MAKOLOLO EECEPTION. 209 



escape, and lie calmly raised his gun and waited for the monster 

 to come near enough for a fatal shot in the forehead. We have 

 noticed before his opinion of this animal. Nothing is more 

 trying than just such a position awaiting such a charge. But 

 the moment came. The aim was true and the tremendous ani- 

 mal bounded aside and rushing to the brink of the river fell 

 dead. Livingstone felt it to be an occasion for gratitude to 

 God that his life had been preserved. 



The arrival at Libonta was indeed a great occasion. This, it 

 will be remembered, is the border town of the Makololo author- 

 ity. They had never been received before with such demon- 

 strations of joy. Livingstone's description of this scene is full 

 of interest. " The women," says he, " came forth to meet us, 

 making their curious dancing gestures and loud lulliloos. Some 

 carried a mat and stick, in imitation of a spear and shield. 

 Others rushed forward and kissed the hands and cheeks of the 

 different persons of their acquaintance among us, raising such a 

 dust that it was quite a relief to get to the men assembled and 

 sitting with proper African decorum in the kotla. We were 

 looked upon as men risen from the dead, for the most skilful 

 of their diviners had pronounced us to have perished long ago. 

 After many expressions of joy at meeting, I arose, and, thank- 

 ing them, explained the causes of our long delay, but left the 

 report to be made by their own countrymen. Formerly I had 

 been the chief speaker, now I would leave the task of speaking 

 to them. Pitsane then delivered a speech of upward of an hour 

 in length, giving a highly flattering picture of the whole jour- 

 ney, of the kindness of the white men in general, and of Mr. 

 Gabriel in particular. He concluded by saying that I had done 

 more for them than they expected ; that I had not only opened 

 up a path for them to the other white men, but conciliated 

 all the chiefs along the route. The oldest man present rose 

 and answered this speech, and, among other things, alluded to 

 the disgust I felt at the Makololo for engaging in marauding 

 expeditions against Lechulatebe and Sebolamakwaia, of which 

 we had heard from the first persons we met, and which my com- 

 panions most energetically denounced as ' mashue hela,' en- 

 tirely bad. He entreated me not to lose heart, but to reprove 

 Sekeletu as my child. Another old man followed with the 



