after certain animals, which probably indicates that in former times they were addicted to animal-worship like the ancient Egyptians. The term Bakatla means "they of the monkey;" Bakuena, "they of the alligator;" Batlapi, "they of the fish," after you wish to ascertain what tribe they belong to, you say, "What do you dance ?" from which it may be inferred that dancing was also a part of their ancient rites. Each tribe has a superstitious dread of the animal after which it is called, and never eats its namesake. They use the term " ila," — hate or dread — in reference to killing it. We find traces of many extinct tribes in individual descendants — such as the Batau, "they of the lion;" the Banoga, " they of the serpent;" though no such tribes now exist. The use of the personal pronoun they, Ba-Ma, Wa, Va, or Ova, Am-Ki, &c., prevails very extensively in the names of tribes in Africa. A single individual is indicated by the terms Mo or Le. Thus Mokwain is a single person of the Bakwain tribe, and Lekoa is a single white man or Englishman. Makoa is the name for Englishmen.
We did not stay long on our first visit to the Bakwains, but retraced our steps to Kuruman. As the object I had in view was not, however, to be attained by a temporary excursion, I determined to make a fresh start into the interior as soon as possible. Accordingly, after resting three months at Kuruman, which is a kind of head station, I went to a spot called Lepelole (now Litubariiba). Here I secluded myself from all European society for about six months, in order to obtain a knowledge of the native tongue, and gained by this ordeal an insight into the habits, ways of thinking, laws, and language of the Bakwains, which has proved of incalculable advantage in my intercourse with them ever since.
In this, my second journey to Lepelole — so called from a cavern of that name — I began preparations for a settlement, by making a canal to irrigate gardens, from a stream then flowing copiously, but now quite dry. When the work was well advanced, I went northwards to the Bakaa, Bamangwato, and Makalaka tribes, living between 22° and 23° south lat. The Bakaa mountains had before been visited by a trader, who, with his people, all perished from fever. Most of my journey beyond Shokuane was performed on foot, in consequence of the draught oxen being sick. Some of my companions, who
