“A little after midnight on November 5, we were told that an attack had been made on Malopa’s village and that prisoners had been carried off. This was a new hamlet about twenty minutes’ walk from Blantyre. Malopa had escaped to bring the intelligence. The attacking party had retreated by the back of the Nyambadwe, and there was little hope of capturing them. Mr. Henderson and an artisan hastened to the spot. One house was in flames and beside another they found the mangled corpse of Nampala, and his little child standing by it. Nampala’s wife and his elder child had been captured and carried off. Another woman with two children had been lodging, for the night, in this unfortunate place. One of her children had been taken, but she rescued the other, although one of the ruffians had cut its face severely by a stroke of his gun. It appears the attack took place in this way. A disturbance was made in the village, and one house set on fire. Nampala was the first to awake, and when he went out to see what was the matter, two men standing on opposite sides of his door poured the contents of their guns into his body. Everyone that afterwards appeared on the scene was carried off, and the attacking party retreated in great haste. Next day which was my Saturday holiday, Malopa, Chendombo, and myself, traced the footprints for miles. The natives have an almost miraculous power of doing this. They concluded that the attacking party had come from a distance. “That night we told Kapeni that one of his people was among the captives. As to who were the offenders he had no suspicion whatever, but he assured us that in a few days we should have full information. Nampala’s brother came to the funeral, accompanied by several friends. The most friendless object was the little child who being unacquainted with its uncle, and its other relatives, could only cling to Malopa. We offered to take it and bring it up like an English infant, but the uncle naturally wished to keep it. “This sad incident is an illustration of one of the effects of the Slave Trade, being quite a normal instance of kidnapping as it goes on around us. It is the first that has taken place at Blantyre since I came here. It takes us to the heart of the sufferings of the people. Surely if in any place on this earth the cry of the oppressed goes up to heaven, it is in Africa.”