iS 4 i-43-] FIRST TWO YEARS IN AFRICA. 53 



foreigner. He himself listened with great attention while 

 Livingstone told him of Jesus and the resurrection, and 

 the missionary was often interrupted by the questions of 

 the chief. Here then was another chief pacified, and 

 brought under the preaching of the gospel. 



Livingstone then passed on to the country of the 

 Bakhatla, where he had purposed to erect his mission- 

 station. The country was fertile, and the people indus- 

 trious, and among other industries was an iron manu- 

 factory, to which as a bachelor he got admission, whereas 

 married men were wont to be excluded, through fear that 

 they would bewitch the iron ! When he asked the chief 

 if he would like him to come and be his missionary, he 

 held up his hands and said, " Oh, I shall dance if you 

 do ; I shall collect all my people to hoe for you a garden, 

 and you will get more sweet reed and corn than myself." 

 The cautious Directors at home, however, had sent no 

 instructions as to Livingstone's station, and he could 

 only say to the chief that he would tell them of his 

 desire for a missionary. 



At a distance of five days' journey beyond the Ba- 

 khatla was situated the village of Sechele, chief of the 

 Bakwains, afterwards one of Livingstone's greatest friends. 

 Sechele had been enraged at him for not visiting him 

 the year before, and threatened him with mischief. It 

 happened that his only child was ill when the missionary 

 arrived, and also the child of one of his principal men. 

 Livingstone's treatment of both was successful, and 

 Sechele had not an angry word. Some of his questions 

 struck the heart of the missionary :— 



' ' Since it is true that all who die unforgiven are lost for ever, 

 why did your nation not come to tell us of it before now 1 My 

 ancestors are all gone, and none of them knew anything of what you 

 tell me. How is this 1 ' I thought immediately," says Livingstone, 

 " of the guilt of the Church, but did not confess. I told him multi- 

 tudes in our own country were like himself, so much in love with 

 their sins. My ancestors had spent a great deal of time in trying to 



