been followed by an irruption
of the Matabele, the most cruel enemies the Bechuanas ever knew, and
this they thought might portend something as bad, or it might only
foreshadow the death of some great chief. On this subject of comets I
knew little more than they did themselves, but I had that confidence in
a kind overruling Providence which makes such a difference between
Christians and both the ancient and modern heathen.

As some of the Bamangwato people had accompanied me to Kuruman, I was
obliged to restore them and their goods to their chief Sekomi. This made
a journey to the residence of that chief again necessary, and, for the
first time, I performed a distance of some hundred miles on oxback.

Returning toward Kuruman, I selected the beautiful valley of Mabotsa
(latitude 25 deg. 14' south, longitude 26 deg. 30') as the site of a
missionary-station, and thither I removed in 1843. Here an occurrence
took place concerning which I have frequently been questioned in
England, and which, but for the importunities of friends, I meant to
have kept in store to tell my children when in my dotage. The Bakatla of
the village Mabotsa were much troubled by lions, which leaped into the
cattle-pens by night and destroyed their cows. They even attacked the
herds in open day. This was so unusual an occurrence that the people
believed they were bewitched--"given," as they said, "into the power of
the lions by a neighboring tribe." They went at once to attack the
animals, but, being rather a cowardly people compared to Bechuanas in
general on such occasions, they returned without killing any.

It is well known that if one of a troop of lions is killed, the others
take the hint and leave that part of the country. So the next time the
herds were attacked I went with the people in order to encourage them to
rid themselves of the annoyance by destroying one of the marauders. We
found the lions on a small hill about a quarter of a mile in length and
covered with trees. A circle of men was formed round it, and they
gradually closed up, ascending pretty near to each other. Being down
below on the plain with a native schoolmaster, named Mebalwe, a most
excellent man, I saw one of the lions sitting on a piece of rock within
the now closed circle of men. Mebalwe fired at him before I could, and
the ball struck the rock on which the animal was sitting. He bit at the
spot struck, as a dog does at a stick or stone thrown at him; then
leaping