f°Q>^ , 
 
 4.u TiC^" L_g GARENGANZE, No. 2. 
 
 
 SIX MONTHS MORE 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGANZE: 
 
 Letters from September, 1886 , to March, 1887 , 
 
 • , 
 
 FREDA STANLEY ARNOT. 
 
 PRICE ONE PENNY. 
 
 VIEW IN CENTRAL AFRICA FROM MR. ARNOT S COTTAGE. 
 
 J. E. HAWKINS, 17, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON ; 
 
 W. B. HORNER & SON, LONDON AND DUBLIN ; 
 
 THE PUBLISHING OFFICE, 180, Buchanan Street, Glasgow; 
 
 R. M'CLAY, 44 Ann St., Belfast; T. HALLETT, 2 Cambridge Pl., Bath. 
 
DISTRICT AROUND THE GARENGANZE CAPITAL 
 
 Through the kindness of Mr. F. S. Arndt's family we are able to give several letters 
 written to them, omitting his loving greetings; some other letters are added, and one or 
 two remain for insertion in Echoes of Service. Though our brother’s ministry is very 
 limited in Central Africa, his words will help not a few who read these pages. 
 
 The map of the district around the capital of the Garenganze is again given above, as 
 some of the places in it are referred to in this pamphlet. Mr. Arnot’s rough'sketch of the 
 view from his cottage looking north is reproduced on the title page. His description is as 
 follows;—“The houses on top of hill are the king’s magazine and ivory store-houses. 
 His chief town, Ungulu, lies on the other side of the two hills, and only a small part of it 
 is seen from my house. The scenery on all other sides of me is grand, hills rolling into 
 mountains, and in front is the vast plain, which extends round to the left, and meets 
 abruptly a range of hills.” 
 
 Nov. 2nd, .1887. Henry Groves, Kendal. ) Editors, 
 
 J. L. Maclean, m.d., Bath, ( Echoes of Service. 
 
&\V JftoittfjS iWore 
 
 amonfl t|)c #amt(jan2c: 
 
 LETTERS OF F. S. ARNOT. 
 
 To his Mother. 
 
 Garenganze , Central Africa , about Sept. 27th, 1S86.—Ocinyama 
 left some time ago with letters, and afterwards 1 sent you a few lines 
 by a mulatto, Augusto, telling you I had been ill; indeed, when I 
 wrote I was very weak, and even now I am far from being recovered. 
 The attack was one of the severest I have had for a long time, but 
 the Lord most graciously brought me through. Only one night was 
 I a little delirious, and roused the camp by shouting that wolves 
 were eating my goats. Now my difficulty is to devise ways and 
 means to satisfy my appetite. I have one tin of biscuits, and with 
 rice and bean soup, and a chicken every four or five days, I have 
 got along. Dick has been most attentive, doing all he can for me. 
 I have got a big Bihd lad to help him, and the two get on fairly 
 well together. I and my boys are entirely alone, all the Biheans 
 having gone off. The Garenganze are exceedingly slow in coming, 
 still a few always come. We are longing intensely for rain ; the 
 sun is scorching, and the ground gets as hot as coals in a fire. To 
 add to my troubles, Dick has been taken ill, and is quite laid aside. 
 I have had two men employed in covering my house with grass, 
 and it is much better now ; I hope it will be finished within another 
 month. 
 
 You ask if the tribes around are willing to let the Garenganze 
 alone ? The tribes around, I am sorry to say, are very much 
 weaker than the Garenganze, and instead of attempting to raid on 
 the Garenganze, they suffer immensely at their hands. Moshide, 
 who on the one hand can take into his care some poor useless 
 stranger, with a body deformed by disease and sin, and provide 
 for him, giving him a wife and house, with a numba (small barn) 
 full of corn—on the simple plea that the man is poor—does not 
 
4 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGANZE. 
 
 hesitate, on the other hand, to form and send out with the greatest 
 gusto his war parties, which devastate whole districts, bringing in 
 slaves (women and children), ivory, etc., with the heads of the slain. 
 Such ghastliness delights this strangely inconsistent man greatly. 
 
 I can only account for it by repeating an old remark of mine, that 
 avarice eats up all other passions and feelings in the African, once 
 that passion is roused. Poor Moshide is a man with a noble mind. 
 He has a very grandly-shaped head, and a high appreciation of 
 that which is good and noble. For instance, when I said to him 
 some time ago, in Umbundu, things that would have highly irritated 
 the Barotse chief, he only admitted the excellence of my words. 
 He knew also how noble a people the English were, for it was 
 their delight to watch for slaves and liberate them. How strangely 
 incongruous to hear such words from such a man ! 
 
 You will be glad to hear that I am beginning to make progress 
 in the Seyek language. I can carry on a conversation with fair 
 success. You must not think I have been a mute all this time. Nearly 
 every man of any position is able to speak Umbundu, and in that 
 language I am fairly fluent, though far from being perfect; so I 
 have always had plenty of talking to do. 
 
 Yesterday, when out taking a short walk by the side of my 
 wooded hill, I could not but feel what a lovely place I have here. 
 Although there are so many people around, yet at my very door I 
 can enjoy such quietness and loveliness, for although the rains have 
 not commenced yet, the trees are all sprouting, and some are in 
 leaf. Moshide, professedly in sympathy with me, took a notion 
 into his head that I had better move nearer to him, so that 
 he could visit me when sick, and for the third or fourth time he has 
 urged me to do so, though it only takes me fifteen minutes to walk 
 to his chief capital. I, however, laid the matter before the Lord, 
 and, as soon as I was able, two days ago (October ist), I went to 
 visit him, and stated my objections—the heat, the drumming which 
 goes on all night, the gun-firing, etc. I always feel oppressed when 
 down visiting him, but whenever I round the point of my hill, it 
 is like entering another atmosphere. I also find that I am nearest 
 to the best water in the whole neighbourhood, so I feel that the 
 Lord has had to do with my choosing this site, and that it is His 
 will that I remain here. Moshide finally closed the conversation 
 by saying that the matter was entirely at my disposal. 
 
 Rain has fallen, and my gardening will begin soon. 
 
TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 5 
 
 October 3 rd ,\—This morning Dick came hobbling with a stick 
 and with a smile on his face to greet me with a “ Good morning 
 so he is getting better. Yesterday Honjo sent his tipoia for me, 
 with an invitation to spend the day with him. On the way I spent 
 a short time with Moshide, who sent and called for the Arab trader 
 now here to come and meet me—a very pleasant-looking man, 
 indeed, though not a pure Arab. He greeted me at once as an 
 “ English.” He had come from the east coast close to Mozambique, 
 had crossed Lake Nyassa, where he saw two steam launches and 
 many English, and had met with one English lady. He wanted to 
 know why I had not my lady with me in this nice country. His 
 road lay past Livingstone’s grave (or rather the grave of his heart) 
 at Chitambo’s in Ilala, which he says is close by here. Nyassa is 
 two months’ journey from this. The road he described as being 
 quiet, with plenty of food. He will take out letters that way for 
 me when he goes. I spent a pleasant day with Honjo. The 
 Portuguese half-castes always manage to get some style up, when 
 they have slaves enough. 
 
 October 21 si .—I have just returned from a week’s trip to the 
 Lufira, which I enjoyed very much, and which quite set me up. 
 Honjo let me have six of his men, so I had a hammock-ride both 
 ways. I shot two zebras, with which I paid the men, so the trip 
 cost me nothing. The heat, however, was excessive ; in returning 
 we were compelled to travel at night, the men could not endure 
 the sun. I can’t go out of doors even a minute or two during mid¬ 
 day hours. On my delightful little hill, however, there is always a 
 breeze, and the shade is always cool. “ Oh for rain !” is the cry 
 in every one’s mouth. All the trees that but a short time ago 
 looked green and fresh are beginning to wither and droop. 
 
 I have already written to you about Dick (or Silombwani). I can 
 now write even better things, and can even rejoice to say that I 
 believe him to be a Christian. There is not that lack of spiritual 
 response now that was noticeable in him before. I hope that my 
 next letter may tell you of his baptism. In the mean time there is 
 not water enough anywhere near ; the Unkeya river is dry. 
 
 I was much struck during my recent trip to the Lufira, while 
 traversing the “ Mukurru,” by the number of villages, especially in 
 the eastern part. Within the space of two hours I counted forty- 
 three within sight from the road, all of fair size, and all the land 
 between was under cultivation. Indeed, land there is valuable ; 
 
6 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGANZE. 
 
 they live up even in the small corners. I have never seen the like 
 for native population in Africa. 
 
 Last night I had a happy time with my two lads, Dick and Susi; 
 the latter belongs to the Bihe, and is older than Dick. Dick had 
 been speaking to him and interesting him seemingly—a thing I had 
 not been able to do—so that he wanted to hear for himself. After 
 their supper they both came marching into my hut and squatted 
 down, and we had a long talk—till near ten. Indeed, I am having 
 quite a little revival in my family—not excluding myself. The 
 younger ones understand little of what is read, partly because of 
 different languages, but I seem to have won their hearts more ; 
 at least they approach me with less awe. Dick has also managed 
 to interest a young man belonging to the place, and I hope that he 
 will be brought in. Indeed, I am looking forward with joyful hopes 
 to this summer’s work. Oh that my tongue were more free to speak 
 these languages ! But “ my work is with the Lord, and my judg¬ 
 ment with my God.” Here is our victory. 
 
 What a hopeless condition Jacob’s was, pitted against his brother 
 Esau with his four hundred men—doubtless bent on wreaking 
 vengeance on Jacob—and he only with a few women and children, 
 cattle and their herdsmen. A weaker travelling party could not be 
 described than Jacob’s was. His very weakness compelled him to 
 lay hold upon God, who weakened him still more, so that his clinging 
 was intensified, and he said, “ I will not let thee go.” “ Thou 
 hast power with God and with men” was God’s gracious answer. 
 Jacob was now no longer in Esau’s power as a lamb before a wolf, 
 but Esau was in his, so that his heart was turned as the rivers of 
 water. Jacob’s life is a favourite study of mine. There is so much 
 in faltering, feeble Jacob (I don’t speak of Israel) so like me ; so 
 much in God’s treatment of him so like God. Oh, dearest mother, 
 the magnitude of God’s grace and mercy ! Who can know it ? It 
 would be far from the truth to suppose that the Lord still suffers 
 aught at the hand of God for sin, for He “ hath once suffered.” 
 Still, our present sins, and the grievous state of Christ’s church, can 
 be no joy or comfort to Him ; but very much the opposite. Was 
 there not somewhat of pain in that look that He gave fallen Peter, 
 and an intenseness of desire in the thrice-spoken question, “ Lovest 
 thou Me?” “I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the 
 kingdom of God shall come,” is full of meaning, and speaks of the 
 day in which His church shall be presented to Him without spot or 
 
TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 7 
 
 wrinkle. There is a wonderful unfathomable depth of earnestness 
 in the intercessory prayer of John xvii. that makes one say, Who 
 can know the costliness of that grace, and mercy, and love, showered 
 upon us—daily, hourly ? When I remember how my sin afflicted 
 Him and brought on Him the pressure of the garden, and the 
 agony and curse of the cross, how unutterably sweet His —and not 
 another’s—forgiveness is. The thought of His continual interces¬ 
 sion is the sweetest joy on earth. 
 
 Again as to Dick —you must make all allowances and deductions 
 from what / say of him ; he is full of the fresh blood of youth. We 
 are always ready to believe that those we are attached to really 
 are all that we would fain wish them to be. 
 
 November 6th .—We have had heavy rains lately, to the joy of 
 everyone. It is in such a place and at such a time that one 
 realizes the blessings of rain. Six months of drought under a 
 tropical sun had blackened and scorched the very stones ; the 
 earth, cracked and gaping all over, was at any hour of the day at a 
 higher temperature than my bare foot could bear, and during the 
 heat of the day I could not even hop on it without running risk 
 of raising blisters on my feet like half-crowns. Now all is moist 
 and green, and sweet ; my hill is covered with a magnificent show 
 of flowers, and the grass is already from two to three inches high. 
 How such baked earth could ever again yield grass, and that at 
 the first sprinkling of rain, is marvellous. The rains have put a 
 check on my daily routine ; my patients have to be visited now 
 during whatever part of the day is likely to be dry, instead of in 
 the afternoon, because of rheumatics. I am quite nervous about 
 being caught in the rain. To-day I was completely checkmated 
 when out dressing the foot of a wounded man, page to one of 
 Moshide’s head-wives ; I had to go back to my house, so the queen 
 offered me her blanket to put round me. I gladly accepted it, and 
 marched home in my glory, robed in her coloured blanket. I have 
 sent my tipoia (hammock), however, to bring the man to me ; his 
 friends come with him to-morrow to build his hut, and two will 
 remain with him here. His foot is in a fearful condition, and will 
 need much attention. This is my first hospital hut ; the Lord 
 works His own plans in His own way, and this seems to be the 
 sort of auxiliary work that He is leading me into. I have had 
 remarkable success with all sorts of diseases since coming here, 
 fully nine-tenths having been cured within a very short period. I 
 
8 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGANZE. 
 
 have got nothing done as yet in the way of school-work. Dick and 
 my other lad are urging me to teach them their letters, and the 
 chief wants his boys taught. Dick and Susi I must teach; but I 
 fear the others must be left until help comes. 
 
