the subject of
native agents. He took with him two native members of the Kuruman
church, and two other natives for the management of the wagon.

The first person that specially engaged his interest in this journey was
a chief of the name of Bubi, whose people were Bakwains. With him he
stationed one of the native agents as a teacher, the chief himself
collecting the children and supplying them with food. The honesty of the
people was shown in their leaving untouched all the contents of his
wagon, though crowds of them visited it. Livingstone was already
acquiring a powerful influence, both with chiefs and people, the result
of his considerate and conciliatory treatment of both. He had already
observed the failure of some of his brethren to influence them, and his
sagacity had discerned the cause. His success in inducing Bubi's people
to dig a canal was contrasted in a characteristic passage of a private
letter, with the experience of others.

"The doctor and the rainmaker among these people are one and
the same person. As I did not like to be behind my
professional brethren, I declared I could make rain too, not,
however, by enchantments like them, but by leading out their
river for irrigation. The idea pleased mightily, and to work
we went instanter. Even the chief's own doctor is at it, and
works like a good fellow, laughing heartily at the cunning of
the 'foreigner' who can make rain so. We have only one spade,
and this is without a handle; and yet by means of sticks
sharpened to a point we have performed all the digging of a
pretty long canal. The earth was lifted out in 'gowpens' and
carried to the huge dam we have built in karosses (skin
cloaks), tortoise-shells, or wooden bowls. We intended
nothing of the ornamental in it, but when we came to a huge
stone, we were forced to search for a way round it. The
consequence is, it has assumed a beautifully serpentine
appearance. This is, I believe, the first instance in which
Bechuanas have been got to work without wages. It was with
the utmost difficulty the earlier missionaries got them to do
anything. The missionaries solicited their permission to do
what they did, and this was the very way to make them show
off their airs, for they are so disobliging; if they perceive
any one in the least dependent upon them, they immediately
begin to tyrannize.