12 
THE NEW AFRICA 
seizing the opportunity offered by the momentary flight of 
Lobengula’s followers, rushed up and found Lobengula severely, 
but not dangerously, wounded through the fleshy part of his 
neck. Lobengula implored Khama to kill him ; but Khama sat 
down and spoke kindly to him, asking why they should always 
fight when they met, and then helped the crestfallen Lobengula 
on to his horse and walked away. It was for this reason that 
Lobengula in after life, when . asked permission by his young 
warriors to raid Bamangwato, always refused, and, pointing to 
his neck, would say, ‘ See this writing—“ Ngwati,”—it is from 
my brother—a sign of our friendship.’ 
On hearing I was a doctor, Khama requested me to vaccinate 
his family and some other children, from whom he could obtain 
lymph to further vaccinate the tribe. Luckily we had some 
lymph with us, and the operation was carried out under the 
eaves of Khama’s hut, in the presence of his wife and himself, 
to his entire satisfaction. Subsequently 1 learned that Khama 
himself had vaccinated many people, and instructed others to 
do likewise, so that the whole tribe in a short space of time 
was inoculated against the ever feared smallpox. 
We were much pestered by the natives of Shoshong, who 
came to beg for little odds and ends with annoying persistency. 
A pocket-knife unthinkingly displayed, the pipe one smoked, a 
shirt, anything and everything,were objects for their mendicity; 
and their desire for white men’s things amounted to so great 
a passion, that it was not uncommon for a man to remain till 
bedtime from early morning to ask once more for ‘ that knife— 
oh, that lovely knife ! Mokua (white man), oh give me that 
knife! ’ The native is firmly imbued with the idea that white 
men solely exist for the purpose that they may beg from them ; 
and the least sign of yielding is a mistake that will bring the 
whole village down, each individual with his own special 
request, applied with enraging perseverance, until one is obliged 
to drive them off by force. But this, to one’s chagrin, instead 
of frightening them only causes them much amusement, as they 
laughingly scatter, only to renew the attack at the first favour- 
