istinctly, in a low pleasant
voice, and appears to be a sensible man, except perhaps on the subject of
his having been bewitched; and in this, when alluded to, he exhibits as
firm a belief as if it were his monomania. "Moriantsiane, my aunt's
husband, tried the bewitching medicine first on his wife, and she is
leprous, and so is her head-servant; then, seeing that it succeeded, he
gave me a stronger dose in the cooked flesh of a goat, and I have had the
disease ever since. They have lately killed Ponwane, and, as you see,
are now killing me." Ponwane had died of fever a short time previously.
Sekeletu asked us for medicine and medical attendance, but we did not
like to take the case out of the hands of the female physician already
employed, it being bad policy to appear to undervalue any of the
profession; and she, being anxious to go on with her remedies, said "she
had not given him up yet, but would try for another month; if he was not
cured by that time, then she would hand him over to the white doctors."
But we intended to leave the country before a month was up; so Mamire,
with others, induced the old lady to suspend her treatment for a little.
She remained, as the doctors stipulated, in the chief's establishment,
and on full pay.

Sekeletu was told plainly that the disease was unknown in our country,
and was thought exceedingly obstinate of cure; that we did not believe in
his being bewitched, and we were willing to do all we could to help him.
This was a case for disinterested benevolence; no pay was expected, but
considerable risk incurred; yet we could not decline it, as we had the
trading in horses. Having, however, none of the medicines usually
employed in skin diseases with us, we tried the local application of
lunar caustic, and hydriodate of potash internally; and with such
gratifying results, that Mamire wished the patient to be smeared all over
with a solution of lunar caustic, which he believed to be of the same
nature as the blistering fluid formerly applied to his own knee by Mr.
Oswell. _Its_ power he considered irresistible, and he would fain have
had anything like it tried on Sekeletu.

It was a time of great scarcity and hunger, but Sekeletu treated us
hospitably, preparing tea for us at every visit we paid him. With the
tea we had excellent American biscuit and preserved fruits, which had
been brought to him all the way from Benguela. The fruits he most
relished were those preserved in th