316 LIFE OF DA YID LIVINGSTONE, LL.D. 



the other members of his mission should have died there, with the medicines 

 they needed lying within a hundred yards of their encampment. In return- 

 ing to Sesheske he heard of a lion being killed by the bite of a serpent. 

 Animals were frequently the victims of poisonous snakes, but he seldom heard 

 of their attacking human beings. While the Makololo generally accepted the 

 leading truths of Christianity, there were some habits and superstitions which 

 it was found difficult to shake. The belief in witchcraft and sorcery was 

 deeply rooted. They said, " They needed the book of God ; but the hearts 

 of black men are not the same as those of the whites. They had real sorcerers 

 among them. If that was guilt which custom led them to do, it lay between 

 the white man and Jesus, who had not given them the book, nor favoured 

 them as He had the whites." As to cattle-lifting from their weaker neighbours, 

 they said, " Why should these Makalaka (a term of contempt for the blacker 

 tribes) possess cattle if they cannot fight for them ?" The pithy border creed — 



" ... the good old rule 

 Sufficeth them, the simple plan, 

 That they should take who have the power, 

 And they should keep who can," 



■ — was universally understood in its naked simplicity ; and despite their general 

 ignorance, they could reason very ingeniously. The cattle they took from 

 neighbouring tribes were in all likelihood the descendants of cattle which at 

 an earlier period had belonged to themselves ; how, therefore, could it be a 

 sin, they argued, to take back what was their own ? We question whether 

 any border cattle-lifter of the 17th century could have given a better reason 

 for his cattle stealing proclivities than this ! 



To those who knew the history of the Makololo tribe and its great chief 

 Sebituane, the prospect of its passing away as a power in Central Africa was 

 sad indeed. Indolence — the Makalaka did all their hard work — and the 

 pestilent country on the Chobe and Zambesi induced a rapid deterioration of 

 the manly qualities which had made them predominant over the tribes of the 

 interior. Livingstone says : — 



"None but brave and daring men remained long with Sebituane: his 

 stern discipline soon eradicated cowardice from his army. If the chief saw a 

 man running away from the fight, he rushed after him with amazing speed, 

 and cut him down ; or waited till he returned to the town, and then sum- 

 moned the deserter into his presence.' ' You did not wish to die in the field, 

 you wished to die at home, did you ? You shall have your wish ! and he was 

 instantly led off and executed.' " 



The Makololo made use of the spoons given them to convey their food 

 to the palm of their hand which conveyed it to the mouth. They were 

 horrified at seeing Dr. Livingstone and his friends put butter on their bread, 

 as they only eat it when melted. " Look at them look at them," they said, 



