religious enthusiasm. The chief conducts in person
native services, twice every Sunday, in his large round
Tcotla, at which he expects a large attendance. He
stands beneath the traditional tree of justice, and
the canopy of heaven, quite in a patriarchal style.
He has a system of espionage by which he learns the
names of those who do not keep Sunday properly,
and he punishes them accordingly. He has already
collected 3,000£. for a church which is to be built at
Palapwe.
The two acts, however, which more than anything
else display the power of the man, and perhaps his
intolerance, are these. Firstly, he forbids all his
subjects to make or drink beer. Any one who knows
the love of a Kaffir for his porridge-like beer, and his
occasional orgies, will realise what a power one man
must have to stop this in a whole tribe. Even the
missionaries have remonstrated with him on this
point, representing the measure as too strong ; but
he replies, ‘ Beer is the source of all quarrels and
disputes. I will stop it.’ Secondly, he has put a
stop altogether to the existence of witch doctors and
their craft throughout all the Ba-mangwato—another
instance of his force of will, when one considers that
the national religion of the Sechuana is merely a
belief in the existence of good and bad spirits which
haunt them and act on their lives. All members of
other neighbouring tribes are uncomfortable if they
are not charmed by their witch doctor every two or
three days.
Like the other Bechuana tribes, the Ba-mangwato
have a totem which they once revered. Theirs is the
I duyTcer, a sort of roebuck; and Khama’s father, old
* Sikkome, would not so much as step on a duylcer-skin.
Khama will now publicly eat a steak of that animal
to encourage his men to shake off their belief. In
manner the chief is essentially a gentleman, courteous
and dignified. He rides a good deal, and prides himself
on his stud. On one occasion he did what I doubt
if every English gentleman would do. He sold a horse
for a high price, which died a few days afterwards,
whereupon Khama returned the purchase money,
f considering that the illness had been acquired previous
to the purchase taking place. On his waggons
he has painted in English, ‘ Khama, Chief of the Ba-
mangwato.’ They say he understands a great deal
of our tongue, but he never trusts himself to speak it,
always using an interpreter.
An instance of Khama’s system of discipline came
under our notice during our stay at Palapwe. Attracted
by the sound of bugles, I repaired very early
one morning to the kotla, and there saw men in all
sorts of quaint dresses, with arms, and spades, and
picks, mustering to the number of about 200. On
enquiry, I was told that it was a regiment which had
^misbehaved and displeased the chief in some way.
fthe punishment he inflicted on them was this : that
for a given period they were to assemble every day
and go and work in the fields, opening out new land
for the people. There is something Teutonic in
Khama’s imperial discipline, but the Bechuana are
made, of different stuff to the Germans. They are by