38 
BOERS COMPARED TO BUSHMEN. 
Chap. II. 
but declined the test which I proposed, namely, to examine whether 
they or my native attendants could read best. Two of their clergy¬ 
men came to baptize the children of the Boers; so, supposing 
these good men would assist me in overcoming the repugnance of 
their flock to the education of the blacks, I called on them; but 
my visit ended in a ruse practised by the Boerish commandant, 
whereby I was led, by professions of the greatest friendship, to 
rethe to Kolobeng, while a letter passed me by another way to 
the other missionaries in the south, demanding my instant recall 
‘‘ for lending a cannon to their enemies.” The colonial govern¬ 
ment was also gravely informed that the story was true; and I came 
to be looked upon as a most suspicious character m consequence. 
These notices of the Boers are not intended to produce a sneer 
at their ignorance, but to excite the compassion of their friends. 
They are perpetually talking about their laws; but practically 
theirs is only the law of the strongest. The Bechuanas could 
never understand the changes wliich took place in theh com¬ 
mandants. Why, one can never know who is the chief among 
these Boers. Like the Bushmen, they have no king—they must 
be the Bushmen of the English.” The idea that any tribe of men 
could be so senseless as not to have an hereditary chief was so 
absurd to these people, that, in order not to appear equally stupid, 
I was obliged to tell them that we English were so anxious to 
preserve the royal blood, that we had made a young lady our 
chief. This seemed to them a most convincing proof of our sound 
sense. We shall see farther on the confidence my account of our 
Queen inspired. 
The Boers, encouraged by the accession of Mr. Pretorius, deter¬ 
mined at last to put a stop to English traders going past Kolobeng, 
by dispersing the tribe of Bakwains, and expelling all the mis¬ 
sionaries. Sh George Cathcart proclaimed the independence of 
the Boers, the best thing that could have been done had they 
been between us and the Cafires. A treaty was entered into 
with these Boers ; an article for the free passage of Englishmen 
to the country beyond, and also another, that no slavery should 
be allowed in the independent territory, were duly inserted, as 
expressive of the views of Her Majesty’s government at home. 
“ But what about the missionaries ?” inquired the Boers. “ You 
may do as you please with them^' is said to have been the answer 