 Kagoma, at the Lekurruwe River, sent word a few days ago 
 that he intended sending men to carry me in my hammock to pay 
 him another visit, so you see I am busy, and, I can add, happy ; 
 indeed, most happy. 
 
 Some Bihd traders have come here sent by the Bihd chief. The 
 road is now open, so if the Sanders’ should settle in Bihe, letters will 
 not fail me from home every three or four months. Mine to you 
 will be much oftener, for the steps of those going out are surer 
 than those coming in—the one is going up the brae, the other is 
 going down. My health has improved wonderfully since the hot 
 weather has set in. My appetite knows no bounds, and is satisfied 
 with the coarsest of foods. One could not imagine a more disgust¬ 
 ing dish— : tis so to many, and was so to me until lately—than 
 Kafir corn porridge mixed with red palm oil—of which soap is 
 made—yet I can enjoy this right heartily, and a meal of maize 
 corn porridge is quite delightful. My eyes give me little trouble. 
 
 The L.M.S. agents at Mirambo’s town in the Unyamwese 
 country, near to Lake Tanganyika, have laboured some years at 
 the Seyek, and I hope to get the benefit of their labours. The 
 other language used here, that of the aboriginals, I have not 
 attempted to transcribe; still, I am daily picking it up, and it is, 
 after all, the language most spoken. It is very like the Umbundu, 
 and is easily picked up by the Bihe traders, so I do well to keep 
 at the Umbundu and be well up in it, so as to reap the full benefit 
 of the work of the American missionaries, who are more learned in 
 it than I. Oh for the gift of tongues ! I covet this, though it is 
 not among the highest of gifts. 
 
 Nove)nber i $th .—I had just begun to find joy in Dick’s com¬ 
 panionship, when it seems—for the time, at least—to be snatched 
 from me by his renewed illness and suffering in mind ; yet I can 
 say from my heart, His perfect way, though hard to the flesh, is 
 not hard to love , for with Him alone is companionship, and all 
 else is desolation and darkness. Those words “ Who calleth 
 you” (I Thess. ii. 12, R. V.), have been ringing sweetly in my ears 
 these last few days ; the present, “ calleth ; ” not the past, “ called.” 
 Knowing this, we approach Him with confidence. Then follows 
 
TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 9 
 
 “unto His own kingdom and glory.” Surely blessed is the people 
 whose God is Jehovah ; a calling God, a comitig Christ, now at 
 this moment ours. My chief joy in thinking of you, dearest 
 mother, is in what you are now to me, but how can I know what 
 you are to me except by what you were to me ? But what you 
 were to me could give me no comfort unless I had the fixed 
 assurance that you are still the same and ever will be. So by 
 gathering up into our minds all that our God ever was toward 
 feeble man in all ages past, and at Calvary—which was as the very 
 opening of the heart of God—and realizing for one moment all as 
 now present; thinking of our Lord not as He who shall come, but 
 as the present comiiig One—what a heaven of joy bursts upon us ! 
 Oh, for an insatiable longing after God ! 
 
 December 18 th. —Since last date things have gone on smoothly 
 with me with the exception of anxiety about Dick. I had to quiet 
 him twice with heavy doses of laudanum, fearing he would do 
 harm to himself or others. He is now so far recovered, but goes 
 about in a mournful way ; I notice the tears roll down his cheeks at 
 times, but I ask him no questions, only seeking to cheer him up 
 and keep him employed in a light way. The desire to learn, 
 coming after the decided spiritual awakening I referred to above, 
 has, I think, been more than he could stand. I will need to be 
 very careful now, lest I again lead him beyond his mental depth, 
 poor lad. The crouching affection he showed towards me during 
 those days was most touching, pitiable as it was, being more like 
 that of an animal than a man ; he would go to sleep a little at 
 night, at the side of my cot-bed, with my hand upon him. 
 
 I write this by candle-light, after a toilsome day, but I must have 
 my letters finished by to-morrow or next day. The chief sent for 
 me early this morning, asking me to visit his brother, some distance 
 off, who is ill, and whose wife had gone out of her mind. I trudged 
 off with the kailama (king’s page) sent to conduct me, returning 
 late in the afternoon, throbbing all over with the excessive heat of 
 the sun. This heat, however, I must confess, suits me ; I have 
 grown stronger and fatter even during these last six weeks. 
 
 There are a thousand things I would fain ask you about, but we 
 are nowhere exhorted to inquisitiveness, but at all times to prayer. 
 All things are working towards perfect solutions ; meantime let us 
 glory in the God who solves, and who has promised to make mani¬ 
 fest all things, even as they are now manifest to Him. Fred. 
 
IO 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGANZE. 
 
 To Mr. W. G. Smith. 
 
 Nov. igth, 1886.—I thank you for your last of August, 1885. I 
 hear that you take a special interest in African work, and seek to 
 make it known. The question often arises in my mind as to the 
 right and scriptural means to be used in interesting the church in 
 home-lands regarding far-off and unknown parts ; but I can find 
 no satisfactory reply. Descriptions of social condition, superstition 
 etc., may be interesting to scientists of the day and to others; but 
 I cannot see how such details can arouse and draw out the hearts 
 of spiritual men. Still, experience has, I suppose, proved that such 
 things do interest the minds of not a few, and engage their 
 sympathies, as the good Samaritan’s sympathies were drawn out 
 at the sight of his wounded and bleeding neighbour. Faithful 
 accounts, however, of the gracious workings of our God among 
 sunken and despised races, will humble the pride of race and caste 
 among the spiritual, as they perceive that God is no respecter of 
 persons ; and they will be ready again to say “ We believe that we 
 shall be saved through the grace of God in like manner as they.” 
 
 It is binding upon all who compose the church, as stewards of 
 God’s grace, to see to it that the gospel hath a free course—them¬ 
 selves all going out in prayer and heart sympathy, and some in 
 person. This testimony is, I think, most scriptural and most 
 effectual. 
 
