Chap. VIII. MORALA-TKEE— BUSHMEN. 165 



In passing along we see everywhere the power of vegetation in 

 breaking up the outer crust of tufa. A niopane-tree, growing in 

 a small chink, as it increases in size rends and lifts up large 

 fragments of the rock all around it, subjecting them to the dis- 

 integrating influence of the atmosphere. The wood is hard, and 

 of a fine red colour, and is named iron-wood by the Portuguese. 

 The inhabitants, observing that the mopane is more frequently 

 struck by lightning than other trees, caution travellers never to 

 seek its shade when a thunder-storm is near — " Lightning hates 

 it;" while another tree, the "Morala," which has three spines 

 opposite each other on the branches, and has never been 

 known to be touched by lightning, is esteemed, even as far as 

 Angola, a protection against the electric fluid. Branches of it 

 may be seen placed on the houses of the Portuguese for the same 

 purpose. The natives, moreover, believe that a man is thoroughly 

 protected from an enraged elephant, if he can get into the shade 

 of this tree. There may not be much in this, but there is fre- 

 quently some foundation of truth in their observations. 



At Rapesh we came among our old friends the Bushmen, 

 under Horoye. Tins man, Horoye, a good specimen of that 

 tribe, and his son Mokantsa and others, were at least six feet 

 high, and of a darker colour than the Bushmen of the south. 

 They have always plenty of food and water ; and as they frequent 

 the Zouga as often as the game in company with which they 

 live, their life is very different from that of the inhabitants of the 

 thirsty plains of the Kalahari. The animal they refrain from 

 eating is the goat, which fact, taken in connection with the 

 superstitious dread which exists in every tribe towards a parti- 

 cular animal, is significant of then feelings to the only animals 

 they could have domesticated in their desert home. They are a 

 merry laughing set, and do not tell lies wantonly. They have in 

 their superstitious rites more appearance of worship than the 

 Bechuanas ; and at a Bushman's grave we once came to on the 

 Zouga, the observances showed distinctly that they regarded the 

 dead as still in another state of being ; for they addressed him, 

 and requested him not to be offended even though they wished 

 still to remain a little while longer in this world. 



Those among whom we now were kill many elephants ; and 

 when the moon is full choose that time for the chace, on account 



