e hunger. They would fain have come
farther; for when Sekeletu parted with them, his orders were that none
of them should turn until they had reached Ma Robert and brought her
back with them. On my explaining the difficulty of crossing the sea, he
said, "Wherever you lead, they must follow." As I did not know well how
I should get home myself, I advised them to go back to Tete, where food
was abundant, and there await my return. I bought a quantity of calico
and brass wire with ten of the smaller tusks which we had in our charge,
and sent the former back as clothing to those who remained at Tete. As
there were still twenty tusks left, I deposited them with Colonel Nunes,
that, in the event of any thing happening to prevent my return, the
impression might not be produced in the country that I had made away
with Sekeletu's ivory. I instructed Colonel Nunes, in case of my death,
to sell the tusks and deliver the proceeds to my men; but I intended, if
my life should be prolonged, to purchase the goods ordered by Sekeletu
in England with my own money, and pay myself on my return out of
the price of the ivory. This I explained to the men fully, and they,
understanding the matter, replied, "Nay, father, you will not die; you
will return to take us back to Sekeletu." They promised to wait till I
came back, and, on my part, I assured them that nothing but death would
prevent my return. This I said, though while waiting at Kilimane a
letter came from the Directors of the London Missionary Society stating
that "they were restricted in their power of aiding plans connected
only remotely with the spread of the Gospel, and that the financial
circumstances of the society were not such as to afford any ground of
hope that it would be in a position, within any definite period, to
enter upon untried, remote, and difficult fields of labor." This has
been explained since as an effusion caused by temporary financial
depression; but, feeling perfect confidence in my Makololo friends, I
was determined to return and trust to their generosity. The old love of
independence, which I had so strongly before joining the society, again
returned. It was roused by a mistaken view of what this letter meant;
for the directors, immediately on my reaching home, saw the great
importance of the opening, and entered with enlightened zeal on the work
of sending the Gospel into the new field. It is to be hoped that their
constituents will not only enable them to