Untbfrsxint ban |3rrtoria t (/-dan die (nhliotee(c ges(cen( d eur Wn£^miIS....ME.G.IEL...mTE W.P.— 45376— 19/3/62. p; Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/travelsinihterio02burc_0 TRAVELS IN THE INTERIOR OF SOUTHERN AFRICA. VOL. II. London : Printed by A. & R. Spottiswoode, N c w- Street- Square. TRAVELS IN THE INTERIOR SOUTHERN AFRICA, BY WILLIAM J. BURCHELL, Es2. VOLUME II. WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS. LONDON: PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, BROWN, AND GREEN, PATERNOSTER-ROVV. 1824. AFRICANS MERENSK / - BSBLtOTEEK UNiVERSH :■! VAN PRETORIA. R«& *ternGmrrt&'. 3‘nlyOp>l BuACheCl. CONTENTS. Page Chapter I. Journey from Klaarwater, to Kaabi’s Kraal 1 II. Transactions at Kaabi’s Kraal 46 III. Journey from Kaabi’s Kraal, to the Borders of the Colony 80 IV. Journey from the Borders of the Colony, to the village of Graaffreynet ... .104 V. Transactions at Graaffreynet 139 VI. Return from Graaffreynet, to the Boundary of the Colony 168 VII. Return from the Colony, through the country of the Bushmen, to Klaarwater 186 VIII. Transactions at Klaarwater, after the return from Graaffreynet 222 IX. Journey in the country of the Koras, from Klaarwater to Sensavan 233 X. Journey from Sensavan, to the Kamhanni Mountains 260 XI. Journey in the country of the Bachaplns, from the Kamhanni Mountains, to the river Makkwarin 291 XII. Occurrences and observations at the river Makkwarin 311 XIII. Journey from the river Makkwarin, to the town of Litakun 340 XIV. Reception at Litakun 358 XV. Residence in the town of Litakun; and affair of the gun 381 XVI. Transactions and occurrences during the first residence at Litakun 434 XVII. General description of the town of Litakun. Its histoi’y ; regulations ; popu- lation ; architecture ; domestic arrangement ; situation ; and climate. 511 XVIII. General description of the Bachaplns. Their origin ; population ; govern- ment ; warfare ; policy ; trade ; and laws. Nature of their Chief’s au- thority. Their religion or superstition ; moral character ; natural dispo- sition ; mental capacity ; figure ; cast of features ; women ; marriages ; clothing ; personal ornaments ; utensils ; disorders ; modes of cure ; language; food; agriculture; manufactures; arts; and, amusements ... 529 The Itinerary, and Register of the Weather 601 The Zoological and Botanical Index 611 The General Index . 619 PLATES Facing Page 1 . A natural Obelisk, in the country of the Bushmen 44 2. Descending from the Snow-Mountains 133 3. Portrait of Juli, a faithful Hottentot , 160 4. View of a Bushman Kraal . 198 5. View on entering the Town of Litakun 360 6. A View in the Town of Litakun 464 7. Portrait of Massisan 484 8. Portrait of Mahutu 494 9. Section and Plan of a Bachapin House 515 10. Portrait of Chaasi, a Bachapin 561 VIGNETTES. 1 . Heads of two Bush girls 2. Bushman utensils Di«mn<>'-stick Do O Stone-pot Clay-pot Dancing-rattles 3. The Two-horned Rhinoceros 4. Head of the Two-horned Rhinoceros 5. Geranium Rocks ; a Station 6. Inside of a Bushman’s Hut 7. Great Table-mountain, on the borders of the Colony 8. Ascending a rugged Pass 9. View of the Drostdy at Graaffreynet 10. The plant called Hottentot’s Bread 11. Little Table-Mountain, and Vermeulen’s house 12. Spitskop, the highest peak of the Snow-Mountains.., 13. Weapons of the Bushmen 14. Bushman arrows 15. A group of the Hunting Hyenas, called Wild Dogs 16. A Wild Dog, or Hunting Hyena 1 7. Sensavan, the Sibllo mine 18. The Unlucky-wood 19. A scene at Knegt’s Fountain 20. Triaspis hypericoi'des 21. Portrait of a Bachapin Herdsman 22. The Peeli, or Antilope villosa 23. The Linong, or Vultur occipitalis 24. The Crescent-horned Antelope, or Antilope lunata... Described at Page Page 1 25. 59. 45 45 29 45 34 45 47 45 65 46 74 79 75 80 98 103 53 104 103. 105. 138 109 139 145 167 147 168 117. 183. 185 125. 184. 186 198 221 199. 200. 222 229 232 229 233 255 259 258 260 269 290 280 291 303 309 302 310 325. 329. 335 335 VIGNETTES. Described at 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34-. 35. 36. 37. View and Plan of the Dwelling-house of Mollemmi, the Chief’s 38. Bachapln Ornaments Ivory Armlets — 39. 4-0. 4-1. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. Bachapln Knives Spoons Carving-instrument , ornamental Carving Page 339 Page 336 340 260. 340. 357 356. 360. 358 364 380 363. 570. 381 374 433 392 434 482 510 507 511 445. 528 521 529 562. 573. 567 567 567 567 566 567 567. 568. 571 571 362. 571. 571 572 571 572 571 550 575 362. 575. 576 576 578 578 593 593 595 594 595 595 596 596 599 597 ERRATA. VOL. I. Page vii. line 5. from the bottom, for are read is. xi. ... 24. for page 550. read 350. 85. ... 7. for is read are. 122. ... 18. for drank read drunk. • 133. ... 12. for fixed read placed. 153. . .. 8. for they read the rains. 164. .. . 37. for riffle read rifle. 168. ... 29. for incumbrance read encumbrance. 172. ... 15. for browze read browse. 182. ... 9. for are read is. 198. .. . 27. for were read was. 236. ... 26. for tract read track. 259. ... 1 1 . of the note, /or tortuosa read tortuosum. 263. ... 12. for coot read coots. 265. ... 7. of the note, for Namaquana read Na- maquanus. 270. ... 15.de/ewhich. 275. ... 19. for bring read brings. 276. ... 21. for irruption read eruption. 288. ... 4. of the not e,for piligenu read piligera. 308. ... 5. for their read the. 310. ... 3. of the note, for Peteoli read Petioli. 317. ... 3. for viginti, read quinqua- ginta. 319- ... 32. for is read are. 343 ... 6. dele seldom. 361. ... 33. dele all. 366. ... 21. for it read them. 387. ... 9. of the note, after Folia insert opposita. — ... — for rigidia read rigida. 389. ... 7. for 14. read 18. — ... 11. for petiloantia read petio- lantia. 414. ... 5. for was read were. 430. ... 10. for mover iead move. 482. ... 13. dele totally. 501. ... 17. of the note, Jin cristatus read cristatum. 516. ... 1 . for idea read ideas. Page 516. line 2. for they read it. — ... 3. for them read it. 536. ... 25. for these read those. 543. ... last but one of the note, for 140°. read 120°. 562 ... 9. in the column of Stations, for 2181 read 216£. — ... 10. for 701 read 699. 564. ... 3. for 791 read 789. — ... 4. • /or 3081 read 3061. — ... 10. for 180 read 183J. 576. ... 23. and 27. for have read has* In the Map (in some impressions) in the last line of ‘ the Interpretation of Dutch words,’ after contradistinc- tion add to achter. for Schoornsteenberg (in the Roggeveld Karro), read Schoorsteenberg. for Deer. 4. and Deer. 6, (on the Sunday and Kuga rivers) read Novr. 4, and Novr. 6. for Further (in the Bokkeveld and Rogge- veld) read Farther. dele Grooce R. (in the Cape Peninsula.) , the words ‘ The new River,’ are not in tended as its proper name, this being unknown : it has, in the narrative, sometimes been called the Friendly River. VOL. II. Page 16. line 21. after could, insert have. 21. ... 1 . of the note, for candicans, read al bicans . 69. ... 19. & 20. transpose the words pleasing and unpleasing. 121. ... 10. after praiseworthy, add in their sight. 222. in the title of the chapter, for Graffreynet read Graafffeynet. 225. ... 29. dele who. 549. ... 5. for emigrations read migrations 592. ... 14. dele In size. CHAPTER I. JOURNEY FROM KLAARWATER TO KAABl’s KRAAL. The sun had scarcely risen above the horizon, when already we had begun to prepare for departure. Some further arrangements, toge- ther with packing our baggage upon the oxen, yoking the team to the waggon, and taking leave, each one of his particular friends, detained us still four hours longer at Klaarwater, notwithstanding the eagerness which the whole party evinced to commence the journey. For my own part, taught by past experience how soon disappointments and unforeseen difficulties might overtake me at this unpropitious place, I dreaded every moment’s delay ; and therefore hurried my Hottentots away, taking the lead myself, and ordering the ox-riders to follow immediately. They were assembled before the hut of the captain, who, with his companions and par- tisans, continued to express their disapprobation of my plans, and to consider the undertaking as an ill-advised and perilous attempt, VOL. II. B 2 SENTIMENTS AT DEPARTURE. 24, 25 Feb. which might lead to our destruction ; and which, at best, presented, according to their views, little probability of a successful result. The principal inhabitants of the kraal, when we bade them farewell and rode off, viewed us as persons whom they had no expectation of ever seeing again. As soon as we had lost sight of the village, and my party had all joined company, I rejoiced at finding myself once more free ; and felt relieved from an oppressive and teasing load of daily vexations, which the lightness of my spirits now assured me I had left behind. As the African custom (Vol. i. page 173.) of accompanying a tra- veller for a short distance out of their kraal, was in this instance either forgotten or intentionally omitted, our communication with the inhabitants of Klaarwater ended when we passed their huts : and we were thus left sooner at liberty to turn all our thoughts forward. Not to allow time for the disheartening and ill-foreboding re- marks which had just been sounded in our ears, to make any impression on the minds of my men, or to shake the courage, or cloud the alacrity, with which they had commenced the undertaking, I seized the first moments to speak of our journey in a manner which should convince them that there was in my own mind not the least doubt of success. I know not whether such an address might have been at that time really necessary, or how far it might have operated in re-inspiring them with confidence ; but I felt truly happy at no- ticing the pleasure with which they talked on the subject, and their congratulations to each other on having at last completed all arrange- ments, and on being now actually on the road. We drove with us six sheep, as a resource whenever our hunting should fail to supply us with game ; and the appearance of the party was much enlivened by the company of our faithful dogs ; to all of which, I confess, I felt a kind of attachment which derived additional strength from the peculiar circumstances of the journey now before me. But Wantrouw had gradually rendered himself the favorite, and seemed conscious of the preference, as he always kept close by my side, excepting when the chase, in which he was eager to excess, 1812. BULBOUS PLANTS. — SPRINGHAAS. 3 called him away. Having been for a long time past disused to travelling, the sharpness of the road soon rendered their feet sore ; and it was fortunate that at the beginning of the journey we had an opportunity of letting the poor animals ride in the waggon. In seven hours we reached Gattikamma, where we halted and passed the night. 2 5th . As the sun, rising in a cloudless sky, announced that the day would be oppressively hot, we resumed our journey early in the morning and while the air still retained some of the coolness of night. I now looked in vain for that rosy wild flower-garden which de- corated these plains on our former visit to the Asbestos Mountains. It had totally disappeared ; and so astonishingly, and almost in- credibly rapid, is the progress of vegetation in these regions, with respect to bulbous flowers, that in the short space of ten days the beautiful lilies *, then observed just coming into bloom, had com- pleted their flowering, and ripened their seed ; the flower-stems were dried up, had parted from the roots, and were nearly all blown away. Many burrows of the Springhaas f attracted our notice. These animals, making their holes in soft sandy ground, were said to derive great assistance from their hinder feet, in throwing out the sand which they loosen with their fore paws ; and which, as the nails of these paws have so little the appearance of being worn, may perhaps be the only reason why they have been supposed to dig only with their hinder feet ; a supposition which I have before recorded, although contrary to my own opinion. The heat of the day compelled us to rest during three hours at Aakaap ; but we arrived at the Kloof village an hour and a half be- fore sunset. Here we found Ruiter waiting in readiness for us ; although Captain Berends had not been able in the mean time to * Amaryllis lucida : noticed in the first volume at pages 536. and 541. f Pedetes Caffer. — Compare the above remarks with what has been said in Vol. I. at page 487. 4 FRIENDLY ASSISTANCE. 26 Feb. procure any further addition to our number : I was, however, well satisfied at having secured even one more. Our viaticum of corn consisted only of about half a bushel of wheat, which the people immediately set about grinding ; the mill at this place being fortunately in better order than the one at Klaar- water. 2 6th. We obtained a quantity of dakka, or hemp-leaves, a very acceptable present to the Bushmen, who, as before stated, use it for smoking instead of tobacco. As a precaution, I ordered a large jug of milk to be boiled, that we might take it with us ; for I had remarked, that when not boiled, it had, in a few hours’ travelling, either turned sour, or by the constant motion become buttermilk, the butter having been completely separated by this kind of churning, and formed into round balls, which floated on the surface. We also cast an additional store of bullets, that we might be prudently pre- pared against any attack from the inhabitants of the country through which we were about to pass, and whose disposition was equally unknown to all of us ; although, while making this provision, we were more inclined to believe it would only be consumed in hunting. I made another drawing of the village and surrounding mountains, from a point of view different from those of my former sketches.* The business of grinding corn detained us till past three in the afternoon ; when I took my leave of the friendly Captain Berends, to whom, indeed, I was indebted, in the affair of hiring men, for all the assistance which I had received, beyond what had been affected by my own Hottentots. The inhabitants of his kraal assembled around us to witness our departure, and bade us farewell in a manner which afforded pleasure to myself, and animated all my party with the highest spirits, and raised their confidence in a safe return ; a con- fidence of no small importance on such occasions, and not of mere imaginary utility in contributing to ultimate success. We followed the course of the rivulet as it winds along the nar- O See the Vignette in Vol. I. at page 323. 1812. SCENERY IN THE ASBESTOS-MOUNTAINS. 5 row valley which conducts it through the Asbestos Mountains towards the Gariep. * This valley is more romantic and picturesque than any which I had seen since leaving the Hex-river kloof. The mountains, which are essentially the same sort of clay-slate which has been already described, rose close on either hand in bold majestic forms, in some places clothed with luxuriant verdure, or more fre- quently exhibiting their steep rocky sides sprinkled here and there with light bushes growing out of their crevices, and enlivening with tints of verdure the rich and varied browns of their broken crags. Along the dale below we rode in many places over a thick and verdant carpet of the most beautiful grass j', shaded often by the soft foliage of large trees of acacia, whose branches were loaded with festoons of clematis hanging wild with all the grace and charms of Nature, and decorating them with a profusion of white flowers, which diffused their delicate and grateful odor through the airy grove. In one spot, an immense mass of rock, or rather a mountain, reared its lofty precipice high above our heads, and, partially covered with evergreens and various shrubs, presented a subject for both admiration and regret, since time and circumstances allowed me no opportunity for making a drawing of the scene. Our road became more irregular and hilly, leading us sometimes through the dry bed of the rivulet ; sometimes halfway up the sides of the mountain ; and often through thickets of acacias, which abounded throughout the whole length of the valley ; and, as we passed, lent their friendly aid in sheltering us from the burning rays of the sun. A clear refreshing spring which we perceived hard by beneath the trees, tempted us to halt a few minutes to quench our thirst : it was the cool fountain of a Kraal of Koras , whose sheep and oxen were in sight grazing upon the sides of the hills around. A few of * Vol. I. page 334. f Catal. Geogr. 2570. Exceedingly like the Wire-grass of the island of St. Helena ( Agrostis linearis^ Willd. S. P.), and near akin to that which is called Cocksfoot-grass by theEnglish farmers. [Panicum Dactylon, Linn. Cynodon Dadylon, Pers.) 6 HALTING AT JAN BLOEM’S KRAAL. 26 Feb. its inhabitants advanced to greet us as we rode by, and one or two of the men acknowledged us as old acquaintances, having met us before when we were hunting hippopotami on the banks of the Kygariep. To avoid a long circuit, which the rivulet now began to take, we quitted the deep valley and ascended to an elevated level country, very thickly covered with large trees of the Hookthorn, between which we were obliged very cautiously to wind our way for about a mile and a half. After this we descended again into the valley, and continued, among acacias, to follow the bed of the rivulet, which at this season was every where dry. A little farther we came to another spring of water equally pure and delightful, and our party again felt it necessary to quench their thirst. This fountain was occupied by a kraal of Mixed-Hot- tentots, the friends and relations of those who dwelt at the village of the Kloof. The men and women were at this hour absent, hunting or tending their cattle, or in search of wild roots, or collecting fire- wood ; but several little groups of children ran out from the thickets which concealed their huts, to view us as we passed. They knew old Cobus and Ruiter, and were therefore not afraid to creep out of their hiding-places and run towards us ; but they eyed me with some doubt and shyness, and seemed half-inclined to run back again. At a short distance beyond this kraal we found another, consist- ing of seven huts and a large proportion of inhabitants, who were also of the race of Mixed- Hottentots ; their chief was named Jan BloemJ With the people of this kraal most of our party were well acquainted, and, as few amongst us were good swimmers, and nearly all of these were expert in that art, from having resided so long on the banks of the Gariep, they were easily persuaded to lend us their assistance in crossing the river ; especially as I promised to reward them for their services. It was therefore agreed, it being already past sunset, that we should pass the night at this kraal, that they might put themselves in readiness to accompany us in the morning. * He was son of a freebooter of the same name, hereafter mentioned under date of the 17th of June. 1812. A HOTTENTOT VILLAGE. — WIRE-GRASS. 7 The situation of this little village, if such an appellation does not express too much, was exceedingly sheltered and rural : on one side embosomed in a grove of tall acacias, overtopped by the surrounding mountains ; on the other, enclosed by a rocky precipice, under which stood their mat-houses and the cattle-kraals. Their oxen and goats appeared to be numerous, and were seen every where around, coming home from pasture. There was a small garden fenced round with a dry hedge, and irrigated by a trench which conducted water from a spring not far off ; and in it were cultivated chiefly tobacco, maize, pumpkins, and dakka. The lowing of the oxen, the milking of the cows, and the playfulness of the goats butting against each other, or familiarly browsing close to the huts, or mingling with the dogs and cattle, gave a truly pastoral character to the spot ; while the abun- dance of trees rendered the scene rich and harmonious to the eye, and solicited the attempts of my pencil. In verdure and beauty, the wire-grass far excelled every other grass of the valley ; and I doubt not that its qualities, in an agricultural view of them, would equally prove its superiority in the climate of the Gariep. At least, analogy with the wire-grass of St. Helena and the doop-grass of India, induces me to form this opinion, and to re- commend a trial of it to the agriculturists of Africa : and if, indeed, this be not identically the same species, it so closely resembles it, as hardly to be distinguished but by a botanist. In this romantic valley it formed a thicker turf, and appeared of a softer and finer nature, than any other grasses which have fallen under my notice in these regions. A trifling circumstance which happened here, is worth mention- ing, because it confirms what has been asserted on a former occasion *, respecting the faculty possessed by these natives, of distinguishing and recognising their cattle individually. In the team which drew my waggon, were several oxen, all of an uniformly black color, and ap • * Vol. I. page 175. 8 A REMARKABLE INCIDENT. 26, 27 Feb. parently of equal size and form. Immediately on my arrival here, one of them was, without any previous examination, or the least hesit- ation, pointed out by one of the Hottentots of the kraal, as having several years before, when he lived in Namaqualand, belonged to him; and on my expressing a doubt that it could be the same ox, since I had purchased it in the neighbourhood of Cape Town, he desired my driver to put his finger into its nostrils, when he would feel the hole through the septum, which had been made by him to receive the bridle, as it had been trained, while in his possession, for a riding-ox. And this was directly ascertained to be the fact ; although the hole had hitherto escaped the notice of my own people ; who, now, were pleased at finding that we possessed a riding-ox among the number. This animal, which perhaps originally had been obtained by barter from some more inland tribe, happened, as its owner recollected, to have been one of a large herd which had been brought into the colony and exchanged to some of the boors, for articles of which they were then more in need. In this manner it had changed masters till it became Frans Van der Merwe’s, and had now completed the tour of Southern Africa ; but it was yet destined to visit other regions in the interior, until at last it was, I believe, one of the four-and-twenty which were stolen from me one night by the Caffres in the Zuureveld. My people were supplied by their friends here with pumpkins and milk for their supper. In the evening, Gert, who was exceedingly attentive, and desirous of evincing, by every act of service in his power, his gratitude for my past kindnesses towards him, came to me to beg in the name of the rest that I would play on the flute , as this was to be the last evening they could have an opportunity of hearing this instrument until my return. I willingly granted their request ; and thus myself took leave of a valuable friend : for the fear of accidents, on so rough a journey, prevented my taking it with me farther than the river. Perhaps this was the first time since the creation, that these groves and rocks re-echoed the sound of the flute ; and the novelty of the entertainment commanded the attention of the whole kraal, who had for this purpose assembled at a little distance round my waggon. 1812. THE PLEASING EFFECTS OF MUSIC. 9 The complete silence which prevailed, indicated their fondness for music; however rude the sounds which the wild uncultivated Hottentot himself may be able to produce. He will sometimes take his gorah, and, unintelligible as his notes may seem to a more polished ear, will sit by his fire, or in his hut, playing them over for hours together, with increasing pleasure and satisfaction : while his friends around him listen without growing weary; and perhaps among their number some one, captivated by so great a display, as they may deem it, of musical power, may catch the spirit of emulation and long to play as. well: or even may his notes inspire more tender feelings; and youth and innocence may listen to them with delight. I confess that I warmly participated in the amusement of the evening ; and never before felt so satisfied and proud of my own performance: but my pride was surely allowable on such an occasion, and I doubt whether the most accomplished performer in Europe, feels at the rapturous applauses of a refined audience, a gratification greater than that which I received on witnessing the pleasure which my music afforded to a kraal of simple Africans. It was the pride of being able to render my fellow-men happy, even though but for a few hours : it was the heart, and not the head, which claimed the whole enjoyment. How often, when far removed from these wild regions, has memory carried me back to scenes and amusements such as these, again to try the question whether man find not an equal portion of happiness, and feel not equally the care of a kind Providence, in the civilized, and in the uncivilized state. How often have I travelled over my journey again, to dwell a longer time at those places where the goodwill of my fellow creatures, and innocent pleasures, have beguiled my hours, and soothed the pains of the more rugged and unkind parts of my road. 27i th Early the following morning we left Jan Bloems Kraal , accompanied by its chief and six of his people. The distance to the river was not more than four miles ; but having quitted the valley, that we might take a more direct road to the ford, we no longer met with the same romantic scenery, nor even with rocks of the same nature; these appearing every where, in this day’s journey, to consist VOL. II. c 10 A KRAAL OF KORAS. — AUTUMNAL COLORS. 27 Feb. of a stone formed of various fragments conglutinated by a calcareous basis * ; and such as might be classed as a species of “ pudding-stone.” The spot where we had intended to cross the river, bore the name of Engelsche Drift (English Ford) among the Klaarwater people, on account of its having been passed eleven years before, by a party from Cape Town, sent into the Transgariepine to purchase cattle for the government. The river, being here divided into two streams by an island, was found to be at this time too rapid and rough to be forded without danger : we therefore again yoked the oxen to the waggon, and proceeded to another place about two miles and a half higher up the stream. It was at this spot where the unfortunate Cowan and his party forded the Gariep, never more to return. Here we found a kraal of Koras stationed with their cows, oxen, and goats : they appeared, like most of the natives in this part of the country, to possess but few sheep, a fact which is to be accounted for, perhaps, by the greater care, and better pasture, required for these, than for the rearing of goats. Their huts were irregularly placed in the acacia groves, and so completely concealed by intervening thickets, that we might have passed the river without discovering them, if their inhabitants had not, in their usual friendly way, come out to make their salutations, as soon as they knew we were arrived. The branches of the acacias here were frequently decorated with a handsome kind of Mistleto (or, more correctly, a species of Loran- thus ,) whose fine scarlet berries appeared very conspicuous and orna- mental. The delightful scenery of the Gariep had lost nothing of its power of pleasing, by having been admired so often before ; but as I had not till now beheld the willows in their sober autumnal colors , they possessed for me, a new charm. In Africa we look in vain for those mellow beautiful tints with which the sun of autumn dyes the forests of England. Examples of this change of color meet the eye so rarely in these arid deserts, that whenever they do perchance occur, they will forcibly, and by a natural association of ideas, remind * To this rock may be referred generally the description and remarks given in the first volume, at pages 398 and 399. 1812. EVERGREENS. — THE RAFT. 11 the European traveller of his native land. To call the shrubs and trees of these countries, evergreens , would occasion very erroneous ideas to those whose notions are formed by what are commonly denominated so, in the gardens of our own country : although, in fact, there are few which are at any season quite destitute of leaves. But that broad and green foliage, that fresh and lively complexion, do not belong to the general character of the woods and thickets of the Interior ; notwithstanding some exceptions. These last remarks, however, must be considered as applicable only to the regions remote from the sea-coast : there are forests and woods in other parts, which exhibit a very different and superior character. As it could not be expected at this season of the year, that the waters of the Gariep would be so low as to admit of our fording it, our object had been to find a part of its course where the stream was of the least width, or of greatest depth ; as in this latter case the surface would be more still and smooth, and the current less rapid and powerful. We now, therefore, had to construct a raft fit for conveying over our bedding and goods, our guns and am- munition, as well as those of our party who were unable to swim across. With this view, our first business was to collect a number of logs of dead willow wood ; the acacia and other woods being too heavy for the purpose ; and even the willow when green, having the same defect. The raft was made of a quadrangular form, of six feet in length and the same breadth, by several regular layers of logs crossing each other, and bound together with long strips of acacia bark. The Hottentots have found by experience that, on such occasions, green bark is preferable to thongs of leather or raw hide ; because the leather or hide, when soaked in water, soon grows soft, stretches, and becomes loose. The raft being launched and loaded, was found not capable of carrying more than the half of our goods ; and it then required ten men to manage it. Some swam before and dragged it on by a rope, while others behind pushed it forwards ; but the strength of the current continuing to carry them down the stream, they crossed in c 2 12 ARTIFICE OF THE SWIMMERS. 27 Feb. an oblique direction ; so that the point where they landed made an angle of about fifty degrees with the point directly opposite to that from which they set out. Two of my own men who went over with the raft, to the other bank, were left there to guard the goods ; and when the others re- turned, a glass of brandy to each was found very necessary for reviving their courage for another trip. But they had meditated a scheme for obtaining payment for their services on their own terms, and this they deemed the proper moment for putting it in execution, when one half of our goods and two of my best swimmers were on one side of the river, and the rest on the other ; for they perceived that the raft required a greater number of hands to conduct it, than I had with me. I had intended to pay them in tobacco and some other useful articles ; but, it seems, they had resolved on having gunpowder , which they knew to be a commodity I was not willing to spare, as they found from my own Hottentots that I had brought with me no more than it was judged we should require for our present journey. They therefore made their demand, and considering the circum- stances in which I stood, I at last consented to pay them what they asked, and even more, at my return, when I could better give up my ammunition, without risking the lives of my party by rendering our- selves defenceless. But as they were too cunning not to know how far I was in their power, they resolved to be paid on the spot, and therefore, without saying any thing further, walked away, as if to return to their kraal. My own men, though they felt as much as myself, how little we could spare that which was so essentially necessary, both for our safety and for procuring food, begged me at all events to agree to their terms ; especially as the late hour of the day admitted of no delay. They immediately ran to inform them of my consenting to their terms ; and soon brought them back. They then resumed the work, and plunged into the stream with another raft-load. In the meantime I concerted the arrangements for Gert’s return with my waggon to Klaarwater, and left with him a goat and some 1812. CROSSING THE GARIEP. 13 goods with which he might purchase provisions during our absence. I gave him instructions to meet me on our return, at the river with the waggon, should he be able in time to get intelligence of our being on the road. He then, with the assistance of Old Daniel’s son and Muchunka, began to put the oxen to the yoke, and, as soon as he perceived that I was safely landed on the other side, set out on his journey home. To save the swimmers the fatigue of bringing over the raft when they returned, we were obliged for each load to construct a new one ; and as soon as the third raft was put together, I seated myself upon it, with four of my dogs, and launched into the stream. I was attended by twelve swimmers, including all the remainder of my men, excepting Ruiter and Nieuwveld, who remained behind to bring over the horse, and the oxen and sheep. We reached the southern bank just at sunset, and as soon as Jan Bloem and his people had received the gunpowder, they returned to the other side on ‘ wooden horses/ * As they had exerted themselves to their utmost in transporting our baggage over the river, and must have been excessively fatigued before they reached home, I freely forgave them the unfair stratagem by which they had outwitted me ; and allowed them to plead their own necessities in excuse. We parted good friends, and they promised to give their assistance in swimming the cattle through in the morning ; as it was become too late to attempt it this evening. At the place where we landed, a high precipitous bank confined us close to the water’s edge, where it would have been highly im- prudent to have remained till morning, exposed to the risk of being swept away, should the river suddenly swell. It grew dark before we had removed the goods to the higher ground ; and in this operation fate seemed to declare that no luxuries were to be allowed me on this journey ; for the only article I had provided, which could be con- sidered so, excepting tea and a bag of biscuits, was a stone bottle, * An explanation of this term, has been given in the first volume, at page 4 1 5. 14 THE BAGGAGE DESCRIBED. 27—28 Feb. wine ; but which a small fragment of rock accidentally rolling down from the top of the bank, now broke to pieces. The difficulties which heavy baggage might occasion, and the impediment it might become in crossing a pathless or mountainous country, were considerations sufficient to restrain us from taking any thing which was not absolutely indispensable ; and when, in debating this question, I put aside the influence of habit and custom, and of those necessities which belong only to civilized society, I discovered that we might dispense with nearly every thing ; even with all our cooking utensils, excepting a small tin pot and a tea-kettle. Without either gridiron or saucepan, we cooked all our meat, either broiled on the embers, or stuck on forked sticks before the fire. Nor could we admit the encumbrance even of plates and forks. We therefore entered upon this journey with no other provision than our watch- coats and covering for the night, our guns and ammunition, a hatchet, a quantity of tobacco intended principally for presents to the Bushmen, and five sheep. To this I added for myself, three blankets, an umbrella, and two tin boxes, one to hold my papers, my journal, and sketches, my compass, and a few other light articles of this kind ; and the other, a change of linen, and a small assortment of the more important medicines, particularly the volatile alkali, or liquid ammonia, for the bite of serpents. 28 th. We passed the night without having been observed by the natives ; and rose at day-break, hoping to see Ruiter and the cattle : but neither were visible, though we repeatedly called over to them so loudly that our words must have been distinctly heard, had any per- son been there. Hour after hour elapsed, and no answer was given ; nor was any human being to be seen along the bank. Our uneasiness continued increasing, and every unpropitious accident was in turn surmised, to account for their absence. At last towards noon they made their appearance on the shore, and in less than an hour afterwards, I had the satisfaction of viewing the whole of my party safely landed on the southern side of the Gariep. Ruiter’s delay had been occasioned by an untoward circumstance, 1812. AN ACCIDENT THE PARTY ENUMERATED. 15 and which now deprived us of the use of one of the cattle. The ox on which Cobus was to ride, was missing ; and, having been sup- posed to have strayed back again to the village at the Kloof, one of the Hottentots was despatched thither in search ; yet after wasting much time, it was at last found on the road nor far off, its rein having been accidentally caught by a bush, from which the poor animal had not only been unable to extricate itself, but in the struggle had dislocated its foot. Being therefore unfit for service, it was left under care of the people at the kraal ; and we were obliged to give up one of the pack-oxen to supply its place ; although we were then left with no more than three for carrying all our goods, together with the game which we might expect to shoot from day to day. At length all being ready and the baggage properly adjusted, we commenced our journey in the Cisgariepine , my party consisting of six Hottentots, the Bushman Nieuwveld, and Buiter the Bachapin whose proper name amongst his own countrymen, was Mdkhowta. Having gained intelligence that a friendly Bushman , who, by frequent visits to the Hottentots of the Asbestos Mountains, was personally known to one of my men, had lately pitched his hut on the banks of the river a few miles lower down, we bent our course that way, intending to persuade him to accompany us ; not indeed as a guide, but for the purpose of introducing us as friends, at the different kraals of his countrymen, at which he might be known, and of assuring them of our good intentions towards them and of our peaceable disposition ; but more especially, of testifying that I was not one of the boors, — men with whom they have been unfortunately too often on hostile terms, and of whose views they are generally too suspicious, to allow them to pass through their country without molestation. We traversed a very extensive plain, covered with grass so tall that the dogs were completely hidden by it ; but the ostriches stalked through exposed to view, and stonebucks * here and there starting up, bounded over it and were soon out of sight. * Antilope rupestris , mentioned in the first volume, at page 202. 16 28, 29 Feb. FRIENDLY RECEPTION AT RIIZO’S KRAAL. We reached the Bushman kraal at a little before sunset. It con- sisted only of three huts, where we found no one at home but the women. They informed us that all the men were out hunting or in search of food, but would return in the evening. They seemed already satisfied of our friendly disposition, and appeared to rejoice at the arrival of men with fire-arms, for they immediately told us that a hippopotamus had just that moment been heard snorting in the river close by, and begged us go and shoot it for them. At about eight the Bushmen came home, but we found that the man whom we wished to see, and whose name was Riizo (Reezo), had parted from them and gone to a kraal situated at a consider- able distance farther down the river. Our communication with these people was attended with no difficulty, as three of our party fortunately could speak their language ; Hans Lucas, Ruiter, and Nieuwveld : although the latter understood nothing of Dutch, but was sufficiently acquainted with that dialect of the Hottentotish, which is spoken by the people of Klaarwater. One of these natives was therefore immediately sent off to in- form Riizo of our wishes, and to desire him to come to us. In the mean time I had the satisfaction of learning that he and some others had long meditated an excursion to the southward, and, if it could been done with safety, a friendly visit to the borders of the colony. Our station , with all its living appendages of men and cattle, presented a scene so romantic, so curious, and so fit for a picture, that I employed the remainder of the daylight in making a drawing of it. It was in a thick grove of acacias on the top of a high bank, at the foot of which flowed the Gariep, extending its stream to a greater breadth as it here changed the direction of its course, glittering with the reflection of the warm harmonious colors of the western sky, and the last rays of the setting sun. Evening was quickly leading forward the darkness of night, when the broad moon in un- clouded brightness rose to give us a day of milder and serener light, and as she cast her beams obliquely through the branches of our sylvan hall, made us forget the hour of rest, and pass our time as if the night were not yet come. On one side the Bushmen and my 1812. SCENE ON THE BANKS OF THE GARIEP. 17 own men mingled in a group round the fire, sat with mutual confi- dence, talking and laughing with each other, or silently engaged in smoking, though frequently taking the pipe from the mouth to join in the laugh. The subject of their conversation I could not discover ; but the women were eager to bear their share in it, and it was I believe merely a natural overflowing of pleasure which they felt at receiving a present of tobacco. In another quarter, our patient oxen lay quietly chewing the cud ; and nearer at hand the sheep with their heads turned towards the light, stood peacefully looking on. Some of the dogs lay in different places, asleep at the foot of the trees, while others familiarly took their place in the circle round the fire. Various parts of our baggage, the guns and the saddle, the karosses and skins of my Hottentots, were hanging on the branches. Every nearer object within the grove was partially illuminated by the blaze, and their reddened hue contrasted strongly the pale silvery light which the bright moon shed on all without, and which here and there gleamed between the stems, or played upon the thin and feathery foliage. On the edge of the bank, under a wide-spreading acacia of many stems, my own sleeping-place and baggage appeared at the distance of a few paces, in a more retired situation ; while close at hand, but lower down the bank, stood my horse made fast to one of the trees. Between the light foliage above our heads, the twinkling stars enlivened our aerial canopy ; and at that hour the brilliant Sirius in the zenith, rivalled the brightest of the planets. For a long time after I had lain down for the purpose of taking my night’s rest, the novelty and singularly romantic character of the scene kept me from sleep ; and admiration at the objects by which I was surrounded, gave rise to the most agreeable sensations and reflections, the pleasure of which was enhanced more especially by the friendly reception which, it now began to appear, we were likely to meet with. 29th. I awoke long before sunrise, and watched the gradual approach of day. As soon as the eastern sky began to assume the rosy tints of morning, the moon faded slowly away, and a vol. ir. D 18 SINGING BIRDS.— THE WHITE-STEM. 29 Feb. multitude of birds , which every where inhabit the groves of the Gariep, commenced their early song, and charmed me with their soft enlivening notes. Notes which, though they presume to no comparison with those of our thrush or nightingale, delight and soothe the ear not less, and are equally expressive of the peace of nature, and the happiness of the feathered tribe, the unmolested tenants of these woods. Having waited at this spot till more than two hours after midday, in fruitless expectation of seeing Riizo, we took our departure ; and had scarcely advanced a mile when we met the Bushman who had yesterday been sent to the kraal lower down the river. He brought a message from Riizo, that we should come to that place and wait till he returned from the village at the Asbestos mountains, whither he was going to fetch some tobacco which he was to receive from the Hottentots at that place. Hearing this, I immediately sent off Ruiter, to bring him to us without delay ; promising that he should be well supplied with tobacco from our own stock. We then proceeded in a southward direction, and, leaving the val- ley of the Gariep, ascended a rocky cliff, at the top of which the surface of the country continued at the same level. Hence we had a command- ing view of the river and its winding course for several miles ; and of the Asbestos mountains to the north, and some other distant moun- tains on the west. The most remarkable feature of this plain was a number of scattered trees, distinguished from all I had hitherto seen, by the color of their trunks, which appeared at a little distance as if they had been whitewashed. From this singular character, they have gained the name of Wit-gat boom , which may be represented in Finglish by that of White-stem. * After quitting this plain and crossing an extensive level covered with abundance of fine grass three feet high, we came to the bed of a considerable periodical river, where, as it was now past sunset, we unpacked our oxen and took up our station for the night. This * Capparis albitrunca, B. — Vide p. 343. Vol. I. 1812. ARRIVAL AT AN UNEXPLORED RIVER. 19 proved to be the new river, which hitherto was known to the Klaar- water Hottentots, only at its confluence with the Gariep, and for a few miles higher up its course. The water in the pools along this part of its bed, being of a strongly brackish quality, they had designated it merely as the Brak rivier. This name, at length, was taken into com- mon use by our party, and occasioned us totally to neglect inquiring of the natives its proper name : a neglect which I the more regret as the name of Brak rivier has already been given to too many streams in the colony, to admit of increasing the number by fixing it upon this one ; to which indeed it is not applicable, excepting a few miles of the lower part of its course. As a river of this length bears, doubt- lessly, some distinctive appellation among the Bushmen, I have not presumed to give it one of my own ; but leave this blank in my map to be filled up by some traveller who may hereafter discover the name by which it has been always known to the aboriginal inhabitants of the country. The spot where we now for the first time fell in with it, is pointed out on the map by the words First Station. At this season its bed was in most places dry ; and that which in the time of the rains, must be a deep river, was now merely a line of ponds or pools, separated from each other, in some places by only a few yards of dry ground, and in others by the distance of a quarter of a mile. That pool, by the side of which we had halted, was of an intolerable alkaline taste ; but the people were obliged to drink from it, and gladly took advantage of the excuse it afforded, to ask for a glass of brandy to counteract its nauseous effects. It was the more fortunate that the water of this river was nowhere of this unwholesome nature, excepting at the lower part of its course, as our whole stock of brandy was contained in a quart bottle. The country every where around us, was flat and open ; and though lightly covered with low stunted bushes, not a tree was to be seen. At night we tied the horse and oxen to the strongest of the shrubs ; and pulling up a quantity of others, formed them into a semicircular hedge, to shelter us from the wind and rain with which the clouds began to threaten us. d 2 20 FINDING AN OSTRICH’S NEST. 1 March, March 1st. We remained at this station till half-past eight in the morning, in the hope that Ruiter would join us ; but as we knew that he and the Bushman could easily overtake us, we were glad to de- part from this miserable lodging. Our good-fortune conducted us by a solitary Buffalo-thorn ( Buffet doom *) where we found a small pond of fresh water. Having halted a few minutes to quench our thirst, and allow the oxen to drink, we rode forward by the guidance of the compass in a southerly direction over a sandy plain of fourteen miles ; in which the river twice crossed our course. In some places I observed swallows circling in the air, a cheering sight to the thirsty traveller, and a sure indication of water being near. In our way over the plain, we fell in with an ostrich's nest ; if so one may call a bare concavity scratched in the sand, six feet in diameter, surrounded by a trench equally shallow, and without the smallest trace of any materials, such as grass, leaves, or sticks, to give it a resemblance to the nests of other birds. The ostriches to which it belonged, must have been at that time feeding at a great distance, or we should have seen them on so open a plain. The poor birds at their return would find that robbers had visited their home in their absence ; for we carried off all their eggs. Within this hollow, and quite exposed, lay twenty-five of these gigantic eggs, and in the trench nine more, intended, as the Hottentots observe, as the first food of the twenty-five young ones. Those in the hollow, being designed for incubation, may often prove useless to the traveller, but the others on the outside will always be found fit for eating. In the present instance the whole number were equally good. The expedient resorted to by Speelman on a former occasion, was now adopted to a certain extent : after filling all our bags, the sleeves of their watch- coats, and their second pair of trowsers were crammed full of eggs. It was considered as an auspicious omen * Zizyphus biibalinus. 1812. ALKALINE WATER. 21 that at the commencement of our journey, so valuable a prize had been placed in our way. Our faithful dogs were not forgotten in the division of the spoil ; and their share, which we immediately broke into a bowl, was eaten up on the spot. Meeting again with the river , we halted and unpacked our oxen, that they might graze for an hour or two ; though little benefit was to be derived from the situation, as the pool at this place was quite salt, and not less unfit for use, than the alkaline water at the First Station. The quality of the ponds in the lower part of this river, is probably not at all seasons equally objectionable, and while the stream continues to flow along its bed, the water will every where be serviceable, because the saline solution from the soil, is then con- stantly weakened and carried off by the accession of fresh water from the higher part of its course. At other times, when the stream ceases to run, the pools remain, at first tolerably drinkable ; but in proportion as the quantity of water is lessened by evaporation, this solution becomes more concentrated. It should not be sup- posed that occasional showers in the immediate vicinity of these brackish ponds, would tend to improve them, because those showers must wash down more of the same salts from the surface of the soil, which, at the part where we had now halted, was covered principally with such shrubs and plants as afford alkali : these were the Kanna- bush, and another whose name of Brak-boschjes * (Brackish Bushes) indicates that their nature lias been well observed by the inhabitants. We made our dinner from the ostrich-eggs ; each of the Hotten- tots eating a whole one, although containing, as already mentioned, as much food as twenty- four eggs of the domestic hen. It is there- fore not surprising that I found myself unable to accomplish my share of the meal ; even with the aid of all the hunger which a long morn- ing’s ride had given me. The mode in which they were cooked, was * A shrubby species of Atriplex, probably the A. candicans. Yet the name of Brak- boschjes does not exclusively belong to this plant. A sort of Statice was found growing in abundance on spots of the saline nature here described. (Compare with p. 454. of Yol. I.) 22 HOTTENTOT MODE OF COOKING AN OSTRICH-EGG. 1 March, one of great antiquity ; for all the Hottentot race, their fathers, and their grandfathers’ fathers, as they express themselves, have practised it before them. A small hole the size of a finger was very dextrously made at one end, and having cut a forked stick from the bushes, they introduced it into the egg by pressing the two prongs close to- gether ; then by twirling the end of the stick between the palms of their hands for a short time, they completely mixed the white and the yolk together. Setting it upon the fire, they continued frequently to turn the stick, until the inside had acquired the proper consistence of a boiled egg. This method recommends itself to a traveller, by its expedition, cleanliness, and simplicity ; and by requiring neither pot, nor water ; the shell answering perfectly the purpose of the first, and the liquid nature of its contents, that of the other. During the time of our halt, the weather which had been fair all the forenoon, began to change ; and clouds thickening over the sky, threatened us with instant rain. Seeing this, the Hottentots were preparing a shelter, with the view of remaining at this spot till the morrow ; but deeming it better to be riding, than sitting still, in the rain, I ordered them to re-pack the oxen, that, by proceeding farther, we might reach some better water before dark. We had but just set out, when a party of eight people was per- ceived hastening towards us ; and a nearer approach enabling us to discover that Mcikhozvta (Ruiter) was of the number, we halted till they came up with us. He had not only, without much difficulty, prevailed on Riizo to relinquish his tobacco journey, and come directly to us, but our good fortune had so arranged it, that there happened to be at the same time at that place, the captain , or chief, of a large kraal which lay exactly in the direction of our course. This man, being about to return home, had himself proposed to join our party, and was now, with that intent, accompanied by three of his men, and three women, one of whom was his wife. I immediately fulfilled the promise of tobacco which Makhowta had in my name made to Riizo and at the same time made a present of an equal quantity to the captain, and to each of his party. This 1812. MEETING WITH RIIZO AND KAABI. 23 act of generosity at once established me in their good opinion, and Kaabi, for that was the chief’s name, to express his gratitude, pledged himself for my safety while I remained in his part of the country, and for a friendly reception at his village. We then rode forward ; our Bushman friends following on foot, and evidently as happy at having gained my friendship, as I was at securing theirs. Guided only by my compass, as the day was dark and cloudy, we continued for nearly three hours travelling over a plain having no visible termination, nor any eminence to break its perfect uniformity. Its soil differed totally from that of the plain which we had crossed in the morning : the surface was of a harder nature, and in some places it was strewed with pebbles ; but scarcely any grass, and not a bush or shrub higher than half a foot, was any where to be seen. A herd of antelopes* of the species known among the boors by the misapplied name of Gemsbok f was observed at a distance, but on account of the openness of the country, it was useless for us to pursue them, as we could never have approached within musket shot. It rained incessantly the whole afternoon ; but towards sunset the weather began to clear up ; and, as all were most uncom- fortably wet, we resolved to unpack at the first spot which offered any shelter for the night, and the means of making a fire to dry our clothes. But no such place presenting itself, we were at last content to take up a station amongst a few stunted Driedoorns | (Threethorns) the largest of which was not higher than three feet. Here, exposed upon the bare open plain, we passed the night. * Antilope Oryx. f The name of Gemsbok belongs properly to the Antilope rupicapn-a of Europe, the Chamois of the Alps. By the same misuse of names, the Kanna of the Cape Colony is called Eland, which is the proper name of the Cervus Alces or Elk. So also is the name of a common European animal, the Reebok or Roebuck , applied to twro animals of another genus, and which are found only in Southern Africa. t Rhigozum trichotomum ; described in the 1st volume, at page 299. 24 BUSHMAN PIPE. — HARDSHIPS OF SAVAGE LIFE. 1,2 March, Only one of the Bushmen had kept up with us ; all the rest having parted company during the rain. As soon as we halted, his chief care was to make a call to his companions, to inform them where we were ; and for this purpose he continued for some time at intervals to blow his pipe. This was nothing more than the tibia, or shin-bone, of one of the smaller antelopes, into which he blew at one end, in the manner of a 4 Pan’s reed.’ It produced an exceedingly sharp and shrill sound, which might easily, in so open a plain, have been heard at a great distance. To this noise we added a shout from our whole party at once. But these signals were not answered, nor did any of the Bush- men join us that night ; having either missed our track in the rain, or preferred remaining under shelter during the heavy showers. As two of the women were loaded, each with an infant at her back, I could not but feel compassion for them, exposed all night, perhaps without shelter, food, or fire. I was, however, wrong in measuring their sufferings by the standard of European hardships : they are accustomed, from their birth, to such a mode of life, and have been gradually inured to all the inclemencies of the weather. They feel, possibly, much less of these hardships than we may suppose ; because they are never made sensible of them by the contrast of luxuries en- joyed at other times. But to a European, the case is widely different ; and some powerful feelings of the mind are required for supporting the body through all the inconveniences and privations of savage life. The rain had ceased ; but lightning at a distance in every quarter, made us to look around for materials to form some shelter from the gathering storm ; but nothing could be found suitable to this purpose, and the threethorns, being scantily furnished with leaves, were not better than dead sticks. Our cattle supped sufficient water from the puddles, but we ourselves remained without any till the morning. Philip and Nieuwveld were sent to explore a narrow beaten track which had been made by the wild animals. From the long- trodden appearance of this path, we knew that it would conduct us ultimately to water, but in the dusk of the evening, they were unable 1812. KAABI’S WIFE. 2 5 to discover the right direction, and unfortunately took that which carried them farther from it; for, in the morning, it was found close at hand on the opposite side. In this wet and cheerless state, and to console them for the dis- appointment, the Hottentots begged that the remainder of the brandy might now be distributed; and, heedless of the prospect of being more in want of it than at present, seemed glad at any excuse for asking for it. We spread our skins and bedding upon the wet ground ; and, if Wantrouw felt the advantage of being my favorite, I now reaped the benefit of being his ; for he slept so close to my feet that I passed the night without the least inconvenience from cold, although my blankets were covered with a heavy dew. Under my saddle, which at night was always used as a pillow, I found in the morning that two lizards, induced also by the warmth, had taken their lodging. Harmless as I judged them to be, and little as these creatures excited any apprehension, they could not but re- mind me that I was now exposed to the risk of sometimes having more dangerous bedfellows — snakes and scorpions. 2nd. At sunrise we were joined by Kaabi and his companions. This man seemed to be about the age of forty ; sedate, and rather reserved in his manners : but his wife could not have been more than fifteen, and among Bushwomen might certainly pass as pretty. Her height was less than five feet, and her figure proportionally deli- cate. Her face was plump and oval ; and, owing to her youth, had not yet begun to exhibit that peculiar Hottentot feature ; the narrow pointed chin. Her eyes were remarkable for being bright and open ; a beauty which is never retained beyond the days of youth; as con- stant exposure to the winds, and the glare of light in a dry open country, soon induce the habit of always keeping their eyelids half- closed. She wore a leathern cap ornamented with beads, in the manner represented by the engraving at the head of this chapter *, * The figures there, of two young women of the Cisgariepine tribe of Bushmen , are intended for giving a general idea of their dress and appearance. VOL. II. E The 26 THE SIFTING-MAT. 2 March, and was not without some personal vanity, as may be concluded from her wearing a great number of leathern bracelets, and a pair of cowry shells hanging from her forehead, similar to the ivory ornaments described on a former occasion * * ; and to which was added a large copper ring in each ear. The beads, which were displayed upon her cap, were arranged not without some taste, and with great attention to regularity. Her child, of which she was very careful and fond, seemed to be at least eight months old, and was never, during the whole day, removed frohi her back. It was supported there by one of the hinder aprons, turned up and tied over the shoulder ; and in this situation the poor little infant was suckled, by bringing its head forward under the mother’s arm. At her back also she carried a roll of skins : these being spread on the ground at night, served both for bedding and for a protection from the dampness of the earth. To this load were added a sifting- mat, and three sticks about five feet in length, used either for assist- ing in walking, or for digging up the wild roots which she might happen to observe on the way. These sifting-tnats are about three feet long and two broad, ex- tended by a stick tied along each side, and by others fastened to them transversely. They are made in the same manner as other mats, excepting that the rushes are not so close together. When a spot of ground is met with, where abundance of little roots are to be found']', the earth is broken up and carefully sifted with these mats ; by which The figui’e on the right hand is represented with a leathern kaross wrapped close about her, as it is usually held in cold weather. The cap is also of leather, and orna- mented with beads, as here described. In her ear are two small copper ornaments of Bichuana manufacture, better represented in the 37th vignette, and more particularly explained in that place. The figure on the left is clothed in a sheep-skin kaross ; and wears a copper ring in each ear, two cowry shells pendent from a lock of hair on her forehead, and a row of buttons surrounding the head and fixed also to the hair. The crown of the head is shaved bare; this being considered a very becoming fashion for girls and young women. * Vol. I. page 414. f The roots of Cyperus usitatus, called Boschman's vyentjes, (see Vol. I. p. 417.) are those which are most plentiful in this part of the country. 1812. A SINGULAR PHENOMENON. 27 contrivance a quantity of such small roots are collected in a much shorter time than could possibly be done by digging them up singly with the stick. Just as we were beginning to pack up our baggage, we were suddenly surprised by a sound from a distance, which all of us believed, or rather fancied, to be the report of a musket. Thinking it might possibly be a signal from some one sent after us by captain Berends, we fired a gun in answer ; but as no reply was made, I sent off Speelman, Daniel, and Hendrik in that direction to reconnoitre, and ascertain if any person with fire-arms was on that side. But in less than an hour they returned without discovering any traces of strangers ; and we at last were satisfied that we had mistaken the sound. Yet I continued, for a day or two, a little uneasy at the circumstance, until convinced that it could only be a mistake ; since no stranger could come into the country of the Bushmen, without his arrival being immediately known to them. We had at this time advanced much beyond the farthest point to which the Klaar water Hottentots had ever extended their hunt- ings ; and Hans and Cobus, the most experienced of our party, con- sidered that we were now on unexplored ground. We became therefore the more watchful and observant of every occurrence con- nected with our safety and success. We departed from Drie-doorn station at eight in the morning, and continued our course over a plain as levfel and boundless as the ocean, excepting on the west, where the rocky mountains near Mod- der-gat interrupted the evenness of the horizon ; and before us, where the Nappika mountain , and the very distant summits of the Hyena mountains , presented a faint object on which the sight could rest. These latter are distinguished by the natives, with a name of correspondent import in their language, but which in our hurry I neglected writing down. I here, for the first time, had an opportunity of observing that singular phenomenon and optical illusion, of the appearance of water, which has often been seen in the deserts of Northern Africa. It exactly resembled a distant and extensive lake, receding from us e 2 28 OPTICAL LAKE. — FRESHWATER HALT, 2 March, as we advanced ; and offered a prospect the most tempting and de- lightful, but at the same time the most tantalizing, to a thirsty traveller ; and, to complete the illusion, its surface seemed to play in a lively rippling motion. The day was warm and cloudless. The cause of this phenomenon is, very probably, the vapor and heat of the sun’s rays, reflected from a great extent of level surface. A similar effect, on a small scale, may be observed even in England, on very hot days : not asserting that it ever produces the appearance of water ; but meaning only that the operation of the same cause may often be witnessed, by looking obliquely along any heated and extensive surface. In the present example of this phenomenon, and in all others which I have seen in Africa, the optical lake is only visible when backed by very distant mountains, whose angle of alti- tude is not greater than ten or fifteen minutes of a degree ; that is, just appearing above the horizon : for, as the traveller advances, and these mountains appear higher, the lake always vanishes. Con- sequently, it divides itself into separate lakes or ponds, as soon as the spectator’s nearer approach occasions the higher mountains of the range, or the loftier peaks, to rise above that angle; a fact which I have invariably noticed in such circumstances. As if in compensation for this tantalizing illusion, we soon afterwards came to a large pool of real water, and had cause for re- joicing when we found it perfectly fresh. The newly-discovered river, which we had hitherto wronged by the name of the “ Brackish river,” seemed as if kindly resolved to keep us company and lend us its friendly assistance during this journey ; for it held the same general course, which, according to my calculation, we ought to take towards the Colony ; although in its mean derings it often quitted us, and as often crossed our track. From this spot, which is marked on the map with the name of Freshwater Halt , the river in every part upwards affords abundance of wholesome water ; and its pools, which occur at very short intervals, are in many places nearly confluent. Reeds , exactly resembling the common reeds of the English rivers, almost every where mark its course. These are a sure 1812. WATER INDICATED BY PLANTS.— THE DIGGING-STICK. 29 indication of fresh water, and, if attended to, will often be of service in pointing out a spring at a distance, which might otherwise be passed unnoticed. In cases where a traveller may be in want of water while traversing the arid regions in the interior of Southern Africa, he may sometimes be relieved from his distress by ascending the nearest eminence, and thence carefully examining the country with his telescope ; when he may chance fortunately to discover some clump of reeds, to which he may direct his steps, with the greatest probability of finding sufficient for quenching his thirst. Some species of trees, easily distinguishable from afar, are also pecu- liar to moist situations *, and are therefore equally useful as guides to a spring or rivulet. These facts are well worth an African traveller’s attention ; and a little observation will bring to his know- ledge many others of the same kind. We immediately unpacked the oxen, and turned them loose to graze in some meadows of excellent grass. After making our break- fast from the ostrich-eggs, my men found employment enough in drying our clothes and baggage, which were thoroughly soaked with yesterday’s rain. Philip entered upon his new office of “ washer- woman,” nor was Speelman, or Uncle Hans, or Old Cobus, at all surpassed by him in versatility of talents : and I believe that, had there been amongst them a missionary of a certain class, it would not have hurt his conscience to assert that we carried on “ eighteen dif- ferent trades.” We were visited by two natives, whose kraal, they said, was at some distance eastward ; and who being out in search of wild roots, happened to observe our track, and had discovered us by following it. One of them wore on the side of his head, as an ornament, and tied close to the hair, a circular plate of shining brass three inches indiam eter. The other carried, what my Hottentots called a graaf- ■stok (a digging-stick), to which there was affixed a heavy stone to increase its force in pecking up bulbous roots. The stone, which was * Such as the Karree-wood ( Rhus viminale), the Buffalo-thorn ( Zizyphus bubalinus ), the Willow ( Salix Gariepina ) and the Karro-thorn ( Acacia Capensis). 30 TIMIDITY OF CHILDREN. — EXTENSIVE PLAIN. 2 March, five inches in diameter, had been cut or ground, very regularly to a round form, and perforated with a hole large enough to receive the stick and a wedge by which it was fixed in its place. A figure of the “ digging-stick” may be seen at the end of the chapter. These two men, seeing that others of their countrymen were in our company, approached us without fear, and were in all respects friendly. We rejoiced at these symptoms of confidence, and I was mindful to profit by every opportunity of confirming them, that they might be induced to report favorably of us at their return to their homes. I gave them food, of which they seemed to be much in need ; and gratified them not less by a present of a small quantity of dakka. But I found it not so easy to gain the good-will of the children , as of their parents ; for, wishing by caresses to please one of them, I offered it a biscuit, but looking for an instant in my face, it turned away in fright and cried most sadly ; nor could the mother, who seemed much pleased by my taking notice of her child, overcome the poor little infant’s terror at the sight of a white-man ; a terror of which we may sometimes behold the counterpart with English children when they are caressed by a black. To me these infants were interesting, from their small and delicate make, and their in- nocent playfulness. Even their crying was not disgusting, because it had not the tone of petulance or vulgarity : but this may be easily accounted for ; their tempers had certainly not been spoilt by over- indulgence. In compassion to our oxen, horse, and sheep, we rested six hours at Freshwater Halt, that they might be sufficiently recruited by the wholesome water and pasture ; as we knew not whether they would meet with the same good fortune at our next station. In the afternoon we resumed our journey, still over a plain without either eminence or hollow, or any visible termination either on our left hand or before us. In this pathless expanse, we advanced as a ship on the ocean ; and, to keep my party from wandering from the right course, I steered in a direct line, by select- ing two bushes ahead of us, and keeping them both in one, till we 1812. DISTANCES ASCERTAINED BY PROPORTION. 31 came up nearly to the first, and then in the same manner selecting another beyond the second : thus continuing, from point to point as we advanced, taking a fresh object farther onwards. Our average rate of travelling , during the whole of this journey, was proved to be three miles and a half in the hour. Not venturing, from fear of accident, to take my sextant on this expedition to the Colony, I have had only the bearings and estimated distances to guide me in laying down this part of my track on the map. But having- travelled twice over the same ground, and taken the bearings and distances, on my return as well as at this time ; and having, as fixed and determined points at each end, the Kloof Village in the Asbestos Mountains, and the village of Graaffreynet, I am inclined to think that the positions assigned to my stations are not far from the truth. And although I had not the advantage of ascertaining our rate of travelling, by the revolutions of the wheel of my waggon, as already explained * ; yet having assumed a certain proportional scale of hours, making occasional allowance for an accelerated or a retarded rate, I each evening carefully plotted on paper the route of the day ; and this proportional survey being finally laid down between the true latitudes of those two extreme points, it is evident that the situations of the intermediate places cannot be very erroneous. The surface of this plain was composed of good loamy soil, generally covered with shrubs two feet high, but varied with frequent extensive patches of grass, and sometimes with bushes of Lycium which were of a greater height than any of the other shrubs. Plants of that singular genus Stapelia were here and there observed ; particularly one with large flowers of a blackish-red color, and another with yellow flowers growing in lateral umbels. Hares were seen during this day’s ride ; and many quakkas were perceived grazing at a distance. At sunset we ended the day’s journey, and took up our station on the banks of the river, which we here found almost hidden by * In the first volume, at pages 289 and 290. 32 GRASS STATION. — ROASTING A LIZARD. 2 March. grass of the most luxuriant color and growth, and which meandered through extensive meadows of excellent soil. This spot is marked by the name of Grass Station ; and hence upwards, the pools of the river follow each other so closely that a few showers would soon render them confluent. We did not discover any fish in these waters ; but observed a very pretty and new species of frog * of a green color, and marked by a longitudinal yellow stripe on its back, and by transverse stripes of brown on its hind legs. It was further distinguished by its silence, or at least by croaking very seldom. Whether this silence be only occasional, or a constant character throughout the year, I could, as a traveller, have no opportunity of ascertaining. Immediately on our arrival we made a fire and discharged a musket as a guide and signal for Speelman and the others, who had kept at a distance from the main body in hopes of falling in with game ; and who were then out of sight. In half an hour they came home : they laid the blame of their absence upon the Bushman who was with them ; who, on the way, happening to observe a lizard , pursued it with great eagerness, and having caught it, begged them to halt while he made a fire. This was soon done, and almost as soon was the lizard roasted : then cutting open the body, which he knew contained a number of eggs, he greedily devoured them in a manner which shewed that they were considered a dainty morsel. Speelman , who, though a Hottentot, had a more delicate stomach than this man, declared that, as he stood looking on with astonishment and disgust, he could hardly restrain himself from vomiting : indeed the bare recital of the circumstance seemed to re- vive all the nausea which he had then felt. But before we agree with Speelman, and pronounce this Bush- man a monster, let us lay aside all the prejudices of education and * Rana Jasciata, B. Viriclis. Parum vociferans. Dorsum fascia longitudinale flava pictum. Femora transverse fusco-fasciata. Corpus parvum breve. Pedes vix palmati. — Ranee (nec Hylcc , nec Bufonis , nec Pipce ) est vera species, forma pedum non ob- stante. 1812. MAN AN OMNIVOROUS ANIMAL. 33 custom, and plead his cause. Or, if we cannot gain for him an acquittal of the crime of eating unclean food, let us at least examine whether his judges be not themselves equally guilty : unless we at once decide the question by admitting to its utmost extent, the maxim that, there should be no disputing about tastes. To all animals, excepting man, Nature seems to have pointed out some particular class of food as their proper nourishment ; and when, from any morbid or depraved inclination they acquire a habit of taking other substances, we may with justice accuse them of having an unnatural taste. But man is left omnivorous : a fact which his history, and daily observation, sufficiently prove ; even without the testimony of our own Materia culinaria. Throughout the whole zoological system, there is scarcely a class from which, either in one or other country, he does not convert some or many of its species to the purpose of food, and which in all instances afford wholesome nourishment. But it is remarkable how little man- kind are agreed in these matters, and how few substances are eaten uni- versally, or how few there are which are not rejected by one nation, or another : and so patriotic in this respect, are the inhabitants of various, and even of polished, countries, that they, or at least, the illiberal part of them, entertain a species of contempt for those whose habits or ne- cessities lead them to the use of aliments different from their own ; and pity their want of judgment in not preferring those things which they themselves find most agreeable to their own palate. To enume- rate instances in substantiation of these assertions, is unnecessary, because they are too numerous, and too well known : but the ap- plication of the mode of reasoning derivable from them, seems on the other hand, to be too little practised. To mitigate poor Speelman’s abhorrence at the Bushman, I would have told him that there was a nation in Europe who sometimes ate frogs, and that many of my own countrymen were excessively fond of an animal like an enormous toad, and not only ate its eggs, but its whole body ; and that some of the most luxurious and polished nations of the world ate lizards * also : but * The Iguana of the West Indies and South America; where it is esteemed a great delicacy. VOL. II. F 34 HOTTENTOT ADMIRERS. —BUSHMAN STONE-POT. 2, 3 March, I feared he would then have thought a European worse than a Bushman. Having hitherto been unable to procure any game, the diminu- tion of my little flock of sheep became to my men as well as to myself a subject of some anxiety ; and the addition of a number of natives to our fire-side, increased our uneasiness. Yet resolved on omitting nothing which could gain and secure their good will, we always gave them a share of our provisions ; and when a sheep was killed, they seemed to expect all the entrails as their due. The pretty young Buslvwoman was my men’s favorite, and to her they often gave a larger portion ; but the act of receiving a pot of blood with smiles and evident pleasure, had so little of elegance in it that their master was not likely to be one of her admirers. In slaughter- ing cattle, both the Hottentots and Bushmen save the blood. This being set on the fire, and kept stirred, soon becomes nearly of the consistence of liver, and is then eaten as a dainty. The Bushmen received a share of the fat with equal delight, and immediately began to melt it in a little pot of their own manufacture, and one which, apparently, was intended only for that use. It was indeed the rudest piece of workmanship imaginable, being simply a rough bit of stone, in which they had contrived to hollow out a small cavity : it, however, perfectly answered the purpose for which it was used. As we stood at their fire admiring rather the rudeness, than the ingenuity, of it, these poor beings with all their wretched- ness even possessed vanity at their own works, and seemed to smile at our ignorance, and to view our surprise with feelings of conscious superiority. The figure of this pot may be seen at the end of the chapter ; where, opposite to it, on the right, is the representation of another, made of burnt clay, the workmanship of which, if not Bachapin, does them more credit, being moulded to that form by the hand only. The great extent of the plain and evenness of its surface, admitted my viewing the constellations until they disappeared below the horizon. At this time the three well-known stars in the belt of Orion were just setting, and induced a train of reflections on the 1812. PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF ASTRONOMY. 35 important uses to which the heavenly bodies are applied in modern times, and on the essential service which they rendered in former ages to the traveller while crossing the trackless sands of Northern Africa. That a modern traveller, under circumstances similar to those in which I was at this time placed, might derive some advantages from them, it will be admitted ; if it be supposed that necessity might require him to travel over a plain by night, without instruments, and at the same time to keep some account of the direction of his route. For by noting that setting star towards which he seems to be advancing, the bearing of his track may readily be calculated, or after- wards ascertained by a celestial globe, to a degree of exactness quite sufficient for such purpose. And this method will be found more accurate in proportion as the country is nearer to the equinoctial line ; but perhaps not sufficiently correct, in those beyond the thirtieth or fortieth degree of latitude. Thus the setting of 2 Oriontis, or the north-westernmost star of the belt of Orion, might point out to him the west more truly than the polar star does the north. But in aid of these advantages, a habit of judging of angular dis- tances, would be required whenever the atmosphere should be too dense on the horizon, or whenever it became necessary to make use of a star not directly in his track. Even the length of time occupied in travelling, may be known nearly, if he note what star sets when he commences, and what other when he ends, his night’s journey. It must be confessed that these methods can hold but a low rank in the science of practical geometry ; but it is easy to imagine very pro- bable circumstances in which they would be exceedingly valuable. 3rd. We were half-unwilling to quit these delightful pastures ; and suffered our cattle to continue grazing the whole morning In the mean time our fires had been observed from a great distance by a kraal of natives situated on a low hill nearly nine miles farther onwards, 'and in sight from our station. They came immediately to see who we were ; and, after cautiously reconnoitring, and perceiving that we were accompanied by some natives who were personally known to them, they advanced towards us with friendly salutations, and with- out hesitation joined our party. There were about eight or ten of f 2 36 CONFIDENCE AND MISTRUST. 3 March, them, the greater part being women. To all I gave a piece of tobacco, which was received with great joy. On this, the men forming one party and the women another, they proceeded instantly to light their pipes ; and sat talking and smoking with the highest glee and enjoyment. But in spirits, the women excelled their com- panions, and chatted with each other in a style of volubility which I had not supposed the Bushman language, with all the impediments of its numerous claps, susceptible of. They invited us to hunt a rhinoceros which had lately been observed browsing in the vicinity of their kraal. So much confidence and goodwill, shown us by a people whom the Klaarwater missionaries had represented as the most ferocious of savages, warmed my heart with equally kind feelings towards them, and dispelled from my own mind every sensation of fear, however firmly I had resolved that no favorable appearances should ever lull our vigilance to sleep, or tempt us to think that precaution might ever be dispensed with. But most of my own Hottentots betrayed their timidity ; and both by their looks and conversation, declared their uneasiness at seeing so many visitors coming around them ; although their number, including the women, amounted only to fourteen. As soon as the heat of noon had passed, we left the verdant meadows of Grass Station, and rode the whole of this day in a south-easterly course over plains, in a right line towards Water- point , the eastern point of the Hyena Mountains , where we had been informed that we should find the kraal of our Bushman friend Kaabi. Ihe natives give it a name importing “ Water-point,” on account of the river taking its course round it. At the western end of this range, two table-mountains form a remarkable feature. When we had travelled nearly eight miles, we ascended a low hill on which we were glad at finding a small pool of water, and though it was quite muddy, halted that all the party might drink ; for the weather had become so excessively hot, that it felt almost as though the sun were pouring down liquid fire upon us. I had suffered myself to be guided over this hill by our last 1812. POVERTY KRAAL. 37 visitors, because they were desirous of conducting me to their kraal , as a mark of friendship : which it certainly was, if we consider with what jealous care this nation always conceal from the colonists the place of their abode. They brought us to the summit of the ridge, where, situated between heaps or hillocks of large stones, and un- sheltered by either tree or bush, we found half a dozen wretched weather-worn huts , having only one-third of the circumference enclosed, and utterly incapable of protecting their inhabitants from the inclemency of wind or rain. But at this kraal not one individual had been left at home ; want had driven every one abroad to dig up his daily food in the plain. Within these huts there was no property of any kind, except in one or two, a dirty furless skin, or the shell of an ostrich-egg. Never before had I beheld, or even imagined, so melancholy, so complete, a picture of poverty. “ Here said they, as they pointed to the huts, “ this is our home." — And having paused a few moments, they seated their thin emaciated bodies on the ground, and looked up to me with such speaking expression of humility and want, that I felt a tear, which could not be suppressed, trickling down my cheek. Abstracted from every other thought, my whole mind was absorbed in the con- templation of what was before me. Well ! I involuntarily exclaimed to myself, and is this the home of human beings ! Have I been sleep- ing on the bed of ease, and pampered with a thousand useless luxuries, while my fellow-creatures have been wandering the burning plains from day to day, and have returned at last to their wretched huts to pass the painful night in hunger, and unsheltered from the storm ! Yes, unfavoured savages, unpitied and despised as ye are by the thoughtless and unfeeling, ye still are men, and feel the pains of want, the misery of care ; untutored as ye are, ye still are not too ignorant to know that injustice and oppression confirm no right, and that God has given liberty equally to all ; rude and uncivilized as ye are, ye still are not insensible to the dictate of conscience, that kindnesses should be remembered with a grateful heart. Unblest among the nations of the earth, ye seem but to share these plains with beasts of prey, and but to stand the next degree above them : yet do ye breathe the 38 THE KRAAL MADE HAPPY. 3 March, breath of eternal life ; some rajs of reason faintly light your path ; ye hold, in common with the head that wears the diadem, a lamp which death can not extinguish, a soul which, though it would, can never die. Your Creator and your Judge will pass unheeded all our arrogant pretensions, and will, without respect to persons or to nations, reward alone the good and virtuous, though His mercy may forgive the guilty. These reflections moved rapidly through my mind. I lost no time, but desired my people to give these poor creatures some meat. The Hottentots represented to me the uncertainty of our own re- sources, and that our present stock of provisions was already so much reduced, that prudently nothing could be spared. But feelings of humanity and commiseration rendered it impossible for me to quit this spot without affording some relief to their necessities ; and I ordered a large quantity to be cut off, and given to them. Their starving appearance pleaded so powerfully, and spoke the truth so plainly, that I could not but be convinced that these miserable desti- tute savages had seldom tasted animal food ; and had often passed the day without having been able to procure any sustenance whatever. I still in imagination see the happy air of these poor simple creatures, and the joy and thankfulness which lighted up their meagre countenances, when they received this supply. Their grateful voices, raised with one accord to express their feelings, still sound in my ear ; and though their words were unintelligible, their looks bespoke their meaning and conveyed to the heart sensations the most delightful, and repaid a thousand times the trifling sacrifice we made. I felt unwilling to quit this little community, and wished, by being present, to participate in the happiness which I had occasioned. The inhabitants had by this time all assembled, and I still lingered with them, standing by my horse and closely surrounded by the happy group, who pressed towards me to behold him whom they thought their benefactor. I felt ashamed at receiving so much thankfulness for doing so little ; and had we remained much longer, I should not have been able to resist my desire of giving them all we had left. Their feast would not have been complete without the luxury of 1812. GRATEFUL SAVAGES. 39 smoking ; and I distributed to every one a portion of tobacco and hemp-leaves, that the measure of their day’s happiness might be full. To this I added a promise of more, if they would meet me on my return from the Colony, where I expected to get a supply which would then enable me to give more liberally than at this time. The women, though not more grateful than the men, expressed their feelings in a more animated manner, and seemed to view me, not as a stranger, but as one of their own kraal, as a member of their own family. The children too, seemed rather to believe it was some long-absent relation returned home again ; and, encouraged by the universal joy which they beheld in their parents, they wished to approach me and touch my horse. I took one from the arms of a woman who was standing nearest to me, and placed it on my saddle ; but the little thing, half-pleased and half-afraid, could only be kept in so strange a situation by the encouragements of its mother, who appeared delighted at my taking so much notice of her child. The longer I stopped amongst them, the more these people treated me like a friend whom they had known for a great length of time. Amidst the crowd was a young woman of very engaging appear- ance, who attracted my notice by the solicitude she felt for her child. I perceived the cause of her care ; and inquired by signs, what had occasioned so large a wound upon the infant’s leg. To this she instantly replied, also by signs, in a manner so intelligible, that the dullest apprehension could not have failed to understand that the child, while playing by the fire in the absence of its mother, had burnt itself. Not trusting to signs as a mode of conveying medical advice, I employed one of my Hottentots to interpret to her the manner in which she should treat the wound. As none but the simplest remedies would suit a people like this, I was careful to recommend only such as were within their reach ; and principally insisted on her washing off all the dirt and red ochre, which probably had been the chief cause of its remaining so long unhealed. She received my advice with the warmest gratitude ; and when I assured her that, by attending to my instructions, her child would soon be 40 RAPACITY OF UNFEELING TRADERS. 3, 4 March, enabled to walk again, I saw a tear of joy and thankfulness moisten- ing her anxious eye. While 1 was thus engaged, some of my men had been busily trafficking with the natives, and had been taking advantage of their simplicity, by purchasing their clothes from off their backs ; and at so low a rate, that in this, my people showed themselves to have neither conscience nor feeling. So thoughtlessly fond of smoking, were these Bushmen, that one old man took off from his shoulders a beautiful leopard-skin, and bartered it to Hendrik for less than two ounces of tobacco ; and Ruiter got from another poor creature’s back, a fine skin of a lion’s whelp for which the Bushman foolishly thought an ounce of Dakka-leaves to be an equivalent. When I discovered these transactions, I felt highly irritated at the ungenerous advantage which had been taken of the folly of these savages, not because favourable bargains had been made, but because they were so very far below the current rate of bartering on this side of the Gariep, that they bordered closely upon fraudulence. I de- clared that such conduct displeased me, and that I would not coun- tenance their unfairness ; that I objected, not to their acquiring the skins at a cheap rate, but to their getting them for nothing. While I was relieving their poverty, they were stripping them naked and giving nothing substantial in return. I reprimanded Ruiter for his unconscionable dealings, and immediately gave the Bushman as much tobacco as I thought to be a fair payment. Though all these remarks were made in the Dutch language, the kraal, who attended to every thing which I did, clearly comprehended the tenor of what was said, and well understood, though ignorant of our words, the reason of my giving him more tobacco. They watched this latter proceeding ; and then, as if to testify applause, turned their countenances towards me, that I might behold their satisfaction. As I rode away from their dwellings, which I have distinguished by the too-appropriate name of Poverty Kraal , a general salutation was given by the whole assembly ; and in a tone so mild and expressive of so much gratitude , that a man must have no heart at 1812. RED-BEAK. — LUXURIANT HERBAGE. 41 all, who could witness a scene like this, unmoved. I confess that to my ear the sound was grateful in the highest degree ; and while I turned my head to view them for the last time, the pleasure which beamed in their happy countenances, communicated itself to my own feelings, in a manner the most affecting and indelible. We continued our journey across the mountain, and descended to an extensive plain covered with threethorn shrubs, and abound- ing in pitfalls for catching wild animals. Eastward, a pointed and very distant mountain was seen, which probably was only rendered visible by the effect of a temporary and extraordinary refraction in the atmosphere. After travelling about eight miles over the plain, we again fell in with the river, and as the evening was fast approaching, we halted for the night at a spot on its banks, where we were surrounded by the most beautiful fields of grass. 4 th. A number of very small finches, ( Loxia Astrild ) frequented the bushes at this place, and I took advantage of the circum- stance, to distinguish it by the name of Astrild Station. This little bird is not peculiar to Southern Africa ; it is very common at St. Helena, and is said to be equally so at Madeira and the Canary Islands, in the tropical countries of Africa, and in India. It is known to the Dutch colonists by the appellation of Roode-bekje (Red-beak). From this station the bearing of the most western of the two table mountains forming part of the Hyena mountains, was S. 20 W., by the compass. Here were lying the bones of a rhinoceros , which, as our Bushmen informed me, had been shot by one of their countrymen, who by some means had come into possession of a gun, and had learnt the use of it; but who was himself afterwards shot by the Boors, for sheep-stealing. At a few miles beyond Astrild Station, we passed through an opening formed by an insulated round hill on one side and by the end of a rocky ridge on the other, and entered upon a plain which had more the appearance of a verdant corn-field, than of a wild unculti- vated country. The soil was clayey, and the luxuriant herbage suffi- ciently proved its fertility; while the river, well supplied with water VOL. II. G 42 A COUNTRY SUSCEPTIBLE OF CULTIVATION. 4, 5 March, and traversing the plain in a widely meandering course, seemed to offer all that agriculture could require, and to tempt a more laborious race of men than its present inhabitants, to bring it under cultivation. The river many times crossed our path, and quitted us only when we ascended to an elevated stony level. Here we saw, with much pleasure, several herds of kannas (or elands) and quakkas grazing at a distance and appearing not much to heed the presence of our party. We halted ; and Philip, mounting the horse, immediately pursued them ; but he could not overtake any till he had ridden above two miles, when he was so fortunate as to bring down a large kanna, which he had singled out and continued to follow, till he had fairly hunted it down. The chase having led him in a northerly direction, we turned back as soon as the Bushmen brought us information of his success ; and, falling in with the river at about half-way to where the animal lay, we again unpacked on its banks, about an hour before sunset, at a spot marked on the map by the name of Hunter s Station. Philip, Speelman, and Hendrick, with pack-oxen, proceeded on to the eland, and were accompanied by Riizo, and Kaabi, and all the Bushmen of our party. But a heavy shower coming on before they had skinned and cut up the carcase, they were obliged to remain there till the next morning. 5th. At eight o’clock they came home ; and the whole of the Hot- tentots found full employment all the forenoon, in cutting the meat into slices and laying them on the bushes to dry : in which operation we were fortunately favoured by a very hot and drying day. We gave Kaabi and his companions so large a portion of our game, that finding it more than they were able to carry, he had been obliged to send off one of his people on the evening before to his kraal to fetch a pack ox. His messenger returned with the ox this afternoon, and was accompanied by eight others, some of whom were boys. These occupations detained us till a late hour of the day ; yet we determined on packing up and proceeding farther, as the Bush- men were anxious to reach their kraal, and had assured us that we might arrive there before dark. To prove to them our confidence, 1812. PIILLS OF SHINING BLACK ROCKS. 43 we entrusted them with the office of driving forward our sheep and loaded oxen. And, indeed, our fellow-travellers, Riizo and Kaabi, evinced a truly honest and friendly inclination towards us ; so that, without meaning to neglect that prudent circumspection so neces- sary to a European travelling in this country, I would as willingly have committed myself to them, as to my own countrymen. The former of these two, was naturally of a more reserved disposition, but was always ready to lend any of the Hottentots his assistance, whenever he thought he could be useful ; and seemed as much at his ease with them, as with his own friends. During this day’s ride we passed many small rocky hills of a remarkable kind, presenting a character different from all which I had hitherto observed. They were generally quite bare, especially on the top, and were composed of huge rounded pieces of rock, most frequently about five feet in diameter, piled loosely upon each other, and apparently without any earth between them : as may be seen in the first plate. But their most striking character was the smooth shining blackness of their surface, not unlike that of iron polished with black-lead. * They were composed of ‘ primitive green-stone,’ probably containing iron, from which they derive their lustre and color after long exposure to the atmosphere ; but within, on being broken, they were found to possess their proper greenish or blueish hue. Rocks of this species occur very frequently in various parts of Southern Africa, but till now none had been seen with so glossy a surface. The rocks at Dwaal river f, and in that vicinity, were, excepting this particular, not very different from these, and both, when fitly poised, were capable of giving a sound like that of a large bell ; and both, I believe, affect the magnetic needle. They must be considered as boulder stones , though found on the tops of the hills ; but beyond this, conjecture can afford nothing * At a subsequent period of these travels, rocJcs of the same nature and appearance were observed in abundance along the course of the Nugariep or Black River ; and I am inclined to suppose that it was this circumstance which gave rise to the name which the stream bears among the natives. f Described in the first volume, at page 277. G 2 44 THE FRIENDLY RIVER. — A NATURAL OBELISK. 5 March, satisfactory, and the How and When will probably remain for ever unanswered. All the smaller hills which we passed, were covered with, or perhaps consisted entirely of, these stones, or gigantic pebbles as they may be called : yet the larger hills, or mountains, consisted of regular stratified rock ; as may be perceived in the plate re- ferred to. We passed over a tract thickly covered with a variety of bushes, the height of which was generally about two feet, and intermingled with mesembryanthema. Such land is called Karro ground by the Cape farmers, who esteem it more wholesome, and better suited to the African sheep, than grass-land. The Hyena mountains terminate on the east, in a number of low rocky hills ; many of which are of the nature just described. Kaabi, who here assumed the office of guide, conducted us through a wide opening, or what the boors would name a poort, where we again found our Friendly River , (as I would in twofold gratitude have named it,) passing the same way, as if desirous of travelling with us. Its channel was narrow and deep, and almost hidden in fields of luxuriant grass. Its winding course along the valley, or rather, plain, was only to be distinguished by the verdant reeds. The hill upon our left was composed of those black shining 4 boulder-stones,’ above mentioned ; and that upon our right was rendered still more re- markable by an object which, at first sight, excited my greatest sur- prise, as I viewed it, for a few moments, as a work of art ; and was lost in wondering what nation, able to erect such a monument, had inhabited these, now wild and deserted, regions. But though an Obelisk , it was not the work of man : it was planted there by the hand of Nature. It stood at the foot of the hill, and appeared to be composed of sand stone The mountain, of which it formed a part, exhibited regular strata ; and the obelisk itself, besides its pedestal, was formed of four blocks, piled, as it seemed, one upon another j but most probably left in that form and position, by the mouldering away of the adjoining rocks. Yet such an explanation would require that this monument should be of harder stone than that which had surrounded it : a fact which would be still more extraordinary. Or, -ttufuftM fry iiitujnum. jl- tV 4fb/ < J8XH 1812. ARRIVAL AT KAABI’S KRAAL. 45 could it be possible that the savages had assisted Nature, and had taken the trouble of pulling down the adjoining stones, on finding them already cracked and loosened by the hand of time ? As the setting sun warned us not to lose a moment, I could not examine it, excepting at too great a distance ; but while the rest continued their route, I stopped my horse, and made a sketch of it. This scene is represented in Plate 1. and is marked on the map by the name of Pyramid Pass , (for the sake of euphony, instead of Obelisk Pass). Soon after leaving this spot, we crossed a low neck between rocky hills, and came into a small plain covered with grass, and enclosed on every side by mountains. Through this pleasant dale our river continued near us ; and, following it through an open- ing at the south-eastern corner of the plain, we there took up our station on its banks, at the foot of a hill on which stood the kraal of our friend Kaabi and of the Bushmen who had accompanied us from the Gariep. CHAPTER II. TRANSACTIONS AT KAABl’s KRAAL. It being dark when we arrived at this station, I did not go to the kraal this evening, but Kaabi and our Bushman fellow-travellers passed the night at their own huts, where they entertained their friends with some account of us, and extolled the generosity of the white-man, so highly, that many of the inhabitants came down the hill, and sat round our fire till nearly ten o’clock. These strangers had been much prepossessed in our favor by what they had heard, and behaved with the greatest cordiality and good-will, but I was obliged to let them know that no tobacco was to be given away till the morning ; when it was my intention to distribute some to every person in the kraal. With this promise, they were perfectly satisfied, and remained conversing with us, and occasionally obtaining the favor of a whiff out of the pipe of one or other of my Hottentots. Having brought with us no boiling-pot , we requested them to 5, 6 March, 1812. RECEPTION AT KAABI’S KRAAL. 47 lend us one from the kraal ; and immediately they ran up to their hut/sand fetched one of their own manufacture, made in a neat man- ner, of hardened clay, and capable of holding about a gallon and a half. (The figure of this may be seen at the end of the preceding chapter.) This was filled with eland meat ; and our visitors, as might be expected, were careful not to be absent at supper time. This spot is distinguished among the natives by the name of Water-point , implying, as before stated, that it is the point of the Hyena Mountains, close to which the river flows. 6th. My bed, if such it may be called, was made under a bush at the distance of a few yards from the spot where my men had their fire. I was awoke soon after sunrise, by the voices of a party of eight or ten of the natives who passed close at my feet and took their seat at the fire, without attempting to disturb me ; as they supposed me to be asleep. Others following them immediately, I arose ; and as soon as I had dressed myself, I went towards them : on which we exchanged the usual salutations. For the space of half an hour, men, women, and children, of all ages, continued descending from the hill, and assembling at our station ; till at last we were completely surrounded by a numerous crowd. They were all unarmed ; a state in which hitherto I had not seen any of this nation ; having remarked that they constantly carried with them their hassagay and bows, and never, even when they put them out of their hand, layed them beyond their reach. I had, indeed, never till this moment, had an opportunity of beholding them in their own domestic circle, and at home at their ease. I began now to appreciate my singular good fortune, that so many favorable circumstances had unexpectedly combined to give me an op- portunity of studying and knowing the real character of this nation, such as seldom, if ever, has fallen to the lot of travellers in these re- gions ; and, I believe, never to those whose observations have been laid before the public. As a European, I was alone in the midst of their hordes, and trusting my life in their hands : I associated with them, and by conforming to their ways and customs, yielded apparent respect to their prejudices. It was this confidence, which so completely gained 48 MUTUAL CONFIDENCE. — ESTIMATE OF PRESENTS. 6 March, their good-will ; and which pleased them the more, as they had been unused to witness in the conduct of white-men, so unequivocal a mark of amicable intentions. They had never seen these dangerous strangers within the limits of their country, but in large and strong bodies, which, though they commanded their respect, always excited their fears and mistrust. They were satisfied that from me, they had nothing to fear ; and it was the novelty of this circumstance which gave me, in their eyes, a character of peculiar interest ; while the evident desire I showed, of obliging them as far as it was in my power, won their good opinion without any aid from the false oratory of mere verbal professions, and dispensed with the necessity of language to convince them of what was rendered much more intelligible by facts. It was by facts and conduct only, that I could hold communication with the tribe ; for my ignorance of the language, as for the purpose of conversation without the intervention of an interpreter, rendered the power of pleasing words, unavailable in this case. Kaabi their chief now made his appearance in a more dis- tinguished manner, wearing a white hat which by some means he had obtained out of the Colony. Whether it was the vanity of giving himself a more important character in my sight, or the desire of paying a compliment by proving that he admired and valued the dress of white-men, which induced him to dress different from all the inhabitants of his village, I could not ascertain ; but I am more disposed to regard the former, as his real motive. For the purpose of giving an idea of the quantity of tobacco distributed on such occasions, and to show what these poor creatures considered as a handsome present , it is necessary here to explain the form into which the tobacco of the Cape colony is generally manufactured. After the leaves of the plant are properly dried and divested of the stalk and midrib, they undergo the usual process of steeping, and are then twisted into long ropes of the customary thickness of about an inch, sometimes thicker, but oftener thinner. These ropes are coiled up in the form of rolls of various sizes, weighing from five to eight or ten pounds. Among the boors, these are sold by the pound : but 1812. A RULE FOR BARTERING WITH TOBACCO. 49 to the Hottentots, they are more commonly meted out by the span of about eight inches, the weight of which is usually between an ounce and a half and two ounces ; and bargains among the latter are most frequently made for a certain number of spans of tobacco. Yet it is not therefore to be supposed that many Hottentots are ignorant of the use of weights and money : it is the inconvenience and scarcity of these, which causes them to prefer, on ordinary occasions, the readier mode of measurement. I am particular in a description which would otherwise be trifling, because, as tobacco is one of the principle articles of barter with the nations of the Interior, it will be referred to as a “ money-table' for the remainder of the journey ; and may furnish some hints, or useful information, to those who may hereafter be desirous of visiting the same countries. The crowd, having gratified their curiosity by surveying me attentively for some time, gradually became more talkative and familiar ; and understanding that they were all to receive a present, the joy of these poor simple people was manifested in a manner as artless as that of children. Their liveliness increased as they observed me about to commence the promised distribution : but the women were much more noisy and uncontrollable than the men, and it was some time before their chieftain was able to still their joyous voci- feration. To Kaabi I gave three inches of tobacco ; to each man about one inch ; and to the women a little less. With this trifling quantity they were all completely happy ; because they were contented. The delight depicted in their countenances, was not less remarkable here than at Poverty Kraal, but it exhibited not that melancholy species of thankfulness, which was there so irresistibly affecting. This ceremony occupied more than half an hour, on account of the difficulty of restraining their vivacity and persuading them to re- main steadily in one place : for had they been permitted to change their station, I should have found it impossible to have gone through this business with regularity. Having previously estimated, and put into my pocket, the number of pieces which would be required, I took them out one by one, in order that no jealousy might be excited, VOL. II. H 50 AN ARTIFICE. — HOTTENTOT TRADERS. 6 March, by their observing one piece to be larger or smaller than another. I confess that I used this artifice , with the view of leading the kraal to think that I had given them all I had : for knowing that they would continue to ask for tobacco as long as they thought there was any remaining, I showed them my empty pockets ; in consequence of which I was not troubled by any further solicitation. Otherwise, I should have been importuned during the whole day. Yet, so eager were they to obtain tobacco, and so essential did they think it to their comfort and enjoyment, that for the sake of it they would, without hesitation, have parted with any thing they possessed. My men, though they thought it equally essential to their own comfort, could not, however, resist the temptation of some very good bargains which the Bushmen offered to them ; and in this manner they procured by barter, several handsome skins. My whole party were now in good spirits, and full of courage : and our reception by these natives, who had been represented to us as formidable savages, proved so truly friendly and so different from that which, I confess, I had myself expected, that every one was now lamenting that he had not provided himself, on his own private account, with a larger stock of tobacco, with which he might here have set up for a fur-merchant. But it was far better that they were not so provided; for these foolish improvident people would cer- tainly, as soon as we had entered the colony, have bartered all their furs for brandy ; and their fine commercial speculations would have ended, as they always do end with Hottentots , just where they began. The whole village seemed to keep ‘ holiday’ on this occasion, and the crowd remained with us for a long time after they had re- ceived the presents ; while those of my party who could speak their language, found full employment in answering the various questions which were put respecting myself. In this duty, Ruiter proved him- self a valuable addition to our number, as he was not only able to interpret, but at this time, was willing also. As soon as they found that I was not one of the boors , but even of a different nation and language, and that I had no other desire or intention than that of being always on friendly terms with them, they again declared, as it 1812. BUSHMEN AND COLONISTS — LIVELY WOMEN. 51 were by common consent, that I was free to travel in their country, wherever I chose, and that I might feel assured that nobody would ever harm me. When they had satisfied their minds, respecting my object in passing through their territory, and had ascertained that I bore an un- feigned good-will towards them, but more especially, that I was not one of the Dutch colonists , whom, by the bye, they knew their countrymen had irritated by repeated robberies ; when they were satisfied on these important points, and that there was no cause for mistrust, it was as surprising, as it was pleasing, to me, to observe how soon their countenances were freed from a certain anxious look which, notwithstanding their friendly conduct, was very visible as long as they were under any uncertainty whether I was really what I professed to be, alone and unconnected with the colonists, or whether there might not be a larger party following me. Nothing was now heard but laughter and the liveliest talkative- ness, on all sides. The women soon began to lay aside their timidity, and took their turn in the debate ; and in rapidity of utterance and animation of gestures, far excelled even the men. They left no time for my interpreter to perform his duty, and were so full of gaiety that they could not restrain themselves from breaking in upon each other’s conversation ; I was often addressed by three or four at a time, and almost think that they were pleased at seeing me at a loss to know who was to be answered first. Ruiter used his best endeavours in all this hurly-burly of liveliness and clack ; but a great deal of their information went for nothing ; nor did they on that account allow the want of answers to disappoint them, or in the least degree to check their questioning. One woman, among the rest, was however, resolved upon being heard ; and seemed to think that the importance of her communica- tion entitled her to my first attention. She said that she had, only the day before, arrived from some part of the colony ; and on this she exhibited a small dirty rag of a checkered shirt, which I found on explanation, was intended as her credentials to authenticate her declaration that she had really come from the country of the white h 2 52 A RHINOCEROS HUNT PROPOSED. 6 March, people, where alone such an important proof could have been pro- cured. She complained that the boors on the borders, were very harsh and unkind in not giving them tabak, when they had tra- velled so far on purpose to beg a little ; and if they at last were so fortunate as to obtain any, it was but a crumb ; shewing me at the same time the tip of her little -finger, to impress an idea of the smallness of the quantity. But oftener was it their lot, she said, to be driven from the house with a whip. Here she imitated the act of whipping, in a manner so natural, and mimicked so well the tone of pain and crying, that the bystanders were highly amused by her imitative talents. She smiled however ; and went on to inform me, that the Caffres * and the colonists were at war against each other, and in one of their rencontres a boor was pierced through the thigh with hassagays. At length their attention was directed to the eland-meat, which my men were then placing on the bushes to dry. Our exposing before them so great a temptation, was a sufficient excuse for their ‘ coveting and desiring’ ; and I distributed among them a portion sufficient to fill their largest pot. The natives now made another request, and appeared very solicitous that we should stop a day or two with them, and hunt the rhinoceros; four of which animals had been seen at a short distance from their kraal. To this, my own people, who were now quite at ease as to the sincerity and friendly disposition of the Bushmen, were much inclined ; and all parties therefore were gratified when I consented to remain here a day for that purpose. The natives had in this, an additional proof of my goodwill towards them ; though it was, I confess, a favor which repaid itself, as our own stock of pro- visions would be replenished by the same means by which the Bush- men would be supplied. It was therefore agreed that the hunters should set out early on the morrow, and that a party from the kraal * The Caffres to which she alluded, were that same wandering kraal, often men- tioned in the first volume, as having emigrated to the banks of the Gariep; this part of the Colony lying in the direct route between their present station and their own country. 1812: GREAT HEAT. — A VISIT TO THE KRAAL. 53 should attend them as guides, to conduct them to the haunts of these animals. The great heat of the sun gradually thinning the number of the crowd, and compelling them to take shelter in their huts, I was left to enjoy some rest after the boisterous ceremonies and fatigues of the morning ; while some of my Hottentots stretched themselves in the shade to sleep, and others who were able to converse with the natives, betook themselves to the huts. The fear, on so rough a journey, of breaking the only ther- mometer which I had remaining, induced me to leave it at Klaarwater till my return : consequently, all observations of this nature were suspended during the present expedition. In the meantime, the thermometrical value of such expressions as 4 very hot,’ & c. may be collected, by comparison, from the preceding and subsequent parts of the 4 Itinerary/ My curiosity to view this Bushman village, would not suffer me to rest long ; and at noon, protected by my umbrella, from the scorching heat of the sun, I ascended alone to the kraal ; a distance not greater than four hundred yards. It consisted of twenty huts placed irregularly in a circular line, and contained about a hundred and twenty inhabitants, two-thirds of whom appeared to be females. This, therefore, among the Bushmen of this portion of the Cisgariepine, is rated as one of their largest kraals. I was received every where with smiling faces, as I quickly passed their huts, searching and inquiring for Ruiter. I now dis- covered that he had another name, and that among Bushmen, to which nation his mother belonged, he bore that of Arree , signifying, as I was told, one who has lost a tooth ; for in fact, his right eye-tooth was deficient. At length I found him and Nieuwveld, lying asleep in one of the houses. Seeing a small party of men sitting by the side of a hut, I went and seated myself down amongst them, and passed half an hour in * Similar to that which is represented by the vignette at the end of Chapter III.; and to those which may be seen in the fourth plate. 54 GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE BUSHMEN. 6 March, talking and in questioning them on various subjects ; but, although exceedingly amused by the novelty and strangeness of the scene, I cannot say that this mode of employing my time was very in- structive, or that I gained many new ideas from their conversation. Still, it was extremely interesting, because it gave an opportunity of observing man in an uncivilized state , and enabled me to dis- tinguish some of those characters which may be regarded as common to all the human race. And, if among Bushmen, are to be met with, many of those failings, of which we find examples too frequently among ourselves ; there are, to counterbalance these, several good qualities, which usually, we are not disposed to allow that savages can naturally possess. It is a negative, or rather an equivocal, species of praise, to say of them, that ambition never disturbs the peace of the Bushman race. And I believe that in this people no existence can be traced of the sordid passion of avarice or the insatiable desire of accumulating property, for the mere gratification of pos- sessing it. Between each other they exercise the virtues of hospita- lity and generosity ; often in an extraordinary degree. It must, however, be admitted that in general, they are more inclined to supply their wants by robbing the colonists and neighbouring tribes, than by honest industry and patient labor : while too often, yet not always, that essential virtue, veracity , is disregarded, and the neglect of it considered a mere venial offence. The mental powers of Bushmen are never to be extolled ; for whatever concessions may be made in favor of their heart, nothing can be said in praise of their mind, at least in their present rude state. The feelings of the heart and all its various passions, whether good or bad, are the common pro- perty of all mankind, the educated and the uneducated, the civilized and the uncivilized ; but in the higher faculties of the mind, and in the cultivated powers of reason, the savage claims but little share. It is in the improvement of these faculties and powers, that civilized nations may place their high superiority, and their just boast of pre-eminence. These people expressed no curiosity to be informed respecting any article of European manufacture ; nor, when told that I was one 1812. SITUATION AND PLAN OF THEIR KRAALS. 55 of a nation differing in language from the white-men of the Colony, did they ask me a single question respecting my country, or seem at all desirous of gaining any new idea, or any additional knowledge. Their character possessed nothing of dullness or stupidity ; but, on the contrary, they were lively enough ; and on those topics which their peculiar mode of life brings within their observation and com- prehension, they often showed themselves to be shrewd and quick. They talked with much pleasure and animation on the subject of the proposed rhinoceros-hunt ; and, very naturally, admired the great utility of my umbrella in protecting me from the burning sun, for at that time they felt, on their own uncovered heads and naked bodies, all the inconvenience of its scorching rays. I quitted this party in order to take a further survey of the kraal and its domestic oeconomy : while they still remained sitting in their place, without attempting to follow me. Its situation was on every quarter exposed and without a tree to interrupt the view. Bushmen, in pitching their kraal , always chuse a spot, so bare and open that no enemy can approach them without being seen. The top of a hill which stands separately on a plain, is therefore an ap- proved site ; because, with eyes little inferior in optical power to small telescopes, they can, while they themselves remain unobserved, watch every movement around to a great distance. I noticed that the opening, or entrance, of each hut was always directed towards the inside of the circle *, so that the area surrounded by their dwellings, and where they keep their cattle at night, was within sight of all the inhabitants ; and no attempt by their enemies to carry off their cattle in the night, could be made without being im- mediately perceived. With a view, as I imagine, of having their arms always in readiness, their hassagays were stuck upright into the ground close by the side of the hut, being, in fact, too long to be placed conveniently within it : while their quivers, arrows and bows, as being their principal weapon, lay by their side, ready at hand for the first moment of alarm. * The fourth plate of this volume is referred to, for the representation of a kraal similar to that which is here described. 56 HUTS. — THE BUSHMAN DOG. — HUNTING-CAP. 6 March, These huts were constructed exactly in the manner already described *; and differed only in the greater size of their door-way or opening. Not one of these was high enough to admit even a Bush- man to stand upright within it ; nor was that of their captain, or chief, in any respect different from the others. The inside formed but one apartment, where all the family slept ; their bed being nothing more than a skin spread upon the ground, and on which they lay them- selves down, generally coiled up in their karosses like a bundle of clothes ; so that neither head nor legs can be distinguished. But it is not every man who has the good-fortune to own a cloak long enough for this purpose. The area comprised within the kraal, or ring of houses, is more or less extensive in proportion to the number of cattle belonging to the community, or to the number of dwellings. I saw no more than five or six oxen, and as many sheep ; but of goats they possessed at least a hundred. Before one of the huts I saw eight kids, but did not observe that they were tied by one foot to a peg fixed in the ground, till the sight of my umbrella alarmed them, and caused the animals to break loose. Their owners, who were within the hut, looked up at me with a goodnatured smile, as they rose to drive the kids back, and make them fast again. The dogs most common among the Bushmen, are a small species entirely white, with erect pointed ears : and as this sort was not noticed in the Colony, it is probably a breed which may have been long in the possession of the native tribes. (See the fourth plate). On the head of one man I remarked an unusually large fur cap. It was made of spring-buck skin, of a shape extending far behind the head, and intended to have as much as possible the appearance of that animal’s back. This was for the purpose of deceiving the game, and of enabling the wearer, as he creeps along between the bushes, to approach the animal within reach of his arrow. It is called a be-creeping cap (Bekruip-muts) ; and is only worn when in pursuit of game. * In the first volume, at page 325 ; and represented in the seventh plate. 1812. JACKAL’S TAIL. —BULB-BAG. — LONGEVITY. 57 Many carried constantly in their hand & jackal's tail , which they frequently drew across their eyes, for the purpose, as I was told, of improving their sight, agreeably to their belief that it possesses a virtue of that kind : but I think the benefit which it does them, by wiping away the dust, is a sufficient reason for the practice. The reticule is with the Bushmen, as with us, a fashionable and useful appendage in their morning walks, and differs from ours only by its want of cleanliness and elegance, and in being called a bulb-bag [uyentje-zak). No Bushman goes abroad to collect roots, without a bag of this kind. But it is, in most instances, worn constantly, and is with them what pockets are with us. It is generally suspended at their side by a leathern strap passing over the opposite shoulder, and is more commonly ornamented with a great number of strings similar, though shorter, to those which form the fore-kaross, or front apron of the women. * I noticed many persons, both men and women, who had every appearance of great age. Their skin, which resembled old leather, hung about them in loose wrinkles ; and the dirt with which they were covered, together with their clotted hair, proved how disgusting human beings may render themselves by neglect of personal clean- liness. Whether they were really so old as I thought them to be, was a question which they themselves could not have determined, since a nation who only live from day to day, and look no farther forward than from one meal to the next, can have no inducement for burtliening their memory with accounts of years that have passed, or of days that are behind them. I have had occasion before f to remark how early in life they begin to assume the looks of age ; and this consideration renders it still more difficult to guess how old a Bushman may be. Yet it should not therefore be concluded that their lives are, on the average, shorter than the natural term, or that many examples of longevity may not exist among them. * A more particular description of the Hottentot dress , between which and that of the Bushmen there is scarcely any difference, has been given at page 395 to 398. of the first volume ; and may now be referred to. f At page 415. of the first volume. VOL. II. I 58 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS. 6 March, I next introduced myself to a female party , and without further ceremony sat down in the midst of the group. It was a mixture of young and old, of mothers and daughters. They were engaged in no occupation, excepting that of talk ; and in this, my presence was very far from being an interruption ; it doubled their loquacious industry. But I have great pleasure in making the remark, that the natural bashful reserve of youth and innocence is to be seen as much among these savages, as in more polished nations : and the young girls, though wanting but little of being perfectly naked, evinced as just a sense of modesty, as the most rigid and careful education could have given them. Their mothers allowed themselves more privileges, and felt no hesitation in answering my questions relative to their marriage customs. Such characters as men and women passing their lives in a state of celibacy, do not exist among the wild nations of Southern Africa ; and in this particular, savages hold a superiority over the most polished nations of Europe. The women informed me that girls are most commonly betrothed when not older than a child whom they pointed out to me, and whose age appeared to be about seven years ; that is, the husband early bespeaks her, in order to preclude every other man, in the meanwhile*, from all pretensions, and from all hope of gaining her : and, as these men generally take a second wife, as soon as the first becomes some- what advanced in years, this custom of securing another beforehand, is perhaps necessary, in order to avoid those contentions which might otherwise arise in cases of this nature, and where the girl herself is seldom allowed a voice in choosing her husband. In two or three years, or less, according to circumstances, after being thus betrothed, the girl changes her abode, from her mother’s hut to that of the bridegroom. These bargains are made with her parents only, and without ever consulting the wishes (even if she had any) of the daughter. They are made by offering them a leathern bag, or some similar article, which, if accepted, ratifies and confirms the match. I saw at this kraal several mothers, who could not have been more than ten or twelve years old. 1812. MANNER IN WHICH GIRLS ADORN THEMSELVES. 