90 DEATH OF SEBITUANE. Chap. IV. 



one of a relay of fresh doctors ; " Sebituane will never die." If I 

 had persisted, the impression would have been produced that by 

 speaking about it I wished him to die. After sitting with liirn 

 some time, and commending him to the mercy of God, I rose to 

 depart, when the dying chieftain, raising himself up a little from 

 his prone position, called a servant, and said, " Take Robert to 

 Maunku (one of his wives), and tell her to give liini some milk." 

 These were the last words of Sebituane. 



We were not informed of his death until the next day. The 

 burial of a Bechuana chief takes place in liis cattle-pen, and all 

 the cattle are driven for an hour or two around and over the grave, 

 so that it may be quite obliterated. We went and spoke to the 

 people, advising them to keep together and support the heir. 

 They took this kindly ; and in turn told us not to be alarmed, for 

 they would not think of ascribing the death of their chief to us ; 

 tli at Sebituane had just gone the way of his fathers ; and though 

 the father had gone, he had left children, and they hoped that we 

 would be as friendly to his children as we intended to have been 

 to himself. 



He was decidedly the best specimen of a native cliief I ever met. 

 I never felt so much grieved by the loss of a black man before ; and 

 it was impossible not to follow him in thought into the world of 

 which he had just heard before he was called away, and to realise 

 somewhat of the feelings of those who pray for the dead. The 

 deep dark question of what is to become of such as he, must, how- 

 ever, be left where we find it, believing that, assuredly, the " Judge 

 of all the earth will do right." 



At Sebituane's death the chieftainship devolved, as her father 

 intended, on a daughter named Ma-mochisane. He had promised 

 to show us his country and to select a suitable locality for our 

 residence. We had now to look to the daughter, who was living 

 twelve days to the north, at Naliele. We were obliged, therefore, 

 to remain until a message came from her ; and when it did she 

 gave us perfect liberty to visit any part of the country Ave chose. 

 Mr. Oswell and I then proceeded one hunched and tliirty miles to 

 the north-east, to Sesheke ; and in the end of June, 1851, we were 

 rewarded by the discovery of the Zambesi, in the centre of the 

 continent. This was a most important point, for that river was 

 not previously known to exist there at all. The Portuguese maps 



