Chap. X. PRODUCTS OF SOIL- TRIBUTE. 197 



with the Makololo to whom I refer. The younger Makololo, 

 who have been accustomed from their infancy to lord it over the 

 conquered Makalaka, have unfortunately no desire to imitate 

 the agricultural tastes of their fathers, and expect their subjects 

 to perform all the manual labour. They are the aristocracy of 

 the country, and once possessed almost unlimited power over 

 their vassals. Their privileges were, however, much abridged by 

 Sebituane himself. 



I have already mentioned that the tribes winch Sebituane 

 subjected in this great country, pass by the general name of 

 Makalaka. The Makololo were composed of a great number of 

 other tribes, as well as of these central negroes. The nucleus of 

 the whole were Basuto, who came with Sebituane from a com- 

 paratively cold and hilly region in the south. When he con- 

 quered various tribes of the Bechuanas, as Bakwains, Bangwa- 

 ketze, Bamangwato, Batauana, &c, he incorporated the young 

 of these tribes into his own. Great mortality by fever having 

 taken place in the original stock, he wisely adopted the same 

 plan of absorption on a large scale with the Makalaka. So we 

 found him with even the sons of the chiefs of the Barotse closely 

 attached to his person ; and they say to tins day, if anything 

 else but natural death had assailed their father, every one of 

 them would have laid down his life in his defence. One reason 

 for their strong affection was their emancipation by the decree 

 of Sebituane, " all are children of the chief." 



The Makalaka cultivate the Holcus sorghum, or dura, as the 

 principal grain, with maize, two kinds of beans, ground-nuts 

 {Arachis hypogoea), pumpkins, water-melons, and cucumbers. 

 They depend for success entirely upon rain. Those who live in 

 the Barotse valley cultivate in addition the sugar-cane, sweet- 

 potato, and manioc (Jatropha manihot). The climate there, how- 

 ever, is warmer than at Linyanti, and the Makalaka increase the 

 fertility of their gardens by rude attempts at artificial irrigation. 

 The instrument of culture over all this region is a hoe, the 

 iron of which the Batoka and Banyeti obtain from the ore by 

 smelting. The amount of iron which they produce annually 

 may be understood, when it is known that most of the hoes in 

 use at Linyanti are the tribute imposed on the smiths of those 

 subject tribes. 



Sekeletu receives tribute from a great number of tribes in 



