32 AFRICAN HOUSEKEEPING. 



We made our own butter, a jar serving as a churn ; and 

 our own candles by means of moulds ; and soap was pro- 

 cured from the ashes of the plant salsola, or from wood- 

 ashes, which in Africa contain so little alkaline matter that 

 the boiling of successive leys has to be continued for a 

 month or six weeks before the fat is saponified. There is 

 not much hardship in being almost entirely dependent on 

 ourselves ; there is something of the feeling which must 

 have animated Alexander Selkirk on seeing conveniences 

 springing up before him from his own ingenuity ; and 

 married life is all the sweeter when so many comforts ema- 

 nate directly from the thrifty striving housewife's hands. 



To some it may appear quite a romantic mode of life ; 

 it is one of active benevolence, such as the good may enjoy 

 at home. Take a single day as a sample of the whole. We 

 rose early, because, however hot the day may have been, 

 the evening, night, and morning at Kolobeng were deli- 

 ciously refreshing ; cool is not the word, where you have 

 neither an increase of cold nor heat to desire, and where 

 you can sit out till midnight with no fear of coughs or 

 rheumatism. After family worship and breakfast between 

 six and seven, we went to keep school for all who would 

 attend ; men, women, and children being all invited. 

 School over at eleven o'clock, while the missionary's wife 

 was occupied in domestic matters, the missionary himself 

 had some manual labour, as a smith, carpenter, or gar- 

 dener, according to whatever was needed for ourselves or 

 for the people ; if for the latter, they worked for us in the 

 garden, or at some other employment ; skilled labour was 

 thus exchanged for the unskilled. After dinner and an 

 hour's rest the wife attended her infant-school, which the 

 young, who were left by their parents entirely to their own 

 caprice, liked amazingly, and generally mustered a hundred 

 strong ; or she varied that with a sewing school, having 

 classes of girls to learn the art ; this, too, was equally well 

 relished. During the day every operation must be super- 

 intended, and both husband and wife must labour till the 

 sun declines. After sunset the husband went into the town 

 to converse with any one willing to do so : sometimes on 

 general subjects, at other times on religion. On three 

 nights of the week, as soon as the milking of the cows was 

 over and it had become dark, we had a public religious 

 service, and one of instruction on secular subjects, aided by 

 pictures and specimens. These services were diversified by 