59 When it happens, which is not often the case, that a girl has grown up to womanhood without having previously been betrothed, her lover must gain her own approbation, as well as that of the parents; and on this occasion his attentions are received with an affectation of great alarm and disinclination on her part, and with some squabbling on the part of her friends. Several of these girls might be said to be pretty, more on account of their youth and the pleasing expression of their countenances, than of any beauty of features : but it is doubtful whether, throughout the whole nation, one could be found whom a European could deem handsome. When, in the morning, they came to the general distribu- tion of tobacco, they had not yet performed the duties of their toilet ; but I now had the pleasure of beholding them as fine and as capti- vating as buku and red-ochre could make them. The former, as a green powder, was sprinkled over their head and neck, and the latter, mixed with grease, was applied in daubs or streaks over or along the nose, and across the cheek-bones : and what was thought by these simple Africans to be the most graceful and fascinating style of adorning themselves, was precisely the same as that which the clowns and buffoons at our fairs, have adopted in order to render their ap- pearance absurd and ridiculous. Many of the women were distinguished by having the hair of the forehead, by the constant accumulation of grease and red-ochre, clotted into large red lumps, like stone : this was not through neglect of cleaning it away, but from a fancy that it was highly becoming, and that it added greatly to their charms. Some had the crown of their heads shaved, or, rather, scraped bald, (as represented by the vignette at page 1.) and a row of buttons fastened round the remain- ing hair which had been left in its natural state. All of them wore bracelets, either of leather, or of twisted sinew, or copper ; and most of them were decorated with some kind of ornament hanging from the ear. Their stature was extremely small, and their figure in general delicate ; their height being universally less than five feet. I noticed a singularity of figure, which I had not hitherto ob- served among Hottentots ; nor was it since found to be, in any tribe, 1 2 60 POLYGAMY. 6 March, so remarkable as in Bushwomen. The thigh-bones of those who were above the middle age, appeared bowed outwards in an unusual degree, or rather, the outer part of them was exceedingly pro- tuberant. As to the cause of this deformity, I can only venture a supposition, that it may be an enlargement of that process of the bone, called trochanter major. But in this I do not pretend to any positive opinion; and leave it to be determined by those who may hereafter have an opportunity of examining the skeleton of a Bushwoman of this conformation. One of the mothers told me, with evident distress, that she was soon to be parted from her only daughter, of whom she was affec- tionately fond, and who was now considered old enough to live in her husband’s hut. The girl herself was sitting by, and, on hearing this mentioned, she turned her face downwards, with an unaffected bash- fulness, and with a natural and interesting expression of genuine in- nocence, which would well have become the most civilized of her sex. With regard to polygamy , I was told that a second wife is never taken, until the first, as before stated, has become old, not in years, but in constitution : and sometimes, though rarely, a third supplies, in like manner, the place of the second. This was generally the greatest extent of their polygamy ; nor, were the old wives, on that account, neglected or left unprovided for by their husbands ; but constantly remained with him on the same terms as before. I could not learn that any nice feelings of jealousy between these wives, ever disturbed the harmony of the family. Some men passing by, seemed much amused at my questions, and joined us : on which, I inquired of the women if their husbands ever beat them ; well knowing that this subject was one of great im- portance in their domestic arrangements. The men laughed, and quickly replied, “ No No.” The women as loudly cried, “ Yes Yes, they beat us on the head — so.” And sufficiently proved the truth of their assertion, by the ready and natural manner in which they imitated this act of conjugal discipline. I then quitted this party, who appeared happy and pleased at my stopping with them so long, and continued my visit to the 1812. MOURNING. — EXPERTNESS IN THE USE OF THE BOW. gl different houses. In one, a little family group were drinking their goats-milk from a leathern bowl, and in a manner perfectly novel. Of all the instruments for conveying liquid to the mouth, a brush must appear the least adapted to such a purpose : but with no other means than this, they emptied their bowl ; and perhaps have discovered that the greater length of time which this mode requires, prolongs also the pleasure of their meal. The brush was made of strong hair, and of a thickness sufficient to fill the mouth. The manner of using it, was by dipping it into the bowl, and sucking the milk out of it. A short distance farther, I met an old woman, who, having heard that I was desirous of knowing every thing relative to their customs, very good-naturedly stopped me to show her hands, and bade me ob- serve that the little finger of the right hand had lost two joints, and that of the left, one. She explained to me, that they had been cut off at different times, to express grief or mourning for the death of three daughters. After this, I looked more attentively at those whom I met, and saw many other women, and some of the men, with their hands mutilated in the same manner ; but it was only their little fingers which were thus shortened ; and probably the loss of those joints was found to occasion no inconvenience. Coming up to another party of men who were repairing, and putting in order, their bows and arrows, I requested one of them, an old man who seemed to be their head, to shoot at a mark, that I might have an opportunity of witnessing their expertness in hitting an object. He readily granted my request, by appointing another, who, he said, was a much better marksmen than himself, to exhibit his skill. The skin of an antelope, measuring in surface about seven square feet, was fixed to a pole, at the distance of forty yards. The Bushman then advanced towards it, stooping down, or creeping slowly along the ground, as if in pursuit of game and endeavouring to approach it without being seen. He let fly his arrow when within twenty yards, and, to my surprise, missed the skin even at this short distance; but, on a second trial, he was more successful. 62 CONVERSATION BY SIGNS. 6 March, The great skill of the Bushmen in using the bow, had been so often extolled to me, that I now could not avoid the conclusion, either, that those accounts had been exaggerated for the purpose of relating something wonderful ; or, that these men had cunningly dis- sembled their power with a view of misleading me, should circum- stances ever place me under the necessity of guarding against it. I incline to the latter opinion, although the former is not altogether unfounded. The heads of all their arrows were covered with a deadly poison ; but they explained, that some were more especially intended to be used against their enemies, and that others were made only for killing game. Many of the men were observed to have lost an eye , but the cause which they assigned for this, has not been recorded in my jour- nal, and I will therefore not incur the risk of misleading by any surmise of my own. The fact is remarkable. I continued for some time longer strolling about the village from hut to hut, and from group to group, and was everywhere received with a friendly and happy countenance. It was to them, as I have already observed, gratifying to behold a white-man in the midst of their dwellings, unarmed and unprotected, trusting with unbounded con- fidence to their good faith, showing respect to their prejudices and customs, and, pleased with his new friends, entering, as one of their own tribe, familiarly into their society. This was the situation in which I had so long been desirous of placing myself; and an opportunity of viewing these tribes as they really are, had been one of the principal objects of my wishes. Till now, imagination only had amused my mind ; but here the interesting reality itself was before my eyes. After passing four hours in the kraal, and having collected a head-full of information, I returned home to deposit the observ- ations in my journal. There I continued the rest of the day, employed in this manner ; except when visitors came down from the hill to fetch water : on which occasions, many of them good-naturedly took their seat by my side ; and, in the absence of an interpreter, we 1812. DANCING. 63 found no small degree of amusement in holding a conversation by signs. As, in these dialogues, we must frequently have mistaken each other’s meaning, information thus obtained was very rarely committed to paper : but they had their use, and a very important one, — they often supplied a source of mirth and good humour, and always con- tributed to our mutual confidence. In the evening, about eight o’clock, I again went up to the kraal, having heard from the Hottentots, that these hordes are so fond of dancing , that scarcely a night passes without some party of that kind at one or other of the huts. Nor was I disappointed, for in the circle of houses, most of which were enlivened by afire, and all quite filled with people, I soon discovered one of a more busy appearance than the rest. It was nearly the largest, and contained as many persons, both men and women, as could find room to seat themselves in a ring, leaving but space enough in the centre for the dancer to stand in. A fire, just without the entrance, threw its cheerful light upon this singular assembly, and was, from time to time, supplied with fuel for the pur- pose of keeping up a blaze. My arrival, though unexpected, did not interrupt their amuse- ment, or occasion the shortest pause in the dancer’s performance. He was then wrought up to that high degree of animation and in- ternal satisfaction, at which he heeded nothing around, and thought only of himself. The spectators, when I approached, turned their faces towards me with looks which plainly spoke how pleased they were to see me come amongst them ; and I, therefore, in imitation of their own familiar manner, seated myself down in the circle. As the size of these huts, does not admit of a person’s standing upright, even in the largest, the dancer was obliged to support him- self by two long sticks, which he held in his hands, and which rested on the ground at as great a distance from each other, as could be done with convenience. His body was consequently bent forwards in a position which seemed as constrained, and as unsuited for danc- ing, as imagination could devise: but it was not possible for the motion of the limbs, to be less impeded by clothing, as he wore 64 DANCING AT 6 March, nothing more than his e jackal.’ * In this attitude he continued his dancing without cessation. Sometimes, however, this is performed without the support of sticks ; and although the same person kept on dancing during the whole time I was present in the hut, jet each one of the company is allowed to take his turn, till, having danced as long as he chooses, he retires to the circle, and another rises, who, after tying on the rattles, takes his place ; for, one pair of these rattles serves the whole party. The man who, being, perhaps, proud of the interest which I appeared to take in his performance, had continued so long to exhibit before me his indefatigable powers, gave up his place soon after I quitted the hut ; and was succeeded by others, who prolonged the pleasing harmless amusement without interval. This dancing is indeed of a singular kind ; and I know not if among all the tribes of savages on the globe, any thing similar is to be found ; it certainly is not to be met with in any civilized nation. One foot remains motionless, while the other dances in a quick wild irregular manner, changing its place but little, though the knee and leg is turned from side to side as much as the attitude will allow. The arms have little motion, their duty being to support the body. The dancer continues singing all the while, and keeps time with every movement ; sometimes twisting the body in sudden starts, till at last, as if fatigued by the violence of his exertions, he drops upon the ground to recover breath ; still maintaining the spirit of the dance, and continuing to sing, and keep time by the motion of his body, to the voices and accompaniments of the spectators. In a few seconds he starts up again, and proceeds with renewed vigor. When one foot is tired out, or has done its share of the dance, the other comes forward and performs the same part ; and thus, changing legs from time to time, it seemed as though he meant to convince his friends that he could dance for ever. * That part of a Hottentot’s dress, which is called the jackal, has been described at p. 397. of Vol. I. 1812. KAABl’S KRAAL. 65 Round each ankle he wore a sort of rattle, made (in this instance) of four ears of the springbuck, sewed up and containing a quantity of small pieces of ostrich-egg shell, which at every motion of the foot produced a sound that was not unpleasant or harsh, but greatly aided the general effect of the performances. The figure of these dancing-rattles may be seen at page 45, and supersedes the necessity of a more minute description. * Although only one person could dance at a time, the surround- ing company were not therefore the less employed or amused: all joined in the accompaniments , and were equally essential with the dancer himself, to the evening’s entertainment, and contributed not less to the pleasure it afforded. These accompaniments consisted in singing and beating the drum. Every one of the party sang, and all kept time by gently clapping hands. The words made use of, and which had no meaning in themselves, were simply Aye 0 Aye 0, repeated during the whole time ; and at the sound 0, the hands were brought together: the dancer only, using the syllables Wawakoo. Both men and women assisted in this singing, and though not in unison, were still correctly in harmony with each other : but the voices of the girls, pitched a fifth or sixth higher, were maintained with more animation. The drum was nothing more than a hambus or wooden jug f having a piece of wet parchment strained over the top, and contain- ing a little water. This instrument was occasionally inverted for the purpose of wetting the parchment, as often as it became dry. It was beaten with the right forefinger, by one of the women ; while she regulated the pitch or quality of the sound, by placing the forefinger and thumb of her left hand, upon the parchment. It seemed to be accurately in tune with the voices of the assembly ; a concordance, which could hardly be accidental. The following notes, which I wrote down on the same night, * The figure on the right shows the manner in which they are tied to the leg ; and that in the lower corner on the left, will give an idea of their construction. Above this latter figure, one of the rattles of which it is composed, is represented in profile. f Similar to that which is represented at page 406 of the first volume; excepting only that it was much larger and had a wider mouth. VOL. II. K 66 A BUSHMAN DANCE. 6, 7 March, are here given precisely as they were sung in the hut, and repeated during the whole time, with scarcely the least variation. The measure of time was exactly half a second to each crotchet, or two seconds to a bar. The upper notes were sung by the company ; those of the middle line, by the dancer ; while those in the bass clef express the beating of the water-drum. 0~* • f" - s S — t ^ a t v U* *• - • i ■ 1 V4 7 j Aye O Aye s S » 0 N & Aye O S ' _K Aye ' eh K Aye N ' C |N O fs ' it C *1 ) K t r% ** T r . 1 AC' .:rp J 1 Li ~ 4 —4 -4 L 1 | -JL .J 1 ■F - - -4 Wawa koc m > Wawa ko O Wawa ko 0 Wawa k DO m m Wawa koo Wawa koo rr* rr- h dm a - 9 9 — -9 E. * r r - w — - - \ -l- - u U - I find it impossible to give by means of mere description, a correct idea, either of the pleasing impressions received while viewing this scene, or of the kind of effect which the evening’s amusement pro- duced upon my mind and feelings. It must be seen ; it must be participated in : without which, it would not be easy to imagine its force, or justly to conceive its nature. There was, in this amusement, nothing which can make me ashamed to confess that I derived as much enjoyment from it, as the natives themselves : there was nothing in it which approached to vulgarity ; and in this point of view, it would be an injustice to these poor creatures not to place them in a more respectable rank, than that to which the notions of Europeans have generally admitted them. It was not rude laughter and boisterous mirth, nor drunken jokes, nor noisy talk, which passed their hours away ; but the peaceful, calm emotions of harmless pleasure. Had I never seen and known more of these savages than the occurrences of this day, and the pastimes of this evening, I should not have hesitated to declare them the happiest of mortals. Free from care, and pleased with a little, their life seemed flowing on, like a smooth stream gliding through flowery meads. Thoughtless and unreflecting, they laughed and smiled the hours away, heedless of futurity, and forgetful of the past. Their music softened all their passions ; and thus they lulled 1812. FICKLENESS OF HOTTENTOTS. 67 themselves into that mild and tranquil state, in which no evil thoughts approach the mind. The soft and delicate voices of the girls, instinc- tively accordant to those of the women and the men ; the gentle clapping of the hands ; the rattles of the dancer ; and the mellow sound of the water-drum ; all harmoniously attuned, and keeping time together ; the peaceful happy countenances of the party ; and the cheerful light of the fire, — were circumstances so combined, and fitted to produce the most soothing effects on the senses, that I sat as if the hut had been my home, and felt in the midst of this horde as though I had been one of them ; for some few moments, ceasing to think of sciences or of Europe, and forgetting that I was a lonely stranger in a land of wild untutored men. Thus the evening passed ; and thus the pleasing recreation beguiled the hours of night, and stole their sleep away ; till morn- ing light announced that other duties claimed their time. But the past fatigues of the day, sensibly reminded me of rest, and forced me reluctantly to quit the party at midnight ; leaving them still in- tent on dancing. 1th. When I rose the next morning, I found that my Hottentots had changed their mind with respect to hunting the rhinoceros, and wished to defer it till the following day. A fit of laziness had sud- denly come upon them ; for which, as they had rested the entire day before, there was no excuse, unless the expectation of a hotter day than usual might have been urged. But as we had publicly pro- mised to the whole kraal, that we would hunt on this day, and as the Bushmen were already preparing to show them the way, I insisted on making good our word, lest we should be considered as unwilling to oblige them, and, thus forfeit some portion of their present favor- able opinion of us. They therefore prepared immediately ; and at seven o’clock they started, having with them about a dozen natives to assist in looking out for the animals. In this instance, one feature in the Hottentot character was strongly exhibited; the uncertainty and fickleness of their plans : for, on being roused from their lazi- ness, they seemed now to be as eager and ready for the chase, as before, they had been disinclined and dilatory. Instead of the hunters only, or such as were good marksmen, all now of my own people k 2 68 A PRESENT FROM K A ABI. 7 March, who were able to sustain the fatigue, were desirous of going. To this I consented ; and retained by the baggage, only old Cobus, who complained of being unwell, and Hans Lucas, whose services, in the meantime, as interpreter, could not be dispensed with. It was previously agreed on that the horse, which I allowed them to make use of on this occasion, should be sent back for me, in the case of their being successful. Soon after their departure, I received, as a present from Kaabi, a whole goat skinned and cleaned ready for cooking. So unexpected a thing as a present from the indigent Bushmen, was an incident which afforded me, situated as we were, peculiar pleasure, and was rendered affecting by the truly benevolent air with which he gave it, and the undisguised simplicity with which he acknowledged that ‘ I had been very good to him during our journey from the Gariep, and therefore he had wished to do some good to me.’ There can be no man possessing any sensibility, who would not have been moved at wit- nessing his artless manner, and the kind expression of his counte- nance ; both so indicative of gratitude and sincerity. I was prevented from accompanying the hunters, by the neces- sity of recording in my journal the observations of the past day, before the impressions which they had made became weakened, or mingled with those of succeeding objects and occurrences. I was, however, not suffered to remain long alone ; for, in the course of the morning, many visitors , chiefly old people, came to me at the bush under which I had slept and taken up my station. Sometimes in parties they seated themselves around me, while I amused, and possibly instructed, them by exhibiting various articles of my baggage, and explaining their uses, the nature of their manu- facture and their construction. Yet, whatever was totally different in principle and use, from any thing to which they had been ac- customed among themselves ; such things, very contrary to what we should expect from, the influence of curiosity , excited little surprise or attention : but my blankets , which approached, in the nature and use of them, to their own sheep-skin karosses, were greatly admired; and many of my visitors rose from their places to examine them. The leather of my pistol-belt was highly approved of, because it was 1812. A DISGUSTING INCIDENT. 69 within the reach of their capacity to comprehend its nature, and to perceive that it was prepared in a manner much superior to their own leather ; but its make and form, as adapted to the use of carry- ing pistols, was neither understood nor in any manner attended to. While these explanations were being made to them, my atten- tion was attracted by a little affair which had upon my stomach, an effect similar to that which Speelman felt at seeing the Bushman eat lizards’ eggs. One of the women, who had a child at her back, seemed to be eagerly in search of something which she saw between the folds of her kaross and the twists of her bracelets, and leathern necklace. I noticed that her hand was frequently lifted to her mouth, or held out to her babe. My curiosity induced me to look more narrowly into these operations, and I discovered, not without some strong sensations, that the objects of her active and earnest pursuit, were certain little crawling things which, though in England viewed with disgust, were here sought for with complacence, and presented by an affectionate mother, to her tender infant, who held out its little innocent hand to receive them as bonbons. The fidelity of my narration has required me to relate the pleas- ing, as well as the unpleasing, parts of this people’s character ; but justice to them obliges me, at the same time, to say, that I do not believe this filthy practice to be general among them, however such examples as this, of depraved taste, may often be met with : yet I never witnessed a similar circumstance, on any other occasion, during the whole of my travels. Fortunately, the arrival of Ruiter with the horse and intelligence that Speelman had shot a rhinoceros , put a stop to this barbarous employment, and turned my thoughts another way. The news in- stantly spread to every hut in the kraal ; the joy was universal : the men, never travelling without them, quickly snatched up their arms, and hastened away to the westward, to the spot where the animal was reported to lie. Those who remained at home, came dancing and singing down the hill, as if suddenly seized with a fit of goodhumoured insanity, unable to suppress their thankfulness to me for having allowed my men to hunt for them. Our five pack-oxen were quickly fetched in from pasture and saddled ; and the Bushmen immediately 70 UNIVERSAL JOY IN THE KRAAL. 7 March, got ready their own five, the whole number which they at this time possessed. It was late in the afternoon when we set out ; the sun being not more than two hours high. Our road leading us through the kraal, we were stopped by the crowd who gathered round us, and who seemed half-crazy with joy, and the overflow of spirits. The scene was truly laughable ; it was happiness burlesqued. Old women skip- ping and dancing about with clots of red ochre hanging from their hair, and a protuberant bundle of petticoats behind ; laughing, and clapping their hands ; all talking to me at the same time, without any possibility of my understanding a word of what they said ; they themselves seeming not to care for an answer, could they but have the pleasure of telling me their own joy ; these, and some girls with their faces daubed with streaks of red ochre, and a few old men, con- tinued thronging round me, till my horse stood still, unable to get through the crowd. But when Buiter announced that the rhinoceros was at a great distance, and remarked to them, that it was already late in the day, they immediately made way for us, and we trotted off at full speed. On our road we met Philip, who very prudently had decided on returning home for the purpose of reinforcing those who were left in care of the baggage : although I cannot allow myself to think that the people of the kraal would have taken the most trifling article belonging to us ; even if every thing had been left under the bush, without a single person to guard it. And I feel persuaded that no one of Kaabis Kraal would have been base enough to rob me ; what- ever might be the inclination of the inhabitants of other kraals with whom we had formed no acquaintance, and whose good-will we had not yet secured by similar acts of friendship. We proceeded nearly the whole way at a brisk step, sometimes trotting and at other times galloping ; while the three Bushmen who drove the pack-oxen on before us, hurried them over the rocky ground at so extraordinary a rate, that even on horseback, I found it not easy to keep up with them ; and often, when the surface was so thickly covered with stones and large fragments of rock that my horse could scarcely find where to place his foot, I was obliged to call out to them 1812. BUSHMAN ACTIVITY IN DRIVING CATTLE. 71 to slacken their pace. These men displayed all that beautiful ease of motion and flexibility of joint, which struck me as so remarkable when I first became acquainted with this nation ; and which have been noticed on a former occasion.* This circumstance afforded a most favorable opportunity of ascertaining, by my own experience, how rapidly these wild people could drive a herd of cattle, and how much more rapidly they them- selves can travel ; for, the necessity of passing these rocky moun- tains before dark, forced them to a display of those powers which, on no other occasion, probably, would they have exhibited so fully. I now clearly saw, and subsequent observations confirmed this remark, that whenever the Bushmen steal cattle out of the Colony, the Boors can have little hope of recovering them, unless they instantly, and with fleet horses, commence the pursuit, so as to overtake them before they can have reached the mountains. In stealing cattle, Mercury himself could not have been more expert, or more cunning, than the Bushmen. During two hours, we travelled on the elevated and mountainous tract which, extending from the southward of Kaabis Kraal , to the northward and westward of the Obelisk , constitutes what is called the Hyena Mountains. In our ride this afternoon, the prospect, which we had from their summits, of the plains extending to the northward, was, like that of the wide ocean, terminated only by the horizon. The sun was just setting when we reached the western edge of the mountain, whence we could distinguish the smoke of the hunters’ fire down in the plain below ; but still at a considerable distance. Great care was required in descending the rugged pathless side of the mountain ; which we fortunately accomplished before the twilight was withdrawn. In half an hour after this, having ridden at least fourteen miles since leaving the kraal, we arrived at the spot where the rhinoceros was lying. The first salutation from my Hottentots, was the agreeable information that Speelman had shot another rhinoceros. This he had left in the middle of a plain situated farther westward, and separated * At page 422, of the first volume. 72 SPEELMAN SHOOTS TWO RHINOCEROSES:— 7 March, from the plain in which we now were, only by a low range of hills. Speelman himself came forward immediately to give me an account of all his feats ; and was, in his manners, so animated and lively, that he might have been ascribed to any tribe rather than to that of the Colonial Hottentots. As the hunting of a rhinoceros is attended with danger, he certainly had some reason to be proud, when he had in one day killed two of these formidable animals. His account of the affair was, that when they came to the place where the Bushmen expected to find them, the animals had changed their ground ; but, that it was not long before they discovered no fewer than four, feeding quietly on the bushes in another part of the plain. They advanced towards the creatures, at various distances, according to each man’s courage, but Speelman came the first within shot, and wounded one mortally. The other people coming up, fired till it had received seven balls ; when it fell dead. He then went in pursuit of the other animals, which had fled over the hills ; and having discovered one in the middle of the open plain, approached for- tunately unperceived, and brought it down with a single ball : nor did he fail with exultation to remark, that he had on that day fired off his gun but twice, and at each time had killed a rhinoceros. This was not the first rhinoceros which Speelman had shot in the course of his life, and to prove his knowledge of these animals, and to save me the trouble of asking him questions, he voluntarily communicated all that he had learnt by his own experience. Their smell , said he, is so keen and nice, that they know, even at a great distance, whether any man be coming towards them ; and on the first suspicion of this, take to flight. Therefore it is only by approaching them against the wind, or from the leeward, that the hunter can ever expect to get within musket shot. Yet in doing this, he must move silently and cautiously, so as not to make the least noise in the bushes, as he passes through them ; otherwise their hearing is so exceedingly quick, that they would instantly take alarm and move far away to some more undisturbed spot. But the dangerous part of the business is, that when they are thus disturbed, they sometimes become furious and take it into their head to pursue their 1812. MODE OF HUNTING THEM: — NATURE OF THEIR HIDE. 73 enemy ; and then, if they once get sight of the hunter, it is impos- sible for him to escape, unless he possess a degree of coolness and presence of mind, which, in such a case, is not always to be found. Yet if he will quietly wait till the enraged animal make a run at him, and will then spring suddenly on one side to let it pass, he may gain time enough for re-loading his gun, before the rhinoceros get sight of him again ; which, fortunately, it does slowly and with difficulty. The knowledge of this imperfection of sight , which is occasioned perhaps by the excessive smallness of the aperture of the eye (its greatest length being only one inch) in proportion to the bulk of the animal, encourages the hunter to advance without taking much pains to conceal himself ; and, by attending to the usual precautions just mentioned, he may safely approach within musket-shot. This crea- ture seems to take as much pleasure in wallowing in the mud, as the hog. As far as my own experience enables me to speak, I can attest the correctness of Speelman’s remarks. The present animal was a male of large size, but being nearly cut up when I arrived, I was unable to ascertain its particular dimen- sions. No hair whatever was to be seen upon it, excepting at the edge of the ears, and on the extremity of the tail. Our bullets , though cast with an admixture of tin to render them harder, were flattened, or beat out of shape, by striking against the bones ; but those which were found lodged in the fleshy part, had preserved their proper form ; a fact which shows how little the hardness of this creature’s hide corresponds with the vulgar opinion, of its being impenetrable to a musket-ball. It is however, to be admitted that bullets of pure lead, fired from too great a distance, or with too weak a charge of powder, will sometimes fail to penetrate the skin, and fall flattened from the animal’s side, should they happen to strike one of the thicker parts of the hide, or where a coating of mud has dried fast upon it. This skin when dry and formed into shields, may possibly turn a ball ; as it is then become so much harder than when alive. In cutting up this Rhinoceros, my people found one bullet more than they had fired : it appeared to have lain in the flesh a considerable VOL. II. L 74 DESCRIPTION OF 7, 8 March, time. This animal therefore had probably lived formerly within the Colony, but having been hunted and wounded by the boors, it had, though in vain, sought refuge beyond the boundary. On each side of the carcase the Hottentots had made a fire to warm themselves ; and round a third fire, not fewer than twenty-four Bushmen were assembled, most of whom were actively employed the whole night long, in broiling, eating and talking. I watched them with astonishment : it seemed that their appetite was insatiable ; for no sooner had they broiled and eaten one slice of meat, than they turned to the carcase and cut another. I scarcely think that they allowed themselves any time for sleep. Some of the natives whom I had seen at the dance, were among the number of those who assisted at this nocturnal feast. The meat of the rhinoceros was excellent, and had much of the taste of beef ; and although the flesh of this, which was an old animal, was somewhat tough, perhaps on account of being but just killed ; yet that of the female, being fatter, proved exceedingly well- tasted and wholesome. The tongue would have been pronounced a dainty treat, even by an epicure. I laid myself down to sleep by one of the fires, but in the night awoke with a violent headache and nausea occasioned by the wind shifting round to the opposite quarter, and blowing towards me the smoke of the green fuel, and the stench of the entrails and filth. Towards sunrise the air became very cold ; and having no other covering than my watch-coat, I arose at daybreak, little refreshed by broken rest, and feeling my whole frame exceedingly chilled. 8th. Taking with me one of the Hottentots, and some Bushmen as guides, I crossed the rocky hills on the west, and descended into a dry and extensive plain thinly covered with low bushes. In the middle of this, we found the second rhinoceros > ; at which Speelman, with a party of natives, had arrived an hour earlier, to prevent its being cut up before I had seen and examined it. I immediately pro- ceeded to make drawings both in front and in profile, and a separate sketch of its head on a larger scale, principally from measurement. Two of these are given in this volume ; the one in front at page 46, 1812. THE SECOND RHINOCEROS. 7 5 and the head in profile at the end of the chapter. The animal lay in a position very favorable for this purpose ; having fallen on its knees, and remaining nearly in the same attitude as when alive. The first view of this beast, suggested the idea of an enormous hog, to which, besides in its general form, it bears some outward resemblance in the shape of its skull, the smallness of its eyes, and the proportionate size of its ears : but in its shapeless clumsy legs and feet, it more resembles the hippopotamus and elephant. It is, in fact, in many less obvious particulars, closely allied to all these ; and by later naturalists, has been well arranged in the same class with them.* Its length over the forehead and along the back, from the ex- tremity of the nose to the insertion of the tail, was eleven feet and two inches, of English measure ; but in a direct line, not more than nine feet three inches. The tail, which at its extremity was complanated, or flattened vertically, measured twenty inches ; and the circumfe- rence of the largest part of the body, eight feet and four inches. On examining its mouth I found, agreeably to common opinion, no incisive, or fore, teeth in either jaw: in the upper jaw on each side, were five large grinders, and a smaller one at the back ; but in the lower, there were six grinders besides the small back tooth. The ink which I had brought with me, being nearly dried up, I was obliged to write this description in my memorandum -book, with the animal’s own blood, j* * Of this species of rhinoceros, we shot nine in the course of these travels ; besides a smaller one. This has been presented to the British Museum. -j- This Rhinoceros is of the species already described by Sparrman, under the name of Rh. hicornis. But other species with two horns, having been since discovered, the name of Rh. Africanus has been substituted by Cuvier. And as I have subsequently dis- covered another species in Africa, also with two horns, this name would now, according to that principle of nomenclature, require again to be changed. The new species here alluded to, I have named Rhinoceros simus, (“ Bulletin des Sciences;” livr. de Juin 1817, p. 96.) from the flattened form of its nose and mouth, by which, and by its greater size, and the proportions of its head, it is remarkably distin- guished from the other African species. A more complete account of this, is reserved for a future opportunity, as it belongs to a part of my journal not included in the present volume. In the mean time the work above named, may be referred to for a figure of it, and for some further particulars. L 2 76 ON THE CORNEOUS ADDITAMENTA OF ANIMALS. 8 March, The horn of the rhinoceros , differing in structure from that of every other animal, and placed in a situation, of which it is the only example, had long appeared to me to be an anomaly very deserving of examination ; and therefore on the present occasion, it was the first object of m3’ curiosity and attention. The view which I now began to take, of its structure and nature, was afterwards, in the course of my journey, further confirmed by the following mode of reasoning, which, to render it less complicated, I shall confine to the class of Mammalia , or, as it is more commonly called, quadrupeds. Dispersed over the skin of all animals, are pores which I have supposed to secrete a peculiar fluid, which may be designated by the name of corneous matter. This secretion, or fluid, is designed by nature for the forming of various most useful and important additamenta , all of which, continue growing during the whole life ; have an insertion not deeper than the thickness of the skin ; and are further distinguished by the absence of all sensibility and vascular organization, being purely exuvial parts like the perfected feathers of birds. In all these parts, the growth takes place by the addition of new matter at their base. When these pores are separate, they produce hairs. When they are confluent and in a line, they produce the nails the claws and the hoofs, the fibrous appearance of which, naturally leads to the supposition of their being confluent hairs : and the same may be said of the scales of the Manis. The quills of the porcupine, hedgehog, and other animals, may be regarded as hairs of extra- ordinary size. When the pores are confluent and in a ring, they furnish the corneous case of the horns of animals of the ruminating class ; and when confluent on a circular area, the}7 supply matter for the formation of a solid horn, such as we see on the rhinoceros. An examination of the structure and appearance of this latter, will be found to support my explanation of its nature ; as about its base, it is in most instances, evidently rough and fibrous like a worn-out brush. * It grows from the skin only, in the same manner as the * This appearance, has not escaped the notice of an eminent zoologist ; who says, that these animals “ portent une come solide adherente a la peau et de substance fibreuse 1812. ON THE UNICORN. 77 hair, a circumstance which entirely divests of improbability the assertion of its being sometimes seen loose, although by no means so loose as some writers have supposed. Nor is it at all extraordinary that the rhinoceros should possess the power of moving it, to a cer- tain degree, since the hog, to which, in a natural arrangement, it so closely a pproaches, has a much greater power of moving its bristles, which if concreted would form a horn of the same nature. With respect to the idea, which I had entertained, of a single horn being an anomaly, it arose from the consideration, that all the osseous parts of animals, excepting the spine, were in pairs ; those which appear single, being in fact divided longitudinally by a suture. So that any bony process, such as that which supports the corneous case of horned animals, must, to be single or in the central line of the face or head, stand over a suture ; a case which no anatomist has hitherto discovered in Nature, f The single horn of the rhinoceros, is therefore no anomaly ; because, having no connection with, or not deriving its origin from, the bones, and being, as I have endeavoured to show, only concreted hair, Nature might, if its mode of life re- quired, have given it other horns of the same kind on any part of the body, without at all disturbing that system and those laws, which she has followed in the structure of every quadruped. It is this rule of nature, and consequent reasoning, which will not allow me to believe that the unicorn , such as we see it re- presented, exists any where but in those representations, or in imagination : and many circumstances concur to render it highly probable, that the name was at first intended for nothing more than a species of rhinoceros. As we professed to shoot these animals for the advantage prin- et comee, comme si elle etait composee de poils agglutines.” Cuvier, Regne Animal, tome 1. p.239. f It is scarcely necessary to remark that the horn (as it is called) of the Sea-Unicorn, ( Mcmodon Monoceros) is in reality one of two teeth or tusks, and is inserted on the side of the central line, or suture, of the skull ; the other tusk remaining always buried within the jaw-bone. So that this unicorn is, in structure, a two-horned animal, and has in fact sometimes been found with both tusks grown out to an equal length. 78 BURNING HEAT OF THE SUN’S RAYS. 8, 9 March, cipally of the natives, we had not intended taking for ourselves, more of the meat than enough for a day or two : but, as another proof of the improvident disposition of Hottentots, I discovered that my people, satisfied with what they had eaten on the spot, were not preparing to bring any away with them, till I ordered a quantity to be loaded up for at least my own use, as the meat of the second, seemed, as a change of food, more wholesome, and of a better taste, than our mutton. These foolish men thought only of the brandy and tobacco which they were to get by selling their shamboks at Graaffreynet, and therefore had cut up the hide of both the animals, into strips for this purpose. Although so chilling at sunrise, the weather had, by noon, changed to the opposite extreme. Exposed in the middle of a dry plain, where not a tree to afford shade was to be seen, I scarcely could endure the rays of the sun, which poured down, as it were, a shower of fire upon us. At this time I began to feel symptoms of fever from the cold which I had taken in the night, and this, probably, might render me less capable of supporting the heat of the weather ; yet I viewed with astonishment the bare-headed and naked Bushmen, who seemed to be not in the least incommoded by it. When I had finished my drawings, and the Hottentots had loaded up as many shamboks as the oxen could carry, we left the natives busily employed in cutting up their meat ; and returned to the place of the first rhinoceros. Here I assembled all my own people, and, as soon as they had taken another meal as a farewell to their game, and had packed up another quantity of the hide, we set out on our return home to the kraal. In our way we met a large party of the natives, men and women, who, joyously greeting us as they passed, told us they were going to their friends at the rhinoceros, to lend their assistance : that is ; to eat and feast, day and night, till they had consumed the whole of it. We did not reach home till twilight had ended. I now found my fever much increased : I therefore adopted the remedy which had on similar occasions been found successful, and which con- sisted merely in drinking a quantity of hot tea immediately on going 1812. DEPARTURE FROM KAABI’S KRAAL. * 79 to bed. Some additional bushes were cut, and placed so as better to keep off the wind ; and this precaution, in addition to the remedy, induced a degree of perspiration which, in the course of the night, considerably abated the disorder. 9th. I still considered it prudent to remain thus wrapped up all the morning ; but as the weather presented every appearance of continuing fine all day, I resolved to proceed on our journey. At five in the afternoon we departed, bearing with us the good- will of a whole kraal ; to whom we had given perhaps greater hap- piness than it had been their lot to experience, for a long time. They were much pleased when I assured them it was my intention to re- turn by the same route in a few weeks ; and Riizo , who now in- formed me that this was the kraal to which he properly belonged, although residing at so great a distance as at the Gariep where we first met with him, was particularly instructed by Kaabi to remain with us until we reached the country of the white-men. One of his companions, who had hitherto been our chief attendant, and who was to remain at the kraal, now took his leave of us. CHAPTER III. JOURNEY FROM KAABl’s KRAAL, TO THE BORDERS OF THE COLONY. We followed the general direction of the river, and in the course of this days ride, crossed it four times. Thus far, its course had not been marked by tree or bush larger than those of the plains ; but here it began to assume a better character : besides a more constant supply of water, it was distinguished by abundance of reeds and bushes of greater size. We travelled till daylight began to fail ; when we took our night’s station on the banks of the river, at Reed Station. Here my people prepared for me, as I was still weak from the fever, a sheltered sleeping-place, in the centre of a thick clump of reeds which stood on dry ground at a little distance from the water. 1 Oth. On the following day’s journey, the surface became gradu- ally more hilly as we advanced, but was every where thinly covered with small bushes, although in other respects it was a wide open ft iO March, 1812. WILD HONEY. gj country. As we made our way through bushes and over rough ground, where no path could be found to guide us or render our travelling easier, the Hottentots sometimes, by chusing a smoother road, were scattered at a considerable distance from each other. To this circumstance, we were indebted for some delightful wild honey , as one of them chanced thus to observe a number of bees entering a hole in the ground, which had formerly belonged to some animal of the weasel kind. As he made signs for us to come to him, we turned that way, fearing he had met with some accident ; and, indeed, when the people began to unearth the bees, I did not expect that we should escape without being severely stung. But they knew so well how to manage an affair of this kind, and had gained so much experience, that they robbed the poor insects with the greatest ease and safety. Before they commenced digging, a fire was made near the hole, and constantly supplied with damp fuel to produce a cloud of smoke. In this the workman was com- pletely enveloped, so that the bees returning from the fields, were prevented from approaching, while those which flew out of the nest, were driven by it to a distance. Yet the rest of our party, to avoid their resentment, found it prudent, either to ride off, or to stand also in the smoke. About three pounds of honey were obtained ; which, excepting a small share which I reserved till tea-time, they instantly devoured in the comb ; and some of the Hottentots professed to be equally fond of the larvce , or young imperfect bees. This was the first honey which had been found since we left Cape Town, or, at least, which I had partaken of : it appeared unusually liquid, and nearly as thin as water ; yet it seemed as sweet, and of as delicate a taste, as the best honey of England, unless the hard fare to which I had been forced to accustom myself, might, by contrast, lead me to think it much better than it really was. As we advanced we saw at a distance around us, in every quarter, innumerable herds of wild animals , quietly grazing like tame cattle. Quakkas, springbucks, kannas, and hartebeests * on all sides, * The Hartebeest of the Cape Colony, called Caama (or Kaama) by the Hottentots, was VOL. II. M 82 LIONS AND THEIR PREY. 10, 11 March, was a sight we had never before seen during our whole journey ; and Philip immediately mounting the horse, took a circuit for the purpose of cutting off the retreat of the nearest herd. In the mean time we halted : this gave us an opportunity of noticing the footmarks of lions. Our Bushmen added their advice to keep close watch over our cattle, as we were now entering a part of the country where those formidable beasts were known to abound. This fact might, without having seen the footmarks, or without in- curring much risk of being mistaken, have been inferred from the great numbers of wild animals just observed : for, where no game is to be seen, there no lions are to be feared ; since these, it is evident, can live only in those parts of the country where they can procure daily food. Travellers, therefore, who are obliged to depend upon the chase for their support, will consider the dangers and in- convenience of lions, to be more than counterbalanced by the ad- vantage of abundance of game. Philip had pursued the antelopes far out of sight ; we had waited more than an hour, without seeing him return ; and the sun fast sinking to the horizon, warned us to look out for a place where we could safely pass the night. We therefore proceeded a short dis- tance farther, in expectation of falling in with the river ; and having met with it and crossed to the right bank, we soon found a con- venient station and unpacked the oxen. But we were not forgetful of Riizo’s advice, and carefully made all our cattle fast to the bushes. As soon as twilight began to advance, we heard the lions roar- ing at a distance, and commencing their nightly prowl. Philip had not yet returned, and our fears for his safety, as well as for that of the horse, caused us much uneasiness. To direct him to the spot where we had stationed ourselves, a large fire was made, and several muskets were discharged. Guided, first by the sound of these, and afterwards by the light, he at length found his way home ; but was considered by Linnaeus and many naturalists, to be same as the Bubalis of the ancients, which is an animal of Northern Africa ; but some later writers distinguish it as a separate species, by the name of Antilope Caama : a distinction which I am more inclined to doubt, than to adopt ; until an actual collation of the two animals, shall decide the question. 1812. TASTE OF QUAKKA-MEAT. 83 although he had ridden into the midst of the herd and turned their course, he had killed nothing ; for it had happened that several times, on attempting to shoot, his gun unluckily missed fire ; which was occasioned by the lock having been accidentally put out of order during the chase. In the early part of the night, the jackals at a little distance were yelping around us ; and, although they might not have filled the office of 4 lion’s provider,’ vulgarly assigned to them, yet I had no doubt of their having attentively performed the duties of clearing their royal master’s table. To prevent him making his supper-room in the midst of our oxen, we kept several fires burning all night. lli th. In the morning we were visited by four Bushmen; to whom, according to my custom, I made a present of some tobacco. In their way to us, they happened to pass by the spot where a lion had last night been preying upon a quakka : they found every part of the carcase devoured, excepting the feet, which they brought away with them ; these being all that the jackals had left. Although not absolutely in want of food, yet as the number of my sheep was already much lessened, I resolved on giving up a day for hunting. The men had not been out long before Philip shot a quakka. When this was brought home, it was so warmly praised by my Hottentots, as being excellent meat , that I ordered a steak to be broiled for my dinner. The novelty, and my own curiosity, must have had some influence on this occasion, since I was induced to consider it good and palatable. It was tender, and possessed a taste which seemed to be between that of beef and mutton. I made from it several meals : but this was the only time when I ate of quakkas or zebras from pure choice ; for, I confess, I could not, with respect to these animals, resist altogether the misleading influence of prejudice and habit ; and allowed myself, merely because I viewed this meat as horseflesh, to reject food which was really good and wholesome. In this respect, the Hottentots are much wiser than the Boors, who reject it for the same reason with myself, but who, nevertheless hunt these animals for the use of their Hottentots and slaves. On all subsequent occasions, when necessity compelled me m 2 84 BUSHMAN TABLE-MOUNTAIN. 12 March, to eat of it, the fat, which was yellow and oily, always smelt rather strong and disagreable ; but I cannot assert that such food was ever found to be unwholesome. \2th. During the night and this forenoon, there was much rain ; and being thus prevented drying our meat, we departed from Quakka Station at an early hour. Soon after setting out, we crossed the river twice ; after which we turned to the south-east in order to visit a kraal which lay in that direction ; having on our right some high mountains in the distance, and before us an exceedingly large table mountain, which had been seen for the first time, on our last day’s journey. This latter is pointed out on my map, by the name of the Bushman Table-Mountain , and is very remarkable by the perfect re- gularity of its form, and by having at each end a small, but equally high, mountain standing in advance, and apparently separated from it down to the base. Farther behind this mountain, were several others of the same formation, and which extended beyond the visible horizon. From the distance and spot at which it was viewed, it appeared inaccessible, being surrounded on all sides by a precipice ; but experience teaches that however steep and lofty a mountain may appear, its summit should not be pronounced inaccessible until its ascent have been attempted on every side. I was induced, how justly I know not, to consider it of greater height than all the other moun- tains in this part of the country, by the circumstance of a cloud resting upon it, an appearance which had not been seen since we quitted the Roggeveld. At a little after three in the afternoon we arrived at the kraal, and unpacked our oxen by the side of a rocky hillock at the distance of two hundred yards. I was received by the inhabitants with repeated acclamations of Tway ! Tway ! * and with every demonstration of their being glad at seeing me : although I do not flatter myself that their joy was entirely personal, as the words Gooen dakka ; Tabakka ! Gooen dakka ; * Their word of salutation. It is pronounced as the Dutch word twee, and would be written tone by a Frenchman. 1812. RHYMING. — OLD CROW-HEAD. 85 Tabakka ! * plainly betrayed their expectations and the source of their gladness. By this they intended to say “ Good day ; give us some tobacco wishing thus to render themselves more intelligible by addressing me in Dutch. They were in such high glee, that a merry spirit of rhyming seemed to have inspired them upon this occasion : having first converted the word dag into their more favoritb one of dakka, they considered it a happy thought, and quite a new idea, to transform tabak into tabakka : the only instance I ever noticed, in these travels, in which that word was spoken as in English. I do not mean to infer from this, that the Bushmen speak English ; nor, that I have discovered in them a brilliant poetic genius ; but I have no hesitation in declaring, with such a proof as this, that they can rhyme as well as many poets of my own country, and possibly may have as much genius. Their chief, or captain, was distinguished in a manner so singular, that my Hottentots were highly diverted at the ridiculous insignia of his rank ; and, as they could not clearly understand his proper name, gave him that of Oud Kraai-kop (Old Crow-head), as he wore the head of a crow fixed upon the top of his hair. It will be immediately perceived that this mode of ornamenting the head, corresponds with the ancient custom of distinguishing men in armour, by some figure placed as the crest of their helmet. Should therefore the science of heraldry ever be introduced among the Bushmen, the family of the Kraaikops would hereafter be distinguished by the crow-head as their crest ; but what should be emblazoned on their shield, or whether the field should be gules, or vert, or sable, can only be determined by the learned men of their own tribe. In a country where we found few places marked by particular names, this was a fortunate circumstance to my men, who always afterwards spoke of this as the Kraai-kop Kraal , and of the mountain as the Kraai-kop Tafelberg (Crow-head Table-mountain.) * By which words, they meant to say Goeden dag s Tabak . 86 KRAAI-KOP’S KRAAL. 12 March, As soon as I could prepare my presents , I desired the captain to assemble the whole of his people ; and in the midst of a crowd not less happy than those of Kaabi’s Kraal, I distributed to every indivi- dual a piece of tobacco. It is unnecessary to describe the effect which was produced on these poor creatures, as it would only be a repeti- tion of what has been said on a preceding occasion. They now declared aloud, that I was the best man they had ever seen, for the boors, they said, never gave them either tobacco or meat, though they came into their country and killed their game. Some of these people had been living a short time in the Colony, in the service of the farmers, as shepherds or herdsmen, for the purpose of earning a few sheep-skins for karosses ; which by them are more valued, on account of their greater warmth, than the skins of any of the wild animals, and nearly every person here wore cloaks of that kind. This village did not appear in such good circumstances as Kaabi’s : I counted no more than ninety-eight goats and kids, as the whole of its riches, and fifty souls as the greatest amount of its population. It was situated in the middle of an open plain covered with low bushes, and was at least, two miles from any water. The table-mountain, of which I took this opportunity of making a drawing, was at the distance of a two or three hours’ walk to the eastward ; although the unvaried surface of the intervening ground would have induced me to suppose that it was much nearer. Notwithstanding the poverty of this kraal, the captain thought himself bound to testify his gratitude ; and sent me a goat ready skinned : but I was much vexed at discovering that Ruiter, not waiting for a voluntary gift, had been mean enough to ask for it, founding his claim upon the great quantity of tobacco which I had given to the captain and his people. Not doubting that he had acted the part of a treacherous interpreter, and had demanded it in my name, I immediately presented to the chief and some of his friends, a much larger quantity of quakka-meat in return. My obligations, however, would not have remained unpaid, even had I not made them this return ; for nearly all the men, and several of the women, came to sup with us ; so that, when the meal was over, 1812. RIIZO’S DANCE. 87 we found no part of the goat left. Soon after this, they returned to their huts, well satisfied with the treatment they had met with ; and, certainly, not sorry that a white-man had visited their kraal. My own people, having now dismissed all those apprehensions which their first uncertainty respecting a friendly reception by the natives, had excited, enjoyed the evening apparently as much as they j and even followed them to the huts, and remained sitting by their fires till a late hour. I also, passed some part of the night at the kraal, to witness again the pleasures of the dance. Here I found the ‘ ball-room’ so crowded that there was but just space enough left for the dancer’s feet : but this seemed not at all to incommode the party. Riizo was the chief performer ; and I heard the next morning, that he continued incessantly dancing during the greatest part of the night. The style of the dance, and the accompaniments, were exactly the same as at Kaabi’s Kraal, excepting that instead of the words Wa wa koo and their corresponding notes, Riizo made use of Lok a tee (Lok a tay), thus : The syllables Lok a tay have no more signification than those of Wa wa koo , and were intended only as an assistance to the notes. These the dancer kept on singing, as if heedless of every thing but himself : without appearing to take any notice of the company about him, he continued his dancing, first with one leg, and then with the other, much to the gratification of his friends, though they had allowed him barely room for the sole of his foot ; while the lowness of the hut 88 AN UNPLEASANT NIGHT. — HOTTENTOT COOKS. 12, 13 March, exceedingly cramped his movements, and obliged him to bend for- ward in a posture the most inconvenient. Having satisfied my curiosity, I left the party and retired to rest, it being my intention to proceed on the journey at an early hour in the morning. There was much lightning and thunder during the night ; and, to render it more unpleasant, I had not long fallen asleep, when I was awakened by a cold piercing wind blowing so keenly through my blankets, that it felt as if there had been no covering whatever upon me. Our fires being out, I was obliged to content myself with wrapping my blankets, and watch-coat closer about me ; but scarcely had I again laid my head on the saddle, when a heavy shower of rain and hail poured down, and soon ran through my bedding and completely flooded the ground. As it was not possible at such a time to make a fire, and as the night was ex- tremely dark, I remained patiently in that situation till morning, still hoping for sleep. 13th. As soon as daylight appeared, I rose from my miserable bed, which I found literally lying in water ; and, shaking off the hail- stones from the blanket, dragged it over a bush that it might dry a little before it was packed up. Few of these hailstones were much less than half an inch in diameter ; and I found them, under the bushes, where they had been drifted in large quantities by the wind, frozen together into solid masses. The thermometer therefore, if I had had one with me, would have been found at least as low as the freezing point. As soon as fuel could be collected on the plain, the men made a fire and cooked breakfast ; but though Hottentots are always had cooks , these men had lately become worse ; and my meat was brought to me, more in the state of something picked up after a con- flagration, than of any thing intended to be eaten. Though never boasting myself Epicuri de grege porcum, my patience in these matters, was now exhausted : I scolded my cook, and for the first time on the journey, I made some attempt myself at cooking; and, although I could not help smiling at my own inexpertness and at this laughable 1812. ROGUERY. — RE-NAMING STRANGERS. 89 specimen of culinary talents, I broiled my own steak, in order to show him how, I conceived, it might be managed so as to be rendered a little more eatable. Ruiter, of whom I had been much inclined to think well, betrayed at length some slight symptoms of roguishness, in a trifling affair which was to him, too tempting an opportunity for cheating. I had commissioned him to purchase a pair of dancing-rattles, and had given him tobacco more than sufficient for that purpose : but he soon returned to tell me that this quantity was not thought enough. I therefore doubled it, and in a short time he brought me the rattles. On the following day I observed him wearing a beautiful leopard- skin kaross, and, on inquiry of the other Hottentots, discovered that he had obtained the rattles for a very small portion of the tobacco I had given, and that with the remainder he had purchased the skin. The captain of this kraal, having heard of our killing the two rhinoceroses for Kaabi, requested me to stop a day longer, and hunt for him also. But fearing to establish a custom which would hereafter prove extremely inconvenient to us, as it might lead every kraal to expect that we should do the same for them, I thought it most prudent at once to refuse Old Crowhead ; though at the same time I promised him a share of whatever we might chance to kill on the road, if he would allow some of his people to accompany us for the purpose of carrying it back. On which he ordered an old man and his son to attend us. Both these people being excessively thin, and apparently reduced to that state by want of food, they immediately received from my Hottentots the names of Oud, and Klein , Magerman (Old, and Young, Lean-man). It seemed to be an act of charity to take these poor creatures with us, that we might feed them plentifully for a few days. The Hottentots , and, perhaps, all the tribes of Southern Africa, have a custom of thus giving names to strangers when they are of a different nation from themselves. This arises chiefly from the diffi- culty which they find, either in pronouncing, or in remembering, a name to which their ear has never been accustomed, or the meaning of which they do not understand. This is often done through inatten- VOL. II. N 90 A VIOLENT THUNDER-STORM. 13, 14 March; tion or idleness in neglecting to inquire the proper name. In the present case, however, the boy, whenever we asked him his name, always declared that he had none ; a circumstance which much amused my people who considered themselves in a high state of civilization, because they wore clothes of European make, carried a gun, spoke Dutch, and had two names. We took leave amidst the grateful salutations of the kraal ; our party now consisting of three Bushmen in addition to my own men. Soon after we set out, the clouds began to collect, and for more than three hours it rained without ceasing. As we rode along I observed, in many places, considerable quantities of hail lying under the bushes, and which the air was not warm enough to thaw. The weather was very unsettled, and the wind blew extremely cold during the whole of the day. When we had travelled twelve miles, we again fell in with the river, and crossed to its left bank. Here we were met by a shower of rain and hail so violent that my horse refused to face it, and we were therefore obliged to halt and turn our backs to the storm. The loudest claps of thunder burst over our heads, and followed the flashes of lightning without any perceptible interval of time. I could not discover in our Bushmen any symptoms of fear, though nothing could be more awful than the thunder, which seemed close above us and exploded with a violence almost sufficient to destroy the hearing. About four miles farther, we crossed to the right bank of the river, which appeared to have taken a winding course from a consi- derable distance westward, where some high mountains were in sight. Here many herds of quakkas were observed ; but as they grazed only in the middle of these extensive plains, it was found impossible to approach within musket-shot.* At a mile beyond the river, our Bushmen brought us to a spring of excellent water, situated in a kloof, or opening through a range of * In these plains a small species of Loranthus was observed, growing on the branches of the larger shrubs, and, being of a hoary appearance, was named Loranthus canescens, B. Catal. Geogr. 2119. 5. Planta parva tota canescens, ut etiam flores. Folia ovalia obtusa parva canescentia. Crescens in campis aridis, in ramis Lyciorum. 1812. HALF-WAY SPRING. — RHINOCEROS PASS. 91 rocky mountains. Concluding that we had now accomplished the half of our journey to Graalfreynet, I announced this circumstance to my Hottentots ; and distinguished the spot on my map, by the name of Half-way Spring. It was concealed in a thicket of tall reeds inhabited by numbers of little birds*, whose chirping and singing greatly enlivened the spot. The water was remarkably pure, and free from all calcareous or ochraceous deposition. As the thicket of reeds was large and might possibly be the concealment of some lion, we took the precaution of sending in the dogs first, to ascertain whether we might safely venture to approach the spring. A great quantity of these reeds was cut down for the purpose of making a shelter for the people, as the appearance of the sky bade us prepare for a rainy night. In the mean time I climbed up the rocks which form the eastern side of the pass, to take the bearings of our last station and of the Bushman Table-mountain ; but the compass was much affected by the ferruginous quality of the stone. Here on a large crag I scratched, with a piece of rock, the initials of my name. 14/^. After leaving this station, we travelled over a plain nearly nine miles across, and surrounded by mountains. At the southern extremity, we passed through an opening between them, where our 4 friendly river ’ once more presented itself, and took its course through the same opening. This, as I afterwards learned, was known to the boors by the name of Rhenoster Poort (Rhinoceros Pass), and here we had a sight, in the highest degree pleasing to us all ; that of the track of a waggon. On examining the bushes stones and grass, over which it had passed, we ascertained that it must have been two years since that time, and that its direction was to the south-east. In every circumstance connected with the track of animals , and consequently of waggons, the Hottentots and Bushmen , as well as all * The Roode-bekje (Redbeak) or Loxia astrild, of Linnaeus. — The Koorn-vreeter (Corn-eater) Fringilla arcuata of Gmelin. — And a small species of Reed-sparrow, (Mo- tacillce ( Currucce ) sp. N 2 92 ON DISTINGUISHING THE TRACKS OF ANIMALS. U March, the tribes of the Interior, are admirably quick and discerning. Their experience enables them to distinguish almost with certainty, the foot-mark of every animal in their country ; although many of them so closely resemble each other that few European eyes would see the difference, even if it were pointed out to them. But these natives, whose food and clothing so greatly depend on knowledge of this kind, are most acutely observant of every thing relating to it ; and the results of their judgment by combining these observations, are often surprising and would lead to a belief that in the powers of reasoning and reflection they are not so low as, in most other matters, they appear to be. And if it can be admitted that this is really the case, it affords in the same individual a striking, and an instructive, example how much the human intellect may be raised by being duly exerted, and how low it will insensibly sink, if not carefully culti- vated and brought into use. These Africans pay an extraordinary degree of attention to every little circumstance connected with the habits and mode of life of the wild animals. The footsteps of some are too remarkable to be mistaken ; but with respect to others, they are obliged to examine not only their form, but even their distance apart, and their greater or less depth of impression ; by which latter observation they are enabled to distinguish a heavy-bodied animal from a lighter. If it be an animal of the cat or dog genus, they discover the kind by attending, not only to the size of the foot, but to the different protuberances of it and to their relative position. These marks conjointly with a knowledge of the different situations and nature of the country and ground preferred by each species, lead them to conclusions in which they rarely err. In estimating the time elapsed since the animal had passed that way, they consider the effects of the weather, the sun, the wind, or the rain : if these have not altered the freshness of the impression, they naturally con- clude it to have been made since the last of these occurred ; if the impression appear to have been made upon wet ground but partly filled with dust or sand or leaves, they then know that the animal must have passed over the ground since the last shower, but before the storm of wind. Of this nature there are a multitude of other 1812. THE TRACK OF A WAGGON DISCOVERED. 93 circumstances, from which they deduce information: but what has been mentioned will be sufficient for showing what reliance may be placed upon their opinions. Cases occurred frequently during these travels, when this knowledge proved of the utmost importance : it is therefore a subject deserving of attention. In the instance which gave rise to these remarks, the track of the waggon was, at the spot where we first saw it, not very discernible. But one of the Hottentots having noticed the middle stems of a low shrub to be broken down close to the ground, in a manner differentfrom that in which they would have been broken by the foot of any animal, immediately examined all around at the distance where the other wheel should have passed ; and soon discovered other similar appearances, by which we were all convinced that a wheeled carriage must have been there. All these stems or branches being observed to incline forwards in the direction in which we were travelling, it was thus ascertained that the waggon had advanced in that direction also ; as every one, as well as a Bushman, knows that a wheel pushes forward any small bodies or obstructions in its way. The same conclusion was drawn from those stems which had not been broken down, but the bark of which had been torn. Those which had been beaten to the ground, still remained in that position ; but we observed other shoots rising upright from them ; and, from these being of two years’ growth, we drew the conclusion that it must have been about two years since the waggon had passed that way. At Rhenoster Poort * we found the space between the river and the rocks but just wide enough to admit a passage. W e crossed to the left bank, and continued for nearly an hour to follow the waggon- track, which, as we advanced, became more visible, but at length it re-crossed the river, while we pursued a course inclining westward, and having close on our right, lofty mountains covered with grass. * On the rocks of this pass I found a new and very neat shrubby species of Salvia. A variety of plants grow on these mountains, but the circumstances of our travelling did not admit of collecting and preserving any ; and unfortunately the mode which I have recommended in such cases (Vol. I. p. 133 and 134.) did not at this time occur tome. 94 SOUTHERN STATION ON THE FRIENDLY RIVER. 14, 15 March, Observing here a large herd of quaJckas, between thirty and forty, Philip pursued them, and before he had approached within shot, they were suddenly driven away by the report of a gun on the other side, the smoke of which we perceived even from the spot where we stood waiting. Knowing that we were now upon ground to which the hunting excursions of the bordering colonists had sometimes extended, we concluded that the shot had been fired by a party of boors. We soon, however, discovered that this report was from Speelman’s gun : he had started before us early in the morning, for the purpose of getting a first shot at the game ; as it had been found that they were often alarmed and driven away by the sight of the whole party. Soon after this a heavy rain set in, and continued to pour without intermission till the next morning. After travelling six hours, and finding ourselves close on the left bank of our river, we resolved to proceed no farther this day, as the weather was so unpropitious, and as all of us were exceedingly wet and cold. 1 5th. The night passed most unpleasantly, as a strong wind much increased the chilliness of the air, and, in the morning, our clothes and bedding were found soaked with the rain. I have marked this spot by the name of Southern Station , as it was the most southern of all our sleeping-places along the banks of this river. We were now fast advancing towards the borders of the colony, according to the account of our Bushmen, who pointed out a distant table-mountain, on the other side of which, they said, we should find the residence of a boor whom they called Baas Jacob. Although exceedingly anxious to know what part of the colony it was, to which we were approaching, they could give me no clue by which I could discover this ; nor did they know any thing respecting the bearing of Graaffreynet, nor even the boor’s surname. As we could not expect to find much game within the colonial boundary, I determined on remaining a day at this station, for the purpose of hunting ; that we might obtain a stock of dried meat to serve us till we reached the drostdy. But, although four of the best marksmen were out the greater part of the day, nothing was shot. 1812. BAAS JACOB. — COMPLAINTS OF A BUSHGIRL. 95 A copious spring of good water had been discovered by the hunters, not far from us, in the direction of south-south-east : and from several indications, this part of the country appeared to be well watered. In the afternoon we were visited by a small party of natives consisting of two men, and six women, two of whom carried each an infant at her back. They informed me that they had yesterday travelled from Oud Baasje Jacob's (old Master Jacob’s) ; where the men had been employed as shepherd and herdsman, and the women as assistants about the farm-house. These people, viewing me, as all their countrymen had hitherto viewed me, as a friend, were eager to relate to me their grievances. They had quitted this boor’s service because he had beaten one of the women. The poor creature herself came forward to tell the story ; she was a young girl of harmless engaging appearance, and I could not suppress the irrita- tion of mind which I felt at hearing that any man had been brute enough to lift his hand against so weak and defenceless a fellow- creature ; for she was, as all girls of her nation are, of very small and delicate frame. She told me that Oud Baas had tied her up to one of the wheels of the waggon and flogged her for a long time. The other women all joined in the tale, and two or three at once were showing me the position in which she was tied, first imitating the act of flogging , and then that of crying and supplicating for mercy : but she implored in vain, for no mercy was in his heart, till he had vented his rage. Unfortunately it was not in my power to afford them any redress, or to investigate whether she had, or had not, been punished un- deservingly. I could only compassionate the poor girl ; and this, if it could be any alleviation to her feelings, I did from my heart. I gave them some tobacco, to cheer them ; nor did it even, in so unfavourable a state of mind, fail to gladden their countenances. This gave them an occasion to complain that they had very seldom received any from the baas, and whenever they did, it was but an extremely small piece, which, they said, he threw down on the ground to them as if they had been dogs. This last remark should not pass without notice, as it gives us admonition which cannot be too strongly ON GIVING A GENERAL CHARACTER TO THE BOORS. 15, 16 March, inculcated and remembered ; it shows that savages, however low or debased may be their rank among the nations of the globe, are not insensible to an indignity. I could not learn for what crime this flogging had been inflicted ; nor do I pretend to interfere with the question, whether, from mere ignorance, or misled by the habits of a lawless life to which she had been born, she might not, though unwittingly, have committed some offence which, in a civilized or better instructed society, might justly be visited with punishment ; but I shall not hesitate to pronounce that man to be a cowardly unfeeling brute, who could treat with such merciless severity, one of that sex which it is a natural duty to protect from wrong, and shield from unkindness. Another of the Bushwomen complained that this baas had com- pelled her son to remain in his service against his wish ; nor could they by any means obtain leave for him to return with them to their kraal. Whatever might have been the stipulated wages for these .people’s services, they certainly carried away with them none of the rewards of their labor, unless a cap of scarlet cloth, and a pair of old cloth trowsers, are to be considered as such, or the sheep skins which the women wore over their shoulders and which were probably given to them by their kind-hearted baas. As the events of these travels are, without partiality or pre- judice, related as they occurred, and the observations recorded faith- fully in that light in which they appeared, I cannot allow the unfavor- able qualities of an individual, to be adopted as the general character of the Dutch colonists, any more than I would admit selected ex- amples of individual worthiness, to be taken as specimens of the whole colony. Of the latter, I know many : of the former, I wish that I knew none. From these natives I learned that the boors were apprized of my coming, and that the intelligence had reached them by means of some men of Kaabi’s kraal, who had been to communicate with some of their friends residing on the borders. I was not surprised at these Bushmen having outstripped us in travelling, because I had witnessed sufficient proofs of their powers, to believe that they can 1812. MAPS OF THE COLONY. — ANT-EATER. 97 whenever they please, traverse the country in at least half and sometimes a third of the time required by a colonist. The party remained with us this night, and partook of our supper. While they were happily engaged in smoking, I took the opportunity of a fine evening, and abundance of fuel to give me light, to lay down on the map of my route, the last days of our course ; which I had till now been prevented doing, by the unfavorable state of the weather. I carried with me a small Dutch pocket-map of the Colony ; but in this part it was so deficient and so incorrect, that not the least advantage could be derived from it, to guide my course, or to enable me to guess what particular part of the boundary I was now approaching. 1 6th. Our stock of meat being now consumed, I sent off Philip and two others to hunt in advance, giving them instructions respect- ing the direction in which I intended to travel. Our two last visitors, finding that it was not in our power to supply them with provisions to take home, went out early in the morning to hunt in a distant part of the plain. They returned unsuccessful, though they had found an aardvark * or ant-eater ; but it took refuge in its hole, and after considerable labor in endeavouring to unearth it, the animal escaped by burrowing still deeper. These Bushmen and the women who came with them remained with us till the moment of our departure; when bidding me farewell in the colonial manner, by repeating the word dag, they hasted away to their kraal. We had not travelled more than eight miles, and had just passed through an opening between some low rocky hills, where there were two large ponds of fresh water, when five distant reports of a musket, which we supposed to proceed from a party of boors, induced us to halt, and watch if they came in sight. Both Biizo and the old Bushman advised me to stop here for the night, as they were not acquainted with any other water which it would be possible for us to reach before daylight failed us. * A more particular account of this animal has been given in the first volume, at page 342. VOL. IJ. O 98 GERANIUM ROCKS. 16, 17 March, We therefore returned to these ponds, and unpacked our oxen by the side of some remarkable masses of rock, which had much the ap- pearance of works of art, as if huge square blocks of stone had been regularly piled one upon another. This station is pointed out on the map by the name of Geranium Rocks ; and a representation of some of these rocks, is given in the vignette at page 80. After passing the Karro Poort *, plants of the Geranium tribe had rarely been met with ; and of these few, none had been found of so shrubby a growth, or perhaps of so pleasant a scent, as the species f which decorates this place. Around the ponds, I observed small quantities of fuller ’s-earth, a substance which had not hitherto been any where noticed. I immediately sent Hendrik out to reconnoitre, and to observe if any colonists were in the neighbourhood. But soon after he was gone, Philip and his party appeared in sight, and, when they came up to us, explained that the five shots which had been heard, were fired by them, at a troop of quakkas ; none of which, however, they had been so fortunate as to obtain. Yet as no one had eaten since the preceding night, it was re- solved to make a second attempt ; and another troop of quakkas at that moment making their appearance on the plain, my whole party instantly went in pursuit. By dividing, and taking a wide circuit, they were enabled slowly and cautiously to advance upon them from every side ; so that it became impossible for the animals to escape without coming within shot of one or other of the men. This chanced to be Speelman ; and he was too good a marksman not to * The botanical remarks in the first volume, at pages 208 and 209, may in part be referred to this place. f As there was no opportunity of preserving a specimen of this plant, I cannot mention the species with certainty; although I believe it to have been the same which I found twelve months afterwards on the Table-mountain in the vicinity of a place denominated Horse's Grave ; and of which plant, the following is the description. Pelargonium tragacanthoides, B. Catal. Geogr. 2693. Frutex erectus ramosus bipedalis, odore grate terebinthaceo. Rami erecti subdichotomi, superne dense tecti petiolis emortuis persistentibus. Folia bipinnata, pubescentia, erecta, confertissima, basibus petiolorum imbricantibus. Paniculae terminales, composite ex umbellis alternis sub- quadrifloris. Pedunculi umbellarum patentes. 1812. VERDANT PLAIN. — REMAINS OF A KAAMA. 99 profit by the opportunity : he fired, and a quakka fell. With the assistance of his companions, the carcass was skinned and got home in the evening, in time for us to make from it a meal, which was both breakfast and supper. 17 th. Before the sun had risen to its greatest height, we mounted our oxen and departed from Geranium Rocks, directing our course towards the south. We travelled, with pleasant weather, over two large plains, which derived a beautifully verdant hue from an extra- ordinary abundance of Cyperus usitatus , which from its growth and appearance might easily be mistaken for grass : but it was remarkable that no true grass was observed in any part of these plains ; the surface being almost every where clothed with this plant, intermingled in various places with low bushes, such as are generally met with in lands partaking of the nature of Karro. This is the cyperus already described as producing the numerous little bulbs which constitute one of the principal articles of food used by the Bushmen. These plains were about five or six miles across, and divided from each other by a ridge of hills of moderate elevation. Here our dogs caught a common jackal , and a young gemsbok (ghemsbok) : the latter was not bigger than a domestic goat. One of the stragglers of our party fell in with the fresh remains of a kaama, or hartebeest , which we supposed to have been hunted down by the e wild dogs,’ as they are called, or the animal which I have in the former volume described under the name of Hyaena venatica. As they had devoured nothing more than the haunches and entrails, it was a prize worth halting for; and besides a large quantity of meat which we thus gained, the skin is considered as one of the best and strongest for leather and small thongs. The business of flaying and loading up the meat, detained us more than an hour. At the termination of the plain we climbed a rocky ascent, which brought us up to an elevated mountainous country of a mile or two in extent, abounding in bushes and grass, and where the air felt cooler than in the plains. Here the geological nature of the moun- tains assumed a new feature : their strata were still horizontal, and, although the table form might in general be discovered, their out- o 2 100 RE-ENTERING THE COLONY. 17, 18 March, line was more varied and pleasing. But a feature which had nto been observed in the other mountains of the Cisgariepine, at least since we had left the Asbestos Mountains, was a deep stratum, some- times forty or fifty feet thick, of sandstone , running through them at a little distance below their summits, and of a paler color than the other strata. Huge fragments, or blocks, of this stone, lay every where scattered about the valleys ; and the scenery as we rode along them, became more picturesque as we advanced, and very different from all which we had now seen in the country on this side of the Gariep. This change in the geology of the mountains, was accompanied by a change in botany : their sides were clothed with a richer foliage, and with many plants hitherto new ; particularly a species of Rhus * which grew from between the rocks, and decorated the foot of the hills with pleasing light soft masses, in rounded, yet beautiful, forms, and generally of the height of six or eight feet. This elegant shrub was found no where but in these regions. Being eager to discover some proof of our immediate vicinity to the Colony, I rode on before, with two of my men. We ascended a very rocky ridge connecting loftier mountains, whence I had an opportunity of taking the bearing of the 4 Bushman Table Moun- tain.’ With some difficulty we descended to the flat on the other side, where we found a small pond of water, and discovered, to our great pleasure, that it had been frequented by flocks of sheep : and our suspicions of having actually entered the Colony , were confirmed soon afterwards by Philip, who, having been obliged to take the loaded oxen round by a lower opening between the mountains, had seen the remains of an old leg-plaats or cattle-station. As the sun was nearly setting, we halted here for the night. All my people were highly pleased at finding that we had thus safely accomplished the passage through the country of the Bushmen, and evinced a considerable share of satisfaction, by talking and laughing * Rhus serrcefolium , B. Catal. Geogr. 2697. Frutex sexpedalis ramosissimus. Foliola linearia grosse serrata glabra; (juniora prsesertim) lucida et quasi vernice oblita. 1812. CHARACTERS OF RIIZO AND THE BUSHBOY. 101 more than usual. Plenty of fuel close at hand, enabled them again to indulge in one of their great enjoyments, a blazing fire : in this, I followed their example ; but instead of taking the tobacco-pipe, I amused myself in the evening with the pen. 1 8th. As Riizo was soon to take leave, having now fulfilled his promise of accompanying us until we had arrived at the habitation of a colonist, I drew his portrait, that I might ever preserve, for my own gratification, the features of a man who, though one of a law- less and despised race, one who, though doomed to live and die in ignorance of all that improves and civilizes the mind, had yet a heart which taught him to be grateful to a friend, and a just sense of fidelity to his engagements. These features would not indeed, ac- cording to the judgment of a European, be thought of a prepossess- ing cast; but the judgment of a European is often as much per- verted by customs and prejudices, as that of a Bushman. I constantly struggled against this influence of national habit, that I might, wherever my travels led me, view the expression of men’s counte- nances as they were viewed by their own countrymen ; and the length of time during which the wild natives of Africa were daily before my eyes, has enabled me, I hope, to overcome, at least those prejudices which are commonly occasioned by color and feature. Riizo , though a great dancer, as it has been shown, was never- theless a man of much sedateness ; seldom allowing his joy at any occurrence, to break forth in the unrestrained manner of many of his countrymen : but he was exceedingly active, and at all times ready to do any thing which I desired. He was always foremost to lend his assistance in loading and unloading our pack-oxen, and was per- fectly content with whatever reward I thought proper to give him for his trouble. I also drew the portrait of the boy whom my Hottentots had named Klein Magerman (Young Lean-man). Both he, and his father, were much improved in appearance, during the few days they had lived upon our provisions ; yet still they were far from having out- grown their new name. I had drawn Riizo in the attitude in which he happened to be sitting ; and when this boy was told that I wished 102 HOTTENTOTS IN FULL DRESS. 18 March, also to take his likeness, he instantly came and seated himself down in the same place, and in the same attitude. I mention this little cir- cumstance, because it shows marks of a tractable disposition, and of a goodnatured readiness to do what he supposed to be proper ; imagining that sitting in that position, was the only mode in which a portrait could be taken. His features, assisted by the roundness of youth, had a very pleasing expression ; and when the drawings were shown to him, he smiled as if conscious of their being resemblances of himself and his countryman. My own men were much amused at the representation I had given of the boy’s leanness and Riizo’s flat nose; Speelman exclaiming, net zo mager ; net zo lelyk (just as lean ; just as ugly). 1 now discovered in part, what were the contents of my Hotten- tots’ bags. Being on the point of making our appearance before Kriste-mensch (Christians) as they thought, each one had dragged into light some new piece of dress, which had been reserved for this grand occasion. Old Cobus displayed a new pair of leathern trowsers, and Uncle Hans did the same ; Hendrik produced a new leathern jacket quite red with the dye given in tanning ; and Philip , being the washerwoman, did not forget to put on a clean shirt, and dress him- self out in his blue cloth trowsers and jas (watch-coat). But Speelman, whom I had long marked as the dandy of our party, with this exception to the character, that he was a man and had brains, outshone them all. He dressed in a fashion, 1 believe, of his own ; or at least, I never saw its like in any part of Africa. Besides the cocked hat which I have already commemorated, he wore a blue cloth jacket, and new leathern trowsers. Over these were drawn blue cotton stockings, which came up above the knees ; over the lower half of the stockings, he had buttoned on a pair of leathern gaiters ; and to complete the neatness of his leg and foot, he added to the gaiters a new pair of hide-shoes. Thus equipped, we set out early in the forenoon, anticipating the comfort of taking up our next quarters under shelter of a Dutch farm-house. The day was fair, and the weather now appeared to be more settled. The scenery was exceedingly picturesque ; the sand- 1812. ARRIVAL AT THE FIRST COLONIAL DWELLING. 103 stone stratum continued a principal feature, and the saw-leaved rhus every where decorated our road. We directed our course towards the Table Mountain, near which, the Bushmen had told us that we should find a boor’s habitation. When we had travelled through the mountains about fourteen miles, we came all at once upon the edge of this elevated tract ; whence we had a very extensive view of a large plain below, stretching out to the southward, and bounded by distant hills. The Bushmen pointed down to the plain, and we there beheld the dwelling of a colonist. Like sailors who after a long voyage at last make land, but having lost their reckoning, know not what coast it is which they behold before them, and are anxious to meet a pilot, or some fishing-boat, who may inform them of the place at which they have arrived ; so we, who knew not what part of the Colony we had entered, were hoping to meet some shepherd, or stray Hottentot, of whom we might ask the name of the district before us. The mountain which had hitherto been the object to which we had directed our course, was now close at our right and immediately connected with that on which we were standing. While we halted to collect the party together, I made a sketch of this, and of our first view of the Colony. We then, in a body, descended the steep and rocky declivity into the plain ; and in less than a mile farther, arrived at the farm-house. CHAPTER IV. JOURNEY FROM THE BORDERS OF THE COLONY, TO THE VILLAGE OF GRAAFFREYNET. I rode immediately to the house, but did not dismount, as I expected that the master of the place, who was standing at the sheep- fold a few yards off, would, according to colonial hospitality, as soon as the first salutations were over, welcome me to his abode and invite me to enter. Neither the master, however, nor his wife, ever came near us ; but remained the whole time at the fold, evidently with the intention of keeping away in order to avoid all communication. But two men of the family, and several women and children, came and stood round me : their complexion struck me as unpleasantly fair and colorless, their features as disagreeably sharp, and the expression of their countenances, as wild and senseless. How much of this singular impression, was to be attributed to my having been for several months accustomed to Hottentot and Bushman features and complexion, and to my having seen none but two or three sun-burnt white people ; or, 18 March, 1812, GROOTE TAFELBERG. — JACOB VAN WYK. 105 how far it was occasioned by any peculiarity in the appearance of this family, I cannot determine exactly ; but it was certainly the effect of both : for, on comparison with those whom we afterwards saw at other houses on our road, these women were insipidly fair, and rendered therefore the more remarkable by the contrast of strong black eye- brows. To this, both in them and in the men, was added a very illshaped and projecting nose. I accosted them with the usual salutations, which they slightly and coldly returned. I inquired of them, what part of the colony I was in, and at what farm I was arrived : to which they replied, that the mountain (pointing to that which had been our beacon) was Groote Tafelberg* , and the farm that of Jacob Van Wykf On this, instead of an invitation to come into the house or to dismount, they proceeded, in a tone of intolerable insolence, to put a long string of impertinent questions. These I patiently answered; because, as I soon began to perceive that they were perversely inclined, I conceived it to be advisable, as a traveller desirous of beholding them in their true colors, not to check them from giving me an undisguised display of their natural disposition. And, with the view of leaving the first colonists, whom we should meet, at liberty to do on this occasion, just as their own sense of hospitality might dictate, I had, before we came in sight of the house, strictly ordered that no one of my men should ask for any refreshment or assistance. In answering their numerous questions, I gave them the information, that I had left my waggons on the other side of the 4 Groote rivier ; that I had been three weeks travelling through the country of the Bushmen ; and was going to Graaffreynet to hire Hottentots. They seemed to doubt this last * A representation of Groote Tafelberg (Great Table-mountain), as viewed from the south-east, may be seen in the preceding page. In this name, the word ‘ great’ is not to be taken absolutely, but merely comparatively with reference to another table-mountain of smaller size, hereafter mentioned on the 20th. j- In the map of this place, a trifling mistake in engraving has escaped correction : the shading of the mountains should have been carried a little farther northward, so as to have included the dwelling of Van Wyk, which now, improperly, appears to stand upon the mountains, instead of being at the foot of them. VOL. II. P 106 INHOSPITABLE RECEPTION AT 18 March, remark ; and asked how I could expect to hire Hottentots, when the boors found them so scarce. I replied, that Landdrost Stockenstrom would assist me. The landdrost, said they, was murdered by the Caffres a few weeks ago. The apathy with which they mentioned this, must have appeared strongly contrasted by my own expression of the shock which I felt at the melancholy intelligence. I asked, if it was quite certain ; they briefly assured me that it was : yet still I hoped to hear, as I advanced, that this sad news was not correct. Thinking it possible they might suppose that by remaining on horseback I had no wish to halt, I dismounted and gave the horse to the care of one of my men. On this they removed into the house ; and as I was uncertain whether I was not expected to follow, I entered ; but instead of offering a seat, they began to put further questions merely to satisfy their curiosity respecting the nature of the country and the quantity of game beyond the borders. Finding that no civility was intended to be shown me at this house, and the family having given me sufficient proofs of their true character, I ended the conversation by inquiring the bearing and distance of Graaffreynet ; resolving to depart from a place, the in- habitants of which, were so much inferior in benevolence, to the savages, — men in whose kraals we had been received with artless joy and genuine good-will. My own Hottentots, not supposing it possible that their master, could meet with any other than a hospitable reception, or at least with a civil one, had proceeded to some bushes at the distance of a few yards from the fold, where they had unpacked the oxen and were preparing to rest till the next morning. Though so close to the old baas himself, and his wife, no one came near them, lest their speaking to the men might be taken as a welcome to stop there. As I passed by the fold in my way to this spot, I made the customary salutation to him, with the view of ascertaining to what degree this hoggish disposition could be carried, and of leaving him no excuse for omitting the common civilities of the colony : neither he, nor his vrouw , made any return, nor took any notice of the respect which I paid them ; 1812. JACOB VAN WYK’S. 107 but continued looking at their sheep, and scarcely deigned to turn their heads. If I did not attribute it to a brutal insensibility, I should be totally at a loss in imagining what could have induced this boor and his family to conduct themselves so differently from other colonists to whom I was equally a stranger and equally unknown. My own Hottentots had given them to understand that I was not their inferior, and that, notwithstanding the weather-beaten appearance of my dress, I was an £ Engelsche Heer.’ It is, however, not improbable, that their having previously discovered that the person who was approaching their habitation was an Englishman, might have been the cause of the ungracious reception which they gave me ; and which it is very likely, would have been much worse, had they not observed that we were all armed. In various parts of the colony may be found men who, without any love for a Dutch government, hate that of the English, because it has enforced their own colonial laws, and put a check upon those per- sons who would rather live without any law at all. The inhabitants of this settlement can surely have no reasonable or honorable excuse for disliking a government under which they have risen to a degree of prosperity and affluence, unknown to them before. Nor do I believe, that the honest and reflecting part, and the general bulk of the commu- nity, entertain any sentiments of this kind; sentiments which are con- fined within a narrow compass, to a set of men who would prove themselves unworthy subjects in any country, and such as criminal codes have ever been made for. I ordered my Hottentots to reload our bedding. The poor fellows took up their bags, and, with dejected and disappointed looks, packed them on the oxen again. They had been anticipating, certainly not very unreasonably, the enjoyment of again tasting bread, and of having some change of food, which for a long time had consisted only in meat ; and even that, without salt. My mind having been prepared for travelling without luxuries, I felt for these men, much more than for myself, as they had, elate with pleasing expectation, put on all their best clothes, in order to show respect to the first farm-house which p 2 108 DEPARTURE OF RIIZO. 18 March, should receive us. Their disappointment was very evident ; and it was only by the strictest injunctions, that I could restrain them from the open expression of their indignation at the want of feeling which those men must have, who could suffer any persons under our circumstances, to pass their door without a welcome, or even a civil salutation. Of one of the Hottentots of the place, we asked instructions respecting the road which we were to take ; and as soon as all were ready for starting, our friend Riizo , to whom I had as great pleasure in making a present of a large stock of tobacco, as he had in receiving it, took his leave to return to Kaabi’s Kraal. We separated under an expectation, equally agreeable to both, that we should soon meet again. I had supposed that the old Bushman and his son would also have quitted us at this place ; but after witnessing the little respect which, at this farm, had been shown even to a white man, he was so fearful that, as soon as I was gone, Oud Baasje Jacob would seize the boy and detain him as a slave, to work for him, that he resolved to leave him under my protection ; begging that he might be kindly taken care of, and restored to him at our return. As soon as this arrangement was agreed to on my part, the father and Riizo, hasted away back to the mountains, while the son (Little Leanman,) well pleased with his lot, slung his bow and quiver at his back, and considered himself now, as one of the Englishman’s own party. As Van Wyk’s hospitality, and the business of unloading and loading up again, had not delayed us longer than an hour and a quarter, we had still four hours’ sun to enable us to reach some more friendly place. Soon after we left the house, the boor drove off in his waggon, and we saw him going across the plain to the eastward, for the purpose, as we afterwards heard, of reporting to the veld- cornet, that a party of strange men had entered the colony. For two hours we rode along a beaten waggon-road, an accom- modation which we had not met with for several months, and which enabled us with ease to travel at a quicker rate than usual. ’From this we turned out to the right in order to take a nearer path, and 1812. REMARKS ON THE SPRINGBUCK. 109 ascended a rugged kloof practicable only for cattle. A representation of this pass is given in the vignette at the end of the chapter. At this high level, we entered upon a very extensive open plain, abounding, to an incredible degree, in wild animals ; among which were several large herds of quakkas, and many wilde-beests or gnues : but the springbucks were far the most numerous, and, like flocks of sheep, completely covered several parts of the plain. Their uncer- tain movements rendered it impossible to estimate their number, but I believe if I were to guess it at two thousand, I should still be within the truth. This is one of the most beautiful of the antelopes of Southern Africa ; and it is certainly one of the most numerous. The plain afforded no other object to fix the attention ; and even if it had presented many, I shouldnot readily have ceased admiringthese elegant animals, or have been diverted from watching their manners. It was only occasionally, that they took those remarkable leaps which have been the origin of the name ; but when grazing or moving at leisure, they walked or trotted like other antelopes, or as the common deer. When pursued, or hastening their pace, they frequently took an extra- ordinary bound, rising with curved or elevated backs, high into the air, generally to the height of eight feet, and appearing as if about to take flight.* Some of the herds moved by us almost within musket- shot ; and I observed that in crossing the beaten road, the greater number cleared it by one of those flying leaps. As the road was quite smooth, and level with the plain, there was no necessity for their leaping over it ; but it seemed that the fear of a snare, or a natural disposition to regard man as their enemy, induced them to mistrust even the ground which he had trodden. * When Mr. Barrow asserts of the sp'ingbuck (Trav. p.104.) that “ its usual pace is a constant jumping or springing, with all four legs stretched out, and off the ground at the same time,” he only proves how little he himself knew of a subject on which he was attempting to give information to others ; and presents us with a specimen of the accuracy with which his book has been put together. I do not mean to say that in this description he is guilty of any intentional misrepresentation ; for I really believe that he wrote it as well as he could. 110 DIMINUTIVE BUSHES. — POND STATION. 18, 19 March, This plain was nearly six miles across, and terminated by ranges of mountains or rocky hills. Its surface was uniformly covered with low bushes , diminishing in size as we advanced, till they were, in that part where we halted, not higher, on an average, than nine inches ; nor could I find any which exceeded a foot. They were all of that dwarf kind which has been described on a former occasion.* In the south-eastern quarter of the plain, we came to a large pond ; and as it was at this time an hour after sunset, and it was thought too dark to venture farther, we here unpacked, and took up our station in a spot the most bare and unsheltered that can be imagined. Not a shrub could be found, by the side of which we might sleep somewhat protected from a cold wind which at night blew keenly along the surface of the ground ; nor was there fuel sufficient for keeping, according to our usual custom, a fire burning till morning. Barely enough of these pigmy bushes could be pulled up before dark, for cooking our food. As stones were every where found scattered about, I ordered a few to be piled up in the form of a low semi- circular wall, to shelter my head from the wind ; but the men pre- ferred exposure to the weather, to the trouble of collecting a few more pieces of rock for themselves. We were obliged to make our oxen fast, if it can be so said, to loose stones ; but they, and the sheep, were nearly as tame as the dogs, and had become so used to the daily routine of our travelling, that they seemed to understand their duty ; and, in fact, gave the people very little trouble in looking after them. This spot is distinguished on the map by the name of Pond Station. 19 th. On account of the scarcity of fuel, we left this station before breakfast, and after having travelled a little less than two miles, arrived at the termination of this bleak plain ; where we found the dwelling of a colonist. It was a mere hut, and had not been inhabited by its owner for some time, but two or three ‘ tame Bushmen’ were living there, to take care of the garden ; that is, to keep the cattle out of it, and watch that it was not plundered. They came out to * At page 314. of the first volume. 1812. HOSPITABLE RECEPTION AT PIET VERMEULEN’S. Ill greet us, when we halted a few minutes to inquire respecting our road and the name of the place. This they said was Groote Fontein (Great Fountain, or Spring). From this place the country continued level and open during the remainder of the day’s journey. Great numbers of springbucks were seen, and some gnues ; but nothing worth remark was observed during a distance of eighteen miles, excepting the uniformity, and karro-like nature, of the country, every where apparently destitute of water. At the southern extremity of this plain, a few temporary pools were found, near some low hills which form its boundary ; but not a tree was any where to be seen in the whole district. The clouds now began to assume a threatening appearance ; we therefore hastened our pace in hopes of reaching some shelter, before the storm commenced. At not more than a mile farther, we came in sight of a farm-house ; and, after what I had experienced at Van Wyk’s, it was not without some hesitation that I rode up to the door. On seeing me arrive, one of the family came out, and, after the usual salutations, welcomed me into the house, and, immediately on entering, offered me a seat, in the same hospitable manner which I had found generally practised in most parts of the Cape Colony. To my request that my people might be allowed to take shelter for the night, in one of the out-buildings, the answer was, instantly, “ Yes, certainly and when I said that more of my party were coming on, they replied, “ There will be room for them all.” Scarcely were we under the roof, before there fell as violent and heavy a storm of hail and rain, as I had ever witnessed : the hailstones were three quarters of an inch in diameter. The rest of my people with the pack oxen, were not so fortunate, as they did not arrive till half an hour afterwards ; but finding a house ready to receive them, they were in the best spirits, though thoroughly soaked with wet. The rain continued during the remainder of the day, to pour down in torrents. The name of the place was Kriegers Fontein , and that of the owner Piet Vermeulen. The master himself was at this time absent on the commando , or militia-service, against the Caffres in the 112 COLONISTS AND BUSHMEN. 19 March, Zuureveld ; where he had been on duty, nearly three months ; but his wife received us with the most willing hospitality. Before it was mentioned by myself, she had discovered that I had eaten nothing that day ; and immediately spread the table her- self, and set before me, meat, eggs, butter, and some excellent bread. These, although so great a treat after privations such as those of a journey on horseback through the wild country of the Bushmen, were not so gratifying as the benevolent kindness with which they were offered. She had given orders, that my men should be supplied with both bread and meat, and that my cattle should be taken into the fold, along with her own. She expressed great surprise at the journey we had performed, and that a white-man should have ventured in so unprotected a manner amongst the Bushmen ; but was still more surprised that I had escaped alive. These are the common sentiments of the colonists living on the borders, and who are accustomed to regard these savages as a most dangerous race of beings ; the very name of them conveying with it the idea of, stealing cattle, and of a cruel death by poisoned arrows. These ideas have not been admitted without cause ; and even at this time, the boors occasionally suffer heavy losses : but the Bushmen, in exculpation, declare that they rob in retaliation of past injuries. Thus, the recollection of injustice on both sides, still operates to produce an international enmity which nothing but great forbearance and good sense can ever convert into mutual confidence : a result which I believe to be attainable by means of a steady co-operation of the government and the colonists, as soon as both these shall concur in the undertaking, as in one which is equally their religious duty and their moral policy. Having been now nearly nine months without having received any intelligence from the Cape, I made many inquiries respecting the state of affairs ; but in this remote corner of the colony, nothing was heard from Cape Town ; and but little more was known of what was passing at Graaffreynet. At these farms the visit of a stranger is a rare oc- currence ; and, excepting their neighbours, for so they call those who reside within forty or fifty miles, scarcely any one is seen to pass this 1812. SHEEP. — SOAP. - PASTURE. — TIMBER. 113 way. Not even the butcher’s man, or slagters knegt *, ever made his appearance at this distant farm ; although the owner possessed a flock of not less than four thousand sheep ; and many of his neighbours, not less than six. Still, however, the rearing of cattle was their chief means of subsistence : the family, with their slaves and Hottentots, being fed with mutton at every meal, caused a daily consumption of two sheep, the fat of which was considered almost equal in value to the rest of the carcass, by being manufactured into soap. It was, as they in- formed me, more profitable to kill their sheep, for this purpose only, than to sell them to the butchers at so low a price as a rix-dollar or less, and even so low as five schellings. f Formerly the alkali necessary for this manufacture, was obtained here from the Ganna- (or Kanna -) bosch ; but that being at length, all consumed through a constant demand for it, another species of Salsola growing wild in many parts of the country, was taken as a substitute, and found to be even preferable to the ganna. In the house, I saw a great number of cakes of this soap, piled up to harden, ready for their next annual journey to Cape Town ; whither they go, not merely for the purpose of selling it, but of purchasing clothing and such other articles as are not to be had in the country districts, but at an exorbitant price. The pasture of this farm, and of the wholeof the neighbouring country generally, is thought to be less adapted for oxen, than for sheep; on which account, Vermeuleri holds a farm in another divi- sion, better suited for his larger cattle. The country in which we now were, is that division of the Graaffreynet district, which is called Achter-Sneeuwberg (Behind the Snow-mountains). It is, as well as several others in this part of the colony, very deficient in trees of dimensions large enough for planks ; * The office of slagter’s knegt has already been described in the first volume, at page 201. f That is; from four shillings to half a crown currency; or about half that sum in sterling money. VOL. II. Q 114 FUEL. — ITINERANT TUTOR. 18 March, and its inhabitants, therefore, fetch the principal part of their timber from the forests beyond Brayntjes Hoogte, from those growing on the Boscli-bergen (Forest Mountains), and from the borders of KafFerland, about the Baviaans rivier (Baboon’s river). Doors and tables, and the larger beams, were here observed to be all of Geelhout (Yellow- wood) ; but the rafters were of willow, which is found to answer sufficiently well for this purpose, and is more easily attainable by the colonists living northward of the Snow-mountains, and, who find the banks of the Groote rivier , as they here call the Nugariep where it abounds, a much shorter and easier journey. From the immense number of cattle kept on these farms, their manure accumulates in the fold, to a great thickness ; and this, from time to time, is cut into square pieces in the manner of peat, and appeared to answer the purpose of fuel equally well. The walls of these cattle-pounds, are at many farms here, built entirely of such pieces of manure piled up to dry ; and which go by the name of mest-koek (manure-cake). This fuel produces a strong heat ; but gives out a disagreeable smell, until it is well ignited. At this house, there resided one of those itinerant tutors of whom some account has been given on a former occasion. * He was a man of ingenuity, and of some experience of the world, having been in the Dutch service at Malacca, and Batavia, and having passed some time at Moccha in Arabia. He was related, he said, to an opulent family of the same name in Cape Town. At this farm he had been nearly a twelvemonth, employed in giving instruc- tion to three sons of Vermeulen, who, besides these, had five other children. This meester, as he was called, (that is ; schoolmeester , or school- master) considered it part of his profession, like the meester at Pieter Jacobs’s, to let every person know the extent of his acquire- ments. But this was done without any inordinate share of vanity ; and, I confess, I was not sorry at his making this display ; for, although there was nothing which any person but a Cape meester * Vol. I. p. 199. 1812. SMOKING; A UNIVERSAL CUSTOM. 115 would boast of, it was an agreeable relief from the monotony of a conversation on agricultural subjects, the only topics which generally are to be expected at such farm-houses. He exhibited some small drawings which, he told me, were done entirely with the juice of the petals of a species of oxalis producing a blue color, of the tint of indigo. He had very ingeniously made pencils from the hair of the springbuck ; and as far as my present stock of drawing materials would permit, I was glad at being able to supply his wants, by furnish- ing him with a few camels-hair pencils and a piece of China-ink. With these he employed himself in the evening in making a copy of my drawing of the rhinoceros. His powers in penmanship were not despicable ; and as a proof of steadiness of hand and of good sight, he gave me a piece of paper on which, by the naked eye, he had written the 4 Lord's Prayer’ twice in a circular space of less than seven tenths of an inch in diameter. At night I sat down with the family to a hot supper of mutton ; to which were added, a salad of cucumbers, and a large bowl of milk: this last being usually the concluding dish at a boor’s supper. The description, in the former volume, of Peter Jacobs’s dwel- ling and of his whole establishment, will convey a tolerably just idea of the place. The rooms in the principal house being but three (that is, one in the middle in which the family sit and take their meals, and one bed-room at each end) a visitor could not be accommodated with a chamber to himself. A bed was therefore prepared for me, in the same apartment with the meester and his three scholars. This tutor was in every respect, qualified for finishing their education, and for completing them for Dutch farmers ; for a man who does not smoke , is a rare phenomenon in this colony, and is generally looked upon by the boors as an imperfect creature ; a dis- advantage which I myself laboured under, but which, for want of any natural talent for this accomplishment, I was never able to over- come. I might perhaps have partly retrieved my character in their estimation, could I even have shown them that I enjoyed it in taste ; or even in smell, by exhibiting both nostrils blackened, and herme- tically closed, with that elegant and fashionable dirt, called in Q 2 116 A NIGHT’S ENTERTAINMENT. 19, 20 March, England, snuff: but in both these arts, unfortunately, I was equally deficient. This tutor, then, as soon as he was in bed, placed the candle by his side, as I at first thought and hoped, to extinguish it, that I might be left to close my eyes for that sleep which nature demanded after two days of fatigue with little intermediate rest. But finding that the light still remained, I turned my head towards it, and, to my double mortification, beheld the meester lying very quietly, with a short crooked German pipe hanging from one corner of his mouth, while from the other, arose clouds of smoke rapidly following each other, till the room was filled with the fume of tobacco, and myself almost suffocated. At length when that pipe was finished, I had some little respite, but it was only while he was occupied in filling it again. In this interval, finding that I was not asleep, a circumstance not much to be wondered at, he began to relate to me some of his adventures in foreign parts ; and these reminiscences afforded him so much satis- faction, that he allowed himself to talk and smoke in alternate fits, so that the second pipe, unfortunately, lasted twice as long as the first. But, as it would ill become a guest so hospitably received, to interrupt his entertainers’ enjoyments, I endured it all with perfect patience till the last ; though, at an hour when most mortals desire to be ‘ lulled into sweet oblivion,’ his candle, his pipe, and his con- versation, kept three of my senses in a state of continued irritation. By degrees the smoking became fainter ; the anecdotes of Malacca, Batavia, and Moccha, were at length all exhausted ; he stretched forth his arm to put out the candle ; and bade me Good- night. But the long-wished-for hour of sleep was not yet come ; and it now fell to his turn to be annoyed. Scarcely had we begun to doze, when repeated claps of the most violent thunder, roused us again ; and flashes of lightning glaring through the window, gave us opportunities of beholding each other once more. In a few minutes after this, the sound of the rain out of doors, pouring down in torrents, made me, notwithstanding the tobacco smoke, consider myself fortunate in being at such a time under the 1812. THE MEESTER’S MISFORTUNES. - KLEINE TAFELBERG. 117 shelter of a roof. Presently, I heard the meester start up, and, with furious rattling, begin dragging his bed, with the frame which sup- ported it, from one side of the room to the other. He cried out, in a mixed tone of lamentation and surprize, that the rain was running down upon him in a stream, from the groot gat in het dak ■ and truly enough; for on looking upwards, I saw, what I had not noticed before, a 4 great hole in the roof,’ just above the place whence he had so long been issuing his fumigations, and his anecdotes of Malacca, Batavia, and Moccha. When I saw this, I began to regret that the storm had not commenced an hour or two sooner. Yet it would have been ungenerous, not to have condoled with him for having to sleep in a wet bed ; as he had given himself the trouble of telling his adventures, purely from a wish to amuse me. 20th. These misfortunes consumed the greater part of the night ; and the next morning was little better suited to cheer us. The rain had never ceased since it first began, and there was little appearance of our having any sunshine during the day. The clouds hung so low that the surrounding mountains were hidden from our sight ; and the ground was every where deluged with streams of rain water, supplied by the torrents, which were seen at a distance rushing down the foot of the mountains. Our breakfast consisted of coffee, the usual beverage at this meal ; after which I was compelled by the rain , to remain in the house more than three hours ; the good lady of the house at the same time, and the meester, assuring me that they had known it to rain there with little intermission for a fortnight, before they had any return of fair weather ; and that a four or five days’ rain was not unusual. But fortunately this was not the case at present ; and as soon as it cleared up, I walked out to take a view of the place, while my men were packing the oxen. The clouds had risen above the mountains, and now gave me an opportunity of making a sketch of the house, and of a hill which was very remarkable on account of its great resemblance to the Table Mountain at Cape Town. * The colonists have dis- * A view of Klcine Tafelberg and Vermeulen’s dwelling , is given in the engraving at the head of the sixth chapter. The distant mountains on the right, are a part of Sneeuwberg. 118 COLONIAL HORTICULTURE. - SEA-COW RIVER. 20 March, tinguished it by the name of Kleine Tafelberg (Little Table-Moun- tain) : it appeared to be about a mile and a half distant from the farm-house ; and had the pleasing effect of inducing me, for some moments, to fancy that I was standing in the vicinity of that town. In front of the house, there was a small garden : I saw growing in it, maize, dakka, cabbages, pumpkins, lettuces, cucumbers, and tobacco ; but the latter had been stripped of all its leaves, and utterly destroyed by the hail which had fallen yesterday. Wheat and barley are grown on this farm in small quantities ; but the climate has been found too cold to ripen grapes ; and from the same cause their peach-trees appeared to be in a very unthriving state. In the month of April, they usually expect frost sufficiently severe to kill all their garden-crops ; but it must be confessed, that in general the boors take very little pains with their gardens, and, from either ignorance, or slovenliness, are very bad gardeners. The productive- ness of the Colony, or its aptitude for horticulture and agriculture, cannot therefore be fairly estimated from such specimens of cultiva- tion as are commonly seen in travelling through it. It was nearly two o’clock before all were ready for departing. At taking leave, Juffrouw (Mrs.) Vermeulen , who could not be per- suaded to accept any remuneration for what we had eaten at her house, repeated her invitation for us to stop there on our return. It was not more on my own account, than for the character of the colonists, that I rejoiced at having, under her roof, met with a treat- ment which served to do away the unfavorable impressions received at the dwelling of Jacob Van Wyk. So unusual a quantity of rain had fallen during the last twenty- four hours, that many parts of our road were covered with water, and but just passable. About eleven miles and a half, brought us to the highest, and principal, branch of the Zeekoe rivier, (Sea-cow, or Hippopotamus, river,) which we attempted to ford, but found it too much swollen to be passed without danger. Just at this place, was the residence of a colonist of the name of Nieukerk , who, as we were endeavouring to cross the river, came out ; and, perceiving that it could not be done 1812. THE CAFFRE WAR. — COLONIAL MILITIA. — COMMANDO. 119 without risk, invited me to stop the night at his house, as the waters, he said, would probably have sufficiently subsided before the next day. I therefore proceeded no farther ; but accepted the invitation and entered his friendly cottage ; while our baggage was unloaded at a small straw hut in which my men were lodged. All the buildings were of the most miserable description, and very little superior to that of which a representation has been given in the first volume.* The hut which was on this occasion, appro- priated to my Hottentots, could not, strictly, be called a shelter, as the rain in the night, ran through the roof upon them. Yet still we experienced hospitality, and the evening passed in a manner which was far from unpleasant. Nieukerk was just returned from the commando , as the farmers term every expedition of a military nature ; where he had been three months on duty ; and gave us some account of the Caffre war , the object of which, was to drive the Caffres out of the Zuureveld, a district formerly purchased, or taken from them, by the Dutch ; but which they afterwards invaded, and had kept possession of for some years, and obliged the white inhabitants to take refuge in the older districts of the colony. This warfare had been going on, already four months, and was not likely soon to terminate ; for although possession of the country had been regained by the Cape troops aided by the militia of boors, it was found necessary to keep these troops constantly stationed on the frontier, to confine the enemy within their own territory ; but who nevertheless kept the soldiery and farmers always on the alert to prevent their predatory incursions into the colony. This militia , or commando , consists of boors drawn from the different districts of the Colony, by the immediate requisition of their proper veldcornets , who, on such occasions, call out the inhabitants, not by lot, but by routine. The men so called out, repair to the rendezvous, generally mounted on horseback and armed with a musket of their own ; and most frequently attended by one of their * At page 238. 120 MURDER OF LANDDROST STOCKENSTROM, 20 March, Hottentot servants. They wear no uniform, but are divided into squadrons, under the command of a veldcommandant , who is also a boor, nominated by the government, and who at all times retains that title, and with it, a rank superior to that of veldcornet. This militia is never called into service, but in cases of necessity ; and if the duty should appear likely to continue for a considerable length of time, as in the present case, they are allowed, after serving a certain period, to return to their homes ; and are replaced by others called out by the same authorities. I now heard a confirmation of the lamentable news respecting Mr. Stockenstrom the late landdrost of Graaffreynet, a man so much esteemed and respected, and so peculiarly well fitted for the station he held, that his death was considered as a loss to the Colony. The circumstances which I afterwards learnt more fully, were, that being under the necessity of conferring with the commander of the troops stationed in the Zuureveld, he went escorted by a cavalry party of twenty- two Burghers (or Citizens ; as the Dutch colonists are fre- quently termed) and their attendant Hottentots. Desirous of going by a shorter road, he ventured, contrary to the advice of the boors, through a part of the country from which the Caffres were, at that time, not completely expelled. He had no hesitation in taking this step, because, having on all occasions before the breaking out of the war, behaved with the greatest kindness towards that nation, he would not believe it possible that they could illtreat one who had been so much their friend. But unfortunately, it happened that a chief who had not been one of those who had shared his liberality, was in that neighbourhood, and heard from his spies that the land- drost was passing. This chief hastily collected a body of men, and sent them off with orders to destroy the whole of the party. AVhen the Caffres met them, they accosted the colonists in an amicable manner ; and the landdrost, as he had often done before, made them presents of tobacco, accompanied with friendly advice, to them and to their whole nation, to retire quietly out of the Zuureveld, that the soldiers might not be under the necessity of shooting them. They continued a short time longer in conversation ; but at last perceiving 1812. AND TEN COLONISTS. 