He also showed his genuine concern for the Africans by openly opposing slavery. Even during the mid 1800's the barbaric practice of slavery was still a driving force in Africa. Dr. Livingstone hated slavery! On at least one occasion he drove away some slave catchers and set free those who were in chains. Sadly many of the trails he opened up were used by slave catchers. Nothing grieved Dr. Livingstone more than having his explorations used to exploit the natives.
During the years of 1852-1853, Dr. Livingstone led another expedition. After traveling through the Kalahari Desert, he reached the Chobe River whose banks were surrounded by a dense forest. Paddling down the river in canoes he and his men encountered numerous kinds of water snakes. Eventually they reached Linyanti, a town of the Makolol tribe. Livingstone hoped to find a suitable location for a missionary station, but when he became ill with malaria the spot was considered unhealthy and they continued their trip. In his own words he explained what he intended to do next: "I shall open up a path to the interior or perish, I never have had the shadow of a shade of doubt as to the propriety of my course." Departing from Linyanti on November 11, 1853, they followed a northwesterly route. They arrived at the coastal city of Luanda on May 3, 1854. In only six and a half months the exploration crew had traveled 1,400 miles.
Dr. Livingstone journeyed back across the continent because he had promised the men who came to Luanda with him that he would take them home. Although he was urged to go to England for a rest, he did his duty instead, which saved his life. Sadly, the boat that would have taken him to England sank in the Atlantic Ocean with only one survivor. God was watching over him.
While traveling through the hostile country of the Chiboque tribe, Livingstone became ill with rheumatic fever, but with the Lord's help he persevered. While fording the Lotembwa River he made one of his greatest geographical discoveries. According to his journals, he discovered the divide that separated rivers flowing south from those flowing north. Next he traveled east, eventually going through present day Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. Rumors had reached him of a tremendous waterfall, and Livingstone intended to find it. What he discovered was a massive falls that was 1,800 yards wide and descended 350 feet. It was a grand sight! The natives' name for the waterfall meant smoke that thunders, but Livingstone called it Victoria Falls in honor of the Queen of England. When Livingstone reached the city of Quelimane on the east coast of Africa, he sailed for England to enjoy a much-deserved rest after all his travels.
Dr. Livingstone's last expedition began in 1865 when he left England. The source of the Nile had always fascinated him, so he set out to locate it. Since the natives said it flowed out of a large lake in central Africa, Livingstone traveled extensively in Zaire, Zambia, and Tanzania. Days turned into months and months into years, and the outside world began to wonder if Livingstone was still alive. Newspaperman Henry Morton Stanley was given the assignment of finding Livingstone. For two years Stanley searched for the lost missionary-explorer. Finally, on October 28, 1871, Stanley found Livingstone at Ujiji, on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. He greeted him with the now famous words, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" Although Livingstone continued to explore he did not have many more years to live. He died on May 4, 1873. His devoted friends buried his heart in Africa and embalmed his body, then they carried his remains to the coast and Livingstone found his final rest at Westminster Abbey. His last journey had ended.
