Chap. VII. women and their ornaments. 190 



into his presence. " You did not wish to die on the field, 

 you wished to die at home, did you ? you shall have your 

 wish ! " and he was instantly led off and executed. The 

 present race of young men are inferior in most respects to 

 their fathers. The old Makololo had many manly virtues ; 

 they were truthful, and never stole, excepting in what 

 they considered the honourable way of lifting cattle in 

 fair fight. But this can hardly be said of their sons; 

 who, having been brought up among the subjected tribes, 

 have acquired some of the vices peculiar to a menial and 

 degraded race. A few of the old Makololo cautioned us 

 not to leave any of our property exposed, as the blacks 

 were great thieves ; and some of our own men advised us 

 to be on our guard, as the Makololo also would steal. A 

 very few trifling articles were stolen by a young Makololo ; 

 and he, on being spoken to on the subject, showed great 

 ingenuity in excusing himself, by a plausible and un- 

 truthful story. The Makololo of old were hard workers, 

 and did not consider labour as beneath them; but their 

 sons never work, regarding it as fit only for the Mashona 

 and Makalaka servants. Sebituane, seeing that the rival 

 tribes had the advantage over his, in knowing how to 

 manage canoes, had his warriors taught to navigate ; and 

 his own son, with his companions, paddled the chief's 

 canoe. All the dishes, baskets, stools, and canoes are 

 made by the black tribes called Manyeti and Matlotlora. 

 The houses are built by the women and servants. The 

 Makololo women are vastly superior to any we have yet 

 seen. They are of a light warm brown complexion, have 

 pleasant countenances, and are remarkably quick of appre- 

 hension. They dress neatly, wearing a kilt and mantle, 

 and have many ornaments. Sebituane's sister, the head 

 lady of Sesheke, wore eighteen solid brass rings, as thick 

 as one's finger, on each leg, and three of copper under each 

 knee ; nineteen brass rings on her left arm, and eight of 



