become familiar with; but we wish, you to give up that everlasting preaching and praying; we cannot 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."
The rain-makers believe that medicines act by a m3-steriou8 charm, and they are all ready with such arguments as the following.
Medical Doctor. — Hail, friend! How very many medicines you have about you this morning! Why, you have every medicine in the country here.
Plain 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 Saviour 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 waggons, 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 place medicines about our country to prevent the rain, so that we may be dispersed by hunger, and go to them, and augment their power. We must dissolve their charms by our medicines. God has given us one little thing which you know nothing of He has given us the knowledge of certain medicines by which we can make rain. We do not despise those things which
