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 ADVENTURES 
 
 OF 
 
 TRAVELLERS IN AFRICA. M 
 
 C^ .,W/ DICK & FITZGERALD, PUJ5LISHERS. Y^^ ^W 
 
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 \
 
 NARRATIVES AND ADVENTURES 
 
 TRAVELLERS IN AFRICA. 
 
 CHAKLES WILLIAMS, ESQ. 
 
 |)ri)f«5.cli| glhistrattlr Mh (tngrabiiigs. 
 
 Tliis work is abunJautly Intorsjiersed with tnte stories of chivalrous enterprise 
 and thrilling adventure, and abounds with narratives of the hunting expeditious 
 and hair -breadth escapes of celebrated travellers. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 DICK & FITZGERALD, PUBLISHERS, 
 
 No. IS ANN STRKET.
 
 c
 
 PREFACE 
 
 An intense interest lias recently been awakened, and "widely 
 extended, in regai'd to South Africa. Questions are, in 
 consequence, frequently arising as to tlie character of its 
 surface, its diversiJied tribes, its plants, and its animals ; and 
 tlie remarkable circumstances under "svliich, after long con- 
 cealment, tlicy have been gradually disclosed to our view. 
 The object of the present volume is to meet such inquiries 
 by popular details on the highest authority, abundantly 
 interspersed with true stories of chivalrous enterprise and 
 heart-thrilling adventure. It respectfully solicits, therefore, 
 the acceptance of all ranks, and of all ages.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CnAPTER L 
 
 THE CAPE OP GOOD IIOFE. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Pre-eminence of the Portuguese in Maritime Enterprise — The Fiction of Prester 
 John — Despatch of CovUham and Payva, by Don Pedro, the Regent— Bar- 
 tholomew Diaz, the Commander— The Course lie pursued — Discovery of the 
 Great Fish River, and of the Cape of Storms, afterwards called the Cape of 
 Good Hope — Vasco de Gama — True Figure of Africa— Colonisation of the 
 Cape by the Dutch— Its Cession to Great Britain— The Albatross— Cape 
 Pigeons — The Fish of the Harbour of Cape Town 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 TABLE MOUNTAIN. 
 
 Appearance and Extent of the Jlountain — Its two Divisions — The Devil's Moun- 
 tain — The Lion's Head or Hill — Ascent of Table Jlountain — Splendid View 
 from its Summit—" The Spreading of the Tablc-Cloth " — Origin of the 
 Name, " The Lion's Head " — Number and Daring of Lions at the early Set- 
 tlement of the Cape — Story of a Drunken Trumpeter— Difficult Ascent of the 
 Lion's Head — A Night of Terror in its Neighbourhood — Shocks of Earth- 
 quakes ....•' 
 
 CILA.PTER III. 
 
 THE HOTTENTOTS. 
 
 The Hottentots, a Distinct Race of People— Their State on the Arrival of the 
 Portuguese and the Dutch- Speculations as to their Name— Tlicir Song of 
 " Hotten totum Broqiia" — First Case of Felony— Deterioration of the People 
 — Fu-st Sight of a Hottentot Kraal — Structure of Huts— Singular Provision 
 for the Safety of Children— Mode of Drinking— Remarkable Production of the 
 Asbestos Mountains — Docility and Sagacity of tlie Oxen — Patience and Per- 
 severance of their Drivers— A Hottentot chased by a Lion — The Lion's Mode 
 of seizing a Large Animal— A Lion carries off a Ilciter and a Horse — A 
 Tiger's Attack— Fondness of Hottentots fur their Dogs— Singular Frolic of a 
 Hottentot- Ilollentot Hmiling , . 17
 
 Vi CONTENTS. 
 
 CIL\PTER IV. 
 
 THE EXPLORERS OF THE ISTEKIOK. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Occupancy of the Extreme Angle of the African Continent— Long Ignorance of 
 the Interior — The First Explorer, Captain Henri Hop — The Swedish 
 Naturalist, Sparrman— The French Traveller, Le Vaillant— Mr. Barrow- 
 Messrs. Trutter and Soracr\-ille— Fatal Expedition of Dr. Cowen and Lieu- 
 tenant Donovan— Dr. Lichlenstein— Dr. BurcheU— Rev. John Campbell- 
 Mr. George Thompson— Jlclancholy Jlemorial of a AVreck on the Coast of 
 the Soutlicru Ocean 32 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 AXTELOPES AND ELANDS. 
 
 Abundance of various Specicsof Antelopes— The Gems-buck— The Spring-buck— 
 Its Peculiar Character and Remarkable Leaps— Immense Flocks of the 
 Interior— Their Migrations— Their Adaption to Food and Clothing— The 
 Pallali- The Bless-buck— The Kmgofthe Tribe, the Koodoo— A Lion springs 
 on a Hottentot— Perilous Adventure of a Boor— A Leopard attacks two 
 Hunters— The Leopards and their Cubs— The Leopard compared with the 
 Lion and the Panther— The Eland ... 35 
 
 CHAPTER TL 
 
 THE DUTCn FAIOIEE AT HOME. 
 
 Tljc Boor's House described— Attendants of the Family— Tlie Travelling Tutor — 
 Dealing in Cattle— Folding of the Herds and Flocks— Travelling from the 
 Interior to Cape Town- Another Farm described— Singular Sight— Multi- 
 tudes and Ravages of Locusts — A Boor siu^irised liy a Lion— A Death Grapple 
 with a Lion— The Lion victorious— A Hottentot surprised— Diedrick, the 
 Lion Hunter— Depredations of the Tiger — A Tiger seizes a Hottentot— A 
 Tiger Hunt — A Farmer attacked by a Tiger— A Lion's Fear of Man— A Lion 
 increasmgly Fierce from Success— The Power of the Human Eye ... 47 
 
 CHAPTER YIL 
 
 GIRAFFES, GNUS, QUAGG^VS, AND ZEBRAS, THE HTiENA, THE CFV'ET. 
 
 Lc Vaillant's uitense Curiosity to see a Giraffe — His Delight on beholding one— 
 The Chase and Capture of a Giraffe — Enthusiasm of the French Naturalist— 
 A Lion attacks a Girtiffe — The Gnu — Large Herds of these Animals on the 
 Great Karroo — Tlieir Aversion to Scarlet — Mode of their Attack — Amusing 
 Adventure of a Hunter — The Quagga — Fatal Assault on these Animals — 
 Hunting the Quagga — Zebras — The Hyisna — The Civet. . . . . C9 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE BCSHMEN. 
 
 Resemblance of tliese People to the Chinese — Their Food, Huts, and Places of 
 Slumber — The Countiy of tlie Bushmen — Lions numerous — The Gorrah, an 
 African Slusic.ol Instrument — Aged Bushman playing on one — Bushman 
 Family visiting a Traveller — Strange Notions of the Bushpeople's Power — 
 Degradation of the Bushmen — Their Capability of Civilisation ... 81
 
 CONTENTS. VU 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 TER5riTES, OR WHITE ANTS, AND TUE AARDVAEK. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Various and Carious Nests of the White Ants— Their Structures — Appropviation 
 of their Several Chambers — Recent Study of tliese Insects by JI. Quatrcfages 
 — The Strange Ravages they produce — Tlie Naturalist observes miuutcly tlicir 
 Operations— Amazing Skill, Order, and Unity iu Labour — The Aardvark, or 
 Ant-Destroyer — Its Structure and Habits ..•...• 83 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SCOTCH SETTLERS ON THEIK WAY, AND SETTLING DOWN. 
 
 Tents pitched fortlie Evening — The Supper — Characteristic Groups of tlie Rustic 
 Camp— The Coining of Sleep— The Settler settling— The Building and Fur- 
 nishing of his House — Disappointments, Privations, and Pleasures — The 
 Settler's Bill of Faro — Perils of the Settlement — " Mount, Mount for tlie 
 Hunting " — Adveuturo with a Lion . . ..••••.85 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE CAPE BUFFALO. 
 
 Appearance of this Animal — Its Great Ferocity — Its Rage when 'Wounded— 
 Dangers of Hunting the Buffalo— Remarkable Courage and Dexterity of the 
 Hottentots in the Chase— A Troop of Buffaloes hunted by a Party of Boors 
 —A Yai-n of au Old Hunter— A Buffalo kills a British Ofl'.cer . . .107 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 THE GREAT KARROO. 
 
 Origin of the Word Karroo— " Afar in the Desert" — Discovery of Ostrichs' 
 Nests — Singular Mode of canying away their Eggs — Instincts of the 
 Ostrich — Ostrich Hunting a Profitable Pursuit— Bushmen Disguised as 
 Ostriches— Amusing Adventure of a Hottentot— A Night passed in the 
 Desert, amidst the Prowlings of Lions and Hyenas • . . • . 113 
 
 CHAPTER Xin. 
 
 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 
 
 The Wandering Colonist— Wild Mountain Pass and Beautiful Valley — Singular 
 Mode of Watering Oxen — Remarkable Cataract — Oxen in Travelling — Stop- 
 page of Wagons — Trees, Shrubs, and Flowers — Sandstorms and Tornadoes — 
 Remarkable Cavenis— Surprise and Terror of a Hottentot Guide— A Night in 
 the Rain -A Night in Savage Solitudes— Astonishment and Alarm of Natives 
 — Story-telling— A Traveller plundered by Bushmen ..... 121 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 IILTJIING THE ELEnlANT. 
 
 The Difference between the Elephants of Africa and India— An Elephant Hunt 
 and its Results — Adventure of Mr. Cowper Rose — Carl Kricger, the Hunter 
 —Temerity of a Boor— Unnatural T'areiits-The Flesh of the Elephant . 163
 
 ^1U CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 TUE C0KANNA3. 
 
 FACE 
 
 Oppression of the Native Tribes— The Corannas defended by the Great Karroo— 
 Their Dwellin;?s, Drcss,Utcnsils, and Habits — Visit of Corannas to Burchell — 
 He draws the Portrait of their Chief— He paints a Fish — Great Astonishment 
 of his Visitors— Their Singular Method of crossing the Orange Eiver — Jan 
 Kapctcin, a Coranna Chief, and a Lion , . 173 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 SERPENTS. 
 
 The Boomslanj-e not a Poisopons Reptile — Formidable character of the Cobra da 
 Capello— A Snalie in the Grass-Extreme Peril of Mr. Moffat— The Puff 
 Adder — The Bushman extracting and using the Venom of destructive 
 Reptiles— Why do Serpents assail Men?— Adventure of Captain Harding . 1S3 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 KATIVE AKTS. 
 
 The Art of the Skinner— The Tailor— The Mat-maker— The Rope-maker- The 
 ' Potter— The Smelter— Tlie Smith— The Cord Twisters-The Wooden Bowl- 
 maker — Tlie Maker of Ivory Rings 183 
 
 CHAPTER XVIIL 
 
 HUNTING THE KHraOCEKOS. 
 
 Peculiarities of the African Rhinoceros— A huge Animal shot — Cooking of the 
 Legs and Feet— The Thi-ee Perils of Mr. Audersson — Most marvellous 
 Escape . .. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE KATFIRS. 
 
 Characteristics of the Kaffirs- Then- Dress. Food, and Jlode of Life— Amusing 
 Incident— Bartering .it a Fair — Eight against Might— Rain-makers and their 
 Impostures— Controversy with one of them— Tlie War-dance— Irruption of 
 Kaffir Clans— Attack on a MoravLin VUlage— Storj' of the Slagt-boom, or 
 Slaughter Tree— Perfidious Outrage— Surrender of Kaffirs to the Colonial 
 Authorities ... ... .... 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 AFRICAN INSECTS. 
 
 The Ant-Lion constructing its Pit — Its Remarkable Instinct — Its Metamorphosis 
 — Boes in Namaqua Land— Practice of the People to obtain Honey — Singular 
 Instmct of the Honey Bird — Feeling of the People towards it — Resemblance 
 of an Insect to Stones -The Mantis —"The Walking Leaf" . . . .221
 
 CONTENTS. IX 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 SOtJTII AFRICAN BIED3 AND BIRDS* NEST3. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Sccretarj' EiiJ - Its Tact in killing Snakes— The Kori Bustard— Its Game- 
 like Flavour—" The Little Shepherd" — The Hoopoe— The Sacred Vulture of 
 Egj-pt— Flocks of Locust Bu-ds— The Sugar Bird— The Eland Bird— . 
 Partridges —Pendent Nests — Kraals or Towns of Birds — A Nest attached to 
 a Branch — Extraordinary Structure of the Sociable Grosbeak . . . 220 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIL 
 
 *' THE GREAT T'SOMTSEU." 
 
 The Curiosity of Colonel Napier excited— Who is this Person ? — The Question 
 answered— An Interview with " the Great T'Somtseu " — Story of his 
 Sleeping la a Lion's Den 23t3 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE CROCODILE AND ITS CAPTURE. 
 
 The Reptile described— Its Abstinence and Repletion —Its Attack when impelled 
 by Hunger — Escape from its Assault on Land — Crocodile Eggs— Fury of 
 young Reptiles— The Alligator— Hunting the Crocodile — Waterton's Story — 
 A similar Feat performed by an African .....,., 240 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE FLY TSETSE. 
 
 Its Ravages among Horses and Horned Cattle— Adventure of Mr. Gordon Cum- 
 ming— His dreadful Loss of Oxen by the Tsetse— The Zimb of the Traveller 
 Bruce ... 246 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 VISIT TO KING MOSELEKATZE. 
 
 Moselekatze. the King of the Matebele— Approach to his Capital— Salutes to 
 Royalty— Ura'Nombate, a Peer of the Realm— His Majesty approaches the 
 Wagons— The Despot described— Offering of Presents— The King's Return 
 to his Kraal— Adventures with some of the IMatebele ..... 200 
 
 CHAPTER XXVL 
 
 MONKEYS. 
 
 Youn^ Monkey captured by Le Vaillant— Immense Troops of Dog-f;iced 
 Baboons — Sagacity and Frolics of one named Kees— The Coriinna and the 
 tame Cabooa 257 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIL 
 
 HUNTING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 
 
 Adventures of Captain Harris— A Hippopotamus Steak — Exploits of Mr. Gordon 
 
 Cumniing— Two of the best Hippopotami m a Herd captured . . 2G6 
 
 1*
 
 X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 EKON— ItEV. K. MOFFAT AND KURtlMAN. 
 
 PACK 
 
 Explorations of TiMvellcrs— A King's Punishment of a Criminal— A Hide asked 
 for as Eoocl— Storyof a Damara Doctor— Strange Credulity — The Batlapia 
 
 Eloquence of the Basuto Kin j — Disinterested Tribute to Missionaries — 
 
 Moravian Settlement of Enon— New Lithako or Kuruman, the Station of 
 Rev. U. JIolTat, visited by Mr. Jlethuen— The Bal.ila— Mi-. MoflTafs Account of 
 Mosclekatzo and Chaka, the Zoolah Tyrant— Station of Dr. Livmg-stoue — 
 His Stoiy of the Lion's Attack— Singular Ledge of Rock . . . 272 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 DISCOVERIES OP DB. LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 Knowledge of a Lake in the Interior— Livingstone's first Journey — The Kalahari 
 
 Desert The Zouga — The Bayeye— The Lake Ngami— Livingstone's second 
 
 Journey — His third Journey — Visit to Scbitoane— River of the Barotse— The 
 River Casai— Adventures and Suflcrings— The Victoria Falls— Mr. Moffat's 
 Visit to Sechele— His Visit to Moselekatze— Theory of Sir Roderick Mur- 
 chison — Its establishment by Li\-ingstone— His subsequent Course . . 2S9 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 BAEIH'S TRAVELS AND DISCOVERIES. 
 
 Richardson, Barth, and Overweg— Objects of the North and Central African 
 Expedition — Tripoli— Ghat — Taradshit— Deaths of Richardson and Overweg 
 Tin-Tellust— Kand— Burnu— Zinder— The Mart of Say— Timbuktu— Great 
 Perils 313 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 MR. MOFFAT'S LAST JOURNET. 
 
 Journey to the Residence of Moselekatze— His Reception by the Chief— He 
 
 promises to receive Missionai-ies— Liberation of JIacheng, th Captive A 
 
 Kative Pai-Uameat ......•., , S38
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 War Dance op Kaffirs 
 
 Portuguese Ship of the Fifteenth Cintury 
 The Albatross 
 Table Mountain 
 
 The Lios's Head 
 
 A Hottentot Village, or Kraal 
 
 The Lion in Pursuit 
 Environs op Mosajibique 
 
 Natal 
 
 The Gems-buck 
 The Harness Deer 
 
 The Eland 
 
 Animals of South Africa 
 
 The Hy^na 
 
 The Civet 
 
 Encampment of Bushmen 
 
 An aged Bushman playing on the Gorkaii 
 
 Elephant Hunting in the Forest ... 
 
 Elephant Hunting in the Plain 
 
 Dwellings op Corannas 
 
 Hunting the Rhinoceros 
 
 Head op a Rhinoceros 
 
 Group of Kaffif.s 
 
 Bivouac of Kaffirs ... 
 
 The Honey-Bird 
 
 The Secretary Bird... 
 
 The Caie Turtle 
 
 The Sacred Vulture... 
 The Sociable Grosbeak ... 
 Female Monkey and her Youkg 
 A Becuuana 
 
 Frontispiece. 
 
 Page 3 
 
 5 
 
 ... 10 
 
 13 
 
 ... 21 
 
 34 
 37 
 40 
 
 45 
 
 69 
 
 78 
 
 80 
 
 81 
 
 83 
 
 1G6 
 
 173 
 
 178 
 
 193 
 
 194 
 
 202 
 
 204 
 
 224 
 
 227 
 
 228 
 
 230 
 
 232 
 
 253 
 
 282
 
 Itarrafrijcs mxH %\ihmhm^ 
 
 TEAYELLEHS IN AFEICA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 
 
 Pre-eminence of the Portuguese in Maritime Enterprise — The Fiction of 
 Prester John — Despatch of Covilham and Payva, by Don Pedro, the 
 Regent — Bartholomew Diaz, the Commander — The Course he pursued 
 — Discovery of the Great Fish River, and of the Cape of Storms, 
 afterwards called the Cape of Good Hope — Vasco dc Gama — True 
 Figure of Africa — Colonisation of the Cape by the Dutch — Its Cession 
 to Great Britain — The Albatross — Cape Pigeons — The Fish of the 
 Harbour of Cape Town. 
 
 If any are disposed to liken the Portuguese now to a 
 mere hull stranded on the sea-shore, it should be remembered 
 that there was a period when they resembled a gallant vessel, 
 with all its canvas spread, traversing hither and thither, the 
 surface of the deep. In the fifteenth century they appeared 
 proudly pre-eminent among the nations, for maritime enter- 
 prise. And thus, pursuing a brilliant career, they secured 
 for themselves some valuable advantages, while they conferred 
 benefits on others which are absolutely incalculable. 
 
 It is a curious circumstance in their history, that a mere 
 fiction became a mighty incentive to efibrt and sacrifice. 
 This api^eared in the predominant idea of a person called 
 "Prester John," kept constantly before the public mind, 
 though no one out of the vast multitude could tell who he 
 was, or in what region of the globe he could be discovered. 
 Yet, did a ship leave the shores of Lusitania, — ^it was to search 
 for him, hov/ever long and perilous was its voyage. Did it 
 
 ■■?l
 
 2 souTU AFracA. 
 
 return to poi-t, after an adventurous and tempestuous plougTi- 
 ing of tlie ocean, the first question eagerly proposed to its 
 captain and its crew was, " Have you found Prester John ? " 
 And indescribable Avould have been the enkindled enthutiasm, 
 could any voyager have answered, " Here he is ! " But the 
 ecstatic joy of such a presentation and such a reception, wai 
 never to be realised. 
 
 It was while this meteor-like object dazzled and bewil- 
 dered the eyes of the Portuguese, that Don Pedro, their 
 regent, sent two pei'sons, Co\-ilham and Payva, to attempt the 
 passage to India overland, and fitted out a small squadron, 
 consisting of two caravels of fifty tons each, and a small store- 
 ship, to prosecute the discoveries by sea. This fleet was 
 placed under the command of a knight of the royal household, 
 Bartholomew Diaz, whose arrangements being completed, he 
 sailed at the close of August, 148G. 
 
 Having reached about two degrees beyond the southern 
 tropics, and a hundred and twenty leagues beyond the 
 furthest point visited by j^receding navigators, Diaz steered 
 due south through the open sea, and lost sight of land. 
 Forced, at length, to the east by heavy gales, he approached 
 what he called Shepherd's Bay, from the numerous flocks 
 of sheep, which he descried with their keepers, near 
 the coast. He was now forty leagues east of the Cape, 
 which he had doubled unawares. Continuing his course 
 to the east, he sent ashore, from time to time, some negroes, 
 whom he had brought from Portugal, and who were well 
 di'essed, in order that they might attract the attention 
 and respect of the natives. He also gave them various kinds 
 of merchandise to exchange for the produce of the countr}', 
 and to gain all the information they could ; but the natives 
 with whom they met were so wild, or so terrified, that nothing 
 could be learned from them. 
 
 When the fleet, reduced to two vessels, reached the Bay 
 of Lagoa, the discontent of the crews, preA-iously apparent,
 
 BARTHOLOMEW DIAZ. 3 
 
 broke out into loud murmurs ; and tliey insisted on return- 
 ing home. The stock of provisions was also exhausted ; for 
 the small vessel containing the stores, had disappeared in the 
 gales. Diaz, however, succeeded in his entreaty that they 
 would continue their course five-and-twenty leagues further, 
 representing to them, how disgraceful it would be to give 
 
 POIITUGUESE SHIP OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 up the voyage v/ithout success. The direction of the coast 
 was now due cast ; and before long they arrived at the mouth 
 of a river, which they called Rio do Infante, since well kno\vn 
 as the Great Fish Eivei". 
 
 On returning along the coast, to the great sui'prise and 
 joy of Diaz and his companions, they descried a promontory,
 
 4 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 ■which they had long been seeking in vain. They also fell in 
 ■with tlicii' store-ship, but, unhappily, only four men were 
 remaining of its cre^w; the others having been massacred by 
 the savages. To the promontory, Diaz gave the name of 
 Cabo Tormentoso, or the Cape of Storms. But on his return 
 home, the King of Portugal called it, with great satisfaction, 
 the Cape of Good Hope ; regarding it as an 6men that the 
 Portuguese had now a fair prospect of reaching India, the 
 great object of their maritime expeditions. 
 
 "Vasco de Gama doubled it in ISTovember, 1497, on his way 
 to the Indian Seas, and from that time the Portuguese con- 
 sidered the Cape as the southei'n extremity of Africa. But 
 Africa does not terminate in a point : it presents to the 
 Southern Ocean a broad line of coast running east and west. 
 This coast is indented by numerous bays, and forms several 
 promontories, of which the Cape of Good Hope is the most 
 westward, and the southern extremity of a narrow peninsula. 
 
 The Dutch eaidy saw the imj)ortance of forming a station 
 at the Cape ; and fixed upon it as a place at which their 
 vessels might take in water and provisions. But they did 
 not, properly speaking, colonise it, until the middle of the 
 seventeenth century, when they founded Cape Town, which 
 led to further improvements, and a great extension of their 
 territory. During the war with revolutionary France, the 
 Cape was reduced by the British in 1797, but was ceded to 
 Holland by the peace of Amiens. When the war recommenced 
 it again yielded to Britain, and the permanent possession of 
 it was confirmed by the Congress of Vienna, in 1815. Its 
 \asitors from the time of its discovery till now, have been 
 innumerable. 
 
 Among the birds that follow the ships ploughing the 
 ocean, the albatross is especially conspicuous. Its appearance 
 when on the wing is very striking. It soars along with its 
 broad pinions stretched from fifteen to eighteen feet between 
 the tips, with an even, solemn flight, rarely seeming to stir, , 
 
 W/
 
 "Ili
 
 6 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 but as if merely floating along. Now and tlien a sIoav, flapping 
 motion serves to raise him liiglicr in the air, but the swift 
 movement and busy flutter of other birds seem beneath his 
 dignity. He sails almost close to you, like a silent spectre. 
 Nothing of life appears in his still, motionless form but his 
 keen, piercing eye, except that occasionally his head turns 
 slightly, and betrays a sharj), prying expression, that some- 
 wliat shakes your belief in the lowly indifference he would 
 fain assume. Yet, we are assured that if he be tempted to 
 show his true qualities, there is a speedy change, for, if a 
 piece of rusty pork be flung overboard, the disenchantment is 
 complete, and the observer may see that long, curiously- 
 crooked beak exercising its enormous strength in an employ- 
 ment in which so spectral a personage could scarcely be 
 suspected of indulging. 
 
 The black petrel, with its keen eye, darts now and then 
 across the stern, and the stormy petrel flutters over the ship's 
 wake beyond the reach of gun-shot. But the Cape pigeons 
 seem to welcome every arrival, and delight in the neighbour- 
 hood of man. As the wind dies away, and the Southei-n 
 Ocean smooths her rufiled bosom, they settle upon the water, 
 and swim gaily about, like ducks in a pond, and with quite 
 as much familiarity. It is not uncommon for the boys on 
 board to bait their hooks and catch them as so many fish ; 
 while the rest of the crew line the ship's side, and amuse 
 themselves by watching the sport. When caught, placed in 
 the hen-coops, kept there till morning, and then turned adrift, 
 they stagger awkwardly upon the slippeiy deck ; for they 
 cannot take to the wing, unless they have the opportunity to 
 start from some point of vantage, or the edge of the heaving 
 wave. They bear captivity calmly ^/hen alone, but quarrel 
 and fight perpetually when they are not in solitary confine- 
 ment. 
 
 Their powers of flight are of no ordinary kind. When the 
 ship is going at the rate of two hundred miles a day, the
 
 THE CAPE PIGEON, SALMON, AND SNOOK. 7 
 
 Cape pigeon will fly round it, sheer off, or approacli it, and 
 soar aloft or descend, as if it were absolutely stationary. One 
 that had lost a leg, and so was easily recognised, followed a 
 vessel while progressing at this rate, for two or three days. 
 It was computed that it traversed in its evolutions at least 
 -five times the distance run by the ship, which would give it 
 a joui'ney of a thousand miles each day. Cape pigeons fly, 
 moreover, with little effort, as the strong wind bears them 
 aloft, and aids their wings to resist the action of gravity. 
 Their flight seems to be a series of manoeuvres, and shows how 
 instinct has taught them the practical application of the theo- 
 rem, called the resolution of motion. This is most pleasingly 
 illustrated when they fly against the wind, for they always 
 ascend, so that a part of its force is emjoloyed in carrying them 
 on high, and consequently, interferes not Avith their advance. 
 The remaining part is easily resisted, by the oary sweeji of their 
 wings. When they fly before the wind, they usually descend, 
 so that the exertion to keep above the water must be very 
 small. When they would suddenly stop in i-apid flight, they 
 whirl round several times like a hawk, to exhaust the 
 momentum of their speed. 
 
 The supply of fish which the harbour of Cape Town fur- 
 nishes, is apparently inexhaustible. There is a great variety 
 of species, several very wholesome and fine flavoured, but not 
 worthy to be compared with those of England. 
 
 The Cape salmon, a heavy fish, in size and appearance 
 somewhat resembling that of Britain, and the snook, a 
 voracious marine pike, seem to be the most abundant. After 
 an excursion of a few hours, boats return laden with these 
 fish,, which are sold very cheap, and form the piincipal food 
 of the coloured population. Fish may be seen suspended on 
 long lines, like clothes are with us, at the west end of Cape 
 Town, that they may be dried ; and vast quantities are salted 
 for exportation, the Mauritius being the princijDal market. 
 
 Fishing for snook often affords amusement. They may
 
 8 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 be caught wliile the boat is in motion, by trailing a leaden 
 hook astern, with some white streamers of rag on it, or when 
 at anchor, by alternately casting the bait to a distance, and 
 drawing it quickly back through the water. Penguins, Cape 
 pigeons, and albatrosses, with some kinds of seagull sur- 
 round the boat ; while gannets and cormorants fly around the 
 fishers in great numbers.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 TABLE MOUNTAIN. 
 Appearance and Extent of the Mountain — Its Two Divisions — The Devil's 
 Jlountain — The Lion's Head or llill— Ascent of Table Mountain — 
 Splendid Yiew from its Summit— "The Spreading of the Table-Clotli" 
 — Origin of the Name, "The Lion's Head" — Number and Daring of 
 Lions at the Early Settlement of the Cape — Story of a Drunken 
 Trumpeter — Difficult Ascent of the Lion's Head — A Night of Terror in 
 its Neighbourhood — Shocks of Earthquakes. 
 
 Table ]\Iountain, tlie north front of which forms so prominent 
 an object in the view of Cape Town, extends from east to 
 west, for the length of two miles. The bold face that rises 
 almost at right angles to meet this line, is supported, as it 
 were, by a nmnbei' of projecting buttresses, that rise out of 
 the plain, and fall in with the front a little higher than mid- 
 Avay from the base ; these, and the division of the front by 
 two great chasms into three parts, give it the appearance of 
 the ruined walls of some gigantic fortress. 
 
 The table land at the summit of the mountain, is 3,583 
 feet above the level of the Table Eay. The cast side, which 
 runs off at right angles to the front, is still bolder, and has 
 one point higher by several feet. The west side is rent into 
 deep chasms, and worn away into a number of pointed masses. 
 In advancing to the southward abovit four miles, the mountain 
 descends in steps or terraces ; the lowest of wliich communi- 
 cates by gorges with the chain which extends the whole length 
 of the peninsula. 
 
 The two wings of the front, one the Devil's Mountain and 
 the other the Lion's Head, make, in fact, with the Table, but 
 one mountain. The depredations of time, and the force of 
 orrcnts having carried away the looser and less compact jmrts
 
 /l';!;i|';!liilli,:
 
 ASCENT OF THE TAKLE JIOUNTAIN. 11 
 
 have disunited their summits, but they are still joined at a 
 very considerable elevation above their common base ; the 
 height of the first is 3,315, and the latter 2,1 GO feet. The 
 Devil's Mountain is broken into irregular points ; but the 
 upper joart of the Lion's Head is a solid mass of stone, rounded 
 and fashioned like a work of art, and from some points of view, 
 resembling very much the dome of St. Paul's, placed upon a 
 high cone-shaped hill. 
 
 The best and readiest access to the summit of the Table 
 IMountaiu is directly up the face next the town ; the ascent 
 lying through a deep chasm to the lefc. The length of this 
 ravine is about three-fourths of a mile ; the perpendicular 
 cheeks at the foot more than a thousand feet high ; and the 
 angle of ascent about forty-five degrees. The entrance into 
 this chasm is grand and awful. The two sides, the one dis- 
 tant at the lower part about eighty yards from the other, 
 converge within a few feet of the poiiial, which opens upon 
 the summit, forming two lines of natural perspective. 
 
 On passing this portal, a plain of very considerable extent 
 spreads out, exliibiting a dreary waste, and an insipid tameness, 
 after quitting the bold and I'omantic scenery of the chasm ; 
 and were this all, there would be but poor compensation for 
 the fatigue of the ascent. But this is ample when the great 
 command given by the elevation is considered ; and the eye, 
 leaving the i}nmediate scenery, wanders with delight round 
 the Avhole circumference of the horizon. On approaching the 
 verge of the mountain, the objects on the plain below appear 
 dwindled away into littleness and insignificance. The flat- 
 roofed houses of Cape Town, straight and intersecting one 
 another at right angles, seem disposed into formal groups, like 
 the fabrics which children are accustomed to build with cards. 
 The shrubbery that rises in the sandy isthmus looks like dots, 
 and the farms and their inclosures as so many lines, or the 
 more finished parts of a plan drawn on paper. 
 
 The two most powerful winds are the north-west and
 
 12 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 south-west. The first generally commences towards the end 
 of JMay, and blows occasionally to the end of August, and 
 sometimes through the month of Se2)tember. The south-east 
 prevails for the rest of the year ; and Avhenever a white mist 
 shows itself on the mountain, — a phenomenon popularly called 
 " the spreading of the table-cloth," — the wind blows in squalls 
 of great violence. 
 
 The poet Young has said : — 
 
 " Pierce o'er the sands the lordly lion stalks. 
 Grimly majestic in his lonely walks : 
 When round he glares, all living creatures fly, 
 He clears the desert with his rolling ej^e ; 
 By the pale moon he takes his destined round, 
 Lashes his sides, and furious tears the ground. 
 Now shrieks and d3'ing groans the forest fill, 
 He rages, rends, his ravenous jaws distill' 
 "With crimson foam, and when the banquet's o'er, 
 He strides away and paints his steps with gore. 
 In flight alone the shepherd puts his trust. 
 And shudders at the talon in the dust." 
 
 The name of the Lion's Head, another portion of the moun- 
 tain, is probably attributed to some fancied resemblance of a 
 part of the mountain to the head of that animal. At one 
 time it appears to have been a great haunt of lions. Accord- 
 ing to an old chronicler, a very grim one took up his residence 
 on this hill j and, for a considerable time, made woeful havoc 
 among the cattle, and ten-ibly annoyed the inhabitants of the 
 neighbourhood, some of whom he devoured. He constantly 
 retired with his pi'cy to this hill ; esca^^ed all the snares that 
 were laid for him j and none, for a long time, being found 
 daring enough to follow him, and boat up his quarters, ho 
 became the terror and plague of the whole settlement. At 
 length, Mr. Olofberg, Captain of the Fort, ventured to follow 
 h'uix with a force, and had the good fortune to rid the country 
 of this lion,
 
 AFRICAN AND ASIATIC LIOXS. 13 
 
 The Afiican differs from the Asiatic lion principally in 
 the former being genei-ally of a larger size, more graceful in 
 figure, of a darker colour, with a less extensive mane. Of this 
 quadruped two varieties are found in Africa : one which the 
 settlers have long distinguished as the black lion, from its 
 having a darker colour and the mane somewhat blackish ; 
 while the other is all over of a pale colovir. The black lion 
 
 THE LIONS IlKAD. 
 
 is considered the more ferocious of the two, and is said to be 
 less scrupulous than the other in attacking man, whenever 
 it is pressed by hunger. But, haj^pily, it appears to be more 
 rare. 
 
 In illustration of the numbers and daring of the lions 
 at the early pei-iod of the settlement at the Cape, an 
 anecdote is related of a trumpeter, who, while on duty, 
 had got drunk and fallen asleep on his post, outside the 
 
 2
 
 11 SOUTH A Fine A. 
 
 fort ; in. whicli helpless situation, being found by a prowling 
 lion, he was unceremoniously appropriated as lawful booty by 
 the latter, which, seizing him in his fangs, walked off with 
 his prey towai'ds the hill in much the same manner that a 
 cat would carry a mouse. The extent of his danger, ho^vever, 
 according to the old chronicler, had apparently the effect of 
 sobering, as well as wakening the drunkard ; who, retaining 
 his presence of mind, sounded with his bugle such a thrilling 
 blast, that the terrifled lion instantly loosed his hold ; and 
 the trumpeter, more frightened than hurt, lost no time in 
 scampering back to his Corps de Garde. 
 
 The Lion's Head Hill is 2,1 GO feet high, about 200 feet 
 lower than the Table Mountain ; but the ascent of the former is 
 far more difficult and dangerous than that of the latter. Mr. 
 Methuen says : " For a great jDortion of its height it is 
 necessaiy to climb with hands and feet, as up a wall, 
 over huge blocks of stone, and alongside giddy precijiices. 
 AVith the assistance of several friends, I, on this occasion, 
 dislodged a ponderous stone of circular shajoe, and rolled 
 it down the dccli\dty : it seemed to have for ever bidden 
 adieu to the vis inertice, and niaking the most prodigious 
 bounds, rushed madly forward with frightful velocity, 
 as if it had resolved to visit Cape Town. "We stood 
 aghast at its progress — some silver trees grew in its course, 
 one of which it demolished like a sapling. On, on, it still 
 flew towards a herd of unsuspecting cows, which were grazing 
 on the mountain foot, but before reaching them it charged an 
 enormous indolent rock, when it happily gave one turn, 
 and again sunk into repose, but divided its oi:)ponent into 
 four fragments, which jmssed through the cows without touch- 
 ing them, and subsided in a deep gullcy. This gave me some 
 idea of the effect which the vast masses of rock on the sides 
 of Table Mountain would have on Cape Town, if any con- 
 vulsion of nature should set them in motion." 
 
 A day passed near the Lion's Head had been unusually
 
 EARTHQUAKES. 15 
 
 wai'm, but the sun went down without a cloucl, wliile his fiery 
 beams shed a ghxre on every object within their range. At 
 ten o'clock, the stiUness of the night was disturbed by a noise 
 resembling that of distant thunder, yet so loud that it a2:)peared 
 as if a thousand pieces of artillery were fired behind the Lion's 
 ]\Iountain, over the neighbouring town. Many were aroused 
 from their sleep, and were soon made sensible that something 
 extraordinary had occurred, by the shaking of everything 
 around. The earth was like a drunken man, and seemed to 
 reel to and fro. 
 
 Immediately behind a house far distant from any other 
 residence, were vast masses of stone on the declivity of the 
 mountain. One of these, of huge dimensions, had before 
 seemed to have been wrenched from the summit by some 
 astounding force, and ready to criish the contemplative 
 traveller. This terrific object now produced the greatest 
 alarm, and was expected by the inmates of the house to roll 
 upon it every moment, in which case the edifice would have 
 been crushed as easily as a pebble beneath the wheel of a. 
 wagon. Imagination heightened the terror produce 1 by 
 the realities of that tremendous night. All around Avas soli- 
 tary and frightful. If they escaped the fall of the mountain 
 mass, the Avaves of the great southern ocean were dashing 
 before them with unAvonted fury, threatening to OA'erAvhelm 
 the neighbouring rocks, and to engulf them in the surging 
 Avaters. The voices of a thousand Avild beasts appeared to bo 
 hoAvling in every quarter, as if in response to Nature's throes; 
 and there was no way of escape to the toAvn but by a nai-roAV 
 road on the side of the mountain, where the scene AA^as so ter- 
 rific as to appal beholders even in a calm. Happily the 
 night passed over the terrified inhabitants of this dwelling 
 without any catastrophe. 
 
 Similar shocks have been experienced in other parts of 
 the colony. Mr. Burchers, a resident, had gone a short dis- 
 tance from home ; on his an-ival, he felt very feeble, and
 
 16 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 asked for some water, but could not drink it, for it was luke- 
 warm. The people said it was brought from the fountain 
 just by, which was the more remai'kable. He sent his own 
 servant to the fountain, but what he brought was warm also. 
 He went himself, and found it the same. Everybody felt 
 languid and heavy, and even the dogs were unwell. Mr. 
 Burchers, with his family and servants, returned home next 
 morning. 
 
 At ten o'clock at night all were alanned by a noise 
 resembling a thousand wagons hurrying along the streets. 
 The family did not know what was occurring ; but all were 
 terrified. A great light shone into the room. Supposing it 
 had been thunder, Mr. Burchers told them not to be afraid, 
 for the danger was over, the lightning being gone. While 
 speaking, the same noise was repeated, and eveiything was 
 shaken. "Oh!" said he, "it is an earthquake ; come all out 
 of the house into the garden," all feeling as if no life remained 
 in them. There was then a third shock, which was inl'erior 
 to the former two. The noise was not only awful because of 
 its loudness, but, also, from its being a kind of melancholy 
 growl or howl. The dogs and birds showed by their moans 
 how terrified they were. This added to the terrors of the 
 night, which was very still. There was no wind, but a great 
 number of small fiery meteors were observed, and some little 
 thunder-clouds, but with something new in their aspect. 
 The efToi't to obtain a little sleep was utterly in vain.
 
 CHAPTEK 111. 
 
 THE HOTTENTOTS. 
 The Hottentots, a Distinct Eace of People — Their State on tlic Arrival of 
 tlie Portuguese and the Dutch — Speculations as to their Name — Their 
 Song of " Hottentotum Broqua " — First Case of Felony — Deterioration- 
 of the People — First Sight of a Hottentot Ki-aal — Structure of Huts — 
 Singular Provision for the Safetj^ of Children — INIode of Drinking — 
 EemarkuLle Production of the Asbestos ^lountains— Cocility and 
 Sagacity of the Oxen — Patience and Perseverance of their Drivers — 
 A Hottentot chased by a Lion — The Lion's IMode of Seizing a Large 
 Animal — A Lion carries off a Heifer and a Horse — A Tiger's Attack — 
 Fondness of Hottentots for their Dogs — Singular Frolic of a Hottentot 
 — Hottentot Hunting. 
 
 The Hottentots are a distinct tribe of joeople, bearing no 
 resemblance to the Kaffir, Damara, and Becliuana natives, 
 extending from Angra, Pe^uena Pay on tlie west, to tlie great 
 Fisli-river on tlie east. Tliey appeal', as a race, to stand abso- 
 lutely alone. 
 
 On tlie arrival of tlie Portuguese, tliey found tlie inhabit- 
 ants rich in cattle, living comfortably, and possessed of 
 sufficient sj)irit to repel aggression and resent unjust treat- 
 ment. From the slight intercourse held with them, chiefly 
 for the purpose of procuring water and refreshment for their 
 ships, they were led to entertain very favourable notions of 
 the character of the natives. It was said the Hottentots 
 were remarkable for the excellence of their morals, that they 
 kc2)t the law of nations better than most civilised jDeoj^le, and 
 that they were valiant in arms. 
 
 When the Dutch took possession of the Cape, the natives 
 appear to have been much more numerous than they now are, 
 and to have possessed lai'ge herds of cattle. )So rajjid, indeed, 
 was the diminution occasioned by the trade carried on between
 
 18 SOUTR AFRICA. 
 
 them and the new settlers, that it ai^rested the attention of 
 the government ; and it ajipears from the minutes of an in- 
 vestigation before the governoi", Yan der Stell, that a single 
 Hottentot village had been robbed of cattle by the colonists 
 to the extent of 2,000 lieacL 
 
 The name of Hottentot has been supposed to arise in 
 various ways. One writer concludes, and that with sor^e 
 probability, that it has been applied from the peculiar idiom 
 of the language of that people, which is much broken, full of 
 monosyllables, uttered with strong aspirations from the chest, 
 and a guttural articulation which it is difficult to acquire. 
 " It is," he says, " as if one heard nothing from them but 
 hot and tot." An extraordinary sound called the "click," is 
 emitted in pronouncing their words ; it is produced by press- 
 ing the tongue against the palate. 
 
 The assertion of Arnold that the term Hottentot was a 
 nickname, given to the native tribes from their constantly 
 singing " Hottentottum Broqua," is contradicted by Kolben, a 
 better authority. According to him, the origin of this phrase, 
 and of the custom of singing it, and pronouncing it frequently 
 in their mirthful assemblies, was this : — The chaplain of a 
 Dutch ship sent a Hottentot uj^on an errand, and promised 
 if he discharged the business well, to give him a huge piece of 
 Dutch bread, or a certain quantity of tobacco. The Hotten- 
 tot, having duly executed his trust, required of the chaplain 
 the fulfilment of his promise ; but he, it seems, had so little 
 conscience that he utterly refused to give him any satisfaction. 
 The poor fellow telling this wrong to his countrymen, they 
 instantly, in derision and detestation of the chaplain, com- 
 posed, after their manner, a song on him, in wliich the words 
 "Hottentottum broqua" — "Give the Hottentot his hire" 
 — are often repeated. This song quickly spread all over the 
 country, "when every one," says Kolben, was made acquainted 
 with the chaplain's knavery ; to pei'petuate the memory of 
 which, and to caution one another against the wiles and
 
 HONESTY OF HOTTENTOTS. 19 
 
 circnmvention of strangers, tlie song was sung whenever any 
 strangers came within sight or hearing of them, as it is often 
 at this clay." 
 
 The records of the colony during the first fifty years of 
 Dutch occupation agree in praising the virtues of the Hotten- 
 tots. All the tribes, indeed, were distinguished by the 
 appellation of " the good men." Bogaert states that, during 
 the whole of that period, the natives had never been detected 
 in committing an act of theft on the property of the colonists. 
 
 The first article stolen was a waistcoat with silver buttons, 
 and could not easily be concealed among savages. Accord- 
 ingly, a short time after, the waistcoat was found in the 
 possession of a Hottentot, belonging to a kraal at a small 
 distance from Cape Town. The discovery was no sooner 
 made than the ofiender was seized by his countrymen, who 
 took him to town, and delivered liim up to the magistrates. 
 And so great a disgrace did they consider this act to their 
 nation, that they demanded that he should be punished, as the 
 only means of wiping ofi" the stain of his crime ; and not 
 satisfied with his getting a severe flogging, they banished him 
 from their village, as unworthy to live among them. 
 
 The injuries inflicted on the Hottentots by the colonists 
 mii^ have had a deteriorating influence on their character, 
 ih. 'wie course of a hundred and fifty years, during which time 
 they had been driven from the most fertile tracts of their 
 country, and deprived of the independence to which they 
 were passionately attached. One who knew them well has 
 given us the following portrait : — 
 
 "Jlild, melancholy, and sedate he stands. 
 Tending another's flocks upon the fields, 
 His father's once, where now the white man huilds 
 His home, and issues forth his i:)roud commands : 
 His dark eye flashes not ; his hstless hands 
 Sui^port the boor's huge firelock — but the shields 
 And quivers of his race are gone : he yields. 
 Submissively, his freedom and his lands.
 
 20 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 TIas lie no courage ? Once lie had — but lo ! 
 The felon's chain hath AYoru him to the bono. 
 No enterprise ? Alas ! the brand — the blow — 
 Have humbled him to dust — his Hope is gone ; 
 He's a base-hearted hound, not worth his food ; 
 His master cries : ' he has no gratitude.' " 
 
 ]\Ir. Thompson, on awaking at dawn of da3/, found a 
 strange scene stretched out before liim. Pf e was in the midst 
 of a curious kraal, or cattlefold, situated on a ridge of land, 
 wliicli commanded an extensive view of the windings of the 
 Great River. This encampment was formed partly by the 
 cabins of the natives, arranged in the shape of a half-moon, 
 and partly by a hedge of thorns, which completed the circle. 
 The horde consisted of about fifty souls, and were in possession 
 of above two hundred cattle. The huts were fi'onted inwards 
 to the kraal. 
 
 A hut, with its mats, more resembling an inverted basket 
 than a building, is the same which has been in use among all 
 the various tribes of Hottentots from time immemoriaL 
 Such huts have their convenience for the people's mode of 
 life : they may be taken to pieces in an hour, and packed on 
 the back of a couple of oxen, together with their young 
 children and all their utensils, and transported with ease and 
 expedition to any part of the country to which they may find 
 it necessary or agreeable to remove, either for water or 
 pasture for their cattle, or for the sake of avoiding inimical 
 neighbours. 
 
 In some places where lions abound, the natives rear a 
 curious sort of house for the protection of their children ; 
 consisting, in fact, of a cabin, erected on the top of poles or 
 branches, ten or twelve feet high. The little urchins learn to 
 climb up these poles, and reach the cabin on the top, where 
 they remain in security. 
 
 The Hottentot manner of drii^king water from a pool or 
 stream is very curious : they throw it up with the right hand 
 into the mouth, seldom bringing the hand nearer than a
 
 2*
 
 22 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 foot's distance from the moutli, and so quickly that they are 
 soon satisfied. The traveller has frequently tried to imitate 
 this pi-actice, but A\ithout success. 
 
 In the Asbestos Mountains the attention of the Hottentots, 
 little accustomed to observation, has been directed to a re- 
 markable production. It has the singular property of 
 becoming, on being rubbed between the fingei'S, a soft cotton- 
 like substance, resembling that which they made from their 
 old handkerchiefs for the purpose of tinder. Hence it is called 
 Doeksteen, handker-chief, or cloth-stone. 
 
 This substance is a kind of asbestos of a blue colour. It 
 is found between the thin horizontal layers of laminated rocks. 
 These veins of asbestos are of various thickness, and conse- 
 quently their fibre, which is always transverse, is very short. 
 But in the mountains about four and twenty miles north- 
 eastward, some is found the fibres of which are above two 
 inches long. This is, in fact, another species, and differs not 
 only in the length, but in the more compact, perfectly straight 
 and glossy fibre, and in its deeper colour. 
 
 All the rocks at the former place are formed of thin plates 
 of clay-slate, not more than half an inch in thickness, and 
 often scarcely the tenth of an inch. Between these plates a 
 beautiful kind of stone is found, sometimes of a blue, and 
 sometimes of a silky golden coloui*. It is a species of asbestos 
 — allied to the substance called cat's-eye — in a less mature 
 and flaxen state, with compact fibres of a flinty hardness, 
 either transverse or oblique, straight or wavy. "When cut 
 and polished, this stone exhibits a very beautiful appearance. 
 A handsome land of jasper is also to be found here, bro"mi 
 striped with black ; and a green opal or pitch stone. 
 
 The oxen of the Hottentots are generally broken in for 
 riding when they are not more than a year old. The nose 
 is first pierced to receive the bridle ; a sht being made through 
 the cartilage between the nostrils, large enough to admit a 
 finger. In this hole is thrust a long stick, stripped of its
 
 SAGACITY OF OXEN. 23 
 
 bark, and having at one end a forked bunch, to prevent its 
 passing thi'ough. To each end of it is fastened a thong of 
 hide, of a length sufficient to reach round the neck, and form 
 the reins ; and a sheep-skin with tlie wool on, placed across 
 the back, with another folded up, and bound on with a rein 
 long enough to pass several times round the body, constitutes 
 the saddle. To this is sometimes added a pair of stirrups, 
 consisting only of a thong with a loop at each end slung across 
 the saddle. Frequently the loops are distended by a piece of 
 wood to form an easier rest for the foot. While the animal's 
 nose is still sore, it is mounted and put in training, and, in a 
 week or two, is generally rendered sufficiently obedient to its 
 rider. The facility and adroitness with which the Hottentots 
 manage the ox, has often excited the traveller's admiration : 
 it is made to walk, trot, gallop, at the will of its master ; and 
 being louger-legged and rather more lightly made than the 
 English ox, travels with greater ease and speed, walking three 
 or four miles in an hour, trotting five, and on an emergency, 
 galloping seven or eight. 
 
