112 MORALA-TREE— BUSHMEN. Chap. VIIL 



rod colour, and is named iron-wood by the Portuguese. The 

 inhabitants state that the mo pane is more frequently struck 

 by lightning than other trees, and caution travellers never to 

 seek its shade when a thunderstorm is near. " Lightning 

 hates it." Another tree, the " Morala," which has three 

 spines opposite each other on the blanches, has never, in com- 

 pensation, been known to be touched by lightning, and is 

 esteemed, even as far as Angola, a protection against the 

 electric fluid. Branches of it may be seen placed on the 

 houses of the Portuguese. The natives believe, in addition, 

 that if a man can get into the shade of this wonderful pre- 

 server it will be an effectual protection from an enraged 

 elephant. 



At Rapesh we came among our old friends the Bushmen, 

 under Horoye. He and some others were at least six feet 

 high, and of a darker colour than the Bushmen of the south. 

 They frequent the Zouga, and have always plenty of food and 

 water. They refrain from eating the goat, which is significant 

 of their feelings to the only animal they could have domesti- 

 cated in their desert home. They are a merry laughing set, 

 and have more appearance of worship than the Bechuanas. 

 The observances we once witnessed at a grave showed that 

 they regarded the dead man as still in another state of being ; 

 for they requested him not to be offended even though they 

 wished to remain a little while longer in this world. 



These Bushmen killed many elephants. They hunted by 

 night when the moon was full for the sake of the coolness. 

 They choose the moment succeeding a charge, when the 

 elephant is out of breath, to run in and give him a stab with 

 their long-bladed spears. The chace of the elephant is the 

 best test of courage the country affords, and the number 

 killed in the course of a season by Bechuanas, Griquas, Boers, 

 and Englishmen, will give some idea of the prowess of the 

 respective races. The average for the natives was less than 

 one per man, for the Griquas one, for the Boers two, and for 

 the English officers twenty each. This was the more remark- 

 able since the Griquas, Boers, and Bechuanas employed both 

 dogs and natives to assist them, while the English hunters 

 had seldom assistance from either. The reason of the supe- 

 riority of our countrymen was that they had the coolness to 



