Withoutatpresententeringminutelyintothisfeatureoftheclimate，itmayberemarkedthattheKurumandistrictpresentsevidenceofthisdrysouthernregionhaving，atnoverydistantdate，beenaswellwateredasthecountrynorthofLakeNgamiisnow。
Ancientriver-bedsandwater-coursesabound，andtheveryeyesoffountainslongsincedriedupmaybeseen，inwhichtheflowofcenturieshasworntheseorificesfromaslittoanovalform，havingontheirsidesthetufasoabundantlydepositedfromtheseprimitivewaters；
andjustwherethesplashings，madewhenthestreamfellontherockbelow，maybesupposedtohavereachedandevaporated，thesamephenomenonappearsManyofthesefailingfountainsnolongerflow，becausethebrinkoverwhichtheyranisnowtoohigh，orbecausetheelevationofthewesternsideofthecountryliftsthelandawayfromthewatersupplybelow；butletacuttingbemadefromalowerlevelthanthebrink，andthroughittoapartbelowthesurfaceofthewater，andwaterflowsperennially。
SeveraloftheseancientfountainshavebeenresuscitatedbytheBechuanasnearKuruman，whooccasionallyshowtheirfeelingsofself-esteembylaboringformonthsatdeepcuttings，which，havingoncebegun，theyfeelboundinhonortoperseverein，thoughtoldbyamissionarythattheycanneverforcewatertorunuphill。
ItisinterestingtoobservetheindustryofmanyBoersinthisregioninmakinglonganddeepcanalsfromlowerlevelsuptospotsdestituteoftheslightestindicationofwaterexistingbeneathexceptafewrushesandapeculiarkindofcoarse，reddish-coloredgrassgrowinginahollow，whichancientlymusthavebeentheeyeofafountain，butisnowfilledupwithsofttufaInotherinstances，theindicationofwaterbelowconsistsoftherushesgrowingonalong，sandyridgeafootortwoinheightinsteadofinafurrow。
AdeeptransversecuttingmadethroughthehigherpartofthisisrewardedbyastreamofrunningwaterThereasonwhythegroundcoveringthiswaterishigherthantherestofthelocalityisthatthewindscarryquantitiesoffinedustandsandaboutthecountry，andhedges，bushes，andtreescauseitsdepositTherushesinthiscaseperformthepartofthehedges，andthemoisturerisingasdewbynightfixesthesandsecurelyamongtheroots，andaheight，insteadofahollow，istheresultWhileonthissubjectitmaybeaddedthatthereisnoperennialfountaininthispartofthecountryexceptthosethatcomefrombeneaththequartzosetrap，whichconstitutesthe“fillingup“oftheancientvalley；
andasthewatersupplyseemstorestontheoldsilurianschistswhichformitsbottom，itishighlyprobablethatArtesianwellswouldinseveralplacesperformthepartwhichthesedeepcuttingsnowdo。
Theaspectofthispartofthecountryduringmostoftheyearisofalightyellowcolor；forsomemonthsduringtherainyseasonitisofapleasantgreenmixedwithyellowRangesofhillsappearinthewest，buteastofthemwefindhundredsofmilesofgrass-coveredplainsLargepatchesoftheseflatsarecoveredwithwhitecalcareoustufarestingonperfectlyhorizontalstrataoftrap。
Therethevegetationconsistsoffinegrassgrowingintuftsamonglowbushesofthe“wait-a-bit“thorn`Acaciadetinens’，withitsannoyingfish-hook-likespinesWheretheserocksdonotappearonthesurface，thesoilconsistsofyellowsandandtall，coarsegrasses，growingamongberry-yieldingbushes，namedmoretloa`Grewiaflava’andmohatla`Tarchonanthus’，whichhasenoughofaromaticresinousmattertoburnbrightly，thoughperfectlygreenInmoreshelteredspotswecomeonclumpsofthewhite-thornedmimosa`Acaciahorrida’，also`Aatomiphylla’，andgreatabundanceofwildsage`SalviaAfricana’，andvariousleguminosae，ixias，andlarge-floweringbulbs：
the`Amaryllistoxicaria’and`ABrunsvigiamultiflora’
theformerapoisonousbulbyieldinthedecayedlamellaeasoft，silkydown，agoodmaterialforstuffingmattresses。
Insomefewpartsofthecountrytheremainsofancientforestsofwildolive-trees`Oleasimilis’andofthecamel-thorn`Acaciagiraffe’
arestilltobemetwith；butwhentheseareleveledintheproximityofaBechuanavillage，noyoungtreesspringuptotaketheirplacesThisisnotbecausethewoodhasagrowthsoslowasnottobeappreciableinitsincreaseduringtheshortperiodthatitcanbeobservedbyman，whichmightbesupposedfromitsbeingsoexcessivelyhard；forhavingmeasuredayoungtreeofthisspeciesgrowinginthecornerofMrMoffat’sgardennearthewater，IfoundthatitincreasedattherateofaquarterofaninchindiameterannuallyduringanumberofyearsMoreover，thelargerspecimens，whichnowfindfewornosuccessors，iftheyhadmorerainintheiryouth，cannotbeabovetwoorthreehundredyearsold。
