, although, no serious symptoms
appearing, the mission party were still further induced to underrate the
necessity of precaution.

The Bishop coming down to visit Livingstone (seventy miles in thirty
hours on foot), gladly hailed the new-comers, and returned rapidly with
Mr. Burrup, both a good deal over-fatigued; and, indeed, the Bishop never
thoroughly recovered this reckless expenditure of strength. He
considered that things were now forward enough for a summons to the
ladies at Capetown. Communication was very difficult, and the
arrangements had therefore to be made somewhat blindly; but his plan was,
that his sisters and Mrs. Burrup should try to obtain a passage to
Kongone, where the _Pioneer_ should meet them, and bring them up the
rivers to the landing-place at Chibisa's. He did not know of his sister
Alice's marriage at Natal, though he would have rejoiced at it if he had
known. He himself intended to come down to the spot where the rivers
Shire and Ruo meet, and there greet the sister and the wife on board the
_Pioneer_, and return with them to Magomero.

The way by the river and by Chibisa's was a great circuit, and it was
thought that a more direct way might be found by exploration. Mr.
Procter and Mr. Scudamore, with the black interpreter, Charles Thomas,
and some of the negroes, started to pioneer a way. After five days
Charles appeared at Magomero, exhausted, foot-sore, ragged, and famished,
having had no food for forty-eight hours, and just able to say "the Man-
gnaja attacked us; I am the only one who has escaped."

When he had had some soup, he told that the party had come to a village
where they had been taken for slave-dealers, and the natives, on finding
they were not, put on a hostile appearance, and as they pushed on came
out in great numbers with bows and arrows, insisting on their return.
After consulting they thought it would be better to turn back and
conciliate the chief, rather than leave a nest of enemies in their rear,
and they therefore turned. Unfortunately the negroes had caught sight of
the 140 yards of selampore that they were taking with them as cash for
the journey, and though the chief, who had been at Senna and Quillinane,
was civil, there was much discontent at their not expending more in
purchases of provisions; and Charles told them that their bearers had
overheard plans for burning their huts in the night, killing them and
taking their goods. They decided to escape;