Chap. XXY. A MAIDEN'S CHOICE. 509 



these cases of marriage, the consent of the young women is seldom 

 asked. A maidservant of Sekeletu, however, pronounced by 

 the Makololo to be goodlooking, was at this time sought in mar- 

 riage by five young men. Sekeletu, happening to be at my 

 waggon when one of these preferred his suit, very coolly ordered 

 all five to stand in a row before the young woman, that she might 

 make her choice. Two refused to stand, apparently, because they 

 could not brook the idea of a repulse, although willing enough to 

 take her, if Sekeletu had acceded to their petition without refer- 

 ence to her will. Three dandified fellows stood forth, and she 

 unhesitatingly decided on taking one who was really the best 

 looking. It was amusing to see the mortification exhibited on 

 the black faces of the unsuccessful candidates, while the spec- 

 tators greeted them with a hearty laugh. 



During the whole of my stay with the Makololo, Sekeletu 

 supplied my wants abundantly, appointing some cows to furnish 

 me with milk, and, when he went out to hunt, sent home orders 

 for slaughtered oxen to be given. That the food was not given in 

 a niggardly spirit, may be inferred from the fact, that, when I pro- 

 posed to depart on the 20th of October, he protested against my 

 going off in such a hot sun. "Only wait," said he, "for the first 

 shower, and then I will let you go." This was reasonable, for 

 the thermometer, placed upon a deal box in the sun, rose to 138°. 

 It stood at 108° in the shade by day, and 96° at sunset. If 

 my experiments were correct, the blood of a European is of a 

 higher temperature than that of an African. The bulb, held 

 under my tongue, stood at 100°, under that of the natives, at 98°. 

 There was much sickness in the town, and no wonder, for part of 

 the water left by the inundation, still formed a large pond in the 

 centre. Even the plains between Linyanti and Sesheke had not 

 yet been freed from the waters of the inundation. They had 

 risen higher than usual, and for a long time, canoes passed from 

 the one place to the other, a distance of upwards of 120 miles, in 

 nearly a straight line. We found many patches of stagnant water, 

 which, when disturbed by our passing through them, evolved 

 strong effluvia of sulphuretted hydrogen. At other times these 

 spots exhibit an efflorescence of the nitrate of soda ; they also con- 

 tain abundance of lime, probably from decaying vegetable matter, 

 and from these may have emanated the malaria which caused 



