ements
forward, and wondered to see how we, without any Bushmen, found our way
to the waters. This was the first time they had seen Ramotobi. "You have
reached the river now," said they; and we, quite disposed to laugh at
having won the game, felt no ill-will to any one. They seemed to feel
no enmity to us either; but, after an apparently friendly conversation,
proceeded to fulfill to the last the instructions of their chief.
Ascending the Zouga in our front, they circulated the report that our
object was to plunder all the tribes living on the river and lake; but
when they had got half way up the river, the principal man sickened of
fever, turned back some distance, and died. His death had a good effect,
for the villagers connected it with the injury he was attempting to do
to us. They all saw through Sekomi's reasons for wishing us to fail in
our attempt; and though they came to us at first armed, kind and fair
treatment soon produced perfect confidence.

When we had gone up the bank of this beautiful river about ninety-six
miles from the point where we first struck it, and understood that we
were still a considerable distance from the Ngami, we left all the oxen
and wagons, except Mr. Oswell's, which was the smallest, and one team,
at Ngabisane, in the hope that they would be recruited for the home
journey, while we made a push for the lake. The Bechuana chief of the
Lake region, who had sent men to Sechele, now sent orders to all the
people on the river to assist us, and we were received by the Bakoba,
whose language clearly shows that they bear an affinity to the tribes
in the north. They call themselves Bayeiye, i.e., men; but the Bechuanas
call them Bakoba, which contains somewhat of the idea of slaves. They
have never been known to fight, and, indeed, have a tradition that their
forefathers, in their first essays at war, made their bows of the Palma
Christi, and, when these broke, they gave up fighting altogether. They
have invariably submitted to the rule of every horde which has overrun
the countries adjacent to the rivers on which they specially love to
dwell. They are thus the Quakers of the body politic in Africa.

A long time after the period of our visit, the chief of the Lake,
thinking to make soldiers of them, took the trouble to furnish them
with shields. "Ah! we never had these before; that is the reason we have
always succumbed. Now we will fight." But a marauding party came from
the Makololo, and o