LIVINGSTONE also took great interest in another
tribe, the famous
Makololo, some account of which will prove instructive
and entertaining.
In the whole of Africa south of the equator, we find the
great
events of the civilized world repeated on a smaller scale.
Civilized history
speaks of the origin and rise of nations, and the decadence
and fall of
empires. During a course of many centuries, dynasties
have arisen and
held their sway for generations, fading away by degrees
before the influx
of mightier races. The kingdoms of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon,
Greece,
Rome, Persia, and the like, have lasted from generation
after generation,
and some of them still exist, though with diminished
powers. The
Pharaohs have passed from the face of the earth, and
their metropolis is
a desert; but Athens and Rome still retain some traces
of their vanished
glories.
In Southern Africa, however, the changes that take place,
though
precisely similar in principle, are on a much smaller
scale, both of mag-
nitude and duration, and a traveller who passes a few
years in the
country may see four or five changes of dynasty in that
brief period.
Within the space of an ordinary life-time, for example,
the fiery genius
of Tchaka gathered a number of scattered tribes into
a nation, and created
a dynasty, which, when deprived of its leading spirit,
fell into decline,
and has yearly tended to return to the original elements
of which it was
composed.
Then the Hottentots have come from some unknown country,
and
dispossessed the aborigines of the Cape so completely
that no one knows
what those aborigines were. In the case of islands, such
as the Poly-
nesian group, or even the vast island of Australia, we
know what the
aborigines must have been ; but we have no such knowledge
with regard
to Southern Africa, and in consequence the extent of
our knowledge is,
that the aborigines, whoever they might have been, were
certainly not
Hottentots. Then the Kaffirs swept down and ejected the
Hottentots,,
and the Dutch and other white colonists ejected the Kaffirs.
So it has been with the tribe of the Makololo, which,
though thinly
scattered, and by no means condensed, has contrived to
possess a large
portion of Southern Africa. Deriving their primary origin
from a branch
of the great Bechuana tribe, and therefore retaining
many of the customs
of that tribe together with its skill in manufactures,
they were able to
extend themselves far from their original home, and by
degrees contrived
to gain the dominion over the greater part of the surrounding,
country.
Yet in 1861, when Dr. Livingstone passed through the
country of the
Makololo, he saw symptoms of its decadence.
Cowards Put To Death
They had been organized by a great and wise chief named
Sebituane,.
who carried out to the fullest extent the old Roman principle
of mercy
to the submissive, and war to the proud. Sebituane owed
much of his
success to his practice of leading his troops to battle
in person. When
he came within sight of the enemy, he significantly felt
the edge of
his battle-axe and said, ' wha ! it is sharp, and whoever
turns his
back on the enemy will feel its edge." Being remarkably
fleet of foot,
none of his soldiers could escape from him, and they
found that it was
far safer to fling themselves on the enemy with the chance
of repelling"
him, than run away with the certainty of being cut down
by the chief's
battle-axe.
Sometimes a cowardly soldier skulked, or hid himself Sebituane,.
however, was not to be deceived, and, after allowing
him to return home,
he would send for the delinquent, and^ after mockingly
assuming that
death at home was preferable to death on the field of
battle, would order
him to instant execution.
He incorporated the conquered tribes with his own Makololo,
saying
that, when they submitted to his rule, they were all
children of the chief,
and therefore equal ; and he proved his words by admitting
them to par-
ticipate in the highest honors, and causing them to intermarry
with his
own tribe. Under him was an organized system of head
chiefs, and
petty chiefs and elders, through whom Sebituane knew
all the affairs of
his kingdom, and guided it well and wisely. But, when
he died, the
band tJiat held together this nation was loosened, and
bid fair to give
way altogether. His son and successor, Sekeletu, was
incapable of
following the example of his father. He allowed the prejudices
of race
to be again developed, and fostered them himself by studiously
excluding
all women except the Makololo from his harem, and appointing
none but
Makololo men to office.
A Worthless Ruler.
Consequently, he became exceedingly unpopular among those
very
tribes whom his father had succeeded in conciliating,
and, as a natural
result, his chiefs and elders being all Makololo men,
they could not
enjoy the confidence of the incorporated tribes, and
thus the harmonious
system of Sebituane was broken up. Without confidence
in their rulers,
a people cannot retain their position as a great nation
; and Sekeletu, in
forfeiting that confidence, sapped with his own hands
the foundation of
his throne. Discontent began to show itself, and his
people drew
unfavorable contrasts between his rule and that of his
father, some even,
doubting whether so weak and purposeless a man could
really be the son.
of their lamented chief, the " Great Lion," as they called
him. " In his
days," said they, " we had great chiefs, and little chiefs,
and elders, to
carry on the government, and the great chief, Sebituane,
knew them all,
and the whole country was wisely ruled. But now Sekeletu
knows noth-
ing, and the Makololo power is fast passing away."