 The ox, in South Afi'ica, seems little inferior to that most 
 sagacious of all quadrupeds, the dog. Among the Hottentots, 
 these animals are their domestics, and the companions of 
 their pleasures and fatigues. While the sheep are grazing, 
 the faithful hacJzeley, as this kind of oxen is called, stands and 
 grazes beside them. Still attentive, however, to the looks of 
 its master, the hackeley flies round the field, obliges the flocks 
 of sheep that ai'e straying, to keep within proper limits, and 
 shows no mercy to robbers, who attempt to plunder, nor even 
 to strangers. It is not the plunderers of the flock alone, 
 but even the enemies of the nation that these oxen are 
 tauglit to combat. Every army of Hottentots was furnished 
 witli a proper herd of these creatures, which were let loose 
 against the foe. Thus sent forward, they overturned all 
 before them, and often procured their masters, even before 
 they had struck a blow, an easy victory.
 
 24 SOUTH AFEICA. 
 
 A driver, on. losing any of his oxen, •will sliow nnicli 
 patience and persevei'ance in tlieir pursuit, even under tlie 
 oppressive heat of an African climate. Tlius one started from 
 the Helbeck Eiver to return to Reed Fountain when two 
 oxen had left the rest. At this place he arrived about sunset, 
 and it being too late to commence the search that night, he 
 lay down behind some sand and slept. At daybreak he 
 examined the foot-marks of oxen all around, but could not 
 distinguish the marks of those he wanted. 
 
 He then went to a rising ground, from whence he looked 
 carefully in all directions, but saw nothing of them ; after 
 which he descended to the road,, and searched for fresh foot- 
 prints of cattle. Here he found the marks of three oxen, 
 which rather perplexed him, as he only sought for two ; he, 
 however, resolved to follow their track, as they were in the 
 du-ection of the v/ind, which African oxen generally prefer. 
 After patiently tracing the marks for eight or nine miles, he 
 came up to the oxen, and found that all three belonged to his 
 employers. 
 
 By sunset that night he reached the Helbeck river, 
 where he slept, and next morning, after eating his last piece 
 of bread, resumed his journey. In two or three houi-s he 
 reached a wagon that had been halting, and received a small 
 supply of bread. About sunset he found water, at which he 
 stopped for the night. ISText day he was met by a man driv- 
 ing loose oxen, who said he was desired by the employers of 
 the driver to take the oxen with him to his master. On 
 asking what authority he had, and the man producing none, 
 he drove the oxen slowly forwards, and reached his emj^loyei-s 
 after an absence of three days, and walking about 100 miles- 
 He took his usual place after his return, and thei-e was no 
 word, or expression of countenance, that indicated any idea 
 on his part that he had done ami:hing remax-kable. 
 
 A Hottentot driidng his master's cattle to water, perceived 
 a lion in the pool, and being pursued, breathless and half dead 
 with terror, he scrambled into a tree. At the same moment
 
 TUB LION. 
 
 25 
 
 the lion made a spi-ing at him, but missing his aim, fell upon 
 tho ground. In surly silence, he walked round the tree, 
 
 )\ f ivv 
 
 casting now and then a dreadful look towards tile poor Hot- 
 tentot. After four-and-twenty hours, during whicli 'imo he
 
 26 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 stirred not from the place, lie returned to the spring to quench 
 his thirst, and in the meantime, the Hottentot descended the 
 tree, and scampered to his home, not more than a mile distant, 
 as fast as his feet could carry him. So great was the perse- 
 verance of the lion, that it appeared afterwards he had 
 returned to the tree, and fi'om thence had hunted the Hot- 
 tentot by scent, Avithin tlu-ee hundi'ed paces of his dwelling. 
 
 The dread entertained of the monarch of the forest by 
 both man and beast is such that every sense is at once 
 awakened into vivid activity. At his sight, or even his smell, 
 the greatest alarm is disjilayed on the part of the cattle. 
 Though they may be in the worst possible condition, worn 
 out with hunger and fatigue, the moment the presence of the 
 shaggy monster is learned, they start off like race-horses ; and 
 sometimes days will elapse before they are discovered. " One 
 night," says Mr. Moffatt, " we were quietly bivouacked at a 
 small pool by the Oup river, where we never anticipated a 
 visit from his majesty. "We had just closed our united even- 
 ing service, the book was still in my hands, and the closing 
 notes of the song of praise had scarcely fallen from our lips, 
 when the terrific roar of the lion was heai'd. Our oxen, 
 which before were quietly chewing the cud, rushed upon us, 
 and over our fires, leaving us i>ro.strated in a cloud of dust 
 and sand. Hats and hyiim books, our Bibles and our guns, 
 were all scattered in wild confusion. Providentially, no 
 serious injury was sustained. The oxen were pursued, 
 brought back, and secured to the wagon — for we could ill 
 afford to lose any." 
 
 It is the habit of the lion, when he kills a large animal, 
 to sj)ring upon it ; and, seizing its throat Avith his terrible 
 fangs, to press the body down Avith his paws till the A'ictim 
 expires. The moment he seizes his prey, the lion closes his 
 eyes, and does not open them again until life is extinct. A 
 lion, having attacked an ox, a Hottentot herdsman ran to tho 
 spot with his gun, and fired at the lion witliin a feAV j-avds'
 
 STORIES OP LIONS. 27 
 
 distance, but frona the agitation of his nerves, entirely missed 
 him. The lion, however, did not even deign to notice the 
 rej)ort of the gnn, but kept fast hold of his prey. The Hot- 
 tentot reloaded, fired a second time, and missed ; reloaded 
 again, and shot him through the head. 
 
 Sparrman relates that a lion was once seen at the Cape to 
 take a heifer in his mouth ; and though the legs of the latter 
 dragged along the ground, yet he seemed to carry her off with 
 the same ease that a cat does a rat. He likewise leaped 
 over a broad dike with her, without the least difficulty. 
 According to the testimony of others, he can drag the heaviest 
 ox ^vith ease a considerable way ; and a horse, or smaller 
 prey, he finds no difficulty in throwing ui^on his shoulder- 
 and carrying off to any distance he may find convenient. 
 
 A very young lion was seen to carry off a horse about a 
 mile from the spot where he killed it. In another instance 
 a lion having borne off a heifer of two years old, was followed 
 on the spoor or track, for full five hours, by a party on horse- 
 back, and throughout the distance, the carcase of the heifer 
 was only once or twice discovered to have touched the 
 ground. 
 
 It is singular that the lion, which, according to many, 
 always kills his prey immediately, if it belongs to the brute 
 creation, is said frequently, although provoked, to content 
 himself with merely woixnding the human species ; or at least 
 to wait some time before he gives the fatal blow to the 
 nnhapi^y victim he has got under him. A farmer, who had 
 the misfortune to be a spectator of a lion's seizing two of his 
 oxen, at the very instant ho had taken them out of his 
 wagon, stated that they immediately fell down dead upon the 
 spot, close to each other ; though, on examining the carcases 
 afterwards, it appeared that their backs only had been 
 broken. In another instance, a father and his two sons, 
 being on foot near a river on their estate, in search of a 
 lion, the creature rushed out upon them, and threw one of 
 
 I
 
 28 SOUTH AFIUCA. 
 
 tlicm under liis feet. The two others, hovrcvcr, had time 
 enough to shoot the lion dead on the spot as it had lain 
 across the youth so dearly related to them, without having 
 done him any particular hurt. 
 
 " I myself saw," says Sparrman, " near the upper part of 
 Duyrcnhoek river, an elderly Hottentot, who, at that time 
 (his wounds being still open), bore under one eye, and under- 
 neath his cheek-bone, the ghastly marks of the bite of a lion, 
 which did not think it worth his while to give him any other 
 chastisement for having, together with his master (whom I 
 also knew), and several other Christians, hmited a lion with 
 gi-eat intrepidity, thoiigh without success. The conversation 
 ran everywhere in this part of the country upon one Bota, a 
 fai'mer, and captain in the militia, who had lain for some time 
 under a lion, and had received several bruises from the beast, 
 having been, at the same time, a good deal bitten by him in 
 one arm, as a token to remember him by ; but upon the 
 whole, had, in a manner, his life given liim by this noble 
 animal ! " 
 
 Mr. iSmith, of Cape Town, went with about forty others 
 to a neighbouring hill to hunt wolves, which had committed 
 various depredations among the sheep. While engaged in 
 the chase, a tiger sprang from a bush, and seized one of the 
 Hottentots by the forehead. " I could not leave the man to 
 be killed," he said, " I therefore went with my gun to shoot 
 tlie tiger. On observing me, he left the Hottentot and 
 attacked me ; my gun was useless, for, in a moment, he caught 
 my arm in his mouth, having directed my elbow towards him 
 to defend my face. I held his throat down with, my other 
 liand, with my knee on his belly, and called out to the Hot- 
 tentots to come to my assistance. When they heard I was 
 in danger, they ventured their lives to save mine ; — they came 
 ninning, and one of them shot him dead ; and we brouglit 
 home his skin." His teeth met to the very bone of Mr. 
 Smith's arm, and it was a long time before he recovered. 
 
 m
 
 DOGS OP THE HOTTENTOTS. 29 
 
 The Hottentot who was first attacked, carried the marks of 
 the tiger's tusks in his forehead all his days. 
 
 The Hottentots arc fond of their dogs ; each hut having 
 one or two, it is said, " brave, honest, loving creatures." These 
 animals are turned out every night to guard the cattle, a 
 service which is discharged with great watchfulness and 
 courage. The proverb, " love me, love my dog," is therefore 
 strictly applicable in this case; and amply does the animal 
 repay all the attention he receives. If it is his master's turn 
 to go with the herds to pasture, his dog, accompanied by 
 others, goes with him. No dogs have more skill in watching 
 and driving the cattle than these have. AVhile the herds ai'e 
 on their way to the pasture, they are incessant in their atten- 
 tions to the flank and the rear, barking with due authority to 
 keep the cattle in the proper line. 
 
 On arriving at the place where they are to graze that day, 
 the dogs employ themselves, without bidding, pai-tly to fetch 
 in stragglers, and keep the cattle together, and partly in 
 scouring the fields about the herds, which they do from time 
 to time when reqiiired in a body, to keep off the wild beasts. 
 When the cattle are fixed for the night, in and about the 
 kraals, and their masters are retiring to rest, all the dogs rush 
 out from the huts to mount guard for the night against the 
 same enemies. Though the cattle low, and are in great dis- 
 order on the approach of wild beasts, they would often be 
 attacked before the Hottentots could be roused and come forth 
 to their defence, were it not for the dogs, which patrol from 
 time to time about the herds, and on the least lowing or dis- 
 order, bark with all their might, to meet and engage the 
 enemy. Quickly, therefore, their masters are at their heels^ 
 and often, in consequence of the watchfulness of the dogs, is the 
 invader despatched or put to flight, 
 
 Campbell observed one of the Hottentots going to chas- 
 tise a dog who had done some mischief in a vineyard, though 
 the animal had a stick tied to his neck to prevent his entering.
 
 30 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 The Hottentot took the dog near the spot where the offence 
 was committed, that there the chastisement might be 
 administered. The instant tlie culprit was set at liberty, the 
 other dogs, to the number of about thirty, thought they were 
 boixnd to give him a second di'ubbing ; for they rushed upon 
 him from all directions. On his treating pretty roughly two 
 or three of his first assailants, amity was restored, at which 
 he seemed not a little pleased. A somewhat ecceuti-ic Hot- 
 tentot now engaged in a curious frolic. By signs and sounds, 
 he gathered about him all the dogs, who even seemed as if 
 worrying him to death. In consequence of the wounds he 
 appeared to have received, he gradually sank down, when, 
 from the number that stood around and upon him, he became 
 completely out of sight; after wliicli he arose smiling; and 
 the dogs went away as if their part had been done well. 
 
 The mode of Hottentot hunting has been described in 
 terms of eulogy, from the earliest times. "When the men of 
 a kraal are out on the chase, and discover a wild beast of any 
 considerable size, strength, and fierceness, they divide them- 
 selves into several parties, and endeavour to surroiuid the 
 beast, which, through their nimbleness of foot, they generally 
 do very quickly ; though, on the sight of such dangei", " the 
 beast, of whatsoever kind," says Kolben, "always betakes 
 himself to all his shifts and to all his heels." 
 
 When a lion, tiger, or leopai'd, is thus encompassed, they 
 attack him with spears and arrows. With flaming eyes and the 
 wildest rage, the creature flies on the Plottentots who threw 
 them. He is nimble ; they are nimbler, and avoid him with 
 astonishing dexterity, till they are relieved by othei-s of the 
 ring, who, plying him with fresh aiTows and spears, bring him 
 and all his fury on themselves. 
 
 He leaps towards one so qiiickly, and apparently so surely, 
 that the looker-on shudders for the Hottentot, exj)ecting to 
 see him torn to pieces in an instant. But, instead of this, the 
 Hottentot leaps out in the twinkling of an eye, and the beast 
 
 1
 
 HOTTENTOT HUNTING. 31 
 
 spends liis rage on the ground. He turns, and leaps towai'ds 
 another, and anotlier, and another, but still in vain ; he is 
 avoided \\'ith the quickness of thought, and he figlits only 
 ■with the air. All this time the arrows and sj^ears sliower ou 
 him in the rear. He grows mad with pain ; and leaping from 
 one party to another of his foes, and tumbling from time to 
 time on the ground, to break the arrows and spears that are 
 fastened in him, he foams, yeUs, and roars most terribly. 
 "If the beast is not quickly slain," says Kolbcn, "he is 
 quickly convinced there is no dealing with so nimble an 
 enemy ; and then he makes off Avith all his heels, and having 
 by tliis time a multitude, perhaps, a multitude of poisoned 
 arrows and spears on his back, the Hottentots let him go 
 freely, and follow him at a Httle distance. The poison quickly 
 seizes him, and he runs not far before he flills,"
 
 CHAPTER ly. 
 
 THE EXPLOKEKS OF THE IXTERIOE 
 
 Occupancy of only the Extreme Angle of tlie African Continent — Long 
 Ignorance of the Interior — The First Explorer, Captain Henri Hop — 
 The Swedish Naturalist, Sparrman — The French Traveller, Le Yaillant 
 — Mr. Barrow — Messrs. Trutter and Somerviile — Fatal Expedition of 
 Dr. Cowen and Lieutenant Donovan — Dr. Lichienstein — Dr. Burchell 
 — Rev. John Campbell — 3Ir. George Thompson — ^Melancholy Memorial 
 of a Wreck on the Coast of the Southern Ocean. 
 
 For more than a liuncli*ecl years after tlie settlement of 
 Cape colony, it occupied only tlie extreme angle of tlie African 
 continent, or a part of the narrow stripe between the sea and 
 the nearest mountains ; nor does miich information seem to 
 have been obtained with regard to any of the native tribes, 
 except the nearest Hottentots. Hence it was that Swift said, 
 with much sarcasm and some truth : — 
 
 " Gcog:i'apliers in Afric maps 
 With savage pictures fill their gaps ; 
 And o'er uninhabitable downs 
 Place elephants for want of towns." 
 
 The first traveller who penetrated any considerable way 
 into the interior was Captain Henri Hop, who was sent out 
 on an expedition of discovery by the Dittch government, and 
 traversed a considerable part of the country occupied by the 
 tribe of ISTamaquas. He was folio vved by the Swedish natu- 
 ralist Sparrman, and by the French traveller, Le Vaillant, 
 whose journey expended to the territory of the Bushmen, some 
 three or four hundred miles north of Cape Town. IMi-. 
 Earrow sul)seqtieutly traversed the regions lying in this
 
 VARIOUS TRAVELLERS. 33 
 
 direction from tlio covintry of Kaffirs on the east to that of 
 the Namaquas in the west, including the desert of the great 
 Karroo, and as far north as the foot of the Sneuwberg, or 
 Snow Mountains. The great barrier formed by this range 
 ■was first passed by Messrs. Trutter and Somervillo, wlio 
 crossing the Gariep or Orange river, penetrated as far as 
 Lithako, the capital of the Bechuanas. 
 
 Soon after, another party, under the charge of Dr. Cowcn 
 and Lieutenant Donovan, was sent out from Cape Town to 
 cross the country to Mozambique, and accounts were received 
 from them when they had advanced eleven days' journey 
 beyond Lithako. But here the unfortunate adventurers 
 appear to have been destroyed by the natives. A few years 
 after Dr. Lichtenstein penetrated as far as Lithako, and 
 brought back much valuable information as to the Bushmen 
 and other tribes of Africa. 
 
 Dr. Burchell afterwards visited Lithako, and made im- 
 portant additions to our knowledge of the country and its 
 people. The Rev. John Campbell, in two journeys made at 
 tlie request of the London Missionary Society, visited Lithako 
 on two occasions, and in the latter instance proceeded thence 
 as far cast as the hitherto unviaited city of Mashow, from 
 which he directed his course nortliAvard till he reached 
 Kureechanee; about latitude 25° south-west from this last 
 town he found himself on the borders of a desert, which he 
 was told extended an immense distance to the westward. 
 
 Lithako was afterwards visited by Mr. George Thompson, 
 whose accounts of many parts of the country lying between 
 this point and the colony, as well as of some of the Kaffir 
 tribes to the east, are exceedingly valuable. 
 
 Mr. Thomjjson made an excui'sion to the extremity of the 
 Cape promontory — the real "Cabo Tormentoso" — in company 
 with some naval officers. The road lay across a rugged chain, 
 of rocky hills, composed of the same materials as a great part 
 of the D^ountains in this pax-t of the Colony, — sandstone an4 
 
 /
 
 34 SOUTH A>"RICA. 
 
 gi'anitc. The appearance of this southern ub Htm ont of tlie 
 African continent is bold, bleak, and desolate. In an 
 immense cavern at the bottom of the cliffs, washed occasion- 
 ally by the billows of the great Southern Ocean, and ap- 
 parently the resort of innumerable flocks of sea-fowl, they 
 f oinid a piece of wreck, consisting of a ship's windlass, &e., — 
 a melancholy memorial of some one of the many disasters 
 which have happened on this stormy coast since the adven- 
 turous Vasco de Gama doubled the promontory. "With the 
 explorers thus briefly introduced we shall have first to do, 
 reser\"ing for the present the exploits of the most recent 
 discoveries. 
 
 The Drachenberg, or Quathlamba mountains, form a 
 broad range wliich runs nearly parallel to the south-east 
 coast of Africa, at a distance varying from sixty to ninety 
 miles from the shore. Their height is estimated at from 
 8,000 to 9,000 feet above the sea. The country gradually 
 rises from the ocean to the foot of the mountains ; and here 
 the Colony of Natal was established in the year 181 J by the 
 British Government.
 
 J4I 
 
 ■if 

 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ANTELOPES AND ELANDS. 
 
 A.bimc!ance of various Species of Antelopes — The Gems-buck — The Spring- 
 buck — Its Peculiar Cliaracter and Remarkable Leaps — Immense Flocks 
 of the Interior — Their Migrations — Their Adaption to Food and Clothing 
 —The Pallah— The Bless-buck— The King of the Tribe, the Koodoo— A 
 Lion springs on a Hottentot — Perilous Adventure of a Boor — A Leopard 
 attacks Two Hunters — The Leopards and their Cubs — The Leopard 
 compared with the Lion and the Panther — The Eland. 
 
 No country, perhaps, is more riclily stocked with animals 
 belonging to one particular tribe than Southern Africa is 
 with antelopes. Wherever the traveller passes, he is almost 
 sure to meet with some species or other of these animals. 
 The antelopes are especially characterised by the symmetry 
 of their form and the gracefulness of their motions. They 
 arc distinguished from the deer in the peculiar character of 
 their hoi-ns, which are permanent, and are formed by the 
 prominences of the frontal bone being covered with a sheath 
 of horn, composed of layers of fibres, which increase duiing 
 the whole life. The horns grow in various directions, tisually 
 ascending from the base, but inclining in different ways, and 
 sometimes spirally twisted. Their ears are usually long, their 
 eyes are mostly large, dark, and soft, and their legs are slender 
 and elegant. Those that have spiral horns are for the most 
 part gregarious, and frequent the oj)eu plains ; the large 
 species live in small troops in deserts or mountainous woods; 
 while others roam over mountainous regions, finding their 
 home amidst ravines and precipices, and the snow-clad sum- 
 mits of mountains, and leaping up and down to the smallest 
 eurface that will contain their collected feet, without alarm or
 
 36 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 pei'il. Those tliat frequent the plains are Tvatchfiil and timid, 
 flying with the utmost ease and swiftness, then stopping and 
 turning to gaze. 
 
 The height of the gems-buck is alDOut three feet and a 
 half at the shoulders. The horns are about tAvo feet and a 
 half in length. The white face is crossed with two bands of 
 black ; the general colovir is iron gray, and this is separated 
 from the white body by a black band. Every part of this 
 animal is valuable. The flesh is good, and may be salted 
 and preserved for future use. The hide is useful, like the 
 horns, for several purposes. 
 
 The spring-buck is generally about four feet and a half 
 in length, and nearly two and a half high. The hair, which 
 is iisually long, sleek, and shining, is of a beautiful light 
 cinnamon colour on the back, sides, shoulders, neck, and 
 thighs, and of a snowy white on the other parts of the body ; 
 the cinnamon coloiu' and the white being separated on the 
 flanks by a band of a reddish colour. The head, face, cheeks, 
 and chin are almost entirely white, with the exception of a 
 brown line on each side, extending from the eye to the corner 
 of the mouth ; and of a mark of the same colour in the middle 
 of the face. The neck is long and slender, and slightly com- 
 pressed at the sides ; the tail small, round, and naked, with 
 the exception of a bunch of black hair extending along the 
 tail, and terminating in a tuft ; the legs are, in proportion to 
 the size of the animal, remarkably long and slender ; and the 
 hoofs small, black, and of a triangular form. The horns are 
 round, black, and surrounded by rings, from the base nearly 
 to the point : on emerging from the head they spread backwards 
 and outwards in a bold curve, and then turn inwards towards 
 their inner extremities, the horn itself being slightly twisted 
 on its own axis. The eyes are large, lively, and of a bro'wnish 
 colour. The ears are long, small, and cylindrical at their I'oot, 
 widening in the middle, and terminating in a narrow point. 
 
 There is one peculiar character which distinguishes the 
 spring-buck from every other species of antelope. Along the

 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 37 
 
 
 TUE C EMS-BUCK. 
 
 top of tlie loins, from about tlie middle of tlie back to tlio 
 tail, are two folds of the skin, from tliere being mucli more 
 tliero tliau ia necessary to cover tliat part of tlie body. The
 
 38 SOUTH AFRICA, 
 
 portions of tliis skin wliicli are seen when tlic animal is at 
 rest, are of the same cinnamon colour as the back, but the 
 folded part is of a bright snowy whiteness. When the animal 
 is taking the springs or jumps from which it derives its name, 
 the folds become expanded, and form a broad circular mark 
 of the j)nrest white, extending round the hips. 
 
 According to Burchell, it is only occasionally that the 
 spring-bucks take such remarkable leaps ; for when grazing 
 or moving at leisure, they walk or trot like other antelopes. 
 When pursued, however, or when increasing their pace, they 
 take these extraordinary bounds, rising vnth. curved or ele- 
 vated backs high in the air, often to the height of eight feet, 
 and appearing as if about to take flight. In crossing a road 
 or path, when moving rapidly, they will often clear it at one 
 leap, extending even to twenty-five feet. 
 
 These animals reside in countless flocks in the interior of 
 Africa, seldom approaching inhabited districts except in 
 seasons of great drought, when they migi-ate in search of food. 
 Their numbers are absolutely incalculable. The foremost of 
 the mighty host are fat, and the rear ones meagre and lean, 
 from the vitter consumption of all the hei'bage and water that 
 may be met with by the former before the latter can reach 
 it ; unless the cultivated fields are enclosed by thick and high 
 hedges, all attempts to keep -^hem out avail but little ; and 
 even when heaps of dry manure placed close together round 
 the fields are set on fire, in hopes of keeping them ofl^ by the 
 dense smoke that is produced, the dawn of day generally 
 shows the land covered with spring-bucks, and every atom of 
 verdure consumed. 
 
 Alluding to an immense multitude of these creatures, ]\Ir. 
 Pringle says : " I could not profess to estimate their num- 
 bers with any degree of accuracy, but they litcraUy tchitened, 
 or rather speckled the face of the country as far as the eye 
 could reach over those far-stretching plains ; and a gentleman, 
 better acquainted than myself with such scenes, who was
 
 sprijSG-eucks. 39 
 
 riding with nic, afEi'ined that we couki not have fewer of these 
 animals under our eye tlian twenty-five or thirty thousand." 
 It has also been said that, to offer any estimate of the total 
 numbers forming one migration would be impossible. Pour- 
 ing do^vn like locusts from the endless plains of the interior, 
 lions have been seen stalking in the middle of their com- 
 pressed phalanx, and flocks of sheep have not unfrcquently 
 been carried away by the living torrent. Cultivated fields, 
 Avhich, in the evening, appeared jn-oud of their promising 
 verdure are, in the course of a single night, rca2:)ed level with 
 the ground ; and the despoiled grazier is compelled to seek 
 jiasture for his flocks elsewhere, until the rainy season supplies 
 fresh food to the spring-bucks on their native spots, to which 
 they instinctively return. 
 
 As spring-bucks, old and young, furnish excellent venison, 
 vast numbers are destroyed by the Dutch farmers, not only 
 for the sake of the flesh, but also for the skins, of which they 
 make sacks for holding provisions and other articles, and 
 clothing for their servants. A good marksman will kill from 
 twenty to thirty spring-bucks every time he goes out : he 
 lies concealed among the thickets near the springs or pools of 
 water which the animals frequent at the close of the day to 
 quench their thirst ; and by firing among them his enormous 
 gun, loaded with several bullets, he often brings down four or 
 five at one shot. No dog can attem^jt to approach the old 
 spring-bucks ; but the j'oung kids are frequently caught after 
 a hard chase. 
 
 Another anteloiDC, the Pallah, resembles the spring-buck 
 in form and colour, but is considerably lai-ger in size, and has 
 not the peculiar duplicate of skin on the back, already 
 described. The horns, too, spread much further apart, and 
 are more than twice the length of those of the sjo ring-buck. 
 
 The Bless-buck is one of the largest animals of this tribe; 
 its dimensions exceeding those of the European stag. It was 
 once very common within the districts of the Cape Colony,
 
 40 SOUTU AFRICA. 
 
 vrlicrc in f;omc parts it still exists, Ijut not in sucli multitudes 
 fis formcl■l3^ In the country beyond tlie colonial borders it 
 is tolerably abundant. The bless-buck is fleet and active • 
 and its markings are very ornamental. The eoloiirs of the 
 head and body are most singularly disposed ; the whole 
 animal appears as if it had been artificially painted with 
 different shades, laid on in sej)arate masses. 
 
 The hartbeest has a very long head, in propoi-tion to the 
 size of the body ; the horns are thick, strongly annidated 
 oblic[uely, and bent back ; the hair is a bay, or high-toned 
 fa-\\Ti colour, deepest on the back, with black or bi'own at the 
 base of the horns, and the front of the legs ; there is also a 
 stripe of very dark brown running from the insertion of the 
 neck to the tail. It is sometimes four feet in height. 
 
 Another remarkable animal is the harness deer, so called 
 from the singular marks like the straps of harness which 
 appear on its body. 
 
 The white-footed antelope, or nyl-ghan, is one of the 
 antelopes. It seems to combine the characters of the ante- 
 lope and the ox. When brought to this country for exliibition 
 in the zoological collections they have apjieared very tame, 
 delighting to be caressed, and licking the hands of those who 
 feed them. But when irritated they manifest the utmost 
 determination in attack or defence. Bingley mentions an 
 illustration in point of one of the finest ever seen in England. 
 A labouring man, without knowing that the animal was near 
 him, and therefore without meaning to offend, nor suspecting 
 that he was exposed to any danger, came to the outside of the 
 pales of the enclosvire where it was kept. But the nyl-ghau, 
 regarding him as a foe, dai'ted with the swiftness of lightning 
 against the wood-work, and with such violence that he shat- 
 tered it to pieces, and broke off one of his hoi'ns close to the 
 root. This violence, it is believed, occasioned his death, for 
 he died not long afterwards. 
 
 " Majestic in its carriage, and brilliant in its colour," says
 
 \^"n^^-'^-sS^eS"'^u 
 
 v«
 
 PEEILS. - 41 
 
 Captain Harris, "there is one species whicli may witli propriety 
 be styled the king of the ti-ibc. Other antelopes are stately, 
 elegant, or ci;rious — but the solitude-seeking koodoo is 
 absolutely regal ! Tlie ground colour is a lively French 
 gray, approaching to blue ; the horns, spii-ally twisted, exceed 
 three feet in length. These are thrown along the back, as 
 the stately Avearer dashes through the mazes of the forest, or 
 chambers the mountain-side." 
 
 A Hottentot was out hunting, and perceiving an anteloj^e 
 feeding among some bushes, he approached in a creeping 
 posture, and had rested his gun over an ant-hill to take a 
 steady aim, Avhen, observing tliat the creature's attention was 
 suddenly and peculiarly excited by some object near him, he 
 looked up and perceived with horror that a large lion was at 
 that instant creeping forward and ready to spring on himself. 
 Before he could change his posture, and direct his aim at this 
 antagonist, the lion bounded forward, seized him with his 
 talons, ar.d crushed his left hand, as he endeavoured to ward 
 him off with it, between his savage jaws. In this extremity, 
 the Hottentot had the presence of mind to turn the muzzle of 
 his gun, which he still held in his right hand, into the lion's 
 mouth, and then drawing the trigger, shot him dead through 
 the brain. He lost his hand, but happily escaped any further 
 injury. 
 
 A boor, named Lucas, was riding across the open plains, 
 near the Little Fish River, one morning, about daybreak, 
 and, observing a lion at a distance, he endeavoured to avoid 
 him by making a Avide circuit. There were thousands of 
 spring-bucks scattered over the extensive flats; but the 
 lion, from the open nature of the country, had probably been 
 unsuccessful in hxinting. 
 
 Lucas soon perceived, at least, that he was not disposed to 
 let him pass without further parlance, and that he was 
 rapidly advancing to the encounter ; and being without his 
 riile, and otherwise little inclined to any closer acquaintance,
 
 42 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 he turned ofF at right angles, laid the whip freely to the 
 horse's flank, and galloped for life. But it was too late. 
 The horse was fagged and bore a heavy man on his back, — 
 the lion was fresh and furious with hunger, and came down 
 upon him like a thunderbolt. In a few seconds he came up, 
 and springing up behind Lucas, brought horse and man 
 instantly to the ground. Happily the poor boor was unhurt, 
 and the lion was fully occupied in worrying the horse. 
 
 Hardly knowing how it was done, he contrived to 
 scramble out of the fi'ay, and hurried at the top of his speed 
 to the nearest house. Lucas, when relating his adventure, 
 did not describe it as in any way remarkable, except as to the 
 lion s audacity in pursuing a " Christian-man" without 
 provocation, in open day. His greatest vexation appeared to 
 arise from the loss of his saddle. He returned next day, 
 with a party of friends, to search for it, and to avenge himself 
 on his foe, but they found only the hoi'se's clean picked 
 bones. Lucas remai-ked that he could excuse the schdm 
 (the rascal) for killing his horse, as he had let himself escape ; 
 bvit then, as he said gravely, the saddle could be of no use to 
 him, and he considered the depredator well deserved his most 
 vehement invectives. 
 
 Two boors, returning from hunting a sj^fecies of antelope, 
 fell in with a leopard in a mountain ravine, and immediately 
 gave chase to the creature. At first, he endeavoured to 
 escape by clambering up a precipice, but, being hotly pressed, 
 and slightly wounded by a miisket-ball, he turned on his 
 pursuers, with that frantic ferocity which, on such emergen- 
 cies, he so frequently displays, and, springing on the man who 
 had fired at him, tore him from his horse to the gi'ound, 
 biting him, at the same time, very severely on the shoulder, 
 and tearing his fiice and arms with his claws. The other 
 hunter, seeing the danger of his comrade, sprung from his 
 horse, and attempted to shoot the leopard through the head; 
 but, whclLor owing to trepidation, the fear of M-oiuiding his
 
 LEOPARDS. 43 
 
 friend, or tlie sudden motions of the animal, ho unfortunately 
 missed his aim. 
 
 The leopard, abandoning his prostrate enemy, darted, 
 with redoubled fury, on his second antagonist; and so fierce 
 and sudden was his onset, that befox-e the boor could stab the 
 leopard with his hunting-knife, the beast struck him in the 
 eyes with his claws, and even tore the scarf over the forehead. 
 In this frightful condition, the hunter grappled with the 
 raging beast, and, struggling for life, they rolled together 
 down a steep declivity. All this occurred so rapidly that the 
 other man had scarcely time to recover from the confusion 
 iato which his feline foe had thrown him, to seize his gun, 
 and rush forward to aid his comrade, when he beheld them 
 in mortal conflict, rolling together down the steep bank. In 
 a few moments he was at the bottom with them, but too late 
 to save the life of his friend, who had so gallantly defended 
 him. The leopard had torn open the jugular vein, and so 
 dreadfully mangled the throat of the unfortunate man, that 
 his death was inevitable ; and his comrade had only the 
 melancholy satisfaction of completing the desti'uction of the 
 leopard, which was already much exhausted by several deep 
 wounds in the breast, from the des^^erate knife of the expiring 
 huntsman. 
 
 On one occasion, a pair of leopards, with three cubs, 
 entered a sheep-fold at the Cape of Good Hope. The old 
 ones killed nearly a hundred sheep, and regaled themselves 
 with the blood. When they were satiated, they tore a car- 
 case into three pieces, and gave a part to each, of the cubs. 
 They then took each a whole sheep, and thus laden, began to 
 move off, but were discovered in their retreat ; and the 
 female, with the cubs, were killed, while the male eficcted his 
 escape. 
 
 The leopard resembles in its habits the lion and the 
 jianthcr, but he is not so powerful. In one respect, however, 
 he is superior to them ; that is the extreme pliability of
 
 44 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 liis spine, v/liicli gives him a degree of velocity and agility 
 surpassed by no otlier animal. "With sucli astonishing 
 rapidity does he climb trees, that few animals are safe from 
 his ravages. Slan alone seems to excite some respect ; but if 
 pressed hard in the pursuit by the hunter, he will turn upon 
 him, and it requires both skill and prowess to guard against a 
 leopard's attacks. Many instances have occurred of man 
 becoming his victim, although generally he must be j)ressed 
 to the onset ; as when impelled by hunger. 
 
 Sometimes leopards are used in the pursuit of antelopes. 
 On these occasions the leopard is first hoodwinked, as falcons 
 ai"e ; and as soon as the huntsman is near enough to the game 
 the cap is taken off, the leader strokes his hands several times 
 over the eyes of the animal, and turns his head towai-ds the 
 antelope. Scarcely does the leopard perceive it when he 
 immediately spi'ings forward ; but if he does not succeed in 
 overtaking the antelope in two or three leaps, he desists and 
 quietly lies down. His leader again takes him up in liis cart 
 and gives him some meat and water to strengthen him. The 
 attempt is then rcncAved ; but, if he fails a second time, he is 
 quite discouraged, and is unfit for the chase for some days. 
 The antelope possesses sudh elasticity, that it makes leaps of 
 from thirty to forty paces, and therefore easily escapes from 
 the leopard, and hence it is indispensable to get as near the 
 game as possible. But if the leopard succeed in catching the 
 antelope, he leaps upon its back, and clings to it with his 
 paws ; it falls down ; he thrusts liis fangs in the neck of his 
 hapless victim and sucks the blood, and then quietly follows 
 his leader. 
 
 In size and shape, the body of the male eland resembles 
 that of a well-conditioned Guzerat ox, not unfrequently 
 attaining the height of nineteen hands, and weighing 2,000 
 pounds. The head is strictly that of the antelope, light, 
 graceful, and bony, with a pair of magnificent straight horns, 
 about two feet in lengih, spirally ringed, and pointed back-
 
 46 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 wards. A broad and deep dewlap, fringed with bro-wTi liair, 
 reaches to the knee. The colour varies considerably with the 
 age, being dun in some, in others an ashy blue with a tinge 
 of ochre ; and in many, also, sandy gray approaching to white. 
 The flesh is esteemed by all classes in Africa, above that of 
 any other animal ; in grain and colour it resembles beef, but 
 is better tasted, and more delicate, possessing a pui'e game 
 flavour, and the quantity of fat with which it is interlarded 
 is surprising, greatly exceeding that of any other game 
 quadruped. The female is smaller, and of slighter form, with 
 less ponderous horns. 
 
 A traveller who had killed one of these animals, says : — 
 " The stoutest of our savage attendants could with difiiculty 
 transport the head of the eland to the wagons, where one of 
 the Hottentots had just arrived with the carcase of a 
 sassayby that he had dragged a considerable distance, assisted 
 by upwards of twenty savages. These men were no sooner 
 made acquainted with the occurrences of the morning, than 
 they set off at speed on the tracks of our horses, and were 
 presently out of sight. About sunset, the party returned 
 gorged to the throats, and groaning under an external load 
 of flesh, which, having been unable to consume, they had 
 brought about their necks."
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE DUTCH FARMER AT H05IE. 
 
 The Boor's Horse described — Attendants of the Family — The Travelling 
 Tutor — Dealing in Cattle — Folding of the Herds and Flocks — Travelling 
 from the Interior to Cape Town — Another Farm described — Singular 
 Sight — Multitudes and Ravages of Locusts — A Boor surprised by a Lion 
 — A Death Grapple with a Lion — The Lion Victorious — A Hottentot 
 surprised — Diedrick, the Lion Hunter — Depredations of the Tiger — A 
 Tiger seizes a Hottentot — A Tiger Hunt — A Farmer attacked by a Tiger 
 — A Lion's Fear of Man — A Lion Increasingly Fierce from Success — 
 The Power of the Human Eye. 
 
 BuRCHELL met with mucli hospitality from opiilent Dutch 
 farmers in Cajie Colony, but even among those of the lowest 
 class, there was ever a readiness to open the cloor to the 
 hungry and benighted stranger. In the family of a farmer 
 of the middle class, whose dwelling did not indicate much of 
 either affluence or comfort, but whose members appeared 
 contented and happy, he spent a short time. The following 
 particulars are taken from his observations. 
 
 The situation of the house was bleak and exposed, and 
 there was not much display of art or culture around. It 
 was situated on a wide flat, bounded by rocky mountains. 
 One large room, having a mvid floor, and a single glazed 
 window, whose broken panes betokened the scarcity of glass, 
 formed the. principal part of the house. At one end were 
 the bed-rooms, and at the other a very deep and wide fire- 
 place, exactly resembling that of an English farm-house. 
 
 As the boors often find it better economy to consume the 
 fcheep in their own families, and convert the fat into soap to 
 V>e sold at llicir annual visit to Capo Town, than to sell the
 
 48 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 animals at a low price, a large cauldron of boiling soap stood 
 over this fire. A door in tlie back wall of the apartment 
 opened into the kitchen. At the time of Burchell's visit, a 
 small window near the fire-place was kept constantly closed 
 ivith. a wooden shutter, to exclude the cold wind, as it had 
 aeither sash nor glass. Near the glazed window stood a 
 small table, and on it a little old-fashioned cofiee-urn, an 
 article in constant use. On each side of the table were two 
 homely-looking chairs, for the use of the master and mistress. 
 A few chairs and benches, with a large diuing-table, were 
 duly ranged round the room. A large Bible and a few books 
 lay on a shelf. 
 
 A black slave and a Hottentot girl assisted in the domes- 
 tic duties, while the more laborious work of the farm was 
 performed by a man .slave and a few Hottentots. The three 
 daughters of the fixrmer were under the instruction of an 
 itinerant tutor, who had been, for sevei'al months, an inmate 
 of the family. He could make himself understood in English 
 and French, and appeared fully able to complete the education 
 of such a family as was gathered around him. He was a 
 native of Holland, and had passed the last twenty-nine years 
 of his life in Cape Colony. Teachers of this class are scattered 
 everywhere throughout it. Their abilities, in many instances, 
 are too humble to allow of their getting a living in their 
 native land by the same occiTpation. They generally traverse 
 a great portion of the colony ; for their usual stay at each 
 house is only from six to twelve months, and in this time they 
 must engage to "finish" their pupils in what the village school- 
 master called "the three rs — reading, 'riting, and 'rithmatlc." 
 
 The head of this family employed his farm only in rearing 
 cattle, for the purchase of which he was visited by a slagters 
 knegt, — a butcher's man. This person was commissioned by 
 ills employer in Cape Town, to travel into the gi-azing dis- 
 tricts, and buy up the number of sheep or oxen he might 
 require, paying, however, not in money, but in small notes of
 
 JOURNEY TO CAPE TOWN. 49 
 
 liand, previously signed by liis employer, and the validity of 
 which was certified at the fiscal's office. Such notes were 
 considered as good as cash, into which they were converted 
 by the grazier on taking thcni to town, or they were some- 
 times negotiated in payment with his neighbours. 
 
 The inland traffic connected with Cape Town, was lor.g 
 carried on with much risk and difficulty, on accovmt of its 
 remote position at the extreme corner of the country, and of 
 the miserable state of the roads by which it was approached. 
 The barrenness and deficiency of pasturage in the tract of 
 land lying around the town, exposed the boors, or Dutch 
 farmers, trading there to serious inconvenience. 
 
 Those residing at a distance of five or six hundred miles, 
 generally made but one journey there in the course of a year. 
 On such occasions, the vehicles which conveyed them had 
 much the appearance of a travelling menagerie ; for, in 
 addition to the principal members of the family, there were 
 poultry, goats, sheep, dogs, monkeys, and other animals. A 
 musket or two, with ammunition were taken, not only to 
 afford means of protection, but also to procure game for sub- 
 sistence by the way. The wagon bearing this motley group, 
 drawn by a team of eight, ten, or even sixteen oxen, with the 
 immoderately long whip of the driver, and the naked figure 
 of a little Hottentot leading the foremost pair, presented to a 
 stranger in the country a novel and amusing spectacle. The 
 driving seat was considered an honour-able post ; but the 
 office of leading the oxen was looked on as degrading to any 
 but a Hottentot or a slave. 
 
 Between the capital and the cultivated districts, lie the 
 extensive sandy plains, commonly called the Cape Downs, 
 which were and are traversed by numberless roads and wheel- 
 tracks in every direction. The soil is composed of loose white 
 sand on a substratum of clay, supporting only a few stunted 
 shrubs and rushes. A few solitary huts are scattered here 
 and there.
 
 50 SOUTU AFEICA. 
 
 From tlie general barrenness of tlie country, tlie travellers 
 often stop but a single day at Cape Town. After having come 
 the distance of perhaps twenty days' journey, tliey cross the 
 barren heath already described, and frequently outapan, as they 
 call it, or unyoke, at Salt River, to be ready to enter the 
 town at daybreak the next morning. Thus they are often able 
 to sell their produce, and to make the purchases they require 
 during the day, and immediately set out on their return 
 home. 
 
 Another boor rejoiced in a more extensive domain. The 
 visitor descended from the ridge of a mountain, by a steep 
 and stony path, tracked out by the hartbeests, elands, and 
 other large game, and followed the rugged course of a solitary 
 brook, or rather torrent, for the greater part of its bed was 
 now dry, until, after a ride of about three hours, he leached 
 the farm of Elands'-drift, in the valley of the Tarka, and the 
 residence of Winsel Koetzer. 
 
 On riding up to the place, consisting of three or four 
 thatched houses and a few reed-cabins, inhabited by the 
 Hottentot servants, he was encountered by a host of some 
 twenty or thirty dogs, which had been lying about in tlie 
 shade of the huts, and now started up around him, open- 
 mouthed, with a prodigious barking and clamour, as is gener- 
 ally the '^ase at every farm-house on the approach of stx-augers. 
 In daylight these growling guardians tisually confine them- 
 selves to a more noisy demonstration ; but at night it is often 
 a matter ot no small peril to appi'oach a farm-house, for many 
 of these animals are both fierce and powerful, and wiU not 
 hesitate to attack a stranger, if in their eyes, he has the 
 ill-luck to appear in any way suspicious. The noise of the dogs 
 brought out Arend Koetzer, one of the farmer's sons, from the 
 principal dwelling-house, a fine, frank young fellow. Seeing 
 the visitor thus beset, he came instantly to his help against 
 the caniue rabble, whom he discomfited with great vigour, 
 by hurling at them a few of the half-gnawed bones and
 
 A boor's rARir. 51 
 
 bulloclvs' horns -wliicli were lying in scores about tlie place. 
 An introduction now took place to the young boor's mother 
 and sisters — a quiet looking naatron, and two bashful girls, 
 who appeared from one of the outhouses. "Wil Myn- 
 heer aft-zadel?" ("Will the gentleman unsaddle?") was the 
 first inquiry. The visitor readily agreed, intending, indeed, 
 though it was still early in the afternoon, to spiend the night 
 at this farm. 
 
 On entering the house, he found that the old boor had 
 not yet risen from his afternoon nap, or siesta, a habit which 
 is geneially prevalent throughout the colony. He was not 
 long, howevei-, in making his appearance ; and, after shaking 
 hands with a sort of gi-uff heartiness, he took down a bottle 
 of brandy from a shelf, and urged his visitor to drink a 
 "zoopje" (dram) with him, declaring it was good " brand i- 
 wyn," distilled by himself from his own peaches. The spirit, 
 which was colourless, had something of the flavour of bad 
 whisky, but the visitor preferring a cup of " thee- water," it 
 was in the meantime 2ire])ared and povircd oiitfor him by the 
 respectable and active-looking dame. This "tea- water" 
 (properly enough so termed), was made by a decoction, rather 
 than an infusion, of the Chinese leaf, and which, being diluted 
 with a cei'tain proportion of boiling water, withovit any 
 admixtui'e of milk and sugar, was ofFez'ed to every visitor Avho 
 might chance to arrive during the heat of the day. A small 
 tin box with sugar-candy is sometimes handed round with the 
 "tea-watei-," from which each person takes a little bit to keep 
 in liis movitli, and thus to sweeten, in frugal fashion, the bitter 
 beverage as he swallows it. During this refreshment, the 
 visitor carried on a tolerably fluent conversation, in broken 
 Dutch, with his host and his " huis-vrouw," and he gratified 
 them not a little by communicating the most recent informa. 
 tion he possessed of the state of European politics, respecting 
 which old Koetzer was very inquisitive. 
 
 The domicile of this family would not, probably, have
 
 52 SOUTH AFr.ICA. 
 
 suggested any ideas of peculiar comfort to an Englishman. 
 It Avas a liouse somewhat of the size and appeai'ance of an old- 
 fashioned Scotch barn. The walls were thick, and substan- 
 tially built of strong adhesive clay ; a material which, being 
 well prepared or tempered, in the manner of mortar for 
 brick-making, and raised in successive layers, soon acquires, 
 in tliis dry climate, a great degree of hardness, and is con- 
 sidered scarcely inferior in durability to brick. These walls, 
 which were about eight or nine feet high, and tolerably 
 smooth and straight, had been plastered over within and 
 without with a composition of sand and cow-dung, and this 
 being well white-washed with a sort of pipe-clay, or with 
 wood-ashes diluted with milk, the whole had a very clean and 
 light a2:ipearance. 
 
 The roof was neatly thatched with a species of hard rushes, 
 which are considered much more durable and less apt to catch 
 fire than straw. There was no ceiling under this roof; but 
 the rafters over-head were hung with a motley assemblage of 
 several sorts of imjilements and provisions, such as hunting 
 ajiparatus, hill-tongue (that is, dried flesh of various kinds of 
 game), sjamboks (large whips of rhinocerus and hippopotamus 
 hide), leopard and lion-skins, ostrich eggs and feathers, strings 
 of onions, rolls of tobacco, bamboo for whip-handles, calabashes, 
 and a variety of similar articles. A large pile of fine home- 
 made soap graced the top of a partition wall. 
 
 The house was divided into three apartments : the one in 
 which they were now seated (called the voor-huis) oj)ened 
 immediately from the open air, and is the apartment in which 
 the family always sit, eat, and receive visitors. A private 
 room or (slaap-hamer) is formed at either end of this hall, by 
 partitions of the same height and construction as the outer 
 walls running across, and having doors opening out of the 
 sitting-room. 
 
 The floor, which, though made only of clay, appeared 
 uncommonly smooth and hard, was formed of ant-heaps,
 
 INTERIOR OF THE FAEM. 53 
 
 which, being pounded into dust, and then watered and well 
 stamped, assume a consistency of great hardness and tenacity. 
 The floor was carefully washed over every morning with water 
 mixed with fresh cow-dung, in order to keep it cool and free 
 from vermin — especially fleas, which are apt to become an 
 intolerable pest in this country. 
 