121 them growing insolent, and thinking it unsafe to remain amongst them, he was preparing to mount his horse ; when they treacherously seized the opportunity and, at the moment of turning his back, pierced him mortally with their hassagays. At this signal, the burghers were surrounded, and ten of them killed on the spot : the rest escaped, only by being on horseback ; though several were deeply wounded. On this occasion, the savages displayed a degree of bar- barity which had not hitherto been supposed to belong to their character, but which their own mistaken notions respecting warfare, rendered perhaps praiseworthy or, at least, not dishonourable. At this period, as Nieukerk informed me, the war had cost the lives of not more than thirteen Burghers , exclusively of soldiers and Hotten- tots ; while the Caffres had lost two hundred of their number, before the former could dislodge them from the woods of that district : and, as they still ventured to make incursions, from time to time, many more of these tribes were shot. I had much reason, in common with the Colony, to lament the death of the landdrost ; whose character was, besides, an assurance that I should meet with every liberal assistance in obtaining the object of my journey to Graaffreynet. No other had yet been appointed in his place : the duties of the office, therefore, were fulfilled by one of the Heemraaden, of the name of Mare. The inmates of Nieukerk’s cottage, besides himself and his wife, were, his two brothers, and his wife’s father and mother. The two last were far advanced in years, and complained much of the coldness of the climate of Sneeuwberg (Sneeberg), to which they were not yet inured, having resided here not more than two months ; before which, they had lived in the Boschjesveld, a warm and dry country. Every one, in fact, seemed to be troubled with a cough ; and as they were but new-comers, they found these highlands unpleasantly chilly. They all wore their hats within doors ; but the effects of early habits and of a natural pleasure which I felt in showing respect to honest men, though tenants of the meanest cottage, always prompted me, on entering such a dwelling, to testify that respect by the same forms VOL. II. R 122 A COLONIAL CUSTOM. 20, 21 March, which good-breeding pays as readily to the inferior as to the equal. This however the good old father-in-law would not allow, and though the feebleness of seventy, might have excused his moving, he rose from his chair, and fetching my hat, put it on my head, saying, he feared that I should take cold in the same manner as they themselves had done. After tea, I was required in my turn, to tell the wonders of the Bushmen’s country. My account of the treatment which I had received amongst the savages, did not fail to interest and surprise them. The old people, to whom more particularly, anecdotes of Bushmen were subjects of a novel kind, listened with the greatest attention ; and would have forgotten the hour of the night, if supper had not put an end to the conversation, and brought me a respite : for at last, the onus loquendi rested entirely upon myself. Both before and after supper, a pretty long grace was said, or rather sung, by one of the younger branches of the family. I now for the first time, had an opportunity of witnessing the old colonial custom, of washing feet after supper. A maid-servant carried round to each member of the family in turn, according to age, a small tub of water, in which all washed in the same water. It must be regarded as a proof of their good sense, that they showed respect to the habits of a foreigner, by not pressing me to join in this ceremony : the tub was merely offered to me, and then passed on. But this custom is, I believe, gradually wearing away, throughout the colony. Its utility was more evident in former times, when the colonists went without stockings, as indeed many do at the present time ; but since the country has become so much richer, that almost every person can afford to clothe himself more completely, this practice is falling into disuse. The whole house formed but a single room ; and in this a large fireplace atone endservedfor kitchen, where slaves, and some Hottentot maids, sat within the chimney, cooking both for the company and for themselves. At the other end a screen of mats parted off a bed-room for the female part of the family ; while a few blankets spread upon 1812. APPROACH TO SNEEUWBERG. 123 a row of mats on the floor, between the supper table and the fire, formed the only sleeping-place for the two young men, and for any casual visitors. Here I was first informed that in the buiten districten (out-districts, or those far from the Cape) it is the general custom, to sleep without undressing, the coat excepted : but this custom has, I believe, many exceptions ; especially at those houses where some degree of affluence enables the owners to furnish them more perfectly in the European style. Where there is nothing better to rest on, than a mat upon the floor, the practice may not be quite unreasonable ; but in any case, it is not favorable either to personal cleanliness, or to health. 21 st. In front of this house, and commencing immediately on the opposite side of the river, the mountains of Sneeuwberg (Sneeberg) stand full in view, and present a grand and interesting landscape ; and which I was tempted to add to the number of my sketches. On making an attempt to cross the river early in the morning, its waters were found to have risen even higher than they were on the day before ; but by eleven in the forenoon, they had run off suf- ficiently to admit of our fording. In doing this, we were indebted to Nieukerk and his brothers, for pointing out the shallowest part ; and as soon as we were safely through, we were saluted by the whole family, who stood on the opposite bank, with Goede reis, (A good journey to you.) Along the right bank of the Zeekoe river, I observed a road much frequented, which led to the northernmost limits of the colony, and, as I was informed, to the southern banks of the Nugariep, whither the boors often go for the purpose of cutting timber. The mat- rush * grows here in abundance; but not a tree was any where to be seen : with this rush, all the houses in these parts of the Colony, are thatched. The country was mountainous on all sides. We kept gradually ascending, after having, at the distance of about four miles from Nieukerk’s, recrossed the Seacow river, which takes its rise amidst the high mountains on our left, and after flowing along the Of the sort called Hard matjes-goederen : the Scirpus tegetalis , Vol. I. p. 263. R 2 124 ASCENDING THE SNOW-MOUNTAINS. 21 March, foot of Kleine Tafelberg, runs northward inclining to the east, and, passing by Plettenberg’s Baaken, takes a more easterly course, as I was informed, and finally joins the Nugariep. A contrariety in the accounts which had been given me, of its course below the Baaken, leaves me in doubt whether, in laying it down on the map, I have adopted the true direction, or not. At about eight miles and a half from Nieukerk’s we passed the next farm-house, the residence of a colonist of the name of Coenraad Herholdt, where a garden with poplars, pine trees, willows, roses, and peach trees, presented in these wild highlands, a solitary glimpse of cultivation. Beyond this, the road begins to ascend more rapidly, and enters the cold elevated region of Sneeuwberg proper. As we approached it, the air felt very sensibly colder ; the grass became more plentiful in the valleys ; and nothing presented itself in the prospect around us, but rocky mountains, the summits of which were enveloped in misty clouds. The unsettled state of the weather, assisted in strength- ening the character of frowning grandeur which belongs to this scene. The rude and bold features of the wild landscape, and the sublimity of nature, were unmingled with any trace of human works ; and the beaten track under our feet, was the only mark which could inform the traveller that these rugged valleys had ever been frequented ; or that the abode of man was to be found in a region apparently so deserted and solitary. I halted, to make some sketches, but my fingers were so much benumbed with the coldness of the misty vapor, that I succeeded with difficulty. In less than two hours after passing Herholdt’s, we gained the most elevated point in the road over the Snow Mountains. Here the declivities and valleys were covered with abundance of thick grass of a growth equally fine with that which we call ‘ sheep’s fescue-grass.’* The road continued at this great elevation ; and we travelled for more than three quarters of an hour, before there was any considerable descent. On our left we sometimes caught sight, between the mountains, of an immense and lofty peak, the highest point of Sneeuwberg. This is * Festuca ovina , Linn. 1812. SPITSKOP, THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE COLONY. 125 called by the colonists, Spitskop * (The Peak) on account of its remarkably pointed form, by which it is distinguished at a great distance over all the surrounding country, as much as by its superior height. It has been in later years, very unnecessarily re-named Com- pasberg. That this is the most elevated part of the Cape Colony, there can, I think, be no doubt, if in addition to the peculiar and constant coldness of its climate, we deduce an argument from the circumstance of the different streams which proceed from it, taking their course in opposite directions : those on the northern side, flowing through the Seacow, and Gariep, rivers, to the western coast of the continent ; while those on the southern and eastern, carry their waters to the eastern sea. The first step in our descent from this chilly region, brought us to a fine grassy flat, covered with, what is the greatest rarity in Southern Africa, a real turf or sod, though in many places abounding in the mat-rush. Since quitting the Hex river, every stream which we had crossed, flowed towards the west ; but at this spot, in a ravine on our right, we found a rivulet taking an opposite course ; this may be con- sidered as the highest source of the Sunday river. A keen chilling mist, or rather a misty rain, now enveloped us ; and my whole party complained of being extremely cold. I there- fore resolved on taking up our night’s station by the river, at the first spot where fire-wood could be procured ; as we were all utter strangers to the country, and knew not whether by going forward, we should come to a better, or a worse, place. Wood however was, in this instance fortunately, so scarce that we were kept advancing, till, through the mist, we discovered a house before us, just at a time when evening began to approach. It was the dwelling of Piet Van der Merwe ; who very readily, and with marked kindness, received us under his roof. My men, together with my young Bushman protege, were comfortably lodged in the £ corn-house j* while I myself was * See the vignette at the end of the sixth chapter ; and the note appended to the 5th of May. 126 HOSPITALITY AT PIET VAN DER MERWE’S. 21, 22 March, hospitably entertained in the house with the family ; who considered themselves well repaid for their trouble by the information which they obtained respecting the Bushmen. They also, in return, com- municated some information ; that those tribes who inhabit the banks of the Nugariep, or Groote river, as they here called it, were consi- dered so extremely savage, that the boors had never yet been able to bring about any friendly communication with them. The name of Van der Merwe is one of the most common in the Cape Colony. In cases where several of the same baptismal, and surname occur, it is customary, in noticing them in writing, as well as when they sign their own name, to add the Chris- tian name of their father, either at full length, as in the form, for example, of Jacobsz or Jacobszoon ; or by the initials only, as Jz; a practice analogous to that by which, probably, we have obtained such names as Richards or Richardson, Johnson, Jack- son, &c. But among neighbours, colonists of the same name are distinguished in a more familiar way, either by the place of their abode, or by some other circumstance. Thus my hospitable host was known to the boors around, by the appellation of Piet Dik- wang (Thick-cheek,) on account of a swelling, or wen, upon his cheek. Most of the family seemed to be troubled with slight coughs , the same as I had observed at Nieukerks ; occasioned perhaps, by the foggy state of the weather. A cough appeared the more remarkable, as it was an ailment of very rare occurrence in the countries of the former part of my travels. But it is not to be pronounced a prevailing, or a common, complaint in the Snow Mountains, since I did not afterwards find it to be general ; yet, it is more than probable, that the misty cold atmosphere of Sneeberg proper, renders its inhabitants very liable to be attacked by similar affections of the lungs. The rhinoceros-bush grows abundantly on different parts of these mountains, and was the only fuel which I saw used at this house ; other firewood being exceedingly scarce. The rhinoceros , as my host informed me, and as my own experience afterwards confirmed, is now nearly expelled from the Colony ; it being very rarely to be seen within the boundary : and hippopotami^ formerly so numerous in the 1812. A MESSENGER FROM THE FIELDCORNET. 127 Zeekoe river, are no longer, unless accidentally, to be found there; but have all retreated to the Black River or Nugariep, where they may, for the present at least, live more undisturbed. Van der Merwe had learnt from the observations of many years, that at this place, a southeasterly wind, such as we had at this time, almost always brings with it rain. In the winter , long icicles hang from the thatch of his cottage, and the water is covered with a thick ice. At that season the cattle, he asserted, would perish with cold, if they were not all removed to a warmer farm, or leg-plaats. 22nd. The air was exceedingly cold, and a misty rain continued to fall during the whole of the day. I became every hour more anxious to reach Graaffreynet, and therefore, as there was little prospect of gaining better weather by waiting till the afternoon, I determined to depart ; not more, for the purpose of getting forward on our journey, than of descending from this cold region, into some warmer tract. Just as I was on the point of mounting my horse, a man arrived from a neighbouring veldcornet who had received intelligence of a party of strange armed men having entered the Colony. This man had orders to discover, who we were, and what were our intentions. I briefly informed him, that we had none but peaceable intentions, and that I was on my way to the landdrost. This messenger, who by his manners and tone of voice, seemed to think that he was now employed on a very serious affair, preferred the information of Van der Merwe on the subject, to the suspicious stranger’s own account of himself. After a few minutes’ questioning, he rode off, well satisfied that the business turned out no worse : for it appeared that some alarm had been excited by the fact of people having come into the Colony, in a quarter where no arrival of the kind had ever been known before. At taking leave, Van der Merwe gave us a warm invitation to make his house a resting-place on our way back. A near prospect of the termination of our present journey, put all my Hottentots in good spirits, and enabled them to set out without feeling disheartened at the weather which they saw we should have to encounter. 128 SUFFERINGS OF THE PARTY 22 March, All were now wrapped up in every piece of clothing they pos- sessed ; and Ruiter had so tied himself up in skins of various sorts and colors, sheep-skins, leopard- skins, and goat-skins, that he looked more like an automaton pile of furs, than a man. The rain and mist became colder as we advanced ; or rather, we felt it more keenly in proportion as we lost the warmth which we had acquired by the fire- side. The mist penetrated, where the rain could not ; and every thing was either wet, or damp. The cold grew more piercing, and my people, more silent and dejected. I endeavoured to keep up their spirits, by assuring them that as soon as we should descend the moun- tain, we should find fair and warm weather : for we were then among the clouds ; or rather, the clouds had sunk upon us. Yet, though much chilled and benumbed, I did not myself suffer so much as my Klaarwater Hottentots : they had long been accustomed only to the warm climate of the Transgariepine ; and three of them were, besides, advanced in years, and one of these much enfeebled by age. Speelman and Philip , who, like myself, had been somewhat hardened by constant exposure to every kind of weather, and being, excepting myself, the youngest of the party, were the least of all affected by the cold. The sheep, of which we had only two remaining, and the dogs, began to droop. Still, the hope of soon descending to a lower level, gave us courage to go forward. In this state we had been travelling about two hours and a half, when Philip, as I was riding in advance, hastily came on to tell me that the people were unable to proceed any farther, and that they were of opinion that the Bushboy was dying. When I returned, they all declared that they could endure the cold no longer. Old Cobus Berendss countenance was so much changed, and in so weak a voice he told me that the cold had seized his heart, that I really believed, considering his age, that he was struck with death. I had never before thought myself in so serious a situation : the poor little Bushboy who, excepting his kaross, was nearly naked, had seated himself down by the road-side. When I went to him, I found him affected to so alarming a degree, that he had no power either to move or to speak, and his face had assumed that peculiar yellowness 1812. FROM COLD WEATHER. 129 which, among blacks, is the visible symptom of, either approaching dissolution, or the decay of energy in the vital functions. The most distressing reflections crowded on my mind. It ap- peared that the hand of death lay already upon him. What was I to tell the father at my return ! That he had died of cold ? This would not have been believed. I should have been accused of being the cause of his death ; or of having left him in captivity under some of the boors. My return through the Bushmen’s country would be impracticable. Kaabi, and the whole tribe, would have considered me no longer as their friend ; but as one who had treacherously deceived them and betrayed the confidence of a father. The whole plan of my travels was deranged. I could not rejoin my waggons but by making a circuit by the Sack river again, and waiting for some favorable opportunity of crossing the Cisgariepine. These sad forebodings rushed upon me, and entirely occupied my mind : they made me forget my own personal feelings, and that every one of my men was now suffering from the severity of the weather. We had therefore no alternative but to halt, although in an exposed open place without a tree, or scarcely a bush, that could afford us shelter. While those who were able to move, were un- loading the oxen, two others went in search of firewood. This spot I have distinguished on the map, by the name of Cold Station ; a name which, at this time, was more applicable to it, than to any other station in the whole of my travels. On account of the rain which continued falling, and the wetness of our fuel, we found the greatest difficulty in kindling a fire ; but the people took care afterwards to supply it with large quantities of wood, so that for some hours, it continued to burn in spite of the mist and rain. My first concern was to bring the Bushboy to life ; for he had no other appearance than that of a dying person. We placed him by the fire, and I wrapped him up in one of my own blankets : but he remained for half an hour completely speechless, and nearly unable to move. He took no notice either of the fire, or of any VOL. II. s 130 THE BUSHBOY RESTORED TO LIFE. 22, 23 March, thing around him ; and Philip and Speelman repeatedly gave their opinion, that he would never speak again. I saw that it was necessary to restore the activity of the vital functions, which the cold seemed to have nearly stopped : I was re- gretting that we had nothing of a stimulating quality to give him, when the recollection of having a bottle of volatile alkali, gave me some hopes. I immediately prepared in water, as much as half a teacup-ful, of as great a strength as could safely be administered. It would appear by the use which I made of it, that I regarded this medicine as my panacea ; for I gave a dose to the three old men ; and the rest had so much confidence in it, that they were desirous of taking some also ; but as I thought they could be restored without its aid, I judged it more prudent to reserve it for those who might have the misfortune to be bitten by serpents. Ruiter suffered almost as much as the boy ; and was also speechless : but the warmth of the fire at last re-animated him. Hans Lucas’s appearance was most miserable, and Berends’s countenance was equally sad ; but our Bush- man Nieuwveld bore the cold much better than his countryman. At length the boy was enabled to move his limbs ; he crept nearer to the fire, and in a little time afterwards recovered his speech enough to tell me that the medicine had done him much good. After nursing him for about two hours, I rejoiced to find him sufficiently restored to be able to eat ; and in order to fortify him against the night, I desired him to eat a large quantity of food ; a request which is never unseason- able to a Bushman. Cobus, and the rest, revived by degrees ; but all the party sat over the fire very melancholy and dejected. The rain now had ceased for a short time, and the men took the opportunity to cook their dinner, or rather, supper. The apathy or forgetfulness of Hottentots , was here well exemplified : they had taken their own meal, without ever once thinking of their master, who, in the mean while, had been too much engaged in attending the boy, to think of himself. But being reminded by hunger, I ordered Philip to broil a piece of meat, while I sought for a place where I could pass the night: for it was then evening; the clouds had 1812. HOTTENTOT APATHY.— SLEEPING IN THE RAIN. 131 again sunk upon us ; and a violent and heavy rain, which ceased not during the whole night, had just commenced. At a little distance from my men, I prepared a spot, by forming a layer of bushes to keep my baggage and bedding from the ground which, being on a declivity, was deluged with streams of water. As it would have been folly to spread out my bed in such a situation, I seated myself upon my baggage, and held the umbrella over me. I waited for nearly an hour, expecting supper ; but nothing was brought. I at length rose, and on going to the fire, found it extinguished, and all my people wrapped up in their karosses, for the night. My cook, with true Hottentot sang-froid, informed me that the water, which ran down from the higher ground, together with the rain, had washed away the fire, before the meat was half broiled. So that, finding this, he had put the chop intended for me, upon the bush, and laid down to sleep, without thinking it necessary to put me out of suspense, or to let me know that I was to have no supper that evening. I therefore resumed my seat upon the layer of bushes, and covered myself up with my watch-coat. In this situation I passed a miserable night ; with a cold rain pouring down from above, and torrents of water running under me. I sometimes fell asleep, but my feet being seized with cramp, I soon awoke again, and had sufficient reason for rejoicing at the return of daylight. 23rd. The rain had ceased, but was now succeeded by the same drizzling mist as before ; yet I had the consolation of finding all my people able to bear another day’s travelling, and the boy not only alive, but recovered. That a Bushman could suffer so much from the inclemencies of the weather, was a case which I had never expected ; nor do I think it one which occurs often. This poor little fellow was young and extremely slender, and at the same time, almost naked ; circumstances which might well render him obnoxious to a degree of cold which perhaps, to be estimated correctly, should be considered as extremely severe and uncommon in this part of the globe. I could not but admire the fortitude with which he bore his sufferings : he never com- plained ; but continued without a murmur, patiently walking on, till s 2 132 WANT OF VERACITY. 23 March, inability to move his limbs prevented his proceeding farther ; and then, he merely said to the Hottentots, that he was very cold. Early in the morning, two boors on horseback, attended by two Hottentot achter-ryders , or according to colonial pronunciation, achter- ryers , (after-riders,) passing by, halted for about ten minutes, and as usual, made inquiries, whence we came and whither we were going. These men, as I was afterwards informed by the landdrost, were then going to Graaffreynet for the purpose of reporting to him our numbers and of explaining who we were. One of them was the veldcornet : their manners led me to suspect this ; and I asked if either was the veld- cornet, but they replied, No ; and to my question, whether they were going to Graaffreynet, they gave the same answer. The Hottentots, who knew the tricks of the boors in such cases, better than I did, were of opinion that the cause of their telling so unqualified a false- hood,. was the fear of my putting the veldcornet in requisition for some assistance ; as he had been informed by the messenger he sent to Van der Merwe’s, that I had that privilege. They asked if we were not afraid to venture in so defenceless a manner through the Boschmans-land ; — at this moment, I could not help turning my eyes from them to poor little Magerman, and wondering that men of such gigantic stature, should not feel ashamed to confess that so diminutive a race of savages could inspire them with personal fear. These achter-rydern are servants intended both for outward show and for use, and correspond in this twofold nature of their duty, to many of our English grooms. A colonist generally takes with him a Hottentot of this description, when he undertakes a journey to any considerable distance from home : and near the borders, such an attendant is far from useless, as he ensures to him some additional safety. Soon after we left Cold Station, we descended below the clouds and mist, into a drier region ; where, had we been better acquainted with the country and my men had been able to travel farther yester- day, we might have passed the night in a less wretched situation. The country was very mountainous though in some places we . \ 1812. DESCENT FROM THE SNOW-MOUNTAINS. 133 found intermediate spaces of level ground. At the distance of about five miles from Cold Station we crossed a branch of the Garst (Barley) river, which was at this time so full, as to be but barely fordable ; and a mile farther we passed a house and farm belonging also to Piet Van der Merwe, and which he had mentioned to us as a place where we might take up our quarters. From this house, till we quitted the Sneeuwbergen, the hills resume the tabular form so common in the Cisgariepine ; and many, which were both large and lofty, suc- ceeded each other, with intervening levels of various extent. The country of the Sneeuwbergen, may be described as a very elevated region, level in many parts, but almost every where thickly studded with high rocky mountains. After this, we travelled between four and five hours longer, without halting ; and were rejoiced at finding ourselves arrived at the top of the descent from the Snow Mountains. The prospect was exceedingly fine, as wild and rocky scenery.' Lofty mountains in the distance seemed to close the view before us, but the road, after descending into the valley, leads round on the right, into the extensive plains which lie between the Sneeuwbergen and Graaff- reynet. This view, and the appearance of our party, are represented in the second plate. The descent was very steep, and the road in some places broken and dangerous. Here we found trees of a larger size than we had seen for some time ; and the deep glens and bold sides of the mountain, were rendered verdant by an abundance of large bushes of spekboom (fat-tree*,) and were well covered with wood of rich and beautiful foliage. Amongst these were many which I had no where met with before, but which, at this time, I had no opportunity of collecting, f * Portulacaria Afra. f Of these, I noted in passing, Grewia robusta, B. Catal. Geogr. 2845. Ramuli robusti rigidi. Folia parva ovata obtusa crenulata subtus tomentoso-albida. Fructus subhirsutus, sub-tetracoccus. Pedun- culi solitarii oppositifolii, foliis paulo breviores uni- vel bi-flori. Flores purpurei. Celastrus linearis , B. Cat. Geog. 2872. Frutex 6 — 8-pedalis. Folia inlegerrima linearia. Spinae internodiis duplo longiores rectae horizontales folia proferentes simul cum cymis sessilibus. Incolis Hollandicis dicitur Pen-doarn ; nomen aliis fruticibus pariter spinosis commune. 134 ARRIVAL AT A DESERTED HUT. 23, 24; March, We continued descending for a long time : the sun had already set, when we reached the foot of the mountain. Here, very oppor- tunely, we found a deserted hut which, though in a very ruinous state, we were happy in taking possession of. It consisted only of one room ; part of the roof had been blown off ; the floor was covered with the rubbish of the thatch which had fallen in ; and the door and windows had been taken away. This I considered as placed in my way by good-fortune; as I began to perceive symptoms of a violent fever ; having felt a chill and shivering, even in the sunshine, and the cold I had taken, having already produced a hoarseness. A fire was made within the walls, and my blankets, which were still very damp, were spread in one corner of the hut, upon some straw which luckily had escaped the rain. I laved myself down im- mediately and wrapped my driest covering about me, hoping that this treatment and my former remedy, would, before morning, remove the fever, as they had done on similar occasions. As soon as enough embers had been burnt, the men baked in them some bread made with the flour which I had purchased of Van der Merwe. 24 th. In the morning, finding the fever rather increased than abated, I resolved to try the experiment of a dose of £ antimonial powder,’ and was obliged to keep my bed. The weather was fair, and the day sunny and pleasant ; but I was now, for the first time since leaving Cape Town, unable to travel. I sent Philip on the horse to examine if the Zondag (Sunday) river was fordable ; and in less than two hours he came back, and reported that we might pass it with safety. Soon after his return, three burghers on horseback, armed with muskets and well provided with ball and powder, arrived from Graaff- reynet, which was about ten miles distant, having been sent officially by the landdrost, for the purpose of ascertaining the truth of the reports respecting us. They entered the hut, when my men having pointed out to them their master lying asleep, I was awakened by the sound of Dag , which they repeated till I uncovered my head and returned their salutation. They began by stating that they were sent by the landdrost to 1812. VISITORS FROM GRAAFFREYNET. 13.5 make inquiries respecting me and my party, and wished to know when I should be at the village ; I replied that it was uncertain, but that it would not be to-day. After some further parley, they became importunate for me to go to Graaffreynet that day, and said, that they had orders to bring me to the landdrost. To this I quickly replied, that I was unwell ; and that I neither could, nor would, remove from that place ; that they could have no authority for disturbing me ; and that they might inform the landdrost, that it was my intention to come to him as soon as I could conveniently. This, and the tone in which it was spoken, put an end to their impor- tunities. But I must in justice to these men, admit that the situa- tion in which they saw me, lying on the ground in the corner of a roofless hovel, was ill calculated to command much respect. They then, with a little more civility, requested to be informed who I was. Their civility obtained for them, far more than their rudeness would have done ; and I gave them to read the government papers which authorized my travelling without hindrance, and per- mitted me to require assistance. This immediately brought about a revolution in their sentiments and behaviour : they offered to send for a pciarde-wagen * and every necessary accommodation for conveying me to the village ; and a letter was without delay sent off to the landdrost. I ordered a chop to be broiled for them ; and as they had accomplished their mission, they remained merely to gratify their curiosity by questioning my men respecting the countries we had passed through ; and continued sitting at their ease for two hours afterwards. Before these visitors had left me, there arrived two others of a more agreeable kind : I was surprised to see enter my hut, an officer of the 21st regiment of light dragoons ; a regiment which I always remember with pleasure. It was Mr. Menzies the surgeon of the regiment, and Mr. Oloff Stockenstrom the younger son of the late landdrost, who now had the kindness to visit a stranger, personally * A paarde-'wagen is a light waggon drawn by horses, and used more frequently foi the conveyance of persons, than for carrying any other loads : it is in fact the colonists’ carriage of pleasure. — Compare this with the note at page 28. of the first volume, 136 THE CURRENT REPORT. 24, 25 March. unknown to them both ; but report having informed them of the circumstance of an Englishman having entered the colony in an unusual manner, they judged it not impossible that it might be either Dr. Cowan or Captain Donovan ; and under this persuasion they had brought with them an army list, that I might be gratified with a sight, as they supposed, of my own promotion. They sat down by my bed, and expressed themselves exceedingly shocked at the fatigue which they concluded I must have suffered, and at the wretched lodging in which I lay. I felt so much pleasure in thus unexpectedly meeting with a person with whom I could speak my own language, that as long as they remained, I never once thought of my fever. I asked innumerable questions, and inquired for news of every description. They afforded me some amusement by relating that, on my account the whole village of Graaffreynet had been for several days in a state of alarm. The current report was, that three hundred of the Klaarwater Hottentots, under the command of a white-man, were marching to attack the colony, taking advantage of the favor- able moment when so many boors were absent from their homes and detained on the commando in the Zuureveld. So greatly had the inhabitants magnified my little party, and so strongly was the report believed, that not only constant guard had been kept ; but, on ac- count of my near approach and hourly-expected attack, a number of persons remained under arms, and the guard and night-watch had last night actually been doubled. When I explained the circum- stances of my journey and the object of my visit to Graaffreynet, Dr. Menzies in a most friendly manner, offered me accommodation in his quarters during my stay. They had not long been gone, and I had just wrapped myself up again, when Philip came to announce the arrival of two other visitors. They were the acting landdrost and his brother, who, having at last correctly ascertained who I was, had brought the clergy- man’s carriage, the only one in the village, to convey me to town. They expressed themselves, as my preceding visitors had done, shocked at seeing me ill, and at the miserable abode in which I 1812. EPIDEMIC COMPLAINT. 137 was lodged ; but I replied, that had so good a shelter presented itself the night before, I should not at this time have been so unwell. They pressed me to quit the place, and were desirous of taking me to the village, where I should find every necessary refreshment and attention. I resisted all their kind solicitations, as I felt too indisposed to be able to move ; but promised, if the fever left me in the night, that I would be at Graaffreynet, on the following day. With this they took leave : and I once more covered myself up with my blankets. Towards evening, the fever and hoarseness increased, and with the addition of a violent head ache, prevented all sleep. I endeavoured in various ways to excite perspiration ; but without success. VSth. In the morning, however, my remedies had their full effect, and greatly relieved my pain. I have described my illness more particularly than I should otherwise have done, because it was, as I afterwards learnt, a species of ‘ influenza which had pervaded the whole Colony. Few escaped its attack ; and I was told that in Cape Town alone, six thousand persons had been seized with it ; although comparatively few had died. A similar complaint was not known to have ever visited the settlement before. This epidemic, after passing over the whole Colony, for I never could hear of any symptoms beyond the boundary, was now on the decline, or supposed to have expended itself ; but the air was not yet cleared from its pestilential quality, and we, unfortunately, arrived just in time to prove, that it had ceased, only because it found no more subjects to act upon. I was still in bed when the landdrost returned : he was accom- panied by Mr. Kiclierer , the clergyman of Graaffreynet, who having heard that I had letters for him from the missionaries at Klaar- water, came for the purpose of inviting me to take up my abode at his house during my stay. As soon as I was dressed, I left the miserable, but most serviceable, hut ; and was persuaded in a very friendly manner, to accept his invitation. After leaving directions with my people to follow in the after- noon, I entered the carriage and we drove from a spot which, for some moments during my illness, I thought it possible I might never quit again. VOL. II. T 138 A NEW ROAD OPENED TO GRAAFFREYNET. 25 March, 1812. Before we reached the town, we were obliged to cross the Sunday river three times : its greatest depth was, at this time, about three feet. The missionary’s letter began by stating, that they had endea- voured to dissuade me from the attempt to cross the Bushman country ; and that, although they had thus written letters, they had little ex- pectation of their ever reaching their destination. Mr. Kicherer , before he was appointed minister of this place, had spent several years as missionary among the Hottentots and Bushmen. For the latter people, he opened a mission at the Zak river ; and when that failed, he ac- companied those Hottentots who, it has been stated, (vol. I. p. 361.) were living an unsettled life on the banks of the Gariep, and per- suaded them to remain stationary at Aakaap, whence they finally removed to Klaarwater. He was therefore well acquainted with the nature of that settlement ; and expressed surprise at the fact of the missionaries there, not having been able to render me assistance in hiring the required number of Hottentots ; and wondered at their making objections to my opening a road to Graaffreynet, which he considered as an important discovery, and highly advantageous for the missionaries themselves. CHAPTER V. TRANSACTIONS AT GRAAFFREYNET. Before noon we entered Graaffreynet ; where I was introduced by Mr. Kicherer to his family and friends, as the person on whose ac- count they had suffered so much alarm. The news of my having arrived in peace, soon spread through the village ; and when busy report had reduced my dreaded party of three hundred, back again to eight, and had changed the expected hostile attack, into a friendly visit, all further apprehensions ceased, and the folly of the mistake, became a source of considerable amusement. The landdrost who, I was afterwards informed, was at first so much alarmed as to give orders for guarding all avenues to the village, told me that he had received a correct report of the number of my men, but could get no one to believe that it was so small ; and that it was found difficult to quiet the fears of the inhabitants, who magnified their danger to a distressing, though ridiculous, degree. The affair, which had cost me so long and fatiguing a journey, being to myself of more importance than every other object, I lost t 2 140 THE ACTING-LANDDROST. 25, 26 March; no time in conferring with the acting-landdrost, on the readiest mode of hiring the number of Hottentots required. He called upon me in the evening, for this purpose, and stated that he was unable to point out where any such men could be found ; that he knew of none who were at this time out of service ; that this scarcity was in great part, occasioned by the commando against the CafFres, the demands for which, had drained all the neighbouring districts ; and that he had himself no power in this case, because, being merely an acting- landdrost until the regular appointment of another, he felt unwilling to proceed without the instructions and authority of the commandant of the troops on the frontier, who happened to be the same Colonel Graham, from whose regiment I had obtained my Hottentot Philip. It was therefore agreed, that he should write on the morrow to ex- plain the affair to the commandant, and solicit his assistance, and an early answer. On the death of the late landdrost, the duties of the office devolved in the interim, according to established custom, upon one of the Heemraaden : and this now fell to the lot of Mr. Paul Mare , a respectable burgher and shopkeeper of the village. This situ- ation of affairs was, therefore, not the best suited to my visit, and appeared likely to detain me longer at Graaffreynet, than I had calculated, on the supposition of finding that office held by Mr. Stockenstrom. I felt much disappointed at hearing it stated by the landdrost, that he had not this power ; as, whatever might have been the reasons which induced him to think so, I myself at the same time believed that he was fully competent to give me the assist- ance I required, and was afterwards convinced that my opinion was right. My men did not arrive till the dusk of the evening, but the little Bushman was not with them. He had remained in the hut till the moment of their coming away ; when he had taken an oppor- tunity of slipping off unperceived by any one. They waited a long while searching for him in every direction ; but could discover no traces ; and therefore concluded that his absence was intentional, and that he meant to return to his kraal. We remarked that he had ap- peared very contented with us, as long as we were alone ; but when 1812. LITTLE MAGERMAN ABSCONDS. — HOSPITALITY. 141 so many strangers with their carriages and attendants continued visiting my hut, yesterday and this morning, and the boy not com- prehending whether their object was good or harm, he was observed to look about him with mistrust, and to become evidently uneasy : yet he made no remarks to any one. I had myself while lying in my bed, noticed him very busy in putting in order his arrows, of which he had only fifteen in his quiver, by warming the heads over the fire to soften the poisonous compound with which they were covered ; and then rolling them cylindrically on a flat stone, to smoothen the poison and bind it firmer to the arrow : but at that time I had not the least suspicion that he was preparing to leave me, otherwise I would have quieted his fears. Knowing his own intention, he had provided for his return, by begging tobacco from every one of the Hottentots, but had not ventured to take any provisions, as that circumstance would have betrayed his design ; nor had he even a tinder box, an article almost indispensable for such a journey. Although uneasy at losing him, I was far less anxious on his account, than I was at Cold Station, where I expected he would die while in our hands. I had now a hope that he would find his way back in safety to his father, and that, by travelling in the night, he would escape deten- tion by the boors ; yet the subject remained a source of some anxiety, lest the event should happen otherwise. A small tent was lent me by Mr. Kicherer, for the use of my men, and they pitched it on the open ground at the back of his garden. 26th, The bustle and variety of business had yesterday com- pletely occupied my attention and given me temporary strength ; but I was not so far recovered from my illness as I supposed. I relapsed into a state of great debility, and, in the course of the preceding night and during this day, became much worse than before. The fever and hoarseness increased to a high degree, and I was unable to leave my bed. Nothing could be more truly hospitable and friendly than the attention paid me by Mr. and Mrs. Kicherer, in whose house I thus lay sick : the lady, whose knowledge of domestic medicines was considerable, prescribed for me all those remedies which had been found, or thought, serviceable in the late epidemic ; 142 FALSE REPORTS. 26, 28 March, but this complaint appeared to be of an intractable nature, and in spite of all which was done, seemed still to take its own course. One of its remarkable symptoms, was, an unusual heat at the throat, followed by a violent cough attended with expectoration. This, I was told, had universally been found to be the effect of the disorder. On the following day, I received a visit from Dr. Menzies and Lieutenant Schonfeldt, the commissary for troops at Graaffreynet. In most cases friendly visits to an invalid are beneficial, as they divert the thoughts, and thus often operate more successfully towards the recovery of health, than the most efficacious medicines. The polite attention which I experienced from Dr. Menzies during the three weeks of his stay at this village, contributed much to render my detention here less irksome to me, than it otherwise would have been. There were no English residents at Graaffreynet, excepting a few dragoons for the purpose of conveying despatches ; nor, during the whole time of my abode here, was it visited by any of my countrymen, excepting once by Colonel Arbuthnot, with whom I had the pleasure, at Lieutenant Schonfeldt’s table, of con- versing in my own language ; a gratification only to be appreciated by those who have long been deprived of it. 28 th. Thirty waggons with colonists and their families from various parts of the district, some from a distance of two or three days’ journey, arrived and were outspanned on the plain which surrounds the church, and to which the number of white tilts gave somewhat the appearance of a fair. These people came for the purpose of attending divine service and of receiving the sacrament ; the following being one of the quarterly days appointed for that duty. On such occasions, it is said, thrice this number are usually seen ; but the absence of many boors who were on militia duty in the Zuureveld, had greatly reduced it ; and the clergyman, on inquiring why so few now at- tended, was told that many more communicants would have come, had they not been deterred by a report that a body of three hundred Hottentots were marching in a hostile manner to Graaffreynet. It is very difficult to account reasonably for the propensity which men, not only in this Colony, but in other countries better informed and more polished, have for propagating false reports. Their fears, 1 April, 1812. POST TO CAPE TOWN. 143 their credulity, or their folly, may obtain a perverse influence over their judgment ; or their private views, or some secret motives, may seduce their feelings and respect for veracity, and lead them to re- peat and spread such reports ; but those who first set on foot tales which they know to be untrue, are the very worst and most dan- gerous characters in society, and deserve the heaviest punishment, if any can be found heavier than the universal contempt which follows detection. In the present instance, the misrepresentation was, I believe, to be attributed only to ignorance and fear combined. April 1st. Graaffreynet holds a regular communication with Cape Town, by means of a mail which sets out every first and second Wednesday in the month. This mail is conveyed on horseback from stage to stage, by Hottentots who are under the superintendance of farmers, or other persons, residing at certain distances along the road. It does not proceed directly to Cape Town, which, by the nearest way over the Karro and round by Tulbagh, may perhaps be about six hundred and fifty miles distant ; but it is carried to Uitenhage, and thence forwarded to the Cape. By this day’s post, I informed my friends at the latter place, of my arrival here, and of the present uncertain state of the question respecting the hiring of Hottentots. Having now sufficiently recovered my strength, I took a ramble along the river. The rains of the two last days, had rendered this stream impassable for any carriage, and as there is no practicable road towards the south, but through the stream, several of the waggons which arrived on the 28th, were detained two or three days. This, which is a serious inconvenience to the town, might be remedied by a ferry-boat similar to that which has been described when pass- ing the Berg river : or it might perhaps not be found impossible to form a road, for foot-passengers at least, along the mountains on the eastern side ; by which the river might be avoided altogether. The village of Graaffreynet has its advantages, as well as its disadvantages ; it is situated in the heart of a country productive in cattle and corn, rapidly increasing in population and property, and surrounded by a fertile soil ; it enjoys abundance of water, and, it is said, a healthy climate. Fruits and vegetables of all kinds grow 144 DESCRIPTION OF THE April, here in perfection. An experienced farmer, in this district, informed me that the produce from good corn -land, is, in ordinary seasons, much greater than the same quantity of seed would have yielded in Europe.* The high mountains on either side of the town, add a grand feature, and great beauty, to the view ; although they circum- scribe rather narrowly the fields of the environs. But for all the purposes of horticulture, there is more land than will in all proba- bility ever be required. These mountains are the haunts of tigers, or, as they are called in Europe, leopards ; and abound in baboons of the same species which is common all over the Colony ; but, as a coun- terbalance to this, serpents, it is said, are rarely seen in this vicinity. This village , with its adjoining gardens and fields, is nearly surrounded by the Sunday river, and sheltered on each side by lofty mountains decorated with perpetual and beautiful verdure, by the abundance of Spek-boom ( Portulacaria Afra ) which covers their rocky declivities. It consists of one broad principal street, of detached houses, adjoining to each of which is a garden well planted with fruit-trees and continually supplied with water. The church , a * The following abstract from the official returns, will be the more interest- ing, as it may be taken as an example of the rapidly improving state of the whole Colony. 1804. 764 575 950 917 2397 2527 579 385 1766 3149 9903 36,042 55,597 536,634 In the District of GraafIVeynet. 1811. Increase in 7 years. Total in 1811. Men - - - - - - - Women - - - - - - Boys - - - - - - - Girls - - - - - - - Male Hottentots ... Female Hottentots ... Male Slaves ----- Female Slaves - - - - Draught and Saddle Horses Breeding Horses - - - - Draught Oxen - Breeding Cattle - - - - Goats - - - - - - - Sheep - - - - - - - 1541 1154 2001 1987 3057 3309 1186 784 3274 5810 15,637 54,747 107,395 1,293,740 777 579 1051 1070 660 782 607 399 1508 2661 5734 18,705 51,798 757,106 ■ White Population .... 6683 Hottentots 6366 > Black Population 8336 •Slaves - 1970 ) ■ Horses - -- -- -- -- 9084 • Large Cattle 70,384 | Small Cattle ------ 1,401,135 One circumstance in the above statement is remarkable; — while the numbers of the Dutch colonists and their slaves have more than doubled ; the Hottentots have increased but little more than a fourth. A colonist’s wife with twelve children, is not extraor- dinary ; but a Hottentot woman with six, is considered more unusual. 1812. VILLAGE OF GRAAFFREYNET. 145 large handsome building, on the ground plan of a cross, stands on a spacious plain at the northern end of the main street, of which it forms the terminating object ; while the river, with its banks beauti- fully clothed with trees and shrubs, closes the southern end. The drostdy , though inferior to the residence of the landdrost at Tulbagh, is a respectable edifice. It stands near to the church, at the upper end of the street, and on the western side. A representation of this building and part of the street, is given at page 139. The plain or green in which the church is situated, is bounded by a hill, from which the lofty Snow-mountains appear full in view. An opening between this hill and the mountains on the east, is the only approach to the village, from the north : from the south, there is no other entrance than through the river. The residence of the clergyman was, at this time, on the western side of the street, and towards the lower end ; but a large and handsome edifice intended for the parsonage , was at this time being erected in another street. On the northern side of the principal street, several others intersecting at right angles, together with many detached dwellings, were rapidly rising in every quarter. At this time Graaffreynet could only be called a village ; but, from the projected improvements, and the activity with which they were being carried on, the name of town , would soon become more appropriate. Seven years before this, the number of houses was between fifteen and twenty ; but at this date there were seventy-four ; of which, indeed, some were not yet completed ; besides eight more already planned. I saw at this time, three smiths’-shops, a waggon- maker’s, and several shops or houses at which a variety of European goods might be bought. There were also a town butcher and baker, and a pagter, (pakter) or retailer of wine and brandy; who are appointed by licence from the landdrost. Along the principal street a row of orange and lemon trees, at this time loaded with fruit, formed a decoration as novel to an English eye, as it was in itself beautiful by the clean glossy verdure of the foliage, and the bright contrast of the golden fruit. The general fruit-season was just past, but quinces were still hanging on the trees. All kinds of u VOL. II. 146 PLANTS. April, vegetables were exceedingly cheap. The price of meat was equally low ; that of beef being no more than two stuivers a pound* * * §, and of mutton , one schelling f for five pounds. But house-rent was even higher than at Cape Town. J In the immediate vicinity of Graaff- reynet, but little timber can at present be found suitable for the purposes of building. All planks and the larger beams are fetched from a considerable distance south-eastward, where they are cut in the forests about Baviaans river , and on the Boschberg. § The banks of the river were thickly covered with willows and Acacias ; many of which were clothed with a species of Clematis climbing upon their highest branches, while others were decorated with festoons of an elegant species of Periploca , the beautiful shining dark-green foliage of which, was interspersed with a profusion of fragrant white flowers : this plant often grew so luxuriantly that it quite concealed the tree upon which it entwined itself. The branches of these Acacias were sometimes ornamented with a hand- some Loranthus, and two or three kinds of Missletoe. Another re- markable plant found on these banks, is a climbing sorrel, which often mounts by the aid of other shrubs, to the height of fifteen feet. || * One penny English currency, or, at this time, less than three farthings sterling. f Six pence English currency, or four pence sterling. J A further account of Graaffreynet and its natural history, belongs more properly to a later period of my journal ; for which it is therefore reserved. § In the forests on this mountain, I found, at a subsequent period of my travels, a beautiful flowering tree, remarkable, not only for rivalling our Laburnum, in profusion of bunches of fine yellow flowers, but as an instance of what I have formerly stated respecting the features of Cape Botany (Vol. I. p. 182.), as this tree bears a close re- semblance to one which is peculiar to Japan, Sophora Japonica. It sometimes attains the height of thirty feet, but produces flowers at a much smaller size, and even in the deepest shade of the foresl. It is the Sophora splvatica, B. Catal. Geogr. 3138. Arbor pulcherrima sub-trigintipedalis (saepe frutex) glabra. Ramuli virides. Folia pinnata sub-sexjuga cum impari. Foliola opposita ovalia, vel obovata, apice rotundata. Racemi vix foliis longiores multiflori. Flores flavi conferti longius pedunculati. Vexiiium obcordatum subreflexum; alae patentes. Legumen membranaceum compressum polysperm um (semina circiter 12) per suturam superiorem alatum, vel margine tenui auctum. || Humex ( Acetosa ) scandens, B. Catal. Geogr. 2890. Radix tuberosa. Caules ramosi scandentes. Folia petiolata sagittata acuminata. Panicula terminalis divaricata 1812. HOTTENTOT’S BREAD. 147 These mountains are the native soil of an extraordinary plant called Hottentots Brood (Hottentot’s Bread). * * Its bulb stands entirely above ground, and grows to an enormous size, frequently three feet in height and diameter. It is closely studded with angular ligneous protuberances, which give it some resemblance to the shell of a tortoise. The inside is a fleshy substance which may be com- pared to a turnip, both in consistence and color. From the top of this bulb arise several annual stems, the branches of which have a disposition to twine round any shrub within reach. The Hottentots informed me, that, in former times, they ate this inner substance, which is considered not unwholesome, when cut in pieces and baked in the embers. It will easily be believed that this food may not be very unlike the yam of the East Indies, since the plant belongs, if not to the same, at least to a very closely allied, genus f ; as the membranaceous capsules, with which it was at this time covered, clearly proved. supradecomposita. Pedunculi filiformes. Valvulae nudae orbiculatae integeiTimae, basi cordatae. An R. sagittatus, Th. FI. Cap. 2. p. 348.? At this place I met with a shrub which occui’s in various parts of the countx-y ; it is not the only species of the genus Ehretia which I have found iix Southern Africa. Ehretia Hottentotica, B. Catal. Geogr. 2117. Frutex sub-5-pedalis. Rarnuli albidi. Folia petiolata obovata integerrima laevia, margine scabro. Cymae pauciflorae extra- axillares. Flores purpurei. Laciniae corollas ovatae obtusae, marginibus vix conspicue tomentosis. Calyx profunde 5-fidus, divisionibus acxxtis subtomentosis. Bacca globosa flava tetrapyrena. * A x'epresentation of this plant, in the proportion of oxxe fifth of its natural size, is given at the end of the px'esent chapter. f Testudinaria, Salisb. By the liberality of my friend, Mr. R. A. Salisbury, I am enabled to anticipate a por- tion of his long-expected work on a general arrangement of plants according to their natural affinities. In that work, which will soon be given to the public, the present genus stands, along with six others, in his 3d section of the order Dioscoridece, or among those having a membranaceous pericarp, all the lobes of which are fei'tile. The name of Testudinaria is peculiarly appropriate, and is meant to expx-ess the resemblance which the bulb, or tuber, has to a tortoise. The following generic character is copied froxxx that work. “ Testudinaria. Petala in cyathum coalita, dein reclinata, oblonga, interiora parunx latiora. Filamenta 6, longiuscula in hoc ordine. An therm oblongae emarginulatae. Styli coaliti. Stigmata recurva, obtusa. Semina apice alata. Herbae iix Promontorio Bonae Spei, 7 — 12-pedales. Radix in tuber grande areolatum supra terrain emineus. Caulis superne volubilis, teres, rigidus at quotannis periens. Folia alterna, reniformia, in U 2 148 HOTTENTOTS TAKEN ILL. 5 — 7 April, 5th. At this time I had nearly recovered from all the effects of my illness ; but two of my men were now seized with the same dis- order, and in two days afterwards, the whole of them were lying sick in the tent. None appeared to suffer so severely as I had ; in some, the symptoms were but slight, and more resembling a violent cold. It was now my turn to attend on them, for considering that it was I who had brought them from their homes, where they would have escaped this attack, I felt it more especially my duty to take care of them. At the end of ten days, all were well again ; excepting Cobus , whose age was perhaps the only cause of his remaining indisposed a few days longer than the rest. This old man, after making many inquiries among the Hottentots of the country, was unable to gain any certain tidings of his daughter whom he expected to find at Graaffreynet, and on whose account he had taken this long and fatiguing journey.* All that he learnt was, that she was alive, and had, not long since, removed to another part of the Colony. With this intelligence he was obliged to remain satisfied ; and now had no other wish left than to return to his friends in the Transgariepine. Hans Lucas was more fortunate in his journey, for he regained an ox, which he had lost two years before, and which he had relinquished all hope of ever seeing again. He accidentally discovered it among a herd of cattle belonging to the Drostdy. He immediately recog- nised and laid claim to it : and fortunately the circumstances were so clear, that it was delivered up to him without hesitation. Hans was at that time on a journey to Cape Town, and it was very well recollected by the Hottentots who then drove the landdrost’s waggon, una Soldanellae. Flores dioici : masculi spicis laxis parum ramosis ; foeminei spicis brevioribus ; viridi-flavescentuli. Pedicelli breves. Bracteas solitariae. Species 2. Tamus Elephantipes , L’Her., aliaque nondum edita.” The present plant, which has much smaller leaves than the species long known by the above name, may be distinguished as the Testudinaria montana, B. Catal. geogr. 2912. Folia cordata, semicollapsa, latiora quam longa, obsolete nervosa, subtus glauca. * See Vol. I. p. 542. 1812. CIVILITIES AT BREMMER’S. 149 that a strange ox, supposed to have belonged to the Klaarwater people, had mingled itself with their teams, and was brought along with them to Graaffreynet. 1th. On the arrival of the post from Cape Town, many of the inhabitants of the village, and particularly the female part, most of whom had never been inoculated, were put under great alarm by an account of the Small-pox having made its appearance there : and in consequence of this, some intended journeys to the metropolis were postponed. Among the boors, the demand for Hottentot labor on their farms is everywhere so pressing, that all my search and inquiries for men, ended unsuccessfully. The landdrost declined acting in this business, without instructions from the commandant on the frontiers ; and as no answer had yet been received from that quarter, every further arrangement was postponed. In the interim, having no means of preserving the objects of natural history which I might have procured here, I employed myself in collecting information on the affairs of this part of the Colony, and often amused myself in drawing. The absence of my flute, was now felt to be a greater loss than I had supposed ; but I occasionally sup- plied its place with an instrument which I little expected to meet with in this remote cprner of Africa. In one of the cottages of the village I discovered an organ : and through Mr. Kicherer’s introduction to the owner, obtained free access to it during my residence at this village. It was at the house of a worthy Hollander of the name of Bremmer. Here I often passed an hour or two ; and many times would the sound beguile my thoughts to a land where I had heard it so much better played ; and the recollection of distant scenes, or the memory of some delightful hour recalled by a few notes to which my fingers accidentally ran, have afforded me in the honest Bremmer’ s cottage, a gratification which I would not have exchanged for all the pleasures of a grander mansion. Whenever they saw me at the door, some one of the family ran with a smile to let me in, and pleased at my coming, immediately went to open the organ and place a seat for me. The two daughters, the eldest of whom was not fifteen, sometimes very goodnaturedly took upon themselves the trouble of blowing the 150 THE CHURCH-ORGAN. — VILLAGE-SCHOOL. 7—14 April, bellows ; but I usually took with me my Hottentot, Philip, for this purpose, who was more amused perhaps than any one else, and not a little pleased when I was obliged to tell him that I could not play unless he helped me ; for it often happened that, his attention being entirely engaged by the music, he forgot to blow. The eldest of the daughters could play some psalm tunes, which she had been taught by the person who £ worked’ the organ at the church ; for so I must term it. I had, previously to hearing ofBremmer’s, made, by the clergy- man’s permission, an attempt upon that organ, attended by the organist himself ; but was completely disappointed at finding it exceedingly out of order. It was however the donation of a pious boor of the district, to whom it had cost a considerable sum of money, though quite old when he purchased it. Yet, notwithstanding the price, it had a few defects over and above being thoroughly worn out : the keys were so rattling and noisy, and some so loose, and others so tight, that it was difficult to know what force each one required; and often, one or other, after being pressed down, would remain in that position while the pipe kept on growling, or squealing, till accident, or some assistance, stopped it again. A regular musician could hardly be found to accept a situation which so badly repaid his services ; for this person, who played merely psalm tunes in a plain manner and made no pretensions to a voluntary, was glad to accept, in addition to his music, a trifling salary as assistant in the village-school under the clerk. The number of children taught in this school, was about fifty ; and the charge was — for learning to read, including a book, one rixdollar a month ; for writing, one more ; and for arithmetic, another rixdollar. The master himself was allowed besides these emolu- ments, a house and garden. 14 th. At length a polite letter from the commandant, dated at Bruyntjes Hoogte on the 12th, in answer to one from me on the 31st of the preceding month, informed me that he had written to the acting-landdrost to desire him to assist me in procuring men ; and at the same time requested me to restore Philip to his regiment, unless I found him to be indispensably necessary. Now it seemed that I 1812. PHILIP AND SPEELMAN CLAIMED. 151 was destined always to have favorable opportunities thrown in my way, for trying and proving my patience : for not more than six hours before the receipt of this letter, the landdrost himself had set out on a journey to the commandant, for the purpose of arranging some business which required a personal conference. Nothing there- fore could be done with respect to my own affairs, till his return. As there appeared so much difficulty in obtaining men at any rate, I considered that giving up one out of the only two which remained in my service, would really be 4 advancing backwards’ in the affair which brought me to Graaffreynet. I however mentioned his colonel’s wish to the Hottentot, and now gave him his option of being a soldier again, or of returning with me into the Transgariepine ; but he had so little hesitation in the choice, that he was even uneasy at the idea of the bare proposal of sending him back to his regiment. I afterwards repeated this proposal, but as he persisted in the same answer ; and as he had been trained to my mode of travelling, and was now a veteran in my service, I considered him to be 4 indis- pensably necessary.’ Speelman also, was claimed again by a person whom he happened unexpectedly one day to meet in the village, and to whom he had formerly been hired for a twelvemonth, but had not served out the whole period. But he escaped from him, by promising to work out the remainder of the time, after his return from the present journey. During my stay here, much of the time was employed in keep- ing my people together, and in watching to prevent their falling into harm. They occasioned me continual uneasiness ; for as they had now scarcely any occupation, I greatly feared that idleness would lead them into disorderly habits. The money I had paid them, together with that which they derived from the sale of the shamboks cut from the hide of the two rhinoceroses, was to them no source of ad- vantage ; and I had the mortification of discovering that nearly the whole of it was spent at the pagters. I seldom went to the tent with- out perceiving evident symptoms of one or other of these foolish men having taken too much brandy : but I have a pleasure in doing them 152 HOTTENTOTS DURING INTOXICATION. 14— 18 April, the justice to declare, that, when in a state of intoxication , at which times there would be no restraint upon vicious inclinations, they generally exhibited a goodness of disposition which, I shall always think, belongs naturally to the Hottentot character. One day, when they were in this state, Old Hans and Speelman came together into my room, with hearts overflowing with zeal for my service and the most respectful regard for my person. The object of their communication was some information respecting a Hottentot whom they expected to persuade to join our party. Their solicitude for the interest of my journey, and their repeated declar- ation that they were ready to do any thing to serve me, left nothing further for me to wish, but that they were sober. Old Cobus had saved his wages till within a day or two of our departure, and had nearly established himself in my good opinion, as a Hottentot who was careful of his property ; but, unable to resist temptation and bad example, he faltered at last ; and I found him one day lying in the tent, after a fit of intoxication, bewailing the loss of all his money. This misfortune brought him sufficiently to his senses, to confess that he had spent a great part of it at the pagter’s ; but that the rest, being usually kept in his hat, had been stolen away, while he lay in a state of insensibility, or, as he more delicately called it, sleep. The thief was never discovered, nor even suspected. One of my men appeared in his manners very different from the rest ; he was always silent and sullen ; seldom quitted the tent ; and whenever any strangers from the village came there, as they frequently did for the purpose of learning some particulars of our journey, he used to cover himself up in his kaross and lie down in one corner as if asleep. On one occasion, when I ordered him to fetch some sheep which I had purchased at a neighbouring farm, he evinced the greatest reluctance to go, and, pretending that he was unacquainted with the road, begged that I would send another instead of him. This diabolical wretch had sufficient cause for desiring thus to hide him- self from observation ; yet, although the rest of my people sometimes remarked that his behaviour was strange and unaccountable, no one had any suspicions of his being the man whom he was afterwards 1812. CHARACTER OF OLD DANIEL. — BABOONS. 153 proved to be. I reserve the horrid story for that part of my journal to which it properly belongs ; but I cannot without shuddering, re- flect how often my life has been in his hands ; nor remember without gratitude, the protection of Providence, which shielded me during my travels, from the many dangers, both seen and unseen, to which I have been exposed. This miscreant was he whom we have called Old Daniel . 1 5th. From so irregular a mode of passing their time, my people fell into a neglect of, or rather an inattention to, the only duty required of them during our stay ; and I was therefore not sur- prised at being told that all the oxen were missing. I despatched men in parties, to seek in different directions ; and it was not till the seventh day of their search, that all were recovered. One of these animals, influenced by its long habits of sleeping by the waggons and of lying down to rest near our fires and in the society of men, returned home of its own accord : the rest were at last discovered at a distant place, grazing in company with a large herd belonging to the village. On one of the days while the men were engaged in this search, one party was sent to explore the mountains ; and, as tigers were said to haunt those places, they took the dogs with them for safety. Baboons * are also met with here in great numbers ; and unfortunately the dogs, through a natural antipathy to this tribe of animals, pursued a small company, which turned upon them, and defended themselves most effectually. They killed one of the dogs on the spot, by biting it through the jugular artery ; and another, they severely disabled by tearing a large piece of flesh out of its side ; so that, a part of the ribs was laid bare. 18th. In the preceding fortnight, the weather had been dry and * Cercopithecus ursinus. I have taken the specific name from Pennant, as being suf- ficiently characteristic, but have not perceived the necessity for adopting the generic name of Cynocephalus proposed by Cuvier. In this, I am supported by the opinion of the learned Illiger, who says “ Anne genus Cercopithecorum cum sequente (Cynocephalo- rum) jungendum.” Prod. Syst. Mamm., p. 69. VOL. II. X 154 PASTORAL DUTIES. — HOTTENTOTS HIRED. 18 — 24 April, pleasant ; but in the course of the following week, much rain fell : and for the remainder of my stay at this village, I was troubled con- tinually with a 4 cold in the head,’ a complaint which had never attacked me while nightly sleeping in the open air. In this, the powerful effect of habit, on the bodily constitution, was remarkably exemplified ; while, on the other hand, it proved that luxuries, as the convenience of sleeping in a warm bedroom might now be considered, may be attended with disadvantages. 19 th. During my residence at Graaffreynet, I had constant opportunities of noticing Mr. Kicherers extraordinary zeal in religion, and unremitted attention to the duties of his situation. Through his exertions religious assemblies took place every day in the week, either in the church, or at the meeting-house, or at private dwellings ; and similar meetings of females were conducted by his lady. Four times a year, he undertook journeys through his district for the purpose of holding these assemblies in various places, for the convenience and instruction of those whom distance prevented from coming to the church. These pastoral visits were called huisbezoekmgs , or domici- liary visitations. Though enthusiasm in the evangelical cause is not an uncommon sentiment ; I have no hesitation in believing Mr. Kicherer’s religious feelings to have been as sincere as they were warm, and that his labors were directed by an earnest desire for the diffusing of the Gospel. 2 3rd. The landdrost, whose arrival I had been long expecting, did not return till yesterday ; and this afternoon he sent to inform me that Jive Hottentots were waiting at his house ready to engage themselves in my service. Rejoiced at this agreeable intelligence, I repaired thither, immediately, and found them not only willing, but even desirous of undertaking the journey, as he had urged every favorable circumstance to encourage them, and was himself equally desirous that I should hire them. He fixed the wages which they were to receive ; and to these, they instantly agreed. I therefore believed myself to be fortunate in having at length obtained the object of my visit to the Colony, and was happy at finding the affair thus at length settled. They had not, indeed, the looks of Hottentots of the 1812. CORNELIS. — MARTHA, MARY, AND JOHN. 155 description I required ; yet, as the landdrost assured me they would all prove valuable servants, I had no hesitation in engaging them ; although three appeared to be mere boys. On the following day they presented themselves at my tent, ready for the journey ; and I then paid to each one, a portion of his money in advance. 24 th. Through Mr. Kicherer’s recommendation and assistance, I also engaged two other Hottentots, or rather Half-Hottentots, who were considered to be of a much superior class, as having been baptized and taught to read : on this account I agreed to pay them a salary double that of my ordinary men. The name of one, was Cornells Goe'iman the offspring of a Hot- tentot man and the daughter of a Dutch colonist ; a mixture as rare, as the converse is common ; most of the Mixed- Hottentots, in whom there is any Dutch blood, deriving it from the father, but very seldom from the mother. He was taller than the usual stature of men of his father’s race, his complexion was fairer, and features nearly European ; but his hair was still as woolly as that of a negro, though much less so than in the genuine Hottentot. The other, was Jan Van Roye (or Van Rooyen), a man formerly well known in England and Holland, as one of the three Hottentots who were brought to Europe about the year 1805 by Mr. Kicherer, and exhibited as specimens of missionary conversion. The names of these three, it may be recollected, were Martha , Mary and John. They excited great interest among the curious, more especially among the favorers of missionary labours ; and met with much notice from all ranks of the community. Mary, or, as she was here called, Mietje , was the wife of John, or Jan Van Roye. After Mr. Kicherer’s return from Europe, John, together with Mary and Martha, remained for some years under his protection as domestic servants ; and were treated, as it will readily be supposed, with the greatest indulgence and kindness. But at length, Jan and his wife, giving way to their propensity to that ruinous vice, inebriety, and proving in other respects immoral and undeserving, their protector found himself compelled to put them out of his house ; although he still continued, with benevolent feelings towards them, to watch over their conduct. x 2 156 CORNELIS; AND JAN VAN ROYE. 24 April, The candour with which he exposed to me the faults of these two men, is highly to be admired. He apprised me that they were too fond of brandy, and that, as they could always have access to the pakter’s, they often, at Graaffreynet, proved troublesome and refractory ; but that, in the journey they were about to under- take and where they could have neither temptation nor the means of gratifying that propensity, he did not doubt that they would be found valuable servants ; especially as they were baptized and knew the Christian duties ; qualifications which he naturally urged as a strong inducement for preferring them to ordinary Hottentots. The truth of this account of their defects, was proved on the very same evening ; for Cornells made his appearance at the parsonage, in a state of complete intoxication, and had probably been induced to over-indulgence in his propensity, by the prospect of the wages of his new service. Both the minister and the landdrost, with the view of putting some check upon his excesses, had very wisely, though not perhaps legally, as the man was by his baptism entitled to the same privileges as the Dutch colonists, forbidden the pakter to sell him any brandy, unless he produced a paper signed by the one or the other, specifying the quantity which they allowed him to purchase ; according to a colonial regulation framed, expressly for Hottentots, but which, I fear, is too often neglected. In this state, the man, finding his demands for more brandy, resisted by the pakter, flew to the landdrost ; and, with violent and impertinent language, insisted on having his right. That step not availing him, he came to the minister, and in a turbulent indignant tone, asked what right any one had to restrain him as if he were a Hottentot : Was he not a Christian ! and could he not have as much brandy as he pleased, without being obliged to ask leave of any man ! As these two people, but more particularly Jan Van Roye, might, from the instruction they had received, easily be believed to possess a degree of knowledge much superior to other Hottentots, I conceived they might, in an equal degree, prove superior to them in usefulness ; and was, therefore, satisfied at having engaged them, as I could have little to fear from a disposition to drunkenness, in 1812. THE GERMAN FROM SNEEUWBERG. 157 countries where they would find nothing to drink but water. To lose no time in securing them for my service, I took them im- mediately to the office of Mr. Muller the District-secretary, where they were bound for the term of my journey, not in the forms customary for Hottentots, but a regular stamped agreement. Soon after my arrival at Graaffreynet, Mr. Menzies had men- tioned to me a German at that time with the 4 commando’ on the Caffre frontier, as a man who would probably be willing to serve me, and might be found useful in superintending my Hottentots and in looking after my cattle and waggons ; therefore conceiving that such a person would be of great assistance, Mr. Menzies, at my desire, obligingly took the trouble of ascertaining his readiness to accompany me. Mr. Andries Stockenstrom , who, three years afterwards, became landdrost of Graaffreynet, was at that time on duty in the eastern districts as an officer of the Cape regiment, and, when informed of my wish to hire this man, who belonged to the detachment of which he had the command, he took the very friendly part, with the con- currence of Colonel Lyster , of granting his release from the militia, as he happened fortunately to be one of the disposable force ; and without delay, sent him to Graaffreynet, where he arrived on the 14th. This German had formerly been a corporal in the Dutch East India Company’s service, and having lived many years in the Colony, had travelled over a great part of it. He expressed himself exceed- ingly pleased at the idea of a journey into the Interior, and made promises of the utmost obedience and fidelity : he was, however, very illiterate. His place of residence was on Sneeuwberg; but he appeared to have, on what account I could not clearly discover, several enemies or opposers, at this village. He was free in his religious opinions, and it therefore was not surprising that the cler- gyman, who had recommended the two Hottentots as valuable ser- vants because they were Christians, should dissuade me from taking a man professing such sentiments : and in this he acted with a con- sistency becoming his professions. Among others who threw dif- ficulties in his way, on this occasion, was the acting-landdrost, 158 PROPOSALS TO A COLONIST. 24, 25 April, Paul Mare *, who raised my suspicions as to the motives of his readi- ness to accompany me ; and proposed, as a security for his good beha- viour and to prevent his desertion on the journey, that he should sign a bond in the penalty of confiscation of all his property, on Sneeuwberg. This bond was to be deposited at the drostdy ; and to be, either acted upon, or cancelled, agreeably to a certificate which I was to give him at the termination of the journey. To this arrangement the man would on no account consent ; because no one, he said, could be answerable for the use that might in his absence be made of the bond, although the property it involved was of little value : nor could my promise of giving him immediately the certificate, or a paper to counteract its effect, induce him to agree to the landdrost’s proposal. I was therefore left in equal uncertainty, whether the cause of his obstinacy might not be a consciousness of double-deal- ing, or whether it might really be the fear that some advantage would be taken of his bond. At length it was, in a few days afterwards, finally settled between us, that the signing of the bond should be re- linquished, and that he should proceed home, as soon as possible, to arrange all his affairs for the journey ; and that he should meet me on Sneeuwberg, at Herholdt’s. As soon as it became known in the village, what men the land- drost had given me, I received intimation from different quarters, that they were all, excepting one, known for incorrigible scoundrels, and the refuse of the tronk Hottentots. It must here be explained that the tronk , or jail, is the general receptacle, not only of convicted criminals, but of such Hottentots or slaves as are found, improperly or illegally wandering about the country, without a passport, or unable to give a credible account of themselves ; and who are lodged there for examination, or until their masters or owners fetch them away. These are commonly called by * This is the colonial mode of expression, when mentioning the name of a boor : and it is not from want of respect that they always thus omit the title of Mr. when speak- ing of a person of this description. 1812. TRONK HOTTENTOTS. 159 the colonial term of drossers or gedrost Hottentotten (runaways). It is also a refuge for those who, having been illtreated by their masters, fly to the landdrost for redress : these are called Klagt-Hottentotten, or 4 complaining Hottentots and are usually kept employed on the Government works, or set to labor at the drostdy, until their masters can be summoned to appear and answer to the charge. If this is clearly substantiated, the man is either released from his engagement with the boor, or given over to another master, or retained to work as a tronk Hottentot ; although it often happens, when the baas s story is heard, that he is proved to deserve punishment, instead of redress. It may therefore sometimes occur, that among these tronk volk (jail- people), there may be good and deserving Hottentots, as well as worthless. Now, it happened unfortunately for me, that the selection had been made from those of the latter description : as it appeared from the best authority, that before my arrival at Graaffreynet, the land- drost and heemraaden had resolved upon dismissing from the jail, nine of the least useful, or rather, the more worthless ; because, as it was said, there could not be found at the drostdy work enough to employ them. Several months afterwards I discovered that one of them had been kept in jail for having, after running away from his master, joined another Hottentot of the same stamp, and lived for several months by stealing cattle. It was reported, how correctly I cannot say, that some one had remarked that such men were good enough for the Englishman, as neither he, nor they, would ever return alive. My people were often called the Englishman’s dood volk (dead men) ; but they assured me that, although many persons of the village had endeavoured to deter them, by saying that I was going to take them amongst the menschvreeters (men-eaters), yet they considered it only as a tale invented for the purpose of frightening them. 25^. Having, on the following day, obtained from the same quarter, the names of such tronk Hottentots as were recommended as fit for my journey, and whose courage and fidelity might be relied on, I immediately sent the German with some of my own men, to 160 JULI. 25 April, ascertain if they were willing to be hired. They answered without hesitation that they would gladly engage themselves. On this, I went to the landdrost and requested that I might be allowed to have these men, instead of the five whom I had seen at his house ; and at the same time intimated that I had been informed by persons who knew the characters of all of them, that the first set were not such as I ought to trust myself with. His reply was, that he must refer the matter to the heemraaden : which he would do on the fol- lowing Monday ; that being the regular council-day. But in the mean time, he assured me, that the men he had already given, were all trustworthy people, and that, on the contrary, those whom I now wished to hire, were some of the greatest scoundrels in the district. One of these last Hottentots deserves to be particularly noticed. He had been waggon-driver to Landdrost Stockenstrom, and since his death, had continued to work at the drostdy. I ascertained that his services were no longer required by that family, who spoke favorably of his character, and that he was resolved if possible to add himself to the number of my party. His name was Juli , a man of whose good and invaluable qualities I was not at this time aware, but who, during the three years and four months that he was con- stantly with me, continued always to gain on my good opinion, and prove by his fidelity, how fortunate I was in taking him into my service. I shall not, in this place, say all that could be said in his favor : as I became gradually acquainted with his value, so shall his character be gradually unfolded in the course of my journal. The accompanying plate * presents both a portrait of his person, and a correct likeness of his features ; and I hope that the physiognomist will not suffer himself to be misled by the want of European beauty or proportions in a Hottentot face, to suppose that in Juli’s counte- * Plate 3. This portrait was drawn in August 1815,’ only a few days before I sailed from the Cape ; but he still continued in my pay nearly two years longer ; after which he returned with his wife and child to Graaffreynet. He is here exhibited in his usual dress $ a blue cloth jacket, leathern trowsers, a cotton handkerchief round his head, and another about his neck. It was by his own desire that he is represented holding his musket ; and the position is that in which he used to carry it when approaching any wild animal. \ 1812. JULI. 161 nance may not be seen an expression of real goodness of heart. If he has had the same experience among that race, which I have, he will discover it most clearly. Juli was a Hottentot of the mixed race ; as were also his father and mother. The hair of men of this class, being longer and looser or less in tufts, than in the genuine Hottentot, is well expressed in the engraving. His features do not differ very widely from those of the unmixed race. His age was, probably, nearer fifty than forty ; as he was the oldest man of the party, whom I took into the Interior. His father lived in the vicinity of Algoa-bay, but was killed by the Caffres while hunting in the Zuureveld. The mother, induced by distress at her loss, resolved to quit a district which had been fatal to her husband, and removed with her two children, a girl and a boy, to the western side of the colony. Here she was still more unfortunate ; for, falling in the way of a brutal colonist who resided on the river which runs through that tract, he seized her children, then nearly grown up and strong enough to be made useful on his farm, and drove her away from the place, as she herself appeared too old to render him much service by her labor. He therefore procured Juli and his sister to be registered in the field-cornet’s books, as legally bound to serve him for twenty-five years ; which was in fact to make them his actual slaves for that time. The mother clung to her children, wishing to resist this unjust seizure, and desiring to be permitted either to take them away, or to live on the farm with them ; but the farmer repeatedly drove her off, and at last, with a resolution to deter her from coming there again, he one evening flogged her so unmercifully that she died the next morning ! This, and the harsh treatment which he himself received, were sufficient to drive Juli to despair ; and he, in consequence, took the first favorable opportunity of making his escape. This is a tale which he several times repeated to me during my travels ; but as the colonist is now dead, it rests alone upon his veracity. Yet as the word of a Hottentot gains, in general, but little credit in the Colony, so has his story, if he ever dared to make a formal complaint : which 1 believe he never ventured to do. If he VOL. II. Y 162 THE HIRING OF 25 April, or his wife should still be living, when this volume reaches the Cape, I hope there will be found enough humane persons to afford them protection, should they stand in need of any : it will be the greatest personal favor which can be conferred on myself. Juli and Van Roye, who were acquainted with all the Hottentots at Graaffreynet, had found one named Platje Zwartland, who was very desirous of being of our party ; and recommended him to me as a steady useful man. He was shepherd and herdsman to a man of the name of Schemper , the village butcher, and had been engaged to him for the term of one yeai, which had already expired some little time before : and although the Hottentot wished to quit him, the master was resolved still to detain him, contrary to a law which expressly provides, that 4 as soon as the period for which he has been engaged, shall have expired, all further service shall cease, and the Hottentot, together with his wife and children and all their pro- perty, shall be allowed to depart without let or hindrance a wise and necessary law, which wants no other amendment than a clause decreeing punishment for the infraction of it. Platje informed us, that as soon as the master knew of his in- tention of going with us, he contrived to get him into a state of intoxication, as he little suspected the cause of his being so liberal with his brandy ; and made him in that state promise to continue his servant for another year. Of all this, the man was perfectly un- conscious, and declared that he never intended at any rate, to stop with him longer ; but that he had always, when asked the question, persisted in his refusal. He seemed much rejoiced at being told that he should go with us, if it could be clearly made out that his story was true. On the next day, I brought this Hottentot before the landdrost, for the purpose of ascertaining whether he was legally at liberty to enter my service. On searching the official register, nothing was found to prove the truth of the master’s assertion, who was present himself; and who, finding that Mare had no power to detain the man, and hoping that the District Secretary could befriend him, referred me to that office : but neither here, could any record or proof be 1812. PLATJE. 163 found. The Secretary was exceedingly warm with the Hottentot for leaving the butcher, after having promised to serve him another year ; and told me that he had been credibly given to understand that he was truly, though only verbally, hired. Still, with the strongest evidence against him, the master made another struggle to detain Platje, and persuaded the jailer or onder- schout (under-sheriff) to send me a note certifying, fortunately for his conscience, not upon oath, that to his knowledge the man, with his wife and five children, was hired for a twelvemonth at the Secre- tary’s office, on the last day of May in the preceding year, at the sum of twenty rix dollars : wishing by this, to show that his time had not yet expired. For, after having failed to prove that he was legally, or actually, hired for another year, he thought it would answer his purpose equally well, and prevent the man’s leaving the village with me, if he could induce me to believe that the period of service would not terminate till the end of May, at which time, he knew, I should long have quitted the colony. All these endeavours, only served to convince me of the truth of the Hottentot’s story ; and as he was exceedingly desirous of making one of my party, and anxious lest he should be detained by the butcher, whom he was resolved at all events to leave, I determined, as much on his account as on my own, to take him with me. I there- fore requested the landdrost to sign an order to the Secretary, that he should, if no legal objection could be found, prepare the usual agree- ment, and register him as my servant. This was accordingly done. But on the Hottentot’s demanding the arrears of his wages, of which he had only received nine rix dollars, his master not only denied his claim, but took from him some clothes, which, he said, the man had not paid for. Platje, the following day, summoned him before the landdrost ; the butcher asserted that no money was due ; and the Hottentot, who was unable to bring forward any witness, or to produce any written testimony, relinquished his demand, and came away, well satisfied with having gained at least his freedom. I have related the particulars of this story, with the view of showing more forcibly than bare assertion could do, how useful and y 2 164 UTILITY OF THE COLONIAL HOTTENTOTS. 25—27 April, necessary a race of men the Hottentots are considered by the colonists; who feel, and by their conduct prove, that the business of the farms cannot proceed without the labor of their hands. The difficulty which I experienced, not at Graaffreynet only, but in every other part of the colony, in obtaining men for the prosecution of my travels even within the boundary, has, in conjunction with other evidence, con- vinced me that the demand for them is much greater than the supply : a circumstance which should obtain for this peaceable race every reasonable encouragement, and which must convince the colonists that their true interest consists in securing their fidelity by kind treatment. I do not mean to stand forward on all occasions indiscriminately, as the advocate for the Hottentots against the Boors, nor shall I undertake to defend them against many just complaints made by the latter ; for I know that their conduct may sometimes be exceedingly vexatious, and sufficiently provoking to exhaust the patience of their masters. I wish merely to point out how greatly the comfort of both parties depends on a mutual good understanding ; and that fidelity on one side, and justice and kind- ness on the other, are the only means of doing away that mutual suspicion and recrimination, which has so long subsisted between them, and which none but the worst enemies to society and good order, endeavour to cherish and perpetuate. Connected with this question, there exist among the inhabitants of the Cape two opposite parties ; and, as I have had numerous opportunities of hearing the opinions of both, and have formed my own upon the evidence of facts only, and the experience of several years, I shall not make to either, any apology for saying, that I believe much blame to be due to both. For, where party spirit exists, there of course, will im- partiality not be found ; and where there is no impartiality, there of course can no justice dwell : for justice holds an even balance ; but partiality, or party spirit, throws a deceitful preponderance into its own scale. A legislature lias done but half its duty, when it has made good laws ; the other half, is to watch that they are duly obeyed, or enforced. 2 6t/i. I sent again for the five tronk Hottentots whom I wished to 1812. SECRET INTIMIDATION. 1 65 hire, and offered them as wages, considerably more than the landdrost had fixed as the sum to be paid those whom he had first given me. At this, they expressed themselves fully satisfied, and every thing was now finally settled, excepting the act of legally binding them to me before the landdrost. I therefore went without delay, to apprise him that every arrangement excepting that one, was agreed on ; and that nothing more was wanting but his consent. This he now granted ; and, without referring the matter to the heemraaden, the following morning was fixed as the time for meeting the people at his house, and according to law, entering into engagements with them in his presence. 27 th. In consequence of this, he sent word the following morning, that four of the men were then waiting at his house ; but on coming there, I found to my great surprise and mortification, that they had all changed their minds and now refused to engage them- selves, and even declared to the landdrost that they had never promised to go on the journey with me ; an assertion so notoriously false, that I should have believed that he had not been mistaken in their character, had I not known enough of Hottentots to feel aware that, on some occasions, their timidity and dread would make them say any thing which they thought likely to get them out of present trouble. I readily forgave these poor misguided creatures, because I suspected that some one in the village might have told them that if they went with me, they would never return, or that other arguments might have been used to excite their alarm and dissuade them from their purpose. Besides the landdrost, there was present a person named Card Gerots, who, I was told, had the superintend- ance of the tronk Hottentots. Juli was one of the five Hottentots whose names were on my second list ; but he boldly persisted in his intention of accompanying me, although the landdrost declared that, being a good waggon-driver, he could not be spared from the drostdy work. Yet nothing could shake this honest fellow’s resolution ; therefore, as he was not a slave, but a free man, it would have been an illegal stretch of power, to have restrained him from chusing his own master. 166 ACTS OF FRIENDSHIP 27 April, Thus was I reduced to the necessity of making up my number with three of the first set : of these Keyser Dikkop (Emperor Thick- head) was the only one to whose character no particular objection had been made. The names of the other two were, Stuurman Witbooy. and Andries Michael. The object of my journey into the Colony being now to a certain extent, obtained, for there was at this place no further prospect of hiring serviceable men, and I judged it would have been even dangerous to take a greater number of such as had been proposed for me, I gave orders to prepare for leaving Graaffreynet on the next day. I purchased of Mare an additional supply of tobacco , not only for the purpose of distribution among the Bushmen of the Cisga- riepine, but in order to increase my original stock; being well assured that a traveller in Southern Africa can never have too much of this commodity. In Mare’s shop, I was shown a large quantity which he was just about to send by a fieldcornet, to the borders of the Bushman country northward of Sneeuwbergen, to be distributed among the natives as a present from the Cape government. During my residence at Graaffreynet, I experienced many acts of friendship from several of its inhabitants, amongst whom the Rev. Mr. Kicherer and his lady, stand the foremost, and well deserve my warmest and most sincere thanks for their hospitality, and the kind interest which they took in my affairs. Even at the last moment he seemed happy at having an opportunity of testifying the continuance of that Christian benevolence with which he hastened to my hut at the foot of Sneeuwberg ; for, learning that I had ordered from a neighbour and friend of his, named Hendrik Meyntjes , fifteen sheep as a provision for the journey, and for which I was to have paid two rixdollars each, he privately interfered with his friend, and on my preparing to discharge this debt, I was told that I had nothing to pay : nor could I even discover whether my thanks were due most to Mr. Kicherer, or to Mr. Meyntjes. So unexpected a gift was truly gratifying ; because it carried with it, that which only can make a gift agreeable or acceptable — the pure expression of the giver’s kind and friendly sentiments. 1812. AT GRAAFFREYNET. 167 To Mrs. Stocken strom I was indebted for a most useful addition to my store of beads : these were the more valuable because they were not, as I found by experience, easily to be purchased at this distance from Cape Town. They were the remains of some which the late landdrost had brought to Graaffreynet for the purpose of distribution among that very nation by whom he was so treacherously murdered. From the acting-landdrost and the district-secretary Mr. Muller, I at all times received civility and attention : from the former I readily obtained cash for a bill on my agents in Cape Town. Neither do I forget a voluntary offer made by honest Bremmer, of supplying me with money for my draft to any amount : knowing that there was a scarcity of cash at this place, he wished to prove himself desirous of rendering me a more material service, than the use of the organ. I indulge myself in acknowledging every act of goodwill towards me, because in doing this I enjoy a second time, the pleasure which they first gave me : and if the course and consistency of my narrative, or the justification of my own proceedings, should compel me some- times to notice acts of a contrary kind, I hope that every one will do me the justice to believe that I do so, with pain and great reluctance. CHAPTER VI. RETURN FROM GRAAFFREYNET TO THE BOUNDARY OF THE COLONY. April 2Sth. Every preparation for departure being now completed, Mr. Kicherer assembled his family and servants, to whom were added some visitors then stopping at his house and part of my own people, for the purpose of joining in prayers on this occasion. I must have had neither feeling nor religion, not to have been affected at beholding an assembly of this kind, on their knees, praying 4 with one accord ’ for my safety and for that of my people, and offering supplications that we might be shielded from the many dangers to which we were about to be exposed. When acts of devotion have the effect of drawing man nearer not only to his Creator, but to his fellow- creatures, he may feel assured that he possesses true religion. But who will be so impious and weak as to assert that prayer can be a useful exercise of the mind, unless it produce both these effects ? It is not their professions, but the actions and conduct of men, 28 April, 1812. DEPARTURE FROM GRAAFFREYNET. 169 which prove their virtue or their sincerity. It is not the shadow of forms, but the substance of upright conduct in life, which constitutes real or practical religion. At the head of human nature stands the honest man ; at the bottom, the hypocrite. This ceremony occupied a quarter of an hour ; after which I mustered my party, and sent them forward, with orders to make the best of their way to Sneeuwberg, and wait for me at Herholdt’s, the place appointed as our last rendezvous. For, Mr. Kicherer had pro- posed that I should accompany him to the farm of an opulent boor, named Barend Burgers, his particular friend, and who, at that time, happened to be on a visit at his house, and had proposed taking us thither in his paardewagen, promising that he would provide for me the means of conveyance afterwards to Herholdt’s. To this proposal there could be no objection, as it gave me an opportunity of seeing another part of the Snow Mountains, and of acquiring further in- formation on the affairs of that part of the Colony. Mr. Oloff Stockenstrom, whose friendly attentions were continued during the whole time of my residence at Graaffreynet, politely desired to accompany me a part of the way on my journey, as far as my hut at the foot of the mountains, where, in so singular a manner, I first had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with him and Mr. Menzies. It was nearly noon, before we took our departure from Graaff- reynet. In the environs, I passed my men, who, instead of hastening forward, had been loitering in the village with their friends. These, knowing that their separation must be for a long period, and not quite free from the fear of never seeing them again, were as unwilling to say farewell, as my people were to hear it. I could not therefore be displeased at their disobedience to my orders, but permitted them to indulge the feelings of nature, and merely required that they should take their final leave before the day was too far advanced for travelling with safety. The plains which intervene between the Sunday river and the mountains, were now enlivened with numerous herds of springbucks ; although none had been observed when we passed here a month VOL. II. z 170 SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION. — A WATERFALL. 28, 29 April, before. This animal, and, indeed, many other species of antelope, remove from one part of the country to another, and sometimes to the distance of many day’s-journeys, according to the state of the pastures, and season of the year. As I passed my hut, I silently thanked it for the shelter which it had so opportunely afforded me ; and without which, the fever might possibly have gained a fatal ascendency. The heap of manure in the cattle-kraal, which we found burning at that time, was even now scarcely extinguished. If by any means the ground of a cattle-pound, which consists entirely of manure, happen to take fire, it will continue, without producing flame, to burn for a great length of time, depending only on the quantity of fuel : nor will rain very easily quench it. The fire generally makes very slow progress ; creeping along the ground, and sometimes beneath the surface, in a remarkable manner. It is the nitrous salts which so long support the combustion. When we ascended the mountain we turned to the west, leaving my former road on the right, and soon afterwards came to the hut of Hans Van der Merwe, where we halted to dine. At this place, near the house, I was shown, as a remarkable circumstance, a deep glen, enclosed by rocky cliffs or precipices, in which peach trees grew, as it were, wild, and sowed themselves : the warm sheltered situation causing them to bear abundance of fruit. After this refreshment we resumed our journey, travelling over a level country, bounded on either hand by mountains of the table- form already noticed on our former passage over this part of Sneeuwberg. The waggon halted while I went to examine a 'waterfall at a short distance on the left of the road ; having just crossed the stream by which it was supplied. By falling over a perpendicular precipice of great depth, into a woody glen below, this stream forms a very singular unbroken cascade, which would have afforded, from different points of view, several interesting sketches. I was, however, obliged to content myself with taking that one which best exhibited its situation and nature. Our road presented nothing remarkable ; or rather, perhaps, the v 1812. RAPID TRAVELLING. — VAN HEERDEN’S. — A WHITE CAFFRE. rapid travelling of a vehicle drawn by six horses in hand, left little time for making remarks of any kind. We flew past every object, and, hardly had I turned my eyes to any thing remarkable by the roadside, than it was already behind us. Such expedition was, indeed, a novelty to me, and very different from the rate to which I had been accustomed during the last ten months ; but, as a traveller desirous of observing the features and productions of a strange country, I abhorred galloping horses, and would have preferred sitting behind a team of my own oxen, whose steady pace seemed to have been measured exactly to suit an observer and admirer of nature. Yet, notwithstanding what appeared to me to be great ex- pedition, it was nine o’clock in the evening before we arrived at Cootje Van Heerdens , where we had purposed to pass the night. This farm house was superior, in most respects, to all which I had hitherto seen in this quarter, and nearly equal to the best in the Cape District. It was built on a larger scale, and in a more substantial manner, than the general class of colonial dwellings, and therefore it scarcely need be added, that the owner was in affluent circumstances. My fellow travellers, being the intimate friends of Van Heerden, were received, and myself also, in the most hospitable manner. The appearance of the place and its inhabitants, was altogether as respectable as any I had seen in the colony. 29 th. At this farm were many servants : among them a girl was pointed out to me, whose history was interesting ; and who was, besides, a surprising lusus natures. Her parents were genuine Cajjres, and resided at this farm when she was an infant : on some occasion they went back to their own country, while their child, under pretence of being unequal to the fatigues of the journey, was left at Van Heerden’s. But as they never afterwards returned for her, it was supposed that her singular appearance had induced them to desert her. At the time when I saw her, she was sixteen years old, of a very stout make, and of short stature : in which respect she was not different from many Caffre girls, whom I saw about a year afterwards. But the color of her skin, was that of the fairest European ; or, more correctly expressed, it was mere pink z 2 172 COUDVELD. — DEEP SNOW. — BUFFALO RIVER. 29, 30 April, and white. Or, perhaps, it will be more intelligible to a painter, if I describe it as being compounded of pure white and a moderate tint of vermilion, without the admixture of any other color; and there- fore, not strictly to be called the complexion of a European. Her Hair was exactly of the same woolly nature as that of her country- women, but it was of a singularly pale hue, nearly approaching to that which is termed flaxen. Her features, however, were those of a true Caffre. Southward from this place, is a very elevated tract of land, called Coudveld (Cold-land ; or the Cold Country), which, seen from a distance, presents the form of a table-mountain. On the summit of this, there is a single farm-house ; it was inhabited by a respectable Dutch widow, who, among her neighbours, passed under the fami- liar name of Hannah Coudveld. This spot is considered by every Sneeuwberger, as undoubtedly the coldest place in the whole colony. Van Heerden assured me that, at his house, snow had sometimes fallen in such quantities, that he had seen it lying of the depth of two feet : but probably this depth is not usual, or, at least, it may be partly occasioned by drifting winds. The places along the upper part of the Sea-cow river, are said to be some of the coldest habita- tions on Sneeuwberg (Sneeberg). That river, in the dry season of the year, is merely a chain of ponds, called 4 Zeekoe gatten’ (Seacow, or Hippopotamus, holes). Near the house, were the largest £ Spanish reeds’ * which I had observed in any part of the colony : but I do not recollect having seen the Bamboo, which requires a warmer climate, growing at any place on the Snow Mountains, or in the Achter-sneeuwberg. After breakfast we took leave, and, resuming our journey, came in three quarters of an hour to the Buffeh rivier (Buffalo river), the highest branch of the Camtoos river, one of the larger streams which flow into the ‘ Cape sea.’ On the banks of the Buffalo river, which we now crossed three times, I noticed a willow, which appeared to be * Arundo Donax L. BURGER’S FARM ON SNEEUWBERG. 1812. 173 of a species different from the willow of the Gariep : the branches were less drooping, and it was, here at least, a much smaller tree. Burger s house stood near to the river, in an open, though not un- pleasant, situation. The building and the whole establishment were not only the best on Sneeuwberg,but as far as my recollection serves me, I have not seen a better farm -house in any district of the colony ; and no intelligence from this part of the world, would afford me more gra- tification, than to hear that the Cape settlement had so far advanced in improvement and riches, that every boor possessed so comfortable and respectable a dwelling. It was built of red bricks, in the usual Dutch style of architecture ; and it appeared not only externally neat, but was within exceedingly clean : and, if compared with the houses of the greater number of farms in this part of the country, it might seem to deserve the name of palace ; although in reality nothing better than an ordinary English farm-house. The surround- ing buildings and an excellent garden, rendered this place a little village of itself, and almost an independent settlement. Here were separate and complete workshops for, smiths, waggon-makers, and carpenters ; and to these, although not noted in my original journal, I may, I believe, add, a corn-mill turned by a water-wheel. The owner, who was a man far advanced in years, was acknowledged as the greatest sheep-grazier in the colony ; a fact which I had no difficulty in crediting, when assured that he possessed 30,000 sheep, besides other cattle. Immediately after our arrival, servants were despatched on horseback, to apprise the neighbours of the arrival of their minister, and of his intention of holding a religious meeting on the following- day at this house ; and, to invite them to attend. In the evening all the household together with the slaves and Hottentots of the farm, were assembled ; when one of the parables of the New Testa- ment, was explained to them, and commented on, in a manner suited to the capacities of the latter, for whose instruction more especially, it was selected. 30th. The whole of my morning was employed in writing letters 174 PRAYER-MEETING. — FROST.— FRIENDLY BOORS. 30 April, to my friends both in England and at the Cape, from whom I had not for a great length of time received any intelligence. In the afternoon the house was crowded with neighbours, who arrived in their waggons, some from a considerable distance, and none without having come a journey of several hours. Coffee and other refreshments were handed round : and in the evening, was held, what is called, an oeffning (or, meeting ; as distinguished from the regular church-service) ; which consisted in alternately reading 'and expounding parts of the New Testament, in extemporaneous prayers, and in singing psalms. May 1st. Early this morning, the ground was whitened with frost. That this was the first which had occurred this season, was indisputably proved by the circumstance of all the capsicums in the garden, and which on the preceding day were standing in a flourish- ing state, being now destroyed by it. In this family, I found the same friendly disposition, which I have recorded as having been experienced at the houses of many other colonists. One of the family, having discovered that some articles which I had deemed mere luxuries, but which were thought by them to be absolute necessaries, were not among my travelling stores, insisted upon adding them to my baggage, although I was fearful of encreasing its weight or bulk by taking with me any thing which could be dispensed with. Among the visitors, was the brother of the Van der Merwe , at whose house I had stopped on my way over the Snow Mountains. He kindly undertook to convey me part of the way towards Her- holdt’s, as far as his son-in-law’s, who, he engaged, would assist me in proceeding farther. Before ten o’clock the whole party began to disperse. Mr. Kicherer returned to Graaffreynet ; while, at the same time, I took my leave of the family, and departed in an opposite direction, with Van der Merwe, in his horse-waggon. As soon as we arrived at the cottage of his son-in-law, whose name was Hendrik Lubbe, we found a dinner ready prepared. After 1 May, 1812. THE SHEEP-SKIN COVERLET. — CAPE FURS. 175 we had partaken of it, Van der Merwe continued his journey homewards, leaving me in the care of Lubbe, who immediately harnessed six horses to his waggon, for the purpose of carrying me forward. As my bedding was being put into the vehicle, his wife perceived that I had no other covering than blankets ; on which she brought out a schdap-vel kombaars (sheep-skin coverlet), and, to in- duce me to accept it, she represented, with a solicitude which could only have proceeded from sentiments of true hospitality, that if I slept out of doors in the winter-season with blankets only, I should perish with cold. To this present, she added a bag of salt, an article which, in the hurry of packing at GraafFreynet, had been forgotten. This kombaars *, or coverlet, is a genuine South- African manu- facture, being nothing more than a Hottentot kaross of large dimen- sions ; but which has been adopted by the boors in every district, either from necessity or utility, or from both. The African sheep generally, are covered with fur or hair, instead of wool ; and when these skins are properly dressed and cleaned, and a number of them sewed together, they form a much warmer covering than could be made from any other materials. The richer inhabitants, and those of Cape Town, who can afford themselves more expensive coverings brought from Europe, affect to dislike the cheaper kombaars, because, as they say, it smells of mutton. The boor is enabled by his immense flocks, to select only such as have a smooth fur ; and thus, he obtains a handsome coverlet, so unlike what a European would imagine for sheep-skins, that it may be doubted whether many persons would ever guess, from what animal it was made. Those which I have brought to England, have often been viewed as the skin of some unknown quadruped. Few furs can be more beautiful than the selected skins of lambs, thus prepared : and if prejudice did not stand in the way, I think they might supplant many which are seen in our furriers’ shops, and with * This word, agreeably to Colonial pronunciation, would be written by an English- man, Combairce. 176 RECEPTION AT OLD JAN VILJOEN’S ; 1 May, the advantages of being afforded, perhaps, at a far lower price, and of their white color admitting of being changed by any of the dyes suited to woollen. Such a branch of commerce might prove not unimportant to the colonists or to the Colony in general : it might open a new source of profit, and turn to better account those innumerable flocks, for the rearing of which, the greater part of that country seems by nature peculiarly adapted. I would hope that these remarks might induce some judicious speculative person to pursue the subject farther, and ascertain to what extent a trade of this kind, may be rendered lucrative. Since the Cape settlement, it seems, is not so fortunate as to possess a climate and herbage, like that of New South Wales, suited for the growth of the finest wools, it may prove equally favoured in having such as give to its sheep a soft and useful fur. Hitherto, our road on the Snow Mountains had been level and tolerably easy ; but after leaving Lubbe’s, it became rough and in some parts dangerous ; leading along the steep sides of mountains, or over very rocky and rugged places. From one part of the road we had a full view of Coudveld. The country became more mountainous, and the air colder, as we entered the highland track of Sneeuwberg proper. It was not till sunset, that we reached the abode of old Jan Viljoen , where Lubbe was to leave me. He came out of his hut to receive us ; but when my companion informed him that I was so situated as to require his assistance in proceeding to Herholdt’s the next day, he became rather cross and out of humour, and, to my mortification, told him that he had neither waggon nor oxen at home. Hearing this, I began to take into consideration the possibi- lity of going thither on foot, and afterwards sending one of my men with a pac.k-ox to fetch my baggage. But, fortunately, Lubbe knew his neighbour too well to be deceived by him ; and persisted in the necessity of his helping me forward: he urged that it was the minister’s particular request to him, and slightly hinted that I carried a government-letter. Whichever of these considerations might have had most weight with him, I know not; but fortunately for me, he at last, and, I am sorry to say, with reluctance, consented to furnish 1812. HIS HOUSE, HIS READING, AND HIS SUPPER. 177 means of conveyance ; although he had just declared that he had no such means in his power. The place, the house itself, and every thing about it, formed the greatest possible contrast to what I had seen at Burger’s. The principal dwelling hardly deserved the name of house ; it was a most forlorn and miserable hovel, about which, nothing could be seen which bespoke an owner’s care. Every object displayed neglect : the Hottentot servants, the huts they lived in, and the few out- buildings, were of a character consistent with the house. This dwelling was certainly a degree worse than any which I had observed since re-entering the colony : its inhabitants were, the baas , and his vrouw (wife) and son, two men, a little boy, and two or three female servants, all Hottentots, excepting one slave. Its elevated situation in the midst of lofty mountains, rendered the air extremely cold. As soon as old Viljoen had a little recovered his usual temper, and manners, which in their best state were naturally coarse, we entered the house together, and were offered seats. By degrees, after a few mutual questions, and some little conversation, we became better friends ; and he seemed not to think me so obnoxious a visitor, as at my first introduction I appeared to be. Neither he nor his wife had any curiosity about my affairs ; for which I was not sorry, as it saved me the trouble of telling my story over again, and allowed me to take a warmer seat by the fire at the other end of the room ; while he amused himself, and his other guest, with reading a small religious tract which he had lately obtained ; if, halting at every difficult word ; taking time to consider the meaning of a sentence ; overrunning the stops ; and going back again to find them out ; could be called reading. Although it may be doubted whether any one but himself, knew a word of the subject, he now and then turned to his wife or to Lubbe, and exclaimed, “ Very true !” During all this time, the Hottentots were quietly sleeping in the chimney corner ; excepting two girls who were busy cooking some mutton. At length supper was ready, and we sat down to a frugal meal ; as he had probably forgotten to tell the girls to put a piece more into the pot on account of his visitors : for, in a country where he could VOL. II. A A 178 THE BED-ROOM. 1, 2 May, not have sold his mutton for more than a halfpenny the pound; it could hardly be supposed that he did so from thriftiness. This being over, and grace said, he sent the Hottentot boy to conduct us to our bed-room. There was no waste of compliments on retiring to rest : and indeed, as the case turned out, his good wishes for my having a comfortable night’s repose, would all have proved 4 null and void, and of none effect.’ We followed the boy out of doors, and were brought to a place without a window, at one end of the house, where, pushing open an old door nearly falling off its hinges, our page said ; “ Here is where baas is to sleep.” At the first glance I could not distinguish what sort of a den he had put us into ; it resembled a coal-hole , both in size and color ; every part, the walls, and the roof, which were all it consisted of, were as black as a chimney ; no place could exceed it in dirtiness and in wretchedness of appearance. At each end we discovered the bedsteads : they were formed of stakes driven into the ground. Of these I gave Lubbe his choice, who immediately threw himself down upon his couch ; and Morpheus shortly afterwards strewed his poppies over him. But it was not so with me : the filthiness of the place was so disgusting that I felt not the least inclination to sleep ; and even if I had, my fellow-traveller would not have allowed it ; for, dreaming, no doubt, that he was in a pigstye, he very naturally snored in imitation of its proper inhabitants. Finding that it was in vain to think of rest, I went out to look for the boy. There was no returning into the house again : the doors were fastened, and all were asleep. The moon being exceed- ingly bright, I attempted to make a sleeping-place in Lubbe’s waggon ; but as the air was frosty, and the waggon had no tilt, it was found so extremely cold, that I was glad to remove back into the black hole again. Fortunately I found the Hottentot, who was not yet gone to bed ; and the poor little fellow well-pleased at having to wait upon an Englishman, brought some sticks and made me a fire in one corner of the building. The place we were in, had formerly been occupied by the slaves and Hottentots of the farm ; but was now used only for the accommodation of ‘ slagter's knegts’ and visitors. 1812. COMPLAINTS OF A HOTTENTOT BOY. 179 Here I sat nearly the whole of the night, with him for my com- panion ; and as he was both shrewd and communicative, I was for some time much amused by his remarks, and by his mode of viewing things. He had discovered from our conversation in the house, enough to know that I was not a boor ; and now, therefore, began to lay open all his complaints, in the usual Hottentot style. Oud baas , he said, never gave them enough to eat : a very common complaint of Hottentots, and often very ill-founded ; although possibly it might, in the present instance, be the truth exaggerated. Supposing the interior of Africa to be the country to which I belonged, and that I was now on my return home, he wished to make one of the party, and was delighted at the idea of going to a land where there were no boors ; for, said he, they care nothing for 4 us black things the two other Hottentots would, he hinted, be glad to leave their place if they dared : in short, no one was comfortable. Thus he continued to run over a long list of grievances. These are the terms in which this people commonly speak of the colonists ; but I would recommend that their stories be received with caution. There may have been formerly, I have little doubt, sufficient foundation for such ; and it may be credited that among the white population of the colony, there exist even at this time, too many individuals destitute of a proper feeling towards this race ; but it should always be remembered that the Hottentots , from having origi- nally had just cause for complaint, may in later days, by hearing the tales often repeated, have acquired a habit of inveighing against the boors. The irregularities, to use a mild term, which have been committed in this part of the world, are not to be defended ; nor do they admit of any excuse : but, it may be asked, what would have been the state of any country in Europe, had society not been kept in order by the vigilance of proper laws ; or what would it now be- come, if those laws were to be relaxed, and men left to act as they pleased. 2nd. I experienced from the old man no incivility at parting ; and certainly he deserves my thanks for relenting, after having determined to refuse me all assistance. His son yoked six oxen to his waggon ; a a 2 180 PLATJE’S WIFE AND CHILDREN. 