44 BOERS COMPARED TO BUSHMEN. 



but declined the test which I proposed, namely, to examine whether 

 they or my native attendants could read best. Two of their clergy- 

 men came to baptize the children of the Boers ; so, supposing these 

 good men would assist me in overcoming the repugnance of their 

 flock to the education of the blacks, I called on them ; but my 

 visit ended in a ruse practiced by the Boerish commandant, where- 

 by I was led, by professions of the greatest friendship, to retire to 

 Kolobeng, while a letter passed me by another way to the other 

 missionaries in the south, demanding my instant recall " for lend- 

 ing a cannon to their enemies." The colonial government was also 

 gravely informed that the story was true, and I came to be look- 

 ed upon as a most suspicious character in consequence. 



These notices of the Boers are not intended to produce a sneer 

 at their ignorance, but to excite the compassion of their friends. 

 They are perpetually talking about their laws ; but practically 

 theirs is only the law of the strongest. The Bechuanas could 

 never understand the changes which took place in their com- 

 mandants. "Why, one can never know who is the chief among 

 these Boers. Like the Bushmen, they have no king — they must 

 be the Bushmen of the English." The idea that any tribe of men 

 could be so senseless as not to have an hereditary chief was so 

 absurd to these people, that, in order not to appear equally stu- 

 pid, I was obliged to tell them that we English were so anxious 

 to preserve the royal blood, that we had made a young lady our 

 chief. This seemed to them a most convincing proof of our sound 

 sense. We shall see farther on the confidence my account of our 

 queen inspired. 



The Boers, encouraged by the accession of Mr. Pretorius, determ- 

 ined at last to put a stop to English traders going past Kolobeng, 

 by dispersing the tribe of Bakwains, and expelling all the mis- 

 sionaries. Sir George Cathcart proclaimed the independence of 

 the Boers, the best thing that could have been done had they 

 been between us and the Caffres. A treaty was entered into 

 with these Boers ; an article for the free passage of Englishmen 

 to the country beyond, and also another, that no slavery should 

 be allowed in the independent territory, were duly inserted, as 

 expressive of the views of her majesty's government at home. 

 "But what about the missionaries?" inquired the Boers. " You 

 may do as you please with them" is said to have been the answer 