Then Sekeletu fell ill of a horrible and disfiguring disease,
shut him-
self up in his house, and would not show himself; allowing
no one to
come near him but one favorite, through whom his orders
were
transmitted to the people. But the nation got tired of
being ruled by
deputy, and consequently a number of conspiracies were
organized
which never could have been done under the all-pervading
rule of Seb-
ituane, and several of the greater chiefs boldly set
their king at defiance.
As long as Sekeletu lived, the kingdom retained a nominal,
though not
a real existence, but within a year after his death,
which occured in 1864,
civil wars sprang up on every side ; the kingdom thus
divided was
weakened, and unable to resist the incursions of surrounding
tribes, and
thus, within the space of a very few years, the great
Makololo empire
fell to pieces.
According to Dr. Livingstone, this event was much to be
regretted,
considering the character of its people.
Mr. Baines, who knew both the father and the son, has
the very
meanest opinion of the latter, and the highest of the
former. In his
notes, which show a man of very keen discernment, he
briefly character-
izes them as follows : " Sebituane, a polished, merciful
man. Sekeletu, his
successor, a fast young snob, with no judgment. Killed
off his father's
councillors, and did as he liked. Helped the missionaries
to die rather
than to live, even if he did not intentionally poison
them then plundered
their provision stores."
The true Makololo are a fine race of men, and are lighter
in color than
the surrounding tribes, being of a rich warm brown, rather
than black,
and they are rather peculiar in their intonation, pronouncing
each sylla-
ble slowly and deliberately.
The general character of this people seems to be a high
one, and in
many respects will bear comparison with the Ovambo. Brave
they have
proved themselves by their many victories, though it
is rather remarkable
that they do not display the same courage when opposed
to the lion as
when engaged in warfare against their fellow-men. Yet
they are not
without courage and presence of mind in the hunting-field,
though the
dread king of beasts seems to exercise such an influence
over them that
they fear to resist his inroads.
The buffalo is really quite as much to be dreaded as the
lion, and yet
the Makololo are comparatively indifferent when pursuing
it. The
animal has an unpleasant habit of doubling back on its
trail, crouching
in the bush, allowing the hunters to pass its hiding-place,
and then to
charge suddenly at them with such a force and fury that
it scatters the
hunters before its headlong rush like autumn leaves before
the wind.
Hospitality is one of their chief virtues, and it is exercised
with a
modesty which is rather remarkable. " The people of every
village,"
writes Livingstone, " treated us most liberally, presenting,
besides oxen,
butter, milk, and meal, more than we could stow away
in our canoes.
The cows in this valley are now yielding, as they frequently
do, more
milk than the people can use, and both men and women
present butter
in such quantities, that I shall be able to refresh my
men as we go along.
Anointing the skin prevents the excessive evaporation
of the fluids of
the body, and acts as clothing in both sun and shade.
Famous Story of the Wagon.
"They always made their presents gracefully. When an ox
was given,
the owner would say, ' Here is a little bit of bread
for you.' This was
pleasing, for I had been accustomed to the Bechuanas
presenting a
miserable goat, with the pompous exclamation, ' Behold
an ox! 'The
women persisted in giving me copious supplies of shrill
praises, or 'lulli-
looing,' but although I frequently told them to modify
their Great
Lords,' and * Great Lions,' to more humble expressions,
they so evidently
intended to do me honor, that I could not help being
pleased with the
poor creatures' wishes for our success."
One remarkable instance of the honesty of this tribe is
afforded by
Dr. Livingstone. In 1853, he had left at Linyanti, a
place on the Zam-
besi River, a wagon containing papers and stores. He
had been away
from Linyanti, to which place he found that letters and
packages had
been sent for him. Accordingly, in i860, he determined
on revisiting
the spot, and, when he arrived there, found that everything
in the wagon
was exactly in the same state as when he left it in charge
of the king
seven years before. The head men of the place were very
glad to see
him back again, and only lamented that he had not arrived
in the
previous year, which happened to be one of special plenty.
This honesty is the more remarkable, because they had
good reason
to fear the attacks of the Matabele, who, if they had
heard that a wagon
with property in it was kept in the place, would have
attacked Linyanti
at once, in spite of its strong position amid rivers
and marshes. How-
ever, the Makololo men agreed that in that case they
were to fight in
defence of the wagon, and that the first man who wounded
a Matabele
in defence of the wagon was to receive cattle as a reward.
