Chap. X, 
LECHULATEBE’S PKOVOCATIOXS. 
199 
Sebituane, any one remaining in his house, was searched for and 
killed without mercy. 
This offence of Lechulatebe was aggravated by repetition, and 
by a song sung in his town accompanying the dances, which 
manifested joy at the death of Sebituane. He had enjoined his 
people to live in peace with those at the lake, and Sekeletu 
felt disposed to follow liis advice : but Lechulatebe had now got 
possession of fire-arms, and considered himself more than a match 
for the Makololo, His father had been dispossessed of many 
cattle by Sebituane, and, as forgiveness is not considered among 
the virtues by the heathen, Lechulatebe thought he had a right 
to recover what he could. As I had a good deal of influence 
with the Makololo, I persuaded them that, before they could 
have peace, they must resolve to give the same blessing to 
others, and they never could do that without forgiving and for¬ 
getting ancient feuds. It is hard to make them feel that 
shedding of human blood is a great crime; they must be 
conscious that it is wrong, but, having been accustomed to 
bloodshed from infancy, they are remarkably callous to the 
enormity of the crime of destroying human life. 
I sent a message at the same time to Lechulatebe advising 
him to give up the course he had adopted, and especially the 
song; because, though Sebituane was dead, the arms with which 
he had fought were still alive and strong. 
Sekeletu, in order to follow up his father’s instructions and 
promote peace, sent ten cows to Lechulatebe to be exchanged 
for sheep; these animals tlirive well in a bushy country like 
that around the lake, but will scarcely Live in the flat prairies 
between the net-work of waters north of the Chobe. The men 
who took the cows carried a number of hoes to purchase goats 
besides. Lechulatebe took the cows and sent back an equal 
number of sheep. How, according to the relative value of sheep 
and cows in these parts, he ought to have sent sixty or seventy. 
One of the men who had hoes was trying to purchase in a 
village without formal leave from Lechulatebe; this chief 
punished him by making him sit some hours on the broiling hot 
sand (at least 130°). This farther offence put a stop to amicable 
relations between the two tribes altogether. It was a case in 
which a very small tribe, commanded by a weak and foolish 
chief, had got possession of fire-arms, and felt conscious of 
