Missionary Travels and Researches in South AfricaLivingstone, David
Religion
Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa
Livingstone, David
Missions -- South Africa; South Africa -- Description and travel
death-blow to the hopes of Mpepe.
As it will enable the reader to understand the social and political
relations of these people, I will add a few more particulars respecting
Mpepe. Sebituane, having no son to take the leadership of the "Mopato"
of the age of his daughter, chose him, as the nearest male relative, to
occupy that post; and presuming from Mpepe's connection with his family
that he would attend to his interests and relieve him from care, he
handed his cattle over to his custody. Mpepe removed to the chief
town, "Naliele", and took such effectual charge of all the cattle that
Sebituane saw he could only set matters on their former footing by the
severe measure of Mpepe's execution. Being unwilling to do this, and
fearing the enchantments which, by means of a number of Barotse doctors,
Mpepe now used in a hut built for the purpose, and longing for peaceful
retirement after thirty years' fighting, he heard with pleasure of our
arrival at the lake, and came down as far as Sesheke to meet us. He had
an idea, picked up from some of the numerous strangers who visited him,
that white men had a "pot (a cannon) in their towns which would burn up
any attacking party;" and he thought if he could only get this he would
be able to "sleep" the remainder of his days in peace. This he hoped to
obtain from the white men. Hence the cry of the herald, "Give us sleep."
It is remarkable how anxious for peace those who have been fighting all
their lives appear to be.
When Sekeletu was installed in the chieftainship, he felt his position
rather insecure, for it was believed that the incantations of Mpepe had
an intimate connection with Sebituane's death. Indeed, the latter had
said to his son, "That hut of incantation will prove fatal to either you
or me."
When the Mambari, in 1850, took home a favorable report of this new
market to the west, a number of half-caste Portuguese slave-traders
were induced to come in 1853; and one, who resembled closely a real
Portuguese, came to Linyanti while I was there. This man had no
merchandise, and pretended to have come in order to inquire "what sort
of goods were necessary for the market." He seemed much disconcerted by
my presence there. Sekeletu presented him with an elephant's tusk and
an ox; and when he had departed about fifty miles to the westward,
he carried off an entire village of the Bakalahari belonging to the
Makololo. He had a number of armed slaves with him; and as all the
villagers--men, women, and children--were removed, and the fact was
unknown until a considerable time afterward, it is not certain whether
his object was obtained by violence or by fair promises. In either case,
slavery must have been the portion of these poor people. He was carried
in a hammock, slung between two poles, which appearing to be a bag, the
Makololo named him "Father of the Bag".
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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