It is prob-
able, however, that the great personal influence which
Dr. Livingstone
exercised over the king and his tribe had much to do
with the behavior
of these Makololo, and that a man of less capacity and
experience would
have been robbed of everything that could be stolen.
How Strangers are Received.
When natives travel, especially if they should be headed
by a chief,
various ceremonies take place, the women being intrusted
with the task
of welcoming the visitors. This they do by means of a
shrill, prolonged,
undulating cry, produced by a rapid agitation of the
tongue, and
expressively called " lullilooing." The men follow their
example, and it
is etiquette for the chief to receive all these salutations
with perfect
indifference. As soon as' the new comers are seated,
a conversation
takes place, in which the two parties exchange news,
and then the head
man rises and brings out a quantity of beer in large
pots. Calabash
goblets are handed round, and every one makes it a point
of honor to
drink as fast as he can, the fragile goblets being often
broken in this
convivial rivalry.
Besides the beer, jars of clotted milk are produced in.
plenty, and each
of the jars is given to the principal men, who are at
liberty to divide it
as they choose. Although originally sprung from the Bechuanas,
the
Makololo disdain the use of spoons, preferring to scoop
up the milk in
their hands, and, if a spoon be given to them, they merely
ladle out
some milk from the jar, put it into their hands, and
so eat it. A chief is
expected to give several feasts of meat to his followers.
He chooses an
ox, and hands it over to some favored individual, who
proceeds to kill it
by piercing its heart with a slender spear. The wound
is carefully
closed, so that the animal bleeds internally, the whole
of the blood, as
well as the viscera, forming the perquisite of the butcher.
Scarcely is the ox dead than it is cut up, the best parts,
namely, the
hump and ribs, belonging to the chief, who also apportions
the different
parts of the slain animal among his guests, just as Joseph
did with his
brethren, each of the honored guests subdividing his
own portion among
his immediate followers. The process of cooking is simple
enough, the
meat being merely cut into strips and thrown on the fire,
often in such
quantities that it is nearly extinguished. Before it
is half cooked, it is
taken from the embers, and eaten while so hot that none
but a practised
meat-eater could endure it, the chief object being to
introduce as much
meat as possible into the stomach in a given time.
It is not manners to eat after a man's companions have
finished their
meal, and so each guest eats as much and as fast as he
can, and acts
as if he had studied in the school of Sir Dugal Dalgetty.
Neither is it
manners for any one to take a solitary meal, and, knowing
this custom,
Dr. Livingstone always contrived to have a second cup
of tea or coffee
by his side whenever he took his meals, so that the chief,
or one of the
principal men, might join in the repast.
Among the Makololo, rank has its drawbacks as well as
its privileges,
and among the former may be reckoned one of the customs
which regu-
late meals. A chief may not dine alone, and it is also
necessaiy that at
each meal the whole of the provisions should be consumed.
If Sekeletu
had an ox killed, every particle of it was consumed at
a single meal, and
in consequence he often suffered severely from hunger
before another
could be prepared for him and his followers. So completely
is this cus-
tom ingrained in the nature of the Makololo, that, when
Dr. Livingstone
visited Sekeletu, the latter was quite scandalized that
a portion of the
meal was put aside. However, he soon saw the advantage
of the plan,
and after awhile followed it himself, in spite of the
remonstrances of the
old men ; and, while the missionary was with him, they
played into each
other's hands by each reserving a portion for the other
at every meal.
Great Skill in Using- Canoes.
As the Makololo live much on the banks of the river Zambesi,
they
naturally use the canoe, and are skilful in its management.
These canoes
are flat-bottomed, in order to enable them to pass over
the numerous
shallows of the Zambesi, and are sometimes forty feet
in length, carrying
from six to ten paddlers, besides other freight. The
paddles are about
?eight feet in length, and, when the canoe gets into
shallow water, the pad-
dles are used as punt-poles. The paddlers stand while
at work, and keep
time as if they were engaged in a University boat race,
so that they pro-
pel the vessel with considerable speed.
Being flat-bottomed, the boats need very skilful management,
especi-
ally in so rapid and variable a river as the Zambesi,
where sluggish
depths, rock-beset shallows, and swift rapids, follow
each other repeat-
-edly. If the canoe should happen to come broadside to
the current, it
would inevitably be upset, and as the Makololo are not
all swimmers,
several of the crew would probably be drowned. As soon,
therefore, as
such a danger seems to be pending, those who can swim
jump into the
water and guide the canoe through the sunken rocks and
dangerous ed-
dies. Skill in the management of the canoe is especially
needed in the
chase of the hippopotamus, which they contrive to hunt
in their own
element, and which they seldom fail in securing, in spite
of the enormous
.size, the furious anger, and the formidable jaws of
this remarkable animal.
Terrible Encounter witli the River-Horse.
