DEATH OF SEBITUANE, 79- 



impression would have been produced that by speaking; 

 about it I wished him to die. After sitting with him 

 some time, and commending him to the mercy of God, 

 I rose to depart, when the dying chieftain, raising himself 

 up a little from his prone position, called a servant, and 

 said, " Take Robert to Maunku (one of his wives), and 

 tell her to give him some milk. ,, These were the last 

 words of Sebituane. 



We were not informed of his death until the next day. 

 The burial of a Bechuana chief takes place in his cattle- 

 pen, and all the cattle are driven for an hour or two around 

 and over the grave, so that it may be quite obliterated. 

 We went and spoke to the people, advising them to keep. 

 together and support the heir. They took this kindly ~ 

 and in turn told us not to be alarmed, for they would 

 not think of ascribing the death of their chief to us £ 

 that Sebituane had just gone the way of his fathers ; and 

 though the father had gone, he had left children, and they 

 hoped that we would be as friendly to his children as we 

 intended to have been to himself. 



He was decidedly the best specimen of a native chief 

 I ever met. I never felt so much grieved by the loss of 

 a black man before ; and it was impossible not to follow 

 him in thought into the world of which he had just heard 

 before he was called away, and to realise somewhat of the- 

 feelings of those who pray for the dead. The deep dark- 

 question of what is to become of such as he, must, how- 

 ever, be left where we find it, believing that, assuredly 9 

 the " Judge of all the earth will do right. " 



At Sebituane \s death the chieftainship devolved, as her 

 father intended, on a daughter named Ma-mochisane. 

 He had promised to show us his country and to select a 

 suitable locality for our residence. We had now to look 

 to the daughter, who was living twelve days to the north 

 at Naliele. We were obliged, therefore, to remain until 

 a message came from her ; and when it did she gave us 

 perfect liberty to visit any part of the country we chosev 

 Mr. Oswell and I then proceeded one hundred and thirty 

 miles to the north-east, to Sesheke ; and in the end of 

 June, 185 1, we were rewarded by the discovery of the 

 Zambesi, in the centre of the continent. This was a most 

 important point, for that river was not previously known 

 to exist there at all. The Portuguese maps all represent 

 it as rising far to the east of where we now were ; and 



