Livingstone returns the "Pioneer" to the Navy, and is to sail in the "Nyassa" to Bombay--Terrific circular storm--Imminent peril of the "Nyassa"--He reaches Mozambique--Letter to his daughter--Proceeds to Zanzibar--His engineer leaves him--Scanty crew of "Nyassa"--Livingstone captain and engineer--Peril of the voyage of 2500 miles--Risk of the monsoons--The "Nyassa" becalmed--Illness of the men--Remarks on African travel--Flying-fish--Dolphins--Curiosities of his Journal--Idea of a colony--Furious squall--Two sea-serpents seen--More squalls--The "Nyassa" enters Bombay harbor--Is unnoticed--First visit from officers with Custom-house schedules--How filled up--Attention of Sir Bartle Frere and others--Livingstone goes with the Governor to Dapuri--His feelings on landing in India--Letter to Sir Thomas Maclear--He visits mission-schools, etc., at Poonah--Slaving in Persian Gulf--Returns to Bombay--Leaves two boys with Dr. Wilson--Borrows passage-money and sails for England--At Aden--At Alexandria--Reaches Charing Cross--Encouragement derived from his Bombay visit--Two projects contemplated on his way home.
On reaching the mouth of the Zambesi, Dr. Livingstone was fortunate in falling in, on the 13th February, with H.M.S. "Orestes," which was joined on the 14th by the "Ariel." The "Orestes" took the "Pioneer" in tow, and the "Ariel" the "Lady Nyassa," and brought them to Mozambique. The day after they set out, a circular storm passed over them, raging with the utmost fury, and creating the greatest danger. Often as Dr. Livingstone had been near the gates of death, he was never nearer than now. He had been offered a passage on board the "Ariel," but while there was danger he would not leave the "Lady Nyassa." Had the latter not been an excellent sea-ship she could not have survived the tempest; all the greater was Dr. Livingstone's grief that she had never reached the lake for which she was adapted so well.
Writing to his daughter Agnes from Mozambique, he gives a very graphic account of the storm, after telling her the manner of their leaving the Zambesi:
"_Mozambique_, 24_th Feb._, 1864.--When our patience had been well nigh exhausted the river rose and we steamed gladly down the Shiré on the 19th of last month. An accident detained us some time, but on the 1st February we were close by Morumbala, where the Bishop [Tozer] passed a short time before bolting out of the country. I took two members of the Mission away in the 'Pioneer,' and thirteen women and children, whom having liberated we did not like to leave to become the certain prey of slavers again. The Bishop left twenty-five boys, too, and these also I took with me, hoping to get them conveyed to the Cape, where I trust they may become acquainted with our holy religion. We had thus quite a swarm on board, all very glad to get away from a land of slaves. There were many more liberated, but we took only the helpless and those very anxious to be free and with English people. Those who could cultivate the soil we encouraged to do so, and left up the river. Only one boy was unwilling to go, and he was taken by the Bishop. It is a great pity that the Bishop withdrew the Mission, for he had a noble chance of doing great things. The captives would have formed a fine school, and as they had no parents he could have educated them as he liked.
"When we reached the sea-coast at Luabo we met a man-of-war, H.M.S. 'Orestes.' I went to her with 'Pioneer,' and sent 'Lady Nyassa' round by inland canal to Kongone. Next day I went into Kongone in 'Pioneer'; took our things out of her, and handed her over to the officers of the 'Orestes.' Then H.M.S 'Ariel' came and took 'Nyassa' in tow, 'Orestes' having 'Pioneer.' Captain Chapman of 'Ariel' very kindly invited me on board to save me from the knocking about of the 'Lady Nyassa,' but I did not like to leave so long as there was any danger, and accepted his invitation for Mr. Waller, who was dreadfully sea-sick. On 15th we were caught by a hurricane which whirled the 'Ariel' right round. Her sails, quickly put to rights, were again backed so that the ship was driven backward and a hawser wound itself round her screw, so as to stop the engines. By this time she was turned so as to be looking right across 'Lady Nyassa,' and the wind alone propelling her as if to go over the little vessel. I saw no hope of escape except by catching a rope's-end of the big ship as she passed over us, but by God's goodness she glided past, and we felt free to breathe. That night it blew a furious gale. The captain offered to lower a boat if I would come to the 'Ariel,' but it would have endangered all in the boat: the waves dashed so hard against the sides of the vessel, it might have been swamped, and my going away would have taken heart out of those that remained. We then passed a terrible night, but the 'Lady Nyassa' did wonderfully well, rising like a little duck over the foaming billows. She took in spray alone, and no green water. The man-of-war's people expected that she would go down, and it was wonderful to see how well she did when the big man-of-war, only about 200 feet off, plunged so as to show a large portion of copper oh her bottom, then down behind so as to have the sea level with the top of her bulwarks. A boat hung at that level was smashed. If we had gone down we could not have been helped in the least--pitch dark, and wind whistling above; the black folks, 'ane bocking here, another there,' and wanting us to go to the 'bank.' On 18th the weather moderated, and, the captain repeating his very kind offer, I went on board with a good conscience, and even then the boat got damaged. I was hoisted up in it, and got rested in what was quite a steady ship as compared with the 'Lady Nyassa.' The 'Ariel' was three days cutting off the hawser, though nine feet under water, the men diving and cutting it with immensely long chisels. On the 19th we spoke to a Liverpool ship, requesting the captain to report me alive, a silly report having been circulated by the Portuguese that I had been killed at Lake Nyassa, and on the 24th we entered Mozambique harbor, very thankful for our kind and merciful preservation. The 'Orestes' has not arrived with the 'Pioneer,' though she is a much more powerful vessel than the 'Ariel.' Here we have a fort, built in 1500, and said to be of stones brought from Lisbon. It is a square massive-looking structure. The town adjacent is Arab in appearance. The houses flat-roofed and colored white, pink, and yellow; streets narrow, with plenty of slaves on them. It is on an island, the mainland on the north being about a mile off."