The dangers of travel are seen from the following account
given by a
traveller while making a trip up the Nile :
It was on this trip that I had a narrow escape from falling
into the
jaws of "the river-horse," hippopotamus, one
of the largest of mammals.
This animal can never have been very common on the lower
part of the
river, for you do not see his easily recognized figure
among the hiero-
glyphics with which the temples are filled, between the
Delta and the
first cataract. Nor does Roman history often mention
them in the games
or triumphs of the emperors, which is singular, when
tigers, lions and
elephants figure so often. But farther up" the river
you meet him still,
usually swimming very low in the water, with simply his
nose, eyes and
ears above its surface, and followed by his mate, for
they travel usually
in couples. But on the day to which I refer, this number
was increased
to three and huge specimens they were sunning themselves
on the
left bank of the river, and on the back of the female
rested a young one,
uglier, if possible, than its fond parents.
We were six of us, only one a native, rowing along the
shore in a skiff
and one of my companions, a Frenchman, with the careless
thoughtless-
ness of his race, raised his rifle and let drive at the
youngster. There
was a tremendous splashing and racket, and the water
for yards was
stirred up by the four mighty bodies diving into it simultaneously.
A
cry of warning came from our guide, who began jabbering
away in his
own lingo at a great rate.
"What's the beggar raising all this row about?" asked
the Frenchman.
"Pull for your life!" shouted I. "You'll have the whole
party round
ais in a minute."
The boat was a poor one for speed, and we were still a
long way from
the nearest point of land when the snouts of the hippopotomi
came to the
surface within pistol-shot of the stern. In a moment
they were around
us, threatening to crush the thwarts of our craft and
make two mouthful*
of the whole party.
We dropped our oars for flight was out of the question
and seized
our guns. Placing my barrel almost against the eye of
the largest, I
emptied both barrels into his head, and he sank without
a gurgle into
the muddy water. Meanwhile the other end of the boat
had been less
fortunate. The remaining male had fastened his massive
jaws in the
gunwale and was crunching it like paper, while the Frenchman,
the cause
of all the danger, was ineffectually belaboring his head
with an oar, his
empty gun being, of course, useless.
Luckily for us, one of the party had a loaded rifle and
some presence
of mind left, and to these hippopotamus number two reluctantly
yielded,
and went to join his friend at the bqttom of the muddy
river. It is
really curious how easily and quickly so huge an animal
will die under
modern weapons, when you remember what difficulty the
ancients expe-
rienced in killing large game, and how an entire army
was needed to cope
with an elephant or hippopotamus.
But to return to our still rather unpleasant predicament:
before
the female could reach us, we were all reloaded and ready
for her.
She seemed to realize this, for, without waiting for
our cordial reception,
she turned tail and made for the other shore, leaving
a wake behind her
like a harbor steamboat. Reaching a long tongue of land
near the far-
ther bank, she waded through the shallows and across
it, disturbing the
crocodiles sunning thereon, and driving them into the
water beyond, into
which she followed them and was lost to our sight. And
not one of the
party seemed to care!
Singular Habits of the Makololo.
The dress of the men differs but little from that which
is in use in other
parts of Africa south of the equator, and consists chiefly
of a skin
twisted round the loins, and a mantle of the same material
thrown over
the shoulders, the latter being only worn in cold weather.
The Makololo
are a cleanly race, particularly when they happen to
be in the neighbor-
hood of a river or lake, in which they bathe several
times daily. The
men, however, are better in this respect than the women,
who seem
rather to be afraid of cold water, preferring to rub
their bodies with
melted butter, which has the effect of making their skins
glossy, and
keeping off parasites, but also imparting a peculiarly
unpleasant odor to
themselves and their clothing.
As to the women, they are clothed in a far better manner
than the men,
and are exceedingly fond of ornaments, wearing a skin
kilt or kaross,
and adorning themselves with as many ornaments as they
can afford.
The traveller who has already been quoted mentions that
a sister of the
great chief Sebituane wore enough ornaments to be a load
for an ordi-
nary man. On each leg she had eighteen rings of solid
brass, as thick
as a man's finger, and three of copper under each knee
; nineteen similar
rings on her right arm, and eight of brass and copper
on her left. She
had also a large ivory ring above each elbow, a broad
band of beads
round her waist, and another round her neck, being altogether
nearly one
hundred large and heavy rings. The weight of the rings
on her legs
was so great, that she was obliged to wrap soft rags
round the lower
rings, as they had begun to chafe her ankles. Under this
weight of
metal she could walk but awkwardly, but fashion proved
itself superior
to pain with this Makololo wom^n, as among her American
sisters.
