Bamangwato, was, when a child, in danger of meeting this fate; but a man still living had compassion on him, and enabled his mother to escape with him by night.  The river is so large that the sharpest eye can not tell the difference between an island and the bend of the opposite bank; but Sebituane, with his usual foresight, requested the island chief who ferried him across to take his seat in the canoe with him, and detained him by his side till all his people and cattle were safely landed.  The whole Batoka country was then densely peopled, and they had a curious taste for ornamenting their villages with the skulls of strangers.  When Sebituane appeared near the great falls, an immense army collected to make trophies of the Makololo skulls; but, instead of succeeding in this, they gave him a good excuse for conquering them, and capturing so many cattle that his people were quite incapable of taking any note of the sheep and goats.  He overran all the high lands toward the Kafue, and settled in what is called a pastoral country, of gently undulating plains, covered with short grass and but little forest.  The Makololo have never lost their love for this fine, healthy region.

But the Matebele, a Caffre or Zulu tribe, under Mosilikatse, crossed the Zambesi, and, attacking Sebituane in this choice spot, captured his cattle and women.  Rallying his men, he followed and recaptured the whole.  A fresh attack was also repulsed, and Sebituane thought of going farther down the Zambesi, to the country of the white men.  He had an idea, whence imbibed I never could learn, that if he had a cannon he might live in peace.  He had led a life of war, yet no one apparently desired peace more than he did.  A prophet induced him to turn his face again to the westward.  This man, by name Tlapane, was called a “senoga”—­one who holds intercourse with the gods.  He probably had a touch of insanity, for he was in the habit of retiring no one knew whither, but perhaps into some cave, to remain in a hypnotic or mesmeric state until the moon was full.  Then, returning to the tribe quite emaciated, he excited himself, as others do who pretend to the prophetic afflatus, until he was in a state of ecstasy.  These pretended prophets commence their operations by violent action of the voluntary muscles.  Stamping, leaping, and shouting in a peculiarly violent manner, or beating the ground with a club, they induce a kind of fit, and while in it pretend that their utterances are unknown to themselves.  Tlapane, pointing eastward, said, “There, Sebituane, I behold a fire:  shun it; it is a fire which may scorch thee.  The gods say, go not thither.”  Then, turning to the west, he said, “I see a city and a nation of black men—­men of the water; their cattle are red; thine own tribe, Sebituane, is perishing, and will be all consumed; thou wilt govern black men, and, when thy warriors have captured red cattle, let not the owners be killed; they are thy future tribe—­they are thy city; let them be spared to cause thee to build.  And thou, Ramosinii, thy village will perish utterly.  If Mokari removes from that village he will perish first, and thou, Ramosinii, wilt be the last to die.”  Concerning himself he added, “The gods have caused other men to drink water, but to me they have given bitter water of the chukuru (rhinoceros).  They call me away myself.  I can not stay much longer.”