 This town of Moshide’s is very large, and has, for Africa, an 
 immense population. It is a day’s journey, for me, to traverse it, 
 being about eight or ten miles long. The ground is chiefly covered 
 with fields, in the midst of which the river Unkeya (or Ongeya) 
 runs, but the clusters of huts are many, and scattered all over. Here 
 and there are centres in which the king has his own houses, where 
 for the extent of half-a-mile or so each way the houses of the people 
 are mixed together. Amidst all these people the amount of quiet¬ 
 ness and peace that reigns is remarkable. The fear of Moshide is 
 considerable, as he is sharp and severe in his government, though 
 I see or hear of nothing in the way of torture or cruelty committed 
 by hi,s orders by way of punishment ; yet death is common and 
 is inflicted at once, and in the most expeditious manner. All the 
 cases of which I have heard particulars have been those of actual 
 crime, and not of witchcraft or any other mere superstition. He 
 has a long iron chain which he uses for punishing minor offenders. 
 To this they are bound by the neck—perhaps ten or twelve at a 
 
TO MR. W. G. SMITH. 
 
 II 
 
 time—and are sent out to his fields to work : a very sensible 
 arrangement, I think, and much better than that cruel flogging so 
 common in Africa. October is the hoeing time, and it is a pleasure 
 to see everyone turning out to the fields. The men, indeed, so far 
 as I can see, do a large share of the work ; and the husbands tell 
 me that after all their hard day’s work, it is dangerous to return 
 home in the evening without a heavy log of wood to keep up the 
 night fire. The king himself goes out to the fields, carried in his 
 “litter,” with drums beating, etc., and he superintends the long 
 line of hoers. From this you will suppose that there is an abun¬ 
 dance of food for all, all the year round ; but it is not so—the 
 prodigal waste of corn in the dry season in brewing beer passes 
 description. They make beer of the strongest kind, filling large 
 bark vessels, holding as much as twenty or thirty gallons. It is 
 free to all comers , and the drinking is kept up night and day in the 
 yard until the baths are emptied, and thus in two or three days the 
 fruit of weeks of toil in hoeing, and months of weeding and watch¬ 
 ing, has vanished like smoke, Heavy sleep, rather than much 
 levity and quarrelling, seems to be the effect of over-drinking of 
 this heavy beer. I have only seen one man who had any appear¬ 
 ance of being a sotted drunkard, in spite of the amount of drink 
 consumed. I suppose this is because it is always consumed fresh. 
 The constant raiding on other tribes which is kept up, in which the 
 men are killed, if possible, and the women captured, has brought 
 into the Garenganzean immense number of women, so that the pro¬ 
 portion of women to men is very unequal ; consequently, polygamy 
 is carried to a shameful extent. Marriages are made, not by pur¬ 
 chase exactly, as in Zululand ; neither do the wife and her children 
 continue to be the property of her brothers, as among the 
 Ovimbundu tribes ; but a present is made to the father of the bride, 
 who forthwith disposes of his daughter: she, however, may leave 
 her husband at any time if she cares to. The case may then be 
 brought to the chief, and if the wife be at fault the present must 
 be returned ; if the husband has ill-treated his wife, then he has 
 driven her from him, so there is no one to blame but himself. In 
 disputes among themselves, the people undoubtedly receive fair 
 justice at the hands of Moshide, and he is ready to listen to all 
 who come. 
 
 On the whole, the country is rocky and arid, though along by the 
 rivers the ground is very fertile and productive. Maize corn is 
 
12 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGANZE 
 
 ripe the third month after sowing, and during the rains the grass 
 and other rank vegetation grow so rapidly that footpaths are 
 obliterated, and a guide is needed where at another time there is 
 a broad, well-beaten path. At that season travelling is thus much 
 impeded. During my journey here it took my small caravan 
 nearly three hours’ hard work—the men going in front in turn—to 
 cut our way through a small piece of ground which had once been 
 cultivated, but was now overgrown. The immediate banks of the 
 river are clothed with great beauty, and tall, graceful palm ferns, 
 orchids, and every variety of tropical plants abound. Game, of 
 course, is very plentiful ; the herds of animals on the plains, from 
 the elephant to the gazelle, form marvellous sights, witnessing to 
 the abounding liberality of our God. 
 
 The weather has been exceedingly hot for some time, but far 
 from depressing. The air here keeps always clear, and there are 
 none of those heavy, dark mists, so suggestive of all manner of 
 sickness, which are common in the Barotse valley. My health 
 in the meantime is excellent, and I am satisfied that any new-comer 
 would find this country to be very healthy. 
 
 F red. S. Arnot. 
 
 To his Mother. 
 
 January 2nd, 1887.—Last month, after finishing the planting of 
 my garden, I found myself in rather a bad way for food, especially 
 flesh meat ; porridge without milk or sugar, night and morning, 
 day after day, is apt to pall on one’s stomach, in spite of every 
 brave resolution. So I started with my gun and a few men for the 
 Lekurruwe river, and by the way I shot a wild boar, with tusks a 
 foot long ; the meat of this animal I sent back to keep the “family” 
 going. At the Lekurruwe I managed to kill, after a good deal of 
 hunting, eight antelopes, three zebras, and two immense hippo¬ 
 potami. I returned to my home with quite a caravan laden with 
 dried meat, after sixteen days’ absence in all. With this I have 
 not only food for myself, but ready cash enough to keep me going, 
 I expect, until Ocinyama returns. I found, however, that in my 
 absence the Arab trader with whom I had intended sending letters 
 vid Lake Nyassa had gone; that Dick had been ill again; that 
 my hut had been broken into, and that I had been robbed of a 
 large double blanket, sack of corn, towel, shirt, pillow, etc. The 
 
TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 13 
 
 blanket is my chief loss, as I now have left to me only a threadbare, 
 worn-out affair, which has done service from the east side of the 
 continent. 
 
 Well, this is a New Year come round again ; the past one has 
 been a blank to me, so far as home and the outer world are con¬ 
 cerned, your last letters being dated November, 1885. What all the 
 four seasons brought round with them to you all I cannot possibly 
 surmise, but it doubtless was well with you ; “ He led them by a 
 right way.” While at the Lekurruwe I was a good deal occupied, 
 in studying the life of David, and his early wanderings. On New 
 Year’s day these words of Amasai came very forcibly to me, and 
 my prayer is that they may indeed be my motto for this year ; 
 “Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse.” (2 Chron. 
 xii. 18.) Thine —to be with Thee ; Thine —to be where Thou, 
 Lord, dost lead me ; in hold or in war. How sincerely David 
 prepared his heart always to wait the Lord’s time ! This was most 
 honouring to God, most convincing to his friends of his divine 
 appointment to the throne of Israel, and most disastrous to his 
 enemies. What a contrast to Saul, who “forced himself” to sacrifice 
 at Gilgal, and who enquired of a familiar spirit, because Samuel 
 and God seemed to him in those two cases to be behindhand ! In 
 regard to humility, also, the contrast is beautiful. Saul was willing 
 to confess that he had sinned, and to humble himself before the 
 Lord and Samuel, but he said at the same time, “ Honour me now, 
 I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel.” But 
 David in his sorrow and humility “lay all night upon the earth,” 
 and could stay the hands of his followers by saying that the Lord 
 had said to Shimei, “ Curse David.” And surely this must ever be 
 the test of the reality of our confession and humility before God, 
 even our willingness to acknowledge our sin and humble ourselves 
 before men. Just so, our love to our brethren is the touchstone of 
 our love to God. For divine love and humility are not mere senti¬ 
 ments, but rather possessions, so that the world does not judge 
 wrongly of one who loves his enemy, or willingly humbles himself. 
 David’s life had clouds, but his eyes saw onward to the coming 
 day, the clear morning, the morning without a cloud. 
 