ItisprobablethatthisisthetreeofwhichtheArkoftheCovenantandtheTabernaclewereconstructed，asitisreportedtobefoundwheretheIsraeliteswereatthetimetheseweremade。
Itisanimperishablewood，whilethatusuallypointedoutasthe“shittim“or`Acacianilotica’soondecaysandwantsbeauty。
Inassociationwithitwealwaysobserveacuriousplant，namedngotuane，whichbearssuchaprofusionoffineyellowstrong-scentedflowersasquitetoperfumetheairThisplantformsaremarkableexceptiontothegeneralrule，thatnearlyalltheplantsinthedrypartsofAfricaarescentless，oremitonlyadisagreeableodorIt，moreover，containsanactivepoison；aFrenchgentleman，havingimbibedamouthfulortwoofaninfusionofitsflowersastea，foundhimselfrenderednearlypowerlessVinegarhasthepeculiarpropertyofrenderingthispoisonperfectlyinert，whetherinoroutofthebodyWhenmixedwithvinegar，thepoisonmaybedrunkwithsafety，while，ifonlytastedbyitself，itcausesaburningsensationinthethroatThisgentlemandescribedtheactionofthevinegar，whenhewasnearlydeprivedofpowerbythepoisonimbibed，tohavebeenasifelectricityhadrunalonghisnervesassoonashehadtakenasingleglassfulThecurewasinstantaneousandcompleteIhadalwaystoregretwantofopportunityforinvestigatingthisremarkableandyetcontrollableagentonthenervoussystemItsusualproximitytocamel-thorn-treesmaybeaccountedforbythePROBABILITYthatthegiraffe，whichfeedsonthistree，MAYmakeuseoftheplantasamedicine。
DuringtheperiodofmyvisitatKuruman，MrMoffat，whohasbeenamissionaryinAfricaduringupwardoffortyyears，andiswellknownbyhisinterestingwork，“ScenesandLaborsinSouthAfrica“，wasbusilyengagedincarryingthroughthepress，withwhichhisstationisfurnished，theBibleinthelanguageoftheBechuanas，whichiscalledSichuanaThishasbeenaworkofimmenselabor；
andashewasthefirsttoreducetheirspeechtoawrittenform，andhashadhisattentiondirectedtothestudyforatleastthirtyyears，hemaybesupposedtobebetteradaptedforthetaskthananymanliving。
Someideaofthecopiousnessofthelanguagemaybeformedfromthefactthatevenheneverspendsaweekathisworkwithoutdiscoveringnewwords；
thephenomenon，therefore，ofanymanwho，afterafewmonths’oryears’
studyofanativetongue，cacklesforthatorrentofvocables，maywellbewonderedat，ifitismeanttoconveyinstruction。
Inmyowncase，thoughIhavehadasmuchintercoursewiththepurestidiomasmostEnglishmen，andhavestudiedthelanguagecarefully，yetIcanneverutteranimportantstatementwithoutdoingsoveryslowly，andrepeatingittoo，lesttheforeignaccent，whichisdistinctlyperceptibleinallEuropeans，shouldrenderthesenseunintelligibleInthisIfollowtheexampleoftheBechuanaorators，who，onimportantmatters，alwaysspeakslowly，deliberately，andwithreiteration。
ThecapabilitiesofthislanguagemaybeinferredfromthefactthatthePentateuchisfullyexpressedinMrMoffat’stranslationinfewerwordsthanintheGreekSeptuagint，andinaveryconsiderablysmallernumberthaninourownEnglishversionThelanguageis，however，sosimpleinitsconstruction，thatitscopiousnessbynomeansrequirestheexplanationthatthepeoplehavefallenfromaformerstateofcivilizationandculture。
Languageseemstobeanattributeofthehumanmindandthought；
andtheinflections，variousastheyareinthemostbarbaroustongues，asthatoftheBushmen，areprobablyonlyproofsoftheracebeinghuman，andendowedwiththepowerofthinking；thefullerdevelopmentoflanguagetakingplaceastheimprovementofourotherfacultiesgoeson。
ItisfortunatethatthetranslationoftheBiblehasbeeneffectedbeforethelanguagebecameadulteratedwithhalf-utteredforeignwords，andwhilethosewhohaveheardtheeloquenceofthenativeassembliesarestillliving；fortheyoung，whoarebroughtupinourschools，knowlessofthelanguagethanthemissionaries；andEuropeansborninthecountry，whilepossessedoftheidiomperfectly，ifnototherwiseeducated，cannotbereferredtoforexplanationofanyuncommonwordApersonwhoactedasinterpretertoSirGeorgeCathcartactuallytoldhisexcellencythatthelanguageoftheBasutoswasnotcapableofexpressingthesubstanceofachief’sdiplomaticpaper，whileeveryoneacquaintedwithMoshesh，thechiefwhosentit，wellknowsthathecouldinhisowntonguehaveexpresseditwithoutstudyalloveragaininthreeorfourdifferentwaysTheinterpretercouldscarcelyhavedoneasmuchinEnglish。
