12 SECHELE. Chap. 1 



killed by the carnivora ; and if so, is a merciful provision of 

 the Creator for lessening the pain of death. As he had one 

 paw on the back of my head, I turned round to relieve 

 myself of the weight, and saw his eyes directed to Meb&lwe, 

 who was aiming at him from a distance of ten or fifteen yards. 

 His gun, which was a flint one, missed fire in both barrels. 

 The animal immediately left me to attack him, and bit his 

 thigh. Another man, whose life I had saved after he had 

 been tossed by a buffalo, attempted to spear the lion, upon 

 which he turned from Mebalwe and seized this fresh foe by 

 the shoulder. At that moment the bullets the beast had 

 received took effect, and he fell down dead. The whole was 

 the work of a few moments, and must have been his paroxysm 

 of dying rage. In order to take out the charm from him, the 

 Bakatla on the following day made a huge bonfire over the 

 carcase, which was declared to be the largest ever seen. 

 Besides crunching the bone into splinters, eleven of his teeth 

 had penetrated the upper part of my arm. The bite of a lion 

 resembles a gun-shot wound. It is generally followed by a 

 great deal of sloughing and discharge, and ever afterwards 

 pains are felt periodically in the part. I had on a tartan 

 jacket, which I believe wiped off the virus from the teeth 

 that pierced the flesh, for my two companions in the 

 affray have both suffered from the usual pains, while I 

 have escaped with only the inconvenience of a false joint 

 in my limb. The wound of the man who was bit in the 

 shoulder actually burst forth afresh on the same month of 

 the following year. This curious point deserves the attention 

 of inquirers. 



From 1840 to 1845 1 was employed in preparatory labours, 

 and associated with other missionaries at Kuruman and 

 Mabotsa. From 1845 to 1849 I worked at Chonuane and 

 Kolobeng, aided only by Mrs. Livingstone and two native 

 teachers. I attached myself to the tribe called Bakuena, or 

 Bakwains, the chief of which, named Sechele, was then living 

 with his subjects at a place called Shokuane. I was from 

 the first struck by his intelligence, and by the especial manner 

 in which we felt drawn to each other. He was tall, rather 

 corpulent, had large ej'es, and more of the negro features 

 than is common. As this remarkable man has not only 



