CHAPTER XV.
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 comrades stronger than he had ever
been before.
An Ajawa chief, named Kapeni, had so much confidence in the English name
that he, with most of his people, visited the ship; and asserted that
nothing would give his countrymen greater pleasure than to receive the
associates of Bishop Mackenzie as their teachers. This declaration, coupled with the subsequent conduct of the Ajawa, was very gratifying, inasmuch as it was clear that no umbrage had been taken at the check which the Bishop had given to their slaving; their consciences had told them that the course he had pursued was right.
When we returned, the contrast between the vegetation about Muazi's and
that near the ship was very striking. We had come so quickly down, that
while on the plateau in latitude 12 degrees S., the young leaves had in
many cases passed from the pink or other colour they have on first coming
out to the light fresh green which succeeds it, here, on the borders of
16 degrees S., or from 150 to 180 miles distant, the trees were still
bare, the grey colour of the bark predominating over every other hue. The
trees in the tropics here have a very well-marked annual rest. On the
Rovuma even, which is only about ten degrees from the equator, in
September the slopes up from the river some sixty miles inland were of a
light ashy-grey colour; and on ascending them, we found that the majority
of the trees were without leaves; those of the bamboo even lay crisp and
crumpled on the ground. As the sun is usually hot by day, even in the
winter, this withering process may be owing to the cool nights; Africa
differing so much from Central India in the fact that, in Africa, however
hot the day may be, the air generally cools down sufficiently by the
early morning watches to render a covering or even a blanket agreeable.
The first fortnight after our return to the ship was employed in the
delightful process of resting, to appreciate which a man must have gone
through great exertions. In our case the muscles of the limbs were as
hard as boards, and not an ounce of fat existed on any part of the body. We now had frequent showers; but, these being only the earlier rains, the result on the rise of the river was but a few inches. The effect of these rains on the surrounding scenery was beautiful in the extreme. All trace of the dry season was soon obliterated, and hills and mountains from base to summit were covered with a mantle of living green. The sun passed us on his way south without causing a flood, so all our hopes of a release were centred on his return towards the Equator, when, as a rule, the waters of inundation are made to flow. Up to this time the rains descended simply to water the earth, fill the pools, and make ready for the grand overflow for which we had still to wait six weeks. It is of no use to conceal that we waited with much chagrin; for had we not been forced to return from the highlands west of Nyassa we might have visited Lake Bemba; but unavailing regrets are poor employment for the mind; so we banished them to the best of our power.
About the middle of December, 1863, we were informed that Bishop
Mackenzie's successor, after spending a few months on the top of a
mountain about as high as Ben Nevis in Scotland, at the mouth of the
Shire, where there were few or no people to be taught, had determined to
leave the country. This unfortunate decision was communicated to us at
the same time that six of the boys reared by Bishop Mackenzie were sent
back into heathenism. The boys were taken to a place about seven miles
from the ship, but immediately found their way up to us. We told them
that if they wished to remain in the country they had better so arrange
at once, for we were soon to leave. The sequel will show their choice.