Missionary Travels and Researches in South AfricaLivingstone, David
Religion
Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa
Livingstone, David
Missions -- South Africa; South Africa -- Description and travel
Start in June, 1852, on the last and longest Journey from Cape Town--
Companions--Wagon-traveling--Physical Divisions of Africa--The
Eastern, Central, and Western Zones--The Kalahari Desert--Its
Vegetation--Increasing Value of the Interior for Colonization--
Our Route--Dutch Boers--Their Habits--Sterile Appearance of
the District--Failure of Grass--Succeeded by other Plants--
Vines--Animals--The Boers as Farmers--Migration of Springbucks--
Wariness of Animals--The Orange River--Territory of the Griquas and
Bechuanas--The Griquas--The Chief Waterboer--His wise and energetic
Government--His Fidelity--Ill-considered Measures of the Colonial
Government in regard to Supplies of Gunpowder--Success of the
Missionaries among the Griquas and Bechuanas--Manifest Improvement of
the native Character--Dress of the Natives--A full-dress Costume--A
Native's Description of the Natives--Articles of Commerce in the
Country of the Bechuanas--Their Unwillingness to learn, and Readiness
to criticise.
Having sent my family home to England, I started in the beginning of
June, 1852, on my last journey from Cape Town. This journey extended
from the southern extremity of the continent to St. Paul de Loando, the
capital of Angola, on the west coast, and thence across South Central
Africa in an oblique direction to Kilimane (Quilimane) in Eastern
Africa. I proceeded in the usual conveyance of the country, the heavy,
lumbering Cape wagon drawn by ten oxen, and was accompanied by two
Christian Bechuanas from Kuruman--than whom I never saw better servants
any where--by two Bakwain men, and two young girls, who, having come as
nurses with our children to the Cape, were returning to their home at
Kolobeng. Wagon-traveling in Africa has been so often described that
I need say no more than that it is a prolonged system of picnicking,
excellent for the health, and agreeable to those who are not
over-fastidious about trifles, and who delight in being in the open air.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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