 This house was lighted by four square windows in front, 
 one iu each of the bed-rooms, and two in the voor-hamer, 
 and by the door, which aj'^peared only to be shut duiing the 
 night. The door consisted merely of some reeds, rudely 
 fastened on a wicker frame, and fixed to the dooi"-posts by 
 thongs of bullock's hide. The A\andows also were without 
 glass, and were closed in the night, each with the untanned 
 skin of the quagga, or wild ass. 
 
 The furniture amounted to little more than a dozen of 
 chaii's and stools, bottoms formed of thongs, and a couple of 
 tables, one large and roughly constructed of common plank 
 from the geelhout tree, the other small, and more highly 
 finished, of ornamental wood. At the smaller table was the 
 station of the old dame, who had before her a brass tea-urn, 
 and the other apparatus, whence she dispensed the beverage 
 already mentioned. Opposite her sat the haas (as the Hot- 
 tentot attendants called their master), with the flask of brandi- 
 w}^! at his elbow, and his long clumsy Dutch tobacco-j)ipe in 
 his mouth. At the further end of the apartment, a couple 
 of wooden pails bound with bright polished hoops of brass, 
 were suspended from crooked antelope's horns built into the 
 wall ; these pails were filled with spring- water, and had bowls 
 of calabash afiixed to them, in order that whoever was athirst 
 might drink with facility. Sour milk, however, is the 
 favourite beverage in this country ; and when that is to be 
 had, no one drinks water. In another corner stood a hiige 
 churn, into which the milk is poured every night and morning 
 until it is filled, when it is churned by two Hottentot 
 women.
 
 54: SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 In tlie same end of tlie hall, part of the carcase of a sheep 
 was suspended from a beam; two sheep, and sometimes more 
 being slaughtered for daily consumption ; the Hottentot 
 herdsmen and their families, as well as the farmer's own 
 household, being chiefly fed on mutton, at least during sum- 
 mer, when beef could not be salted. The carcases were hung 
 up in this place, it appeared, chiefly to prevent waste, by 
 being constantly under the eye of the mistress, who, in this 
 country, instead of the ancient Saxon title of "giver of bread" 
 (leveclij, whence our English term of lady) might be appropri- 
 ately called the " giver of mutton." Mutton, and not bread, 
 is here the staff of life ; and they thiuh it no more odd to 
 have a sheep hanging in the voor-ltuis, than a farmer's wife in 
 England would to have the large household loaf placed for 
 ready distribution on her hall-table. At this veiy period, in 
 fact, a pound of wheaten bread in this quarter of the colony 
 was six times the value of a pound of animal food. 
 
 In regard to dress, there was nothing very peculiar to 
 remark. That of the females, though in some respects more 
 slovenly, resembled a good deal the costume of the lower classes 
 in England fifty or sixty years ago. The men wore long loose 
 trowsers of sheep or goat-skin, tanned by the servants, and 
 made in the family ; a check shirt, a jacket of coai'se frieze 
 or cotton, according to the weather, and a broad-brimmed 
 white hat completed the dress. Shoes and stockings appeared 
 not to be essential to either sex, and were seldom worn, 
 except when they went to church, or to vrolyhheids (merry- 
 makings). Sandals, however, of a certain kind, called 
 "country shoes," are in common use, the fashion of which 
 appears oi-iginally to have been borrowed from the Hottentots. 
 They are made of raw bullock's hide, with an upper leather 
 of dressed sheep or goatskin, much in the same way as the 
 old brogues of the Scottish highlanders. They do not last 
 long, but they are light and easy in dry weather : every man 
 can make his own sandals, and theleather costs little or nothinjr.
 
 CURIOSITY. 65 
 
 The visitor, Imving previously heard that the industrious 
 damo, the Juflrouw Koetzer, sometimes manulactured leather 
 dressef! for sale^ bespoke a travelling jacket of dressed spring- 
 buck skin, the latter to be faced with leopard-fur, the price 
 of whicli, altogether, was thirteen rix-dollars, or about one 
 pound sterling. He purchased also the skin of a leopard, 
 which one of the young Koctzers had lately shot, for about a 
 pound of gunpowder. 
 
 Old Koetzer and his family, like the old Dutch colonists 
 generally, were extremely inquisitive, asking a great variety 
 of questions, some of them on very trilling matters. English- 
 men are apt to feci annoyed at this practice, but without any 
 sufficient cause. Though it betokens a lack of refinement, it 
 is not at all allied to rudeness or impertinence ; it is simply 
 the result of untutored curiosity in the manners of people 
 living in a wild and thinly inhabited country, to whom the 
 sight of a stranger is a rare event, and by whom news of any 
 description is welcomed with avidity. Instead, therefore, of 
 haughtily or sullenly repelling their advances to mutual con- 
 fidence, the visitor answered all their questions with good 
 humour, including those that respected his own age, the num- 
 ber, names, and ages of his family and relations, the object 
 and extent of his present journey, and such like. In return, 
 he plied them ■with similar interrogations, to all of which they 
 not only replied with the utmost openness, but seemed highly 
 delighted with his frankness. In this manner he soon learned 
 that his host had eight or ten brothers, all stout frontier 
 gi-aziers like himself, and all with numerous families. His 
 o\vn family consisted of six sons and as many daughters, 
 several of whom were married and settled in the neighbour- 
 hood. Two of his sons, with their wives and families, were 
 noAV living at this place in cottages adjoining to the house. 
 The old dame stated that she was hei'self by birth a Jourdan, 
 and was descended from one of tlie French Hviguenot families 
 who settled in the colony after the revocation of the Edict of 
 
 4
 
 dG SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 N"antz. Her father, she said, could speak French ; but she 
 herself knew no language but Dutch. Her manner and 
 address, however, retained something of French urbanity and 
 politeness, which the Belgian bluntness of her husband 
 rendered the moi-e obvious. 
 
 Having exhausted the usual topics of country chat, the 
 visitor suggested a walk round the premises, and salHed forth, 
 accompanied by the boor and his son ArencL They fii'st 
 went to the orchard, which was of considerable extent, and 
 contained a variety of fruit trees, all in a thriving state. 
 The peach-trees, which were now in blossom, were the 
 most numerous ; but there were Slso abundance of apricot, 
 alm^d, walnxit, apple, pear, and plum trees, and whole 
 hedges of figs and pomegranates. The outward fence, 
 when there was any, consisted of a hedge of quinces. There 
 was also a fine grove of lemon and a few orange trees. The 
 latter required to be sheltered during the winter, until they 
 had attained considerable size, the frost being apt to blight 
 them in this upland valley. All the other fruits were raised 
 with ease : peach-trees would bear fruit the third year after 
 the seeds had been put in the ground. From the want of 
 care and skill, however, in grafting, few of the fruits in this 
 part of the colony were of superior sorts, or of delicate 
 flavour. The peaches especially, were but indifferent ; but 
 as they were chiefly grown f5r making brandiwyn, or to be 
 used in a dry state, excellence of flavour was but little 
 regarded. Two mulberry trees, which were planted in front 
 of the house, were large and flourishing, and produced an 
 abundance of fruit. This was not the wild or white mulbeny 
 raised in Europe for feeding silk-worms ; but the latter sort 
 thrives also veiy well in different parts of the colony. 
 
 The garden, if it deserved the name, was very deficient in 
 neatness, but contained a variety of useful vegetables : a large 
 plot of beet-root, some beds of very fine cabbages, and plenty 
 of mint, sage, and garlic, catching the eye. Onions were
 
 THE farmer's garden. 57 
 
 raised in great abundance, and of a quality equal to tliose of 
 Spain. Pumpkins and melons were cultivated in considerable 
 quantities. The sweet potato is raised here ; but the com- 
 mon ones, though growing well, appeared not to be in much, 
 request in this part of the colony. Until the arrival of 
 English settlers, indeed, the value of this useful root was not 
 generally appreciated by the inhabitants, and the quality of 
 the few they raised was veiy inferior. Since that period, how- 
 ever, the cultivation of potatoes has greatly extended itself 
 in the eastern districts, and their quality has been so much 
 improved by the seed brought out by the settlers, that they 
 now are scarcely, if at all, inferior to those of England ; and 
 the prejudices with which the native population, particulaily 
 the Hottentots, regarded them, rapidly declined. Adjoining 
 to the garden and orchard was a small, but well-kept vineyard, 
 from which a large produce of very fine grapes is obtained, 
 which, as well as the peaches, are chiefly distilled into brandy 
 for home consumption. 
 
 The whole of the orchard, vineyard, and garden-ground, 
 together with about twenty acres of corn-land adjoining, was 
 irrigated by the waters of a small mountain-riU, collected 
 and led down in front of the house by an artificial canal. 
 Without irrigation little can be done in this part of the 
 colony ; and though the river Tarka passes only a short dis- 
 tance from the back of the orchard, the channel is here too 
 deep to admit of its water being led out upon the banks. 
 The limited extent, therefore, of from twenty to thirty acres 
 was the whole that could be cultivated on this farm, compris- 
 ing at least 6,000 acres, exclusive of the waste and inappro- 
 priated tracts adjoining. But this is quite sufficient for the 
 wants of a large family ; the real wealth of the farm, so far 
 as respects marketable commodities, lies in the stocks of 
 herds which are raised on its extensive pastures. This old 
 Winsel himself hinted to his visitor — as, shutting up a gap 
 in the garden hedge with a branch of thorny mimosa, they
 
 58 SOUTH AFEiai. 
 
 issued out towards tlio "kraals" or cattle-folds — tlie lioor 
 exclaiming in a tone of jocund gratulation, while lie pointed 
 to a distant cloud of dust moving wp tlie A'alley — " Maar 
 daar koomt myn vee ! " (But there come my cattle.) 
 
 The appearance of the boor folding his herds and flocks is 
 patriarchal and picturesque, and may well recall the words of 
 the ancient poet : — 
 
 " On came the comely slieep, 
 Prom feed returning to their pens and folds. 
 And those the kine in muUitudes succeed ; 
 One on the other rising to the eye, 
 As watery clouds wliiuh in the heavens arc seen. 
 Driven by the soutli or Thracian Boreas; 
 And numberless along the sky they glide; 
 Nor cease ; so many doth the powerful blast 
 Speed forward ; and so many, fleece on fleece. 
 Successive rise reflecting varied light. 
 So still the herds of kine successive drive 
 A long extended line ; and filled the plain 
 And all the pathways with the coming troop." 
 
 As the boor and his visitor were now conversing, the 
 clouds of dust which had been observed approaching from 
 three different quarters came nearer, and it was manifest 
 that they were raised by two numerous flocks of sheep and 
 one large herd of cattle. First came the wethers, which 
 are reared for the market, and are often driven even down to 
 Cape Town, seven hundred miles distant. These being 
 placed in their proper fold, the flock of ewes, ewe goats, and 
 lambs, was next driven in, and carefully penned in another ; 
 those having young ones of tender age being kept separate. 
 And finally, the cattle herd came rushing on pell-mell, and 
 spontaneously assumed their station upon the summit of their 
 guarded mound : the milch cows only being sepai'ated, in 
 order to be tied up to stakes within a small enclosure nearer 
 the houses, where they were milked by the Hottentot herds- 
 men, after their calves, which were kept at home, had been
 
 THE FLOCKS AND HERDS. o9 
 
 pormlttcd to suck for a certain period. Not one of these 
 cows, it ^Yas said, would allow herself to be milked until her 
 calf was first put to her ; if the calf dies, of course there is 
 an end of her milk for that season. This appeal's to be the 
 effect of habit, and might be remedied by proper management. 
 About thirty cows were milked ; but the quantity obtained 
 from them was very small, not so much as would be got from 
 six or eight English cows. 
 
 The boor and his Avife, with all their sons, daughters, 
 daughters-in-law, and grandchildren, who were about the 
 place, were assiduously occupied, while the herds and flocks 
 were folding, in examining them as they passed in, and in 
 ■walking through among them afterwards, to .see that all was 
 right. The people thus employed declared that though they 
 do not very frequently count them, yet they know at once 
 whether any individual ox is missing, or if any accident has 
 happened among the flocks, from beasts of jirey or other- 
 wise. 
 
 This faculty, though the result, doubtless, of peculiar 
 habits of attention, is certainly very remarkable ; for the 
 herd of cattle at this place amounted altogether to nearly 700 
 head, and the sheep and goats (which were mingled together) 
 to upwards of 5,000. This is considered a very respectable, 
 but by no means extraordinary, stock for a Tarka gi-azier. 
 
 Every individual of an African boor's family, includ- 
 ing even the child at the breast, has an interest in the 
 welflire of the flocks and herds. It is their custom, as soon 
 as a child is born, to set apart for it a certain number of the 
 young live stock, which increase as the child grows up ; and 
 which, having a particular mark regularly affixed to them, 
 form, when the owner arrives at adult age, a stock sufficient 
 to be considered a respectable dowry for a ])rosperous farmer's 
 daughter, or to enable a young man, though he may not 
 possess a single dollar of cash, to begin the world respectably 
 as a " Vce Boor."
 
 60 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 On approaching the cattle kraals, the visitor was struck 
 by the gi-eat height of the principal fold, which was elevated 
 fifteen or twenty feet above the level of the adjoining plain, 
 and his surprise was certainly not diminished when he found 
 that the mound, on the top of which the kraal was constructed, 
 consisted of a mass of solid dung, accumulated by the cattle 
 of the fai-m being folded for a succession of years on the same 
 spot. The sheep-folds, though not quite so elevated, and 
 under the lee, as it were, of the bullocks' kraal, were also fixed 
 on the top of similar accumulations. The several folds (for 
 those of the sheep and goats consisted of three divisions) were 
 all fenced in with branches of the thorny mimosa, which 
 formed a sort of rampart around the margin of the mounds 
 of dung, and were carefully placed with their prickly sides 
 outwards, on purpose to render the enclosures more secure 
 from the nocturnal assaults of the hyaenas, tigers, and jackalls. 
 Against all these ravenous animals, the oxen are, indeed, able 
 to defend themselves ; but the hysenas, tigers, and leopards 
 are very destructive to calves, sheej), and goats, when they 
 can break in upon them, which they will sometimes do in 
 spite of the watch-dogs kept for their protection ; the cunning 
 jackal is not less destructive to the lambs and kids. 
 
 Some travellers approaching the residence of a farmer, had 
 their attention attracted to a novel sight. Several people 
 were waving white flags in some cultivated ground near the 
 house. On drawing nearer they ascertained that this was a 
 method adopted by the farmer and his fomily to expel an 
 army of locusts, that had just alighted on their corn. They 
 had been employed since simrise, and it was now towards 
 afternoon, and they described the insects as being so nu- 
 merous, that it would take an hour's ride on horseback, to 
 reach the extremity of the ground that they covered. No 
 idea can be formed of such cou^ntless multitudes, except by 
 those who have actually witnessed them. Their appearance 
 when alighting, somewhat resembles a dense crimson cloud.
 
 ATTACK ON A BOOR. CI 
 
 resting on the land, and when tliey rise np to proceed 
 onward, the air is literally darkened beneath. Every green 
 herb — every blade of grass, is destroyed in their cotirse, and 
 in their track there remain nothing but barrenness and 
 desolation. Still they are turned to some use. Hottentots 
 have been observed feeding fowls with locusts out of a large 
 sack, and it was surprising to see with what voracity they 
 were devoured, Bushmen are particularly partial to locusts, 
 which contribute largely to their subsistence. 
 
 A boor, of tlie name of De Clercq, one day riding over his 
 farm, had alighted in a difficult pass, and was leading his 
 horse through the long grass, when a lion suddenly rose up 
 before him, at a few yards distance. He had in his hand. 
 only a light fowling piece, loaded with slugs ; and hoping that 
 the lion would give way, he, according to the plau always 
 recommended in such emergencies, stood still and confronted 
 him ; but the lion, on the contrary, advancing and crouching 
 to spring, he found himself under the necessity of firing ; he 
 took a hurried aim at the forehead, but the slugs lodged in 
 the bi'east, and did not prove instantly mortal. The furious 
 animal sprang forward, and seized De Clercq on either side 
 with his talons, but at the same time bit his arm almost in 
 two, as he mechanically thrust it forward to save his face. 
 In this position he held him for a few seconds, till his strength 
 failing from loss of blood, the lion tumbled over, dragging the 
 boor with him in a dying embrace. 
 
 De Clercq, however, escaped without any serioiis injury, 
 and before long entirely recovered. 
 
 Gert, a boor of the Cradock district, was out hunting 
 with a neighbour. Coming to a fountain, surrounded, as is 
 common, with tall reeds and rushes, Gert handed his gun to 
 his comrade, and alighted to search for water. But he no 
 sooner approached the fountain, than an enormous lion 
 started up close at his side, and seized him by his left arm. 
 
 The boor, though taken by surprise, stood stock still,
 
 62 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 witliout struggling, aware tliat the least attempt at escape 
 ■would ensure his instant destruction. The lion also remained 
 motionless, holding fast the boor's arm in his fangs, but with- 
 "out biting it severely, — shutting his eyes at the same time as 
 if he could not withstand the countenance of the victim. As 
 they stood in this position, Gert, maintaining his presence of 
 mind, began to beckon his comrade to advance and shoot the 
 lion in the forehead. This might have been easily effected, 
 as the lion still closed his eyes, and Gert's body concealed 
 from his view any object advancing in front of him. 
 
 But the fellow proved a wretch, for, instead of complying 
 with Gert's directions or making any attempt to save him, he 
 cautiously retreated to the top of a neighbouring rock. As 
 the lion continued quiet, Gert continued to beckon for aid; 
 and lion huntei-s say that if he had persevered a little longer, 
 the lion would have relaxed his hold, and left him uninjured. 
 But Gert, indignant at his comrade's pusillanimity, and losing 
 patience with the lion, drew his knife, which he wore sheathed 
 at his side, and with the utmost force of his right arm, 
 plunged it into the lion's breast. 
 
 The thrust was a deadly one, for Gert was a bold and 
 powerful man ; but it did not prove effectual in time to save 
 his own life — for the enraged lion, held at arm's length by 
 the utmost efforts of Gert's strength and desperation, so 
 dreadfully lacerated the breast and arms of the imfoitimate 
 man with his talons, that his bare bones were laid open. 
 The lion fell at last from loss of blood, and Gert fell along 
 with him. 
 
 His rascally companion who had witnessed this fearful 
 struggle from the rock, had now sufficient courage to advance, 
 and bore poor Gert to the nearest house — where such aid as 
 the neighbours could give was afforded, but utterly in vain. 
 Gert expired the thii-d day after this most courageous but 
 frightful struggle, of locked jaw. 
 
 Kupt, one of the settlers, proceeding with several com-
 
 THE LION AND HIS PREY. 63 
 
 paiiions on a jovirney into tlie country, to obtain some yoimg 
 oxen for the Dutch. East India Company, met with the 
 following adventures. On the arrival of the wagons, which 
 were obliged to take a circuitous route, they pitched their 
 tent a musket-shot from the kraal, and after making the usual 
 arrangements, went to rest. They were, however, soon dis- 
 turbed ; for about midnight, the cattle and horses, which were 
 standing between the wagons, began to start and run, and 
 one of the drivers to shout, on which every one, with his gun 
 in his hand, ran out of the tent. 
 
 Aboiit thirty paces off there stood a lion, which, on seeing 
 them, walked very deliberately about thirty paces further, 
 behind a small thorn-bush, carrying something with him, 
 which Kupt supposed to be a young ox. The south-east 
 wind blew strong, the sky was clear, and the moon shone 
 very bright, so that they could see clearly ; and firing more 
 than sixty shots at that bush, which they stoutly pierced, 
 they could not perceive any movement. After the cattle had 
 been quieted again, and they had looked carefully aroimd, they 
 missed Smit, the sentry, fi-om before the tent. They called 
 as loudly as ])ossIble, but in vain ; nobody answered, and it 
 Avas then concluded that the lion had carried him off. Three 
 or four men then advanced very cautiously to the bush, which, 
 stood right opposite the door of the tent, to see if they could 
 discover anything of the man, but returned greatly alarmed, 
 for the lion, who was there still, rose up, and began to roar ; 
 they saw too, the miisket of the sentry, which was cocked, 
 and also, his cap and shoes. 
 
 As the bush was sixty j)aces from the tent and only thirty 
 from the wagon, and they were able to point at it as a target, 
 they fired into it about a hundred shots, without perceiving 
 anything of the lion, from which they concluded that he was 
 kUled, or liad run away. This induced Stamansz to go and 
 see if he were there or not, taking with him a firebrand. 
 
 But no sooner did he approach the bush, tlian the lion roared 
 
 4*
 
 o4 SOUTH . AFRICA- 
 
 terribly and leaped at him ; on wliicli he threw the firebrand 
 at his assailant, and the othei's having fired about ten shots, 
 he retired directly to his former place behind the bush. 
 
 The firebrand had fallen into the midst of the bush, and, 
 favoured by the strong south-east wind, it began to burn 
 with a great flame, so that they could see very clearly into, 
 and through it. They continued fii-ing into it ; and as the 
 night passed away and the day began to break, every one 
 was anxious to aim at the lion, as he could not go from, 
 thence without exposing himself entirely to their fire. Seven 
 men, posted on the furthest wagons, watched Mm that they 
 might fii-e, if he should come out. 
 
 At last, before it became quite light, he walked up the 
 hill with poor Smit in his mouth, when about forty shots 
 were fired at liim, but, although some were very near, he 
 escaped unhurt. Every time a ball approached him, he 
 turned round towards the tent, and roared at his enemies ; 
 and Kupt was of opinion that if he had been hit, he would 
 have rushed on the people and the tent. 
 
 On the arrival of broad daylight, they saw by the blood, 
 and a piece of the clothes of the man, that the lion had 
 carried away his victim. They also found behind the bush 
 the place where the lion had kept him, and it appeared 
 exceedingly strange that no ball should have struck the lion, 
 as several of them were beaten flat. As it was hoped he 
 might have been wounded and not fir off, the people asked 
 Kupt to be allowed to go in search of Smit's corpse, in order 
 to bury it, supposing that by the fire that had been constantly 
 kept up, the lion would not have had time to devour much 
 of it. 
 
 Kupt gave permission to some, on condition that they 
 shoiild take a good party of armed Hottentots with them, 
 and made them promise that they would keep a good look- 
 out, and avoid all unnecessary danger. Seven of the joarty, 
 assisted by forty-three armed Hottentots, followed the track,
 
 A SURPRISE, 65 
 
 an4 fouiid tlie lion about half a league furLlier on, lying 
 behind a little bush. On the shout of the Hottentots, he 
 s^n-ang up, and ran away, on -vvhicli they all followed in 
 pursuit. At length, the lion tui'ned round, and rushed, 
 roaiing terribly, amongst the crowd. The people, fatigued 
 and out of breath with running, fired, but missed hi in, on 
 which ho made directly towards them. Two of the people 
 were now attacked by the lion, when the captain, or chief 
 man of the Icraal, threw himself between them and the lion, 
 and that so closely, that the claws of the lion were stmck into 
 his sheep-skin garment. Instantly the lion hunter defied his 
 mantle, and stabbed the lion with his sjjcar ; and the other 
 Hottentots striking into the lion their spears, Kupt says "he 
 looked like a 2)orcu}nne." Still he did not leave ofl^ roaring and 
 leaping ; but bit off" some of the spears, until Stamansz fired 
 a ball into his eye, wdiich made him turn over, and the others 
 .shot him dead. This was a very large lion, and had but a 
 .short time before devoured a Hotteutot whom he had carried 
 off from the kraal. 
 
 On another occasion, the grass was exceedingly tall, and 
 the country abounded in spring-bucks. A Hottentot thought 
 he perceived one amidst the grass, and crept closely up to it 
 in order to make sure of his shot, when, on rising to discharge 
 his piece, he found himself close on a large male lion, which 
 instantly set up a loud roar. His own tale, however, was not 
 a little amusing, "I saw," said he, " a spring-buck, which I 
 made sure of having in the pot to-night ; but wdien I got 
 close to it, I found it to be the Governor. I was just goin'^ 
 to fire, when he asked me in a loud tone, 'What are you 
 going to do ? ' ' Oh,' said I, ' I beg your pardon, I did not 
 know it was your honour, or I should not have presumed to 
 draw so near you ; I hope your honour will not consider it 
 an insult, and I shall instantly retire.' So 1 scampered away 
 a great deal quicker than I went to him," 
 
 Diederik Midler and his brother Christian were accustomed
 
 66 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 to liunt in comi)any, and between them killed a large number 
 of lions. They did not achieve this, however, without many 
 tair-breadth escapes, and have more than once saved each 
 other's lives. On one occasion, a lion sprang suddenly on 
 Diederik, from behind a stone, — bore man and horse to the 
 ground, and was proceeding to finish his career, when Chris- 
 tian galloped uj:) and shot the savage brute thi'ough the heart. 
 In this encounter Diederik was so roughly handled that he lost 
 his hearing in one ear — the lion having dug his talons deeply 
 into it. 
 
 When the nightly depredations of a tiger have roused the 
 farmers, the following is the course pursued : — The animal is 
 tracked to its lair in the thick underwood, and, when found, 
 attacked by large dogs. If possible, it flies ; but, when unable 
 to escape, makes a desperate defence, raising itself above the 
 assailants by leaping on a bush, and from thence striking 
 them down with its paws as they rush in, and from its great 
 strength and activity, frequently destroying them. But the 
 tiger seems to know its master foe, and should a man approach 
 within the range of its tremendous spring, it at once leaves 
 the dogs, and darts tipon him, and the struggle is then for 
 life. 
 
 A slave, going out early one morning, to look after cattle, 
 heard his dogs bajdng at a distance in the jungle, and, ou 
 coming up to ascertain the cause, was met by a tiger's spring. 
 The tiger clung, and, seizing liim by the nape of his neck, 
 tore the skin oflf, until the scalp hung over his eyes ; but, 
 even in this state of torture, the slave drew his wood-knife 
 from liis belt, and stabbed him to the heart. In general, the 
 man stands at a distance, waiting his opportunity till he can 
 fii-e without injui-ing the dogs. 
 
 Mr. Sliaw, the missionaiy, says : " News was brought one 
 evening, that a horse had been laid hold of by a tiger, and 
 partly devoured. The chief gave orders that the hunters 
 should be on the spot at sunrise the next morning. I
 
 A TIGER ASSAILED. 67 
 
 engaged to accompany tliem, and took iny dog and gun, tlie 
 Namaquas liad theix* clubs, and all the dogs wliicli tliey 
 were able to procui^e. A little terrier having obtained the 
 scent, ran forv/ard till it came to the cavern where the tiger 
 had taken up his abode. It stood at the entrance and barked, 
 not knowing the kind of game it had been pursuing. The 
 tiger rose, and fixing its eyes on the terrier, it scampered 
 away at its utmost sj)eed. The tiger now stood on the sux'- 
 face of a large sloping rock, and, on seeing the other dogs, he 
 looked angrily at them, and began to grumble, as though he 
 would challenge them to an attack. My own dog and two 
 others instantly accepted the challenge, and a furious contest 
 ensued. It was impossible for me to make use of my gun ; 
 but at this crisis, a native, on seeing that the dogs were faith- 
 ful to each other, ran and seized the tiger^'s tail, which he held 
 with all his might. The tiger roared, the dogs became more 
 furious, the men with their clubs approached, and beat him 
 on the head ; and thus assailed, he soon gx'oaned his last.' 
 
 A resident in the colony, named Bournan, was suddenly 
 attacked by a tiger, who stuck its claws into his head, aim- 
 ing at his throat, that he might suck out the blood of the 
 victim. Bournan, an athletic and powerful man, Avrestling 
 earnestly with his foe, succeeded in throAving the tiger on the 
 ground, where, for a time, he held it down. He soon found, 
 however, that the animal v.'^as too strong for him, but when 
 about to give himself up as lost, recollected that he had a knife 
 in his pocket. Instantly taking it out, he pressed with all his 
 might the tiger to the ground, and succeeded in cutting its 
 throat. Bournan Avas covered with wounds from Avhich the 
 blood during the fearful struggle copiously flowed ; but though 
 his life Avas preserved, it Avas long before his previous strength 
 was I'estored. 
 
 The testimony of old Teysho to one of our travellers, 
 entirely corresponded Avith Avhat he had heard on the same 
 subject from the boors and Hottentots. 'J'he lion, he said, \'ery
 
 68 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 seldom attacks man if unprovoked ; but lie "vvill frequently 
 approach within a few paces and survey him steadily; and 
 sometimes he will attempt to get behind him as if he could 
 not stand his look, but was yet desirous of springing upon 
 him unawares. If a person in such circumstances attempts 
 either to fight or fly he incurs the most imminent peril ; but 
 if he has suflicient presence of mind coolly to confront him, 
 the animal will, in almost every instance, retire. But, it was 
 added, when a lion has once conquered man, he becomes ten- 
 fold more fierce and villainous than he was before, and will 
 even come into the kraals in search of him, in preference to 
 other prey. 
 
 The power of the human eye is felt by other animals. A 
 British officer in India, having chanced to ramble into a 
 jungle adjoining the encampment, suddenly encountered a 
 royal tiger. The rencounter appeared equally unexpected 
 on both sides, and both parties made a dead halt — earnestly 
 gazing on each other. The officer had no fire-arms, and was 
 aware that a sword would be no effective defence in a struggle 
 for life with such an antagonist. But he had heard that even 
 the Bengal tiger might be sometimes checked by looking him 
 firmly in the face. He did so. In a few minutes the tiger, 
 which appeared preparing to make his fatal spring, grew 
 disturbed — slunk aside — and attempted to creep round upon 
 him behind. The officer tm-ned constantly on the tigei', — 
 which still continued to shrink from his glance ; — but darting 
 into the thicket and again issuing forth at a different quarter, 
 it persevered for about an hour in this attempt to catch him 
 by surprise ; till at last it fairly yielded the contest, and left 
 the officer to pursue his walk. The dii-ection he now took, 
 it may easily be believed, was straight to the tents, at 
 double-quick time.
 
 CHAPTER Til. 
 
 GIRAFFES, GXUS, QUAGGAS, AND ZEBRAS, THE HY^NA, THE 
 CIVET. 
 
 Le Vaillant's intense Curiosity to see a Giraffe — His Delight on beliolding 
 one — The Chase and Capture of a Giraffe — Enthusiasm of the French 
 Naturalist — A Lion attacks a Giraffe — The Gnu — Large Herds of these 
 Animals on the Great Karroo — Their Aversion to Scarlet — Mode of their 
 Attack — Amusing Adventure of a Hunter — The Quagga — Fatal Assault 
 on these Animals — Hunting tlie Quagga — Zebras — The Hyaena — The 
 Civet. 
 
 Le Vaillant was struck by a distinction lie observed on one 
 of tlie liuts, wliicli lie found to be entirely covered with the 
 skin of the giraffe. " I had never seen," he says, " this 
 quadruped, the tallest of all those upon the earth. I knew 
 it only from false descriptions and designs, and thus I could 
 scarcely recognise its robe. And yet this was the skin of the 
 girafle. I was in the country that this creature inhabits. 
 I might, probably, see some living ones. I looked forward 
 to tlie moment when I should be thus recompensed, at least 
 in part, for all the sufferings and annoyances of my 
 expedition. 
 
 " One of the Namaqtias, who were my guides, came in 
 great haste to give me information, which he thought would 
 be agreeable to me. He had seen the strong feeling of 
 pleasure which I had evinced at the sight of the skin of the 
 giraffe ; and he had run to say that he had just found in the 
 neighbourhood, one of these animals under a mimosa, the 
 leaves of which "he was browsing upon. In- an instant, full 
 of joy, I leaped upon my horse ; I made Berniiy, one of my
 
 70 SOUTH AITEICA. 
 
 men, mount another, and, followed by my dogs, I flew to tlie 
 mimosa. 
 
 " The giraffe was no longer there. We saw her cross the 
 plain towards the west ; and we hastened to overtake her. 
 She "was proceeding at a smart trot ; but did not ajopear to be 
 at all humed. We galloped after her, and occasionally fired 
 our muskets ; but she insensibly gained so much upon us, 
 that, after having pursued her for three hours, we were forced 
 to stop, because our horses were out of breath, and we entirely 
 lost sight of her. 
 
 " The piii'suit of her had led us so far away from each 
 other and the camp, and the giraffe having made many turns 
 and doubles, I was unable to direct my course towards 
 home. It w^as noon already. I began to feel hunger and 
 thirst ; and I found myself alone in a sterile and arid spot, 
 exposed to a biirning sun, without the least shelter from the 
 heat, and destitute of food." The distress of Le VaiUant, in 
 this instance, was only temporary ; he shot some birds, like 
 partridges, which he cooked and ate to his great refreshment ; 
 and in the evening he had the high pleasure of joining his 
 companions. 
 
 " The next morning," he says, " my whole caravan joined 
 me again. I saw five other giraffes, to which I gave chase ; 
 but they employed so many stratagems to escape that, after 
 having pursued them the whole day, we entu'ely lost them as 
 night came on. I was in despair at this ill success. 
 
 " The next day was the happiest of my life. By sunrise 
 I was in quest of game, in hope of obtaining some provisions 
 for my men. After several hours fatigue we descried, at the 
 turn of a hill, seven giraffes, which my pack instantly pur- 
 sued. Six of them went off" together ; but the seventh, cut 
 off" by my dogs, took another way. Bernfry was walking by 
 the side of his horse ; but, in the twinkling of an eye, he was 
 in the saddle, and pursued the six. For myself, I followed 
 the single one at full speed ; but, in spite of the efforts of my
 
 CHASE OF A GIRAFFE. 71 
 
 horse, she got so much ahead of me that, in turning a little 
 hil], I lost sight of her altogether, and gave up the 
 pursuit. 
 
 " My dogs, however, were not so easily exhausted. They 
 were soon so close upon her, that she was obliged to stop, to 
 defend herself. From the place where I was, I heard them 
 give tongue with all their might ; and, as their voices ap- 
 peared all to come from the same spot I conjectured that they 
 had got the animal into a corner ; and I again pushed for- 
 ward. I had scarcely got round the hill than I perceived 
 her surrounded by the dogs, and endeavouring to drive them 
 away by heavy kicks. In a moment I was on my feet ; and 
 a shot from my carbine brought her to the earth. Enchanted 
 with my victory, I called my people about me, that they 
 might assist in skinning and cutting up the animal. While 
 I was looking for them, I saw Ivlaas Baster, who kept making 
 signals, which I could not comprehend. At length I went 
 the way he pointed ; and, to my surprise, saw a giraffe stand- 
 ing under a large ebony tree, assailed by my dogs. It was 
 the animal I had shot, who had staggered to this place ; and 
 it fell dead the moment I was about to take the second shot. 
 
 " Who could have believed that a conquest like this would 
 have excited me to a transport almost apjiroaching to mad- 
 ness ! Pains, fatigues, cruel privation, uncertainty as to the 
 future, disgust sometimes as to the past — all these recollec- 
 tions and feelings fled at the sight of this new prey. I could 
 not satisfy my desire to contemplate it. I measured its 
 enormous height. I looked from the animal to the instru- 
 ment which had destroyed it. I called and recalled my 
 people about me. Although we had combated together the 
 largest and most dangerous animals, it was I alone who had 
 killed the girafie. I was now able to add to the riches of 
 natural history. I was now able to destroy the romance 
 which attached to this animal, and to establish a truth. My 
 people congratulated me on my triumph. Bernfry alone was
 
 rJ SOUTH AFUICA. 
 
 absent ; but lie came at last, walking at a slow pace, and 
 liolcling his horse by tlie bridle. He had fallen from his seat, 
 and had injured his shoulder. I heard not what he said to 
 me. I saw not that he wanted assistance; I spoke to him 
 only of my victory. He shov/ed me his shoulder ; I showed 
 him my giraffe. I was intoxicated, and I shovild not have 
 thought even of my own wounds." 
 
 ]Mr. Pringle has thus graphically described the lion's 
 attack on the giraffe : — 
 
 " "Wouldst thou view the Uon's den ? 
 Search afar from haunts of men — 
 Where the reed-encircled rill 
 Oozes from the rock}' hill, 
 Ey its verdure far descried 
 ']Mid the desert brown and wide. 
 
 ** Close beside the sedgy brim 
 Couchant lurks the lion grim ; 
 "Watching till the close of day 
 Brings the death-devoted prey. 
 Heedless, at the ambush'd brink. 
 The tall giraffe stoops to drink : 
 Upon him sti-aight the savage springs 
 "With cruel joy ! — The desert rings 
 With clanging sound of desperate strife — 
 The prey is strong, and strives for life. 
 Now plunging tries, with frantic bound, 
 To shake the tyrant to the ground — 
 He shrieks — he rushes through the waste 
 With glaring eyes and headlong haste. 
 In vain ! — the spoiler on his prize 
 Hides proudly — tearing as he flies. 
 
 " For life the victim's utmost speed 
 Is muster'd in this hour of need : 
 Por life — for life — his giant might 
 He strains, and pours his soul in flight ; 
 And, mad with terror, thirst, and pain, 
 Spurns with wild hoof the thundering plaiu.
 
 THE GNU. 73 
 
 *"Tis vain ; the thirsty sands are drinlcing 
 Ilis streaming blood — his strength is sinking ; 
 The victor's fangs are in his veins — 
 Ilis flanks are streaked witli sanguine stains; 
 llis panting breast in foam and gore 
 Is bathed — he reels — his race is o'er ! 
 lie falls — and, with convulsive throe, 
 Eesigns his throat to the raging foe: 
 — And lo ! ere quivering life has fled. 
 The vultures wheeling overhead. 
 Swoop down, to watch, in gaunt array, 
 Till the gorged monarch quits his prey ! " 
 
 The Gnu is about the size of a full-grown ass. The neck 
 and tail precisely resemble tliose of a small hoi'se, and its 
 pace, which is a species of light gallop, is so perfectly similar, 
 that a herd of gnu;;, Avhen seen at k distance scampering 
 over the plains of South Africa, might be easily mi.stiikcn for 
 a troop of wild horses, but for their dark and uniform 
 colovir. 
 
 Tliey live in large herds on the Karroo, a great desert. 
 When first alarmed, they fling up their heels and cajier like 
 a restive horse, tossing their heads and tails, and butting at 
 the mole-hills, or any other ol)ject that might be in their 
 way ; but immediately after, off they start, traversing the 
 desert with a speed which soon carries them beyond the reach 
 of danger. They do not run in a confused crowd, like sheep 
 or oxen, but in single file, following a leader, and exhibiting 
 an agreeable regularity as they bound over the plains. When 
 hunted they will turn upon the hunter, and pursue him, 
 dropping on their knees before making an attack, and then 
 darting forward with amazing alacrity and force. 
 
 "In common with the ox and buffalo," says Captain 
 Harris, "the gnu has an unconquerable avei'sion to scaidet — • 
 pawing the earth and becoming perfectly furious on the sud- 
 den display of that colour. In situations Avhere these 
 whimsical animals had been rendered more than usually wild
 
 74 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 by the incessant persecutions of the border colonists, I fre- 
 quently found it requisite, in order to allure the herd within 
 range, to hoist a red pocket handkerchief upon the muzzle of 
 my rifle. This exhibition invariably produced the most 
 violent tumult and excitement, and caused the whole troop 
 to chai-ge past in single file — ' with mane erect and blazing 
 eye ' — following their leader, flinging out their taper heels, 
 whisking their streaming tails, butting with their horns in so 
 menacing a manner, and displaying emotions of such violent 
 frenzy, that I was fain to strike my colours and have recourse 
 to my weapons — when they instantly whirled and pranced 
 confidently round at a safer distance, headed by their swarthy 
 chief — 
 
 'Pierce on the hunter's hostile band. 
 
 He rolls his eye of burnished glow : 
 Spvu-ns with black boof and horns the sand. 
 And tosses high his mane of snow.' " 
 
 Tvro gentlemen yveve hunting gnus on the plains, and one 
 having been wounded by a musket-ball (in which condition 
 these animals are very furious), it gave chase to one of them, 
 and gained fast upon him, when all at once he disappeared, 
 by tumbling into an ant-eater's hole, which was concealed by 
 the long grass. There he lay for some time secure from the 
 enraged animal, which, after searching for him in vain, 
 scampered oflf in another direction ; nor could this gentle- 
 man's companion, who Avas galloping up to liis assistance, 
 conceive what had become of him, until he saw, to his great 
 satisfaction and amusement, his head cautiously emerging 
 from the bowels of the earth. 
 
 The quagga is a timid animal, with a figure and gait 
 much resembling those of an ass, but stouter and handsomer 
 than that animal as i'ound in Europe. Though its flesh is 
 carrion and its hide almost useless, it is often pursued merely 
 for pastime. It is infei-ior to the horse in swiftness, but it
 
 THE QUAGGA. 75 
 
 baffles the hunter by seeking refuge in the most rugged parts 
 of the mountain, where his steed can only follow with extreme 
 difficulty. 
 
 The farmers are in the habit of driving a troop of quaggas 
 to the brink of a precipice, when they rush over the declivi- 
 ties, and fall an easy prey to their pursuers. In one instance 
 temerity was dearly paid for. A farmer was pursuing a herd, 
 and being closely on some which were exhausted, he attempted, 
 merely ff)r the sake of saving his shot, to drive one of them 
 over a precipice, on which the desperate animal turned sud- 
 denly round, and seizing him by the leg with its teeth, dragged 
 him from his horse, and actually tore his foot off at the ankle. 
 The consequences were fatal to the huntsman, for, in spite of 
 medical aid, mortification ensued, and he died a few days 
 afterwards. 
 
 Captain Harris, with a companion, and four savages of 
 the Batlapi tribe, left the wagons at daybreak, and crossing 
 the river, proceeded through a park of magnificent camel- 
 thorn trees, many of which were groaning under the huge 
 nests of the "sociable grosbeaks," while others were decorated 
 with green clustei's of misletoe, the bright scarlet berries of 
 which were highly ornamental. They soon perceived large 
 herds of quaggas and brindled gnus, which continued to 
 increase, until the whole plain seemed alive. The clatter of 
 their hoofs Avas perfectly astounding ; and ihe captain could 
 compare it to nothing but the din of a tremendous charge of 
 cavalry, or the rushing of a mighty tempest. He could not 
 estimate the accumulated numbers at less than 15,000; a 
 great extent of country being actually chequered black and 
 white with their congregated masses. 
 
 As the panic caused by the report of the rifles extended, 
 clouds of dust hovered over them ; and the long necks of 
 troops of ostriches were also to be seen, towering above the 
 heads of their less gigantic neighbours, and sailing past with 
 astonishing rapidity. Groups of purple sas.sabys, and brilliant
 
 7G SOUTH AFUICA. 
 
 red and yellow hartcbcests, likewise lent tlieir aid to complete 
 the picture, Avliich must have been seen to be properly under- 
 stood. 
 
 " The savages," he says, " kept in oxxr wake, dexterously 
 despatching the wounded gnus by a touch in the spine, with 
 the point of an assagai, and instantly covering up the carcases 
 with bushes, to secure them from the voracity of the vultures, 
 which hung about us like specks in the firmament, and 
 descended with the velocity of lightning, as each discharge of 
 our artillery gave notice of prey. As we proceeded, two 
 strange figures were perceived standing under the shade of a 
 tree ; these we instantly knew to be elands, the savages 
 exclaiming at the same moment, with evident delight, 
 '■'■ Impoofo, iin2)oofo" and pressing our horses to the utmost 
 speed, we found ourselves, for the first time, at the heels of 
 the lai'gcst and most beautiful sjjecies of the antelope tribe. 
 Notwithstanding the unwieldy shape of these animals, they 
 had at first gi-eatly exceeded the speed of our jaded horses, 
 but being puslied, they soon separated ; their sleek coats 
 turned first blue and then white with froth : the foam fell 
 from their mouths and nostrils, and the perspiration from 
 their sides. Their pace gradually slackened, and with their 
 full brilliant eyes turned imploringly towards us, at the end 
 of a mile, each Avas laid low by a single ball. They were 
 young bulls, each of them measuring upwards of seventeen 
 hands at the shoulder. 
 
 "I was engaged in making a sketch of the one I had shot, 
 when the savages came up, and in spite of all my remon- 
 strances, proceeded with cold-blooded ferocity to stab the 
 unfortunate animal, stirring xip the blood and shouting with 
 barbaroTis exultation as it issued from each newly inflicted 
 wound, regardless of the eloquent and piteous appeal, ex- 
 pressed in the beautiful clear black eye of the mild and 
 inofieiisive eland." 
 
 Zebras were formerly abundant in difierent parts of the 
 Cape Colony, but latterly their number has been greatly
 
 THE IIYVEXA. 77 
 
 climinislied. Troops of six or eight have been seen to stand 
 at a distance, gazing on a wagon as it moved slowly onwards ; 
 but startled by the sound of the whip, they set off eagerly, 
 scampering over stones and bushes, and leaving behind them 
 a thick cloud of dust. 
 
 The hyaena is remarkable for his voracity, and also for the 
 singular fact that he will feed with the vulture from the same 
 carcase. IMr. Burchell explains this circumstance by stating 
 that the flesh of vultures themselves smells like carrion, and 
 no other animal, however pressed with hunger, will eat it, a 
 quality which gives them impunity which they would not 
 otherwise enjoy, inasmuch as they have, often to eat in com- 
 pany with hytenas, and other beasts of prey. Hence they 
 are in no danger of attack from any animals, while the 
 services they perform as scavengers of the country gives them 
 safety even from the assaults of men. Often, when the vul- 
 tui-e has finished, the hyajna will persevere, and not be content 
 till he has consumed all the manageable bones that are left in 
 the carcase. When pressed by hunger they are very determined 
 in their efforts to satisfy it, and will then kill dogs and asses 
 even within the enclosures of the houses, and in some 
 instances have carried off human beings. It is also asserted 
 that whenever one of these animals was wounded, its com- 
 panions always tore it to pieces and devoured it. Bruce tells 
 us that they were a general scourge in Abyssinia, both in the 
 city and the field ; and that many a time in the night, when 
 the king had kept him late in the palace, on crossing the 
 square which lay on his route home, he was apprehensive lest 
 they should attack him, although he was surrounded by armed 
 men, who seldom passed a night without wounding or killing 
 some of them. " One night," he says, " I went out of my 
 tent, and returning immediately, I perceived two large blue 
 eyes glaring at me in the dark. I called my servant to bi-ing 
 a light ; and we found a hyaina standing near the head of the 
 bed, with two or three large bunches of candles in his mouth, 
 by keeping which he seemed to wish at that time for no other 
 
 5
 
 THE HYJEXA.
 
 THE CIVET. 79 
 
 prey. I was not afraid of him, and with a sjiike struck him 
 as near the heart as I could. It was not until I had done 
 this that he showed any signs of fierceness ; but when feeling 
 his wound he dropjoed the candles, and endeavoured to run 
 upon the shaft of the spear to arrive at me, so that I was 
 obliged to draw a pistol from my girdle and shoot him, and 
 nearly at the same time my servant cleft his skull with a 
 battle-axe. In a word, the hyaenas were the plague of our 
 lives, the terror of our night- walks, and the destruction of our 
 mules and asses, which are their favoui-ite food." 
 
 The civet is somewhat more than two feet long from the 
 nose to the insertion of the tail, which is upwards of a foot 
 in length. The colour of the animal's fur is an ash gi'ay, and 
 is marked with large blackish or dusky spots. The hair is of 
 coarse texture, and along the back stands somewhat erect 
 like a mane. The body is rather thick ; the forehead is broad, 
 the muzzle acute, and black at the tip. There are three black 
 stripes which proceed from the back of the eai', and terminate 
 at the shoulders and throat. Like all nocturnal animals, the 
 civet is torpid and indolent during the day, nor does it ever 
 display much of either intelligence or docility. 
 
 This animal is celebrated for its musky perfume, the 
 product of a peculiar glandulous apparatus. The name civet, 
 first applied to tlie odoriferous substance, is of Arabian origin, 
 but the animal has received the same appellation. The civets 
 are found in all the warm parts of Asia and Africa, in the 
 island of Madagascar, and in the East Indian islands. 
 
 The perfume of the civet is so strong, that it infects every 
 part of the creature, and so completely are the skin and hair 
 penetrated with it, that they will retain the odour long after 
 their removal from the body. If .the animal is irritated, the 
 scent becomes exceedingly powerful ; and were a person shut 
 up in a room with a civet, the odour would be scarcely 
 supportable. ^ 
 
 The peculiar substance by which it is yielded is a fatty 
 secretion, about the consistence of honey or Butter, of a lively
 
 80 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 white colour wlien fresli, but darker when it has been kept 
 for some time. It is produced by both sexes, and is contained 
 
 
 ■ " ' 
 
 in two cavities, or pockets, placed beneath the tail ; these cavi- 
 ties are smooth internall}', and covered with numerous small 
 pores, connected witli the glands from v.hich it is secreted.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE BUSHMEN". 
 
 EesemUance of these People to the Chinese — Their Food, Huts, and Places 
 of Slumber — The Country of the Bushmen— Lions numerous — The 
 Gorrah, an African Musical Instrument — Aged Bushman pla)-ing on one 
 — Bushman Family visiting a Traveller — Strange Notions of the Bush- 
 people's Power — Degradation of the Bushmen — Their Capability of 
 Civilisation. 
 
 The Bushmen, like the Hottentots, Corannas, and Naniaquas, 
 are rather sallow than black. They are generally smaller in 
 stature than their neighbours of the interior, and are con- 
 sidered by Mr. Moffat, as well as Mr. Barrow, more to re- 
 semble the Chinese in features and colour than any other 
 people. They have evidently arisen from a race distinct from 
 that of their neighbours, and extended inland, inhabiting the 
 most fertile spots, till their course was arrested by the progress 
 of colonisation. At length they sought refuge from superior 
 power in the wastes and barren mountain ravines, and became 
 emphatically, " the children of the desert." 
 