 Since returning from the Lekurruwe I have twice been down 
 amongst the villages, but found nearly all the people off at the fields, 
 Moshide is at present engrossed with certain grave political matters. 
 
 A real friendship has sprung up between the chief’s eldest son, 
 
14 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGANZE. 
 
 Kalasa, and myself; he is a very docile fellow, and a thorough 
 native gentleman. He understands Umbundu fairly well, listens 
 very intelligently to all I say to him, and has begun, entirely of his 
 own accord, to learn to read and write. 
 
 While at the Lekurruwe, a rather suspicious thing occurred. I 
 had been resting during the heat of the day, my bed was on the 
 ground, and when I was about to get up I reached out for my hat, 
 intending to go outside. Through the grass side of my hut came 
 a spear, cutting through the rim of my hat, which was in my hand, 
 and sticking into the ground, not three inches from my side. 
 
 At another time a man and I were out alone in the woods when 
 the call of a honey-bird attracted us. On going but a short way it 
 halted on a tall tree ; we were looking into the tree trying to discern 
 the honey, when, from the grass which lay between us, up sprang a 
 leopard and bounded off; the wicked bird had led us to his lair. 
 
 I found that part of the country to be very thinly populated. 
 Those I met with were nearly all of the Basangwa tribe, the 
 original occupants of the country, of whom there are now but a few ; 
 I scarce understand a word of their language as yet. I went north¬ 
 west, nearly to the Kalasa mountains, and had a distant view of the 
 famous cavern mountain, which is inhabited ; this great cave is said 
 to have two entrances, a distance of ten miles or so being between 
 them. I may say I gained nothing amongst the occupants of the 
 country, as I could not speak with them, but I enticed them to 
 come freely to my camp, giving them meat, etc. Moshide took the 
 opportunity of showing his friendship (?) for me by sending some 
 of his young men to compel the people to give corn to “his white 
 man,” and of course these young scamps robbed the people—as 
 they always do under such circumstances—right and left. I showed 
 my appreciation of such attention by bundling up and starting off 
 home the next day. Among the dozen men I had with me I found 
 the time profitable, as all were free at night to listen to all that was 
 said, and they readily joined in conversation. The Seyek language, 
 I find, will not be of much use beyond the capital. I see much 
 work yet before me, acquiring languages ; on almost all hands 
 there are different dialects spoken. It will take me a good six or 
 seven years’ constant study to come to any perfection, and to be or 
 any general use here. You have no idea how difficult it is in the 
 first place getting at the things one wishes to learn. The people 
 have but the faintest idea of dividing their languages into words ; 
 
TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 15 
 
 after the words and idioms have been discovered and transcribed, 
 the process of learning is comparatively easy. One thing greatly 
 helps me—I have the native African accent and forms of construct¬ 
 ing sentences to considerable perfection ; Europeans as a rule find 
 the acquiring of these two things to be the most difficult. I also 
 know the natives, and it does not require many words to convince 
 them of this. 
 
 Jatvuary i^th .—After the previous mournful report as to Dick, 
 
 I must needs refer to him again. He is decidedly better, an 
 unwonted nervousness being the only sign left of his former 
 derangement. His happiness as a Christian is fully restored, and 
 he has set himself most bravely to learn to read. In knowledge of 
 the Scriptures, from what I have been teaching him, he is also 
 progressing well. 
 
 February 5th .—A company of Arab traders arrived here a few 
 days ago ; yesterday was the reception day, and the king sent for 
 me to come and sit by him ; a lot of people had come together. 
 Each of the three Arab master-traders had a handsome shawl with 
 him, with which they decked out Moshide. Moshide took one of 
 the shawls and clapped it on me. A military review was then held, 
 after which speeches were given by the Arabs and by Moshide and 
 his chiefs. Moshide gave me an opportunity of speaking, which I 
 would most gladly have taken had I been at all equal to it. I was 
 glad, however, to find I was able to understand nearly all spoken 
 in Seyelc; but I fear my address would be no more popular here 
 than at Iwanika’s court. The sum and substance of their speeches 
 on such an occasion is flattery; past events are rehearsed and 
 discoursed upon, and all things greatly exaggerated and contorted 
 to suit the occasion. Yesterday morning a woman was caught here 
 by a leopard while in her field; she was a “small wife” of the 
 chief’s, and through her cries assistance came, and the leopard was 
 chased away, but the woman died shortly after. The chief at once 
 sent to me for some poison to kill the leopard, should it return, and 
 I gave him some strychnine. Instead, however, of killing a goat or 
 dog, to be used as bait, they preferred the dead woman’s body. 
 “ She is now dead,” said the chief; “what can we do? Let her 
 'redeem her fellows ! ” i.e., from the leopard’s paw. A great deal of 
 man-eating by wild animals goes on here. The number of people 
 massed together—more given to cultivating than to hunting—and 
 the custom of throwing out the bodies of dead slaves, has given 
 
i6 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGANZE. 
 
 these animals a taste for human flesh. In my small compound, yet 
 unfenced, it is not safe for anyone to be out of doors after dusk ; 
 little Johnny was very nearly caught by a hyena one evening. A 
 little boy, left here sick by one of my Bihe carriers with some 
 acquaintance at some huts close by, was in the habit of coming 
 over and eating with my boys of an evening, and sometimes sleep¬ 
 ing with them. I missed him for a few days, and on enquiring 
 found that he had started for my place one evening and had not 
 returned ; he doubtless was carried off by one of these beasts of 
 prey. Old lions, which no longer have teeth strong enough to pull 
 down large game, come round and prey upon the people, and they 
 are very audacious. A woman close by here left her child sitting 
 in front of her hut for a few minutes ; on returning she found that 
 the child had been carried off by one of these retired monarchs ; 
 his footprints, of course, told the tale. Out in the bush, where 
 game is abundant, it is quite different, and people sleep freely out 
 in the open ; there, they have simple mat doors to their huts ; here, 
 they require doors of reeds strongly barred. 
 
