he doctors being offended at my
taking their practice out of their hands. When attacked by fever myself,
and wishing to ascertain what their practices were, I could safely
intrust myself in their hands on account of their well-known friendly
feelings.

The plan of showing kindness to the natives in their bodily ailments
secures their friendship; this is not the case to the same degree in
old missions, where the people have learned to look upon relief as a
right--a state of things which sometimes happens among ourselves at
home. Medical aid is therefore most valuable in young missions, though
at all stages it is an extremely valuable adjunct to other operations.

I proposed to teach the Makololo to read, but, for the reasons
mentioned, Sekeletu at first declined; after some weeks, however,
Motibe, his father-in-law, and some others, determined to brave the
mysterious book. To all who have not acquired it, the knowledge of
letters is quite unfathomable; there is naught like it within the
compass of their observation; and we have no comparison with any thing
except pictures, to aid them in comprehending the idea of signs of
words. It seems to them supernatural that we see in a book things
taking place, or having occurred at a distance. No amount of explanation
conveys the idea unless they learn to read. Machinery is equally
inexplicable, and money nearly as much so until they see it in actual
use. They are familiar with barter alone; and in the centre of the
country, where gold is totally unknown, if a button and sovereign were
left to their choice, they would prefer the former on account of its
having an eye.

In beginning to learn, Motibe seemed to himself in the position of the
doctor, who was obliged to drink his potion before the patient, to
show that it contained nothing detrimental; after he had mastered the
alphabet, and reported the thing so far safe, Sekeletu and his young
companions came forward to try for themselves. He must have resolved to
watch the effects of the book against his views on polygamy, and abstain
whenever he perceived any tendency, in reading it, toward enforcing him
to put his wives away. A number of men learned the alphabet in a short
time and were set to teach others, but before much progress could be
made I was on my way to Loanda.

As I had declined to name any thing as a present from Sekeletu, except a
canoe to take me up the river, he brought ten fine elephants' tusks and
laid them