 The locusts, which, as we have seen, produce such devas- 
 tation wherever their countless multitudes go, are hailed with 
 delight by the Bushmen and Corannas, with whom they form 
 an important article of food. Thus, in a song of the wild 
 Bushmed, are words which are interpreted as follows ; — 
 
 " I plant no herb nor pleasant fruits, 
 I toil not for my cheer, 
 The desert yields me juicy roots, 
 And herds of bounding deer.
 
 y^ SOUTR AFRICA. 
 
 " Yea, even the wasting locusts' swarm, 
 "\Miich mighty nations dread, 
 To me nor terror brings nor harm, 
 I make of them my bread." 
 
 They are also fond of many plants and bulbs wliicli are 
 despised by many other people. Their huts are far inferior 
 to those of other tribes. The holes in the ground, which 
 sometimes answer the purpose of beds, are only a few inches 
 deep, of a longish round form, and not more than five o 
 feet wide. In very co]''. weather they heap up twigs and 
 eai'th on the windward side of the hole ; in summer they 
 prefer the beds of rivers, and lie there beneath the shade of 
 the mimosas, drawing down the branches to screen them from 
 the sun. 
 
 The country of the Bushmen, as it appeared to an experi- 
 enced traveller on his entrance from Cape Colony, presented 
 an even, bare, and open surface, relieved, here and there, by a 
 broad and far-extended undulation. This wide desert was void 
 of all vegetation, and creation seemed nought but earth and sky. 
 After two or three days' journey, there was a little variety 
 in the landscape, but all was desolate, wild, and singular. A 
 belt of mountains of from five to ten miles in breadth, crossed 
 the country, stretching out of sight on either side, and ex- 
 hibiting a vast assemblage of stocks and stones, without the 
 slightest verdure. Occasionally the traveller arrives at some 
 friendly nook or dell, where springs a refreshing fountain, 
 with a few plants and reeds, but these are generally concealed, 
 and form no part of the general landscape. Nothing deserv- 
 ing the name of a ti'ee is to be seen in all the- Bushman's 
 country. 
 
 In the Bushman country the lion is considered exceed- 
 ingly fierce and dangerous. An English gentleman was 
 travelling through some portion of it, and when the wagons 
 were outspanned, the party was attacked by several lions ; 
 and though the Hottentots fii-ed at the ravenous beasts, and
 
 STEANGE KOnON. 85 
 
 knocking with his elbows against his sides. On being asked 
 how long it was since he had washed his skin, which was 
 exceecUugly dirty, he said he could not tell, but that it must 
 have been a long time ago. His wife laughed heartily on 
 hearing the question. 
 
 One of the daughters, after grinding the tobacco between 
 two stones into snuff, mixed it with the white ashes of the 
 fii'e that had been kindled ; the mother then took a large 
 pi" '\ put the remainder into a piece of goat's skin, among 
 t^-o hair, and folded it up for future use. She had a stroke 
 of dark blue, like tattooing, from the upper part of her brows 
 to the nose, about half an incli broad, and two similar strokes 
 on her temjiles. The man had several cuts on his arms, and 
 smaller ones on his temples, and so had the children, which 
 they said was done to cure sickness. The dark colour of 
 these cuts was produced by putting into them ground charcoal 
 when the wounds were green. 
 
 A notion has prevailed in the South of Africa, that some 
 of the Bush-people can change themselves into animals at 
 pleasure. The folio-wing legend will illustrate it : — Once on 
 a time, a certain Namaqua was ti-avelling in company with a 
 Bushwoman, who carried her child on her back. They had 
 proceeded some distance on their way, when a troop of wild 
 horses appeared. 
 
 The man now said to the woman, " I am hungry, and 
 know you can turn yourself into a lion ; do so, and catch us 
 a wild horse that we may eat." 
 
 The woman answered, " You'll be afx-aid." 
 
 " 'No, no," said the man, "I am afraid of dying of hunger; 
 but not of you." 
 
 Whilst he was yet speaking, hair began to shoot out at the 
 back of the woman's neck ; her hands gradually assumed the 
 appearance of claws ; and aU her features were altered. She set 
 down the child. Alarmed at the metamorphosis, the man 
 climbed a tree close by ; the woman glared at him frightfully,
 
 86 SOUTH AFEICA. 
 
 and going to one side, tlirew ofF lier sldn petticoat. Instantly 
 a perfect lion rushed out into the plain ; it bounded and crept 
 among tli6«buslies towards the wild horses, and spi'inging on 
 one of them, it fell and the lion lajiped its blood. The lion 
 now came to where the child was crying, when the man called 
 from the tree, " Enough ! enough ! don't hurt me ! Put off 
 your lion's shape ; — I'll never ask to see this again." 
 
 The lion looked at him and growled. " I'll remain here," 
 said the man, " till I die, if you don't become a woman 
 again." 
 
 Then the mane and the tail began to disappear ; the lion 
 went to the bush where the skin petticoat lay ; in a moment 
 it was slipped on, and the woman in her proper state took 
 up the child. The man now came down from the tree, made 
 a meal from the horse's flesh, but never again asked the 
 woman to catch him any game. 
 
 " Poor Bushman ! " says Mr. Moffat. " Thy hand has been 
 against every one, and every one's hand against thee. For 
 generations past they have been hunted like partridges in the 
 mountains. Deprived of what nature had made their own, 
 they became desperate, wild, fierce, and indomitable in their 
 habits. Hunger compels them to feed on everything eLlible. 
 Ixias, wild garlic, mesembryanthemums, the core of aloes, gum 
 of acacias, and several other plants and berries, some of which 
 are extremely unwholesome, constitute their fruits of the field ; 
 while almost every kind of living creature is eagerly devoured, 
 lizards, locusts, and grasshoppers not excepted. The poisonous, 
 as well as innoxious serpents, they roast and eat. They cut 
 ofi' the head of the former, which they dissect, and carefully 
 extract the bags, or reservoirs of poison, which communicate 
 with the fangs of the upper jaw." 
 
 Yet, degraded as they are, their condition is not hopeless. 
 Dr. Philip, who resided among them, says : " Many of the 
 accounts which have been pubHshed in England, resiDccting 
 the savage, ferocious, untameable character of the Bushman
 
 THE BUSHMEN MAY BE CIVILISED, 87 
 
 can scarcely be read in Africa withovit a smile. The civilisa- 
 tion of that degraded peojile is not only practicable, but 
 might be easily attained ; while they are by no means 
 deficient in intellect, they are susceptible of kindness ; grate- 
 ful for favours ; faithful in the execution of a trust committed 
 to them : disposed to receive instruction ; and by the use of 
 proper means, could be easily brought to exchange their 
 barbarous manner of life for one of comfort,"
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 TERSIITES, OR WHITE A^^TS, AKD THE AAEDVAEK. 
 
 Various and Curiovis Nests of the White Ants — Their Structures — Appropri- 
 ation of their Sevei-al Chambers — Eecent Study of these Insects by M. 
 Quatrefages — The Strange Ravages they Produce — The Naturalist 
 observes minutely their Operations — Amazing Skill, Order, and Unity 
 in Labour — The Aardvark, or Ant-Destroyer — Its Structure and Habits. 
 
 The different species of termites, or wliite ants, build nests 
 of various forms. Some construct upon tlie ground a cylin- 
 drical turret of clay, about three-quarters of a yard liigli, 
 surrounded by a projecting conical roof, so as in shape 
 considerably to resemble a mushroom, and composed witliin 
 of innumerable cells, of various sizes and figures. Others 
 build their nests — wliicli also vary in size from that of a hat 
 to that of a sugai--cask, and composed of pieces of wood glued 
 together — amongst the branches of trees, often seventy or 
 eighty feet high. 
 
 But other nests, found in various parts of Africa, are still 
 more curious. They are formed entirely of clay, and are gene- 
 rally twelve feet high and broad in proportion, so that when a 
 cluster of them, as is often the case, appears, they might be 
 taken for a village, and are, in fact, sometimes larger than 
 the huts inhabited by the natives. 
 
 The first process in erecting these singular structures, is 
 the elevation of two or three turrets of clay about a foot 
 high, and in the shajje of a sugar-loaf. These, which seem to 
 be the scaffolds of the future building, rapidly increase in 
 number and height, until at length being widened at the base,
 
 WHITE ANTS. 89 
 
 joined at the top in one dome, and consolidated all round into 
 a thick wall of clay, they form a building of the size already 
 mfentioned, and of the shape of a haycock, which, when 
 clothed, as it generally soon becomes, with a coating of grass, 
 it at a distance very much resembles. When the building 
 has assumed this, its final form, the inner tiu-rets, all but the 
 tojjs, which project like pinnacles from different parts of it, 
 are removed, and the clay employed over again in other 
 sendees. 
 
 The lower part of the building alone is occupied by the 
 inhabitants. The upper portion, or dome, which is very 
 strong and solid, is left empty, serving principally as a defence 
 froni the vicissitudes of the weather, and the attacks of 
 enemies, and to keep up in the lower j^art a general Avarmth 
 and moisture necessary to the hatching of eggs and cherishing 
 of the young ants. The inhabited portion is occupied by the 
 royal chamber, or habitation of the king and queen, the 
 nurseries for the young, the storehouses for food, and innumer- 
 able galleries, passages, and empty rooms, arranged according 
 to a regular plan. 
 
 To employ the words of Kirby and Spence : " That the 
 millions necessary to execute such Herculean labom's, per- 
 petually i^assing to and fro, should never interi-upt or interfere 
 with each other, is a miracle of nature, or rather of the Author 
 of natiire, far exceeding the most boasted works of man ; for, 
 did these creatures equal him in size, retaining their usual 
 instincts and activity, their buildings would soar to the 
 astonishing height of more than half a mile, and their tunnels 
 would expand to a magnificent cylinder of more than 300 feet 
 in diameter ; before which, the pyramids of Egypt and the 
 aqueducts of Rome would lose all their celebrity, and dwindle 
 into nothing." 
 
 Some insects of this kind are at present making their 
 ravages at La Rochelle, Eochefort, Saintes, and the neighbour- 
 ing districts in France. Naturalists have recently taken to
 
 90 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 Paris several material j^roofs of tlie dangers to Avliicli tliese 
 apparently insignificant enemies are capable of subjecting 
 tlie inhabitants of these districts. Tliey have described the 
 sudden manner in which the roofs and floors of houses had 
 crumbled to pieces, and how soon buildings were found to be 
 so entirely undermined, that it was necessary either to recon- 
 struct them from the very foundations, or entirely to abandon 
 them. 
 
 M. Quatrefages, when residing at La Eochelle, says : 
 "The prefecture and a few neighbouring houses are the 
 principal scene of the destructive ravages of the termites, but 
 here they have taken complete possession of the premises. In 
 the garden not a stake can be j^ut in the ground, and not a 
 plank can be left on the beds, without being attacked within 
 twenty-four, or forty-eight hours. The fences put round the 
 young trees are gnawed from the bottom, while the trees 
 themselves are gu.tted to the very branches. Within the 
 building itself, the apartments and offices are all alike invaded. 
 I saw upon the roof of a bed- room Avhicli had been recently 
 repaired, galleries made by the termites which looked like 
 stalactites, and which had begun to show themselves the very 
 day after the workmen had left the j)lace. 
 
 " In the cellars I discovered similar galleries, which were 
 either half-way between the ceiling and the floor, or running 
 along the walls, and extending, no doubt, tip to the very 
 garrets, for on the principal staircase other galleries were 
 observed between the ground floor and the second floor, pass- 
 ing \mder the plaster wherever it was sufficiently thick for 
 the purpose, and only coming to view at diflerent points 
 where the stones were on the surface ; for, like other species, 
 the termites of La Rocliclle always work under cover Avhen- 
 ever it is possible for thcni to do so. It is generally only by 
 incessant vigilance that we can trace the course of their 
 devastations, and prevent their ravages. At the time of M. 
 Audouin's visit, a curious proof was accidentally obtained of
 
 KAVAGES OF WHITE ANTS. 91 
 
 the mischief which this insect silently accomplishes. One 
 day it was discovered that the archives of the department 
 were almost totally destroyed, and that Avithout the slightest 
 external trace of any damage. The termites had reached the 
 boxes in which these documents were preserved, by mining 
 the wainscoting, and they had then leisurely set to work to 
 devovir these administrative records, carefully respecting the 
 upper sheets and the margin of each leaf, so that a box which 
 was only fdled with a mass of I'ubbish, seemed to enclose a 
 file of papers in perfect ordei\ The hardest woods wei-e 
 attacked in the same manner. I saw on one of the staircases 
 an oak post, in which one of the clerks had buried his hand 
 up to the wrist, in grasping at it for support as his foot 
 accidentally slipped. The interior of the post was entii-ely 
 formed of empty cells, the substance of which could be scraped 
 away like dust, while the layer that had been left untouched 
 by the termites was not thicker than a sheet of ^laper." 
 
 Anxious to observe these creatures minutely, M. Quatre- 
 fages obtained from a friend a constant supply of them. It 
 will be readily understood that he took every precaution to 
 prevent their escaping, for had they got abroad they would 
 undoubtedly have desti'oyed the house, and in the course of 
 time, the part of the city in which it is situated. lie kept 
 these insects in a basin that was only half full, and took every 
 precaution to screen them from the light; and as his prisoners 
 were unable to scale their glassy walls, he could observe them 
 at his leisure ; and he was thus enabled to follow in detail 
 the various steps by which they transformed into a regular 
 nest the confused mass of earth and i-ubbish, in the midst of 
 which they had first been thrown. Their remarkable 
 movements he has described as follows : — 
 
 " A very few minutes after the bowl had been placed upon 
 my table, each insect endeavoured to join his companions. 
 Some attempted to climb along tlie smooth walls of their 
 prison, but after a few unsuccessful atlcmpt.s, they buried
 
 92 SOUTH AFEICA. 
 
 themselves in the midst of the earth. The entire troop was 
 soon dispersed, and I saw them divided into small groups on 
 the darkest part of the bowl. After a few hours the various 
 groups were reunited into one, and from this moment their 
 labours began and v/crc continued in common. 
 
 " The first care of the termites seemed to be to lay down 
 a sort of high-road all round the bowl, and as the materials 
 were very unequally distributed, they were obliged to clear 
 away, some parts and to fill up others. The first of these 
 tasks was easy, but the second gave them more trouble. The 
 Avorkmcn first transported a certain quantity of earth, in- 
 tended to raise the soil to the required height, and they next 
 constructed an arch above it. I saw them come one after the 
 other, each carrying between his jaws a little mass of earth, 
 Avhich he ajiplied without pausing to the projecting edge of 
 the work ; next he descended by a kind of incline which had 
 been expressly constructed for the purpose, and retin-ned 
 xiuderground by a special gallery. 
 
 " Some of these insects appeared to me to moisten the 
 materials after they had been put in their right places, v.dtli 
 a liquid which was no doubt intended to harden them. 
 During these labours, the soldiers were most evidently en- 
 gaged in playing the part of leaders and superintendents. I 
 saw one here and there, and always alone, mixing amongst 
 the labourers, but never performing any of the work. At 
 times they made a sort of tremulous motion with the whole 
 of their body, and struck the ground with their forceps, on 
 which all the neighbouring workers executed the same move- 
 ment and exhibited renewed activity. In twenty hours the 
 gallery Avas fit for use. 
 
 "It mvist be admitted, however, that the walls of the bowl 
 formed almost half of it. At the same time the earth had 
 been consolidated, and its surface smoothed, while a cork 
 which I had thrown in was half buried. I then gave them 
 three other corks, and added successively a closely compressed
 
 STRUCTURES OF WHITE ANTS. 93 
 
 paper ball and a largo ball of bread-crumbs. These different 
 materials remained precisely in the same position in which 
 they had accidentally fallen, and I thought at first that they 
 had been despised by the termites, but having after a few 
 days turned the bowl completely over, I foimd that they all 
 remained in their places, notwithstanding their weight. They 
 had, in fact, been cemented together, and I discovered after- 
 wards, on opening them, that the insects had carried their 
 galleries through them, although the work of cementing and 
 boring was not discovei-able from the exterior. 
 
 " The labours of my prisoners appeared at first to be 
 continued without any intermission, but they were relaxed 
 as soon as the great works were terminated. A few days, 
 however, suflficed for the completion of the nest, and at this 
 time the largest cork had almost entirely disappeared, whilst 
 the earth had been raised to the level of the other two. All 
 the surface of the soil was smooth, without any apparent 
 opening, and the earth, which, at the beginning of the ex- 
 periment, was as loose as fine sand, had been so well consoli- 
 dated that only a few particles were detached from it when 
 the bowl was overturned. Under this kind of crust, and at 
 the very bottom of it, there extended all around the bowl a 
 gallery of about half an inch wide and two-thirds of an inch 
 high, in the form of a semi-arch, which rested against the 
 transparent sides of the glass. Several openings issued from 
 this circular road, and gave access into low vaulted chambers, 
 large enough to contain thirty or forty workers. These 
 compartments communicated with other internal cells by 
 means of very low doors, through which five or six workers 
 could pass abreast. 
 
 " As soon as this work was completed the termites 
 remained at rest, at least during the day. I generally found 
 them grouped together iia the darkest part of the large 
 gallery, or in the adjoining compai'tments, whilst a few 
 isolated soldiers seemed occasionally to mount guaixl at the
 
 94 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 entrance of tlie empty cells ; but as soon as tlie liglit struck 
 them they manifested an intense degree of excitement. 
 Labourers and soldiers then performed the singular and 
 tremulous movement of which I have already spoken, and in 
 a few moments all had disappeared into the central apart- 
 ments, where the light could not penetrate." 
 
 A singular animal is a native of South Africa, where, in 
 some districts, it is very common, and where, from its singu- 
 lar habits, it has acquired the name of the Aardvark, or 
 Earth Hog. It is gifted with molar teeth, which are of a 
 cylindrical form, and perforated longitudinally, with an 
 infinite number of minute tubes, closely resembling those in 
 a piece of cane. Their surfice is nearly flat, and well 
 adapted for the bruising of soft insects ; the nails are hoof- 
 like, strong, and fitted to excavate the ground ; the head is 
 elongated ; the limbs are short and powerful ; the hair is 
 scanty, especially about the head, and approaches bristles 
 in its texture, being coarse and stiff; the tongue is ex- 
 tensible. The food of this animal consists exclusively of 
 the white ants, whose dome-like buildings are so numerous 
 in the places adjacent to the Oi-ange Eiver, and in other 
 localities which are thinly peopled. 
 
 The dwelling of the aardvark is a bvuTow, at a little 
 distance beneath the surface of the ground. A wagon of 
 Burchell's Avas nearly overtiu-ned by one of its wheels sinldng 
 into such an abode. During the day the creatvu-e is rarely to 
 be seen ; but as the dusk approaches it creeps forth intent on 
 its prey, and then proceeds to the ant-hills. Scratching a 
 hole with its fore feet on one side of them, it distui'bs the 
 little commvinity ; on which the ants, ininning about in con- 
 fusion, are easily di-a^Ti by its long and slender tongue into 
 its mouth. Without tusks, or any efficient teeth, this animal 
 may appear defenceless, but it is so safe in its concealment 
 that no animal is so seldom seen. It burrows for itself a 
 retreat with astonishing rapidity.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SCOTCH SETTLERS ON THEIR WAY, AND SETTLING DOWN. 
 
 Tents Pitched for the Evening — The Supper— Characteristic Groups of the 
 Rustic Camp— The Coming of Sleep— The Settler Settling— The Build- 
 ing and Furnishing of his House — Disappointments, Privations, and 
 Pleasures — The Settler's Bill of Fare — Perils of the Settlement — 
 "Mount, Mount for the Hunting " — Adventure with a Lion. 
 
 Evening having come, some families pitched theii- tents ; others, 
 more vividly impressed with the terror of snakes, scorpions, 
 tarantulas, and other noxious creatures, of which they had 
 heard or read, resolved to sleep as they had travelled — above 
 their baggage in the wagons. Meanwhile the native attendants^ 
 adopted due precautions to avert surprise from the more for- 
 midable denizens of the forest. In this part of the country 
 elephants and lions had formerly been numerous, and were still 
 occasionally, though rarely, met with. To scare away such 
 visitants two or three large fires were kindled ; and the oxen 
 were fastened by their horns to the wheels of the wagons. The 
 Dutch- African boors unslung their huge guns from the tilts 
 of the wagons, and placed them against a magnificent ever- 
 green bush, in whose shelter, with a fire at their feet, they 
 had fixed their place of repose. 
 
 Untying each, his leathern scrip, they produced their pi"0- 
 visions for supper, consisting chiefly of dried bullock's flesh, 
 which they seasoned with a moderate dram of colonial hrande- 
 wyn from a huge horn slung by each man in his wagon beside 
 his powder-flask. The slave-men and Hottentots, congregated 
 apax-t round one of the watch-fires, made their, frugal meal
 
 96 COUTH AFRICA. 
 
 witliout the brandy, but witli mucli more merriment than 
 their phlegmatic masters. At the same time the frying-pans 
 and tea-kettles of the emigrants were actively employed ; and 
 by a seasonable liberality in the beverage " which cheers but 
 not inebriates," they ingratiated themselves not a little with 
 both classes of their escort, especially with the coloured caste, 
 who prized " tea- water " as a rare and precious luxury. 
 
 The characteristic groups of this rustic camp presented 
 an amusing spectacle. The boors, most of them of almost 
 gigantic size, sat apart at their bush, in aristocratic exclusive- 
 ness, smoking their huge pipes with self-satisfied complacency. 
 Some of the graver emigrants were seated on the trunk of a 
 decayed tree, conversing in brOad Scotch on subjects con- 
 nected with their intended settlements, and on the compara- 
 tive merits of long and short-horned cattle. And the 
 livelier young men and servant lads were standing round the 
 Hottentots, observing their merry pranks, or practising with 
 them a lesson of mutual tuition in their respective dialects ; 
 while the awkward attempts at pronunciation on either side, 
 su2:»plied a constant fund of amusement. 
 
 Conversation appeared to go on with alacrity, though 
 neither party scarcely understood a syllable of the other's 
 language ; while a sly rogue of a Bushman sat beliind, mimic- 
 ing to the very life each one of the party in succession. 
 These groujjs, with all their variety of mien and attitude, 
 character, and complexion, — now dimly discovered, now 
 distinctly lighted up by the fitful blaze of the watch-fii*es, 
 the exotic aspect of the clumps of aloes and euphorbias, peep- 
 ing out amidst the surrounding jungle, in the Avan light of 
 the rising moon, seeming to the excited fancy like bands of 
 Kafl&r warriors crested with plumes and bristling with 
 assagais, together with the uncouth clucking gibberish of the 
 Hottentots and Bushmen, and their loud bursts of wild laugh- 
 ter, had altogether a very strange and striking effect, and 
 made some of tlie emigrants feel far more impressively than
 
 A CABIN- REARED. 97 
 
 tliey had Litlierto felt, that they were now indeed pilgrims in 
 the wilds of Afi-ica. 
 
 Sleep soon stole by degi'ees over the motley groups. The set- 
 tlers retii-ed to their tents or their wagons. The boors, sticking 
 their pipes in the bands of their broad-brimmed hats, v.a-apped 
 themselves in their great coats, and, fearless alike of snake or 
 scorpion, stretched their huge limbs on the bare ground. The 
 Hottentots, each one drawing himself under his sheep-skin 
 garment, lay, coiled up like so many hedgehogs, with their 
 faces to the ground and their feet to the fire. Profound 
 silence reigned over the wide expanse of wilderness, now 
 reposing under the beams of the midnight moon, only broken 
 by the deep breathing of the oxen round the wagons, and, at 
 times, by the far-off melancholy howl of the hytena, the first 
 voice of a beast of prey the settlers had heard since they 
 landed. 
 
 A settler, intending to rear a cabin, selected an open 
 grass meadow, wdth a steej) mountain behind, and a small 
 river in front, bordered by willow trees and groups of the 
 thorny acacia. It was a beautiful and secluded spot : the 
 encircling hills sprinkled over with evergreens, and the fer- 
 tile meadow-ground, clothed with rich pasture, was bounded 
 by romantic clifis, crowned with aloes and euphorbias. 
 
 Drawing a circle on the grSund of about eighteen feet in 
 diameter, he planted upright round this circle about twenty 
 tall willow-poles, digging, with an old bayonet, holes in the 
 ground, just large enough to receive their thicker ends. He 
 then planted a stouter pole exactly in the centre, and, draw- 
 ing together the tops of the others, he bound them firmly to 
 this central tree, with thongs of quagga's hide. With the 
 same ligature pliant spars or saplings were bound round the 
 circle of poles, at suitable intervals from bottom to top; and 
 thus the wicker-work frame of a cabin was completed, exactly 
 in the shape of a sugar-loaf, or bee-hive. It was then thatched 
 with reeds, the ends of the fii-st layer being let about a couple
 
 98 SOCTII AFRICA. 
 
 of iuclies into tlie earth. Spaces were left for a door and a 
 small window ; but neither fii-e-jilace nor chimney formed part 
 of the ]Aan. A convenient door to open in two halves, was 
 soon constructed of the boards of some packing-cases ; and a 
 yard of thin cotton cloth, stretched upon a wooden frame, 
 formed a suitable window. 
 
 Assisted by his Hottentot servants, the settler then pro- 
 ceeded to plaster the interior to the height of about six feet. 
 The plaster was formed of fresh cow-dung mixed with an 
 equal portion of sand. This composition is generally used in 
 the interior of the Cape Colony, as lime is scarce and expen- 
 sive, and as from the dryness of the climate, it serves every 
 ordinary purpose almost equally well. When the plaster 
 was dry, the whole was washed over with a sort of size, com- 
 posed of pipe-clay and wood ashes, diluted with milk, giving 
 the svirface a durable grayish stone colour. 
 
 The next point was to lay a dry and firm floor under foot, 
 and here the advice of a Hottentot was of service. He 
 directed a dozen or two of large ant-hillocks, of which there 
 were hundi-eds within view, to be broken up and brought 
 into the cabin, selecting those Avhich had been previously 
 pierced and sacked by the ant-eatei', and which were generally 
 destitute of inhabitants. This material, from having been 
 apparently cemented by the insect architects Avith some 
 glutinous substance, forms, when pounded and sprinkled 
 with water, a strong adhesive mortar, Avhich only requires to 
 be Avell kneaded with trampling feet for a few days, in order 
 to become a dry and compact pavement, almost as solid and 
 impenetrable as stone or brick. 
 
 In that serene and mild climate, the cabin thus reared, 
 was sufficient for shelter, but more was desired. Having 
 luckily a small assortment of carpenter's tools, and having 
 been, when a boy, particularly fond of. observing mechanics 
 at work, and amusing himself by cabinet-making on a small 
 tcale, the settler contrived, in the course of a few weeks, to
 
 THE CABIX FURXISIIED. 99 
 
 have liis cabin commodiously and com2:)letely furnished. 
 First, lie j^artitioned off' from the outer a^Dartment a small 
 bed-room, so contrived that, by drawing a curtain or two, it 
 could be lighted and ventilated at pleasure. In this he con- 
 structed a bedstead ; the frame being formed of stout poles 
 of wild olive from a neighbouring thicket, with the smooth, 
 shining bark left on them ; and the bottom to support the 
 mattress, consisting of a strong elastic net-work, made of 
 thongs of bullock's or quagga's hide interlaced. 
 
 With similar materials he made a sofa for the outer 
 apartment, which also served occasionally for a sleeping 
 couch ; together with the frame of a table — the top being of 
 yellow- wood plank ; a few forms and stools, and, lastly, an 
 arm-chair, which he considered his clief-cV oeuvre. Not one of 
 these, except the table, had the touch of a plane xipon it. 
 But they looked none the worse for that ; and the cabin and 
 its rude furniture had somewhat the aspect of a rustic sum- 
 mer-house or grotto. Books, ranged high on a frame of spars 
 over the bed- room, with a couple of firelocks slung in front, a 
 lion's and leopard's skin or two stretched along the thatch 
 above, with horns of antelopes, and other country ^oils 
 interspersed, completed the ajjpropriate decorations of this 
 African cabin. 
 
 A few huts, of a similar, but still ruder construction, 
 •were erected behind this one for the accommodation of the 
 native domestics and herdsmen, and for a store-room and 
 kitchen. When these and the folds for the flocks and herds 
 were complete, the establishment was considered finished 
 for the time. The work of inclosing, cultivating, and irrigat- 
 ing a portion of land for a garden, orchard, and corn-crops, 
 was a task requiring mvich time and labour. 
 
 " Suffice it to say," i*emarks tliis settler, " that in this 
 'lodge in the vast ■wilderness,' with no other inmates than 
 my wife, and occasionally another female relative, with only 
 simple Hottentots for servants and dependents, and in the 
 
 6
 
 100 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 midst of a wild region, haunted by beasts of prey, and oc- 
 casionally by native banditti (Bushmen and Kaffir marauders 
 fi'om the eastern frontier), I spent two years, which, though 
 clouded by some disajipointments and occasional privations, 
 were, on the whole, among the pleasantest of my life. The 
 disappointments we bore as we could ; the privations we soon 
 learned to laugh at." 
 
 The following pleasing verses are from the pen of the late 
 ]\Ir. Thomas Pringle, a settler for some years in South Africa, 
 and a poet of no mean fame, to whom many volumes on that 
 interesting country, as well as the present, are greatly in- 
 debted : — 
 
 " First, here's our broad-tailed mutton, small and fmo 
 Tlie disli on which nine days in ten we dine ; 
 Next, roasted spring-buck, spiced and larded well ; 
 A haunch of liartebeest from H3'ndhope Fell ; 
 A paaw, which beats your Norfolk turkey hollow ; 
 Korliaan, and Guinea-fowl, and pheasant follow; 
 
 ** Kid carbonadjes, « la Hottentot, 
 Broil'd on a forked twig; and peppered hot 
 With Chili-pods, a dish called Kaffir-stew ; 
 Smoked ham of Porcui>ine, and tongue of gnu. 
 This fine white household bread (of Margaret's baking) 
 Comes from an oven, too, of my own making, 
 Scoop'd from an ant-hill. Did I ask before 
 If j'ou would taste this brawn of forest boar ? 
 
 " Our fruits, I must confess, make no great show : 
 Trees, grafts, and layers must have time to grow. 
 But here's green roasted maize, and pumpkin pie. 
 And wild asparagus. Or will j'oii try 
 A slice of water-melon — fine for drouth. 
 Like sugar'd ices melting in the mouth ? 
 
 *' Eat come, lot's crowu the banquet with some wine. 
 What will you drink ? Cliampagne ? Port ? Claret ? Stein ? 
 Well, not to tease you with a thirsty jest, 
 Lo, there our onit/ vintage stands confest.
 
 MOUNT — MOUNT FOR THE HUNTING ! 101 
 
 In that lialf-finm, upon the siiigot-rack ; 
 
 And, certcf!, though it keeps the old Kaap smaaJcj 
 
 The wine is light and racj' ; so wb learn, 
 
 In laughing mood, to call it Cape Sauterne." 
 
 On another occasion we find tlie poet in a very different 
 vein, suggesting his full preparation not only for tendering 
 all the rites of hospitality, but for the peculiar perils by 
 v/hich a settlement amidst the wilds of South Africa was, 
 and is still, surrounded. Thus he speaks with a spirit and 
 energy recalling poets of illustrious name : — 
 
 " Mount — mount for the hunting — with musket and spear ! 
 Call our friends to the field, for the Lion is near! 
 Call Arend, and Ekliard, and Grocpc* to the spoor; f 
 Call Muller, and Coetzer, and Lucas Van Tuur.J 
 
 " Hide up Eildon-Clcugh, and blow loudly the bugle : 
 Call Slinger, and AUie, and Dikkop, and Dugal ; § 
 And George with tlie elephant-gun on his shoulder- 
 In a perilous pinch none is better or bolder. 
 
 " In the gorge of the glen lie the bones of my steed. 
 And the hoofs of a heifer of fatherland's breed ; 
 But mount, my brave boys ! if our rifles prove true. 
 We'll soon make the spoiler his ravages rue. 
 
 " Ho ! the Hottentot lads have discovered the tracks 
 To his den in the desert we'll follow him back ; 
 But tighten your girths, and look well to your flints, 
 Por heavy and fresh are the villain's foot-prints. 
 
 " Through the rough rocky Kloof, into gray Huntly-glen, 
 Past the wild olive-clump, where the wolf has his den, 
 By the black eagle's rock at the foot of the fell. 
 We have tracked him at length to the bulfalo's well. 
 
 • Mulatto, or Bastaard Hottentots, tenants on the lands of the Scoltish 
 settlers at Bavian's Eiver. 
 
 f Spoor, the track of an animal. 
 
 I Dutch African Boors, friends and neighbours of the Scottish settlers. 
 
 § Names of Hottentot herdsmen.
 
 102 SOUTH AFRICA, 
 
 " Now mark yonder break Avlierc the blood-liounds are howling; 
 And hark that hoarse sound — hke the deep thunder growling ; 
 'Tis his lair ! — 'tis his voice ! — from your saddles alight j 
 He's at bay in the brushwood, prejjaring for fight. 
 
 " Leave the horses behind— and be still every man ; 
 Let the IMullers and llennies advance in the van ; 
 Keep fast in your ranks ; — by the yell of yon hound. 
 The savage, I guess, will be out with a bound. 
 
 " lie comes ! the tall jungle before him loud crashing— 
 His mane bristled fiercel}', his fiery e3'es flashing ; 
 With a roar of disdain, he leaps forth in his wrath. 
 To challenge the foe that dare 'leaguer his path. 
 
 " lie couches — ay, now we'll see mischief, I dread 
 Quick — level your rifles — and aim at his head 
 Tlirust forward the spears, and unsheath every knife— 
 St. George ! he's upon us ! — Now fire, lads, for life ! 
 
 " lie's wounded — but yet he'll draw blood ere he falls— 
 Hah ! under his paw see Bezuidenhout sprawls — 
 Now, Diederik ! Christian ! right in the brain 
 Plant each man his bullet. Hurrah ! he is slain ! 
 
 " Bezuidenhout — up man ! — 'tis onl}' a scratch — 
 (You were always a scamp, and have met with your match !) 
 "What a glorious lion ! — what sinews — what claws — 
 And seven feet ten from the rump to the jaws ! 
 
 " His hide, with the paws, and the bones of his skull, 
 AVith the spoils of the leopard and buffalo bull. 
 We'll send to Sir "Walter. — Now, boys, let us dine, 
 And talk of our deeds o'er a flask of old wine." * 
 
 An adventure of this kind Mr. Pringle has thus miuutely 
 and gi-aphically described : — 
 
 " One night, a lion, that had previously purloined a few 
 
 * Tlie skin of this lion, after behij; rudely tanned by tlie Hottentots, 
 was, together with the skull, transmitted to Sir Walter Scott, by Mr. 
 Priufrle, as a testimony of grateful regard from some of his countrymen in 
 Soulli Africa, and these trophies were subsequently ornaments of the 
 poet's antique armoury at Abbotsford.
 
 A LION HUNT. 103 
 
 slieep out of my kraal, came down and killed my riding 
 horse, about a hundred yards from the door of my cabin. 
 Knowing that the lion, when he does not carry off his prey, 
 usually conceals himself in the vicinity, and is very apt to be 
 dangerous, by prowling about the place in search of more 
 game, I resolved to have liiui destroyed or dislodged without 
 delay. I therefore sent a messenger round the location, to 
 invite all who were willing to assist in the enterprise to 
 repair to the place of rendezvous as speedily as possible. In 
 an hour, every man of the party (with the exception of two 
 pluckless fellows who were kept at home by the women), 
 appeared ready mounted and armed. We were also reinforced 
 by about a dozen of the ' Bastaard,' or Mulatto Hottentots, 
 who resided at that time upon our territory, as tenants or 
 herdsmen, — an active and enterprising, though rather an 
 unsteady, race of men. Our friends, the Tarka boors, many 
 of whom are excellent lion-hunters, were all too far distant 
 to assist us, — our nearest neighbours residing at least twenty 
 miles from the location. We were, therefore, on account of 
 ^our own inexperience, obliged to make our Hottentots the 
 leaders of the chase. 
 
 " The first point was to track the lion to his covert. This 
 was effected by a few of the Hottentots on foot. Commencing 
 from the spot where the horse was killed, they followed 
 the sjjoor throvigh grass, and gravel, and brushwood, with 
 astonishing ease and dexterity, where an inexperienced eye 
 could discern neither footprint nor mark of any kind, — • 
 until, at length, we fairly tracked him into a large bosch, or 
 straggling thicket of brusliwood and evergreens, about a mile 
 distant. 
 
 "The next object was to drive him out of his retreat, in 
 order to attack him in close phalanx, and with more safety 
 and effect. The appi-oved mode in such cases is to torment 
 him with dogs, till he abandons his covert, and stands at bay 
 in the open plain. The whole band of hunters then march
 
 104 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 forward together, and fire deliberately, one by one. If he 
 does not speedily fall, but grows angry and turns npon his 
 enemies, they must then stand close in a circle, and turn 
 their horse's rear outward, — some holding them fast by the 
 bridles, while the others kneel to take a steady aim at the 
 lion as he approaches, sometimes up to the very horse's heels, 
 couching every now and then, as if to measure the distance 
 and strength of his enemies. This is the moment to shoot 
 him fairly in the forehead, or some other mortal part. If 
 they continue to wound him ineffectually, till he Avaxes 
 furious and desperate, or if the horses, startled by his terrific 
 roar, grow frantic with terror, and burst loose, the business 
 becomes rather serious, and may'cnd in mischief, especially if 
 all the party are not men of courage, coolness, and experience. 
 The frontier boors are, however, generally such excellent 
 marksmen, and withal so cool and deliberate, that they seldom 
 fail to shoot him dead, as soon as they get within a fair 
 distance. 
 
 "In the present instance, we did not manage matters 
 quite so scientifically. The Bastaards, after recounting to us 
 all these and other sage laws of lion-hunting, were themselves 
 the first to depart from them. Finding that the few indif- 
 ferent hounds we had, made little impression on the enemy, 
 they divided themselves into two or three parties, and rode 
 round the jungle, firing into the spot Avliere the dogs were 
 barking round him, but without effect. At Icngtli, after 
 some hours spent in thus beating about the bush, the Scottish 
 blood of some of my countrymen began to get impatient, and 
 three of them announced their determination to mar-ch in 
 and beard the lion in his den, provided three of the Bastaards, 
 who were s\iperior marksmen, would support them, and foUoAv 
 lip their fire, should the enemy venture to give battle, 
 
 " Accordingly, in they went (in spite of the v^-arnings of 
 some more prudent men among us) to Avithin fifteen or twenty 
 paces of the spot where the animal lay concealed. lie was
 
 THE niT. 105 
 
 couclicd among the roots of a large evergreen bush, with a 
 small space of open ground on one side of it ; and they 
 fancied on approaching, that they Saw him distinctly lying 
 glaring at them fi-oin under the foliage. Charging the 
 Bastaards to stand firm and level fair, should then ™iss, the 
 Scottish champions let fly together, and struck — not the lion, 
 as it afterwards proved, but a great block of red stone, 
 beyond which he was actually lying. Whether any of the 
 shot grazed him is uncertain, but, with no other warning 
 than a furious growl, forth he bolted from the bush. 
 
 "The pusillanimous Bastaards, in place of now pouring 
 in their volley upon him, instantly turned, and fled hclter 
 skelter, leaving him to do his pleasure on the defenceless 
 Scots, who, with empty guns, were tumbling over each other, 
 in their hurry to escape the clutch of the rampant savage. 
 In a twinkling he was ujion them ; and, with one stroke 
 of his paw, dashed the nearest to the gi-ound. The scene 
 was terrific ! There stood the lion, with his foot on his 
 prostrate foe, looking round in conscioxis power and pride 
 XTpon the band of his assailants, and with a port the most 
 noble and imposing that can be conceived. It was the most 
 macfnificent thins: I ever witnessed. The danger of our 
 friends, lioweA'er, rendered it at the moment too terrible to 
 enjoy either the grand or the ludicrous part of the picture. 
 
 " We expected, every instant, to see one or more of them 
 torn in pieces ; nor, though the rest of the party were 
 standing within fifty paces, with their guns cocked and 
 levelled, durst we fire for their assistance. One was lying 
 under the lion's paw, and the others scrambling towards us 
 in such a W9,y, as to intercept our aim at him. All this 
 jiassed more*rapidly than I have described it. But luckily 
 the lion, after steadily surveying us for a few seconds, seemed 
 willing to be quits with us on lair terms ; and, with a fortu- 
 nate forbeai'ance (for which he met with but an ungrateful 
 recompense), turned calndy away, and driving the snarling
 
 106 SOUTH AFKICA. 
 
 dogs like rats from among his heels, hounded over the ad- 
 joining thicket, like a cat over a footstool, clearing brakes 
 and bushes, twelve or fifteen feet high, as readily as if they 
 had been tufts of grass, and, abandoning the jungle, retreated 
 towards the mountains. 
 
 "After ascertaining the state of onr rescued comrade 
 (who, foi'tunately, had sustained no other injury than a slight 
 scratch on the back, and a severe bruise iu the ribs, from the 
 force with which the animal dashed him to the ground), we 
 resumed the chase, Avith Hottentots and hounds at full cry. 
 In a short time we came up again with the enemy, and found 
 him standing at bay, under an old mimosa tree, by the side of 
 a mountain stream, which we had distinguished by the name 
 of Douglas "Water. The dogs were barking round, but afraid 
 to approach him ; for ho was now beginning to growl fiercely, 
 and to brandisli his tail in a manner that showed he was 
 meditating mischief The Hottentots, by taking a circuit 
 between him and the mountain, crossed the stream, and took 
 a position on the top of a precipice, overlooking the spot 
 where he stood. Another party of us occupied a position on 
 the other side of the glen ; and, jjlacing the poor Uon thus be- 
 tween two fires, which confined his attention, and prevented 
 his retreat, we kept battering away at him till he fell, unable 
 again to grapple with us, pierced with many wounds. 
 
 " He proved to be a full-gro\vn lion of the yellow variety, 
 about five or six years of age. He measured nearly twelve 
 feet from the nose to the tip of the tail His fore-leg below 
 the knee was so thick that I could not span it "with both 
 hands ; and his neck, breast, and limbs, appeared, when the 
 skin was taken off, a complete congeries of sinews."
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE CAPE BUFFALO. 
 
 Appearance of this Animal — Its Great Ferocity — Its Rage when wounded — 
 Dangers of Hunting the Buffalo — Remarkable Courage and Dexterity 
 of the Hottentots in the Chase — A Troop of Buffaloes hunted by a 
 Party of Boors— A Yarn of an Old Hunter— A Buffalo liills a British 
 Officer. 
 
 The Cape buffalo does not exceed tlie ordinary ox in height, 
 but is much more massively built, and is a far more ponderous 
 animal, with short, thick limbs, and a dense hide nearly des- 
 titute of hair. It is a native of the wilds of Southern 
 Africa, where, associated in herds, it frequents the borders of 
 Avoods and thickets, and the watered ravines and glens among 
 the hilly grounds. It is fond of wallowing in the pools and 
 swamps, and in the muddy ooze, covering its hide with 
 defensive clothing against the attacks of insects. The horns 
 of this species form at their base a solid rugged mass, coveiing 
 the forehead, from which they bend downwards, and some- 
 what outwards, gradually diminishing to the points, which 
 suddenly cuiwe upwards. The distance between the points 
 of the horns is frequently five feet, but the massive base of 
 each is in contact, forming an impenetrable helmet. Theix* 
 colour is black. With these formidable weapons, the Cape 
 buiFalo has been known instantaneously to transfix a horse, 
 lift him up, and hurl him with crushing violence to the ground. 
 The eye of this animal is savage and lowering, and indicates 
 great ferocity; the ears are large, and generally observed to 
 be torn, either from combats among the animals themselves, 
 or from being lacerated with spines and thorns, as they force 
 their way through the dense thickets.
 
 108 SOUTH AFPJCA. 
 
 When the Cape buflfulo is wounded, he ploughs up the 
 ground Avith his horns, scattering the turf and stones on all 
 ■sides, and rushes through the thickets and up the rugged 
 sides of the steep ascent -with astonishing energy. Often, 
 v>'lien urged by revenge, instead of escaping, he returns sud- 
 denly to the attack, and appears in the midst of his assailants, 
 one or more of Avhom often fall victims to Ms rage : he gores 
 them, tramples upon them, and presses upon them his whole 
 weight, as if to glut liis revenge ; bellowing, meanwhile, with 
 mingled i^ain and fiuy, until some well-aimed buUet lays 
 him prostrate on the earth. Old solitary buUs are at all 
 times dangerous, and will attack any intruder, even if unas- 
 sailed. 
 
 The Cape buffalo is, at all times, a dangerous animal to 
 hunt ; as, when wounded or closely pressed, he will not 
 unfrequently turn and run do-svn his pursuer, v/hose only 
 chance of escape, if he be a colonist or European, is in the 
 swiftness of his steed. The Hottentot, light and agile, and 
 dexterous in plunging, like an antelope, through the intrica- 
 cies of an entangled forest, generally prefers following this 
 game on foot. Like all piu'suits, when the spirit of enterprise 
 is highly excited by some admixture of perilous adventure, 
 buffalo hunting is passionately followed by those who once 
 devote themselves to it. Nor do the perilous accidents that 
 occasionally happen, appear to make any deep impression 
 upon those who witness them. The consequence is, that the 
 buffalo is now nearly extirpated throughout every part of the 
 Cape Colony, except in the large forests or jungles, where, 
 together with the elej^hant, he still finds a precarious 
 skelter. 
 
 On one occasion, a jiarty of boors had gone out to hunt a 
 troop of buffiiloes, wliich were gi-azing in a piece of mai-shy 
 gx-ound, interspersed with groves of yellow wood and mimosa 
 trees. As they could not conveniently get within shot of 
 the game without crossing part of the marsh, which did not
 
 nUNTIXG THE BUFFALO. 109 
 
 afford a safe passage for horses, tliey agi*eed to leave their 
 steeds iu charge of their Hottentot servants, and to advance 
 on foot, thinking that if any of the buifaloes should turn 
 upon them, it would be easy to escape by retreating across 
 the quagmire, which, though passable for man, would not 
 support the weight of a heavy quadruped. 
 
 They advanced accordingly, and, imdcr cover of the 
 bushes, approached the game with such advantage that the 
 first volley brought down three of the fattest of the herd, 
 and so severely wounded the great bull leader, that he dropped 
 on his knees, bellowing with pain. The foremost of the 
 huntsmen, thinking him mortally wounded, issued from the 
 covert, and began reloading his musket as he advanced to 
 give him a finishing shot. But no sooner did the infuriated 
 animal see his foe in front of him, than he S2:)rang up, and 
 rushed headlong upon him. The man, throwing down his 
 empty gun, fled towards the quagmire ; but the angry beast 
 was so close upon him that he despaired of escaping in that 
 direction, and turning suddenly round a clump of copse-wood, 
 began to climb an old mimosa tree vdiich stood at the one 
 side of it. The buffalo was, however, too quick for him. 
 Bounding forward with a most frightful roar, he caught the 
 unfortunate man with his horns, just as he had nearly 
 escaped his reach, and tossed him in the air with such force, 
 that the body fell, dreadfully mangled, into a lofty cleft of the 
 tree. The buffalo ran round the tree once or twice, ap- 
 parently looking for the man, until, weakened by the loss of 
 blood, he again sank on his knees. The rest of the party 
 then, recovering from their constei'uation, came up, and 
 despatched the buffalo, but too late to save their comrade, 
 whose body was hanging in the tree quite dcaJ. 
 
 A yarn of an old hunter is thus given by Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Napier : — 
 
 " Well, gentlemen, you must know that old dozy 
 there and myself got a fortnight's leave, to have a little
 
 110 SOUTH AFFvICA. 
 
 ' gunning,' and stole away quietly witli a couple of Totties 
 (Hottentots) to a favourite sporting haunt of his, wliere we 
 bivouacked for the night. The next morning before dawn> 
 my friend took me to a ' vley,' occasionally, as he said, at 
 that time of the year frequented by a strong herd of buffaloes, 
 and judging from tha footmarks, some had evidently been 
 drinking there during the night. 
 
 "We put the Totties on their trail, and 'spoored' them 
 up rapidly, as long as the dew was on the grass, till we 
 tracked them into the thick bush. Here the spoor continued 
 clear enough, it was all plain sailing ; and JMr. Claas, our 
 head Tottie hunter, confidently pronounced the herd to 
 consist of five head, and that one of the lot was a lai'ge bull. 
 The trail, which we had now followed some three or four 
 hours with scarcely a check, took us at last over a bare, 
 rocky, diy, and open space of ground, where we soon became 
 comjjletely at fault. However, lea^dng a handkerchief on 
 the spot uj) to which we fancied we had brought the spoor, 
 we made several broadcasts to the right and left, when at 
 last Claas succeeded in hitting it off again ; and, from its 
 appearance, thought the herd must have passed fully an hour 
 before. 
 
