Dr. Livingstone I Presume?
Dr. David Livingstone of Scotland, the great African missionary, narrowly escaped with his life in an Arab slave-raid near Lake Victoria in early 1871. With no supplies, and but a few surviving porters, he struggled south to his depot at the Arab trading center of Uijiji on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. The desperate party, "reduced to skeletons, arrived to find their goods had been sold by the rascal who had been left in charge, leaving them almost beggars among strangers." It is not surprising that Livingston fell into despondency. "I felt," he wrote in his journal, "as if I were the man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves." But when his spirits were at their lowest ebb, a Good Samaritan was close at hand, according to an article in Harper's Monthly Magazine of March 1875. It was written from Livingstone's voluminous, posthumous notes. On the morning of Nov. 10, 1871, his faithful African servant, Susi, came running and gasped, "An Englishman! I see him coming," and darted off to meet him. Livingstone followed. An American flag at the head of the approaching caravan revealed the stranger's true allegiance. Henry Stanley, a reporter for the New York Herald, stepped forward and extended his right hand, "Dr. Livingstone I presume?" This taciturn greeting was so incongruous -- after hazardous thousand-mile treks by both men through uncharted jungles and swamps -- it has become a classic of modesty. Dr. Livingstone replied, "You have brought me new life!" * * * David Livingstone was born at the little town of Blayntyre in 1813. As most other children there, at age 10 he went to work as a tie-er in the cotton-spinning mill from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. After a quick supper, he attended Children's Night School. He studied hard and at proper age attended medical classes at Anderson's College in Glasgow. In winters he studied Greek at Glasgow University where he was made a licentiate (licensed assistant) on the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons. While at college, he attended a lecture by Dr. Robert Moffat. The fellow Scot was home on furlough from a Christian mission at Kuruman 500 miles north of Cape Town, South Africa. David was inspired by the description of "smoke from a thousand villages" in central Africa where the Gospel and civilized commerce were unknown. He determined to become a missionary also. He joined Dr. Moffat at Cape Town under the auspices of the London Missionary Society. There he married Moffat's daughter, Mary. She bore him three sons and two daughters before returning to London to escape the debilitating effects of malaria. Livingstone severed his relationship with the Missionary Society in 1857 to accept the position of British consul at Quelimane. In this capacity he explored central Africa extensively to map the rivers. He believed the waterways were key to civilized development. The trade in slaves by Arabs -- and compliant African chiefs -- was an "abomination" he sought to eradicate. During a visit to England to receive instructions for his consular duties, Livingstone was given the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh. In a testimonial speech, the shy recipient spoke about the evils of slavery: "In going back [to Africa], my object is to try and get a permanent path into the central region, from which most of the slaves have always been drawn." said Dr. Livingstone. "The native slave-drivers go into the country and carry our manufactures there. With a few yards of cloth they purchase slaves. Then, they take them to the seacoast. The people are so anxious to get a little of our manufactures that, in return for them, they part not with their own children, but with children kidnapped from other tribes. "I hope to be able to make a path by the Zambezi River into the central country. Then, if we can supply the people with our goods for lawful commerce, I think we have a fair prospect of putting a stop to the slave trade. "We know that our own country is dependent in a great measure for its supply of cotton upon the United States. Thus, we are dependent for this material upon slave labor. "If we get abundant supplies of raw material from Africa, we shall soon find that the slave-holders in America will become more enlightened." Ironically, and sadly, the Livingstone's oldest son, Robert, lost his life in the American Civil War. While in England, Livingstone was persuaded to explore south of Lake Victoria to settle the "last geographical puzzle" about the Nile headwaters. As a byproduct of his missionary travels, he did determine that the largest lake in Africa was, indeed, the remotest source of the Nile and did not connect with Lake Tanganyika. Slave References Harper's Magazine in its article included many references by Livingstone to the slave trade during his African travels: "Today we passed the body of a dead woman tied by her neck to a tree. The people of the country explained that she had been unable to keep up with the other slaves in a gang. Her master had determined that she should not recover to be the property of any one else. "Others tied in a similar manner were seen farther on. There is a double purpose in these murders. The terror inspired in the minds of survivors spur them on to endure the hardships of the march. "One day, one of my men wandered from the party and came upon a number of slaves yoked together with