March 14th.—­At dawn we were up, the bales and baggage were taken outside of the building, and the men prepared themselves for the first march towards home.

We had a sad breakfast together.  I could not eat, my heart was too full; neither did my companion seem to have an appetite.  We found something to do which kept us longer together.  At 8 o’clock I was not gone, and I had thought to have been off at 5 A.M.

“Doctor,” said I, “I will leave two men with you, who will stop to-day and to-morrow with you, for it may be that you have forgotten something in the hurry of my departure.  I will halt a day at Tura, on the frontier of Unyamwezi, for your last word, and your last wish; and now we must part—­there is no help for it.  Good-bye.”

“Oh, I am coming with you a little way.  I must see you off on the road.”

“Thank you.  Now, my men, Home!  Kirangozi, lift the flag, and MARCH!”

The house looked desolate—­it faded from our view.  Old times, and the memories of my aspirations and kindling hopes, came strong on me.  The old hills round about, that I once thought tame and uninteresting, had become invested with histories and reminiscences for me.  On that burzani I have sat hour after hour, dreaming, and hoping, and sighing.  On that col I stood, watching the battle and the destruction of Tabora.  Under that roof I have sickened and been delirious, and cried out like a child at the fate that threatened my mission.  Under that banian tree lay my dead comrade—­ poor Shaw; I would have given a fortune to have had him by my side at this time.  From that house I started on my journey to Ujiji; to it I returned as to a friend, with a newer and dearer companion; and now I leave all.  Already it all appears like a strange dream.

We walked side by side; the men lifted their voices into a song.  I took long looks at Livingstone, to impress his features thoroughly on my memory.

“The thing is, Doctor, so far as I can understand it, you do not intend to return home until you have satisfied yourself about the `Sources of the Nile.’  When you have satisfied yourself, you will come home and satisfy others.  Is it not so?”

“That is it, exactly.  When your men come back, I shall immediately start for Ufipa; then, crossing the Rungwa River, I shall strike south, and round the extremity of the Tanganika.  Then, a south-east course will take me to Chicumbi’s, on the Luapula.  On crossing the Luapula, I shall go direct west to the copper-mines of Katanga.  Eight days south of Katanga, the natives declare the fountains to be.  When I have found them, I shall return by Katanga to the underground houses of Rua.  From the caverns, ten days north-east will take me to Lake Kamolondo.  I shall be able to travel from the lake, in your boat, up the River Lufira, to Lake Lincoln.  Then, coming down again, I can proceed north, by the Lualaba, to the fourth lake—­ which, I think, will explain the whole problem; and I will probably find that it is either Chowambe (Baker’s lake), or Piaggia’s lake.