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The first time I passed it, Lopepe was a large pool with a stream flowing out of it to the south; now it was with difficulty we could get our cattle watered by digging down in the bottom of a well. At Mashue where we found a never-failing supply of pure water in a sandstone rocky hollow we left the road to the Bamangwato hills, and struck away to the north into the Desert.
Speaker followed speaker, in enthusiastic language giving expression to the joy they felt at seeing the chief of the Bamangwato return from captivity. In the course of his speech one said as follows: "Ye tribes, ye children of the ancients, this day is a day of marvel.... Now I begin to perceive that those who preach are verily true.
Departure from Kolobeng, 1st June, 1849 Companions Our Route Abundance of Grass Serotli, a Fountain in the Desert Mode of digging Wells The Eland Animals of the Desert The Hyaena The Chief Sekomi Dangers The wandering Guide Cross Purposes Slow Progress Want of Water Capture of a Bushwoman The Salt-pan at Nchokotsa The Mirage Reach the River Zouga The Quakers of Africa Discovery of Lake Ngami, 1st August, 1849 Its Extent Small Depth of Water Position as the Reservoir of a great River System The Bamangwato and their Chief Desire to visit Sebituane, the Chief of the Makololo Refusal of Lechulatebe to furnish us with Guides Resolve to return to the Cape The Banks of the Zouga Pitfalls Trees of the District Elephants New Species of Antelope Fish in the Zouga.
Khama knew that their wild incantations had no power to make rain, but that God alone ruled the heavens. So he refused. Sekhome now made his last and most fearful attack. He was a witch-doctor and master of the witch-doctors whose ghoulish incantations made the Bamangwato tremble in terror of unseen devils. One night the persecuted Khama woke at the sound of strange clashing and chanting.
Here the people have no antipathy to persons who have met with such an adventure, but, in the Bamangwato and Bakwain tribes, if a man is either bitten or even has had water splashed over him by the reptile's tail, he is expelled his tribe. When on the Zouga we saw one of the Bamangwato living among the Bayeiye, who had the misfortune to have been bitten and driven out of his tribe in consequence.
Proceeding northward, and passing through a range of tree-covered hills to Shokuane, formerly the residence of the Bakwains, we soon after entered on the high road to the Bamangwato, which lies generally in the bed of an ancient river or wady that must formerly have flowed N. to S. The adjacent country is perfectly flat, but covered with open forest and bush, with abundance of grass; the trees generally are a kind of acacia called "Monato", which appears a little to the south of this region, and is common as far as Angola.
In this second journey to Lepelole so called from a cavern of that name I began preparations for a settlement, by making a canal to irrigate gardens, from a stream then flowing copiously, but now quite dry. When these preparations were well advanced, I went northward to visit the Bakaa and Bamangwato, and the Makalaka, living between 22 Degrees and 23 Degrees south latitude.
We were nearly 300 miles away from Bamangwato, the capital of Khama's country, which was the nearest spot where we could get any help, and our ammunition, spare guns, clothing, food, and everything else, were all totally destroyed. I had just what I stood in, which was a flannel shirt, a pair of 'veldt-schoons, or shoes of raw hide, my eight-bore rifle, and a few cartridges.
This was a glorious day's sport: I had bagged, in one afternoon, probably the two finest bull elephants in Bamangwato, and, had it not been for the destruction of their noble trophies, which were the two finest pair of tusks I had obtained that season, my triumph on the occasion had been great and unalloyed. Quiet enough, in general, is the quaint old town of Lamborough.
The nucleus of the whole were Basuto, who came with Sebituane from a comparatively cold and hilly region in the south. When he conquered various tribes of the Bechuanas, as Bakwains, Bangwaketze, Bamangwato, Batauana, etc., he incorporated the young of these tribes into his own.
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