w long he had slept? Majwara said he could not tell, but he was sure
that it was some considerable time: the men drew nearer.

A candle stuck by its own wax to the top of the box, shed a light
sufficient for them to see his form. Dr. Livingstone was kneeling by the
side of his bed, his body stretched forward, his head buried in his
hands upon the pillow. For a minute they watched him: he did not stir,
there was no sign of breathing; then one of them, Matthew, advanced
softly to him and placed his hands to his cheeks. It was sufficient;
life had been extinct some time, and the body was almost cold:
Livingstone was dead.

His sad-hearted servants raised him tenderly up, and laid him full
length on the bed, then, carefully covering him, they went out into the
damp night air to consult together. It was not long before the cocks
crew, and it is from this circumstance--coupled with the fact that Susi
spoke to him some time shortly before midnight--that we are able to
state with tolerable certainty that he expired early on the 1st of May.

It has been thought best to give the narrative of these closing hours as
nearly as possible in the words of the two men who attended him
constantly, both here and in the many illnesses of like character which
he endured in his last six years' wanderings; in fact from the first
moment of the news arriving in England, it was felt to be indispensable
that they should come home to state what occurred.

* * * * *

The men have much to consider as they cower around the watch-fire, and
little time for deliberation. They are at their furthest point from home
and their leader has fallen at their head; we shall see presently how
they faced their difficulties.

* * * * *

Several inquiries will naturally arise on reading this distressing
history; the foremost, perhaps, will be with regard to the entire
absence of everything like a parting word to those immediately about
him, or a farewell line to his family and friends at home. It must be
very evident to the reader that Livingstone entertained very grave
forebodings about his health during the last two years of his life, but
it is not clear that he realized the near approach of death when his
malady suddenly passed into a more dangerous stage.

It may be said, "Why did he not take some precautions or give some
strict injunctions to his men to preserve his note-books and maps, at
all