emergencies arose, which might have terminated fatally.
Passing as I did from tribe to tribe, I lived during a large
stretch of my travels as the Kaffirs lived, mingling freely
among them, certainly not from choice, but from stern
necessity. Opportunities therefore for observing closely the
modes and conditions of native life were unusually good;
and if in these pages I have been successful in describing
clearly my varied experiences, I hope the result in book
form will be considered both a readable as well as a useful
contribution to geographical knowledge, especially in its
relation to the peoples of Africa. Should my readers be of
opinion that I have painted a faithful and tolerably vivid
picture, not wearisome to the eye, I shall feel that this self-
imposed mission has not been fruitless. With regard to
Africa, and the Africans, I am convinced that any white
man following in my footsteps will not be less kindly
received on account of my having preceded him.
I t is my fortune to have been the first white to traverse,
throughout, the great extent of territory stretching between
Cape Colony and the Lake regions of Central Africa. I
crossed the Zambesi at Tette, and skirting the Makanga
country, passed through Angoni-land, and ultimately
reached Lake Nyassa, only to find that the mission station
of Livingstonia, which had been the bright goal of my long
journey and the centre of my hopes of relief (for by that
time I was in a wretched condition), was deserted!
South of the Zambesi I passed through various hitherto
unknown lands, and alighted upon the tribe called Makori-
kori, now described for the first time.
My rescue at Livingstonia, by the steamer of the African
Lakes Company, on board which I found Lieutenant Giraud,
the gallant leader of the French Exploring Expedition,
may be spoken of as being the climax of a series of happy
deliverances without which the journey would have been
frustrated on several occasions, even at a very early period
of its course. Desertions by followers, scarcity of provisions,
and, in later stages, the want of articles for the
purposes of barter, landed me frequently in apparently
desperate plights, from which by almost miraculous coincidences
of fortune I was lifted at the last moment, when
my purpose seemed to have been finally balked, and even
Hope was well-nigh dead.
When I left Livingstonia, I canoed down the Shiré river,
passing through a war between the Mazinjiri and Portuguese.
It is much to be regretted that all, or nearly all the
natural history and botanical specimens which I collected
were lost, or had to be abandoned. Rapidity of movement
precluded close investigation in these and other branches
of science. I took, however, every opportunity I could take
of making as many geographical observations as possible.
These are embodied in the present work, and in the map
which accompanies it.
Hunting incidents were numerous, all along the line of
travel ; and most of the mammalia and birds which I encountered
in the chase are mentioned in the narrative. But
I have thought it advisable not to dilate too much upon
sporting experiences, choosing rather to confine such descriptions
to accounts of some of the principal adventures. In
omitting some of this matter, I am partly influenced by the
knowledge that numerous admirable books on the aspects
of the hunter’s life are already in existence. With regard
to Southern Africa, I know of none better than the work of
my friend Mr. Selous, who is frequently mentioned in the following
pages, namely, “ A Hunter’s Wanderings in Africa.”
A word or two must be said respecting the gold regions.
One of the results of this journey is that those regions, lying
between Matabeli-land and Tette, on the Zambesi, have