KH AM AS BROTHER, KHAMANI 
393 
We bought two young leopards from Khamani to take home 
with us; but these little demons were so unmanageable, taking 
no nourishment, and ferociously biting and scratching at any in¬ 
truding hand that supplied them with food, that at last, in despair 
of bringing them out alive, we knocked them on the head. 
Some young wild ostriches also fell to our lot by purchase 
from a ‘Vaalpens bushman,’ who had watched their hatching 
in the bushy plain, and seized them as soon as they were out. 
They had grown to the size of swans when we got them, and 
proved amiable travelling companions, at times emitting a soft 
‘ coo ’ like the exaggerated note of doves. 
Khamani, unlike the brothers of most native kings, had 
not been executed as a probable rival to his brother on the 
latter’s accession to the throne of Mongwato. He, however, 
lost no opportunity of making himself unpleasant to Khama, 
using Khama’s legislation regarding the drink question as a 
strong lever to obtain supporters of his pretensions to the 
throne. Khama had passed a law prohibiting the importation 
or use of alcoholic liquors in his country, and had even gone 
so far as to interdict the manufacture of native beer within 
his boundaries. Of course there were many malcontents who 
objected to this law, and these Khamani assembled around 
himself as subjects. They never lost an opportunity of making 
themselves objectionable to Khama, who on several occasions 
had given his brother high office in the land, but was compelled 
by the latter’s behaviour to dismiss him. On one occasion 
Khama had actually, while on a visit elsewhere, allowed him 
to govern the country, a very dangerous experiment: for when 
Khama returned, his brother endeavoured to retain the govern¬ 
ment, but had to retire without fighting, as his supporters failed 
him at the critical moment. While in retirement Khamani 
endeavoured to raise an insurrection; but before his plans were 
well matured Khama rode to his camp with a bodyguard of 
twenty-five men for the road, and when near Khamani’s station 
ordered his men, all but one, to remain behind, while he rode 
into his brother’s council attended by only this one man to 