slave-sticks. They had sickened for want of food and had been left to die. When found, they were too weak to speak. Some were mere children. "Our march for a part of the way was through a depopulated country. The natives differ as to the cause. Some say slave wars and assert that the Makon from the vicinity of Mozambique played an important part." On another occasion, Livingstone wrote: " A company of slaves passed, singing as if they did not feel the weight and degradation of the slave-stick about their necks. Upon asking the cause of their mirth, I was told that they were rejoicing at the idea of coming back after death and haunting and killing those who had sold them into slavery. "Their song ran, ‘Oh, you sent me off to Manga (on the sea coast), but the yoke is off when I die. Back I shall come to haunt and kill you.' Then all joined in the chorus, in which the name of each trader was repeated. It told not of mirth, but of the bitterness and tears of the oppressed." Upon reaching the country west of Tanganyika, Livingstone noted: "The Arabs have an inkling of the vast quantities of ivory that might be procured here. Those hordes of Uijijian traders, in all probability, will eventually destroy tribe after tribe by slave-trading and pillage -- as they have in so many other regions." Livingstone went beyond the Lualaba River in February 1871 and found another river thereto unknown. He named it "Lincoln" in honor of the American president. It was here that he witnessed the massacre mentioned above. Stanley's Voyage Livingstone's Zambezi exploration -- during which he reported "discovering" the mighty Victoria Falls - brought him world fame. Deserting porters reported that he had died. However, native travelers from the area said Dr. Livingstone was alive but ailing. He suffered malaria throughout his career. As he grew older, bouts with the mosquito-borne disease hit him harder and lasted longer. In his last years, his porters had to carry him on a litter. Livingstone was not heard from for nearly three years. In New York City at this time, five newspapers fought for circulation. The Herald had a foreign correspondent named Henry Morton Stanley who had proved himself resourceful in reporting wars in out-of-the way places. The Herald publisher, looking for a sensational "scoop," told Stanley to organize an expedition and, "Go find Livingstone." Stanley had been born in Wales as John Rowlands. His parents died when he was just three. Little Johnny was put in the poorhouse. He was a bright lad who at age 13 was allowed to ship out as cabin boy on a steamer going to New Orleans. Upon arrival, a merchant passenger adopted him and gave him his own name. Unfortunately, Stanley, Sr., died at the start of the American Civil War. Stanley, Jr., joined the Confederate Army and shortly thereafter was captured. He was released because of illness. Then he joined the Union Navy where he served on an ironclad gun ship. After the war he roamed north Africa and the Mideast as a reporter. To carry out his Herald assignment, Stanley gathered "192 porters and bales of goods, baths of tin (canned food), huge kettles, cooking pots, tents, etc." Livingstone later wrote in his journal: "This must be a luxurious traveler, and not one at his wits' end like me." By following Livingstone's blazed trail, Stanley reached him at Uijiji in seven months. The two men formed a deep friendship. Stanley stayed with Dr. Livingstone for four months. During this time, they made a native-canoe trip to the north end of Lake Tanganyika and determined there was no connection to Lake Victoria. Stanley retraced his steps to carry the news that Dr. Livingston was alive and was Ironically, and sadly, the Livingstone's oldest son, Robert, lost his life in the American Civil War. determined to complete his exploration by circling Lake Tanganyika to the west. Jacob Wainwright, with additional supplies and porters, was dispatched by Stanley to reinforce Livingstone's expedition. Dr. Livingstone, now old and feeble, set out but soon was confined to his litter by dysentery. As the party reached the village of Chief Chitambo south of Lake Bangweolo, the famous missionary's dysentery worsened. He was placed on a makeshift bed in an empty hut. The following morning of May 1, 1873, he was discovered dead -- kneeling at his bed, hands clasped as in prayer. Susi and Chumba, his oldest and most faithful African companions, cut out Livingstone's heart and internal organs and buried them under a Mvula tree near where he died. Then they packed his body in salt to be returned to England by Wainwright. Dr. Livingstone's remains reached London on April 18, 1874. A day of national mourning was declared, and he was buried in Westminster Abbey. Stanley returned permanently to England, married, had two children, was elected to Parliament and knighted in 1899. With thanks to Al Leonard, proprietor of All Books used and rare book emporium at Punta Gorda, FL who found the old Harper's Magazine for me. Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at: LinWms@earthlink.net LinWms@lindseywilliams.org Website: http://www.lindseywilliams.org with several hundred of Lin's Editorial & At Large articles written over 40 years. Also featured in its entirety is Lin's groundbreaking book "Boldly Onward," that critically analyzes and develops theories about the original Spanish explorers of America. (fully indexed/searchable) |
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