 I got a pleasant message from the village “ Kalolo,” which I 
 visited last year, and where many were so afraid of me as to sleep 
 in the fields all night. They wanted to know when I would be 
 returning ; the message ran, “ Ah ! that was the good white man 
 that visited us : we had feastings of meat with him.” It is a rough 
 hilly country that lies between, but I must be off to them again— 
 “if by any means I may win some .” From Kagoma’s, on the 
 Lekurruwe, I get constant messages, and occasionally presents of 
 food ; his invitations have been very urgent When the dry season 
 sets in I may shut up house here and go there for a month or so. 
 These village people are warmer, more “ get-at-able,” less given to 
 politics, and less disturbed by the many diversions that take up the 
 attention of the people of this African city, such as cases in court, 
 executions, the daily arrival of visitors and bringers of tribute, etc. 
 
 This evening I was asking my “teacher,” why the people here 
 did not go out in bands and hunt down the leopards and other 
 animals that were so injurious. He answered, “You do not know 
 the people here ; there is such a mixture of races and so much 
 hatred in consequence, that they turn themselves into lions and 
 tigers to devour one another.” 
 
 February i^th. Lord's day .—This morning Dick was baptized ; 
 only two others besides myself were present, though Dick had 
 
TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 17 
 
 asked others to come. Before going down to the water we had a 
 solemn time in my house with Dick, Susi—the Bihe lad who is with 
 me—and another man who is deeply interested, though I cannot 
 as yet say under any especial conviction. Susi sticks to the con¬ 
 fession of Christ that he made some time ago, and will not be 
 moved from it. May the Lord, with whom alone is the “ Urim 
 and Thummim” (Neh. xvii. 64, 65), make known to us of a truth 
 whether Susi is His child or not, is my heart’s prayer; Dick is 
 confident that Susi’s confession is real. 
 
 Well, we had a solemn time by the pool out on the flat that we 
 went to, to get down to the water of which we had to break our 
 way through long rank grass ; I noticed close by the fresh foot¬ 
 prints of a leopard that had drunk water there in the morning. 
 After a short prayer in Umbundu, Dick was baptized into the name 
 of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. It was a 
 solemnly glad time, and all seemed to feel it. We then returned 
 to my house and spent a long time in earnest conversation. When 
 parting, six years ago, with dear Mr. Dyer, he remarked in his usual 
 solemn way, that “ it would be a day never to be forgotten by me 
 when the first one was baptized under the dark Zambesi waters.” 
 To-day . dark Zambesi sinner has been baptized in the Garen- 
 ganze waters, and it is but the beginning of God’s shewing kindness 
 to us and to these people ; there are more to follow. Surely our 
 God’s mercy is not as a stream that comes and goes in volume, but 
 as an ocean immeasurable, unfathomable. The joy and astonish¬ 
 ment that fill us at every realization of His goodness must ever 
 exceed that which accompanied our faith and expectation, because 
 He always exceeds our asking or thinking : His love is ever richer 
 than our knowledge. When all possible knowledge or expectation 
 is exceeded, surely only astonishment remains ! 
 
 Well, I must be drawing this letter to a close, as Honjo is 
 packing up for a start. My health is excellent and has been so 
 without any intermission for a long time now ; I am getting quite 
 fat. My eyes are much stronger, and though I cannot dispense 
 with the, spectacles, yet I can use my eyes all day and suffer 
 nothing. My daily fare, month in and month out, is a dish of 
 boiled rice, or corn, or grits, about 7 o’clock in the morning. Dinner 
 or supper comes on about 4 in the afternoon, consisting generally 
 of two dishes, one of thick porridge and the other of boiled beans, 
 cooked greens and meat—when I have it—or anything that will 
 
i8 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGANZE. 
 
 give a relish to the porridge. I have still a little tea left, which 
 drawn out thin will last me a good while yet. The seeds I planted 
 have nearly all failed ; the few that have lived I am guarding 
 carefully for seeding. I still have a few goats, though some have 
 been taken off by wild animals ; they have not given any milk now 
 for a long time. Fred. 
 
 To Mr. H. Groves. 
 
 January, 1887.—You with others at home have so truly shared 
 with me the few trials and—to our eyes—unfruitful days of my 
 past journeyings, etc., in this country, that I cannot but rejoice to 
 share with you my joy in the evident conversion of our boy Dick. 
 He professed to have believed the Word sometime ago, and 
 although there was then a change noticeable—for I have not 
 since found him lying boldly to my face, or stealing behind my 
 back, which he was much given to before—yet that was lacking 
 which must ever be sought for, ere true fellowship can be—the 
 positive fruits of living union with Christ. 
 
 In September, 1886, I had some weeks of sickness, during which 
 time Dick’s attention and care, night and day, drew me out much 
 to him, so that it came to me almost like a revelation that this 
 sickness was especially for Dick’s sake, and that of the other three 
 who were with me ; so that during the time I gave myself much 
 to prayer for them all, especially for Dick, though I spoke little 
 to him. 
 
 I was scarce recovered when Dick had a turn of fever lasting 
 for fifteen days or so. One evening, shortly after his recovery, we 
 were talking together, when Dick seemed to receive a peculiar 
 measure of joy, his whole face lighting up marvellously—naturally 
 he has a dull, heavy and meaningless expression of face—and 
 truly he seemed to be at the very foot of the cross, for that was 
 our theme, and my mouth was as full of confession and of praise 
 as his was. I had been brought from my presumed place of 
 instructor and enlightener, and we confessed together as fellow- 
 sinners, and rejoiced as brethren, at the cross. I learned that 
 night that my dictatory ways had been that which had hindered 
 my boy, and had produced only a lifeless confession. 
 
 If we would drive sinners to Christ, our failure is complete, and 
 our folly very evident. If we would lead them, we must surely go 
 
TO MR. H. GROVES. 
 
 19 
 
 before them, and the sinner’s Christ is only to be found at the 
 cross, where all flesh is humbled to the depth of death. How 
 wise Paul was to win souls when, in announcing himself to be the 
 “ chief of sinners,” he declared the mercy of God to all. In how 
 small a measure this precious wisdom hath place in me, truly the 
 Lord knoweth. That very night the thought occurred to me, that 
 now Dick would despise me, and serve me with less respect, 
 seeing I had humbled myself with him or in his sight. But very 
 much the contrary has been the case, for never has he served me 
 more joyfully and thoroughly than since then. I am reminded of 
 the words of Michal, Saul’s daughter, to David, and of David’s 
 reply, “ I will yet be more vile than this, and will be base in my 
 own eyes ; and of the maid-servants which thou hast spoken of, of 
 them shall I be had in honour? 
 
