Explorations in AfricaDavid Livingstone (1813-73) was a Scottish missionary and medical doctor who explored much of the interior of Africa. In a remarkable journey in 1853-56, he became the first European to cross the African continent. Starting on the Zambezi River, he traveled north and west across Angola to reach the Atlantic at Luanda. On his return journey he followed the Zambezi to its mouth on the Indian Ocean in present-day Mozambique. Livingstone's most famous expedition was in 1866-73, when he explored central Africa in an attempt to find the source of the Nile. Not heard from for years, he was believed lost. Both the Royal Geographical Society and the sensationalist New York Herald organized expeditions to find him. Henry M. Stanley (1841-1904), a British-born reporter who was to become a noted explorer in his own right, led the Herald's expedition. On November 10, 1871, Stanley found Livingstone in the town of Ujiji, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, in present-day Tanzania. News of the discovery caused a worldwide sensation. This book, which appeared in Chicago in 1872, was part of the effort by publishers to capitalize on the demand from the public for information about Livingstone and Stanley and about Africa in general. |
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American animals appeared Arabs arrived Bakwains beasts Bechuanas British buffalo called Cape Cape Town caravan cattle Cazembe Central Africa chief Christian civilization coast color continent David Livingstone despatch Dilolo discovered discovery distance Doctor east elephant England English enterprise explorer feet forest gorilla heard HERALD Expedition hippopotamus hundred miles immense inhabitants intelligence interesting island ivory journal journey killed Kolobeng Kuruman labors Lake Ngami land large numbers latitude letters Linyanti lion live Livingstone Lualaba Makololo Malagarazi Manyema Mirambo missionary mountains natives nature never Nile northward Nyassa party passed plains portion Portuguese reached region remarkable rhinoceros river Roderick Murchison Sahara says Search Expedition Sebituane Sechele seen Sekeletu slave trade soon South Africa Speke Stanley Stanley's stream success tion town trees tribes Ujiji Unyanyembe valley vast village wild yards York Herald Zambesi Zanzibar
Popular passages
Page 47 - It is well known that if one in a troop of lions is killed, the others take the hint, and leave that part of the country. So the next time the herds were attacked, I went with the people, in order to encourage them to rid themselves of the annoyance by destroying one of the marauders. We found the lions on a small hill, about a quarter of a mile in length, and covered with trees.
Page 115 - European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight. The only want felt, is that of mountains in the background. The falls are bounded on three sides by ridges 300 or 400 feet in height, which are covered with forest, with the red soil appearing among the trees. When about half a mile from the falls, I left the canoe by which we had come down...
Page 114 - After twenty minutes' sail from Kalai, we came in sight, for the first time, of the columns of vapour, appropriately called 'smoke,' rising at a distance of five or six miles, exactly as when large tracts of grass are burned in Africa. Five columns now arose, and bending in the direction of the wind, they seemed placed against a low ridge covered with trees; the tops of the columns at this distance...
Page 118 - I may use the term) pieces of water all rushing on in the same direction, each gave off several rays of foam, exactly as bits of steel, when burned in oxygen gas, give off rays of sparks. The snow-white sheet seemed like myriads of small comets rushing on in one direction, each of which left behind its nucleus-rays of foam.
Page 309 - It may be that these are not the fountains of the Nile mentioned to Herodotus by the secretary of Minerva, in Sais, in Egypt; but they are worth discovery, as in the last hundred of the seven hundred miles of the watershed, from which nearly all the Nile springs do unquestionably arise. I propose to go from...
Page 318 - ... well, from men who had seen me, that I was alive, and waiting for the goods and men ; but as for morality, he is evidently an idiot, and there being no law here except that of the dagger or musket, I had to sit down in great weakness, destitute of everything...
Page 116 - I did not comprehend it until, creeping with awe to the verge, I peered down into a large rent which had been made from bank to bank of the broad Zambesi, and saw that a stream of a thousand yards broad leaped down a hundred feet, and then became suddenly compressed into a space of fifteen or twenty yards. The entire falls are simply a crack made in a hard basaltic rock from the right to the left bank of the Zambesi, and then prolonged from the left bank away through thirty or forty miles of hills.
Page 94 - I had before met with in the course of my missionary duties. I took thence a more intense disgust at heathenism than I had before, and formed a greatly elevated opinion of the latent effects of missions in the south, among tribes which are reported to have been as savage as the Makololo.
Page 41 - Friend of my heart's love, and of all the confidence of my heart, I am Sechele ; I am undone by the Boers, who attacked me, though I had no guilt with them. They demanded that I should be in their kingdom, and I refused ; they demanded that I should prevent the English and Griquas from passing (northwards). I replied, These are my friends, and I can prevent no one (of them).
Page 386 - ... heralded to me by this means. Wherever they go they make a clean sweep, even ascending to the tops of the highest trees in pursuit of their prey. Their manner of attack is an impetuous leap. Instantly the strong pincers are fastened, and they only let go when the piece gives way.