sechele's intended journey. 69 



detained for months at Kuruman from sheer inability to get 

 wagon-drivers. The English name, from being honored 

 and respected all over the country, had become somewhat 

 more than suspected; and as the policy of depriving those 

 friendly tribes of the means of defence was represented 

 by the Boers as proof positive of the wish of the English 

 that they should be subjugated, the conduct of a govern- 

 ment which these tribes always thought the paragon 

 of justice and friendship was rendered totally incompre- 

 hensible to them; they could neither defend themselves 

 against their enemies, nor shoot the animals in the pro- 

 duce of which we wished them to trade. 



At last I found three servants willing to risk a journey 

 to the north; and a man of color named George Fleming, 

 who had generously been assisted by Mr. H. E. Eutherford, 

 a mercantile gentleman of Cape Town, to endeavor to 

 establish a trade with the Makololo, had also managed to 

 get a similar number; we accordingly left Kuruman on the 

 20th of November, and proceeded on our journey. Our 

 servants were the worst possible specimens of those who 

 imbibe the vices without the virtues of Europeans; but we 

 had no choice, and were glad to get away on any terms. 



When we reached Motito, forty miles off, we met Sechele 

 on his way, as he said, "to the Queen of England." Two 

 of his own children, and their mother, a former wife, were 

 among the captives seized by the Boers; and, being strongly 

 imbued with the then very prevalent notion of England's 

 justice and generosity, he thought that in consequence of 

 the violated treaty he had a fair case to lay before her 

 majesty. He employed all his eloquence and powers of 

 persuasion to induce me to accompany him, but I excused 

 myself on the ground that my arrangements were already 

 made for exploring the north. On explaining the diffi- 

 culties of the way, and endeavoring to dissuade him from 

 the attempt, on account of the knowledge I possessed of 

 the governor's policy, he put the pointed question, "Will 

 the queen not listen to me, supposing I should reach her V 



