84 sebituane's death. 



tioned that, in the event of his death in that case, the tribe would 

 blame him, was induced to do nothing. Sebituane had become 

 greatly interested in the children of his visitor. When he was 

 dying, he raised himself and said to a servant, " Take Robert to 

 Munku [one of his wives] and tell her to give him some milk." 

 These were his last words. 



The death of Sebituane again disarranged the plans of Living- 

 stone. The chief had promised to go with him through his 

 country and select a suitable spot for a station. Now it would 

 be necessary to put up with considerable delay while a message 

 might be had from his daughter, who inherited the chieftainship. 

 This time was filled up by Messrs. Livingstone and Oswell, by 

 a tour to the northeast, where, after travelling some time, and 

 going, perhaps, three hundred miles across a flat country, varied 

 in its surface only by enormous ant-hills, clothed at intervals 

 with forests of miniosse and mopane, bearing the marks of occa- 

 sional floods, they found the Zambesi in the centre of the conti- 

 nent — a broad and noble-looking river. Among the swamps of 

 the Zambesi and the Chobe were the homes of the Makololo. 

 Here too had the wretched trade in human flesh left its degrad- 

 ing slime. The garments of baize and printed cotton told the 

 story of the horrid traffic. While the heart of Livingstone was 

 yearning for this people, the demon was approaching. Had he 

 leen able to complete his first journey, he would have been on 

 the ground to resist the first approaches of this destroyer. The 

 Makololo, like their noble chief, despised the trade, and declared 

 they had never until then heard of people being bought and 

 sold. Indeed, in all Africa, it is the testimony of Livingstone 

 and others that the persons sold are only the captives which a 

 tribe may hold. It is a thing unheard of that a man sells his 

 own children. 



The death of Sebituane and the unhealthiness of the Makololo 

 region made the desired settlement there impracticable. The 

 animosity of the Boers left no hope of peaceable labors among 

 the Bakwains. There was no home. The heroic man deter- 

 mined to send his wife and children to England, and return 

 alone " in search of a district which might prove a centre of 

 civilization." In the execution of this resolution he bent his 

 steps toward the Cape. About April, 1852, he placed his family 



