28 TAI,E OF THE CANNON. 



proof of barbarism. Every man in a tribe feels himself 

 bound to tell the chief everything that comes to his know- 

 ledge, and, when questioned by a stranger, either gives 

 answers which exhibit the utmost stupidity, or such as 

 he knows will be agreeable to his chief. I believe that in 

 this way have arisen tales of their inability to count 

 more than ten, as was asserted of the Bechuanas about 

 the very time when Sechele's father counted out one 

 thousand head of cattle as a beginning of the stock of 

 his young son. 



In the present case Sechele, knowing every question put 

 to his people, asked me how they ought to answer. My 

 reply was, " Tell the truth." Every one then declared 

 that no cannon existed there ; and our friends, judging 

 the answer by what they themselves would in the circum- 

 stances have said, were confirmed in the opinion that the 

 Bakwains actually possessed artillery. This was in some 

 degree beneficial to us, inasmuch as fear prevented any 

 foray in our direction for eight years. During that time 

 no winter passed without one or two tribes in the East 

 country being plundered of both cattle and children by 

 the Boers. The plan pursued is the following : one or two 

 friendly tribes are forced to accompany a party of mounted 

 Boers, and these expeditions can be got up only in the 

 winter, when horses may be used without danger of being 

 lost by disease. When they reach the tribe to be attacked, 

 the friendly natives are ranged in front, to form, as they 

 say, " a shield ; " the Boers then coolly fire over their 

 heads till the devoted people flee and leave cattle, wives, 

 and children to the captors. This was done in nine cases 

 during my residence in the interior, and on no occasion 

 was a drop of Boer's blood shed. News of these deeds 

 spread quickly among the Bakwains, and letters were 

 repeatedly sent by the Boers to Sechele ordering him to 

 come and surrender himself as their vassal, and stop English 

 traders from proceeding into the country with firearms for 

 sale. But the discovery of Lake Ngami, hereafter to be 

 described, made the traders come in fivefold greater 

 numbers, and Sechele replied, " I was made an inde- 

 pendent chief and placed here by God, and not by you. 

 I was never conquered by Mosilikatze, as those tribes 

 whom you rule over ; and the English are my friends. 

 I get everything I wish from them. I cannot hinder 

 them from going where they like." Those who are old 