 " Well, to make short of a long business, v.^ e toiled on, 
 under a burning sun, the greater part of the day; till, 
 emerging from a kloof near some wooded clumj)s, on a 
 marshy rise, covered with grass, the footmarks became mixed 
 — a sure sign, as you know, of the animals being in search of 
 a place of rest. We therefore dismounted, secured our horses 
 among the bushes of the kloof; and, taking every necessary 
 precaution as to the direction of the wind, crept cautiously 
 forward, at some distance apart. I had taken a sweep to the 
 right ; and, whilst passing behind a cluster of tall under- 
 wood, which, for a moment, hid my companion, I heard the 
 Bharp report of his double-barrelled riilc. 
 
 " At this instant, on clearing the intervening space, as the
 
 THE BUFFALO WOUNDED. Ill 
 
 smoke drifted away, I belield liim ci-oucliiiig on his knee, liis 
 rifle half raised, with the blade of a long hunting-knife 
 firmly clenched between his teeth. Whilst, charging down 
 upon him, and when within twenty yards, furiously rushed an 
 enormous bull buffalo, tail on end, and his head — garnished 
 with at least six-foot horns — close to the ground. Next 
 second, as he appeared in the very act of being ground to 
 atoms, and amalgamated v/ith his mother earth (for the 
 brute was now within a yard of the spot where he knelt) 
 the second barrel was discharged ; his legs flew up with a 
 summersault into the air, while the infuriated monster 
 apparently missing his mark, passed over him, and dashed 
 headlong through the opposite thicket in the direction of our 
 horses, which, breaking loose in their alarm, wildly scampered 
 away across the open slope of the liill. 
 
 "All this, which happened within a few yards of where 
 I stood, was apparently the work of a second. I immediately 
 started up to see what part of our friend remained, attached 
 to his exalted legs, when, to my infinite surprise, he got up 
 unscathed, and staring around, asked where the brute had 
 vanished, ' For,' added he, ' I am sure that my last shot hit 
 him between the eyes.' With regard to the latter assertion, 
 I must confess, I entei-tained many doubts on that subject. ' 
 
 " The first object was to recover our nags, which took us 
 fully a couple of hours to effect, when we returned to the 
 scene of adventure, for the purj^ose of obtaining, if possible, 
 tidings of the buffalo." 
 
 It was soon evident that one of the shots had told. A 
 mass of clotted gore, and what seemed a portion of the brain, 
 adhered to a branch of a dense bush against which the 
 enraged animal had madly rushed. Leaving, therefore, the 
 horses under charge of one of the Hottentots, they cautiously 
 pursued through the bush the bloody traces of the wounded 
 buffalo, which at every step became moi'c evident. 
 
 Silently following Claas, they had not proceeded a quarter
 
 112 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 of a, mile, before he suddenly came to a stand-still, listened 
 attentively for a second, and put his ear to the ground ; then, 
 with an expressive gesture, directing them to crouch down 
 and remain where they were, he, Avithout uttering a sound, 
 crept forward like a snake, amid the entangled underwood of 
 thorny briars. On his return, he stated, in a scai-cely audible 
 whisper, that he had discovered the carcase of the buffalo, 
 which was being cut up by ten or twelve Kaffirs. Of this 
 they soon had evidence. In an open space, surrounded by 
 thick jungle, lay the remains of the mighty slain, already 
 disembowelled and partly cut up. Some were carving off 
 with their spears long strips of flesh ; others were biisily 
 preparing fires for the approaching feast ; whilst a solitary 
 vulture, soaring far above, and reduced by the great distance 
 to a mere motionless speck, appeared also to wait his share 
 in the entertainment. 
 
 In one hunt, a British officer who was pursued by a 
 wounded buffalo, took refuge amidst the branches of a low, 
 stunted tree. The infuriated animal, though unable to 
 reach him with its horns, effectually used its tongue as a 
 weapon of offence, with whose rough, grating surface — by 
 licking the legs and thighs of the unfoi'tunate sufferer — it so 
 completely denuded them of flesh, that although at last 
 rescued from so dreadful a situation by some Hottentot 
 attendants, who shot his tormentor, the colonel only lingered 
 on for a few days, when he died in the most excruciating 
 agonies.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE GREAT KARROO. 
 
 Ori^n of the Word Karroo — "Afar in the Desert " — Discovery of Ostriclis 
 Nests — Singular Mode of carrying away their Eggs — Instincts of the 
 Ostrich — Ostricli Hunting a Profitable Pursuit — Bushmen disguised 
 as Ostriches — Amusing Adventure of. a Hottentot — A Kight passed in 
 the Desert, amidst the Prowlings of Lions and Hyasnas. 
 
 The word Karroo, in the Hottentot language, signifies an 
 arid desert, and is specially applied to the great wilderness, 
 extending between the Zwartzbergen, or Black Mountains, 
 on the one side, and the Nieuwveld and Sneeuwberg ridge on 
 the other. This plain is about three hundred miles in 
 length, and about eighty in breadth. With the exception of 
 a few straggling spots around its skirts, sup^jlied with perma- 
 nent springs from the adjoining mountains, the Karroo is only 
 fit for human residence a few weeks in the year, — after the 
 fall of the periodical, or rather the occasional rains, for some- 
 times more than one season intervenes without them. Its 
 principal inhabitants are therefore the wild game, especially 
 spring-bucks, and the beasts of l^i'cy who accompany them; 
 and who, as the water and pasturage fail in one quarter, 
 migrate to another. 
 
 It is to this Mr. Pringle alludes in one piarfc of his poem 
 " Afar in the Desert : " 
 
 "Afar ill the desert I love to ride, 
 "With the silent busli-boy alone by my side. 
 O'er the brown Karroo, when the bleating cry 
 Of the spring-buck's fawn sounds plaintively ; 
 "Where the zebra wantonly tosses bis mane
 
 114 SOUTH AITJCA. 
 
 As lie scours wi'Ji bis troop o'er the desolate plain: 
 
 And the timorous quagga's whistling neigh 
 
 Is heard b}- the fountain at fall of day ; 
 
 And the fleet-footed ostrich over the waste 
 
 Speeds like a horseman who travels in haste. 
 
 Flying away to the home of her nest. 
 
 Far hid from the piteous plunderer's view, 
 
 In the pathless depths of the parched Karroo. 
 
 Afar in the desert I love to ride, 
 
 With the silent hush -hoy alone by my side ; 
 
 Away — away — in the wilderness vast. 
 
 Where the white man's foot hath never passed. 
 
 And the quivered Coranna or Bechuan 
 
 Hath rarely crossed with his roving clan : 
 
 A requiem of emptineis, howling and drear, 
 
 "Which man hath abandoned from famine and fear ; 
 
 Where grass, nor herb, nor shrub takes root. 
 
 Save poisonous thorns that pierce the foot ; 
 
 And the bitter melon, for food and drink. 
 
 Is the pilgrim's fare by the salt-lake's brink; 
 
 A region of drought, where no river glides. 
 
 Nor rippling brook with osiered sides ; 
 
 Where reed}'' pool, nor palm-girt fountain. 
 
 Nor shady tree, nor cloud-capt mountain. 
 
 Is found to i-efresh the aching eye ; 
 
 Eut the barren earth and the burning skj% 
 
 And the blank horizon, round and round. 
 
 Without a break — without a bound. 
 
 Spread — void of living sight or sound. 
 
 And here while the night-winds round me sigh. 
 
 And the stars burn bright in the midnight sky. 
 
 As I sit apart by the desert stone, 
 
 Like Elijah at Horeb's cave alone, 
 
 'A still small voice' comes through the wild — 
 
 Like a father consoling his fretful child — 
 
 Which banishes bitterness, wrath, and fear — • 
 
 Saying — ' Man is distant, but God is near.' " 
 
 Mr. Burcliell relates tliat in passing over a plain he dis- 
 covered an ostrich's nest, consisting of a bare concavity 
 scratched in the sand, six feet in diameter, surrounded by a
 
 OSTRICHES. 115 
 
 trencli equally shallow, and without the smallest trace of any 
 materials, such as grass, leaves, or sticks, to give it a resem- 
 blance to the nests of other birds. Within this hollow, and 
 quite exposed, lay twenty-five gigantic eggs, and in the 
 trench were more, intended, as the Hottentots informed him, 
 as the first food of the twenty-five young ones. Those in the 
 hollow, he remarks, being designed for incubation, may often 
 be found useless to the traveller, but the others on the out- 
 side will often be found fit for eating. In the present case 
 the whole number were good. 
 
 Near a brackish fountain, about the middle of the karroo, 
 called " Rhinoceros Fountain," where some travellers unyoked 
 their wagons for part of a day, their Hottentot attendants 
 discovered two ostrich nests. In the one all the eggs had 
 been broken, apparently by the birds themselves — such being 
 their practice on finding their nests discovered. In the 
 other nest were twenty-five fine fresh eggs, which the Hot- 
 tentots took to the wagons by a curious mode of conveyance. 
 Pulling oft" their leathern trowsers, they tied them tight at 
 the lower extremities, and then, filling the two legs with the 
 eggs, slung them over their shoulders ; and in this plight, 
 without'any notion of indecorum, presented themselves with 
 good-humoured smiles at the wagon, claiming as their reward 
 an extra allowance of tobacco — a claim duly allowed. 
 
 Their strange device appears not to have been original. 
 Two of Burchell's attendants, who, in the pui'suit of game, 
 had deviated frora the wagon-road, fell in with an ostrich's 
 nest, containing within it seventeen eggs, and round the out- 
 side nine more. This being a greater number than they 
 knew how to carry, and yet not enduring the idea of leaving 
 any behind, they at last hit on a strange expedient : they 
 took off their shirts, and by tying them up at bottom, con- 
 verted them into bags. But these not holding more than 
 half their number, their trowsers were next stripped off, and, 
 in the same manner, the bottom of each leg being closed, they
 
 116 SOUTH AFRICA, 
 
 also were crammed full of eggs, and being then secured at 
 the waistband, were placed on their shoulders. The handker- 
 chief which they wore X"ouud the head, was taken to supply 
 the place of trowscrs. Nothing could be more grotesque 
 than the figure they cut, with the trowsers then sitting on 
 their shoulders, and their heads just peeping out between 
 the legs which projected before them. 
 
 The male ostrich of South Africa usually associates to 
 himself from two to six females. The hens lay all their eggs 
 together in one nest ; this being merely a shallow cavity 
 scraped in the grovind, of such dimensions as to be con- 
 veniently covered by one of these gigantic birds in incubation. 
 An ingenious device is employed to save space, and give at 
 the same time to all the eggs their due share of warmth. 
 The eggs are made to stand each with the narrow end on 
 the l^ottom of the nest, and the broad end upwards ; and the 
 earth Avhich has been scraped ovit to form the cavity, is em- 
 ployed to confine the outer circle and to keep the whole in 
 a proper position. The hens relieve each other in the office 
 of incubation during the day, and the male takes his turn at 
 night, when his superior strength is required to protect the 
 eggs, or the new-fledged young, from the jackals, tiger-cats, 
 and other enemies. Some of these animals, it is said, are 
 not i;nfrcquently found lying dead near the nest, destroyed 
 by a stroke of the foot of this powerful bird. 
 
 Some of the colonists on the skirts of the Great Karroo 
 and other remote districts, make the pursuit of the ostrich 
 one of their princii)al and most profitable amusements. The 
 beautiful white feathers, so highly prized in Europe, are found 
 only in the tail of the male bird. In the market of Graham's 
 Town, South Africa, the average value of ostrich feathers was 
 five i^ounds per pound ; and two hundred pounds of them 
 wore often imported by one trader, Mr. Hume, with two 
 thousand pounds of ivory, average value 3s. 6d., besides 
 numerous native curiosities, and upwai'ds of two hundred 
 native carosses.
 
 DISGUISE OF BUSIIMEX. 117 
 
 Sir J. E. Alexander, observing two liglit frames covered 
 witli gray and black ostrich feathers, on a tree, asked some 
 Bushmen what they Avere. The reply was, " With these we 
 disguise ourselves as ostriches, and thus get near the kaop (a 
 remarkable species of antelope) to shoot it, as we do the 
 ostrich, with poisoned arrows." 
 
 A present of tobacco induced one of the party to put on 
 the disguise. He placed one of the feather fi-ames on his 
 shoulders, and secured it about his neck. Then taking from 
 a bush the head and neck of an ostrich, through which a 
 stick was thrust, he went out a little way from the huts, with 
 a bow and arrows in his left hand. Pretending to approach 
 a kaop, he pecked at the tops of the bushes in the manner of 
 an ostrich, and occasionally rubbed the head against the false 
 body, as that bird does ever and anon, to get rid of flies. At 
 a little distance, and sideways, the general appearance oi the 
 Bushman was like that of the ostrich ; but a front view be- 
 trayed the whole human body. In this way approaching 
 sufficiently near to the kaop, which, of course, has nothing to 
 dread from its feathered companion of the plains, the Bush- 
 man slips the ostrich head between his neck and the frame, 
 and cautiously taking aim, discharges his arrows, and makes 
 the deceived kaop his prey. 
 
 A Hottentot, at Jackal's Fountain, on the skirts of the 
 Great Karroo, had a remarkable adventure. He was sleeping 
 a few yards from his master, according to the habit of the 
 people, wrapped up in his sheep-skin caross, with his face to 
 the ground. A lion came softly up, and seizing him by the 
 thick folds of his greasy mantle, began to trot away, counting 
 securely, no doubt, on a savoury and satisfactory meal. But 
 the Hottentot, on awaking, though sufficiently astonished, 
 was quite unhurt, contrived slowly to \\y.'iggle himself out of 
 his caross, and scrambled off, leaving the lion walking simply 
 away with the empty garment. 
 
 ]Mr. Thompson and his Hottentot guide, Frederick, 
 arrived at a fountain in the desert, where they and their
 
 118 SOUTH AFItlCA. 
 
 horses qiienclied tlieir raging tliirst. Thus refreshed, they 
 pushed on, and about four in the afternoon obtained a distant 
 view of Cradock Eivcr, but remote from the course it was 
 necessary to keep. They continued to observe numerous 
 traces of lions, and began to look forward, with some anxiety, 
 for a place of rest during the night. In passing down a 
 valley, they came on a chain of deej) pits dug right across it, 
 and adroitly concealed by reeds slightly strewed over with 
 sand. Happily some of them had been recently broken down, 
 otherwise they would most likely have fallen into them, and 
 been impaled on the sharp stakes fixed in their centres. 
 These are the conti-ivances of the Bushmen or Corannas, to 
 entrap the larger game. 
 
 Soon afterwards they fell in with another fountain ; but 
 as there was no wood near, they were forced reluctantly to 
 proceed, after filling with water one of Mr. Thompson's 
 bottles, out of which he poured the brandy to make room for 
 it. Their situation now began to be veiy unpleasant. No 
 wood was to be seen as far as the eye could reach ; and with- 
 out a fire they would run imminent risk of losing their horses 
 in the night by the hyrenas and lions ; and might not 
 improbably fall a i)rey themselves. 
 
 Galloping on in this anxioiis mood, the sun seemed descend- 
 ing with unusual sj)eed. Not a bush appeared over the 
 naked surface of the desert. At length, just as the day was 
 closing, and the sun already sunk below the horizon, they 
 reached a rising ground, and discovered close at hand a clump 
 of camel-thorn trees, a species of mimosa, with beautiful 
 branching top, spreading like an umbrella. No time was 
 now to be lost. The horses were hastily knee-haltered — that 
 is, tied neck and knee, to prevent tlieir i-unning off — and 
 turned to graze till the night closed in, while Mr. Thompson 
 and the Hottentots eagerly set about cutting wood to make 
 fires for their protection. 
 
 Having chosen their resting-place under a camel-thorn,
 
 NIGHT BY A V/ATCII-FIIIE. 119 
 
 they lighted one huge fire there, and others at a little dis- 
 tance on their flanks, front, and rear. " I then began," Kays 
 Mr. Thompson, "to feel somewhat more comfortable; and ovei'- 
 hauling our wallet, we found a small piece of coarse bread and 
 sausage remaining, which Frederick and I divided. With 
 this short allowance, a glass of brandy, and a grateful draught 
 from the bottle of water which I had pn-ovidently brought 
 from the last fountain, I made my breakfast, dinner, and 
 supper all at once, with a good apj)etite. 
 
 "Our horses, which we had tied up within a few yards 
 of us, seemed to enjoy our company, lying down with the 
 greatest confidence near our fire. Poor animals! v/e had 
 ridden them above fifty miles this day, and as far on each 
 of the two preceding, so that they stood in great need of 
 rest ; and during the journey they had seldom an oppor- 
 tunity of feeding. 
 
 " The ground here I found covered with nitrous particles, 
 like a hoar-frost. Such a couch is considered, I believe, rather 
 dangerous to sleep tipon. In India, as I have heard, it often 
 proves fatal to the weary traveller, lying down never more 
 to rise. The soil was also sprinkled with the seed of a plant 
 covered with prickles, making it very unpleasant to sit or lie 
 down. These seeds are jocularly called by the colonists 
 duhheltjes — twopenny pieces, ilaking my bed as comfortable 
 as circumstances admitted, I wrapped myself in my great 
 coat, with my saddle as usual for my pillow, and my loaded 
 gun by my side. We knew pi'etty well that the fi.res were 
 sufficient to scare off the lions, but we had some fears of the 
 crafty hytena attempting a snatch at our horses. Nor were 
 we altogether without apprehension of the Bushmen, some of 
 whose traces we had seen during the day. 
 
 *' As I lay thus beside our watch-fire, I could not avoid 
 some sombre reflections upon my present forlorn predica- 
 ment, uncertain of our route, and surrounded by savage 
 hordes, and ravenous beasts of prey. The flashing of our
 
 120 SOUTH AFEICA. 
 
 fires only added to the gloominess of tlie scene, making tlie 
 heavens appear a vault of pitchy darkness ; nor was there any 
 kind moon to cheer our solitude. Thus ruminating, I un- 
 consciously gave utterance to my feelings — lamenting the 
 uncertainty of our situation, and how unfortunate it was that 
 we did not know our road better. 
 
 "This stung poor Frederick, who, with much emotion, 
 exclaimed, ' Oh that I had wings like a bird, that I might 
 fly and bring from the landdrost a better guide than I have 
 been!' Finding him in this disconsolate mood, which was 
 not unmixed with fear for his own safety, I changed the 
 subject, spoke to him cheerfully, and committing my safety 
 to Providence, I turned myself to sleep. After enjojdug a 
 couple of hours' refreshing repose, I was awakened by the 
 shrieking of the jackals. I rose and replenished the fires 
 with fresh fuel, and after smoking a cigar, again addressed 
 myself to sleep. Frederick expressed his surprise at my 
 composure in falling asleej) in such a hazardous position. 
 For his part, poor fellow ! he was too much alarmed to sleep, 
 and comforted himself by smoking away the principal part of 
 the night — a pipe being the Hottentot's usual solace iu all 
 his distresses, 
 
 " We hailed the first dawn of morning with no common 
 pleasure, and with feelings of thankfulness for our safe pre- 
 servation during the dreary watches of the night. On looking 
 round our station we perceived, by the fresh ti-aces of lions 
 and hyaenas, that numbers of these ferocious animals had 
 Tjeen prowling round within two hundred yards of us during 
 the darkness, being evidently prevented solely by our watch- 
 fires from making a supper of ui"
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 
 
 The "Wandering Colonist — Wild jMouiitaiu Pass and Beautiful Valley — 
 Singular Mode of Watering Oxen— Remarkable Cataract — Oxen in 
 Travelling — Stoppage of Wagons — Trees, Shrubs, and Flowers — Sand- 
 storms and Tornadoes — Kemarkable Caverns — Surprise and Terror of a 
 Hottentot Guitle — A Night in the Rain — A Night in Savage Solitudes — 
 Astonishment and Alarms of Natives — Story-telling — A Traveller 
 plundered by Bushmen. 
 
 A WRITER in the South African Journal describes the love of 
 travel displayed by many a wanderer over the colony of the 
 Cape, in the following amusing verses : — 
 
 "Let Englishmen boast of the speed of their steam, 
 And despise the dull life that we drag on ; 
 Give me my long roer,* my horse, and my team, 
 And a well-seasoned tight bullock wagon. 
 
 " Through Africa's wild deserts expanding to view, 
 I'm there ever ready to fag on : 
 Who's more independent, the Trekboerf or you. 
 As he slowly moves on with his wagon ? 
 
 " The race to the swift isn't always secure, 
 
 Nor the fight to the strong, who may brag on ; 
 The ' Tortoise and Ilare,' though a fable, I'm sure. 
 Has a moral that points to my wagon. 
 
 '' Full two miles an hour, do not call this dull life, 
 'Tis a pace I'm contented to lag on ; 
 For I bear independence, my children, my wife. 
 In my castlCj my home, in my wagon. 
 
 Ilpavy gun of great calibre. f Trek means wagon.
 
 122 SOUTU AFRICA. 
 
 " Should the wenther bo hot, to forms I'm unbound, 
 I may wander v\'ith scarcely a rag on ; 
 In light marching order I'm oft to be found, 
 ' Al fresco/ at ease in my wagon. 
 
 ." If venison is wanted, no license I ask ; 
 
 Quick, presto ! j'Ou'U find me my nag on ; 
 At eve I return, 'tis no difficult task, 
 
 "With a spring-buck, or gnu, to my wagon. 
 
 " If butter I lack, I have milk at my beck. 
 My churn is a goodly-sized flagon ; 
 'Tis worked without labour whenever I trek, 
 Eeing tied to the wheel of my wagon. 
 
 "From the smouch* I obtain coffee, sugar, and tea; 
 As for raiment I scarce want a rag on ; 
 Then tell me, whose more independent than he — 
 The Trekboer confined to his wagon ? 
 
 "From Kaffir, or Bushman, no insult I brook; 
 If they steal — they will find me a dragon ; 
 So long as they're civil they get a kind look. 
 And share what I've got in my wagon. 
 
 " But my vengeance is quick as the Englishman's steam. 
 And gives them few minutes to brag on ; 
 What matters palaver ! — I not only seem. 
 But prove that I'm king in my wagon." 
 
 Circvinistances altogether peculiar to South Africa, occur 
 to the traveller, to a few of wliich wq shall now allude. 
 
 About fifty miles from Cape Town stands the valley of 
 the Fransche-Hoek, originally a settlement of French Hugo- 
 nots, but latterly the inhabitants have been Dutch. 
 
 Near the valley is a ravine called the Fransche-Hoek 
 Ivloof,t one of the passes through the mountain barrier, that 
 
 • Trader. 
 
 f In the country round the Cape, kloof generally means a pass among the 
 hills and mountains ; in Albany, a deep- wooded hollow, frequently the retreat 
 of savage animals.
 
 A EAVIKE, 123 
 
 must be crossed at some point in order to penetrate into tlie 
 intex'ior of tlie conntr3^ The road, tliougli it is nearly seven 
 miles in length, ascending from the near gorge that opens 
 into tlie valley, gradually to tlie summit, and descending on 
 tlie other side in tlio same manner ; and in botli cases run- 
 ning along the face of one of the steep mountains which form 
 the boundaries of the ravine. 
 
 This road was made with great labour : many parts are 
 cut out of the solid rock, whose high gray crags tower above 
 it ; while a jDarapet wall only separates the travellers from a 
 precipice, in whose shadowy depth a stream winds its way 
 far below, through the rocky defile — so low tliat even its roar, 
 when the torrents pour down the steep sides of the ravine, 
 swelling the brown rush of its turbid v/atcrs, cannot be 
 heard. 
 
 "I have been," says Mr. Cowper Rose, "among higher 
 mountains than those of this wild pass ; but, under some 
 elFects of light and shade, I know not that I ever saw a 
 scene more gloomily impressive. 
 
 " I have ridden through it when the sun stood high in 
 the heavens, and I looked around for shelter from its tremend- 
 ous power; when objects seem to waver Ijefore the eyes in the 
 bright and sultry stillness, and my horse, with drooping 
 ears, and feeble step and frequent halt, slowly and jjainfully 
 toiled up the steeji ascent; while all nature, animate and 
 inanimate, seemed to yield to the scorching influence ; when 
 the stunted shrubs and geraniums that clothe the face of the 
 mountain were parched, and the various proteas that shoot 
 out from the fissures of the rocks were twisted and wreathed 
 into strange fantastic forms, and black as from the eifects of 
 fire. 
 
 " I have ridden through it when the sun was declining, 
 and one side of the ravine was in gloom, and threw its broad 
 deep shadow over the hollow ; and where it contracted, and 
 the high barriers approached each other, it was strange to 
 
 7
 
 124 SOUTH AFHICiV. 
 
 mark tlie mimic resemblance of cliff and pinnacled crags traced 
 in cold gray shade ujoon the side, whose summits yet shone 
 in the golden light of evening. It was like the dim chillness 
 of age contrasted with the fairy colouring of youth. Th6 
 only living thing I saw was of a nature to add to the stern 
 solitary character of the scene — a vulture, which, in turning 
 a projection of the rock, I startled from its feast : it rose 
 slowly from the carcase, spreading its broad gray wings, and 
 swept over me with a rushing sound, sailing up the i-avine, 
 and disappearing in the deep misty blue of the perspective. 
 
 " The valley of the French Hoek is a beautiful and culti- 
 vated amphitheatre, surrounded by mountains — not of one 
 prevailing form, which is so common, but as various as the 
 clouds that rest iipon them. IMany are clothed at their bases, 
 and half-way up their sides with richest verdm-e, which sud- 
 denly ceasing gives place to high gray native cliff's ; others are 
 wholly bare, except in their shadowy recesses, where the 
 forest trees find shelter and nourishment. 
 
 " The valley has many windings, which, during a week's 
 stay that I made with some friends, it was my amusement to 
 penetrate, — into deep hollows or low grounds, in winter 
 flooded, but in the summer covei-ed with the most luxuriant 
 vegetation, with bulbous plants, rare heaths, and bright 
 geraniums, through which my horse with difficulty made his 
 way, startling as we went the fairy sugar birds, that appear to 
 derive their brilliant colours from the blossoms they feed on. 
 
 " Then I would trace some mountain river to its source 
 having, in the attempt, fi-equently to ci'oss the calm, cool, 
 transparent water, and to break my way thi'ough its banks, 
 fringed vntli high reeds, and shaded with bended willows. 
 In following the course of the stream, I have been much 
 struck with the contrasts exhibited within a distance of a few 
 hundred yards. In one part, the banks are rich with 
 various greens, in glowing orange and yellow tints, in light 
 creepers, which the waters touch, as they ripple by through
 
 WATEIUKG OXEN. 125 
 
 tlieir leafy and blossomy covert. Go but a slioi't mile, and 
 the scene is changed, and all around bears tlie stamp of cold 
 decay and death. The barkless trunks of the trees are of a 
 pale gray hue, withered, sun-scorched, and lifeless — the skele- 
 tons of what they were ; and the river, that everywhere else 
 brings gladness and nourishment, here gloomily wanders 
 through a scene that is beyond its power — a scene over which 
 the fiery breath of desolation seems to have passed, and leaf, 
 and tree, and blossom, to have fallen beneath its blasting 
 influence," 
 
 The following is a singular mode of watering the oxen on 
 a journey, as witnessed by a traveller. A well, dug through 
 a chalk rock, about nineteen feet deep, had water at the 
 bottom. In the midst of this one man was standing, another 
 stood on the almost perpendicular sides, about six feet above 
 him, his feet resting in holes cut out of the rock ; and about 
 six feet above him stood a third man. 
 
 Looking down into the well, the three almost appeared as 
 if standing on one another's shoulders. The lowest man 
 filled a large wooden dish with water-, which he handed to the 
 man above him, and he to the other, who emptied it into a 
 little pool, made near the mouth of the well, to which the 
 oxen had access, after which the dish was retiirned to the 
 man at the bottom. The quickness with which it went 
 down and up was sui'prising, — perhaps three times a minute. 
 
 Though this employed a great part of the day, they could 
 not afibrd a full draught to each ox once in the twenty-four 
 hours. They admitted four oxen at a time to drink at the 
 little pool ; the first time the ox lifted his head from the 
 water, he was considered as having had a sufiicient quantity, 
 and was not permitted to pnt it down again, but was instantly 
 driven away with sticks. About twenty oxen were brovight 
 near the well at a time, where they impatiently waited to take 
 their turn ; when these had drunk, they walked off to make 
 room for the rest. *
 
 126 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 Colonel Napier describes himself as travelling considerable 
 distances, on many consecutive days, mounted on one of the 
 little hax'dy horses of the country, with a Hottentot Cape 
 Corps Orderly as a guide, while another led the sumpter- 
 horse, carrying a small waterproof patrole tent, and a change 
 of linen, together with a few provisions. 
 
 " In this mannei"," lie says, " on one occasion did we 
 accomplish the earlier part of our 'trek.' The sun now rides 
 high in the bright unclouded heavens. The Hottentots look 
 anxiously round for the well-known ' vlei,' a pool of water, 
 generally speaking, formed by the rain. But, alas ! on 
 reaching the long-expected spot, instead of the wished-for 
 •water, rippling under the breeze, nought presents itself to our 
 aching sight save a brown, cracked surface of dr-y hardened, 
 mud ! 
 
 " The panting steeds have already gone over some twenty 
 or thirty miles of ground ; heavy flanks and drooping heads 
 now bear witness to their toil. Mr. Jacob (for our faithful 
 esquire still rejoiceth in that patriarchal name) looks 
 anxiously aboiit, scratches his woolly head, and appears fairly 
 at his wit's end. ' Farley,' the Cape Coi'ps Orderly, proposes 
 to off-saddle, and try on our nags the effect of half an hour's 
 graze. Although they refuse to feed, they instantly roll on 
 the grass, and apjjear thence to imbibe renewed spirit and 
 vigour. ' Saddle up ' is now the word. "VVe are again on 
 horseback ; but, ere we can raise a canter, the spur is sadly 
 in request ; and Mr. Jacob's horse begins to show increasing 
 and unequivocal symptoms of distress ; he is, in fact, dead 
 beat ; and, stumbling at every step, at last falls on his nose. 
 Jacob shoots over his head, but is on his legs again in a 
 second. 
 
 "'Is the double barrel smashed*?' 
 
 " 'jSTo, sar; but horse can never carry me more far ; and 
 pack-horse getting shut up, too.' 
 
 *' ' Youmust then justwalk, and drive them on before you.' '*
 
 FLOCKS OF AXTELOPES. 127 
 
 An emigrant who resided for a time in tlio interior of 
 Cape Colony, has described a journey he made through some 
 very striking sccneiy. His first day's journey, a distance oi 
 al)0ut sixty-five miles, lay through a rugged and mountainous 
 country, near the Lauks of the great Fish Ptiver. On the 
 second day, accompanied by a friend, at whose house he had 
 stopped the preceding night, he pursued his journey on horse- 
 back, guided by a Hottentot servant, over extensive arid 
 plains, and undulating heights, clothed with a brown and 
 scanty herbage, and sprinkled over with numerous herds of 
 spring-bucks. As the traveller galloped on, these beautiful 
 animals bounded off continually on either side, with the light 
 and sportive velocity from which they derive their colonial 
 appellation. Beasts of px'ey, especially lions, are usually found 
 in the vicinity of the.-e migrating svvarms of game, but on 
 this occasion nothing more formidable was encountered than 
 two or three melancholy jackals, and a solitary skulkii\g 
 hyaena. 
 
 After passing the flocks of antelopes, the coiintry became 
 still more waste and dreary, and the noon-day sun flamed 
 fiercely down from a cloudless firmament. The monotonous 
 landscape extended around far and v/ide, enlivened only now 
 and then by a few of the larger fowls of the country, wheeling 
 high overhead in the blue sky, the secretary bird walking about 
 with its long feathered legs like black pantaloons, searching 
 for its favourite prey, the snakes which infest the "dry-parched 
 land," and the stately paauio^ a species of bustard about twice 
 the size of a turkey, and esteemed the richest flavoured of all 
 the African feathered game. These, and one or two solitary 
 ostriches in the distance, were the only living creatures seen, 
 after the sight was lost of the playful spring-bucks, save and 
 except the numerous lizards, gi-een, brown, and speckled, which 
 lay basking on almost every stone and ant-hill that dotted the 
 sultry waste. The country here was wholly parched up and 
 desolate, and consequently deserted both by the smaller birds
 
 128 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 and by liei-bivorous animals. The deep and melanclioly 
 ■silence was vmbroken, save by the travellers' voices and the 
 soiind of their horses' feet: even the hum of the wild bee and 
 the chirring of the grasshopper were unheard. 
 
 At length, after a toilsome ride of about sixty miles, dur- 
 ing the latter half of which they had not found a single 
 fountain or pool, or running brook to assuage their burning 
 thirst, they reached, about sunset, the hovel of an African 
 boor, on the side of a river that oozed cool and limpid from 
 a savage-looking chasm of the rugged Zureberg; the mountain 
 towering overhead in pi'ecipitous ci'ags, which echoed to the 
 pastoral bleating of the folded flocks, and the loud barking of 
 twenty or thirty watch-dogs. Here they were received with 
 all the hospitality which the inhabitants of a wigwam con- 
 structed of a few poles and reeds could exercise. They 
 supped on mutton and potatoes dressed with honey, and 
 slept on a mat of rushes stretched on the clay floor, covered 
 by a blanket of tanned lainb-skin with the wool on it. ■ 
 4ft. iSText morning at an early hour they left this hospitable 
 but comfortless " lodge in the lone Avilderness," and ascended 
 the first ridge of the Zureberg, by a steep and i-ugged foot- 
 path, worn by the boor's cattle when driven to the upland 
 pastures. On reaching the summit, which at this place is 
 probably not more than 1,500 feet aboA-e the level of the 
 plain just crossed, they looked back, ancl beheld the steep 
 front of the Boschberg mountains, stretching like a huge 
 irregular rampart across the horizon about sixty miles behind ; 
 while farther to the north-east, the loftier mountains near the 
 Kafiir frontier, the Cataberg, the Dideina, the Luhori, and the 
 giant Winterberg, appeared, one behind the other, towering, 
 distinct and well-defined, in the clear blue sky, at the distance 
 of seventy, eighty, and a hundred miles. The atmosphere in 
 this climate is generally so dry and free from va})0urs, that 
 large objects are seen distinctly at a very great distance, and 
 therefore often appear to European eyes much nearer than
 
 NARROW GLEXS. 129 
 
 tliey really sxre. From the summit of the Winterberg, which 
 is one of the loftiest peaks in this part of Africa (probably 
 about G,00() feet) a traveller has clearly seen the top of a moun- 
 tain near TJitenhage, at the amazing distance of 150 miles as 
 the croAV flies — a foct he would scarcely have thought possible 
 had the testimony of his own eyes not been corroborated by 
 that of an engineer officer who was with Iuqi, and who was 
 familiar with eveiy point in the intervening country. 
 
 Turning their faces to the southward, the travellers 
 continued their journey across the successive ridges of the 
 Zureberg, which extended before them nearly on the same 
 level, but intersected by deej) ravines, whose broken and stony 
 declivities detained and wearied them exceedingly. The 
 summits of the ridges were often almost flat, and covered 
 with long, coarse, wiry grass, of the sort called sour in the 
 colony, being of such an acidulent quality that sheep and 
 cattle will not eat it without great reluctance, nor can they 
 be safely fed on it without frequent changes to more whole- 
 some and nutritious pasturage. From this cause the narrow 
 glens of this range, though sufficiently v/ell watered, are 
 almost wholly uninhabited. In a tract of about twenty miles 
 only one farm-house came into view. Even the larger wild 
 game are somewhat scarce on these elevated pastures ; but 
 this is probably nmch more owing to the incessant pursuit of 
 the huntsman than their aversion to the coarse herbage. 
 
 Unprofitable as these Alpine wastes appear, they have 
 yet their uses, and their featvires of attraction. They serve 
 to collect the clouds which feed the fountains and streams 
 that water the adjacent plains and valleys, without which 
 the country would be altogether a desert. They are still 
 partially frequented by several species of beautiful wild 
 animals, and in former years must have been so to a much 
 greater extent. Three kinds of partridge, and a variety of 
 smaller birds, frequent the tracts of long, lank grass. On 
 the few straggling trees Vv^hich grow here and there, by tho
 
 130 SOUTH AFRiaV. 
 
 margins of the broolcs in tlie deep aud silent glens, appear 
 tlie pendulous nests of the loxia and Aveaver-bird ; and 
 several species of falcons are seen hovering over head, or 
 shooting from cliff to cliif across the valleys. Even the 
 barren tabular summits are frequently covered for an extent 
 of many acres "wdth a profusion of tall lileaccous flowers, 
 "which, in spring-time, cover the whole ground with their 
 rich blue or scarlet blossoms. The region, therefore, how- 
 ever unprofitable for the occupation of civilised man, is not 
 without its appro2:)riate inhabitants, nor devoid of iitility and 
 beauty in beneficent ai'rangements of creation where no- 
 thing, not even the sterile desert or naked rock, is placed 
 without design, or left utterly unproductive. 
 
 The aspect of this mountain scenery, and the obvious 
 similarity of the countiy generally, in climate and pro- 
 ductions, to ancient Palestine, may well suggest to the 
 mind of the traveller the follo"\ving portions of that sublime 
 sacred poem, the 104th Psalm : — 
 
 " He sendetli the springs into the valleys, which run 
 among the hills. 
 
 " They give drink to every beast of the field : the wild 
 asses quench their thirst. 
 
 " By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habi- 
 tation, which sing among the branches. 
 
 " He watereth the hills from his chambers : the earth is 
 satisfied with the fruit of thy works. 
 
 " The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats (antelo2oes ?) ; 
 and the rocks for the conies. 
 
 " The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their 
 meat from God. 
 
 " O Lord, how manifold are thy works ! in wisdom hast 
 thou made them all : the earth is full of thy riches." 
 
 As the travellers pursued their journey, the mountains 
 before them became more lofty and desolate, and the rugged 
 path, where there was any, more intricate and difficult.
 
 EXTRAORDINARY PROSPECT. 131 
 
 Often Avere they forced to alight and to lead their horses, 
 or di'ive them before them, through the narrow defiles and 
 along the dangerous brink of pi-ecipitous declivities. De- 
 scending the gorge of a rocky ravine, they then penetrated, 
 as it were, throiigh the bowels of the mountain, following 
 the windings of a narrow, but verdant glen, adorned with 
 occasional clumps of copae-wood and forest trees, and en- 
 livened by a brawling rivulet, the principal source, it was 
 believed, of the White Eiver. 
 
 At length this little stream entered a far wider chasm 
 among the rocks, where the foot of man or beast might no 
 further accompany it, and they were forced again to ascend 
 the mountain ridge. Here an extraordinary prospect awaited 
 them, of which no description in words or writing can convey 
 an adequate idea. On the left a wild and billowy chaos of 
 naked mountain.s, rocks, precipices, and yawning abysses, that 
 looked as if hurled together by some prodigious convulsion 
 of nature, appalled and bewildered the imagination. Let the 
 mind conceive, if it can, a boundless congeries of gigantic 
 crags, or rather the eternal hills themselves, thus tumul- 
 tiiously iiptorn and heaved together, with all the veins and 
 strata of their deep foundations disrupted, bent, and twisted 
 into a thousand fantastic shapes ; while, over their savage 
 declivities and deep-sunk dells, a dark, impenetrable forest 
 spreads its shaggy skirts, and adds to the whole a character 
 of still more wild and impressive sublimity. Such was the 
 scene no$^ presented to the eye. 
 
 Yet this was only the foreground of the landscajDe. In 
 front, and on either hand, extended, as far as the eye could 
 reach, the immense forest jungle which stretches from the 
 Zureberg even to the sea-coast at the mouth of the Bushman's 
 River. Through the bosom of this jungle might be distinctly 
 traced the winding course of the Suwday River, like the path 
 of some mythological dragon — not from the sight of its 
 waters, l)ut from tlio luio of its light green willow trees.
 
 132 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 "wliicli gi'OAV along its margin. Beyond, and far to tlie south, 
 at the distance of sixty miles, appeared the Indian ocean 
 and the bleak shores of Algoa Bay. To the right and west 
 were the Bietberg mountains and the fantastic peaks of the 
 Winter-lioek. Nearer them, but hidden among the lower 
 hills, and siirrounded by dense forests, lay the Moravian settle- 
 ment of Enon ; but it was far beneath ; for, on this side of 
 the Zureberg, the low country is on a level much inferior to 
 the plains on the northern side, and the front of the moun- 
 tain was proportionably more imposing. 
 
 These rugged ravines and that far-stretched forest are still 
 the haunts of many herds of elephants and bullaloes ; and, 
 in spite of the ardour with which they are pursued both by 
 boors and Hottentots (with whom the hunting of the larger 
 game is not merely a spoi't, but a passion), it does not seem 
 probable that they will be speedily extinguished ; for, not to 
 mention the enormous extent of the jungle already described 
 — probably averaging seventy or eighty miles in length by 
 thirty or forty in breadth — the chief part of it consists of 
 evergreens and succulent plants, such as milk-wood, spek- 
 boom, and eujihorbias from fifteen to forty feet high, which 
 cannot be burned do\vn, and which assuredly will never be 
 rooted up by human industry, since the soil from aridity is 
 tmfit for cultivation. 
 
 After contemplating for a long while this scene of savage 
 magnificence, the travellers descended the long declivities of 
 the mountains, and entered the verge of the forest which 
 spreads half way up its skirts. They entered at the head of 
 a glen by a path that well accorded with the other features 
 of the landscape. It was an alley made by the elephants 
 when they issued fortli from their syh-an recesses, as they 
 occasionally are wont, to amuse themselves upon the 
 mountain side. It was about six feet wide and arched over 
 like a summer alcove ; for the elephant, forcing his Avay 
 through the thickets, tramples down or breaks off the larger
 
 THE ELEPHANT A PIONEER. 133 
 
 branches that obstruct his passage, while the lighter and 
 loftier, yielding to the pressure of his huge body, meet agaiii 
 like a Gothic arch when the naonarch and his troop have 
 passed through. 
 
 These animals march always in single file on such occa- 
 sions ; and a pathway, when once broken out, is soon ti'odden 
 by them as bare, if not so regular as a gravel walk. In- 
 deed, but for the services of the elejihant as a pioneer, these 
 dense and thorny forests, choked up with underwood, and 
 interlaced with ro2:)e-like creepers, would be in most places 
 utterly impenetrable ; and, even with this assistance, it re- 
 quires some exertion and adroitness to f()rce a passage 
 through them. In many places limbs of trees half broken 
 off, and large bushes torn up by the roots, obstruct the pas- 
 sage, and one is every moment in danger of sharing the fate 
 of Absalom from the numerous boughs that hang across the 
 path. One of these, as he bent under it on his horse's mane, 
 has actually caught and pulled a traveller oif the saddle. 
 
 In many i)laces, too, several of these paths converge or 
 cross each other, so precisely similar in appearance that, 
 without an experienced guide, one is almost sure of losing 
 his way ; and even although the jii'esent travellers had a 
 Hottentot guide (and the memory and adroitness of this i-ace 
 in such cases is most admirable), yet they lost their road 
 notwithstanding, and got entangled among the thickets and 
 gullies of one of these savage ravines. As they toiled and 
 struggled through the sultry labyrinths of the forest, they 
 were not without some apprehension at the idea of being 
 obliged to pass a night in it — not from any anxiety about 
 shelter, for they had occasionally slept pleasantly enough in 
 that fine climate, " under the greenwood bough," — but be- 
 ca\ise they were aware that the elephants and buflalocs, 
 whose fresh traces they saw everywhere around them, are 
 peculiarly dangerous in the night. The elephant, indeed, 
 seeks not for man as his enemv, but, if he accidentally
 
 134 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 encounters him, is apt to show him little reverence. The 
 buffalo is scarcely less dangerous ; the rhinoceros is also 
 found in this vicinity ; and leopards and hyajnas are 
 numerous. At length they threaded their way out of the 
 forest, and reached, before the night closed in, the place to 
 which they were destined — the valley of the White River. 
 
 This valley lies at the bottom of the Zureberg mountains, 
 which rise on this side to an elevation of about 3,000 feet 
 above the level of the subjacent country. The declivities of 
 the mountain, and the whole of the subsidiai-y hills which 
 encompass this glen, are covered with the clustering forest 
 jungle already jlescribed ; but the banks of the stream are 
 comparatively level and open, and covered throughout their 
 whole extent with luxuriant pastures of sweet grass. The 
 Avhole length of the vale may be altogether, probably, 
 about ten or twelve miles from the spot where the little 
 river emerges abruptly from the savage mountains to where 
 it joins the Sunday River. 
 
 The scenery of the upper part of the dell is much the 
 most striking and picturesque. Accompanying the course 
 of the stream, as it meanders through the grassy meadows, 
 there appear, on the right, lofty hills covered with woods of 
 evergreens, and broken by kloofs, or subsidiaiy dells, filled 
 with large forest timber. On the left the hills are lower, 
 but also covered with co})se-wood, and in many places 
 diversified by rocks and cliffs of deep red, and other lively 
 colours, overhanging the green pastures, or the deejj pools 
 which the river leaves here and there as it bends from side 
 to side. The valley, winding among these woody hills, 
 spreads out occasionally to a considerable breadth ; and then 
 again, the hills converging, appear to close it in entirely 
 with huge masses of rock and forest. At every turn the 
 outline of the hill varies, presenting new points of picturesque 
 scenery ; while, scattered carelessly through the meadow, or 
 l»ending peacefully over the river margin, appear little
 
 THE WILD, THE GRAND, THE BEAUTIFUL. 135 
 
 clumps of ev^ergreens, willows, and acacias ; and sometimes 
 groves of lofty forest trees (cliicfly yellow-wood or Capo 
 cedar) enrich the vale with a stately beauty not always to 
 bo mot with in a South African landscape. 
 
 This combination of the wild, the grand, and the beautiful 
 is heightened in its imposing eflect by the exotic appearance 
 of the vegetation : the lofty candelabra-shaped euphorbias 
 towering above the copses of evergreens ; the aloes clustering 
 along the summits or precipitous fronts of the weather- 
 stained rocks ; the spekboom, food for the elephant, con- 
 spicuous everywhere amidst the mass of _foliage, with its 
 light green leaves and lilac blossoms ; the more elegant- 
 shai^ed mimosa, with its yellow-tufted flowers, diffusing a 
 faint scent of the primrose ; the baboon's ladder, wild vine^ 
 and other parasitical plants and creepers that climb among 
 the crags, and festoon in grotesque exuberance the branches 
 of the loftiest trees, intermingled Avith clustering jessamines 
 and superb geraniums. These, and a thousand other shrubs 
 and Howers, of which only a few are knoAvn to our green- 
 houses, cover the barren rocks, and fill up the interstices of 
 the forest jungle. 
 
 The meadows, too, or savannahs, along the river banks, 
 are brilliantly embellished, at least in the sj)ring and early 
 summer, with the large purple flowers of a species of 
 amaryllis, which has a very splendid appearance. As it 
 was now the autumn of the southern hemisphere, the vale 
 was thickly overspread with a small, white, delicate flower, 
 somewhat resembling the snow-drop. The river itself is but 
 a large mountain torrent, bursting down, after heavy rains, 
 in floods which swamp over a great part of the level meadows 
 above described, and which fling up, in their violence, im- 
 mense quantities of large rolled stones and gravel into 
 banks, through which the stream, Avhen diminished by the 
 summer heats, filtrates silently and unperceived. The cur- 
 rent, however, even in the greatest drought.s, is never entirely
 
 136 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 interrupted, tliongli sometimes invisible ; .but always fills tlie 
 large pools, or natural tanks wMcb spi'ead out like little 
 lakelets along its channel, and wliich its temporary floods 
 serve to sweep and purify. The waters of this stream, though 
 perfectly sweet and salubrious, have a certain opaque and 
 milky appearance, from a mineral solution which they bring 
 down from the mountains, and from which the stream ob- 
 tains its name of Witte Eivier, or White "Water. 
 
 On approaching the Sunday River, the en\drons of the 
 White Water gi-adually lose their more striking and distinctiA'e 
 features, and at length merge themselves into the dreamy 
 and monotonous stormy wilderness which extends, with little 
 variation, from the Zureberg to the sea-coast. 
 
 A forest gi-ows in a narrow glen or kloofs running up be- 
 tween the subsidiaiy ridges abutting from the Zureberg, and 
 was accessible only by a narrow wagon path cut tlu'ough 
 the thickets from the White River valley. It was choked 
 up, as the woods of South Africa generally are, by a rank 
 exviberance of undergrowth and creepers, to such a degree 
 as to appear quite impenetrable until a path had been 
 opened into its recesses by the axe. 
 
 Among other parasitical plants, the baboon's rope pro- 
 tiiided itself in all directions in a wdld web of tangled vege- 
 tation. Climbing, like ivy, the trunks of the loftier trees, it 
 coiled its snake-like creepers along the branches, stretched 
 them, from tree to tree like the cordage of a ship, or flung 
 them dangling in the air like ladders of ropes — fitting lad- 
 ders for the monkeys which inhabit these woods, and from 
 which adaptation the plant derives its colonial name. This 
 plant is sometimes called the wild vine, from its berries re- 
 sembling clusters of purple grapes ; and in summer, when it 
 is in bearing, these clusters have a very tempting and beauti- 
 ful appearance, hanging in rich festoons in the bosom of the 
 wild woods ; but though wholesome, tlu..s fruit is too acidu- 
 lent to be eaten in any quantity, unless when freed from the
 
 THE RED ALDER. — THE ACACIA, 137 
 
 stone, and sweetened with sugar as a conserve, as it is found 
 qccasionally in tlie houses of colonists. 
 
