The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-07-02
Dr. LIvINGsToNs ADVENTURES AND DIE
COVERIES IN AFRICA.

the London Missionary Society, on the stl,
of juno, 1852, DR.. Livingston proceeded
from Cape Town, whittier lie had gone to
sec his family embark, distance from his
missionary station of no less than thous-
and miles. lie returned to koruman, Mr..
Mottats station, where he was detained for
a time by uncovered circumstances. The
lrans-Baal Beers, seeking revenge for his
supposed influence with the Bakwains in
the matter of traffic in ivory, had desolated
the kolobeng station, killed sixty of the
natives, and expressed their intention to
murder him. In the spirit of true heroism,
he desIsted not from his purpose, but de
termined to open new way into the inte-
rior, although he had lost f3O0.
Starting from the Koruman station, he
proceeded in north and nortll-wcsterly
direction, 10y different route from that
which he had formerly taken, chiefly to
avoid the "tzctse." This now path brought
him into deusely wooded. country, where,
to his great surprise, he found vines grow
ing luxuriantly, and yielding clusters of
dark purple grapes. But it was weary
journey both for man and beast, as the
grass was from eight to ten feet high, and
our traveller was compelled to perform the
double duty both of driver and road-makcr,
"having," as he tells us, 'either the axe or
the whip in hand all day long, till we came
to latitude ls degrees 4 minutes" Here
he found himself approaching the Chobe,
and entering that network of rivers called
Linotkanoka. The state of these things
was now widely different from that which
he saw on his former visit. Then the wa
ters were at their lowest point, and flowed
within their ordinary channels; now the
country was flooded. This formidable diff
ficulty was much increased by the sudden
illness of almost all his attendants. lie
had, therefore, to work his way to Linyanti,
almost unassisted, being compelled to leave
the invalids and the wagon behind him.
Having, with some difficulty, crossed the
smallest of these flooded streams, he reached
river called the Sanshurall, half a mile
broad, abounding with hippotami. En-
barking, with only one attendant, in a small
pontoon which he had brought with him
from Cape Town, he proceeded across the
flooded country in search Of the ChoJe.
After "splashing," as he says, Through
twenty miles of an inundated plain," he
climed high tree and was gladdened by
sight of the much desired river. On ap-
preaching it he found broad chevaur de
trise of papyras reeds, and other aquatic
plants, interviewer with creeper resem-
bling the convolvulus, which rendered Cho-
be almost unapproachabIe. BY breaking
or crushing this rank vegetation, in order to
obtain footing in the water, often deep,
out Of which it grew, he struggled on to-
ward the open stream, taking the pontoon
with him. A still moro formidable barrier
than reeds and flags next presented itself,
in what he calls ga lorrid sort of grass,
about six feet in height, having serrated
edges which cut the hands most cruelty"
wore ibis mole skin unmentionables quite
through at his knees, and his shoes, nearly
new, at the toes. Three days were thus
spent amidst the mass Of reeds but, though
he was constantly wading, and wet up to
the middle, lie, during that time, slept
soundly at night, and on the fourth day he
was rewarded for his labor by his success
in reaching the river, and launching the
pontoon upon its bosom. Joyfully embark
ing in this frail craft, he padded down the
Chobe about twenty miles, and arrived at a
village Of the Makololo. The natives stood
aghast at his apparition. Entrenched, as
they supposed, by their rivers, they believed
themselves to be unapproachaLlo. Or. Liv-
ington's sudden arrival, therefore, was to
them great marvel, and the achievement
exalted him in their eyes. The only ex-
planation which they could devise for SO
strange an event, was, that he had fallen
on them as from cloud, and yet he came
riding on a hippotamus."
AS coon as information of the arrival of
DR.. Livingston reached Linyanti, number
OF canoes, containing one hundred and
forty natives, were sent off to convey him
and his wagon to the town, where they re-
ceived welcome such as is given only to
their chief. The delight of Sekeetu, the
successor Of Sebitoane. who was then only
about nineteen years old, was manifested
both in bis actions and his words. he
said s .-- So
II have now got another father instead Of 4
Sebitoane."
The feeling Of delight manifested by the |
chief was shared BY the people. Mr.. Moe-
fat, speaking Of Moselekstse, and of his
intercourse with that warrior, says;
2 +.