Both in color and general manners, the Makololo women
are superior
to most of the tribes. This superiority is partly due
to the light warm
brown of their complexion, and partly to their mode of
life. Unlike the
women of ordinary African tribes, those of the Makololo
lead a compara-
tively easy life, having their harder labors shared by
their husbands, who
aid in digging the ground, and in other rough work. Even
the domestic
work is done more by servants than by the mistresses
of the household,
so that the Makololo women are not liable to that rapid
deterioration
which is so evident among other tribes. In fact they
have so much time
to themselves, and so little to occupy them, that they
are apt to fall
into rather dissipated habits, and spend much of their
time in smoking
hemp and drinking beer, the former habit being a most
insidious one, and
apt to cause a peculiar eruptive disease. Sekeletu was
a votary of the
hemp-pipe, and, by his over-indulgence in this luxury,
he induced the
disease of which he afterward died.
Women Who Build Houses.
The only hard work that falls to the lot of the Makololo
women is
that of house-building, which is left entirely to them
and their servants.
The mode of making a house is rather remarkable. The
first business
is to build a cylindrical tower of stakes and reeds,
plastered with mud,
and some nine or ten feet in height, the walls and floor
being smoothly
plastered, so as to prevent them from harboring insects.
A large conical
roof is then put together on the ground, and completely
thatched with
reeds. It is then lifted by many hands, and lodged on
top of the circular
tower. As the roof projects far beyond the central tower,
it is supported
by stakes, and, as a general rule, the spaces between
these stakes are
filled up with a wall or fence of reeds plastered with
mud. This roof is
not permanently fixed either to the supporting stakes
or the central tower,
and can be removed at pleasure. When a visitor arrives
among the
Makololo, he is often lodged by the simple process of
lifting a finished
roof off an unfinished house, and putting it on the ground.
Although it is then so low that a man can scarcely sit,
much less
stand upright, it answers very well for Southern Africa,
where the whole
of active life is spent, as a rule, in the open air,
and where houses are only
used as sleeping-boxes. The doorway that gives admission
into the cir-
cular chamber is always small.
In a house that was assigned to Dr. Livingstone, it was
only nineteen
inches in total height, twenty-two in width at the floor,
and twelve at the
top. A native Makololo, with no particular encumbrance
in the way of
clothes, makes his way through the doorway easily enough
; but an
American with all the impediments of dress about him
finds himself sadly
hampered in attempting to gain the penetration of a Makololo
house.
Except through this door, the tower has neither light
nor ventilation.
Some of the best houses have two, and even three, of
these towers, built
concentrically within each other, and each having its
entrance about as
large as the door of an ordinary dog-kennel. Of course
the atmosphere
is very close at night, but the people care nothing about
that.
Our illustration is from a sketch furnished by Mr. Baines.
It repre-
sents a nearly completed Makololo house on the banks
of the Zambesi
river, just above the great Victoria Falls. The women
have placed the
roof on the building, and are engaged in the final process
of fixing the
thatch. In the centre is seen the cylindrical tower which
forms the inner
chamber, together with a portion of the absurdly small
door by which it
is entered. Round it is the inner wall, which is also
furnished with its
doorway. These are made of stakes and withes, upon which
is worked
a quantity of clay, well patted on by hand, so as to
form a thick and
strong wall. Even the wall which surrounds the building
and the whole
of the floor are made of the same material.
Walls Within Walls.
It will be seen that there are four concentric walls in
this building.
First comes the outer wall, which encircles the whole
premises. Next is
a low wall, which is built up against the posts that
support the ends of
the rafters, and which is partly supported by them. Within
this is a third
wall, which encloses what may be called the ordinary
living room of the
house ; and within all is the inner chamber, or tower,
which is in fact
only another circular wall of much less diameter and
much greater
height. It will be seen that the walls of the house increase
regularly in
height, and decrease regularly in diameter, so as to
correspond with the
conical roof
On the left of the illustration is part of a millet-field,
beyond which are
some completed houses. Among them are some of the fan-palms
with
recurved leaves. That on the left is a young tree, and
retains all its
leaves, while that on the right is an old one, and has
shed the leaves to-
ward the base of the stem, the foliage and the thickened
portion of the
trunk having worked their way gradually upward. More
palms are
growing on the Zambesi River, and in the background are
seen the vast
spray clouds arising from the Falls.
The comparatively easy Jife led by the Makololo women
makes polyg-
amy less of a hardship to them than is the case among
neighboring
tribes, and, in fact, even if the men were willing to
abandon the system,.
the women would not consent to do so. With them marriage,
though it
never rises to the rank which it holds in civilized countries,
is not a mere
matter of barter. It is true that the husband is expected
to pay a cer-
tain sum to the parents of his bride, as a recompense
for her services,
and as purchase money to retain in his own family the
children that she
may have, and which would by law belong to her father.