 The clumps of forest, comprising a great variety of fine 
 large wood, are scattered throughout the vast jungle along 
 the whole southern front of the Zureberg mountains ; but 
 the best timber is frequently inaccessible from the position 
 in which it grows in the i-ecesses of rugged ravines, or on 
 the steep front of dangerous precipices. Such situations 
 appear favourable in this climate to the growth of large 
 ti'ees, owing to the more abundant moisture which the 
 porous crevices of the rocks convey to the roots, and the 
 mists that roll over the summits of the foliage. At this 
 particular spot, however, a sufficient supply of timber grew 
 on tolerably level ground, where it could be readily cut and 
 dra^vn out with oxen. The most common species was a tree 
 greatly resembling the cedar in its general aspect, but be- 
 longing to a quite diflferent genus, termed by the colonists 
 gcelhout, or yellow wood. 
 
 A handsome tree grows wild in the damp rocky places, 
 with fine shining green foliage, contrasted by numerous 
 dense, elongated bunches of small milk-white flowers, and 
 twigs of a red coloiii'. Its colonial name means the Red 
 Alder, althoiigh the tree has no resemblance to the alder of 
 Europe ; but the wagon-makers say there is some similarity 
 in the wood. The name of the former was derived probably 
 from the two trees growing in similar situations. The Cape 
 acacia is often met with. The name of acacia is correctly 
 applicable to this tree, because of its great affinity to the tree 
 acacia of -the ancients, or gum-arabic tree of Egypt. It is 
 ^very different from that which in England is commonly, 
 but improperly called acacia. Innumerable straight white 
 thorns, from two to four inches long, cover every bi'anch and 
 twig ; and the foliage is so fine and thin as to afibrd a 
 remarkable example of a tree furnished with a profusion of 
 leaves beinc: neither dense nor umbrageous. Thc.'c tAvo
 
 138 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 generally grow in a sandy soil, on the banks of rivers, along 
 tlie dry beds of periodical streams, or in hollow spots that 
 receive water in the rainy season. 
 
 On the branches of the acacias large lumps of very good 
 clear gum may be frequently observed. Wherever the trees 
 have been wounded by the hatchets of the people, there, 
 most commonly, the gum exudes. What a quantity of this 
 substance might be obtained from these trees only, which 
 line the banks of the Orange River and its branches, 
 amounting to a line of vrood, reckoning both sides, of more 
 than 2,000 miles ! Yet to the acacias of this river may be 
 added the myriads which crowd almost every river in extra- 
 trojjical Southern Africa. 
 
 The Baobab is a tree of enormous size and noble appear- 
 ance. Its trunk, which is scarcely ever known to exceed 
 fifteen feet in heiglit, often measures no less than eighty feet 
 in circumference. The lower branches, which are adorned 
 with tufts of leaves, extend from its sides horizontally, and, 
 bending by their great weight towards the earth, form a 
 ^ass of verdure no less astonishing in size than beautiful 
 in ap23earance. The circumference of a fuU-groAvn tree, 
 measuring the circle which siirrounds the branches, is said 
 to be as much, in some cases, as 450 feet ; when of this size, 
 its bulk is so enormous that, at a distance, it bears a greater 
 resemblance to an overgrown forest than a single tree. 
 
 The blossoms are as gigantic in proj)ortion as the tree 
 which bears them. The fruit differs greatly in its shape. 
 Sometimes it is found of an oblong form, pointed at both 
 ends ; at other times it is said to be perfectly globular ; and 
 it often bears a shape which is batween the tv.^o. In its size 
 it differs as considerably as it does in shape. It is covered 
 Avith a green rind or skin, which, however, as it dries, be- 
 comes of a dark fawn colour, and often assumes a deep 
 brown. It is very prettily mai-ked and ornamented with 
 rays, and is suspended from the tree by a stalk, the length
 
 THE EED LEAF. — THE OAK. 139 
 
 of "which is nearly two feet. The fruit, when broken, ex- 
 hibits to the eye a spongy substance of a pale chocolate 
 colour, containing mvich juice. The bark of the tree is nearly 
 an inch in thickness, of an ash-coloured gray, greasy to the 
 touch, and very smooth ; the exterior is adorned Avith a 
 description of varnish ; while the inside is of a brilliant 
 green, beautifully speckled with bright red. The wood itself 
 is wliite, and very soft and penetrable. 
 
 A large tree, of picturesque growth and thin foliage, is 
 called by the Hottentots Red Leaf, on account of the beauti- 
 ful ciimson colour which the leaves assume at the season of 
 fading ; in which circumstance it remarkably agrees with the 
 Indian Almond, a well-known tree of the same genus. It 
 grows to the height of forty -feet, with several crooked 
 spreading trunks, from one to two feet in diameter, covered 
 with a smooth white or pale greenish bark. 
 
 The oak, transplanted from Europe — where it is nearly 
 the last tree of the forest which assumes its vernal garb — is 
 almost the earliest to be covered with foliage in South Africa. 
 These tall, wide-spreading oaks, however, have not the appear- 
 ance of strength or the gnarled tortuous branches with which 
 England is familiar ; for they droop, as if unable to suppoi't 
 the weight of their foliage and the hanging nests, around 
 which their yellow inmates are twittering. That clump of 
 tall, thin, graceful stems, gradually and beautifully diminish- 
 ing, covered with light flexible branches, thinner even than the 
 slender willow-like leaves with which they are covered, 
 glancing in every ray of light, and quivering in every breeze 
 — that is the bamboo. There stands the orange ti'ee, where 
 the fruit and the blossom mingle ; the lemon, the plum, the 
 pomegranate, the peach, the almond; while that thinly-leaved 
 tree should not be despised, nor its black shrivelled fruit — for 
 it is the fig — which, it is said, is only eaten in perfection in the 
 morning, when it has not been touched by the sun. The 
 long regular lines of stumps, in winter bare and black, and
 
 140 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 in summer tliickly covered witli leaves and purple clusters, 
 are vines. 
 
 Mr. Galton, in one of his expeditions, emerged on a plain, 
 everywliere covered with thin grass, and studded over with 
 stunted thorn trees. The Hakis, or Fish-hook thorn, as the 
 Dutch call it, begins to grow at Tsobis ; but the land more to 
 the westward is too barren to give even sustenance to that; 
 and from this poiut to the borders of Ovamjio-land, the 
 traveller has to tear his way through its cruel and tangled 
 branches. 
 
 Not a tree grows that does not bear thorns, and there are 
 very few in which the thorns are not hooked ; and their 
 sharpness and strength are such as to throw a most serious 
 difficulty in the way of' exploring, especially as, when 
 travelling with a wagon, the oxen will not face them, and iu 
 difficult parts it is often quite impossible to get through the 
 bushes, round to the struggling and fighting oxen. Cruel as 
 the Hakis thorn is, there is yet another and much more 
 severe opponent in a smaller, but sharper and stronger thorn. 
 Mr. Galton has often tried the strength of all these with a 
 spring weighing machine, by tying a loop of sti'ing to one 
 end of it, which he hooked round the thorn, and then steadily 
 pulled at the other end till the thorn gave way, m'arking the 
 number of pounds' resistance that the scale indicated at the 
 moment when the thorn broke. The Hakis thorn stood a 
 pull of four or five pounds, and the other one about seven, 
 but often much more, and on one occasion he registered a 
 strain of twenty-four pounds. Now, as several of these 
 thorns generally lay hold of the traveller's clothes or person 
 at once, it may easily be conceived the cruel laceration they 
 cause. 
 
 Mr. Burcliell, on meeting, for the first time, Avitli a 
 thorny bush about five feet high, wished to cut some 
 specimens of it, which the Hottentots observing, warned 
 him that if he did not take great care, he was sure to be
 
 THE RIIINOCErxOS BUSH. 141 
 
 catiglit in its branches. " In consequence of this advice," he 
 says, " I proceeded with the i;tmost caiition, but, with all my 
 care, a small thoi'n caught hold of my sleeve. While thinking 
 to disengage it quietly with the other hand, both arms were 
 seized by these rapacious thorns; and the more I tried to 
 extricate myself, the more entangled I became ; till at last it 
 seized hold of my hat also ; and convinced me that there 
 was no possibility for me to free myself, but by main force? 
 and at the expense of tearing all my clothes. I therefore 
 called out for help, and two of my men came and released 
 me by cutting o&' the branches by which I was held." 
 
 The rliinoceros bush burns while green as freely as the 
 driest fuel; whole plants thro^vn into the fire blaze up in an 
 instant, the larger stems giving a very strong heat and flame. 
 The wood called Assagai-hout, of which the Kaflirs most 
 commonly make the shafts of their assagais, possesses the 
 valuable property of extreme toughness. The pole of a 
 wagon bent to an angle of about 150°, exhibited scarcely 
 any transverse fracture, but appeared split into a number of 
 longitudinal sjilinters, which still held the two jiarts strongly 
 together. 
 
 One of the commonest of Cape heaths grows luxuriantly, 
 and is covered with a profusion of pink flowers. The Cape 
 misletoe. a very curious parasitic plant, bears small white 
 bei-ries, is without leaves, and exceedingly brittle. A kind 
 of wild cucumber spreads itself over the bushes and along the 
 ground, bearing a small yellow oval fruit, and called Poison- 
 apple, because of its extreme bitterness. The African sage 
 is an ornamental flowering shi'ub, of very frequent occurrence. 
 A curious shrub, from eight to ten feet high, is armed at all 
 points with exceedingly strong branched thorns. It produces 
 little bunches of small white flowers, having both the form 
 and the scent of the jessamine, and are succeeded by berries 
 resembling those of the berberry. A very extraordinary 
 grass grows in some places. Its panicle of flowers forms a
 
 142 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 buncli of strong, sharp thorns, so rigid and pungent, that no 
 animal can graze near it ; nor will naked-legged Hottentots 
 venture to walk amongst it, although it may not be more 
 than a foot and a half high. 
 
 Mr, Burchell had pointed out to him a small shrub, the 
 flowers of which are iised by the people as a dye for giving 
 a yellow colour to their leather. He found, by experiment, 
 th.at the corollse of the dried flowers, being infused in a small 
 quantity of warm water, gave out very readily a strong 
 colour, approaching the one called Raw Tei-ra Sienna. It 
 flows freely from the pen or pencil; and some trials he made 
 during his travels, remained for ten years without fading, or 
 losing any of their original brightness. The inhabitants of 
 some districts, when in want of resin, use as a substitute, a 
 gum which exudes from difierent species of shrubs, to which, 
 therefore, they give the name of Resin-bush. 
 
 A beautiful parasite grows on a thorny bush. It grows 
 without a root, out of the very substance of the branch which 
 supports it, exactly in the same manner as the misletoe; and, 
 like that, is also disseminated by birds, which, after eating 
 sweet viscous berries, wipe their beaks on the branch of some 
 tree, to which the seed adheres, and where, if the bark be 
 smooth and full of sap, it soon thrusts out a large gum i-adicle, 
 which gradually pierces the outer rind, and fixes itself as 
 firmly as if it were naturally a branch of the tree. The 
 flowers grov/ several together at every leaf ; and their tubular 
 shape, half split open, red without and white within, might 
 well cause it to be compared with the honeysuckle ; but then 
 it wants all the fragrance of the English favourite. It may 
 also be stated that between the trees and bushes which 
 clothe the bank of the Orange River, a species of asparagus 
 is everyAvhere found climbing and entwining, so that the 
 traveller cannot without difiiculty force his way through 
 them. 
 
 Storms of sand have sometimes to be endured, attended,
 
 SAND-STORMS. 143 
 
 too, by tornadoes that are really dreadful. Wagons are 
 overturned, men and horses thi-own down, and the shrubs 
 torn out of the ground. The dust and sand are whirled into 
 the air in columns of several hundred feet in height, which, 
 at a distance, look like water-spouts seen sometimes at sea, 
 and with those, they are equally, if possible, avoided ; all that 
 falls in their way being snatched up in their A'ortex. Some- 
 times dust and small pel)bles are hurled into the air with the 
 noise and violence of a sky-rocket ; rain and thunder generally 
 succeed these heated winds and gradually bring about a 
 decrease of temperature. 
 
 One of these is described as about 1,000 feet high, and 
 extending in breadth nearly four miles. The dust having a 
 reddish hue, and being brilliantly tinged by the sun, while 
 this glowing colour was strongly contrasted with the gloomy 
 blackness of those parts in shade, the vast volumes of fire 
 and smoke that proceed from a volcanic eruption, was 
 naturally recalled by the spectator. Though it was known 
 to consist only of dust, it rolled on towards him and his 
 party with a terrific grandeur that awakened sensations of 
 awe and wonder. On its first reaching them, it merely 
 resembled a thick mist ; but quickly increasing in density, it 
 became impenetrable to the light of the sun, and surrounded 
 them with midnight darkness. Standing in the open air, 
 they could only discover objects at the distance of ten yards. 
 Within the houses pei-sons could not see each other, it being 
 as dark as in a closed room at night with the light out. 
 
 Mr. Thompson was much amused by the curiosity and 
 wonder of the people, when he placed his map, compass, and 
 thermometer on the table, and proceeded to fill up his daily 
 journal — all gathered round him, and staring open-mouthed, 
 as if he had been a magician or an astrologer. 
 
 "After shaving in the forenoon," says Campbell, "I 
 happened to show a person himself in the looking-glass which 
 was in the lid of my box, and this gave me employment
 
 144 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 cnmigh, for he i-an off to bring his wife and other friends to 
 see themselves. Every one was afraid at the first sight 
 obtained, starting back from the glass ; most of them looked 
 behind it to see that there was no deception. The crowd 
 increased every minute, and the press to get forward was so 
 great, that the tent was often in danger of being overturned. 
 They all touched some part of their face with the finger, to 
 ascertain whether it was really themselves that they saw in 
 the glass. When both my arms were completely tired of 
 holding it before them, I was obliged to request a respite to 
 some future time, and on laying it aside, they walked away, 
 greatly entertained." 
 
 Mr. Rose says of some Kaffir women : " They brought us 
 sweet milk in baskets, and stood around, anxiously examining 
 every part of our travelling equipment ; nor shall I easily 
 forget the terroi*, half feigned, half real, excited by my pocket 
 compass, from which they shrank as if its movement was 
 life ; at length one mustered courage enough to take it in her 
 hand, and then, placing it to her ear, repeated ' Tic, tic, tic' 
 This act ,of daring was imitated by the whole circle, who had 
 made up their minds it was a watch." 
 
 In like manner some Bushmen were greatly amused with 
 Campbell's compass. A Hottentot, without being desired, told 
 them it would always direct the owner to the way which led 
 to his home. They attempted, by turning the compass, to 
 force the needle to point another way than towards the north, 
 but not being able to effect it, they held up both hands, 
 laughed heartily, and looked upon the traveller as a most for. 
 tunate person, in the possession of such a treasure. 
 
 Some of the people by whom he was beset, at another 
 time, asked to have his seal, and others, the keys attached to 
 his watch-chain, that they might suspend them to their ears. 
 To convince them he could not spai'e these articles, he took 
 out his watch to explain their use, when, by pushing the pin 
 that pressed on the spring, the watch instantly opened as ii
 
 SUEPEISES. 145 
 
 of its own accord, whicli spread so great an alarm, that the 
 whole party fled to the distance of thirty yards. Observing 
 that the traveller only smiled at their fears, they gradually 
 returned, and cautiously viewed the inner works, the motions 
 of which excited great astonishment. 
 
 When presentinghis gifts to the king of the Mashows, awhite 
 night-cap led to the question : " What is its use 1 " This 
 being explained, his majesty immediately put the night-cap on 
 his head, and wore it throughoiit the interview. On receiving 
 a looking-glass he viewed himself in it for a long time, but 
 without any signs of emotion. He could not conceive the 
 use of the scissors, till Campbell, with his consent, clipped off 
 a small part of liis beard. He knew nothing of the uses of 
 needles, thimbles, or a pincushion with its pins, till these were 
 severally explained. He had to be shown twice how to open 
 a snuff-box he received. How soon a gimlet made a hole 
 through a stick filled the whole company with amazement. 
 
 Methuen says : " The Griquas were enchanted by the 
 notes of an accordion, which we had with vis : the night had 
 begun ; it was extremely cold ; we all sat in a circle round 
 the fire, and never were flames reflected in more brilliant 
 black eyes than in those of the children, whose glances were 
 intensely fixed on the mysterious instrument. One man 
 sagely remarked on hearing it, ' Well, the English will always 
 be masters ! ' " 
 
 While walking along the side of a low hill, three women 
 approached and called to Campbell and his party to stop, that 
 they might get a sight of the white peojile. The number 
 soon increased to twenty or thirty. As he had a magnifying- 
 glass, he let them feel the effects of collecting the rays into 
 a focus. All seemed to doubt its power, but they generally 
 screamed when they felt the fu"st impression; they were, how- 
 ever, greatly amused, and evidently considered it a most 
 mysterious operation. Dui'ing the entei-tainment, some of 
 them said the whites, they thought, were lovers of mankind.
 
 146 SOUTH AFUICA. 
 
 They minutely examined Campbell's dress, but \rere most 
 diverted by finding hair instead of wool on his head. 
 
 In another instance, the sight of white men threw a large 
 crowd into fits of convulsive laughter ; but the young were 
 more seriously afibcted, they screamed, and in the utmost 
 horror, fled to the first place of concealment they could find. 
 The noise, meanwhile, was tumultu.ous. 
 
 As Mr. Thompson was travelling, he observed his Hot- 
 tentot guide, Frederick, looking out for the spoor or track of 
 human feet, being exceedingly anxioiis to get to some kraal 
 before night ; but the only ti-acks he could discover were 
 those of quaggas, gnus, and antelopes of various kinds, and of 
 their pursuer, the lion. The footprints of the latter were so 
 frequent and so fresh, that it was evident these t\T^nts of the 
 desert were numerous and near. Frederick added, too, the 
 cheering remark : " Wherever such numbei's of the large game 
 may be seen, we may be sure lions are not far distant." It 
 was confirmed by numerous skeletons of animals scattered 
 over the plain. 
 
 ]Mr. Thompson says : " We were jogging pensively along, 
 the Hottentot with two horses, about ten yards before me, I 
 follo"\ving with the other two ; Frederick was nodding on his 
 saddle, having slept little, I believe, during the previous 
 night. In this posture, happening to cast my eyes on one 
 side, I beheld, with consternation, two monstrous lions reclin- 
 ing under a mimosa bush, witliin fifteen yards of our path. 
 They were reclining lazily on the gi'ound, with half-opened 
 jaws showing their terrific fangs. I saw our dangei', and 
 was aware that no effort could save us if these savage beasts 
 should be tempted to make a spring. 
 
 " I collected myself, therefore, and moved on in silence ; 
 while Frederick, without perceiving them, rode quietly past. 
 I followed him exactly at the same pace, keeping my eyes 
 fixed upon the glaring monsters, who remained perfectly still. 
 When we had got seventy or eighty yai'ds from them, I rode
 
 KEMAKKACLE CATAKACT. 147 
 
 gently tip to Frederick, and, desiring him to look over Ms 
 .shoulder, showed him the lions. But such a fixce of terror I 
 never beheld, a3 he exhibited on perceiving the danger we 
 had so narrowly escaped. He was astonished, too, that he had 
 not previously observed them, being, like most of his country- 
 men, very quick-sighted. 
 
 " He said, however, that I had acted veiy properly in 
 not speaking or evincing the least alarm while passing the 
 lions ; for, if I had, they would probably not have let us 
 pass so quietly. Most likely we owed our safety to their 
 hunger being satiated — for the}' appeared to have been just 
 devouring some animal they had killed ; a quagga, as it 
 seemed to me, from the hurx'ied glance I had in passing." 
 
 Mr. Thompson, accompanied by a guide and some Co- 
 rannas on foot, determined on visiting a remarkable cataract. 
 As they approached it, the sound began to rise on their ears 
 like distant thunder. It was still, however, a work of some 
 exertion'to reach the spot, from which they were divided by 
 a part of the Orange River, and beyond that by a tract of 
 wild woodland several miles in extent. The main, or middle 
 branch of the river, which forms the cataract, traverses a 
 sort of island of large extent, covered with rocks and thickets, 
 and environed on all sides by sti-eams of water. They 
 crossed the southern branch, which at that season Avas but 
 an inconsiderable creek, and proceeded for several miles 
 through the dense acacia forests, while the thundering 
 sound of the cataract increased at every stop. 
 
 At length they reached a ridge of rocks, and Mr. Thompson 
 found it necessary to dismount and follow the resb on foot. 
 It seemed as if they were now entering the untrodden vesti- 
 bule of one of nature's most sublime temples. The Corannas 
 repeatedly requested him to keep behind and follow them 
 softly, for the precipices were dangerous for the feet of men, 
 and the sight and sound of the cataract were so feai-ful that 
 they regarded the place with awe, and ventured but seldom 
 ^ 8
 
 1-18 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 to visit it. Tlicy now bathed, and requested him to do the 
 same ; one of them stepped forward to the brink of the pre- 
 cipice, and, having looked cautiously over, beckoned him to 
 advance. He did so, and witnessed a curious and stx'iking 
 scene, but it was not yet the waterfall. It was a rapid 
 formed by almost the whole volume of the river, compressed 
 into a narrow channel of not more than fifty yards in 
 breadth, whence it descended at an angle of neai-ly forty- 
 five degrees, and, rushing tuinultuously thi-ongh a black and 
 crooked chasm among the rocks, of frightful depth, escaped in 
 a torrent of foam. 
 
 " My swarthy guides," says Mr. Thompson, "although this 
 was unquestionably the first time that they had ever led a 
 traveller to view the remarkable scenery of their country, 
 evinced a degree of tact as ciceroni, as well as natural 
 feeling of the picturesque, that equally pleased and surprised 
 me. Having forewarned me that this was not yet the water- 
 fall, they now pioneered the way for abovit a mile further 
 along the rocks, some of them keeping near, and continually 
 cautioning me to look to my feet, as a single false step might 
 precipitate me into the raging abyss of waters, — the tumult 
 of which seemed to shake even the solid rocks around us. 
 
 " At length, we halted as before, and the next moment I 
 was led to a projecting rock, where a scene burst upon me, 
 far surpassing my most sanguine expectations. The whole 
 water of the river (except what escapes by the subsidiary 
 channel we had crossed, and by a similar one on the north 
 side), being jireviously confined to a bed of scarcely 100 feet 
 in breadth, descends at once in a magnificent cascade of fully 
 400 feet in height. I stood on a cliif nearly level with 
 the top of the fall, and directly in front of it. The beams 
 of the evening sun fell full upon the cascade, and occasioned 
 a most splendid rainbow ; while the vajioury mists arising 
 from the broken waters, the bright green woods which hung 
 from the sm'rounding cliffs, the astounding roar of the water-
 
 EEJIARKAELE CATARACT. 149 
 
 fall, and the tumultuous boiling and wliiiiing of tlie stream 
 below, striving to escape along its deej), dark, narrow path, 
 formed altogether a combination of beauty and grandeur, 
 such as I had never before witnessed. 
 
 " As I gazed on this stupendous scene, I felt as if in a 
 dream. The sublimity of nature drowned all apprehensions 
 of danger ; and after a short pause, I hastily left the spot 
 where I stood, to gain a nearer view from a cliff that more 
 immediately impended over the foaming gulf. I had just 
 reached this station, when I felt myself grasped all at once 
 by four Corannas, who simultaneously seized hold of me by 
 the arms and legs. My first impression was, that they were 
 going to hurl me over the precipice ; but it was a momentary 
 thought, and it Avronged the friendly savages. They are 
 themselves a timid race ; and they were alarmed lest my 
 temerity should lead me into danger. They hurried me back 
 from the brink, and then explained their motive, and asked 
 my forgiveness. I was not ungrateful for their care, though 
 somewhat annoyed by their officiousness. I returned to my 
 station to take a sketch of the same ; but the attempt was 
 far too hurried, and too unworthy of its object, to j)lease 
 myself. The character of the whole of the surrounding 
 scenery, full of rocks, caverns, and pathless woods, and the 
 desolate asjiect of the Gariepine mountains beyond, accorded 
 well with the wild grandeur of the waterfall, and impressed 
 me with feelings never to be effaced. 
 
 " The river, after pouring itself out in this beautiful 
 cascade, rushes along in a narrow chasm or canal, of about 
 two miles in length, and nearly 500 feet in depth, apparently 
 worn in the solid rock in the course of ages by the force of 
 the current. In the summer season, when the river is in 
 flood, the fall must be infinitely more magnificent ; but it is 
 probably at that season altogether inaccessible ; for it is 
 evident that the mass of waters, unable to escape by this 
 passage, then pour themselves out in mighty streams by the
 
 150 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 t-wo subsidiaiy canals, wliicli -were now almost dry, and at 
 the same time overflow nearly tlie entire tract of forest land 
 between them, which forms at other seasons a sort of island, 
 as we now found it." 
 
 Campbell and his party reached a point of the Maklareen 
 River where it forms a lake of great extent, covered so pro- 
 fusely with rushes and reeds that they completely conceal 
 the water. It Avas about a quarter of a mile across. His 
 Avagon happened to enter first, and got over A^athout any 
 material difficulty, only the hind leg of one ox sank so deep 
 that he fell, but, immediately recovering himself, he went on 
 briskly. 
 
 The two other wagons were not equally fortunate : both 
 stuck fast in the middle in consequence of some of the oxen 
 in each sinking into the mire up to their bellies. After a 
 long and severe struggle, one of the two got over;^ut they 
 were obliged to take out the two oxen that were yoked to 
 the shafts of the wagon, and then, with about sixteen or 
 eighteen oxen, they succeeded in dragging it to the side 
 also ; but still there remained one ox which had sunk so 
 deep that no part of him was visible from the side. As his 
 legs were so benumbed that he could not use them, they 
 found his extrication a very difficult business. By tying 
 several ropes, made of buffalo skins, to his horns, and holding 
 him by the tail, they got him turned upon his side, after 
 which, with gi'eat exertion, they dragged him to the edge of 
 the lake, when he instantly recovered, and ran to take his 
 place in the yoke. 
 
 Meanwhile loud peals of thunder were rolling over the 
 heads of the travellers, attended with vivid lightning, and a 
 heavy storm was fast approaching. "When they had got 
 about two hundi-ed yards fi-om the lake, a deluge of rain 
 began to descend which obliged them to halt for two hours 
 luider the bushes. 
 
 Another incident called for greater endurance. — " Both
 
 A. STOllM, 151 
 
 our wagons," says Captain Harris, " stuck fast in the Sant 
 Itiver, and were with difficulty extricated by the united 
 eOforts of the teams. The heat was intense, not a breath 
 stirred, and heavy bhick clouds fast collecting bade us pre- 
 pare for a deluge. "VVe therefore formed the camp in an 
 elevated position, under the lee of a high stone inclosure, 
 which only required the entrance to be closed with bushes to 
 make a secure pound for the cattle. 
 
 " Scarcely were these arrangements completed, when a 
 stream of liquid fire ran along the ground, and a deafening 
 thunder-clap, exploding close above us, was instantly followed 
 by a torrent of rain, which came ' dancing to the earth,' not 
 in drops, but in continuous streams, and with indescribable 
 violence, during the greater part of the night ; the thunder 
 now receding, and rumbling less and less distinctly, but 
 more incessantly among the distant mountains — now pealing . 
 in echoes over the nearest hills, and now retvirning to biu-st 
 with redoubled violence above our heads 
 
 ' Par along 
 Prom peak to peak, the rattUug crags among, 
 Leapt the wild thunder, not from one lone cloud, 
 But every mountain soon had found a tongue.' 
 
 " The horses and oxen were presently standing knee- 
 deep in water ; our followers remained sitting all night in 
 the baggage- wagon, which leaked considerably, but our now 
 being better covered, fortunately resisted the pitiless storm. 
 Sleep was, however, out of the question, the earth actually 
 threatening to give way under us, and the lightning being 
 so painfully vivid that we wej-e glad to hide our heads under 
 the pillow. Those only who have witnessed the setting in 
 of the south-west monsoon in India are capable of fully 
 understanding the awful tempest I have attempted to 
 describe." 
 
 "When travelling in Sneuberg, Campbell went with some 
 of the people to examine a remarkable cave. It was on the
 
 152 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 side of a liigli clilT, separated froui anotlier equally liigli only 
 by a few yards. For about two hundred yards tliey bad to 
 walk on projecting rocks near the middle of tlie opj^osite 
 cliff. They were soon obliged to take off their shoes lest 
 they should slide down the rocks, and, advancing a few 
 yards further, they took off their stockings as more likely to 
 prevent their sliding doAvn. 
 
 On coming opposite to the cave they cautiously descended 
 to the bottom of the cHffs ; then two Hottentots went into 
 a pool formed by the river, on purpose to sound it, as this 
 had to be crossed in order that the cave might be reached. 
 They found it two feet and a half deep till within two yards 
 of the other side, over which they placed a ladder which had 
 been brought with them. One Hottentot mounted first, but, 
 when climbing the rock, he slipped and rolled down into 
 .the water completely overhead; but this apjieared to the 
 rest only a trifle ; for they only smiled, and instantly 
 pressed onwards. A friend who was tall and strong earned 
 Campbell over on his back. 
 
 It proved no easy matter to climb up to the cave's mouth 
 from the steepness and smoothness of the rock. A light 
 being struck, the party entered it with three candles. On 
 the roof of the cave, which resembled that of a cathedral in 
 miniature, hundreds of bats were hanging fast asleep. The 
 lights woke many of them, and they flev/ around the visitoi's, 
 endangering their being shrouded in darkness. After 
 viewing the different apartments of the cave, which ap- 
 peared singularly gloomy and dismal, they found their return 
 not a little difficult. 
 
 Directly across the Elack IMountain ridge lies the small 
 secluded tract called the Cango, containing some remarkable 
 caverns. They were discovered in the year 1780, by a boor, 
 who was out hunting among the mountains. On INIr. Thomp- 
 son's arrival at a farmer's of the name of Botha, in the district 
 of George, who resides a few miles from them, he made
 
 IMMENSE CAVERXS. 153 
 
 arrangements with the farmer to accompany him to the 
 caverns. 
 
 Accordingly he proceeded to the grotto earlyin the morning, 
 attended by Mynheer Botha, three of his sons, two neighbours, 
 and five Hottentots. It is in the side of a rocky hill which 
 forms part of the black mountains. The mouth has the 
 appearance of an irregular dark-looking gateway, of about 
 twenty feet in height, and enters the rock about one hundred 
 feet above the level of a brook, Avhich has its source in some 
 desolate ravines to the eastward. 
 
 Advancing from the entrance about two hundred feet, in 
 a crooked but horizontal direction, they came to an abimpt 
 precipice of about thirty-three deep, which they descended. by 
 the aid of a ladder brought for the purpose. On reaching 
 the bottom several lighted torches, borne by the Hottentots, 
 disclosed a magnificent scene. They found themselves in an 
 apartment about 600 feet in length, by a hundred broad, 
 and varying in height from sixty to seventy feet. This hall 
 was adorned with the most splendid stalactites. These are 
 produced from the whinstone rock, which forms the walls and 
 roof, being hard and compact, but penetrated in many places 
 by fissures, through which the water oozing after heavy rains, 
 and strongly impregnated with calcareous matter, from the 
 superincumbent strata through which it is filtered, forms them 
 as it trickles down drop by drop, assuming an infinitude of 
 singular and grotescpie figures. Some in the shape of columns, 
 rising to the height of forty feet, and one majestic one not 
 less than sixty ; others assuming the fantastic forms of cauli- 
 flowers, festoons, and a variety of grotesque figures. INIany 
 of these stalactites were quite transparent, and reflected the 
 glai'e of the torches with a very brilliant and enchanting 
 eSect. This apartment was called Van-Zyl's-Hall, after the 
 name of its first discoverer. 
 
 From thence, a long range of apartments extend, ono 
 beyond another, which the boors and other visitors have dis-
 
 154 SOUTH AFItlCA. 
 
 tinguislied by names of their own clioice. The first is called 
 the Registry, from the walls being inscribed Avith the names of 
 many visitors. It is abont forty feet in diameter, and in 
 height apparently about thirty feet. It serves as a vestibule 
 for a noble apartment, about 140 feet in length and breadth, 
 and fifty in height, ornamented also, though not so splendidly 
 as the fii'st, by many gorgeous stalactites. A sort of gallery 
 leads out of this, about fifteen feet in breadtli, and twenty in 
 height at the entrance, but narrowing as it j^enetrates inward, 
 till, at the distance of about sixty feet, it is terminated by 
 another abrupt descent. 
 
 No one had hitherto explored the cavern beyond this spot; 
 and as the ladder at the entrance could not be conveniently 
 brought forward, Mr. Thompson contrived to scramble doAvn 
 the precipice, which was about forty-four feet in depth. 
 Three of the Hottentots followed, but so confusedly, that all 
 their torches were extinguished in coming down. His, hap- 
 pily, was not, and relighting theirs, he proceeded to explore 
 the recesses of this furthest grotto. Finding the atmosphere 
 very oppressive, and being somewhat apprehensive of foul au*, 
 he directed the Hottentots to keep at a good distance behind, 
 in order that their lights might burn, should his be ex- 
 tinguished. Proceeding in this manner, he fully examined 
 this chamber, and found it to be about 500 feet in length, by 
 fifty broad, and varying in height from twenty to forty feet. 
 At the extremity he was stopped by a wall or rock, in the 
 middle of which, about fifteen feet high, appeared another 
 opening. Fancying that this might be a continuation of the 
 cavern, he contrived to clamber up, in the manner of a chim- 
 ney-sweep, between two columns of sj^ar, and examined this 
 excavation also ; but he found it to be merely a narrow chasm, 
 neither remarkable in extent nor decoration. Eeyond this 
 he discovered no opening, and at this sjiot he calculated that 
 he was about 1,500 feet from the enti'ance of the grotto. 
 
 Retracing his steps, and again ascending the precipice,
 
 IMMENSE CAVERNS. 155 
 
 not witliout difficulty, Mr. Thompson returned to liis com- 
 panion.s, v.'lio were ■wtxiting with some anxiety for his safety 
 at the last descent. " I was congratulated," he says, "on my 
 success ; and Mynheer Eotha, the guardian of this pande- 
 monian palace, did rao the honour to confer my name on the 
 chamber I had now explored." 
 
 He then examined in detail the whole of this immense 
 cavern, and was shown a variety of smaller chambers or 
 recesses, opening out of the great gallery, or range of state 
 apartments. One of the smaller grottoes is called the Tskegel 
 Kamer, from its being hung round with stalactites resembling 
 icicles. Another very beautiful one is called the Eath, from 
 its containing some curious natural cisterns, formed by pcti'i- 
 factions, and resembling marble basins hollowed by art in the 
 living rock. These basins were full of fresh water, delight- 
 fully cool and limpid. 
 
 In some parts of the caves the roof and the walls wei*e 
 covered with myriads of bats, many of which, awakened by 
 the unwonted light and clamour, began to fly about, and it 
 was with difficulty they were prevented extinguishing the 
 lights. The floor was in many places covered several feet 
 deep -with their excrement, dry as chafl" ; bvit it is remarkable 
 that the Bath-room, probably from being moister than other 
 parts of the cavern, was entirely free from this nuisance. 
 
 " Having once more surveyed Van-Zyl's-Hall," says Mr. 
 Thompson, " I ascended the ladder, req^uesting the rest of the 
 party to fall back a little into the cavern, while I took a 
 hasty sketch of them from the top of the precipice. The 
 effect was strikingly picturesque. The glare of the torches 
 held by the Hottentots, showing dimly the bandit-looking 
 forms of the boors, grim and fierce as Dirk Hatteraick him- 
 self — and the strange, grotesque, unearthly shapes of the 
 stalactites, half -hidden, half-revealed, formed altogether 
 one of the most extraordinary scenes I ever witnessed, and 
 vividly called to my iinagiuation some of the descriptions of 
 
 8*
 
 156 SOUTH AFEICA. 
 
 caverns in tlie Avorks of tlie ancient poets, probably suggested 
 by actual scenery of the same character as that which I now 
 contemplated." 
 
 A night in saA-age solitude is thus described by a traveller : 
 
 " The stars shone in brightness and beauty through a dark 
 blue sky : I listened, and at times caught wild remote sounds 
 — the nameless sounds of night. Who that has passed a 
 night in savage solitudes has not felt how distinct its sounds 
 are from those of day — has not discovered a voice and a lan- 
 guage in the night-wind as it moaned by, differeiit from the 
 rush of any wind on which the sun ever shone — like spirit- 
 warnings from the past ? I listened, and could imagine in 
 the distant booming hollow noises, that hundreds of elephants 
 were crossing the hills ; and again all Avas as still as death : 
 then would come the wild melancholy howl of the wolf, and 
 its short Avhoop, the next nearer than the first ; then, by 
 sending a brighter flame from the fire, all would again be 
 hushed ; and then the stillness would be interrupted by the 
 croak of the night-raven, as it sailed doA\Ti the ravine, catch- 
 ing the scent of the dead elephant ; — that ceased, and I heaped 
 more wood upon the fire, until it threw up its bright flames, 
 gleaming with a distinct and lurid light on the surrounding 
 bushes. Then came a strange noise, as of some animal that 
 was approaching us ; it came nearer, and roused my com- 
 panion, Avho said it was the hyasna Avith its hideous laugh and 
 chatter — the most Avild, unnatural sound that breaks the 
 silence of night in those tremendous solitudes." 
 
 IMr. IMoflat says that Avhen parting Avith his friend IMi*. 
 Anderson, he remarked that the Aveather to the AvestAvard 
 looked like a storm, " but as these appearances often jiass OA-er 
 Avithout a drop of rain, Ave set off, and trusting to the strength 
 of our recruited horses, Ave hoped to pass through the desert 
 to the Orange E-iA'cr Avithout much suffering. 
 
 " Mr. A. had provided us Avith some biscuit, Avhich one 
 of the men placed in a sack also containing tobacco. We
 
 DREADFUL STORMS. 157 
 
 intended to sleoi? at Witte Watei" that niglit, but long before 
 we reached that place, we were overtaken by an awful storm 
 of thunder. The j)eals were deafening, and our horses fre- 
 quently started from each other, at the vivid glare of the 
 lightning. It poured torrents, so that by the time we reached 
 the spot where we intended to halt, we were drenched to the 
 skin. 
 
 " "VVe let our horses go, and sat down like half drowned 
 cocks, at a bush which could alTord lis no shelter, either fi'om 
 wind or rain. After the vehemence of the storm had abated, 
 we began to think what must be done, for by the falling liail 
 and the piercing wind, we trembled as if we should die with 
 cold. After much patient search, we found a very few sub- 
 stances capable of ignition, and struck a light in the only box 
 where the tinder was dry, but in vain we looked for fuel to 
 supply our fire ; we threw most of our clothes off, for the 
 suffering with them on was xinbearablc, and leaving one to 
 blow the fire, we sallied forth in quest of materials to burn. 
 
 " At some distance we succeeded in gathering a few small 
 branches, Avhere we found at least four hyaenas looking on in 
 a most daring manner, and resolved to attack lis. Such as 
 had both hands occupied, soon relieved one, and with stones 
 scared them a little. But, alas ! the light of a little fire we 
 had left, had disappeared, and we knev.^ not the direction 
 from which we had come. We shouted to the man who had 
 remained with it, but no answer, save the ugly howl of the 
 hyjenas. ISTow every one was pointing in a different direction 
 as that by which we had come, and we were completely 
 bewiklercd. 
 
 " A second storm pelted us most unmercifully, and the 
 ■wind seemed to penetrate through and through our almost 
 naked frames. After a long search, we found the little bush, 
 the man asleeji, and the fire out. We threw down our crow's 
 nests which we had gathered for fuel, resolving to brave it 
 out ; bvit the prospect was horrible — of shivering till the next
 
 158 SOUTH AFEICA. 
 
 ^^clay's sun slioiild -svariiL us. Eacli lay down in a lump, on a 
 goat-skin, wliicli had served as a saddle-clotli. T^yo of us 
 tried to get down to dry earth, for though, there had been a 
 stream on the ground, it was scarcely six inches deep. 
 Beyond our expectations we fell asleep, and as I lay rather 
 lower than some of my comrades, the rain and sand buried 
 nearly half of my body. 
 
 " It would be vain attempting to describe my feelings on 
 awaking at daybreak, stiff, cold, and dizzy ; my hair clotted 
 with mud. We crawled off to the pool of rain-water, and 
 though very thick, we enjoyed a thorough ablution; after 
 wringing the water out of our clothes, we put them on as 
 they were, being obliged to proceed. Before starting, Ave 
 resolved to have a delightful taste of our biscuit, but, alas ! 
 when the contents of our bag were turned out, we found 
 that the rain having saturated the tobacco and biscuit, the 
 latter was reduced to a dark-brown paste ; smokers as we 
 were, this dish was too unpalatable for us, and a good 
 tbaught of muddy Avater had to supply the deficiency. As 
 the sun arose towards the meridian, the heat became exces- 
 sive ; and if we had been nearly frozen at night, we were 
 almost scorched during the day; and before we reached 
 vrater the following night, avc would have given a crown for 
 a bottle of that in which we had washed in the morning." 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel ISTapier thus describes the "tedium of 
 a darksome march " as pleasantly wliiled away. " One of 
 the party — a man from inf^mcy devoted to the chase, whose 
 youth and manhood were passed in its pursuit, who had 
 marked down the last elephants in these then* once favourite 
 haunts — entered most enthusiastically on the theme. Striking 
 on an elephant's ' spoor,' he soon eloquently led away his 
 audience through deep and rocky valleys, and dense thorny 
 jungles ; threading the narrow elephant path amidst all the 
 intricacies of wooded kloofs; tracked the noble animals to 
 where they fed; pointed out their gigantic foi-ms, looming
 
 A SPORTIXG DOCTOR. IGl 
 
 knowing its clanger, was foremost in tlie attack. The boar, 
 suddenly turning on liis diminutive opponent, seized liim in 
 his foaming mouth, pkiced him on the slope of a bank, and 
 appeared determined to disembowel him in the most scientific 
 and approved of fashion. 
 
 "At this critical moment for poor puppy, a powerful 
 bloodhound rushed to the rescue; and though in so doing 
 he was badly ripped in the shoulder, succeeded in laying fast 
 hold of the boar by the end of his snout, and thus pinned 
 him to the ground. ' ISTow,' thinks I to myself, ' is my sole 
 chance.' The only weapon I had with me, was a small 
 mother-of-pearl peiiknife I had bought in the Quadrant for 
 a shilling, when on the coach by which I left London to start 
 for this country; it was my last purchase in Old England, 
 and never was a shilling better laid out." 
 
 " But come to the poin^, doctor ; and don't keep us in 
 suspense." 
 
 "That's just what I did: for seeing that this was my only 
 hope of escape, I 02)ened the mother-of-pearl knife, jumped 
 out of the bush, and, seizing the boar by the. ear, wliilst the 
 bloodhound was pinning his nose to the gi-ound, Ip,— thanks 
 to some little knowledge of anatomy — thrust it into what I 
 knew to be an artery, left it firmly sticking there, and quickly 
 scrambled back again into my former place of refuge. The 
 boar, on finding himself wounded, made such a violent efibrt 
 that he shook off the dog ; and to my inexpressible dehght, 
 was followed by a plentiful stream of blood. In a more or' 
 less disabled state, my bristly acquaintance had full leisure 
 to indulge in his rude meditations. He after a while trotted 
 off some twenty or thirty yards ; stopped again ; remained a few 
 seconds qviite motionless ; assumed rather a sentimental look ; 
 staggered, fell forward, and rolled over on his side. Still, I 
 could not believe that the grim monster was really dead. 
 For a moment longer I therefore remained ensconced amongst 
 the branches of my leafy castle, in a state of the most anxious
 
 162 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 suspense; till, seeing no signs of retui'ning life as tlie dogs 
 approached and sniffed the carcase, I slid cautiously dovv^n, 
 picked up the bloody knife; crept on tip-toe towards my 
 fallen enemy; touched him first gingerly with my foot, and 
 then, finding him really dead — and no mistake — in the 
 ecstasy of the moment I took ofi* my cap, and gave three 
 hearty cheers." 
 
 *' Bravo, doctor ! a capital finale ! and all o-udng to your 
 unrivalled anatomical knowledge, and being able to discover 
 the carotid artery xmder the bristles of a wild boar." 
 
 One other incident ought not to be passed over; for the 
 traveller may be plundered, as Captain Han-is was, by Bush- 
 man hordes, and left a wreck in the gi-eatest necessity. 
 "Here then, like sailors," he says, "who have foundered 
 upon a rock when within sight of their destined haven, were 
 we, after weathei-ing many a storm, and accomplishing the 
 most hazardous part of our journey — left at last, a wreck in 
 the desert. The spirit of Ethaldur groaned within him, when 
 he thus saw his prediction on the eve of being verified, and 
 the lower jaw of Coeur-de-Lion dropped until his beard was 
 dangling at his girdle. To add to our misfortunes, the scanty 
 pool upon which our supply of water depended, being drained 
 to the dregs, it had become necessary to perform a journey 
 of six miles over an enemy's country, in order to replenish 
 the tea-kettlo."
 
 CHAPTER XiV. 
 
 HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 
 
 The difference between the Elephants of Africa and India — An Elephant 
 Hunt and its Results — Adventure of Mr. Cowper Rose — Carl Krieger, 
 the Hunter— Temerity of a Boor — Unnatural Parents — The Flesh of 
 the Elephant. 
 
 It was not till the clays of Cuvier that natui-alists were aware 
 of the specific distinction that exists between the elephant of 
 India and that of Africa. Kor can this excite surprise when 
 it is known that no living African species had appeared in 
 Euro^^e, since the year 1G81, until the Pasha of Egypt pre- 
 sented a young female to the King of France, in 1826. 
 
 The characteristic differences are briefly these : — In the 
 African the head is rounder, the tusks larger, the ears of 
 enormous magnitude, sometimes covering the shoulders, and 
 used by the natives as a sort of truck on which to drag 
 various loads. The molar teeth also in the African Jiave 
 thin flat surfaces marked with large irregular lozenge-shaped 
 ribands, passing from side to side, while in the Asiatic, these 
 transverse ribands are narrow, with indented edges, and fold 
 upon each other in parallel lines. 
 
 *' Wisest of brutes, the half-reasoning elephant," 
 
 when contemplated in his native forests, presents no ordinary , 
 spectacle. 
 
 " Trampling his path through wood and brake 
 
 And canes, vvliicli crackling fall before his way. 
 And tassel-grass, whose silvery featliers play, 
 O'ertopping the young trees, 
 On comes the elephant, to slake
 
 1G4 SOUTH AFnicA. 
 
 Ilis thirst at noon in yon pellucid sprinpjs. 
 Lo! from bis trunk upturned, aloft he flings 
 
 The grateful shower ; and now 
 
 Plucking the broad-leaved bough 
 Of yonder plume, with waving motion slow 
 
 Fanning the languid air. 
 He waves it to and fro." 
 
 Formed, as it wore, for tlie service of man in warm 
 climates, the elephant possesses every quality that can render 
 it useful. Strong, active, and persevering, it is so gentle in 
 disposition, as Avell as docile and sagacious, as to be trained 
 to almost any service. Its large head, small eyes, broad and 
 pendent ears, thick body, arched back, clumsy legs, and skin 
 generally of a deep brown, approaching to black, have all 
 been long familiar. When first boi'n, the elephant is about 
 three feet high ; it continues to grow till it is sixteen or 
 eighteen years of age. It is very playful, delighting in 
 gambols and frolic, and displays its exuberant feelings in a 
 thousand buoyant antics. The tusks are not visible in the 
 young animals, but when tliey are inature, they pro- 
 ject, in some instances, several feet. The usual height of 
 the adult clejihant is from eight to ten feet, but instances 
 have occasionally occurred in which it has reached fifteen or 
 sixteei^ The standard of the East India Company for 
 serviceable animals was seven feet and upwards, measured 
 at the shoulder, which is several inches lower than the 
 back of the elephant. 
 
 The wondei'f ul facility with which the elephant can apply 
 his trunk to so many purposes of a hand, is one great reason 
 of his superiority. Not only does he possess the ^^ower of 
 moving it, but he can bend it, shorten it, lengthen it, bend it 
 back, and tuiui it in every direction. The extremity of this 
 truidc is furnished with a rim, lengthened in front into tho 
 form of a finger, and it is by this means that he is able to 
 pick up the smallest piece of money, gather flowers one by
 
 A TROOP OF ELEPIIAXTS. 1G5 
 
 one, untie knots, and open and shut doors, turning tlie keys 
 and forcing back the bolts. The muscuhxr structure of the 
 trunk is extremely curious. Cuvier states that the muscles 
 contained in it, which have the power of distinct action, are 
 not far short of forty thousand. The delicacy of the organ is 
 shown in case the elephant becomes blind, when it is pro- 
 jected as far as possible, so as to avoid actually touching the 
 ground, and then lets the finger, which is curved inward to 
 protect the nostrils, skim along the sui'face of uneven ground, 
 to the ineqi;alities of wliich it adjusts itself with great exact- 
 ness. In circumstances of danger the elephant takes great 
 care of its trunk, and then, when attacked by a tiger, he car- 
 ries it as high in the air as he can. If it becomes wounded 
 in the conflict, the rage of the animal is almost inexpressible. 
 On this account he rarely uses the trunk as a weaj)on, though 
 he sometimes hurls missiles by it. 
 
