Fragment of Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa (Part III)
David Livingstone

Date of composition: January-October 1857
Repository: National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Shelfmark: MS. 20312
Clendennen & Cunningham number(s): Books, 01
Digital edition and date: Livingstone Online, 2019
Publisher: University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
Project id: liv_000104
TEI encoding: Justin D. Livingstone, Adrian S. Wisnicki, Kate Simpson

0001
1 196
2

We crossed it by means ` canoes. Here as on
3' slopes down to ' Quilo and Chikapa we had an
4opportunity ` viewing ' geological structure ` ' country

5

A capping ` ferruginous conglomerate wh in many
6parts looks as if it had been melted for the
7rounded nodules resemble masses in slag and they
8have a smooth seal on ' surface but it is in all
9probability it is an aqueous rock deposit
10for it contains water worn pebbles of all sorts &
11generally small, below this mass lies a pale
12red [↪ hardened] sandstone and beneath that a trap resembling
13? whinstone The lowest ` all lies a course grained
14sandstone containing a few pebbles and in con-
15nection with it a white rock resembling limestone
16is reasonably met with ^ [and so are
17banks of
18loose round
19quartz pebbles] The banks
20slopes are to longer from ' level country above
21' further we go eastward and everywhere we meet
22 with circumscribed bogs ˄ on them surrounded by clumps `
23straight lofty evergreen trees wh look extremely
24graceful on a ground ` yellowish grass. Several
25` these bogs pour forth a solution ` iron wh
26exhibits on its surface ' prismatic colours

27

On leaving ' Moamba ' level plateau [The level plateaus
28between the
29rivers both
30East & West
31of the Moamba]
32across wh we travelled to ' next river was {ere} less
33woody than the slopes river glens over wh we had passed The trees ˄ on them are
34scraggy and widely apart There are ˄ also two large
35open grass covered spaces with scarcely even a bush

36

On these rather dreary intervals between ' rivers
37it was impossible for me not to be painfully
38struck with ' absence ` all animal life not
39a bird was to be seen except occassionally a
40(Dicrurus Ludwigii
40 Smith) tomtit [↪ an some of the Sylviadae] and a blackbird (Dicrurus Ludwigii Smith common
41throughout ' country We were gladdened by ' voices
42of birds only near ' rivers and there they are ˄neither not numerous 0002
1 197
2 Par. on ' way. / Cabango is ' dwelling place of Muan-
3Zanza Muanzanza one ` Matiamvo's subordinate chiefs - his
4village consists ` about 200 huts and ten or twelve
5square wattle and daub houses [↪ constructed
6of poles with
7grass inter-
8woven] The latter are
9occupied by ambac half breed Portuguese from
10 Ambaca, agents for ' Cassange traders The cold
11in ' morning was now severe ˄ to the feelings the thermometer
12ranging from 58° to 60° though when protected it sometimes
13 [standing] stood as high as 64° at six A.M. When ' sun is
14well up the thermometer in ' shade rises to 80° and
15in ' evenings it is about 78° A person having
16died in ˄ this village we could transact no business
17with ' chief until ' funeral obsequies were finished

18

These occupy about 4 days during wh there is
19a constant succession ` dancing, wailing and
20feasting guns are fired by day and drums
21beaten by night and all ' relatives dressed in
22fantastic caps keep up ' ceremonies with spirit
23proportionate to ' amount ` beer & beef expended
24 [↪ When there is a large
25expenditure] The remark is often made afterwards "What a
26fine funeral that was"! A figure consisting
27chiefly ` feathers and beads is paraded on these
28occasions and seems to be regarded as an idol

29

Having met with an accident to one of my
30eyes by a blow from a branch in passing through
31a forest I remained some days here endeavouring
32though with much pain to draw a sketch of '
33country thus far to be sent back to Mr Gabriel
34at Loanda I was ˄ always anxious to transmit an
35account ` my discoveries on every possible occasion
36lest ˄ any thing happening in ' country to wh I was going they should be entirely
37lost I also fondly expected a packet of
38letters ˄ & papers from wh my good angel at Loanda would
39be sure to send if they came to hand but I

0003
1 192
2

X If the reader remembers the way in which
3 II I was led when engaged teaching the Bakwains
4to engage in commence exploration, he will detect the
5hand of Providence - Anterior to that we
6˄ when Mr Moffat began to give the Bible - the
7magna charta of all the rights & priveleges
8of modern civilisation, to the Bechuanas
9 Sebituane went North and introduced
10the language into which he was translating
11it into a new region larger than France
12He at the same time rooted out hordes
13of bloody savages among whom
14no white man could have gone
15 22 a without leaving his skull to ornament
16some village - Sebituane opened up
17the way for me, let us hope also
18for the bible - Then I was labouring
19at Kolobeng seeing only such a small
20arc of the cycle of Providence th
21I could not understand it & fel
22inclined to ascribe our prolonged
23droughts to the devil, but when
24forced by these and the Boers to
25turn explorer - to open a new country
26in the North rather than turn my
27face southwards where missionaries
28are not needed - The unseen hand
29is again felt, The gracious spiri
30God influences the minds