spirit of his father, who helped him
when he killed the hippopotamus. Another, when the bargain for his canoe
was nearly completed, seeing a large serpent on a branch of the tree
overhead, refused to complete the sale, alleging that this was the spirit
of his father come to protest against it.

Some of the Batoka chiefs must have been men of considerable enterprise;
the land of one, in the western part of this country, was protected by
the Zambesi on the S., and on the N. and E. lay an impassable reedy
marsh, filled with water all the year round, leaving only his western
border open to invasion: he conceived the idea of digging a broad and
deep canal nearly a mile in length, from the reedy marsh to the Zambesi,
and, having actually carried the scheme into execution, he formed a large
island, on which his cattle grazed in safety, and his corn ripened from
year to year secure from all marauders.

Another chief, who died a number of years ago, believed that he had
discovered a remedy for tsetse-bitten cattle; his son Moyara showed us a
plant, which was new to our botanist, and likewise told us how the
medicine was prepared; the bark of the root, and, what might please our
homoeopathic friends, a dozen of the tsetse are dried, and ground
together into a fine powder. This mixture is administered internally;
and the cattle are fumigated by burning under them the rest of the plant
collected. The treatment must be continued for weeks, whenever the
symptoms of poison appear. This medicine, he frankly admitted, would not
cure all the bitten cattle. "For," said he, "cattle, and men too, die in
spite of medicine; but should a herd by accident stray into a tsetse
district and be bitten, by this medicine of my father, Kampa-kampa, some
of them could be saved, while, without it, all would inevitably die." He
stipulated that we were not to show the medicine to other people, and if
ever we needed it in this region we must employ him; but if we were far
off we might make it ourselves; and when we saw it cure the cattle think
of him, and send him a present.

Our men made it known everywhere that we wished the tribes to live in
peace, and would use our influence to induce Sekeletu to prevent the
Batoka of Moshobotwane and the Makololo under-chiefs making forays into
their country: they had already suffered severely, and their
remonstrances with their countryman, Moshobotwane, evoked only the
answer, "The Makololo have given me a s