Scotland/Scots > Last years of Livingstone

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THE LAST TEAKS OF LIVINGSTONE.
rotting at Bombay. Our government let themselves in
for a very large amount, by placing an embargo on the
sale of vessels which might possibly have gone to the Con¬
federates as Alabamas. For this an offer of £9,000 was
made ; now it went for £3,000, and all the difference
comes out of John Bull’s pocket. Here where they could
not act fairly to the United States they did it even at a
great sacrifice.
The Sultan of Zanzibar visited the Governor of Bombay
while I was there. He was very gracious, and gave me a
firman to all his people, and an order to one of his cap¬
tains to carry some tame buffaloes across. These are to
be used as an experiment with the tsetze, and if they
withstand the poison of that pest we shall have done
something to open Africa. At present they have no beast
of burden in the country, and this is so like the wild ones
which live in the very habitat of the tsetze that I have
good hopes of success.
My party consists of thirteen Sepoys of the old East In¬
dia Company’s Marine Battalion. They have been accus¬
tomed to rough it on board ship. (This one is kicking
about now in a way that might make “ a grumphy grew.”)
They are likely enough fellows. I have also nine boys
who were recaptured, and have been taught trades and
other things at a government school near Bombay. They
know a little of their native tongues still. These, with
two mules and a little dog named Titani, constitute the
party. I had many offers of service from Europeans, but
have invariably declined them. Unless a man has been