2 May and, as it carried no load, we travelled at a quick rate ; although along rugged and steep roads, through the highest and most moun- tainous part of Sneeuwberg. For a considerable part of the way, our course was directed towards Spitskop ; and afterwards, by a very steep descent, we joined my former road, at a few miles southward of Herholdt's , where we arrived before noon. This colonist and his wife received me with much hospitality and attention, and expecting that I should have been accompanied by the minister, they had made preparations for our accommodation. Not only the whole of my party were here waiting for me, but several more than I expected. One was a Hottentot whom I had rejected at Graaffreynet, and was one of those who had been selected for me by Mare -, so that it was thus clearly proved that the men intended for my assistance and protection on a long and perilous journey into unknown countries and among savage nations, were such as had been thought too useless to be retained at the public works ; since those whom I had no need of, were turned loose to seek a master elsewhere. This boy being thus adrift, and finding nobody at the village willing to employ him, had followed my people in hopes of being allowed to accompany us ; to which step he was encouraged by my having already consented to receive in the same manner, one who had not been hired. As a Hottentot of this description would only have been a trouble to me, I positively forbade his coming. My party, who were lying at a fire at a little distance before the house, surprised me at first sight by their number: but on examin- ation I found that a whole family had joined us, under the thoughtless supposition, that they would be permitted to remain with us during the whole journey. These were Platjes 'wife and her two eldest daughters ; besides whom, she had three other children left at Graaff- reynet. As I already knew by experience that such people would be a heavy encumbrance, independently of the greater difficulty of finding food for so useless an addition, and who could not assist in providing for themselves, I refused my consent to their coming, although Platje pleaded for them, and assured me that they could bear the fatigues of the journey, as well as the men. But this affair was 1812. CHARACTER OF TRUY. 181 ultimately arranged to the satisfaction of all parties ; as Herholdt offered to receive them into his service and take care of them, on condition that Platje should consider himself as hired to him, from the day when he should be released from his engagement with me. The other new-comers were JulVs wife , and her child only three months old. At first he was told that she could not be allowed to follow us beyond the boundary, and, notwithstanding the earnestness with which he begged permission for her, I considered it would be folly to take a woman with so young an infant, on an expedition of this kind ; of the real nature of which, my new men seemed not sufficiently aware ; although I had explicitly told them that it most probably would not be free from danger and great fatigue. He then solicited that she might go as far as Klaarwater, and promised that she should be left there during our journey farther into the Interior. The poor creature herself, looked so anxious while I was considering the reply, and there was something in her countenance so innocent and mild, and so expressive of goodness, that I could no longer refuse to grant, what I saw would make them both happy, and render them perhaps more contented in my service. Her name was Truy* She was a genuine Hottentot, although perfectly ignorant of that language, and was, like her husband, acquainted with none but the Dutch. She was of small and very delicate form, with hands and feet of those neat proportions, for which the women of the Hottentot and Bushman nations are remarkable. For her child, whom she had named Windvogel, she appeared to possess the greatest maternal affection. All that I have said on the good qualities and fidelity of her husband, might here be repeated of hers, which if weighed impartially, would I think pre- ponderate. I should do this good creature injustice, if I did not declare, that it is not in my power to point out a fault in her character ; or at least, I never had, during all the time of her being in my ser- * Truy , or as it was here commonly pronounced, Troey, is the familiar name for Geertmyda or Gertrude. 182 BUSHBOY REGAINED. — GERMAN AND LANDDllOST. 2— 5 May, vice, the least reason for saying one angry word to her ; and of this, she often used to boast when speaking in praise of her master. But it was not at this time, that I knew her worth, or that of her hus- band ; and I regret that the present volume will not comprise that period of my journal, which would best display it. I was exceedingly rejoiced, and surprised, at seeing Little Mager- man amongst the party. He had been found at the house of Piet V an der Merwe, who, happening to meet the boy after he ran away, and recollecting that he belonged to me, kindly took him home, with the intention of restoring him on my return ; and in the mean time, had employed him in tending sheep. The boy being well fed and housed, and feeling assured that we should pass that way, had re- mained there very contentedly, without ever attempting to escape. My men had, in consequence of his former invitation, taken up their night’s lodging at Van der Merwe’s ; who treated them as hospitably as before, and delivered the boy into their hands. Thus, by recover- ing him, I felt relieved of much anxiety, as I could now without fear, venture to pass again through his father’s kraal. Although the party had been sent off with a sufficient stock of meat, I found my little flock of sheep reduced to thirteen, and the people just finishing the second, which had been killed and eaten on the road. Their account was, that some dogs had bitten one to death, and the second accidentally had its leg broken by the shepherd throwing a keeri (or stick) for the purpose of turning it. The German who was to meet me at this place, came directly he heard that I was arrived. He declared that he had now given up all intention of going with us ; for, as soon as the acting-land- drost knew of his having left Graaffreynet, he sent a messenger, who overtook him on Sneeuwberg, and informed him that ‘ if he crossed the colonial boundary, the landdrost would seize and confiscate all his property.’ This would have been an extraordinary, and I think, illegal, stretch of power : at least, the boors on the northern borders are in the habit of infringing the regulation against passing over the boundary, without being visited with confiscation or without any notice being taken of the fact. Besides which, I carried a formal 1812. THE PARTY ENUMERATED. 183 permission from the government, for myself and all my people, to go beyond the limits of the settlement. However ; as the case was, I shall not say that I complain ; because, it might probably have been the more prudent resolution, to pursue my travels without adding any white person to my party, as some suspicions, which I could not wholly lay aside, but which were rather strengthened by what I heard at this place, had been raised in my mind. 3rd. Of Herholdt, I purchased three Worses, chosen out of a stud of forty colts, none of which had been broken in. Of these, one was for Van Roye and another for Cornelis. I also bought a musket in addition, as I had several men who must remain unarmed till we reached my waggons. The people set out early in the morning, while Herholdt hospitably detained me to dinner : after which, he drove me in his paardewagen to Vermeulen s. At this place we were all received with the same disinterested and friendly treatment as before ; and I had the satisfaction of thanking the owner himself, as he was now returned from the 4 commando.’ * 4 th. Here we took our last leave of the colonists ; as I intended, if possible, to avoid the dwelling of Jacob Van Wyk, that I might not again give that family an opportunity of showing disrespect to an Englishman. The party , as far as Klaar water, now consisted of fifteen men, one woman and her child, four horses, eight oxen, thirteen sheep, nineteen dogs, besides two puppies of an excellent breed, given me at Graaffreynet by Mrs. Maritz. We advanced this day as far as Groote Fontein, a day’s-journey of above nineteen miles. Here we took up our quarters in the unoccupied farm-house, as the weather at night was extremely chilling. 5th. Having from day to day, during our journey into the colony, laid down my track upon paper, I was, by these means, enabled to * The engraving at page 168. is a representation of Vermeulen’ s humble, but hos- pitable, dwelling; and of the mountain called Kleine Tafelberg. 184 SPITSKOP. — LAST COLONIAL HABITATION. 5, 6 May, discover that our course would be more direct, if we kept more to the eastward of that track, leaving Geranium Rocks to the left. Accordingly we quitted our former road, at Pond Station, and proceeded across a plain of a mile and a half; at the termination of which I halted to take the bearings of Spitskop * and Groote Tafelberg, which were both in sight. These, but more especially the former, will be found of great use whenever a survey is made of this part of the colony, as they are too remarkable to be mistaken, and can be seen in different directions, from a very great distance. At the distance of an hour and a half farther, we passed a farm named Wortel Fontein (Carrot Fountain) ; but none of its inhabitants had any communication with us. At about six miles and a quarter beyond this, we found the last colonial habitation on our road; and as no one was residing here at this season, we took possession of the empty house. So large a party occasioned a rapid consumption of our stock of provisions, and we were obliged to kill a sheep, which, had we waited half an hour longer, we might have spared. For Keyser, desirous of proving that he was a good marksman, had immediately on our halting, taken his gun to go in search of game, and soon returned to let us know that he had shot a quakka. This circumstance was doubly pleasing, as, besides giving us a large supply of meat, it showed that this Hottentot had at least one useful qualification. I climbed the rocky hill close behind the house, to get a view of the country and take some bearings for the construction of my map, and was pleased at distinguishing on the horizon, the Bushman Table- Mountain near Kraaikop’s Kraal, although at the distance of not less than sixty-seven miles by the road. This remark is a sufficient proof, * The vignette at the end of this chapter, represents the mountain of Spitskop, or the Peak of Snceuwberg, as viewed from the south-east, at the distance of about twenty miles in a direct line. The sketch from which this engraving has been made, was taken about eleven months afterwards when on my final return into the Colony. The intervening country here shown, consists of lofty rugged mountains, which appear to shut in one behind the other, and above which, this lofty and remarkable mountain stands highly pre-eminent. 1812. THE COLONIAL BOUNDARY. 185 and indeed the best that could be had, of the open, and generally level, nature of the intervening country. 6th. The only stranger who came near us, was a Hottentot shepherd belonging to some boor, whose place, he said, was not far off. This man was therefore the last person whom we saw belonging to the colony. After travelling about ten miles from Elands Fountain, we con- sidered that we had crossed the boundary of the Colony, a line very ill-defined, especially along the northern border, and marked by no appearance which can inform the traveller precisely when he has quitted the settlement, or when he enters the wild country of the Bushmen ; both being equally wild, and, excepting immediately around the boors’ dwellings, equally destitute of every trace of culti- vation or human labor. VOL. II. B B CHAPTER VII. RETURN FROM THE COLONY, THROUGH THE COUNTRY OF THE BUSHMEN, TO KLAARWATER. The first occurrence after quitting the Colony, was that of meeting with the friendly river so often mentioned on our former journey ; and as it appeared by the map which I had then made, to run in a direction sufficiently near to what would have been our shortest road homewards, I resolved to follow it the whole way, and not to incur, with so many people and cattle, the risk of suffering from want of water, by attempting any other more direct course. Just before sunset we arrived and unpacked at an excellent spring of water, surrounded by abundance of reeds. It was known to Platje, who had once formerly visited it on a hunting excursion with a boor in whose service he then was, and who at this place administered a flogging to his slave named Nieuwejaar (New-vear) ; on which account this spot, is called by the Hottentots Nieuzvejaars fontein. 6, 7 May, 1812. HALFWAY SPRING. 187 1th. At about eleven miles beyond this spring, we joined our former track ; and a little more than six miles farther, we passed Rhenoster poort (Rhinoceros Pass). It was dark before we arrived at the Halfway Spring : here we conveniently stationed ourselves for the night, and made use of our shelter of reeds, which we found re- maining just in the state in which we had left it. My new men, who were all utter strangers to the following part of the journey, and to whom the existence of a kraal of Colonial Hottentots in this direction, was hitherto unknown, seemed much pleased at an opportunity of learning the way to it, and took great interest in our daily progress. Some indeed were a little inclined to fear, at thus venturing into the heart of a country which had always been reported as unsafe for a colonist ; but my other people now boldly talked of the Bushmen and their friend Kaabi, in so familiar a tone, that these fears were soon quieted ; yet they often expressed their surprise that we could have found any means of gaining the good-will of a race of savages, whom they had been accustomed to look upon as the greatest scoundrels in Africa. Not one of the natives had yet approached us, although we were certain that we had been seen by them, as two were observed at a distance by some of our party who had straggled from the main body. Their absence was occasioned by our numbers being so much greater than before, that they at first feared it might be a commando sent in search of stolen cattle ; and our increased number of horses strengthened that suspicion. A troop of horsemen is the most alarming sight which can present itself to a kraal of Bushmen in an open plain, as they then give themselves up for lost, knowing that under such circumstances, there is no escaping from these animals. Their conscience allows them little hope of mercy ; as they feel aware, that by their repeated incursions and robberies, they have given the colonists sufficient excuse for treating them with severity, and that their own plea of re- taliation, or revenge for former injuries, is now turned against themselves. We had no doubt that, when they had fully reconnoitred us b b 2 188 RETURN TO 7—9 May, from the tops of the hills, and had clearly ascertained who we were, they would come to us as gladly as before ; and on this subject I was not under the least uneasiness, as my little Bushman protege was now with me, and would at any time give notice to his countrymen that we were friends. Had they not at first, mistaken us for boors, we should have been visited by them, the moment we entered their country. My Graaffreynet people were greatly encouraged when I announced to them the name I had given to this spring, and the certainty of our having advanced half way to Klaarwater ; as all, excepting Van Roye and Cornelis, were obliged to travel on foot a great part of the way, and it was only now and then, that they could be relieved by changing places with the ox-riders. The woman with her child, however, was always allowed to ride, either on my horse, or on one of the oxen ; and occasionally I dismounted, and gave up my seat to one or other of the people who appeared most fatigued. It will be seen, therefore, on looking over the Itinerary, that we in general made, what under such circumstances must be considered, long days-marches. We had this day advanced more than twenty- five miles, notwithstanding all impediments and many stoppages occasioned by our baggage getting frequently out of order. 8th. The confidence which my Klaarwater party had gained by their former friendly reception among the Bushmen, was very re- markable. As an instance of this, Speelman, accompanied only by Platje, set out early this morning, that they might reach Kraaikop’s kraal before the rest, and give notice of our approach. After a march of above nineteen miles, we arrived at the kraal, where its inhabitants rejoiced to see us again, and greeted us as old friends. The father of the Bushhoy soon made his appearance and seemed most happy at finding his son safely returned. What account the boy gave of his adventures, I could not possibly learn ; but he was grown so much fatter since he first joined our party, that it was not neces- sary for him to tell his countrymen that he had been well treated. He was of very sedate and modest manners, and seldom indulged in open mirth and laughter; probably because he had little opportunity 1812. KRAAIKOP’S KRAAL. 189 of conversing freely in his own language : but, after the anxiety I had suffered on his account, it afforded me the greatest gratification to observe the brightness of his countenance, at his return home, and his smiling happy looks. When I reflected on the misunder- standing and possible consequences which might have ensued from our not bringing him back with us, I regarded it as providential good-fortune, that he had been intercepted in his flight, by an honest boor, and by his means placed again in our hands. As the people of the kraal informed us that the spring , which supplied them with water, was at a considerable distance farther, I judged it most convenient to proceed thither. The chief sent some of his men to guide us ; for without that assistance we should cer- tainly not have found it that night, as it lay about two miles and a quarter northward in the open plain. The reasons which they gave, for pitching their huts so far from any water, were, I think, such as could be imagined only by a nation like the Bushmen ; — the com- mandoes of boors in search of stolen cattle, would not so easily find them out in their present situation ; while, by being at a distance from the spring, they not only escaped the annoyance of lions and beasts of prey, but they left the water open for the use of other animals, so that they often had an opportunity of shooting game, by lying there in ambush. It was quite dark when we arrived at the spring. As the Hottentots were much fatigued, and desirous of retiring early to rest, I was not sorry that the natives did not follow us to our halting- place. Their visit was reserved till the morning, which was the time I had appointed for making the distribution of tobacco. 9th. My new stock enabled me to give more liberally than I had done on my former visit, and the whole kraal were rendered as happy as before. When I mentioned to them, that the boors laid heavy com- plaints against their nation for coming into the colony and com- mitting so many robberies, they cunningly replied, that they knew other kraals did so, but as for them, they never stole cattle from any body, but were content to live always on game and wild roots. I 190 TRAVELLING IN A TRACKLESS COUNTRY. 9, 10 May, must however, beg old Crowhead’s pardon, for strongly doubting the truth of his declaration ; but as this was no affair of mine, and I could do the colonists no actual good by preaching to these people against stealing, I thought it more prudent to leave him under the supposition that I believed him to be a very honest man. At noon we bade these poor creatures farewell ; and took a course across the plain in a direction intended to bring us to our former resting-place at Quakka Station. There were very few objects in the country around, sufficiently remarkable to have guided any but men accustomed to traverse pathless deserts; yet from the cha- racter of different parts of these plains, and some distant low moun- tains, we were enabled to find our way without deviation, exactly to the place we wished ; although there was neither bush, nor hillock, to mark its position, nor any thing by which it could be recognised at a distance. As we approached the place, we had various opinions whether we should find the same spot again, but most of the Hottentots felt assured that we should not miss it; and I was as much pleased as surprised, when the result proved how direct had been the course which we had steered. We found the remains of our fires, and the bushes which had formed our shelter two months before : but there were evident proofs of much rain having fallen here since that time. On the way we fortunately fell in with an ostrich’s nest containing ten eggs, a prize which always afforded us an agreeable and wholesome change of food. 10 th. Speelman and Juli had yesterday separated from the rest, for the purpose of hunting, and had, though on horseback, been absent the whole night. But Juli came home this morning with the agreeable information, of their having shot a large male kanna (or eland), which he had left in the plain at a considerable distance northward and a few miles to the right of our course. They had also fallen in with two lions, but had wisely declined having any dealings with them. We therefore immediately packed up our baggage, and departed, under his guidance. The day was exceedingly pleasant, and not a cloud was to be seen. For a mile or two, we travelled along the 1812. RENCOUNTER WITH A BLACK LION. 191 banks of the river, which in this part abounded in tall mat-rushes. The dogs seemed much to enjoy prowling about and examining every bushy place, and at last met with some object among the rushes, which caused them to set up a most vehement and determined barking. We explored the spot with caution, as we suspected from the peculiar tone of their bark that it was, what it proved to be, lions. Having encouraged the dogs to drive them out, a task which they performed with great willingness, we had a full view, of an enormous black-maned lion, and a lioness. The latter, was seen only for a minute, as she made her escape up the river, under concealment of the rushes ; but the lion came steadily forward and stood still to look at us, At this moment we felt our situation not free from danger, as the ani- mal seemed preparing to spring upon us, and we were standing on the bank at the distance of only a few yards from him, most of us being on foot and unarmed, without any visible possibility of escap- ing. I had given up my horse to the hunters and was on foot my- self ; but there was no time for fear, and it was useless to attempt avoiding him. Poor Truy was in great alarm ; she clasped her infant to her bosom, and screamed out, as if she thought her destruction inevitable, calling anxiously to those who were nearest the animal, Take care ! Take care ! In great fear for my safety, she half-insisted upon my moving farther off: I however, stood well upon my guard, holding my pistols in my hand, with my finger upon the trigger ; and those who had muskets kept themselves prepared in the same manner. But at this instant, the dogs boldly flew in between us and the lion, and surrounding him, kept him at bay by their violent and resolute barking. The courage of these faithful animals, was most admirable : they advanced up to the side of the huge beast, and stood making the greatest clamor in his face, without the least ap- pearance of fear. The lion, conscious of his strength, remained un- moved at their noisy attempts, and kept his head turned towards us. At one moment, the dogs perceiving his eye thus engaged, had advanced close to his feet, and seemed as if they would actually seize hold of him ; but they paid dearly for their imprudence, for without discomposing the majestic and steady attitude in which he 192 EMBLEM OF TRUE COURAGE. 10—12 May, stood fixed, he merely moved his paw, and at the next instant, I beheld two lying dead. In doing this, he made so little exertion, that it was scarcely perceptible by what means they had been killed. Of the time which we had gained by the interference of the dogs, not a moment was lost ; we fired upon him ; one of the balls went through his side just between the short ribs, and the blood immediately began to flow ; but the animal still remained standing in the same position. We had now no doubt that he would spring upon us ; every gun was instantly reloaded ; but happily we were mistaken, and were not sorry to see him move quietly away ; though I had hoped, in a few minutes to have been enabled to take hold of his paw without danger. This was considered by our party to be a lion of the largest size, and seemed, as I measured him by comparison with the dogs, to be, though less bulky, as large as an ox. He was certainly as long in body, though lower in stature ; and his copious mane gave him a truly formidable appearance. He was of that variety which the Hottentots and boors distinguish by the name of the black lion , on account of the blacker colour of the mane, and which is said to be always larger and more dangerous than the other which they call the pale lion , (vaal leeuw.) Of the courage of a lion, I have no very high opinion, but of his majestic air and movement, as exhibited by this animal, while at liberty in his native plains, I can bear testimony. Notwithstanding the pain of a wound of which he must soon after- wards have died, he moved slowly away with a stately and measured step. At the time when men first adopted the lion as the emblem of courage, it would seem that they regarded great size and strength as indicating it ; but they were greatly mistaken in the character they have given to this indolent skulking animal, and have overlooked a much better example of true courage, and of other virtues also, in the bold and faithful dog. As its skin could not have been brought away, all our oxen being already overloaded, I did not think it worth while to pursue the beast till we had killed it ; and judged it much wiser not to run the risk OXEN UNABLE TO PROCEED. 1812. 193 of losing any of my men, especially for an object to which we were led neither by necessity nor advantage. After a march of above twelve miles, we arrived at the place where the kanna lay : it was in the middle of a plain covered with low scattered bushes. Here we found Speelman, who had remained to guard the carcass and prevent its being devoured by vultures, of which great numbers were discoverable hovering at an immense height in the air, and sailing round in circles directly above the spot. This place is distinguished therefore, upon the map, by the name of Vulture Station. We were soon afterwards joined by a party of natives, the greater number of whom were women, removing with their oxen, sheep, goats, and the materials of their huts, to Kaabi’s Kraal. 11th. We had with us seventeen Bushmen, some of whom made themselves useful in lending their assistance to cut up the eland- meat, for which service they and the whole party were, as usual, well paid in meat and tobacco. At noon, when we began to pack up, we discovered that the backs of some of the oxen, but more particularly of that which carried my baggage, were become so sore, and galled by their loads, that we found them unable to proceed. This inconvenience was the more serious in its consequences, as it would, by travelling, grow every day worse. In this dilemma, I despatched two of the Bushmen to my friend Kaabi, from whose kraal I supposed we were not more than a day’s journey, to beg that he would lend me two of his pack-oxen. In the mean time I sent five of my men out hunting, that I might be enabled to make him a handsome present of game. They were not, however, successful, though the whole plain was covered with the foot-marks of antelopes and other wild beasts which were seen on all sides. Amongst these the lions made constant havoc ; and at night the cries and moans of an eland, which we heard one of them devouring close by our station, awoke me in the middle of my sleep. 1 2th. In the morning, one of the Bushmen fetched away the VOL. II. c c 194 VULTURES. 12, 13 May, remains of the lion’s supper ; which, however, was little more than the legs. It was therefore probable that more than one lion had feasted upon the carcass or that a pack of jackals and hyenas, or the vultures, had finished the rest. The hunters set out early ; and it was not long before they had shot an eland. These unfortunate animals were not allowed to rest in safety either day or night, and were now pursued by more formidable enemies than lions. Their flesh being, as before remarked, much superior in taste and in fatness, to nearly all other kinds of game, they were always, by preference, chased by the Hottentots, while other animals were passed by unmolested. The vultures, attracted from afar by the smell of so much meat, descended in great numbers, and walked around us at the distance of one or two hundred yards, with as much ease and familiarity as oxen or sheep. Accustomed as they are, to feed in society with beasts of prey, they appeared very little disturbed by the presence of our dogs, which sometimes, as if the birds had been merely strange dogs, ran to drive them away from the offal, which they considered as belonging exclusively to themselves. Of these birds I observed five distinct species, but not having shot any, I am unable to describe them with certainty. They some- times approached so near, that, besides the two already noticed *, I could distinguish two others, as being new, and probably undescribed species ; and which I never afterwards met with again. They both equalled, as well as I could judge under such circumstances, the largest of the African vultures. One was entirely white, and the bare skin of its neck, white also : this might possibly be the female of the following species : of which I made a sketch. This latter was of a sooty black plumage ; the naked skin of the neck was of a pale rose color ; and the top of the head was covered with feathers of the same color as that of the wings and other parts of the body. Its * Vultur percnopterus , at page 3.38, and the large black vulture at page 377, of the first volume. AN OLD BUSHWOMAN. 1812. 195 beak was straight and long as in the Percnopterus, and the end of it was hooked and orange-coloured.* One of the old Bushwomen was so characteristic a specimen of her nation at that age, that I made her sit for her portrait. This was no inconvenience to her, as she naturally sat like an inanimate mass. She scarcely, indeed, looked like a human being : a rough sheep-skin kaross, only served to give her a more shapeless appearance ; and eyes so sunken as hardly to be visible, together with large clots of red ochre hanging over and covering her forehead, gave to her miserable dirty wrinkled visage, the strongest character of poverty wretchedness and neglect. The two Bushmen, whom I sent off yesterday at about one o’clock in the afternoon, had made such surprising expedition, that at four o’clock this day, they returned with the two oxen-, having travelled on foot a distance of sixty miles within fifteen hours ; from which is to be subtracted the time required for their meals and rest. They were accompanied by four of their countrymen, who came with a request from Kaabi that I would send him some tobacco. As soon as they received this, and had hastily taken some refreshment, they started again, to return home. I was now informed that Kaabi and all his people had for the present removed their kraal from where I first saw it, to a distance of several miles farther northward. Here they were expecting us, and accordingly sent word that they wished me to deviate from our old track along the river, that we might take this new kraal in our way. 13th. With the addition to my own party, of the people and cattle who were removing to join Kaabi, we formed a strong caravan , and perhaps as motley and singular a group as ever could be formed into a picture. The whole afiair appeared so curious and strange, and the circumstances so unlike every thing English, that, happening * Vultur pileatus, B. Totus fuliginoso-niger. Colli pars superior nuda pallide rosea. Caput pennatum uigrum. Rostrum capite multo longius, rectum, apice adunco aurantiaco. Species inter majores. c c 2 196 A STONY PLAIN. — BUSHMAN SIGNAL. — RIIZO. 13, 14 May, in the midst of all this, to turn my thoughts back to my own country, I seemed for a few moments to believe that I was only in a dream ; and that the scene before me was one of those inconsistent medleys of ideas, which are often produced by a wandering imagination. The first part of this day’s-march was through a country covered with low mountains and rocky hills. Under the guidance of the Bushmen, we next proceeded over a large and rugged plain ; and afterwards ascended to a higher level, on which, after travelling two or three miles farther, we found a pond of water ; and, as it was already dark, halted there for the night. Kaabi’s new kraal was not more than an hour and a half beyond this place, yet it would have been unsafe, in the midst of lions then beginning their nightly prowl, to have travelled at that hour with so many cattle ; as the dread of these destructive beasts, would certainly have thrown them into con- fusion, and scattered or destroyed our baggage. We had marched, according to estimation, twenty-five miles and a half, and the greater part of which being over ground profusely covered with large loose stones, most of my GraafFreynet people were much fatigued. As soon as we arrived, the Bushmen made, upon the heights, three fires at the distance of about sixty yards apart, and forming an equilateral' triangle. These were intended as some private signal, either to let their friends in the surrounding country, know that we were approaching, or to signify that our fires were those of friends, and consequently, to prevent any hostile attack upon us in the dark. I have therefore marked this spot by the name of Three-Jires Station. 14 th. This morning so many visitors continued arriving, that we were at length surrounded by a large crowd, whom we found to be nearly the whole of Kaabi’s people. Among them I was glad to see Riizo ; and he appeared equally gratified at meeting us again. These natives came merely for the pleasure of seeing us, and of telling us that they were glad at our having returned into their country. They assisted us in packing our oxen, and we then moved on together in a numerous body. The distance being but little more than four miles, we reached the kraal in less than an hour and a half; where I was greeted by NOISY REJOICINGS OF THE CROWD. 1812. 197 Kaabi and many others whom I personally knew, with happy friendly countenances. As I had promised to bring them more tobacco at my return, I was immediately surrounded by the crowd, who looking upon me now as an old friend, laid aside all timidity and restraint ; and gave loose to the most ridiculous manifestation of their pleasure, when they saw me about to distribute this precious gift. They pushed in amongst one another with heedless eagerness to get near to me, and pressed each other so closely that neither I nor the chief had room to move, and my clothes began to assume the same red color as theirs. The lively clamor which the crowd sent forth, prevented all attempts at speaking, and rendered it impossible for any one to gain a hearing : each one, but more particularly the women, endeavoured to out-do the rest, in the noisy expression of their joy, and I could have fancied myself in the midst of a crowd of happy children to whom I was about to make presents of toys and sugarplums. Kaabi raised his voice and spoke to them ; but he was not heard : all that he could do, was to smile, and wait patiently till this sudden ebullition of joy had subsided. My new men seemed astonished at such a familiar, and to them unusual, reception from Bushmen. At length, finding the noise and confusion too great to suffer me to make a regular dis- tribution myself, I announced that their chieftain had undertaken to give to each one his due share ; and accordingly I delivered to him the whole quantity of tobacco which I had previously laid apart for our friends at this kraal. These people were now possessed of large herds of cattle ; and when asked how they had so suddenly become rich, the only explan- ation they gave was, that they had received them from another kraal. That they were stolen, I had no doubt ; and Keyser even assured me that he knew the greater part of the oxen to be some which belonged to a boor named Cobus Pretorius, living on Sneeuwberg. I counted forty ; but my men afterwards observed ten more ; and besides these, a flock of about two hundred sheep. The policy of this kraal, had induced them to station themselves at a distance of five miles from any water, in an open situation which 198 KAABI’S NEW KRAAL. 14; May, was somewhat concealed from distant view, by a low surrounding ridge of hills. (See the fourth plate.*) I employed the afternoon in making drawings of the scene ; together with portraits of Kaabi, of a young woman and her child, and several other sketches. Among the people of this kraal, I observed one woman with very red, or carroty hair; and have since seen in different tribes of Bushmen, other instances of this color ; but they were not frequent. Grey hair is equally a rarity. The vignette at the head of this chapter represents the arms of the Bushmen. From a strap which passes over one shoulder, are sus- pended the quiver, the bow, and the kirri (keeri) in the manner there seen. Behind these, are shown an arrow and the upper half of a hassagay ; all drawn to the same proportion, the bow being usually between three and four feet long, sometimes shorter, but rarely longer. The bowstring is always formed of catgut or the twisted entrails of some animal. The bow itself is made not always of the same sort of * The huts represented in this plate , are constructed of mats (Vol. I. p. 1 14?. 263.) made of rushes, in the manner shown in a former plate (pi. 7. Vol. I. p.325.) and more particularly described in a preceding part of this volume, (p. 55. and 56.) The Bushmen of the Cisgariepine most commonly paint their mats lengthwise with stripes of red-ochre. The outermost Jlgure on the left , will give an idea of the appearance of a Bushman as he is usually equipped for travelling, having his bow, quiver, hassagay and kirri. Before him is a representation of one of their dogs, (p. 56.) which are of a race perhaps peculiar to these tribes. Hassagays and sticks, when not in use, are most frequently stuck in the ground by the side of the hut. This plate exhibits, not only the particular view of the spot, but the ordinary appearance of a Bushman Kraal, and the genuine domestic state of its inhabitants, such as they are in their proper and original mode. In this picture, there- fore, the number of figures and their occupations, are only those which are consistent with this intention, and have no reference to the unusual and busy scene which this kraal became in consequence of my arrival among these people. The nearest figure in the middle of the picture, is that of a man returning home from hunting, carrying a fawn or young antelope at his back. To the left of him, are two men, and a woman having her child in her arms, sitting in front of their hut, a very common manner of spending their time in fine weather: other parties of the same kind are seen at the other huts. Most of the figures have leathern caps of various forms according to the fancy of the maker or wearer. The outermost figure on the right is a man returning from the neighbouring spring with an ostrich-egg shell filled with water. On the left of him, and close to the hut in the fore- ground, may be seen one of those sticks already described (p. 29.) as being loaded with a perforated globular stone for the purpose of digging up various eatable wild roots. The soil here is of a reddish color, and scantily^ covered with herbage and low bushes. » * i i ? < * * J, . -PuHtf/nul jy l.orurnuui & C°Ma*’ 1*? 1823 1812. ARMS OF THE BUSHMEN. 199 wood, as the materials vary according to the country in which the kraal resides : that from which the figure was taken, was of the wood of a species of Tarchonanthus from the Transgariepine. The karree- tree ( Rhus viminale) is most generally used for this purpose. The quiver is usually made of some thick hide, as of the ox, or the kanna ; but the natives more towards the western coast, frequently use the branches of the Aloe dichotoma , which is therefore called by the Hottentots and Colonists, kokerboom or quiver-tree. The hassagay is not made by themselves : these weapons are either purchased from the CafFres, or derived from the Bichuanas by means of barter from one kraal to another. The arrow is so purely a Bushman manufacture, that the sur- rounding tribes, often procure them from this nation, as being better arrow-makers than themselves : and I much doubt whether in fact these weapons are ever made by the Bachapins. The shaft is made from the common African reed, and at each end is neatly bound round with sinew, to prevent splitting. The head consists principally of a long- piece of bone cut very smoothly to fit exactly into the reed, so as to remain fast without being absolutely fixed. The length of the whole arrow is generally between eighteen and twenty-two inches. At the end of this chapter may be seen, of their natural size, the figures of arrow-heads of various forms. They are tipped with a thin triangular piece of iron made exceedingly sharp at the edges. Immediately below this, is a thick coating of the gummy poisonous compound, already described * ; and in this poison, is placed a barb made from a piece of quill. The whole of the head is separate from the shaft, and is made merely to fit into it ; so that neither man, nor animal, can draw it out of the wound by means of the reed, which in the flight, may drop off, while the head will still be left buried in the flesh. Some- times the head consists only of the bone, without the piece of iron, and it is then made very sharp and slender, and is also covered with the poison : when the arrows of this form are not immediately wanted, * In the first volume at page 539. 200 ARROW-HEADS. - ROUTE WITHOUT WATER. 14, 15 May, the poisonous point is turned inwards into the reed. The bone of the leg of the ostrich, is the most esteemed material, yet other bones are as commonly used for the purpose. The shape and make of these heads, though essentially the same, vary in some trifling par- ticulars, according to different tribes. * On my requesting Kaabi to lend me four pack-oxen to assist in carrying my baggage as far as the Gariep, he immediately, and with great willingness, promised that I should have them on the morrow. Judging from my former track, as it appeared upon paper, that we might reach the Gariep by taking a course directly across the country, I consulted with him respecting the probability of finding water by the way. His opinion was, that there was no impediment to travelling directly northward from this kraal, as the country was open, but we should not find any water; and that it was safest for us to follow that river the waters of which we had so long drunk. 1 therefore resolved to follow his advice ; yet I discovered afterwards, that the natives, at least, can traverse that tract, and consequently must know where to find springs by the way ; though it would be too great a risk for a large party of strangers and cattle, situated as we were, to venture on such an uncertain route. Notwithstanding this, Kaabi’s advice was most probably given with reference to our circumstances ; as he might know that there would not be water enough for so many mouths ; as our dogs, horses, and oxen would require perhaps a larger quantity than those springs could supply. At night there was dancing in one of the huts, the same as * In the engraving at the end of this chapter, the upper figure shows the arrowhead taken out of the shaft or reed, part of which is seen on the right. The thicker and darker part under the triangular tip of iron, is the poison, at the bottom of which is the quill-barb : the rest is bone. The second figure is a bone-head without the iron tip, and in this the poison is layed on the thinner part, Of the three middle figures ; that on the right represents the lower end of the arrow, or that which is applied to the string : that on the left, explains the manner in which the piece of iron is fixed into the bone. The above figures are taken from arrows used by the Bushmen visited in these travels : the three lower ones are from those used in Little, and Great, Namaqualand. THE BUSHMEN ALARMED. 1812. 201 already described ; and observation inclines me to suppose that it is a common amusement with these people. 1 5th. Platje, Van Roye, and Cornells, requesting leave to ride forward on horseback and hunt through the country before the game should have been disturbed, I permitted them to set out several hours earlier than the time fixed for the departure of the whole party : while at the same time Speelman, Keyser, and Stuurman, went on foot. This I did with a view to procuring a sufficient quantity of meat to be sent back as payment with Kaabi’s four oxen. Before our departure, much delay was occasioned by sending our oxen and dogs to the water, which, according to the report of the Hottentots who took them, lay at a distance which, thither and re- turning, made a journey of nearly ten miles. The sheep were spared this fatigue, by being naturally better able than the oxen to endure thirst. When we were about to pack up our baggage, Kaabi came to inform me that it was not in his power to lend us the four pack-oxen ; that he himself was perfectly willing to give me that assistance, but that he had been opposed in this affair by some of the principal members of the kraal. Now it appeared that the presence of my Graaffreynet Hottentots, had created among them some alarm and mistrust : for Keyser, who understood their language, overheard them mentioning to each other, their suspicions that he and Stuurman were spies sent by the boors ; as they were recognised as having been seen in the service of the colonists, and Keyser was even pointed at as having been one of a former ‘ commando’ which came into their country to retake some stolen cattle. Platje also made to me a report of the same nature ; and all who understood their language, discovered that the cause of their having removed their kraal from Waterpoint, was, the fear of being pursued, and that they now, in consequence of the place of their retreat being known to Hottentots connected with the boors, had resolved to remove to another spot, on the very next day after our departure. On this account, they were themselves VOL. II. D D 202 TWO OXEN BORROWED FROM KAABI. 15 May, in want of pack-oxen to transport their mats and the other materials of their huts ; for, among the stolen cattle, were none which could be of use to them in this service. There was one grey-headed old man, whose fears, and even displeasure, were much excited by the sight of my new men : he strongly opposed Kaabi , who as strongly insisted on lending me the oxen ; but the old man’s opinion, that they could not be spared on account of their being obliged to remove immediately, coinciding with that of some other principal persons, the debate terminated in Kaabi’s telling me that he could lend me only one, and which was his own. At one time the dispute between the chief and old Gryskop (Greyhead), as my Hottentots named him, was very vehement, as he appeared quite averse from affording us any accommodation at all. His wife, however, interfering and re- presenting how wrong and imprudent it would be, to have any quarrel with us, he at last was pacified, and consented that a second ox should be lent me, as I complained to Kaabi of the unkindness in not giving me assistance when they saw that the backs of my oxen, and even of the horses, were so much galled that I should not be able, without the greatest difficulty, to reach the Gariep with the whole of our baggage. For the use of these two oxen, I promised not only that he should be paid in tobacco, but that they should bring him back a great portion of the game which we might happen to shoot on the road : and it was therefore agreed that three of his people should accompany us for the purpose of driving them home. At eleven o’clock I took my leave of Kaabi , and departed from his kraal, with strong impressions of his friendly good-will towards me personally, and of his naturally mild and kind disposition. I have given the character of him and his countrymen , with the most conscientious impartiality. I have exposed all the objectionable part of it, which came to my knowledge ; and if I have given a pre- ponderancy to the better and more pleasing, it is because that part appeared really to preponderate. Their robberies of cattle from the Colony, are committed under the influence of what has now, 1812. AN IMPORTANT QUESTION ANSWERED. 203 unfortunately, become a long established custom, at least for several generations. They are committed under the influence, too, of tempta- tion by the carelessness of the Hottentot shepherds and herdsmen, and by the very weak protection given to the numerous flocks which graze on the borders. Nor, in weighing this crime, would it be just to omit throwing something into the opposite scale, for poverty and want ; for an inveterate and inherited enmity to the boors ; for igno- rance ; and even, for their wild habits and lawless mode of life. I now could give myself the answer to that question which I had long marked as one of the desiderata of my travels * : but, alas ! it is in the negative ; and I must now believe, that these savages have not been rendered happier by their communication with Europeans ; I must too, believe, that they have not been made better or morally wiser ; and I fear I must conclude that the present state of all the Hottentot race, is far less happy, far less peaceful, than it was before our discovery of the Cape of Good Hope. If they rob us of cattle, what is that crime to ours ! who have robbed so large a portion of these tribes, of their liberty and of the land of their fathers. If European policy require our taking possession of the country, (and I do not dispute that policy,) let us in return, as the smallest boon, be kind to its aborigines ; kind to men who may no longer tread the ground over which their forefathers have led their flocks ; over which their ancestors were probably the first to imprint the human footstep. When we departed, no one accompanied us, as I had expected. Uncertain of the exact course we ought to hold, as I had had no op- portunity of laying down my track from Quakka station, we took at first a north-westerly direction for two hours. This brought us in the neighbourhood of two kraals, lying at a distance from each other, of not more than two miles. We met three of their inhabitants ; from whom we learnt that the second belonged to those poor creatures who, at the time of my first journey, dwelt at Poverty Kraal. They were exceedingly pleased at seeing us again, and fortunately apprized # At pages 5 and 6, of the first volume. D D 2 204 LION STATION. — HOTTENTOTS ABSENT. 15, 16 May, us that, by keeping on in that direction, we should not reach the river that night ; an opinion which I had just expressed to my men. W e were therefore thankful for the information, and turned our steps to the west. Continuing to travel for above five hours and a half longer, during the greater part of which we followed a path made by quakkas passing from their grazing ground to the water, we did not arrive at the river till the dusk of evening. This spot is distin- guished as Lion Station. The two Bushmen of Poverty Kraal soon left us ; but it was for the purpose of going home to inform their friends of my re- turn : and soon after we had unloaded our oxen and made our fires, their whole kraal arrived at our station, and remained with us till the next day. I now made them all a larger present of tobacco, which failed not to gladden their hearts and give them for the evening, as much happiness and content as the simplicity of their minds renders this race capable of enjoying. As for myself, I could not feel so much at ease ; as I became, during the night, every hour more anxious for the safety of the six Hottentots to whom I had given permission to set out to hunt in advance. I expected that they would have fallen in with our track, and have thus been guided to our station ; or that, if, which was more probable, they had reached the river before us, our fires would have been a beacon which might have readily conducted them home : or had they shot any game, one of the party would have been sent to us for pack-oxen. But the chief cause of my uneasiness arose from a supposition that they might, in the dark, have fallen in with lions ; animals much more to be dreaded at that hour than by day ; and of which it may with equal propriety be said, that, like the owls, they are destined by nature to live and prey only at night. Although much in want of food, we were unwilling to kill a sheep, until the result of the hunting was known. Thus the time passed in waiting ; till we at last lay down supperless to sleep : while our Bushman friends, seeing that we ate nothing ourselves, were content to fast also. 1812. SUFFERINGS FROM FATIGUE AND THIRST. 20 5 1 6th. But in the morning I gave my visitors a meal ; for which they were exceedingly thankful, as they had not, I fear, feasted much in our absence. At two in the afternoon, Speelman arrived, extremely fatigued and exhausted. The sky having been all day cloudless, the heat of the sun had reduced him to a state of great lassitude. He declared that he had neither eaten nor drunk since yesterday morning ; and his appearance confirmed his statement. He could give no account of the others, as they had parted company soon after setting out : and he himself had been wandering about, and traversing the country, in hope of getting a shot at some game; but had been quite unsuccessful. He had fallen in with two of the natives ; and they passed the night together, under shelter of a bank of earth, where they found a small cave, in which they slept. I gave to the people of Poverty Kraal, a large quantity of dakka, and desired them, in their way home, to look out for my people, and, if they saw any, or could discover them by following their track, to give them directions respecting our situation. They took leave of us at three o’clock ; and in a most friendly manner assured me that they would search for my people and send them home. On observing some quakkas at a distance in the plain, Philip and Juli with their guns went after them ; but were strongly enjoined not to pursue them out of sight of our station. In an hour afterwards, one of them returned with the agreeable intelligence of their having shot a kanna (eland) ; the other remained by the carcass to guard it from vultures and wild beasts. Pack-oxen were immediately sent off ; but it was not till eight at night, that the meat was brought home, and we were enabled to satisfy the cravings of hunger. In an hour and a half after the Bushmen left us, Keijser and Stuurman arrived, faint and weary from their long wanderings, and suffering much from thirst. I ordered them to have as soon as possible, a cup of coffee, which I knew to be, for persons in their state, a much safer and more refreshing beverage than water. They had, in their way this morning, shot a Gemsbok (Ghemsbok) ; and to so high a degree had the heat of the day raised their thirst, that they eagerly cut open the animal’s stomach, and with the greatest 206 DANGEROUS VISIT OF A LION. 16 May, avidity drank the liquid, which it contained ; but this not being sufficient, they also drank the blood ; after which, they made a fire on the spot, and broiled some of the meat. It was the smoke of this fire which fortunately made their situation so soon known to the Bushmen whom we sent in search of them, and who were thus very opportunely and deservingly repaid for this friendly act, by receiving the whole of the game ; neither of my Hottentots having as yet recovered strength enough to bring away more than the tongue and two or three slices of the flesh. In the middle of the night I was awakened by the roaring of a lion ; but the sound was peculiar, and very different from that which the animal usually makes. I am assured by the inhabitants of these countries, who have had opportunities of ascertaining the fact, that he produces this noise by laying his head upon the ground and uttering, as it were, a half-stifled roar, or growl, by which means the sound is conveyed along the earth. It now seemed to us very much to resemble that which we had heard in Cape Town at the moment of the earthquake : it seemed also to have a progressive movement, as if it came from the west. I instantly sprang up, and seeing that our fires were nearly out, called to the Hottentots to put on a large quantity of fuel to make a blaze, for the purpose of keep- ing the beasts at a distance, as they are said to be afraid of flame. But though several of them were awake, they remained without at- tempting to move, until I called out. As they had supposed it to be really an earthquake, and knew that by sleeping in the open air, there was nothing to fear if such had been the case, they lay very quietly wrapped up in their karosses, till I ordered them to make up the fires. From the uneasiness of the oxen, two of which broke loose from the bushes to which they had been made fast, and from other circumstances, I was convinced that it was a lion ; and at length most of the people began to think the same as myself ; but Speelman persisted in declaring that it was only an earthquake , till, on examin- ing the ground the next morning, we found the animal’s footmarks within fifty yards of the spot where we had been lying asleep. There is little doubt that the beast’s intention was to have seized one of the oxen ; and as little, that the timely making up our fires prevented 1812. MAN’S SUPREMACY ON THE GLOBE. 207 him. His roaring, was intended to strike fear into the cattle and to put them to flight ; in which case, he would have pursued, and easily have secured, his prey. It was his natural fear of man, which alone withheld him from springing upon them at once, or even upon us, as we lay quite exposed upon the bare ground ; for we had, as I have remarked, little or no fire burning at that time. As far as I am enabled to judge, there is no region in any quarter of the world, which can hold competition with Southern Africa in number of large animals. It would be a novel and not un instructive mode of comparing the zoology of different countries, by noting the aggregate weight of the wild animals of each country (meaning one individual of each species) divided by the total number of species. If a table of this kind were formed, I think there is little doubt that Southern Africa would be found to stand at the head of it. Although we are taught to believe that man is the supreme animal of this globe ; and every thing we behold, even in civilized countries, confirms that belief ; yet still the mind can never derive so perfect a conviction of this truth, as when viewing a country in a state of nature, where men and multitudes of wild beasts of every class, roam unrestrained, in all the freedom of creation. Can we view animals of immense bulk and strength, either flying from man, or submitting to his domination and labouring in his im- mediate service, without acknowledging at once that their timidity or submission forms a part of that wise plan, predetermined by the Deity, for giving supreme power to him who is physically the weakest of them all ? or can we doubt that a part of that plan was, that man should rule alone by the divine spirit of reason and superior intellect, and, at his own option and freewill, either by the exercise of these, elevate himself above the rest of the animal creation, or by the neglect of them sink himself below the beasts ? For man has nought else of which to be proud, but reason and virtue : without these he is still but mere animal, his existence is useless in the great final cause of the universe, and he will surely have to answer for his voluntary deficiencies in them, to that Aweful, Good and Great, Power, who will know no other distinction among man- 208 RETURN OF THE HORSEMEN. 17 May, kind than that which they themselves make by their virtuous or vicious conduct. 17 tli. The absence of the other three men, caused me con- siderable uneasiness, as we were unable to account for their having remained away two nights. They were all mounted on horseback, and could easily have overtaken us ; or have escaped from any inimical kraal of natives who, mistaking them for part of a com- mando, might have made any hostile attempt upon them. At one time, a suspicion arose in my mind, that they had deserted, and re- turned back to the Colony ; at another, I believed them to be waiting for us lower down the river. In hope, if they happened to be near, of giving them notice of our situation, I sent one of the people to a hillock close by, to make a large fire and keep it burning for several hours ; and I resolved in the afternoon to move forward along the banks of the river. Having waited till more than two hours after mid-day, I gave orders for packing the oxen : but just as we were on the point of departing, Van Roye, Cornelis, and Platje, made their appearance ; having been guided by our fire on the hill. Their story was, that having hunted for a great distance northward, and not discovering our track, nor falling in with any Bushmen of whom they could ask information, they concluded that we were still remaining at Kaabi’s new kraal, which we had distinguished as the kraal where we had obtained the two oxen , and that they had returned thither in search of us. The inhabitants there had behaved very kindly towards them; and, being just about to remove their whole village, Kaabi had not thought it worth while to send any of his people with us to bring back the two pack-oxen ; but desired the Hottentots to tell me that I might keep them till I again returned to his country. We travelled parallel with the river about eleven or twelve miles, over a flat covered principally with a species o i Mesembryanthemum* \ and at twilight halted on the banks, at a spot abounding in rushes, and Resembling Mesembryanthemum veruculatum. 1812. CRYPTOGAMIC VEGETABLES. — NECKLACE OF ENTRAILS. 209 which I have therefore marked as, Rushy Station. Here the water was found still to continue perfectly fresh : and it is probably only at the lowest part of this river, and in the dry season, that it becomes brackish. At this place I found Marsilea quadrifolia , an European plant, growing in the water and along the bed of the river, in abundance. The wide dissemination of many species of cryptogamic vegetables all over the earth, is an interesting fact, and one which might deserve particular attention : from a philosophical view of it, there is much to be learnt. Instances of a similar dispersion of what are called phcenogamous plants , are much more rare, and may often be traced to some visible cause, such as the current of rivers or of the ocean, or the winds ; or even to the instrumentality of man. I shall not here stop to discuss the subject, but shall merely remark that the seeds of cryptogamic vegetables, being infinitely finer than those of the other class, and so excessively minute as to be, in most cases, invisible, even by the aid of the strongest microscope, are more easily borne along by currents of air : and this consideration should be taken in addition, when contemplating philosophically the ad- mirable harmony and wisdom of their primitive location ; by which term I would express, the situation assigned to each species at the creation or commencement of the present order of created objects upon the surface of this globe. We were visited by a few natives : they were personally strangers, but, having long heard of our passing through their country, they came to us in the usual friendly manner. Some of them were orna- mented with a fresh necklace of twisted entrails. This is one of the most common ornaments, not only of the Bushmen and other tribes of the Hottentot race, but also of the Bichuana nations. To imagine that these entrails are hung round their necks just in the same state in which they are taken out of the animal, would be to entertain an exceedingly false idea of them ; but it is one which those persons, who do not think, in giving an account of a foreign country, that the truth is sufficiently interesting, endeavour to create, supposing that by such means they render the proverbial filthiness of Hottentots VOL. II. E E 210 RETURN TO THE GARIEP. 17—19 May, more striking and wonderful. It is a representation, not more cor- rect, than it would be, to tell the Bushmen, that the ladies of Europe play upon a musical instrument composed of the entrails of animals, extended between three pieces of wood. These necklaces of entrails, are washed and cleansed as properly and completely as the strings of a violin or a harp ; and it is only by the subsequent accumulation of grease and red-ochre, that they become, what we call, dirty, but which Bushmen consider as highly improved. At midnight we again heard the lion. Although it is impossible to know whether it was, or was not, the same animal which had disturbed us on the preceding night, it is probable that, having been then disappointed, he had followed us in the hope still of getting hold of an ox. 18^. As the sheep, on a long day’s-journey, were found unable to travel so fast as the oxen, they were sent forward early in the morning, with two Hottentots under the guidance of Speelman : and after a march of above four-and-twenty miles, we halted late in the evening, for the last time on the banks of our friendly river , at a spot considerably below the place at which we first became acquainted with it. This is therefore marked as the Lower Station. On our road we spoke with two Bushmen, who informed us that a white-man, or as they expressed it in their language, a ’ Gowsa , had crossed the Gariep in his way to Klaarwater. This, till we obtained better information, excited the curiosity of all of us, to know who this person could be, or his object in coming into these countries : but the whole story was either a fabrication on the part of the Bushmen, or a misunderstanding on ours ; for no person of that de- scription had made his appearance in any part of these countries, since myself. 19 th. This day’s march brought us once more to the delightful woody banks of the beautiful Gariep. I hailed its airy acacia groves and drooping willows, and derived pleasure from fancying that they waved their branches to bid me welcome again to their cooling shade, and to greet me on my safe return. Throughout the whole country which we had traversed in our 1812. A REMARK ON THE CISGARIEPINE. 211 present journey, from the Sunday river to this place, not a single Acacia had been seen ; and if this fact be coupled with another already noticed *, that this tree does not exist between the Roggeveld Moun- tain and the Gariep, a very singular geographical circumstance will be discovered : — that although that part of Southern Africa which has fallen under my observation, every where else abound in acacias, there appears to be one large and central region perfectly destitute of every trace of that plant. This region is bounded on the south, by the ridge of mountains, or rather cliffs, which extends in one continued, though irregular, line from the Farther Bokkeveld, along the northern side of the Great Karro, connecting the Roggeveld Mountains with those of the Nieuwveld and Sneeuwberg ; as may be more clearly seen by inspecting the map. It is bounded, on the east by the Rhenosterberg and the Nugariep, and on the north by the Gariep, and does not, probably, extend so far westward as to the sea- coast. This region, so remarkably by nature distinguished in several respects from the other parts of Extratropical Africa, is in fact that which I have attempted to distinguish in a geographical view, by the denomination of the Cisgariepine. j- The sciences of Geography and Botany here elucidate each other : the generally great elevation, and consequently colder climate, of this region, will not allow the Acacia to thrive : and the absence of this, being one of the species of a numerous genus the whole of which are the inhabitants of warm climates, affords some proof of the greater cold, and consequently of the greater elevation of this region. As it is evident that these conclusions can only be drawn from remarks made along my own course, it remains to be confirmed by future observation, whether my supposition that the whole of this region contains no acacias, be either literally, or only generally, correct. Those of my men who had never before seen this stream, were astonished at its magnitude, and declared that they had no notion of * At page 314. of the first volume, f See Vol. I. p. 581., and also page 324. E E 2 212 STATURE OF BUSHMEN. 19 — 21 May, there being so large a river in Africa : it contained, they said, more water than all the rivers of the Colony put together. To them this was the first stage of the journey ; and it was a circumstance not unimportant to me, that they felt pleasure at having, in our course hitherto, beheld and learnt many things which they thought inte- resting. The glory of shooting a 4 sea-cow ’ had long, in prospect, occupied their thoughts, and the moment, therefore, the baggage was unloaded, they ran down the steep bank of the river to discover if any were then within shot. As soon as they had taken supper, they posted themselves by the water-side, and remained on the watch during the greater part of the night; but this eagerness was not repaid with success. The light of our fires, and the voices of so many people, had probably alarmed the animals and driven them, either higher up the stream, or, nearer the opposite bank. At this ford, the place of which is marked on the map by the words Ox-Ford, we found a Bushman kraal of ten huts, the inhabi- tants of which were of taller stature than the natives whom we had hitherto met with in the Cisgariepine. Or, to prevent any supposi- tion that these were tall men, which would be a notion quite false, as they are every where that small race which I have described, it ought rather to be said, that the Bushmen of the country between the Colony and the Gariep, are among the smallest of the Hottentot race. This difference of stature in those who inhabit the vicinity of the river, is probably to be attributed to a mixture of Kora blood : and the same difference has been observed in other places where the intermingling with other tribes may readily be supposed to have occasioned it : but the genuine Bushmen are all excessively small. c20th. At this ford the river is divided into two channels, by an island ; and before we attempted to pass with the whole party, we made some previous trials, and found the ford too deep to be prac- ticable without the aid of oxen ; and even then, the water flowed over their backs. As old Lucas and Cobus were supposed to be well acquainted with every part of the river hereabouts, we were guided by their opinion that this was the shallowest place ; and therefore pre- pared for crossing, by collecting together a quantity of dry wood for 1812. PEBBLES OF THE GARIEP. 213 making rafts to pass the channel on the northern side of the island, that being much too deep to be forded in any manner. While thus employed, we were observed by three Koras on the opposite bank, who goodnaturedly swam over to give us their assistance, knowing by previous report who we were. My men had laboured the greater part of the day, in collecting the wood and carrying it to the farther side of the island, and we had just made the raft and all was nearly ready, when some Bushmen came to inform me that another ford higher up the river, was much more shallow. In consequence of this advice, I ordered my people to desist from further preparations, and resolved on removing thither : for, having now in my party a number of Hottentots unac- customed to swimming, and a woman and infant besides, I considered myself responsible for their safety as far as it depended on my judg- ment, and therefore determined to adopt that plan which offered the least possible risk ; although some of the Hottentots seemed little pleased at finding that all the labor of collecting wood must be begun again. It being too late in the day to commence a journey, we remained at this place, and took advantage of the remaining daylight, to put our baggage in the best order we were able. I amused myself in the mean time, in examining the stones in the bed of the river. The shores of the Gariep, not only at this spot, but every where along its course, as I am informed, abound with pebbles of various sorts, and of considerable beauty. They have been found well adapted for seals and necklaces, or other ornaments of that kind ; and from their hardness, are susceptible of a high polish. Of these I now collected a few ; among which were some very handsome chalcedonies, some curious agates, and other varieties of this class; together with some of porphyry, primitive amygdaloid, amygdaloidal greenstone ; and separate pebbles of zeolite, a substance frequently occurring em- bedded in the other stones of the river. 21st. Before sunrise we began the business of packing the baggage ; but in consequence of the Hottentots’ dilatoriness and 2X4 FRIENDLY KORAS. — SKETCH-BOOK. — THE ISLAND. 21 May, want of method, it was not till two hours afterwards, that the whole party were on the march. We soon arrived at the ford, which we found to be the same which bore the name of Engelsche Drift or English Ford. This was also formed by an island which divided the stream ; and although it was not so deep as the other, it still required the aid of rafts for passing the channel between us and the island. On the opposite bank, at some distance higher up, was a kraal of Koras , the same people whom we had seen when we crossed the river before. These soon observed us, and nine of them swam over, and readily, even unasked, lent their assistance in collecting wood for our rafts. The stony shore, partly overhung by trees, was soon a busy scene ; which, by the addition of the Koras to our num- ber, together with the horses, oxen, sheep, and dogs, presented a crowded and lively appearance. The broad expanse of water, was the more attractive to the eye, as it was a sight so rare in this part of the globe. While they were engaged in swimming the cattle through to the island, I employed the time in preserving the memory of these occu- pations and of this scene, by placing it in my skelch-book. Every additional sketch was, I considered, an additional triumph over oblivion, and a powerful assistant to recollection. I trust I shall be excused for here obtruding the advice upon those who may propose to visit countries little known, or seldom frequented ; that they would regard the art of drawing as of the highest importance ; not merely as the means of giving their friends an idea of those scenes and objects which they have beheld, but for their own gratification, and for the pleasure of a renewal of past impressions far more lively than any pen can render a written journal. It was nearly sunset before the whole of my party, and the baggage and cattle, were landed on the island ; three hours having been consumed on account of the number of times it was necessary to cross and recross the first channel. In one of these trips, the bands of acacia-bark with which the raft was bound together, broke 1812. DANGER IN FORDING THE GARIEP. 215 while in the middle of the stream, and a great part of the raft separated and was, together with one of the karosses, and some other goods, carried away by the stream and lost. At this time Truy and her child were going over, and narrowly escaped drowning, as the raft fortunately held together till just the moment when they had nearly gained the shore. This island was narrow, but of considerable length in the direc- tion of the stream. A few trees or bushes grew upon it, and some rushes of a new and peculiar sort *, which were never met with in any other part of my travels. It was subject occasionally to be overflowed; and the fresh grass and other rubbish left upon the branches by the inundation, proved that the river had very lately risen fifteen feet above its present level. The woods along the banks, were still in their antumnal dress. The two men on horseback were the first to ford the northern channel ; while the rest of us waited on the island to watch the result, whether it would be shallow enough for carrying our baggage over without a raft. This we judged it possible to accomplish by packing the goods high upon the oxen’s backs. As soon as these were ready, as many of us as could be mounted, entered the stream. The depth of water was five feet, but we found, as we advanced towards the middle, that the current being straitened by the island, was excessively rapid, and rendered our fording an affair of consi- derable danger. We found it necessary to keep our view directed only to the opposite bank, to prevent giddiness ; an effect which the rapid motion of the water flowing past us, produced upon every one. I confess that I was not less in fear, than my men ; for the strength of the flood was almost greater than that of the cattle upon which we depended entirely for our safety ; and, added to this, the channel was * Cyperus scirpoides, B. Catal. Geogr. 2128. Culmi 2 — 3-pedales, nudi teretes : plurimi steriles. Folia nulla? Involucra et involucella brevissima ex squamis 2 vel 3 erectis lanceolatis. Panicula constans ex spiculis sessilibus et pedunculatis, ex umbellulis paucifloris, simplicibus et compositis. Spiculae lanceolatae 8 — 16-florse. 216 ACCIDENTS IN CROSSING THE RIVER. 21, 22 May, every where covered with large stones. The oxen were more steady than the horses, but their bulk exposed them more to the force of the current : my horse had in this respect the advantage, but being less strong in the legs, he stumbled more frequently ; and at one time, when the roughness of the bottom occasioned a false step, he providentially fell upwards against the stream. Had he fallen in the opposite direction, we must both have been swept away with the flood. My men were in not less alarm : all preserved a fearful silence as long as they were in the water, which was between ten and fifteen minutes ; but the moment we reached the shore, they con- gratulated each other on having landed without accident. Old Hans, who was near me and had observed my horse stumbling and scarcely able to stand against the force of the current, exclaimed very fervently when we gained the bank ; ‘ Thank God ! Mynheer is safe.’ The sheep were with much difficulty compelled to enter the stream, and it was only by pelting them with stones, that they were afterwards forced to swim over ; they were, however, carried far down with the current before they could gain the land. I had been careful to preserve the watch which I carried on my person, by placing it where the water could not reach it ; but unfor- tunately the one which had been packed in the tin box, was now rendered utterly useless for the rest of the journey. This box had carelessly been placed so low upon the ox, that on coming to land it was found full of water ; in consequence of which, I had to sit up a great part of the night to dry my journals and papers before the fire j and anxious to save these from damage, the watch was neglected till too late, when the springs had already contracted rust. It beino; now too dark to drive the oxen back for those who had been left behind, we were not till the next morning quite free from uneasiness on their account ; as it was not impossible that the river might swell during the night, and overflow the island. Juli , with his wife and child, and Keyser, remained there till morning without any bedding or protection from the cold ; but fortunately they found a sufficient quantity of wood to keep up a fire till daylight. 1812. DEATH OF MULIHABAN. — CIVILITY OF A HOTTENTOT. 2] 7 22nd. The first intelligence gained on my arrival in the Trans- gariepine, was, that of the death of Mulihaban*, the chief of the Bachapins, or Briquas, the nation which I intended to visit first ; and that, as usual on such an occasion, his successor, Mattivi, had sent to the Klaarwater chief, Adam Kok, a present of two oxen, as expressive of his desire that the two nations, or tribes, should continue on peaceable and friendly terms. This information was given by two Briquas who were in the service of some of the Klaarwater people, as herdsmen, and who, knowing that I was about to make a journey to their country, came for the purpose of apprising me of the cir- cumstance. This certainly was an affair in which we were much concerned ; but as the character of their new chief had not yet declared itself, we were left in uncertainty whether the change would be for our advantage or disadvantage. At noon all the party being at length collected together, we left the river, and proceeded towards the village of ‘ The Kloof.’ On arriving at Jan Bloem’s kraal, mutual inquiries compelled us to halt and satisfy their curiosity. He and his friends were eager to learn some particulars respecting the country we had traversed, and we, as eager to hear something of Klaarwater affairs. The beautiful wire-grass, so much admired on my former journey, was now all dried up, or consumed by the cattle ; and the acacias were nearly in a leafless state. At sunset we entered the Asbestos Mountains, and arrived at The Kloof. Here Willem Fortuyn , the Hottentot who has been mentioned in the former volume as a man possessed of more in- dustry than his neighbours, came immediately to invite me to take up my quarters in his house, which he had cleaned on purpose for my reception, having been apprised of my coming by Van B,oye and Cornelis, who, being on horseback and having started early, had preceded us several hours. This was a degree of attention and hospitality, which I had not before experienced from the Klaarwater * The Bachapins sometimes pronounce this name Mulihaban or Mollihaban, and at other times Midihabang or Mulihavang : the first is the most usual. VOL. II. F F 218 RETURN OF THE HORSES. — VISIT FROM KAABI. 22, 23 May, people, and I was therefore the more struck with this proof of the man’s superior degree of civilization, and felt the more gratified by his consideration of the fatigues and privations which he knew I must have suffered. But as the passing but a single night in a warm house might occasion me afterwards to take cold, I preferred sleeping, in the open air, to which I was now more accustomed. When he found this to be my determination, he sent a jug of milk, as the most acceptable present which it was in his power to offer. How superior, in the common feelings of human nature, must this man have been, to the inhabitants of the first farm-house at which we arrived, on our entrance into the Colony. Fortuyn informed me that Captain Berends and a large party with several waggons, had departed but the day before, on a journey farther into the Interior, for the purpose of hunting elephants : and, that the horses from the Roggeveld, which, as mentioned in the former volume, had been sent there to avoid the paardeziekte, had returned in the preceding week ; and by this opportunity, the mis- sionaries had received several packets of letters from the Cape. The latter part of this intelligence, it may be supposed, was most inte- resting to me, as I hoped that among these letters there might be some for myself. At another piece of information I was much more surprised : that Kaabi and the old Bushman Gryskop , had been to Klaarwater to fetch the two pack-oxen, supposing that we had already arrived there. They, however, did not think it worth their while to wait for our coming ; but on finding us not there, they immediately re- turned home. Although this report was found to be correct, I could not at first believe them to have been the same Bushmen, because Kaabi was seen by three of my men, at his own kraal on the 16th ; and this account having reached the Kloof yesterday and having been two days coming from Klaarwater, three days only were left for them to perform the journey, including the crossing of the river ; which proves them to have travelled at the rate of at least forty miles each day. A serious calamity, according to Hottentot estimation, had be- 1812. LUCAS AND HIS COMPANIONS TAKE LEAVE. 219 fallen the gardens of this village : an unusually heavy storm of hail had cut all the leaves off their tobacco plants , and totally ruined the expected crop, on which so much of their comforts, and even profits, depended. 2 3rd. Hans Lucas, Hendrik Abrams, and Nieuwveld, now took their leave of us, and returned to their homes at Groote-doorn, by a nearer road across the mountains. Lucas had proved himself to be a worthy good-hearted Hottentot, and though neither he, nor any of the others excepting my own men, had much more to do on the journey than merely to accompany me, I found in him always a readiness and goodwill, which failed not to gain my esteem. In Abraws I discovered nothing either to censure or to commend ; unless I censure him for inactivity, and commend him for quietness. Nieuwveld , as a Bushman, deserved praise for his constant and steady attention to his duty in driving the loose cattle, as long as we had any to require his care. I had very little communication with him by conversation, because he spoke no language but his own ; yet in his deportment there was something which claimed my good opinion. At this village, we left Cobus Berends and Ruiter . The former was, I believe, a good old man ; but on account of his age, was of no use whatever to us as an assistant ; although his presence, to give the appearance of greater strength to the party, and occasionally his judg- ment and experience, rendered him an acceptable companion. Ruiter was at the commencement of the journey, a very useful man as an interpreter, but having talcen offence at my finding fault with some unfair bartering of which he had been guilty, he became sullen and often refused to interpret ; so that ultimately he was of little ad- vantage, excepting by his mere presence : and this was the utmost extent of Old Daniel's service. It appeared to me remarkable that no one of the party, excepting my own people, shot any game, although gunpowder was delivered to all in the same proportion ; yet it was always reported as having been consumed. However, we all parted good friends ; and I had the satisfaction of having accomplished my journey, without accident to any one, and with the gratification of knowing that no one was the worse for having accompanied me. f f 2 220 CURIOSITY. - ANDRIES AND STUURMAN. 23, 24 May, From this time till we reached home, the party, excepting one, consisted only of my own people ; and I departed from the Kloof with very agreeable feelings, as I viewed upon the road, the number of men engaged in my service, and with whom I might now look forward without disappointment, to the execution of my plans. We arrived at Gattikamma just before it became dark ; where, from the coldness of the air, we found a fire more necessary than food. 24i$. This morning we were visited by several Hottentots from Gert Kok’s kraal, which lay at the distance of a few miles north- ward, and who had last night received intelligence of our arrival, by means of Kok, who happened to pass by just as we were unpacking. Our journey had excited a considerable share of curiosity among the Hottentots generally ; as they felt more especially interested in a road being now opened to a part of the colony with which they had not before had any communication. The quantity of game which might be met with along that road, formed for them, a subject of inquiry, not less important. We left Gattikamma before nine in the morning, and marched at a brisk step, that we might arrive early at Klaarwater. The people seemed to have no idea of the necessity which such a journey imposed on us for keeping together in a body ; and had, notwith- standing my orders to the contrary, allowed themselves to straggle and disperse in a manner which would subject us to the greatest danger, in countries where the natives might prove less amicably disposed, than the Bushmen among whom we had just been travel- ling. But as it is difficult to make Hottentots sensible of the advantages to be derived from good order, I found this likely to be a source of some trouble ; for, though I had at starting, issued positive instructions that we should keep together, two of my jail Hottentots, Andries and Stuurman, continued in the afternoon, to lag behind, till, watching the opportunity of my being some little way ahead of the rest, they slipped away unperceived. As 1 missed them soon afterwards, I halted and sent Juli back to make search, and bring them on. After some delay, they came up with us, having been found 1812. ATTEMPTS AT DISOBEDIENCE. 221 very composedly sitting smoking their pipes under a bush ; where they had proposed to each other to remain till the evening. This, I am willing to believe, was not done in absolute defiance of my orders, but partly from a careless neglect of them, and partly from a wish of having their own way and from a desire of trying how far they might carry disobedience with impunity. Almost all my new men began their service by making experiments to ascertain the strength of my patience and forbearance ; and therefore made continual attempts at slighting my regulations. This, however, was a point which I was firmly resolved, at all hazards, to maintain against them ; as the safety of the whole depended upon subordination to their head. Fortunately for them, they had to deal with one who was de- termined on pursuing such measures as he conscientiously felt to be just and right. I watched therefore with a jealous eye, every attempt at disobedience, and considered nothing of so much import- ance as the preservation of my authority over them : although, I confess, there were subsequent occasions, on wdiich this authority was preserved merely in outward appearance. CHAPTER VIII. TRANSACTIONS AT KLAARWATER, AFTER THE RETURN FROM GRAFFREYNET. At four in the afternoon we came in sight of Klaarwater. I halted my men at the top of the ridge above the village, and, according to colonial custom *, saluted the missionaries with twenty discharges of our muskets, as a complimentary mode of announcing our return. They had been yesterday apprised by a Hottentot called Lang Adam, that we were on the road from the Kloof, and should certainly arrive this day. But our salutation remained unanswered ; not a musket was fired to welcome us ; nor did any one make his appearance to receive us. At this, we were all naturally much surprised ; as the noise was loud enough to have awakened the whole village, had every inhabitant been even fast asleep. See examples of this, at pages 173 and 328 of the first volume. 24. In the same manner, the tli is not the Saxon ?5, nor our Greek 6, but simply an aspirated t. The ts is to be considered as forming an indivisible consonant ; and also the tz, which is merely a modification of the same, and by some natives is used in its place. For further explanations, the observations at the words ‘ three,’ c four,’ * sun,’ £ moon decreasing,’ and ‘ ford,’ at page 253. may be consulted ; as also may, the remarks on the Sichuana language, to be found in the last chapter of this volume. 1812. THE SICHUANA LANGUAGE. 297 to be attended to, by those who would read correctly the Sichuana names and words which occur in the course of this narrative. The English reader, unacquainted with foreign pronunciation, may complain that by not adopting the orthography of his own lan- guage, the difficulty of reading the names in this journal, is much increased ; but he might with equal propriety object to the use of French or German orthography in a book of travels through France or Germany. As an apology for the method here followed, it may briefly be stated, — that the vocal sounds of the two languages are essentially different ; that English orthography, being, in its present state, referrible to no general principle, is so inconsistent as to modern pronunciation, that in some words it designates the same sound by several different letters, and in others, employs the same letters for several very different sounds : and, that the adoption of a system expressly adapted to the genius of the Sichuana and following simple and rigid rules, is in reality attended with much less inconvenience, and with much more certainty, than the use of a system, if it can be called one, so multifarious in letters and uncertain in sound, as that of our own language. I have, nevertheless, for more general convenience, added in parentheses, wherever it was necessary, the same word spelt according to English orthography. 2 9th. The various duties of preserving what had been collected, of arranging the notes and recording the observations of the day, had employed me in the waggon the whole of the night, and this, added to a considerable fatigue occasioned by a long day’s-journey, kept me so much later than usual, before I awoke the next morning, that my people began to fear that I was either dead or very unwell. At length Speelman’s uneasiness increasing, he resolved to ascertain whether I was alive or not, and knocked against the side of the waggon, when he told me that, instead of morning, it was afternoon, and that the sun had already sunk more than two hours. I was not less surprised than my men ; and could only attribute this extraordi- nary long and sound sleep, to an effort of nature, to repair that exhausted state into which a too great attention to the numerous affairs of the journey had insensibly brought me. The oxen were Q Q VOL. II. 298 ASCERTAINING THE COURSE AND DISTANCE. 29 June, put to the waggons without delay, and all were soon ready to depart. The magnetic needle was here so much affected by the particles of iron contained in the rocks at this station, that it was not to be depended on. It was my usual practice at every station, to take the bearings of as many of our former stations as were either in sight, or of which the situation could be indicated with tolerable exact- ness ; and at the same time, those of any other remarkable objects, and of our next station forward whenever it was known and could be indicated with precision, were noted down. By these means, the bearings, being taken both backwards and forwards, gave a double check to any inaccuracy which might arise from errors of the needle, or from mistaking the position of stations not actually . in sight. In order that this very necessary part of a traveller’s duty might not, in the confusion of a multitude of heterogeneous occupa- tions, be forgotten, these operations were almost always deferred till the moment when the oxen were brought forward to be put in the yoke ; so that I thus became habitually reminded of what was to be done, and my men were by the same means prepared for pointing out the bearing of these stations and places which were too dis- tant to be visible. On such occasions I generally consulted them, and placed more or less confidence in their opinions, as these proved either unanimous or at variance. Fearing that we should not reach our next station before dark, we hastened the oxen forward at their best pace, and advanced at the rate of eighteen revolutions * in a minute ; which was equal to 3 miles, 1 furlong, and 170 yards, in an hour. As our road was over deep sands, this rate might be considered as very expeditious, for a waggon on narrow wheels, heavily laden and drawn by oxen. In some places, a black mottled flinty rock, showed itself through the surface of the ground. * The mode in which this was ascertained, has been already explained at page 289. of the preceding volume. 1812. WINTER. — THE RIVER KRUMAN. 299 Although the sun shone pleasantly the whole day, the air was cold, and the thermometer not higher than 56. (13*3 Centig. ; or 106 Reaum.) It was now the middle of winter, or, more properly speaking, cold season : for the word, winter , seems to an English ear, to imply a severity of cold, and to raise ideas not consistent altogether with the weather of these latitudes. Occasionally, however, a degree of cold is felt, which the contrast of intervening warm days, renders almost as chilling as the wintry weather of our own latitudes. During the month of June, as may be seen by the 4 Register,’ the thermometer sunk several times below the freezing point ; on one day the ground was whitened with snow ; and hoar-frost at sunrise, was not unfrequent. The middle of the day was generally pleasant and moderately warm : but the mercury never rose higher than 71 ; (17’3. R. ; 2T6 C.) and for the greater part of the four- and- twenty hours, was below the temperate point. At a little after sunset, we came to the Kruman , a beautiful little river running in a plentiful stream of the clearest water. At this part of its course it was fifteen feet broad and abounded in tall reeds. A sight so delightful for African travellers, had not been seen since we left the Gariep. This river, small as it was, as far surpassed all the others in the intermediate country, if rivers they could be called, as the Gariep surpassed this. It is formed by the Klibbolikhonni, the most copious spring which I have seen in Southern Africa. Unlike other rivers, the Kruman is largest at its source, and rises from the earth a full and broad stream, which, by the combined powers of evaporation by the sun and of absorption by the sandy soil, is gradually lessened as it flows on ; till at last after a course of a few days-journeys, it is lost in the sands, and entirely disappears. It is said, that in the wet season, it is joined by the Moslma (Moshowa) ; and that, in those years when an unusual quantity of rain has fallen, the united streams find their way to the Gariep. We continued for an hour, travelling westerly along the banks of the Kruman, till, it becoming too dark to venture farther, we were obliged to halt and unyoke for the night, at a spot distinguished on Q Q 2 300 MUCHUNKA’S ORATIONS 29, 30 June, the map, by the words Kruman Station , close to the Kamhanni mountains.* Although we had advanced many miles into the country, we had not yet met a single Bichuana. In the. evening, while sitting at my usual employments in the waggon, my attention was frequently attracted by Muchunka , whose extraordinary manner this evening, appeared for a long time unintelligible. He was sitting with the rest of the men around the fire, and conversing with them either in the Dutch, or in the Hottentot, language ; when suddenly he started up, and without leaving his place, held a long oration in Sichuana, in a tone of voice astonishingly vociferous. This he did repeatedly in the course of the evening : yet none of the natives were seen, nor did any come near us that night. But the object of these theatrical movements, was to let them know, that we were friends ; and, should any one, seeing the waggons and observing men in European dress, approach us with hostile intentions, to give them notice, by the sound of their own language, that some of their countrymen were with our party : or should they, on the contrary, be intimidated by our appear- ance, these speeches were to have the effect of encouraging them to come forward. 30th. We remained a day at this place, for the purpose of hunting ; as it was necessary to recruit our stock of provisions before we proceeded farther. Six Hottentots were thus employed, and not without success, as they brought home two species of antelope which I had not before met with, and of which I found no account in any of the zoological books I had with me. Their skins were therefore a greater prize than the meat. One is called Paala (Parla) by the Bichuanas, and is known by the name of Roodebok (Redbuck) to those of the Mixed Hot- tentots who have travelled into this country ; for, although very * The word Kamhanni may possibly be a corruption of Krumani. I have once heard these mountains called by the name of Ncho Jamhaan ; which latter word may pro- bably have been a careless mode of speaking Kamhanni. 1812. DESCRIPTION OF THE PAALA. 301 numerous in most parts of the country of the Bachapins, it is rarely to be seen southward of the Kamhanni Mountains. It much resem- bles the springbuck in form and general color. It is, however, con- siderably larger, and has not those remarkable long white hairs on the back, which have been described * as peculiar to that antelope ; but it takes occasionally the same leaps ; and in this particular, as well as in general habits, it may be considered as a proximate species. Its color, as the Dutch name implies, is every where, on the upper parts of the body, of a uniform yellowish red, but darker than that of the springbuck. The sides are of a paler tint ; and the under parts are white. The tips of the ears, are black ; and the face is of a browner color than the body. The tail is short and white, and along the upper part a short black line run on to the rump. A similar black line or stripe passes down the hinder part of the haunch. These lines are not found on the springbuck, which on the contrary is marked along its sides with a broad dark stripe which is wanting in the paala. At the back of the hind legs just above the foot, is a remarkable black tuft of short hair, which has suggested its technical name.j' With respect to its horns, this species differs essentially from the springbuck ; not only in having them of a different form, more than twice as long and spreading much wider apart, but in the want of them in the females. This last character, though at variance with the only systematic description which has hitherto been given, is certainly correct, as we shot, during these travels, not less than twenty paalas of both sexes, and saw several hundred others. It is a handsome and elegantly-made animal ; but in beauty of color, yields to the springbuck. Its flesh is well-tasted and wholesome : but, like that of nearly all other antelopes, is very deficient in fat. This is one of the more rare species. Of the kokoon, described in the preceding chapter, and of the following animal, the skins obtained on this * At page 290. of the first volume. f Antilope melampus, Licht. : Of this animal, and of the Springbuck, I have pre- sented skins to the British Museum, where their differential characters and affinity, as above indicated, may be confirmed. 302 DESCRIPTION OF THE PEELI TWO HERDSMEN. 30 June, journey, were probably the first, now in England, which had ever been brought out of the country. The other antelope shot at this place, is called by the Bichuanas, Peeli (Paly) or, with a strong aspiration, Pheli. It is found in various parts of the Cape Colony, where it is known to the Boors and Hot- tentots, by the name of Vaal Reebok (Fallow Roebuck). It is entirely of a brown-cinereous or grizzled color, like that of our wild rabbits : the under part of the body is lighter. The legs, ears, and head, are of the same color as the body. The tail is short and bushy, and thickly covered with long white hair. The horns are slender, erect, and nearly straight and parallel ; and are slightly annulated at the lower part. But the character best distinguishing it from every species of antelope which has fallen under my observation, is the soft curly or woolly nature of the hair, which, being unlike that of every other kind, has suggested the specific name here adopted. * The engraving at the end of this chapter represents the skull of the Peeli , and the horns in front and in profile. Besides these two animals, the hunters shot a zebra at a consi- derable distance in the plain ; and, happening to fall in with two Bichuanas , (or, as the Hottentots usually called them, Caffres ,) they engaged them to remain by the carcass to save it from being devoured by the vultures or beasts of prey, until the waggon could be sent to fetch it home. These two natives were very willing to lend us their assistance, prompted, no doubt, by the expectation of receiving a share of the meat as a reward for their trouble ; for nothing could be more wretched and pitiable than their meagre starving appearance. They were men of the middle age, and of tall stature ; that is, above five feet and a half high, which, to us who had been so long * Antilope villosa, B. Cornua recta gracilia teretia parallelo-erecta, basibus annulatis (foeminae ecornes). Vellus lanatum molle fusco-cinereum. Cauda brevis dense villosa, pilis elongatis albis. The name of lanigcra having been already applied to another species, I am pre- cluded, by its similarity, from the use of that of lanata. In the British Museum I have deposited a skin of this animal, the horns of which are nearly eight inches and three quarters long : but they are rarely found of this length, being most frequently of five or six only. 1812. ON THE WORDS, BICHUANA AND BACHAPIN. 303 accustomed to the diminutive figure of Bushmen, appeared at this time remarkably tall. Having been used to regard a well-greased skin as a proof of being well-fed, we viewed their dry bodies as a certain indication of poverty and want ; which their disinclination to talk, and the depression of their countenances, sufficiently confirmed. They in- formed us, that they were Bachapins * and had been herdsmen to the late chief Mulihaban ; that at present their only means of support was hunting, or digging up wild roots : and in this employment, it was unnecessary for them to say, that they had not lately been very successful. They informed us that it is the law of the country, that whenever men of their class kill any game, within a reasonable distance of the town, the best piece, particularly the breast, must be sent to the chief. The engraving at page 291. will give an idea of the general appearance of a poor Bachapin herdsman. These two men stopped with us as long as we remained at this station ; and were of some use in assisting us to cut the meat in pieces for drying. I ordered the Hottentots not only to feed them * It may not be useless here to explain, that the word Bichuana is used when speak- ing generally of those tribes of the Caffre race, who speak a language which they call Sichuana , and inhabit the countries comprised in the northernmost part of the map ; and that by the word Bachapln (Bachapeen) or the Hottentot word Briqua (Breequa, signi- fying Goat-men) is intended that particular tribe only, which is governed by Mattivi, and the chief town of which, is Litakun. Bichuana (Beechuarna) is the plural form of the word Muchudna (Moochuarna) ; but as it has not been thought necessary in the journal to preserve this distinction, the first has been adopted for both cases. The root of the word seems to be, cliuana ; which, however, cannot correctly be used, as it is never spoken without the adjunct. It is the singular property of the Sichuana language, to apply as 'prefixes , those par- ticles which, in similar cases in other languages, are employed as terminations. Thus, as an example, in the names of the Bichuana nations, the syllable Ba, with which most of them begin, corresponds with the qua which terminates many Hottentot names : both of them answering to the English word man, as compounded in German, Norman. This re- mark is exemplified in the names Bachapin, Bamakwin, Batammaka, (sometimes called Tammaka) &c. ; and in Namaqua (sometimes, but less correctly, pronounced Namaqua) Briqua, Mokdrraqua , Dammaraqua (which Hottentots substitute for Dammara), Auteniqua Gonaqua (often called Gonaqua, or Gonah), &c. By attending to this, it will be easy to distinguish many Hottentot and Sichuana names on the map, and to discover their nature. 304 DECEIT AND FALSEHOOD. 30 June, well during the time they were with us, but to give them a large portion to take home. They informed me that Makrakki , the chief of the Maibues *, a division of the Barolong tribe, had fled, together with Mokkaba chief of the Nuakketsies, farther into the Interior ; having heard that a body of white men were coming to take revenge on them for the alleged murder of the last English party which had visited their country. Thus, at my first entrance into their territory, I began to experience some part of that deceit and disregard for truth, which, although pervading more or less every African tribe, seem scarcely to be considered by the Bichuanas as a vice or as a disgraceful practice ; and which, in these countries, so deeply contaminate every class of society, that I afterwards proved by too many trials, that no man’s word, not even the Chief’s, could be relied on in any case where the least advantage was to be gained by falsehood. This report which now reached me, perhaps not accidentally, had not the least foundation in truth ; and therefore the mention of it might have been omitted, if the regularity and consistency of the journal did not require it to be noticed, in order to account for various proceedings, and for the colouring given to them. By adhering strictly to the daily record of the impressions and opinions of the moment, a more correct picture is given of our actual situation ; and the nature of a journey in the interior of Africa, is more faithfully displayed. From this adherence to the original journal, some con- tradictory facts and sentiments will occasionally be met with ; but the former are to be attributed to the difficulties which beset a traveller whenever he is reduced to the necessity of getting his information from the mouths of others ; and the latter, to that change of sentiment and opinion which was induced either by a change of circumstances * The es at the end of this and similar names, which in the singular end with a vowel, is not to be considei'ed as belonging to the original word, but, as that plural termination which, in strictness, the English language requires ; although I have not ventured in every case to follow this rule, wishing rather to leave those words as much as possible in their Sichuana form. 1812. FORMER VISITS TO THE BACHAPIN COUNTRY. 305 or by an opportunity of viewing the subject on another side. As they are the sentiments which belong to that date only ; there are conse- quently some subjects, of which a just view cannot be obtained from detached portions of the journal. By recording these sentiments in their place, the reader is enabled ultimately to gain more correct ideas, and to form his judgment upon natural and unpicked evidence. From an observation of the sun’s meridional altitude, the latitude of this station was calculated to be 27° 22' 25". * At the distance of about two miles lower down the river, is the spot where stood the chief town of the Bachapins, at the time when it was visited by Landdrost Van de Graaff and Dr. Lichtenstein, in 1805 j' ; who were sent by the Dutch government for the purpose of ascertaining the true state of the settlement at Klaarwater. This business being accomplished, they advanced as far as the Kruman, and after remaining there four days, returned to the Colony. — In the year 1801 the same tribe was visited by Dr. Somerville and Mr. Truter, who, with a large party, were sent thither by the English governor for the purpose of obtaining oxen for the supply of Cape Town.;}: Having, during a stay of fifteen days, obtained the object of their mission, they returned to Cape Town. This party found the chief town of the Bachapins not far from the spot where it stood at the time I visited this tribe : it then bore the same name of Litaakun. These facts serve to prove that the nation has not yet arrived at that degree of civilization which is marked by permanently fixed abodes ; but that it approaches it very nearly. This permanency of abode depends, as remarked on another occasion, on a two-fold cause ; on the solidity and perfection of their architecture, and on their pro- * At Kruman Station, 30th June 1812. The observed meridional altitude of the sun’s upper limb, was 39°. 42'. 40". f This party consisted of 25 persons. Of these; 12 were Hottentots; 5, slaves; and 8, white persons, among whom was the unfortunate Jacob Kruger (Krieger). They were 25 days beyond the boundary of the Colony. t This party consisted of 40 persons. Of these ; 1 2 were white men, among which number were, Mr. Samuel Daniell the artist, and Mr. Borcherds the present Deputy Fiscal at Cape Town. The others were, 24 Hottentots and 4 slaves. They were about five months beyond the Colonial boundary. VOL. II. R R 306 THE GREAT PLAINS OF LITAKUN. 1 July, gress in agriculture ; neither of which, it will be seen, has yet quite reached the requisite degree of improvement. Until this shall be the case, none but the ruder arts can be cultivated ; and to this it follows as a corollary, that the introduction of a taste for better arts, would soon bring them to that desirable point. The country about our station once abounded in large mokaala trees (camel-thorns), till the Bachapins removed their town to the Kruman ; when they were cut down, for the purposes of building, and to clear the land for cornfields : at this time but few were standing. By the present state of vegetation, it appeared that the flower- season was either past or not yet come.*' Most of the shrubs were without leaves, and those which still remained on some of the deci- duous plants, were rendered so brittle by the long continuance of dry weather, that they could not be handled without breaking in pieces. July 1st. At noon we resumed the journey, and after crossing the Kruman which was about fifteen feet wide and a foot in depth, continued for the remainder of the day travelling over a boundless plain, generally sandy and covered with dry grass from three to four feet high. These plains, with here and there a little variation of scenery and diversity of surface, extend as far as Litakun ; and, possessing in some respects a pleasing character of their own, it was found convenient during my journey, to distinguish this portion of the country as the Great Plains of Litakun. They in general abound, to use this word with reference to Africa, in springs of excellent water, the situation of which is always indicated to the traveller by little groves of acacias ; though these trees are seen scattered in con- siderable number at some distance in their vicinity, or occupy those hollow places which receive water only in the rainy season. Between their present capital, and the site of their former town on the Kruman, the natives have had so much communication, that, by constantly passing to and fro, they have formed what may be called a Bachapin highroad. This consists of a number of footpaths wide * A small procumbent species of Evolvulus was here met with ; and is the first proof of the existence of that genus on the African continent. 112. BACHAPIN HIGHROAD. — RIVER MAKKWARIN. 307 enough only for a single person, and running either parallel to each other, or crossing very obliquely. I counted from twelve to about eighteen or twenty of these paths, within the breadth of a few yards. They are nothing more than what may be supposed to be the beaten track of several men walking in company, each picking his own way wherever the ground may be most free from obstructions. In a part of this plain, where grew many large bushes of tarchonanthus from six to ten feet high, we passed a fountain of clear water, in which stood a few reeds. This fountain or spring, though not copious enough to produce a stream, formed a small pond which had the appearance of being constantly supplied with water. A little farther, a number of small olive-trees , of the height only of eight feet, were observed ; these had exactly the foliage of the European olive. After a pleasant day’s journey of nearly twenty miles, we arrived in the evening at the river Makkwarin (or Makklwarin ), where we intended to remain several days, to put the waggons and all our baggage in order, and to make various preparations and finish all necessary work, previously to our arrival at the town of Litakun. I would here take the opportunity of making some remarks on the name of this town. It may be written in various forms according as the Dutch, German, or English, orthography is followed. The first would give Litaakoen ; the second, Litakun ; the third, Letdrkoon ; the French, Litdkoun ; and the Italian, the same as the German. Con- formably to the system of orthography cursorily explained at page 296. I have spelt it Litakun or Litaakun. The Bachapins (Bachapeens) are never heard to place the accent on any other syllable than that which is here marked, although the forms under which it has already appeared before the public, would seem to indicate a very different pronunciation. It is sometimes, though very seldom, heard spoken as Takun , by dropping the first syllable, without changing the accent ; but this is probably a careless mode of speaking. The word Takoon, is almost as frequently made use of by the natives as Litakun ; and here the accent is shifted to the last syllable, which becomes length- ened, and is pronounced, as in English, Takone ; in Dutch, Takoon ; or in French, Takaune. To account for this variation, it must be r r 2 308 REMARKS ON THE NAME OF LITAKUN, 1 July, explained, (according to the information of my interpreter,) that this town takes its name from the stone cattle-pounds , which, in the sin- gular number, are called Takoon , and in the plural Litakun ; the syllable li being the prefix used for marking that number, in nouns inanimate, in the same manner as ma is generally employed for nouns animate. It is much to be regretted that an orthography, given at random and established without rule, should often be the means of introducing a false pronunciation. When such names have gained currency, which they the more readily do, as few persons in Europe can detect their inaccuracy, it becomes difficult afterwards to interrupt bad habits, and substitute a more correct orthography and pronunciation . These remarks, which I make with reluctance, are applicable to too many names which have already appeared in print ; and as it would seem invidious here to point them out, I leave them to be discovered by a comparison with the map or the journal ; at the same time, without its being pretended that either of these are infallible. It is freely admitted that such names cannot be obtained correctly without much trouble and repeated questions, nor without great attention, as the natives themselves sometimes substitute one letter for another, and even remove the accent from one syllable to another; but there is reason for believing that these are, for the most part, not arbitrary variations, and that they depend, either on euphony, or on the grammatical peculiarities of the language. It is conceived to be an indispensable part of a traveller’s duty, when making known the names and words of an oral language, to mark at least the accented syllable, for the use of those who can have no other means of becoming acquainted with it. This could be attended with no trouble, but would, on the other hand, be of the greatest utility. It is, however, too often neglected. Having since had occasion to observe that every person who has visited that country, writes the names of this language in a manner peculiar to himself, (among whom Lichtenstein appears to be the most correct,) and some in a self-contradictory manner, I cannot but with diffidence venture to adopt a mode which in so many 1812. AND ON SICHUANA ORTHOGRAPHY. 309 instances differs from all others. With respect to so remarkable a discrepancy, it must be concluded, either, that the natives are very careless and uncertain in their pronunciation, or, that the organs of hearing perform their duty very differently in different persons. Yet as that mode of spelling which is most at variance with the one here used, is that of a writer who, I regret that the case compels me to say, misunderstands even the commonest Dutch names and words, and spells them with extraordinary incorrectness, it may reasonably be supposed that his Sichuana words are still more incorrect. I have, how- ever, followed the only and best guide which can be found for an oral language, and thus have written all the words exactly as they sounded to my ear, and according to a strict system of orthography. I may be allowed therefore to assert that this orthography is the true repre- sentation of what I heard ; since I had never till then seen five-and- twenty words of it on paper, and am not aware that any considerable vocabulary of the Sichuana language has ever been formed before that which has been attempted by myself. CHAPTER XII. OCCURRENCES AND OBSERVATIONS AT THE RIVER MAKKWARIN. July 2nd. Our first business this morning, was to station the wag- gons in the most convenient spot ; to make a shelter round our fire ; and to construct a hut with mats, bushes, and dry grass. At the place where we halted, the Makkwarin was merely a ditch about twenty feet broad, without a tree, or even reeds, to mark its course ; although acacias are here and there scattered on the adjoining plain. There was abundance of water in the deeper hollows of its bed ; and at two or three hundred yards below our station, it ran in a plentiful stream. The singularity of a river being dry in some parts, running in others, and in others merely a stagnant pool, has been already explained, when describing the Reed River in the Roggeveld. The banks of the Makkwarin are in some places ten feet deep, and by this circumstance it was ascertained that the substratum of this part of the country, is a compact lime-stone rock of primitive formation. The depth to which this rock descends, or the nature of the next 2 July, 1812. GEOLOGY OF THE TRANSGARIEPINE. 311 stratum below it, I had no opportunity of discovering; but am inclined to suppose it to be of great thickness. It lies every where in a horizontal position ; and in no place rises into hills, or above the general level of the country. I could not observe in its structure, the slightest appearance of stratification, nor have I ever seen, in any part of the Interior, the smallest trace of organic remains. It pro- bably forms the foundation of the whole land of the Transgariepine ; as far at least as the line of my travels extended ; and may be consi- dered as the great floor, upon which apparently all the mountains are placed ; and upon which a superstratum of sand forms those immense plains which occur almost every where throughout these regions. The depth of this sand appeared very unequal ; in some parts it is scarcely a foot : in many places the denuded rock itself forms the surface. It would seem that the abundance of springs depends on the proximity of this rock to the surface, or, in other words, on the less quantity of sand which covers it : for in those parts of the country where I have observed it near the surface, springs have more generally been met with ; and in those where it is not visible, and where immeasurable plains of deep sand extend for many leagues, there the land is totally deficient in water. The fact explains itself : the water which falls from the clouds quickly sinks through the sand ; and wherever springs flow out of the soil, or permanent ponds are found, it is evident that there must lie beneath them a stratum of compact rock, which prevents their being absorbed by the earth. This I believe, from many observations, to be the case in the Great Plains of Litakun ; and the numerous springs or ponds of clear water which are there met with seem to confirm this hypothesis. On this great floor of lime-stone rest, probably, the mountains of clay-slate, or of sand-stone. Green-stone, and sometimes serpentine or pot-stone, and granite, are found ; though rarely, and in small pro- portions. The bed on which these repose could not be ascertained ; but it seems not unlikely that it is the same primitive lime-rock, unless we adopt the supposition hereafter noticed on the 13th. The remarks in my journal are here anticipated, in order to give, pre- viously to entering these regions, some idea of their nature. 312 IMPORTANCE OF GEOLOGY. 2 July, The geological character of the Transgariepine , as far as my observations enable me to give an opinion, appears very simple. It is that which has been termed primitive . But its most remarkable feature, is the undisturbed, and generally unbroken state of its great strata : these lie in, what may be supposed, their original position, and present rarely any evidence of those violent convulsions of nature which, beyond all doubt, have once, at some immeasurably remote period of time, shaken the whole fabric of the globe. Equally with astronomy, the science of geology is capable of leading the human mind to the most sublime prospects of the creation ; and presents, for man’s reflection, the most interesting subjects which can engage the attention of a liberal and enlightened understanding. It places before our eyes, and in our hands, the clear and legible record of an antiquity, compared with which, all other records are but the tale of yesterday. It offers to us, if I may use the expression, the most tangible proofs of the aweful power of that inconceivably Glorious, and Incomprehensible Being, by the spirit of whose Wisdom, all which we behold has risen into existence ; and which may sink into chaos, whenever, at His nod, a similar convulsion may happen again. In collecting information from the mouths of others, even the natives of the country, a traveller here should consider himself as always liable to be deceived, notwithstanding his greatest caution in examining into the probability of what is told him. On the authority of Muchiinka, whom there was every reason for supposing well acquainted with this country, I recorded in my journal that the source of the Makkwarin was at a great distance eastward of this place ; which would imply at least a hundred miles : but an inspection of the map will show that we passed in every direction eastward, within a dozen miles, and yet found no traces of it, unless the ravine at my 4 Garden ’ should lead into it ; although it appears more probable that this is connected with the Kruman. In these wild regions, where little is to be procured but what nature gives, every useful article of European manufacture becomes invaluable. With this conviction, it was judged worth 1812. A RIDE BACK TO THE KRUMAN. 313 while to take a journey back to our last station, to search for a small pocket-knife which was now missed and supposed to have been lost at that place. It was composed of various articles of convenience, some of which were of great service in the operations of preparing the birds for my collection. As the most important post for myself, was to remain by the waggons for their protection, I appointed Van Roye and Cornelis, as being the horsemen and having hitherto done less than any of the others, to ride back and seek for it at the spot where the waggon had stood. On this occasion, I made the unfortunate discovery, that, in time of danger, Van Royes courage would be as little to be depended on, as Gerf s : and I began to feel the mortifying persuasion, that he would prove on trial, to be as timid as he had already proved himself lazy. No sooner did he hear that he was appointed to this duty, than he began to complain of a pain in his back, which, he said, rendered him utterly unable to ride on horseback ; although he had ridden twenty miles the day before, and had not till this moment, been heard to complain of any illness. One of the other Hottentots, however, betrayed the truth, that the only pain he felt was that of fear. In this case, no compulsion could be used, as I had determined never to require any service, which my people could possibly call unreasonable ; and therefore appointed Keyser in his place. Yet, on further reflection, suspecting that even these two would not really go so far as the Kruman, but would merely keep out of sight the whole day and make their appearance in the evening with a report of their not having been successful in their search, I resolved on going thither myself, Gert having hinted that most of the Hot- tentots had more or less reluctance to venture alone so far from the waggons. Accordingly I set out early in the forenoon, taking with me only Cornelis. We were both well armed, and supplied with a good stock of cartridges ; and had taken care to provide ourselves not only with four and twenty hours’ provisions, but also with the means of producing fire. VOL. II. s s 314 HOTTENTOT MODE OF DRINKING. 2 July, On such excursions a leathern cup was always found to be a most useful part of the equipment ; as it was made of a single piece without seam, and could be folded to lie flat in the pocket. The Hottentots and Bushmen have, in travelling, no need of any drinking-utensil : they supply its place with their hand, in a most extraordinary manner : not, as we should suppose, by taking up the water in the hollow of it ; but by bending over the stream or pond, and throwing, or scooping, the water up to their mouth with their fingers held straight and close together. I have often admired the expertness with which it is performed by those who have been long accustomed to this method ; and have smiled at the awkwardness of those who would imitate them ; as they generally threw the water over their face and clothes, without being able to guide it into their mouth. We followed, as our guide, the track made by my waggons, although the Kamhanni Peak, which is in sight from every part of the country to the distance of two days-journeys, is generally de- pended on, as the chief beacon for those who wander over the surrounding plains. We found the waggon-track in most places more convenient ; as the high grass, which would otherwise have impeded us, was thus beaten down. The ride was exceedingly plea- sant, and the weather agreeably warm, yet not so hot as to occasion fatigue ; and the corn-like appearance of the grass, seemed almost to persuade me that we were travelling through some district where agriculture displayed all her riches. On arriving at the place, the horses were committed to the care of the Hottentot, while the object of our journey was sought for in every spot. But all was without success ; and we concluded that the knife must have been found by some native who had passed by, after we left the station ; or, that it was accidentally buried in the sand, and therefore irrecoverable. After waiting till the horses had sufficiently rested, and had been allowed time to graze along the banks of the stream and take a draught of its pure waters, we saddled again, and returned homewards. 1812. KOKUN.— OSTRICHES AND ZEBRAS. - DAUW. 315 In our way, we saw a solitary k okun (kokoon) in the open plain, prancing about, exactly in the manner of the gnu, holding his head very low, and lashing his tail. Suddenly he stopped and turned round to look at us for about a minute, and then galloped off ; his erect mane giving him the appearance of having withers considerably higher than his head. A little farther, two ostriches of the largest size, were feeding in company with a herd of about ten zebras. This latter animal is called by the Bachapins, Piitsi or Pitsi (Peetsy) and sometimes, Piitse. It is remarkable that the ostrich and the zebra or quakka, are found most frequently in the society of each other. I stopped to examine these zebras with my pocket telescope : they were the most beautifully marked animals I had ever seen : their clean sleek limbs glittered in the sun, and the brightness and regularity of their striped coat, presented a picture of extraordinary beauty, in which probably they are not surpassed by any quadruped with which we are at present acquainted. It is, indeed, equalled in this particular, by the dauw, whose stripes are more defined and regular ; but which do not offer to the eye so lively a colour- ing. The dauw, or 4 mountain-horse,’ inhabits, as I was informed, the Kamhanni mountains, but was never seen in the plains, unless in their immediate vicinity, whither, on being pursued, it always fled for refuge. It had been previously agreed on, with the people at home, that, on our firing a musket as soon as we came within hearing, they were to answer it immediately by another discharge, to let us know that all was well at the waggons. Otherwise, their not giving the answer, was to be considered as implying that matters went wrong with respect to the natives ; and that we must advance with caution. This arrangement was made on the possibility that some prowling gang of robbers might fall in with them during my absence, and, discovering that the party was divided, might first overcome them, and afterwards place themselves in ambush to intercept the rest. On arriving at this distance, at which time the sun had already set, 1 discharged a pistol, and before it was reloaded, the answer s s 2 316 TWO OLD WOMEN IN SEARCH OF WILD ROOTS. 2, 3 July, was given : when we rode forward without hesitation, and on reach- ing home, found all well. We had been just three hours and ten minutes on our return ; which corresponds with the relative propor- tion usually supposed to exist between the pace of a draught-ox, and that of a saddle-horse, after making a proper allowance for the greater degree in which the latter is retarded by a sandy road. 3rd. The two Bachapins, whom we saw at the Kruman, had assured us that for several days-journeys we should find but little game, as the grass was dried up, and the animals had removed farther northward, where the herbage still remained green. This account was confirmed by Speelman, who reported that he had not fallen in with any, although the ground was every where imprinted with their footsteps. He had observed two natives at a distance in the plain, who im- mediately on seeing him, concealed themselves under the bushes. He thought it not advisable to approach them, as these movements appeared suspicious ; but, taking particular notice of the spot where they disappeared, he came home and informed Muchunka, who, fol- lowing his directions, went to them and brought these formidable strangers home, when lo ! they proved to be two old women , who had left their dwellings early in the morning, to seek at this distance their daily food, a few wild roots the scanty gains of many hours’ search. On seeing the hunters, whose costume, being different from that of their own countrymen, had alarmed them, they hid them- selves through fear ; but were easily persuaded by Muchunka to come to the waggons, where he promised them a good meal. From the meagre looks of these women, one might be authorised in supposing them not to have had, for many weeks, a sufficiency of food. The eldest of the two might have been mistaken for a Bush- woman ; and her features proved that her parents had belonged to the Hottentot race, though she was herself a Bichuana the wife of a poor herdsman. They were provided only with a pointed stick to dig up these roots, and a dirty leathern bag in which they carried them. On examination these appeared to be of some species of Ornithogalum ; but being without leaves or flower, this opinion was 1812. TIN BULLETS. — SLEEPING IN A WAGGON. 