Chap. V. 
AETICLES OF COMMERCE. 
109 
that we had returned to civilized life. But I would not give 
any one to understand by this that they are model Christians 
—we cannot claim to be model Christians ourselves—or even in 
any degree superior to the members of our own country churches. 
They are more stingy and greedy than the poor at home; but in 
many respects the two are exactly alike. On asking an intelligent 
chief what he thought of them, he replied, “ You white men have 
no idea of how wicked we are; we know each other better than 
you; some feign belief to ingratiate themselves with the mis¬ 
sionaries ; some profess Christianity because they like the new 
system, which gives so much more importance to the poor, and 
desire that the old system may pass away; and the rest—a pretty 
large number-“-profess, because they are really true believers.” 
This testimony may be considered as very nearly correct. 
There is not much prospect of this country ever producing 
much of the materials of commerce except wool. At present the 
chief articles of trade are karosses or mantles—the skins of which 
they are composed come from the Desert; next to them ivory, 
the quantity of which cannot now be great, inasmuch as the 
means of shooting elephants is sedulously debarred entrance into 
the country. A few skins and horns, and some cattle, make up 
the remainder of the exports. English goods, sugar, tea, and 
coffee are the articles received in exchange. All the natives of 
these parts soon become remarkably fond of coffee. The acme 
of respectability among the Bechuanas is the possession of cattle 
and a waggon. It is remarkable that, though these latter requffe 
frequent repairs, none of the Bechuanas have ever learned to 
mend them. Forges and tools have been at their service, and 
teachers willing to aid them, but, beyond putting together a 
camp-stool, no effort has ever been made to acquire the know¬ 
ledge of the trades. They observe most carefully a missionary 
at work, until they understand whether a tire is well welded or 
not, and then pronounce upon its merits with great emphasis, but 
there their ambition rests satisfied. It is the same peculiarity 
among ourselves which leads us in other matters, such as book¬ 
making, to attain the excellence of fault-finding without the wit 
to indite a page. It was in vain I tried to indoctrinate the 
Bechuanas with the idea that criticism did not imply any supe¬ 
riority over the workman, or even equality with him. 
