e Bamangwato for many
years. Even Lobengula, who to his dying day carried in his neck a
bullet from Khama's gun, said of him, "The Bamangwato are dogs, but
Khama is a man."

Khama had now freed his people from the terror of the lion, the
tyranny of witch-doctors, and the dread of the Matabele. Yet the
deadliest enemy of Khama and the most loathsome tyrant of the
Bamangwato was still in power,--the strong drink which degrades the
African to unspeakable depths.

Even as Khama charged at the head of his men into the breaking ranks
of the Matabele, his younger brother, Khamane, whom he had put in
charge of his city in his absence, said to the people: "You may brew
beer again now." Many of the people did not obey, but others took the
corn of the tribe and brewed beer from it.

At night the cries of beaten women rose, and the weird chants of
incantations and of foul unclean dances were heard. Khamane called the
older men together around his fire. Pots of beer passed from hand to
hand. As the men grew fuddled they became bolder and more boastful.
Khamane then spoke to them and said, "Why should Khama rule you?
Remember he forbids you to make and to drink beer. He has done away
with the dances of the young men. He will not let you make charms or
throw enchanted dice or make incantations for rain. He is a Christian.
If I ruled you, you should do all these things."

When Khama rode back again into his town he saw men and women lying
drunk under the eaves of their huts and others reeling along the road.
At night the sounds of chants and drinking dances rose on the air.

His anger was terrible. For once he lost his temper. He seized a
burning torch and running to the hut of Khamane set fire to the roof
and burned the house down over his drunken brother's head. He ordered
all the beer that had been brewed to be seized, and poured it out
upon the veldt. He knew that he was fighting a fiercer enemy than
the Matabele, a foe that would throttle his tribe and destroy all his
people if he did not conquer it. The old men of the tribe muttered
against him and plotted his death. He met them face to face. His eyes
flashed.

"When I was still a lad," he said, "I used to think how I would
govern my town and what kind of a kingdom it should be. One thing I
determined, I would not rule over a drunken town or people. I WILL NOT
HAVE DRINK IN THIS TOWN. If you must have it you must go."

_The Fight with the White Man's "Fire-water"_

K