every European that travelled in this country figured to some extent as a liberator of the slave, they expected us to encourage them, but we felt that it would be most inexpedient to interfere. At this period we had the Rev. Horace Waller congratulating us on the peaceful state of the country, as compared with his own experience. But a very painful incident now occurred which I shall describe mainly by extracts from letters of this date. On _Tuesday, 16th September_, when I was in school, a note came from Mr. Buchanan, stating that the goods sent to him had been taken away after a brisk battle with the carriers, in which guns and arrows were freely used and some wounds inflicted. The Livingstonia Mission were then removing a great quantity of stores which had been waiting for them at Blantyre, and it was said that a number of Mityoche’s men had for days been waiting on the Livingstonia road to secure this booty. But they were a little too late; all the goods passed safely, and the robbers had to return. On their way home, however, they met a party of ours going to Zomba, and the result was a successful attack upon them. When Mr. Buchanan’s note came to the station, Fenwick and I prepared to go at once and have an interview with Mityoche. My great difficulty was to get away from School for the purpose, but Mr. Moir of the African Lakes Company who was then recovering from fever undertook to teach for me. The people of Zomba had earnestly entreated me to go back to see them soon, and I would thus have an opportunity of paying them a visit. Taking duplicates of what had been lost, we started at five o’clock in the afternoon, about an hour after the news arrived. We intended to camp at Cherasulo, but it was found that our tent had been left behind, and as the sun is so very hot just now during the day, we pressed on all night fearing, as we did, that Mr. Buchanan who had been without cloth for some time, would have difficulty in making a settlement with his workers. About one o’clock in the morning we reached Kumpama’s, and might have stayed there, but a guide volunteered to take us to Mityoche’s at once. As we should thus be able to reach Zomba in the course of the day, we accepted the offer, and after resting a while we resumed our journey. It was interesting to pass the villages at night. The guide was a great smoker and at every place he roused half-a-dozen men to light his pipe. The natives rise at night with great ease as compared with people that have to put on clothes. It was nearly daylight when we came to Mityoche’s. We sent the guide to tell that we wanted an interview. All at once the fellows seemed to know our errand, and they would not be cordial. We never failed so entirely in getting natives to be friendly. When we asked to see the chief they demanded whether we wanted war, and when we told them that we were men of peace, they replied that we might have an interview with the chief if we sent him a present. A present of