Chief Knew Livingstone by W. H. Hurlow

Pacific Press Publishing Association

FromSigns of the Times, Harvest Ingathering Number

Chief Knew Livingstone

By W. H. Hurlow

On the Land the Great Explorer Trod

W. H. HURLOW

IN the days of the late Dr. David Livingstone, the place which is now our Malamulo Mission was part of a large tract of land owned and ruled by Maguira, a native chief who lived on the banks of the river Shire, in British Central Africa. This chief is now dead; but one of his under chiefs, named Kasonga, still lives in his village on the mission estate. He is one of the very few old men who have responded to the call of Christianity and been baptized into the church.

On the Ground of Livingstone

Standing with him in front of our church building, on the spot where the late Dr. Livingstone, on his first trip into the country, camped and held a council with the chiefs of the district, I listened with interest as he told of the advent of the first white man into the country.

The coming of Dr. Livingstone, bringing with him the mtengo wabwino (good message), and demonstrating in his life the love of God, gave to the natives a view of a character new to them, making it necessary for them to adopt a new word to describe this wonderful white man.

So like a god did he seem that they gave to him the name of Msungu, similar to their name for God, Mulungu. Although the doctor has been followed by men whose characters have fallen far short of his, yet the same name still holds good for every white man who enters the country.

Livingstone passed down the hill from his camp, and crossing a small river, continued his journey to the place now called Blantyre. His heart would have rejoiced could he have seen the future of that little stream; for because of the many baptisms that have taken place in its waters, it has been named by the Christian natives "the Jordan."

The Malamulo estate, well up in the Shire highlands, is plentifully watered and wooded. It was bought from the native chief by a German planter, for a few yards of red cloth. This planter built the strong fire-burned brick house now occupied by the mission superintendent. He also built a large coffee store, which Brother Ellingworth has converted into a fine dwelling house.

Later we purchased this estate, and it is now the center of a thriving mission. Not only is a training school maintained here, but many out schools are carried on in surrounding native villages. Thousands of natives are thus being reached.

One hundred miles to the north, a large out school forms the center of another circle of out schools, so that many thousand natives in this region where Livingstone pioneered, now enjoy the light of the glorious gospel, which is dispelling the heathen darkness of central Africa.

Blantyre.