Chap. XIV. ALLIGATOKS-SUPEKSTITION. 255 



presence of mind, and, having a small, square, ragged-edged 

 javelin with him, when dragged to the bottom gave the alligator 

 a stab behind the shoulder. The alligator, writhing in pain, left 

 him, and he came out with the deep marks of the reptile's teeth 

 on his thigh. Here the people have no antipathy to persons who 

 have met with such an adventure, but, in the Bamangwato and 

 Bakwain tribes, if a man is either bitten or even has had water 

 splashed over him by the reptile's tail, he is expelled his tribe. 

 When on the Zouga we saw one of the Bamangwato living among 

 the Bayeiye, who had the misfortune to have been bitten and 

 driven out of his tribe in consequence. Fearing that I would 

 regard him with the same disgust which his countrymen profess 

 to feel, he would not tell me the cause of his exile, but the 

 Bayeiye informed me of it, and the scars of the teeth were visible 

 on his thigh. If the Bakwains happened to go near an alligator 

 they would spit on the ground, and indicate its presence by 

 saying, " Boleo ki bo " — " There is sin." They imagine the mere 

 sight of it would give inflammation of the eyes ; and, though they 

 eat the zebra without hesitation, yet if one bites a man he is ex- 

 pelled the tribe, and obliged to take his wife and family away to the 

 Kalahari. These curious relics of the animal-worship of former 

 times scarcely exist among the Makololo. Sebituane acted on 

 the principle, " Whatever is food for men is food for me :" so no 

 man is here considered unclean. The Barotse appear inclined 

 to pray to alligators and eat them too, for when I wounded a 

 water-antelope, called mochose, it took to the water ; when near 

 the other side of the river an alligator appeared at its tail, and 

 then both sank together. Mashauana, who was nearer to it than 

 I, told me that, " though he had called to it to let his meat 

 alone, it refused to listen." One day we passed some Barotse 

 lads who had speared an alligator, and were waiting in expecta- 

 tion of its floating soon after. The meat has a strong musky 

 odour, not at all inviting for any ODe except the very hungry. 



When we had gone thirty or forty miles above Libonta we 

 sent eleven of our captives to the west to the chief called 

 Makoma with an explanatory message. This caused some delay ; 

 but as we were loaded with presents of food from the Makololo, 

 and the wild animals were in enormous herds, we fared sumptu- 

 ously. It was grievous, however, to shoot the lovely creatures, 



