on meeting till that painful
anxious hour when you must bid adieu to your darlings, with
faint hopes of ever seeing them again in this life; and then,
what you may both have to pass through in those inhospitable
regions....

"From what I saw in Mr. Livingston's letter to Robert, I was
shocked to think that that poor head, in the prime of
manhood, was so like my own, who am literally worn out. The
symptoms he describes are so like my own. Now, with a little
rest and relaxation, having youth on his side, he might
regain all, but I cannot help fearing for him if he dashes
at once into hardships again. He is certainly the wonder of
his age, and with a little prudence as regards his health,
the stores of information he now possesses might be turned to
a mighty account for poor wretched Africa.... We do not yet
see how Mr. L. will get on--the case seems so complex. I
feel, as I have often done, that as regards ourselves it is a
subject more for prayer than for deliberation, separated as
we are by such distances, and such a tardy and eccentric
post. I used to imagine that when he was once got out safely
from this dark continent we should only have to praise God
for all his mercies to him and to us all, and for what He had
effected by him; but now I see we must go on seeking the
guidance and direction of his providential hand, and
sustaining and preventing mercy. We cannot cease to remember
you daily, and thus our sympathy will be kept alive with
you...."

Dr. Moffatt's congratulation to his son-in-law was calm and hearty:

"Your explorations have created immense interest, and
especially in England, and that man must be made of
bend-leather who can remain unmoved at the rehearsal even of
a tithe of your daring enterprises. The honors awaiting you
at home would be enough to make a score of light heads dizzy,
but I have no fear of their affecting your upper story,
beyond showing you that your labors to lay open the recesses
of the fast interior have been appreciated. It will be almost
too much for dear Mary to hear that you are verily unscathed.
She has had many to sympathize with her, and I daresay many
have called you a very naughty man for thus having exposed
your life a thousand times. Be that as it may, you have
succeeded beyon