Chap. XIV. EAW BUTTER— BEGGING. 287 



which passes away in a rapid stream of unmeaning words, or 

 short sentences, as, " the green grass grows," " the fat cattle 

 thrive," "the fish swim." No one in the group pays the 

 slightest attention to the vehement eloquence, or the sage or 

 silly utterance of the oracle, who stops abruptly, and, the 

 instant common sense returns, looks rather foolish. 



Our visit to Sesheke broke in upon the monotony of 

 their daily life, and we had crowds of visitors both men 

 and women ; especially at meal-times, for then they had 

 the double attraction, of seeing white men eat, and of eat- 

 ing with them. The men made an odd use of the spoon 

 in supping porridge and milk, employing it to convey the 

 food to the palm of the left hand, which passed it on to 

 the mouth. We stocked the over-refined sensibilities of 

 the ladies, by eating butter on our bread. " Look at them, 

 look at them, they are actually eating raw butter, ugh ! 

 how nasty!" or pitying us, a goodwife would say, "Hand 

 it here to be melted, and then you can dip your bread 

 into it decently." They were as much disgusted as we 

 should be by seeing an Esquimaux eating raw whale's blub- 

 ber. In their opinion butter is not fit to be eaten until it 

 is cooked or melted. The principal use they make of it is 

 to anoint the body, and it keeps the skin smooth and glossy. 

 Men and women begged hard for such things as they 

 fancied, and were not at all displeased when refused : they 

 probably thought there was no harm in asking; it did not 

 hurt us, and cost their glib tongues no effort. Mamire 

 asked for a black frock-coat, because he admired the colour ! 

 When told he might have it for a nice new kaross of young 

 lechwes' skins, he smiled, and asked no more ; a joke usually 

 stopped the begging. 



The Chief receives the hump and ribs of every ox slaught- 



