illness—The Honey-guide—Abundance of game—The Baenda pezi—The Batoka. We left the river here, and proceeded up the valley which leads to the Mburuma or Mohango pass.  The nights were cold, and on the 30th of June the thermometer was as low as 39 degrees at sunrise.  We passed through a village of twenty large huts, which Sequasha had attacked on his return from the murder of the chief, Mpangwé.  He caught the women and children for slaves, and carried off all the food, except a huge basket of br

The Victoria Falls of the Zambesi—Marvellous grandeur of the Cataracts—The Makololo’s town—The Chief Sekeletu. During the time we remained at Motunta a splendid meteor was observed to lighten the whole heavens.  The observer’s back was turned to it, but on looking round the streak of light was seen to remain on its path some seconds.  This streak is usually explained to be only the continuance of the impression made by the shining body on the retina.  This cannot be, as in this case the meteor w

Life amongst the Makololo—Return journey—Native hospitality—A canoe voyage on the Zambesi. While we were at Sesheké, an ox was killed by a crocodile; a man found the carcass floating in the river, and appropriated the meat.  When the owner heard of this, he requested him to come before the chief, as he meant to complain of him; rather than go, the delinquent settled the matter by giving one of his own oxen in lieu of the lost one.  A headman from near Linyanti came with a complaint that all his

The waterbuck—Disaster in Kebrabasa rapids—The “Ma Robert” founders—Arrival of the “Pioneer” and Bishop Mackenzie’s party—Portuguese slave-trade—Interference and liberation. We arrived at Zumbo, at the mouth of the Loangwa, on the 1st of November.  The water being scarcely up to the knee, our land party waded this river with ease.  A buffalo was shot on an island opposite Pangola’s, the ball lodging in the spleen.  It was found to have been wounded in the same organ previously, for an iron bulle

The Lake tribes—The Mazitu—Quantities of elephants—Distressing journey—Detention on the Shiré. Never before in Africa have we seen anything like the dense population on the shores of Lake Nyassa.  In the southern part there was an almost unbroken chain of villages.  On the beach of wellnigh of every little sandy bay, dark crowds were standing, gazing at the novel sight of a boat under sail; and wherever we landed we were surrounded in a few seconds by hundreds of men, women, and children, who ha

Arrival of H.M.S. “Gorgon”—Dr. Livingstone’s new steamer and Mrs. Livingstone—Death of Mrs. Livingstone—Voyage to Johanna and the Rovuma—An attack upon the “Pioneer’s” boats. We anchored on the Great Luabo mouth of the Zambesi, because wood was much more easily obtained there than at the Kongoné. On the 30th, H.M.S. “Gorgon” arrived, towing the brig which brought Mrs. Livingstone, some ladies about to join their relatives in the Universities’ Mission, and the twenty-four sections of a new iron s

Return to the Zambesi—Bishop Mackenzie’s grave—Frightful scenes with crocodiles—Death of Mr. Thornton—African poisons—Recall of the Expedition. We put to sea on the 18th of October, and, again touching at Johanna, obtained a crew of Johanna men and some oxen, and sailed for the Zambesi; but our fuel failing before we reached it, and the wind being contrary, we ran into Quillimane for wood. Quillimane must have been built solely for the sake of carrying on the slave-trade, for no man in his sense

Dr. Livingstone’s further explorations—Effects of slave-trade—Kirk’s range—Ajawa migration—Native fishermen—Arab slave-crossing—Splendid highlands. The Murchison Cataracts of the Shiré river begin in 15 degrees 20 minutes S., and end in lat. 15 degrees 55 minutes S., the difference of latitude is therefore 35 minutes.  The river runs in this space nearly north and south, till we pass Malango; so the entire distance is under 40 miles.  The principal Cataracts are five in number, and are called Pa

Important geographical discoveries in the Wabisa countries—Cruelty of the slave-trade—The Mazitu—Serious illness of Dr. Livingstone—Return to the ship. In our course westwards, we at first passed over a gently undulating country, with a reddish clayey soil, which, from the heavy crops, appeared to be very fertile.  Many rivulets were crossed, some running southwards into the Bua, and others northwards into the Loangwa, a river which we formerly saw flowing into the Lake.  Further on, the water w

Confidence of natives—Bishop Tozer—Withdrawal of the Mission party—The English leave—Hazardous voyage to Mosambique—Dr. Livingstone’s voyage to Bombay—Return to England. We were delighted and thankful to find all those left at the ship in good health, and that from the employments in which they had been occupied they had suffered less from fever than usual during our absence.  My companion, Thomas Ward, the steward, after having performed his part in the march right bravely, rejoined his comrade