User:Annemartin47/sandbox

Abdullah Susi met Livingstone in 1863 when he was employed to help build the Lady Nyasa; he then sailed to Bombay where he was left by Livingstone and enrolled in Dr Wilson's Free State College.

When Livingstone returned he recruited Susi as a porter for his last journey in 1866-74 to find the source of the Nile.

It was Susi who first noticed the approach of Stanley, when he heard the shots signalling their approach he ran to Stanley, who says

"Suddenly a man - a black man - at my elbow shouts in English, 'How do you do, sir?' 'Hello! Who the deuce are you?'

'I am the servant of Dr Livingstone', he says; but before I can ask any more questions he is running like a madman towards the town"

When Livingstone died in 1873 Susi, Chuma and others of the party debated what to do with the body - arrangements were made for drying and embalming the body after removing the heart for burial under a mvula tree, then undertook the long journey to the coast to return the embalmed body to the UK.

Although Susi and Chuma did not travel with the body from Africa or attend the funeral they were invited by James Young later in 1874 to come to Britain with a view to helping Horace Waller to edit Livingstone's last journals for publication. While in the UK they stayed at Newstead Abbey, home of Livingstone's friend William Webb. They returned to Africa in October the same year.

Back in Africa Susi went on to take part in further expeditions including the one led by Stanley in 1879-82.

Originally Muslim, Susi was baptised as a Christian on 23rd August 1886 under the name David. He married Mochosi and died 5th May 1891 in Zanzibar.

Like the other followers who accompanied Livingstone on the last journey and carried his body to the coast, Susi was awarded a medal by the Royal Geographical Society in 1874.