THE TRAVjELI.INO PAR rr. 
337 
usually punished %vith sovority ; but, notwithstanding this, 
the children would appear in tho streets without thoir in- 
cisors, and no one would confess to tho de&d. When ques- 
tioned respecting tho origin of this practice, tho Batoka 
reply that their object is to bo like oxen, and those who 
retain their tooth thoy considor to rosomblo zebras 
Whether this is the truo reason or not it is difficult (•*> 
; but it is noticeable that tho veneration for oxen which 
prevails in many tribes should bo associated with hatred 
to tho zebra, as among tho Bakwains, that this operation 
performed at the samo age that circumcision is in other 
tribes, and that hero that corcmony is unknown. Tho 
custom is so universal that a person who has his tooth is 
considered ugly; and occasionally, when tho Batoka bor- 
rowed my looking-glass, tho disparaging remark would bo 
mado respecting boys or girls who still rotainod their tooth, 
“Look at the great teeth!” Some of tho Makololo givo a 
m oro facetious explanation of tho custom : thoy say that, 
tho wifo of a chief having in a quarrel bitten her husband’s 
hand, ho, in revenge, ordered her front teeth to bo knocked 
out, and all tho men in tho tribe followed his cxamplo : but 
this doo3 not explain why they afterward knocked out 
their own. 
The Batoka of tho Zambesi aro generally very dark in 
color and very degraded and negro-like in appearanco, 
while thoso who live on tho high lands wo aro now ascend- 
ing aro frequently of the color of coffoo and milk. Wo 
had a largo number of tho Batoka of Mokwino in our 
party, sent by Sekclctu to carry his tusks. Thoir groator 
degradation was probably caused by tho treatment of then 
chiefs, — tho barbarians of tho islands. I found them more 
difficult to manage than any of tho rest of my companions, 
being much less reasonable and impressible than the others. 
My party consisted of tho head-mon aforementioned, Sek- 
webu, and Kanyata. Wo wore joined at tho falls by 
another head-man of tho Makololo, named Monahin, in 
oommand of tho Batoka. Wo had also somo of the Bana- 
