* 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.  You see we never get rain, while those tribes who never pray as we do obtain abundance.”  This was a fact; and we often saw it raining on the hills ten miles off, while it would not look at us “even with one eye”.  If the Prince of the power of the air had no hand in scorching us up, I fear I often gave him the credit of doing so.

As for the rain-makers, they carried the sympathies of the people along with them, and not without reason.  With the following arguments they were all acquainted, and in order to understand their force, we must place ourselves in their position, and believe, as they do, that all medicines act by a mysterious charm.  The term for cure may be translated “charm” (’alaha’).

Medical doctor.  Hail, friend!  How very many medicines you have about you this morning!  Why, you have every medicine in the country here.

Rain doctor.  Very true, my friend; and I ought; for the whole country needs the rain which I am making.

M. D. So you really believe that you can command the clouds?  I think that can be done by God alone.

R. D. We both believe the very same thing.  It is God that makes the rain, but I pray to him by means of these medicines, and, the rain coming, of course it is then mine.  It was I who made it for the Bakwains for many years, when they were at Shokuane; through my wisdom, too, their women became fat and shining.  Ask them; they will tell you the same as I do.

M. D. But we are distinctly told in the parting words of our Savior that we can pray to God acceptably in his name alone, and not by means of medicines.

R. D. Truly! but God told us differently.  He made black men first, and did not love us as he did the white men.  He made you beautiful, and gave you clothing, and guns, and gunpowder, and horses, and wagons, and many other things about which we know nothing.  But toward us he had no heart.  He gave us nothing except the assegai, and cattle, and rain-making; and he did not give us hearts like yours.  We never love each other.  Other tribes