Then, again,,
when a wife dies her husband is obliged to send an ox
to her family, in
order to recompense them for their loss, she being still
reckoned as form-
ing part of her parent's family, and her individuality
not being totally
merged into that of her husband.
African Mormons.
Plurality of wives is in vogue among the Makololo, and,
indeed, an ab-
solute necessity under the present condition of the race,
and the women
would be quite as unwilling as the men to have a system
of monogamy
imposed upon them. No man is respected by his neighbors
who does
not possess several wives, and, indeed, without them
he could not be
wealthy, each wife tilling a certain quantity of ground,
and the produce
belonging to a common stock. Of course, there are cases
where polyg-
amy is certainly a hardship, as, for example, when old
men choose to-
marry very young wives. But, on the whole, and under
existing condi-
tions, polygamy is the only possible system.
Another reason for the plurality of wives, as given by
themselves, is
that a man with one wife would not be able to exercise
that hospitality
which is one of the special duties of the tribe. Strangers
are taken to
the huts and there entertained as honored guests, and
as the women are
the principal providers of food, chief cultivators of
the soil, and sole
guardians of the corn stores, their co-operation is absolutely
necessary^
for anyone who desires to carry out the hospitable institutions
of his
tribe. It has been mentioned that the men often take
their share in the
hard work. This laudable custom, however, prevailed most
among the
true Makololo men, the incorporated tribes preferring
to follow the usual
African custom, and to make the women work while they
sit down and
smoke their pipes.
The men have become adepts at carving wood, making wooden
pots
with lids, and bowls and jars of all sizes. Moreover,
of late years, the
Makololo have learned to think that sitting on a stool
is more comforta-
ble than squatting on the bare ground, and have, in consequence,
begun
to carve the legs of their stools into various patterns.
The Boatman's Strange Ideas.
Like the people from whom they are descended, the Makololo
are a
law-loving race and manage their government by means
of councils or
parliaments, resembling the pichos of the Bechuanas,
and consisting of a
number of individuals assembled in a circle round the
chief, who occupies
the middle. On one occasion, when there was a large halo
round the
sun. Dr. Livingstone pointed it out to his chief boatman.
The man im-
mediately replied that it was a parliament of the Barimo,
that is, the gods^
or departed spirits, who were assembled round their chief,
that is the sun.
For major crimes a picho is generally held, and the accused,
if found
guilty, is condemned to death. The usual mode of execution
is for two^
men to grasp the condemned by his wrists, lead him a
mile irom the
town, and then to spear him. Resistance is not offered,
neither is the
criminal allowed to speak. So quiet is the whole proceeding
that, on
one very remarkable occasion, a rival chief was carried
off within a few
yards of Dr. Livingstone without his being aware of the
fact.
Shortly after Sebituane's death, while his son Sekeletu
was yet a young
man of eighteen, and but newly raised to the throne,
a rival named
Mpepe, who had been appointed by Sebituane chief of a
division of the
tribe, aspired to the throne. He strengthened his pretensions
by super-
stition, having held for some years a host of incantations,
at which a num-
ber of native wizards assembled, and performed a number
of enchantments
so potent that even the strong-minded Sebituane was afraid
of him. After
the death of that great chief, Mpepe organized a conspiracy
whereby he
should be able to murder Sekeletu and to take his throne.
The plot,
however, was discovered, and on the night of its failure,
his executioners
came quietly to Mpepe's fire, took his wrists, led him
out, and speared
him.
Flung to tlie Crocodiles.
Sometimes the offender is taken into the river in a boat,
strangled, and
flung into the water, where the crocodiles are waiting
to receive him.
Disobedience to the chief's command is thought to be
quite sufficient
cause for such a punishment. For lesser offences fines
are inflicted, a par-
liament not being needed, but the case being heard before
the chief
Dr. Livingstone relates in a very graphic style the manner
in which
these cases are conducted. "The complainant asks the
man against
whom he means to lodge his complaint to come with him
to the chief.
This is never refused. When both are in the kotla, the
complainant
stands up and states the whole case before the chief
and people usually
assembled there. He stands a few seconds after he has
done this to
recollect if he has forgotten anything. The witnesses
to whom he has
referred then rise up and tell all that they themselves
have seen or heard,
but not anything that they have heard from others. The
defendant, after
allowing some minutes to elapse, so that he may not interrupt
any of the
opposite party, slowly rises, folds his cloak about him,
and in the most
quiet and deliberate way he can assume, yawning, blowing
his nose, etc.,
begins to explain the affair, denying the charge or admitting
it, as the
case may be.
