AGRICULTURE COMMERCE HUNTING FISHING. 455 



COWS, which scarcely any thing can induce them to part 

 with. Indeed, they will readily give ivory, when plentiful, 

 in exchange for cows. 



Gardening and agriculture are much practiced by the Bo- 

 chuanas. These occupations are conducted in nearly a sim- 

 ilar manner as that described among the Ovambo. The veg- 

 etables and the grain are also very much the same. 



The only marketable articles as yet ascertained at the 

 Lake are ostrich feathers, furs and skins of various sorts, 

 rhinoceros horns, and ivory (elephant and hippopotamus). 

 The staple articles of exchange are beads, and more especial- 

 ly ammunition. Clothing is as yet but very little in de- 

 mand, the people not being sufficiently advanced in civiliza- 

 tion to care for such a luxury. Even beads are not sought 

 after with the avidity they used to be, such quantities hav- 

 ing of late been exported to the Lake country that (to use 

 a vulgar, but very emphatic expression of Lecholetebe) " the 

 women," who chiefly wear beads, "grunt under their bur- 

 dens like pigs." No visitor, however, should be entirely 

 without them. All large beads are useless. Small beads of 

 the following colors, pink, dull white, light green, brick-col- 

 ored, light blue, dark blue, and yellow, are chiefly in demand. 



The Bechuanas of the Lake are fond of the chase, and al- 

 most daily parties are sent out to provide for the chiefs ta- 

 ble. But, though possessed of a great number of fire-arms, 

 few of the men have as yet attained any proficiency in their 

 use. By far the greater portion of animals slain are obtain- 

 ed by means of pitfalls dug by the Bushmen and the Bayeye 

 along the banks of the rivers. As many as thirty to forty 

 pitfalls may be seen extending in one continuous line. 



Though the finny tribe is pretty numerous in the Lake 

 and its rivers, none of the Bechunas take the trouble to catch 

 them. The conquered race, the Bayeye, however, are ver}- 

 expert and industrious fishermen. 



