SPECIMEN OF QUARRELING. 503 



Having passed the Loembwe, we were in a more open country, 

 with every few hours a small valley, through which ran a little rill 

 in the middle of a bog. These were always difficult to pass, and 

 being numerous, kept the lower part of the person constantly wet. 

 At different points in our course we came upon votive offerings to 

 the Barimo. These usually consisted of food ; and every deserted 

 village still contained the idols and little sheds with pots of medi- 

 cine in them. One afternoon we passed a small frame house with 

 the head of an ox in it as an object of worship. The dreary uni- 

 formity of gloomy forests and open flats must have a depressing 

 influence on the minds of the people. Some villages appear more 

 superstitious than others, if we may judge from the greater number 

 of idols they contain. 



Only on one occasion did we witness a specimen of quarreling. 

 An old woman, standing by our camp, continued to belabor a 

 good-looking young man for hours with her tongue. Irritated at 

 last, he uttered some words of impatience, when another man 

 sprang at him, exclaiming, "How dare you curse my 'Mama?'" 

 They caught each other, and a sort of pushing, dragging wrest- 

 ling-match ensued. The old woman who had been the cause of 

 the affray wished us to interfere, and the combatants themselves 

 hoped as much ; but we, preferring to remain neutral, allowed 

 them to fight it out. It ended by one falling under the other, 

 both, from their scuffling, being in a state of nudity. They 

 picked up their clothing and ran off in different directions, each 

 threatening to bring his gun and settle the dispute in mortal 

 combat. Only one, however, returned, and the old woman con- 

 tinued her scolding till my men, fairly tired of her tongue, ordered 

 her to be gone. This trifling incident was one of interest to me, 

 for, during the whole period of my residence in the Bechuana 

 country, I never saw unarmed men strike each other. Their 

 disputes are usually conducted with great volubility and noisy 

 swearing, but they generally terminate by both parties bursting 

 into a laugh. 



At every village attempts were made to induce us to remain a 

 night. Sometimes large pots of beer were offered to us as a 

 temptation. Occasionally the head man would peremptorily order 

 us to halt under a tree which he pointed out. At other times 

 young men volunteered to guide us to the impassable part of the 



