The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume II (of 2), 1869-1873: Continued By A Narrative Of His Last Moments And Sufferings, Obtained From His Faithful Servants Chuma And SusiLivingstone, David
History
The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume II (of 2), 1869-1873: Continued By A Narrative Of His Last Moments And Sufferings, Obtained From His Faithful Servants Chuma And Susi
Livingstone, David
Africa, Central -- Description and travel
The emaciated remains of the deceased traveller were soon afterwards
taken to the place prepared. Over the heads of Farijala and
Carras--Susi, Chumah, and Muanyaséré held a thick blanket as a kind of
screen, under which the men performed their duties. Tofiké and John
Wainwright were present. Jacob Wainwright had been asked to bring his
Prayer Book with him, and stood apart against the wall of the enclosure.
In reading about the lingering sufferings of Dr. Livingstone as
described by himself, and subsequently by these faithful fellows, one is
quite prepared to understand their explanation, and to see why it was
possible to defer these operations so long after death: they say that
his frame was little more than skin and bone. Through an incision
carefully made, the viscera were removed, and a quantity of salt was
placed in the trunk. All noticed one very significant circumstance in
the autopsy. A clot of coagulated blood, as large as a man's hand, lay
in the left side,[36] whilst Farijalapointed to the state of the lungs,
which they describe as dried up, and covered with black and white
patches.
The heart, with the other parts removed, were placed in a tin box, which
had formerly contained flour, and decently and reverently buried in a
hole dug some four feet deep on the spot where they stood. Jacob was
then asked to read the Burial Service, which he did in the presence of
all. The body was left to be fully exposed to the sun. No other means
were taken to preserve it, beyond placing some brandy in the mouth and
some on the hair; nor can one imagine for an instant that any other
process would have been available either for Europeans or natives,
considering the rude appliances at their disposal. The men kept watch
day and night to see that no harm came to their sacred charge. Their
huts surrounded the building, and had force been used to enter its
strongly-barred door, the whole camp would have turned out in a moment.
Once a day the position of the body was changed, but at no other time
was any one allowed to approach it.
No molestation of any kind took place during the fourteen days'
exposure. At the end of this period preparations were made for retracing
their steps. The corpse, by this time tolerably dried, was wrapped round
in some calico, the leg being bent inwards at the knees to shorten the
package. The next thing was to plan something in which to carry it, and,
in the absence of planking or tools, an admirable substitute was found
by stripping from a Myonga tree enough of the bark in one piece to form
a cylinder, and in it their master was laid. Over this case a piece of
sailcloth was sewn, and the whole package was lashed securely to a pole,
so as to be carried by two men.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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