They All Treated Us Still With Respectful Kindness,
But To Sechele Himself They Said Things Which, As He Often Remarked,
Had they ventured on in former times, would have cost them their lives.
It was trying, after all we had
Done, to see our labors so little appreciated;
but we had sown the good seed, and have no doubt but it will yet spring up,
though we may not live to see the fruits.
Leaving this sketch of the chief, I proceed to give an equally rapid one
of our dealing with his people, the Bakena, or Bakwains.
A small piece of land, sufficient for a garden, was purchased
when we first went to live with them, though that was scarcely necessary
in a country where the idea of buying land was quite new.
It was expected that a request for a suitable spot would have been made,
and that we should have proceeded to occupy it as any other
member of the tribe would. But we explained to them that we wished to avoid
any cause of future dispute when land had become more valuable;
or when a foolish chief began to reign, and we had erected
large or expensive buildings, he might wish to claim the whole.
These reasons were considered satisfactory. About 5 Pounds worth of goods
were given for a piece of land, and an arrangement was come to
that a similar piece should be allotted to any other missionary,
at any other place to which the tribe might remove.
The particulars of the sale sounded strangely in the ears of the tribe,
but were nevertheless readily agreed to.
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