Scotland/Scots > Last years of Livingstone

THE LAST YEARS OF LIVINGSTONE.
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he was obliged to return by a toilsome journey to Ujiji of
600 miles. The cause of this abrupt termination of the
expedition was, first, continued ill-health, but chiefly the
rascally conduct of his attendants. In the first place,
Ludha had deceived him by sending Banian slaves instead
of Zanzibar freemen. The leaders of these men, Shereef
and Awathe were extortioners to begin with, and the en¬
tire gang did all they could to embarrass Livingstone,
impede his progress, and baffle his designs. It was the
lies which these men persistently and positively told, that
first prejudiced the traveller against Dr. Kirk, and pre¬
pared him to accept any story told against the Consul. The
Banians swore that the latter had told them to force Living¬
stone back, and on no account to go forward. By working
on their fears, aided materially by the efforts of his friend
Muhamad Bogharit, he had forced them to proceed; but
had it not been for the ivory-trader, “ they would have
gained their point by sheer brazen-faced falsehood.” The
last are Livingstone’s words ; yet, it would appear from
the lately published letter to Mr. John Livingstone, writ¬
ten in 1872, that by some means or other, the doctor had
been persuaded to believe the “ falsehood” by that time.
These men were fearful cowards ; they were constantly
quaking with fear lest they should be killed and eaten by
the Manyema. At length, as we have already seen, they
refused to go on from Bambarre, and left the traveller with
only three attendants. They told the most outrageous
falsehoods, and aided by the Arabs, poisoned the minds of
the natives by insinuating that Livingstone “ wanted nei-