There is not much prospect of this country ever producing much of the materials of commerce except wool. At present the chief articles of trade are karosses or mantles--the skins of which they are composed come from the Desert; next to them, ivory, the quantity of which can not now be great, inasmuch as the means of shooting elephants is sedulously debarred entrance into the country. A few skins and horns, and some cattle, make up the remainder of the exports. English goods, sugar, tea, and coffee are the articles received in exchange. All the natives of these parts soon become remarkably fond of coffee. The acme of respectability among the Bechuanas is the possession of cattle and a wagon. It is remarkable that, though these latter require frequent repairs, none of the Bechuanas have ever learned to mend them. Forges and tools have been at their service, and teachers willing to aid them, but, beyond putting together a camp-stool, no effort has ever been made to acquire a knowledge of the trades. They observe most carefully a missionary at work until they understand whether a tire is well welded or not, and then pronounce upon its merits with great emphasis, but there their ambition rests satisfied. It is the same peculiarity among ourselves which leads us in other matters, such as book-making, to attain the excellence of fault-finding without the wit to indite a page. It was in vain I tried to indoctrinate the Bechuanas with the idea that criticism did not imply any superiority over the workman, or even equality with him. Chapter 6. Kuruman--Its fine Fountain--Vegetation of the District--Remains of ancient Forests--Vegetable Poison--The Bible translated by Mr. Moffat--Capabilities of the Language--Christianity among the Natives--The Missionaries should extend their Labors more beyond the Cape Colony--Model Christians--Disgraceful Attack of the Boers on the Bakwains--Letter from Sechele--Details of the Attack--Numbers of School-children carried away into Slavery--Destruction of House and Property at Kolobeng--The Boers vow Vengeance against me--Consequent Difficulty of getting Servants to accompany me on my Journey--Start in November, 1852--Meet Sechele on his way to England to obtain Redress from the Queen--He is unable to proceed beyond the Cape--Meet Mr. Macabe on his Return from Lake Ngami--The hot Wind of the Desert--Electric State of the Atmosphere--Flock of Swifts--Reach Litubaruba--The Cave Lepelole--Superstitions regarding it--Impoverished State of the Bakwains--Retaliation on the Boers--Slavery--Attachment of the Bechuanas to Children--Hydrophobia unknown--Diseases of the Bakwains few in number--Yearly Epidemics--Hasty Burials--Ophthalmia--Native Doctors--Knowledge of Surgery at a very low Ebb--Little Attendance given to Women at their Confinements--The "Child Medicine"--Salubrity of the Climate well adapted for Invalids suffering from pulmonary Complaints.