residence of the Ba-mangwato, the most important of
the Ba-kuana tribes, and is ruled by the chief Khama.
So much attention has been directed to .him and his people
of late years, that a detailed description is necessary. The
Ba-kuana, or Bechuana, tribes are closely allied by physical
appearance, language, and customs to the Ba-suto ;
agriculture and cattle-raising is their chief pursuit, and
they possess some of the warlike spirit of the Zulu, to
whom, however, physically and intellectually, they are very
inferior. The Ba-mangwato are the most northern of the
Ba-kuana tribes; they consist of 1 5,000 to 20,000 individuals,
nearly all of them huddled up together in a huge village.
Their chief, Khama, is nominally the ruler of the huge
tract of country south and west of Matabeleland ; but this
territory of nearly 175,000 square miles consists almost
exclusively of arid, waterless, uninhabited desert — the
Kalahari. Until a few years ago Khama and his people
were settled at Shoshong, a hundred miles west of the
Crocodile river; but one day the chief took it into his
head that the place was unsuitable, and all his people had
to follow him up to Palapshwe.
I will now endeavour to sketch their ruler. Khama
has always been described as the Christian King of
Africa, and given as a model of what the civilizing
influence of Christianity can make of a black savage.
I can scarcely say that the result is very encouraging.
From his youth Khama got under the influence of the
’missionaries; the teaching of one of them, well known
for his meddling in politics, was not lost on the young
savage. Self-asserting, intensely fond of power, the boy
seized the first pretext to break out in open rebellion
against his father. Circumcision is practised among all
the Ba-kuana; but when the time for the performance
of this ceremony arrived, young Khama, incited thereto
by his religious teacher, declined to submit to it.
Although still a boy, he collected around him a number
of followers dissatisfied with his father’s rule, and
successfully waged war against him. Soon after this, to
convert all his followers to the Christian faith became his
chief ambition; but having been taught that the great
Queen Victoria was the head of the Anglican Church,
he decided to become the head of the Mangwatan
Church. He began by personally holding weekly services,
then daily ones, preaching his own sermons. Then, having
heard that teetotallers were certain to go to heaven, he
decided that all his people should become abstainers. He
forbade the brewing of “ joala’’—native beer, or rather
sour porridge. At first sight this appears a wise and
most commendable decision; but it must be remembered
that this beverage, intoxicating when consumed in
enormous quantities, is perfectly harmless in moderation,
and really forms the only food of aged people. To
enforce this law the chief organized a most elaborate
system of espionage; the offenders were expelled the
country, and their goods confiscated, a portion of them
being given to the informer.
So elaborate is this system of espionage that no native
is allowed' to leave on a journey alone, and two men, at
least, are always sent out together; everyone fears his
neighbour in Khama’s country.
The occupation of Mashonaland by the Chartered
Company brought Palapshwe into enormous importance,
as it is situated on the road from Mafeking to Macloutsie
and money soon began to flow into the place.
To build a cathedral now became Khama’s great
ambition: he subscribed £3000, and all his people had to
contribute to the fund. Unfortunately the cathedral
became a source of Homeric quarrels between Khama and
his moral adviser, the Rev. Mr. Hepburn, who had been in
Palapshwe for nearly twenty years. The whole' thing
resulted in a violent contest, and Khama purely and
simply turned his old friend out of the country at a
day’s notice, refusing even to allow him to return to
collect his property. Khama’s professions of loyalty to
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