36 HOSTILITY OF THE BOKRS. 



I said, " would you come ? " He then told me the story of 

 Sebituane having saved his life, and expatiated on the far- 

 famed generosity of that really great man. This was the 

 first time I had thought of crossing the Desert to Lake 

 Ngami. 



The conduct of the Boers, who, as will be remembered, 

 had sent a letter designed to procure my removal out of the 

 country, and their well-known settled policy which I have 

 already described, became more fully developed on this 

 than on any former occasion. When I spoke to Mr. 

 Hendrick Potgeiter of the danger of hindering the Gospel 

 of Christ among these poor savages, he became greatly 

 excited, and called one of his followers to answer me. He 

 threatened to attack any tribe that might receive a native 

 teacher, yet he promised to use his influence to prevent 

 those under him from throwing obstacles in our way. I 

 could perceive plainly that nothing more could be done 

 in that direction, so I commenced collecting all the infor- 

 mation I could about the desert, with the intention of 

 crossing it if possible. Sekomi, the chief of the Bamang- 

 wato, was acquainted with a route which he kept carefully 

 to himself, because the Lake country abounded in ivory, 

 and he drew large quantities thence periodically at but 

 small cost to himself. 



Sechele, who valued highly everything European, and 

 was always fully alive to his own interest, was naturally 

 anxious to get a share of that inviting field. He was most 

 anxious to visit Sebituane too, partly, perhaps, from a wish 

 to show off his new acquirements, but chiefly, I believe, 

 from having very exalted ideas of the benefits he would 

 derive from the liberality of that renowned chieftain. In 

 age and family Sechele is the elder and superior of Sekomi ; 

 for when the original tribe broke up into Bamangwato, 

 Bangwaketse, and Bakwains, the Bakwains retained the 

 hereditary chieftainship ; so their chief, Sechele, possesses 

 certain advantages over Sekomi, the chief of the Bamang- 

 wato. If the two were travelling or hunting together, 

 Sechele would take, by right, the heads of the game shot 

 by Sekomi. 



There are several vestiges besides of very ancient par- 

 titions and lordships of tribes. The elder brother of 

 Sechele's father, becoming blind, gave over the chieftain- 

 ship to Sechele's father. The descendants of this man 

 pay no tribute to Sechele, though he is the actual ruler, and 



