THE PELLA MISSION 145 



varied human blends. Among them were 

 pure-bred Europeans, — some bearing names 

 held in honour from Cape Town to Pretoria. 

 Others were frankly black, — and there were all 

 intermediate shades. 



Just then the mat-houses of the tribe were 

 pitched at one of the outlying water-places; 

 I did not learn how far off, for distance is an 

 unimportant detail in the desert. But it was 

 some place where a thunder-storm had recently 

 burst and, therefore, where pasturage existed. 

 The wealth of the community consisted of fat- 

 tailed sheep, horses, goats and a few cattle. 

 The Pella lands were held by the Mission on 

 ownership tenure; consequently the Superin- 

 tendent was an autocrat. A community of that 

 kind was as little fitted to govern itself as a 

 reformatory would have been. The territory 

 over which Father Simon held sway contained 

 all the water-places which were to be found 

 in that corner of the desert. The water in some 

 of these was permanent, the severest drought 

 occasioning no diminution in its flow. It was 

 this circumstance, more than anything else, 

 which rendered the autocracy effective. 



Acceptance of the forms of the Roman 

 Catholic ritual was the only condition of 

 membership; faith appeared to be taken on 

 1 



