Chap. VIII. BELIEF IN "medicines." 205 



cowskin, others making a curious humming sound between 

 the songs. Excepting this and the skipping-rope, the play 

 of the girls consists in imitation of the serious work of 

 their mothers, building little huts, making small pots, and 

 cooking, pounding corn in miniature mortars, or hoeing 

 tiny gardens. The boys play with spears of reeds pointed 

 with wood, and small shields, or bows and arrows; or 

 amuse themselves in making little cattle-pens, or in 

 moulding cattle in clay; they show great ingenuity in the 

 imitation of various-shaped horns. Some too are said to 

 use slings, but as soon as they can watch the goats, or 

 calves, they are sent to the field. We saw many boys 

 riding on the calves they had in charge, but this is an 

 innovation since the arrival of the English with their 

 horses. Tselane, one of the ladies, on observing Dr. 

 Livingstone noting observations on the wet and dry bulb 

 thermometers, thought that he too was engaged in play ; 

 for on receiving no reply to her question, which was 

 rather difficult to answer, as the native tongue has no 

 scientific terms, she said with roguish glee, " Poor thing, 

 playing like a little child ! " 



Like other Africans, the Makololo have great faith in 

 the power of medicine; they believe that there is an 

 especial medicine for every ill that flesh is heir to. 

 Mamire is anxious to have children; he has six wives, 

 and only one boy, and he begs earnestly for " child 

 medicine." The mother of Sekeletu came from the 

 Barotse Valley to see her son. Thinks she has lost flesh 

 since Dr. Livingstone was here before, and asks for " the 

 medicine of fatness." The Makololo consider plumpness 

 an essential part of beauty in women, but the extreme 

 stoutness, mentioned by Captain Speke, in the north, 

 would be considered hideous here, for the men have been 

 overheard speaking of a lady whom we call " inclined to 

 embonpoint" as " fat unto ugliness." 



