Chap. Y. ARTICLES OF COMMERCE. 109 



that we bad returned to civilized life. But I would not give 

 any one to understand by tins tbat tbey are model Christians 

 — we cannot claim to be model Christians ourselves — or even in 

 any degree superior to the members of our own country churches. 

 They are more stingy and greedy than the poor at home ; but in 

 many respects the two are exactly alike. On asking an intelligent 

 chief what he thought of them, he replied, " You white men have 

 no idea of how wicked we are ; we know each other better than 

 you; some feign belief to ingratiate themselves with the mis- 

 sionaries ; some profess Christianity because they like the new 

 system, which gives so much more importance to the poor, and 

 desire that the old system may pass away ; and the rest — a pretty 

 large number — profess, because they are really true believers." 

 This testimony may be considered as very nearly correct. 



There is not much prospect of this country ever producing 

 much of the materials of commerce except wool. At present the 

 chief articles of trade are karosses or mantles — the skins of which 

 they are composed come from the Desert ; next to them ivory, 

 the quantity of which cannot now be great, inasmuch as the 

 means of shooting elephants is sedulously debarred entrance into 

 the country. A few skins and horns, and some cattle, make up 

 the remainder of the exports. English goods, sugar, tea, and 

 coffee are the articles received in exchange. All the natives of 

 these parts soon become remarkably fond of coffee. The acme 

 of respectability among the Bechuanas is the possession of cattle 

 and a waggon. It is remarkable that, though these latter require 

 frequent repairs, none of the Bechuanas have ever learned to 

 mend them. Forges and tools have been at their service, and 

 teachers willing to aid them, but, beyond putting together a 

 camp-stool, no effort has ever been made to acquire the know- 

 ledge of the trades. They observe most carefully a missionary 

 at work, until they understand whether a tire is well welded or 

 not, and then pronounce upon its merits with great emphasis, but 

 there their ambition rests satisfied. It is the same peculiarity 

 among ourselves which leads us in other matters, such as book- 

 making, to attain the excellence of fault-finding without the wit 

 to indite a page. It was in vain I tried to indoctrinate the 

 Bechuanas with the idea that criticism did not imply any supe- 

 riority over the workman, or even equality with him. 



