226 HEATHENISM. Chap. XII. 



authority of no less a person than Motibe, Sekeletu's father-in- 

 law, for saying "it is very nice." They often asked if white 

 people ever danced. I thought of the disease called St. Vitus's 

 dance, but could not say that all our dancers were affected by 

 it, and gave an answer which, I ought to be ashamed to own, did 

 not raise some of our young countrywomen in the estimation of 

 the Makololo. 



As Sekeletu had been waiting for me at his mother's, we left 

 the town as soon as I arrived, and proceeded down the river. 

 Our speed with the stream was very great, for in one day we 

 went from Litofe to Gonye, a distance of forty-four miles of 

 latitude ; and if we add to this the windings of the river, in longi- 

 tude the distance will not be much less than sixty geographical 

 miles. At this rate we soon reached Sesheke, and then the town 

 of Liny ant i. 



I had been, during a nine weeks' tour, in closer contact with 

 heathenism than I had ever been before ; and though all, in- 

 cluding the chief, were as kind and attentive to me as possible, 

 and there was no want of food (oxen being slaughtered daily, 

 sometimes ten at a time, more than sufficient for the wants of 

 all), yet to endure the dancing, roaring, and singing, the jesting, 

 anecdotes, grumbling, quarrelling, and murdering of these chil- 

 dren of nature, seemed more like a severe penance than anything 

 I had before met with in the course of my missionary duties. I 

 took thence a more intense disgust at heathenism than I had 

 before, and formed a greatly elevated opinion of the latent effects 

 of missions in the south, among tribes which are reported to 

 have been as savage as the Makololo. The indirect benefits, 

 which to a casual observer lie beneath the surface and are inap- 

 preciable, in reference to the probable wide diffusion of Chris- 

 tianity at some future time, are worth all the money and labour 

 that have been expended to produce them. 



