CHAPTER II.

THE UNIVERSITIES’ MISSION.

One brilliant effort to introduce Christianity into this region of Africa was occasioned by the explorations of Dr. Livingstone. An excellent staff of clergy headed by Bishop Mackenzie was sent out by the English Universities. The party reached the scene of their work in July, 1861. They met with their first difficulties at Mbami, a short day’s march from the Shire. A large caravan of 84 slaves brought from Zomba came into this village, and Livingstone set the slaves free. Bishop Mackenzie wrote on this occasion ‘Livingstone is right to go with loaded guns and free the poor slaves; and there being so few English here, we are right, though clergymen and preachers of the gospel, to go with him’.

[Illustration: MISSIONARIES BUYING FOOD AT MAGOMERO.

(_See the Story of the Universities Mission by the Rev. H. Rowley._)]

They soon chose Magomero, on a stream called the Namasi, as the site of their first Mission station. The rescued slaves felt that they were safe only with their deliverers, and staid with them. The Wayao were now pressing into the country of the Anyasa, killing, enslaving, and spreading terror on all sides. On July 23rd, Dr. Livingstone, the Bishop, and nearly all the party went toward their encampment. Dr. Livingstone told them he was come for peace, but they did not believe him, and a fight ensued. The Yao thought they were more than a match for the Europeans and rushed forward, but after receiving a few well directed rifle shots they changed their minds. One Anyasa man was slain on the English side, and another wounded.

By the 14th of August they were fully committed to the policy of going against the Yao. The lesson this tribe had received already had not been sufficient, and great bodies of them were pillaging the Anyasa. The latter had applied to the Missionaries for aid, which, after three days’ deliberation, was promised them, on certain conditions. These conditions were:—

“I. That all the chiefs then present should solemnly promise that they would never buy or sell men, women, and children again.

II. That all captives found with the Yao should be perfectly free; that no chief or person should claim any one of them; but that all should have liberty to go to whom they liked, and where they liked.

III. That all chiefs present promise that they will unite to punish any chief who sells his own people, or the people of any other chief, and that each chief will punish any of his own people found guilty of buying or selling men, women, or children for slaves.

IV. That if any Portuguese or other foreign slavers came into the land they would drive them away, or at once let us know of their presence.”

The Missionaries clearly saw what was needed, but their theories were somewhat bold, at least for a beginning. Probably if they had been as many weeks in the country as they had been days, the idea of binding natives to promises of this nature would have struck them as a doubtful method. As I read these conditions I think of the poor Interpreter that had to translate them: the English idioms employed are not such as would facilitate his task. The conditions, as we might infallibly anticipate, were all received, and the English undertook to help the Anyasa against the Yao. As we might as infallibly anticipate from a slight knowledge of the natives, those that appeared with guns on the eventful day had “no powder,” and expected English ammunition. August the 14th must have been felt to be the beginning of a new era. All were up by four o’clock. There were eight Englishmen, besides the great multitude of Anyasa. The party marched straight on Zomba, where a great body of Yao lay. A parley was tried but failed. Then the battle began, and when the Yao found that the English guns carried so far, they were soon in retreat; perhaps about five of them were killed.

But the Yao tribe continued to give trouble. By 17th of October another march was made against them. Though the Anyasa guns took about an hour to load, the expedition was able to start at six in the morning. The majority of the mission staff were unwell, and in no fit state for such troubles. On the 18th the Mission force reached Lake Shirwa. They found, as the Bishop remarks, that they could rely on their Anyasa allies “only for cowardice and falsehood”. But the Wayao, instead of fighting, ran away after two shots were fired, and the party went on and burned their huts.

During all this time, and in spite of difficulties and interruption, the missionaries were labouring hard among the natives. On the 4th of November the Bishop writes, “We have plenty of room here for setting down six or eight missions”. On the 2nd of December another interruption occurred. Messrs. Proctor and Scudamore, two clergymen, went to see whether the Ruo could be made available for the transport of goods. They were received and treated civilly by Mwanasomba, a chief near Mlanje, who offered them a hut to sleep in all night. His plan was to burn this hut at midnight, kill the missionaries, and then take possession of their goods. The treachery was fortunately discovered, but it was with difficulty that the party made their escape.

