HOSTILITY OF THE BOERS. 29 



enough to remember the threatened invasion of our own 

 islana may understand the effect which the constant 

 danger of a Boerish invasion had on the minds of the 

 Bakwains ; but no others can conceive how worrying 

 were the messages and threats from the endless self- 

 constituted authorities of the Magaliesberg Boers ; and 

 when to all this harassing annoyance was added the 

 scarcity produced by the drought, we could not wonder 

 at, though we felt sorry for, their indisposition to receive 

 instruction. 



The myth of the black pot assumed serious proportions. 

 I attempted to benefit the tribes among the Boers of 

 Magaliesberg by placing native teachers at different 

 points. " You must teach the blacks," said Mr. Hendrick 

 Potgeiter, the commandant in chief, " that they are not 

 equal to us." Other Boers told me, " I might as well 

 teach the baboons on the rocks as the Africans," but 

 declined the test which I proposed, namely, to examine 

 whether they or my native attendants could read best. 

 Two of their clergymen came to baptize the children of 

 the Boers ; so, supposing these good men would assist me 

 in overcoming the repugnance of their flock to the edu- 

 cation of the blacks, I called on them ; but my visit ended 

 in a ruse practised by the Boerish commandant, whereby 

 I was led, by professions of the greatest friendship, to 

 retire to Kolobeng, while a letter passed me by another 

 way to the other missionaries in the south, demanding 

 my instant recall " for lending a cannon to their enemies." 

 The colonial government was also gravely informed that 

 the story was true ; and I came to be looked upon as a 

 most suspicious character in consequence. 



These notices of the Boers are not intended to produce a 

 sneer at their ignorance, but to excite the compassion of 

 their friends. They are perpetually talking about their 

 laws ; but practically theirs is only the law of the strongest. 

 The Bechuanas could never understand the changes which 

 took place in their commandants. "Why, one can never 

 know who is the chief among these Boers. Like the Bush- 

 men, they have no king — they must be the Bushmen of 

 the English." The idea that any tribe of men could be so 

 senseless as not to have an hereditary chief was so absurd 

 to these people, that, in order not to appear equally stupid, 

 I was obliged to tell them that we English were so anxious 

 to preserve the royal blood, that we had made a young 



