Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/210

 IGO SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA. and which bi^gan with pillage and murder, the weaker race has gradu.illy adapteJ itself to the forms of civilisation introduced by the invaders of their domain. The Bechuanas are a very courteous people, and invariably address each other in polite language. Although they are by nature on the whole of a peaceful temperament, wars were formerly very frequent, caused nearly always by cattle- lifting. " Our fathers lost their lives in capturing you, and we also shall perish in guarding you." So sang till lately the young Ba-Mangwato warriors to their herds ; but of late years most of the Bechuana tribes have discontinued their warlike expeditions. Formerly nomad pastors and hunters, they are now rapidly becoming peaceful tillers of the laud. Every man, every youth, even every girl, has his or her separate plot of ground, and the child thus learns from its tenderest years to cultivate the soil. * Down to the beginning of the present century the Bechuanas were still addicted to certain cannibal practices, apparently of a religious character. The braves who had slain an enemy brought back a portion of the body, and then gathered together to celebrate their victory under the presidency of a magician. Crouching round a blazing lire, they broiled the " flesh under the embers and devoured it in common, in order thus to superadd to their own the courage of the foe. Then, in order to show their contempt of pain, each in turn presented their bare leg to the priest, who with a stroke of the assegai made a long slit from the hip to the knee. Although the wound was deep enough to h-ave a permanent scar, the warriors had nevertheless to join in the tribal dance, which was kept up till the " small hours." Southernmost of all the Bechuana tribes are the Ba-Tlaro, settled on the north-west frontier of Griqualand West, where, however, they have to a large extent become merged with the better-known Ba-Tlapi,* or " Fish People." These Ba-Tlapi, whose national token is a fish, and who carefully abstain from touching this sacred animal, occupy a hilly district north of Griqualand West, bordering on the Vaal, and were also amongst the rival claimants for the coveted diamantiferous region now annexed to Cape Colony. They are one of the most numerous branches of the Bechuana race, numbeiing with the Ba-Tlaro about thirty thousand souls. Thanks to their frequent relations with the English and Dutch settlers, they are also the most civilised of all the tribes, and the light complexion of the children in many of their villages betrays an increasing inti- macy with the'r European neighbour-;. They are generally of a very cheerful disposition, and formerly posse>sed a large treasure of national songs, which has now mostly perished, being replaced by religious hymns. Topography of Beghuanaland. The Ba-Tlapi gardens, wherever sufficient water is available, yield in abun- dance all the European fiui's and vegetables, and the plough has already been introduced very generally. Some of the native towns and villages are will
 * The Ba-Hlapi, Batlapiug, Bochapin, Matchapecu, Maatjapiiig of various writers.