200 EXECUTION OF TWO CONSPIRATORS. 



contains so much moisture, would raise wheat as the 

 valley of the Nile does. It is probably too rich, and would 

 make corn ran entirely to straw, for one species of grass 

 was observed twelve feet high, with a stem as thick as a 

 man's thumb. At present the pasturage is never eaten 

 off, though the Makololo possess immense herds of 

 cattle. 



There are no large towns ; the mounds on which the 

 towns and villages are built being all small, and the 

 people require to live apart on account of their cattle. 



This visit was the first Sekeletu had made to these 



garts since he attained the chieftainship. Those who 

 ad taken part with Mpepe were consequently in great 

 terror. When we came to the town of Mpepe's father, as 

 he and another man had counselled Mamochisane to put 

 Sekeletu to death and marry Mpepe, the two were led 

 forth and tossed into the river. Nokuane was again one 

 of the executioners. When I remonstrated against human 

 blood being shed in the off-hand way in which they were 

 proceeding, the counsellors justified their acts by the 

 evidence given by Mamochisane, and calmly added, 

 " You see we are still Boers ; we are not yet 

 taught." 



Mpepe had given full permission to the Mambari slave- 

 dealers to trade in all the Batoka and Bashukulompo 

 villages to the east of this. He had given them cattle, 

 ivory, and children, and had received in return a large 

 blunderbuss to be mounted as a cannon. When the 

 slight circumstance of my having covered the body of the 

 chief with my own, deranged the whole conspiracy, the 

 Mambari, in their stockade, were placed in very awkward 

 circumstances. It was proposed to attack them and 

 drive them out of the country at once, but, dreading a 

 commencement of hostilities, I urged the difficulties of 

 that course, and showed that a stockade defended by 

 perhaps forty muskets would be a very serious affair. 

 " Hunger is strong enough for that," said an under-chief ; 

 " a very great fellow is he." They thought of attacking 

 them by starvation. As the chief sufferers in case of 

 such an attack would have been the poor slaves chained 

 in gangs, I interceded for them, and the result of an 

 intercession of which they were ignorant, was that they 

 were allowed to depart in peace. 



Nalieie, the capital of the Barotse, is built on a mound 