"Sometimes, when galled by his remarks, the complainant
utters a sen-
tence of dissent. The accused turns quietly to him and
says, ' Be silent, I sat
while you were speaking. Can not you do the same? Do
you want to have
it all to yourself?' And, as the audience acquiesce in
this bantering, and
enforce silence, he goes on until he has finished all
he wishes to say in his
defence. If he has any witnesses to the truth of the
facts of his defence,
they give their evidence. No oath is administered, but
occasionally,
when a statement is questioned, a man will say,
By my father,' or By
the chief, it is so.' Their truthfulness among each other
is quite remark-
able, but their system of government is such that Americans
are not in a
position to realize it readily. A poor man will say in
his defence against
a rich one, ' I am astonished to hear a man so great
as he make a false
accusation,' as if the offence of falsehood were felt
to be one against the
society which the individual referred to had the greatest
interest in up-
holding,"
When a case is brought before the king by chiefs or other
influential
men, it is expected that the councillors who attend the
royal presence
shall give their opinions, and the permission to do so
is inferred whenever
the king remains silent after having heard both parties.
It is a point of
etiquette that all the speakers stand except the king,
who alone has the
privilege of speaking while seated
Dividing the Spoils.
There is even a series of game-laws in the country, all
ivory belonging
of right to the king, and every tusk being brought to
him. This right
is, however, only nominal, as the king is expected to
share the ivory
among his people, and if he did not do so, he would not
be able to
enforce the law. In fact, the whole law practically resolves
itself into
this: that the king gets one tusk and the hunters get
the other, while
the flesh belongs to those who kill the animal. And,
as the flesh is to
the people far more valuable than the ivory, the agreement
is much fairer
than appears at first sight.
Practically it is a system of make-believes. The successful
hunters
kill two elephants, taking four tusks to the king, and
make believe to
offer them for his acceptance. He makes believe to take
them as his
right, and then makes believe to present them with two
as a free gift
from himself. They acknowledge the royal bounty with
abundant thanks
and recapitulation of titles, such as Great Lion, etc.,
and so all parties
are equally satisfied.
Among the Makololo, as well as among Americans, the spirit
of play
is strong in children, and they engage in various games,
chiefly consisting
in childish imitation of the more serious pursuits of
their parents. The
following account of their play is given by Dr. Livingstone:
"The chil-
dren have merry times, especially in the cool of the
evening. One of
their games consists of a little girl being carried on
the shoulders of two
others. She sits with outstretched arms, as they walk
about with her,
and all the rest clap their hands, and stopping before
each hut, sing
pretty airs, some beating time on their little kilts
of cow-skin, and others
making a curious humming sound between the songs.
Excepting this
and the skipping rope, the play of the girls consists
in imitation of the
serious work of their mothers, building little huts,
making small pots,
and cooking, pounding corn in miniature mortars, or hoeing
tiny gar-
dens.
Sports of African Boys.
The boys play with spears of reeds pointed with wood,
and small
shields, or bows and arrows; or amuse themselves in making
little cattle-
pens, or cattle in clay they show great ingenuity in
the imitation of
variously shaped horns. Some, too, are said to use slings,
but, as soon
as they can watch the goats or calves, they are sent
to the field. We saw
many boys riding on the calves they had in charge, but
this is an innova-
tion since the arrival of the English with their horses.
Tselane, one of
the ladies, on observing me one day noting observations
on the wet
and dry bulb thermometers, thought I too was engaged
in play. On
receiving no reply to her question, which was rather
difficult to answer,
.as their native tongue has no scientific terms, she
said with roguish glee,
''Poor thing! playing like a little child!'"
Mr. Baines represents a domestic scene in a Makololo family.
The
house belongs to a chief named M'Bopo, who was very friendly
to Mr.
Baines and his companions, and was altogether a fine
specimen of a
savage gentleman. He was exceedingly hospitable to his
guests, not
only feeding them well, but producing great jars of
pombe, or native
beer, which they were obliged to consume either personally
or by
deputy.
M'Bopo's chief wife sits beside him, and is distinguished
by the two
ornaments which she wears. On her forehead is a circular
piece of hide,
kneaded while wet so as to form a shallow cone. The inside
of this cone
is entirely covered with beads, mostly white, and scarlet
in the centre.
Upon her neck is another ornament, which is valued very
highly. It is the
base of a shell, a species of conus the whole of which
has been ground
away except the base. This ornament is thought so valuable
that when
the great chief Shinte presented Dr. Livingstone with
one, he took
the precaution of coming alone, and carefully closing
the tent door,
so that none of his people should witness an act of such
extravagant
generosity.
White People Better Looking Than Supposed.