 Shortly after, Dick was again taken ill. In a very short time, 
 however, he seemed to recover strength and health of body, but 
 his mind was completely gone. This madness lasted for some 
 time, until I was completely worn out watching and quieting him, 
 night and day, as no one else had the slightest control over him. 
 To my great joy, however, he gradually recovered, although until 
 now he shows a good deal of mental weakness. He is very 
 anxious to learn to read, which he stoutly objected to before ; 
 and he progresses fairly, though after an hour’s study at a time he 
 begins to tremble all over with pure nervousness. You may not be 
 aware that Dick comes from the Zambesi, and has been with me 
 for three years. As you will well understand, many fresh cares 
 and anxieties rise in my mind for him, which I only can cast upon 
 the Lord, who alone is “ able ” to make stand (Rom. xiv. 4), to 
 restore (Rom. xi. 23), and to uphold those who fall (Ps*. clxv. 14). 
 
 Another lad, who is with me, somewhat older than Dick, who 
 helps about the house and garden, and who is imbued with a 
 remarkable faculty of being quick to learn and remember, has 
 lately joined with pick in confessing the name of Jesus, and has 
 thrown off some of his old follies, more, I fear, to please me than 
 the Lord. I would not yet say that he is converted, a child of 
 God, but God knoweth. Nevertheless his confessing the name of 
 Jesus is sweet, at least to the ears of those who love Him. That 
 word “he who is not against us is on our part” gives comfort in 
 such a case, while we continue to cast the matter upon the Lord, 
 that He may make manifest. As we are looking for a time of 
 
20 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGAN2E. 
 
 blessing and gathering out from among the tribes in these parts, it 
 seems to me to be not contrary to, but in accordance with the 
 Lord’s ways, that blessing should first begin at home and among 
 those of my own household. I might speak of three outsiders at 
 least, of whom I have hopes, but I will forbear. At Dick’s own 
 request his baptism has been delayed until the return of one of 
 those who has been sent on an errand, that he may be present 
 at it. 
 
 The ruling classes here are much disturbed with matters of war, 
 civil risings, etc., etc. Consequently I have avoided their com¬ 
 pany and courts lately. I have not been with the chief for a long 
 time. 
 
 As for myself, I may say my health has been very good ever 
 since the knock-down I had with bilious fever in September. I 
 have been here a year now, and the healthiness of this country I 
 have proved beyond a doubt. I do not remember having a single 
 touch of fever and ague here, and scarce a headache ; though I 
 suffered a little during the dry season, from the exceeding dryness 
 of the atmosphere, and the cold winds from the hills to the south, 
 simply because I had been somewhat inured to greater warmth 
 and humidity. 
 
 Feb. 13 th. — LorcPs-day .—After a very solemn time in my house 
 this morning—only one outsider being present, though more were 
 invited—we went to a pool of water some distance off, where I 
 baptized Dick. He seemed to understand intelligently its mean¬ 
 ing, and I with him had a blessed time of thanksgiving and com¬ 
 munion. The other lad, Susi, already referred to, was present ; 
 he seemed to be disappointed that he was not baptized with Dick, 
 but I could not see that I could do otherwise than wait in his case. 
 He sticks faithfully, however, to his profession of Christ, and 
 shows much intelligence ; indeed his very quickness at under¬ 
 standing seems to me a reason why especial care should be used 
 with him. When we were about to leave the pool he remarked, 
 “And I will be next to go down into the water.” 
 
 Until very recently the chief thought that presented itself to me 
 in connection with baptism was that of death and burial ; but now 
 it seems to me that the thought of resurrection and new life is by 
 no means to be omitted, if not rather to take the leading place. 
 In 1 Peter iii. 21 it is directly connected with the resurrection of 
 Jesus Christ, and baptism, being called the interrogation of a good 
 
TO MR. H. GROVES. 
 
 21 
 
 conscience toward God, implies life. As the new-born babe cries, 
 so new-born souls call upon Him who is the source of that life. 
 
 A report has come here that some traders are on their way from 
 Bihe. If this be true, I may have some letters to reply to shortly. 
 As to my relationship with the people, I find that both the chief 
 and his people make every effort to please me, and seem desirous 
 to give me every encouragement to remain among them, giving 
 their consent to everything I may say, and shutting me up with 
 flattery. Augustine, referring to Proverbs xxviii. 21, remarked 
 that “ our daily furnace was the tongue of men.” Paul and Bar¬ 
 nabas found grace to resist the flattery of those who cried out that 
 the gods had come down among them, and grace to resist their 
 slandering—and stones shortly afterwards—was not withheld from 
 them. Still we have much reason to rejoice and give thanks for a 
 quiet and peaceable life in what is generally considered to be the 
 heart of savagedom, and the haunt of every cruelty. 
 
 It is often difficult to know how far we ought to go towards 
 pleasing 7 nen, especially where ignorance to a certain extent is not 
 wilful. Paul declares his willingness to become all things to all 
 men that he might win some, and these words of his are con¬ 
 stantly with me; when the people come to visit me, I seek to 
 entertain them with as much frankness and patience as possible, 
 also in my traffickings with them, preferring rather to be robbed 
 than run the risk of taking advantage of them. All this I see 
 clearly, also the folly of arguing with them about the varieties of 
 their manifest superstitions, and the wisdom of weaving, as it were, 
 our lives as well as our words in order to catch men ; to enclose 
 them by deeds and words, so that escape may not be possible by 
 ordinary excuse, and can only be made by doing despite to the 
 Spirit of grace. 
 
 Paul, however, again remarks, “ If I were still pleasing men I 
 should not be a bond-servant of Christ.” (Gal. i. 10.) Would you 
 say that upon a principle contained in the passage first quoted, 
 Paul circumcised Timothy ; and on that contained in Gal. i. 10, he 
 refused to circumcise Titus ? In the first case, he did so to please 
 those who were wholly Jews ; in the second, to resist those he 
 calls “false brethren.” We may stir up much opposition with the 
 drawn sword of a fleshly zeal. Cutting off ears only injures the 
 cause of Christ, as He showed Peter by healing the wounded ear ; 
 for it is of the first importance that men hear. 
 
22 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGANZE. 
 
 Though outwardly things are thus quiet and agreeable, yet 
 there lacks not opposition from certain quarters. The Arab 
 traders who come here have done what they could in spreading 
 evil reports and lying stories about the designing English, etc. 
 
