A grander idea than the mere founding of a missionary station now
developed itself in the mind of Mr. Livingstone. European goods had just
begun to be introduced into this region from the Portuguese settlements
on the coast; at present slaves were the only commodity received in
payment for them. Livingstone thought if a great highway could be
opened, ivory, and the other products of the country, might be bartered
for these goods, and the traffic in slaves would come to an end.

He therefore resolved to take his family to Cape Town, and thence send
them to England, while he returned alone to the interior, with the
purpose of making his way either to the east or the west coast.

He reached the Cape in April, 1852, being the first time during eleven
years that he had visited the scenes of civilization, and placed his
family on board a ship bound for England, promising to rejoin them in
two years.

In June he set out from Cape Town upon that long journey which was to
occupy five years. When he approached the missionary stations in the
interior, he learned that the long-threatened attack by the Boers had
taken place. A letter from Sechele to Mr. Moffat told the story. Thus it
ran:

"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. I replied, These are my friends, and I can not prevent
them. They came on Saturday, and I besought them not to fight on Sunday,
and they assented. They began on Monday morning at twilight, and fired
with all their might, and burned the town with fire, and scattered us.
They killed sixty of my people, and captured women, and children, and
men. They took all the cattle and all the goods of the Bakwains; and the
house of Livingstone they plundered, taking away all his goods. Of the
Boers we killed twenty-eight."

Two hundred children, who had been gathered into schools, were carried
away as slaves. Mr. Livingstone's library was wantonly destroyed, not
carried away; his stock of medicines was smashed, and his furniture
and clothing sold at auction to defray the expenses of the foray. Mr.
Pretorius, the leader of the marauding party, died not long after, and
an obituary notice of him was published, ending with the words, "Blessed
are the dead who die in t