Chap. IV. HIS CHABACTEK. 89 



the latter might have paid dearly for his obstruetiveness. Se- 

 bituane knew everything that happened in the country, for he had 

 the art of gaining the affections both of Ins own people and of 

 strangers. When a party of poor men came to his town to sell their 

 hoes or skins, no matter how ungainly they might be, he soon 

 knew them all. -A company of these indigent strangers, sitting 

 for apart from the Makololo gentlemen around the chief, would 

 be surprised to see him come alone to them, and, sitting down, 

 inquire if they were hungry . He would order an attendant to bring 

 meal, milk, and honey, and, mixing them in their sight in order to 

 remove any suspicion from their minds, make them feast, perhaps 

 for the first time in their lives, on a lordly dish. Delighted beyond 

 measure with his affability and liberality, they felt their hearts 

 warm towards him, and gave him all the information in then 

 power ; and as he never allowed a party of strangers to go away 

 without giving every one of them, servants and all, a present, Ins 

 praises were sounded far and wide. " He has a heart ! he is wise ! " 

 were the usual expressions we heard before we saw him. 



He was much pleased with the proof of confidence we had shown 

 in bringing our children, and promised to take us to see Iris country, 

 so that we might choose a part in which to locate ourselves. Our 

 plan was, that I should remain in the pursuit of my objects as a 

 missionary, while Mr. Oswell explored the Zambesi to the east. 

 Poor Sebituane, however, just after realising what he had so long 

 ardently desired, fell sick of inflammation of the lungs, winch 

 originated in and extended from an old wound, got at Melita. I 

 saw his danger, but, being a stranger, I feared to treat him medi- 

 cally, lest, in the event of his death, I should be blamed by his 

 people. I mentioned this to one of Ins doctors, who said, " Your 

 fear is prudent and Avise ; this people would blame you." He had 

 been cured of this complaint during the year before by the Barotse 

 making a large number of free incisions in the chest. The Mako- 

 lolo doctors, on the other hand, now scarcely cut the skin. On 

 the Sunday afternoon in which he died, when our usual religious 

 sendee was over, I visited him with my little boy Robert. " Come 

 near," said Sebituane, " and see if I am any longer a man ; I am 

 done." He was thus sensible of the dangerous nature of Ins 

 disease, so I ventured to assent, and added a single sentence re- 

 garding hope after death. " Why do you speak of death ? " said 



