Chap. IX. 
PEESENTS TO SEKELETU. 
191 
pediency of combining tlie two professions, I was glad of the 
proposal of one of the most honomnble merchants of Cape Town, 
Mr. H. E. Entherford, that he should risk a sum of money in 
Fleming’s hands, for the pm’pose of attempting to develop a trade 
with the Makololo. It was to this man I suggested Sekeletu 
should sell the tusks wliich he had presented for my acceptance, 
but the chief refused to take them back Eom me. The goods 
wliich Fleming had brought were ill adapted for the use of the 
natives, but he got a pretty good load of ivory in exchange ; and 
though it was his first attempt at trading, and the distance tra¬ 
velled over made the expenses enormous, he was not a loser by 
the trip. Other traders followed, who demanded 90 lbs. of ivory 
for a musket. The Makololo, knowing nothing of steelyards, but 
supposing that they were meant to cheat them, declined to trade 
except by exchanging one bull and one cow elephant’s tusk for 
each gun. This would average 70 lbs. of ivory, which sells at 
the Cape for 5s. per pound, for a secondliand musket worth 10^. 
I, being sixty miles distant, did not witness tliis attempt at barter, 
but, anxious to enable my countrymen to drive a brisk trade, told 
the Makololo to sell my ten tusks on then own account for what¬ 
ever they would bring. Seventy tusks were for sale, but, the 
parties not understanding each other’s talk, no trade was esta¬ 
blished ; and when I passed the spot some time afterwards, I 
found that the whole of that ivory had been destroyed by an 
accidental fire, wliich broke out in the village when all the people 
were absent. Success in trade is as much dependent on know¬ 
ledge of the language as success in travelling. 
I had brought with me as presents an improved breed of goats, 
fowls, and a pair of cats. A superior bull was bought, also as a 
gift to Sekeletu, but I was compelled to leave it on account of its 
having become footsore. As the Makololo are very fond of im- 
provhig the breed of their domestic animals, they were much 
pleased with my selection. I endeavoured to bring the bull, in 
performance of a promise made to Sebituane before he died. 
Admiring a calf wliich we had with us, he proposed to give me a 
cow for it, which in the native estimation was offering three times 
its value. I presented it to him at once, and promised to bring 
him another and a better one. Sekeletu was much gratified by 
my attempt to keep my word given to liis father. 
They have two breeds of cattle among them. One called the 