317 mere guess : they were little bigger than a pigeon’s egg, and were exceedingly bitter, yet roasting or boiling might lessen this quality, and render them more palatable. After feeding these poor creatures, and giving them a meal very different from that which they had looked forward to when they left their home, they departed ; having stopped with us above two hours and entirely overcome the fears which the first sight of us had occasioned. Our principal work this day, was, casting bullets, making car- tridges, and completing more cartridge-boxes. These bullets were of two sorts : one of lead only, which was intended for all general pur- poses of hunting and defence ; the other, of a mixture of two thirds of lead and one of tin to render them harder, for shooting those animals whose hide was too thick, or too hard, to be easily penetrable by a leaden ball, which has been often found, if fired from any con- siderable distance, to flatten against the skin of a rhinoceros, or against the bones of other animals of that size. As tin causes such balls to be lighter than those of pure lead, and consequently, prevents their flying so far, they were never to be used but as the particular case required. The great change of temperature in the course of this day, was very remarkable, at two in the afternoon, the thermometer rising to 79. (20*8 R.), and at midnight, falling to 37. (2*2 R.). The weather was exceedingly pleasant ; and notwithstanding the coldness of the evening, my men, seated around a large fire, passed their time cheerfully ; and conversation, and playing the fiddle, seemed almost to make them forget they were in a strange land. When they retired to rest, they preferred lying on the ground by the fire, to sleeping in the waggon , which being elevated and exposed to the wind, is much colder than any other place. I allowed them, therefore, to make their bed where they found it most agreeable, although it would have been a greater check to robbery had they slept by the pack-waggon ; but, for myself, I dared not indulge in the same manner, as it would have been extremely imprudent to have left unguarded my own waggon and the property it contained. 318 BACHAPINS ON A JOURNEY TO SENSAVAN. 3—5 July, The fur-coverlet proved every night more useful and necessary ; and in cold windy weather, it seemed the only covering which could enable a person to sleep with tolerable warmth in one of these waggons ; for along both sides, there was between the upper leer- boom and the mats, a wide opening through which the wind found free entrance. In hot weather, however, it was exceedingly con- venient, as it admitted, what then was only a delightful cooling air. 4 th. After instructing my people in the use of cartridges, I de- livered to each his proper complement, and repeated what I had before said on the great utility of them, in case of an attack, by enabling us to load more expeditiously. Van Roye, in order to carry on the deception of his pretended pain in the back, was obliged to remain in the hut all day, and by this irksome confinement he inflicted his own punishment. I visited him, yet saw no appearance of illness ; nor was he able to specify his complaint. On the following day he was perfectly recovered. 5th. About noon, a party of three or four Bachapins came to the waggons. They had no previous knowledge of our being in the country ; but were passing at some distance off, on their way from Litakun to Sensavan, with several pack-oxen, for the purpose of fetching sibilo : when, perceiving the tops of the two waggons which they at first thought to be two great rocks, their curiosity induced them to turn their steps towards us, while their companions and the oxen held on their proper course. They had, early this morning, left a cattle-post in the vicinity of the town, and intended reaching the Kruman this evening ; at which rate they would probably accom- plish the whole journey of a hundred and twenty-seven miles, in three days, unless through fatigue, their oxen should oblige them to rest, or to slacken their pace. They carried in their hand each two or three hassagays, their only weapons ; and wore no other clothing than a red leathern kaross, which in their language is called a kobo. In place of that kind of covering which has been described as used by the Hottentot race, under the name of a jackal , these men, according to the fashion of the Bichuanas, wore what they call a 1812. BICHUANA DRESS. — NUAKKETSIES. — MASSAO. 319 pukoli. * This is formed by a piece of leather nearly of a triangular shape ; each of the three corners ending in a lengthened point, to one or two of which, is frequently fastened a leathern thong. This piece of leather being placed in front as an apron, is tied round the waist by two of its corners, and the third fastened behind. It is this fashion which constitutes the only essential difference in dress, between the Bichuana nations, and the various tribes of the Hot- tentot race, f On these Bachapins coming up to us, Muchunka met them, and at first, while asking a few questions, the tone of their voice was low and reserved, yet not timid ; but it was not long before it changed to that of a free and lively conversation. One of them, who said he had been on a warlike expedition, or rather, a predatory excursion, which had lately been sent against the Nuakketsies and in which six of that nation were killed, told me, as a voluntary communication, that he himself had seen many of them wearing European clothes, such as jackets and coats ; and that these were part of the contents of the waggons belonging to the late unfortunate travellers, whom they had murdered. I was now informed, that the report of the Nuakketsies’ having fled from their town and retired farther northward, was not true. These Bachapins expressed much regret that my party was so small ; and asked me why the governor of the Cape did not send a strong body of white-men to punish the Nuakketsies. They gave me also the information, that the son of Massx or Massao, (Massow) the chief of a neighbouring tribe, having been plundered of all his cattle by a body of marauders from another nation, had taken refuge at Litakun, where he was still residing when these men * This is the name as pronounced by Mattivi the chief. Some pronounced it pukoghe ; and others, pokoje. All of which are also the name of the animal itself, the jackal, or Canis mesomelas. f The usual appearance of the pukoghe, may be seen in some of the figures in the 28th vignette. t This word may be written Nuakketzies, with a soft z. The original form is Nuak- ketsi . (See the note at page 30 4-.) 320 BACHAPIN HUNTING-PARTIES. 5 July, came away. They farther informed me that the Bachapins intended to have a grand hunt in about a month, and in which all the principal inhabitants of the town were to assist. These grand hunting-parties are conducted with great regularity ; and sometimes not less than five hundred men are engaged in them. Their mode of proceeding consists in making a wide circuit, so as to enclose a portion of the country, many miles in extent. This circle of hunters gradually contracts itself, while the wild animals of every sort, are driven towards its centre, and the ring closes and at last becomes a thick and continued line of men. The animals, finding themselves thus surrounded, make a push to escape, and at the moment of their passing through this line, the hunters throw their hassagays, and sometimes kill a considerable number. The countenance of one of these men in particular, of him who was so ready to give me the above information, was exceedingly animated, and very expressive of a keenness of understanding. It was, it must be owned, a complete contrast to the general expres- sion of a Hottentot countenance ; and, after their wearisome apathy, the liveliness of these visitors recommended them strongly to my good opinion, and began to prepossess me in favor of their nation. This mode of judging, though a very common one, was not, indeed, very philosophical, or altogether just, since it often happens that under a dull or reserved exterior, much goodness of heart may lie concealed, and even some talents ; but the comparison often made their cold- ness seem tedious, and I rejoiced at the prospect of finding the Bachapins to be a race of men possessed of more animation. These men addressed me by the title of Harra (father), which is their usual and most respectful mode in speaking to a superior. They seemed much pleased at having fallen in with us, and exhibited no surprise at the sight of a white -man, which, probably, was not altogether new to them. They appeared to be of a higher class than the two poor half-starved herdsmen who came to us at the Kruman ; and their spirits would not have been so good, had they, like them, been living in want of the necessary food: but their bodies exhibited the best 1812. MODE OF TAKING SNUFF. — ON SMOKING TOBACCO. 321 proof of their having enjoyed abundance. They begged for lishuena (snuff) ; and to each I gave enough to have lasted two days, at a moderate rate of using it. Their mode of taking snuff was certainly no imitation of Euro- peans, whose finger and thumb are generally found sufficient for this purpose ; but the Bachapins think otherwise : they lay a large quantity in the palm of their hand, and draw the whole of it up their nostrils at once. It was in this manner that I saw it now taken, and with an eagerness which proved how great was the enjoyment it afforded them ; although, from seeing their eyes streaming with tears, it would rather have been concluded that it must have been painful. But, I will not dare to dispute that there is pleasure in a custom which, by having been followed by so many, and such various, nations, must, I imagine, really possess something agreeable, to have thus gained adoption so generally. The same remark may be made on that of smoking tobacco, or similar drugs, a practice still more general, and even more at variance with the simple course of nature ; if such an opinion may be pronounced of any artificial habits, to which common consent among the generations of several centuries, seems to have lent a character which gives them a place among legitimate, and even reasonable, indulgences. From the New Continent, the native soil of the tobacco, the practice of inhaling the smoke of its leaves, and along with it, the plant itself, have spread over almost every country of the Old World, and have been received as a valuable addition to the comforts of life. In no nation can it be estimated at a higher rate, than among those of Southern Africa ; an assertion which has been well proved in the preceding parts of this journal ; and, in those which follow the same testimony will be found. It may be convenient to bring together in this place, the sub- stance of the information obtained on the subject of Bichuana tobacco. Although the tobacco-plant has not yet reached the Bachapins, and although they do not, more than the Bushmen, cultivate it ; vet it has long been travelling southward over the con- VOL. II. T T 322 INTRODUCTION OF THE TOBACCO-PLANT. 5, 6 July, tinent, probably from the Portuguese settlements, and is, at this time, growing among their northern neighbours, from whom they had obtained it by barter, long before it came to them from the side of the Cape of Good Hope. The leaves are prepared, they say, by boiling, or rather, perhaps, by steeping in hot water. This process renders the smoke less acrid, though less powerful : yet, by my own men who obtained some at Litakun, it was pronounced pleasant ; but, in their judgment, its mildness was considered to be a defect, and they, as well as the Bachapins themselves, always gave the preference to that which had been prepared in the Colony. From some inquiries, made of natives who had seen the plant growing in those countries, there seems reason for supposing that it is the round-leaved species * which is there cultivated ; that which is grown in the Colony, being the long-leaved Virginian sort. *f* Our present visitors, as soon as they had enjoyed their handful, for it could not be called a pinch, of snuff, began to beg for tobacco, with much good-humoured importunity ; and held up their finger as the length of the piece they wished for. But, on showing by the half finger, how much was intended to be given them, they smiled, and said Nia Harra (No, Sir,) ; yet, when I remarked to them that as we travelled on, many more of their countrymen would make the same request, and that it would be out of my power to distribute to all, if I were to give away pieces so large as were asked for, they replied, ‘ Yes ; that is true and then went away very well satisfied with the little which I gave them. Besides this, they received some meat ; and, as soon as they had broiled it, ran off with great speed to overtake their companions. It was now perceived that Gert felt strongly disposed to encroach on indulgence, and that, unfortunately, kindness only encouraged disrespect. Although I had long followed a rule of giving my people their rations of tobacco and brandy on Mondays, he now demanded them before the time, and told me that the quantity which was allowed to the people, was not half enough, and that the boors always * Nicotiana rustica. f Nicotiana Tabacum. 1812. GERT. — JULI. — THE AFRICAN AURORA. 323 gave their Hottentots brandy whenever they asked for it. This language was not to be endured with forbearance, as authority here, could be supported by nothing but resolution and prudence. I was therefore compelled to order him instantly, and in a peremptory manner, away from my waggon : hoping thus to check a spirit which otherwise might soon spread among my whole party. It was about this time that I began to discover that in Juli I pos- sessed a valuable servant, and to perceive symptoms of fidelity which gradually gained my confidence, notwithstanding the disappointment which, in this respect, the conduct of some of the others had caused to me. I had not yet reposed in him greater trust than in any of the rest ; but he often deserved it by a conscientious desire which he manifested for doing his duty. His manners were steady, without being over sedate : he often could be lively and cheerful ; but never allowed his temper to approach either extreme. He had not, it is true, that degree of animation which had pleased me in Speelman ; but he was less irregular in his movements and opinions. In short, he was more honest, and less inclined to deceive me or conceal the truth, than any other of my Hottentots. 6th. A nightly 'watch had first been established at Kosi Foun- tain, and from that time, it had been regularly continued. I had myself kept the sentries to their duty during the first half of the night, as my occupations in the waggon in writing and arranging the notes and collections of the day, had always engaged me till after that hour. But sometimes, in order to keep them on the alert during the latter half, I took my sleep earlier, and rose between midnight and daybreak. This gave me an opportunity of making a comparison between the dawn of an African day, and the superior beauty of that hour in Europe. This inferiority of the African Aurora , is occasioned, perhaps, by the aridity of the climate and clearness of the atmo- sphere. It is to the want of clouds and vapor to receive and refract the first rays of the sun while still beneath the horizon, that we must attribute the deficiency of those rosy and golden tints, and those beams of light, which decorate the morning sky of European t t 2 324 THE BREAK OF DAY. — THE WIND. — THE SKY. 6 July, countries. Yet the approach of daylight in the interior regions of this continent, is not totally devoid of pleasing effects ; and, though less glowing and less enlivened by variety of hues and forms, it offers to an admiring eye a beauty of a more quiet and modest kind. While watching the cold darkness of night, the eastern sky becomes less obscure, a faint light gradually increases ; the stars seem to fade away, though the earth still continues in night ; a warm glow is perceptible, and soon spreads itself over the vault of heaven ; the trees along the horizon become visible, and, backed by the sky, the upper branches of those which are nearer, are seen more distinctly ; the landscape begins to show its outline ; the light has reached the west ; the forms of objects are visible, but as yet, present a painting in one color only, a sombre brown, equally strong in the distance and in the foreground ; the whole atmosphere is illumined, and re- flects its light upon the earth ; the farthest verge of the plain becomes fainter and recedes, while the various clumps of trees follow to their place in the picture, and, assuming a just keeping, change their brown, for the less dubious colors of day ; the azure of the sky is every where suffused with a warmer light ; Nature is awake ; and, unattended by cloud or vapor, the sun himself is seen rising above the horizon in noontide brilliancy. Whatever wind may blow during the day, in the countries of the Interior, it most frequently subsides at sunset. This circum- stance, so fortunate for those who sleep in the open air, was more especially favorable to my astronomical observations , as it admitted of using the artificial horizon without any kind of covering to protect the surface of the mercury from agitation by currents of air, of which it is exceedingly susceptible. At this season of the year, the sky, either by night or by day, is seldom veiled by a cloud ; nor is the slightest dew ever felt but in the time of the rains, when, however, it falls very copiously. Though in the Transgariepine the days in the winter months, of which we were 1812. MAGNETIC VARIATION. — UTILITY OF VULTURES. 325 mornings, just before sunrise, the grass is observed to be covered with hoar-frost : but as there is rarely either vapor, or cloud, to diminish the heat of the sun, this appearance quickly vanishes. By taking equal altitudes of the sun before, and after, noon, with its correspondent bearings by the needle, I found the magnetic variation to be 27° i W. My instrument for ascertaining these bear- ings, was not, indeed, constructed for the smaller subdivisions ; but this defect was remedied by adopting a more careful process, and therefore the result may perhaps be depended on, to within an eighth of a degree, which may be considered accurate enough for a traveller’s purpose. One of the dogs which had unfortunately been run over bv the waggon, a few days before, was so much injured that it died at this place. The body was taken to a short distance from our station, but the crows and vultures soon discovered it, and, assembling around, immediately began to tear it to pieces. These birds, so little disturbed by the presence of man, seem to consider all dead bodies as their perquisites ; and the natives view them without feeling the least desire to molest them. And here we cannot but again see and admire that wisdom, and perfection of plan, which exist in every part of the creation. Vultures have been ordained evidently to perform very necessary and useful duties on the globe ; as, indeed, has every other animated being, how- ever purblind we may be in our views of their utility; and we might almost venture to declare that these duties are the final cause of their existence. To those who have had an opportunity of examining these birds, it need not be remarked how perfectly the formation of a vulture is adapted to that share in the daily business of the globe, which has evidently been allotted to it ; that of clearing away putrid or putrescent animal matter, which might otherwise taint the air and produce infectious diseases. Many of the vultures are among the largest of the feathered tribe, and all, even the smaller species, have great bodilv strength in uronortion to their size. Their legs are 326 CONFORMATION AND HABITS OF VULTURES. 6 July, claws so sharp, or with nails so much curved as theirs ; though here it may perhaps be said that their mode of life, in standing on the ground while feeding, wears off the points of these. Yet this is not less the result of Divine decree ; for the different species of the feline genus * have excessively sharp nails, notwithstanding their walking on the ground ; and for the preservation of their points, so essential to their mode of seizing their prey, Nature has given them an admirable and peculiar power of drawing them back. The head and neck of vul- tures could not have been, like other birds, covered with feathers, because these, not being in the reach of their beak, could not have been easily kept clean, and would soon have become clotted together by the blood or dirt of the carcasses on which they fed. These parts are, therefore, either quite bare, or clothed only with a short woolly or downy covering. Their wings are long and large ; and their bones, though thick, are remarkably light, a conformation which enables them to sustain their bodies for so great a length of time, in the highest regions of the atmosphere. Their beak is strong and hooked j and remarkably well formed for tearing out entrails, or dividing putrid flesh. Their own flesh smells strongly like carrion, and no other animal, however pressed by hunger, will eat it ; a quality of importance to their preservation : for, were it eatable, they would be exposed to destruction while in the exercise of their duty, which often obliges them to feed in company with hyenas, and other beasts of prey which occasionally satisfy their hunger by a dead carcass. But so nicely is the mutual relation of all things balanced, that none of these animals, nor the domestic dog, show the least inclination to take away the life of these birds. For this reason they are, in every country, it would seem, tolerated by man, and sometimes treated even Avith respect. They have an extent of privilege, which their associates the hyenas have not ; because they never harm the living. * I may be allowed here to make the remark, although it belong properly to a part of the journal not comprised in the present volume, that the South-African animal called Luipard (Leopard) by the Dutch colonists, and ’N/cwi and Nkwani (Inkwani) by the Bachapins, and supposed to be the Fclis jubata, has not the sharp retractile claws which distinguish the feline genus. 1812. PRINCIPLE OF LIFE. — ORGANIZED MATTER. 327 On taking a view of the surface of the globe, we discover life under so great a multitude of shapes, that it may reasonably be doubted whether the researches of man, have as yet made him acquainted with the half of them. Every part of it teems with ani- mated forms ; air, water, and even earth to a certain depth, contain a countless variety of objects endowed with that mysterious principle, Life. This principle, modified, supports the existence of every organised object in the creation, and must not be confounded with animation : for this is to be distinguished as the visible operation of the anima ; or, if we may be allowed so to call it, the breath of Divinity. Organized bodies have always, and by universal consent, been divided into the two classes of Animal and Vegetable : both these possess the principle of life, but only the former, that of animation. Abstract these principles, and there remains Matter ; this still continuing for a longer or shorter period afterwards, to retain its organization. Now, the conclusion which may be drawn from this view of terrestrial objects, is ; that organized matter, whether, independently of modification, it really be, or be not, essentially different from mineral or inert matter, has been destined to be common property, and to circulate through the whole system of living objects. By this circulation, it passes from one to the other, in unceasing support of vitality ; proceeding and returning, sometimes in a wider and some- times in a smaller circle, through an endless succession of periods. It may be asserted that no new particle of matter ever comes into the world ; for this would imply a new creation : that none can be lost, for this would imply the annihilation of what the wisdom of the Deity has created; a supposition to which man’s reason can not assent. Vegetables, most of which are observed to grow more luxuriantly in earth impregnated with animal juices or with disorganized animal particles, are the first producers of organization ; animals, the de- stroyers of it. It is evidently the law of Nature, that matter once made capable of life, shall never cease from the same duty ; and it is equally so, that animal bodies shall receive no nutriment but from organized substances. From this it follows, that in one body life must cease or be destroyed, before another can obtain that species of food which its conformation renders necessary. The eagle therefore de- 328 SUCCESSIVE DESTRUCTION OF LIFE. 6 July, stroys this, himself ; the vulture waits till it has been destroyed by others, or till vitality has departed through other causes. If we look around at the animal creation, from the huge whale to the most minute object that moves, we everywhere behold examples of one species maintaining its existence by the destruction of others upon which it feeds ; and of those which have been formed to require vegetable aliment, becoming themselves the food of others which have been created carnivorous ; these latter, perhaps, never preying naturally on species of their own class. The beasts and birds of prey, together with vultures, are, in their turn, the food of innumerable maggots the larvas of beetles * of various species, which, like the vultures, have the faculty of discovering a carcass as soon as putrefaction com- mences ; and are then seen in the air, approaching from the leeward in swarms, guided only by their sense of smell. This picture of a succession of destruction among the animal crea- tion, though natural and immutable, is not an agreeable one ; and the Power which made things so, has implanted in the human mind a sentiment which, if not stifled, causes this prospect, however inte- resting and instructive, to appear unpleasing ; and, from the view of rapacity and death, warfare and bloodshed, even though the result of natural laws, we gladly turn towards that part of animated nature where more peaceful scenes present themselves : from the tiger to the lamb, from the hawk to the dove, we turn with pleasure. Or, if more tranquil thoughts delight us, we change to the con- templation of the beauties and perfection of inanimate objects ; to the verdant foliage of the spreading trees which clothe the mountain- foot, or to the lively hues of the fragrant flowers which adorn the valleys. Thus we see, throughout the whole system of nature, all things connected together, and necessary to each other’s existence ; useful in life, and useful in death : each animated object submitting to its * These beetles were of the genera, Necrobia, Thanatophilus, Silpha, and Dermestes. But on other occasions, when they were also attracted by smell, they consisted of various species of Copris, Onthophagus, Ateuchus, Sisyphus, Gymnopleurus, and Onitis : and it was amusing to see them in great numbers, one after another thus coming up from leeward. 1812. DESCRIPTION OF THE LINONG. 329 superior ; and all, to man. In him terminates this scale of rapine and destruction ; in him, this graduated tyranny reaches its height. To return to the subject ; we shot one of these vultures : it was a female, and measured seven feet from the point of one wing to that of the other, when extended. The top of the head was covered with a white feathery wool, which at the back part was longer, and stood in a reversed position. This bird was of a blackish brown color above ; but the thighs and under parts of the body and neck were white. The quill feathers, and those of the tail, were black. That part of the neck, which was bare, together with the base of the beak, were white ; the beak and feet were of flesh-color ; the bare part round the eyes, white ; and the irides, of the color of burnt-umber. Before the skin was taken off, I made a drawing of the head : this is given in the vignette at page 310, in the proportion of one third of the natural size. By the Bichuanas, it is called Linong .* The operation of preparing this bird for my collection was exceedingly disgusting, and the Hottentot whom I employed to assist me, suffered as much as myself from its naturally putrid smell. We were unable to continue long at the work, as it soon began to excite a nausea ; and it was not till the second day that it was completed. The tire, or iron band, round the wheels of all Cape-made wag- gons, being of one entire piece, possesses, indeed, the advantages of strength and security, but it is at the same time liable to the dis- advantage of expansion in hot weather ; while the fellies, if not made of wood perfectly seasoned, are contracted by the same cause. The consequence of which is, that the joints open, and the tire becomes loose in every part ; a serious imperfection in vehicles for travelling over a wild and pathless country, where the assistance of a waggon- maker, or a blacksmith, is not to be obtained. In the midst, there- * Vultur occipitalis , B. (Mas.) Corpus, supra fusco-nigrum, subtus album. Caput lanugine alba tectum, occipitali reversa. Colli pars superior nuda, posterior plumis patentibus nigris, et anterior depressis brevissimis albis, tectae. Remiges rectricesque nigrae, rachidibus supra nigris subtus albis. Tibiae (femora) plumis albis dense vestitae. Rostrum et pedes, incarnata. Orbita denudata, colli pars, et cera, alba. Ungues nigri. Lingua brevis integra, apice rotundata, basi sagittata laciniata. VOL. II. U U 330 ANDRIES’S NEGLECT. — TALES IN THE NIGHT-WATCH. 6, 7 July, fore, of other, and very different, occupations, the task fell upon me to direct and superintend the business of caulking the joints with, either pieces of canvas dipped in hot pitch, or with small wedges of wood. I employed others of my people in casting musket-balls, and some in making cartridges. In the meantime Andries , whose turn it was to attend our few remaining sheep while at pasture, seemed desirous of giving me proofs of his worthlessness, and so totally neglected his duty, that, at an early hour, it was discovered that they had strayed away. Two Hotten- tots were sent in search, and after a few hours, brought them home. But, determined on putting my patience to another trial, he suffered them, in the course of the afternoon, again to stray so far that they could not be found that night. On the next morning, men were sent out to follow their track; and it was very unexpected good fortune, that they were all met with and brought back by noon. It was seldom that my Hottentots would condemn, or give evidence against each other ; but this time they all exclaimed loudly against Andries, as he had given them so much trouble in repairing his neglect, and recommended that his rations of tobacco should be withheld : a recommendation to which I readily attended ; as we had on several occasions ascertained that it was a mode of correction in which there was considerable efficacy. Desiring my men to wake me at a little after midnight, I pointed out to one of them, who was at that hour to be on guard, the star Arcturus , and ordered him to call me when he saw it setting. I thought it useful to show by my occasional presence at such times, that I did not impose on them any hardship, in which I was not willing to bear a share, as I conceived that it might lead them to think lighter of the task. The night was exceedingly chilly ; and, being now in a part of the country where Bushmen seldom came, we were not, as hitherto, prevented, by the fear of betraying our position, from keeping up a large fire : and those whose watch was ended, not being inclined to sleep, the number of the party round the fire continued increasing till the morning. They amused both themselves and me, by relating to 1812. KEYSER’S ANECDOTES. — POISON-DRINKER S. 331 each other their various adventures, and accounts of Bushmen ; and among their descriptions, one given by Keyser, of a Hottentot of Sneeuwberg being pierced by so many arrows that when they found his body he looked more like a porcupine than a man, was in the genuine style of African anecdote. Few Hottentots knew more histories of this kind, than Keyser ; and being of short stature, in features not unlike a Bushman, and speaking that language fluently, his companions would sometimes teaze him, by pretending to believe that he was really a wild Bushman who had been caught when young, and brought up in a boor’s family. He was, however, a Colonial Hottentot ; and from much experience in such affairs, his anecdotes relative to the colonists proved that these had frequently suffered great losses in cattle, from the incursions of the Bushmen ; but that they had sometimes taken unsparing vengeance on the offenders. He asserted from his own knowledge, that a Hot- tentot, who had gradually and by small doses habituated himself to the practice of swallowing the poison of snakes , for the purpose of rendering his blood unsusceptible of its effects, was once severely wounded by a Bushman’s arrow ; yet though the wound would other- wise have been certainly mortal, he did not die. That the blood may be thus fortified against the consequences of a poisoned wound, is a very common belief among Hottentots ; but it did not appear that they often tried this mode, as those few who ventured, were particu- larly distinguished among them as gift-drinkers (poison-drinkers). The Hottentots of that part of the Colony northward of Graaff- reynet, call the bordering tribes of Bushmen, Saqua or Saakwa ; but the Klaarwater Hottentots, and the Koras, as Muchunka told me, designate the Bushmen living southward of the Gariep by the names of ’ Kvsakykwa or Kvsa'kwa (Kowsaqua), which imply ‘ men beyond the river.’ Those who inhabit the northern side of that river, are called Nusakwa (Noosaqua), a name of correspondent import. 1th . I was visited by a Bachapin, apparently of a poorer class than those whom we had last seen. I offered him some snuff, and learnt by his refusal, that, however general the custom of taking snuff may be among his countrymen, it is not universal. Tobacco, for u u 2 832 TIMID VISITOR. — CHARACTER OF SPEELMAN. 7 — 9 July, smoking, was accepted with warm expressions of thankfulness ; but he was much less importunate in begging, and less talkative, than his nation usually are. He was even timid : this might be occasioned by his being alone as a Bachapin, among so many strangers ; for numbers always give to savages a degree of boldness, and sometimes insolence, of which, under other circumstances, they exhibit no signs. On coming to me as I sat in the waggon, he exclaimed, Koosi, Koosi ! (rich chieftain) ; and when I endeavoured to assure him that I was not such, that I had but little property in the waggon, and but few oxen, he significantly shook his head, as if to express that he could not believe me. A young Kokung (Kokoon or Kokoong) was shot in the plain by Speelman. This Hottentot took so much delight in hunting, that he was generally the foremost in parties of this kind, and was perhaps one of the most successful. It was the duty which had been allotted to him ; yet, when circumstances demanded it, he was employed in a variety of others, and was found to be, as a Hottentot, active, intelligent, and useful ; though requiring always the superintendance and guidance of a master. Having been longer in my service than most of the others, he seemed to consider himself entitled to the privileges of an old servant, and to have acquired some degree of attachment to me, which, though often dormant, was, to do him justice, oftener awake. 8i th. Taking a walk this morning round our station, I observed growing in rocky places, a handsome species of Aloe*, which the Bachapins call tokwi, and which apparently was of the same kind as one seen near the Kygariep. I here met with, for the first time, a re- markable kind of Mesembryanthemum jq which may be reckoned in * Resembling Aloe saponaria but it was probably a new species, f Mesembryanthemum aloides, B. Catal. Geogr. 2197. Planta acaulis, radice fusi- forme. Folia spathulata, basi connata, acuta, margine integra, supra plana, subtus convexa, duplo latiora quam crassa, obscure viridia punctis albidis conspersa. Flos sessilis flavus. This plant, together with ten other new species raised in England from seed collected on the journey, have been already made known to botanists by an author whose extensive knowledge of this numerous genus, and whose experience in the cultivation of vegetables 1812. DETECTION OF MINUTE PLANTS. — STORE-CHESTS. 333 the number of those wild plants, the roots of which are eaten by the natives, as a substitute for better food. There were not many things to be found at this season ; but I discovered, almost accident- ally, happening to sit down on the ground close by them, two small plants, the singularity of which consisted in their being so exactly of the color of the white limestone on which they grew, that scarcely any eye could have noticed them in walking by. * * Experience teaches, that many curious and minute plants will escape detection, unless sought with more than ordinary attention; and that, by sitting or standing still and carefully looking around, many interesting objects of natural history may be discovered, which otherwise would have been passed unheeded and unknown. In those parts of my journey where the riches of botany or entomology were more profusely scattered, I seldom sat down to rest myself during my rambles, without perceiving some object which would not have caught my eye under any other circumstances. 9th. I now got out from one of the store-chests the beads and other things which were intended as presents to the Bachapin chief ; as it was not likely that there would be, before we arrived at the town, so favorable an opportunity for assorting and arranging them without interruption. In addition to which reason for opening the store-chests at this place, was that of preventing the natives from knowing how large a stock I had of these things. To have allowed them to see the con- tents of the chests, would have been, to tempt them to rob me ; or, should their sense of honesty restrain them from such an attempt ; still the sight of so much riches might render them covetous, and induce them to practise every extortionate and unfair stratagem to of this tribe, have enabled him to present to the public the most correct arrangement of it, which has hitherto appeared. See “ Supplementum Plantarum Succulentarum ; Autore A. H. Haworth.” * These were a species of Crassula ? with scale-like imbricated leaves ; and Anacampseros lanigera, B. Catal. Geogr. 2196. Planta uncialis, tota lana densa alba involuta, inter quam ramenta rigida tortuosa. 334 DESCRIPTION OF THE 9 July, get possession of them. Muchunka had assured me that the Briquas (Bachapins) would not ill-treat me ; and though this account of his countrymen should be correct, I conceived, on mature reflection, that they ought not to be trusted with any knowledge of my affairs or plans, which it was possible to conceal from them, lest that inform- ation should precede me in the countries beyond them, and prepare those nations for impeding my progress, or suggest the idea that my waggons would be a valuable booty. Five of my people were out hunting all day, but no game of any kind was seen, excepting an antelope which good-fortune threw in Juli’s way, and which luckily he shot. It was an entirely new species, and the sequel proved it to be extremely scarce, as I never met with it again during the whole of my travels. Juli returned im- mediately for help to bring it home, and two of the Bachapins voluntarily accompanied him, and lent their assistance. The meat proved to be tender, and of a delicate taste. The name which they gave it, was, Khaama ; but as this is the name which the Bichuanas, in common with the Hottentots, apply to that animal which the Dutch colonists term Hartebeest *, it would rather seem that the new species is not sufficiently frequent in their country to have obtained, generally, a distinct name. But this is mere surmise ; for the true Kaama differs from it so much in the form of its horns, that the two sorts never could be really confounded together, even by the most unobservant savage. The species to which it has the nearest affinity, is that which, in the Cape Colony, is more properly called Blesbok ; but it is a larger animal than either that or the hartebeest. Its horns, of which a representation, both in front and in profile, is here given, have suggested the name of Antilope lunata f, by presenting, when viewed in front, the form of a crescent. They were ten inches long, * The Antilope Bubalis, of Linnaeus. f Antilope lunata , B. Nigrescente-fusca. Femora et tibiae fulva, ilia antice nigres- centia. Facies et frons, nigrescentes, lateribus purpureo-fuscis. Cornua subreclinata, extrorsum arcuata, apicibus introrsum versus, teretia, dimidio inferiore et ultra annulato. Cauda brevis, pilis longis nigris jubata. 1812. CRESCENT-HORNED ANTELOPE. 335 when measured in a straight line from the base to the tip ; and their points were nearly that distance apart. Their position on the skull was about two inches and a half asunder, and reclining a little behind the facial line. The general color of this antelope was, when living, a dark iron-grey, or what a painter would call a light blue- black ; but which changed to a lighter and browner hue after the skin had become dry. The whole of the face, as far even as the ears, was almost black ; and this mark, with the form of the horns and greater size, constitute the only obvious difference between this animal and the Blesbok. * The nose, and sides of the face, were of a purplish brown ; and!, the ears were of the same color as the rest of the body, excepting some white hairs which fringed their inner margin. The legs were of a tawny or reddish brown, but of a darker, or blackish, color in front down to the knees. The feet, below the two spurious hoofs were blackish ; and these hoofs, of a roundish form, and placed at equal heights. The real hoofs were black ; and those of the fore-feet rather more than four inches long. Their pointed * The Blesbo/c is so called, from having a white mark on its forehead, similar to that which, in horses, is termed, in Dutch, a bles, and by English horsemen a star, or blaze. Late systematic writers have applied to the Blesbok the name of Pygarga (White-rump), which, by earlier authors, was intended for the Springbok : and as this name becomes absurd and contradictory when thus used, I have taken the liberty of substituting in its place, that of albifrons. 336 THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 9 July, form and smoothness prove that this animal is not an inhabitant of mountains or rocky places. Their figure, and that of the tail, drawn in proportion to the horns, may be seen at the end of this chapter. The tail, which was about nine inches long and was like that of the blesbok, was furnished on the upper side with long black hair ; that, towards the tip, being the longest, and measuring five inches. The fresh skin, when spread out upon the ground, measured, from the end of the nose to the tip of the tail, seven feet and seven inches ; across the middle of the body, four feet ; in extent between the ends of the two fore legs, eight feet and five inches ; and the same of the hind legs, eight feet. The length of the ears was eight inches. From these dimensions it would appear that, at the withers, the height of the Crescent-horned Antelope is nearly four feet, and the diameter of its body a little more than fifteen inches. * * Of this antelope, the first and only skin ever brought to Europe was, along with a number of others, as I have stated in the note at page 383. of the preceding volume, presented to The British Museum. At the time of writing that note, and previously to it, I confined my complaints against that establishment, to its long protracted delay in placing them before the Public, and to its neglect of a donation which was made under the implied condition of being immediately disposed of in the proper manner. Finding the Museum so dilatory in this case, I repeatedly complained, and urged in support of my complaint, the injustice which was done to the Public, as well as to a collection which had been pronounced valuable to zoological science. At first, orders were given for these skins to be put into proper form with as little delay as possible; and a few (7) were in conse- quence then stuffed; after which the work proceeded no farther. To my remonstrance, it was replied, at one time, that these quadrupeds would require more room than that building would allow. At another time I learnt that the expense * was greater than the funds of the establishment would authorise. Be all this as it may, I know that several quadrupeds received long since mine, have been stuffed, and some preserved in a much more expensive manner; and that hundreds, and I believe thousands, of pounds have, since that time, been expended by the Museum in the purchase of objects of natural-history. To these subjects my complaints were at that time confined ; because I relied on an official communication which stated that all requisite care was taken of my animals, and that no fear need be entertained respecting their security and preservation from damage by insects. How unexpected, therefore, was the additional mortification which I felt, when I had occasion, in July last, (1822) to visit the Museum for the purpose of making a draw- ing of the horns of the above described antelope. I was shown a large chest which was * It was estimated that the expense of stuffing them would not amount to 300/. : one third of which had already been paid ; and the most expensive part of the work, occasioned by setting up the two Camelo- pards, was then completed. 1812, MATTIYPS BROTHER. 33 7 We had not, in our daily hunting excursions, which extended to the distance of several miles from our station, discovered any village or residences of the natives. Those who had visited us, had always come a long way from their home ; and this was the reason of our having hitherto seen so few inhabitants ; but in the afternoon, three Bichuanas joined our party, and remained with us till the next day. They told me they were herdsmen to Mattlvi, and were lying at’ a cattle-place lower down the Makkwarin. They had lately been at Litakun ; and now reported to me that the elder brother of Mattivi, as soon as he heard of the approach of a white- person from the Colony, and supposing that he would return imme- diately after visiting that place, had conceived the desire, and actually formed the resolution, of making a journey to Cape Town, of which he had heard many accounts at Klaarwater. His plan was to return thither with me, and he had therefore long been expecting my arrival with impatience ; but having heard that I had finally left the Trans- gariepine, and had gone back to the Colony, (this report related to my journey to GraafFreynet) he had now, under great disappoint- ment, relinquished his intention. This story raised my curiosity and, at the same time, a wish to intended to contain my collection ; but on examination, the antelope I sought, was not there, neither were some others which were equally rare and valuable. At length an old packing-case was found, which had been nailed up in a manner which evinced that the preservation of its contents had not been the purpose for which it was intended ; and on its being opened I discovered, the skin of my Antilope lunata , together with another unde- scribed species, of which that also was the only individual ever shot or seen, and six others, all swarming with live moths and maggots, and their hair dropping off. That this irrepar- able destruction was attributable to a want of due care cannot be denied ; since those dupli- cates which I had retained in my own collection, remained still in as good condition as when they were first brought home. The motives which induced me to give these quadrupeds to our national museum, induced me also, to give the best of all which I possessed ; and I therefore permitted the person who was engaged by the museum for stuffing them, to come previously to my house and select those which he thought the finest and the most perfect. I have now only to regret the time and labor which have been lost during my travels, in preserving and bringing away those skins ; as it would have been less vexatious to have left them to be eaten by maggots in the deserts of Africa, than in the British Museum : and I do hope, for the credit of that establishment and for the character of my country, as it relates to the pursuit and encouragement of science, that every future gift will meet with less neglect, and with a better fate, than mine has unfortunately experienced. VOL. II. X X 338 READING SICHUANA. 9 July, ascertain the truth of it. Revolving it often in my mind, I endeavoured to imagine, what might be his motive for such a journey. When I attributed it to that desire, so rare in a savage, of visiting other countries for the purpose of enlightening his mind and of acquiring a knowledge of civilized arts, I glowed with so pleasing an idea, and almost regretted that I should not have the gratification of conducting him thither, of showing to him the practical ad- vantages of those arts, and of inspiring him with sentiments which, at his return to his own country, might stimulate him to the imita- tion of what he had seen, and to the civilizing of his countrymen. But his own countrymen, as far as I could yet see, had no dreams of this nature : their thoughts embraced little beyond eating and smoking. Our visitors begged for snuff1 and tobacco as soon as they accosted me ; and when they had obtained this and some meat, they seemed to enjoy as much happiness as man in a state of mere animal existence, probably ever attains. I was here much amused, and perhaps gained a new idea, by observing in them the workings of an untaught mind. I had my interpreter by my side, but wishing to put to the test, what I had hitherto learnt, or rather, written down, of the Sichuana language, I read to these men various words and sentences out of my book. These were readily understood by them, who at first, supposing me to have a tolerable knowledge of that tongue, talked a great deal, to which I could give no answer ; but when they at length dis- covered that I could speak only when I looked in the book, they stood with eyes and mouth wide open ; wondering both at the book and at myself, and unable to conceive how it could be, that £ the white thing in my hand,’ told me what to say ; or how, by only looking at it, I could know more than when I did not. But the most singular part of this little comedy, was performed by Muchunka , whose simple brain seemed not yet to contain a true idea of the nature of writing or of the real purport and utility of our evening exercises at the dictionary and vocabulary. As it would have been only a proof of my own folly to have asked him to explain the operations and conceptions of his mind on this subject, I am left to suppose that he 1812. SURPRISE AND LAUGHTER. 339 believed I always committed to memory his answers to my questions, and that my making 4 black scratches’ upon the paper with my pen, was only what he had at Klaarwater seen and heard called schryvende (writing). He was, he said, exceedingly surprised at my remember- ing so well every thing he had taught me, and even those words which he had never told me but once. When I explained, that it was the marks which I had made in the book while he was in the waggon, which now showed me what I was to say, he laughed most heartily, and desired to see the very words which I was pronouncing. On pointing them out, he laughed again ; and his three countrymen, whose mouth and eyes had by this time recovered from their expres- sion of surprise, joined in the laughter; while I myself, as I shut the book, was unable to resist the impression which their ludicrous appearance and distorted countenances made upon me. x x 2 CHAPTER XIII. JOURNEY FROM THE RIVER MAKKWARIN TO THE TOWN OF LITAKUN. July 10 th. We departed from the Makkwarin at noon, bending our course to the south-east. We still continued travelling over the Great Plains of Litakun , where nothing but the distant horizon bounded our prospect, excepting behind us, where the blue summits of the Kamhanni mountains near the Kruman, rose to break the evenness of the line. The soil, as hitherto, was in most parts sandy and of a very red color, abounding in tall grass and, in the latter half of the day’s-journey, ornamented with many beautiful thick clumps of mohaaka trees (tarchonanthus) of ten or twelve feet in height, which from their more diffuse ramification, appeared to be a new species. * In the course of the afternoon, we passed through many extensive areas of those kinds of grass which have been men- tioned as giving to the plains the appearance of fields of wheat, f * Catalogus Geographicus, n. 2202. f The above vignette will give an idea of the scenery here described. It will, together with the others of this and the former volume, present at the same time a specimen of the perfection to which the art of engraving on wood may be carried ; and will not lessen the reputation which Mr. Branstoti’s talents in this art had already gained. 10 July, 1812. KLAATALAKUMO. — BACHAPINS AND BUSHMEN. 341 Among these grasses, was a very remarkable sort with long curved awns growing from one side of a thin spike. * Here I first met with a very ornamental shrub j~, three feet high, covered with small silky leaves, and decorated with a profusion of yellow flowers : it abounds in several parts of the plains south-westward of Litakun. When we were about half way on the day’s journey, a spot was pointed out, at a considerable distance on the right, where, as a remarkable circumstance, a kraal of Bushmen were then re- siding. It was from their being known as less addicted to robbing, that they were permitted by the Bachapins, to take a temporary residence so near to their chief town. This spot was called Klaatalakumo , or, Klaatalakomo ; and was surrounded by a thick grove of large acacias. Some of its inhabitants were seen, but they did not approach us. They left the place a few weeks after- wards, and removed their kraal more within the boundaries of their own country ; if so nice a distinction of territory can be made between these nations. The Bachapins and Bushmen are, in general, not on very good terms ; but they are tolerated in each other’s country, if they excite no suspicion of their being come there with the design of stealing cattle ; for robbery of this kind is, between the various South- African nations, the only cause of warfare, whether as avowed plundering, or as pretended retaliation. Notwithstanding the whole days-journey being over sandy ground, the oxen stepped on for the greater part of the time at the rate of eighty-six revolutions of the wheel in five minutes, which, according to the table already mentioned as having been calculated for this purpose, indicated three miles and a hundred-and-thirty-eight yards in the hour: in the heaviest parts of the road, our rate was only eighty-one revolutions. From these data, combined with the time we were travelling, which was five hours and fifteen minutes, the length of this day’s-journey may be stated with tolerable exactness, at fifteen miles and a quarter. * Catal. Geogr. n. 2220. f Passerina ? Catal. Geogr. 2203. 342 ON DISTANCES TRAVELLED. — SIKKLONIANI. 10 July, A traveller, therefore, who would adopt this method of ascertain- ing distances, would be careful to note down in his memorandum book, not only the number of revolutions at different times ; but the times by his watch, when the waggon first moves on, and when it arrives at the station ; besides keeping an account of the time lost by occasionally halting on the road. An apparatus of clock-work on the principle of the perambulator , may, on smooth roads, as it does in Europe, answer this purpose, and be attended with much less trouble ; but a similar contrivance would very soon be put out of order, by the violent jolts which a waggon receives in travelling over a wild and rugged country : and if the strong iron -work of the vehicle itself, is not always able to resist these shocks, it is to be feared that slighter mechanism would fail also. The experiment, however, is worth trying. The sun had already sunk below the horizon, before we reached our next station. This spot, called by the natives SilMoniam , was a collection of small grassy ponds of clear and excellent water, sup- plied by constant springs which rose at the bottom of them. They were surrounded by a grove or wood of acacias, which rendered the situation exceedingly pleasant, as well as convenient. Hither, and to many other similar fountains which are found in these plains, the inhabitants of Litakun bring their cattle during the dry season, and having erected temporary huts, take up their abode till the country nearer the town has regained its verdure. At this time, however, we found no one residing here : and as I had noticed that the ponds were frequented by numerous flocks of water-fowl, I determined to halt a day, in hope of being able to add some new birds to my collection. The latitude of this spot, was found to be 27°. 9'. 21,/. * While watching till the star, from which this observation was taken, should come to the meridian, I discovered that we had a day too much in our reckoning ; and that instead of this, as we supposed, being * At SilMoniani, on the 10th of July, 1812, the observed altitude of « Centauri , was 57\ 5’. 57". 1812. DATES RECTIFIED BY ASTRONOMY. 343 Saturday , it could not be more than Friday. For, as I now observed that the moon was still to the east of the planet Venus , which could not have been the case, had this been, as we reckoned, the eleventh of the month, those two bodies would not, according to the 4 Astro- nomical Ephemeris,’ be in conjunction till the morning of the eleventh. This error of my journal, lay within a small compass ; as I knew from my astronomical memoranda, that my reckoning was right on the preceding Monday. From this circumstance it may be remarked, that a traveller acquainted with but a few of the stars, may always check a false date in his journal, by recording in it from time to time, the situ- ation of the moon as compared with a known star to which it is ap- proaching, or from which it is receding. And though he should then have no astronomical almanack, to compare his observations with, these will be equally useful for the purpose ; as the comparison can be made, either by himself or by others, at any future time. In- deed, so admirably applicable are the motions of the heavenly bodies to the exact measurement of the course of time, whether for periods of years or centuries, or for days or minutes, that, if we could suppose an astronomer, at any moment of time, to know neither the century, the year, the month, nor the day, he might read all this in the face of the starry heavens, in the legible characters of endless multitudes of glorious luminaries which revolve and shine, the great unerring dud of eternity. That a person whose attention was constantly occupied by a great variety of affairs, should mistake a day, cannot appear sur- prising ; but that the whole party of eleven persons, should fall into the same error, is more extraordinary. There were several of my people who, by means of notched tallies which they always carried about them, kept a careful account of each day, by the cutting of an additional notch. When this tally was thus filled, the amount was transferred to another, on which certain notches represented weeks, or months. In this manner they were generally able to mark accurately the lapse of time for short periods, and sometimes even for several years. But I do not think that any of the aborigines of 344 HOTTENTOT ALMANACK GLOOMY SILENCE. 10, 11 July, Southern Africa, excepting the Hottentots of the Colony, who perhaps have borrowed the idea from others, ever keep a similar account. Among my men, Speelman was regarded by his companions as the grand almanack-maker , and was often referred to, for the day of the week : and I have sometimes, on putting to him questions relat- ing to the past occurrences of the journey, been surprised at the accuracy with which he was by these means enabled to recollect when they happened. If he was in doubt, he would pull out his 4 almanack,’ which was always secured to some part of his dress by a small thong of leather, and after examining his notches, tell me correctly, or very nearly, the length of time which had passed. It is not meant to be asserted that these tallies were infallible ; or that they were in any light extraordinary, unless when viewed as the effort of an untutored Hottentot. Wth. During the whole of the preceding evening and this morning, I remarked an unusual and melancholy silence prevailing among my people : the sound of the fiddle was never once heard ; and conversation and laughter no longer enlivened the fireside. As I sat alone in my waggon, I might have fancied that all my men had deserted me : when I came to the fire, it seemed from this strange stillness, as if a funeral were about to take place, and that we were now going to commit to the earth, the bodies of some of our com- panions who had just been murdered. I looked around to discover the cause, but saw nothing which could inform me; no one appeared unwell, or to have met with any accident ; all the party were together ; all my cattle were safe ; all the wheels were entire. Still, it was certain that this gloominess and dejection could not exist unless there had happened some serious misfortune to occasion so sudden a change from mirth to melancholy. But none of my people seemed willing to disclose to me the distressing secret ; and, expect- ing some intelligence fatal to my expedition, I was almost afraid to ask for information. At length, by waiting some time at their fire, I discovered by a few short remarks which they occasionally made to each other, that — 1812. 345 THE FISCAL-BIRD. — THE VARIEGATED GROUSE. all their rations of tobacco were exhausted, and that not a pipe had been smoked since yesterday morning ! From the ill-foreboding state of mind which appearances had occasioned me, it may easily be imagined that this was an agreeable discovery ; and although their rations would not be due till the Monday following, I gladly infringed the regulations, and gave each an extra piece enough to last till that day : and finding by their representations, that a larger weekly supply, would add greatly to their comfort, I promised for the future, to in- crease their rations by two inches more. Such are highly important affairs, when we have to deal with Hottentots. Immediately, their voices were heard again ; and loud talking, laughing, joking, whistling, and fiddling, enlivened our home once more. Various sorts of birds were found to inhabit these groves, and frequent the fountains ; but all excepting two, were already in my col- lection. A species of Lanius *, or Butcher-bird, was now shot for the first time, though probably to be found within the Colony. Several kinds of Lanius, especially those having a plumage in which black and white are the predominant colors, are called Fiscaal-vogels (Fiscal- bird) by the colonists. Their notes are very loud and powerful, and their sound has the nature of a whistle rather than of a bird’s singing. The Bachapins call them by the name of Lekokko. I here also added to my collection, a small and very pretty species of grouse , and, I believe, hitherto undescribed, j- It ap- peared to have a great affinity to the little 4 Namaqua grouse but its feet were furnished with only three toes, and it had not the two long acute tail-feathers which distinguish that sort. The upper parts of its body were variegated with white, brown, yellow, and black ; * Very much resembling Lanius collaris, from which it appeared to vary only by a white mark over each eye. f Tetrao (Pt erodes) variegatus, B. Supra albo, fusco, flavo, nigroque, varius : subtus ferrugineus. Remiges nigrae, rachidibus albis. Cauda brevis asqualis, cum dorso con- color. Pedes lanuginosi ochracei, tridactyli, digitis longitudinaliter auctis. Unques nigri. Irides angustag ochraceae. Lingua brevis acuminata. Sexus vestitu non dignoscendi. VOL. II. Y Y 346 BIRDS AT SIKKLONIANI. 11, 12 July, beneath it was of a ferrugineous, or rust-color. The wing-feathers were black, with a white midrib. The tail was short and of the same color as the back ; the feet, covered with an ochre-colored wool ; the toes, edged with a narrow membrane ; the nails, black ; and the irides, narrow and yellow, or of the color of 4 Roman ochre.’ The colors of both sexes were alike. This bird, which was seen no where but in the Bichuana countries, frequents the fountains, only to drink ; but at other times it is an inhabitant of the open plains. The purple hoopoe * was also procured here, and afterwards at Litakun ; which gave me an opportunity of learning its singular name, Nuenjanni Chukuru (Rhinoceros-bird) ; though I could get no clear explanation of the reason why it was so called. The Egyptian goose f was also shot at Sikkloniani ; together with the crimson- billed duck Xi here called Sihurri ; the large coot § ; and the armed plover. || This last is a very noisy bird ; by night, as well as by day, uttering a sharp cry which was fancied to articulate the words Brother Keevit ! Brother Keevit ! Its name in the Sichuana language, is, Letcijan (Letaryan). The groves around this spring abound also in pintadoes. In the neighbourhood of this water, there resided an old Bachapin, who, as soon as he heard of our arrival, paid us, or rather our pot, a visit, which lasted as long as we stopped at the place. His miserable, dirty, and meagre appearance bespoke the same degree of poverty which was exhibited by the two Bachapins whom we met on first entering their land. Like them, he too was herdsman ; not to the late, but to the present, chief of Litakun. I could not but be struck by this coincidence ; and as similar observations were afterwards made, it formed the subject of further inquiry, in order to gain some satisfactory explanation. Such ex- planations are not easily obtained among this people ; and this dif- ficulty is occasioned, partly by the questions being unusual and * Upupa purpurea , B. f Anas JEgyptiaca. J Anas erythrcrrhync/ia. § Vol. I. p. 263. || Charadrius armatus , B. 1812. EQUALITY. — THE RICH AND THE POOR. 347 above their comprehension, and partly by their little regard for truth, and a very general inclination for misleading others ; and simple as the case may appear, it was not to be understood till I had gained clearer notions of the state of society in this country. I had hitherto been accustomed among the Bushmen, to see all men on an equality ; that is, that of the individuals of a kraal, no one possessed more property than another, or, at least, there was not so much difference as to occasion them to make a distinction between rich and poor. But those tribes are, as I think the preceding parts of this journal prove, in the lowest degree of human polity and social existence ; and in such only, can all men be on a level with respect to property : or in other words, a nation, to be equal, must, even in the aggregate, possess no property at all ; which is precisely the case with the Bushman nation. But the state of society , or, I might almost begin to use the word civilization, among the Bichuana tribes, has reached a much higher point ; and, from the possession of property, the distinction of men into richer or poorer classes has followed as the natural consequence. Those who have riches, have also, it seems, power; and the word kosi. as I have before noticed, has a double acceptation, denoting either a chief or a rich man. The various means by which this ascendancy is gained, is a point well understood by more polished nations ; and I saw no reason for doubting that the Bichuanas pursue, in their humble and petty way, exactly the same ; and add to them, that of plundering the adjoining countries. According to this scheme of society, the chief will always be the richest man ; for once arrived at supreme authority, he holds within his own hands the power of obtaining property. With this view it is, that corporal punishment, excepting in cases of atrocious crime, is commuted for fine ; and that confiscation is often superadded to corporal punishment ; and that, in some instances, life and property are both forfeited together : I am however led to believe, that the Bachapins do not often punish with death. But, to return from this digression : Mattlvi possesses numerous y y 2 348 POWER MISUSED. — NEWS FROM LITAKUN. 11 July, herds of cattle ; these are pastured in various parts of the country, and furnish employment for a considerable number of the poorer class of his people. They receive for their service, nothing more than mere sustenance, and, as it would appear, barely that ; being allowed only a certain portion of the milk, and left to supply them- selves with meat by occasional hunting. The produce of this, pre- carious as it is, is lessened by a law or custom, by which they are obliged to send the breast of every piece of game to the chief ; and it was said, though there may be some doubt of the information, that the infraction of this law is a capital olfence. This class of the inhabitants is greatly oppressed, not only by a despotic , but by an aristocratic power also : for, that authority which the chief exercises over the kosies or richer order, these exercise over their servants and immediate dependants, to so unjust a degree that they will not suffer them to acquire any property whatever ; and should any of this illfated class become, by means however honest, possessed of a cow or a few goats, he would be a rare instance of good fortune or favor, if his master did not take them from him. This tyrannical conduct the kosi would justify by telling him that a muchunka or a mollala (a poor-man, or servant) had no need of cattle, as he had only to mind his duty in attending those of his superior, and he might always be certain of receiving as much milk and food as would be necessary for his support. This poor herdsman, being old, and probably less able to undergo the fatigues of hunting, or rather, of approaching the game by creeping unseen towards it, had seldom been so fortunate as to kill any ; and his principal dependance was on searching for wild roots. Our halting at this place gave him several plentiful meals ; and though we must have appeared much more strange to him, than he to us, yet he sat by our fire and mixed with the party, with as much ease as if he had been at his own home. He informed me that Mattivi had long been expecting me at Litakun, and had therefore postponed the intended grand hunt, that he might not be absent at the time of my arrival ; but that his 1812. MOLLEMMI. — A WOMAN AND HER TWO CHILDREN. 349 people were exceedingly unwilling to make any further delay, as they, and even Mattivi, believed the report, that I had finally re- turned to the Colony. But Serrakutu the present chief’s uncle and brother to Mulihaban, was the principal adviser that they should still continue to wait for me. For, having been to Klaarwater in the interval of my journey to Graaffreynet, he had seen my waggons there, and was then assured by Muchunka that it was my fixed in- tention to visit Mattlvi. He left with him injunctions to use every argument to persuade me to come as soon as possible ; as he had many things to say to me. Our visitor further added that Mollemmi *, (for that was the name of Mattivi’s elder brother,) was very impatient to accompany me back to Cape Town. By such information I was enabled to prepare myself for the first interview with the chief, and to consider my answers, and the most judicious mode of proceeding, so as to undeceive him without exposing the plan of my future movements ; for I had the satisfac- tion to perceive that he knew nothing of my intention to travel farther northward. Not long after the herdsman, came a woman with her two children , and also took up her abode with us during our stay at Sikkloniani. Her eldest child was a girl about six years old ; the other was much younger. She appeared to be about thirty, and told us that she had long been deserted by her husband, who left her that he might take another wife. Since that time she had wandered about with her two children from place to place, making any hut her quarters as long as its owners were willing, or able, to share their food with her. To subsist on charity among the Bichuanas, is a melancholy depend- ance ; but this instance serves, at least, to prove the existence of this virtue, though hospitality, which Hottentots extend to a fault among themselves, and often exercise towards other tribes, forms, it would seem, no part of the moral duty of men of this nation. * This name was sometimes, though less frequently, pronounced Mollemo or Mollema , with the accent on the first syllable. 350 MATERNAL AFFECTION.— KAROSS AND KOBO. 1 1, 12 July, Although this woman’s appearance did not indicate want of necessary food ; yet it certainly did not prove that she had been living in plenty. She was talkative, though sedate ; and the freedom and mature confidence with which the daughter often held a con- versation with the mother, were remarkable : yet there was, in the child’s manner, nothing disrespectful. She seemed to treat them with all maternal affection ; and at night, as she lay down on the bare ground to sleep, she wrapped them up with her under her own kobo. I may here remark that kaross and kobo are but two words for the same thing ; the former belonging to the Hottentot, and the latter to the Sichuana, language. They signify the slwi-cloak, already described ; and may be used indifferently ; although the latter is more proper to express the Bichuana cloak, which differs in fashion a little from the other, as it does also in materials ; the kaross being generally made of sheep skin with the wool on, and the kobo, either of the fur of various small animals, or of some larger skin made into leather. The latter sort, called kobo-kciama, because most commonly made of the skin of the kaama antelope, is therefore more properly intended for summer ; but the fur-cloaks, called kosi-kobo, being very expensive to purchase, or very difficult to procure, on account of the number of animals required in making it, poverty obliges the greater part of the nation to wear their leathern cloaks at all seasons, though they are considerably colder than those of fur. * This poor creature possessed, she said, nothing on earth, but the clothes she wore : and, from the kindness which she testified towards her children, she certainly would not have allowed them to remain almost naked, if she could have obtained another cloak. She was how- ever, besides her cloak, the owner of a pitsa (peetsar) or earthen pot ; and which she had brought with her as a very significant emblem of * Of the kinds of kobo here mentioned, that made of fur is represented in plates 7 and 8; that of leather, in plate 10, and in the 21st, 31st, and 36th vignettes. The sheep-skin Jcaross may be seen in the vignette at page 1. 1812. AN OSTRICH SHOT. 351 her wants, and of the object of her visit. I ordered the men to supply her with meat, although we had little to spare ; and it was not long before her pot was on the fire, doing its duty. The children were lively and in good spirits ; and it was most probably to the sight of this, that the talkativeness of the girl and her mother, was to be attributed. 1 2th. This morning an ostrich having been observed feeding among the trees, one of the Hottentots crept under the bushes un- perceived towards it, sufficiently near to shoot it. My men now obtained a supply of their favorite ornament, and each one decked himself with a white plume in his hat. These birds are in general found to be more difficult of ap- proach than the antelopes ; which may be occasioned by the greater height of their eye above the ground, enabling them to see over all the shrubs of the plain. This was an old male, and, on account of its feathers being dirty and much damaged, was said to be a { nest- bird’ or one which had been sitting on the eggs. The small feathers which cover the wings were undamaged and of a fine black ; but these were not prized by the Hottentots. In weight and size, the leg of this ostrich, including the flesh of the thigh, was really surprising when viewed as the leg of a bird : it was as much as one man could carry. The flesh was dark-colored, and resembled beef ; and was exceedingly coarse and tough, though tolerably well-tasted. It is sometimes, as the Hottentots affirm, of a disagreeable oily flavor ; but I could not here distinguish any taste of that nature. The stomach is considered to be the best part of the whole bird, being both tender and delicate ; but my men, who were acquainted with this circumstance, took care to eat up the whole of it before they gave me this piece of information. Our provisions being nearly consumed, this bird came very opportunely in our way, and besides, enabled me, by giving the poor Bachapin woman one of the legs, to keep her pot employed for several days after our departure. We were now within a very moderate day’s-journey of Litakun ; 352 SELFISHNESS. — HALTING AT LOBUTSANI. 12, 13 July, but as I conceived it would be more convenient to arrive there as early in the day as possible, so that there might be sufficient time to have an interview with the Chief, and make some arrangements before the night came on, I determined to advance this day no nearer than the last water on this side of the town. When we had travelled two miles, we halted for a few minutes to fill the water-casks at a shallow pond of clear water surrounded by acacias, a fountain similar to Sikkloniani ; having been told that the spring at which we were to unyoke was slightly brackish, yet not unwholesome. At the distance of a mile beyond this, we came to another similar pond ; and, as I depended upon Muchunka, who was well acquainted with the country, and assured me that this was the only water until we reached Litakun, I halted here for the night, though we had not proceeded more than three miles. But on the following day I discovered that we might have advanced six miles farther, as this would have brought us to a plentiful rivulet of excellent water, within four miles of the town. What this man’s reason might be for wishing me to halt at this place instead of going forward, as I should have done, to the rivulet, I never could learn ; nor why, after leaving Little Klibbolikhonni, he led me in a northerly direction down the Kruman river, when he knew that the direct and usual course would have taken us to the source of it, at the Klibbolikhonni Spring, in the bearing of north- east. Yet, that it was some selfish motive, I have no doubt; al- though my suspicions as to his want of fidelity were not awakened at this time. It is to be feared that every traveller who shall spend among these African tribes time enough to learn their true character, will find, to his trouble and vexation, that the only principle by which they are guided is selfishness ; or rather, that they have not the fixed inflexible principle of honor to restrain them from swerving from the path of rectitude. The place at which we had halted was called Lobulsam, if my interpreter’s word can be relied on. The air was now, as it had been during the whole day, extremely cold; its chilling effect being increased 1812. SENSATIONS ON APPROACHING LITAKUN. 353 by a strong easterly wind ; the thermometer not having risen during the day higher than 58|-°, (11*7 R.), and remaining all night at 43°, (4*8 R.). 1 3th. It was my intention to fix my residence at Litakun for some time, as the most favourable situation for studying the character of the people and observing their customs. An abode there of several weeks, would, I conceived, be highly advantageous in pre- paring me for the journey onwards, and would enable me to gain much more experience, and in much less time, than could be expected while travelling hastily through the other parts of the country, where we should, only occasionally, see a few straggling individuals ; if a judgement could be formed from the number which we had hitherto met. We should, by continuing to travel every day, soon reach, indeed, the farthest extremity of their country ; but it would be long before I had made myself acquainted with their manners and customs, or had acquired that practical knowledge and experience, which I deemed essential to my safety and success. It appeared, therefore, to be accordant to reason, that I should make myself tolerably well ac- quainted with one tribe or nation, before I proceeded to the next. At an earlier hour than usual, we began to yoke the oxen to the waggons ; and it seemed as if some new sensation was felt at our near approach to a large and populous town. I could evidently perceive that the thought of terminating this days-journey in a scene so different from all which we had hitherto beheld, roused in my people some strong feelings ; and though they were not apparently those of fear, yet I have little doubt from subsequent experience, that, had not Muchunka been with us to inspire the party with confidence in the peaceable disposition of his countrymen, I should have found great difficulty in persuading the whole of my men to advance another step beyond Lobutsani. This being the day for receiving their rations of brandy and tobacco, they requested to have them before we set out, as it was not likely that I should have leisure for giving them at the usual hour in the evening. With this wish I most readily complied ; not VOL. II. z z 354 ON THE VIEW OF A FOREIGN LAND. 13 July, only because I had resolved to conceal from the Bichuanas all knowledge of my having any intoxicating drink in the waggon, but because I had lately witnessed how necessary tobacco was to amuse, if I may so express it, the minds of my men, and imagined that the exhilarating power of the brandy would be on this day especially useful. There was among all my party, a certain degree of curiosity to see this long-talked-of town, in praise of which they had heard so much ; and this enlivened them, and perhaps, during its continuance, counteracted their timidity. I need not describe my own sensations at so interesting a point of my journey ; they may easily be conceived by those who have ever felt a desire to visit a foreign land that they may view and contemplate the human character in some new light ; and that, by tracing the gradations and shades of notions and ideas, through the various customs of different nations, and even to their first feeble source in uncivilized life, they may better understand themselves, and learn by the comparison, to form a juster estimate of that society which more immediately surrounds them, and to which they more properly belong. Those will feel as I felt ; and will find in their own heart, a ready apology for all those stratagems by which I endeavoured to draw my men into a consent to accompany me to nations still more remote, and still less known. Our course this day, was over the same level country which I have called the Great Plains of Litakun, a denomination which does not express too much, as our journey through that part only which lay on this side of the town, was, according to my estimation, not less than forty-seven miles, extending in one unbroken expanse. They still preserved their sandy and grassy character, though occasionally varied with bushes; and were not without the pleasing relief of frequent clumps of acacias. The lime-stone rock , which, in some places, of a white and in others of a blackish color, had been here and there observable during nearly the whole distance, now began to disappear beneath the surface, and sandstone and granite rocks, a kind not before noticed in the Transgariepine, introduced a change in the 1812. THE GREAT PLAINS OF LITAKUN. 355 geological appearance of that part of the plain in which the town was situated. Agreeably to the hypothesis which I have ventured to assume, and which has already been explained *, these rocks must rest upon the great limestone floor ; unless we adopt another, which, though it would suppose the limestone to be the superincumbent stratum, does not contradict the assertion that the whole country is geologically a primitive region ; and although no favorable opportunities for ascer- taining the fact, presented themselves, yet it is not impossible that the granite may protrude itself through this limestone. In either case, it still remains a fact, as far at least as my observation extends, that the limestone never rises above the surface, and that wherever hills or mountains occur, they are found to be either of clay-slate, or of sand-stone : none which I examined were of granite, this sub- stance having been met with only in a comparatively small proportion. As we advanced, the surface of the plain, which had hitherto been sandy, became more rocky. At first the rocks were of lime- stone, though of a blackish color ; as we proceeded, they changed to a red sandstone ; and farther, they were composed of a coarse granite. In this part of our days-journey, the pretty flowering shrub already noticed f grew in greater abundance, and tempted me to halt a few minutes to lay some luxuriant specimens into the press ; an operation which at other times had always been deferred till the waggons arrived at the night’s station ; but in the present case there could be no expectation of having sufficient leisure at the usual hour. At the distance of six miles from Lobutsani, we crossed to the right bank of a rivulet which was running in a plentiful stream j and which was said to join itself to the following. At two miles and a quarter beyond this, we came to a larger stream, which our guide called the Litakun rivers though distant from that town a mile and a * At page 311. of this volume, f The Passerina? mentioned at page 341. z z 2 356 APPROACH TO, AND FIRST VIEW OF, 13 July, half ; but which I afterwards found to be the highest and principal branch of the Moshawa (Moshowa), and the river which flows by the original town of Litakun now deserted and in ruins. Its banks were steep j and it was not till after some delay in searching for a prac- ticable road for the waggons, that they could be dragged safely to the opposite bank. The bed of this river, or more properly, rivulet, was but a few yards wide, and of this the water occupied but a small part ; yet, as it flows constantly during the whole year, it is regarded by the natives as a considerable stream, though much inferior to the Kruman. As we approached the hills which partly enclose the valley in which Litakun stands, the ground became more uneven and rocky. A number of oxen, attended by several herdsmen, and a few strag- gling inhabitants, showed us that we were not far from the town j while some large mokaala trees, and every bush around, indicated, by the unsparing manner in which they had been lopped and cut for fuel, that we were in the immediate neighbourhood of a populous place. Many narrow foot-paths leading forward in one general direction, pointed out our way, and began to awaken my attention to the unexpected magnitude of the town ; for as yet I had not been able to gain any distinct notion of its size : every person of whom I had asked questions on this head, denominating it a very large kraal, but being unable to give me any other more defined idea : so that my expectations as to its extent were very much below what I actually found it to be. At length, the most gratifying sight which my journey had yet af- forded, presented itself ; and part of the Town of Litakun now appeared before me. As we advanced nearer, and gained higher ground, the multitude of houses which continued rising into view as far as I could see, excited astonishment ; while their novel form and character seized my whole attention, as my eager eyes surveyed and examined their outline though yet at a distance. They occupied, in detached groups, a portion of the plain, not less than a mile and a half in diameter. The situation of the town appeared open, 1S12. THE TOWN OF LITAKUN. 357 though surrounded by hills. The spaces which intervened between the houses, were sparingly covered with low bushes and a half- trampled herbage. A few mokaalas were here and there to be seen standing amidst the dwellings ; but excepting these, no other tree was visible in any quarter. The usual appearance of Bachapin houses is exhibited in the annexed engraving. CHAPTER XIV. RECEPTION AT LITAKUN. When the waggons had nearly reached some of the first houses, which lay irregularly scattered on the skirts of the town, and our approach was discovered, many of the inhabitants flocked round us, and the crowd increased at every step. All seemed highly pleased at our arrival, and moved forward by the side of the waggons, with a briskness and alacrity which seemed to show that they regarded my coming as a public holiday, or as a great event which rejoiced them the more as their expectations of seeing me had so long been disappointed. As for myself, I scarcely once thought of the rest of my party, and seemed to have entirely forgotten that I had either waggons or attendants belonging to me ; so completely was my attention absorbed by the interesting scene before me, and by the novelty of all which I beheld. The good humour which beamed in the countenances of the 13 July, 1812. ENTRANCE INTO LITAKUN. 359 crowd, reflected a sunshine upon every object, and from the first instant, banished every uneasy sensation which the uncertainty of our reception might have created. With the recollection of the vexations and disappointments which had so long attended my progress into the Interior, I felt as though I had, by advancing thus far, gained a triumph over the numerous difficulties which must always beset and oppose every traveller who shall attempt to explore these regions, alone and unsupported, cheered by no friend, upheld by no aid. While surveying with rapidity the new character of this bustling- crowd of Africans, and admiring the social appearance and magnitude of a town, so different in every respect from those of Europe, I caught a spirit of enthusiasm which seemed like some fascinating power emanating from the strange objects which every where surrounded me, and excited feelings which rendered my first view of the town of Litakun, a moment, which, in its peculiar gratification and delight, was never surpassed by any other event of the journey. Accustomed, as I had been, for so many months, to the sight of only the frail moveable huts of Hottentots and Bushmen, I rejoiced at finding myself at length arrived among a nation whose dwellings claimed the name of buildings. Although the weather was cold, yet the sun shone bright and shed animation upon the scene and enlivened the appearance of these dwellings, as much as the arrival of the white stranger, seemed to lend a pleasing active curiosity to their gazing inhabitants. Muchunka, who was in high spirits, led the way as our guide through the labyrinth of houses. He had equipped himself with a gun and cartridge-box on this occasion, that he might display before his countrymen some marks of superiority ; and of which he was not a little proud. My own men, of whom three were mounted on horses and the rest on foot, kept closely together ; while I myself sat in front of the great waggon, by the side of Philip, and whom I was glad to see managing his long whip without the least symptom of being confused by the presence of so large a throng. My attention was too much occupied another way, to allow me to observe whether all of my party were equally at their ease ; but I suspected that they 360 ARRIVAL AT THE DWELLING OF THE CHIEF. 13 July, were not. He, indeed, had, some years before, made a journey to the Kruman at the time when the Bachapins were residing in a town on that river ; but to all the others, this country and its inhabitants, were not less new, than they were to myself. The buildings were nowhere ranged in the form of streets, nor placed according to any regular plan ; but were scattered about, in some places far apart, and in others standing so closely together, as not to admit a passage for my waggons between them.* I had desired Muchunka to conduct us at once to the dwelling of the Chief. As we proceeded towards the middle of the town and the waggons drove past their dwellings, the families ran out to get a sight of us ; the women half-astonished, the children half-afraid : but the men immediately quitted their employment and added them- selves to the countless crowd by which we were already surrounded, and almost impeded. Yet, they conducted themselves without the least disorderly behaviour or boisterous noise : nor did they, though naturally most importunate beggars of tobacco, attempt at this time to interrupt our progress by any solicitations of the kind. One man who was walking by the side of the waggon, once, as he looked up in my face, pronounced the word muchuko (tobacco) ; but no others followed his example as I took no notice of it, being fearful, from the experience I had already gained, that had I complied with his request, the whole crowd would soon have been in an uproar ; and the only word to have been distinguished, would have been, muchuko. At length we arrived before Mattivis house : it differed in no respect from other houses, nor did its appearance exhibit the least superiority, or indicate it to be the dwelling of the Chief of so large a town, and the ruler of a whole tribe. I waited a minute, expecting that the Chief himself, or some * The Jiftli plate will give some idea of the appearance of the town of Litakun, on entering it from the west, and looking noi*thward. The various objects seen in this view, will be found fully explained in the two last chapters of this volume. On the left, is represented a man carrying a parasol made of ostrich-feathers ; and in the middle of the picture, are the figures of two women and a child. The large trees are mokaalas , or camelthorns. 1812. SERRAKUTU. — FIRST INTERVIEW WITH MATTIVI. 361 person in authority who might have been in readiness, would have come forward to meet me ; but as I could distinguish in the multitude no person of this description, all being dressed alike, I ordered my men to loose the oxen from the yoke, and drive them and the other cattle back to the open space on the outside of the town. The crowd which had collected round us, was now so much increased by the people who flocked from all parts of the town to view us, that I was soon enclosed in so great a multitude, that every object beyond them was excluded from my sight. Muchunka, as my interpreter, remained close by my side ; but my Hottentots were so intermingled with the natives, that I saw little of them after the oxen had been unyoked. In this situation I found that I was surrounded by most of the principal men of Litakun. Among the foremost and most loquacious was the Chief’s uncle Serrakutu (Serrakootoo) the brother of Muli- haban, and the first who was introduced to me : for here, the pecu- liarity of the case required that the practice of civilized countries should be reversed; and instead of introducing the stranger to the chief personage, it was necessary to point out this one to the stranger, who, otherwise, could not have distinguished him from the rest of the crowd ; though, on the other hand, there was little necessity for indicating to him who was the stranger. After waiting about five minutes, a man who stood close by my side, was without much ceremony brought to my notice as Mattivi , the Chief of the Bachapins. Whether he had stood there the whole time, or had but just forced his way through the crowd, I was too much engaged to have noticed ; but in his peculiar silence and re- served manners he formed a striking contrast to his uncle Serrakutu, who now openly exulted in the superiority of his judgment in having, contrary to the opinion of the Chief himself and of every one else, persisted in assuring them that, notwithstanding the report of my having returned to the colony, I should certainly visit their town. This person, therefore more especially, seemed pleased at my coming, and placed himself so far forward in the conversation, that had I 3 A VOL. II. 362 MATTIVI’S PERSON AND DRESS : 13 July, been left to my own decision, I should not have hesitated in ad- dressing him as the Chief. Mattvoi in outward appearance differed in no respect from those of the crowd by whom he was surrounded. Compared with the rest of his nation, he was in stature of an intermediate proportion, and of a good figure ; neither tall nor short, neither thin nor corpulent. In his countenance there was little expression of openness, or of that good-natured easy disposition which might be seen in the features of several who stood near him. He wore an ordinary leathern kobo or cloak, and was ornamented round the neck with a thick necklace of twisted sinews, one string of large beads alternately white and purple, and several small cords from which, conformably to general custom, a common knife of Bichuana manufacture * was suspended. He was barefooted, and wore nothing on the head; but his hair was plastered with a thick covering of grease mixed with sibilo which caused it to shine with perfect metallic lustre. On his left arm, above the elbow, were five broad rings of ivory, j- His age appeared to be above forty; but it is possible that it might not have been quite so much ; as his grave and sedate deportment on the one hand, and his uncle’s talkativeness on the other, seemed to bring their ages nearer together than, it may be supposed, they really were. A thicker beard than commonly seen among his countrymen, who often have none at all, assisted much in producing these impressions. He stood perfectly still, with his hands before him folded in each other, and with his eyes directed rather downwards, but now and then looking up and showing that he was attending to all that was said. He spoke very little or almost nothing ; and left the con- versation to Serrakutu and his brothers. These were pointed out to me ; for to say, introduced, would create an idea of some form or ceremony, and give a very erroneous impression of the whole affair. The brothers who were present on this occasion, were Mollemmi, Molaali, and Mahura. Mollemmi , whose name has already been * Such as may be seen represented by the upper figure of the 39th vignette, f See the 38th vignette. 1812. HIS BROTHERS. - THE INTERPRETER. 363 mentioned, was a tall thin man, of a countenance most remarkable for its long and disproportion ed features. The mother of him and of his elder brother Mattlvi, was a Kora ; but the others were the sons of a Bichuana woman. Molali (or Molaala ) was a fine well- proportioned young man of a genuine Bichuana countenance and complexion, approaching somewhat to the negro. The younger brother, Mahura , was remarkably handsome as a black, and seemed to be about twenty years of age. He was of fine proportions, and in limbs and figure, not unlike the well known statue of Antinoiis, though somewhat fatter. On his feet he wore sandals *, and his head was bound round, not inelegantly, with a leathern handkerchief, nearly in the manner which has been shown in a former plate, f The conversation which took place between us, amounted to but little ; being much interrupted by passing through the mouth of an interpreter. This man seemed quite at home among these people ; and, being personally known to most of them, who called him familiarly by his name, he often continued the conversation for his own pleasure, quite forgetting his official duties, and leaving me to guess, by their looks and gestures, or by a single word which now and then, though rarely, caught my ear, the purport of what was said between them. It must not be supposed, because I have called him my inter- preter, that he performed his duty with much regularity ; or that he had any very strict notions of the nature of his situation. His ideas on this subject were the most vague ; and he seemed to think, that by giving me occasionally a little of the information, he acquitted himself of his obligation. Neither must it be imagined, that at this introductory meeting either the Chief or myself, made many com- plimentary speeches to each other, or conducted ourselves with much courtly formality : to relate such incidents in this manner, might perhaps, set off a traveller’s story to much advantage, and excite a pleasing wonderment in his readers ; but the inflexible rule of truth * Figures of the Bachapin sandal are given at the end of this chapter, f That of the 4 portrait of a Kora.’ Plate 10. of the first volume. 3 A 2 364 THE ASSEMBLY. 13 July, will not allow him thus to decorate his narrative, while conscience whispers that he ought to tell a plainer tale. At this time the principal remarks which were made by the assembly, were merely to inform me that they had for a length of time been expecting me at Litakun : to which I replied, that as I had long felt a strong desire to become acquainted with them, it was never my intention to return home till I had visited their town. Serrakutu rejoined, that I spoke very rightly, and he was glad to hear me say so. As Mattlvi seemed so little inclined to speak, I put myself on a level with him, by merely saying to him that I was come to see him : to which he replied by one or two words expressive of approbation and assent. Muchunka was much pleased in pointing out to me the different relations of Mattivi, who were standing by us : he spoke to every one in his usual and animated manner, and might have been taken for one of the most important personages, if men’s importance were to be measured by their confidence. Yet it was not the confidence of presumption : it was not in the smallest degree wanting in due respect towards them. Our interview had thus lasted about ten minutes, when the Chief, addressing himself to me, said he wished that we should sit down. We were then standing near my waggons, in an open space between the houses. I expressed my desire to do as he wished ; but remained on my feet till he should first be seated. Seeing however that he waited for me, I sat myself down upon the ground, in the African manner ; and immediately he did the same, placing himself opposite to me ; while the different members of his family, and the kosies or subordinate chieftains *, formed round us a circle two or three deep ; the rest of the people still continuing standing, as close as it was possible for them to crowd together. The engraving at the head of the chapter (page 358.) will give some idea of this scene The Chief still preserving his taciturnity, Serrakutu assumed * I here use the word chieftain , as the nearest to ray meaning; although to some persons, it may possibly seem to express too much : but the sense in which it is to be understood may easily be discovered from my explanation of the word Jcosi, at pages 272. 347. and 348. 1 812. INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS TO THE CHIEF. 365 the prominent station, and made himself the principal speaker ; although Mollemmi also, took a share in the debate. The younger brothers and sons, though attentive to all which was passing, re- mained respectfully silent. The surrounding spectators seldom at- tempted to speak ; but the kosies who formed the sitting circle, occasionally addressed themselves to my interpreter. He, whether to save himself trouble, or because what they said was not spoken directly to me, left the greatest part of their remarks uninterpreted. It appeared that they were questioning him on various subjects re- lating to my journey ; such as the length of time since my departure from Cape Town, which place they called Mokaapa ; the reason of my subsequent return into the colony ; the quantity of tobacco and beads which I had brought with me ; the object of my visit to Litakun ; and others of the same nature. What answers were made to all these I know not ; but he afterwards gave me to un- derstand that his replies were conformable to that which he had always heard stated by my Hottentots. Addressing myself to the Chief, I told him, that my object in coming into his country, was to form an acquaintance with him and his people, whom I had heard so favorably spoken of at Kdrrikamma (Klaarwater) : that so much had been said in praise of Litakun, that I had been very desirous of seeing his town : that I wished at the same time to hunt the wild animals, that I might be enabled to take home the skins of them to my own country : that I intended to stop with the Bachaplns long enough to learn their language, so that I might be able to tell them myself many things which I wished them to know, and that we might by these means understand each other’s sentiments more clearly than they could be explained through an interpreter : and that I hoped we should thus become true friends, that I might at my return home, report of the Bachapins that they were a good people, and that on hearing this, other white-men would visit him and bring abundance of beads and tobacco. I therefore wished now to know from himself, whether he thought that what I had said, was good ; and whether he approved of my remaining a long time at Litakun. 366 CONVERSATION WITH THE CHIEFTAINS. 13 July, To this, his answer, or rather that of the interpreter, was simply, “ That is the same.” By which he meant to say, that I was at liberty to stay as long as it pleased me, or to depart whenever I chose. He thus, by confining his reply to my last words, cunningly avoided giving at our first meeting, any opinion on the other parts of my speech. The surrounding multitude were in the highest degree attentive to all we said ; the eyes of every individual were fixed upon me, and examined me with the utmost curiosity. As I thought I could per- ceive satisfaction in their countenances, I felt perfectly at ease ; but could not, on viewing the assembly and snatching in the midst of these transactions a moment to reflect on my situation, a solitary Englishman wandering among lawless nations in the heart of Africa, to gratify a desire of beholding human nature in its uncivilized state, I could not but feel sensible of the risk I incurred. After sitting thus for about ten minutes, the Chief rose and left the circle, Serrakutu ordering the crowd to make way for him ; which they instantly did, without confusion or noise. All the rest remained in their places, and a conversation of the same nature as before, was renewed between the kosies. A few trifling questions were put to me, who in my turn put others of as little importance ; asking if they had many elephants and camelopards in their country, and if there was much game to be found in the vicinity of the town. At some intervals little was spoken by any one ; the attention of all being engaged in watching every motion I made, and in observing my features. In five minutes the Chief returned. The crowd opened a passage for him, as before ; but no one rose or quitted his seat : he stepped between the chieftains, and took his place within the circle. He had risen and gone into the house, for the purpose of fetching a small calabash, of milk ; which, as soon as he was seated, he offered to me. He said nothing, but intimated by his motions and looks 1812. MANIFESTATION OF GOODWILL. 367 rest of the assembly and the crowd, in silence rivetted their eves upon me, with looks of uncommon interest and surprise ; as a great number of them, there is no doubt, had never before beheld a white man. As I conceived it would not have been decorous to have re- turned any part of this present, I gave the remainder to .Juli that he might set it in the waggon ; for on looking round at the crowd I at that moment discovered him close to me. My own men had been completely excluded from me, but he, not vet knowing whether my reception was friendly or not and becoming anxious for the result, had thus forced his way to his master’s side. After this we continued sitting ; but no further conversation took place between us. At length Serrakutu asked me to give him some tobacco ; but, though I had put some in my pocket for occa- sional distribution, I declined giving him any at this time, as I feared that some confusion might arise, should all the others make the same request, and as I knew that the quantity I had about me would not suffice for the whole assembly if I began to give a piece to each. I answered him, that until the Chief had received that which was intended for him, it would not be correct to make a present to anv one else ; and he expressed himself satisfied with my excuse. That we might not sit silent and unemployed, I opened my snuff-box, and held it towards Mattlvi, who took two thirds of its contents, and returned it to me : but, as I was sure that he would be better pleased with three thirds, I put the box again into his hand, and found that I had not mistaken his feelings. He emptied the whole into the hollow of his hand and drawing from its sheath, the knife which hung from his neck, he, with the point of it, distributed a small quantity to each of his family and to all the chieftains who sat in the inner circle, reserving for himself no larger share than he had given to any of the rest ; a display of generosity to which he was induced by the presence of the assembly. On this, a general snuff-taking ensued, in the manner already described; but the quan- 368 DIGNITY. — WORDS MISAPPLIED. 13 July, moment for bringing forward the presents which I intended making to the Chief, he advised that I should wait till another opportunity, as he knew, he said, that Mattivi would be better pleased if they were given to him when quite alone. At length Mattivi rose, and without ceremony, or speaking to any one, left the assembly. I remained a few minutes after ; but on ascertaining that he would not return, I quitted the circle also, and retired to my waggon ; on which, the chieftains rose, and the crowd dispersed. During this interview, which lasted little more than three quarters of an hour, the principal object of my attention had been to discover, if possible, the character of the man to whom I was about to commit myself, and on whose dealings so much depended. But his silence baffled all power of guessing ; yet I thought I could discern through all this affectation of dignity, indications of a want of mind and of that which constitutes real dignity. To have expected to find this last quality in him, was not expecting more than was possible, since it is as much the gift of nature as of refined education ; and an uncultivated savage may often possess it in a higher degree than those whom art would elevate, but to whom nature has refused her support. Although I observed nothing which could be considered as prepossessing in his favor ; yet the impres- sions of a first interview had not disappointed the expectations which I had allowed myself to entertain of his character. To make use of the word king when speaking of such a man, or of queens , princes , or princesses , to designate his wives, sons, or daughters, would betray a childish vanity which, instead of adding importance to my journal, would only serve to give extremely false notions of the persons whom it means to describe. I am content with humble terms for expressing humble things. It is, I may be excused for saying, very far from being the object of this narrative, to create an interest in it by any of the arts of exaggeration ; among which, that of elevating the character of ideas by false names, or of depressing it by similar means, is not the least dishonest. Scarcely had I seated myself in the waggon, when another crowd formed itself. From the first, all women, girls, and boys had been 1812. A CROWD OF WOMEN. 369 excluded ; but now the throng consisted entirely of these. In order to get sight of me, they had arranged themselves in a long line, extending from the back of the waggon, the end usually open ; so that they might look into it, and have a full view. This was a scene as amusing and interesting to me as to them ; and therefore to gratify both parties, I seated myself forward ; by which a greater multitude were enabled to see at once. They talked a great deal, and in a very familiar and lively manner ; but unfortunately their volubility of utterance prevented my distinguishing a single word ; and my interpreter had at this time left me to myself. At last, that important word muchuJco was often repeated by those who stood nearest : on which I endeavoured to tell them, by a combination of words and signs, that I could not give them any tobacco till Mattlvi had received some. This mode of conversing, being, I sup- posed, quite unintelligible to them, appeared to afford these Bachapin ladies much amusement. At this moment Muchunka, seeing me so .completely beset by this curious good-humoured crowd, came to my assistance ; and explained to them what I had been endeavouring to say. One of those who had been importuning for tobacco, was the wife of the Chief ; but notwithstanding her rank, she was as little successful as the rest. This crowd was composed only of the wives, younger daughters and sons, of the richer inhabitants ; those of a lower class were not permitted to approach me till a day or two afterwards. They continued standing in this manner for some time, till they had satisfied their curiosity ; on which they returned to their homes. Soon after this, Mattlvi, Serrakutu, and Mollemmi, came and took their seats in the waggon. As they appeared to have no other object than that of mere curiosity, I took out my vocabulary and read various sentences to them in their own language. These, as my pronunciation was not unintelligible, seemed to afford them con- siderable amusement; and Muchunka did not fail to let them know that I had learnt them from him. But though they appeared pleased, they exhibited none of that surprise which I have described as having- been witnessed on a former occasion ; and even Muchunka’s astonish- 3 B VOL. II. 370 REMOVAL OF THE WAGGONS TO 13 July, ment was now much moderated. They could scarcely be quite ignorant of the nature and use of books and writing, as several white-persons, had at different times, visited their country. It seemed to afford them much pleasure, when I repeated that it was my in- tention to learn their language, that I might talk to them without an interpreter. Mattlvi’s manners, though still sedate and reserved, were now somewhat more familiar, and he had evidently laid aside that assumed apathy and silence, which he may have thought more becoming him in a public assembly composed of the principal men of property and influence, belonging to the town ; and even among the larger crowd, there were, perhaps, but few of the poorer class then present. He pointed to a large circular enclosure close by, surrounded by a fence or hedge of dry branches, where he wished my waggon to be stationed, as he remarked that I should find the open place where it now stood, to be very inconvenient on account of my being there too much exposed to the general crowd of the inhabitants. I there- fore ordered my men to move it thither : which they easily effected without the oxen, as the ground was level and even. We still re- mained sitting within, while they drew it along; and it was ex- ceedingly amusing to behold this Chief of the Bachapins, who, a few minutes before, sat in the midst of a great assembly of his nation, with a gravity of deportment which would hardly permit him even to return an answer to my address, now, as pleased with the ride, as a child when drawn about by its nurse. All his dignity in my eyes, was at an end : he seemed now to be only a Bachapin named Mattlvi. He regretted that the distance was so short ; and his uncle and his brother, not less than himself, were delighted with the motion of the vehicle, and betrayed their satisfaction by countenances exhibiting an intermediate expression between smiling and laughing. They descended from the waggon as soon as it was brought within the enclosure; and Mattlvi showed me a hut on one side of the area, which he gave for the use of my men. The plan of it was circular; the sides, which extended round two thirds only of the circumference, were made with roughly-interwoven branches 1812. THE MOOTSI, OR PUBLIC ENCLOSURE. 371 and twigs ; and the roof was covered with dry grass. It was of very rude construction, and in no respect resembled the neat dwell- ing-houses of the town : it differed from a Hottentot hut only in materials and greater size, and Was intended merely as a place of shade. My people, however, were very well pleased with it, as we had seldom found so good a shelter on the journey ; and they easily rendered it more comfortable, by closing the front with the mats which we had brought with us for similar purposes. The Bachapin kosies , or chieftains, do not receive visitors or transact business in their houses or within the fence by which they are incircled ; but appropriate to this use a large open area, from five- and-twenty to thirty yards across, surrounded by either a hedge of branches, or a rough irregular palisade. In this area, which they call a mootsi (moatsy), or mutsu (mootsew), all public business is transacted ; and it is here, where they and their attendants and friends, usually sit during the day and in fine weather. It is the place of public resort for the men, but not for the women ; whose laborious employments call them another way. Sometimes a large tree is left standing in it, for the sake of shade, but more frequently they are quite un- sheltered : that belonging to Mattlvi was of this kind, without a bush or green twig within the fence; the hut being intended to supply this deficiency. It was in an enclosure of this kind, where my waggons were stationed ; than which, no situation could afford a more favorable opportunity for observing the manners of the principal inhabitants, and the mode of conducting public affairs ; as it was that particular mootsi which belonged to the Chief. * Soon after we had made these arrangements, a Bachapin presented himself to me as an old acquaintance, and spoke Dutch with great fluency. I had however no recollection of him, until he reminded me of his having joined our caravan at the Karree river, on our journey through the Roggeveld. At that time he attracted no particular atten- * The outside of one of these public enclosures, is shown in the 6th plate, under the large trees, and in the same engraving, the situation of the waggons may be seen. 3 b 2 372 HISTORY OF ADAM THE BACHAPIN. 13 July, tion, as he did not then make himself known to me as a native of Litakun ; and from his speaking the language of the Colony so readily, and wearing the same dress as the other people* I supposed him to be a Hottentot of the mixed race. He now told me that he had been living in the service of the boors in the Bokkeveld and Roggeveld, from the time of his childhood ; but knew not, as he said, by what means he was brought away from his native country. On the arrival of our caravan in that part of the colony, he con- ceived a desire to visit the land which gave him birth ; although he was utterly ignorant of the name of his parents, and even of the name they had given him, by which he might be enabled to make himself known to them : and besides this, he was totally unacquainted with the Sichuana language. He had received from the Boors, the name of Adam ; and by this he was now generally called. Having been told that I was coming to this place, he had intended to accompany my waggons thus far ; but the various delays which had impeded my progress, and the reported uncertainty of my ever returning alive to Klaarwater, had at last induced him to make the journey in company with some Hottentots ; with whom he arrived here about a month before me. To his great pleasure, he had at length dis- covered his father ; and who, to his further satisfaction, proved to be one of the richest chieftains in the town, and consequently, a man of some importance ; to which advantages he thus found himself suddenly, and most unexpectedly, entitled. His father’s superior affluence might be estimated from the circumstance of his having four different dwelling-houses, and as many wives. Adam was endeavouring to learn the language ; but as yet had experienced great difficulty in making himself to be understood by his country- men. It was not, he said, his intention to fix his residence perma- nently at this place, as he preferred living on the Gariep, with the Hottentots, under captain Berends ; to whose manners, language, and mode of life, he was more accustomed ; as he knew little of any others. He had partly laid aside his colonial dress, and had adopted that of the Bichuanas, excepting only the pukoli : instead of this he retained his leathern trowsers, to which he had been accustomed all his 1812. CLOTHING. — LOST OXEN. -THE LIKHAAI. 373 life; and at this time expressed himself as averse from adopting that part of their dress, after having been so long clothed in a very different manner. With respect to the covering of the human body, we may re- mark that among the various nations of the globe, whatever advance- ment they may have made, they rarely if ever make a retrograde change. And, could this opinion be established as a rule, it would lead us to conclude that the aborigines of Southern Africa could never have descended from a nation once accustomed to wear com- plete clothing. The place allotted for my cattle, was in the same pound with those of the Chief. A little before sunset, a Bachapin, who said he was Mattlvi’s son-in-law, entered the enclosure, driving in my oxen before him. They were found in the town, without any one attending them ; and, being used to come home at that hour, had of their own accord gone into one of the mootsies, which happen- ing to be his, they were immediately recognised as belonging to me, and every one selected, without mistake, from among his own with which they had mingled ; a further proof of the faculty which all these South- Africans have, of distinguishing and recognising oxen in the midst of numerous herds. He claimed a piece of tobacco for his trouble, and, on receiving three inches, departed as much pleased at my cattle having strayed into his kraal, as I was vexed at finding that they had been so much neglected by my own herdsman. But I consoled myself with having by these means discovered that there existed so much good faith and honesty in the inhabitants, that on such occasions they were ready to restore the lost oxen to their owner, instead of concealing them, in order to profit by my loss. Adjoining the public enclosures , are others of the same kind, called likhadi, and also mootsi, in which the cattle are confined at night, and to which there is usually no entrance but through the first : so that by placing a guard here and around the hedge, their cows and oxen are well secured, both from breaking out, and from any attempts of their enemies. A wooden jug, containing about a gallon of sour or thick milk, 374 SERRAKUTU. — MATTIVI AND HIS ATTENDANTS. 13 July, was brought to me by a chieftain’s servant ; and soon afterwards Serrakutu came to inform me that it was he who had sent it ; and at the same time begged me to give him some tobacco. Not wish- ing to be troubled by similar importunities from others, I put a piece secretly into his hand, requesting that he would not let any one know that he had received it from me. This caution was quite unnecessary, as he valued it himself too much to give any away to others ; which he could not have avoided doing, had it been known ; as his friends would, in that case, have beset him on all sides. He instantly concealed it under his cloak and hasted away home to deposit it in a place of safety. When Mattivi left the waggon, he took his seat on the ground at the distance of a few yards, where his attendants and brothers sat in a small party, engaged either in desultory conversation with each other, or in observing our movements. At some times they ap- peared not to heed our presence ; at others, to watch every thing with apparent curiosity and interest. The spot where he had seated himself, and which he used as long as I remained at Litakun, was directly facing the open end, or back, of my own waggon ; so that he had a constant and full view of me, whenever the canvas flap was tied open ; which it usually was, during the first fortnight of my residence at this town. Numbers of the inhabitants were standing about unemployed, except in looking at the waggons and observing all which we dd ; but, awed or restrained by their Chief, they did not interrupt me, or venture to importune for any thing ; a sufficient proof that he had issued strict orders to forbid begging at that time. These, and my own declaration that nothing would be given away till Mattivi had received what was intended for him, were the only cause of my re- maining all day unmolested in this respect. Among my stores, I had coffee still remaining ; and as soon as some was prepared, I sent a large cupful to the Chiefj who drank it immediately it was presented to him, and expressed his approbation by the words, It is good. He admired the vessel which held it, and inquired if it was made of ivory. This remark was not injudicious, 1812. COFFEE AND CONVERSATION — RACHAPIN NAMES. 375 as a small jar of white glazed earthenware, was not altogether unlike ivory: it was the last remaining European article of that nature, which I had then left to supply the place of a coffee-cup ; every thing else having long been broken to pieces by the unavoidable acci- dents of travelling. In the evening, as soon as my waggon was closed and the candle lighted, Mattlvi climbed in and took his seat, accompanied by his brothers Mollemmi and Molaali, and attended by Adam the Bachapin, whom they brought with them as interpreter : but, as he was too little acquainted with the Sichuana language, I was obliged to call in the assistance of Muchunka. We were therefore all closely crowded together, as my sitting-room, if I may call it so, had been made only large enough conveniently for one person. The coffee-kettle was still standing more than half full ; and on seeing this MattTvi asked for another cup, which was accordingly poured out for him, and the same quantity also presented to his brothers. This beverage appeared to be highly agreeable to their palate, and so much were they pleased with it, that as soon as one cup was drunk, they asked for another, and repeated their request till the kettle was emptied. Among other remarks it was explained to me that the name Mollemmi signified 4 left-handed ;* a circumstance which first led me to conclude that these people do not receive their names while infants ; but that, in all probability, these are given, only when they have attained an age at which they begin to exhibit some character of their own. This may not be the case on every occasion, since I had no opportunity of ascertaining this point clearly ; but it certainly is so on many, of which this is an instance ; as Mollemmi was really left-handed. He used the knife with that hand, and did with it what others usually do only with their right ; being in several things, ambidextrous. The word molaala signifies, a person who is possessed of little, and is used as a common appellative for a servant or inferior attend- ant. The name Muchunka has nearly the same signification, but implies a lower rank. The name of the Chief’s youngest brother 376 AN IMPORTANT REQUEST, 13 July, Mohura , may be expressed in English by 4 fat a word which most correctly accorded with his figure. When they had drunk all the coffee, they seemed inclined to enter into conversation. Mattivi commenced by saying, that Muli- haban his father, a short time before he died, had desired him to be kind to all his brothers, and to take every care of them ; that they were numerous, and all depended on him for protection. He then remarked that Mulihaban was always a great friend to white- men. To which I replied ; Yes, I had already heard that he was, and that the white-men would therefore lament, on receiving the news of his death ; but that when I should inform them that Mattivi was equally their friend, they would rejoice again, and white-men would again come to see him. These remarks, and a few others of the same kind, were made in a desultory manner, and appeared to have no mutual connection, nor any particular object : they were merely meant as an introduction to another more important subject which it seems, had occupied their thoughts long before my arrival, and had been a matter of national consultation. It had previously pressed so much on their minds, that it had evidently been resolved to make it the very first point of discussion, as soon as I had reached their town. The Chief, there- fore, informed me that since Afrikaander* had now supplied the Bamuchars with guns , he could no longer consider himself safe in this part of the country, unless he could procure similar arms; and that as soon as this most desirable object was obtained, he intended to remove his town and all his people nearer towards the Gariep, to the spot where it stood at the time of his birth. He expressed himself highly displeased with the Klaarwater people, because they had hitherto refused to sell him any of their muskets ; but that now I was come among them, they expected I should be their friend and should let them have one of mine, as they saw I had many, and could therefore easily spare one out of so great a number. * I here write this name as it is commonly pronounced, and as it was spoken by his own family, although it would be more correctly written, Afrikaaner. 1-812. AND ARGUMENTS AGAINST IT. 377 So unexpected a demand, and of such a nature, for it had more the character of a demand than of a request, and made on the very moment of my arrival, was a circumstance exceedingly unpleasant, as the earnestness with which it was made, convinced me at once of the difficulty of the situation in which it placed me. I had no more than just muskets enough to arm all my men, and three even of these belonged to the Hottentots themselves, who had preferred bringing their own guns as being more accustomed to them. It was putting into the hands of this people a weapon which in the event of any future misunderstanding would be used against ourselves ; so that we might lose our lives by the very instrument which we had brought for the purpose of defending them : besides which, ammu- nition would also be required. If I refused giving it, I must run the risk of its being taken either by force or by stealth. I had but an instant for reflection ; my answer must follow the question. I re- solved not to grant his request ; although I foresaw that my refusal would produce some unpleasant consequences. I therefore replied, that I had no more than one for each of my men, and that if I were to give up any, some of my own people must go unarmed, which, as he well knew, was a thing not to be ventured in travelling through a country inhabited by Baroba (Bush- men) ; that as we were but very few in number, we had the greater necessity for retaining our arms for our own defence ; that they were not all my own, and must be taken back to the colony again ; that besides this, he saw that we had no food but what was procured by hunting, and must be well aware that we had in these countries, no other means of support, consequently that our lives depended on our guns, which was not the case with them, as they had abundance of corn, milk, and cattle. And I concluded by assuring him, that I felt the most friendly sentiments towards him and all his people, otherwise I should not have come to see him ; that if I had more muskets than were wanted, I would willingly let him have one, but that it was impossible to think of disarming my own men. All these arguments, which they must have had discernment enough to think perfectly reasonable, appeared to have no effect in VOL. it. 3 c 378 DEBATING WITH MATTIVI. 13 July inducing them to relinquish their demand. They continued to talk on the subject, with the same confidence as though they had not heard what I had said ; and both Mattivi and Mollemmi were most importunate in urging their request. They declared that they in- tended to give me the value of it, and would to-morrow send to their cattle-stations for some fine oxen which they proposed offering to me, and were sure that I should not then, refuse to grant what they so much wished. I repeated over again all I had said, and ventured to assume a more positive tone. They continued, however, as much determined as before, not to desist from importuning ; if so mild a term can express their manner of asking. Mattivi said ; where was he to get a gun if I did not give them one ? To this I replied, that a gun would be of little use to people who could not themselves make gunpowder and ball : but the moment these words had passed my lips I felt that I had used but a weak argument; as he quickly rejoined, that he expected that I should be friendly enough to supply him with those things also. I found myself now so closely pressed by these two, for Molali said but little, that I thought it not prudent to venture farther in the subject, without taking some time for deliberation. I therefore declared that as I had already said so much, I found myself unable to talk more at present, and begged them to wait till the morning. Still, however, they both urged their argument, with the same per- severance ; while I, remained obstinate in making the same replies : nor was it till past nine, and when they felt their legs becoming cold from sitting so long up in the waggon, that they left me and went to the fire in my men’s house. Thither I was also compelled by cold to follow them ; for the whole day, and more especially the evening, had been rendered exceedingly chilly by a strong easterly wind. The chief with his two brothers, and Adam and Muchunka, went away together and without ceremony or distinction sat down by the side of my people, where they remained nearly an hour longer, warming themselves and smoking their pipes. Every hour at Litakun presented some new and interesting fact 1812. HORSES, SHEEP, AND THREE HOTTENTOTS MISSING. 