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。