This lady was good enough to express her opinion of the
white trav-
ellers. They were not so ugly, said she, as she had expected.
All that
hair on their heads and faces was certainly disagreeable,
but their faces
were pleasant enough, and their hands were well formed,
but the great de-
feet in them was, that they had no toes. The worthy lady
had never heard
of boots, and evidently considered them as analogous
to the hoof of cat-
tle. It was found necessary to remove the boots, and
convince her that
the white man really had toes.
The Makololo have plenty of amusements after their own
fashion^
which is certainly not that of an American. Even those
who have lived
among them for some time, and have acknowledged that
they are among
the most favorable specimens of African heathendom, have
been utterly
disgusted and wearied with the life which they had to
lead. There is no
quiet and no repose day or night, and Dr. Livingstone,
who might be ex-
pected to be thoroughly hardened against annoyance by
trifles, states
broadly that the dancing, singing, roaring, jesting,
story-telling, grumb-
ling, and quarreling of the Makololo were a graver penance
than any-
thing which he had undergone in all his experience. He
had to live
with them, and was therefore brought in close contact
with them.
A Crazy Dance.
The first three items of savage life, namely, dancing,
singing and roar-
ing, seem to be inseparably united, and the savages seem
to be incapable-
of getting up a dance unless accompanied by roaring on
the part of the
performers, and singing on the. part of the spectators
the latter sounds
being not more melodious than the former.
Dr. Livingstone gives a very graphic account of a Makololo
dance..
"As this was the first visit which Sekeletu had paid
to this part of his
dominions, it was to many a season of great joy. The
head men of each
village presented oxen, milk and beer, more than the
horde which accom-
panied him could devour, though their abilities in that
way are something'
wonderful.
"The people usually show their joy and work off their
excitement in
dances and songs. The dance consists of men standing
nearly naked in
a circle, with clubs or small battle-axes in their hands,
and each roaring^
at the loudest pitch of his voice, while they simultaneously
lift one leg,,
stamping twice with it, then lift the other and give
one stamp with it;
this is the only movement in common. The arms and head
are thrown
about also in every direction, and all this time the
roaring is kept up with
the utmost possible vigor. The continued stamping makes
a cloud of
dust ascend, and they leave a deep ring in the ground
where they have
stood.
"If the scene were witnessed in a lunatic asylum, it would
be nothing
out of the way, and quite appropriate as a means of letting
off the exces-
sive excitement of the brain. But here, gray-headed men
joined in the
performance with as much zest as others whose youth might
be an excuse
for making the perspiration start off their bodies with
the exertion.
Motebe asked what I thought of the Makololo dance. I
replied, It is
very hard work, and brings but small profit' ' It is,'
he replied ; ' but it
is very nice, and the Sekeletu will give us an ox for
dancing for him.'
He usually does slaughter an ox for the dancers when
the work is
over.
"The women stand by, clapping their hands, and occasionally
one ad-
vances within the circle, composed of a hundred men,
makes a few move-
ments, and then retires. As I never tried it, and am
unable to enter into
the spirit of the thing, I cannot recommend the Makololo
polka to the
dancing world, but I have the authority of no less a
person than Motebe,
Sekeletu's father-in-law, for saying that it is very
nice."
Many of the Makololo are inveterate smokers, preferring
hemp even to
tobacco, because it is more intoxicating. They delight
in smoking them-
selves into a positive frenzy, which passes away in a
rapid stream of un-
meaning words, or short sentences, as, "The green grass
grows," "The
ifat cattle thrive," " The fishes swim." No one in the
group pays the
slightest attention to the vehement eloquence, or the
sage or silly utter-
ances of the oracle, who stops abruptly, and, the instant
common sense
returns, looks foolish. They smoke the hemp through water,
using a
koodoo horn for their pipe, much in the way that the
Damaras and other
tribes use it.
Over-indulgence in this luxury has a very prejudicial
effect on the
'health, producing an eruption over the whole body that
is quite unmis-
takable. In consequence of this effect, the men prohibit
their wives from
using the hemp, but the result of the prohibition seems
only to be that the
women smoke secretly instead of openly, and are afterward
discovered by
the appearance of the skin. It is the more fascinating,
because its use im-
parts a spurious strength to the body, while it enervates
the mind to
such a degree that the user is incapable of perceiving
the state in which
he is gradually sinking, or of exercising sufficient
self-control to abandon
or even modify the destructive habit. Sekeletu was a
complete victim of
the hemp-pipe, and there is no doubt that the illness,
something like the
dreaded " craw-craw " of Western Africa, was aggravated,
if not caused
by over-indulgence in smoking hemp.
CHAPTER V
PERILS OF TROPICAL EXPLORATIONS
Continued
in ERBzine 5099_05
