Although You Disbelieve Their Efficacy
In Charming The Clouds To Pour Out Their Refreshing Treasures,
Yet, Conscious That Civility Is Useful Every Where, You Kindly State
That You Think They Are Mistaken As To Their Power.
The rain-doctor selects
a particular bulbous root, pounds it, and administers a cold infusion
to a sheep, which in five minutes afterward expires in convulsions.
Part of the same bulb is converted into smoke, and ascends toward the sky;
rain follows in a day or two.
The inference is obvious. Were we as much
harassed by droughts, the logic would be irresistible in England in 1857.
-
* The name arises from its being always voided on one spot,
in the manner practiced by others of the rhinocerontine family;
and, by the action of the sun, it becomes a black, pitchy substance.
-
As the Bakwains believed that there must be some connection
between the presence of "God's Word" in their town and these
successive and distressing droughts, they looked with no good will
at the church bell, but still they invariably treated us
with kindness and respect. I am not aware of ever having had an enemy
in the tribe. The only avowed cause of dislike was expressed
by a very influential and sensible man, the uncle of Sechele.
"We like you as well as if you had been born among us;
you are the only white man we can become familiar with (thoaela);
but we wish you to give up that everlasting preaching and praying;
we can not become familiar with that at all.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 52 of 1070
Words from 15655 to 15914
of 306638
