220 PROGRESS UP THE I,EEAMBYE. 



working with a skin instead of listening. My hearers 

 sometimes pnt very sensible questions on the subjects 

 brought before them ; at other times they introduced the 

 most frivolous nonsense, immediately after hearing the 

 most solemn truths. Some begin to pray to Jesus in 

 secret as soon as they hear of the white man's God, with 

 but little idea of what they are about ; and no doubt are 

 heard by Him who, like a father, pitieth his children. 

 Others, waking by night, recollect what has been said 

 about the future world so clearly, that they tell next day 

 what a fright they got by it, and resolve not to listen to 

 the teaching again ; and not a few keep to the deter- 

 mination not to believe, as certain villagers in the south, 

 who put all their cocks to death because they crowed the 

 words, " Tlang lo rapeleng " — " Come along to prayers." 



On recovering partially from a severe attack of fever 

 which remained upon me ever since our passing the village 

 of Moremi on the Chobe, we made ready for our departure 

 up the river by sending messages before us to the villages 

 to prepare food. We took four elephants' tusks, belonging 

 to Sekeletu, with us, as a means of testing the difference 

 of prices between the Portuguese, whom we expected to 

 reach, and the white traders from the south. Moriantsane 

 supplied us well with honey, milk, and meal. The rains 

 were just commencing in this district ; but though 

 showers sufficient to lay the dust had fallen, they had 

 no influence whatever on the amount of water in the 

 river, yet never was there less in any part than three 

 hundred yards of a deep flowing stream. 



Our progress up the river was rather slow : this was 

 caused by waiting opposite different villages for supplies 

 of food. We might have done with much less than we 

 got ; but my Makololo man, Pitsane, knew of the generous 

 orders of Sekeletu, and was not at all disposed to allow 

 them to remain a dead letter. The villages of the Banyeti 

 contributed large quantities of mosibe, a bright red bean 

 yielded by a large tree. The pulp enclosing the seed is 

 not much thicker than a red wafer, and is the portion 

 used. It requires the addition of honey to render it at 

 all palatable. 



To these were added great numbers of the fruit which 

 yields a variety of the nux vomica, from which we derive 

 that virulent poison strychnia. The pulp between the 

 nuts is the part eaten, and it is of a pleasant juicy nature, 



