welve hundred miles inland from the Cape, recognised me with
the loud laughter of joy when I was passing them at their work in the
Roggefelt and Bokkefelt, within a few days of Cape Town. I conversed
with them, and with Elders of the Dutch Church, for whom they were
working, and found that the system was thoroughly satisfactory to both
parties. I do not believe that there is a Boer, in the Cashan or
Magaliesberg country, who would deny that a law was made, in consequence
of this labour passing to the Colony, to deprive these labourers of
their hardly-earned cattle, for the very urgent reason that, "if they
want to work, let them work for us, their masters," though boasting that
in their case their work would not be paid.

"I can never cease to be most unfeignedly thankful that I was not born
in a land of slaves. No one can understand the effect of the unutterable
meanness of the slave system on the minds of those who, but for the
strange obliquity which prevents them from feeling the degradation of
not being gentlemen enough to pay for services rendered, would be equal
in virtue to ourselves."

After giving his experience of eight years in Sechele's country, in
Bechuanaland, Livingstone continues:--"During that time, no winter
passed without one or two of the tribes in the east country being
plundered of both cattle and children by the Boers. The plan pursued is
the following: one or two friendly tribes are forced to accompany a
party of mounted Boers. When they reach the tribe to be attacked, the
friendly natives are ranged in front, to form, as they say, 'a shield;'
the Boers then coolly fire over their heads till the devoted people flee
and leave cattle, wives and children to their captors. This was done in
nine cases during my residence in the interior, and on no occasion was a
drop of Boer's blood shed. News of these deeds spread quickly among the
Bechuanas, and letters were repeatedly sent by the Boers to Sechele,
ordering him to come and surrender himself as their vassal, and stop
English traders from proceeding into the country. But the discovery of
lake Ngami, hereafter to be described, made the traders come in
five-fold greater numbers, and Sechele replied, 'I was made an
independent chief and placed here by God, and not by you. I was never
conquered by Mosilikatze, as those tribes whom you rule over; and the
English are my friends; I get everything I wish from them; I cannot
hinder them from going where they