ALLIGATORS.— SUPERSTITION. 277 



presence of mind, and, having a small, square, ragged -edged 

 javelin with him, when dragged to the bottom gave the alligator 

 a stab behind the shoulder. The alligator, writhing in pain, left 

 him, and he came out with the deep marks of the reptile's teeth 

 on his thigh. Here the people have no antipathy to persons who 

 have met with such an adventure, but, in the Bamangwato and 

 Bakwain tribes, if a man is either bitten or even has had water 

 splashed over him by the reptile's tail, he is expelled his tribe. 

 When on the Zouga we saw one of the Bamangwato living among 

 the Bayeiye, who had the misfortune to have been bitten and 

 driven out of his tribe in consequence. Fearing that I would re- 

 gard him with the same disgust which his countrymen profess to 

 feel, he would not tell me the cause of his exile, but the Bayeiye 

 informed me of it, and the scars of the teeth were visible on his 

 thigh. If the Bakwains happened to go near an alligator they 

 would spit on the ground, and indicate its presence by saying 

 "Boleo ki bo" — "There is sin." They imagine the mere sight 

 of it would give inflammation of the eyes ; and though they eat 

 the zebra without hesitation, yet if one bites a man he is expelled 

 the tribe, and obliged to take his wife and family away to the 

 Kalahari. These curious relics of the animal- worship of former 

 times scarcely exist among the Makololo. Sebituane acted on 

 the principle, " Whatever is food for men is food for me ;" so no 

 man is here considered unclean. The Barotse appear inclined to 

 pray to alligators and eat them too, for when I wounded a water- 

 antelope, called mochose, it took to the water; when near the 

 other side of the river an alligator appeared at its tail, and then 

 both sank together. Mashauana, who was nearer to it than I, told 

 me that, "though he had called to it to let his meat alone, it re- 

 fused to listen." One day we passed some Barotse lads who had 

 speared an alligator, and were waiting in expectation of its floating 

 soon after. The meat has a strong musky odor, not at all inviting 

 for any one except the very hungry. 



When we had gone thirty or forty miles above Libonta we 

 sent eleven of our captives to the west, to the chief called Mako- 

 ma, with an explanatory message. This caused some delay ; but 

 as we were loaded with presents of food from the Makololo, and 

 the wild animals were in enormous herds, we fared sumptuously. 

 It was grievous, however, to shoot the lovely creatures, they 



