126 TOWN OP MA-SEKELETU. 



than to carry them away and sell them across the sea. 

 This they never attempt to justify; "they want them only 

 to cultivate the land, and take care of them as their chil- 

 dren." It is the same old story, justifying a monstrous 

 wrong on pretence of taking care of those degraded por- 

 tions of humanity which cannot take care of themselves; 

 doing evil that good may come. 



These Arabs, or Moors, could read and write their own 

 language readily; and, when speaking about our Savior, I 

 admired the boldness with which they informed me "that 

 Christ was a very good prophet, but Mohammed was far 

 greater." And with respect to then loathing of pork, it 

 may have some foundation in their nature; for I have 

 known Bechuanas who had no prejudice against the wild 

 animal, and ate the tame without scruple, yet, unconscious 

 of any cause of disgust, vomit it again. The Bechuanas 

 south of the lake have a prejudice against eating fish, and 

 allege a disgust to eating any thing like a serpent. This 

 may arise from the remnants of serpent- worship floating in 

 their minds, as, in addition to this horror of eating such 

 animals, they sometimes render a sort of obeisance to 

 living serpents by clapping their hands to them, and re- 

 fuisng to destroy the reptiles ; but in the case of the hog 

 they are conscious of no superstitious feeling. 



Having parted with our Arab friends, we proceeded down 

 the Marile till we re-entered the Leeambye, and went to 

 the town of Ma-Sekeletu (mother of Sekeletu,) opposite the 

 island of Loyela. Sekeletu had always supplied me most 

 liberally with food, and, as soon as I arrived, presented me 

 with a pot of boiled meat, while his mother handed me a 

 large jar of butter, of which they make great quantities 

 for the purpose of anointing their bodies. He had himself 

 sometimes felt the benefit of my way of putting aside a 

 quantity of the meat after a meal, and had now followed 

 my example by ordering some to be kept forme. Accord- 

 ing to their habits, every particle of an ox is devoured at 

 one meal; and as the chief cannot, without a deviation 



