our school children into slavery. The natives, under Sechele, defended
themselves till the approach of night enabled them to flee to the
mountains; and having in that defence killed a number of the enemy, the
very first ever slain in this country by Bechuanas, I received the
credit of having taught the tribe to kill Boers! My house, which had
stood perfectly secure for years under the protection of the natives,
was plundered in revenge. English gentlemen, who had come in the
footsteps of Mr. Cumming to hunt in the country beyond, and had
deposited large quantities of stores in the same keeping, and upwards of
eighty head of cattle as relays for the return journeys, were robbed of
all; and when they came back to Kolobeng, found the skeletons of the
guardians strewed all over the place. The books of a good library--my
solace in our solitude--were not taken away, but handfuls of the leaves
were torn out and scattered over the place. My stock of medicines was
smashed; and all our furniture and clothing carried off and sold at
public auction to pay the expenses of the foray. I do not mention these
things by way of making a pitiful wail over my losses, in order to
excite commiseration; for though I feel sorry for the loss of lexicons,
dictionaries, &c., &c., which had been the companions of my boyhood,
yet, after all, the plundering only set me entirely free for my
expedition to the north, and I have never since had a moment's concern
for anything I left behind. The Boers resolved to shut up the interior,
and I determined to open the country."

* * * * *

Mr. A. McArthur, of Holland Park, wrote on March 22nd of this year:--

"When looking over some old letters a few days ago, I found one from the
late venerable Dr. Moffat, who was one of the best friends South Africa