The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume I (of 2), 1866-1868 — Text and Context

The Currency of Travel: Beads and Barter

Livingstone's journals devote considerable attention to beads as a medium of exchange. The editor inserts a lengthy note on bead varieties, naming types like 'Sami-sami' and 'Salani,' and describing their regional preferences. For instance, the Waiyou favor tiny opaque beads, while the Manyuema use a long bead otherwise sent only to West Africa. This detail, verified by Livingstone's servants Susi and Chuma, shows how the traveler's success depended on knowing local fashions. The journal entry for 24th January 1867 notes that red and pink beads were in fashion, and 'fortunately we have red'—a small stroke of luck that could determine access to food.

Hunger and the Landscape

Recurring references to hunger punctuate the narrative. Livingstone writes that 'an incessant hunger teases us' and that 'real biting hunger and faintness' occupy much of his writing. On 24th January 1867, after a four-hour march through dark forest, he reaches the Movushi river and decides to build sheds on the west side, sending for food. The relief at obtaining 'maëre and some ground-nuts' is palpable. Yet the landscape itself is marked by scarcity: the 'hopo' hunting method—using miles of hedges—has depleted game, leaving only old footprints. Livingstone's observations tie environmental degradation directly to his own physical state.

The Editor's Hand: Horace Waller's Interventions

Horace Waller, as editor, shapes the reader's experience. His introduction explains how the journals survived: Livingstone used metallic note-books for daily jottings, later transcribing them into a larger diary. After his death, the sealed diary was retrieved and found to contain notes up to Stanley's meeting. Waller also inserts explanatory footnotes, such as the bead glossary, which draw on the knowledge of Livingstone's servants. These additions, while informative, remind us that the published text is a mediated document. The editor's voice occasionally interrupts the journal's flow, as when he adds '[We may here add a few particulars concerning beads…]'—a shift from Livingstone's first-person to a third-person editorial aside.

Readers should approach this volume as a hybrid text: Livingstone's unfiltered observations interwoven with editorial scaffolding. The journal's strength lies in its granularity—the specific bead names, the daily food shortages, the precise river crossings. Pay attention to the footnotes, which reveal how the editor and African assistants collaborated to preserve and interpret the record. The catalog subject 'Description and travel' is accurate, but the real journey here is through the practicalities of survival and the fragile chain of custody that brought these words to print.

The rain tapped against the window while I followed Livingstone’s handwriting through hunger and beads, the ache of his worn boots somehow filling my own quiet room. His patience lodged in me, unhurried and complete. Almost without thinking, I reached for the earlier account, Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51, Volume 1 Under the Orders and at the Expense of Her Majesty's Government — Reading Notes, that same steady voice, younger, and I was grateful for the accidental company.