236 PROGRESS UP THE LEEAMBYE. Chap. XIII. 



times they introduced the most frivolous nonsense, immediately 

 after hearing the most solemn truths. Some begin to pray to 

 Jesus in secret as soon as they hear of the white man's God, 

 with but little idea of what they are about ; and no doubt are 

 heard by Him who, like a father, pitieth his children. Others, 

 waking by night, recollect what has been said about the future 

 world so clearly, that they tell next day what a fright they got 

 by it, and resolve not to listen to the teaching again ; and not a 

 few keep to the determination not to believe, as certain villagers 

 in the south, who put all their cocks to death because they crowed 

 the words, " Tlang lo rapeleng " — " Come along to prayers." 



On recovering partially from a severe attack of fever which 

 remained upon me ever since our passing the village of Moremi 

 on the Chobe, we made ready for our departure up the river by 

 sending messages before us to the villages to prepare food. We 

 took four elephants' tusks, belonging to Sekeletu, with us, as a 

 means of testing the difference of prices between the Portuguese, 

 whom we expected to reach, and the white traders from the 

 south. Moriantsane supplied us well with honey, milk, and 

 meal. The rains were just commencing in this district; but 

 though showers sufficient to lay the dust had fallen, they had 

 no influence whatever on the amount of water in the river, yet 

 never was there less in any part than three hundred yards of a 

 deep flowing stream. 



Our progress up the river was rather slow : this was caused 

 by waiting opposite different villages for supplies of food. We 

 might have done with much less than we got ; but my Makololo 

 man, Pitsane, knew of the generous orders of Sekeletu, and was 

 not at all disposed to allow them to remain a dead letter. The 

 villages of the Banyeti contributed large quantities of mosibe, 

 a bright red bean yielded by a large tree. The pulp enclosing 

 the seed is not much thicker than a red wafer, and is the por- 

 tion used. It requires the addition of honey to render it at all 

 palatable. 



To these were added great numbers of the fruit which yields 

 a variety of the nux vomica, from which we derive that virulent 

 poison strychnia. The pulp between the nuts is the part eaten, 

 and it is of a pleasant juicy nature, having a sweet acidulous 

 taste. The fruit itself resembles a large yellow orange, but the 



