“Mozambique, 24_th Feb._, 1864.—­When our patience had been well nigh exhausted the river rose and we steamed gladly down the Shire 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