Thislanguagebothrichandpoorspeakcorrectly；thereisnovulgarstyle；
butchildrenhavea`patois’oftheirown，usingmanywordsintheirplaywhichmenwouldscorntorepeatTheBamapelahaveadoptedaclickintotheirdialect，andalargeinfusionoftheringing“ny“，whichseemstohavebeenforthepurposeofpreventingothersfromunderstandingthem。
ThefactofthecompletetranslationoftheBibleatastationsevenhundredmilesinlandfromtheCapenaturallysuggeststhequestionwhetheritislikelytobepermanentlyuseful，andwhetherChristianity，asplantedbymodernmissions，islikelytoretainitsvitalitywithoutconstantsuppliesofforeignteaching？ItwouldcertainlybenocauseforcongratulationiftheBechuanaBibleseemedatalllikelytomeetthefateofElliot’sChoctawversion，aspecimenofwhichmaybeseeninthelibraryofoneoftheAmericancolleges
asGod’swordinalanguagewhichnolivingtonguecanarticulate，norlivingmortalunderstand；butabetterdestinyseemsinstoreforthis，fortheSichuanalanguagehasbeenintroducedintothenewcountrybeyondLakeNgamiThereitisthecourtlanguage，andwilltakeastrangeranywherethroughadistrictlargerthanFranceTheBechuanas，moreover，inallprobabilitypossessthatimperishabilitywhichformssoremarkableafeatureintheentireAfricanrace。
Whenconvertsaremadefromheathenismbymodernmissionaries，itbecomesaninterestingquestionwhethertheirfaithpossessestheelementsofpermanence，orisonlyanexotictootenderforself-propagationwhenthefosteringcareoftheforeigncultivatorsiswithdrawnIfneitherhabitsofself-reliancearecultivated，noropportunitiesgivenfortheexerciseofthatvirtue，themostpromisingconvertsareapttobecomelikespoiledchildren。
InMadagascar，afewChristianswereleftwithnothingbuttheBibleintheirhands；andthoughexposedtopersecution，andevendeathitself，asthepenaltyofadherencetotheirprofession，theyincreasedten-foldinnumbers，andare，ifpossible，moredecidedbelieversnowthantheywerewhen，byanedictofthequeenofthatisland，themissionariesceasedtheirteaching。
InSouthAfricasuchanexperimentcouldnotbemade，forsuchavarietyofChristiansectshavefollowedthefootstepsoftheLondonMissionarySociety’ssuccessfulcareer，thatconvertsofonedenomination，iflefttotheirownresources，areeagerlyadoptedbyanother，andarethusmorelikelytobecomespoiledthantrainedtothemanlyChristianvirtues。
AnotherelementofweaknessinthispartofthemissionaryfieldisthefactofthemissionarysocietiesconsideringtheCapeColonyitselfasaproperspherefortheirpeculiaroperationsInadditiontoawell-organizedandefficientDutchReformedEstablishedChurch，andschoolsforsecularinstruction，maintainedbygovernment，ineveryvillageofanyextentinthecolony，wehaveanumberofothersects，astheWesleyans，Episcopalians，Moravians，allpiouslylaboringatthesamegoodworkNowitisdeeplytoberegrettedthatsomuchhonestzealshouldbesolavishlyexpendedinadistrictwhereinthereissolittlescopeforsuccessWhenwehearanagentofonesecturginghisfriendsathometoaidhimquicklytooccupysomeunimportantnook，because，ifitisnotspeedilylaidholdof，hewill“nothaveroomforthesoleofhisfoot。”onecannothelplongingthatbothheandhisfriendswoulddirecttheirnobleaspirationstothemillionsofuntaughtheathenintheregionsbeyond，andnolongercontinuetoconverttheextremityofthecontinentinto，asitwere，adamofbenevolence。
Iwouldearnestlyrecommendallyoungmissionariestogoatoncetotherealheathen，andnevertobecontentwithwhathasbeenmadereadytotheirhandsbymenofgreaterenterpriseTheideaofmakingmodelChristiansoftheyoungneednotbeentertainedbyanyonewhoissecretlyconvinced，asmostmenwhoknowtheirownheartsare，thatheisnotamodelChristianhimselfTheIsraelitishslavesbroughtoutofEgyptbyMoseswerenotconvertedandelevatedinonegeneration，thoughunderthedirectteachingofGodhimself。
Notwithstandingthenumbersofmiracleshewrought，agenerationhadtobecutoffbecauseofunbeliefOurownelevation，also，hasbeentheworkofcenturies，and，rememberingthis，weshouldnotindulgeinoverwroughtexpectationsastotheelevationwhichthosewhohaveinheritedthedegradationofagesmayattaininourday。