64 LIFE OF DA VID LIVINGSTONE, LL.R 



subsequent reception of the chief into Church-fellowship. As the circum- 

 stances which led us to receive his confession as genuine are somewhat peculiar, 

 I will briefly mention them, in order to shew the propriety of the step which 

 we have taken. 



" Sechele, though generally intelligent, had imbibed, to a great extent, 

 the prevailing superstitions of his country, and, in addition to his being the 

 chief rain-doctor of the tribe, there is evidence to show that he was reckless 

 of human life. He had the reputation among other tribes of being addicted 

 to witchcraft, but he himself thought it highly meritorious to put all suspected 

 witches to death. 



" From the first day of our residence with the Bakwains to the present 

 time, the chief attended school, and all our services, with unvaried regularity. 

 The first indication of deep feeling I observed in him was, when sitting 

 together one day under our waggon, during the heat of noon, I endeavoured to 

 describe the ' great white throne,' and ' the judgment seat,' as mentioned in 

 the Book of Revelation. He said, ' These words shake all my bones — my 

 strength is gone ; ' and when I spoke of the existence of our Lord, previous to 

 his appearance among men, and of His Divine nature, Sechele was greatly 

 surprised. Often, during the three years we have spent with this tribe, we 

 have witnessed the power of the Word of God in elevating the mind and 

 stimulating its affections ; and so with the chief. As his knowledge increased, 

 he grew bold in the faith, professed among his people his own firm belief in 

 the truths of Christ, and expressed great thankfulness that the Gospel was sent 

 to him while so many remained in darkness. The greatest sacrifice he had to 

 make was the renunciation of polygamy. In respect to all other sins, the 

 people generally had conceived an idea of their sinfulness, but they never imagined 

 that in this practice there was any degree of moral turpitude. The superfluous 

 wives of Sechele were decidedly the most amiable females of the town, and 

 our best scholars ; and, hoping that their souls might also be given to us, we 

 felt that it was not our duty otherwise to press the point in question, than by 

 publicly declaring the whole counsel of God. Shortly after, the chief sent 

 two of them back to their parents, with this message, That he could no longer 

 retain them, as the Word of God had come between him and their daughters. 

 With this we observed a gradual change in his disposition, and a steady 

 improvement in his character ; and, as he also professed an earnest desire to 

 observe the laws of Jesus, we felt no hesitation in receiving him to the fellowship 

 of the church. 



" A third wife was taken to her own tribe, because she had no relatives 

 among the Bakwains, and she left us with many tears. A fourth, although in 

 the same situation, we thought might remain, because she has a little daughter. 

 Each of the wives carried away all that belonged to her, and the chief supplied 

 each of them with new clothing previous to their departure. As soon as it was 