379 to my observation ; and, even in the midst of all the confusion of novelty, the care which my situation created and the watchfulness which it demanded could not prevent me from enjoying the con- templation of the strange scene to which this day’s journey had brought me. I beheld every where, a harvest of new ideas, and lamented that I was working alone in so extensive a field, and where so many eyes were wanted to observe, and so many hands to record. The existence of supreme power without the least distinction of ceremony or superiority of outward appearance in the possessor, was a combination of facts, quite new to me, and of which, the view of Mattivi as he was sitting at our fire, gave me an instructive proof. Every one who saw him, knew that he was the person who held that power ; and the consideration of this, seemed to satisfy all his ambition. He affected nothing different from those around him ; he squatted on the ground by their side, and sometimes took a whiff from Muchunka’s pipe. He frequently on other evenings, took his seat amongst my Hottentots, and talked with them in very familiar terms, often asking them for their pipe ; which, there is little doubt, he did with a view to saving his own tobacco ; as I did not perceive that he was equally ready to return them the same favor. After Mattivi and his party had retired, and we were left once more by ourselves, excepting two of the chief’s servants who re- mained in the hut all night, I discovered, on inquiring where my men had secured the horses, that neither they, nor the sheep, nor Andries, nor Stuurman, had returned home that night ; nor had they been seen or heard of since the teams were loosed from the waggons and they had gone away to drive the cattle out of the town to pasture. These Hottentots, it now appeared, had again neglected their duty ; and thus, at a moment when so many other subjects demanded my attention, were my cares encreased by their worthlessness ; nor could I, under the pressure of these feelings, scarcely avoid the wish that those who reduced me to the necessity of hiring such people, and those who prevented better from engaging in my service, might some day be placed in a situation to feel all those anxieties and difficulties which their ungenerous dealing caused me for so many months to 3 c 2 380 FIRST NIGHT AT LITAKUN. 31, 14 July, suffer. Keyser (Kyser) was also absent ; and no one knew whither he was gone, nor for what reason he was thus away from us. The loss of the horses was, in some respects, a more serious misfortune than that of the men ; who, by this conduct, proved that they would be of little value in time of danger. I felt the more persuaded that these things had not been occasioned by any treachery on the part of the natives, as they had so honorably brought home my oxen, which, to them, would have been a far more valuable prize than the horses and sheep. As nothing could be done this night, the rest of my Hottentots as well as myself, awaited in much uneasiness of mind, the result of the next morning’s search. I then retired to my waggon, not to sleep, as nature and past fatigues demanded, but to record as concisely as possible the nume- rous observations and transactions of the day, before an accession of fresh matter for my journal, should confuse my recollection of occurrences so numerous and so various. In this employment I suf- fered much inconvenience from the coldness of the night ; as the mercury of the thermometer, at an hour and a half after midnight, was found to have sunk within three degrees of the freezing point. CHAPTER XV. RESIDENCE IN THE TOWN OF LITAKUN ; AND AFFAIR OF THE GUN. July \Mh. Early this morning, and before I had left my waggon, the Chief sent me, as a present, a fatted cow. This I would willingly have reserved for the sake of its milk during the following part of our journey, but knowing that it was given in the expectation of our making immediate use of it, and of distributing some of the meat among our Bachapin attendants and visitors, I was compelled to re- sign it for slaughter. This mark of hospitality is customary between all the Bichuana chiefs when they pay a visit to each other ; and as I was The above engraving represents the Chief and a small party of his friends, as they usually sit in the public enclosure, when engaged merely in desultory conversation. As he persisted in refusing to allow any drawing to be made of him, this sketch was taken unknown to him, as he sat in view from my waggon : the figure, of which only the back is seen, was drawn from him. The back-ground shows part of the outward fence of the enclosure. 382 SUPPLIES OF MILK. — THE CHIEF AT WORK. 14- July, considered in this light, the same custom, consequently, was followed on the present occasion. It seemed to be intended rather as the sign of friendly reception, than as a desire to furnish me with provisions during my residence with him ; for it was never repeated but once afterwards. And although I daily obtained a supply of milk, this was always given in expectation of regular payment in tobacco, and required no thanks on either side ; for different chieftains sent it by their servants, who took back the monev, as the tobacco mmht very properly be termed, often wdthout my knowing from whom the milk was received. Yet these supplies came more frequently* from the chief or his relations, than from other persons ; and who endeavoured to confine this trading to themselves. One of my Hottentots obtained this morning half a gallon for four inches of tobacco ; and reported to me that Mattivi had scolded his servants for not bringing us the milk earlier. On looking out of my waggon as soon as I rose. I found the Chief and his party, which consisted of about ten or twelve of his principal attendant chieftains, sitting in a part of the enclosure oppo- site to me, employed in scraping the hair off from a skin intended for a kobo. The instrument with which this was done, was a small adze of the form already described.* The skin lay extended on the ground, and was occasionally sprinkled with water, to facilitate the removing of the hair. He was the only person at work upon it ; the rest were doing nothing, except now and then for a minute or two conversing together. I was allowed to take my breakfast undisturbed ; for although they attentively watched all my motions, no one came to the waggon. I sent the Chief a pot of milk and rice, which he immediately ate, in a manner which showed that he considered it very palatable. I soon after this, took my seat in the circle, and, informing him of the time when my dinner would be ready, invited him and as many as he thought proper to bring w*ith him, or as my waggon could ISIS. RECOVERY OF THE LOST HOTTENTOTS AND HORSES. 383 that, as I had never admitted any one else to eat in my waggon, this invitation was intended as a mode of expressing my respect for him, and, at the same time, my friendly sentiments towards all his family. He listened to this with great gravity of countenance, but made no reply, as he was now sitting in public, and attended by his council ; for in this light, it will be seen, these attendants are pro- perly to be regarded. Just at this moment, I had the pleasure of seeing Philip and the other two Hottentots whom I had sent out on search early in the morning, returning with the horses, and accompanied by Stuurman , one of the three men who had been missing. Philip reported that after he had left the town, and had been a long time seeking in vain, he met some Baehapins who, on his inquiring if they had seen either the horses or the Hottentots, gave him to understand, by signs and pointing to the place, and by a few words which he in part comprehended, that he would find them ' all in that direction. By following these instructions, he and his companions walked a mile or two farther and happily discovered the three lost Hottentots sitting together under a bush, with the horses near them. The explanation of this affair as given by themselves, together with the particulars I afterwards learnt from the rest of my men, partly from Keysers (Kyser) confession, was, that immediately on our arrival at Litakun and as soon as the teams were unyoked and sent to the outskirts of the town under the care of Andries and Stuurman, Keyser seeing me instantly surrounded and enclosed by so great a multitude of people, and not knowing what would be the result, actually lost his senses through fear : his mind became literally deranged and he knew not what he was doing. He flew to the baggage-waggon, into which he climbed with the utmost haste, and crept under the people’s bedding to conceal himself and escape the cruel death which he supposed awaited him, and which he believed had already befallen me. Just at that moment, one of the natives happening to look into the waggon, merely from curiosity to know 384 KEYSER’S DESERTION. 14 July, the natives were going to murder us ; and with agitated voice, asking why we did not begin to defend ourselves and fire upon them. Speelman, whatever might have been his own fears at that moment, had not, most fortunately for all, so far lost his reason as to listen to Keyser’s recommendation ; but, disregarding our terrified fellow- traveller, left him in that situation and took his station as near to me as the closeness of the crowd would allow him. In the mean- time, the Hottentot, watching for a moment when the attention of all the natives was directed towards the circle where their Chief was sitting, slipped away unperceived, at least by any of my own people ; and, as fast as he could run, fled into the country under an impression that he had just escaped from death. When he came up to Stuurman and Andries, who were tending the cattle and horses, his mind was so utterly confused, that he fired off his musket, threw down his cartridge-box, and, with the vehemence of a madman, tore his hat from his head and dashed it on the ground, crying out to them to beat him, for he could not speak, he could not say what had happened. At length, he told them, that he was the only one remaining alive out of all the party ; the rest were all murdered : he had himself seen the natives run me through the body with their hassagays ; and to conclude, advised them to fly for their lives and make the best of their way back to Klaar water. After this declaration, the truth of which, his great terror and agitation seemed to confirm, they all three instantly mounted the horses, and, leaving the oxen and sheep to their fate, rode off at full speed, till they had nearly reached our last station at Lobutsani. There they passed the night, without fire, for they were afraid of being discovered and murdered ; and without food. In the morning, the other two were induced, by some incon- sistency which they discovered in Keyser’s story, to suspect that affairs had not proceeded to that extremity which his account had at first led them to believe. They had suffered much from cold during the night, and now began to feel the pains of hunger : they perceived, too, on reflection, that by separating themselves from me and the waggons, they were both defenceless and helpless, and were in the greatest danger of being cut off, in their way back, should they persist in retreating from us. So that on a cooler view of their case, 1812. AND RETURN. 385 they considered, supposing I was not really murdered as Keyser had reported, that they were running into more certain danger by desert- ing me, than by returning to Litakun. They therefore refused any longer to follow Keyser’s advice ; especially as, on beginning to recover from his panic, he consented to go back with them to the town, or as near as they might venture with safety, in order to discover whether I, or any of the Hottentots, were still alive. On this, they came to within two miles of Litakun, when their fears or doubts prevented their advancing farther ; and, as they knew nothing of the language, their difficulties were increased by not being able to ask any questions of the natives whom they met. Uncertain what step to take, they seated themselves under a bush, to consider how they were to act, and to watch for an opportunity of gaining some correct intelligence. In this situation they were fortunately seen by the natives, who afterwards met Philip. In coming home with him, they met Platje, who was attending my oxen at the river ; and Keyser’s fears returning in proportion as he approached the town, he could by no argument be persuaded to proceed. Therefore he and Andries were left there, as they promised that they would come with the cattle in the dusk of the evening. This they afterwards did ; but still continued penetrated with fear. We had given up the sheep as utterly lost, but here again, con- trary to my expectations, they were recovered ; for a man, who also called himself a son-in-law of the Chief, having found them straying in the plains this morning, brought them safely home to the waggons, asking merely a piece of tobacco as payment for his trouble. This affair, in spite of our wish to conceal it, was soon made known to the Chief and the whole town, who, most unfortunately for me, were now convinced that I was accompanied by men who would be ready to desert me on the first appearance of danger. These people were discerning enough to discover every symptom of fear, as soon as it appeared ; and the opinion which they now formed, became daily more confirmed by the manners and be- haviour of most of my Hottentots, whose unfounded timidity, added to the smallness of our number and the circumstance of my being the 3 D VOL. II. 386 LOUNGERS IN THE MOOTSI. 14 July, only white person of the party, operated very quickly in emboldening the natives, and in encouraging them to take those liberties in their dealings with me, which, under other circumstances, they would not, there is little doubt, have ventured to take. The effect which the sight of our weak number had on their minds, was sufficiently manifest in the unhesitating manner in which they made so unreason- able a request as that of asking me to give up any of my arms. The mootsi was, from the morning till night, crowded with people ; most of whom appeared to belong to the richer, or upper, class of inhabitants. They came there evidently on my account ; as so large an assemblage of visitors to their chief, is not usual, excepting on occasions of important debate. They were lounging about with no other view than to gratify their curiosity, and, more especially, to be ready to receive whatever might be given away from the waggons. In order to secure these gifts to themselves, they over-awed the lower class, and kept them without the hedge ; where different parties were standing at a respectful distance, watching eagerly to get a sight of what was passing within. All their movements were conducted with perfect decorum, and though every one, even the lowest among them, enjoyed the most unrestrained liberty with the Chief, without mani- festing the slightest symptoms of servility or restraint, there was a mutual respect, and a propriety of behaviour toward each other, which would not allow me, when viewing them in this light only, to consider them as savages or uncivilized men. In a retired corner of the enclosure, stood a party of girls and young women, observing with the greatest attention every transac- tion at the waggon ; yet too timid to approach near enough for having a full view. But I found that two words were sufficient to dispel all their timidity, and bring every one of them to me ; for on calling out to them, Bassarri miingldie ! * (Pretty girls !) they imme- * Bassarri is the plural of Mossarri, which signifies a woman of any age, or a girl who has attained her full growth. Miingklie or Miinldje is a word, never, I believe, used but with reference to personal beauty. The Sichuana language possesses but one word for expressing both woman and wife ; a remarkable defect, which, however, it has in com- mon with several European languages. 1812. BASSARRI MUNGKLIE. 387 diately advanced without waiting for a second invitation ; and with a very lively and amusing manner, began to importune for snuff or tobacco. Notwithstanding my determination, not to make any public distribution before the Chief had received his presents, I could not remain so ungallant as to give them a refusal, when their request was urged with so much good-natured earnestness. They each in their turn, held out their hand ; into which I put a small quantity of snuff. This trifling gift seemed to render them so happy, that no one could have witnessed it without partaking in their pleasure, nor without feeling convinced that to those who know no wants but of the simplest nature, the attainment of a trifle brings as much enjoyment, as others of more refined and multiplied desires, derive from the acquirement of more valuable objects. Even at so sparing a rate of distribution, the snuff-box which I now was obliged to carry always in my pocket for the use of my visitors, was not large enough to supply every hand which was held up ; and, as I had also some loose tobacco in my pocket, I gave to some a share of this, with which they were equally pleased, since it was to them no difficulty, to manufacture it into snuff. The spirit of begging seemed in this people to be innate ; for children of every age above that of four years, came to ask for tobacco or snuff. The number of this party had greatly increased since I began the distribution, and as soon as it was perceived that although I had persisted in withstanding the solicitations of the men, I did not refuse to give snuff to the girls, many of the chieftains sent their daughters and children to join the crowd. Even the dignified Chief himself followed their example, and was so far overcome by a greedy desire for tobacco, that he brought his daughter to me, that he might use his influence in obtaining for her, or rather for himself, a larger share than the others. When she came up, I had in my hand as much tobacco as I intended for five, and was giving her rather a larger portion ; but, as he stood by my side, he slyly took hold of my hand and turned all its contents into his daughter’s. He then walked away with the very undignified satisfaction of having by these means gained a pipe more tobacco than would have fallen to her lot had he not practised this little trick. 3 d 2 388 DEBATE ON MATTIVPS REQUEST FOR A GUN : 14 July, In about half an hour after this, he came to ask me for snuff for himself ; although he knew that he was to receive his presents at the first opportunity when it could be done privately. I gave him my box, which had been previously filled, and he took the half of it ; being perhaps ashamed to betray so much covetousness as to take the whole, after having emptied my hand but a few minutes before. During the whole of the day, the natives continued asking for to- bacco, and I found myself at last obliged now and then to give a little. When I assured them I had no more left, they were so incredulous that they felt the outside of my coat-pocket to ascertain the truth ; nor would they believe that its contents could be aught else, till I had taken every thing out to show them. All this was done with good humour; and I was sometimes able to stop their importunities by some joking remark. Mattivi and Mollemmi now renewed their request for one of the guns ; and as I was at this time prepared with a plan on my part, which should ultimately frustrate theirs, I had no objection to the debate ; although I still wished to induce them to relinquish their object. I repeated the arguments I had before used, respecting the impossibility of disarming my own men, and of giving up my only means of procuring food or of obtaining those skins of animals, the hunting of which, I said, was one of the principal purposes of my journey into the Interior. I represented to them, that as my party was so small in number, I ought not to weaken it by giving up any part of our arms ; while, on the other hand, they were so numerous and powerful a nation, that nothing could harm them ; and that a musket in addition to their present means of defence, would add very little to their strength. But they immediately convinced me that 6 e’en tho’ vanquished, they could argue still,’ and obstinately persisted in their demand. I asked Mattivi why his father had not, if a gun was so necessary to them, obtained one from other white men who had formerly visited him ; to which he replied, that as he was at that time, only a young man, and under Mulihaban, he had no authority to act in such an affair, and could not presume to interfere in matters of business ; otherwise the Bachapins would have been long before now 1812. AND ARGUMENTS FOR GRANTING IT. 389 in possession of fire-arms : and that one of them had, indeed, made a promise of letting his father have a musket ; although he had not performed it. I then explained to him that such instruments were very unsafe for every person excepting those who well understood how to use them : and, to impress this the more forcibly on his mind, I sent for Gert, and exhibited his mutilated hand as one of the distressing consequences to which he would be liable, if I were to consent to let him have one. But nothing which could be said, had the least effect in turning him from his determination : he replied, that weapons of every kind caused accidents to those who used them ; that the Bachapins were sometimes, while running hastily, thrown down and pierced by their own hassagay, or even lost their lives by falling on their own knife. When I reflected on my defenceless situation in the midst of a populous town, with a few Hottentots, on several of whom, I already knew, no dependence could be placed ; and when I considered that it was in Mattivi’s power, should he be so inclined, to take with- out my permission, not one gun only, but all, I judged it imprudent any longer to resist his wishes ; more especially as I believed his only object to be that of gaining by such a weapon a superiority over the neighbouring tribes, whom he represented as incessantly harassing his people by irruptions into his country, and by robbing them frequently of large herds of cattle. Besides which, I judged that his having fire-arms in his possession, could not render him very formidable, or even obnoxious, to any one, as the extent of their power would be limited by the quantity of gunpowder which he might hereafter procure, and of which there was no prospect of his being- able to obtain any, unless it should be given, or sold to him, from Klaarwater. I also foresaw that if I persisted in my refusal, even should he preserve the good faith not to offer me open molestation, my stay at Litakun would be rendered unpleasant to myself and perhaps unwelcome to him ; in which case I must have departed before I had completed my observations on its inhabitants and had acquired sufficient experience and knowledge of their manners and 390 INQUISITIVENESS. 14 July, customs to have been enabled with advantage to enter the next nation beyond. And besides this, I feared that he might give vent to his displeasure, by sending forward into those countries, some reports which might occasion to me an unfriendly reception. I therefore told him that on one condition only, would I consent to let him have a musket ; which was, that I should retain it till my return to Karrikamma, and that he might then send some trusty person thither to receive it ; but that I would on no consideration give up any of my arms until I had arrived at that place. I conceived that by this agreement I was dealing with him in his own way, by outwitting him ; as it was of course not my intention to return to that village, but to proceed onwards farther into the Interior. He appeared very satisfied with my answer and pleased at the success of his negotiation ; and replied that he would send his brothers Mollemmi and Molaali to receive the gun. I then remarked that as I had done more for him than any other white-man who had visited his country, he ought to regard me as having proved my friendship for him by the strongest possible testimony. Here the debate terminated, and thus was the affair concluded to the satisfaction of both parties. On this, they left the waggon and took their place in the circle of attendant chieftains, to communicate to them the result of our conversation. When they left the waggon, others came and took their place, seating themselves by me in the manner in which they were accustomed to do, by their chief, and indulging their inquisitiveness in examining with their eyes every thing within my sitting-place. Every person in the enclosure seemed to have little or nothing to do ; all sat or walked about as if their time was useless : but, for this ap- parent want of occupation, the presence of a white-man with his two waggons loaded with goods of the most extraordinary kind, was a full excuse ; and it might be admitted, that in observing my person and in satisfying their curiosity on so great a variety of novel objects, their minds, at least, were actively employed. With this view 1812. PRECAUTIONS. — THE HOTTENTOT AND ELAND. 391 Mollemmi soon returned, with Molaali and several others ; and as I considered that whatever I did would amuse them, I took out my journal to record a few facts and occurrences as they passed. When- ever I wrote, the spectators watched the motion of my hand with great attentiveness, and several of them evidently comprehended the nature and intention of what I was doing. When they had seen enough of writing to give them as clear a notion of it as they were capable of, several, and more particularly Mollemmi, became very desirous of knowing what was concealed behind the canvas partition which parted off the sleeping-place from that end of the waggon at which we were sitting j and although it was explained to them that it was the place where I slept, and that there was nothing in it but my bedding, they would hardly believe me till some of them had taken a peep behind the curtain. I had been previously aware that this place would be examined, and had taken care at night to put into the chests upon which my bedding lay, every thing which they were likely to covet, or which might excite particular attention. Little therefore was visible but such objects as were familiar, or well-known, to them ; unless it was some few articles of which I could not avoid making open use. Similar 'precautions are of the highest importance to a European traveller in these countries ; but they require at the same time, to be so managed as not to excite any suspicion of concealment ; as such suspicion might in some cases be more dangerous than an open exposure of every thing ; because, when once raised, it generally leads the natives to imagine more riches to be concealed, than there are in reality. To pass away the time and give me opportunities of seeing more of their character, I exhibited some drawings -of animals , which I had made on the journey. I found them quick of apprehension and far superior in this respect to the Bushmen : they instantly knew what objects my sketches were intended to resemble. One of these drawings represented a Kanna (Eland) and a Hottentot in the attitude of shooting it. With this subject they were excessively delighted ; and expressed their satisfaction by such loud laughter, that Mattivi 392 EXHIBITING DRAWINGS. — BOKLOOKWE. 14- July, and his attendants came also to have a sight. He climbed up into the waggon, and my sitting-place was soon filled with men huddled and crowded together, so that neither he nor I could without difficulty find room for our feet. Every part of the waggon which they leaned against, was reddened with the ochre and sibilo from their hoboes and bodies ; and my own clothes began to assume the color of theirs. After having thus unexpectedly afforded by this exhibition, the highest gratification to the whole party, and to all who were in the enclosure, the crowd by degrees retired to their places, and the Chief and his brothers were glad to get their legs released from the cramped posture in which the contracted space in the waggon and the uncere- monious crowding of his people, had confined them. However inconvenient this want of accommodation might be to my visitors, it exactly suited my own wishes, as it prevented my having more at one time than I could watch and attend to. An old chieftain named Boklookwe was one of those who fre- quently paid me visits. His manners were always friendly, and he appeared to take pleasure in my society ; though I did not flatter myself that his friendship or attentions were purely disinterested or merely personal, or that they were altogether unconnected with muchuko (tobacco). As the portrait of him, drawn several weeks after this date, presents a just specimen of an old Bachapin kosi , I have added it at the end of the chapter.* When my dinner was prepared, which was not till four in the afternoon, I sent Gert, whom I at this period generally employed as my personal servant, to inform Mattivi that the meal waited for him. He brought with him only his uncle Serrakutu , who appeared to share much of the supreme authority. I explained to him, that as I was at * This engraving, though executed on wood and much reduced from the original drawing, preserves very correctly the character of countenance peculiar to the individual for whose portrait it is given. His hair was clotted by an accumulation of sibiilo and grease : and, affixed to the top of his head, he wore as an ornament, some hair from a Icaavicts tail. From his ear was suspended a large plate of copper, called a lelcaaJca ; more particularly described in the eighteenth chapter. His beard grew only on the upper lip, and but scantily on the point of the chin. His dress is the ordinary leathern kobo already described. 1812. THE CHIEF INVITED TO DINNER. 393 present unacquainted with the customs of the Bachapins, I had followed those of my own country, and hoped that he would be pleased with the manner in which I received him. There was little need for apology, as he appeared indifferent to ceremony of this kind, and regarded all my arrangements as perfectly correct and duly respectful. The dinner consisted of all which it was in my power to set before him, a piece of boiled beef, part of the cow which he had given me in the morning, some boiled rice, some melted sheep-tail fat, and some salt. I gave to each a knife and fork ; and they made use of them with tolerable facility, but more frequently put the meat into their mouth with their fingers. Mattivi ate heartily of every thing except- ing the beef, and when he was invited to take more, he replied that his digestion was bad, and that beef always gave him a pain at his chest. This was however only a polite excuse ; for the truth was, that the meat, being fresh-killed and perhaps old, was exceedingly hard ; and I found some difficulty in practising myself what I was pressing him to do. But Serrakfitu was not so fastidious : he feasted plentifully and made no complaint. Towards the end of this dinner, Mollemmi, Molaali, and Mahura, joined us, and partook of the beef. My rice met the complete approbation of my guests ; who did not desist from praising it, till the whole of it was eaten. I thought it prudent not to produce any brandy : this I on all occasions carefully concealed from the natives, as I feared the conse- quences of allowing them to know that, excepting beads and tobacco, my waggon contained any thing which could be desirable for them. And I confess that it was principally a selfish feeling which prevented my offering them any wine: — there was but little remaining, and I had often experienced the beneficial effects of half a glass of this, the artificial stimulus of which lent considerable assistance in renovating bodily strength which had been too much exhausted by over-fatigue. Those who have never been deprived of the use of it, will not easily, without similar experience, form a just idea of the value it possesses on such occasions. Instead of wine or brandy, I presented my guests with tea; VOL. II. 3 E 394 ON THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE BACHAPINS. 14 July, which they called ?netsi-morruka, and with which they were as much pleased, as with the rice. We had no sugar, but as they had not seen me use any, they thought the tea equally pleasant without it ; but without waiting to be guided by my example, they added to it a small quantity of milk as readily as if they had been accustomed to this beverage every day ; and had probably seen it thus used at Klaar- water, or had been informed that such was the practice of white- people. I considered that there were now sitting in my waggon, the highest personages at Litakun, and that I might view them as the most accomplished of their tribe. I watched their manners, and the workings of their mind, as far as they could be seen in the remarks they made ; and though I felt much interested in tracing what I viewed as the first steps of civilization as compared with the tribes I had hitherto examined, yet the contemplation of these specimens served only to convince me how many degrees the untutored Bachapin stands below the cultivated European. This is, however, an assertion not to be made without some modification, nor without a fair exposition of the sense in which it ought to be taken, nor without some limitation to its extent : but these will be best explained, and exemplified, by the following pages. Conduct appa- rently contradictory in itself, and sentiments seemingly inconsistent with each other, will only be rendered intelligible by an unprejudiced, and abstract, consideration of the nature of man. It is the combin- ation of a two-fold nature and of contending principles, which produces that diversity of feature and inconsistency of character, by which an observer may, unless with the utmost caution and attention, be confused in his judgment and misled in his conclusions. If then, there be some difficulty in obtaining at first, a clear view of this subject, there may be still more, in communicating it to others ; and the safer mode of exhibiting general character, will perhaps be that of allowing it to declare itself through the means of numerous parti- cular facts. Serrakutu, who was extremely eager to have a sight of the various goods which I had brought with me, whispered, just loud 1812. COVETOUSNESS. 395 enough for the interpreter to understand, that, as soon as all these things could be laid out ready for inspection, I should close up the waggon, and privately give him and Mattlvi notice, that they might come and see them before any one else should be admitted. It should here be remarked that this nation had never hitherto, except- ing one or two instances, been visited by a white-person, or by the Hottentots, but for the purpose of bartering for cattle or ivory : and this they supposed to be one of the objects of my visit to Litakun. Matt'wi, who always assumed a more friendly and familiar tone when seated in my waggon, than when surrounded by his people, said that we, meaning himself and me, must not, while sitting in public, talk on business of this kind, but must keep it all to ourselves ; and at the same time he gave me to understand, that it was the custom in these countries to let the Chief have the first sight of all beads which were brought for barter, that he might have the option of being the purchaser of them. It is evident that their whole conduct and conversation were directed by the most selfish motives and gave the strongest proof of a total absence of the nobler sentiments of the mind ; while they presented a picture of the most debasing covetousness and meanness, the contemplation of which distressed me the more, as it disappointed my expectations, or at least, my hopes. The feelings which had induced the Chief to desire that the presents should not be made to him in public, were of a nature so petty and unworthy, that one is inclined to think that even a savage would be ashamed to own them : he told me, that if his friends and attendants were to see how much he received, they would not cease begging from him, as long as they knew that he had any thing left. This confession and explanation portray one characteristic feature of this tribe : — they are all beggars of the meanest kind. Though, I am willing to admit in their favor, that I am judging rather severely, because I allow my judgement to be guided by the feelings of a European ; while those of an African, would acquit them, perhaps entirely, and plead in extenuation, that the extraordinary rarity and value of the objects in question were a temptation which might naturally excite in the mind of a poor 3 e 2 396 THE GUN. — HOTTENTOT AIRS. 14 JULY; Bachapin so strong a desire to possess them, that for such men to yield to it, would be at worst but a veniable fault. When our meal was quite finished, Serrakutu expressed a wish that I would leave the waggon and sit on the ground, that Mattivi might have some further conversation. I therefore seated myself in the open area : when immediately the chieftains and all who were admitted within the mootsi, gathered round us. The Chief might now be considered as sitting in council : the favorite subject of the gun was then renewed, as being an affair of public importance, and one in which all the assembly were interested. He said that he had sent for the oxen, which he intended to give me ; and wished me then to let him have possession of it, instead of obliging him to wait till the time agreed on. But to this I replied, in a more positive tone than I had hitherto used, that most certainly it should not go from my hands till I should be on my return ; and that they ought to content themselves on the subject, with what I had already consented to do. The topic was then changed ; and soon afterwards the party broke up, apparently well satisfied with having obtained on any terms the long- desired object. By this time the evening had commenced : I retired to my waggon to relieve, by a few quiet moments, some symptoms of head- ache created by the wearying noise and debatings of the day ; while many of the Bachapins, among whom were Mollemmi and Molaali, took their place in the hut, where my Hottentots were dancing to the sound of Gert’s fiddle. Gert had now sufficiently regained the use of his hand; and could play with ease a variety of European country dances which he had learnt in the Colony. Of the same class, was the music of my other men ; and I am inclined to believe that among the Colonial Hottentots, their aboriginal airs have given way to those of the Dutch and English. The music most congenial to a Hottentot ear, would seem to be, those lively tunes which are best adapted to dancing ; at least, among all the musicians of this descrip- tion who were at different times in my service, none ever played any other kind : nor did I ever hear a Hottentot performing a slow air, 1812. HOTTENTOT DANCING. — PERILOUS SMOKING. 397 or singing to his own performance. In the same manner the ancient Hottentot dance, which differed little from that of the Bushmen, has given way to others which have been adopted from the colonists. That which my own people at this time usually danced, resembled the reel , in every thing but the steps. That they who, I knew, were not altogether at their ease, should now be engaged in this apparently happy manner, was a circumstance quite unexpected ; but by a little observation, I learnt to consider it, during my residence among the Bachapins, as in reality nothing more than an outward manifestation of certain inward uneasy feelings which were closely connected with fear. This was almost always, I believe, the true interpretation of their dancing, whenever we were surrounded by the natives ; although at all other times, this occupa- tion was, as it ought to be, the genuine expression of a state of mind free from care. I had scarcely been ten minutes in my waggon, before Mollemmi came and took his seat on the after-chest, with no other view than that of passing away time. Muchunka, who of course came with him, happened to have a lighted pipe in his hand, which the other took from him and began to smoke. This gave me the greatest uneasi- ness, as there was, unknown to him, a large quantity of gunpowder close to the place where he was sitting ; a circumstance which I feared to mention, lest it should lead to a request for some. I hinted that as I did not smoke myself, the fumes of tobacco gave me a head-ache ; but he paid no attention to me, and continued to please himself. At length the pipe being out, he began to talk, and I gave him a piece of tobacco, saying at the same time that it was for him to smoke when at home. Notwithstanding that this present was totally unexpected, he begged for a little more ; and on complying with this, he seemed perfectly satisfied with the gift. His satisfaction arose principally from having gained by his begging, something over and above what had been intended for him. Among this people, covetousness is, as I have just explained, a vice of which even the highest personages are not ashamed ; and, like the other Caffres , they seem never to think that they have received enough. 398 PRESENTS TO THE CHIEF. 14 July, After the dancing in the hut was ended, Gert came to my waggon, where I desired him to remain, as I found him sometimes useful in explaining in the Kora language, some expressions which Muchunka could not comprehend. Mattivi and Mollemmi being, as already stated, brothers by the same mother who was a Kora , were, from this circumstance, both well acquainted with that tongue : Molaali and Mahura , in features and figure more resembled the true Bichuana or Caffre, and being the sons of another woman, were therefore but half-brothers to the other two. Now it happened, in this respect fortunately, that Gert by his long residence at Klaarwater, had acquired some proficiency in the Kora dialect, which was facili- tated by his own knowledge of the Hottentot language ; for he was thus enabled to rectify several of Muchunka' s interpretations , when the latter made use of that dialect in explaining what I had said. These mistakes of my interpreter arose, at this time, both from heedlessness and from an insufficient acquaintance with the Dutch. Mollemmi, who professed friendship towards me, declared on this occasion that he was truly glad that Gert had been able to explain my real meaning, as it caused him to feel still more my friend than before. He re- peated the request, that I would allow him and his brothers to have the first choice of all the beads which I had brought for barter. When I was again alone, Mattivi came with one of his wives, to bring me a pot of thick milk, and for which I paid her in tobacco. I then desired him to come into the waggon, and having sent for Gert and Muchunka, I showed him the things which I had brought as a present for himself, independently of the rest of his family for whom I intended some other articles of less value. The present which he received at this time, consisted of, a quantity of beads of the favorite colors, white, black, and light blue, and weighing all together nearly five pounds; a small roll of tobacco, of three pounds ; a brass pocket-tinderbox and steel, made expressly for lighting a pipe ; a sheath-knife, a cotton handkerchief ; a snuff- box ; and a gilt chain. Both in the selection, and in the quantity, of these articles, I was guided by the advice of the Klaarwater people, who considered them 1812. BACHAPIN MODE OF EXPRESSING THANKS. 399 as forming a very handsome present. I should, otherwise, not have thought so, and without such advice, should certainly have given much more ; which would have been not only useless generosity, but would have established a precedent which in time might become a heavy tax upon every individual who in future might make a journey into these countries ; and those who, because the value is trifling, make in similar cases larger presents than would be looked for, are guilty of imprudence in themselves, and of injustice towards all of their own countrymen who may come after them, and from whom a tribute, gradually increasing in amount, will be expected, till at length in the course of years, it may form not so inconsiderable a part of the expence of a visit to the nations of the Interior, as it does at present. With these things, Mattlvi was much pleased, as they were all such, the use and value of which he understood : and it is this con- sideration which should guide those who wish their presents to be acceptable. It is certain that he would have preferred the brass tinderbox to a gold watch ; and the sheath-knife, to a case of mathematical instruments. As the best mode of expressing his satisfaction and gratitude, if this latter word does not imply too much, he assured me that all the elephants’ teeth which he could procure, should be reserved for me when I came again ; that he should let nobody else have them, and that I might therefore depend on having an opportunity of purchasing as much ivory as my waggons could carry away. His ideas respecting my object in coming to Litakun, were formed upon the visits of missionaries who had made journeys to this country, two of whom in particular, as I was informed at Klaar- water, had carried on this species of traffic for ivory with so much success that one was enabled to purchase a farm in the Colony ; though the other, who had also made considerable profits, was unfortunately murdered near the source of the Kruman river. It is remarkable that in the Sichuana language there is no word to express thanks ; and whenever I desired my interpreter to say to any of the natives that I thanked them, I often heard him make use 400 MATTTVTS REASONS FOR BARTERING. 14, 15 July, of the Dutch word, just as I had spoken it, and then explain what I meant to declare by it. It would not be an unreasonable sup- position, were it to be concluded from this circumstance that grati- tude is not of frequent occurrence among these nations ; they have, however, a mode of making known the satisfaction they feel at re- ceiving a gift, by telling the giver that he is monaati (good) or that pelu i monaati (the heart is good). But it is doubtful whether the latter expression mean the heart of the giver or of the receiver ; as either may be supposed with equal propriety. Mattlvi said much more to me, expressive of his satisfaction and of his good-will towards me, but Muchunka was too lazy, or too bungling, an interpreter to explain it. He mentioned, that if Gert, whom he looked upon as my upper-servant, should wish during mv absence, to come back to Litakun to barter, he would always pro- tect him, and let him have fine oxen, if he would bring his beads to nobody but himself or Serrakutu, whom the chief called his great friend. This unexpected favor, though a mere promise, pleased the Hottentot so much, that he felt now warmed with gratitude, and thanked me for having brought him to a place where he met with so friendly a welcome ; for, as he had intended ultimately to make Klaarwater his place of residence and take a new wife from there, and had heard the Hottentots of that village talk of the profits they made by trading at Litakun, he now began to think of doing the same ; and his timidity actually left him for at least four-and-twenty hours. I was given to understand, that it was expected I should barter my beads at this place, and that if I did not, the Chief would think that I intended taking them to some other town j an act which would be highly displeasing to him. I therefore desired the interpreter, and my own people, to impress the natives with the idea that I had but a small quantity of beads or tobacco in my waggon. I therefore determined on satisfying them to a certain degree, as 1812. MODE OF GAINING TIME FOR WRITING. 401 was now but a single team left for each, and this number was still further reduced by the loss of two oxen supposed to have been destroyed by the lions : so that we were obliged to put the same cattle into the yoke every day ; and, should the country prove moun- tainous or very sandy, we should be reduced, by want of strength, to the alternative of proceeding at so slow a rate of travelling, that, in a region deficient in springs or rivers, we might perish before we could reach water : and, in addition to these unfavorable chances, we might occasionally lose an ox by accident or sickness. Another point was not to be overlooked in calculating the probability of events ; — after the sheep, of which there were only three remaining, should be con- sumed, it might happen that we met with no game, or that our huntings were unsuccessful ; in which case we should be driven to the necessity of occasionally killing one of our draught-oxen. In this view of our circumstances, I saw that prudence called upon me to provide against these chances and to secure the means of prosecut- ing the long and unknown journey before us. Under these considerations I saw no objection to bartering away as much of my stock of beads, as would procure the number of oxen thus required ; and I sat up till a late hour of the night, taking advantage of the time when all the natives were asleep, to arrange my beads and merchandise ready for commencing trade, after having first submitted them to the inspection of the Chief and his family. 1 5th. It was only by a stratagem that time could be found for writing my journal ; — I ordered my people to keep all strangers away from my waggon, by telling them that I had been much fatigued, and that, until I made my appearance in public and the waggon was thrown open, they were always to suppose that I was then asleep and must not be disturbed. In the mean time, I was busily employed in writing in my sleeping-place, the only part where I could keep myself undiscovered. For, as I remained thus occupied till noon, Mattivi and several of the chieftains were cunning enough to suspect that it might be only a trick to keep myself alone j and 402 A SPECIMEN OF 15, 16 July, sitting-room, they concluded that I was still really asleep, especially as I took the utmost care not to make the least noise, nor by any movement, to cause the waggon to shake. Having taken out as much of my beads and other goods, as I judged sufficient for the purpose, I sent for Mattivi and his brother. They admired every thing, but the beads pleased them most. After they had satisfied their curiosity, they sent many others to look at them. Among these was Adam, the Bachapin, whose singular history has been mentioned, who as soon as we were alone, made me the offer of eight oxen for the purchase of a gun. This of course, I rejected at once ; though I have little doubt that he would readily have given more. This price may, to a European, sound much above the value of the article for which it was proposed ; but in reality it was otherwise in this town : because, with only moderate success in hunt- ing, the owner would soon have repaid himself the quantity of meat which he had given for it; after which, supposing he could obtain a supply of ammunition, it would always provide more ready means of support than the rearing of cattle, as long as the country abounded in game. The money which a gun at that time cost in Cape Town, if employed there in the purchase of beads, would at the usual rate of barter in these countries, have obtained that number of oxen. These statements will serve to illustrate Mattivi’s character as dis- played in the following affair. In the evening, at the time when all the numerous herds of the town return home from pasture, the Chief sent for me to come and sit with him in the circle of his brothers and attendant chieftains. Unsuspicious of his motive for desiring my presence, I immediately complied with his request ; but when I had taken my seat, I found that it was for the purpose of seeing the oxen which he intended to give me for the gun. This step appeared to be very premature, as it had been agreed that they were to receive the piece, only after my arrival at Klaarwater, and I had no expectation that any further transaction was to take place till then. But I now concluded that their object was to bind me more surely to the performance of my promise, by 1812. BACHAPIN NEGOTIATION. 403 compelling me to accept., in consideration, something beforehand. I began to feel that it was likely they would outwit me, by thus forcing me, either to confess that I did not mean to return again to that village, or to complete my agreement by giving them the gun before I left the town. Soon afterwards, several Bachapins entered the mootsi, driving before them two oxen, and followed by four men bearing two very large tusks of ivory. These tusks might probably have weighed about ninety pounds each, as they were too heavy to be carried by one man. Mattlvi then asked me if I thought the two oxen and the teeth a satisfactory payment for the gun. I replied, that the ivory was of no use to me ; and besides, that, if he set so little value on the gun, it would be better that he gave up the idea of having it, as at all events it would be a long time before I should reach Klaar- water. This reply caused much earnest consultation among the members of the council, the purport of which I could not learn. They broke up soon after this, and nothing further was said on the subject that evening. 16/7?. Early in the morning four oxen were produced for my acceptance. By their following up the affair so closely, and by their pertinaciously endeavouring to make me receive a payment before- hand, I perceived that their intention was to establish a claim to have immediate possession of their purchase. I had now put it out of my power to break off the negotiation by a peremptory refusal to part with any of my arms ; because I had consented, though under a re- mote condition, to let them have a musket. There was no plea left, by which I could save my gun, but that of objecting to the price ; and though it was barely probable that they would relinquish it on that account, I should at least gain, as some compensation, a greater strength in oxen, a point on which no small share of our future safety and success depended : for, to have hinted that it was in- tended as a present, would leave me no excuse for withholding it when it should be discovered that I was not returning to the place appointed for receiving it. This plea, they must have been well aware, might now be urged on reasonable grounds. 3 f 2 404 SERIOUS DISPUTE. — ALARMING APPEARANCES. 16 July? On my objecting therefore to the four oxen, as being but half its value, they replied that they had learnt from the people of Klaar- water that a musket might be purchased in the Colony for that price. They appeared however resolved to have it on their own terms ; and there is little doubt that they were emboldened to act in this manner, by observing the symptoms of fear which the looks and behaviour of my own men, had, from the first hour of our arrival, but more especially during these transactions, too visibly betrayed. Mattivi and his chieftains now appeared in serious debate ; while I sat in the midst of them, totally ignorant of what resolutions they were forming. At this moment Speelman, Philip, and Gert, came, and in great trepidation, begged me to leave the circle. I saw so much alarm in their countenances, that I was led to suppose that they had overheard the council proposing violent measures; and I therefore rose and walked with them to the waggon. They entreated me to give up the point in dispute, as they saw clearly, they said, that it was bringing us into danger. Muchunka and Adam strongly advised that I should not reject what was offered, but rather let them have the gun at any price, as it was to be feared that other- wise bad consequences might ensue. Whether this advice was well-founded or not, I had no time for examining ; but as I perceived at this instant, reason for believing that my men would desert me if I increased their alarm by pushing the affair farther, I desired the interpreter to tell the assembly that although I considered the gun as worth much more than the price at which they had rated it, yet, as I desired nothing so much as their friendship, I should dispute with them no longer on the subject. To this, moved, as I supposed, by the conciliatory manner in which I spoke, they replied that six oxen should be given. Immediately they all rose ; and Mattivi then said, he should wish to see the gun fired off. This was a request which I could find no pretext for refusing, although I saw too clearly that all these transactions were tending towards a point which I was endeavouring to avoid ; that of getting it into their possession before the time which had been agreed on. 1812. MATTIVI UNJUSTLY TAKES AWAY THE GUN. 405 We therefore proceeded to an open place on the outside of the town, attended bj a numerous crowd of spectators. A part of my men being left to guard the waggons, I ordered the rest to follow me with their muskets loaded. When the gun in question was dis- charged, the Chief desired that the others might also be fired. In complying with this request, the one which had been loaded by Stuurman, could not by any means be made to explode ; and on examination it was found that he had rammed in the cartridge with the ball downwards. A failure of this kind, while exhibiting to the natives the power of our arms, was the more unlucky, as it led them to believe that my party was not entirely composed of men who were properly skilled in the use of them j for they watched all our motions with the most prying attention. Mattivi then requested that Molaala might be allowed to fire off one of the guns. Neither could this be refused ; but as soon as he had discharged it, instead of returning it to the Hottentot, as it was not the musket which had been intended for him, he was ordered by the Chief to take it home to his house. At so flagrant an act of bad faith, I loudly expressed my dissatisfaction, as it was an open breach of our agreement ; but he, in his turn, pretended to be equally dissatisfied with me for wishing to detain what he had now bought and made his own ; the whole party at the same time crying out, that they ought not to give it out of their possession. At this moment I felt exceedingly irritated at their conduct, so deficient in honor and every just principle ; but I suppressed my feelings as well as I was able, since a glance at the crowd and at my own men, showed me too truly that I was completely in their power, and that my gun was irrecoverably gone. They must have read in my countenance, what I thought of their dealings ; but they walked away, exulting in the success of their cunning, and even, perhaps, inwardly proud of their superiority over a white-man in this essential qualification, the possession of which seems in their eyes, and, I am ashamed to con- fess, in the eyes of many Europeans, to constitute a man of talents. Although the state of my feelings at this time rendered me but little disposed to have further dealings with them ; yet as the state 406 BARTERING BEADS FOR OXEN. 16 July. of theirs was of the opposite kind, and all were delighted at having at last obtained a gun, there was on their side no dissatisfaction or irritation against me. As it would have been useless, and, perhaps, not good policy, to have explained the true object of my visit to their country, they conceived that all business which now remained for me to do, was to proceed with the bartering ; and as it was known that the beads had been exhibited with this view, they now called upon me to bring them forward. In the mode of managing such business, I submitted to the in- structions of Muchunka, who was acquainted with the practice usually adopted by the Klaarwater Hottentots, and who directed that the canvass covering of one of the waggons should be extended on the ground in the middle of the public enclosure, and the beads laid out upon it in parcels. I had, during my residence in the Transgariepine, learnt the usual relative value of beads at Litakun, and had taken care to expose no more than would be sufficient for the purchase of oxen enough for one team, which I judged would be as many as my present exigences required. Neither the chief nor any of his brothers were inclined to barter, notwithstanding their eagerness to have the first sight of the beads. Serrakutu brought a large elephant’s tusk for exchange, although I had expressly declared that it was oxen, and not ivory, which I wanted. He therefore took this home again ; but brought nothing further to market. Adam, who knew the value of all my goods, took a quan- tity, for which he agreed to bring me six oxen on the following day ; but when he showed the purchase to his father who had promised to give him the required oxen, he was ordered by him to demand more beads in addition to the quantity which had been bargained for. As such a mode of trading would, I foresaw, produce endless disputes, should this be taken as a precedent by the other inhabitants, I re- fused to make any alteration after an agreement had been made, and therefore took back the beads. The Chief and all his party, together with a crowd of lookers-on, were present the whole time. Mattlvi begged for a knife, and Serrakutu did the same ; but this was done privately. I afterwards complied with their wishes, but enjoined them 1812. TEACHERS OF SICHUANA. 407 not to mention that it had been given to them. The former, seeing some loose beads lying on the canvass, greedily scraped them up and gave them to one of his sons. This market lasted about an hour and a half, and though I of- fered at least twice as much beads for an ox, as were usually obtained from the Hottentots, yet not more than two oxen were actually purchased. This apparent disinclination to barter, did not arise from any deficiency of oxen among them, or from any want of desire to possess my beads ; but, as I afterwards had reason for suspecting, from a hope of thus compelling me to part with fire-arms and ammunition, in return for oxen which they knew to be essen- tially necessary to my progress. The remaining goods were then put again into the chest, and I retired to my waggon, where I was soon afterwards visited by the Chief. He brought with him a calabash of milk, intended, as I supposed, for a peace-offering, as he gave it me without demanding any thing in payment. I offered him, however, the usual piece of tobacco ; which he very readily accepted. He, on his part, had no cause for being out of temper ; but as he knew that I had, he seemed desirous of testifying his good-will towards me ; and sat in the waggon above an hour, which he spent chiefly in teaching me Sichuana. We were joined by other chieftains, who also took amusement in giving me lessons in their language. These people were always found to be very ready to render me service of this kind, and much pleased when they had taught me any new word or expression ; but they never forgot at the end of it, to request a piece of tobacco. In begging for any trifling gift or remuneration, they never asked for sikhaka (beads) ; these being considered more especially as money , to be employed only as the medium of trade with distant tribes, and for the purchase of the more expensive articles ; while muchuko and lishuena (tobacco and snuff) being consumable merchandise, are, though highly valued, regarded as a less important species of property. I had sufficient reason for admiring one of the customs of the Bachapins ; that, notwithstanding they never at anv other time left 408 ATTEMPTS TO OBTAIN ANOTHER GUN. 16 July, me alone, they always retired the moment my dinner or breakfast was brought to me. This gave me a few moments’ relief from the fatigue of incessant conversation ; for, when one person was satisfied with seeing and hearing me, another came and took his place : and this routine, with scarcely any intervals, continued from the time I rose in the morning, till the hour at night when they retired to sleep. In the evening Mollemmi wished me to see some oxen which he had brought for the purchase of another gun. I was now forced to declare most positively, that I would not give up any more arms ; and refused even to look at the oxen, though he entreated me in a submissive and friendly tone, to see what fine cattle he had selected for me. As I had experienced the unpleasant consequences of entering into any conversation on the subject, I resolved to make a trial of the efficacy of silence. After having once pronounced the refusal, I gave no further opinion ; I made not the least reply to his remarks. In this mode of treating the business, I persisted, with an unshaken ob- stinacy, in spite of the most teasing solicitation ; and was extremely happy to perceive that it produced the desired effect. The chieftains who were now assembled as before, said nothing on this occasion ; and both Mattivi and Mollemmi at length appeared to relinquish the demand. They even confessed that they were so much pleased at having obtained one, that they would not again make mention of another, as they saw that more could not be spared. Mattivi now repeated, that other white-men had promised his father a gun, but that, as I was the only person who had let them have one, he by this could perceive that I was a very great chief ; and there- fore, that he would in future trade with no one but me and my people ; that he would sell the ivory to nobody else ; but would save it all for me, when I came again. There then followed much more nonsense of this kind ; and after I had heard enough to convince me that it had no meaning, I rose and left the circle. But the piicho or assembly remained sitting in easy conversation for nearly an hour longer. At these assemblies or councils, Mattivi, Serrakutu, and Mollemmi, took their turns in presiding ; or rather in conducting, and more especially attending to, the debate : for the 1812. THE PIICHO OR ASSEMBLY. — SPIES. 409 chief himself must at all times have been the real president, though I am not able to state the rules by which the members of the piicho , and the officiating president, are guided in giving their opinions and in managing the business of the meeting. Besides a nightly watch of six or seven Bachapins stationed round the outside of Mattivi’s cattle-enclosure, four of his servants came every night to sleep in the Hottentots’ hut ; so that these poor fellows were as much tormented by company, as their master. No sooner had they filled a pipe and put it to their mouth, than one or other of the natives cried out, Lee ki roki ! * (Give me smoke !) to which I advised them to answer, Bd-pelu (Wait a little) ; an expression, of which I was myself obliged to make frequent use. But they found it impossible, by any artifice, to save their tobacco ; and at last, to conceal it, they resolved to leave off all smoking in their presence. This they mentioned to me as a most distressing- grievance ; and though I could not sympathize in these feelings, I pitied them for their sufferings under this privation, which, to a Hottentot, I knew could not be a trifling restraint. In addition to this, I saw the necessity of imposing on them another restriction, by desiring them to be circumspect in what they said to each other ; as it appeared to me that the four men, who slept in their hut, were placed there as spies upon us. One of them, named Champani, had paid frequent visits to Klaarwater, and had lived among those Hottentots till he had acquired a knowledge of Dutch, sufficient to enable him to understand the general tenor of our conversation, and to express himself intelligibly. But this restraint on their smoking was not their greatest incon- venience : their fear had been so strongly excited by the violent debates respecting the gun, that they all confessed themselves to feel very uneasy at this place and ardently to desire to return home. Some even ventured to hint, in an indirect manner, that they did not intend to go farther northwards. This confession, or the last part of * The word roki is probably a corruption of the Dutch word rooken, ‘ to smoke,’ which they may have learnt from the Hottentots. VOL. II. 3 G 410 THE LICHAKA, OR REED-PIPE. 16, 17 July, it, I could not but consider as a circumstance of serious importance ; and although it made on me a deep impression, I affected not to heed or understand it. I took no other notice, than merely replying that, we had much farther to go before we should turn our faces towards the Cape. Among the most timid of my men, was Platje : he was exceed- ingly anxious to quit this place. It was not, he said, fear, which made him so anxious, though his looks plainly proved the contrary ; but he felt his heart beat to see his wife and his dear children again, whom he had left in the Sneeuwbergen ; that after having been so long in a wild country, he thought it time to return home ; and that if we did not make haste to re-cross the Great-River, the drooge-tyd (dry season) would be gone by, and we should find that stream impas- sable for many months. 11th. The Chief, now considering that the important affair of the gun was brought to a conclusion, dedicated the whole of this day, from seven in the morning till five in the afternoon, to dancing. As no intimation had been given me, that such an amusement was about to take place, I was surprised when awakened by the sound of music ; and on looking out of my waggon I saw the Chief and a number of his party, standing together tuning their pipes ready for a concert. These pipes , which they call lichakd , are simply reeds * of various sizes and lengths, tuned to concord generally by means of a small moveable plug in the lower end, and having their upper end, or mouth, cut transversely. This mouth is placed against the under lip, and the sound is produced by blowing into them, in the manner of a Pan’s-reed. In order to keep the pipe steady, the forefinger rested above the upper lip, and the thumb against the cheek, while the other three fingers held the reed to its place. Each performer had but one pipe, and consequently was master of only one note of the scale j although at the same time, there were among them, several pipes in unison ; and it seemed, that those notes of the gamut which * From the common reed ( Arundo barbata ) which grows in their rivers. 1812. A BACHAPIN CONCERT, AND DANCE. 411 were most likely to have produced discords, were rejected from this band. Between the highest and lowest pipe, there might, I imagined, be comprised an interval of twelve notes. I saw no other instrument but the lichaka ; nor were these used by any but the dancers themselves, each of whom was furnished with one ; and which he sounded frequently though irregularly. In this music I could discover no particular air ; neither was it possible for me to write it down ; as many notes were heard at the same time, joining in, perhaps merely accidentally, or without any preconcerted order. It must not, from these remarks, be concluded that this people are insensible to harmony and melody : a sufficient proof to the contrary will be found in another place. By the dancers keeping time in their movements, a certain cadence was now and then perceptible in their music ; but, excepting this, no regularity could be distinguished in their performance ; although I doubt not that their ear guided them in some manner, as the general effect of this music was pleasing and harmonious. It was not of a sprightly cast, nor noisy, neither was it sluggish or heavy ; but possessed some- thing agreeably soothing, which prevented it, though continued with little intermission for ten hours, from wearying the ear. As there was in it no particular tune to be listened to, it seldom obtruded itself with a force which could distract the attention from other subjects. The effect of this concert, considered abstractly as musical sound, was very similar to that which in England may be felt on hearing, while at a little distance, the country-waggons passing along the road with a full team of well-tuned 4 latten bells than which, few mixtures of sounds not constituting regular music, can, I think, be more pleasing. When the dancers, who were all men, had tuned their reeds, they formed themselves into a ring, which sometimes consisted of about thirty persons, and at others, of not more than ten or twelve, accord- ing to the inclination of those who joined or left the party ; but without attention to any observable order, or to any pre-arranged figure. The ring was drawn as closely together as their number would conveniently allow ; but each person danced separate without 3 g 2 412 THE KAVAKLUSI. — MOVEMENTS OF THE DANCERS. 17 July, any attempt at a particular step or acquired movement of the feet ; nor at any time did they join hands. In this form they moved round in a body, keeping time together, by the assistance of a small party of women and girls, who, without joining in the dance, followed them round, and regulated their steps by clapping hands in exact measure ; but without singing or any other noise. The number of women engaged in this, was not more than six or seven. Neither these nor the dancers were ornamented or dressed in any manner different from that in which they usually appeared. The most of the men wore their kobo, placed so as to cover only one shoulder, a style of wearing, usual in warm weather, and which their present exercise required. The grease and sibilo with which their heads were decorated, melted with the warmth, and frequently ran down their face in drops. Some of them carried in their hand a very long Kavaklusi, which they occasionally used to wipe off the moisture from their face or neck. This Kavaklusi * is formed of two or three jackals’ tails joined together in length, by a stick of about four feet long thrust through them in the place of the bone. This stick, which must cost much labor to form, is generally taken from the heart of the Mokaala-tree or camel-thorn, as that part of the wood is extremely hard and of a fine black color. Although the dancers moved briskly, the ring itself turned but slowly ; so that it made not more than one round in a minute. Sometimes after a round or two, it moved back again with a contrary motion ; keeping, however, always on the same spot. A number of people, above a hundred besides women and children, were in the mootsi during this performance : some stood looking on ; but the greater part sat at a distance, or walked about. * Sometimes pronounced Kaba-Jclusi : it is also called Kaava-pulcoli (jackal’s tail). The Bushmen, as already described (at page 57.), apply the tail of this animal to the same use. The jm/cdli or piUcoji is the Canis mesomelas ; the Iclusi is another species which has a yellower or redder fur, and may probably be the Cams aureus ; but this I do not affirm, as the klusi was never shot by any of our party, during our travels in the Transgariepine. 1812. REMARKS ON DANCING. 413 Mattivi and Mollemmi were among the most constant dancers ; but the whole party rested themselves at frequent intervals of two or three minutes. In this manner, and without any variation, they con- tinued the amusement during the whole day. The pleasure which they derived from it, seemed to have more the nature of soothing enjoyment, than of mirth. Laughter was rarely to be observed, and talking was as seldom heard among those who were engaged in the dance. The women and children seemed to take equal delight in the scene, though merely spectators. Dancing appears to have been in all ages of the world, and perhaps in all nations, a custom so natural, so pleasing, and even useful, that we may readily conclude that it will continue to exist as long as mankind shall continue to people the earth. We see it practised as much by the savage as by the civilized ; as much by the lowest as by the highest classes of society : and as it is a recreation purely corporeal, and perfectly independent of mental qualification or refinement, all are equally fitted for enjoying it : it is this, probably, which has occasioned it to become universal. All attempts therefore at rendering any exertion of the mind necessary to its performance, are an unnatural distortion of its proper and original features. Grace and ease of motion are the extent of its perfection ; because these are the natural perfections of the human body. Every circumstance and object by which man is surrounded may be viewed in a philoso- phic light ; and thus viewed, dancing appears to be a recreative mode of exercising the body and keeping it in health, the means of shaking off spleen, and of expanding one of the best characters of the heart, — the social feeling. Where it does not effect this, the fault is not in the dance, but in the dancer : a perverse mind makes all things like itself Dancing and music, which appear to be of equal antiquity and equally general among mankind, are connected together only by a community of purpose : what one is for the body, the other is for the mind. While affairs were thus going on smoothly, I took the oppor- tunity of sending some of my men out to hunt, as our provisions were nearly exhausted, and no food of any kind was to be purchased 414 SCARCITY OF FOOD. — THE HUNTERS’ ATTENDANTS. 17 July, at Litakun. Having barely enough for their own necessities, the inhabitants were very unwilling to part with any ; and the fact is remarkable that, during the whole of my residence at this town, and of my travels in the country of the Bichuanas, I never once could purchase of the natives, corn enough for my party, for a single meal. We could procure nothing but milk ; and this not in so large a quantity as we required. The cow which was presented to me by Mattivi for slaughter, was totally eaten up in three days ; the greater portion having been consumed by his own servants and other inhabi- tants, who, by incessant begging, compelled my men to give them meat, both for themselves while they sat with us, and for their families when they went home. The hunters returned with a paala and a springbuck ; a part of which was given to some natives who accompanied them. Juli had shot one paala and was pursuing another ; but during the short time he was absent on this pursuit, and while employed in skinning and cutting up the second into loads for each of the Bachapins who attended them, the vultures, which were found to be excessively numerous about Litakun, had discovered the first, and had devoured all the best part of the meat and so much lacerated the rest, that nothing remained worth the trouble of bringing home. Their attendants , when the animal wras shot, were exceedingly delighted at seeing it fall : they admired the power of the musket, that it could bring down the game at so great a distance, when com- pared with their own hassagay ; and expressed their pleasure in the most animated manner. On such occasions, these people were always most ready to lend their assistance ; but it is to be regretted that their conduct would not suffer us to believe that they did so from the pure motive of obliging us : their willingness was far from being disinterested ; for they often laid claim to a larger share of the game than we thought proper to allow them. They were, however, always so well paid for their trouble, that we were never in want of attendants. At sunset when all the cattle of the town came home, the Chief called me to look at two oxen which he offered for the purchase of 1812. FURTHER DISPUTES RESPECTING THE GUN. 415 ammunition. In his eagerness to get possession of the gun, he had quite- forgotten the requisite accompaniments of powder and ball ; and now, on reflection, found that he had been in too great a haste. On my part, I considered the result of my attempt to obtain oxen by barter with beads, to be a serious disappointment ; as the prospect of my journey, showed me the necessity of recruiting my teams, before I advanced into countries where the means of obtaining any addition to them, might perhaps not be found. I had not been able to purchase more than two oxen ; and under these circumstances I gave up all idea of making Mattivi a present of the gun, and which, indeed, he had, by his fraudulent conduct, so little deserved. I therefore determined to accept his offer of oxen in payment ; and, as I began to suspect, by his bringing these two oxen as a temp- tation to give him ammunition before he had produced the promised equivalent for the gun, that he meant to leave that subject at rest altogether, I now asked him where were those oxen. To this he replied, that they should be brought on the morrow : but, instead of the six which he had promised before he had the musket in his pos- session, it was now discovered that he intended me to have only four. I saw that he was evidently taking advantage of the weakness of my party, and that he supposed I should on that account submit to any terms which he might propose. I foresaw, that if he succeeded in a first step, he would take a second, and thus advance till affairs became serious; and that, if a character of non-resistance preceded us in the journey, every petty chieftain we should meet would know that he might plunder us with safety. I considered, too, that as the Bachapins derived from direct and indirect communication with the Colony, great mercantile advantages over their more northern neigh- bours, they would not readily be induced to forfeit these, by pro- ceeding to extremities with me and my party. These reasons convinced me that a resolute opposition to encroachment, and a determination not to be intimidated, were the safest and most prudent measures that could now be adopted. I therefore gave the Chief and his council to understand what were my sentiments respecting their present mode of dealing with a 416 ALARMING ASPECT OF AFFAIRS. 17 July, stranger who came in friendship to visit them ; and, without waiting till the interpreter had finished his duty, I rose from the circle and retired to my waggon, declaring, that as they had taken the gun from me against my consent, they might now keep it as their own ; but that, for myself, I should instantly quit their country. These words, which were understood by Champani, and perhaps by several others who were present, were immediately communicated to them, and to all who were then in the enclosure, the number of which was about a hundred. The whole mootsi was now a scene of debate ; and every coun- tenance became serious. The assembly broke up ; and Mattivi seated himself with a small party in one corner of the enclosure. My own men, fearing the worst consequences, came round me, and earnestly entreated me rather to allow the affair to take any course which the natives might desire, than to irritate a people, who had it in their power to put us all to death before the morning. My interpreter anxiously begged me to desist from further contention, as he knew not what might be the result. Speelman, in the greatest trepidation, declared, that could he have foreseen that I should ever have brought my people into so dangerous a situation, lie would never have engaged himself for the journey. Mattivi’s brothers and sons, with several others, continued passing to and fro before the waggon, anxiously looking in as they walked by, to discover what were my movements or what steps I appeared about to take ; as, it seems, they were apprehensive that I should give orders for leaving the town immediately. Had 1 done this, they would have been in a state of great hesitation, respecting the measures they were to adopt ; whether to detain me, which act they feared would put an end to all future confidence between them and the Colony ; or whether to allow me to depart, by which they would have lost all further advantages from my visit. As they passed, I could read disappointment and uncertainty in their coun- tenances : but this, my men construed in a very different manner. Gert, Speelman, and Muchunka were, in the greatest agitation, giving me their advice, when Mollemmi , having Champani with him, CONCILIATORY EXPLANATIONS. 417 1812. * came and seated himself on the after-chest of the waggon. He seemed dejected, and said nothing. I repeated, that he must be aware that taking advantage of a stranger who visited them as a friend, was not the way in which I ought to be received ; and that they had not rested from their endeavours, till they had taken from me that which they knew I did not wish to give up. At last he replied, that Mattlvi and all the people were much distressed at hearing that I thought they meant to take the gun from me in any unfriendly manner. They were yesterday rejoiced at finding that they had at length gotten into their possession, that which they had so much wished for ; but now they were sad, because they saw me displeased. He had long meditated on accompanying me back to Cape Town ; but now he felt great disappointment, as he feared that I should give our Chief an unfavorable opinion of his nation ; which would prevent his intended journey. So submissive and unexpected a confession, I looked upon as the termination of our dispute, since my only object in acting as I had done, was, not to recover my gun, nor to obtain a greater number of oxen, but to give a check to a growing spirit of intimidation and imposition, which I feared would, if not timely prevented, occasion us serious difficulties. I replied ; unless men acted according to their promise and agreement, it would be impossible for me ever to rely on their word ; that as I came to Litakun as a friend, I wished, and hoped, to leave it as one ; that I desired nothing more earnestly than to be on good terms with every body, and that I should be sorry if Mattivi did not feel equally friendly towards me : and to convince him that I still was desirous of his friendship, and ready to gratify his wishes as far as it was in my power, I would make him a present of as much powder and ball as I could safely spare ; and that, with respect to the subject in dispute, I should leave him to his own conscience to do whatever he thought just and right, and should urge that affair no farther ; for, if the Bachapins really cared for the good opinion of the white-people, I was certain that they would in every respect act fairly in their dealings with me. VOL. II. 3 H 418 CONVERSATION WITH MATTIVI. 17 July, Immediately Mollemmi went to the Chief, and communicated this to him. They both returned together, and took their seat in the waggon. Mattivi commenced the conversation by saying, that I had made him and his people exceedingly happy by letting them have a gun ; that I had done more for him than any one had ever done before. He here repeated all the remarks which he had already made on this subject. He now said that he would give me the six oxen he had first promised ; but, as if to excuse the unfairness of his conduct, he assured me that he was just at this time very poor in cattle, having given away a great number to Massao’s son, who, having been lately robbed of all his own, had come to him in much distress to beg relief. I could not ascertain whether this act of generosity which he pleaded, were really a fact ; but the matter is so improbable, that I always doubted the truth of this assertion ; especially as the plea of poverty must have been totally unfounded, if one might rely on common report for the number of large herds which he possessed. He ex- pressed thanks for the ammunition which I intended to give him ; and wished to have it on the next morning, as his people, he said, had put off the grand hunt until they should have obtained the gun and powder. I again told him how desirous I was of being always on good terms with him and the Bachapins, whom I had come so far to see. He answered ; that he should have felt very sorry if I had suddenly left his country, as he had hoped that I should remain a long time with them ; that it gave him great pleasure to observe the friendly treatment which many of his people received from my men, in being allowed to sit at their fire and partake of their meat ; that he would not have suffered them to importune us and trouble us as they did, but it was not in bis power to keep them away. This last remark only served to con- vince me that the men who had fastened themselves upon us, and continued almost constantly day and night in the hut, were there not only by his permission, but by his orders. The white-men, he said, were great people, but he was only a Bachapin ; and it would exceedingly distress him to have their displeasure. As he had a great number of servants, he would order some to remain in the mootsi to assist us in fetching water and to go out with my hunters 1812. TRANQUILLITY RESTORED. 419 to carry home the game for 4 them if he had here added £ selves’ his meaning would have been better expressed ; but he explained it sufficiently when he confessed that he was glad to see how kind we were to his people in giving them part of what we shot. He concluded by saying, that he would let his brothers accompany my Hottentots in their hunts, that they might learn rightly the use of the gun. This conversation elucidates a prominent part of Mattivis cha- racter: as far as it expressed promises beneficial to his visitors, it meant nothing ; but where it implied any thing for his own benefit, it was sincere. He appeared to me to be selfish in a high degree, and cunning without sufficient depth of policy to conceal it : it required but little discernment to see the real meaning of all he said and did. Had he been a man of talent or reflection, he either, would not have given me palpable cause for complaint and remonstrance, or he would not have employed such weak arguments in defence of his conduct, or used so thin a veil to conceal his true motives. This favorable turn of, what my men considered to be, the crisis of our fate, rendered them so happy, that they gave themselves up this evening to a greater share of cheerfulness, and even of mirth, than I had witnessed in them since we came among this nation. Till now, all of them had appeared full of thought and anxiety, talking no longer in their usual tone of voice, but speaking only in a low timid manner which betrayed how much they desired to be away from this people. In the hut, they passed the evening in friendly familiarity with those who came to sit by their fire. The sound of the fiddle was heard, but instead of dancing, laughter indicated more truly that their minds were at ease. The natives, after having just beheld a storm gathering over themselves and us, were, I believe, not sorry at finding it disperse without harm. They seemed to associate with us in a more cordial manner ; and even took one or two of the Hottentots, with whom they had formed a more particular acquaintance, to their houses, where they remained a great part of the evening. These, at their return, reported that they had been kindly treated, and had ex- perienced, what must be considered as, great and unusual hospitality 3 h 2 420 A BACHAPIN HUNT IN THE 18 July, among Bachapins, having been entertained with milk and corn. It could not, however, be said that more than the half of my party had thus banished their fears : the others, though less uneasy than before., were evidently not in a state of tranquillity. 18^. Early in the morning, before I had risen, the promised oxen were delivered over to my men; and had been driven out to pasture along with my own cattle. Mattivi had, I found, now given me two more than I had expected ; one as a present, with the same intention with which he had at first given me the cow ; for slaughter ; the other as a return for the gunpowder. I gave him to understand that the last was not due to me, as the powder was meant as a free gift ; but he replied, that what he had once given, he could never receive back again ; and that to return it to him, would be an affront. The Chief had issued orders for about five hundred of his people to commence the great hunt early in the morning. These spread themselves over the plains to the distance of several miles, and by preconcerted arrangement according to their custom, encircled an extensive tract of country, driving all the wild animals which hap- pened to be thus enclosed, towards the town. These were but few, and consisted only of paalas, springbucks called tsepi in the Sichuana language, zebras, and buffaloes ; all which were thus made so exceedingly wild, that the Hottentots had no opportunity of shooting more than four springbucks ; and pro- bably the natives did not kill so many. My own men, of whom I allowed no more than Speelman, Philip, Juli, Gert, and Cornelis, to go, were looked up to as the principal hunters on this occasion, and were each attended by a separate party, one of whom was generally employed to carry their gun in order to save them that fatigue. From this, we may see the inconsistency and imprudence of these Hottentots : they, who at other times believed there was reason for dreading that these natives would murder them, were now so thoughtless as to put into their hands the power of accomplishing such a purpose, and voluntarily to give up the only means by which they might defend their lives. Speelman was attended by Mollemmi with Mattivi’s gun. The 1812. PLAINS EASTWARD FROM LITAKUN. 421 former having with the same ball, as he said, killed one springbuck ^nd wounded another, which also fell, Mollemmi immediately fired at it, and declared that it was he who had brought it down ; although the other natives, who were of that party, honestly owned that the animal belonged to the Hottentot. But Speelman was wise enough to give up both the honor and his claim, when he found the other inclined so obstinately to persist in asserting that they were due to him. The Bachapins proved on this occasion, that in any emergency they can run with great swiftness, or, as my men expressed it, like horses ; but that they are unable to continue long at that pace, and are, in this qualification, perhaps, much inferior to the Bushmen, who have greatly the advantage by being lighter and smaller in person. The field of their hunting was at a considerable distance east- ward from the town, where the country was found to be a boundless grassy plain, which my men, who were separated from each other, traversed in different directions, and every where met with strong springs of water, one of which they reported to be nearly as copious as the Klibbolikhonni. This tract is still a continuation of the Great Plains before described, and extends, as I afterwards learnt, above a day’s journey in this direction. The Hottentots saw grazing in different parts, innumerable herds of oxen, which were much larger and finer than any we had seen in the Chief’s cattle-pound in the town ; and they were inclined to believe that those which had been given to me in the morning, were some of the worst which he possessed. Mattivi and his attendants, who had also been on the hunt, came home again at noon : he employed himself during the rest of the day, in making handles for hatchets, such as have been already re- presented. The main body of the hunters, many of whom were exceedingly fatigued, and my own men, did not return till the evening. I was myself compelled to remain at home by the waggons ; as it would have been highly imprudent to have laid temptation in the 422 A ROBBERY. — EFFECTS OF EXCESSIVE FEAJL IS Jn.i, way of the inhabitants, who rinding them unguarded might not have been able to resist so favorable an opportunity for purloining some- thing : for, of the four men whom I kept in town, three were utterly incapable, through fear, of taking any charge ; and so j ust were mv suspicions, that it was discovered the next morning, that every button had been cut from old all the Hottentots' great -coats which were left cr in the hut under the care of Van Roye, Platje, Keyser, and Stuur- man. This we supposed to have been done by women and children, as many of them had frequented the enclosure in the course of the dav : but whether bv women or bv men. it was evident that thev * * J * were tempted by the absence or carelessness of those who ought to have watched over them. Did a Hottentot possess the notions of a European, I should not have been sorry at this robbery, because it would have made him more careful in future ; and the inconvenience of a buttonless coat would have daily reminded him of his neglect, and have taught him a useful lesson. But his apathy gives him quite another character, and renders him insensible to any stimulus of this kind: what he has lost, he never thinks of aherwards ; and rather than burden his mind with any new or additional care, he is content to take the chance of another loss, considering himself to be greatly the gainer if he escape robbery the next time. Platje, Andries, and Keyser were so completely subdued by their fears, that they never spoke, not only to the natives, but even not to their companions. While at the town, they concealed themselves in the hut all day, and manifested so distressing a state of timidity that they attracted the notice of the inhabitants. MoUemmi asked us whv thev were so much afraid : Thev have not, said he, anv occa- sion to be so ; we shall do them no harm. As soon as the hunters had set out this morning, the rest of my men whom I had ordered to remain with me at the waggons, deserted me ; or at least. I found mvself left the whole dav in the :sas 7'’€_l PA1.T7 — 7 'El. 7.77 ijsjLa. Ei£ TtraggonHv would come and mardeE the few wife r-^irfeBrned wncfti d,=y-r that iie iad taxeu Ms musket and 2nce awac> , intendnntg; t: pass id? day oat of the tiowm. win Eeya®r- wb©> was tenting momr csHttfe sk pasture- "-m J?.ov/e was not less penetcaatted with fear . is ds jgaote toe . eari • ;etra~ed he iad .n tie same ' inner iisocoiec t_i tie even mg. hofei was the -maze of the Hottenxctia* at ttfcis tine. hi ~'-uiL do andne. or unreasooame- fears cad hitherto* teen ©bsesrvnsd aid 1 viewed Ins jrtgad&wgsft and gemenaSl inrcndmrih wABu a aa^Mi&ifflrwii nAnJi was increased b y contrasting hias with the othecsw In taiikinr with tin .1 tins r. erect, te xefese mat. :c me ire;; to oearance .: ;ad intentions; towards ns- on tie pact of tie naarides* hi was rmmrft- -®i ds feared that ea erf nan off nary pactyv e&ejitiBgr i^wnlS— pi sm4 JFt&m, would ran away -and leave us to; defend O'mseivesw This was pin^asehr my own opanioa : anal lerfeed therefore- a: me ikeasow© frees this proof of his riusceranent - anti so one reuse tun: i imam tie issuance ihat I had at least three men who woudi staid by tiewi^oiis re thus of danger ; tor. aithoa^,.i icee-.mm lari once ©c irwiee shown son? symptoms of tdmhiity. I rati smnaent cocrrience re h_s attachuamaBCi- io believe that he would not i.ieset me at suck i his; Xefttfcisr Phi..' ;• nor Juli hac betrayed: any want of real aoranragj?. I observed tie s.tfn of i ~ery essraordafflaaiy li.il i'r_iz oed tie Hedge of idimfe's cattie-encLoisnei placed mere., as I was mid. m ire- serve toe cattle doom the em inserts ;f sorcery die tint of t was ih.lz.al ; wiii .: ;ie ie : -in;- it; wiener ;he m .- . r: . :r new species- I coma net at that time determine because me feet, neau. and tan iac oeen cut on mil tie lescntoios rm. n me books of my traimi.rag iiihnany. were too mi effect to assist re ms decision. I neglected descraifeig It ore -re tie mit^riievh Him. Simr'^ no> doubt of procuring afeerwards the complete at --.h .- ;qe in this expedation I was disappointed. is :.s not suily a fca«r:e rreatrire. lit one which it is very :. nccit t: seemme. This fain was two feet ieem and cohered with .scales an inch and a hair bread, of m tett er :n 424 BACHAPIN ACCOUNT OF THE KHAAKA. 18, 19 July, natives respecting the khaaka, is, — that by day it lives generally in holes in the ground, in the same manner as the Takkaru *, but does not burrow so deep, and is more easily unearthed. It has a long tail, and which it uses in digging its hole ; (a fact so extraordinary, that it may, I think, be doubted : one person informed me that it does not dig its own burrow, but lives in that of another animal). It has a long snout, and a tongue which it can extend far out of its mouth. It lives upon ants ; and on being alarmed or disturbed climbs up the nearest tree for refuge. When it comes out by day to feed, it is exceedingly cautious ; and standing up on its hind legs, stretches out its neck to look around, and immediately on perceiving any person approaching, draws its head quickly back to its body. It walks on its heels to preserve its claws, and therefore, as it is said, imprints on the ground a foot-mark exactly like that of a rhinoceros in miniature. Whenever a recent track is met with, the animal is traced to its hole and dug out if possible, as the flesh, which is ex- tremely fat, is esteemed so great a delicacy that the law requires that every kliaaka which is killed shall be brought to the Chief. When I requested Mattivi to order his people to procure for me a complete skin, he would not promise to do so, although I offered a great price in tobacco; and as Serrakutu was equally reluctant to comply with this request, it appeared not improbable that they were withheld by some superstitious belief relative to it : yet I was not more successful in my offer to purchase any other animals which the inhabitants would bring me. In the evening the Chief came, and sat with me in the waggon for half an hour. Neither he, nor any of his brothers, ever ap- proached me without asking for tobacco, notwithstanding the hand- some present which I had made him. As he was so careful to con- ceal from his friends what he had received, he could not have much diminished this quantity ; and his begging must therefore have pro- ceeded from pure covetousness. * The Aard-varJc of the Dutch colonists ; and Myrmecophaga capensis, Lin. — See Vol. I. p. 342. 1812. THE ART OF BEGGING.— SUNDAY. 425 As an experiment, I adopted his own style of solicitation, and complained that his servants had brought me no milk that day ; but he was not to be taken unawares, for his excuse lay ready-fabricated upon his tongue : he said, that this was the season when milk was scarce, and that he had really but few cows. My answer was not very ceremonious, but it was not against the rules of Bachapin politeness ; I replied, I could not believe that, while I knew him to be so rich that his cattle were grazing in every part of the country ; and therefore begged he would every day send me a large quantity. I was induced to make this demand, by having discovered that the art of begging follows one of the rules of an algebraic equation ; that, like-quantities on both sides, annul each other, and may be ex- punged, as not affecting the result. Whenever I began to beg of the Bachapins, their begging ceased immediately, and thus, neither party gained nor lost. Mollemmi also came, to inform me of his feats in hunting, and to tell me of his having shot a tsepi with the new gun. He said he felt very tired ; and on my giving him some tobacco, seemed glad to leave me and go home. Muchunka was teaching him a few Dutch words, to prepare him for his intended visit to Cape Town, the real object of which, it was at last discovered, was to procure guns from the governor ; having been told at Klaarwater, that he was the only person from whom they could be obtained. 19 tli. This being Sunday , my flag was hoisted upon a tall bamboo-cane and fixed at the hinder part of my waggon, conformably to a regulation which we followed while beyond the boundary of the Cape colony. This practice was of considerable utility, in dividing our time, and in assisting the Hottentots in keeping an account of the days of the week. By having this object before their eyes for twelve hours, a connection of ideas was established between the flag and every occurrence which took place on that day, as well as between that and the station at which it was hoisted. We were thus enabled more easily to recollect the place at which, or the day when, it was Sunday, and consequently to keep a check upon mistakes in our reckoning. VOL. II. 3 i 426 THE ENGLISH FLAG. — A VISIT FROM MOLLEMMI. 19 July, That predilection for one’s own country, which has been im- planted by Nature in the human heart, and which, for a European in these wild regions, seemed to have acquired a more warm and powerful character, raised in me some agreeable feelings, on beholding the English flag waving above my head ; in the middle of an African town. But it may be doubted whether such feelings, while coupled with a want of respect, or of philanthropic kindness, towards the other nations of the globe, can ever be pure as Nature intended them. This predilection, it must be confessed, is a virtue which some nations carry so far, or so much pervert, that it becomes almost their characteristic vice. I wished, during my residence at Litakun more especially, to make this literally a day of rest as far as it regarded my intercourse with the natives ; whose incessant conversation and wearying impor- tunities, left me scarcely one moment to myself, from the time of my rising, till they retired to their homes at night. I therefore closed up my waggon, and desired Muchunka to let all the natives know that it was Sondak (Zondag, or Sunday) ; taking advantage of a word, the meaning of which they had learnt from those who had visited Klaarwater. Thus relieved from the intrusion of strangers, I was left to my own occupations for the whole day, excepting a visit from Mollemmi with which I was more pleased than interrupted. He brought Muchunka, Champani, and another Bachapln, with him ; and when he first intruded himself under the canvass, and took his seat in the waggon, I felt somewhat vexed, and told him that I had given notice that it was Sunday, and wished to be left alone. Muchunka further explained to him that he knew it was the custom at Klaar- water to do nothing on that day, excepting to say prayers. He wished to know what prayers were ; and I explained this to him in a manner suited to his intellect and adapted to make some useful impression on his mind. He replied very modestly, that he had come because he liked much to be with me and to talk to me ; but, that it was good that I had now told him the custom of my country, and that in future he would not interrupt me. In forming my opinion of Mollemmis character , I was for 1812. BACHAPIN NOTIONS RESPECTING THE DEITY. 427 some time in uncertainty ; as he appeared a different person under different circumstances. On some occasions he was obstinate and most vexatiously troublesome ; on others, submissive and good- tempered : but, notwithstanding that I suffered much from the un- pleasant part of his character during my stay at this town, I must do him the justice to believe that he was not without some share of goodness of heart, nor without a desire to oblige others, where his own interest was not in the way to prevent it. Although he plagued me even more than his brother Mattivi did, I must acknowledge that of the two, he was the better character ; as he had much less of that mean insatiable covetousness, and was often more easily persuaded by reasonable argument. He listened to the explanation which I gave him respecting prayers, with so much more attention than I should have supposed the subject could have awakened in him, that I pursued it farther, not only with a view to gratifying my own curiosity as to his know- ledge and conceptions of the Divinity, but with a wish also of giving him some new and better ideas. I found no difficulty in making him sensible of a future state of existence, as the Bachapins seemed to possess some confused notions of this kind ; but of their belief in retributive justice after death, I never could gain any clear ac- count. Neither did it appear to me that they had any very sublime idea of the soul or of immortality. Of the worldly superintendence of a Supreme Power, they are not ignorant ; but their knowledge is so mingled with superstition, that this can be of little practical benefit to their moral conduct or religious feelings. These supersti- tious notions could only have been the offsprings of the weakest mind ; and the respect which continues to be paid to them, proves, better than any argument, how low is the state of intellect and reason among these people. Yet, with an education so unfavorable to mental improvement, Mollemmi listened to me with an apparent desire of learning, and with a facility of assent, which I should not have expected. All which I told him, of our notions respecting the Deity ; of the absolute necessity of a virtuous life ; and of the preservation of good- 3 i 2 428 CONVERSATION WITH MOLLEMMI, ON 19 July, faith between man and man, and between nation and nation ; all, was received with an interest, and even eagerness, which increased the longer I continued the conversation. This enticed me to pro- ceed in my exposition, to a considerable length ; and I felt a peculiar satisfaction in pouring into a mind apparently so open to receive it, some instruction which I hoped might contribute a ray of light towards showing him a better path to present and future happiness. Champani and the other native, listened to this discourse, with no less attention than Mollemmi. The former, by his knowledge of Dutch, comprehended more quickly and forcibly, than the others who heard only through an interpreter, the purport of what was told them ; and, as if convinced of the truth of my representations, spoke occasionally to the others to enforce or explain my meaning : while Muchunka, with the same view, frequently added much of his own over and above the proper interpretation. After having endeavoured to give them some notions of the goodness of that Being by whose will, the existence of every thing around them was continued, Who beheld all they did, and to whom every word of untruth, and every act of injustice, was in the highest degree displeasing, I proceeded to show them the practical good which would surely result, not from merely believing in this, but from regulating their conduct conformably to such notions, and from restraining their evil propensities by those precepts which would naturally flow from such knowledge. I assured them that, if the Bachapins, the Nuakketsies, the Batammakas, the Maibues, and all the tribes of this land, did but know these things, and act in con- formity with the will of the Deity, there would be no more fighting one against the other, or stealing cattle ; but that all would be at peace and would visit each other as friends and brethren. As long as I continued speaking, there was the greatest atten- tiveness, and an evident wish to comprehend clearly all which was said : from their manner, it seemed that this mode of argument and explanation, was entirely new to them, and even to Muchunka though he had lived at Klaarwater. It appeared strongly to excite their curiosity ; and, had the object of my visit to Litakun been 1812. MORAL AND RELIGIOUS SUBJECTS. 429 such as it may be supposed that of a missionary would be, I think I should have found it not impossible to have gained over their minds an ascendancy, which, with a little management, might have been rendered useful in disposing them for the reception and adop- tion of the purer principles of religion. It is by making the un- tutored savage see and feel the advantage of a virtuous life, that he can be taught to submit to its rules. Where this is not done, the missionary will labour all his life, to no purpose but to cheat himself. Having communicated to my visitors as much as they could be supposed able to remember, or capable of understanding without confusing one idea with another, I concluded by an assurance that they might rely on the truth of the facts which had been stated. Mollemmi replied, that it was very good that I had informed him of these things ; that he was glad to hear them ; and that, as he much wished to know more, he would often come to me when I was alone and had time to talk to him. It was no inconsiderable proof of the effect which my conversation had on him, that he never once begged for any thing. It would give me always, I said, great pleasure to tell him or any one else, all which I might know on this subject ; and whenever he felt disposed to listen again, he would find me ready at any time to instruct him ; as I felt sincerely desirous of doing him and his countrymen as much good as might lay in my power. He replied, that he would always listen with the greatest attention ; that he would never forget what I had already told him, but would tell it also to the people, that they might know these things as well as himself. The conversation having gradually changed to other subjects, it fell at last upon my flag ; and his remark proved that he was not altogether wanting in the faculty of observation ; he noticed that it was of the same kind as that which he had seen with the party who visited them in 1801, but different from that of 1805. In this he was quite correct ; for the former was sent by the English govern- ment, and the latter, by the Dutch. This naturally led to an ex- planation that these were two different nations, and that they came to the Cape from different countries and spoke different languages : facts 430 CONVERSATION RESPECTING ENGLAND. 19 July, of which he was totally ignorant ; although Champani, who was re- garded as a man of information, was aware that some white-men were distinguished as Dutch, and others, as English ; which he might probably have learnt from the circumstance of there being mission- aries of both nations at Klaarwater. I mentioned to them, in as comprehensible a manner as possi- ble, some particulars relative to my own country and Europe ; all of which they seemed to think very wonderful and interesting. If any of the Bachapins , I said, would come to England , they should with their own eyes see the truth of all which I had told them, and that when they came back again, they would be able to instruct their countrymen respecting all the fine things which they had seen, and to tell them all the wonders of the other land. Mollemmi replied, that he was certain I was one of the greatest chiefs in that land ; and when I endeavoured to assure him of the contrary, he said he never would believe that, because he could himself see how rich I was. When they left me, their thoughts were so involved in the novelty of the information which they had received, that they never once mentioned the word muchuko. Towards the evening, Mattlvi came and sat with me a short time ; I gave him a large piece of tobacco, thanking him for having prevented his people from disturbing me. He and his attendants had been passing their time as usual ; nor could I discover during the whole of my residence at Litakun, or in any part of my travels among the Bichuanas, the least appearance of any regular day of rest, or worship. He and his friends, he told me, had been admiring my flag, which they thought exceedingly beautiful as it waved in the wind. On my mentioning that I intended to send three of my men out to hunt on the morrow, he said he should let his brother Molaali go with them, to practise shooting and hunting according to our method. He did not intend going himself, because he must remain at home to take care of me and restrain his people from troubling me so much as they had lately done. His presence certainly had some effect in checking their importunities. Observing me writing 1812. MOLAALFS DUTY IN THE GOVERNMENT. 431 down some Sichuana words, he asked if I did it that I might learn them when I returned to my own country : and on being told that it was done that others might learn them also and come to Litakun to see him, he was much pleased. I could perceive that a week’s acquaintance had worn off much of his reserve : he appeared some- times in a more friendly light, and sufficiently familiar ; but he had not yet won my confidence and esteem. On taking leave of me at night, his usual word was, Rumeela ; a polite and friendly term of greeting, often used also at meeting, in answer to the word Ees. Mollemmi paid me a short visit in the evening, when I gave him some tobacco for Molaali whom I had not seen since the morning before. On asking why he had not been to visit me, he said that it was because he had had much business to attend to. At this time, Molaali 's duty in the Bachapin government, was to convey the Chief’s orders wherever the case demanded, and to see them put in execution : he also was employed on those commissions for which the presence of a person of authority, was required in any distant part of the country within Mattlvi’s jurisdiction. It was he who was generally sent to inquire into crimes and misdemeanors, and bring the offender, if not too powerful, to town. A short time before my arrival he had been thus employed, in taking into custody a man who had stolen and killed one of the Chief’s oxen, and who was after- wards punished with death. Such an offence may be commuted for a fine of three or four times the value, if the means of paying it can be found ; or it is visited by seizure, when the offender is of the higher class. During my stay at Litakun all business with the different cattle-stations appeared to be transacted by Molaali ; who was considered as the official messenger on all occasions of importance. Molaali, as soon as he was told by his brother that I had been making inquiries after him, paid me a visit; and seemed much pleased at my having noticed his absence. He sat with me about a quarter of an hour, and was entertained with a cup of tea. His be- haviour was at all times modest and unpretending ; he was far less troublesome to me, than his elder brothers were ; but assumed some- what more liberty than his brother Mahura, whom I saw less fre- 432 BACHAPINS INSTRUCTING STUURMAN 19 July, quently, and who, I believe, was employed generally in the same manner, though in business of less consequence. Neither the Chief, nor any of his family, considered it beneath their rank to pass their evenings at my Hottentots’ fire, and smoke and talk with them as if they themselves had been Hottentots, or these had been chiefs. But their Colonial dress was in the eyes of the Bachapins a badge of the highest rank ; and which caused them to be every where regarded as inferior to no one but myself. When all besides were asleep, I went into the hut to warm myself by the embers, and found two of the natives, who usually slept there and whom I have suspected of being spies upon us, instructing Stuurman in their language. This Hottentot knew nothing of it ; nor was it likely that he ever could learn much, by such a mode of in- struction as that which his two tutors had adopted. They were pronouncing various words or sentences, without giving any kind of explanation, and which they made him carefully repeat word for word after them. This, I found him doing very patiently, but without understanding a single word : and when he had with great pains and gravity pronounced what they told him, they burst into laughter at the end of every expression. This merriment I discovered to be occasioned, not, as he thought, by his ridiculous pronunciation, but by the improper meaning of that which they made him so innocently repeat. This species of wit is much admired by most tribes of savages ; and an inquisitive traveller is always liable to be thus imposed on. If his knowledge of the language should not be sufficient for afford- ing him a clue by which he may trace and detect the imposition, he may attentively watch the countenance of his instructor, and should he observe the slightest symptoms of mirth, he may know that their instruction is not worth listening to. Jokes of this kind are more easily discovered in the presence of several natives, than when there is not a second to enjoy the imposition, and betray it by his laughing. Most of my men had, however, picked up a few words, which they used upon almost every occasion, and managed by the help of these, and of signs, to make themselves in general to be understood. But 1812. IN THEIR LANGUAGE. 433 frequently for mere amusement, as I supposed, and to pass away the evening, they used to hold long conversations, if they can be called such, with the natives, each party using his own language and com- prehending very little of what was said by the other ; and talking probably on subjects widely different. One of these men made Stuurman repeat after him, an account of a warlike expedition which was sent against a neighbouring tribe : such being a favorite subject of conversation among these people, and one of the most important which the events of a Bachapin life can supply. 3 K VOL. II. CHAPTER XVI. TRANSACTIONS AND OCCURRENCES DURING THE FIRST RESIDENCE AT LITAKUN. July 20th. While I was employed this morning in making a drawing of the mootsi, or public enclosure, in which my waggons were stationed, the Chief and his party remained sitting in their usual place near the hut, passing their time in desultory conversation, and occa- sionally in shaping handles for their corn-hoes , a kind of mattock, used by the women in digging or breaking up the land preparatively to sowing, as that season was now advancing. These handles were nearly in the form of the kirri, and about three feet long. The work now bestowed upon them, and which was performed with a common knife, was that of making them smooth and straight ; but it proceeded at an extremely slow rate, which plainly showed how little they valued time, or how little work they had to do. To make my sketch, I seated myself at the farthest part of the enclosure ; and during this time no one molested me with begging ; 20 July, 1812. AMUSING CHILDREN. 435 nor did any person come near me, excepting two or three children. These were at first rather timid and shy ; but I soon found means of gaining their confidence. Their playmates, who were at a little distance, observing that I had no dislike to their company, added themselves to the party one by one, till at last I found myself surrounded by a crowd of little urchins, all desirous that I should take notice of them. The occasional society of such companions may often afford the greatest relaxation, and the at- tractive innocence and simplicity of youth contrasted with the repulsive duplicity of a more advanced age, possess a charm which may agreeably beguile an hour, and recreate a mind fatigued by graver cares. I left off my drawing, that I might thus amuse my- self ; and it was not long before their shyness was converted into playful familiarity. They appeared delighted and happy that I thought them of so much importance as to spend my time in talking with them and in answering all their questions. One asked the name of my book, and on being told it, others came eagerly forward to know what I called the pencil, my boots, and the different parts of my dress. They repeated the name, several times over, at first very seriously ; and on communicating it to the rest, laughed as if highly pleased at having learnt something new, or, perhaps, at the strange sound of the word itself. I enjoyed this amusement alone, as none of the men had curiosity enough, or thought it worth while, to take their seat by my side, to see what I was doing ; or probably Mattivi had ordered that I should not be interrupted while at work. But no sooner had I finished it, and returned to my waggon, than the men began as usual to torment me with begging for tobacco, or snuff. I found it impos- sible to get rid of them without giving some ; and I now saw the necessity of reducing the quantity as low as possible ; as my bestowing too liberally to so great a multitude, would before long have put it out of my power to give to any one. When one party, or as many as could stand on the step of the waggon, had gained the object of their visit, another immediately took their place. I hoped to avoid their importunities, by leaving the waggon ; as they supposed that I 3 k 2 436 MONARRI. — TAKING A SKETCH OF THE TOWN. 20 July, was there seated in the midst of tobacco ; but I no where found relief ; I was assailed on all sides by, Lee mucMko : — ’ Mpa muchuko, Monarri : — Muchuko okai f 4 Give me tobacco — 4 Give me some tobacco, Sir — 4 Where’s the tobacco ? ’ To whatever spot I went, thither I was followed : and their incessant begging was all which I had to attend to during the rest of the forenoon. By this time, I had acquired among the natives, the name of Monar or Monarri , which I suppose to be a corruption of the Dutch word Mynheer (Sir) used by the Hottentots ; but my interpreter explained it as being a title which they frequently give when address- ing their own chieftains. I was sometimes styled Kapteen (Captain), a word well known to all the native tribes who have any connection with the Cape Colony, and understood by them in the sense of ‘ a chief,’ or 4 a chieftain ; ’ this being the rank in which they thought proper to place me. My own men had little occasion to make use of my real name, as there was no other European in the party, to render such a distinction necessary : in speaking of me, they used the Dutch words de Heer , and in the distant parts of the Colony that of de Engelsche Heer was the more common designation, although my name was affixed to both the waggons. In the afternoon, I walked to a little distance, to make a sketch of part of the town. I would not take any interpreter with me, that, by pretending not to understand what they said, I might escape the annoyance of beggars. Some of the inhabitants followed me, and others came and took their seat by my side while I was drawing. When they asked a question which I understood, I endeavoured, in the best manner in my power, to give them an answer ; but when I heard the word muchuko or lishueena, I affected not to comprehend their meaning ; and, seeming to listen with great attention as if desirous of making out what they said, I tired them out by repeatedly saying, Bud kdapi (Say it again) ; and at last declared, Na ka si uklwa (I don’t understand you). Some of them, however, were shrewd enough to see through the trick ; and on its detection, we laughed at each other : — but I gave no muchuko. This little ruse was so much in their own style, that they were far from being displeased at it : it rather, 1812. INTRODUCTION OF EUROPEAN AIRS. 437 I believe, gave them a higher opinion of the qualifications of white- men. Mattlvi’s principal herdsman, who generally brought a small calabash of milk , said that he had received orders to supply me with some every day ; adding, that he would always bring it him- self, that he might be assured of its being regularly delivered to me. But the real cause of his punctuality, was the present or pay- ment of a piece of tobacco, which he never failed to demand. And besides this, the Chief himself always expected a daily present of the same kind, in consideration of his ‘ royal bounty so that I gene- rally paid twice over for what he often alluded to as a proof of his generous and friendly disposition towards me : and as a further proof of his friendship, he frequently, when thirsty, did me the favor to come to my waggon and, signifying his wishes with, 'Mpd maashe (Give me some milk), drink up generally half of what he had sent me only an hour or two before. I soon discovered the truth of what the Hottentots had said at Klaarwater ; when they told me in their Dutch, In de Briqualand zal Mynheer nicks kryg voor nicks ; ‘ In Briqualand you will get nothing for nothing.’ While I was thus engaged in the town, some of my men were employed in hunting in the neighbouring plains ; and in the evening two paalas and a stonebuck were brought home : others went to the river, and passed the day in that very unromantic occupation of washing our linen. In the evening, when we were all reassembled round the fire, the sound of our music enlivened the mootsi , and attracted to our hut the great milk-giving Chief and his brothers. Several boys, when they had ended their daily business of attending the cattle, came and spent the remainder of their time with the Hottentots : they listened so attentively to the tunes which were played on our violin, that they soon learnt them perfectly, and often gave me the pleasure of hearing them sung with a readiness and correctness which surprised me ; while I felt some gratification from the idea of our being most probably the first visitors who had actually introduced among them a European air. 438 A SPECIMEN OF BACHAPIN MUSIC. 20, 21 July, One evening a party of about ten or twelve of these boys amused themselves in dancing. They formed themselves in a circle, in imitation of the dance used by the men, and appeared to follow the same rules ; but, instead of the reed pipes, they substituted their voices. Sometimes one of them led the band, and the rest after* wards joined in at different intervals ; and, guided only by the ear, attuned their notes in correct harmony. The elder boys, whose voices were of a lower pitch, sang the bass ; while the younger, pro- duced, in their turn, the higher tones of the treble. The sound of the various voices, was altogether extremely pleasing ; and the natural manner in which the dancing and singing were performed, would, simply from the engaging manners of youth, have gratified even those who have enjoyed these arts in their more refined state. The words Kana Kana , which convey no meaning, were pronounced by each one in every bar, merely to assist in articulating the air. This dance was continued, with little intermission, for nearly an hour. The same tune was repeated during the whole time without variation ; and occupied, in singing it once over, just twenty-two seconds : but it has not been thought necessary to write the different parts in score, separately as they were sung by each dancer ; since they may be readily distinguished by mere inspection. The following notes will give some idea of them, and will also serve as a specimen of Bachapin music. 1812. NUAKKETSI TRADERS. 439 21st. During part of the forenoon, I was employed in my wag- gon in finishing my drawings ; but at no hour of the day was I allowed to be there alone. Several natives were always sitting on the chest before me, and watching every motion ; but I was mistaken in my first supposition that their curiosity might be the effect of a desire to learn the arts of white-men, and to improve their knowledge by conversing with strangers. It did not appear to have so useful an object : although I cannot but believe that the occasional visits of Europeans , must, at least insensibly and almost involuntarily, enlarge their notions and give them many new ideas which may ultimately raise the nation somewhat higher in the scale of intellect and civili- zation. The effects of such visits, have hitherto perhaps been fleeting ; as no strangers of this description had passed a sufficient length of time among them, to communicate much information, or to make any permanent impression on the minds of the people in general. A few days before we reached Litakun, a party of Nuakketsies had arrived there, with a present of oxen from their chief Mokkaba , as a testimony of his desire of being on peaceable terms with Mattlvi. They had also brought a large quantity of iron-ware of their own manufacture, consisting of knives, hassagays, and hatchets ; together with tobacco, copper and iron beads, copper bracelets, and ornaments for the ears ; which were exchanged here for porcelain beads, and sibllo. They still remained at this town, not having yet disposed of all their merchandise. Two of them came this morning into the public enclosure : they appeared of a blacker color than the Bachapins; which might possibly be merely the consequence of their not being painted with red ochre or sibllo. They had thicker lips and more flattened noses ; but I will not, from these few individuals, venture to assert that such are the national features : yet subsequent observ- ation seemed to authorise the supposition that, by travelling farther northward, the tribes would be found gradually to approach in features and color, nearer to the negroes of the equinoctial part of the continent. Serrakutu, whom I had not seen for the last two days, paid 440 CONVERSATION WITH SERRAKUTU. 21 July, me a visit, and sat for about half an hour with me. When I inquired why he had remained so long without coming to the waggons, he answered, that he had been very busy making a kobo. On my remarking that I was always glad to see him ; he replied that he felt particularly desirous that we should become very intimate friends : and, to conclude these complimentary speeches, I rejoined that there was no doubt that such would be the case, as soon as we were a little more acquainted. In the mean time I would give him, I said, an opportunity of proving his sincerity by ordering some of his people to get me the skin of a khaaka, for which I offered him a foot and a half of tobacco. He made no promise that he would procure me the skin ; but wished that the offer should be made in beads instead of tobacco. This was a proposal which could not prudently be complied with, as it was now evident that no purchase could be made in the Interior without beads, and my teams were still incomplete. I invited him to make a journey to Cape Town , where he would, I assured him, not only get beads in abundance, but would behold so many extraordinary and handsome things, that he would never after- wards find time enough for relating to the people of Litakun all the wonders which he had seen. Yet all my representations seemed to have little effect in exciting any desire for such a journey : he re- plied ; ‘ At home I have two wives, who prepare for me every meal ; but if I go to the Cape, who will then cook my food, if I do not take them along with me ?’ He was, however, a man of as much quickness of understanding as any of his countrymen ; but, as he found his present situation and mode of life suit his habits better than those of the makwa-mashu (white-men), he seemed not much inclined to risk any experiment with a view to ameliorate his condi- tion, or merely to acquire knowledge ; deeming, perhaps, all which white-men regarded as fine things and strong temptations, to be of little importance to him, excepting the beads. He ended these re- marks by reminding me that I had a day or two before, promised him some tobacco. I gave him, therefore, a piece of three inches, but desired that he would let no one know of it. He was equally anxious himself to conceal it, fearing that his friends would 1812. KRAMORI. — EXERCISE. — CLUSTERS OF HOUSES. 441 pursue him for a share of it, with as much ardor as they had pursued me ; while it was his intention to take the smoking of it wholly into his own hands, disdaining all assistance in an affair, for the manage- ment of which he was so well qualified. A chieftain whose name was Krdmori , and who resided in a distant quarter of the town, came to offer me an elephant’s tusk in exchange for beads ; and when told that it was oxen, and not ivory, which I wished to purchase, he replied, that the tooth was so large and heavy, that he had not been able to bring it to the waggons, but that if I would come and see it at his house, he was certain that I should immediately desire to purchase it. Without promising this, I consented to accompany him, in order to examine his house and take a view of a distant quarter of the town, which I had not yet seen. I was attended by Muchunka and Champani, and by a few natives who added themselves to our party. As we walked along, one of them amused himself in throwing his tsamma or walking-stick in the manner of a hassagay, the shaft of which it exactly resembles. He was careful to aim always in the direction in which we were going, that he might have no other trouble than to pick it up as he passed. Th is was, for a person who walks out merely for exercise, an ex- cellent mode of beguiling the way, as it exerts the upper limbs equally with the lower, and thus gives employment to all the principal muscles of the body: though the object sought in the present case, was probably that of perfection in the art of using the hassagay, their usual warlike instrument. In our way we passed through many clusters of houses ; between which there were most frequently large spaces of unoccupied ground. Each of these clusters might generally be considered as the village of a different kosi or chieftain, and inhabited for the greater part, by his relations and connections ; yet not necessarily, nor perhaps always, following this as a rule. The houses were all built in the neatest manner imaginable ; but beyond the fence which encircled them, not the least labor had ever been bestowed ; nor, in any part of this extensive town, did there exist works which might be considered as 3 L VOL. II. 442 A WALK THROUGH THE TOWN. 21 July, being of a public nature : no care extended beyond private interest ; and it may be doubted whether the Chiefs of these nations ever exert their authority for the general good of their subjects, by putting in requisition the labor of the community, for the accomplishment of any work of this kind. The intervening ground remained in a state of nature, scattered over with bushes and here and there with a tuft of smaller plants or a patch of herbage, between which appeared the naked sandy soil of the same red color which had been remarked almost every where in the Plains of Litakun. The site of the town had formerly been occupied by a grove of acacias ; mostly of those species which have hitherto been confounded under the name of £ camelthorn.’ Among them was a new sort called by the inhabitants, mukwi. or mokwi, or mokala-mokzvi , distinguishable by the unusual thickness of its branches and even of its youngest shoots. * As I passed through the different clusters of dwellings, the in- habitants ran out to view me. The greater number were women and girls ; the men being abroad in the plains, either hunting or attend- ing their cattle. A white-man must have been a perfectly novel sight to the younger children ; and, judging from the eager looks and surprise of many of the older people, this must have been the first time in their lives that they had beheld so extraordinary a phenomenon. They did not attempt to follow me, but continued standing without the door of their fence, gazing with fixed attention, till I had reached some distance from them. We passed a few of the houses before they knew that I was in that quarter ; and, my visit being quite unexpected, the haste with which they scrambled out to the door to have a look at me before I had gone too far from their abode, * Acacia robusta, B. Catal. Geogr. 2265. Arbor 20 — 30-pedalis, trunco robusto, ramis ramulisque robustissimis. Folia bipinnata, pinnis 3 — 4-jugis glandula solitaria inter ultimis. Foliola 8 — 1 3-juga glabra, oblonga obtusa. Spinae geminae stipulares albas rectas, plerumque longae, at saepe aliae breves in eodern ramulo videndae. Flores odorati pallide flavi, ex gemmis ramulorum anni praecedentis (in A. Capensi, ex ramulis anni instantis) proveniunt, in capitulis globosis pednnculatis pluribus (usque ad 10). Legumen fuscum nudum lato-lineare bivalve rectum, Acacia; Capensis duplo majus. Habitus et facies arboris est Acacia; giraffa ?, at legumina diversissima. 1812. CONTEMPLATION OF THE SCENE. 443 was highly amusing. But the men were more moderate in their curiosity, as most of them had already had an opportunity of seeing me at my waggons : some joined our party, and all inquired, whither I was going. The different engravings in this volume, will give some idea of the appearance of this strange and singular town ; yet nothing but breathing the air of Africa, and actually walking through it and beholding its living inhabitants in all the peculiarities of their move- ments and manners, can communicate those gratifying, and literally indescribable, sensations, which every European traveller of feeling, will experience on finding himself in the midst of so interesting a scene : — a scene not merely amusing ; but one which may be highly instructive, for a contemplative mind. Let us endeavour to imagine the contrast, and to conceive the full force of it, by supposing our- selves,— while occupied in the busy metropolis of our own country, with all its bustle, its refinements, its complicated affairs, its extended views, its luxuries, its learning, its arts, the ingenuity and perfection of its manufactures, its numerous and beautiful piles of masonry, its floating edifices those admirable efforts of human skill ; in fine, its intellectual and exalted characters, and its pure knowledge of the Deity; — let us, by supposing ourselves instantaneously transported to the spot which I am now describing, the mental image of which is still before me as bright and glowing as the reality then was, endeavour to form in our mind the picture I would attempt to draw ; — of a nation and a town whose secluded existence, deep in the interior of an unexplored quarter of the globe, was unknown to us a few years before, and whose names even, had not hitherto reached us correctly ; of men who knew as little of the rest of the world, as the rest of the world knew of them, and whose personal appearance, dress, and customs, are so widely different from all which we have in our own country been used to behold ; of manners of the simplest kind ; of intellect unexpanded or in its weakest state ; of a society without arts, without other occupation than that of providing for daily wants and for the support of mere animal existence ; of minds insensible to the charms of exalted virtue, unconscious of the better destiny of 3 l 2 444 THE EUROPEAN AND THE AFRICAN, CONTRASTED. 21 July, the soul, or of the glorious and beneficent nature of the Great First Cause, the Source of all which is good, the Divine Father of the universe. Let us, in short, contrast piety with atheism, the philo- sopher with the rude savage, the monarch with the Chief, luxury with want, philanthropy with lawless rapine : let us set before us in one view, the lofty cathedral and the straw-hut, the flowery garden and the stony waste, the verdant meadow and the arid sands. And when our imagination shall have completed the picture, and placed it in a light which may invite contemplation, it will, I think, be impossible not to derive from it instruction of the highest class. If that truly wise but difficult precept, Knozv thyself, has been judged so valuable and important, as to deserve being inscribed in letters of gold on one of the greatest temples in the world ; most certainly, a precept which should command men to seek wisdom by gaining a knowledge of human nature and of the globe which they inhabit, cannot be less important or less deserving of being inscribed on the tablet of the mind. The extent of the town far exceeded the estimation which I had previously formed from a distant view of it ; and we walked more than a mile, in a direction northward from the Chief’s mootsi, before we reached Krdmori s residence , although we were still at some dis- tance from the farthest houses. In the direction from west to east the diameter of the town, or rather, of the ground over which it is scattered, is considerably more. As soon as we entered the fence which encircled his habitation, the front court became crowded with neighbours, who ran in to get a sight of me and to witness what was going on. Every body seemed pleased at my paying a visit to their quarter of the town, and Kramori was proud of showing me his dwelling. It was one of the largest houses ; nor could it be excelled by any, in neatness and in the cleanliness and good order of every part. In the hack-yard , were two others of smaller dimensions : one was a store-house ; the other, a sleeping place for his servants or attendants. The whole of these buildings and the outer fence, were circular. The engraving at the head of the 17th chapter, is the representation of 1812. DESCRIPTION OF KRAMORI’S HOUSE. 445 the front of the principal dwelling-house or that occupied by the chief- tain himself and his family. The inner apartment, which constituted the centre or main body of the building, was about nine feet high, and as much in diameter. The roof, thatched with long grass, pro- jected four feet beyond the outer wall, and the eaves were supported five feet from the ground by unhewn posts of mokaala wood, but from which the bark had been entirely taken off. These posts were connected at bottom, in the manner best explained by the engraving, by a low wall six inches thick, and carefully plastered with a compo- sition of sand or loam and the manure from the cattle-pounds. This formed, with the outer wall of the building, a kind of veranda about ten feet in length, in which the family usually sit in the day time, and generally the whole evening. Three girls were sitting here at this time, busy in grinding and preparing red ochre for painting their bodies. This substance, however, is used chiefly by the men. At one end of this veranda was a small and shallow bason hollowed out of the floor and rendered more capacious by an elevated margin, for the purpose of occasionally receiving a fire whenever the coldness of the air rendered it necessary. None of the houses had any window or aperture for giving light to the inner room : the door , which was scarcely eighteen inches wide and five feet high, was the only opening. The outer fence , which might better be named a wall than a hedge, enclosed the whole at a distance of seven feet, and was formed of straight sticks or long twigs of the mohaka tree, (or tar- chon anthus) compactly bound together. The front- court, in which we were assembled, was divided from the back yard by a transverse, and similar, wall. The back part of the house, which corresponded with the front veranda, was wholly filled with large corn-jars some four, and others five, feet high, and three in width, built of the same materials as the wall of the house, and raised six or twelve inches above the ground. The bystanders appeared exceedingly pleased at my admiring and examining the buildings ; and more especially, when I told them and Kramori, that I should come again another day to learn 446 THE ELEPHANT’S TUSK. 21, 22 July, the manner of making such a house, that when I returned to my own country, I might build one exactly like it for myself. As I stood within this front-court, surrounded by the family and neigh- bours, all happy, as they really appeared to be, in being visited by a white-man who took an interest in the work of their hands and admired their ingenuity, I felt the secret influence of sympathy, and enjoyed the counterpart of their pleasure and gratification. Kramori, who was a man of about forty years of age and of a fine well-proportioned figure, took much pains in showing me the different parts of his dwelling ; and when I had sufficiently examined it, he brought me a gourd-shell full of thick-milk, a most agreeable refreshment after walking in the mid-day heat. When I had taken a small portion, I gave the rest to Muchunka and Champaani, who almost in an instant greedily devoured it up. The elephant's tusk in question was dragged out of the store- house to tempt me, but I did not purchase it. I lifted it up in my arms, to enable me to form a guess at the weight of it, which I con- cluded to be between eighty and ninety pounds. When the natives saw me heaving it up and down with apparent ease, they seemed greatly surprised, and considered me to be a person of extraordinary strength ; and to some of their friends, who came in afterwards I ob- served them explaining the circumstance by making the same motion with a tsamma laid across their arms. This circumstance is mentioned for the purpose of proving a fact, which subsequent observation further confirmed, that the Bachapins are in general, men of little muscular strength, excepting, perhaps, in the Achilles-tendon and muscles connected with its use : at the same time, it showed that con- tinual labor and bodily exertion, if not carried too far, will greatly increase that strength. Desirous of gaining, among these people, the character of being munona tatdaio (a strong man), I confess that in this instance I exerted my utmost force with a view to induce them to suppose that the tusk was, to my hand, comparatively light; for as I knew that, guided by outward appearances, they judged them- selves to be my superiors in muscular power, I regarded it as an 1812. A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF LITAKUN. 447 important point of prudence and policy, to give them the impression of my being personally able to defend myself against any attempt on their part, should they ever feel disposed to offer open violence. On taking leave, I gave Kramori four inches of tobacco for him- self and his family, who, as it appeared to me, were almost as thank- ful as the Bushmen of Cisgariepine would have been at receiving a similar present. In the evening Mollemmi annoyed me by his importuning manners ; begging for a number of different things, and asking, among many other requests, for the use of my own fowling-piece, as he was going out hunting, he said, on the next morning. To this I gave a direct refusal ; but he was not at all abashed by it, for im- mediately, as if to sound my opinion, he told me that he had been bargaining with Cornelis for the purchase of his gun. This last re- mark was not merely a teazing solicitation : I considered such deter- mined perseverance to get possession of our fire-arms, as a serious misfortune to us, and felt that I had some reason still for being uneasy at the renewal of this conversation. Instantly I answered in a peremptory manner, that I would certainly not permit any trans- action of that kind ; and asked him if he was not satisfied with the favor I had already done him and his brother, by allowing them to have one of my muskets, although it was, as they must know, exceed- ingly inconvenient to me to give it up at this time ; and I concluded by requesting that he would talk no further on that subject. It seemed that my tone of voice gave a check to his importunities, at least for the present: for, on giving him some tobacco, he left me that he might light his pipe at my men’s fire ; and I was glad to find that he returned no more that night. 2 2nd. In the morning I took a walk, and ascended the rocky ridge of hills, which encloses the southern side of the town, for the purpose of drawing a bird's-eye view of Litakun , to give an idea of the plan and general appearance of a South- African town. I was accompanied by Mattlvi and his attendants, who were mostly kosies ; for he never walked out without a dozen of these in his train. He was much pleased when I explained to him what I was about to do, and 448 EXPLANATION OF THE CYLINDRIC PRINCIPLE, 22 July when I told him that it was in order to show his town to my friends at home in my own country, and to let them see how extensive it was. He took much interest in my operations, and conducted me to a spot whence I could have the best prospect. His choice was just, and I made my drawing from the very point of view to which he brought me ; but the numerous clusters of dwellings spread so far both to the right and to the left, that the laws of perspective would not allow me to include in my sketch more than a third of the town, without having recourse to the prin- ciple of a cylindric medium. * But as there was no variation in the * The method of drawing in perspective on the principle of an imaginary cylindric medium not having hitherto, I believe, been noticed by any writer on this branch of optics, it becomes necessary to make the above allusion to it intelligible by a brief explanation. — The usual method supposes this medium to be a transparent plane through which the objects are beheld ; the 1 point of sight,’ to be that point in the plane, where a line from the eye, or visual ray, would strike it perpendicularly ; the ‘ point of distance,’ to be a point in the plane, at a distance from the point of sight, equal to that between the eye and the medium ; and ‘ accidental points’ to be those to which all lines not actually parallel to the medium, nor perpendicular to it, appear perspectively to converge. This, at least, is the method usually taught, and is that which I acquired under the instruction of that excellent artist Mr. Nattes , whose works prove that he was truly a master in the art of perspective drawing. In putting this method into practice, the view seen through the medium, or rather the medium itself on which the objects are imagined as depicted, becomes the picture ; which picture, to be strictly and optically correct, must represent these objects larger in proportion as their places on the medium may be farther from the point of sight ; an enlargement similar to that which is required in the projection of extensive maps. Until the extent of landscape exceed an angle of about fifty degrees, this enlarge- ment will be inconsiderable in drawings of moderate size ; but when it is much beyond that, the picture, if the correct principles of perspective be strictly adhered to, must be- come an anamorphosis , and will not admit of being viewed in any other position, than that in which the eye of the spectator is exactly opposite to the { point of sight,’ and at the same distance from it, as the { point of distance.’ This is, however, the position in which all perspectives ought to be viewed : notwithstanding a practice, too often seen in galleries, of hanging such pictures so that the visual ray cannot fall perpendicularly upon its proper point, nor even upon any part of the painting. But by adopting that principle which supposes this medium to be the superficial Con- cavity of a perpendicular cylinder , the eye being placed at any point in the axis, a method is found by which a landscape may be extended to any number of degrees, and by which every object on the same horizontal line may be delineated in the same proportion ; which may be demonstrated geometrically by showing that all the visual rays from the axis of a cylinder, and falling on the same horizontal line, are equal; while all those which fall upon a nlane, increase in length as they spread farther from the point of sight. In practice, 1812. IN THE ART OF DRAWING IN PERSPECTIVE. 449 appearance of the different clusters, nor in that of the houses, a view of one-third would convey a complete and just idea of the whole. The Chief and his party seated themselves around me, and watched my proceedings, not with that degree of curiosity which indicated a desire of learning the art, but merely with that which the novelty of the affair excited. Some, without much reflection, indeed, took their stand before me, and on my requesting them to move aside, Mattlvi scolded them very unceremoniously, for ob- structing my view : on which they laid themselves down on the rocks, or stationed themselves behind me. The Chiefs dinner-hour happened during my drawing ; and, as he chose to remain with me till I had finished my work, his servants brought his dinner to him. He used most frequently, or when not the cylindric method has several advantages and facilities, although it requires that very long horizontal right lines which are much above or below the ‘ horizontal line’ properly so called, or that which passes through the point of sight, should be represented more or less curved ; but this is a case which very rarely occurs. In landscape-pictures which comprehend a larger horizontal angle than the eye can clearly take in at one view, such as the cylindric principle admits of, it would be incorrect to enlarge the angle of altitude, or height of the picture, in the same proportion ; although this precept, which naturally depends on the powers of vision, appears to be in general little attended to. In the course of studying this art from nature, we may discover that all the rules which are usually given us for delineating the different parts of a view where a great number of ‘ accidental points’ are required, may be reduced to one, and thus the theore- tical difficulties of the art exceedingly simplified, if not altogether done away. The following rule will be found to be universal, and applicable to every possible case ; The point to which any straight line in nature appears to tend, is that point in the medium, whether plane or cylindrical, where a visual ray parallel to that line would fall. And then, by corollary ; All lines which are parallel in nature, must, in a drawing, be made to con- verge to the same point : and further ; All lines which are horizontal in nature, must tend to some point in the ‘ horizontal line ;’ and those which actually incline downwards, must in a picture be drawn to some point below that line, and those upwards, to some point above. It is not only in pictures of buildings, that a knowledge of the principles of perspec- tive is necessary, although in such it is absolutely indispensable ; but, in every branch of the art of drawing, it is eminently useful ; a consideration which has occasioned the sub- ject to be noticed in this place. In confining this explanation to the space of a note, many particulars must necessarily be omitted which might perhaps make the above remarks more available to those who are but little acquainted with the theory of the art ; but this exposition of the principles which guided my own practice, will, it is hoped, be sufficiently intelligible to those who take any particular interest in the subject. 3 M VOL. II. 450 BACHAPIN MEALS. — MODE OF USING THE KNIFE. 22 July, prevented by the weather, to take these meals in his mootsi, in the open air. No repast could be more frugal, more simple, or less ceremonious, than these. The meat, as usual, was small pieces of boiled beef \ set before him in a wooden bowl ; and from this he dis- tributed some in his fingers to each of his attendants, who received it also in their hands ; and who immediately gnawed it in pieces without ceremony, or sometimes they took the trouble to cut it with their knife. The quantity of meat which came to each person’s share, ap- peared not sufficient for a meal, unless they afterwards ate again in their own houses : but in public I never saw the Chief and his party eating more than once in the day ; and this consisted only of beef, without any other kind of food in addition ; nor was it ever ob- served to be cooked in any other manner than by boiling. The Bachapins have not the least idea of making their meals the opportunity for displaying luxury and refinement : they eat because nature demands it, and imagine that a meal can require no ceremony or forms more than those of chewing and swallowing. They look only to the gratification of bodily appetite, and appear quite insensible to the mental pleasures of conviviality. Their mode of using the knife at their meals, is uncouth and singular enough, and could not be imitated by a European, without incurring the risk of cutting off his under lip : on applying the lump of meat to the mouth, one end or corner of it is seized between the teeth, and the hand which holds it, pulls with some force while the mouthful is severed from it, with the knife close to the lips. In default of a knife, I have often seen the hassagay made use of. This mode is not peculiar to the Bachapins or the Bichuanas ; it is so common among every tribe of the Hottentot race, that I am unable to decide, to which nation the honor of its invention is due. But as the Hottentots are distinguished among the tribes of Africa by many peculiarities, and as the extraordinary mode of drinking already described * is properly theirs, it seems probable that this mode of eating may be also theirs. # At page 314. of this volume. 1812. FOOD. — VIEW OF THE TOWN. — UNLUCKY-WOOD. 451 Neither on this occasion, nor on any other during my travels among the Bichuanas, was I ever invited to partake of their meals. It is not however to be inferred that their greediness is so excessive that they never give away food ; since some of my own men have now and then received a portion from Mattlvi’s bowl, and have some- times eaten com and milk in several houses at Litakun. But the notion which these people seem to have of white-men , is, that they are so inexhaustibly rich, that from the moment when they first set foot on the Bachapin territory, it is their duty to be constantly making presents to the natives, who think themselves to be a nation possessed comparatively of so little, that they ought to be receivers only, and under no obligation to do a favor in return, or to express their gratitude in any other manner than by words. Judging from their general conduct, one would conclude that they suppose that the white-men who visit them, can never while in this land, be in want of food or of the least assistance of that kind ; but are, on the contrary, able to feed as many natives as chuse to seat themselves round their fire. From the hills on which we were standing, of which the outside, at least, is formed of loose angular blocks of red sand-stone, the view is that of a most extensive plain. The prospect , looking down upon the town, is totally unlike every thing but itself, and well worth the trouble of climbing the rocks. The whole plan of Litakun, (which will be more particularly described in the seventeenth chapter,) and of its clusters of houses, of the dwellings themselves, and of the ad- joining mootsies, is here seen at once, as distinctly as on a map. On this hill, between the rocks and stones, grow a few shrubby plants ; but as they are continually broken for firewood, or browsed upon by the goats, few therefore are to be found of any size ex- cepting the Vangueria infausta. Among the numberless super- stitious and absurd beliefs, is that which has been already mentioned, as attributing to this shrub an unlucky influence over those who use it for fuel : consequently there was here an abundance of decayed and dry wood : a circumstance very fortunate for us, as otherwise we must have sought our firewood at the distance of a mile or two from 3 m 2 452 THE MOSHU TREE — HEELA! 22 July, the town, every dry stick in the vicinity having been consumed by the inhabitants. When I had finished my sketch, Mattivi, pleased at the thought that the magnitude of his town would now be made known in the country of the white-men, inquired very particularly if I had drawn every house ; yet though my answer was contrary to his wishes, he remained well satisfied by being told that I had drawn as many as my paper could contain, and that I intended making a sketch of the other part of the town, from the opposite hills. We all then descended the hill together. In our way I sought for flowers, but could discover nothing new ; every vegetable was so completely dried up, that scarcely a specimen could be procured. Some of the natives seeing me gather a plant, very good-naturedly made search for more of the same kind, and brought them to me ; but nothing was found worth preserving. The path by which we returned, brought us to Serrakutus mootsi, the first dwelling to which we came, and situated at a little dis- tance from the foot of the hill. I walked in to examine a beautiful tree of a new species of acacia , called by the inhabitants, Moshu *, and to gather some of its singularly twisted or curved pods, which just at this season were hanging in abundance. Serrakutu, who was sitting in one corner of the enclosure, and whom I did not at first observe, called out to me with a loud voice, Heeela ! Heela ! f and seemed much gratified by my paying him a * Acacia Litalcunensis , B. Catal. Geogr. 2205. Arbor 40-pedalis, (vide tabulam sextain) comis partialibus depresso-patentibus. (In plantula hortensi bienni ; Folia sub- pubescentia, bipinnata 4 — 6-juga, foliolis 'interstitio invicem separatis, anguste oblongis, 9 — 13-jugis. Spina? stipulares geminse breves recurvae.) Legumina bivalvia tortuosa. f Hela ! (Haylah) is a common exclamation among the Bachapins, and is used when calling to a person at a distance. The first syllable is usually protracted to a length pro- portioned to the distance of the person called. If he be only a few yards off, Hela ! is supposed to be sufficient ; if at a much greater distance, Heela ! if still farther, Heeela and even He e cla ! : and when it is considered that both the tone and the strength of the voice are heightened and increased in the same proportion, it will readily be con- ceived that this is not a word of mean importance, nor much less resounding than the 7roAu and by the representation of them at page 380 §, it will not be difficult to comprehend the manner in which they are made. The soles consist of a single piece of thick hide, generally that of * At page 350. f The pukoje, pukoli, or pukoghe, has been described at page 318. | At page 398. and in the note at page 459. of Vol. I. § That engraving shows the upper and under sides of two pairs of sandals of different makes. In the figure on the right, the leathern straps pass between the great toe and the next: in that on the left, they are intended to pass over all the toes. The two small intermediate figures are given for the purpose of showing the manner in which the strap, which is of a single piece, passes over the foot, (in the figure on the left), and is fastened to the two transverse straps which are fixed to the sole. The upper, of these two figures, shows the end of one of the transverse straps ; and the lower, the form which the other strap takes when fixed into it. Their appearance on the foot may be seen in the engraving at page 291., and in the ninth plate of the first volume. IVORY BRACELETS. 571 the ox ; and the straps, of that of some antelope. These soles are always much larger than the feet, especially in the fore part, for the purpose of guarding them from the grass and bushes, or, perhaps, of giving a firmer step on loose sands. Unless when the nature of the ground or of the country require them to use such protection, these people more frequently go barefooted, even the chieftains, and the chief himself. The Jchuru (khooroo) is merely a cap of fur or leather, made to fit close to the head : it is of no constant or particular make ; nor is it worn by the greater number. Ivory rings , such as the two upper figures here represent, are worn round the wrist, or above the elbow, by men of the richer order : sometimes more than one are seen ; but whether these be any peculiar mark of rank or distinction, or whether the wearing of them depend only upon the persons ability to purchase them, is a question which my information does not enable me to determine ; but there is little doubt that here, as in other countries, many signs by which the higher classes of society are distinguished at first sight, as dress or 4 d 2 572 THE PLATTED BRACELET. — THE EAR-PLATE. equipage, are to be regarded merely as a display of their riches. The poorer Bachapins were more frequently without any personal decoration whatever. Of these two rings, the figure on the right, was taken from one which was presented to me by Mollemmi , the last time I saw him, and two months after I finally left Litakun. He took it off his arm at the moment of parting, and delivered it to me as a proof of his friend- ship. It is the only thing of the kind which, during my travels among the Bichuanas, I ever received gratuitously. The platted bracelet , shown by the middle figure, is made of the entrails and sinews of animals, or more rarely of bark. It is decorated with copper or porcelain beads, and, when new, has a large appendage formed by the loose ends of the plat hanging together in a long bunch which in time becomes much clotted by the accumu- lation of grease and red ochre, or sibilo. Amulets of various forms hang constantly round the neck of those who have faith in them, or who feel a necessity for their pro- tection 5 but many persons are seen without any thing of the kind. The lower figure on the right represents one which has already been described at page 550. The opposite figure on the left is that of the makkav (makkow) or dancing-rattles, which are worn round the ankles during the time of dancing ; but I never on any occasion saw them made use of: in their nature and effect they do not differ from those used by the Bushmen and described at page 65. Each separate pod, which appears to be formed of skin, contains usually a few small pieces of the shell of an ostrich-egg, or little pebbles. The lekaaka (lakarkar) or ear-plate, is a thin plate of copper sus- pended from the ear in the manner shown by the engraving at page 433., where it is represented nearly of the largest proportion. Its weight is considerable, which, with its size, would render it a most inconvenient ornament to any person who had not been gradually accustomed to wear heavy substances in that part. It is suspended by means of a short piece of stick passing through the lobe of the ear, and to which stick it is fastened with strong gum or wax. YOUNG MEN OF FASHION. 573 It is made of various sizes between two and five inches in length, and was observed to be worn only by men of the richer order ; but never by women. Tallama or buttons, whether of European, or of Bichuana, manufacture, are much esteemed ; and those which are quite plain, are preferred to such as bear any stamped figure. They are employed in a variety of ways, as ornaments ; but never, as fastenings for their clothing : for this purpose, they find small thongs of goat-leather more useful, and more secure. Various parts of animals are viewed as ornamental ; and hares’ tails appeared to be regarded as a great decoration to the head ; and the bladder of that, or of some small quadruped was often to be seen affixed to the hair. Of these latter there were most commonly more than one ; and sometimes six or more, were appended. Hair from the mane or the tail of the kokung, was often placed as a crest upon the crown of the head : and the tail of the kaa?na, or that of the Crescent-horned Antelope, with the hairs spread out and pressed flat, formed a very usual, and much admired, appendage to their leathern cloaks, in the manner shown by the engraving at page 529. ; in which, and in plate 10., may be seen a very common practice of ornamenting the edge of such cloaks with small holes. Young men, especially those of the richer class, are not without a desire of exhibiting themselves to the greatest advantage, and sometimes an affectation of peculiarity in dress or decoration, points out the aspiring youth of liaut-ton. The two figures at the beginning of this chapter, represent the heads of two 4 dandies ’ of Litakun. Their hair had lately been cut, and doubtlessly in the newest and most admired fashion. In that on the right, the lower part of the back of the head had been shaved, or rather, scraped, bare ; and two parallel and curved lines, also scraped bare, sur- rounded the head, and at their meeting behind, formed an angle : while the rest of the hair was left in its natural state, thick and woolly. They say that this operation of scraping is attended with pain, and I readily believed them when I saw the instrument with which it was performed ; a small piece of iron sharpened at the end 574 HAIR-CUTTING. — COLOR OF THE SKIN. like a chissel, but with an edge not keener than an ordinary knife. These bald lines, which might be compared to a path-way mowed through a field of corn, were sometimes single ; and some of these fashionable young Africans were observed having the whole of the head scraped bald, excepting a small patch on the top. In the figure on the left, the lower part of the hair is also scraped away ; but instead of those bare lines, the fancy of the wearer led him to distinguish himself in a manner which he thought more becoming, by allowing a tuft of hair at the back of the head, to grow as long as possible. This latter was a fashion followed also by Mattivi, who, in addition, covered the top of his head with a profusion of grease and sibilo. Some, instead of sibilo, protect their head by a khuru or cap either of fur or plain leather ; but as this piece of dress is not com- mon, there are very few who are not at all times both bareheaded and barefooted. Some of the young men display their taste by wearing very large ivory-beads round the ankle. Many of the chieftains, and others of that class, when not armed, carry a stick about five feet long and of the same size as the shafts of their hassagays. This they call a tsamma *, which implies a 4 walking-stick,’ though it is merely carried in the hand, and never used as a support or assistance in walking: from being so much accustomed to the hassagay, they take the tsamma probably with no other view than to avoid being empty-handed. The true color of their skin, which is black though considerably lighter than that of the Guinea negro, is so universally disguised by red ochre or sibilo, as more fully has been explained on a former occasion (page 256.), that a Bachapin in his natural color, is a rare sight. It is in the dry season of the year, that they most adorn themselves with sibilo, as rain is considered inimical to its beauty ; though in reality this substance is used, but in a somewhat less quantity, at all seasons. Several useful articles are carried about them as constant The word tsamma means also ‘ to walk ’ { to go away ’ or c to depart.’ KNIVES.— METALS. 575 appendages, and are always hung round the neck. Of these the tipa (teepar) or knife, is the most common and the most indispensable. The first or uppermost of these figures will convey an idea of the kind most frequently seen ; the second represents one without its sheath and with a more ornamented handle ; the third is one of the most handsome, its handle and sheath being carved out of ivory. The blade, which is made with an edge on both sides, is mere iron : the Bachapins seemed to be unacquainted with the difference between that and steel. Their knowledge of metals is very imperfect; and they were totally ignorant of their relative value according to the estimation of civilized nations. The word tsiipi or tsipi (tseepy), used alone, signifies iron, ; tsipi e Jcubilu, literally 4 red iron, ’ expresses copper : tsipi e tseka , 4 yellow iron,’ was the name for gold as well as brass ; and silver was called tsipi e chu (or shu ), or 4 white iron.’ It seems, there- fore, that the word tsipi may be taken as equivalent to that of 4 metal.’ The handle and sheath are most commonly of horn or wood variously carved ; the latter part consists of two flat pieces bound to- gether with sinew : the front piece alone is ornamented. To the hinder 576 SNUFF-BAG. — NEEDLES. part is tied a thong by which it is fastened to a necklace, while the lower end of it is left hanging below the knife for the purpose of keeping it in a perpendicular position. In the lower figure, the two weasels on the sheath are left in 4 high relief and from this some idea may be formed of the patience of these people in carving. But all work of this kind is done, perhaps, merely for amusement ; as it is generally carried about with them, and taken in hand only when they have nothing else to do : so that it proceeds in a very desultory manner, and a long time passes before it is finished. Those parts which are black, are cut into the ivory, and filled up with a dark gummy substance. Suspended in the same manner as the knife, they frequently carry a sibbaata ; which is a small bag for holding tobacco or snuff. The thuko (tooko) or needle, is a very usual appendage ; it be- longs exclusively to the men, and is one of which great use is made. It is always kept exceedingly sharp, and may more properly be named an awl. The figures here represent a thuko , and three varieties of sheaths. These sheaths are varied merely according to the taste of the maker : they are made of leather, and at their upper end a MANNER OF SEWING. 577 transverse tube of the same material is formed for the purpose of receiving the cord which goes round the neck, and perhaps also for keeping them in a perpendicular position. The work which they perform with this instrument, although proceeding very slowly, is admirably neat and strong, two qualities in which it far excels all which I have seen of European sewing. Their thread is the divided sinew of animals # ; than which, no fibre possesses greater strength. Their manner of sewing is ; to place the two edges of the leather to be connected, close by the side of each other, and, if fur, to place the hairy sides together ; a hole, barely large enough to admit the thread, is then, with the utmost precision, pierced with the thuko, and the sinew inserted with the hand. The durability of these seams consists not only in the strength of thread, but in each stitch being fastened ; so that the breaking of one does not affect any of the others : they are also rendered impervious to the wind, by the care which they take to make the holes no larger than the thread. To this end the gradually tapering form of the thuko is especially adapted ; for thus, with the same needle, holes of any size may be made with the greatest precision, by so placing the finger and thumb, that the instrument shall not penetrate beyond that part which is just of the thickness to make a hole of the size required ; or, in other words, they place the finger at the part where it is of the same thickness as the thread. Although they admired the greater expedition with which my Hottentots worked with needles which drew the thread through by means of an £ eye,’ yet they ex- pressed not the least wish to possess any of these or to make use of them ; and when some of my people employed them to assist in making their leathern trowsers, the natives always used the thuko. Their method was in reality the best in every respect excepting despatch ; but as expedition in work, instead of being an advantage to people who have more time than employment, is rather a dis- advantage, as it would often leave them without the means of amusing their otherwise vacant hours, they viewed our superiority VOL. II. See Vol. I. page 214. 4 E 578 WHISTLES. — THE KETSI. — UMBRELLA OF FEATHERS. in this and in many other things, as a matter of mere curiosity, but not of interest. They frequently wear suspended from their necklace, a whistle ; either of ivory, as the second of these figures ; or of wood, as that on ! i i 1 i4Lnehes the left, the string of which is decorated with iron beads. They are sounded in the same manner as the reed-pipe *, and give a shrill tone, well suited for the purpose of making signals to persons at a distance : they were said to be used also on their elephant-hunts. In short, whatever article is of frequent use and of light weight, is fastened to the neck. The Jcetsi (kaitsi) or bag, hangs by a long cord across one shoulder, and is usually taken with them when they leave home, or go on a journey : in this they carry any thing which cannot conveniently be slung about the neck ; and as it hangs as low as the hip, and some- times much lower, it is virtually the same as a pocket. * Which has been already described at page 410. FEATHER-STICK. — MODE OF PROCURING FIRE. 579 In hot weather they sometimes carry an umbrella made with ostrich-plumes fixed round a small circular piece of stiff hide through the centre of which a long stick passes and forms the handle. The whole apparatus has precisely the form of our parasols, and differs only in its materials ; but has an exceedingly elegant appearance. The smaller black feathers which cover the wings and body of that bird, are applied to a very different, but equally useful, purpose. They are tied round a thin stick of the size of the shaft of a hassagay, which is thus covered for two or three feet along the upper part of its length ; their points turning outwards. This feather-stick often renders the natives important service when hunting or attacking the larger and more ferocious wild animals. If in approaching too near, these creatures should suddenly turn upon them, their only chance of escaping, is by immediately fixing the feather-stick into the ground, and taking to flight. As this apparatus is always carried in a manner to be most conspicuous, the animal, seeing it standing up before him, mistakes it for the man himself, and vents his fury upon it : by which stratagem the man gains time, either to escape to a place of safety, or till his companions come up to his assistance. In this manner the life of one of my Hottentots was once saved from an enraged rhinoceros. When they are on a journey, and often at other times, they carry suspended from their neck, a lorulo or stick for procuring fire. Nothing can be more simple, as it consists only of two sticks about six inches long and not so thick as a finger. On the side of one of these, several round hollows, although one would be sufficient, have been cut out for the purpose of receiving the end of the other stick. When they have occasion for fire, either for cooking their food or for lighting their pipe, they place the hollowed stick on the ground and hold it steady by pressing the foot upon one end : some dry wood is then scraped into one of the holes, and the end of the other stick inserted or placed perpendicularly in it ; while a small quantity of combus- tible matter, such as dry grass, is heaped close round the hole : the perpendicular stick is then twirled round between the palms of the hands, with as much velocity as possible ; and by continuing this 4 e 2 580 DISORDERS. — MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE. motion, the violent friction upon the lower stick, in a short time causes the powder and the grass to take fire. The Bachapins were unac- quainted with any other mode of obtaining fire, till the Hottentots taught them that of the flint and steel ; but though a considerable number of small brass tinder-boxes and steels, made expressly for being carried in the pocket, have been from time to time brought to Litakun, yet these people were rarely seen to make use of them ; and habit is still so powerful that they seem to think their own loruloes , or fire-sticks, the most convenient. Of the personal appearance, dress, and decorations, of the Bachapins, the foregoing descriptions may suffice for giving a general idea. The aridity of their atmosphere, conjointly with a plain and simple diet, is the cause of the catalogue of their disorders being but short. The small-pox has, once or twice, as before stated, found its way into this country ; and, besides carrying off great numbers of the inhabitants, has left on the faces of many whom it spared, lasting- proofs of its visit ; but I never saw among them any symptoms of elephantiasis or other variety of leprosy, nor of any other disease of that complexion ; although indubitable proofs of these dreadful maladies may be observed among all the more southern tribes. Under these and so many other exemptions, therefore, it may be called a happy, land. They are sometimes visited with ophthalmia but a single case of blindness was all that came under my observation : nor did I any where see a cripple or a person of deformed figure. There are men among them, who make a profession of curing disorders ; but I had no opportunity of learning whether they really possessed any medical knowledge ; as all the answers which could be obtained to numberless questions put at different times on this sub- ject, only tended to show that the healing-art among them was nearly as low as their religion, both equally founded on the most absurd beliefs and mixed with the grossest ignorance. They seemed to rely more on charms and amulets, than on the properties of any drug ; and those plants which were pointed out to me as medicinal, were most frequently directed to be used in a manner which, if they POISONED WOUNDS. — LANGUAGE. 581 had any efficacy, could hardly bring it into action. But as it is a well established fact, that the mind, through the medium of the in- numerable nerves which pervade every part of the animal system, acts in many cases more powerfully upon the body than medicines, it is not improbable that these charms and amulets, however ridi- culous they may appear in our better judgment, may have often a useful, and more than imaginary, effect on those who have faith in them. These pretended healers do not deserve even the name of empirics , since their practice does not appear to be guided even by observation or experience. For the cure of inflammatory affections of the eye, which at particular seasons are very prevalent, they are said to use no application whatever. There are, however, some few rules which, though now followed as custom, may have formerly been the result of more observant men. Their mode of arresting the progress of the poison in wounds from the arrows of the Bushmen, as it was related to me, is not un- reasonable, though rather rude : it consists in scarifying the flesh around the wound with long and deep gashes. It is evident, whether they know it or not, that by dividing the veins which lead from the wound, they intercept the circulation of the blood through that part, and, consequently, prevent the poison from spreading. It is proba- ble that they also cut out the part immediately surrounding it ; although this is merely surmise. But such a method can only be successful, where the arrow has not penetrated deeply. Neither the Bichuanas, nor the Bushmen, poison their hassagays, and therefore the wounds made by them are healed merely by the application of a salve compounded of grease, and charcoal reduced to powder. Their language , so important and interesting a point in the investigation of man in an uncivilized state, so important to the philologist as an historical and geographical record, and so interest- ing to the philosopher as a picture of the art of speech in a state but little beyond its infancy, would seem to claim a more attentive examination than it would be convenient, in a work of this nature, to bestow on the subject. As far as my researches hitherto, have enabled me to make a comparison between the Sichuana and other 582 OBSERVATIONS ON African languages, it may be said that some faint traces of it are to be seen over the whole of Southern Africa, but that, to the north of the equinoctial line, alluding to the western coast, not the least appearance of it is to be discovered in the vocabularies of any of those languages which have come within my reach. In that of the Caffres immediately adjoining the Cape Colony, many Sichuana words occur ; but the dialects of the Hottentot language continue to this day, as distinct from those of the Bichuanas, as the two races themselves. The general tone of the Sichuana language * is exceedingly soft to the ear, and, few syllables ending with a consonant, the remark- able abundance of vowels and liquid letters gives it a smoothness of sound in which it is not surpassed by any language of Europe ; while the great number of double vowels f produce an easy flow which, in deliberate conversation, is most expressive and pleasing. A proof that there exists in it a just and harmonious combination of vowels and consonants, is, the surprising rapidity of utterance which it admits of, whenever any animating subject excites the speaker to rise above the usual tone, and hurry beyond the usual rate ; both which are moderate in all ordinary conversation. This extraordinary volubility of enunciation, not to be imitated in the Hottentot tongue, offers another confirmation, if it were necessary, of the widely distinct origins of these two races of men. From the specimens of the Sichuana, which I have collected, it would appear, either that this people’s love of euphony or smooth- ness of sound, induces them, as before noticed, very frequently to sacrifice grammatical precision ; or that this language possesses a variety of inflections which follow perhaps no rule but that of present custom. Various unconnected particles, perhaps unexampled in other languages, intervene between words ; if these particles are not * For the pronunciation ancl orthography of this language, the note at page 296. must be consulted. f These I have often written as single, with the mark of c long quantity’ over them. THE SICHUANA LANGUAGE. 583 to be considered either as terminations or as prefixes. The plural numbers of nouns are very frequently formed in a manner which ap- pears reducible to no general form ; and in substituting one letter for another, great licences are taken, instances of which have been given in many parts of the foregoing pages. The following specimen of the Sichuana language will serve to exemplify the preceding remarks. Mhnona ------- - A man. Moontu ------- Men. Mosarri ------- A woman. Bassarri ------ Women. Mosarri o Muchuana - - - - A Bichuana woman. Bassarri ba-Bichuana - - - - Bichuana women. Mosarri o mungklje - - - - A handsome woman. Muntina o maashue - - An ugly man. Shu White. Makvoaa mashu ----- A white man. Singh a kwa ------ Look there. Unko Irwaanu or k’wanu - - Come here. Lee hwanu ------ Give it me : literally ; Give here. Ee - - - Yes. Nia or nja ------ No. ’Ncha A dog. Mancha - - - - - - - Dogs. ’Nchu ------- - Black. ’Nche An ostrich. Njatu - - - - - - - A cowry shell. Lohaka - - - - A feather. Lipaka ------ - Feathers. ”Nku A sheep. ”Nko - -- -- -- - A house. ’Nko -------- The nose. Klou ------ - An elephant (and sometimes, by synecdoche, Ivory). Maklou - - - - - - Elephants. Peeri ------ - Two. Charnu ----- - Five. Klou tserri peeri - - - - Two elephants. Tu or Tail ----- - A lion. E tau peeri ----- Two lions. Tau licharnu ----- Five lions. Tsammo tiepa lichusi - - - - Go and dig roots (small bulbs). Tsamma ----- - Go away. Tsamma ------ A walking-stick. Tsamma e teliili - - - - A long walking-stick. Tsamma e kutsaali - - - - A short walking-stick. Mabaali or Mabbaani - - - Yesterday. 584 A SPECIMEN OF Tiipa i buk&ali - - - A sharp knife. Tlpa i bubui - - A blunt knife. Litiipa - - - Knives. Harr a - . .. - - - Father. Na tiipa i ne karri - - Give (the) knife to (my) father. Lee sihaaka Mollemmi - - Give (the) beads (to) Mollemmi. ’Mpa maashe - - - Give (me some) milk. Lee Jcighe - - Give (me something to) eat. Ees - (A Bachapin form of salutation.) Ee e rumeela - - - (The answer to it. See p. 431.) Md - - - - - - Mother. Ma chin - - - - - Our mother. Nuanjanna - - - - - An infant. Nuenjanni - - - A bird. Linuenjanni - Birds. Ku e nuenjaani , or Kuluku nuenjan A little (paululum). Sichaka - - A bird’s nest. Lichdka - Birds’ nests. Silleepi - - - - - A hatchet. Lileepi - - - - •- Hatchets. Biina ----- To dance. Biitsa - - - - To beat. Biitsar i kobo - - To beat a cloak. Ke sarriie - - I am busy. Meetsi ach'ili mush ad “ The sand absorbs the water ; or sand absorbs water : literally; Watei’, ( acc .) drinks sand ( nom .). Maashe ach'ila liinshe , or ’ ntsi The fly drinks the milk: literally; The milk, (acc.) drinks the fly (nom.). iVa sz dklwa _ _ - I do not understand (you). Bud kaapi - - - - Say (it) again. « (ow) u uklvoi - - - Do you understand? or, hear? Ti a ultwa - - - - I understand (you) : or ; I hear. Ka lei fiklwi Sichuaana - - I do not understand Sichuana. Ka ti bui Sichudna - I can not speak Sichuana. Mattiivi o kai - - - Where is Mattlvi ? Mattiivi bud Monarri Takoon - e kwarri Mattivi says (that) Monarri (must) come (to) Litakun. Ki a hwarri Takoon - - I am going to Litakun. ’A ki 'lit si or 'y/ che eetsi or '^4 ke lit si - - - - - - si I do not know. Taata ----- Strong. Mutuo tdtaajo - - - He (is a) strong (man). Bnklooku - - - - - - - Sick ; unwell ; bitter ; sour ; poisonous. Meetsi a buklooku - - Brackish water. Mlinuna o buklooku - - A sick man. 8 (ow) u buklooku - - - - - Are you unwell ? Mosarri bukloku taata - - - - My wife is very ill : literally ; Wife ill very. Liina jd lidaku i mang - - - What is your name ? literally ; Name your’s, what ? U Thou, ye, or you (nom.). THE SICHUANA LANGUAGE. 585 Ueena - - - - - - - - Okaa'i - - - - - - - - U e akaa'i - - - - u (ow) kaaka kantsintzi - Ki kaaka koreli (or koriri ) peeri - U cho ekaa'i - - - - Ki chua ko Krumani - - Tia boona - - - - - - - Ke boonje klu mabaali - - - - Ti siila kb boono iiena or iiela - - Lee ki boonji - - - - Rubeetsi -------- Ba rubeetsi - ------ Ki a kaana ------ Komo - - - - - - Kbmo e namakhari ; or by syn- alcepha, Kome namakhari Kome ” nchu ------- Komo tser ’'nchu ------ ’Ncha e shiili mokacha - I kachue pitsa - - - - - Pitsa e kachiia riili - - - - Pallama b Icuchara siseeshi - - - Thee or you ( acc .) Where? Whither are you going ? How long shall you be gone ? I shall be absent two months. Whence do you come ? I come from the Kruman. I see. I saw an elephant yesterday. I am come to see you. Let me see it: literally; Give (that) I (may) see. He sleeps. They sleep. I will not. An ox ; or ‘ horned cattle’ in general. A cow : literally ; a female ‘ komo.’ A black ox. Black oxen. The dog has burnt his tail. Clean the pot. The pot is clean. Climb (up the tree) and gather a flower. In giving the preceding selection, as a specimen of the Sichuana language, my object here is merely to exhibit its structure and some of its peculiarities. This I have judged to be more interesting than a bare list of words, from which no insight into its nature or gram- matical construction, could be obtained. Several examples of irregu- larities or, what I have supposed to be, incorrect pronunciation, may be seen. As the particular case which each phrase is intended to exem- plify, may be discovered by inspection or by a little examination, I have, in order to confine the subject within the limits of a summary, abstained from critical remarks. With respect to the pronunciation of these words, and the marks here made use of, sufficient explan- ations have already been given on different occasions * ; and to which a reference, if necessary, may now be made. The Bachapins are a people who, in almost every thing they do, * See pages 253, 254. 296. 303. 307, 308, and 309. of the present volume. 4 F VOL. II. 586 AGRICULTURE HOE. — CORN. — BREAD. adhere to ancient customs ; but this character has nothing of pecu- liarity in it, as it belongs to that great mass of mankind who are too indolent in mind to think for themselves ; and for whom custom is, perhaps, the safest guide ; though one which never leads to improve- ment or discovery. From this cause, Bachapin agriculture is ex- tremely simple, and artless ; it is, as before remarked, performed entirely by women. To prepare the ground for sowing, they peck it up to the depth of about four inches, with a kind of hoe, or mattock, which differs in nothing from the peeklo or adze * excepting in its being two or three times larger. The corn is put into the earth in the months of August or September, according to the earlier or later falling of the rains ; and is said to be reaped in April or about that time. It is of that kind which is known by the names of Indian Millet, and Guinea-Corn ; and is called in the Cape Colony, by that of Caffire Corn f, being of the same species as this last, yet differing somewhat from the others, although the difference is scarcely to be distinguished but by the botanist. The growth of the plant resembles that which is well known in English gardens under the name of Maize or Indian Corn ; and, vulgarly speaking, it may be said to differ from it only by pro- ducing a large upright bunch of small round grain, instead of a solid cylindrical ear. The Bichuanas call it mabbele (mabbaly) X and are fond of chewing the stalk, or rather, cane, the juice of which they find agreeably sweet and refreshing. This grain is most commonly eaten simply boiled ; but they sometimes pound it (having nothing that can be denominated a mill), and after boiling it with milk to a solid substance, leave it till it become very sour ; in which state they call it bukobi, a name which my interpreter explained by the Dutch word brood (bread), a word which the Colonial Hottentots apply to any vegetable preparation of a similar consistence, however different in quality. * Described in the first volume at page 406. f Holcus (Sorghum) Cqffrorum. J Sometimes pronounced mahbeli. HORTICULTURE. — BEANS. — WATERMELONS. — CALABASH. 587 They cultivate also a considerable quantity of linia (lenowa), a small species of kidney-bean. * The seeds are, I believe, eaten only when ripe, and not in the state of green pods. These seeds are of scarcely half the size of the smallest beans of the English gardens, and like them, vary much in color ; but the plants themselves are all of the same growth, being erect, about a foot and a half high, and showing no disposition to twine. Their flowers, in some varieties, were of the most beautiful blue; and in others, of a yellow color. The pods grew upwards and in pairs. At the time of my residence at Litakun, it was not, what may be termed, their garden-season ; and no where was the least appear- ance to be seen which could have induced me to believe that they practised horticulture, as all their crops had long been gathered, their land lay neglected and uninclosed, and they had not yet begun to plant the seeds for the next season. I obtained, however, seeds of various sorts with their names, and descriptions of the vegetables. They were principally varieties of a species of water-melon called lekdtdni : one with yellow seeds was called lekdtdni lefeeii ; another with red, lekdtdni ndhdnd ; with green, lekatdni kwdu ; and with black having a white margin, lekatani ’’nchu. These were said to admit of being dried in the sun, for the purpose of being preserved as a store for winter ; but whether they were at this season unusually scarce, or the natives were too greedy to part with their food, it is a remark- able fact, that I never once saw any of these latter, nor was I able to procure any by purchase. They have also another sort of water- melon named leshuatze, which is eaten boiled ; and another called lekhdpu, which was said by my interpreter to be ‘ the Cape sort.’ The leputzi or pumpkin is equally common in their gardens ; and the calabash gourd f is much cultivated for the sake of its shell or sikkwo which performs a very important part in their domestic economy, as it furnishes them with drinking vessels and milk-bowls, of all sizes. * This corresponds with the description of Dolichos Catiang , a species which is also cultivated in the East Indies, f Cucurbita lagenaria. 4 f 2 588 TOBACCO-PLANT.— POTATO. — WILD FRUITS. This is the extent of their horticulture : and, that it does not include the tobacco plant , is a circumstance greatly to be wondered at, when it is considered how excessively fond they are of smoking, and that the nations beyond them, as well as the Hottentots at Klaar- water, cultivate it with success ; and where they have therefore seen, and become well acquainted with, the plant. But this is again a proof of the force of custom, and of the slowness with which un- civilized men admit improvement, when it combats ancient habits or prejudices ; for, on being asked why they did not themselves grow tobacco instead of begging it from every stranger, who visited them, they replied, that they did not know the reason, but believed it was because it had never been their practice to plant it. Yet the culti- vation of this, and of various useful vegetables which I mentioned to them, was confessed to be a desirable object ; and it appeared from this acknowledgment that they were not absolutely averse to making the attempt. They were, on the contrary, exceedingly pleased and thankful, when I put it in their power to cultivate the potato and the peach , by giving them, as before related, a quantity of each. The pursuit of agriculture, though deemed by them of high importance, is not, however, carried so far as to put the nation in a state of plenty ; and it will have appeared in the course of the foregoing pages that want of food is sometimes the lot of many, and that abundance is the good fortune of comparatively only a few. To fill up this deficiency, and escape starvation, or at least to mitigate their daily hunger, they are reduced to the necessity of searching the plains for those wild roots which nature offers ; the produce of the chase, though sometimes plentiful, being too precarious for their constant dependence ; and spontaneous fruits of no kind, excepting the small berries of the Guarri * and the Moreekwo f, being any * Different species of Euclea are, as before mentioned, called Guarri by the Hot- tentots (See Vol. I. p. 387.) ; but that species which I met with most abundantly in the country of the Bachapins, is the Euclea myrtina, B. Cat. Geogr. 2573. Frutex 4 — 5-pedalis, foliosus, ramosus, dioicus. Folia nuda plana lanceolata obtusa. Baccaj glabrae globosae pisi magnitudine, nigrae, dulces et sub-astringentes. f Moreekwo is the Sichuana name for the Grewia Jlava. See Vol. I. p. 364. WILD EATABLE ROOTS. — THE TAMA. 589 where to be found. The berries of the moreekwo bush, are of an agreeably sharp flavour. Among their various eatable wild roots *, the most remarkable is the Tarna, on account both of its enormous size, and of its being the only species of Bauhinia f hitherto discovered in Southern Africa. The plant consists of several long slender branches spread- ing on the ground to the distance of six or ten feet, furnished with round leaves which are nearly divided into two, and producing large yellow flowers, which are succeeded by a pod of considerable magni- tude, containing several brown seeds or beans. It grows only in sandy plains, where the root attains the size of a foot and a half in length, and half a foot in diameter. It is of a reddish color when dried, and in appearance not much unlike the water-yam; but is of a very astringent taste, which the natives correct by boiling in milk. The seeds also, * Of the wild roots which are more commonly eaten, a species of Gladiolus called liliiin or lituing, and another of Babiana called lickus, which is the general name for bulbs of these genera, are met with very frequently in the Great Plains of Litakun : and besides these, there are various other species of Erisatce, which the natives dig up for the same purpose. They have all, when slightly roasted, a sweet and agreeable taste, much like that of chesnuts. Gladiolus edulis, B. Catal. Geogr. 2240. Bulbus oblongus. Scapus simplex 1 — 1^-pedalis. Folia angustissima linearia glau- cescentia trinervia (nervis duobus marginalibus elevatis) scapo duplo triplove longiora. Flores dilute purpurascentes. Corollae lacinias, acuminatissimae apicibus contortis, obovatae ; quarum superior erecta, et reliquae 5 aequales patentes macula lanceolata saturate pur- purea medio flavido notatae. (Vide Bot. Reg. 169.) Babiana hypogea, B. Catal. Geogr. 2241. Folia linearia angustissima, et etiam fere filiformia, (aliquando minus angusta) villosa scapo (2 — 3 plove) longiora (variat aliquando foliis glabris). Scapus subterraneus, ut quoque tubus corollas, et capsulae. Flores purpurei breviter pedunculati, laciniis corollae mucronulatis. Spatha bi- vel potius tri-valvis, valvis 2 coadunatis ad apices verb discretis. Cyanella lineata , B. Catal. Geogr. 2256, 2. Scapus spicatus subramosus. Pedunculi elongati, basi bractea lanceolato-lineari suflfulti, medio aliam minorem gerentes. Petala ovato -lanceolata dilute rosea, nervis 5 saturatioribus picta; 3 superiora reflexa intermedio recurvo, infimo cymbiforme. Anthera inferior reliquis major. j- Bauhinia esculenta , B. Catal. Geogr. 2414. Radix ingens (sesquipedalis) esculenta. Caules humifusi 6 — 10-pedales subramosi, cirrati. Folia nuda orbiculata integerrima, ad basin fere bipartita. Racemi laterales. Pedunculi elongati. Caules, folia nondum explicata, et calyx, rufo-pubescentia. Petala flava obcordata, et obovata. Germen pedicellatum. Semina magna subglobosa fusca glabra. 590 ARTS OF THE BACHAPINS. — LEATHER. which are called tammdm or litammam, are much eaten ; and are sometimes strung into necklaces. The Bachapins may be said to be little acquainted with arts , and to manufacture only a few things of the simplest kind. I have given them due praise for their architecture , with regard to the neatness of their dwellings and the plan on which they are constructed ; and for the perfection to which they have brought the art of sewing leather. But though in other works they possess, what may be termed, latent ingenuity, yet I could discover nothing, except these two, which could claim absolutely any admiration from a European. With reference, however, to the implements they make use of, several articles of their manufacturing deserve commendation, as exhibiting at least proofs of great patience. The means by which they bring raw hides, and the skins of animals, into the state of leather, seemed to be principally mecha- nical, as they certainly do not at present practice the art of tanning by steeping the skin in any lixivium. They sometimes smear them with the brains of the animal, and say that this assists their other operations in rendering the skin more supple and soft : the Hot- tentots and Bushmen follow the same practice, but not always ; nor is it an essential part of the process. They may possibly employ the juices of some plants containing the tanning property * ; but this never came under my observation. Their method therefore consists in loosening the texture of the skin by continued rubbing, stretching and scraping : this is per- formed in various ways. Small skins are prepared in the hand, and are frequently carried about with the person, that they may be thus rubbed whenever he may find leisure, or be in want of amusement. The larger skins consume much labor and time before they are made fit for use. The manner in which these people usually work upon them, singular as it may appear to a stranger, is not unreasonable, as it seems to have been devised with a view to convert a laborious * See page 243. of the first volume. MODE OF PREPARING SKINS FOR CLOAKS. 591 employment into an amusement. The skin being laid upon the ground, and having another skin stretched under it, several men, from two to as many as can sit round it, employ themselves upon it at the same time. The operation of bringing it into the state of leather consists in alternately pushing it together and distending it. If only two persons are at work, they sit or kneel opposite to each other, and at the same instant, push the skin forward, not only by the movement of their hands, but by that of their whole body ; by which the operators are brought almost in contact with each other. Then quickly rising, they draw themselves backwards, and pull the skin open. Immediately they again drive it together, and again stretch it out ; continuing all the while to keep time to these move- ments, by a strange savage noise more like that of dogs fighting over a bone, or of wild beasts growling and yelling over their prey, than of men singing for amusement ; for such it is meant to be, although more properly described as a howling and grunting. If several persons engage in this employment, half their num- ber at a time go through these motions ; and on rising up, the other half fall forwards and push the skin into a heap in the centre : thus each party making their movements alternately in quick succession, the skin, to which they generally add grease to diminish its stiffness, is rendered, after a few days’ work, exceedingly pliable, and perhaps much softer than it could have been made by the usual method of tanning in a ley of bark. Afterwards, those parts of the skin, which have not been sufficiently softened by this process, are rubbed together by the hand. The raw hide, previously to the above oper- ation, undergoes much preparatory scraping, either with an adze or with a sharp piece of stone. The form of the kobo differs a little in shape from the Hottentot kaross , by having the two upper corners, which meet over the breast, enlarged by a broad appendage for the purpose of more completely protecting that part of the body. The leathern cloaks are more com- monly made of the skin of the kaama *, which is preferred as being * Either the Antilope Buhalis , Linn, or the Antilope lunata. 592 SKINS USED FOR MAKING CLOAKS.— THE KAKIKAAN. the strongest ; but that of the kokoong, the kudu , the gemsbok, and of other antelopes, as well as of the domestic goat, are frequently used. In those fur koboes , called kobo e kosi , made of the skins of small animals, of which from sixty to eighty are required for a single cloak, the row which forms the upper edge, has the skin of the head and muzzle left on for ornament, and the lower edge shaped in scallops and strengthened on the inner side with a neat border of thin leather. The animals, the skins of which were most usually employed for making these fur-cloaks, were four species of the weasel-tribe, which the natives call, inghe, (ing-hay) kotokwi , khaliii , and ncikeeri : of these, the first is the most common, and the last, which resembles the pole- cat, the least numerous. The skin of a small animal of the cat-tribe, with a spotted fur, was frequently used for this purpose : it was named kakikaan , and appeared to be an undescribed species. * In size it is not larger than the domestic cat, as the skins measured from the point of the nose to the insertion of the tail, not more than from sixteen to eighteen inches. The general color of this animal is tawny, or that of the 4 light brown-ochre ’ of painters ; but fainter on the under parts of the body. It is entirely covered with black spots, rather long than round ; neither annulated nor ocellated. A few of the spots on the back of the neck are sometimes elongated into stripes ; while those on the fore part of the shoulders join and form very black transverse stripes or irregular bands, of which several surround both the fore and the hind legs. In some older individuals, the upper spots seemed faded nearly to a brown. All these marks on the lower part of the body are extremely black ; and the under parts of the feet are the same. The tail is of the same color as the back, and confusedly spotted, at least to four inches from its base; but it was in no part annu- lated : its length cannot be stated with certainty, as, in ail the skins, not less than fourteen, which I examined, a part of it had been cut off. * Felis nigripes , B. Fulva. Tota nigro-maculata. Maculae simplices magis elongatae quam rotundatae ; quaedam in cervice virgatae. Femora omnia, et humeri, fasciis irregu- laribus atris transverse notata. Cauda dorso concolor, indistincte maculata. Auriculae ovatae obtusae unicolore fiiscae, pilis brevissimis adpressis ; margine anteriore pilis praelongis albis praedito. Pili interscapulares reliquis plerumque longiores. Magnitudo F. Cati. MILK-BAG. — SOUR-MILK. — BUTTER. 593 The top of the head is of a darker color than the body. The ears are ovate, obtuse and of a uniform grizzled dark-brown, covered with very short close hairs ; the anterior edge being furnished with upright white hairs as long as the ear itself. The hair over the eyes is whitex ; the cheeks are of the same color as the sides ; and the whiskers are white. The general length of the hair on the body is one inch ; but along the withers it is sometimes of double that length. The following figure represents a Bachapin milk-bag. It is 3 G D 12 Indies formed from a single piece of raw ox-hide, sewed together in a manner which the engraving will best explain. The opening at the top is closed by a large wooden stopple, and at bottom there is always a small hole by which the klowa , the whey or thin part of the milk, is drawn off. As these bags can never be cleaned so perfectly that all taint of former sour-milk is taken away, they, in a few hours, coagulate whatever milk is put into them ; an effect which these people, are in general not desirous of preventing, as milk in that state is found to be much more refreshing and agreeable in hot weather, than when it is fresh or sweet. The little butter which they have, and which is generally used for greasing their skin, is made accidentally by the VOL. II. 4 G 594 MANUFACTURE OF EARTHEN POTS. motion of the oxen in carrying the bags of milk to town. They give to butter the name of mahura (which signifies ‘ fat,’ in any form) ; to cream, that of lobebi ; and to the curds, or the thick part of sour milk, that of mashi a buriila. Their manufacture of earthen pots is not despicable : they answer their purpose completely, and are neither clumsy nor illshapen. They are made of clay well kneaded, and mixed, as it was said, with ashes and chopped grass, and burnt hard, but not glazed or vitrified. Their shape, which is generally globular with a wide mouth, is not inelegant, and considering that they are moulded entirely by the hand, they may be admired for the exactness of their form. They are of various sizes ; and some were seen which would hold more than two gallons.* As they have no knowledge whatever of any machinery to answer the purpose of a potter’s wheel, nor of the method of burning and glazing their earthenware properly, it would be rendering an essential service and one which they would fully appreciate, to impart such to them. Instruction in arts of this kind would be the readiest means of gaining their good will, and, to a certain extent, of promoting their civilization. Their wooden spoons, which they call lushua, are carved out of the hard wood of the mokaala tree or camel-thorn. The two upper figures on the opposite page, are intended to give an idea of their shape ; and from these we may observe the great similarity which in form and proportion, they have to spoons of European make. Their fashion has not however been received from the Colony, and very probably is entirely of Bachapin or Bichuana invention. They are carved out of a solid block of wood ; and judging by the angle which the handle makes with the bowl, they must require no trifling degree of patience and labor ; but this labor, as I have before mentioned, is generally considered as an amusement, because it is the means of pass- ing away time which would otherwise perhaps be unoccupied. The * The usual figure of their earthen pots for holding water or milk, may be seen in the 6th plate ; and of those made more especially for boiling, the engraving at page 45. will give an idea. WOODEN SPOONS ORNAMENTAL CARVING. 595 work of these spoons proceeds in a very desultory manner, as they are usually carried about with them, that they may be always ready at hand to fill up a leisure hour; and as they were an utensil in which they abounded, this work would appear to be one of their favorite occupations. Among the above figures, may be seen all the different sizes. It has not been thought necessary to represent more than the bowls of the lower five, as they have been selected only for the purpose of showing the carving , upon their outside. This, to judge from appearance, is first cut in, and afterwards discoloured by burning the marks with a hot iron, leaving the white lines very slightly prominent, and of the natural color of the wood. The blackness of the parts which are burnt, renders the figure of the work very distinct. The instrument with which some of these lines are cut, is of this form. The handle is made from the point of an antelope-horn. The figures of the spoons are given principally with the view of 4 g 2 596 BACHAPIN TASTE. — PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION. exhibiting in what degree the Bachapins are possessed of ornamental taste. The grace of these decorations is evident, and of some, the elegance of turn is not surpassed in the works of more polished nations. Of the three following figures, which have been copied from their knife-sheaths, the two first are remarkably beautiful : I do not recollect having seen elsewhere any thing exactly similar to that on the left. In the imitative arts , the few attempts which came under my observation, were in the rudest style, and manifested little natural talent of this kind. I was once shown what was regarded by the natives as a superior effort in the art of delineation , and which was ex- hibited as one of their best specimens : it has been already noticed at page 453. It was nothing more than the outlines of some animals, daubed against the wall of their house ; but which were so ill drawn as barely to be recognised. The carved figures in relief, which are sometimes seen ornament- ing their knife-handles and a few other utensils, are the work of the Bichuana nations beyond them to the north-east, who appear, from various specimens of their manufactures , to be a much more ingenious people, and to have advanced in arts several degrees beyond the Bachapins ; a circumstance which seems clearly to indicate the quarter whence civilization, if it may be called so, has commenced its progress into the interior of Southern Africa. On the western coast, bounded by a wide and unfrequented ocean, there existed formerly no source from which a knowledge of arts could be derived ; and con- MANUFACTURES OF THE NUAKKETSIES. 597 sequently, in that portion of the continent, few traces of civilized notions are now discoverable : but on the eastern , the existence of nations, higher northward, among whom science and arts have flou- rished, may reasonably be considered as the remote cause that the state of society and arts among the northeastern tribes, was found, as Hottentots who have visited them reported to me, to be more advanced, in proportion as they travelled farther in that direction. As a practical illustration of the extremely slow pace at which knowledge moves through these countries, it may be remarked that the Bachapins are now only first beginning to acquire the art of work- ing in iron. The only blacksmith at this time at Litakun, was the man whom I have already mentioned *, and who had very lately learnt it by attentively watching the operations of the smiths at Melitta the chief-town of the Nuakketsies, where he had been on a visit to barter for iron goods of their manufacture : the Bachapins having been hitherto in the habit of obtaining all articles of that kind from these northeastern nations. As a proof of the skill with which the Nuakketsies work in that metal, I subjoin at the end of the chapter, a representation of the head of a koveh, a sort of hassagay which is distinguished from the rumo or Terumo, the ordinary sort j*, by the barbed form of its blade, and its jagged stem. The upper figure shows the iron head with a part of the wooden shaft ; the lower figures are given of the natural size, for the purpose of exhibiting more intelligibly both in front and in profile, the manner in which the stem is jagged. This stem appears to have been first forged plain, with squared corners ; and these afterwards to have been cut into sharp points standing in opposite directions. These points are cut out from the corners, with an accuracy which many European workmen could not surpass, and which many others could not equal. The koveh , therefore, is far beyond the powers of the Bachapin * At page 482. f The lerumo may be seen represented in the tenth plate of the first volume, and in the vignette at page 186. of the present volume. 598 DANCING. — VOCAL AND INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC. blacksmith , who, as before stated, is barely able to hammer out a hatchet, a hoe, an adze, or a common hassagay: and his nation still continue to depend almost wholly on the north-eastern tribes for the supply of their wants in all articles manufactured from either iron or copper. The amusements of the Bachapins appeared to consist only in dancing, if we except such employments as were sometimes to be viewed rather, as the means of passing away time, than as works of necessity. I have in the preceding pages described as much of their dancing * and music 'f*, as came under my own observation ; nor do my inquiries on these subjects authorize me to suppose that they have any other kind. The lichaka was the only musical instrument which I ever saw in the hands of any of the Bichuana tribes ; and if they are no better instrumental musicians than my own experience would lead me to conclude, they are in this respect inferior to the Hottentot race, who can, as it has been shown, produce on their goraa some little variety of notes ; while the Bachapin, with his reed-pipe, is unable to express more than a single tone. But it is not from this to be inferred that the Bichuanas have not an ear susceptible both of melody and harmony : the specimen which I have given of their singing £, and the readiness with which they caught several European airs they had heard frequently played on the violin by my Hottentots, prove that there exists in them no natural inaptitude for either. The attention with which they listened to the flute, evinces that more varied music affords them pleasure, and renders it probable that he who should put into their hands the flageolet and teach them to play a few simple airs, or to combine together into one instrument, an octave of their reed pipes, would long be remembered among them. Some airs which I have occasionally heard them singing, incline me to a belief that it would not be impossible to find in these * See pages 411 — 4 1 3. f See page 410. J See page 438. SEASONS OF REJOICING. — CONCLUDING REMARK. 599 countries, some pleasing wild melodies worth the trouble of being put on paper ; although I had little opportunity myself, of writing down more than two or three, merely as a specimen. The seasons, as they informed me, in which they more especially indulge in singing, are, the time of the rains, and of the harvest ; and although they give no other reason for this observance than that of its having always been their custom, yet it is clearly to be perceived that it must have had its origin in those feelings of gladness which would be so naturally excited by the fall of copious and frequent showers in a land where all hopes of an abundant crop of corn, depended wholly on the rains : nor would the fulfilment of their wishes by a plentiful harvest, be less a season of rejoicing. The general description contained in this and the preceding chapter, though intended more specially as that of the tribe who distinguish themselves by the name of Bachapins, may, as far as my own knowledge of the surrounding people enables me to form an opinion, be in most cases generally applicable to the other Bichuana nations, and will not perhaps give a very incorrect idea of some of the principal features in the character of the whole CafFre Race. Of the Hottentot Race, including the Bushmen and Koras, the re- marks which have been interspersed throughout the Narrative, and which are the result of the most impartial and unprejudiced observ- ation, will place their character in its true light, and, combined with those which belong to the other tribes, will, it is believed, exhibit a faithful picture of the present state of the Aboriginal Inhabitants of the southern point of Africa. ’•tMtfWIWWIft : ' - r:; ' ~ - : ! • ■ • • . ■ . ■ . " • - - • ' 1 ■ ' " - . ; "■ : * ■ - • ■ • . - - THE ITINERARY AND REGISTER OF THE WEATHER. Distances. STATIONS AND PLACES ON THE ROAD; 1812. In Time ; on Oxen. In English Miles. With their .Latitudes, calculated from Astronomical Observations made on the Journey: to which are added their English names and intermediate Dis- tances. WEATHER. Feb. H. M. Klaarwater. Latitude 28° 50' 56" S. 24 7 — 22 Longitude 24 3 0 E. Gattikamma, or Wittewater (Whitewater). 4 h. 40 m. or 14 miles. A fine day. 2 5 7 — 2IT Aakaap, or Riet Fontein (Reed Fountain). 2 h. 20 m. or 74 miles. The Kloof, a Hottentot village in the Asbestos Moun- tains. An excessively hot day : the sky cloud- less. Rain at night. 26 3 15 10 I h. 15 m. or 4 miles. A kraal of Koras. 2h. 6 miles. Jan Bloem’s Kraal The sky cloudless, and weather very hot. 27 2 10 64 1 h. 20 m. 4 miles. Engelsche Drift (English Ford). — 50 m. 24 miles. Comnnssie Drift ( Cowan's Ford). Cloudless sky during the whole day. At night, dry. 28 29 March 2 30 4 — 00 Riizo’s Kraal. First Station , on the ‘ Friendly River.’ The day excessively hot. A serene and cloudless night. At night some rain fell. 1 7 — 244 Driedoorn Station (Threethorn). Fair in the forenoon ; but it rained during the whole of the afternoon ; and in the evening, much distant lightning. 2 - — 35 m. 24 miles. Dew in the morning. 3 30 12 i Freshwater Halt. 2h. 55 m. lOJ miles. Grass Station. The sky cloudless. 3 - - 2h. 20 m. 8f miles. 4 52 18 Poverty Kraal. 3 h. 32 m. 94 miles. Astrild Station. An extremely hot day. 4 H VOL. II, 602 THE ITINERARY, AND Distances. STATIONS AND PLACES ON THE ROAD; 1812. In Time; on Oxen. In English Miles. With their .Latitudes, calculated from Astronomical Observations made on the Journey : to which are added their English names and intermediate Dis- tances. WEATHER. March 4 H. M. 3 — 10* Astrild Station. Fair during the forenoon. 5 Hunters' Station. A heavy shower in the afternoon. A very hot day. 6 1 40 4f Kaabi’s Kraal. A cloudless and hot day. 7 - - 14 miles. A warm day. Fair. 8 . First rhinoceros. 5* miles. The air exceedingly chilly just before sun- 9 1 25 Second rhinoceros. 19* miles. Kaabi’s Kraal. rise ; but the day became excessively hot. } 10 5 20 18* Reed Station. [ Weather fair and warm. 11 QuakJca Station. 1 J 12 4 20 15| - Rainy during the preceding night, and the 13 Kraailcop’s Kraal (Crowhead’s Kraal). whole of this forenoon. At night a cold wind accompanied with rain mingled with hailstones half an inch in diameter. The air so cold, that the hailstones were 5 20 17* this morning found congealed together into a solid mass. A continued rain all the middle part of 14* Halfway Spring. 9 miles. the day, with occasionally some violent showers attended with much lightning and tremendous thunder. Much hail still remained unthawed, and the weather windy and extremely cold and wintry. Fair during the forenoon ; but towards 6 — 21 Rhenoster Poort (Rhinoceros the evening the rain set in, and con- 15 Pass) 12 miles. Southern Station , on the river. tinued to fall in torrents during the whole night, attended with a strong wind. Both the day and the evening, were ex- 16 2 30 8 ceedingly fair and pleasant. A fine cloudless day. 17 18 4 20 14 Geranium Rocfcs. Boundary Station. 2 h. 15 m. 14 miles. \ 7 5 241 Groote Tafelberg (Great Table Mountain). 1 mile. Jacob Van Wyk’s. 11 \ miles. REGISTER OF THE WEATHER. 603 Distances. STATIONS AND PLACES ON THE ROAD ; 1812. In Time; on Oxen. In English Miles. With their Latitudes, calculated from Astronomical Observations made on the Journey : to which are added their English names and intermediate Dis- tances. March H. M. Boundary Station. A rugged kloof. 4 miles. Pond Station. 19 - - If miles. 5 55 21 Groote Fontein (Great F.). 19f miles. Kruger’s Fontein, or Piet Ver- mefilen’s. 20 3 15 m Zeekoe Rivier (Sea-cow River) at Nieukerk’s. 21 6 30 22 4f miles. Sea-cow River. 4f miles. Herholdt’s. 13^ miles. Piet Van der Merwe’s. 22 2 30 GO Cold Station. 23 - - 1 h. 30 m. 5 miles. Garst Rivier (Barley River). 6 50 23 20 m. 1 mile. Piet Van der Merwe’s cattle- place. 5 h. 17 miles. A Hut in ruins, at the foot of Sneeuwberg (Snow Moun- tain). 24 - - ------ 25 3 — 9J Graaffreynet. Latitude 32° 15' 19" S. Longitude 25 0 40 E. 26 -- - - 27 28 29 - - 30 - - - 31 - - - April 1 - “ 2 - - - 3 - - - 4 - - - 1 5 - - - WEATHER. Rainy during the afternoon. A most violent storm of rain and hail The hailstones were three quarters of an inch in diameter. At night heavy rain with lightning and thunder. Much rain fell in the morning. Fair during the middle of the day. In the evening it continued raining for several hours. Rainy and cold. Wind southeasterly. An excessively cold misty rain. The wind and rain continued during the whole day most piercingly cold. Fair all day ; and sunny in the afternoon A sunny day. Fair. | Rainy. A fine day. . | Fair. 1 Fine sunny weather ; but the air often | chilly. 4 h 2 604 THE ITINERARY, AND Distances. STATIONS AND PLACES ON THE ROAD; With their Latitudes, calculated from 1812. t n Astronomical Observations made on WEATHER. 1 s ' bJO the Journey : to which are added their £ o w a English names and intermediate Dis- HH O M tances. April H. M. Graaffreynet. 6 - - - . - ' 7 8 9 10 11 Fine sunny weather ; but the air often 12 chilly. 13 14- 15 16 17 - - - J 18 - - - Rainy. 19 - - . Rainy during the whole day. 20 - - " 1 " " A sunny day. 21 - - - Rainy. 22 - - 23 24 * Rainy at intervals. 25 - - ------ 26 - - - - 27 28 — 40 Jacobus Van Heerden’s. > Fair. 29 _ 6 Barend Burger’s. 30 . - ------ May 1 - - - A frost early in the morning. — - --- 30 Hendrik Lhbbe’s. Jan Viljoen’s. At night the air frosty and sky cloudless. 2 11 Herholdt’s. 3 20 Krieger’s Fontein ; or, Vermeu- len’s. 4? 19* - Very chilly. Groote Fontein (Great Fountain) Oh. 25 m. l-|mile. The termination of the plain. 5 3 45 13 1 h. 30 m. 5* miles. Wortel Fontein (Carrot Foun- tain) 1 h. 50 m. 64 miles. Elands Fontein (Elks Fountain) 4 li. 42 m. 16^ miles. 6 6 35 23 Brakke Rivier (Brackish River 1 h. 53 m. 6^ miles. Nieuwe-jaar’s Fontein (New- year’s Spring.) REGISTER OF THE WEATHER, 605 1812. May 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Distances. STATIONS AND PLACES ON THE ROAD \ ^ In Time; on Oxen, In English Miles. With their Latitudes, calculated from Astronomical Observations made on the Journey : to which are added their English names and intermediate Dis- tances. WEATHER. H. M. 7 18 25] Nieuwe-jaar’s Fontein. 3h. 8 m. 11 miles. First track from Klaarwater. 1 h. 48 m. 6^ miles. 6 — 21 Rhenoster Poort (Rhinoceros Pass y 2 h. 22 m. 8 miles. Halfway Spring. 2 h. 10m. 7f miles. Brakke Rivier (Brackish River.) 3 h. 10 m. 11 miles. 1 4 30 3 40 14-4 12| Kraaikop's Kraal (Crowhead’s Kraal.) 0 h. 40 m. 2^ miles. Kraai/cop s water. QuakJea Station. }> Fair. A cloudless day. Vulture Station. 7 40 1 20 7 40 2 5h 4£ 24£ Three-fires Station. Oxen Kraal; or, Kaabis New Kraal. Lion Station. A cloudless and hot day. 3 25 Hi ------ [lather cloudy. 7 45 24 £ Rushy Station. 5 20 164 Lower Station on the ‘ Friendly River,' or Brakke rivier. Ox Ford, on the Gariep. The weather very cold. 1 30 4 — H 14 Engelsche Drift (English Ford.) 6 — 6 10 21J 22 The Kloof village in the Asbestos Mountains. Gattikamma ; or, Wittewater. Klaarwater ; or Karrikamma. The air very cold. - - A very windy day. Wind from the N.N.W.; * a quarter whence, at this season of the year, it blows more frequently. 606 THE ITINERARY, AND 1812. Distances. STATIONS AND PLACES ON THE ROAD ; Thermometer in the Shade. WEATHER. In Time ; by Oxen and Waggons. In English | Miles. With their Latitudes, calculated from Astronomical Observations made on the Journey : to which are added their English names and intermediate Dis- tances. Time of Observation. By Fahren- heit’s Scale. By Reau- mur’s Scale. May H. M. At Klaarwater. H. M. 29 - - 30 - - - ( A calm pleasant day. 31 - - - - - Very windy. June 1 — 2 _ - 1 1 3 - - [> Fair in general. 4 - - 1 5 . - ------ - - - J 6 4 — 11 ----- - - - Some rain in the even- Moses’s Fontein. ing. 7 _ - ...... 1 -p 36 1-7 The whole day very cold, with wind and snow. 8 _ - - - - ... 9 — a 361 1-9 5 45 17 - - - - Very windy during Ongeluks Fontein (Accident the forenoon. Fountain). 9 -p 43i 5-0 Wind abated. 9 . ...... 12 — a 49 7*5 A cloudless and calm 8 — p 44 ' 5-3 day. 10 . - ------ 7 30 a 35 1-3 Cloudless. 10 45 p 48 7-1 11 - - ------ 12 — a 61 12-8 The atmosphere hazy 3 30 p 70 16-8 and calm. The day 12 _ ------ 7 —a 41 4*0 cloudless. 4 30 p 67 15-5 7 - p 55 102 13 . . - - 7 —a 45 5-7 This and the preced- 10 15 a 59h 12-2 ing day were so ex- 2 — P 68 16-0 ceedingly hazy that 11 - p 50 8-0 the distant moun- tains were rendered 14 _ - 7 —a 47 6-6 invisible. 2 2 6 Doom Rivier (Kora, Thorn River.) 12 — a 68* 16-2 6 30 p 54 9-7 10 — p 48 71 15 _ - 10 30 p 41 4-C The days were now become very fine and warm ; but the nights still continu- ed cold. 16 - - ------ 12 — a 67 1 5-£ 4 19 13 A station without water. 9 -p 52 8-8 17 1 45 5 ------ 6 30 a 43 4-6 Bloem’s Fountain. 1 30 p 68-i 16*2 11 -p 42 4-4 18 1 27 4- L Sensavan; or, Blink-klip. REGISTER OF THE WEATHER. 607 Distances. STATIONS Thermometer in the Shade. AND PLACES ON THE ROAD ; With their Latitudes, calculated from 1812. c c 775 Up i Astronomical Observations made on the Journey: to which are added their G Cm O O \3 cj S? c ei •2 Fair Fine weather, northerly. Wind A very strongly de- fined lunar halo the diameter of which subtended an angle of 40°. ) Fair. ^ A fresh northerly wind. Sunny day. Wind southerly. Air cold. A very light fall of snow which melted almost before it reached the ground. 608 THE ITINERARY, AND 1812. July 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Distances. STATIONS AND PLACES ON THE ROAD ; Thermometer in the Shade. With their Latitudes, calculated from i . In Time; b; Oxen and Waggons. a • Astronomical Observations made on the Journey : to which are added their d O O *,J3 o» c a r 5 J3 u 15 cg Leau- Scale WEATHER. English names and intermediate Dis- tances. a s Hj§ o ft « ►..ti CQ 3 w E H. M. Kruman Station. H. M. - - ------ 1 • — a 40 J 3-7 6 5 m 4 h. 49 m. 15^ miles. A small pond of clear water. 1 h. 16 m. 4 miles. Makkw&rin River. 10 10p 41 4-0 Magn. Yar. 27 W. 37 - - - - - - - - 11 15 p 2-2 - 2 -p 79 20-8 Wind S.E. 12 — p 35 1-3 - - 1 — P 69 16-4 A fine cloudless day. A.M.thewind N.E. 11 -p 42 4-4 — P.M. S.E. - - - 6 30 a 28| -1-5 About this time it was 12 — a 74 18-6 observed that what- • ever wind might blow during the day, it ceased as soon as the sun had set; and the air con- tinued calm during the whole night. This remark was found to be very generally applica- ble to the Trans- gariepine and to a great portion of the more southern re- gions. - - - 3 — a 34 0.8 In the mornings be- 5 — a 34 0-8 fore sunrise the 10 — p 36 1-7 grass was generally whitened with hoar frost. - - - - 35 1*3 Just before sunrise. This point of time was found to be, especially in the summer season, the coldest part of the twenty-four hours. 3 -p 71 17*3 Wind northerly. 8 — p 40 3*5 At this season of the - . . - - year the air is clear, - . ------ 2 — a 36 1-7 and a cloud is rare- 2 — p 73 18-2 ly to be seen either - - 3 — a 36-i 1-9 by night or by day. 10 —a 64 14-2 A perfect calm. 11 30 a 68 160 REGISTER OF THE WEATHER. 609 Distances. STATIONS Thermometer in the Shade. AND PLACES ON THE ROAD ; With their Latitudes, calculated from - 1812. j, Astronomical Observations made on C+-. O E 6 p "« WEATHER. O C3 O m i the Journey; to which are added their Fair. 16 _ - 79 17 _ - ...... 2 — p 20-8 18 . ...... 1 30 a 49 7*5 J 19 - ...... 9 — a 59 12-0 Wind southerly. 2 — p 69 16-4 9 -p 42 4-4 12 — p 394 3*3 20 . - - 11 —a 631 13-9 21 . - 541 22 _ - . 11 20 p 9-9 12 — p 52 8-8 23 - - 24 25 - - 3 15 a 1 30 p 48 73 7-1 18-2 Fair ; but chilly at night. 12 30 p 50 8-0 26 . - - 6 40 a 50 8-0 27 . - 28 , . 7 30 a 44 5-3 3 -p 72 17-7 29 _ ...... 2 — a 48^ 7-3 1 30 p 75 19*1 Wind northerly. 30 1 45 a 511 8-6 1 ■ Fair. 6 40a 47 6-6 J VOL. II. 610 THE ITINERARY, AND REGISTER OF THE WEATHER Distances. STATIONS AND PLACES ON THE ROAD ; Thermometer in the Shade. 1812. In Time ; by Oxen and Waggons. In English Miles. With their .Latitudes, calculated trom Astronomical Observations made on the Journey ; to which are added their English names and intermediate Dis- tances. Time of Observation. ; By Fahren- heit’s Scale. By Reau- mur’s Scale. WEATHER. July 30 H. M. At Litakun. H. M. 2 — p 70^ 17-0 | Fair. 31 - - . 6 40 a 46 62 Aug. 1 1 — a 51 8*4 Fair. 2 3 - - B 1 D 1 1 1 1 1 8 » * 0 12 — p 4 30 a 43^ 47^ 5- 0 6- 8 Wind easterly. | Fair. THE ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL INDEX. The figures which belong to the second volume, are distinguished by a -preceding II: all the rest refier to the first volume. The B. which follows some of the names , points out those new quadrupeds, birds, fishes, insects, and plants, which are now first described, or named, in this work. Acjena latebrosa 2 55. 257. Acacia II. 146. ■ atomiphylla, B. 336.341. 539. II. 240. Capensis, B. 114. 189. 195. 325. 429. 11.29. 211.248. 264. 442. 526. detinens,B. 310. 320. 333. 336. 349. II. 264. 526. eIephantina,B. II. 236. 264. 268. giraffe... 450. 453. II. 240. 242. 465. 526. heteracantha,B. 389.11. 526. Litakunensis,B. II. 452. 464. 526. robusta,B. II. 442. 526. stolonifera, B. II. 241. 264. 526. — vera 429. viridiramis,B 500. Acanthus 298. 310. 541. Acarus Ricinus 290. Acheta 327. Achyranthes 537. 544. (Desmochasta) hamosa, B. 308. Adiantum 182. 208. Ethiopicum .... 31. 57. Eschynomene 22. Agave Americana 15. Agrostis linearis II. 5. 7. Aikinia 538. Aira 277. Aitonia Capensis 340. Aizoon ... 225. 243. 277. 419. 453. lanceolatum 181. Alauda Capensis 501. Alchemilla Capensis 37. Allium 296. Aloe 243. 11.352. claviflora,B 272. dichotoma 24. II. 199. plicatilis 23. saponaria II. 352. Alopecurus Capensis 20. Alyssum glomeratum, B. 255. 257. 260. Amaryllis ciliaris 186. lucida,B. 536, 537. 541. II. 3. purpurea 23. toxicaria 559. 541. Anacampseros lanigera, B. 11.335. Anas Egyptiaca 283. II. 346. cana 265. erythrorhyncha, 283. II. 546. punctata, B 283. Anchusa Capensis 298. Ancistrum latebrosum ... 255. 257. Androcymbium 259. volutareB,... 213. Andropogon, 465. II. 247.264.2 66. — hirtus ... 19. 37. 57. Anthericum ... 504. 389. 538. 549. contortum 56. fimbriatum 51. graminifolium ... 67. squameum 225. Anthia 285. 417. 465. decemguttata ......... 283. effugiens,B 417. fimbriata 465. Anthistiria II. 247. 266 — imberbis 19. Antholyza 132. ■ — lucidor 117. nervosa 29. Anthospermum 296. 298. Ethiopicum 3 1 . 67. ciliare 186. lanceolatum 57. 186. Anthus 501. Antilope albifrons, B II. 535. Bubalis, 420. II. 82. 534. 591. Caama, (vide, A. Bubalis) 420. dorsata 290. Euchore ... 290. II. 109. 4 i 2 Antilope Gnu, 24. 451,432. 11.278. Grimmia 187. lunata,B. II. 354. 591. marsupialis 290. melampus II. 301. mergens 187. Oreas 245. Oryx II. 25. Pygarga ... 290. II. 535. rupestris, 202. 281. II. 15 ■ — ■— Rupicapra II. 23. saliens 290. strepsiceros, 267. 337.374. taurina, B II. 277. villosa,B II. 302. Antirrhinum aphyllum 19. Apate 325 Apis 576. Apium graveolens II. 280. Aphodius vespertinus, B 376. Aphytei'a Hydnora 213. multiceps,B 213. Aponogeton distachyon 51. Aptosimum,B. 286.289.298.341. 389. 453. 549. (genus,) B 219. abietinum,B 308. depressum,B. ... 260. indivisum, B. 219. 225. Arctotis 132. 215. 229. 257, 258. 289. dentata 57. Arduina bispinosa 191. Arenaria rubra 51. Aristea bracteata 67. cyanea 15. 20. 56. 59. spicata 19. 59. Aristida 225. 289. 557, 558. 544. 549. II. 247. 264. 266. Capensis 19. 31. centrifuga,B 266. fruticans,B 492. lanuginosa, B II. 226. ■ piligera, B 288. Arnica crocea 58. Gerbera 19. 612 ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL INDEX Arnica inulo'ides 131. — piloselloitdes 37. Artemisia Afra 296. 480. 489. Arthratherum fruticans,B 492. lanuginosum,B. 11.226. Arum Colocasia 24. Arundo barbata,B. ... II. 271. 410. Donax...l05. 185. II. 173. Asclepias crispa 59. Curassavica......... 22. Syriaca 22. Aspalathus 132. 186. pungens 19. spinosa 31. Asparagus 208. 298. 232. • exuvialis, B 452. ■ laricinus,B 537. rivalis,B. 400. 404. 426. scandens 37. suaveolenSjB. ...II. 226. Aspidium Capense 57. ■ aculeatum 37. Aster 208. 272. angustifolius 181. cymbalariae 42. taxifolius 42. tenellus 19. Ateuchus II. 328. Athanasia aspera 57. crithmifolia.. 15. 31. 58. . parviflora 1 5. 5 1 . trifurca 99. Atraphaxis undulata 15. 19. Atriplex 208. albicans 207. II. 21. — microphylla 225. Aulax pinifolia 43. 45. 152. umbellata 88. 95. 117. B. Babiana hypogaea, B II. 589. Bambusa arundinacea .... 23. 142. Barleria 508. 541. 55 8. 548. Bau'ninia esculenta,B II. 589. Berckheya ciliaris 29. setosa 181. Bignoniacea 299. Blairia 29. 55. 176. 182. . erico'ides 29. 55. 63. Blechnum Australe 51. 37. Boerhaavia pentandra,B 432. Borago Africana 225. Borbonia crenata 19.131. ciliata 37. . lanceolata ... 15.19.31. Bos Caffer 482. II. 249. Bostrichus 325. Brabeium stellatifolium ( Holt . Wilde Amandels) .... 37. 123. Briza Capensis 19.57. . maxima 19. nigra, B 537. Bromus 245. 294. Brunia 152. abrotanoi'des 57. nodiflora... 15. 67. 88. 152. squarrosa 56. Bryonia... 318. 467. 53 8. 541. 544. 549. Africana 30. - - - pinnatifida,B 547. punctata 37. Bubalis II. 82. Bubon gummiferum 15. 31. Bucco niger 318. 527. Buchnera 182. 186. 225. 294. 400. Althiopica 29. aurantiaca,B 388. Buchnerae, genus affine 258. Bupleurum difforme 131. C. Cacalia 589. bipinnata 42. Cacti 251. Calendula 182. 225. 257. 277. 286. 295. 298. 541. amplexicaulis 222. fruticosa 93. Calodendrum Capense 25, 63. Camellia Japonica 23. Camelopardalis Giraffa 482. II. 248. 336. Campanula 432. denticulata, B 538. hederacea 538. procumbens 51. Canis aureus II. 412. Crocuta II. 229. — — familiaris II. 229. 244. Hyaena II. 229. Lupus II. 229. mesomelas 180. 464. II. 285. 319. 412. Canna Indica 23. Capparis albitrunca,B.... 343. 432. II. 18. punctata, B 492. Capraria 504. 541. lanceolata 124. 180. Caprimulgus pectoralis 501. Carabus fimbriatus 465. thoracicus 465. Carex clavata 51. flavescens,B 467. Carissa Arduina 191. Caroxylon Salsola 419. Carphalea? 544. Cassine 182. Maurocenia 15. 31. Cassia aracho'kles,B. 341. 452. 537. corymbosa 20. 25. multiglandulosa 25. Castanea vesca 106. Casuarina stricta 23. Cassytha filiformis 19. 29. 57. Ceanotbus Africanus 20. Celastrus... 541. 465. 544. II. 264. ilicinus,B 340. laurinus 51. linearis, B II. 133. pyracanthus 15.31. saxatilis,B II. 264. Celosia odorata,B. 589. 432. 537. 543. recurva,B II. 226. Cenia turbinata 57. - Cetonia Bachapinica, B 464. Centopodium,B 340. Cercopithecus ursinus.. 45. 67. 145. 195. II. 153. Ceropegia (Microloma) tenuifolia, 20. 62. Certhia(Nectarinia) chalybea... 17. famosa... 245. Cervus Alces II. 25. Ceterach 544. Chaetaria; (vide Aristidam) ... 31. II. 247. Charadrius 544. 502. armatus,B.‘501. 11.346. Himantopus 283. Chasme 54. Cheilanthus II. 264. Capensis 19. pteroi'des 19. Cheiranthus 432. torulosus 298. Chenolea (Salsola) diffusa 51. Chenopodium Botrys II. 226. Chilianthus,B 94. oleaceus 94. Chironia baccifera 15. 31. 59. frutescens «■ 57 jasmino'ides 46. linoides 15. 19. 56. lychno'ides.... 19. 56. palustris,B 11.2 26. Chironymus 417. Chloris 549. Chrysitrix Capensis 46. Chrysocoma... 213. 286. 295. 504. 467. — — Comaurea 19. 31. Cineraria 257. lobata 245. Cissampelos 29. 298. 465. angustifolia,B... 589. calcarifera,B 465. II. 266. Capensis 59. Clematis 594. II. 5. 146. 2 64. brachiata? 465. Cleome 538. diandra, B 548. heterotricha, B 557. juncea 340.588. oxyphylla,B II. 226. pentaphylla 557. rubella, B 543. Cliffortia 152. 208. falcata 59. ferruginea 56. graminea 62. ilicifolia .... 61. 67. 151. obcordata 59. odorata 99. ruscifolia .... 19. 43. 45. sarmentosa 51. 59. strobilifera 29. 5 1 . 58. 62. trifoliata 19. ClitoreaTernatea 25. ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL INDEX. 613 Cluytia Alaternoi'des... 15. 46. 181. polygonoi'des 67. pulchella.... 15. 29. Codon Royeni 225, 226. Coffea Arabica 25. Colius erythropus 214. 355. Collapsum, folium, B 543 Columba 518 Capensis... 318. 527. 501. Guineensis... 501. II. 257. — risoria 215.318.501. Colutea (Sutherlandia)... 283. 296. frutescens 225. Commelina 558. Africana 19. Composite 229. 284. Conferva 124. Conium 279. 417. Convolvulus... 222. 504. 341. 465. 538. Copris II. 328. Corchorus asplenifolius,B. ... 400. serraefolius, B 537. Corvus 257. albicollis 501. scapularis 501. Corymbium glabrum 19. scabrum 57. 62. Corythaix 20. 214. Cotula 225. 229. coronopifolia 51. integrifolia, B 51. nudicaulis 222. (Cenia) turbinata 57. Cotyledon 182. 272. (Hoi/. Boterboom) 192. parvula,B 219. • ■ -- trigyna,B II. 226. Crassula 215. 300. II. 353. coccinea 41,42. columnaris 272. imbricata 500. pyramidalis 272. Crinum erubescens 23. Croton 596. farinosum II. 263. gratissimum,B.396.II. 263. Cuculus auratus 464. 501. Persa 20. 214. Cucumis 541. Colocynthis 126. prophetarum 145. Cucurbita Citrullus II. 587. ■ lagenaria II. 587. ■ Pepo II. 587. Cunonia Capensis 142. Curcuma longa 23. 95. Curruca 440. II. 91. Curtisia faginea 180. Cuscuta Africana 20. Cussonia thyrsiflora 30. Cyanella 310. Capensis 20. 57. lineata,B II. 589. Cyclopia genistoi'des 37. Cynanchum filiforme 37. — viminale ......... 465. Cynocephalus II. 155. Cynoglossum echinatum. 504. 340. Cynoglossum hirsutum 222. Cynosurus uniolas 19. Cyperus... 186. 404.417.465. 538. 549. corymbosus 51. fascicularis ... 51. 63. 124. lanceus 19.30. 51. polystachyos 30. 1 24. prolifer 57. scirpoi'deSjB II. 215. textilis 51.114.263. usitatus,B. 417. 537. 548. II. 26. 99. Cyphia 196. hastata, B 225. Cypraea Moneta 291. 444. Cyprinus aeneus,B 280. 441. Cyrtanthus obliquus (Colonis, Nysna lily) 23. Cysticapnos Africana 245. D. Dactylis serrata 37. Dai's 286. 289. 585. Daphne Indica 23. Dermestes 11.328. Desmochaeta 549. Dianthus 56. Digitaria 55 7. Dilatris corymbosa 50. 151. viscosa 45. Dioscorideae II. 147. Diosmas 143. 208. 479. Diosma 132. 208. 396. capitata 143. crenata 46. oppositifolia 42. 57. 63. pectinata 181. rubra 50. — rugosa 31. serratifolia 479. villosa 15. 51. Dipus Cafer 343. 482. II. 3. Disa barbata 57. flexuosa 46. patens 46. Dodonea angustifolia 131. Dolichos Catiang II. 587. Donax arundinacea, vide Arundo. 105. Dorylus 576. Dracocephalum 417. Drosera Capensis 19. cuneifolia 46. 57. E. Echites suceulenta 540. Echium argenteum 20 fruticosum 15. glabrum 29. 68. verrucosum .' 59. Edolius 501. Ehretia Hottentottica, B. 11.147. Ehrharta 272. 294. ramosa 46. uniflora, B. 57. Elegia juncea 46. | EIichrysum,vide sub Xeranthemum . Emberiza longicauda 20. II. 492. Embothrium sericeum 23. Ensatae 27.417. 11.589. Epilobium tetragor.um II. 226. villosum 59. Equus Asinus 1.39. .montanus,B. 138, 139.265. II. 273. Quakka 139. 420. Zebra 139. 420. 453. 482. Ericas 208. Erica 152. 182. 208. axillaris 89. baccans 19. 29. calycina 57. 63. 1 bruniades 29. cerinthoi'des 1 5. 1 9. 29. 42. 55. coccinea 42 comosa 46. 131. concinna 53. 59. empetrifolia 4 5. fascicularis 87, 88 fastigiata 151. gelida 46. glutinosa 46. 88. gracilis 53. helicacaba 46. imbricata 19. 46. margaritacea 53. 57. 63. Massoni 89. Monsoniana 203. mucosa 58. nudiflora., 62. Petiverii 15. 31. 42. planifolia 42.46. Pluknetii 46.88. 209. pubescens .... 15. 19. 29. 143. racemosa 63. ramentacea 29. 65. Sebana 46. 61. spumosa 45. taxifolia 87, 88. tenuifolia 46. tubiflora 46, verticillata 55. vestita 117. viscaria 59. Erinus 225. 259. 277. 289. Eriocephalus 208. 213. 225. 259. 272. 277 decussatus,B. ... 272. 300. 305. purpureus,B. ... 232. — racemosus ... 28. 1 s 1 . spinescens,B. ... 272. Eriospermum 53s. ErythrinaCaffi'a(//o//.Kaffers boom) 23. 24. Euclea 465. II. 264. myrtina, B II. 588. ovata, B 387. racemosa 29. 62. Eugenia Jambos 2 3. Euphorbias 251. Euphorbia 589. genistoi'des 28. 175. Mauritania 192. 219. 251. 272. 614 ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL INDEX. Euphorbia tenax,B 219. 272. tuberosa 19. 174. Euryspermum 54. Evolvulus II. 506. Exacum albens 46. aureum 57. F. Falckia repens 51. Falco II. 492. musicus 394. Tinnunculus 338. 501. Felisjubata 11.526. Leo 24. 66. Leopardus 16. nigripes,B II. 592. Tigris 24. Ferraria undulata 504. Festuca 222. 465. ovina II. 124. Ficus 243. 492. Folium oleraceum,B 545. collapsum,B 543. semicollapsum, B 543. subcollapsum, B 543. Formica 448. Frankenia Nothria 51. Fringilla 214.336. arcuata 246. 259. 296. II. 91. Canaria 20. Fucus buccinalis 28. corneus 30. tomentosus 30. Fulica cristata 263. II. 546. Fumaria capreolata, var. B. 245. Fungi 394. Fusanus compressus 29. G. Galaxia ciliata 175. • ■ graminea 25. Galenia 508. 400. Africana 196. 207. Galium verum 394. Gardenia florida (vulgo, Katjepir- ing) 22. Rothmannia 23. 63. Thunbergia 23. Gazania 225. 277. Geranium incanum 57. spinosum 225, 226. Gethyllis ciliaris 29. 54. Gissonia 54. Gladioli 35. Gladiolus 132. 182. (Tritonia) 279. edulis,B 11.589. Gleditsia triacantha 24. Gleichinia polypodioides 46. Glycine 186. 544. bituminosa 29. Gnaphalium ... 208. 222. 272. 277. 304. 308. 318. Gnaphalium denudatum 29. foetidum 29. 37. grandiflorum .... 42. hbsutum 61. nudifolium .... 62. 68. umbellatum 61. 68. Gnidia cyanea, B 255. 257. oppositifolia 46. sericea 37. simplex 56. Gomphocarpus 465. 467. tomentosus, B. 543. Gorteria diffusa 286. personata 20. Grewia flava ... 364. 389. II. 588. occidentalis 57. robusta,B II. 153. Grielum sinuatum 286. Grimmia campestris,B 259. Grus 502. Grylli 455. Gunnera Perpensum 29. Gymnopleurus II. 328. H. Haemanthus (Amaryllis) ciliaris 186. coccineus 1 9. 53. Halleria lucida 24. 37. Hallia Asarina 46. cordata 30. flaccida 57. imbricata 19. 57. Hebenstreitia 208. 289. cordata 29. integrifolia 260. Helichrysum, vide sub Xeranthe- mum. Heliophila 272. chamsemelifolia, B. 222. 225. linearis 29. 61. pectinata,B 260. pubescens, B 259. seselifolia, B 258. Heliotropium 541. Peruvianum 23. Hemimeris .... 225. 245. 257. 260. diffusa 222. montana 222. Hermannia 186. 196. 225. 272. 286. 294. 298. 304. 541. 538. 544. bryoniaefolia, B. ... 258. bipinnata,B 510. Hermas capitata 46. depauperata.... 42. 131. gigantea ( Ho/l . Tondel- blad) 131. Hesperanthera 186. 273. 296. Heterobranchus Gariepinus,B. 425. Hibiscus 544. cucurbitinus, B 278. jEthiopicus 19. gossipinus 57. mutabilis 23. Himantopus melanopterus ... 283. Hippopotamus 86. 263. 403. 404. 482. Hirundo 355. 536. Capensis 30. 501. Holcus Caffrorum II. 586. asper 42. 46, Hordeum murinum 340. Hyaena venatica,B. 456. II. 99. 229. Hydrangea mutabilis 23. Hydrocotyle 132. — - — Asiatica 19. 42. hederaefolia,B. 46. virgata 57. Hyobanche sanguinea 225. Hyrax Capensis 265. I. Indigofera 208. 225. 432. 537. 544. 549. coriacea 19. — — * filifolia 57. psoraloides 20. sarmentosa 42. Ipomaea suffruticosa,B. ... II. 226. lulus pluvialis,B 449. Ixia 186. erecta 57. minuta 153. J. Juncus 454. 465. articulatus II. 226. bufonius 59. Capensis 19. 51. 57. punctorius 31. 51. serratus 30. 91. 140 Justicia 308. 310.341. 548. II. 264. K. Kiggelaria Africana 15. 51. 59. Knowltonia hirsuta 20. vesicatoria 57. Kylbngia 55 8. 544. L. Lachenalia 286. 294. viridis 548. Lactuca 549. Lamia virescens 417. Lamprotornis 518.440. Lanipila,B 259. 272. Lanius 5 02. II. 345 atrococcineus, B. 58 7. 440. 501. barbarus 387. collaris II. 545. Collurio 501. forficatus, 440. 501. Zeylonus 245. Lantana 544. Lapeyrousia 215. corymbosa 19. Lappago 537. 549. Larvae 473. ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL INDEX 615 Laurus bu!lata,B 72. Leonotis Leonurus ( Holl . Wilde Dakka) 15. 20. Lepidium 318. Capense 20 subdentatum, B. 245. Leptochloa 549. Lessertia 400. annularis, B 304. pulchra 20. Leucodendrum 54. 132. argenteum 17. 54. 61. 69. concolor 93. corymbosum 144. decorum 59. Levisanus 54. plumosum 131. 181. ■ - salignum 45. uliginosum ... 57. Leucospermum 132. 182. buxifolium ... 95. Conocarpa 25.29. 62. Hypophylla ... 58. puberum 132. Leysera 225. 260. 272. 295. gnaphalodes 31. squarrosa 19. Lichenes 232. 394. Lichtensteinia 232. 286. laevigata 543. Lidbeckia 277. 298. turbinata 186. Lightfootia 132. subulata 15. 19. 31. Limosella coerulea,B 259. Linum Africanum 19. Liparia 132. ' laevigata 131. umbellifera 131. Lithospermum papillosum .... 340. Lobeliae 99. Lobelia 208. coronopifolia 19.29. lutea 19. minuta 42. — pinifolia 131. secunda 37. triquetra 19. repens 19. 57. Lolium temulentum 540. II. 226. Lomaria Capensis 19. Loranthus 213. 320. 389. II. 10. 146. canescens, B II. 90. Loxia, Lin 214. 536. 502. Astrild. 266. II. 41. 91. 269. Caffra 20. II. 492. maculosa,B II. 269. oryzivora 20. Lycium 30. 194. 225. 260 •. 284. 286. 308.318. 11.31. Afrum 225. horridum 260. tetrandrum 260. Lythrum Hyssopifolia 37. M. Macromerum,B. 388. junceum,B. 492. Mahernia 208. 294. 304. 341. 453. 544. grandiflora 295. incisa 28. Linnaeoi'des,B. II. 226. oxalidiflora, B. .... 295. pinnatifida 30. spinosa,B 279. vernicata,B 278. Malva 208. 277. Capensis 29. Malurus 214. 5 55. Mangifera Indica 23. Manis. sp II. 423. Mantis lucubrans,B 418. 465. Marrubium Africanum 225. Marsilea 310. quadrifolia II. 209. Matthiola torulosa 298. Medeola asparagoides 222. angustifolia 260. Medicago 277. Megastachya brizoides, vide sub Brizam. Melhania 544. Melia Azedirach. (Holl. Kaapsche Seringe) 22. 119. Melianthus 298. 341. Mentha 225.465. 467. 497. Capensis 255. II. 241. Menyanthes (Villarsia) ovata 46. Merops Apiaster 372. 501. Messerschmidia 389. 432. Mesembryanthemum 132. 243.538. II. 44. — aloi'deSjB. 11.332. — arboriforme, B. 343. — campestre,B. 259. 260. — coriarium,B. 243. — croceum ... 272. — edule 54. — magnipunctatum, B. 272. pomeridianum 29. spinosum215.267. turbiniforme, B. 310. uncinatum 243. veruculatum II. 208. Mespilus Japonica 2 5. Metrosideros angustifolia 181. Microloma sagittatum 175. tenuifolium 20. 62. Milvus parasiticus 501. Mimetes cucullata 95. fimbriaefolia 46. 47. Hartogii 43. 47. purpurea 176. Mirabilis Jalapa 23. Mohria thurifraga 20. Moluris vialis, B 305. Monodon Monoceros II. 77. Montinia acris 15. 20. 36. 57. Moraea 310. bituminosa 19. collina ,.... 245. • gladiata 67. spathacea 58. Motacilla II. 91. aurantia 270. Capensis 30. 501 . macroura 214. 335. macroura? var ocellata, B 556. Muraltia. Vide Polygala. Heisteria 15. 19. linophylla, B 51. Mus Capensis 57. maritimus 56. Musci 394. Muscicapa 246. 536. 464, Mygale 559, Mylabris asparagi,B 400. bifasciata 400 Myrica cordifolia (Holl. Wasch- boschjes) 50. iEthiopica 42. quercifolia 15. 19. 56. serrata 15. 19. Myrmecophaga Capensis 542. II. 97. 424. Myrsine Africana 15.51. Myrtus communis 23. N. Nectarinia chalybea 17. 222. famosa 245. Necrobia 11.328. Nemesia 225. 245. 286. 318. 341 . 544. Nerium Oleander 20. 22. 1 19. NicotianaTabacum II. 322. rustica II. 322. Notoxus 376. Numida 426. O. Ocymum fruticulosum, B. . II. 264. CEnanthe ferulacea 42. inebrians 31. 57. (Enothera nocturna 59. Olea 467. II. 307. Capensis 61. 88. similis,B. 177.343. 11.264. undulata 1 80. Oleraceum, folium, B 543. Onitis II. 328. Ononis 225. 277. Onthophagus II. 328. Ophiologia 475 Oriolus 502. arundinarius,B. 464. 501. Ornithogalum 11.316. nervosum, B 537. Orobanche Capensis 46. purpurea 42. Orycteropus Capensis 542. II. 97. 424. Osteospermum 208. 616 ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL INDEX Osteosperruum ilicifolium 42. imbricatum.... 57. polygaloides... 29. spinescens 15. 31. Osmites camphorina 61. Othonna 182. 208. 22 5. 259. 260. 296. abrotanifolia 181. amplexicaulis 181. capillaris 181. crassifolia 62. denticulata 181. frutescens 181. tenuissima 131. trifida 259. Otis 186. 255. Kori.B. 393. Oxalis 27. 153. 182. 186. 208. 245. 259. II. 115. lupinifolia 257. monophylla 20. Oxygonum, B 548. alatum,B 548. P. Panicum 537, 538. Dactylon II. 5. Papaver Gariepinum,B 318. Papilio Hyperbius ? 45. (Hipparchia) montana,B. 45. Pappophorum 225.278. 400. 544. 549. Parkinsonia aculeata 23. Parmelia 232. 257. Paschanthus,B 543, 544. repandus,B 543. Passerina? II. 341. 3 55. capitata 57. cephalophora 42. filiformis {Holl. Bakker- boschjes) 15. 19. 31. 37. uniflora 57. Passifloreae 543. Passiflora caerulea 23. Pedetes Caffer 343.482. II. 3. Pedunculans flos,B 219, Pelargonium... 208. 257. 272. 295. 298. angulosum 88. grossularioi'des... 99. melananthum.... 20. munitum, B. 225, 226. pinnatum 20. rapaceum 57. renifolium 208. saniculaefolium .. 42. tabulare 31. tragacantho'ides, B. II. 98. Penaea acuta 67. fruticulosa 57. mucronata 29. 37. 46. squamosa 89. Pennisetum 544. Pentzia nana, B 400. Perdix Capensis 270. Periploca 182. II. 146. Africana 29. Petiolans, folium, B 219. Phalaris Canariensis 340. Pharnaceum 341. 544. II. 264. — incanum 20. — salsolo'ides, B 286. Phlomis 225.341. 400. 465. Leonurus 20. micrantha,B 540. parvifolia, B 225. Phoenix dactylifera 23, 24. Phylica 132.182.186.208. buxifolia 28. 50. 88. plumosa 37. secunda 56. stipularis 19. 42.68. Phyllanthus 400. 453. 544. Physalis 548. tomentosa 20. Picus terrestris,B 245. Pimelia inflata 339. Pinus Pinaster 23. Pinea 23, 24, 25. Plantago 225. hirsuta 1 9. Platalea nivea 501. Plotus 440. Poa 304. 537, 538. II. 266. filiformis 37. spinosa 211. Podocarpus 72. Pogonias 318. 327. Poinciana pulcherrima 23. Polianthes tuberosa 23. Polycarpum tetraphyllum 29. Polyergus 448. Polygala. Vide quoque Muraltiam. 257. Asbestin a, B 543 . bracteata 29. ephedroides,B... 400. 465. Garcini 19. 37. (Mural tia) Heisteria 15. 1 9. leptophylla, B 400. pungens, B 304. rigens,B 465. spinosa. 19. 61. (Muraltia) stipulacea 1 9. 29. Polygonea 340. 548. Polygonum 426. aviculare 340. 426. Hydropiper 57. lapathifolium... II. 226. Polypogon Monspeliensis.. II. 226. Populus canescens 23. Portulacaria Afra II. 133. 144. Portulacca oleracea 543. 545. Potamogeton marinum 51. Potentilla 426. Proteaceae 208. Protea, generice 54. 11.474. 132. acaulis 19. amplexicaulis 152. argentea 17. 54. Conocarpa 62. cordata 87. corymbosa 144. Protea cucullata 47. cynaro'ides 46. 123. glaucophylla 203. grandiflora. 67. 123. 11.474. incompta 59. incurva 89. Lepidocarpon 30. Levisanus 54. longifolia 131. meilifera 61, 62. nana 151. 203. purpurea 58. repens 205. Sceptrum 88. scolymus 176. speciosa 87, 88. 151. Prunus Barrowiana 72.. Psoralea 186. 208. aphylla 15. 19. 58. bracteata 19. 29. capitata 37. decumbens 37. pinnata 58.. Pteris 544. calomelanos 294.340.11.264. Pterocles 265. Namaquanus. 303. II. 345. variegatus,B II. 345. Pteronia.. 215. 245. 258, 259, 260. 272. 277. 289. 296. 300. Pterygodium atratum 46. Pyrus Cydonia ( Angl . Quince) 118., Q. Quercus Africana 72. R. Rafnia opposita 61. triflora 61. 131. Rallus 502.. Rana fasciata,B II. 52 Ranunculus pantothrix 283. philonotis II. 226. Regulus 527. Relhania 260. 300. 400. Reseda dipetala 467. 538.. Restiaceae 208. Restio 54. 124. 132. 182. tectorum 26. tetragonus 37. 57. Thamnochortus 57. verticillatus 99. Retzia spicata 89. Rhigozum,B 299. 400. obovatum,B 389. trichotomum,B. ... 299. 305. 448. II. 23. Rhinanthus glaber 63. Rhinoceros bicornis 86. 259. II. 75. simus,B II. 75. Rhus.. 124. 132. 389. II. 234. 248. 264. angustifolium 31. — concinnum,B 360. ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL INDEX. 617 Rhus cuneifolium 88. glaucum 29. incisum 181. mucronatum 19. pyroi'deSjB 535. 540. 465. rosmarinifolium 68. 93. serraefolium,B II. 100. tomentosum 29. tridactyle,B... 340. 455. 465. II. 235. villosum 29. 67. 94. 144. viminale. 178, 179. 207. 209. II. 29. 199. Ricinus 423. Roella ciliata 15. 19. 68. muscosa 42. spicata 56. Rosas 23. Rosmarinus officinalis 23. Rottbollia 544. 549. . dimidiata 19. 29. Royena 590. decidua, B 317. glabra 15. 19. 62. 124. .. microphylla, B 348. pubescens 24. Rubus pinnatus 62. Ruellia 537. Rumex sagittatus II. 147. (Acetosa) scandens,B. II. 146. spinosus 340. S. Saccharum 454. 465. Salicornia 51. fruticosa 50. Salix Gariepina,B. 316,517. 11.29. Salsola 272. II. 113. . aphylla 267. 419. diffusa ; vide, Chenoleam .51. Salvia... 182. 221, 222. 227. II. 93. Africana 15.51. 143. aurita 19. iEthiopis 465. Sambucus nigra 23. Samolus Valerandi 465. Sanseviera 465. Saxicola 335. 501. leucomelana,B 535. Scabiosa 465. . rigida 37. 68. pumila 19. Schizaea pectinata 37 . Schosnus capitellum 57. inanis 260. Scirpus 465. . Holoschcenus 51. (Fuirena) Hottentottus. 19. lacustris 51. - teaetalis,B 260.263. II. 123. maritimus 51. Sciurus 343. Capensis II. 241. Scolopax 502. Scoparia arborea 94. YOL. II. SelagO 196. 225. 232. 257. 260. 277. 53 7. 549. corymbosa 19. fasciculata 42. rapunculoi'des 37. spuria 30. 46. Semicollapsum, folium, B 543. Senecio... 225. 258. 277. 289. 295. 318. 452. longifolius 19. rigidus 68. Septas 232. 257. Serissa Capensis 31. Serpicula repens 19.57. rubicunda, B 37. Serruria 132. 182. Burmanni 61. glomerata 58. Sesamum 213. Seseli 232. Sida 541. 453. 544. Sideroxylum inerme ( Holl . Melk- hout) 29. Silene 225. Silpha II. 328. Silurus Gariepinus, B 425. Simia, vide Cercopithecum. Sinapis tripinnata,B 318. Sisymbrium 208. 286 304. Gariepinum, B 548. Sisyphus II. 328. Sium latifolium II. 226. Solana 2 55. Solanum 272. 544. giganteum 23. tomentosum 28. 50. Sophora Japonica II. 146. sylvatica,B..., II. 146. Sparaxis 232. Spartium cuspidosum,B. 348. 360. II. 233. Spatalla 89. Spielmannia Africana 58. Staavia glutinosa 45. radiata 45. 57. 63. Stachys iEthiopica 20. 29. 31. Stapeliae 243. II. 31. Stapelia pilifera 245. 245. Statice 454 . 4 65. II. 21. scabra 30. 51. Stilbe erico'ides 42. pinastra 29. Stoboea atractyloi'des 20. 31. Stoebe 132. erico'ides 131. incana 46. prostrata 42. rhinocerotis. 101, 102. 176. 186. 255. II. 126. virgata 131. Strelitzia augusta 24. II. 258. • reginae 23. Strobilaria, B 54. Strumaria filifolia 186. spiralis 153. Struthio Camelus ; vide, Ostrich. 24. 203. 244. 279. Struthiola erecta 57. juniperina 37. 4 K Struthiola virgata 57. Stylans germen,B 219. Subcollapsum folium, B 543. Sutherlandia 283. 296. Sylvia 304. 372. 440. 501. flaviventris, B 335. Syngenesia 284. Systrepha,B. (Ceropegia ?) ... 546. filiforme,B 546. T. Tabernaemontana 23, 24. Taenia 283. Talinum 419. 541. 544. Tamus Elephantipes II. 148. Tanacetum 465. multiflorum 29. Tarchonanthus 321.341. 448. II. 199. 233. 247. 264.271.289. 307. 340. 445. camphoratusll.233. Taxus elongata 72. Telephium 544. Terminalia Catappa 400. erythrophylla,B.... 400. Testudinaria II. 147. montana,B... II. 148. Tetragonia 298. 548. fruticosa 29. hirsuta 175. 179. Tetrao (Pterocles) Namaquanus. 265. 303. II. 345. (Pterocles) variegatus,B. II. 345. Thanatophilus II. 328. Thesium 272. 298. 544. capitatum 46. Colpoon 29. — strictum 19.37.42. Thalictrum ; 594. Thui'a cupressoides 59. Thymeleae 212. 255. Tillasa 2 59. Todea Africana 37. Tournefortia 538. Tortula recurvata,B 259. Triaspis hypericoides,B.... II. 280. Trichonema 258. spirale,B 260. tortuosum,B 259. Trifolium repens 51. Triglochin maritimum 51. Tripsacum 537. Tritonia 279. 296. 298. Trochili 18. Tropceolum Nasturtium 23. Tulbaghia alliacea 466. Turdus 318. 327. 464. 501. ■ bicolor 394.. Capensis 527. nitens 318. 440. Zeylonus 245. Typha latifolia 51. 618 ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL INDEX. U. Umbel lifer a 394. Uncaria,B. ...... 536. — procumbens,B... 536, 537. Uniola 400. 549. Upupa Epops 394. 501. purpurea, B 32 6. 464. II. 346. Urania speciosa II. 259. Uropetalum,B 544. 548, 549. ■ glaucum, B 548. Urtica urens.. 340. V. Vahlia 400. 417. Vangueria infausta,B. II. 258. 451. 499. Verbena 298. 541. ■ ■■ officinalis 37. Veronica 42 6. Veronica Anagallis... 340. II. 226. scutellata 426. Vespertilio, Lin II. 257. Villarsia ; vide Menyanthem. 46. Vinca rosea 23. Vipera inflata, B 469. Virgilia Capensis 23. Viscum Capense 143. 147. , var.B 213. rotundifolium 181. Viverra 345. II. 592. Vultur auricularis 377. 501. occipitalis, B II. 329. Percnopterus. 336. 338. 474. 501. II. 194. pileatus,B II. 195. W. Wachendorfia hirsuta 19. Watsonia alopecuro'ides 15. Watsonia plantaginea 57. 186. spieata 57. Weinmanma trifoliata 143. X. Xeranthemum 132. (Helichrysum) canes- cens 152. sesamoides. 29. speciosissi- nium 42. Z. Zanichellia II. 241. Zizyphus bubalinus 317. II. 20. 29.- Zygophylluni... 225. 289. 294. 300. 310. — — ■ sessilifolium 1 9. THE GENERAL INDEX. The pages of the second volume are distinguished by a preceding II. : all the rest refer to the first volume. The pronunciation of the foreign 'words, is marked by a ( ' ) or a ( - ) over the accented syllable. Aakaap 328. 342. 361. 538. II. 3. Aardvark 342. II. 97. 424. Aas-vogel 377. 501. Aborigines of Southern Africa, dis- tinguished 582. conclu- sions drawn from their present mode of dress II. 373. Abrams: Abram, a Hottentot. II. 225. 228. Hendrik, a Hottentot. 499. 516. II. 219. Acacia, of the Cape, its Colonial names 195. representa- tions of it 189. 228. 325. other spe- cies closely resembling it. II. 248. compared with the Camelthorn. II. 240. bark, used in tanning. 243. used for cord 405. grove of 324. a beautiful species of. 336. a new and remarkable spe- cies of 389. useful for enclosures for cattle 407. produces Gum-Arabic. 429. . • nowhere seen growing in the Cisgariepine . II. 21 1. a new species, in Serra- kutu’s mootsi II. 464. different species growing near Litakun II. 526. Accident Fountain II. 237. __ River 220. Achter-ryders : their office ex- plained II. 132. Achter-Sneeuwberg II. 1 13. Adam, a Bachapin : his history. II. 371, 572. 402. 406. Adder: the Puff; described. 469. ASolus 4- Africa and Europe, contrasted. 495, 496. African and the European, con- trasted II. 443. Africa, Southern, its western coast. 49. Africaanders, or Afrikaaners; co- lonial signification of the word 21. Africaander, a Hottentot freebooter: some account of him .... 270. - robs a Hottentot kraal. 494. reports respecting him, intimidate the author’s Hot- tentots 525. 534. remark on the name. II. 376. six of his men mur- dered by the Caffres. II. 545. Agates II. 213. Agriculture at the Asbestos Moun- tains 336. atKlaarwater 565. a country capable of. II. 36. 42. of the Bachapins. II. 506. 525. 586. Agter-stel 150. Agter : see, Achter. Akku'f bon! (Let me see). II. 463. Albany: district of 75. 580. Algoa Bay II. 511. 540. Alkali, for making soap : how ob- tained by the Colonists. 419. — • volatile: its use against the bite of snakes II. 130. Alkaline water II. 19. 21. Alluvial soil 467. Almanack : a Hottentot mode of making one II. 243. Almond 80. II. 280. the Indian 400. Aloe: the great American ... 15. a new species of 272. 4 K 2 Aloe, called Tokwi II. 332. Alder, of the Colony 142 Alsem: Wilde 480. Amandels: Wilde (Brabeium stel- latifolium) 37. Ammonia : an instance of its effi- cacy against the bite of a ser- pent 392. 541. Ammunition purloined ... II. 242. Amulet : description of one worn by the Bachapins II. 550 Amygdaloid II. 213, Amygdaloidal greenstone. II. 215. Anderson, Mr. : a missionary. 49. 64. 351. II. 225. 231. 243. Andries, a Hottentot of the author’s party. II. 166. 233. 330. 379. 383. 422. 457. Animal matter : its mutations. II. 327. Animals ; wild : the possibility of taming them 487. Animated nature : a picture of. II. 528. Ants: a black species of them, very troublesome 425. Ant-hills, and a large species of Ant; described 448. Anteater 342. 448. II. 97. Antelopes: nature of the meat of. 187. Antelope: new species of; de- scribed II. 277. 302. the crescent-horned. II. 55 4. 575. Anys-Wortel (Anise-root) 252. Apron of the Bachapin women. II. 565. Architecture, of the Bachapins, and Bichuanas II. 505. 517. Arcturus 555. II. 330. Aridity of the atmosphere : its effects 282. 488. of soil and climate, favor- able to health ... 27 5. II. 580. I 620 GENERAL INDEX. Arrows of the Bushmen, II. 62.198. 199, 200. ■ made from a peculiar species of reed. II. 271. a mode of curing the wounds made by them II. 581. Arrow-poison : its nature, and anti- dote considered 539, 540, 541. Asbestos : a beautiful and immature species of. 334. Mountains : arrival at. 328. 541. . plants found there 340. 543, 544. beautiful scenery among them .... II. 5. Astrild, orRoodebekje. 266. 11.269. Astrild Station II. 41. Astronomical peculiarities, in the Southern hemisphere 80. calculations : a remark respecting those here employed. 204. observations : some remarks on 333. 556. 5 76. II. 324. Astronomy : the atmosphere of the Interior peculiarly favorable to. 375. 484. a practical application of II. 35. useful to a traveller in rectifying the dates of his journal 343. Atmosphere : extraordinary clear- ness of. 65.375. its excessive aridity in the Transgariepine 283. Atmospheric heat : the principle of it conjectured 496, 497. Attaquas kloof 89. Auctions, or Vendues 79. Aurora : African II. 323. Auteniqua-land 82. 92. Autumnal colors II. 10.215. Avond-bloem (Evening-flower). 186. 273. B. Ba; a Sichuana prefix II. 303. Baas, a colonial title. 87. 11.94. 159. Baboons (see also Baviaans). 67. 143. 193. II. 144. 153. Babylonsche Toren; a mountain remarkable for being visible at a great distance 100. Bachaplns. — The following refer- ences are given only for the purpose of collecting together the scattered observations on this people : the other parti- culars will be found in the 17th and 18th Chapters, at pages 511. and 529. See also the words Briqua, Bichuana, ar.d Litakun. Bachaplns (Bachap&ns) remarks on I the name II. 303. boundary of their coun- try 346. how called by the Hot- tentots 364. some of their supersti- tious notions 481, 482. — boy : one brought to Klaarwater 483. one hired for the journey to Graaffreynet 541. interpreter, engaged. 484. not arrow-makers. II. 199. — — in service of the Half- Hottentots II. 234. the degree of civilization to which they have arrived. II. 305. roads, described. II. 506. dress II. 519. 