SECHE&E'S AI.ARM. IO9 



a mercantile gentleman of Cape Town, to endeavour to 

 establish a trade with the Makololo, had also managed 

 to get a similar number ; we accordingly left Kuruman on 

 the 20th November, and proceeded on our journey. Our 

 servants were the worst possible specimens cf those who 

 imbibe the vices without the virtues of Europeans, but 

 we had no choice, and were glad to get away on any 

 terms. 



When we reached Motito, forty miles off, we met Sechele, 

 on his way, as he said, " to the Queen of England." Two 

 of his own children, and their mother, a former wife, 

 were among the captives seized by the Beers ; and being 

 strongly embued with the then very prevalent notion of 

 England's justice and generosity, he thought that in 

 consequence of the violated treaty he had a fair case to 

 lay before Her Majesty. He employed all his eloquence 

 and powers of persuasion to induce me to accompany him, 

 but I excused myself on the ground that my arrange- 

 ments were already made for exploring the north. On 

 explaining the difficulties of the way, and endeavouring 

 to dissuade him from the attempt, on account of the 

 knowledge I possessed of the governor's policy, he put 

 the pointed question, " Will the Queen not listen to me, 

 supposing I should reach her ? " I replied, " I believe 

 she would listen, but the difficulty is to get to her . " ' ' Well , 

 I shall reach her," expressed his final determination. 

 Others explained the difficulties more fully, but nothing 

 could shake his resolution. When he reached Bloem- 

 fontein he found the English army just returning from 

 a battle with the Basutos, in which both parties claimed 

 the victory, and both were glad that a second engage- 

 ment was not tried. Our officers invited Sechele to dine 

 with them, heard his storjr, and collected a handsome 

 sum of money to enable him to pursue his journey to 

 England. The commander refrained from noticing him, 

 as a single word in favour of the restoration of the children 

 of Sechele would have been a virtual confession of the 

 failure of his own policy at the very outset. Sechele 

 proceeded as far as the Cape ; but his resources being there 

 expended, he was obliged to return to his own country, 

 one thousand miles distant, without accomplishing the 

 object of his journey. 



On his return he adopted a mode of punishment which 

 he had seen in the colony, namely, making criminals 



