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 Gardens.
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 in moulding cattle
in clay; they show great ingenuity in the imitation of various-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
innovation since the arrival of the English with their horses.
Tselane, one of the ladies, on observing Dr. Livingstone noting
observations on the wet and dry bulb thermometers, thought that he
too was engaged in play; for on receiving no reply to her question,
which was rather difficult to answer, as the native tongue has no
scientific terms, she said with roguish glee, "Poor thing, playing
like a little child!"
Like other Africans, the Makololo have great faith in the power of
medicine; they believe that there is an especial medicine for every
ill that flesh is heir to. Mamire is anxious to have children; he
has six wives, and only one boy, and he begs earnestly for "child
medicine." The mother of Sekeletu came from the Barotse Valley to
see her son. Thinks she has lost flesh since Dr. Livingstone was
here before, and asks for "the medicine of fatness." The Makololo
consider plumpness an essential part of beauty in women, but the
extreme stoutness, mentioned by Captain Speke, in the north, would be
considered hideous here, for the men have been overheard speaking of
a lady whom we call "inclined to embonpoint," as "fat unto ugliness."
Two packages from the Kuruman, containing letters and newspapers,
reached Linyanti previous to our arrival, and Sekeletu, not knowing
when we were coming, left them there; but now at once sent a
messenger for them. This man returned on the seventh day, having
travelled 240 geographical miles. One of the packages was too heavy
for him, and he left it behind. As the Doctor wished to get some
more medicine and papers out of the wagon left at Linyanti in 1853,
he decided upon going thither himself. The chief gave him his own
horse, now about twelve years old, and some men. He found everything
in his wagon as safe as when he left it seven years before. The
headmen, Mosale and Pekonyane, received him cordially, and lamented
that they had so little to offer him. Oh! had he only arrived the
year previous, when there was abundance of milk and corn and beer.
Very early the next morning the old town-crier, Ma-Pulenyane, of his
own accord made a public proclamation, which, in the perfect
stillness of the town long before dawn, was striking:
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