hama had conquered for the moment. But white men, Englishmen, came
to the town. They set up stores. And in the stores they began to sell
brandy from large casks.

The drinking of spirits has more terrible effects on the African than
even on white men. Once he starts drinking, the African cannot
stop and is turned into a sot. The ships of the white man have been
responsible to a terrible extent for sending out the "fire-water" to
Africa.

Khama called the white traders in the tribe together.

"It is my desire," he said, "that no strong drink shall be sold in my
town."

"We will not bring the great casks of brandy," they replied, "but
we hope you will allow us to have cases of bottles as they are for
medicine."

"I consent," said Khama, "but there must be no drunkenness."

"Certainly," the white men replied, "there shall be no drunkenness."

In a few days one of the white traders had locked himself into his
house in drunken delirium, naked and raving. Morning after morning
Khama rose before daybreak to try and get to the man when he was
sober, but all the time he was drunk. Then one morning this man
gathered other white men together in a house and they sat drinking and
then started fighting one another.

A boy ran to Khama to tell him. The chief went to the house and strode
in. The room was a wreck. The men lay senseless with their white
shirts stained with blood.

Khama with set, stern face turned and walked to the house where he
often went for counsel, the home of his friend, Mr. Hepburn, the
missionary. Mr. Hepburn lay ill with fever. Khama told him what the
white men had done. Hepburn burned with shame and anger that his own
fellow-countrymen should so disgrace themselves. Ill as he was he rose
and went out with the chief and saw with his own eyes that it was as
Khama said.

"I will clear them all out of my town," cried the chief.

It was Saturday night.

_Khama's Decisive Hour_

On the Monday morning Khama sent word to all the white men to come
to him. It was a cold, dreary day. The chief sat waiting in the
_Kgotla_[47] while the white men came together before him. Hepburn,
the missionary, sat by his side. Those who knew Khama saw as soon as
they looked into his grim face that no will on earth could turn him
from his decisions that day.

"You white men,"[48] he said to them sternly, "have insulted and
despised me in my own town because I am a black man. If you despise us
black men, what do you w