 The rains were exceedingly late this year, and when a regular 
 drought was threatening, some of the “ doctors ” of the land would 
 fain have laid the blame at my door (this I heard only lately) ; but 
 the story did not take. Again, I have a cut through the brim of 
 my hat from a thrown spear; had it been an inch or so nearer, it 
 would have given me a serious, if not a fatal wound. This is 
 enough to show that the enemy, though he lurks snake-like in the 
 grass, is present, and will doubtless watch his opportunity for 
 raising more opposition. 
 
 The question often comes up in my mind as to how far we 
 ought to go in such a country as this in pushing school work, 
 a.e., teaching to read and write, etc. It seems to be a sure way of 
 securing an increase of “ church members ” in the future, of the 
 sort that are brought up to it by the cold process of education, 
 and whose spiritual calibre is generally of small account. In other 
 countries where education is more general, and valued by the 
 people from a purely secular point of view, reasons doubtless pre¬ 
 sent themselves to the missionaries why they should lay them¬ 
 selves out especially for that work ; chiefly, I should think, 
 because of the daily opportunity given of presenting Christ to the 
 scholars. As to the wisdom of urging the knowledge of reading 
 upon those who have professed Christ’s name, or who are evidently 
 inquiring after Him, I have no doubt. Perhaps you could help me 
 with advice in this matter ? Fred. S. Arnot. 
 
 To his Brother -. 
 
 January ii7id ,, 1887.—I cannot allow this budget of letters to go 
 without one to you. You wrote from London, in August (I think), 
 1885. It is pleasant to know you are not alone in London or in 
 business. C. and I are the only two isolated atoms, especially 
 myself. But after all it can only be “You in your small corner ; I 
 in mine.” Let us ever strive to fill our corner in a manner pleasing 
 and acceptable to our God. Solomon says that “ the eyes of a fool 
 are in the ends of the earth,” that is, he is far from being con¬ 
 tent with the things which he hath, and with the place in which he 
 
TO MR. W. G. SMITH. 
 
 23 
 
 is. But he who is wholly contented with his lot, is better able to 
 fortify himself and make sure his ground. In 1 Peter ii. 11, we 
 read that “fleshly lusts” are not merely opposed to, but “war 
 against the soultherefore “ arm yourselves? like Christ, with the 
 mind to suffer, follows in chapter iv. In the desert Christ sought 
 no relief from the tempter by moving from His position, but by 
 facing His foe. So with the poor believer. Often hungry, perhaps, 
 he will find no relief from the temptations that beset him if he seeks 
 to be removed from his state of poverty; but he will, by arming 
 himself with the invincible weapons of the Word. So with you in 
 London, and with me here. We may think that we have peculiar 
 trials, which we naturally associate with the place , and the sources 
 from which they seem to come. Herein, then, lies our strength or 
 our weakness. If as obedient soldiers we accept of battle here, 
 always here, we shall prove that our weapons, which are not carnal 
 but spiritual, are, indeed, mighty through God. But if our hearts 
 ar there —“when I am older or stronger;” “when I am a little 
 better off or have more leisure ”—we usurp the generalship and 
 fail miserably. 
 
 Be strong, my brother; cleave to the Word. The tackling of 
 the ship, the wheat, even the small boat (the sailor’s last resource), 
 may all go by the board ; but cleave you to the sure Word of God’s 
 promise—that abideth most sure and unshakeable. Fred. 
 
 To Mr. W. G. Smith. 
 
 January 27th, 1887.—I thank you heartily for all the general 
 information you give me as to different mission fields in which we 
 are all interested. Most of my correspondents seem to take it for 
 granted that I am as well up in information about the outside 
 world as they are, and so make little reference to the work in 
 general. This country, so far as travelling traders is concerned, 
 has been straitly shut up ever since my coming here. My small 
 caravan was the last to leave Bihe for this place ; immediately 
 after my leaving, news arrived there of a company of Garenganze 
 rovers robbing a caravan in charge of a son of the king of Bihe, 
 consequently “the road” to this place was at once blocked. The 
 half-caste Honjo, who brought in your letters last year, got out of 
 Bihe by deceiving the chief of that place, saying that he intended 
 going to the Luba country to trade. If things were going on as 
 
24 
 
 AMONG THE GARENGANZK. 
 
 usual, fresh caravans of native ivory traders would be arriving and 
 leaving nearly every day. I hope that in a few months’ time this 
 trafficking will be restored again, when letters will pass out and in 
 more freely. Such times of quietness, however, are much to be 
 prized, and permit of day-by-day application to the work in hand 
 without interruption. 
 
 With me, at present, it is the languages that occupy the chief 
 part of the time. My only interruptions are having to go off occa¬ 
 sionally to the bush to procure a supply of meat, which I dry and 
 use, not so much as food, but to flavour my maize, or millet corn 
 porridge, which is my staple article of food. Formerly my shoot¬ 
 ing greatly distressed me, as I wounded so many animals without 
 killing them. Now, however, I believe in answer to prayer, I 
 seldom fail to secure the animal I aim at; this takes up four or five 
 days every three months. I might ere this have taught Dick, my 
 lad, to shoot, and have given him this occupation, but I fear his 
 being carried away with the excitement of hunting, and becoming 
 a hunter, an occupation most unsettling and unprofitable. The 
 field of corn and beans my boys have cultivated has borne remark¬ 
 ably well, but I fear comparatively little of the crop will be 
 secured, thieves and wild pigs having the larger share. There is 
 no way of checking the thieves but by catching and cruelly beating 
 them ; this, of course, I will not hear of being done, but, on the 
 contrary, I have been moved to give the poor hungry creatures 
 caught stealing, a meal of food at my house. .So insensible, how¬ 
 ever, are they to mere rebuke, or even to kind treatment, that they 
 will go off quietly, and begin again when they think they are not 
 observed, filling their baskets with half-ripe corn. Those whose 
 names “are written in the earth” (Jer. xvii. 13), may hope to sub¬ 
 sist on the fruit of the earth ; but I fear those who would live 
 godly in such a country as this will have to look higher, even to 
 Him, who will yet destroy the belly itself by an everlasting fulness. 
 
 Getting into my house has been a very great help to me, and a 
 great comfort, as we have had a time of very heavy and protracted 
 rains, which have proved the site I have chosen to be an excellent 
 one in regard to drainage, the ground sloping in three directions. 
 A very porous subsoil of a sort of half-formed sandstone in thin 
 strata, and all standing on edge, gives me a dry and comfort¬ 
 able house and yard after the heaviest rains, when all the villages 
 around are actually sinking in mud. Fred. S. Arnot.