they reached Sechele’s mountain fastness.  Moffat found that chief in great difficulties, but still holding to the faith into which he had been baptised by Livingstone.  One hundred and twenty more miles of desert travelling brought the party to Shoshong, the residence of another chief and his tribe.  Thence after groping their way for eighteen days in a region new to them, without guides, they reached a village containing some natives who were subject to the Matabele king.

For some days Moffat and his companions were not allowed to advance.  The Induna in charge of the outpost was afraid of a mistake, but at last a message came that they were to proceed, and finally they drew near to the royal abode.  The chief was filled with joy at meeting his old friend “Moshete.”  An account of the interview is described in Moffat’s journal, from which we extract the following:—­“On turning round, there he sat—­how changed!  The vigorous, active, and nimble chief of the Matabele, now aged, sitting on a skin, lame in his feet, unable to walk, or even to stand.  I entered, he grasped my hand, gave one earnest look, and drew his mantle over his face.  It would have been an awful sight for his people to see the hero of a hundred fights wipe from his eyes the falling tears.  He spoke not, except to pronounce my name, Moshete, again and again.  He looked at me again, his hand still holding mine, and he again covered his face.  My heart yearned with compassion for his soul.  Drawing a little nearer to the outside, so as to be within sight of Mokumbate, his venerable counsellor, he poured out his joy to him.”

The old chief was suffering with dropsy, but under Moffat’s medical care he recovered, and was soon able to walk about again.  The advice which had been given to him by his missionary friend during their previous intercourse, had not been wholly lost, the officers who attended him, as well as those of lower grades, stating that the rigour of his government had since that time been greatly modified.

Moffat stayed with Moselekatse nearly three months.  After much persuasion, permission was given him to preach the Gospel to the Matabele people, a privilege hitherto always denied.  On the 24th of September, 1854, these people received, for the first time, instruction in the subjects of creation, providence, death, redemption, and immortality.

It was Moffat’s purpose to journey forward beyond the Matabele to the Makololo tribe, to leave supplies at their town of Linyanti, so that Livingstone might obtain them if he returned safely from St. Paul de Loanda, on the west coast.  Moselekatse would not accede to the idea of him going alone, and finally the king himself determined to accompany him.  The Makololo and Matabele were, however, like many other of the native tribes, hostile to each other.  With the bags, boxes, &c., on the heads of some of the men best acquainted with the country, the party set out, but after travelling to the farthest outpost of the Marabele, the king declared it was impossible for the waggons to proceed.  At Moffat’s earnest request, he sent forward a party of his men with the supplies, which in due course reached the Makololo, who placed them on an island, built a roof over them, and there they were found in safety by Livingstone when he returned some months afterwards from the west coast.