On 31st December “it was arranged that they should start very early, so as to get to Mwanasomba before people were awake”. “They were not going in private revenge, but to free the captives and punish the robber and would-be murderer in God’s name. They had the good word and the approval of the chiefs around.” When they were about half-an-hour from the village they met Mwanasomba and his people who called out “Stand still, do not come on,” but when it was perceived that the party was well armed and contained many Englishmen Mwanasomba’s people ran away. The natives with the English tried to catch some of the opposite party for a consultation, but failed. The English party then pressed on to the village and set the huts on fire. They recovered some of their goods, and found a number of sheep, goats, and ducks, which would be a great temptation to the natives that were with them. As they were making their way through some reeds on their return, they were fired on. Two of their natives were wounded; one afterwards died. The Bishop says, “We had vindicated the English name, and had shown in this neighbourhood that it is not safe to attack an Englishman: and I hope the lesson may not be thrown away on these people”.

On the 31st of January, 1862, Bishop Mackenzie died. He had been little more than half-a-year on the Shire Highlands, but he had fully faced all the difficulties and trials of mission life there. A month before his death he wrote, “I have much at times to depress me; more than ever I had. But I expected it, and must not complain. I should not mind discouragement among the heathen, but it is among our Cape Town men.” His death was a great blow to the Mission. Still the Mission was strong in its band of clergy, and they had one medical man; but war and famine desolated the country, they had the greatest difficulty and anxiety in getting food, sickness was ever among them, and death called many of them away. The Rev. Mr. Burrup, a strong young man, came into the country to die: he was buried at Magomero.

In a short time the Station at Magomero was abandoned. A letter of Dr. James Stewart, now of Lovedale, written in 1862, states that there was a stampede at the end. “The Yao tribe had been ravaging the country round about, and had come within a few miles of the Station, which was threatened. Then a precipitate retreat was made with nearly all their goods and chattels down to the River Shire.” Both Dr. Livingstone and Dr. Stewart thought the Mission had lost all “prestige”. I quote this merely to illustrate the atmosphere in which the Missionaries lived. Everywhere was war, and they may have felt to some extent unsettled. But they had now been about a year in the country; they had found plenty of work to do in trying to acquire the language, &c., and in proportion as they were busy these scares would not so much affect them. But no doubt the danger was great, and as they were suffering from fever they would feel it all the more. The Anyasa were ever asking their aid, but they ‘determined to go and fight for them no more,’ and as they did not consider Magomero a healthy site they settled on the banks of the Shire. This was an advantage for communication, but I fear they had by no means found a healthier spot. The removal took place about May; on 1st January, 1863, the Rev. Mr. Scudamore died; and in a short time Mr. Dickinson, the surgeon, was in a grave beside him. One of their greatest trials was want of food, which rendered their position almost desperate. The Mission never returned to the Shire Highlands again, although some members like the Rev. Horace Waller were much in favour of doing so, and this course would have likely been pursued if the Mission had continued in the country. But just as all their troubles seem to have been overcome they withdrew. Most of the survivors were so reduced by sickness that it was necessary for them to return home if they would save their lives.

One of their great difficulties had been to get provisions. Large supplies were sent from England, but scarcely anything reached them, as their stores were plundered by the way. Many of the deaths might have been prevented by proper food. It happened at the same time, that there was a great famine in the country, and it was difficult to get food for the poor people that came under their protection. One sentence from Mr. Rowley will describe this. “War and famine,” he says, “had done their work, and ninety per cent of the Anyasa were dead; save in our immediate neighbourhood, the land was a desolation.”

Their troubles with the natives had involved them in misunderstanding with the Church at home. To quote again from Mr. Rowley:—“The news from home, informed us of the condemnation of our policy against the Yao, by some of our friends at Oxford. This did not come to us officially, for the committee simply expressed confidence in us individually and collectively. I do not think any of us were surprised that our policy had been condemned, seeing the men who condemned it, did not understand the causes leading us to adopt it, and the motives actuating us. We were not angry; but we were thankful that the Bishop and Scudamore were removed from the pain, which the manner of some in condemning, would have given them.”

In 1863, Livingstone refers to the famine and death caused by the slave trade, and writes, “I have been visiting Bishop Mackenzie’s grave. At first, I thought him wrong in fighting, but do not think so now.” Bishop Mackenzie’s successor considered the country too unsettled for continuing the Mission. For about twelve years, nothing further was attempted for this unhappy land.