420 Mr. Bain's Visit to the Interior Tribes 



a few half-pints on the same condition. As many of their 

 vessels were not over and above clean, we rejected such as 

 were not to our liking ; but the rascals were too knowing for 

 us, for they only stepped a little aside into the wood, and 

 borrowed the dishes of the more successful competitors, into 

 which they emptied out their dirty milk, and thus sold it to 

 us; nor did we discover the tiick until we had consumed all 

 the milk. 



Towan brought us an ox to barter for beads, which was of 

 some service to us, as our cattle were already very weak 

 from the length of our journey; but did nothing else in the 

 way of trade here, as they said their ivory was all at their old 

 town up the river, to which place they intended moving to- 

 morrow, and fully expected that we would accompany them ; 

 but we positively declined this honor, as we would on no 

 account deviate from our original plan of first visiting the 

 Bawanketnes and Bakweens. 



This old chief used the same arguments to dissuade us 

 from going, that Mateebe of Latakoo had tried, but to as 

 little purpose * Finding us resolute, our guide was enticed 

 away from us, and Poloholo was almost frightened to death 

 by the dreadful accounts he heard of Mantatee cruelties. 

 Disgusted with these tales, which every tribe tried to palm 

 upon us since we left Lattakoo, and which we had every rea- 

 son to believe were false, or at least greatly exaggerated, we 

 prepared to launch forth on the trackless desert without a 

 guide, trusting to good fortune to direct us to some spring 

 where we would be sure to meet with some natives who would, 

 in all probability, direct us to the Bawanketzie kingdom, 

 whose bearings we had already ascertained. Our oxen, how- 

 ever, not arriving in time, we were reluctantly obliged to 

 postpone our journey till to-morrow morning. 



I wished to take a drawing of Towan, but the old fellow 

 would by no means consent to that ; doubtless through some 

 superstitious motive, for he went away, very abruptly, the 

 moment I asked him. One of his sons, however, condescend- 

 ed to sit for his portrait, the outlines of which I took in a few 

 minutes. 



Though the Bichuana women cannot be charged with levi- 

 ty or want of modesty in their general behaviour, yet some of 

 their actions are not apt to give a stranger an high opinion of 

 their delicacy of manners. 



Autjust 16. — Having filled our casks with the mixture from 

 the pool, as we were informed we should meet with no water 



* I have since observed that all savage tribes are proud of the visits of 

 white people, but remarkably jealous of their more distant neighbours en- 

 joying the same privilege. 