 As a colonist, attended by a guide, was penetrating into 
 the recesses of a woody wilderness, the fresh traces of a troop 
 of elephants appeared on their path ; and the guide, after 
 carefully inspecting their footprints, declared that they had 
 passed this way to the eastward only about an hour or so 
 before. Eager to have a sight of these extraordinary animals, 
 which he had not yet seen in their wild state, he followed on 
 their route as fast as the Hottentot could keep pace with 
 him. For four or five miles they pursued their track in this 
 manner through the mazy glades of the jungle, the Hottentot 
 warning the colonist, every now and then, as the lofty ever- 
 greens crowded more densely around the path, to proceed 
 ■with caution ; and at every new opening among the thickets 
 they glanced eagerly forward and around, in the expectation 
 of coming plump on " a covey of elephants." Their expecta- 
 tions were, however, fruitless, and on gaining an elevation 
 where the jungle opened up and admitted a view of the 
 country for many miles before them, saw clearly that they 
 were too late. The .sagacious animals had retreated, as they
 
 IGG SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 usually do, just before sunrise, to their less accessible liaunts, 
 ill all probability concealed in some of the more lofty woods 
 or wild ravines that run wp to the skirts of the savage Ziu-e- 
 berg. Further pursuit, therefore, was utterly vain. 
 
 Elephants live in herds in remote and secluded districts, 
 especially where large streams or rivers flowing through a 
 wild and level track are bordered by a luxuriant vegetation. 
 One of these, browsing in majestic tranquillity amidst the 
 wild magnificence of the African landsca^^e, is a very noble 
 sight, but many of them may, not ixnfrequently, be observed. 
 " We suddenly found ourselves," says Mr. Pringle, " on 
 issuing from a wooded defile, in the midst of a numerous 
 herd of these animals. ISTone of them, however, wei-e v'cry 
 close to us; but they were seen scattered in little clumps 
 over the bottom and sides of a valley two or three miles in 
 length ; some browsing on the spekboom which clothed the 
 skirts of the hills on either side; others at work among the 
 mimosa trees sprinkled over the low and grassy savannah. As 
 we proceeded cautiously onward, and some of these parties 
 came more distinctly into view (consisting, appai'ently, in 
 many instances, of sepai'ate families, the male, the female, 
 and the young of different sizes), the gigantic magnitude of 
 the leaders became more and more striking. The calm and 
 stately tranquillity of their deportment, too, was remarkable. 
 Though we were a band of about a dozen horsemen, including 
 our Hottentot attendants, they seemed not to observe, or 
 altogether to disregard, our march down the valley." 
 
 Some remarkable qualities of the elephant are graphi- 
 cally described by the same writer in the following terms : — 
 "As we pursued our route down the valley of the Koonap 
 P.ivei", we became aware that a numerous troop of these 
 gigantic animals had recently preceded, as foot-prints of all 
 dimensions from eight to fifteen inches in diameter wore 
 everywhere visible; and in the swampy spots on the banks 
 of the I'iA-er it was evident that some of them had been
 
 ELEPHANTS IN JUNGLES. 167 
 
 luxuriantly enjoying tliemselves by rolling tlieir unwieldy 
 Liilks in the ooze and mud. But it was in the gi'oves and 
 jungles that they had left the most striking proofs of their 
 recent presence and peculiar habits. In many places paths 
 had been trodden tlirough the midst of dense thorny forests 
 otherwise impenetrable. 
 
 " They appeared to have opened these paths with great 
 jiidgment, always taking the best and shoi-test cut to the next 
 savannah or ford of the i-iver ; and in this way these were of 
 the greatest use to us by pioneering our route through a most 
 difficult and intricate country, never yet traversed by a wheel 
 caiTiage, and great part of it, indeed, inaccessible even on 
 horseback, except for the aid of these powerful and sagacious 
 animals. In such places (as the Hottentots assured me) the 
 great bvill elephants always march in the van, bursting 
 through the jungle as a bullock would through a field of 
 hops, treading down the thorny brushwood, and breaking 
 with his proboscis the larger branches that obstruct his pas- 
 sage ; the females and younger part of the herd follow in his 
 wake in single file ; and in this manner a path is cleared 
 through the densest woods and forests, such as it Avould take 
 the pioneers of an army no small labour to accomplish. 
 Among the groves of mimosa trees, which were thinly 
 sprinkled over the gi'ass of meadows along the river's 
 margin, the traces of the elephants were not less apparent. 
 Immense numbers of these trees had been torn out of the 
 ground and placed in an inverted position, in order to enable 
 the animals to browse at their ease on the soft and juicy 
 roots, which form a favourite part of their food. I observed 
 that in numerous instances, where the trees were of con- 
 siderable size, the elephant had employed one of his tusks 
 exactly as we should use a crowbar, thrusting it under the 
 roots to loosen their hold of the earth before he could tear 
 them up with his proboscis. Many of the larger mimosas 
 had resisted all these efforts, and, indeed, it is only after
 
 168 SOUTH AFKICA. 
 
 heavy rains, wlieu tlie soil is soft and loose, tliat tliey can 
 successfully attempt tliis operation." 
 
 A troop of elephants came do^v^l one dark and rainy 
 night close to the outskirts of a village. The inhabitants 
 heard them bellowing and making an extraordinary noise for 
 a long time at the upper end of an orchard ; hut knowing 
 well how dangerous it was to encounter these animals in the 
 night, they kept close within their houses till daybreak. 
 Next morning, on examining the spot where they had heard 
 the elephants, they discovered the caiise of all this nocturnal 
 uproar. There was, at this spot, a ditch or trench about four 
 or five feet in width, and nearly fourteen in depth, which 
 some of the people had recently cut through the bank of the 
 river, on purpose to lead out the water to irrigate some part 
 of their garden ground, and to drive a corn mill. Into this 
 trench, which was still unfinished and without water, ©ne of 
 the elephants had apparently fallen, for the marks of his feet 
 were distinctly visible at tlie bottom, as Avell as the impress 
 of his huge body on the sides. How he had got in was easy 
 to conjecture ; but how, being once in, he had ever contrived 
 to get out again was the marvel. By his own unaided efforts 
 it was obviously impossible for such an animal to have extri- 
 cated himself Could his comrades, then, have assisted him ? 
 There can be little question but they had ; though by what 
 means, unless by hauling him out with their trunks, it would 
 (not be easy to conjecture. And in corroboration of the sup- 
 position, on examining the spot, tlie edges of this trench 
 appeared deeply indented with numerous vestiges, as if the 
 other elephants had stationed themselves on either side, some 
 of them kneeling, and others on their feet, and had thus, by 
 united efforts, and probably after many failures, hoisted their 
 unlucky brother out of the pit. 
 
 The visitor of a solitary dwelling in the White River 
 Valley, heard the farmer's wife complain bitterly of the annoy- 
 ance that she and her family received from the nocturnal
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 169 
 
 visits of the elephants. They were "xigly customers," she 
 said, "and too big to wrestle with." TJiey came out of the 
 forest by night, trod down her little corn field, devoured her 
 crop of maize, pulled up her fruit trees, and tossed about and 
 injured, as if in Avanton malice, articles that they could 
 neither devour nor destroy ; and only a few days previously, 
 her husband, on returning home at a late hour, had made a 
 narx-ow escape from one of these animals, which met him in 
 the wood, and chased him several times round his wagon. 
 She added, however, that they were far less dangerous than 
 they had been when she and her family came first to reside 
 in this wild, though beautiful valley; and, pointing to a 
 rocky mound at a little distance, which rose abruptly from 
 the gr^sy meadows, and overhung a part of the river, she 
 said that on the summit of that rock, not many years before, 
 her husband used to lie concealed among the brushwood, and 
 shoot the elephants as they passed down the glen in numerous 
 herds, even at mid-day. 
 
 Lieutenant Moodie had recently joined the semi-military 
 settlement of Fredericksburg, on the Gualana^ beyond the 
 great Fish River, where his party liad already shot many 
 elephants, with which the country at that time abounded. 
 On one occasion he witnessed an elephant hunt for the first 
 time, when a large female was killed, after some hundred 
 shots had been fired at her. At first the balls seemed to 
 produce little effect, but at length she received several shots 
 in the trunk and eyes, which entirely disabled her fi*om re- 
 sisting or escaping, and she then became an easy prey to her 
 assailants. 
 
 On the following day one of the servants stated that a 
 large troop of elephants was in the neighbourhood of the 
 settlement, and that seveial of the people were on their way 
 to attack them. Moodie instantly set out to join the hunters ; 
 but from losing his way in the jungle through which he had 
 to pass, he did not overtake them till after they had driven 
 
 9
 
 170 SOUTH AFracA. 
 
 the elephants from tlieir first statioiL On getting out of tlie 
 jungle lie was proceeding through an open meadow on the 
 banks of the Gualana, to the spot where he heard the firing, 
 when he was suddenly warned of approaching danger by loud 
 cries of "Fas-o])!" — "Take care!" — in Dutch and English, 
 coupled with his name ; and at the same moment he heard 
 the crackling of broken branches, produced by the elephants 
 bursting through the wood, and the tremendous screams of 
 their wi-athful voices resounding among the precipitous banks. 
 
 Instantly a large female, accompanied by three others of 
 a smaller size, issued from the edge of the jungle which 
 skirted the river margin. As they were not more than two 
 hundred yards off, and were proceeding directly towards him, 
 Moodie had not much time to decide on his motions.^ Alone, 
 and in the middle of a small open plain, he saw that he must 
 inevitably be caught if he fired in this position, and his shot 
 did not take effect. He therefore retreated hastily out of 
 their direct path, thinking they would not observe him, until 
 he should find a better opportunity for the attack. But in 
 this he was mistaken, for, on looking back, he perceived to 
 his dismay, that they had left their former course, and were 
 rapidly pursuing and gaining ground on him. He now de- 
 termined to reserve his fii'e as a last resource ; and turning 
 off at right angles, in the opposite direction, he made for the 
 bunks of the small river, intending to take refuge among the 
 rocks on the other side, where he felt he should be safe. 
 
 But before he got within fifty paces of the river the 
 elephants were within twenty paces of him — the large female 
 in the middle, and the other three by her sides, apparently 
 with the intention of making sure of their victim ; all of 
 them screaming so tremendously that he was almost stunned 
 with their noise. Immediately he turned round, cocked Ids 
 gun, and aimed at the head of the largest elephant. But, 
 unfortunately, as the powder was damji, the gun himg fire, 
 till he was in the act of taking it from liis shoulder, when it
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 171 
 
 went off, the ball grazing merely tlie side of lier head. 
 Halting only for an instant, the elephant again dashed 
 furiously forward. He fell ; but could not remember whether 
 he was struck by her trunk or not. She then made a thrust 
 at him with her tusk. Luckily for Moodie, she had only 
 one, which, still more luckily, missed its mark ; but it 
 ploughed up the earth within an inch or two of his body. 
 
 She then caught him Avith her trunk by the middle, threw 
 him between her fore-feet, and knocked him about for some 
 time. Once she pressed her foot on his chest with such 
 force that he actually felt, as it were, the bones bending under 
 the weight ; and once she trod on the middle of his arm, 
 which, fortunately at the time, lay flat on the ground. In 
 these critical circumstances, he happily never entirely lost 
 his recollection, or they would most likely have proved fatal. 
 But owing to the roundness of her foot, he generally managed, 
 by twisting his body and limbs, to escape her direct tread. 
 
 At this crisis. Lieutenant Chisholm and Dicderik, a 
 Hottentot, came xip, and fired several shots at the elephant, 
 one of which hit her in the shoulder ; and at the same time, 
 her companions retiring and screaming to her from the hedge 
 of the forest, she reluctantly left Moodie, giving him a cuff or 
 two with her hind feet, in passing. He now got up, picked up 
 his gun, and staggered away as fast as his aching bones would 
 allow ; but observing that she turned back and looked to- 
 wards him before entering the bush, he lay down in the long 
 grass, and by this means escaped her observation. 
 
 On reaching the top of the high bank of the river-, he met 
 liis brother, who had not been at this day'a hunt, but had run 
 out on hearing one of the men say he had seen Moodie killed. 
 His brother was not a little surpi-ised at meeting him alone 
 and in a whole skin, though plastered with mud from head 
 to foot. While the two brothers and Mr. Knight, of the 
 sCape regiment, were talking of the adventure now related, 
 McClane, a soldier of the Royal African Corps, attracted the
 
 172 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 attention of a large male elepLant, wliicli had been driven 
 towards tlie village. The ferocious animal gave chase, and 
 caught him immediately under the height where the three 
 persons were standing, carried him some distance in his trunk, 
 then threw him down, and bringing his four feet together, 
 trod and stamped upon him till he Avas quite dead. Leaving 
 the corpse for a little while, he again returned, as if to make 
 quite sure of McClane's destruction, and kneeling down, 
 crushed and kneaded the body with his fore-legs. Then 
 seizing it again with his trunk, he carried it to the edge of 
 the jungle, and threw it among the bushes. While tliis 
 tragedy was proceeding, Moodie and his brother scrambled 
 down the bank as far as they could, and fired at the ferocious 
 animal, bvit, unhappily, they were at too great a distance to 
 render the unfortunate man any service. 
 
 Shortly after this, a shot from one of the people broke 
 this elephant's left fore-leg, which completely disabled him 
 from running. Seeing the danger and distress of her mate, 
 the female, who had been Lieutenant Moodie's personal an- 
 tagonist, regardless of her own danger, quitted her shelter in 
 the bush, rushed out to his assistance, walked round and 
 round him, chasing away the assailants, and still returning 
 to his side, caressing him, and, when he tried to walk, she 
 placed her flank under his wounded side, and supported him. 
 These attentions were continued for about half an hour, until 
 the female elephant received a severe wound from IMr. j\lac- 
 kenzie, of the Ro3'al African Corps, which drove her again 
 to the bvish, where she speedily sank exhausted from the loss 
 of blood; and the male soon after received from the same 
 officer a mortal wound. 
 
 An adventure of j\Ir. Eose is thus related : " The search 
 was becoming hopeless, when the leader pointed to a distant 
 hill. There was a consultation, in which it was decided that 
 a troop of elephants v/as passing over it. I looked, and could 
 see nothing. But now we went on with fresh vigour, and
 
 Jt . ' n &..
 
 174 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 gained tlic hill opposite to tliat at which they were ; we 
 halted and watched ; and few words passed between the hunter 
 and Skipper, and we descended silently the ravines that 
 divided us. 
 
 " Again they whispered ; marked from which point the 
 light breeze came ; and we commenced the steej) ascent in a 
 direction that the wind might come from the animals to us ; 
 for we were now so near them, that their quick scent would 
 have discovered us. Skipper led, while we followed in Indian 
 file, threading a naiTow rocky path, which skirted one bank 
 of a small hollow, while the huge beasts were feeding on the 
 op^josite one. 
 
 " The leader halted, the hitnter gave my companion and 
 myself lighted sticks, and whispered directions to fire the 
 bush and grass, and to retreat in the event of the animals 
 charging. It was a strange feeling to find myself ^vithin 
 twenty yards of creatiu-es whose forward movement would 
 have been destruction ; but they stood browsing on the 
 bushes, and flapping their large ears, pictures of indolent 
 security. We were taking our stations, when we heard a shot, 
 and then another, and of the eight elephants, seven fled. 
 
 " We went forwai'ds to see the eff"ect of the shots. 
 Skipper's had carried death with it ; the elephant had fallen, 
 but rose again. I never heard anything like its gi'oans ; he 
 again fell, and we went up to him ; the ball had entered 
 behind the shoulder, and reached the heart. 
 
 " In looking at the mighty monstei", I could not help say- 
 ing, ' Poor beast ! and were it not for these ivory tusks, you 
 might live happy and unmolested, and they ajipear given but 
 for your destruction, for of what use are they 1 ' — ' Defence,' 
 answered my companion. — ' No,' said the himter ; ' for the 
 most dangerous among them is a breed that the Dutch 
 call Koeskops, and they have no tusks.' 
 
 " We cut off" his tail in token of triumph ; and then fol- 
 lowed the troop that had fled down the hill ; we saw them
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 175 
 
 cross the ravine, and traced their downward course by the 
 destruction and uprooting of everything that had impeded 
 it; branches were strewed around; and the hxrge pahn-like 
 euphorbias, so common in these wild regions, were broken like 
 twigs. 
 
 " In our pursuit, we crossed the lairs of the buffalo and 
 elephant, and gained the ravine ; when I, who had walked 
 full twenty-four miles over the rough ground, with a gun 
 that weighed twenty pounds, found it impossible to keci) up 
 with my more active companions ; and seating myself on the 
 ground, told the hunter to go and leave me ; and on reaching 
 the bivouac, to send my Hottentot and my horse ! ' It is 
 impossible,' he replied, ' it will be a dark night, and even in 
 the day, no one would find you here ! ' — ' It is of no conse- 
 quence ; I do not wish to spoil your sport ; but I can go no 
 further. I stretched myself on the ground, indifferent to the 
 result. * Were a rhinoceros to come down, I think you would 
 find your legs.' — 'No ; nothing could make me mount that hill.' 
 
 " There was a consultation which I scarcely heard, and 
 it was resolved that the little boy should remain with me ; 
 and that when I had rested, we should ascend the hill, light- 
 ing fires as we went, to mark our course ; the remainder of 
 the party followed the elephants. 
 
 " In half an hour I again took my gun, which had been 
 changed for one that would scarcely fire, and began to ascend 
 the hill by an elephant path ; — the valley we had just left, 
 and the side of the hill were thickly covered with high dark 
 bush, — on my right so close as to prevent my seeing any 
 object in that direction. "VVe were slowly rising the ascent, 
 when I heard a heavy gallop of a large animal approaching. 
 My little companion was at some distance from me, blowing 
 a lighted stick. ' Listen,' I said, the boy's eyes looked wild 
 and lie fled from the sound, while I ran up the hill, not 
 doubting it was a i-hinoceros ; the heavy tramp was close to 
 nic, and I scarcely saw a large dark animal burst through the
 
 176 WUTIl AFRICA. 
 
 bush witliin a few yards of me — in tlift S])ot I liacl just quitted, 
 and in the very path I was following. I did not stop ; for, 
 from the glimpse I caught, I believed it to be a rhinoceros ; 
 my young companion fired the bush, which I heaixl crackling, 
 and in a few minutes came up to me. 
 
 " ' "What a narrow escape,' said he. * What was it 1 ' — 
 ' The rhinoceros.' ' Did you not see it close to you ? — it 
 turned from the lighted bush.' It was certainly a situation 
 of danger ; yet without affecting any particular courage, I 
 tiiisted rather to my heels than my gun." 
 
 Carl Krieger was an indefatigable and fearless hunter; 
 and being also an excellent marksman, often entered into the 
 most dangerous situations. One day, having with his party 
 pursued an elephant which he had wounded, the irritated 
 animal suddenly turned round, and, singling out from the 
 rest the person by whom he had been womided, seized him 
 with his trunk, and lifting him high in the air, dashed him 
 with dreadful force to the gi'ound. His companions, struck 
 with horror, fled precipitately from the fatal scene, unable to 
 turn their eyes to witness what might follow. But, on the 
 following day, they returned to the spot. They collected the 
 few bones that could be found, and buried them. The en- 
 raged animal had not only literally trampled Carl's body to 
 pieces, but pounded the very flesh into dust. 
 
 On New Year's day a party of boors got heated with 
 liquor, when each begun boastingly to relate the feats of 
 hardihood they had performed. One of them, who had been 
 fi great hunter of elephants, having killed in his day above 
 forty of these gigantic animals, laid a wager that he would go 
 into tlie forest, and pluck three hairs out of an elephant's tail. 
 This feat he actually performed, and returned safely with the 
 trophy to his comi-ades. But not satisfied with this daring 
 act, he laid another bet that he would go back and shoot the 
 same animal on the instant. He went accordingly ; ap- 
 proached the elephant too incautiously, when his first shot
 
 ELEPlTiiyT EATIN'O. 177 
 
 not })roving effective, the enraged animal rushed on lilm 
 before lie could reload, or make his escape, and having first 
 thrust his tremendous tusks through his body, trampled him 
 to pieces. 
 
 Two settlers, a man and his wife, one day walking 
 along, were terribly frightened by a troop of elephants. See- 
 ing these enormous animals suddenly emerging from an 
 adjoining copse-wood, they fled in the utmost alarm, and to 
 J A their speed, popped their little infant child which they 
 were carrying into an ant-eater's hole. The elephants, liow- 
 ovei", happily took another direction, and the selfish j^arents 
 recovered the poor child uninjured from its dismal bed. 
 
 Captain Harris remarks : " It is said that the epicures of 
 Rome esteemed the trunk of an elephant an extraordinary 
 luxury ; and descending to more modern times, we find oui 
 brother traveller, Le Vaillant, feasting upon the foot with 
 extraordinary relish. To the attention of the city aldennan, 
 however, I must be allowed to recommend the slice round 
 the eye, which appears to have been hitherto overlooked by 
 bon vivans. Upon this dainty morsel, roasted upon a stick 
 before a blazing tire, or singed among the embers, so as to 
 come under the Hottentotish denomination of carhonaacUje, 
 or devilled grill, we frequently feasted ; and I can avei-, with- 
 out the smallest fear of contradiction, that the dish rather 
 resembled tlie fragment of a shoe, picked up after a conflagra- 
 tion, than the meat which could boast of having been subjected 
 to a culinary process." 
 
 Another traveller says : " "Would you form an idea of 
 what elephant's flesh actually is, take the toughest beef-steak 
 you ever tasted, multiply it, by five hundi-ed, aaid aubtvo^.t tho 
 gravy 1" 
 
 9*
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE CORAN^AS. 
 
 Oppression of the Native Tribes — The Corannas defended hj the (.ir^at 
 Karroo— Their Dwellings, Dress, Utensils, and Habits — Visit of 
 Corannas to Burchell — He draws the Portrait of their Chief^IIe 
 paints a Fish — Great Astonishment of his Visitors — Their Siniciilar 
 Method of crossing the Orange River — Jan Kapetein, a Coranna Cliief 
 and a Lion. 
 
 WiiEX tlie Dutch had possession of the Cape Colony, the 
 various native triljcs suffered greatly from their cruel oppres- 
 sion. One tribe, the Corannas, or Korahs, were protected to 
 a considerable extent, by the wide desert Karroo, situated 
 between them and the colony. Hence they displayed more 
 civilisation than the general race of Hottentots who lived on 
 its skirts. They are now widely dispersed over the country 
 on the northern side of the Gariep or Orange River ; but it is 
 not easy to define the boundaries of their country, as they 
 constantly shift their quarters, and the villages of two or three 
 tribes are so intermingled that it is difficult to decide to which 
 the territory belongs. They never consider the soil as worth 
 claiming, or even disputing about. The water and the pastur- 
 age are all they esteem, and when these are exhausted, the 
 hind is abandoned as useless. 
 
 In their persons the Corannas are more cleanly than the 
 Hottentots, arising probably from the abundance of water 
 with which the Orange River, whose banks they frequent, is 
 supplied at all seasons, and more especially in the summer, 
 and which is scarce in almost every other part of the southern 
 angle of Africa. Their dress and domestic utensils are neater 
 and constructed with more care. Their dwellings, which are
 
 THE COR ANN AS. 179 
 
 formed witli great skill, are in the shape of hemispheres, 
 generally about six feet high and eight in diameter, and are 
 covered with several folds of neat matting, made of rushes, 
 or coarse grass. Their water or milk-vessels, are sometimes 
 made of clay, baked in the sun, sometimes of gourds, and at 
 others of wood, hollowed out from blocks of willow. Their 
 possessions of horned cattle, sheep, goats, and dogs, are some- 
 times considerable. They have no kind of carriages ; but 
 on removing from place to place, their mats, furniture, and 
 utensils are packed on oxen, which also usually carry the 
 women and children. 
 
 Their di'ess consists of skin cloaks, similar to those of the 
 other Hottentot tribes. When visited by Barrow, the 
 women wore square ornamented aprons, susjDcnded from the 
 waist, with copper chains, and beads of glass around the 
 neck, wi-ist, and legs. These chains he supposed to have been 
 procured from the Damaras, a tribe of Kaffirs to the north- 
 westward, dwelling at the foot of the Copper Mountains. 
 
 Four Corauiias paid Burchell a visit, and he purchased of 
 them a fresh ostrich egg, for a small piece of tobacco. They 
 belonged to a neighbouring kraal, of which one was the cliief. 
 Of this man he drew a portrait. After making the bargain 
 to give him a large piece of tobacco, he stood patiently and 
 still, till the drawing was finished, but as it was only in black- 
 lead pencil it did not produce any extraordinary imjjression. 
 It is by tlie imitation of the lively colours of nature, far more 
 than by exactness of forms, that drawings afford delight to 
 the fur greater number of those who view them ; the more 
 valuable part of the art being generally underrated. 
 
 This Coranna wore on his head a piece of leather bound 
 round in the form of a cap, and was clothed with a leathern 
 cloak or caross, which, together with his whole body, was 
 so covered with red-ochre and grease, tliat the j^art of the 
 wagon against Avhich he leaned to li;ive liis portrait taken, 
 was soiled with a red stain, not easily lemoved. From his
 
 ISO EOUTII AFRICA. 
 
 ueck Iiim^ a number of bead-necklaces of various colour.'', to 
 wliicli were appended a Becliuana knife, and the sliell of a - 
 small tortoise, to hold snufF or tobacco. His wrist and fore- 
 arm were ornamented with bracelets of beads, cords of acacia 
 bark, and a broad ivory ring. Although perfectly friendly 
 in all their intentions, these men were armed with spears, and 
 some v«th a bow and arrows. The countenance and manners 
 of this chief were expressive of a good, natural, quiet 
 disposition ; liis behaviour was even respectful ; and he was 
 less troublesome in the way of begging, than the genei-ality of 
 his countrymen. 
 
 At another time a party of Corannas, attracted by the 
 provisions of the travellers, took up their abode with them. 
 One of them having struck a yellow-fish, Burchell borrowed 
 it that he might finish a drawing he had previously made. 
 As soon as this was done he called the Coranna to the wagon, 
 to take his fish again ; when, catching sight of the drawing, 
 he was instantly struck with a most laughable degree of as- ' 
 tonishment, and for a minute, stood Avith his mouth and eyes 
 wide open, dumb Avith Avonder. At last, without taking his 
 eyes off the picture, he called to his companions to come and see. 
 
 A crowd now being collected, astonishment was general, 
 and the A-arious expressions of it not a little entertaining; 
 none CA^er haA'ing imagined that objects could be so imitated 
 by art as to exhibit the colour and appearance of life, they 
 seemed to belicA-e that it had been done by magic ; while 
 others supposing it to be the fish itself fastened to the paper, 
 asked where A\-as the Avound with which it had "been struck. 
 Curious Avere their looks of incredulity and amazement, as they 
 examined the back of the drawing, and actually felt the thin- 
 ness of what they supposed to be a solid fish. There was but 
 one way in Avhich the mystery could be unravelled ; so 
 Burchell shoAved them his brushes and colours, and in their 
 presence, laid some of the same tints on a piece of paper. 
 After this, they all rotired satisfied and greatly pleased ; the
 
 A CORANNA CHIEF AND A LION. 181 
 
 wonders they had witnessed forming for a long time the topic 
 of conversation. 
 
 In crossing the Orange River, which is both wide and 
 rapid, the Corannas adopt a curious contrivance to transmit 
 their sheep and other property. They take a log of wood, 
 from six to eight feet in length, and at a few inches' distance 
 from one of its ends, fix a wooden peg. On this log the 
 person intending to cross the river stretches himself at fall 
 lengtli, and holding fast by the peg with one hand, while 
 with the other, and occasionally with his feet, he strives to 
 keep the end of the log at an angle of about forty-five degrees 
 with the stream, when tlie obliquity of the log opposed to the 
 current causes it in floating down the stream, to push gradu- 
 ally over to the opposite side. 
 
 Jan Kapetein, a Coranna chief, set off on a hunting expedi- 
 tion, and came just before sunset to some old cattle-folds, which 
 the pai-ty thought to be a proper place to unpack their oxen, 
 and tarry for the night ; when they saw an enormous lion, 
 which they determined to kill, as otherwise their lives would 
 be in great danger. Jan, with a number of his companions, 
 mounted their horses, and approached tlie lion ; and, always 
 noted for his extraordinary courage, he now dismounted, 
 giving the reins of his bridle to his brother Jacob, while the 
 others waited the result. 
 
 Jan fired at the lion, but missed him, when the animal 
 made a bound towards him. Jacob cried, " Spring on your 
 horse ; he is coming on ;" but before Jan was fairly mounted 
 the lion sprang on his horse, and with his left paw fastened 
 upon the thigh of the docile animal, while he put his right 
 paw on the saddle. The horse instantly gave a tremendous 
 kick, exti-icatcd himself as in a fright from the lion's hold, 
 and threw Jan to the ground. The lion tlien seized his 
 powder-horn, which was buckled round his loins, then at- 
 tempted to grasp Jan's head, which, however, he defended with 
 Lis left arm ; but its sinews and arteries were bitten through.
 
 182 SOUTH AFRICA, 
 
 Jacob could afford him no assistance, for his horse ran away 
 at the sight of the lion, while the others made off absolutely 
 scared by its first approach. One intrepid youth alone re- 
 mained. He ran to Jan's assistance, and on his approach the 
 lion left his antagonist. No medical aid Avas near ; Jan had 
 to subsist wholly on animal food, and as his wounds were 
 exposed to a very severe frost, mortification ensued, which 
 Boon terminated his life. 
 
 I
 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 
 SERPENTS. ; 
 
 The Boomslange not a Poisonous Eeptile — Formidable character of the Cobra 
 
 da Capello— A Snake in the Grass— Extreme Peril of Mr. Moffat— The 
 
 Puff Adder — The Bushman extracting and using the Venom of destruc- 
 
 ■ tive Reptiles — Why do Serpents assail Jlen? — Adventure of Captain 
 
 Harding. 
 
 The Boomslange, tliougli regarded as poisonous by the Hot- 
 tentots, is not so ; it has no poison-fangs, but the posterior 
 teeth are somewhat like fangs, for they enable the reptile to 
 seize birds with more security. It has large and full eyes, 
 and is subject to great variety of colouring. Some of these 
 snakes are very beautifully variegated with olive or yellow ; 
 some with pale brown, pink, and yellow ; while some are 
 plainly brown. 
 
 Tliis creature is generally found in trees, to which it 
 resorts for the pui'pose of catching birds, on which it delights 
 to feed. As soon as it is discovered by the birds of the 
 neighbourhood, they collect around it and fly to and fro, 
 uttering the most piercing cries, till one, more terror-stricken 
 than the rest, actually scans its lips, and, almost without 
 resistance, becomes a meal for its enemy. During this pro- 
 ceeding the snake is generally observed with its head raised 
 about ten or twelve inches above the branch round which its 
 body and tail are intertwined, with its mouth open, and its 
 neck inflated, as if anxiously endeavouring to increase the 
 terror which, it would almost appear, it was aware would, 
 sooner or later, bring within its grasp some one of the 
 feathered group. 
 
 The Cobra da Capello is a most formidable serjicnt,
 
 184 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 charactevised hj tlie head being covered Avitli large plates, 
 and by the skin of tlie back being dilatable, or capable of 
 such expansion as to form a sort of hood, impres ed with a 
 mark somewhat like a pair of spectacles. The bite of this 
 creatni-e is deadly in the extreme. It often exceeds six feet 
 in length. It was doubtless one of these which alarmed the 
 sei'vant of Sir James Alexander, by glaring at him Avith his 
 fiery eyes, and made him declare that its hooded head was as 
 large as a teapot. 
 
 When irritated, these serpents rise on their tail, or the 
 posterior poi'tion of their body, elevate their head, expand 
 their hood, the scales being forced to a great distance asunder, 
 hiss loudly, and by their actions and the bright glance of 
 their eye, evince boldness and resolution. They then look 
 very beautiful ; and were no danger connected with their 
 threatening, might be contemplated with pleasure. They 
 will, howevex', not only make an assault, but I'ejieat the 
 attack, pursue their assailant with great fury, and spring 
 upon him with wonderful velocity. 
 
 ]\Ioffat, in one of his early journeys, left the wagons, 
 and wandered to a distance among the coppices and grassy 
 openings in quest of game. He had on his shoulder a small 
 double-barrelled gun, which was loaded with a ball and small 
 shot ; and an antelope passing, he fired at it, and slowly 
 followed the course it took. After advancing a short dis- 
 tance, he saw a tiger-cat staring at him between the forked 
 branches of a tree, behind which his long spotted body was 
 concealed, twisting and turning his tail like a cat just going 
 to spring on its prey. 
 
 He felt this to be a critical moment, for he had not now a 
 ball in his gun. He moved about as if in search of some- 
 thing on the grass, taking care to retreat at the same time. 
 After getting, as he thought, a suitable distance to turn his 
 back, he moved somewhat more quickly; but in his anxiety 
 to escape what was behind, he did not see what was before,
 
 SEEPENTS. 185 
 
 until startled by treading on a large coLra da capnllo, asleep 
 in the grass. It instantly tv/isted its body round Lis leg, 
 on Avliicli he had nothing but a pair of thin trowsers, when 
 ho leaped from the spot, dragging after him the venomous 
 and enraged rej^tile, and while in the act of throwing itself 
 into a position to bite, without turning round, he threw his 
 piece over his shoulder, and shot the cobra. Taking it by 
 the tail, he now took it to the people at the wagons, who, 
 on examining the poison-bags, asserted, that had the creature 
 bitten liim, he could never have reached the wagons. This 
 cobra vras six feet in length. 
 
 The puff adder is so called from its mode of inflating 
 itself when irritated. It is extremely venomous, but sluggish 
 in its movements, and easily avoided ; it is, however, capable 
 of throwing itself backwards with a sudden impulse. Its 
 body is thick in proportion to its length, and its tail is 
 remarkably short. 
 
 With the venom obtained from this and other poisonous 
 snakes, the Bushmen prepare a glutinous substance, in which 
 they dip the points of their arrows, and thus render even a 
 slight wound from them fatal. The boldness and dexterity 
 displayed by these wild huntsmen, and by many, also, of the 
 colonial Hottentots, in searcliing out and seizing alive the 
 formidable cobra da capello and puff adder, are truly aston- 
 ishing. Still more amazing is it to witness the snake-hunter 
 extracting from the yet living and writliing reptile, held fast 
 by his naked foot planted on its neck, tlie little bag contain- 
 ing the secreted venom, which the animal, in its rage, injects 
 into the wound made by its fangs, at tlie moment it strikes its 
 victim ; to see him take this, and fearlessly drink its contents, 
 as schoolboys in England would suck the blob of the honey-bee ! 
 
 The swallowing of this venom, they conceive, renders 
 them in time proof against its deleterious effects, vvhen it is 
 brought into immediate contact with the blood, whether by 
 the bite of a snake, or the point of an arrow.
 
 186 
 
 SOUTH AFUICA. 
 
 The moi-e usual object, however, of the Bushman in 
 catching serpents, exclusive of their value to him as an 
 article of food, is to procure poison for his arrows. The 
 animal venom, too thin and volatile to preserve its efficacy 
 long unimpaired, when used alone, is skilfully concocted into 
 a black glutinous consistency, by the admixture of powerful 
 vegetable and mineral poisons ; the former being generally 
 the juice of a root of a species of amaryllis, called from this 
 circumstance the "glft-hol,'' or poison- bulb; the latter a 
 bituminous or unctuous substance, which is said to exude 
 from certain rocks and caverns. With this deadly mixture 
 the dwarfish and despised African anoints the desperate 
 weapons with which he resists, though unavailingly, the 
 aggressions of the colonists, and sometimes cruelly revenges 
 the injuries they have inflicted. 
 
 It should however, be remembered, that it is from appre- 
 hension of danger, or the instinct of self-defence, far more 
 than from any peculiar fierceness or innate malignit}^, that 
 the serpent-race ever assail man or any of the larger animals. 
 They turn, of course, against the foot that tramples, or the 
 hand that threatens them ; but, happily, Providence has not 
 armed them, in addition to their formidable powers of 
 destruction, with the disposition of exerting those powers 
 from motives of mere wanton cruelty, or for purposes connected 
 "with their OAvn subsistence or security. "Were it otherwise, 
 countries like the Cape would be altogether uninhabitable. 
 
 Captain Harding relates the following fact : — " Being on 
 a military expedition across the frontiers, I had slept one 
 night, as usual, wrapped in my cloak, beneath a tree. On 
 awaking, at daybreak, the fii'st object I perceived, on raising 
 my head from the saddle which sei-ved for my pillow, was 
 the tail of an enormous puff adder lying across my breast, 
 the head of the reptile being muffled under the f >lds of the 
 cloak, close to my body, Avhithcr it liad betaken itself 
 apparently for warmth, during the chilliness of the night.
 
 SERIOUS PERIL. 187 
 
 There was extreme hazard, that if I alarmed it by moving, 
 it might bite me in a vital part. Seizing it, therefore, softly 
 by the tail, I pulled it out with a sudden jerk, and threw it 
 violently to a distance. By this means I escaped without 
 injury ; but had I unwittingly offended this uninvited bed- 
 fellow before I was aware of his presence, I might, in all 
 probability, have fatally atoned for my heedlessness."
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 NATIVE ARTS, 
 
 The Art of the Skinner— The Tailor— The Jlat-maker- The Eope-malter— 
 The Potter— The Smelter— The Smith— The Cord Twisters— The 
 Wooden Bowl-maker — The Maker of Ivory Rings. 
 
 The skinner takes a sheep's skin, reeking from the back of 
 the animal, and rubs into it as mucli fat as he can. So 
 carefully does he conduct this process, that the skin be- 
 comes tough and smooth, and the wool or hair is secured 
 from falling off. He does no more if he dresses a skin for 
 an European ; and Kolben describes it as " a very curious 
 piece of work." But if he dresses a skin for the vise of one 
 of his countrymen, to nib it alternately with cow-dung and 
 fat has been the usual practice, the skin' being then dried in 
 the sun. 
 
 "Wood-ashes are plentifully rubbed into the hair when 
 the hide of an ox, a bull, or a cow is tanned. After this it 
 is sprinkled with water. Should the hair be only loosened 
 by this pi'ocess, the ashes and water are plied again until 
 the skinner can pull it off. On the removal of the hair he 
 rubs in all the fat he can, and curries the hide with all his 
 might. 
 
 A Hottentot skinner generally practises as a tailor too. 
 When he cuts the several parts of a caross out of a skin 
 he follows neither line nor pattern, but only his eye, yet he 
 works quickly and exactly. When all the parts are cut out, 
 he squats down to stitch them together, using the bone of a 
 bird as an awl, and the split sinews of beasts as thread, with 
 no little dexterity.
 
 hat-:xaki:rs — roTxrus. 189 
 
 "When lie lias a hide to cut into straps, he makes holes 
 here and there on its edges, and in every hole ties a string. 
 To each string he fastens a peg, and by these pegs stretches 
 out the hide fully on the ground. Then, "vvith a knife, fol- 
 lowing his eye, he cuts out a strap, however long, with great 
 precision, the strap being of the same breadth even when 
 taken from the whole length of tlie hide. Such straps are 
 of great sei'vice. With these the people tie up the materials 
 of their huts and their hut furniture when they remove 
 their kraals ; girding them on the backs of their oxen. They 
 answer also many other purjioses. 
 
 The mat-makers are mostly women. They go out in 
 bands to gather flags, reeds, and bulrushes. These, when 
 they have brought them home, they lay in the sun to dry. 
 When dry enough they are woven, simply with the fingers, 
 into mats. If they are too dry, the women moisten them 
 slightly with water before they are used, and so close is their 
 weft that neither light, nor wind, nor rain can penetrate it. 
 As the mats that cover the huts decay, their place is supplied 
 by fresh ones ; the people generally providing themselves 
 with a good stock. 
 
 Of the same materials ropes are made ; the flags, x'eeds, 
 and bulrushes being sepai-ately twisted up into small strings, 
 which are tied together to the length of about four yards. 
 When a sufficiency of these four-yard strings are provided, 
 they twist them very tightly one round another to the thick- 
 ness of about an inch ; such are the ropes commonly used. 
 The whole work they do with their hands only; but so good 
 is it that oxen can rarely break a rojie when it is sound. 
 The Europeans at the Cape often purchase these ropes of the 
 people, and use them for their ploughs, and in various other 
 ways. When required, they can make ropes, by the same 
 process, of any length. 
 
 Earthen pots are made by each family, only, however, of 
 the mould of ant-hills. This mould they take off even with
 
 190 SOUTH AFKICA. 
 
 tlie surface of tlie ground, and, having cleaned it from every 
 pai'ticlc of sand or gravel, knead it tiglitly, bruising and in- 
 corporating with it the ant-eggs that are scattered up and 
 down in it. The ant-eggs act as a cement. Of this mould, 
 now a clay or dough, they take the quantity that will make 
 a pot of the required size, shaping it on a smooth, flat stone, 
 with the hand only, into the form of the Roman vim. 
 
 The vessel is then carefully smoothed inside and out, and 
 set, on the stone, for two days in the sun. As it is now 
 thoroughly dry, it is detached from the stone by drawing a 
 dried sinew to and fro, between the stone and the bottom of 
 the pot. The pot is then put into a hole as deep as the pot 
 is high, but of twice or more of its circumference ; while 
 over and about it they make a quick fire, which they leave 
 to burn till it goes out of itself. The people say that while 
 the pot is baking in this primitive oven, the substances of 
 the ant-eggs spread through it, and give it the great solidity 
 which characterises all their earthen vessels. 
 
 To melt iron from the ore they make a hole in a raised 
 gi'ound, large enough to contain a good quantity of iron- 
 stones, which are found in abundance, and kindle a fire 
 about them up to its mouth. About a foot and a half from 
 this hole, on the descent, • they make another, and much 
 less, to be the receiver of the melted iron. As soon as the 
 iron in the receiver is cold, they take it out, and break it to 
 pieces with stones, to be, in their turns, heated in other fires, 
 and beaten out to the desired shape with other stones. 
 
 Vogel, omitting the action of the fire, says : " They take a 
 piece of new or old iron, and without any other implement 
 than stone, make a weapon of it. They get the hardest flat 
 stone they can ; and, putting the iron upon it as an anvil, 
 bend it with a roundish stone, which serves for a hammei', 
 into the desired form. They then grind it on the flat stone, 
 and afterwards polish it so nicely that it comes out a very 
 >'a!uablo piece of work both for beauty and sei'vice, and
 
 SJIITIIS — CORD-MAKEKS. 191 
 
 wliicli no European smitli could, perhaps, produce the like 
 to, by the like means." 
 
 A traveller observed a smith who made knives and as- 
 sagais, or spears. His implements were few. He had a 
 stone for an anvil, a rough-made iron hammer, the liead of 
 which might weigh about a pound, and two small bellows 
 made of skin, with a piece of cow-horn at one end, through 
 which the blast went, the other end being open like a purse 
 and sewed to two round pieces of wood. These bellows were 
 laid upon the ground opposite the fire, with a heavy stone to 
 keep the under side steady. He effected a blast by quickly 
 raising and depressing the upper side of the bellows, and, 
 with great ease, blew both at the same time. 
 
 The Hottentot women, sitting in the shade, often employ 
 themselves in twisting cord from the acacia bark, while 
 others chop down the branches, or sti^ip off long pieces of it 
 from the stems. Some engage in an occupation of a double 
 nature : for, instead of dividing the fibres by pounding them 
 on a large stone, they perform tlie operation by chcAving, as 
 they fancy the juice to have an agreeable taste. 
 
 Considering the mode in which it is manufactured, this 
 cord is made very expeditiously. The workwoman being 
 seated on the ground, and liaviug a quantity of pre})ared bark 
 at hand, spins two yarns at once, by the simple process of 
 rolling them down her thigh with her palm, and then, by 
 bringing them close together and rolling them upwards, with 
 a turn in the contrary way, they are neatly twisted into a 
 strong single cord. 
 
 Wooden bowl-makers display their industry and skill in 
 carving out bowls and jugs from the green wood of the 
 willow; while, perhaps, at a distance a large willow- tree may 
 be seen falling to the ground, hacked through by hatchets, 
 so weak and small, that nothiug but perseverance and much 
 time could enable the people, with such tools, to sever trunks 
 above a foot or eighteen inches in diameter. These are cut 
 
 10
 
 193 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 into convenient lengths, accoi-ding to tlie utensil intended to 
 be made; and the soft, tough nature of the wood renders it 
 peculiarly fit for the purpose. 
 
 After the rough log has been chopped with the hatchet 
 or adze nearly to the required shape, a common knife is the 
 only tool employed to smooth and complete the outsidf^; and 
 another knife, having its top bent literally into a semicircular 
 hook, is used, with great dexterity and neatness, to hollow 
 out the inside. As soon as this is done, the whole is 
 thoroughly smeared with fat, to prevent it splitting from the 
 heat and dryness of the weather. The bowls are of various 
 sizes, but most frequently from twelve to eighteen inches 
 across, shallow, and mostly oval. . The jug or jar is made in 
 the form of a short cylinder, having the mouth or neck 
 contracted generally to about two-thirds. Their usual capa- 
 city is about a gallon, but they ai"e made of all sizes, from a 
 pint to five gallons. 
 
 A Hott&ntot makes ivory rings to be worn upon the arms 
 by way of ornament. From the moment he lays his hand 
 on an elephant's tooth to cut out a ring, to its completion, he 
 makes use of no other instrument than a knife, yet is the 
 ring round, smooth, and bright The manufacture is, of 
 course, proportionally tedious.
 
 \^'i% 
 
 •^"^
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 HUNTING THE KHINOCEROS. 
 
 Peculiarities of the African Ehinoceros — A huge Animal shot — Cooking of 
 tlie Legs and Feet — The Three Perils of Mr. Anderssou — Most marvellous 
 Escape. 
 
 The Afi-iciin Rhinoceros differs materially from that of India, 
 in the appearance of his skin, which is devoid of the large 
 folds and wrinkles of that species, having merely a slight 
 plait across the shoulders, and some fainter wrinkles on the 
 sides. It is, also, when compared with the Indian animal, 
 comparatively smooth, having no hair on any part of it, 
 except at the edge of the ears, and the extremity of the 
 tail. 
 
 A rhinoceros shot by Campbell's party was eleven feet 
 long; six feet in height; four feet broad; three feet from the 
 tip of the nose to the ear; the circumference of the body 
 about eleven feet. The skin was dai-k brown, resembling 
 tanned leather, about an inch in thickness, and smooth, 
 without hair. The front horn was about fourteen inches 
 long, the other considerably shorter. 
 
 The natives were delighted by the sight of so huge a 
 carcase. Four different parties began to cut it up, each 
 carrying portions to their respective heaps as fast as they 
 could. Some being more expeditious than others excited 
 jealousy, and soon caused a frightful uproar. Twenty tongues 
 were bawling at one time, one of wliich seemed sufficient to 
 deafen an ox. Not a word was spoken in jest, all were 
 deeply serious. Some severe strokes with sticks were dealt 
 among them by the leadex-s of the parties. But now a 
 cu'cnmstaiice occurred which instantly produced silence and
 
 394 
 
 SOUTfL AtRICA. 
 
 amazement. A Jlasliow liappening to pierce tliroiigli tlie 
 animal's side with his knife, the fixed air rushed out from 
 the swollen carcase with great noise and violence. The 
 
 HEAD OF A RHINOCEROS. 
 
 terror thus produced soon, however, subsided, and in le;^s 
 than an hour every ounce of the rhinoceros was carried oft". 
 
 The legs and feet were cooked by a singular jirocess. 
 As the ants' nests aro composed of hard clay, several ot'
 
 A LEG BECOME CROOKED. 195 
 
 tliem Avere dug up by tlie people early in the morning, and 
 their populations destroyed. Tlie space thus obtained was 
 filled up with lighted fuel till the bottom and sides within 
 became red hot. The embers of the wood were then re- 
 moved, the leg or foot of the rhinoceros introduced, and the 
 door closed up. with heated clay and embei's. Fire was also 
 made on the outside over the nests, and the flesh was alloAved 
 to remain in it for several hours. Food cooked in this way 
 is higldy relished by all the tribes. 
 
 Mr. Andersson, though anxiously desirous to reach a 
 distant sj)ot, seemed not very well prepared for the journey. 
 " My leg," he says, " had in some degree recovered its 
 strength ; but, unobserved by me, it had received a some- 
 what ugly twist. Little George first drew my attention to 
 the fact : ' Sir,' said he, ' your leg has grown crooked.' 
 
 " ' Crooked ! ' echoed I, somewhat angrily. ' What do you 
 mean 1 ' 
 
 " ' Only,' he wickedly replied, ' the calf is nearly where 
 the shin ought to be.' 
 
 " The boy's remai-k was not without foundation, but in 
 time the leg assumed its proper shape. 
 
 " I determined, before finally leaving Kobis, to devote 
 one more day, or rather night, to the destruction of the 
 denizens of the forest. But the adventure nearly terminated 
 fatally; and the night of the 15th of July will ever be 
 remembered by me as one of the most eventful epochs of 
 my life ; for, in the course of it, I was three several times 
 in the veiy jaws of death, and only escaped destruction by a 
 miracle. 
 
 " From the constant jDersecution to which the larger 
 game had of late been subjected at Kobis, it had become 
 not only scarce but waxy ; and hearing that elephants and 
 rhinoceroses still continued to resort to Abeghan, I forthwith 
 pi'oceeded there on the night in question. Somewhat in- 
 cautiously I took up my position — alone, as usual — on a
 
 19G SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 narrow neck of land dividing two small ])ools ; the space on 
 either side of my skiirm'^ being only sufficient for a large 
 animal to stand between me and the water. I was provided 
 with a blanket and two or three spare guns. 
 
