on. In these cases of
marriage, the consent of the young women is seldom asked. A maid-servant
of Sekeletu, however, pronounced by the Makololo to be good-looking, was
at this time sought in marriage by five young men. Sekeletu, happening
to be at my wagon when one of these preferred his suit, very coolly
ordered all five to stand in a row before the young woman, that she
might make her choice. Two refused to stand, apparently, because they
could not brook the idea of a repulse, although willing enough to take
her if Sekeletu had acceded to their petition without reference to
her will. Three dandified fellows stood forth, and she unhesitatingly
decided on taking one who was really the best looking. It was amusing to
see the mortification exhibited on the black faces of the unsuccessful
candidates, while the spectators greeted them with a hearty laugh.

During the whole of my stay with the Makololo, Sekeletu supplied my
wants abundantly, appointing some cows to furnish me with milk, and,
when he went out to hunt, sent home orders for slaughtered oxen to be
given. That the food was not given in a niggardly spirit may be inferred
from the fact that, when I proposed to depart on the 20th of October, he
protested against my going off in such a hot sun. "Only wait," said he,
"for the first shower, and then I will let you go." This was reasonable,
for the thermometer, placed upon a deal box in the sun, rose to 138 Deg.
It stood at 108 Deg. in the shade by day, and 96 Deg. at sunset. If
my experiments were correct, the blood of a European is of a higher
temperature than that of an African. The bulb, held under my tongue,
stood at 100 Deg.; under that of the natives, at 98 Deg. There was much
sickness in the town, and no wonder, for part of the water left by the
inundation still formed a large pond in the centre. Even the plains
between Linyanti and Sesheke had not yet been freed from the waters of
the inundation. They had risen higher than usual, and for a long time
canoes passed from the one place to the other, a distance of upward of
120 miles, in nearly a straight line. We found many patches of stagnant
water, which, when disturbed by our passing through them, evolved strong
effluvia of sulphureted hydrogen. At other times these spots exhibit
an efflorescence of the nitrate of soda; they also contain abundance of
lime, probably from decaying vegetable matter, and from these may have
emanated the malaria which caused the prese