production of Africa, that of Masansi near Uvira,
was ready. Mabruki poured out the .coffee,
and retired, leaving us together.
Now, Frank, my .son, ” I said^ 11 sit down* I
am about to have a long .and serious chat with
you. Life and death—yours as well as mjne, and
those of aU the F^pedition— hang on the decision
I make to-night.”
And then I reminded him ,of hjs friends at
home, and also of the dangers before him; of
the sorrow his death would cause, and also o f ,the
honours that would greet his success; of the
facility of returning to .¡Zanzibar, and aho of the
perilous obstacle? in the way of adyance^-thus
carefully alternating the pro wjth the con., so as
not to betray my own -inclinations. I reminded him
of the hideous scenes we had already been compelled
to witness and to act in, pointino- out
that other wicked tribes, no doubt, lay before
US; but also recalling to his memory how
treachery, cunning, and savage courage had
been baulked by patience and promptitude; and
how we still possessed the power to punish
those who threatened us or murdered our friends.
And I ended with words something like these:—
w There is no doubt some truth in what the
Arabs say about the ferocity of these natives
before us. Livingstone, after fifteen thousand
miles of travel, and a lifetime of experience among
Africans, would not have yielded the brave
[ ° T u b a n d a .^ ] ' FRONDS IN COUNCIL. X4I
struggle without' strong reasons; Cameron, with
his fortÿ-fivé Snider rifles, would neWer have
turned awáy from such a brílliáñt field if he
had not sincerely thought that théy were insufficient
to resist the pêrsîstënt attacks of
countless thousands of Wild men. But while we
grárit that there may be a modicum of truth in
what the Arabs say, it is in their ignorant
superstitious nátüre to êxâggëratë what they
have seen. A score of times have we proved
them wrong. Yet their reports have already
made a strong impression on the minds of the
Wangwana and WânyàmweZi. They are already
trembling with fear, because they SuSpect that
I am about to attempt the cánñibal lands beyond
Nyangwé. On the day that We propose to
begin our journey, we shall haWè nò Expedition.
“ On the other hand, I am confident that, if
I am able to leave Ñyáñgwe with thè' Expedition
intact, and to placé a breadth of wild country
between our party and the Arab depot, I shall
be able to make xnèn Of thein. Lhére aré gùod
stuff, Heroic qualifies, in them; but We fiiust
get. fireé from thé Arabs, Or théy Will bé Vèry
soon demoralized. It is for this purpose Ï aril
negotiating with Tippti-lib. If I eafi artànge
with him and leave ÑyángWé Without thé dreadful
loss we experienced at.Ujiji, I feel sure that
I can inspire mÿ mefi tô daté àfiÿthirig with me.
“Thé difficulty of ttânsport, âgairi, is énortïious.