412. grand hunting-parties. II. 320. mode of taking snuff. II. 321. — timidity .• cause of. II. 532. and Bushmen: their hostility towards each other. II. 341. . the state of society among them II. 347, 348. one named Adam, brought up under the Boors... II. 572. remarks on their names. II. 375. hospitality II. 582. manner of conducting themselves towards their Chief. II. 386. their importunate beg- ging II. 387. ready in comprehending a drawing 11.391. mode of showing their general character. II. 594, 395. derive advantages from the Colony 11.415,416. a grand hunt near Lita- kun II. 420. — inferior to the Bushmen in the power of running. 11.420. religious notions. II. 427. punishments.... 11.451. opinions of the Colonial dress II. 432. house, described II. 444. meals II. 449 — 451. - a notion respecting white- men II. 451. bad-faith in bartering. II. 456. 459. warfare, and marks of honor II. 478. acquitted of cannibalism II. 478. marriages II. 485. opinion respecting white- men II. 55 8. Bachaplns, first visited by a party of Hottentots II. 559. remarks on the possibi- lity of civilizing them. II. 560. concluding remarks on them II. 599. Bakarrikarri (see also Karrikarri). II. 532. Bakkerboschjes (Passernia filifor- mis) 15. Bamakatta II. 552. BamakwTins II. 532. 567, 568. Bamboo Cane 142. II. 172. the Sea- 28. Bambosberg 581. Bambus, or Hottentot wooden-jug. 406, 407. used as a drum. II. 65. 87. Bamuchars II. 532. 548. obtain guns from Afri- kaander II. 376. boundary 346. Bang-hoek, 144. — its beauty of scenery 145 Banyan tree of India : its singular character mimicked by the Willows of the Kygariep. 423. Ba-pdu II. 409. Barbet 318. 327. 502. Baroba, or Bushmen II. 577. Barolongs II. 304. 532. 548. their friendly reception of a party of Colonial Hotten- tots II. 537. Barracks in Cape Town.... 26. 74. Barrow, Mr. ; his description of the Stinkwood 72. — Rogge- veld 346. Kora- nas 546. Spring- buck II. 109. Gnu. 432. his map 577, 578. character of his Work. See the vindication of the author’s “ Hints on Emigra- tion” appended to Vol. I. Bartering with the Bachaplns. II. 400. 406. 456. 508. Barter : the mode of estimating tobacco II. 49. a mode of conducting it by an agent II. 555. Basil ; a frutescent species dis- covered II. 264. Bassarri miingklic. (Pretty girls). II. 386. Bastaards, (or Mixed-Hottentots) explanation of the term. 154. 561. Wildebeest II. 278. Batammakas II. 303. 532. invade the country of the Bachaplns II. 500. Bats II. 257. Batseeba (Dove, or Pigeon). 11.257. GENERAL INDEX. 621 Baviaan (see also Baboon), inhabits rocky places 45. Baviaan’s Kloof (see Genadendal). 10G. the Houtbay-kloof formerly called so 61. river 11.114.146. Beads II. 407. 537. 56 8, 569. Beans, cultivated by the Bacha- pins II. 527. 587. how preserved at Litakun. II. 520. Beauty: want of 415. Becreeping cap II. 56. Bees: Wild 376. II. 81. • Bee-eater, a bird.... 372. 464. 502. Beer, of the Hottentots and Bacha- plns 364. II. 552. Beetles; new species of.. 505. 464. the carnivorous kinds found in the Transgariepine. II. 328. Beggars; Bachapin II. 387. Begging : a mode of resisting the importunities of. II. 425. Bekruip-muts, or hunting cap of the Bushmen II. 56. Belfry: the kind usual in the Colony 128. Bellows ; description of a peculiar kind seen at Litakun. II. 483. Benguela : the author’s intention relative to 511. Berends: a family of Hottentots. 563. the Hottentot Captain. 230. 255. 267. 329. 561. 481. 541. II. 4. the Hottentot Captain : un- expected meeting with him at Litakun II- 465. 479. Willem, joins the author’s party on a Hippopotamus hunt. 378. 418. 457. Klaas; engaged to carry letters to theColony. 521.527. 535. 541. Cobus; accompanies the author from the Asbestos Mountains to Graaffreyn^t 542. 545. 547. II. 148. 152. 219. Berg-haas (Mountain Hare)... 488. Berg-river: the Little.... 129. 137. the Great 129. its ford, at Burgher’s Drift 140. . its F erry (Pont). 178. Berg Zwaluw (Mountain Swallow). 572. 501. Bezem-riet (Broom-reed) 124. Bichuania ; the country of, defined. 581. — first entrance into. II. 292. Bichuanas, referred to the Caffre Race 582. Bichuanas, remarks on the name. II. 303. usually called Caffres, by the Hottentots .... II. 502. nations, general charac- ter II. 599. • nations, advancement in arts and manufactures. II. 596. tribes; language. 11.293. 30 3. disregard for truth. II. 304. want of hospitality. II. 349. tobacco 11.321. Birds : 17, 18. 20. 24. 30. 186. 203. 213, 214. 222.233.244, 245, 246. 257. 259. 263. 265, 266. 270. 279. 283. 296. 303, 304. 318. 326, 327. 335, 336. 338 . 344. 372. 387. 393, 394.426. 440. 464. 474. 501, 502. 549. II. 41. 194, 195. 269. 329. 345, 346. 492. the familiarity of some. 50. singing in the night 304. collected in 1811 550. few found in the great arid plains 288. II. 269. Blaauwberg 25. 44. Black-bark 317. 404. Black River (see also Nugariep). 581. its different names. 591. first arrival at it. 389. probable origin of its name II. 43. Blacksmith at Litakun II. 482. Blesbok; a species of antelope. II. 334, 335. Bles-moll (White-faced Mole). 57. Blight in corn : an instance of. 334. Blink-klip ; or. Shining Rock (see also, Sibilo) II. 255. Bloem’s Kraal, in the Asbestos Mountains II. 6. 217. Fountain II.. 249. Jan ; the robber : his his- tory II. 249. Bloemtyd (Flower-season) .... 222. Bloodelyf Kaffers (Naked Caffres). 436. Boat : substitute used for it by the natives 416. Boekoe. (see also Bookoo, and Buku.) 396. — azyn (Buku-vinegar). 479. Boer (Farmer) 87. Boere-Plein 73. Boialloa, a fermented drink. II. 552. Boiling-pots, or Piitsas, found in the plains of Litakun. II. 546. Bokkeveld, Cold; its nature. 80,81 . higher than Roodezand. 130. Karro, a view of... 2 10. the Farther... 579. 581. Boklookwe, an old Bachapin K6si. II. 392. 562. 569. Bolderwagen ; or Stage-waggon. 76. 146. Bonteberg (Spotted Hill) 262. Boode (or Ger^chtsboode), a mes- senger 135.241. Book-making: the art of. 384. Bookoo (see also, Buku, and Boekoe) 396. II. 59. the virtues of: recom- mended 479. — vinegar 479. Boontjes Kraal (Bean Kraal); oc- casion of its name 94. Boor: definition of the word. 87. Boors (or Dutch farmers) : various examples of. 85. 87. 93. 117. 122. 126. 140. 174. 179, 180. 182. 184. 190, 191. 194. 198 — 206.210, 211. 220. 222. 233, 234. 238. 241. 248, 249, 250. 273,274,275. 11.95.104 — 108. 111. 118. 125 — 127. 132. 135. 140. 149. 154. 157 — 160, 161, 162, 163. 165, 166. 170, 171. 173—175. 176—180. 182,183. their journeys to Cape Town. 52. 92. 250. II. 113. care of their oxen 86. the mode in which a tra- veller introduces himself at their houses 121. hut, description of one... 198. hut : description of one in the Karro, and Roggeveld. 237, 238. children: education of.. 199. II. 114. topics of conversation 117,118 — an artifice respecting pasture. 223. their respect for government orders 241. their clothing 243. their prosperity under the English 244. and Bushmen, their hosti- lity towards each other. II. 15. 50. 331. cautions to be attended to, in giving a general character of them 13. II. 96. and Hottentots; their dif- ferences. II. 161, 162. 164. 179. Boschberg ; or, Boschbcrgen, (Tim- ber Mountain)... II. 114. 146. Bosch Duif, (Wood Pigeon)... 501, 502. Boschjesveld II. 121. Boschman ; see, Bushman. uyentjes, small eatable bulbs 417. 548. II. 26. Bosjes or Heaths 25. Bosjesveld; its name 119. nature of. 120. Bosjesman: see Bushman. Bot river 93. 622 GENERAL INDEX. Botanic garden at Cape Town; proposed 24. Botanical boundaries 208. 524. II. 475. features of a country, change with its mineralogy. 208. 507. II. 100. specimens : a new mode of preserving them, when the regular mode is not practica- ble 155. specimens ; a package of them, lost in a manner never accounted for 250. specimens: the trouble of drying them 293. Botany of the Cape ; its profusion and great variety 16. 18. of the Cape Colony : its features II. 146. of the Cape Colony. (See also Comparative Botany.) of the Cape Peninsula. 154. of African plains 556. of the Nuakketsi country. II. 475. a remarkable change in : at the Karro-pass 208. and Geology, connected. II. 100. and Geography, connected. II. 211. ■ desiderata in. 212.255.454. Boterboom (Butter tree)...... 192. Boulder stones ; a remarkable kind of II. 45, 44. Boundary of the Colony: a law respecting it 162. of the Colony, ill-de- fined II. 185. Boven-land, the term explained. 88. Bowls of the Hottentots ; the mode of making them 406. Bows of the Bushmen II. 198. Boys ; Bachapln : their employ- ment II. 557. Bracelets, of the Bachaplns. II. 572. Brackish River 289. Brakke Rivier 261. 289. an unexplored river, improperly so called. (See also. Friendly River.)... II. 19. Brak-boschjes, a plant II. 21. Brandewyn-bosch 564. Brand Valley, or Brandt Valley: its hot-spring described. 21. 124, 125. Brandy : reasons for concealing it from the savages II. 595. of the Colony 80. 119. • bush.. 564. Brass : how denominated by the Bachaplns II. 575. Bread: Hottentots’; a plant of sin- gular growth II. 147. of the Bichuanas .... II. 586. Breede Rivier (Broad River). 104. 126. 185. 189. Brewery : a villa near Cape Town. 55. Brey-paal ; an apparatus used in preparing leathern thongs. 551. Brieskap ; a ford through the Gariep 507. Briqua : meaning of the word. 364. II. 305. Briqualand 486. II. 457. Briquas, (see also, Bachapins) first discovered II. 275. 559. language (see also, Sich- uana) 201 British inhabitants, at the Cape. 77, 78. Museum. 139.385. II. 556. some of the ani- mals presented to it. 159. 342. II. 278. 501, 302. 554. Bruyn, Jacob De 184. II. 479. Bruyntjes Hoogte II. 114. Bryony; a new kind of 547. Bua kaapi (Say it again). II. 436. Buffalo of Southern Africa ... 578. II. 420. described II. 249. one pursued by Speelman and Keyser II. 268. thorn. 317. 404. II. 20. 29. Buffel II. 250. Buffelbout 503. Buffeldoorn 317.404. II. 20. Buffels kraal, in the Vale of Hex- river 194. rivier II. 172. Buik-plank 149. Buiten districten : meaning of the words II. 125. Bukobi, or Bichuana Bread. II. 586. Buku (see also Bookoo, and Boekoe) : representation of the plant 476. a kind of scented powder, much used by the Hottentot tribes 356. 396. II. 59. its medicinal qualities, re- commended to notice ... 479. a kind of it, made from a fragrant species of Croton. 396. II. 263. Bulb-bag, described II. 57. Bulbous plants: uncertainty of their flowering 155. plants : the rapidity of their vegetation II. 5. Bullets : the different kinds used during the journey. 11.73.317. Bullet-pouch 167. II. 286. Burgers : Barend : description of his dwelling on the Snow Mountains II. 173. Burghers : three sent by the land- drost of Graaff’reyn^t. II. 134. of the Colony... II. 120. ten murdered by the Caffres II. 121. Burial-places of the Bachaplns. II. 522. Burning the pastures : its effects and utility 117.419. Bushes of diminutive size. 314. II. lio. Bushmen. — The following refer- ences under this head, are given for the purpose of collect- ing together the principal parts of the information scattered throughout these volumes ; and from which a knowledge of the manners and general character of these tribes, may be drawn. Boschman, Boschjesman, or Bosjesman, (sometimes termed Saqua by the Hotten- tots): meaning, and applica- „ tion of the words 64. one. of the tribes border- ing on the Colony 77. ■ one of the ingredients in their arrow-poison 192. Tame. 227. 533. II. 110. Captains : their autho- rity 227. 250. the author’s first meet- ing with 227. 250. frequently attack the shepherds of the Colonists. 238. an attempt to establish a Mission among them, at the Zak (Sack) river 281. ■ precautions against them on entering their country. 281. their stature and per- sonal appearance, described. 29_1. II. 212. cautions to strangers travelling through their coun- try 294. Goedhart, a chief, who vowed perpetual warfareagainst the Colonists 297 often conceal the situ- ation of their kraals 515. II. 284. one of the means of gaining their good-will... 526. language, compared with that of the Koras 545. the uncertain boundaries of their country 546. ■ a mode in which they frequently redress their wrongs. 573. their customary perqui- sites, when strangers hunt in their territory 379. their pitfalls for catching wild animals 586. 403. sign of their distrust in strangers 588. a party receiving pre- sents 590. a tale of their barbarous treatment of a prisoner of war. 391. 392. language : its great variety of dialects 407. GENERAL INDEX. 623 Bushmen : their superstitious no- tions 408 cutting up a hippopota- mus 41.3. their food often con- sists of small wild roots... 417. liberty and symmetry of figure 422. dismiss all mistrust of a stranger, as soon as they be- come convinced of his peace- able disposition... 424. 11.48. instance of expertness, in striking fish with a hassa- gay 424. precautions against a sur- prise from them at night. 434. ■ ■■ their signals bv night. 434. II. 196. kraal : a visit to ... 455. much feared by the Kaffers 456. — their probable notions respecting robbery 443. often unjustly suspected. 455. a player on the Gorah. 459. 465. ■ . ■ ■ — the extreme poverty of one of their kraals 456. deplorable ignorance of some 460. their music. 460. II. 66. 87. a tale, respecting two brothers 461. the cause of their being dreaded by the neighbouring tribes 539. arrows : the nature of their poison 539, 540. — Country : geographical remarks on it 580. — Race 582. pipe II. 24. ■ ■ — reflections on their state of poverty and hardship. 11.37. kraal : description of one. II. 55. 55, 56. their general character. II. 54. 599. longevity II. 57. — • marriage customs. II. 58. modeof mourning. II. 61. expertness in using the bow II- 61, 62. ■ - dancing... II. 63, 64. 87. 200. not incapable of grati- tude II. 68. 86. 447. activity in driving cattle. II. 71. and Colonists at vari- ance II. 112. 132. 201. of the Nugarlep. II. 126. — - — mistrust of the Colonists. II. 141. ■■ their alarm at a troop of horsemen 11.187. Bushmen; their robberies of cattle. II. 189. 197. 203. their arms. II. 198, 199. proofs of their expedi- tious travelling II. 218. a lighter-coloured and taller tribe of them... II. 268. an improvident people. II. 289. farewell remarks on quit- ting their country II. 290. their mode of drinking. 11.314. Keyset’s anecdotes of them . II, 351. some of the names given to them, by the Hottentots and Koras II. 551. in the country of the Bachaplns II. 541. the state of society among them II. 347. called Baroba by the Bachaplns II. 377. child, seen at Litakun ; nearly starved to death II. 472. and Bachaplns : their hostility towards each other. II. 536. 542. arrows : a mode of curing the wounds made by them. II. 581. Bushwomen : their personal ap- pearance and manners.... 291. 420. probable cause of their early appearance of old age. 415. appearance of some far advanced in years 460. II. 195. singular conformation observed in them. 216. II. 60. Bush-girl; one pretty, and vain. 413.420.422. Bustard ; a species of: called Koorhaan, or Knorhaan... 186. a small species, peculiar to the Karrd . 235. a new species, called Kori. 593. Butchers of Cape Town : their mode of purchasing cattle in the grazing districts 201. Hall, in Cape Town ... 74. Butcher-birds, or Fiscal-birds. 502. II. 545. Butter : its use among the Bacha- pins II. 593. tree (Boterboom) 192. Buttons: their use and value at Litakun II. 573. stolen by the Bachaplns. II. 422. C. Caavr.a : see Kaama. Catties, or Kaffers; application of the word in its more extended meaning II. 502. 529, 53 0. their mode of warfare. 494. — Race : general observations on it... II. 529. 548. 582. 599. Proper... 64. 582. II. 530. extent of the coun- try inhabited by them.... 77. 580, 581. their language com- pared II. 582. their features and personal appearance... II. 529. warfare between them and the colonists. II. 8: 111. 119, 120, 121. — — some living at Gena- dendal ill. a lusus-naturae, per- fectly white II. 171. emigrants into the Cisgariepine, and to the banks of the Gariep... 64. 185. 225. 227. 278. 287. 298. II. 52. the author’s first meeting with them... 268. attack and plunder the Bachaplns. 11.542. Red : called Tammakas, or Batammakas II. 225. 532. 477. 500. Corn, described... II. 586. Finch, described... II. 492. Calabash, or Sikkwo II. 587. Calcareous incrustations 454. substratum indicated by a plant 594. substratum of the Trans- gariepine ... II. 510, 31 1. 355. Calculations: astronomical... 204. Calebas : Wilde 278. Caledon: the Earl of. 12.169. II. 494. village, and district of. 75, 76. 95. Camel-Corner II. 278. Camelopard, or Giraffe. 482. 545. II. 282. 336. 568. first discovery of its footsteps II. 248. a skeleton of one, found II. 278. Camelthorn, or Camelopard-thorn. 389. 430. 453. II. 292. 306. 412. 465. 526. 595. described II. 240. representations of. II. 560. new species of... 589. II. 442. Camps Bay, or Van Camps Bay. 16. 45. an excursion to .... 27. Kloof 15. 624 GENERAL INDEX. Camp of the Hottentot regiment at Wynberg 60. Camtoos river II. 172. Canari-byter ; a bird 18. Canary-bird 20. 502. Candles: difficulty of making them, in the Interior 552. Cannibal, a name not to be applied to the Bachaplns II. 478. Canoe : the “ wooden-horse” used as a substitute for it, by the natives 416. Canopus ; a beautiful star, visible in Southern Africa 80. Cape of Good Hope ; first view of, at sea 1 . discovery of. 75. remarks on the geographical abuse of the name. 580. - — ■ Colony, taken by the English. 77. its character as a settle- ment 82. its increasing popula- tion II. 144. 549. Flats, defined 1 58. Town, viewed from the sea. 9. remarks on its situation. 55. latitude and longitude of 555. a general description of. 70 — 82. Mollemmi proposes to make a journey thither. II. 557. 549. 417. 425. 479. Serrakutu invited to visit it II. 440. Botany (see also, Botany): remarkable features in ... 182. 208. Capoc-berg, seen from Table Moun- tain 44. Capoc-vogel (Cotton Bird) ... 214. Captains of Bushman and Hotten- tot kraals ; their authority acknowledged by the Cape Government 227. Hottentot : account of one. 551. the title of ; as understood by the bordering tribes. 11.456. Carbonaadtjes 219.514. Card-playing : a Hottentot game, so called 255. Carp: a species of 280. Carrot Fountain II. 184. Cartridges made by the party. II. 246. 285. Carving in wood, by the Bacha- plns II. 595. Castle, at Cape Town... 11.26.75. Casper’s kraal II. 259. Cat, the domestic 11.524. a new species of. II. 592. Cats-eye : a beautiful species of stone resembling it 354. Catalogues ; Local : their utility. 154. Catalogus geographicus... 18. 556. II. 279. Caterpillars : a new mode of pre- serving them 473. Cattle ; a large herd stolen by the Bushmen II. 197. of the Colony : their in- crease II. 144. of the Bachaplns... II. 524. Place of the Boors ; (see Leg-plaats) 207. Stations of the Bachaplns. II. 476. Cavern at Sensavan II. 257. Celery, naturalized at the Kosi Fountain II. 280. Spring 267. Chaasi, a Bachapin... 11.561.569. Chalcedony 11.213. 240. Chamois of the Alps II. 23. Champani, a Bachapin. 11.409.416. 426. 428. 430. Charcoal made by the Bichuanas. II. 483. Chert .. II. 240. Chesnut : the Wild 63. Chicken-thief (Kuikendief); a kind of kite 502. Children : their amusive power. II. 455. of Bushmen : their timi- dity II. 50. 39. Chimera 432. Christemensch (Christians): appli- cation of the word, in the Colony 221. (Christians): advan- tage taken of the name. II. 156. 286. 467. Christianity : the genuine spirit of. II. 290. Christian names, of the Colonists. 191. II. 126. Christmas day in Africa, contrasted with Europe 495, 496. Chukuru (Rhinoceros) .... II. 346. Churches in Cape Town. 25. 72, 73. in the Colony 76. at Genadendal 106. atTulbagh 128. at Stellenbosch. 156.145. at Klaarwater ... 550. 352. 355. 367. Steph anus’s 362. Lutheran : its latitude de- termined 555. at Graffreyn^t .... II. 144. Cisgariepine, a natural division. 324. geographically defined. 581. its mountains. II. 100. 153. a remarkable charac- teristic of it II. 211. Civilization of the aboriginal in- habitants of Southern Africa. 109 — 111. 224. 334. 352. 358. 422. 483. II. 560. 594. 596. Clanwilliam: District of 75. Clay : a strong blue 307. slate 333. II. 311. 355. Clematis, a climbing plant growing wild 594. II. 5. 146. Climate of the Cape 80. of the Transgariepine. 568. II. 527. Cloth-stone (Doekstein) 533. Clothing of South-Africans : con- clusions drawn from it. II. 373. Clusters of houses at Litakun. II. 441. Cobus Berends (see also Berends). II. 148. 152. Cocksfoot-grass ; a species of : growing wild in the Asbestos Mountains II. 5. Coffee: a substitute for it .... 566. readily drunk by the Bacha- plns II. 574, 57 5. Cold districts of the Colony... 81 254. Land (Coudveld) II. 172. Station II. 129. weather of the Colony. 253. 254. 257. II. 128. 131. of the Transgariepine. II. 299. 368. Collections in Natural History, vii. viii. 18. 24. 31. 46. 131. 133. 250. 505. 511. 523. 536. 550. II. 226, 227. Colonial customs, in travelling through the Colony. 121. 141. at departure on a long journey, and at return. 173. 528. II. 2. respecting names of the Boors. 191. 11.126.158. • mode of riding, in the distant districts 205. of the early colo- nists on meeting on the road. 221. at dinner.... 240. of washing feet. II. 122. respecting bed- ding II. 123. Hottentots : remarks on their supposed decrease in numbers II. 549. — names of animals and plants, often carelessly applied. 145. 229. 265. II. 25. 250. Secretary’s office 162. Colonists : wandering or nomadic. 273, 274, 275. their general character often given, either with par- tiality or with prejudice. II. 96 their sentiments, witl respect to the Bushmen. II. 112. 152. their true interest, with, respect to the Hottentots, II. 164, GENERAL INDEX. 625 Colonization northward of the Roggeveld 284. on the banks of the Gariep 519. along the ‘ Friendly River’ II. 52—103. Coloquintida ; Wild : the prepara- tion of 126. Combustion: spontaneous. II. 170. Comets, seen 160. 431. Commando, or a body of armed Boors II. 111. 119. 201. Commerce : benefits attendant on it II. 541. Comparative Botany. 182. 243. II. 259. Compasberg, or Spitskop; the highest peak in the Colony. II. 125. Compass rendered useless by ferru- gineous rocks 277. renders important service to the party, in a stormy night 302. obtains the confidence of the Hottentots 467. Variation of. 266. 271. 375. 563. II. 325. Composite-flowers: nearly all the plants of the Roggeveld, are of this order 284. Concert, in Cape Town 21. Bachapin II. 410. — of frogs 509. Constantia: visit to 61 — 63. Contrgberg seen from Table Moun- tain 44. Convulsions of children ; a fre- quent disorder at Klaarwater. 371. Coodoo ; see Koodoo. Cookery of the Hottentots. II. 88. 262. Coots 197.263. 11.346. Copper II. 532. 575. Copper-ore II. 568. Cord, made from rushes 114. made from Acacia-bark. 405. Corn : its productiveness in the Cape Colony II. 144. cultivated in the Transga- riepine 334.336. 491. of the Bachapins, described. II. 586. superstition of the Bachapins respecting it, while growing. 48 1 . difficulty of obtaining it in Bichuania II. 414. fields at Litakun .... II. 527. hoes of the Bachapins. 11.434. sieves at Litakun ... II. 455. houses of the Bachapins. II. 521. -jars of the Bachapins. 11.445. 515. 520. eater; a bird. 246.259. 11.91. Cornelis (see also, Goei'man) : his conduct during the journey. II. 155. 156. 282. 286. 457. 467. Cornelis: his disobedience.il. 460 — 462. 469. Corneous additamenta of animals. II. 76. Cosmetics of the Hottentots and Bachapins. 396. II. 59. 256. 445. Cotton-plant introduced into the extratropical part of Southern Africa, by the author 366. like seed : a shrub pro- ducing it 321. bird (Capoc-vogel)... 214. Coudveld, an extremely cold coun- try 81. 254. II. 172. 176. Coughs observed on Sneeuwberg. II. 126. Courage: an emblem of it. 11.192. Cousin (Neef ) : a word of frequent use in the Colony 499. Covetousness of the Bachapins. II. 395. 397. Cowan, Dr. his fatal expedition into the Interior of Africa. 50. 232. 498. II. 156. 276. 478. inquiries made by the author to ascertain the fate of his party II. 494. and his party: their fate; according to the tales of Mattlvi, and Muloja. II. 496, 497. 503 — 506. Cowry shells ; reflections on seeing them worn by Bushmen. 444. 291. Crabs found in the rivers of the Roggeveld 272. Crane : the large blue 508. Creation : harmony of... 225. 505. Cricket : a species producing an extraordinary noise 527. Cross; a beautiful constellation of the southern hemisphere... 81. Crow White (Witte Kraai) ; a species of vulture... 338. 502. Crows; their familiarity. 257.481. 502. II. 325. Crowhead (Kraai-kop); a Bush- man captain II. 85. 188. Cryptogamic plants, widely dis- seminated II. 209. Cubic pyrites of iron 202. Cuckoo : the Golden ; or Green- and-gold 464. 502. Cupido Kok ; a Hottentot of Klaar- water. 581. II. 224. 235. 238. 288. the meeting with him at Kosi- Fountain. II. 274 — 277. Curry, a dish much eaten in the Colony 93. Currency, compared with sterling money 79. Custom-house in Cape Town. 74. Cylindric medium, in the art of drawing in perspective; ex- plained II. 448, 4 L D. Dag (Dak): a common salutation. 113. 221. II. 85. 134. 231. Dakka, or dried Hemp-leaves : used for smoking instead of tobacco. 366. II. 4. 7. 85. Wilde (Leonotis Leonurus), or Wild Hemp 15. Dak-riet, or Thatching-reed. 25, 26. Dal van Josaphat 139. Dammaras 5 82. Dammara Country 579. Dammaraqua: on the word. 11.303. Dance: Riizo’s 11.87. Dances of the Colonial Hottentots. II. 396. Dancing, at a Bushman kraal. II. 63. 87. 200. absurd doctrine respecting. II. 288. of the Bachapins.. II. 410. 598. general remarks on. II. 413. of boys at Litakun. II. 438. rattles, of the Bushmen. II. 65. 89. rattles of the Bachapins. II. 572. Dandy: a Hottentot II. 102. Dandies at Litakun II. 573. Daniel Kafler, or Old Daniel, a Hottentot 553. II. 235. his character. II. 1 52. 219. Danser, a CafFre chief 186. Das, or Dasje; an animal resem- bling a rabbit, and inhabiting rocky places 2 65. Dassenberg 25. 44. Dassen Island 44. Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) 24. Dates, rectified by astronomy. II. 343. Dauw, or Mountain horse. 139.265. II. 315. Deer and Stags (Cervi) compared with Antelopes 312. Delagoa Bay 582. II. 532. Deserts, not wholly destitute of picturesque appearance.. 288. Deserter : melancholy fate of one. 498 Despatches : a mode of conveying them through the Colony. 93. Devil’s Mountain 38. 41. 43. Dew in the Transgarieplne. II. 324. Dialect ; Dutch : of the Hottentots. 15. 87. II. 437. of the Bushman language. 407. 581. Digging-stick, described. II. 29. 198. Dignity: affected, and real. 11.368. Disorders of the Bachapins. 11.580. Disselboom, or Pole of a Cape waggon 150. 180. Distances in travelling : how ascer- tained. 90. 289. II. 31. 298. 316. 341,342. VOL. II, 626 GENERAL INDEX. Districts of the Colony ... 75. 579, 580. II. 144. 549. Diver, a bird 440. an antelope. See Duiker. Doekstein, or Cloth-stone .... 355. Dogs: common domestic. 237.247. 349. 381,382.584. 401. II. 2. 185. remarks on their various barkings II. 244. — remarks on their attachment to man II. 245. 524. and Jackals .... 464. II. 285. attack a lion II. 191. of the Bushmen. . II. 56. 198. of the Bachaplns. II. 474.524. the Wild : a new species of Hyena 456. II. 99. 229. Dollars : Cape. See Rix-Dollars. Spanish 79. Doom-boom (Thorn-tree). See Karro-doorn ; Witte-doorn ; Cape Acacia... 195. 211. 213. 317. II. 244. Doom River, in the Karro. 211.213. in the Transgariepine. " II. 244. Doves: Turtle 213.501, 502. ■ Guinea 502. II. 257. Downs, near Cape Town.. 26. 58. 84. 147. Drakenstein... 138. 144. 178, 179. Drawing : the art of : as connected with the views of a traveller. 336. 411. II. 214. 591. 561. 562, 565. ■ in perspective : its prin- ciples explained II. 448. Driedoorn, or Threethorn : a shrub of remarkable growth.... 299. II. 23. 41. Drooge-tyd (Dry-season)... II. 410. Drossers, or Runaways II. 159. Drostdy; the Residence of the Drost, or Landdrost. 128.135. 146. II. 145. Drum, of the Bushmen. II. 65. 87. Dry-Mountains, or Karreebergen. 293. Dry weather : its effects on vege- tation II. 506. Dubbeltjes: a coin so called. 78. -doom ; a Colonial name sometimes given to the Cen- topodium 540. a Colonial name sometimes given to Arctopus echinatus, and some species of Tribulus. Ducatoon ; a Dutch silver coin worth six shillings English. 248. Duck : the Crimson-billed ... 283. II. 346. Wild 197. 538. Duif: Bosch, (Wood-Pigeon) 502. Namaqua (Namaqua Dove) or Cape Pigeon 502. Tortel (Turtle Dove). 501,502. Duiker (or Duyker) : a species of Antelope 187. 202. a bird 440. Duivelsberg, at Cape Town 26. Duivels-kop ; a mountain 89. Dunkerhoek-berg, (Dark-corner Mountain) 117. Duplessis, in the Bosjesveld, his mistake 122. Dust : columns of ; lifted into the air by a whirlwind ..;.... 507. Dutch inhabitants 21. 58. 78. II. 96. 107. 164. 167. language, necessary to a traveller 15. names: general precepts for the pronunciation of them. 15. 351. names of places in the Colony may be Anglicised. 100. money compared with Eng- lish 78. weight, compared with English 154. Du Toi't’s house and farm in the Bosjesveld (or Boschjesveld). 117, 118. Kloof, near the Paarl. 89. Dhyker, a bird 440. or Duiker : description of. 187. 202. Dwaal river 277. Rivier’s Poort 279. river ; rocks at II. 45. Dye: yellow 212. E. Ear-plate, of the Bachaplns, de- scribed II. 570 — 572. Earthenware of the Bachaplns. II. 594. Earth Hog (Aardvark) 342. 11.97. Earthquakes in 1806 369. in 1809 27. in 1811... 26. 58. 157 — 160. 169. 194. the roaring of a lion mistaken for it II. 206. Eastern Districts 581. Eclipse of Jupiter’s Satellites, ob- served 484. Eels : a remarkable fact respecting them 425. Eerste Rivier 84. 146. Egyptian sacred Vulture 538. Eisenrahm, a mineral 414. Eland, or Elk (more properly Kanna; which see); a species of Antelope. 267. 509. 31 1, 312, 313. 482. II. 23. 190. 194. 273. 391. Eland’s Kloof ; one of the moun- tain-passes 88. Valley, or Elk’s Pond; in the Cisgariepine 299. Elands Valley, or Fountain ; in the Transgariepine. 533. 553. 477. 482. vogel (Eland-bird) ... 245. Elk. See Eland, or Kanna. Elze, Roode, a tree 142. Witte 143. Electrical phenomenon 519. Elephant tramples a man to death. 201. 301. abound in the Interior. II. 539. hunts. 376. 481. 11.466. 578. tusk seen at Kramori’s. II. 446. River.. 80. 96. 580, 581. acacia 256. Elephantiasis II. 580. Emigration to Southern Africa. 76. 274, 275. II. 539. • Hints on. — See a vin- dication of this pamphlet, appended to the first volume. 1 — 4. Engelsche Drift II. 214. Heer II. 436. England compared with other countries II. 281. letters to 510. 11.478. English inhabitants in the Cape Colony 78. II. 142. language (in 1815) little known, excepting in Cape Town, and Albany 14. names of places may, in some cases, be substituted for Dutch 99. orthography, reasons for not adoptingjit for the Sichuana language II. 297. plants, naturalized in Africa. 57. 540. 544, 545. II. 226. Ford II. 10. 214. Englishman: the price of being one 239 Enthusiasm; religious: its effects. 358. 462. Entrails of animals, used for neck- laces II. 209. Epidemic complaint, in the Colony. II. 157. 141. 148. Equal Pass 261. Europe and Africa, contrasted. 495, 496. European and African, contrasted. II. 443. luxuries : probable senti- ments of the savage tribes respecting them II. 440. Evaporation; its effects, to bodily feeling ,337. Evergreen plants II. 11. Exaggeration: the art of.. 11.568. Exchange, built at Cape Town. 74. mercantile : the rate of, in 1810. and 1823. 79. II. 540. GENERAL INDEX. 627 Exotic plants and flowers, at the Cape 22. Exports of the Colony. 57. 79. 126. 204. 429. II. 175, 176. 559. 568. F. Farms in the Colony : their origi- nal extent 76. Farmers in the Colony. See Boors, or Boers. Faisant (Pheasant), a kind of Par- tridge 270. Falcon: a species of 394. the Little Red 538. False Bay 46. 86, 87. the Downs of. 44. Feather-stick : its. important use. II. 579. Female character of the Bachaplns. II. 563. Ferry, over the Berg river ... 178. Fever : a mode of treating it. II. 78. Fiddle : one made by Speelman. 499. absurd doctrine respecting it II. 288. Field-commandant, (Veld-comman- dant) 250. II. 120. Field-cornet. (See also, Veld-cor- net.) 76. 174. 188. 191. 227. 258. 241. 248. II. 108. 119. 127. 152. Fig : Hottentot 54. — marygold. See Hottentot Fig. — tree : a species of 492. Finch: new species of... 214.440. II. 269. a remarkable species of. II. 482. Fire-arms : the ultimate effect of a free use of them in a coun- try abounding in game. II. 525. Fire-places, atLitakun II. 518. Fire-wood: its scarcity in the vici- nity of Cape Town, and a hint for remedying it 54. scarcity of it, in the vici- nity of Hottentot settlements. 116. a sort which burns when green 176. -stick, of the Bachapins, described II. 579. First river (Eerste Rivier) 84. Fiscaal -vogels (Fiscal-birds). II. 345. Fiscal : the office of 78. Fish, in Cape Town 79. the Yellow 262. 280. the Flat-head 425.: River in Great N amaqua-land. 579. the Great. 100. 575. 579. Flag: English, hoisted on the jour- ney.... II. 425, 426. 429, 450. Flat-head; a fish, described... 425. Fleas : how avoided by Hottentots. II. 240. Flint: a kind of 11.261. Floors, of the Boors’ houses. 105. of the Bachapin houses. II. 517. 519. Flower-gardens at the Cape... 22. -seasons in the Karro. 222. Flycatcher: a species of 502. Fontein (Fountain); a word much used in the Colony 259. Food of various nations : remarks on II. 55. Fording a river: the dangers of. 90. 140. II. 215. Fortuyn ; Willem : an industrious Hottentot 335. II. 217. Fransche-hoek (French Corner). 144. Freezing Station 257. French settlers in the Colony. 77. 144. Friendly river. II. 44.91. 94. 186. 210. Frogs, in the Karree river .... 271. a concert of 509. a new species of II. 52. Frost 566.370. II. 174. 259. Fruits : wild, eatable 54. 387. II. 588. in the gardens of the Colony 79, 80. Fuel; a peculiar species made use of, on Sneeuwberg. II. 114. 126. Fullers’ earth II. 98. Funguses of rare occurrence in the regions of the Interior. 594. Furs of the Colony... 57. II. 175. G. Ganna-bosch, (see also Kanna). 267. II. 113. Kraal 267. Gans. Wilde (Wild Goose). 265. Garden; the public: atCapeTown. 24. 73. of the Hottentots at Ge- nadendal 114. — of the Boors 95. 118. II. 118. a spot so called, where some useful plants were in- troduced by the author into theTransgariepine.il. 31 2.561. Gariep : its branches, and names. 200.319.389.391.562. 11.125. one of the most beautiful of the African rivers .... 520. pronunciation of the word. 514. geographical remarks on it. 280. 524. 579. 580. II. 511. — first arrival at 514. — its breadth by trigonome- trical measurement 519. 4 l 2 Gariep : its great length 320. its inundations... 316, 317. remarks on the increase of its waters and their sources. 442. its climate 394. its navigation 319. the proper season for cross- ing it 442. nature and value of its woods 429. abounds in beautiful peb- bles . II. 213. a beautiful view of. 316. 521. mode of crossing it on rafts. II. 15. 215. compared with the Kruman. II. 299. Garlick; wild: the changeable odour of a plant so called. 466. Garst river II. 153. Gattikamma, or Wittewater. 343. 347. 538. 548. II. 5. 256. Gaurits River 100. 157. 579. Gazette of Cape Tow-n, may be rendered instrumental to the improvement of the Colony. 78. Gedrost Hottentotten (Runaway Hottentots) II. 159. Geelhout (Yellow Wood) 72. II. 114. Geelvisch (see also, Yellow-Fish). 262. 280. 526. surprise excited by a drawing of one 441. Gemsbok II. 23. 99. 205. 592. Genadendal, a missionary settle- ment : its first establishment. 105. its population ... 108. reflections occasioned by a view of it 109. gardens of the Hot- tentots .T. 108.114.559. Geographical Catalogue of plants. 18. 556. II. 279. remarks 575. Geography and Botany, naturally connected II. 211. Geological features of the Rogge- veld 257. nature of the country, assuming a different character. 306. appearances about Lita- kun II. 554. Geology of the Transgarieplne. II. 311. 312. importance of the study of. 11.512. George : the District of 75. the village of 76. Geranium Rocks II. 98. Gerdchts-boode ; see Boode. German Colonist proposes to join I the expedition... II. 157. 182. 628 GENERAL INDEX. Gert, or Gerrit Roodezand, one of the Hottentots who accom- panied the author on the ex- pedition into the Interior : his conduct and character. 184. 500. 505. 552. II. 227. 250. 265. 274. 287. 522. 596. 598. 400. • his hand shattered by the bursting of a gun, and manage- ment of the cure. 477 — 481. Gift-appel (Poison-apple) 145. bol (Poison-bulb) 559. drinkers (Poison -drinkers). II. 551. Giraffe or Giraffa (see also Camelo- pardalis) II. 278. Acacia II. 240. Gmaap. See Maap 591. Gnu, a species of antelope; and remarks on erroneous descrip- tions of it. 24. 451. II. 109. 278. a new species of, described. 277. 515. Goats in the Colony: their in- crease II. 144. of the Hottentots at Onge- luks Fountain II. 259. . — at Litakun II. 524. sucker: a bird 502. Goedhart, a Bushman chief. 297. 497. Goe'fman ; Comelis, a Hottentot. See, Comelis. Gold II. 575. Gonaqua II. 505. Goose: wild 197. 265. Egyptian 285. II. 546. Gorah, a musical instrument, de- scribed. 458, 459, 460. II. 287. 598. Goudinie: a part of the Colony. 127. Goudsbloem (Marygold) : wild flowers so called ... 229. 289. Hoogte 229.251. Government : origin of the dif- ferent forms of. II. 546. Governor’s levee and ball 38. ’Gowsa; or white-man ... II. 210. Graaffreyn^t : District of. 75. Village of. 50. 76. 96. 564. II. 541. — orthography of the word 530. a journey to, pro- jected 550. a description of the village II. 145. Graaf-stok (Digging-stick). II. 29. Grahamstown 76. Granite 29. II. 311. 354, 355. Grapple-plant, described 536. Grass, an extraordinary kind of. 211. extremely scarce in the Rog- geveld 260. Grass : Plains of... 537, 53 8. 547. II. 260. 266. 270.540. annually set on fire 419. a beautiful species, recom- mended II. 5. 7. Grasses : inconvenience from their barbed seeds II. 247. Grass-station II. 32. Gratitude of Bushmen. II. 38, 39, 40. 86. Graves, of the Hottentots.... 522. of the Bachaplns ...II. 522. Great Fountain : see Groote Fon- tein. River 287. Thorn : see Groote-Doorn. 482. Green-Point 9. 27. 153. Greenstone rocks. 342. 347, 348. II. 43. 511. a species of : giving the sound of a large bell 278. Groene Kloof : the missionary set- tlement at 106. 162. 166. Spreeuw (Green thrush). 318. Groente Plein , or Vegetable market. 73. Grosbeak : a species of 502. Groote-doorn ; a Hottentot kraal. 559. 482. 501. II. 226. Fontein, in the Kora Coun- try 452. 553. in Achter Sneeuw- berg II. 111. 183. Grootkop ; a peak in the Bosies- veld 123. Groote Rivier (Great River), or Gariep 200. II. 114. 126. in the Karr6. 216. Tafelberg (Great Table- mountain) II. 105. 184. Grouse: Namaqua... 265. 11. 345. the variegated II. 345. Gryskop, a Bushman II. 202. Guaap, an eatable plant 243. Guarri 387. II. 588. Guinea fowl, or Pintado. 364. 426. II. 281. Gum-arabic, may be obtained from the Acacia of the Cape. 429. tree, of Egypt, com- pared with the Doornboom of Southern Africa 196. Gun : an unfortunate accident oc- casioned by the bursting of one 479. the subject of dispute at Litakun .... II. 376. 588. 396. 402. 415. 447. 458. one in possession of the Koras. II. 486. Gunpowder : its value and im- portance exemplified .... 331. 572. 438. II. 12. 224. 251. Gypsies, compared with Hottentots. 549. H. Haakdoorn (see also Hookthorn), a remarkable thorny shrub. 509. 320. 533. 336. 452. 435. II. 6. 241. 526. Haas: Spring (Leaping-hare). 487. H. 3. Berg (Mountain-hare). 488. Hail. 369. 555. II. 88. 90. 111. 118. 219. Hair of the Hottentots, described. 161. of the Bachapin women, described II. 569. rarely seen grey, or carroty, among the Bushmen. II. 198. of Europeans, excites great astonishment at Litakun. II. 455, 454. Halfway-Spring II. 91. 187. Hangklip, in the Karro. 217. 229. Hanglip, or Hangklip, near False Bay 46. Hannah, a Hottentot woman who accompanied the author’s party. 168. 354. 500. II. 225. 231. Hans Lucas, a Hottentot who ac- companied the author, during a part of his travels. 553. 578. 433.438. 519. 532. 552. II. 148. 152. 226. Hantam-berg..... 254. 581. Hardiness of plants, considered. 255. Hares 279. 290. II. 31. Hare: the leaping, described. 487. II. 3. the Mountain 488. Harpies : the idea of them recalled by the view of some vultures. 377. Harpuis-bosch (Resin-bush)... 259. Harra (Father) a Bachapin title of respect II. 520. 322. Hart, the chief kraal of the Koras. 546. 430. II. 225. 541. Hartebeest, or Kaama; a species of antelope. 420. II. 81. 99. 273. 277. 334. Harvest at Klaarwater 491. -time; a season of rejoic- ing among the Bachaplns. II. 599. Hassagay II. 199. 597. representation of one. 491. II. 186. 599. wounds : how cured by the Bachapins 11.581. hout (Hassagay-wood). 180. Hatchet: its aboriginal Hottentot form 406. Hay : the general use of it in Africa, recommended 547. Health : aridity of soil and climate, conducive to it 275. GENERAL INDEX. 629 Heat of the weather: various ex- amples of. 26. 81. 332. 538. 368. 390. 438, 439, 440. 491. 508. II. 73. atmospheric: an hypothesis respecting 496,497. Heaths : a remark respecting those at the Cape 23. their northernmost parallel of latitude 209. Heemraad ; or, Heemraaden : the members of the District-coun- cil 183. 191. II. 121. 160. Heer. 184. 194. 200. 259. II. 436. Heeregragt ; a street in Cape Town 25. Heela ! or Hela ! a Bachapin ex- clamation II. 452. Heks-rivier. See, Hex-river. Hemel-en-aarde; a place so called. 101. Hemp leaves, used for smoking. 566. II. 4. Hemp; Wild, or Wilde-dakka (Leonotis Leonurus) 15. Hendrik : Jan ; a Hottentot. II. 465. 479. Herbaria : a mode by which they may often be enriched. 134. H^rholdt’s, on Sneeuwberg. II. 124. 180. Herons 526. Hesse: the Reverend C. H. F. 12. 16. 170. 510. 535. II. 227.229. Hex-river; or Heks-rivier... 190. 280. II. 125. Kloof.... 89. 192. II. 5. Vale of. 194. Hide-shoes 214. II. 102. | Hippopotamus; River-horse; Z£e- koe ; or, Sea-cow : various re- marks relative to it. 86, 263. 317. 578. 403, 404. 409—413. 417, 418. 423. 427, 428. 450. II. 126. Hoar-frost II. 259. Hoes used by the BachapTns. II. 434. 586. Hond : Wilde (Wild Dog); a new species of Hyena. 456. II. 229, 230. Hclliey : wild ; the mode in which it is obtained by the Hottentots. 11.81. bees 576. Honeycomb stone 306. Honeysuckle : a wild plant com- pared with it 321. Honing-bier (Honey-beer) .... 564. II. 552. Hoofs of animals : a remark res- pecting them. 139. II. 336, 337. Hookthorn ; see Haakdoorn. Hoopoe: the purple. 326.394.502. II. 546. Horizon : artificial ; used in the astronomical observations. 229. 532. Horny substances: theory of. 11.76. Horses of the Colony : increase of. II. 144. the folly of mutilating their tails II. 230. none possessed by the Bichuanas II. 524. Distemper : (Paarde-ziekte). 370. 510. II. 218. 242. Mountain, or Paardeberg, in theTransgariepine. 11.242. Island (PaardenEiland). 51. waggon ; or, Paarde wagen, of the Colony ... 28. II. 155. Grave ; a station in the Cis- gariepine II. 98. of the mountains, or Wilde Paard 158. II. 515. : River: see Hippopotamus. : Wooden, a Hottentot mode of crossing rivers. 415. II. 15. Horticulture : state of it in the Colony II. 118. of the BachapTns. II. 587. Hospitality among the Boors ; re- ciprocal 141. Hot springs in Southern Africa. 96. 98. 124, 125. Hottentots. — The following refer- ences under this word, are intended for collecting toge- ther, merely in the order in which they happen to stand in these volumes, a few of those scattered remarks and occur- rences, from which some gene- ral ideas of the Hottentot character, and of the principal features of that race, may be obtained. See also the words, Bushman and Kora, and the names of those Hottentots, of whom a more particular men- tion has been made. their situation before the discovery of the Cape 5. speak a corrupt dialect of the Dutch language, which it is necessary for a traveller to learn 13. 156. II. 437. their evidence not to be rejected 13. an infringement on their liberty 54. have been found to be the most serviceable soldiers for the defence of the Colony against the bordering tribes. 60. soldier : the opinions of one, with respect to military service 66. 160. the proportion of their numbers in the Colony. 77. II. 144. generally dislike living in towns 77. their names of places, preferable to those which have been substituted by the colo- nists ioo. 286. Hottentots; a proof that they may be brought to submit to all the rules of decorum required in a church 109. 556. may be taught to sing psalms with great correctness. 109. 357. huts at Genadendal. 112. 1 15. manufacture a peculiar kind of mat 1 15. nearly all of them em- ployed in the service of the Colonists 114. ■ 7 7 have, in general, little inclination for gardening. 114. 554. 55 2. 55 9. their customary wages. 115. mistrustful of colonial promises 148. of the Mixed, or Half breed, called Bastaards, by the Boors 154. 361. the ridiculous names sometimes given to them by the Colonists.... 155. II. 166. descriptions of particu- lar individuals. 155. 161. 167, 168. 184. frequent too much the Pagter’s, or Brandy shop. 1 62. II. 151. scarcely ever know their own age 167. the mode of life most congenial to their natural dis- position 173. their quickness and memory’, in all affairs relating to cattle 175. 242. II. 8. their helplessness in a particular accident at Olyven- hout-bosch 177. the figures of several. 178. their services usually secured by legal forms. 185. 247. II. 162, 163. a servant rarely parti- cipates with his Master in the hospitality of the Boors. 190. regard tobacco and brandy as necessaries 1 95. women : remarks on an occasional peculiarity of shape. 216. at their meals 217. their game called card- , playing 253, 254. easily find their way over the country. 256. II. 190. leather, the most usual material of their clothing. 243. their mode of healing abscess in oxen 246. 630 GENERAL INDEX. Hottentots often exemplify great patience 251. their mats made of dif- ferent kinds of rush 26.5. appearance and descrip- tion of a large caravan. 267. prefer hunting to fish- ing 280. — - an example of their ex- peditious travelling 287. a kraal on the Gariep. 524. the mat-houses made by them, convenient for the pas- toral life 325. visitors, in the Asbestos Mountains 3.51. boys and girls : their youthful liveliness deserts them at an early age .... 358. language compared with that of the Koras 345. unpleasant odor of their bodies, from bukti and grease. 556. mode of punishing cri- minals 365. captains or chiefs : na- ture of their authority... 565. of Klaarwater : the mode in which they treat theirwives. 564. an appropriate motto for them 565. at Klaarwater : their laziness and want of perse- verance 567, 568. the aboriginal dress, described 595 — 598. manufacture cord from bark, or rushes 405. hatchet, bowl, and bam- bus 406. recover lost cattle, by following their track 456. musical instrument called a Gorah 458. 460. 559. their opinion of the com- pass 466,467. waggons 385. 468. compared with Baeha- pins 486. huts at Klaarwater. 495. an example of their power of travelling on foot ; and the fortunate escape of one who ventured alone from the Colony to Klaarwater. 497. an example of the facility with which they sometimes suffer themselves to be misled and of their slowness in listen- ing to reasonable argument. 505, 504. an ancient custom in burying their dead 522. frequently change their place of abode and remove their houses and their whole family 549. Hottentots : the various tribes which constitute the Hottentot race. 582. definition of the term ‘ Hottentots Proper,’ made use of in this work 582. description of one of their kraals II. 6, 7. are naturally fond of music II. 9. their •commercial specu- lations II. 50. sometimes fickle and un- certain in their movements. II. 67. are in general very bad cooks II. 88. 262. instances of their apathy and unconcern ... II. 150. 257. 422. less prolific than the colonists II. 144. their manners during a state of intoxication. 11.152. the differences between the Hottentots and the Boors, impartially weighed. II. 161. 162. 164. 179. a colonial law for their protection II. 162. their natural timidity frequently renders them the dupes of secret intimidation. II. 165. their readiness at finding their way II. 190. their filthiness exagge- rated II. 209. situation of their race since the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope. II. 205. often inclined to disre- gard regularity and good order. II. 220. a specimen of their lan- guage II. 251. mode of avoiding fleas. II. 259. often adopt thoughtless schemes II. 280. want of prudence, a part of their character II. 284. are seldom provident for the future II. 289. a remark on the names given by them to different tribes of aborigines ... II. 505. their singular mode of drinking II. 514. 450. almanack II. 345. the music and dancing of the Colonial Hottentots, or Hottentots Proper ... II. 596. instance of their want of prudence II. 420. Hottentots sometimes betray great timidity when among strange tribes II. 422. 425. women accustomed to the hardships of a wandering life II. 466. not neglectful of the du- ties of hospitality. II. 549. 544. considerations respect- ing the locality of the Hotten- tot race, and its supposed de- crease II. 549. language, totally distinct from that of the Caff're race. II. 582. call various vegetable preparations by the name of bread II. 586. their instrumental music compared with that of the Bachaplns II. 598. a remark respecting the general character of the Hot- tentot race II. 599. Hottentotaria, or Hottentaria, the country of the Hottentots; defined 582. Hottentot’s Brood (Hottentot’s Bread): an extraordinary plant. II. 147. Hottentot-Fig 54. Holland 85. Mountains. 41. 81. Kloof, or Pass. 86. 580. Zeer (or Sore) : its nature. and mode of cure 571. Houhoek 92. Houses of the Colonists : descrip- tion of some which are built of mud 119. Hout-Bay (Wood-Bay) 60. Kapper (Wood-cutter), a bird. 318. Houte-paard (Wooden-horse): a mode of crossing rivers by it. 415. 416. Houswana : remarks on the word. II. 559. Hugo; Piet; a colonist 190. Huisbezoekings, (or, pastoral visita- tions) II. 154. Huning-berg, (Honey-Mountain), 150. Hunt, of the Bachaplns, in the vicinity of Litakun. II. 520. 420. Hunting preferred to agriculture, by the Hottentots. 554. 565. Hunter’s-Station II. 42. Hurricane, in the Abestos Moun- tains 557. Hydrophobia, or, Canine madness, II. 524. Hygrometer 282. Hyena 578. II. 277. 526. the Hunting. 456. II. 229. the Striped II. 229. GENERAL INDEX. 631 Hyena: the Spotted II. 229. Hyena-Mountains, in the Cisgarie- pine ... II. 27. 36. 44. 47. 71. I. Ice 81. 564. Iguana II. 53. Imports of the Colony 79. Industry among the Bachapins. II. 557. Influenza: a species of. II. 137. 141. Ingluf (Ing-hay), a species of weasel. II. 592. Inhumanity : an instance of it at Litakun II. 472. Ink, of a yellow color 212. Inns : the want of them in the Colony, frequently remedied by hospitality 141. Insects: remarkable. 310. 400. 418. Interpreter for the Sichuana lan- guage 485. II. 563. Intramontane 581. Intzi-intzi, a Sichuana word expres- sive of multitude II. 560. Inundation of the Gariep, and Nugariep 316. 319. 390. Iron II. 575. cubic pyrites of 202. ore : appearances of 95. a species found at Sansa- van II. 257. ■ ■ a species of 414. stone rocks 386. ware, manufactured by the Nuakketsies II. 439. Isthmus of Cape Town, viewed from Table Mountain .... 4 6. a ramble over 51 — 58. 84. Itinerary: the longitudes given in it 205. remarks respecting it. 251 . II. 53. Ivory, brought by the Hottentots to Cape Town 154. the price of it in the In- terior II. 274. at Litakun ... II. 403. 406. obtained from the Nuak- ketsies and Barolongs. II. 537. 538. on establishing a regulated trade with the Bichuana na- tions 11.559. a mode of procuring it. II. 555. rings ; an ornament of dis- tinction worn by South-Afri- cans II. 362. 571 . J. Jackals 180. 464. II. 83. 99. 285. tail : its supposed virtue and use II. 57. 412. Jackal ; a part of the Hottentot dress, so called. 397. 398. II. 518. Fountain 258. Jacobs: Pieter; a colonist.... 197. Jacob: Oud Baas. II. 94. 95. 108. Jan Hendrik II. 465. 479. Jan-Tadentaal: a bird so called. 364. Jan Van Roye; or Van Rooyen: see, Van Roye. Jansens: General 12. Jansz’s Fountain 463. Jas (Yas), or Watch-coat. 235. 270. Jasper 534. Jaundice 371. Jerboa of the Cape. See Spring- haas, or Leaping Hare. Jonker’s Water 506. Josaphat: Dal van 139. Journal : a mode of gaining time for writing it II. 401. a remark respecting it. II. 504. Juffrouw Vermeulen II. 118. Juk Rivier (Yoke River) 225. 229. riviers Hoogte (Yoke River Heights) 229. schei 151. 246. Juli, a faithful Hottentot: his cha- racter and history. II. 160, 161. 165. 233. 242. 262. 279, 280. 323. 567. 423. 463. 491. Jupiter’s Satellites, observed. 483. Justice; the administration of; in the Cape Colony 77. 78. K. Kaabi, a Bushman captain. II. 22. his wife II. 25. his friendly assistance. II. 195. his kraal, alarmed by sus- picion of spies II. 201. character of him and his countrymen II. 202. and Gryskop, visit Klaar- water II. 218. Kaama; or, Khaama. II. 81. 99. 334. 350. 392. 573. 591. Kaapsche Duinen (Cape Downs). 58. 84. — Vlakte (Cape Flats). 58. Kart-spel ; a Hottentot game, so called 255. Kaava-pukoii (Jackal’s tail). 11.412. Kaba-klusi 11.412. Kaffer : see Caffre. Kaffers-boom (Erythrina Caffra). 25. 24. Vink (Caffre Finch.) 20. II. 492. Kakikaan, an animal of the feline tribe II. 592. Kalkoentje: Wilde 501. 502. Kameelpaard ; see, Camelopard. Kamt-el-doorn 455. II. 240. Kameel-hoek II. 278. Kamh&nni : remarks on the word. II 300. Mountains. II. 340. 491. Pass II. 289. 291. Peak II. 291. 314. Kamiesberg 561. 581. II. 224. Kamma ; a Hottentot word : its meaning and application. 259. Kamnasi-land ; a division of the Colony 96. 579. 580. 581. Kana-kana, aBachnpin air, II. 438. Kanari vogel, a bird so called. 502. Kanna, a species of antelope. See also Eland. 312, 313. II. 23. 42. 81. 190. 193. 199. 285. Kanna-bosch(Kanna-bush) ; ashrub, from the ashes of which, the Colonists make soap. 267.419. II. 21. 113. Kraal 267. Kannaland : a division of the Co- lony 267. 579, 580, 581. Kapt&n (Captain), a title not un- known to the extra-colonial tribes II. 436. Kardouw’s Kloof 88. Kaross; or, Hottentot Cloak. 267. 397. 459. 490. II. 86. 350. 375. the fore- and hind- 292. 395. KanVe-hout (Karree-wood)or, Kar- rt-e tree. 178, 179. 207, 208. 317. 343. II. 29. 199. Karree river 267. II. 371. Karreebergen, or, Karree Moun- tains 293. 295. 297. 299. Plain 301. Poort; or the Pass of the Karree Mountains. 298. Karrikamma; see Klaarwater. II. 565. Karrikarri, a tribe of Bichuanas. II. 474. 552. 548. Karro: meaning of the word. 207. geographically defined. 75. 581. 558. the nature of its soil. 210. 240. 244. its climate 81. 187. the Great; its rivers. 137. 215. 215. doom : see, Karrd-thorn. Ground : its nature. II. 44. Plains : a view over them. 218, 219. Thorn. 195. II. 29. 240, 241. 248. ■ Poort (Karro Pass). 207. 555. 557, 558. II. 98. Karupny, a Bushman Kraal 436. Katjepiring, or Katjepiri (Gardenia florida) 22. Kastanje : Wilde, (Wild Horse- chesnut) 63. 632 GENERAL INDEX Kava; see, Kaava, or Kaba. Kavaklusi (Tail of the Klusi). II. 412. Keeri: see Kirri 35 4. Kees, see Muchunka. Keevit (Peevit), or. Plover. 544. II. 546. Keisikamma River 587. Kerk-straat at Tulbagh 129. Kerstenbosch, near Cape Town. 68. Kestrel, a species of hawk. 558. 502. Ketsi (bag) of the Bachaplns. II. 578. Keyset, one of the Hottentots who accompanied the author. II. 166. and Stuurman, suspected of being spies II. 201. their suffer- ings from thirst II. 205. his anecdotes of Bushmen. II. 551. his desertion. II. 580. 385. Khaaka, a species of Manis; de- scribed II. 425. 440. Khalu'i; a species of weasel. 11.592. Khaama. See Kaama. Khamiesberg ; see Kamiesberg. Khuru, or Bachapln cap ... II. 571. Kibbukiili, the wife of Mattlvi, and mother of Massisan. II. 486. 507. Kings, Queens, Princes, &c. of the Bichuana tribes II. 568. Kirri 554. 491. II. 198. Kite : a species of 502. Klaarfontein; see Klaarwater. 271. Klaarwater, Klaarfontein, or Karri- kamma, a Hottentot village and Missionary Station in the Transgariepine.... 49. 64. 154. 248. 529. 349. 552. 559. 589. 391. 598. 482. 501. II. 2. 222. 258. 239. 243. 365. 466. 541. Klaatalakumd, a Bachapin cattle- station 11.541. Klagt Hottentotten (Complaining Hottentots) II. 159. Kleine Tafelberg (Little Table- mountain^). II. 117. 124. 183. Klibbolikhdnm, a copious fountain, the source of the Kruman River. II. 293. 299. 352. 421. Little II. 293. Klip Fontein (Rock Fountain) in the country of the Bushmen. 293, 294. Fontein, of the K6ra country. II. 261. Kloof, signification of the word. 16. near Cape Town 15. Kloofs, or Mountain-passes of the Colony 88. 89. Kloof Village, in the Asbestos Moun- tains ...328. 541. 545. 11.217. Kiowa, or whey, of the Bachapins. II. 593. Kldsi, a species of jackal ... 11.412. Knapzak (Knapsack): Colonial ap- plication of the name .... 483. Knegt: Slagter’s 201. Knegt’s Fountain II. 269. Knife : Bichuana, or BachapTn. 491. II. 57 5. sheaths of the Bachapins. II. 596. Knoflook : Wilde, (Wild Garlic) ; its changeable odor 466. Knoflooks Kraal 93. Knorhaan, see, Korhaan or Koor- haan. Kobo, or cloak worn by the Bacha- pins. II. 318. 350. 582. 592. 412. 570. 591. Koedoe. Sec, Koodoo, and Kudu. Koeberg (Cow-Mountain). 25. 44. Kogeltas (Bullet-pouch). 167. II. 246. 286. Kojas, a tribe II. 532. Kok, a family of Half-Hottentots, 565, Adam, a captain of the Mixed, or Half-Hottentots, or Bas- taards, living at Klaarwater. 351. 565. 581. 385. 433. 468. 517. 524. II. 227. 275. Cupido II. 224. 466. Jan ; a Hottentot who ac- companied the author from Cape Town to Klaarwater. 155, 156. 529. a Half-Hottentot and Missionary. 451. II. 264. 537. Kraal, on the Gariep. 562. II. 223. Koker-boom, or Quiver-tree (Aloe dichotoma) 24. II. 199. Kokman’s Kloof 89. Kokoon, or Kokoong. See Ko- kun. Kokun, or Kokungj an animal allied to the Gnu. II .278. 501. 515. 332. 568. 592. Kombaars; or, Vel-kombaars(Skin- coverlet).... 560. II. 175. 235. Kommedakka, a botanical parallel. 209. Koodoo ; Kudu ; or, Kdedoe, a spe- cies of Antelope. 337. 574. 580. II. 592. Kool-salaade, a Colonial dish. 190. Knorhaan, or Kdrhaan : a species of bustard 186. of the Karro 23 3. Kdorn-vreeter (Corn-eater), a bird resembling the domestic spar- row 246. 259. 11.91. Koosi Koosi ! II. 532. Kop : signification of the word. 123. Koperberg ; or, K6perbergen (Cop- per-Mountains). 581. II. 568. Kopjes Fontein 285. Koras; or, Koranas; or Kdraquas, one of the tribes of the Hot- tentot race 345. 582. tbeir country defined. 346. 580. Koras : their language. 201. 11.251. their general character. 388. II. 215. 599. — — less civilized than the Hot- tentots 561. their kraals, or villages. 538. II. 5. 10. 204. one of their laws of inherit- ance 575. description of one of their captains, or chieftains .... 490. first met with at Gattikamma. 344. astonishment of some, at a coloured drawing of a fish. 441. a numerous party arrives at Litakun II. 486. Korana, or Koraander (more cor- corectly, Kora, or Koraqua). 545. Korhaan 186. Kori, a new species of Bustard. 395. Kosas; or Caffres Proper. 77. 268. 582. Kosi : meaning of the word. II. 272. 352. or Bachapln chieftain. 11.364. 592. 488. Kosies ; or chieftains : the nature of their power II. 348. their dwellings at Litakun, described II. 441. 514. Kosi Fountain II. 271. Hills II. 289. kobo ; or Bachapln fur-cloak. II. 350. 592. Kotokwi ; a species of weasel. II. 592. Koveh, a kind ofhassagay. II. 597. Kowsakwa; or, Kesaqua ; a name by which some of the Bush- men are distinguished. 11,351. K6wsakykwa ; or Kssakyqua. II. 33 1. Kraai: Witte (White Crow). 538. 502. Witte-hals (White-necked Crow) 501. Kraaikop, a Bushman captain. II. 85. 190. Kraal.... 11.85, 86. 188. Kraal : the proper signification of the word ;... 227. Kraals, or villages, of the Hotten- tots 324. 334. 336. 360. Koras. 538. II. 5. 10. 204. ■ Bush- men. 429. II. 16. 55. 86. 189. 197. or Cattle-pounds. 118. 560. 407. II. 290. 464. Kramori, a Bachapin chieftain. II. 441. 444. 509. Kraanvogel : Groote blaauwe (Great blue Crane) 502. Kreupel-boom 25. Krieger (or, Kruger): Jacob, a co- lonist who accompanied an un- GENERAL INDEX. 633 fortunate expedition to explore the Interior. 50.201. 11.505. Krieger (or Kruger) : Carel ; tram- pled to death by an elephant, 201. 501. Krieger’s Grave; a place in the Cisgariepine ... 500. 497, 498. Fontein, a place behind the Snow Mountains. II. 111. 185. Kruger : see, Krieger. Kniroan river. II. 295. 299. 506. 545. Kruman ; the Bachapin Capital in 1802 and 1820 II. 512. Kudu; see, Koodoo. Kuikendief, or Kite 501. 502. Kuilenberg, in the Middle Rogge- veld 259. Kukumakranki, a scented fruit. 54. Kuyer, a Colonial word in frequent use 529. Kwakka ; or, Quakka. Kwakka Fountain 277. Kwikstaart, or Wagtail ... 50. 501. Kygariep, a branch of the river Gariep. ... 519. 591. 401. 427. 428.447. 11.552. K, 'si-gat (Kysi-pit) or pitfall for catching wild animals. 586. 405. Kysikamma River 587. L. Laburnum : a tree compared with it II. 146. Lake: a periodical 507. Optical ; described ... II. 28. Landdrost : the nature of his office. 75. Landed property : state of ; among the Bachapins II. 514. Landscape scenery : a peculiar kind of 288. II. 272. 527. Langberg (Long Mountain); an elevated district in the Trans- garieplne ...370. 576. 510. II. 256. 258. 241. Lange Kloof (Long-Pass) 581. Language of the Hottentots Proper. 557, 558. 345. Bushmen ... 545. 407. 581. Kora Hottentots. 345. II. 255. Bichuanas, called by them, the Sichuana. II. 295. 503. 581 — 585. Langwagen, a part of a Cape wag- gon 150. 256. Lark ; of the Cape 502. Laws and mode of trial in the Cape Colony 78. 162. of the Bachapins. 543. 544, 545. Leaf : a singular kind of 3 36. VOL. II. Leanman, a name given to a Bush- man captain and his son. See, Magerman. Learning, a display of, by Mr. Bar- row 72. the Meester. 199. Wantrouw. 384. Leather of sheep-skin; its uses. 243. the manner of preparing it among the Bichuanas. II. 590, 591. Lee ki roki II. 409. muchuko (Give me tobacco). II. 456. Le’er, a part of a waggon 149. Le’er-boom 149. II. 518. Ldeuwe Fontein (Lions Fountain) in the Cisgariepine. 287. 289. Ldeuwenhof, a villa near Cape Town 17. Leeuwenkop 100. Ldeuwenkuil (Lions Den), a place in the Transgariepine. 359. 561. 491. Leg-plaats, or Cattle-place of the colonists. 207. II. 100. 127. Lekaaka, or ear-plate, of the Bacha- pins II. 392. 567. 572. Lekatani, or Watermelon. II. 587. Lekhapu, a sort of Watermelon. II. 587. Lekokko (Fiscal-bird, or Butcher- bird) II. 345. Lemons 78. 194. 248. II. 145. Lens, or Linchpin of the Cape waggons, described 149. Leopard ; or Tiger, of the colonists. 16. 18. II. 144. or Luipard, of the colon- ists II. 326. Leprosy. 101. 275. 276. II. 580. Leputzi, or pumpkin II. 587. Lerumo. See, Rumo. Leshuatze, a sort of Watermelon. II. 587. Letajan, or the Armed Plover. II. 346. Letter: the first from Litakun to England II. 478. Letterbag, broken open by a Hot- tentot 266. La Vaillant. 66. 214. 578. 579. II. 252. 559. Levee of Koras 344. Li, a Sichuana prefix II. 508. Liberty, in the wilds of Africa. 515. 422. II. 37. Lichaaku, or Bichuana sandals. II. 570. Lichaka; or, Reed-pipe. II. 410. Lichens, rarely found in the Inte- rior regions 394. Lichtenstein: Dr. 12. 578, 579. II. 265. 505. See page 2 ap- pended to Vol. I. 4 M Lichtenstein : Dr.; exposes the nu- merous errors and misrepre- sentations of “ Barrow’s Tra- vels.” 546. Lichus ; an eatable root. II. 589. Lidsbecks river 55. 51. 54. Life, modified under different forms. II. 327. Lightning, confuses the caravan. 302. of Southern Africa, de- scribed 369. Ligter, of the Cape waggons, de- scribed 150 Llgtervoet 150. Likhaai, or Cattle-pound. II. 373. 522. Lime, made from shells 71 Limestone Rock. 283. 359, 560. 398. II. 260. 511. 354. Linong, a kind of vulture II. 329. Lion : a tame one 67. footmarks of this animal first observed 286. one shot near Lion Fountain. 287. his titles disputed. 289. II. 192. the caravan obstructed by one 506. Gert alarmed at the foot- marks of one on the banks of the Kygariep 409. the party disturbed by one at night : symptoms of his ap- proach ; and mode of keeping him at a distance 450. and their prey. II. 82,83.193. one of a black variety, shot II. 191. the pale, or common variety. II. 192. the dangerous visit of one ; and its roaring mistaken for an earthquake II. 206. Den, a place so called. 491. Fountain 287. 289. Mountain, at Cape Town. 4, 5. 14. Head, a mountain at Cape To wn. 3. 5. 1 6 . 4 1 . 45. 58. 1 00. one resem- bling it, near the Asbestos Mountains 542. the False 5. Rump Mountain 20. Liquor Ammoniae : its effects as a remedy against the bite of a serpent 392. 541. Liseeka, or copper bracelet. II. 567, 568. Lishuena (snuff) II. 321. 407. 456. Litaakoon; or, Letarkoon. See Litakun. Litakun : ... 49,50. 376. 485. 564. II. 305. 609. its situation in the year 1801 305. remarks on the word II. 307. 512. 634 GENERAL INDEX. Litakun; a general description of. II. 511. the original town of. II. 556. 512. some description of it; and reflections excited by a walk through it II. 441 — 445. ■ a view of it from the hills. II. 451. its size II. 464. thrown into a state of alarm II. 476. 500. the first letter from that town to England II. 479. its site described ... II. 513. mercantile jealousy of its inhabitants II. 541. River II. 355- the Great Plains of. II. 306. 340. 354, 355. 421. 442. Lituin, or Lituing ; an eatable root II. 589. Lizards II. 25. their eggs eaten by Bush- men II. 32. Lobebi, or Cream II. 594. Lobutsani, a fountain in the Great Plains of Litakun II. 352. Loeri; see Loory. Lokatay; Riizo’s dance II. 87. Longevity among Bushmen. II. 57. Longitudes of the author’s stations. 556. 205. Long-Mountain, or Langberg. 570. II. 256. 241. Looking-glass : its effects on a party of Koras 544. its effects on a party of Bushmen 461. its effects on some Bachapin women 566. Loop ! (Lope) an exclamation of the Cape Waggoners. 169. 301. Loory, or, Loeri, a handsome bird, otherwise called Tooracoo. 20. Lorulo, or Fire-stick, of the Bacha- pins II. 579. Ldbbe: Hendrik II. 174. 178. Lucas : Hans ; a friendly Hotten- tot of Klaarwater, who accom- panied the author to Graaffi. reyn£t. 353. 378. 433, 454. 519. 532. II. 219. Lucubrating Mantis 418. 465. Luipard (Leopard) II. 326. Lukojas II. 552. Lutheran Church 25. 555. M. Ma; a Sichuana prefix .... II. 308. Maagers. See IVlagers. Maap River, a branch of the Gariep ... 319. 391.401. 456. Maat (Mate) meaning of the word as used by the Hottentots in the Transgariepine. II. 466. 555. Mabbele, or, Bichuana Corn. II. 586. Madagascar : some instances of botanical affinity with parts of Southern Africa. II. 258. 263. negroes of: in the Cape Colony 33. Magers ; a Hottentot in the service of the author, from Cape Town to Klaarwater. 155. 329. 380. 592. Magerman : Oud (Old Leanman) a Bushman who accompanied the author from a Kraal in the Cisgariepine to the borders of the Colony... II. 89. 101. 108. 188. Klein (Little Lean- man,) a Bushboy who followed the author into the Colony, as far as the foot of the Snow- Mountains. His character. II. 101. 108. nearly starved with cold II. 128. absconds through fear II. 141. regained, and re- stored to his father. II. 182. 188. Magnetic needle, strongly affected by ferrugineous rocks. 277. II. 298. variation. 266. 271. II. 325. Mahometan worship in Cape Town. 75. Mahura ; (Fat) II. 594. one of the brothers of Mattlvi the chief of the Bacha- plns : his person described. II. 363. his name II. 575. his dutyin the government. II. 431. attempt at drawing his portrait II. 480. Mahutu, wife of Mattlvi the Bacha- pin Chief II. 493. Mahutzi: see Morutzi. Maibu; a division of the Barolongs. II. 504. 552. Mails of the Colony. 76. 95, 94. II. 143. Maize 366. II. 7. 586. Makatta River II. 532. Makhowta; see alsoRuiter. II. 15. Makkaba, the Chief of the Nuak- ketsies ; see also, Mokkaba. II. 476. Makkabi (Makkaabi), or Bachapin petticoat II. 465. 565. Makkas (Makkow), or Dancing- rattles II. 572. Makke Boschjesman (Tame Bush- man) 227. 533. Makkwarin, or Makklwarin, River. II. 507. 310. 312. 466. Makrakki, chief of the Barolongs ; poisons Jan Bloem the robber. II. 249. Makrakki : false report respecting. II. 504. his separation from Mu- lihaban II. 512. 532. his reception of visitors from the Colony II. 538. accused of sorcery. II. 551. Makwa mashu, (White-men): the word analysed II. 559. Makwiin, a tribe of Bichuanas. II. 532. Malays in the Cape Colony. 52, oo» 70. 75. Maloppo River II. 532. Mammatwan (Bat) II. 257. Man: the Race of. 457. II. 329; 530. 548, 549. 561. remarks on his omnivorous nature II. 55. the supreme animal of the globe II. 207. ■ naturally adopts the dog as a companion II. 245. Manis ; a species of, seen at Lita- kun II. 76. Manjena ; or, Mangjfna (Man- yana), an ear-ornament. II. 484. 566. Mantis : the Lucubrating ; a re- ' markable insect 418. 465. Manure neglected by the colonists. A heap of it found in a state of slow combustion. II. 170. Manure-cakes, used for fuel. II. 114. Maps of the Cape Colony, and Southern Africa. 48, 49. 575. 577. II. 97. Map : remarks relative to that which accompanies the present Work. 575. II. 51. 185, 184. 298. Mare : Paul ; acting landdrost at Graaffreynet ..... II. 121. 156. 140. 180. 182. Maritime Districts 580. Maritz : Gdrrit — his readiness as field-cornet .... 241 248. 514. his opinion of Klaarwater 249. Markets of Cape Town 73. Marriages, among the slaves of the Colony 35 of Hottentots at Klaar- water 357. customs of the Bush- men II. 58. among the Bachapins. II. 485. 519. 553, 564, 565. Marrikldnami, wife of Serrakutu : her surprise at the first sight of a white-man II. 453. Marruwdnnas, a Bichuana tribe. II. 532. Martha, Mary, and John, three converted Hottentots. (See also Van Roye) II. 155. GENERAL INDEX. 635 Marygold-Heights. See, Gouds- bloems Hoogte. Mashi a buriila, or Coagulated milk II. 523. 594. Mashue (Ugly) : application of the word II. 480. Massao, or Masse, a Bichuana chief. II. 532 his son takes refuge at Litakun II. 319. 418. Massissan, the daughter of Mattlvi. II. 485. begs tobacco for her mother II. 493. Mats of the Hottentots 113. Bushmen II. 198. Mat-rushes. See Matjes-Goederen. . houses : their convenience for a nomadic life 525. Mate. See Maat. Materia culinaria II. 33. Matjes-goederen 263. II. 125. Matter; its modifications consi- dered II. 527. Mattlvi, or Mattiivi, the chief of the Bachaplns or Brlquas. II. 303. the author’s first interview with him II. 561. his person and dress. 11.361. his trick to obtain tobacco for his daughter II. 587. invited to dinner in the waggon II. 592. unjustly takes away the gun II. 405. a conversation with him. II. 418. his salutation II. 451 . his remarks respecting dis- obedient subjects 11.461. his acceptance of peach- stones. his sisters II. 493. refuses to sit for his por- trait II- 493. his story respecting Dr. Cowan II. 496. — his herdsmen II. 348. his dwelling. 11.360.521. Measles : its first appearance in the Transgariepine regions. 57 1 . Meat : mode of drying it for tra- velling 311. the price of, at Graaffrey- net II. 146. Medical knowledge, of the Bacha- pins II. 580. Meerkat; or, Meerkatje. 543. II. 241. Meester; or, Schoolmeester, or Itinerant Tutor, in the Cape Colony 199. II. 114. Melkhout (Milkwood). See, Side- roxylum inerme 29. Melons cultivated by the Bichuanas. II. 587. Memory of Hottentots, instances of 175. 373. Menagerie, in Cape Town 24. Menschvreeters (Men-eaters) II. i59. Meridional altitude of the sun : re- marks on 332. Merwe: Piet Van der: ofWagen- makers Valley 180. Frans Van der : of the Bokkeveld .... 210. 515. II. 8. Piet Van der : of Sneeuw- berg. Mest-koek. See Manure-cake. Metals ; among the Bachaplns. II. 575. Meteorological remarks on the Transgariepine regions ... 572. Metsissanni, a beautiful herbaceous species of Acacia II. 236. Mietje, a converted Hottentot woman who had visited Eng- land and Holland II. 155. Militia of the Colony II. 119. Milk : its agreeable taste, when turned sour II. 593. Milk-bags of the Bachaplns. II. 465. 525. 595. Mill at Cape Town ; the most ele- vated habitation in Table Val- ley 40. Mill at Genadendal 108. Mill : description of one used by the boors and by the Hotten- tots at Genadendal and Klaar- water. ... 115. 365. 379. II. 4. at the Paarl Village 142. at Barend Burgers’s on the Sneeuwbergen II. 175. Mimosa. See Acacia. Minerals found in the Asbestos Mountains 334. Mineral waters, in various places. 96. Mining in various parts of the Cape Colony recommended 97. Mint ; a species indigenous to Africa, found to endure the greatest cold of England. 255. 466. Pepper- : discovered in the Transgariepine 493. Misfortune River. See Ongeluk’s River. Misrepresentations corrected. 82. 86. 118. 346. Missionaries ; the first who resided in the Cape Colony 105. the Moravian ... 105. their utility entitles them to respect 110. may render important services to uncivilized tribes. II. 429. 536. the harm done by those who are unqualified. 111. reflections on then- at- tempts 224. driven from Namaqua- land by Africaaner 270. 4 m 2 Missionaries; their establishment at Zak River. 281. 361, 362. II. 138. • — remarks on their ex- aggerated reports of their suc- cess; and an appeal to the reasonable philanthrophist. 358. the means pointed out, for rendering their stations permanent 367. their hearers not al- ways influenced by the desire of religious knowledge : atten- tion to the instruction of chil- dren, recommended 483. • travels of one 11.243. their doctrine respect- ing the fiddle, and dancing. II. 288. successful trading in ivory II. 399. 557. at Klaarwater. 352. 517, 518. 526. 531. 533. 551. II. 138. 223. 251. 243. 543. Missletoe, or Vogelent, of the Cape 145. II. 146. Misty weather of rare occurrence 208. Mitsanna (finger-ring) II. 569. Mixed-Hottentots 154. 361. Mixed form of Government : its natural origin II. 547. Modder Rivler (Muddy River) a branch of the Gariep. See also Maap 591. Modder-gat, in the OisgariepTne. 307. 499. Mohaka, or Mohaaka, a species of Tarchonanthus. II. 271.340. 445. 516. Mokaala, or Mokala, a large and remarkable species of Acacia. See also, Camelthorn. II. 240. 292. 306. 560. 412. 465. 575. Mokaala-Mokwi; see Mokwi. Mokaapa, or Cape Town, so called by the Bachaplns II. 365. Mokkaba, the chief of the Nuak- ketsies II. 304. 439. 476. Mokarraquas, a tribe of people. II. 552. Mokwatsi, a Bachapln II. 481. Mokwi, a new species of Acacia, or Thorn-tree II. 442. Molali ; or, Molaala, one of the younger brothers of Mattlvi the Chief of the Bachaplns. II. 563. remarks on his name. II. 57 5. his duty in the Bachapm government II. 431. Molappo, a river in the Transgarie- pine II. 552. Mole, the Sand 56. the White-faced 57. Moll : Zand 56, 57. Bles 57. 636 GENERAL INDEX. Mollala, or servant ... II. 348. 375. Mdllema, or Mollemo. See, Mol- lemmi II. 349. Moll^mmi, the eldest brother of Mattlvi the chief of the Bacha- plns : — his proposed journey to Cape Town. II. 337. 549. 425. explanation of his name. II. 349. his person described. II. 565. 562. his attempt to obtain a gun II. 408. conversation with him on moral and religious subjects. II. 426 — 429. his character. II. 416. 426. his portrait. II. 463. 480. 485. visits Klaarwater II. 479. - his house described. II. 521. presents his ivory brace- lets to the author, as a token of friendship II. 572. Monaati (Good) 11.400. Monarchical form of government : its natural origin II. 546. Monarri, a name given to the author, by the Bachapins. II. 436. 476. Money of the Cape Colony... 78. Bachapins (see also Beads) II. 407. Mootsi (Moatsi), or Public Enclo- sure, in which the Bichuanas usually assemble and hold their public meeting or Piicho. II. 371. 373.386. 464. 522. Moravian Mission : the first esta- blished in the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope 105. Moreekwo, an eatable berry. II. 588. Morg Manlll ! a salutation of some CafFres 269. Moruna, a Karrikarri trader. II. 474. 500. Morutzi, or Mortitzies, one of the northern Bichuana nations. II. 532. 537. 567, 568. Mossarri (Woman or Wife). 11.386. 485. Moses, a Half-Hottentot. 299.497. Fountain II. 234. Moshowa, or Moshsa river. 11.299. 356. 512. Moshu ; a new speeies of acacia. II. 452. 464. Mosses : their scarcity in the in- terior regions of Southern Africa 594. Mosterts-hoek ; a pass in the Cape Colony 126. 137. 190. Mot^eno, or Bachapin woman’s fore-apron II. 565. Moths : the surprising variety of, noticed in the Transgariepine. 576. Moturi (Blacksmith) at Litakun. II. 482. Mountains : the effects of the air of their summits 45. 47. of remarkable shape, in the Karr^ebergen. 296. 298, 299. of the Colony, rich in rare plants 205. at Modder-gat Poort. 508. of the Cis- and Trans- gariepine compared... II. 270. of Clay-slate. See, Clay- slate. of sandstone ... II. 100. -Hare 488. Horse 265. Mourning : a manner of expressing it, among the Bushmen. 11.61. Mozambique : negroes of ; in the Cape Colony 55, 34. ’Mpa maashe (Give me some milk). 11.437. ’Mpa muchuko (Give me tobacco). II. 436. Muchuana (Bichuana) remarks on the word II. 303. 559. Muchuko (tobacco). II. 360. 369. 592. 407. Muchuko okdi (Where is the to- bacco?) II. 436. Muchiinka (a Servant, or Poor Man) II. 348. 375. — : or Kees, a Half-Bacha- pln, engaged by the author as interpreter at Litakun... 485. unwilling to accompany the author to Graaffreyn^t. 543. joins the party at 'Onge- luk’s Fontein II. 242. his manners on entering Bichuania II. 292. his extraordinary ora- tions II. 500. his ideas of books and writing II. 338. his display on entering the town of Litakun. II. 559. his character as inter- preter. II. 363, 364, 365. 398. sets out to visit his mother II. 486. his simile II. 491. Mud : a plain covered with... 307. a kind which in drying assumes the consistence of stone. 546. -walls : mode of building them 120. Muddy-hole. See, Modder-gat. 507. River. See also, Maap. 391. Muis-vogel (Mouse-Bird). 214. 335. Mukwi, a kind of Thorntree. II. 442. Mulder Piet; arrival at his hut. 249. takes charge of a package of botanical speci- mens 250. Mulihaban, late chief of the Bacha- plns : first intelligence of his death II. 217. remarks on the name. II. 217. his injunction to Mattivi. II. 376. his quarrel with Ma- krakki II. 512. his death attributed to sorcery II. 551. Muliimo, the Devil or Evil-Spirit. II. 55 0. Mullamu (club) II. 562. Muloja, a pretended eye-witness to the murder of Dr. Cowan and his party II. 505. Mulokha, a beautiful aromatic shrub II. 263. Munona tataaio (a strong man). II. 446. usinaacha (an industrious man) II. 557. Munklje, or Mungklie (pretty or handsome) II. 386. Musch-vogel, a bird 215. 335. Musesi, Bachapin petticoat, or hinder apron II. 465. 563. Museum at Cape Town, proposed. 24. British (see also British) : forty-three large quadrupeds presented to it by the author. 383. • the mode in which this present has been treated, and the irreparable loss occa- sioned by it 11.336. Music at Cape Town 21. at a Hottentot kraal near the Gariep II. 8, 9. at Graaffreyn^t.... II. 149, 150. and dancing : remarks on. II. 413. Hottentot... 500. II. 287. 596. 437. Bushman. 458. II. 66. 87. Bachapin. II. 410.438.598. European airs first intro- duced at Litakun 11.437. Musical instruments of the Hot- tentots and Bushmen .... 458. II. 65. 287. Muts-vogel, a bird 214.33 5. Mutsi, or Mutsu (see also Mootsi). II. 522. Mutton constitutes the chief food in many parts of the Cape Colony 240. II. 1 13. ■ and beef: the price of; at Graaffreynet II. 146. GENERAL INDEX. 637 Muubo, or Bichuana bellows, de- scribed II. 483. Mynheer (Sir) corruptions of the word 269. II. 436. Myrtles : the great height they attain near Cape Town... 22. N. Naari (see also, Buffalo)... II. 250. Na ka si uklwa (I do not under- stand you) II. 4 36. Nakeeri ; a species of Polecat. II. 592. Namaquas, a tribe of the Hotten- tot Race 77. 582. pronunciation of the word II. 303. — = Land. 96.362. 579. 581. II. 200. 568. duif (dove) ... 318. 502. partridge, or grouse. 265. 303. 347. 11.345. pyp-klip (pipe-stone). II. 526. Names of places in the Colony : some remarks on them, and the mode in which the Dutch names may be Anglicised, vi. 99. of places in Southern Africa : the folly and vanity of substituting European names for those of the aboriginal in- habitants 100. 286. of places in Southern Africa : necessity and apology for the temporary names given in this Work to the author’s Stations 286. 557. II. 19. of Colonists : observations respecting them .... 118. 191. II. 126. 158. a Hottentot custom of giving new ones to strangers. II. 89. of Bachapins, remarks on them II. 375. Nappika mountain II. 27. Narrative of these Travels, written on the principle of adherence to the original Journal, vii. II. 304. Nature: the works of-, considered. viii. 226. 265. 288. 504. II.32S. Naturalized plants.... 51. 37. 340. II. 226. 280. Natural History. See Collections. 'Ncho Jamhaan; a range of moun- tains so called II. 500. Necklaces of the Bachapins. II. 567. made of twisted entrails. II. 209. Needles of the Bachapins. II. 576. Negro Race, compared with the Caffre Race 582. Nek-strop, a part of the harness of oxen 151. New-Holland, its botanical affinity to the Cape 182. Newland : the District of. See Nieuwveld. Newlands, near Cape Town, the country-seat of the governor. 35. New Year’s Fountain. See Nieuw- jaars. Nia Harra (No, Sir) II. 322. Niewejaars Fontein II. 186. Nieuwkerk’s II. 118. 121. Nieuwlands. See Newlands. Nieuwveld, a division of the Cape Colony 256. 272. Mountains 581. a Bushman in the author’s service, from Klaar- waterto Graaffreyntit ... 533. 552. II. 219. Nightingale : an African species of. 304. ’Nkwi, or Nkwani, a spotted animal resembling the Leopard. II. 326. Nokanniin, the original town of the Bachapins ... 11.491.512. Noomnoom, see Numnum. Nuakketsies, one of the Bichuana nations, (see also Makkaba, and Melitta) II. 532. remarks on the word. II. 276. 319. attacked by Jan Bloem. II. 249. reported flight of their chief. II. 304. Bachapin reports re- specting them II. 319. visited by Bachapin traders II. 439. their corn-sieves. II. 455. a conjecture respect- ing the botany of their coun- try II. 475. Mattivi’s political hatred against them. II. 475, 476. send spies to Litakun. II. 489. a description of the hats manufactured by them. II. 507. the first visit to this tribe II. 557. . a proof of their skill in the art of working in iron. II. 597. Nuenjanni-chukuru, (Rhinoceros- bird) II. 546. midaapo, a remarkable bird II. 492. N ugariep, or Nu-Gariep, the largest branch of the river Gariep, (see also Black River, and Zwart Rivier,) its branches and sources 519, 520. first arrival at it ... 389. Nugariep in a state of inundation. 390. remarks on its names. 391. II. 43. 114. first explored by the author 456. forms the eastern boun- dary of the Cisgariepine. 58 1 . 11.211. observations relative to it II. 123. 126, 127. 541. Numeration ; how performed by the Bachapins II. 559. Numnum, a thorny shrub, the berries of which are some- times eaten by the Hottentots. 192. Nusakwa, a tribe of Bushmen. II. 531. Nysna lily (Cyrtanthus obliquus). 23. O. Oak trees of Europe thrive in the Cape Colony 25. 55. 102. attain a large size 144. Observations : astronomical, (see also Astronomical) 204. Obelisk : one in the Cisgariepine, formed by Nature II. 44. O tiffining, or Religious Meeting. II. 1 14. Official papers. See Papers. Oketsa (add more) II. 508. ’Olifants-vogel (Elephants’ bird). 245. Olive-tree of Southern Africa. 177. 343. 473. 538. II. 507. Olyf-boom, (see Olive tree)... 177. Oly'venhout-bosch : accident at. 177. Onder-schout, (Under-sheriff,). II. 163. 'Onderstel ; a part of a Cape waggon 150. 'Onder-veld; a colonial term. 88. 'Ongeluks Fontein 551. 360. II. 237. 247. ■ rivier 220. Onion : an eatable species found wild 296. Opal 554. Ophiology : improvements in. 473. Ophthalmia, in the Transgariepine regions 570. II. 580. Optical lake II. 28. Orange trees II. 145. River, or Oranje Rivier, (see more properly, the Gariep). Organ; at Graaffreyndt. 11.149,150 Organized matter 11.327. Oriole 464. 502. Ornithological collection viii. II. 491.5Q2. Ornithology ofKlaarwater ... 501. Orthography of Dutch words, vi. 15. 84, 85. 331. 638 GENERAL INDEX. Orthography of Hottentot and Sichuana words, vi. II. 252. 297. 303. 307 — 309. Osse-wagen. See Ox-waggon. Ostrich : remarks on the present mode of obtaining their feathers, and on the means of preserving the trade in them. 203. • its great swiftness. 204.258. 547. one shot, and the nature of its flesh described. II. 351. associates with zebras and quakkas 11.315. 420. its plumes, used for a parasol II. 360. uses made of its feathers, by the Bachaplns II. 579. nests found ; and described. 279. II. 20. 190. its eggs 244. the Hottentot mode of cooking them II. 22. girdles ingeniously manu- factured from its egg-shells. 396. II. 567. Oud Kraaikop. See Kraaikop. Outeniqua; see Auteniqua (Ow- teniqua). Out-posts of the Bachaplns. See Cattle-stations. Outspan (more correctly, Uitspan), a Colonial word in frequent use 52. places: their nature and use explained 92. Overberg: Colonial signification of the word 88. Oxen : the prices of. 134. 564. draught: their rate of tra- velling 28. II. 316. saddle : their rate of travel- ling II. 31. their names and characters retained in memory by the Hottentots... 175. II. 8. 373. the Hottentot mode of break- ing them in, for riding. 228. attacked with strangury : the cause and mode of cure. 175. a Hottentot mode of healing abscess in cattle 246. suffer from want of water. 300. 303. six lost in a storm, and scared by lions 303. their sagacity with respect to lions 450. sometimes stray to a great distance 549. an extraordinary circumstance respecting one II. 8. of the Colony : increase of. II. 144. well adapted for a journey of research and observation. 193. 171. II. 246. 270. Oxen : the difficulty of obtaining them at Litakun II. 456. Ox-waggon : its rate of travelling. 28. P. Paala, a species of antelope. II. 301. 414. 420. 437. Paard : Wilde; (see also Dauw, and Mountain-Horse), an animal hitherto confounded with the Zebra 138, 139. II. 273. Paardeberg (Horse-mountain) in the Cape District. 25. 44. 150. in the Transgariepine. II. 242. Paarden Eyland (Horse Island). 51. Paarde-wagen (Horse-waggon), of the Cape Colony. 28. II. 135. Paarde-ziekte (Horse - distemper). 254. 509. II. 218. 242. 370. Paarl, a remarkable rock, so called. 144. or Paarldorp : the village of. 76. 145. Paauw : Wilde (Wild Peacock), a bird so called 393. Pagter, or licensed retailer of wine and brandy. 162. II. 145. 151. Painting : remarks connected with the art of. 6 8.265.288. 11.272. 448. 562, 563. at Litakun, by Serra- kutu’s wife II. 455. Pakter ; see Pagter. Palmite, (or Palmiet,) a remarkable plant which grows in many of the rivers in the southern part of the Cape Colony. 91. 140. a new plant allied to it. 454. River : remarks on its dark-coloured waters 89. Pampoen Kraal, near Tygerberg. 174. Panoramic view of Cape Town. 11. Papers, granted to the author by the Cape Government. 162. 180. 183. 193. 200. 259. 241. 249, 250. 256. 518. II. 132. 135. 140. Paradise, a place near Cape Town, so called 36. Parasol of Ostrich feathers. II. 360. Partridges of the Cape Colony. 94. 270. Namaqua 265. 503. Fountain. See Patrys Fontein. Pasbrief ; or Passport, required for slaves and Hottentots .... 34. Passes of the mountains : the most usual in the Colony (see also Kloof) 88, 89. Pastures of Africa: a remark on them.. 419. Patani: the town of. II. 552, 533. 548. Paterson; his route and map. 577, 578, 579. Patriarchal form of government. II. 546. Patrys Fontein 287, 288. Peach-stones, taken for dissemin- ation in the countries of the Interior.... II. 228. 280. 487. 588. Peaches : the dried fruit much used by the Colonists ; and useful for travellers II. 488. Peacock : Wild. See Paauw. Peak of the Snow-Mountains (see also Spitskop) ... II. 125. 184. Pears : a kind of ; found, when dried, to be a useful part of the stores of a South-African traveller 206. Pebbles of the Gariep II. 213. P^eklo, or Bachapin adze. II. 58 6. P^evit, or K^evit 344. P^etsy; see Pxitsi. Prieli ; a species of antelope. 11.302. P&U 1 monaati ; a Bachapin expres- sion of thankfulness. II. 400. P^n-doorn, a shrub, II. 133. Peninsula of the Cape of Good Hope, defined 75. 580. rich in Botany 154. Peppermint: a species of .... 495. Perspective drawing, on the cylin- dric principle, explained. II. 448. Phaenogamous plants : the disper- sion of II. 209. Pheasant ; of the Colonists... 270. Pheli. See Pceli. Philip, a Hottentot who was two years and four months in the author’s service during these travels. 160, 161. 169. 2C6. 427. 474. 500. II. 150, 151. 233. 360. 425. 469. 491. Physiology of vegetables: deside- rata in 2 55. 454. Picturesque: the true 288. Pienaar, a veld-commandant in the Bokkeveld, receives a package belonging to the author, but which was afterwards lost, and never accounted for 250. Pigeon : a small long tailed species, generally called Namaqua Duif 327. 502. Wood. See Bosch-duif, and Dove. Piicho, the Bichuana Assembly, or Council .... II. 408. 499. 534. Piitsa, or Pltsa; a Bachapin boil- ing-pot II. 350. 465. found in the plains. II. 456. PiitsijOr Pltsi, or Piitse : the Zebra. II. 315. GENERAL INDEX. 639 Pikeniers Kloof. 88. Pine trees 25, 24, 25. II. 124. Pintado, or Guinea-fowl 564. II. 281. 546. 426. Pipe; used by the Bushmen for calling their companions. II. 24. of the Bachaplns. See Lichaaka. Pipe-stone, a kind of stone of which tobacco-pipes are made. II. 526. Piquet-berg; a high mountain in the Cape Colony ISO. Pisang : Wilde (Wild Plantain) Strelitzia augusta. 24. II. 259. Pitch-stone 354. Pitsa. See Piitsa. Pltsi. See Piitsi. Pitfalls, made by the Bushmen for catching wild animals. 586. 405.II.4l. Planets; an hypothesis respecting their heat 497. Plantain: Wild. See Pisang. Plants : remarks on the hardiness of 255. ■ ■ - — an instance of their effects on a landscape 305. one mistaken for a stone. 310. European. See, Natu- ralized. exotic 22. dried : Collections of. viii. 18. 46. 245. 293. 511. 550. cryptogamic, and phaeno- gamous ; remarks on their dis- semination 61. II. 209. primitive location of. II. 209. minute : a mode of detect- ing them II. 333. Platje, a Hottentot in the author’s service, hired at Graaffreynet : illegal attempts to detain him. II. 162. desirous of taking his wile and children with him, on the journey II. ISO. . his excuse for timidity. II. 410. his excessive fear at Lita- kun II. 422. prevaricates in his evidence. II. 469. Platte-klip 40. 48. Platte Kloof. 89. Plattekop (Flat- head), a fish caught in the Gariep 326. 425. Platte-lens, a kind of linchpin. 149. Plettenberg’s Baaken ; the north- easternmost point of the Cape Colony. 530,531.564. 11.124. — . Bay 50. Ploughs: the kind used in the Colony 365. Plover ....! 344. 502. 548. . the Armed ; a new and re- markable species ... 546. 502. Plover: the Long-legged 283. Pof-Adder, a venomous serpent. 469. Poison used by the Bushmen for their arrows (see also Arrows). 192. drinkers, fortified against the bites of serpents and wound of arrows II. 331. bulb, the Gift-bol of the Dutch Colonists.... 539. 541. Pokoje, a part of the Bichuana dress II. 519. Pole of a waggon : the wood best adapted for it 177. Polecat ; a species of II. 592. Politeness : its existence among savages II. 557. Polygamy among the Half-Hotten- tots 557. Bushmen. 11.60. Bichuanas. II. 572. 440. 453. 512. Pond Station; behind the Snow- Mountains II. 110. Pont, or ferry-boat 140. 178. Poort, an opening through moun- tains 41. 207. -egaal ; in the Roggeveld. 261. Poplars introduced from Europe, have become common in all parts of the Cape Colony. 102. 178. II. 124. Population of the Cape Colony. 77. II. 144. - ofLitakun II. 515. of the Bachapin tribe. II. 533. Poppy; a new species of. 318. Porcupine (see * also Yzer-vark). II. 76. Porphyry 398. II. 213. Portraits: remarks on. II. 561,562. Portuguese Settlements on the western coast : the time sup- posed necessary for a journey thither, from the Cape of Good Hope 530. Post, often detained by rivers. 94. to Stellenbosch 146. to Graaffreynet. 76. II. 143. Potatoes first introduced among the Bichuanas II. 588. Pots manufactured at Litakun. II. 594. Potstone : a species of. II. 3 1 1 . 526. Poverty Kraal. II. 37. 40. 203. 205. Pramberg 500. Prayer proved by its effects. 11.168. Prejudices of different nations, re- lative to food and taste. 11.32. against blacks. II. 101. Presents to the Chiefs, hints re- specting them II. 399. Pretorius : Cobus : his oxen stolen. II. 197. Prisoners of war among the Bacha- plns II. 555. Pronunciation of Dutch words. 15. 86, 87. of the Dutch con- sonants 351. of the Kora and Hottentot languages. II. 252. of Sichuana words (see also Sichuana). II. 296. 585. Protractor : the place of one sup- plied 153. Provisions : difficulty of obtaining them in Bichuania. II. 414. 488. Pudding-stone 398. II. 10. Puff-Adder 469. Pukoghe, or Pukoje, or Pukoli, a part of the Bichuana dress. II. 319. 372. 412. 570 Pumpkins.... 114. 195. 366. II. 7. 587. Punishments among the Bachapins. II. 431. 544. Purslane, found growing wild in the Transgariepine 545. Pyk-klip. See Pipe-stone. Pyrites of iron : cubic 202. Pyramid (or Obelisk) Pass. II. 45. Q. Qua, a Hottentot termination ; ex- plained 545. II. 303. Quadrupeds: collection of. See, British Museum. Quagga (Dutch orthogr.) see more properly, Quakka. Quakka, or Kwakka: its specific character, distinguishing it from the Zebra, which is also called Quakka 139. or Zebra (see also Zebra) remarks on the taste of the meat 280. II. 83. 238. two shot, and a skin pre- served 452. a foal caught, and remarks on the possibility of taming it 486. often associate with ostriches II. 515. • frequently seen and shot for food. 280.287.420.11.42. 81. 90. 94. 98. 184. 273. Station ... II. 83, 84. 190. Quarterly Review. See p. 1 — 4. appended to Vol. I. Wantrouw’s works, to be properly recom- mended in it 384. Quartz rocks... 506. 542. II. 240. Quince trees .... 119. II. 145. 280. R. Races: Horse; at Cape Town. 27. of Man: considerations on their origin II. 549. 640 GENERAL INDEX. Raft: mode of constructing one. II. 11. Rail 502. Rains of the Cape Colony. 81.197. on Green Point 155. — in the Karro. 215. 240.248. of the Transgariepine. 569. 495. 515, 516. unpleasant to the Bachapins. II. 558. a season of rejoicing among the Bachapins II. 599. worm 449. Redbeak (Roodebekje). See also Astrild 266. II. 41. 91. Redbuck. (See also Roodebok, and Paala) II. 501. Redleaf (Roodeblat) a tree found on the banks of the Gariep. 400.404. 425. Redness of the soil, remarkable. 504. 508. II. 266. 442. 515. Reebok II. 25. Vaal II. 302. Reed : the African species of (see also Riet). 296. II. 199. 271. 410. employed in a simile. 11.491. indicate a spring of water. II. 29. Broom. (B£zem-riet)... 124. called * Spanish’ by the Colonists... 105. 185. II. 172. Thatching 25. Fountain in the Transgarie- pine (see also Aakaap) ... 542. pipe of the Bachapins (see also Lichaaka) II. 410. River, in the Roggeveld. 261.264. 11.510. ■ — river Pass 263. 266. Sparrow 440. II. 91. Station II. 80. Refraction: atmospheric. 101.533. 452. Regenwerm (Rain-worm) .... 449. Religion of the Bachapins. II. 543. 550. 552. Rdmschoen (Skid, or Lock-shoe). 151. Republican form of government : its natural origin. II. 546 — 548. Resin-bush 259. Rhenoster, or Rhinoster. See Rhi- noceros. Rhenosterberg 581. Rhenoster-bosch (see also Rhino- ceros-bush) 101,102. Rhenoster Poort ... II. 91. 95. 187. Rivier 259. — vogel 245. Rhinoceros : its hide converted into Shamboks or whips. 86. — - one shot by a Bush- man II. 41. — hunt II. 52. the first shot... II. 69. mode of hunting it. 11.72. Rhinoceros: nature of its hide. II. 73. meat. 11.74. its measures ... II. 75. a new species dis- covered II. 75. remarks on its horn. 11.76. rarely to be seen with- in the boundary of the Cape Colony II. 126. ■ means by which a Hottentot escaped being killed by one II. 579. — bush (see also Rhe- noster-bosch) 176. 255. II. 126. Mountains. See Rhe- nosterberg. Pass. See Rhenoster Poort. ■ River. See Rhenos- ter Rivier. Rhus : none browsed upon by the wild animals II. 248. Rice, grown in the Colony... 80. II. 393. Riebcck, the founder of Cape Town 77. Kast^el ; a mountain so called 25. 44. 150. Riem, or leathern halter. 151. 450. II. 250. Riet : Dak. See Reed : Thatching. Bizem. See Reed : Broom. Spansche. SeeReed: Spanish. Fontein, in the Transgarie- pine. See 'Aakaap. Rivier (Reed River).... 261. 264. rivier’s Poort 263. 266. Rifle-gun. 164. 273. II. 224. 255. 274. Riizo (Reezo) a friendly Bushman who accompanied the author from the Gariep to the borders of the Cape Colony. his kraal, described.... II. 16. his dance II. 87. his character II. 101. returns to his kraal. II. 108. second meeting with him. II. 196. Rivers of the Colony: the prin- cipal 126. of the Colony : a remark- able difference observed in the color of their waters. 89. 90. 116. fatal accidents occasioned by their suddenly overflowing their banks 178, 179. Periodical. 215.216. II. 18. the paucity of ; in the Cis- gariepine 261. II. 299. of Southern Africa : a re- markable circumstance ob- served with respect to their fishes 425. Rivers : some which run to the Western, and others to the Southern Coast, have their sources in the Snow Moun- tains II. 125. the means used by the Hottentots and Bushmen, for crossing them 416. II. 15. River-Horse, (see also Hippopo- tamus, and Zcekoe or Sea- Cow) : first sight of its foot- marks 517. remark respecting the propriety of its names. 412. Rix-dollar : its value in English money, in the year 1810. 79. in the year 1825. II. 540. Roads over the mountains... 130. of the Karro 211. of the Roggeveld 257. of the Colony 256. 455. of the Bachapins .... II. 506. Robben (Seal) Island, in Table Bay 6. 44. Rocks of the Colony 29. sonorous 277. II. 43. having a black and shining surface II. 45. of recent formation on banks of the Gariep 398. Fountain, in the Cisgariepine. 293, 294. in the Transgarie- pine 11.261. Roebuck (Reebok) II. 23. Fallow (Vaal Reebok). II. 302. Roggeveld (Ryeland, or Rye-coun- try), an elevated district of the Cape Colony .... 81. 207. 254, 255. 306. 546. 527. Middel (Middle)... 256. the mountain of. 207. 232. 246. 249, 250. 466. 558. 581. II. 211. difficulty and dan- ger in ascending the Moun- tain in wet weather. 251. 253, 254. Onder (Farther)... 579. Roki II. 409. Rondebosch, near Cape Town. 35. 59. a list of plants grow- ing in the vicinity of 57. Roode. This word, which sig- nifies ‘ Red,’ is usually, in the Cape Colony, spoken as an Englishman would pronounce Ro-ey, or Rowey. Roode-bdkje (Red-beak) 2 66. II. 41. 91. Roodeblat (Red-leaf) ... 400. 404. Roodebloem (Red-bloom) 55. Roodebok (Red-buck ) see also Paala II. 501. Roode Elze (Red Alder) 142. GENERAL INDEX. 641 Roode Hoogte (Red Heights). 86. Kaffers (Red Caffres) ; see also, Tammaka and Batam- maka II. 225. Valk: Kleine (Little Red Falcon) 338. Roodezand: District of. 125.581. Roodezand’s Kloof (Redsand Pass). 136, 157. 181. Roofs of houses at Cape Town. 7 1 . Litakun. 11.519. Roots: eatable wild. 5 1.252.417. 465. II. 316. 352. 589. Ropes, or Cords : the manner in which they are manufactured by the Hottentots 405. Roses 23. II. 124. Roye, or Royen. See Van Roye. Rugged-Kloof 11.109. Ruiter (Ruter), a Half Bachapln in the author’s service, from the Asbestos Mountains to GraafF- reynet. 542. II. 3. 15.89.219. Rurno, or Hassagay II. 597. Rushes of which mats are made. 114. 265. II. 125. of the island in the Gariep. II. 215. Ruyter, a Bushman captain. 497. Ryksdaalder. See Rixdollar. Ry eland. See Roggeveld. S. Sabbath : (see also, Sunday.) 11.430. Sack River (Zak Rivier) forming (in 1812.) part of the northern boundary of the Cape Colony. * 261. 280. 361, 362. 560. 562. 564. 11.609. St. Helena: Island of. 79. 545. — Bay, in the Cape Colony. 131. 579. St. Paul de Loando 511, 512. Saldanha Bay 131. Salt: its scarcity and value in the Transgariepine II. 480. lakes, or ponds. 399. II. 487. -pan Ford 399. Table-mountain ... 419. — . — River, near Cape Town. 51, 52. 100. 147. 170. Sambie, a Caffre chief : one of his brothers killed by the Bush- men 268. Sandals, worn by the aboriginal inhabitants of Southern Africa. 398. 459. II. 570. Sand: clouds of; raised by a whirl- wind 508. Sands of the Cape Isthmus : the possibility of rendering them firmer and more easily pass- able for carriages 54. Sand-Country. See Zandveld. Sand-Flats, near Cape Town (see also Zand Vlakte, Isthmus, and Downs) 51. 58. 84. 172. VOL. II. Sand Mole : its fur supposed to be valuable 56, 57. Sandstone: rocks of. 29. 43. 294. II. 100. 103. 311. 354. Saqua, or Saakwa, a name 'some- times given to the Bushman nation 64. II. 531. Satellites of Jupiter, may be ob- served in the Interior of Southern Africa, with a small telescope 484. Schaapdrolletjes : a shrub, or tree, so called 31. Schaapenberg (Sheep -mountain). 85. Schaap-vel Kombaars (Sheep- skin coverlet) its value and utility. II. 175. 25 5. Schaap-wagter (Shepherd) 256. Schaapwagtertje, a familiar bird, so called 270. Schilling, a denomination of Colo- nial (Dutch) money 78. Scheen, a part of a waggon... 149. Schlet Fontein, in the Cisgarie- pine 296. Poort 298. Schistus: argillaceous (see also Clay-slate) 29. School at GraafFreynfit ... II. 150. Schurfdeberg, a mountain in the Bokkeveld 131. Seacow (see also Zeekoe, Hippo- potamus, and River-horse) re- mark on the name 412. Pork (Zeekoe Spek), es- teemed a delicacy 411. Holes (Zeekoe Gatten). 263. River (see also Zeekoe Rivier). II. 118. 123. 125. 127. its climate con- sidered to be one of the coldest in the Colony II. 172. Sea Unicorn II. 77. Seasons in the Cape Colony. 80,81. Secretary’s office, at Cape Town. 78. of District 183. bird 578. Seldery Fontdin 267. Sensavan, a remarkable cavern in the Transgariepine, where the sibilo is found. 414. 11.255. 256. 518. Seringe-boom (see Melia Azedi- rach) 22. Serpentine : a species of ; from which tobacco pipes are made. II. 511. 525, Serpents : an antidote against their bite 392. a new mode of pre- serving them... 470, 471, 472. their venom, an ingre- dient in the Bushman arrow- poison 559, 540, 541. — their venom, sometimes drunk by Hottentots, as a 4 N preventive against their bite. 331. Serrakutu, uncle to the Chief of the Bachapins. II. 349. 361. 374.394. a conversation with him. II. 440. ■ visit to him, to view his wife’s paintings II. 453. Servants at. Litakun II. 521. Settlers in Southern Africa. 78. 274. Sewing : the manner in which it is practised by the Bachapins. II. 577. Shallow-ford, on the Gariep. 521. Shambok, a whip formed of a strip of the hide of a Rhinoceros or Hippopotamus. 86, 87. 411. 437. II. 78. Sheep of the Cape Colony. 238. 525. their rapid in- crease II. 144. their price in the Roggeveld (in 1811.) 259. their price in the Snow Mountains (in 1 813.) II. 113. a flock returning home from pasture 242. their food. 257. the beauty and value of the fur of lambs. II. 175. why preferred to Goats by the Hottentots II. 239. of the Bachapins. II. 524. of the Karrikarries, of the Namaquas, and of the Dam- maras II. 558. boor, or Sheep-farmer. 240. II. 175 skin coverlet. See, Schaap- vel Kombaars. Shepherd: Hottentot 238. bird 270. Shining-Rock. See, Blink-klip, and Sensavan. Shoes of hide (Vel-srfloen) : their nature, and the mode of making them ... 214. II. 102. Shower: thunder. 314.557.449. II. 90. 111. Shrike, (see also, Butcher-bird, and Fiscal-bird) 502. Shumi, (ten) II. 559. Sibbata, or Sibbaata, the Bachapin Snuff-bag II. 561. 576. Sibilo, or Sibiilo, a shining mineral powder much used by various South-African tribes foradorn- their hah- and body 414. II. 256. 518. 562. 592. 412. 484. 494. Sichuana language : its extent and utility '.. II. 503. 548. mode of re- ducing it to a written form. 11.293 — 295. . its orthography 642 GENERAL INDEX. and pronunciation ... II. 296. 307 — 309. Sichuana language, various remarks on it. II. 303, 304. 586. 399. a specimen of it II. 581— 585. readiness of the Bichuanas to give instruction. II. 407. surprise of the Bichuanas on first hearing it spoken from a book. II. 338. Sifting-mat of the Bushmen. 11.25. Sihurri (Coot) II. 546. Sikhaka (beads) : their value and importance among the Bichua- nas II. 407. 568. Siki, a kind of acacia II. 241. Sikkloniam, a fountain in the Great Plains of Litakun II. 342. Sillabi, a Bachapln 11.481. Silver II. 575. tree (see also Witteboom). ' 17. 54. 61. 67. Singing of the Hottentots. 109. 357. ofBushwomen. II. 66. 87. of the Bachaplns. II. 458. 598. Singke II. 463. Sitsikamma 580. Skammel, a part of a waggon. 150. Sketches of a traveller, constitute a pleasing kind of journal. II. 214. Sketching, often the most expe- ditious mode of making a de- scription 411. Skid, or Lockshoe, used in the Cape Colon}7 151. Skirmish Fountain. See Schiet Fontfin. Skoft, (a day’s journey). 191. 576. Slagter’s brief 201 . knegt (Butcher’s man, or servant) 201. II. 113. Slate (see also Schistus, and Clay- slate) 29. 359. 492. 50 5. Slaves in the Cape Colony. 13. 32, 55, 54, Slavery among the Bachaplns. II. 555. Small-pox, sometimes makes its appearance in Southern Africa. 371. II. 149. 5 80. Smell : some genera of plants may be detected by it... 143. 186. Smelling: the sense of; in vultures. 377. in some beetles II. 328. Smi-eendje (Widgeon) 283. Smoking tobacco ; a universal cus- tom among the Dutch colo- nists II. 115. remarks on. II. 321. Snakes, (see also Serpents, Puff- adder, Spitting-snake) ... 469. II. 331. Sneeuwberg Proper (Snow Moun- tain) : one of the highest mountains of the Cape Colony. 254. II. 125, 124. : Achter. See also Achter... II. 331. Sn^euwbergen (Snow Mountains) an elevated and cold district in the north-eastern part of the Cape Colony. 80,81.581. II. 121. Snipe 502. Snow, in the Cape Colony. 81. 146. 157. 185. 194. 198. 255. 271. II. 172. in the Transgariepine. 369. II. 255. perpetual ; a remark respect- ing the probable cause of it. 497. Mountains : Proper ; or Sneeuwberg.... 11.123 — 135. Snuff, (see also Lishuena)... 164. II. 116. 321. 367. Snyman : Gerrit; a veld-corn dt of the Roggeveld 257. his ideas respecting the author and his travelling. 259. Soap, manufactured in the Cape Colony 419. II. 115. Sondak (or Zondag, , Sunday) a word adopted by the Bacha- plns .. II. 426. Sopje, or dram II. 287. Sorcery practised by the Bachaplns. II. 540. Sorrel : a climbing species of. II. 146. Southeaster : nature of this wind. 58. Space, in which the solar system revolves : an hypothesis rela- tive to it 497. Span of tobacco ; its quantity and weight II. 49. Spansche Riet, a useful kind of reed, cultivated in the Colony. 105. II. 172. Sparrman : character of his book of travels 98. his character as zoolo- gist, defended 432. his route, and map. 577, 578. II. 559. Sparrow : a species of ; called Koorn-vreeter (Corn-eater). 246. 259. 296. II. 91. a species of 502. Reed; a kind of. 440. 11.91. Specimens of plants (see also. Plants) : a mode of preserv- ing them 154. 245. Sp^elman, a Hottentot who ac- companied the author from Cape Town into the Interior, and continued three years and three months in his ser- vice. Sp^elman : some account of him and description of his person, and of his wife 167. legal forms of binding him in service 183. his grotesque appearance in a cocked hat 260. finds twenty-six ostrich- eggs: his extraordinary con- trivance for bringing them home 279. departs with the oxen to Elands Valley ... 353, 554. his hut burnt down. 378. his manners contrasted with Philip’s 427. his ingenuity and accom- plishments, in making a fiddle and playing on it 499. his solicitude for his * dear wife.’ 500. shoots two rhinocerotes. II. 72. in full dress II. 102. claimed by his former master II. 151. his display of zeal and fidelity II. 152. the alarm occasioned by mistaking him and Reiser for Bushmen II. 266. his signal mistaken. II. 282. some traits in his cha- racter II. 32 3. the nature of his ser- vices, and his attachment to his master II. 352. his almanack ... II. 345. his character with re- spect to courage. II. 416.423 his services in shooting birds /or the author’s collec- tion II. 491 . exhibits some symptoms of timidity during a general alarm at Litakun II. 501. Sp^kboom (Fat-tree) a succulent shrub or tree.... II. 133. 144. Spider : a venomous species, used by the Bushmen for poisoning their arrows 559. Spies sent by the Nuakketsies. II. 489. Spionberg, a mountain seen in the Cisgarieplne 288. Spltskop, the most elevated peak of Sneeuwberg or the Snow Mountains ; and probably the highest in the Cape Colony. 125. 184. Spitting-Snake. See Spuigslang. Spoon, or Liishua, of the Bachapins. II. 595. Spoonbill 501. GENERAL INDEX. 643 Spotted Hill. See, Bonteberg. Spreeuw: Groene. (Green Thrush, or Starling) 518. Witgat. (White-ramped Thrush, or Starling) 394. Spring-season, at the Cape 81. Springs and ponds in the Trans- garieplne : an hypothesis re- lative to them II. 311. Springbuck (called Springbok, by the Dutch colonists), a beau- tiful and numerous species of antelope : — its remarkable and distinctive characters, and its various names. 290. II. 109. 3 35. abounds in various parts of Southern Africa. 342. 348. 373. 11.81. 414. a stratagem employed by the Bushman hunters, for approaching it and other game II. 56. annually migrates to various and distant parts of the country in quest of pas- ture II. 169. compared with the Paala II. 301. called Tsepi, by the Bichuanas II. 420. 425. Springhaas (Spring-hare, or Leap- ing Hare). 343. 487, 488. II. 3. Spuigslang Fontein (Spitting-snake Fountain) 386. II. 261. Spy-mountain. See Spionberg. Squirrel : a species of ; peculiar to Southern Africa II. 241. Staart-riem ; or Hottentot Tail- piece 397. Stadhuis, in Cape Town (Burgher- Senate House, or Town Hall). 73. Starling. See Spreeuw. Stars : some remarkable ones in the Southern hemisphere, which are not visible to England. 80. their practical utility to a traveller .... 576. II. 35. 343. Stations on the journey : a remark respecting their names... 286. — the utility of adding the dates to them on the Map 576. Steatopyga, a remarkable peculi- arity of figure, in the women of the Hottentot race.... 216. Stdek-lens (linchpin) 149. Steen'oergen (Stony-mountains) in the Peninsula of the Cape of Good Hope 2. 61. Steenbok (Stone-buck), a species of antelope; described... 202. found in various parts of Southern Africa .... 281. 432. II. 15. 242. 437. Steenbrass or Steenbrassem river. 87. Stellenbosch: the village of ... 76. 145. Stellenbosch : the District of... 75. Stephanus, a pretended missionary among the Half-Hottentots on the banks of the Gariep : his history 362. Stink Fontein 266. Stlnkhout (Stinkwood) a valuable timber tree of the Cape forests 72. Stiver (Stuyver, or Stuiver) a de- nomination of money used in the Cape Colony 79. Stockenstrom, Mr.: landdrost of Graaffreynet, who was un- happily murdered by the Caffres. 530. II. 106. 120.167. Stoep (Stupe) a raised platform or terrace in front of the houses of Cape Town 71. Stonebuck. See, Stdenbok. Store-room of the BachapTns. II. 520. Stormberg, or the Storm Moun- tains 581. Straat (Street): a singular rocky defile, so called 197. Streets of Cape Town. 16. 44. 70, 71. Strangury in oxen : the cause of, and cure 1 75. Stuurman, a Hottentot in the author’s service ; from GraalF- reynet, into the Transgarie- pine. II. 166. 233, 234. 379. 383. 405. 422. 432. 458. Stuyver, or Stuiver. See, Stiver. Succulent plants : drawings of them should be made on their native soil 212. Sugarbirds : them beauty of plum- age 18. 222. the Green 245. Station 222. Sugarbush, a handsome shrub. 18. Suiker-bosch. See, Sugarbush. vogel. See, Sugarbird. Sumi, a word used by the Bichu- anas, to express ‘ ten’ or ‘ many’ II. 559. Summer in the Cape Colony. 81. in the Transgariepine. 368. 491. 11.526. Sunday, at Tys Kraal 231. at Klaarwater ... 355, 356. at Groote Fontein, in the Transgariepine 462. at Litakun 425, 426. River (ZondagRivler). 100. 580, 581. II. 125. 138. 144. 169.211. Sunrise on Table Mountain ... 40. on the banks of the Gariep. II. 17. in the Transgariepine. II. "25,324. Superstition of the Bushmen. 408. of the Bachaplns. II. 423, 424. 550. Swallows 30. 355. 502. Swallows useful to travellers, by 4 n 2 indicating the presence and situation of water 21. Swallow : Mountain. See Berg- zwaluw, or Bee-eater. Swellendam, or Zwellendam. 75, 76. 578. T. Taai'bosch (Tough-bush), a shrub. II. 254. a Kora chieftain : his arrival at Litakun. II. 214.486. Fountain... II. 234. 237. Table Mountain (Tafelberg) at Cape Town : — first view of it at sea i. the remarkable cloud with which its summit is often covered 3. 8. its enormous mass, viewed from the Town ... 14. an excursion to its summit 59. its height .... 45. view from its summit 44. its botanical pro- ductions 42. 45, 46. seen fromBaviaans Kloof. ill. seen from Wft- senberg 151. seen from beyond Pampoen Kraal 176. seen from a dis- tance of forty-eight miles in a direct line 181. of the Karree- bergen, innumerable 293. a remarkable one on the southern side of the Kygariep 419. Bushman. II. 84. 100. 184. Great; on the Colonial boundary northward of the Snow Mountains. See also Groote Tafelberg. II. 105. Little; in Achter- Sneeuwberg. See also Kleine Tafelberg II. 118. Tadentaal (see also Guinea fowl, and Pintado) 364. Tafelberg. See Table Mountain. 100. Groote 94. 105. Kleine. II. 117.124.183. Tails of animals : the cruelty and folly of mutilating them. " II. 230. Tail-piece, a singular part of the Hottentot dress 397. Takoon (Takone): remarks on the word II. 307. Takkaru (see also Aardvark, and Ant-eater) II. 424. Tallama (Buttons), a favorite orna- ment with the Bachaplns II. 567. 573. 644 GENERAL INDEX. Tama, a large eatable root, grow- ing in the Transgariepine. II. 589. Tamboer: Jan; a Hottentot. 65, 66. 148. 155. 160. Tambookies, or Tambukis, a tribe belonging to the Caffre race. 582. Tannnakas, or Batammakas (see also Red Caffies), a tribe of the Caff’re Race. II. 505. 552. invade the country of the Bachaplns and carry off their cattle II. 476. 500. Tammani, or Litammani, a large seed, sometimes eaten in the Transgariepine, or used for necklaces II. 590. Tang, one of the principal parts of a Cape waggon 150. Tanning : the manner and materials adopted by the Boors and Hottentots 248. a process used instead of it, by the Bichuanas. II. 590, 591. Tape-worm, a species of, found in a bird 283. Tarchonanthus, a shrub bearing cotton-like seed, and very abundant in the Transgarie- pine II. 241. 247. 264. its leaves not eaten by the wild animals... II. 248. Station ... II. 289. Tarka: a district in the north- eastern part of the Cape Colony 75.96.581. Taste of different nations, not to be condemned II. 35. disgusting depravity of. II. 69. of imagination, should take its rules from Nature ... 288. among the Bacha- pins II. 596. Tea, a beverage much drunk by the Boors 142. the Hottentots exceedingly fond of it. 364. 453. II. 466. not unpleasant to the palate of a Bachapln II. 393. a refreshing and necessary drink for travellers in the hot climate of Africa 385. 453. 508. Teerput (Tarbucket) a necessary part of the equipment of a travelling waggon 151. Teeth of the Bushmen : a singular fact respecting them 292. Telescopes for astronomical pur- poses in the Interior ; not re- quired to be of great power. 484. Thallite II. 240. Thanks: the Bachapln mode of expressing them II. 399. Thatch : a durable kind of. 26. 263. at Litakun II. 520. Thatching Reed. See Reed. Theatre at Cape Town 20. 74. Theodolite : one easy of construc- tion, with which a traveller may remedy the want of a better instrument ... 132, 133. Thermometrical Observations, during these Travels. 251. II. 55. at Cape Town 81. at Klaarwater 568. at Litakun II. 527. Thermometer : remarkable in- stances of its wide range during a few hours... 261.285.37 5. accidents with them. 438. II. 509. Thorn-tree (see also Doornboom, Karro-doorn, Acacia, and Camel-thorn) 195. 501. Thread : Hottentot (Hottentotsch Garen) ; divided sinew, so called in the Cape Colony. 214. Threethorn (Driedoorn), a remark- able shrub. 299. 448. II. 23. 41. Thrush : the Green. See Spreeuw. a species of 502. Thfiko, or Bachapln needle. 11.576. Thunberg : his travels in the Cape Colony.... 98. 155. 175. 225. 577. 579. Thunder-storms.... 514. 537. 450. II. 90. Ticks, found on hares 290. Tiger of Africa. (See also Leopard). 16. 167. II. 40. 144. 570. of Asia 24. Mountain. See Tygerberg. Timber used in Cape Town. 71, 72. 92. in the Roggeyeld. 223. in the district beyond the Snow Mountains. II. 114. atGraaffreynet. 11.146. at Klaarwater, in the Transgariepine 567. at Litakun... II. 513. waggons from Auteniqua- land 92. Tinder-boxes among the Bacha- plns II. 580. Tlpa, or Bachapin knife. II. 575. Tky, an eatable root 465. Tkysi. See Kysi, or Keisi. 386. 403. Tobacco, a production of consider- able importance to the inha- bitants of the Cape Colony. See also, Smoking 80. indispensable for tra- vellers in Southern Africa. 195. 526. II. 166. Hottentots, Bushmen, and all the tribes of the Inte- rior excessively fond of smok- ing it. See also Muchuko 156. 206. 292. 297. 364. 588. 391. 408. 480. II. 18. 36. 39. 49. 86. 89. 95. 197. 189. 219. 322. 569. 588. Tobacco of the Colony : the form in which it is usually manu- factured 11.48. the manner of employ- ing it in barter II. 49. the want of it, produces an extraordinary effect on the author’s party II. 344. Pipes, made of a kind of stone II. 526. Plant : its introduction into Southern Africa. II. 521. not cultivated by the Bachaplns II. 588. Toga of the Romans, compared with the Karossand Kobo. 397. Toi't’s Kloof 89. Toi't: Jacobus Du 117, 118. Cootje Du 191. Tokwi, a species of Aloe growing in the Transgariepine. II. 352. Tondelblad, or Tinder Plant. See Hermas gigantea 131. Torch-thistles of South-America, are represented in Africa by various species of Euphorbia. 251. Tortel Duif (Turtle Dove). 213. 318. 501. Tough-bush. See Taaibosch. Touracoo. See Loory, or Loeri. Tracks : cattle followed by means of their footsteps. 456. 11.283. of animals : the art of as- certaining them. II. 91, 92, 95. of waggons: information deducible from them. II. 91. 93. Transgariepine, a geographical di- vision of Southern Africa. . 324. 581. its weather. 368. 372. II. 526, 527. grassy mountains rarely seen in it II. 291. its geology. 11.511, 312. 354,355. its sky, cloudless during the greater part of the year II. 524. Trap, the step of a Cape waggon. 150. Travels: the author’s views and general scheme, v. viii. 15. 49. 195. 511— 513. 11.353, 354. 510. Narrative of the present ; written on the principle of adherence to the original journal.... vii. II. 304. books of : the advantages and disadvantages which they offer to a traveller 163. Travellers : the necessity for their GENERAL INDEX. 645 acquiring a knowledge of the language of the country. 13. Travellers, substitute for a theo- dolite 132, 133. mode of drying speci- mens of plants, without press or paper 134. in the Cape Colony : a caution to 250. advice to those who ex- plore the country of the Bush- men 294. remarks on the art of drawing, as applicable to their views. 411. 11.214. 562, 563. confidence in the natives. 424. in the Interior of Africa : the difficulties of their situa- tion 506, 507. in Africa : advice re- specting their observations for the latitude 576. their duty with respect to names of places, and new words II. 508. guilty of dishonesty, by practising any of the arts of exaggeration II. 368. ignorant of a language ; liable to imposition 15. 11.432. — the degree of authority necessary to their success. II. 472. Travelling in the Colony : the usual mode adopted by the colonists.... 76.92. 141, 142. 220. — distances: a rule for estimating them 90. with ox-waggons. 28. 86. 135. 163. 166. 174. 576. II. 171. 298. 341. with horse-waggons. 28. II. 171. 516. on oxback II. 51. on horseback. 220. 576. II. 143. 316. by night : objections against it .' 179. - — expeditious; disadvan- tages of 193. 1 — on foot: instances of great expedition, in various tribes of the aboriginal inha- bitants. 287. 498. II. 71. 195. 218. 318. a mode of ascertaining the distance 289. 11.341. the pleasures and enjoy- ments of 444. 474. the salt of. 445. in the Interior: some remarks on 504. in the Interior: its dangers and difficulties. 518. , in Southern Africa : an essential principle of. II. 270. Trees : their scarcity in some parts of Southern Africa. 102. 314. II. 110. 113. Trtfktouw (Drag-rope). 151. 450. II. 251. Trigonometrical measurement of the breadth of the Gariep. 319. measurement of the breadth of the Kygariep or Yellow River 441 . Tronk volk, or Jail Hottentots. II. 158, 159. 164. Truy (more commonly pronounced Tr6ey) a Hottentot woman (the wife of Juli), who accom- panied the author’s party, — her excellent character. II. 181. her alarm at a lion... II. 191. and her child, narrowly escape being drowned in crossing the Gariep II. 215. is left at the Hottentot kraal at Grootedoorn ; till the re- turn of the party from the Interior II. 225. 231. Tryn, or Katryn, a Hottentot woman affected with steato- pyga 216. Tsamma, or Bachapin walking- stick 11.441. 446. 574. Tsepi, a species of Antelope. II. 420. 425. Tulbagh: the village of 76. the district of. 75. a visit to, and descrip- tion of 127, 128. second visit to 182. distances from. 555.557. Drostdy: description of. 128. objection to its situation 128. information re- ceived there, of the arrival of a package belonging to the author, which was never after- wards accounted for 250. Turf, or green sod : its scarcity in Southern Africa II. 125. Turmeric 93. Turtle-doves 213. 318. 502. Tutor: Itinerant. See Meester. Twav ! a Bushman salutation. 11.84. Twilight : its duration, in the Transgariepine 336. 495. Tygerberg (Tiger Mountain). 25. 44. 175. Tys-kraal 229. 231. U. I uitenhage: the Village of. 76. 92. " 96. II. 541. the District of 75. Uitspan. See Outspan. Umbrella : its utility to a traveller in Africa 509. 11.454. made of ostrich-plumes. II. 579. Uncle (Oom) : in what sense this word is used in the Colony. 499. Unicorn of the Moderns ; con- sidered to be merely a creature of the imagination 432. arguments against its existence ... II. 77. the Sea- II. 77. Unlucky- Wood, a remarkable shrub 11.258.451.499. Ursa major ; a constellation never , visible at the Cape 80. Uyentjes : Bushmen’s : small eat- able bulbs... 417. 548. 11.26. , Water 51. Uyentje-zak II. 57. V. Vaal Leeuw, (Pale Lion)... II. 192. Rivier. See Kygariep. Vaccine matter, taken into the In- terior 183. occasion of its failure 371. Vaccinators: a caution to ... 276. Vaillant. See, Le Vaillant. Valk: Kleine Roode 338.501. Valley: various interpretations of the Dutch word ; and its pro- nunciation 519. Vanderbyl, a colonist at the Paarl Village 140. Van der Merwe; a colonist on the Snow Mountain II. 182. Van Heerden, a colonist on the Snow Mountains II. 171 Van Roye, (or Van Rooyen), a Hottentot in the author’s ser- vice : (see also Roye) his his- tory II. 155. hired II. 156. meets with his son in the Transgariepine... II. 230. his absence, at Ongeluks Fountain if. 237. sent on search of Speel- man and Platje, at Kosi Foun- tain II. 282. his character... II. 286. feigns illness, for the pur- pose of evading a journey back to the Kruman. II. 513. 318. through fear, absconds at Litakun II. 425. his services during the journey II. 457, 458. his disobedience and bad conduct .... II. 459, 460. 467. 646 GENERAL INDEX. Van Roye, tried at Litakun, for mutiny II. 468. Van Wyk : Jacob ; a boor on the northern borders of the Co- lony : inhospitable reception at his house. II. 104, 105. 108. 183. Vanity: personal. 413, 414. 11.566. 573. Variation of the compass. 266. 271. 375. II. 325. Vegetable physiology. See Plants. — life II. 327. r fit for culinary use, sel- dom found wild in Africa. 545. culinary; introduced into the Transgariepine (see also, the Garden) II. 280. 588. 80. 93. 118. 240.248. 366. II. 118. 143. Vegetation on the northern and southern sides of the moun- tains, differs 91. its rapidity, after the rains. See Rains. of bulbous plants. See Bulbous plants. Veld-corndt (Field-cornet) a civil officer in the Colony : the na- ture of his official duties. 76. various examples of. 174. 189. 191. 238.241. II. 119, 120. 127. Veld-commandant (Field-command- ant) a leader of the Colonial militia 250. II. 120. Vel-kombaars (Sheepskin Coverlet). See Kombaars. Velschoen (Hide Shoes ) the man- ner in which they are made. 214. Vendue. See, Auction. Venisonof Southern Africa. 11.281. Verk^erde Valley 197. 579. Vermeulen : Piet ; a boor in Achter-Sneeuwberg. II. 111. 183. Vignettes of the present work. vi. II. 340. Viljoen : Jan ; a boor on the Snow Mountain II. 176. Villages of the Colony, enumerated. 76. Vineyards. 63. 74. 118. 144. 179. Vinegar, its utility to South-Afri- can travellers II. 287. Visch Rivler : Groote (Great Fish- River) 100. 575. 579. in Great Namaqua- land 579. Vischer’s-hoek, in False Bay. 86. Vlier : Wilde (Wild Elder) .... 94. Vdgelent (Mistletoe) 143. Volatile Alkali, a valuable medicine against the bite of venomous serpents. 392. 541. II. 14. 130. Volcanic appearances. 95. 175. 308. 474. Voorhuis, the hall of a Dutch colonist’s dwelling-house. 118. 140. Voorspan, a relay of oxen provided under the authority of govern- ment...... 185. 185. 236. 256. V6or-stel; the fore-part of the carriage of a Cape-waggon. 150. Voortouw; orFore Drag-rope. 174. Vrouw 500. II. 177. Vulgar : a term not applicable to the Bachaplns II. 556. Vultures 214. 11.414. the Sacred Egyptian Vul- ture, called by the Boors, Witte Kraai, or White Cfow. 338. 502. II. 194. the large black. 377. 492. II. 194. the nest of one, found. 473. new species observed in the Cisgariepine II. 194. their utility, conformation and habits, examined. II. 325. description of the Linong, a new species II. 329. Station II. 193. W. Wagenboom (Waggon tree): re- marks on the nature and ap- pearance of its wood .... 123. said to have been seen in the country of the Nuakket- sies II. 474. Wagenmaker’s Valley. 139. 178. 179. Waggons of the Cape Colony: a description of one 149. — well con- structed for travelling over a rugged country 152. represent- ations of them .... 26. 52. 82. additional remarks on their construction. II. 261. 329. See also Ossewagen, and Paardewagen. belonging to the Half Hottentots. 232. 551. 385. 468. picturesque appearance of a caravan of. 282. 288. the author’s : a descrip- tion of 149. II. 479. a repre- sentation and plan of. 148. 171. its con- tents 164. 169. proves to have been overloaded. 174. 177. Waggon: the author’s: the only shelter or home during nearly four years’ travelling... 194. 244. 246. 261. 317, 318. 474, 475. its internal arrangement. 163. 165. 241. a second purchased. 184. 256. 572. II. 479. Waggon-tracks. See Tracks. Waggon-tree. See Wagenboom. Walls of mud: the mode of con- structing them. See Mud- walls. of sticks and clay, at Lita- kun II. 518, 519. Wankets, (Nuakketsi) a tribe: re- marks on the word ... 11.276. Wantrouw, the author’s dog : his history 382, 583. his travels and memo- randa 584. 415. II. 2. 25. War : the arts of : compared with those of peace ... II. 484. 547. Warfare of the Bushmen. 373. 391. 392. 456. 443. 539. II. 61. 62. Caffres 494. Bachaplns. II. 477, 478. 490. 500. 534, 535. Warm Baths, at Zwarteberg. 95. in the Cape Colony and adjoining regions 96. at Brandt Valley. 124. Waschboschjes (Wax-bushes.) See Myricae, in general, 15; and Myrica cordifolia, in particu- lar 30. Washing feet; the ceremony of. II. 122. Water: its general scarcity on the western side of the extratro- pical part of Southern Africa. 82. deficiency of it, in the Kano, during a great part of the year. 215. 220. 222, 223. 225. 240. sufferings from want of. 300. 305. II. 205. of many rivers along the southern Maritime Districts of the Colony, of a brown colour. 89. delusive appearance of. II. 28. a word very frequently found in the names of places in the Cape Colony, and over the whole of Hottentotaria. 259. indicated by birds. II. 20. plants. II. 29. the Bushmen often live at a distance from it .... II. 189. Mineral 96. Water-drum, of the Bushmen. II. . 65. 87. GENERAL INDEX. 647 Waterfall on Sneeuwberg. II. 170, Watermelons, cultivated by the Bachaplns II. 587. Water-point, in the Cisgariepine. 11.36.47. Water-uyentjes, an eatable root. 51. Waveren. See, Roodezand. 125. Wawakoo, a Bushman dance. II. 66. 87. Waxbill. See, Astrild; andRoode- bekje. a new finch allied to it. II. 269. Wax bushes. See Waschbosch- jes. Weasel ; a species of; called M^erkatje 343. various species used for making fur-cloaks .... II. 592. Weather of the Cape Colony. 81. Transgariepine. 368. 11.259. 465. observed during these travels 251. Weights; Dutch; compared with English 154. Werf: Colonial signification of the word 238. Western Districts, of the Colony. 580. Westhuisen: Jan Van der; his mode of attending to the duty of furnishing the relays ... 249. Whips of the Cape waggoners : their extraordinary length. 52. — the powerful sound produced by them, and their great utility in making signals .... 169. 422. II. 234. Whirlwinds 507. Whistles : BachapTn II. 5?8. White-men ; called ’Gasa or ’Gow- sa, by the Bushmen ... II. 210. Makwamashu, by the Bachaplns II. 440. opinion of the Bacha- pTns respecting them. II. 558. astonishment occa- sioned by the first sight of. II. 454. their proportionate population of the Colony. 77. II. 144. White-stem (Witgat boom), a re- markable tree. 343. 432. II. 18. Whoo-ah ! (Halt!) a cry of the waggon-drivers 305. Widgeon. See Smi-eendje. Wilde (Wild). Names beginning with this word, and not found in this place, are to be sought for under their proper name Wildebeest 431. II. 109. 278. Wilde Kastanje (Wild Horseches- nut) 63. Wilde Paard (Wild Horse). 138, 139. II. 273. Willems: Philip. See Philip. Wilgan-boom. See Willow. Willow of the Gariep, described. 317. a singularity observed in the growth of some, on the banks of the Kygariep ... 423. an instance of their quickness of growth 490. 7- indicate to a traveller, at a distance, the situation of water II. 29. a species observed on the Snow Mountains II. 172. Winds at Cape Town. 36. 58. 81. their dry nature and effects in the Interior 488. in the Transgariepine. 508. II. 524. 516. Wind-heuvel ; a steep mountain in the Karro 251. 233. Station. 235. 235, 236. Wine of the Colony. 62, 65. 1 18. 206. II. 595. Winters of the Cape Colony. 72. 81. 153. 176. Sneeuwberg.... II. 127. the Transgariepine. II. 299. 524. Winterhoek, near Tulbagh. 129. 185. Wire-grass II. 5. 7. 217. Witgat boom 343. II. 18. Spreeuw 594. Wltsenberg, a mountain near Tul- bagh 130. Wltteberg, or Wittebergen. 207. Wltteboom, or Silvertree 17. 54. 61. 67. a place near Cape Town 61. Wlttedoorn (see also Karro-doorn, Doornboom, and Acacia.) 195. Witte-Elze, a tree so called by the Dutch Colonists 145. Wlttehals Kraai (White-necked Crow) 501. Witte Kraai (White Crow) ... 558. Wittewater, in the Transgariepine. See Gattikamma. Wolf : the Common ; compared with the Hunting Hyena. II. 229. the Spotted Hyena, com- monly so called, in the Colony. II. 277. Women: Hottentot: remarks on a peculiarity of form, occa- sionally observed among them. 216. Bushman. See Bush- women. Kora 344. II. 565. BachapTn. II. 553. 565, 564. Wood : its structure, if more deep- ly examined, may afford some additional light to the study of Botany 123. Wood : the Unlucky; a shrub not used by the Bachaplns for fuel II. 258. 451. 499. Wood-cutter (Hout-kapper), a bird so called 31 8. Woodpecker : a remarkable species of 245. Wortel Fontein II. 184. Wormwood : Wild, or African. 480. Wyk : Jacob van. II. 104. 105. 183. Wynberg 59, 60. 65. y. Yam (Dioscorea): a wild plant, botanically allied to it II. 147. the Water: the cultivation of it neglected 24. Yellow dye, or ink, may be ex- tracted from a wild shrub found in the Karro 212. Fish (Geelvisch) 262. 280. • astonishment of some Koras at a drawing of one. 441. River (see also Vaal Rivier, and Kygariep). 391. 401. 441. 581. ■' Wood (Gdelhout), one of the largest trees of the Cape forests, much used for timber. 72. II. 114. Yokes of the Cape waggons, de- scribed 151. Yoke River 22 5. 229. Yzerhout (Ironwood) 180. Z. Zand-Moll (Sand Mole) 57. Zak Rivier. See Sack River. Zand Valley, near Tygerberg. 172. in the Cisgariepine. 309. Zandveld, in the Transcariepine. " II. 242. Zand-Vlakte, near Cape Town, (see also Sand-Flats, Isthmus, Downs) 58. Zebra, distinguished from the Quakka and Dauw or Moun- tain Horse 139. II. 515. a skin of it, formed into a tanning-vat 2 45. a remark on the name. 420. a troop of thirty, seen 420 a male and female, shot. 451, 452, 453. 648 GENERAL INDEX. Zebra, a foal, caught ; and an at- tempt to rear it 4S6. the flesh eaten by the Hot- tentots and other aboriginal j tribes H. 23S. its extraordinary beauty 1 tvhen seen on its native plains. n. sis. is frequently found in com- pany with the ostrich. II. 315. an animal of frequent oc- currence in the Transgarie- pine ; but not observed south- ward of the Gariep. II. 278. 502. 420. ' Zee-bimbos, a large kind of sea- weed peculiar to the Cape of Good Hope 28. Zeekoe (Sea-Cow) a Colonial name for the Hippopotamus. 409. 411,412. 11.212, — - gatten (Sea-cow holes). 263. Zeekoe Rivier II. l is. 123. — no longer abounds in Hippopotami II. 127. Valley, near False Bay. 46. Zeolite II. 213. Ziekenhuis (hospital) for lepers. 101. Zitzikamma. See Sitsikamma. Zondag Rivier (Sunday River). 100. II. 125. Zonder&nde Rivier (Endless River) 103, 104. 116. Zoology of Southern Africa, com- pared with that of other coun- tries 24. 252. II. 207. Zoological Boundaries 324. Reasonings ....II. 76. 77. 525 — 529. Z6ut-pans Drift (Saltpan Ford) 399. Zoute Rivier, near Cape Town, see also Salt River) 51. 100. . Zuureberg 581. Zuureveld (pronounced Soorfelt). 82. II. 119. 120. Zwaluw: Berg. (Mountain Swal- low) 372. 501. Zwart Rivier (see also Black River, andXugariep) ... 391. 11.43. Zwartebast (Black-bark), a shrub or tree, so called ... 317. 404. Zwarteberg Wann-Baths 96. remarks on the name. 99. Zwartebergen ; or the Great Black- Mountains 580, 5S1. Zwartland : the map of 579. Church 76. Zwartwater Poort; a remarkable circumstance by which it is connected with the Karro Poort 209. Zwellendam (or, Swellendam) 75, 76. S2. 103. 57S. THE END. i ' •r.‘ \ h