4 LECTURE I. 



about. He gave us only two things — cattle and a know- 

 ledge of certain medicines by which we can make rain. 

 We do not despise the things that you have; we only 

 wish that we had them too; we do not despise that Book 

 of yours, although we do not understand it : so you ought 

 not to despise our knowledge of rain-making, although 

 you do not understand it." You cannot convince them 

 that they have no power to make rain. As it is with the 

 homoeopathist, so it is with the rain-maker — you might 

 argue your tongue out of joint, and would convince 

 neither. 



I went into that country for the purpose of teach- 

 ing the doctrines of our holy religion, and settled 

 with the tribes on the border of the Kalahari desert. 

 These tribes were those of the Bakwains, Bushmen and 

 Bakalahari. Sechele 1 is the chief of the former. On 



1 This interesting man is the son of the Bakwain Chief, Mochoasele. 

 He was uniformly kind to the Livingstones, sending them food con- 

 stantly during their stay with him at Shokuane, his place of residence, 

 and becoming our traveller's guide in 1850, when going to visit Sebi- 

 tuane. As a child his life was spared by Sebituane when attacking the 

 Bakwains, who gave him his father's chieftainship. He married the 

 daughters of three of his under-chiefs, and afterwards became Dr Living- 

 stone's Sergius Paulus, or first influential Christian convert. He had 

 family prayers in his house, and became a missionary to his own people, 

 sending his children to Mr Moffat, at Kuruman, to be instructed "in 

 all the knowledge of the white man." He learnt to read with great 

 diligence, and succeeded well, getting quite fat through becoming a 

 student instead of a hunter. The Bible was his constant study, he being 

 particularly fond of Isaiah's book of prophecy. Once he said, in refer- 

 ence to St Paul, " He was a fine fellow, that Paul." 



The Boers hate him for his resolute independence, and love of the 



