The Message Was Not All Of Our Dictation, Our Companions Interlarded
It With Their Own Indignant Protests, And Said Some
Strong things in
the Tette dialect about these "doctor things" keeping them back from
seeing their father; when to their
Surprise Mochokotsa told them he
knew every word they were saying, as he was of the tribe Bazizulu,
and defied them to deceive him by any dialect, either of the Mashona
on the east, or of the Mambari on the west. Mochokotsa then repeated
our message twice, to be sure that he had it every word, and went
back again. These chiefs' messengers have most retentive memories;
they carry messages of considerable length great distances, and
deliver them almost word for word. Two or three usually go together,
and when on the way the message is rehearsed every night, in order
that the exact words may be kept to. One of the native objections to
learning to write is, that these men answer the purpose of
transmitting intelligence to a distance as well as a letter would;
and, if a person wishes to communicate with any one in the town, the
best way to do so is either to go to or send for him. And as for
corresponding with friends very far off, that is all very well for
white people, but the blacks have no friends to whom to write. The
only effective argument for the learning to read is, that it is their
duty to know the revelation from their Father in Heaven, as it stands
in the Book.
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