 " It was one of those ma_gnificcnt tropical moonlight 
 nights, when an indescribably soft and enchanting light is 
 shed over the slumbering landscape ; the moon was so bright 
 and clear that I could discern even a small animal at a 
 considerable distance. 
 
 " I had just completed my arrangements, when a noise, 
 that I can only liken to the passage of a train of artillery, 
 broke the stillness of the air ; it evidently came from the 
 direction of one of the numerous stony paths, or rather 
 tracks, leading to the water, and I imagined it was caused 
 by some Avagons that miglit have crossed the Kalahari. 
 Raising myself partially from. my recumbent posture, I fixed 
 my eyes steadily on the part of the bush whence the 
 strange sounds jiroceeded ; but for some time I Avas unable 
 to make out the cause. All at once, however, the mystery 
 was explained by the appearance of an immense elephant, 
 immediately followed by others, amounting to eighteen. 
 Their towering forms told me at a glance that they were all 
 males. It • was a splendid sight to behold so many huge 
 creatures apjiroaching with a free, sweeping, unsuspecting, 
 and stately step. The somewhat elevated ground whence 
 they emerged, and which gi'adually sloped towards the water, 
 together with the misty night aii", gave an increased ajipear- 
 ance of bulk and mightiness to their naturally giant 
 structures. 
 
 " Crouching doAvn as low as possible in the ' skarm,' I 
 waited, with beating heart and ready rifle, the approach 
 of the leading male, avIio, unconscious of peril, was making 
 straight for my hiding-place. The position of his body, 
 
 * A " skiirm " is a small inclosure, six or eight feet in diameter, the 
 walls (usually consisting of loose stones) Leing about two feet in height.
 
 MR. ANDEESSON's PERILS. 197 
 
 however, was unfavourable for a shot ; and, knowing from 
 experience that I had little chance of obtaining more than 
 a single good one, I waited for ail oj^portunity to fire at his 
 shoulder, which is preferable to any part when shooting at 
 night. But this chance, unfortunately, was not afforded till 
 his enormous bulk towered above my head. The conse- 
 quence was, that, while in the act of raising tlie muzzle of 
 my rifle over the ' skiirm,' my body caught his eye, and, 
 before I could place my piece to my shoulder, he swung 
 himself round, and, with trunk elevated and ears spread, 
 despei-ately charged me. It was now too late to think 
 of flight, much le,5s of slaying the savage beast. ]\Iy 
 own life was in imminent jeopardy ; and seeing that, if I 
 rem.a,ined j^artially erect, he would inevitably seize me Avith 
 his proboscis, I threw myself on my back with some violence ; 
 in which position, and without shouldering the rifle, I fired 
 upwards at random towards his chest, uttering, at the same 
 time, the most piercing shouts and cries. The change of 
 position, in all human jirobability, saved my life ; for, at the 
 same instant, the trunk of the enraged animal descended 
 precisely on the spot where I had previously crouched, 
 sweeping away the stones (many of a large size) that formed 
 the fore part of my ' skai-m ' like so many pebbles. In another 
 moment Iris broad fore-feet passed directly over my face. 
 
 " I now expected nothing short of being crushed to death. 
 But, imagine my relief, when, instead of renewing the charge 
 he swerved to the left, and moved off with considerable 
 rapidity — most happily without my receiving other injuries 
 than a few bruises, occasioned by the falling of the stones. 
 Under Providence, I attribute my extraordinary escape to the 
 confusion of the animal caused by the wound I had inflicted 
 on him, and to the cries elicited from me when in my utmost 
 need. 
 
 " Immediately after the elephant had left me I was on 
 my legs, and snatching up a spax-e x'ifle lying at hand, I 
 
 10*
 
 198 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 pointed tit him as he was retreating, and pnllcd the trigger; 
 but, to my intense mortification, the piece missed fire. It 
 was a matter of thankfulness to me, however, that a similar 
 mishap had not occurred when the animal charged ; for had 
 my gun not then exploded, nothing, as I conceive, could have 
 saved me from destruction. 
 
 " During this incident, the rest of the elephants retreated 
 into the bush ; but by the time I had prepared my skarm, 
 they reappeared with stealthy and cautious steps on the oppo- 
 site side of the pool, though so distant that I could not fire 
 with any prospect of success. As they did not approach 
 nearer, I attempted to stalk them, but they would not allow 
 me to come to close quarters ; and after awhile moved off 
 altogether. 
 
 " Whilst pondering over my late wonderful escape, I 
 observed, at a little distance, a huge wliite rhinoceros pi'otrude 
 his ponderous and misshapen head through the bushes; and 
 presently afterwards he approached to within a dozen paces 
 of my ambuscade. His bx'oad side was now fully exposed to 
 view, and, notwithstanding I felt a little nervous from my 
 conflict ■s\'ith the elephant, I lost no time in firing. The beast 
 did not at once fall to the ground, but from appearances I 
 had every reason to believe he would not live long. 
 
 "Scarcely had I reloaded when a black rhinoceros 
 (a female, as it proved) stood drinking at the water ; but 
 her position, as with the elephant in the first instance, 
 was unfavourable for a good shot. As, however, she was 
 very near me, I thought I was pretty sure of breaking 
 her leg, and thereby disabling her ; and in this I succeeded. 
 My fire seemed to madden her ; she nished wildly forward on 
 three legs, when I gave her a second shot, but apparently 
 with little or no effect. I felt sorry at not being able to end 
 her sufferings at once ; but as I was too well acquainted with 
 the habits of the i-hinoceros to ventui'e on pursiiing her under 
 the circumstances, I determined to wait patiently for day-
 
 \ 
 
 MOST EXTKAORDINARY ESCAPE. 199 
 
 liglit, and then destroy her with the aid of my dogs. But it 
 
 was not to be. 
 
 " xls no more elephants or other large game appeni-cd, I 
 
 thought after a time it might be as well to go in search of the 
 white rhinoceros, j)reviously wounded ; and I was not long in 
 finding his carcase ; for my ball, as I supposed, had caused 
 his almost immediate death. 
 
 " In heading back to my skiirm, I accidentally took a 
 turn in the direction pursued by the black rhinoceros, and 
 by ill luck, as the event proved, at once encountered her. 
 She was still on her legs, but her position, as before, was 
 unfavourable; hoping, however, to make her change it for the 
 better, and thus enable me to destroy her at once, I took up 
 a stone and hurled it at her with all my force ; Avhen, snort- 
 ing horribly, erecting her tail, keeping her head close to the 
 ground, and raising clovids of dust with her feet, she rushed 
 at me witli fearful fury. I had only just time to level my 
 I'ifle and fii'e before she was upon me ; and the next instant, 
 wliilst instinctively turning round for the purpose of retreat- 
 ing, she laid me prostrate. The shock was so violent as to 
 send my rifle, powder-flask, and ball-pouch, as also my cap, 
 spinning in the air ; the gun, indeed, as afterwards ascer- 
 tained, to a distance of fully ten feet. On the beast charging 
 me, it ci'ossed my mind that unless gored at once by her horn, 
 her impetus would be such (after knocking me down, which 
 I took for granted would be the case) as to carry her beyond 
 me, and I might thus be afforded a chance of escape. So, 
 indeed, it happened ; for having tumbled me over (in doing 
 which her head, and the fore part of her body, owing to the 
 violence of the charge, was half buried in tlie sand), and 
 trampled on me with great violence, her fore-quarter passed 
 over my body. Struggling for life, I seized my opportunity, 
 and as she was recovering herself for a renewal of the charge, 
 I scrambled out from between her hind legs. 
 
 " But the enraged beast had not yet done with me.
 
 200 SOUTH AFHICA. 
 
 Scai'cely had I regained my feet before slie struck me dovra 
 a second time, and "syitli her horn ripped up my right thigh 
 (though not very deeply) from near the knee to the hip : with 
 her fore-feet, moreover, she hit me a terrific blow on the 
 shoulder near the back of the neck. My ribs bent under the 
 enormous weight and pressm-e, and for a moment, I must, I 
 believe, have lost consciousness — I have at least very indis- 
 tinct notions of Avhat afterwards took place. All I remember 
 is, that when I raised my head, I heard a furious snort- 
 ing and plunging amongst the neighbouring bushes. I now 
 arose, though with great difficulty, and made my way, in the 
 best manner I was able, towards a large tree, that was near 
 at hand, for shelter ; but this precaution was needless. The 
 beast, for the time at least, showed no inclination further to 
 molest me. Either in the melee, or owing to the confusion 
 caused by her wounds, she had lost sight of me, or she felt 
 satisfied with the revenge she had taken. Be that as it may, 
 I escaped with life, though sadly wounded, and severely 
 bruised, in which disabled state I had great difficulty in get- 
 ting back to my skarm." For other most remarkable adven- 
 tures, we must refer the reader to Mr. Andersson's recent and 
 valuable volume.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE KAFFIRS. 
 
 Characteristics of the Kaffirs — Their Dress, Food, and Mode of Life — 
 Amusing Incident — Bartering at a Fair — Right against Might — Rain- 
 makers and their Impostures — Controversy with one of them — The 
 War-dance — Irruption of Katiir Clans — Attack on a Moravian Village 
 — Story of the Slagt-boom, or Slaughter Tree — Perfidious Outrage — 
 Surrender of Kaffirs to the Colonial Authorities. 
 
 The Kaffirs living beyond the Fish River, on the eastern 
 boundary of the colony, form one tribe of the great Bechuana 
 family. Their national chai-acter is bold, warlike, and inde- 
 pendent. From these qualities, as well as from the cast of 
 their countenanc'e, some have conjectured that they are of 
 Arabian origin. The men are extremely tall and well-pro- 
 portioned, many being six feet and more in height ; the women 
 ax-e said to be good-tempered, animated, and cheerful, with 
 teeth beautifully white and regular, and without the thick 
 lips or flat noses of most of the natives of Africa; but they 
 form a strong contrast to the men in the lowness of their 
 stature, their figures being short and sturdy. Their name of 
 Kaffir, or unbeliever, was originally given to the inhabitants 
 of the south-eastern coast of Africa by the Moors, and, being 
 adopted by the Portuguese, it became the common appellation 
 of aU the tribes occupying that region. 
 
 The following sketch was from the life : — 
 
 " Lo ! where he crouches by the Kloof's dark side. 
 Eyeing the farmer's lowing herds af\ir ; 
 Impatient, watching till the evening star 
 
 Lead forth the twilight dim, that ho may glide
 
 202 SOUTH AFPJCA. 
 
 Like panther to the pre}'. AVitli freeborn pride 
 
 He scorns the herdsman — nor regards the scar 
 Of recent wound — hut burnishes for war 
 
 His assagai and tai'ge of bufTalo-hidc, 
 'He is a robber ?' — True ; it is a strife 
 
 Eetween the black-skinned bandit and the while. 
 * A savage ?' — Yes ; though loth to aim at life. 
 
 Evil for evil fierce he doth requite. 
 'A heathen ?' — Teach him, then, thy better creed, 
 Christian, if thou deserv'st that name indeed ! " 
 
 Tlie mfvnner of life of these people is, in general, ex- 
 tremely simple. Tlieir diet mostly consists of milk, •wMch is 
 kept *in leatliern bottles until it is sufficiently thick and 
 acidulous. Tliey cat also boiled corn, wliicb is xisually served 
 up in small baskets, from wliicli cacb one kelps himself witk 
 liis bands. They sometimes make of their corn a kind of 
 pottage ; at other times they form it into tliick cakes, which 
 are baked on the hearth. They lay up provisions for winter 
 use, either in pits or subterranean granaries. An occasional 
 feast of animal food, with the articles now mentioned, are 
 sufficient for the support of this hardy race. 
 
 The apparel of the Kaffirs consists wholly of the skins of 
 beasts, so prepared as to render them perfectly soft and 
 p)liable. Sometimes they are long enough to reach to the 
 feet, hang loosely from the shoulders in the manner of a 
 cloak, and are, in general, the only covering adopted by the 
 men. To protect themselves from the parching effect of the 
 sun's rays, they anoint themselves from head to foot with 
 some unctuous substance. The same materials are used by 
 the women, but their dress is of a different shape. 
 
 The chief wealth of the Kaffir consists in his herds of 
 cattle. Nothing affects him more than an injury done to his 
 horned creatures, whose increase and prosperity appear to 
 occupy tlie chief place in his thoughts, and to be the iiiling 
 motive of his actions. The more laborious occupations of 
 tillage, of felling wood, and of building dwellings, are per-

 
 A KAFFIR GROUP. 203 
 
 formccl by tlic women, whose life, after maiTiago, is indeed 
 one of bondage. 
 
 Of one Kaffir group Mr. Eose so.ys : — " There was 
 one young and finely-formed girl, with her wild expressive 
 eyes, and beautiful teeth, on whom I flatter myself with 
 having made an impression. Her mode of showing it was 
 singular. She picked some vermin from the hairy side of 
 her caross, and offered them to me; and on my exhibiting 
 some symptoms of disgust, laughed most heartily at my 
 fastidiousness, and put one in her mouth, to show that it was 
 good. It was the first mark of attachment which I had 
 received since I left Cape Town, and I was affected accord- 
 ingly; and had biit the refinement of sentiment been added 
 to so touching a proof of love — had she but sung — 
 
 * I give thee all, I can no more, 
 Though poor the offering be/ 
 
 I know not what the consequences might have been." 
 
 The bartering said to be practised at a fair is worthy 
 of notice. The Kaffir having articles to dispose of, sits 
 down amidst his comrades, waiting the approach of a 
 colonial dealer, who produces his beads and other species of 
 traffic. Neither party understands the other's language, yet 
 it seldom happens that an inter2:>reter is present, and the 
 negotiation is thex'efore carried on by signs. 
 
 Should the beads or other commodities offered not be 
 considered by the Kaffir sufficient for the transfer of his own 
 joroduce, a shake of the head adequately denotes his dissatis- 
 faction, IMore beads, perhaps, are then added on the one 
 side, dissent being still manifested on the other, iintil, as the 
 dealer is not disposed to make any further advance, the affair 
 terminates, without agreement, to the vexation of the bead- 
 merchant, whose time and patience have been so unprofitably 
 exhausted; but to the utter indifference of the Kaffir, whose 
 imperturbable coolness is an additional source of chagrin to
 
 204 SOUTH AFIUCA. 
 
 the imsiiccessful bidder. A second and a third dealer often 
 display their ornamental treasures with similar failure, and it 
 not uufrequently happens that the tenacious Kaffir departs 
 without disclosing of his commodity, which he brings to the 
 next fair, and perhaps exchanges ultimately for articles of 
 less number and value than had previously been offered. 
 
 When a bargain of any magnitude is concluded, the cliief 
 is generally at hand to substantiate his claim, considering 
 himself entitled to a certain portion of the profits as Jiis 
 tribute, in consequence of his territory having been made 
 the scene of traffic. His retainers are therefore dispersed 
 throughout the fair, to watch the various negotiations, and 
 summon their chief at the close of any considerable bargain^ 
 no fraction of the payment being touched by the salesman 
 before his arrival. The chief is sometimes extortionate. A 
 traveller having expressed to an interpreter his sur2)rise that 
 on one occasion a Kaffir should ha^•e submitted, without re- 
 monstrance, to the greedy demands of the chief Gaika, he 
 shook his head signiMcantly, and, showing his mutilated haud, 
 replied, "I once ventured to remonstrate with him myself, 
 when he flew into a rage, and would have thrust his assagai 
 through my body, had I not parried the javelin with my 
 hand, an I luckily escaped with the loss of my thumb." 
 
 A different story is told of the chief IMacomo. An 
 Englishman, being dissatisfied with the conduct of a slave he 
 had brought into Kaffraria from the Cape Colony, after some 
 altercation and a few strokes from his whip of rliinoceros 
 hide, carried him before Macomo, the chief of a tribe near 
 the river Keissi. Here the master and slave filed cross bills 
 against each other. The slave produced witnesses to prove 
 that his master had abused and struck him wdthout cause ; 
 and the master accused the slave of laziness, insolence, >Hud 
 disobedience, and demanded that he should be punished by a 
 severe flogging. 
 
 Macu'uo, haviuL;- hoard both parties, informed them that
 
 A KAFFIR JUDGE, 205 
 
 ill Kaffraria tliei*e are no slaves, and that lie mnst therefore 
 consider them merely as two men who had made a bargain 
 with each other. " Now, it appears," said he to tlie English- 
 man, "that you have struck this man, and otherwise ill- 
 treated him; but you can show no proof that he had injured 
 you by ofFei'ing you violence. I therefore declare your 
 bargain at an end. He is free to go where he pleases, and 
 you shall pay him an ox for the wrong you have done him." 
 The decision highly incensed the Englishman, who refused 
 to submit. " He deserved punishment, not reward," said he, 
 "for his insolence." "You liave not proved that," said 
 Macomo ; " but had it been so, you should have brought him 
 to me. Why do I sit here, if need be, from sunrise to sun- 
 set? It is to decide between man and man in cases where 
 tlieir anger blinds them, and hinders their judgment. If 
 men use their hands in secret, instead of their tongues before 
 the judge or the old men, whose life would be worth a husk 
 of corn?" 
 
 The traveller replied that he would not argue the matter 
 with Macomo, " as he was ignorant of the usages of civilised 
 life, and did not understand the rights of property. I will 
 complain of your conduct," he adde 1, "to Major Somerset, 
 the commander of the fi-ontier, who will soon show you the 
 difference between an elephant and a deer." To this taunt 
 Macomo calmly rej)lied, " I know that Somerset is stronger 
 than I am. He is an elephant, but neither I nor my father 
 has been called a deer. You say that your people are wiser 
 than ours. You do not show it in appealing from reason to 
 force. When you return to the colony, the landdrost will 
 decide between you ; here it can go no further. Give him 
 the ox," he added; "it will be better for you." The ox was 
 given. 
 
 ■ The tribes of South Afi-ica, like the IMandans of North 
 America, the natives of Ceylon, and many other widely 
 separated people, have their rain-makers, who pretend to
 
 20 G SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 commpnd tlie clouds by means of cei-tain magic cliarms of 
 ■whicl\ they have the secret. 
 
 These impostors have most power in countries which are 
 subject to irequeut droughts, and where the people depend 
 for subsistence on corn or cattle. Such is the case with the 
 Kaffirs, among whom the belief prevails that rain can be 
 withheld or granted at the will of their Igiaka-lumsulu, or 
 rain-doctor. 
 
 They therefore seek the aid of one of them with much 
 ceremony. The chief and his attendant warriors proceed in 
 state to his dwelling with presents of cattle ; and after signi- 
 fying their request, they institute a feast, which often lasts 
 many days, during which the impostor pretends that he is 
 tising his magic charms. 
 
 One of the devices is to collect a few leaves of each kind 
 of tree from a neighbouring forest, to be simmered in large 
 pots over a fire, and then to kill a sheep by pricking it in the 
 heart with a long needle, while the range of superstitious 
 ceremonies is passed through. As the simmering goes fin and 
 •steam arises, it is supposed to ascend and render the clouds 
 propitious, so that the needed sliower§ descend. Meanwhile 
 the dance is joined in by all the tribe; if is continued through- 
 out the day, and when midnight comes it still goes on ; it 
 may be accompanied with songs, in ^vhich the praises of the 
 rain-maker are shouted in a long-continued chorus. 
 
 This act, however, is often pi*emature ; for the rain-maker 
 fails ; the young corn often withering for want of the genial 
 and refreshing showers. Other expedients are then tried. 
 Thus, a lai'ge cii'cle is formed of young men ; they encompass 
 the side of a mountain which the klif-springer loves to haunt, 
 and, gradually contracting their range, they commoidy succeed 
 in taking captive several of these little antelopes. The voices 
 of these animals are supposed to attract rain. The cunning 
 practitioner, trusting not to any natural sounds, urges them 
 round the kraal, and calls forth their screams by pinchings
 
 RAIN-MAKEK?. 207 
 
 and other tortui'cs. .Should all his efforts prove abortive, he 
 seeks safety, like other impostors, in fliglit, when, on the con- 
 tinuance of drought, the aid of some other of his tribe is 
 eagerly coveted. 
 
 WJicn visitoi'S arrive wanting aid, he often amuse:; them 
 by jiretending to work his witcheries, and they are, at length, 
 dismissed with a variety of instructions, on the due observance 
 of which the expected boon is made to depend. These 
 instructions are generally of the most trivial nature : they 
 are not to look back on their journey home; or they are not 
 to speak; or they are to compel every one they meet to 
 return home with them ; and so on. If rain occurs, the 
 credit, of course, is assumed by, and conceded to, the rain- 
 maker; if disappointment ensues, they blame themselves for 
 not having adequately carried out the instructions they 
 received. The idle ceremony is again repeated ; the poor 
 people have again to make presents, to feast, and to receive 
 instructions ; thus much time is consumed, during wliicli the 
 season of drought frequently passes awiiy. One of the most 
 intelligent of the Kaffirs once visited a missionary, Mr. Shaw, 
 and said he was determined to have the question set at rest, 
 whether or not the rain-maker coidd produce rain. "We 
 will have our rain-maker summoned to meet you in an open 
 plain, where all the Kaffirs of the sui"i-ounding kraals shall be 
 present to judge between you and him." 
 
 This was agreed to, and at the ajjpointed time and place 
 thousands of Kaffirs from the neighbom-ing country appeared 
 in tl.eir war-dresses. Mr. Shaw being confronted Avitli a 
 celebiatid rain-makei", declared openly that God alone gave 
 rain ; a.id offered to pi-esent the rain-maker with a team of 
 oxen if he should succeed in causing any to descend within a 
 certain specified time. This was agreed to ; the rain-maker 
 commenced his ceremonies, which are said to have been well 
 calculated to impose on an ignorant and superstitious people. 
 'I'lie time having expired without any signs of rain, the chief
 
 208 souTu afkicjV. 
 
 wjio had convened the meeting inquired of the rain-maker 
 why he had so long imposed upon them 1 The rain-maker 
 evaded the qnestion, and complained that he had not been 
 paid well enough for the rain, and he appealed to all present 
 to say whether rain had not always been forthcoming on 
 proper remuneration. 
 
 Mr. Shaw now pointed out some half-fainished cattle 
 belonging to the rain-maker which were to be seen on an 
 adjacent hill starving for want of pasturage : thus clearly 
 proving that had he possessed the skill to which he pretended, 
 it was not likely he would have neglected his own interests. 
 To this the rain-maker adroitly replied, addressing the 
 people : " I never found any difficulty in making rain, till he 
 came among us" (pointing to Mr. Shaw); " but now, no sooner 
 do I collect the clouds, and the rain is about to fall inc6pious 
 showers on the dry and parched soil, than there immediately 
 begins a sound of tinff, ting, ting" (alluding to the chapel bell), 
 " which puts the clouds to flight, and prevents the rain from 
 descending on your land." j\Ir. Shaw could not decide as to 
 the effect of this ingenious plea on the majority of the 
 Kaffirs; but he had the satisfaction of knowing that the 
 intelligent native who consulted him on the subject never 
 made any more presents for i-ain. 
 
 Steedman describes an occasion when Gaika, the Kaffir 
 chief, accompanied by his wives, and a large retinue of 
 attendant warriors, had been j)ermitted to enter Fort Wilt- 
 shire, on the Keiskamma Eiver, and were exliibiting to its 
 inmates the peeidiar and terrific war-dance of his tribe. 
 
 " Tliis," he says, " was a performance, indeed, far more 
 adapted to astonish than to please, exciting alarm rather 
 than admiration, and displaying in rapid succession the 
 habits and ferocious passions of a savage community. Let 
 the reader picture to himself a hundi-ed or more unclad 
 Africans, besmeared and disfigured with copious defilements 
 of red clay, and assuming with frantic gestures all the ohix-
 
 KAFFIR WAR-DANCK. 209 
 
 racteristic vehemence of a furious engagement. The dance 
 commenced with a slow movement to a sort of humming noise 
 from the women in the rear, the men stamping and beating 
 time with their feet, until the gradual excitement occasioned 
 a simultaneous sjjring with corresponding shouts, when the 
 action proceeded to an unnatural Irenzy, and was calculated to 
 produce in the mind of a stranger the most appalling sensa- 
 tions. The dusky glare of the fire blazing in front of these 
 formidable warriors, during their wild and unearthly evolu- 
 tions, gave an additional degree of awful efiect to this 
 extraordinary scene ; and all that I had ever read in poetry 
 or romance of the Court of Pandemonium, or the Hall of 
 Eblis, fell infinitely short to my imagination, compared with 
 the realities before me. It was indeed a most seasonable 
 relief amidst the bewildering fancies of the moment, to hear 
 the gratifiying sound of 'All's well' from the sentries on the 
 outposts of the fort, which imparted to the mind a feeling of 
 security and composure that, as may well be conceived, was 
 truly welcome." 
 
 A travellei', wishing to survey the scenery in the vicinity 
 of the White River, started one morning before sunrise, and 
 set out on horseback on an exploratory ramble, accompanied by 
 a Hottentot guide on foot, equipped with his gun and hunting 
 gear. The sun had not yet risen over the bushy hills as they 
 proceeded down the valley, and every tree and flower was 
 bright and si)arkling with dew, diffusing a grateful feeling of 
 freshness in this thirsty land, where rain is precarious and 
 often long denied. The rich fragrance of the wild African 
 jessamine, clustering with its white flowers around the rocks 
 and aged trees, agreeably attracted attention, and recalled the 
 thoughts of the traveller to far distant scenes, where he had 
 seen the same beautiful shrub, or a sj^ecies nearly resembling 
 it, natuitilised in the rigorous clime of Britain. Blue-bells, 
 too, almost precisely similar to those of the Scottish braes, 
 were growing among the tangled brushwood through which 
 
 11
 
 210 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 they wound their way ; and a small bird now and then 
 eliirpod a few wild notes, which so nuich resembled the pre- 
 luding quiver of the wood-lark, as to be almost startling. 
 Bat the song died away in a feeble trill, and all again Avas 
 silent, save the cooing of turtle doves, which, even in the 
 autumn of South Africa, is continiially to be heard at early 
 morn, in a woodland country, and which produces a soothing 
 though somewhat monotonons eflect. 
 
 After proceeding a mile or two down the river, they 
 struck into a path on the left hand, which led into the 
 bosom of a jungle, behind the woody heights which bound 
 the White River on the south. The path on which they now 
 entered led them along a sort of valley, or rather avenue, 
 through the forest of evergreens and brushwood, which 
 covered the undulating country as far as the eye could reach. 
 This avenue consisted of a succession of gi-assy savannahs, 
 often of large extent, opening into each other through the 
 jungle, and affording a wide range of excellent pasturage for 
 the herds of the settlement. It had, however, the disad- 
 vantage of being destitute of water, excepting after hea\-y 
 rains ; and another serious drawback was the extreme hazard 
 to which tlie cattle pastured in it, as well as their keepers, 
 were exposed during the disturbances with the Kaffirs, in 
 consequence of the extent of jungle that surrounds it. Of 
 this danger sufficient demonstration was exhibited to the 
 traveller by his guide pointing out, as they passed along, the 
 spot where, a few years before, nine of his comrades were 
 slaughtered, and of which he gave the following account. 
 
 During the irruption of the Kaffir clans, after the in^ a- 
 sion and devastation of their country by the colonial govern- 
 ment in 1819, the mountains and forests of the Zurebei-g 
 were occupied by numerous marauding bands of these barba- 
 rians, who poured themselves into the colony in a state of 
 great exasperation, resolved either to recapture the cattle of 
 which they had been plundered, or to indemnify themselves
 
 ATTACK OF KAFFIRS. 211 
 
 by carrying off those of the colonists. They had already 
 several times menaced the Moravian village of Enon with 
 nightly attacks ; and as it was well known that parties of 
 them were lurking in the vicinity, the cattle of the commu- 
 nity were constantly guarded by ten or twelve of the most 
 courageous and steady Hottentots armed with guns. The 
 KaiErs have no other arms than kirries and assat/ais, that is, 
 clubs and javelins ; and they knew from experience, that these 
 herdsmen were unerring marksmen, and that their own 
 weapons and mode of warfare were but ill-fitted to compete 
 with the firelock. They had detei'mined, however, at all 
 hazards, to possess themselves of the fine herd of cattle 
 belonging to the settlement, and they proved successful. 
 
 The Hottentots had one day driven the cattle \ip this 
 avenue into one of the open spots, or woodland prairies, 
 already described, and observing no fresh traces of the enemy, 
 seated themselves in a group, about a hundred paces from the 
 side of the jungle, and began to smoke their pipes, each with 
 his loaded gun lying down beside him on the grass. The 
 Kaffirs, who were eagerly watching all their motions from 
 the neighbouring heights, judged that this was a favourable 
 opportunity to attack them. Creeping through the thickets, 
 with the stealthy pace of the panther, they advanced cau- 
 tiously to the skirts of the cojise-wood nearest to the herds- 
 men ; and then crouching in silence till they observed them 
 eagerly engaged in conversation, and with their faces turned 
 in a dift'erent direction, they burst out upon them suddenly, 
 with their frightful war-whoop. . Pouring in a shower of 
 assagais as they rushed forward, they almost instantly closed, 
 club in hand, with the few not already transfixed by their 
 missiles. So sudden and unexpected was the onset, that only 
 two of the ten Hottentots had time to fire. Two of the 
 assailants fell ; but their loss was bloodily avenged by the 
 slaughter of nine of the herdsmen, one of their number 
 cscajung by flying to the jungle, with two asi-.agais sticking in
 
 212 SOUTH AFRiav. 
 
 his body ; and the cattle of the settlement, to the amount of 
 upwards of a thousand head, became a prey to the enemy. 
 
 The men thus slain were among the best and most indus- 
 trious of the little community, and aU of them left wives and 
 families to deplore their untimely fate. The event crv^er- 
 whelmed the settlement with lamentation and dismay ; and 
 as the cattle were the chief support of the inliabitants, and 
 as an attack on the "viUage was nightly anticipated, the Mora- 
 vian institution was soon afterwards abandoned, and its in- 
 mates took refuge in the district town of Uitenhage, where 
 they were received with much sympathy, and treated with 
 great kindness both by the inhabitants and the government 
 functionaries. From this place of refuge they subsequently 
 returned. 
 
 As a rude wagon track approaches a glen, the path is 
 closed in on either side for a considerable distance by the 
 tall jungle, so luxuriant in its gi'owth that one would suppose 
 even a wolf or a leopard would scarcely be able to find a way 
 through it. The path itself, originally tracked out by the 
 elephants, appears to have been widened by the axe just 
 sufficiently to allow a single wagon to pass along, and it now 
 formed the only access on this side to the upper part of the 
 glen. This pass is called the Slagthoom ; and it is said to 
 have acquired its name from the follo\ving occun'ence : — 
 Many years before the Kaffirs were dispossessed of this part 
 of the country, and finally driven over the Great Fish River, 
 the chief Congo and his clan occupied the White Iliver 
 valley and the fastnesses of the adjacent mountains in great 
 force. During one of the struggles, that ensued, in con- 
 sequence of Congo's attem^it to maintain himself in posses- 
 sion of this district, a party of seventy or eighty boors were 
 sent to occupy this glen, while other troops environed the 
 Kaffir camp from the opposite side. The boors rode in without 
 opposition through tliis pass ; but, finding the enemy stronger 
 than they expected, they became alarmed, and attempted to
 
 THE SLAUGHTER TREE. 213 
 
 retreat by the same road. The Kaffirs, however, who on 
 this occasion showed themselves to be not destitute of mili- 
 tary skill, had in the meantime blocked up the narroAv path, 
 by stretching a large tree across it near the centre, and 
 fastening it with thongs and wattles at either end ; and 
 then stationing themselves in strong bands among the copse- 
 wood, they attacked the boors on all sides, as soon as they 
 had fairly entered the defile, with showers of javelins, and 
 slew a great number of them before they were able to force 
 a passage through. From this bloody catastrophe the spot 
 obtained the name of Slagtboom or Slaughter Tree. 
 
 In 1811 a great effort was made by the colonial govern- 
 ment to expel the Kaffirs from this quarter of the country, 
 which they claimed as their own, having occupied it, in fact, 
 for the greater part of a century, and having, as they 
 alleged, and it is believed truly, twice purchased it — first 
 from the Hottentots, and afterwards from the boors. Their 
 claim of possession, however, whether just or otherwise, the 
 colonial government had determined not to recognise, and 
 orders were suddenly issued to invite them to evacuate this 
 ten-itory, and, if they refused immediate compliance, to drive 
 them by fire and sword across the Great Fish River. At 
 the time when the colonial troops assembled to carry this 
 order into execution it was in the summer, when the corn 
 and vegetables of the Kaffirs were not fully ripe ; and the 
 ■hardship of their being obliged to abandon their crops, 
 and, consequently, to sufier a twelvemonth's scarcity, during 
 which many must perish of absolute famine, was urgently 
 pleaded to obtain a short respite. Their remonstrances, 
 however, were not listened to ; the peremptory mandate was 
 given to remove instantly. 
 
 During these ttaaisactions, while the Kaffirs were .highly 
 exasperated by what they considered cruel and op})ressive 
 treatment, and were beginning to a'^sumc a very hostile 
 uttitudi", the chief magistrate of the district, old Lunddrost
 
 214 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 Stockenstrom, songlit a conference witli some of the principal 
 cliiefs, witli the benevolent pui-pose of endeavouring to per- 
 suade them to evacuate the country peacefully, in order to 
 avoid the devastation and bloodshed that must otherwise 
 ensue. Mr. StockiMistrom was much respected by the Kaffirs, 
 on account of the '"Justice and humanity he -had di.splayed 
 when disputes had occuri-ed between them and the colonists ; 
 and, trusting to their characteristic good faith, he had re- 
 peatedly ventured among them with a very slender escort. 
 
 It was reported that on the present occasion, for an 
 interview was not declined, a message was secretly sent him 
 by one of the chiefs warning him not to trust his safety at 
 that time among them. This warning, however, as well 
 as the earnest dissuasions of some of his own people, Stocken- 
 strom, though a cautioiis as w^ell as a brave man, disre- 
 garded, and met the Kaffirs in the forest of the Zureberg 
 with only about a dozen or fifteen attendants. Whether 
 the chiefs who acceded to this meeting were accessory to any 
 premeditated plan of treacheiy does not appear to have been 
 cleai"ly ascertained, but certain it is that Stockenstrom and 
 his party were suddenly attacked in one of the dangerous 
 defiles of the forest, near the spot appointed for the con- 
 ference, and most of them massacred. One of the few who 
 escaj)ed saved his life by flying into the forest and creeping 
 through the thickets "like a jackal," as he expressed it, 
 vmtil he reached a place of safety. 
 
 This perfidious slaughter appears, on satisfactoiy evidence, 
 to have been perpetrated by a band of the Ammadankee 
 tribe, a broken clan, who entertained an inveterate, deadly 
 animosity towards the colonists, of the origin of which the 
 following account is given. — About the year 1770, the boors 
 of Bruintjes-hoogte invited the Ammadankee clan" of Kaffirs, 
 of whom Jalumba was then chief, to meet them on the 
 western bank of the Great Fish River, for the pui-pose of 
 holding a consultation on some public matters. The Am-
 
 THE KAFFIR WAR. 215 
 
 niadankce attended tlie meeting, wlici-e a peaceable con- 
 ference was held, and tliey Avere entertained with brandy 
 and tobacco. After which the boors said they had bronght 
 a costly present for their good friends the Kaffirs ; and, 
 having placed some rush mats on the ground, they spread 
 upon them a profusion of beads, and invited their visitors to 
 make a scramble and display their activity in picking them 
 up on a signal being given. The booi'S then retired a little 
 distance to where their guns were lying loaded with two or 
 three bullets each. The promised signal being given by the 
 Veld-cornet Botman, the Kaffirs, dreading no guile, rushed 
 upon the beads, overturning one another in their eagerness 
 to seize a share of these tempting trinkets. At this instant 
 the boors, seizing their fii'carnis, poured in a volley on their 
 unsuspecting visitors with so destructive an aim that very 
 few, it is said, escaped the massacre. The residue, having 
 lost their chiefs, and their principal men, became a " broken 
 clan," abandoned the banks of the Fish River, and sovight 
 refuge in the Zurebcrg with their chief Congo and their 
 countrymen of the tribe of Tinde ; and it was some of the 
 descendaiits of this unfortunate family, who, remembering 
 that day of treachery and murder, now seized the oppor- 
 tunity of revenging the wrongs of their race on the colo- 
 nists. A son of their old oppressor, Botman, was among the 
 slain. 
 
 War with the Kaffirs has, unhappily, been long familiar 
 to the English mind, but on this painful subject we do not 
 intend particularly to enter. It must suffice to say that this 
 race of people has been greatly diminished in nvimber, and is 
 likely, before long, to become less and less. At the com- 
 mencement of the present year, some 30,000 or 40,000 of 
 them gave themselves wp to the colonial authorities at the 
 Cape, and are, at the }H-escnt time, largely employed as 
 servants and labourers. 
 
 In the review o'. the past, it is pleasant to record thai
 
 216 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 Sir George Grey, tlie Governor of tlie Colony, lias lately pro- 
 ceeded, witli the consent of tlie Colonial Legislature, beyond 
 the limits of his government, on a mission of benevolence 
 and peace. At the earnest request of all parties concerned, 
 he has undertaken a mediation between a Free State which 
 has been established north of the Orange River, and Moshesh, 
 the formidable chief of the Basutas. In this resolution it is 
 easy to recognise the operation of a becoming and judicious 
 policy. 
 
 When the Cape Colony, by the events of war, passed 
 finally into British hands, it was, as we have seen, occupied 
 by a Dutch popiUati on, beyond the limits of whose somewhat 
 circumscribed settlements resided various tribes of native 
 origin, thinly scattered and curiously mixed. The Bushmau 
 was probably the earliest tenant of the soil; but he had 
 receded before the Hottentot, and the Hottentot before the 
 Kaffir ; until the actual occupation of the country had come 
 to be determined by a species of conquest not differing greatly 
 from our own. About thirty years ago the frontier of 
 the colony was defined towards the north-east by the course 
 of the Orange River, beyond which the jurisdiction of our 
 government was not presumed to extend. 
 
 Although the European settlers Avere but thinly planted 
 on the territory, yet the irresistible exigencies of pastoral life 
 induced a few of the colonists as early as 1825 to struggle 
 across the Orange River in quest of fresh fiehls and more 
 jiroductive pastures ; but it was not till eleven years later 
 that the emigi-ation in this direction assumed any serious 
 proportions. Then, however, occurred an exodus which, in 
 relation to the numbers of the colonial population, was really 
 considei'able, and in its character and consequences more 
 important still. 
 
 The Dutch farmers, or boors, had become actively hostile 
 to British rule. Without speculating on the cause of this 
 enmity, it will be enough to say tliat a large body of them
 
 NATAL ATTACKED BY THE DOORS. , 217 
 
 crossed the frontier, and fought their way through dangers 
 and difficulties, until they reached Natal, where they pro- 
 ceeded to establish a Batavian Hepublic. Such an event 
 naturally demanded the attention of the British Government, 
 for the boors were British subjects, and their migration had 
 been accompanied by alarming disturbance on the colonial 
 border. 
 
 It was at that time, as it always has been, our professed 
 policy to put limits on our territorial progress, to avoid, if 
 possible, the extension of our dominion, and to preclude the 
 risks of war and its results by cultivating the goodwill and 
 amity of the chiefs beyond the frontier. But our precautions 
 in this respect wei*e utterly nu.llified by the proceedings of 
 the boors, who, assuming, as was in fact the case, that the 
 tribes claiming a general ownership in the soil had little 
 better title than themselves, showed small scruple or con- 
 sideration in selecting their new settlements, and the result 
 appeared accordingly in confusion, discord, bloodshed, and 
 peril. To extirpate these elements of danger we followed 
 the boors to Natal, asserted our sovereignty in that province, 
 and left Natal to become a British settlement, dependent on 
 the Crown Colony of the Cape. Upon this, the boors, 
 animated by an invincible fanaticism, wheeled off to the 
 west, crossed the Drachenberg range of mountains, and 
 established themselves in the spacious district to the north of 
 the British possessions between the Orange and Yaal rivers. 
 
 In this I'egion they maintained their institutions for some 
 time, though always under the same conditions of conflict 
 and with similar liabilities on the part of the colonial 
 government. At length, in the year 1848, when Sir Harry 
 Smith was Governor of the Cape, another step was taken. 
 In the exercise of his administration he discovered a dispo- 
 sition on the part not only of the native chiefs, but, as it 
 appeared, on that of the boors also, to place themselves 
 immediately and actually under British sovereignty. 
 
 11*
 
 218 soimi AFiacA. 
 
 At tliat time the boors seem to hare acquired the 
 ascendancy, and to have ahirmed the chiefs for the safety of 
 their possessions, though the contest was still stubbornly 
 maintained on both sides ; but the ui^shot of the negotiations 
 was that the supremacy of the British Government was 
 definitely and directly proclaimed. These measures were 
 but half agreeable to the authorities at home, who were im- 
 pressed with a laudable horror of extending obligations 
 wliich had already been found to carry with them so heavy a 
 charge. However, as it was represented that our supremacy 
 would be sincerely welcomed by both jDarties, and that its 
 exercise woidd cost us nothing, the position was accepted, 
 and the settlements of the boors became attached to the 
 Cape Colony as the Orange E-iver Sovereignty. 
 
 Six months sufficed to show that the misgivings of the 
 Home Government were well founded, for in August, 1848, 
 Sir Harry Smith was suddenly called vipon to quell some- 
 thing like an insurrection in the new sovereignty. In this 
 he succeeded, but when, some two years later, a fresh Kaffir 
 war broke out, it became presently evident that the Orange 
 Eiver Sovereignty would aggravate our troubles. The chiefs 
 quarrelled with each other, and all quarrelled with the boors, 
 while both sides, instead of deferring to our authority, found 
 their sole ground of agreement in caballing against the pro- 
 tectorship they had invited. Into the events of the Kaffir 
 war, commenced by Sir Harry Smith, and concluded by 
 General Cathcart, we do not enter ; but one of the conse- 
 quences of the contest was, that after a demonstration of our 
 power we retired from the Orange River Sovereignty, eva- 
 cuated the country, and left the boors to establish there a 
 " Free State," adjacent to which, and beyond the river Yaal, 
 there has also been erected a " Trans- Vaal Republic." 
 
 The former of these communities is that on behalf of 
 which the good offices of the Governor has been invoked. 
 Of late years the relative strength of the boors aiipcars to
 
 THE CHIEF MOSlIESir. 219 
 
 have doclinccl, wliile that of their antagonists, and especially 
 of the Basuta chief Moshesh, has veiy considerably increased. 
 This man, indeed, is no common character. In carriage, 
 aspect, and deportment, he is said to be far superior to any 
 other native chief; he can bring several thousand fighting 
 men into the field, and he has recently engaged the forces of 
 the Free State to such purpose as to establish his ascendancy 
 beyond all question. In fact, from all we learn, it seems as 
 if the very existence of the emigrant boors now depended on 
 the protective arm of the British Government. 
 
 It is instructive to observe that now, almost for the first 
 time, a considerable European community proves to be no 
 match for the savages who environ it, and that, except for the 
 interference of a stronger power, it might be threatened with 
 actual extinction. The boors appear to have asserted under 
 their fi'ee government all the pretensions of a superior race, 
 but to have failecl in enforcing them, until at length the war, 
 which perhaps their own assumption provoked, was found 
 likely to be their ruin. There is therefore a loud call for the 
 operations of an irresistible law. Nothing is likely to put any 
 permanent check upon the excursions of pastoral settlers 
 over a half-occupied territory, nor is it probable that any 
 consideration will resti-ain the advances of the more civilised 
 race. The disputes between the Free State and Moshesh arc 
 exactly analogous to those which have recently arisen be- 
 tween our own colonists and Sandilli, another cliief, which 
 have only died out from the pure exhaustion of our advci'- 
 saries under the ravages of a self-inflicted famine ; but on 
 the Kieskamma the Europeans were the stronger, whereas 
 on the Orange River that advantage lies with the natives. 
 
 It is dillicult to see how the colony could long succeed in 
 maintaining a neutrality in such aflair.s. It was indeed im- 
 })resscd on the authorities befoi*e the abandonment of our 
 scjvereignty that no wars, however sanguinaiy, between 
 triljcs and settlers beyond the boundary were to be cou-
 
 220 SOUTH AFEICA. 
 
 sidered as calling for our intervention ; but this indifference, 
 however justifiable in theory, would be difficult in practice. 
 The spectacle of a European community perishing under the 
 hands of savages would scarcely be endurable by those from 
 whose homes the emigrants had proceeded, not to mention 
 that the enhancement of native power, and the encourage- 
 ment of barbarian insolence, might be discerned among the 
 pi-obable consequences. These embarrassments, indeed, are 
 exemplified in the actual jioKcy of the" colonial government, 
 which, after abstaining some time from interference, has at 
 length assumed the office of mediator.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 AFRICAN INSECTS. 
 
 Tlie Ant-Lion conslructing its Pit — Its PiCmaikable Instinct — Its Metamor- 
 phosis — Bees iu Naniaqua Land — Practice of tlie People to obtain ■ 
 Honey — Singular Instinct of the Honey Bird — Feeling of the People 
 towards it — Resemblance of au Insect to Stones — The Mantis — " The 
 Walking Leaf." 
 
 A LARGE fly, "witli four long wings, like those of tlie common 
 dragon-fly, is found iu South Africa, as it is in most of the 
 tropical countries. Its egg is laid on the surface of the 
 gi'ound, or just below it, iu sandy or loose soils ; where the 
 heat of the sun soon causes it to hatch and produce a cater- 
 pillar. Tliis creature, at first sight, appears singularly un- 
 fitted for the capture of prey ; not only is its pace slow, but 
 it can walk in no other direction than backwards. And yet 
 its sole food is the juices of other insects, particularly ants ; 
 they are obtained by a very peculiar and remarkable process. 
 This creature first traces in the sand a circle, the destined 
 limit of its future abode ; and then, placing itself inside the 
 circle, it thrusts the hinder part of its body into the sand, 
 and with one of its fore-legs, acting as a shovel, it puts a 
 load on its flat and square head, and then immediately dis- 
 charges it on the outside of the circle. Walking backwards, 
 and rejieating this process, it soon aiTives at the part of the 
 circle from which it started ; it then traces a fresh circle 
 within the first, and excavates a second furrow; then a third 
 within this, and so it proceeds, repeating these operations, 
 until it arrives at the centre. After the first scries of circle.? 
 is completcfl, a second, of less diameter and deeper, is begun
 
 222 SOUTH africa. 
 
 witliin it ; and so on with others, until the hole assnmca 
 the appearance of an inverted cone. 
 
 Throiighout, the power of instinct is clearly observable. 
 Thus, were all the work done by one leg, the animal would 
 lose time in recovering from its fatigue, but it avoids this evil. 
 Having excavated the first circle with one foot, it turns 
 completely round, so that the second is excavated with the 
 opposite foot ; and this change takes place during the suc- 
 cessive stages of the work. Small stones are jerked out by 
 its head, just as the sand is, but larger ones cause more 
 trovible. When the ant-lion meets with one too heavy to 
 jerk out, it poises the stone on its back, keeps it steady by 
 moving the segments of its body, and carefully walking up 
 the ascent, lays down its burden on the outside of the 
 margin. Should the stone slip off the bearer, and roll 
 down the side of the hole, it is picked up again, however 
 often the accident may occur ; but should there be a stone 
 too large to be removed, the creature abandons the spot, and 
 finds another that is more suitable. 
 
 The pit thus formed is rather more than two inches 
 deep. When it is ready the ant-lion biu-ies itself at the 
 bottom in the sand, its jaws alone being visible, and here it 
 quietly keeps a good look out. Before long some insect, 
 perhaps an ant passing that way, steps on the margin of the 
 pit, it may be by accident, or just to see what it is, when the 
 sand sliding from under its feet, and its struggles hastening 
 its fall, it drops into the jaws of the ant-lion. If, however, 
 the particles of sand adhere to each otEer, in consequence of 
 rain, and the creature can stop its do^wnward j^i'ogress, or 
 even scramble upwards, the ant-lion no sooner perceives this 
 than he shovels load after load of sand upon his head and 
 throws them at it so skilfully that it is soon overcome and 
 falls to the bottom. 
 
 The prey has its juices sucked out until only an em2:)ty 
 shell is left. This is jerked out of the pit to a considerable
 
 NESTS OF BEES. 223 
 
 extent, as if to give no warning of danger to any heedless or 
 curious passer-by. The ant-lion thus catches its food for 
 nearly two years, when the caterpillar sinks deeper into the 
 sand, spins a silken cocoon, changes into a chrysalis, and in 
 about three weeks comes forth a perfect insect. 
 
 The bees in Namaqua Land make their nests in the clefts 
 of the rock, and the natives are exceedingly expert in finding 
 them, and extracting the honey, which they keep in leather 
 bags made for the purjiose. " I was one day travelling," 
 says Mr. Shaw, " with old Keudo Links, and remarked that he 
 frequently held up his hand above his eyes, and looked to- 
 wards the sun, which was then descending near the horizon. 
 
 "Astonished at the repetition of the act so many times, 
 I inquired of him at what he was looking, when he replied 
 that he had seen some bees flying in the air, and that they 
 were going to their nests, as it was almost sunset. He con- 
 tinued to watch them, and eventually led me to the very 
 place where they de]5osited their honey. He then lighted 
 his pipe and smoked a little, putting it to the hole at which 
 the bees had entered. On asking him as to his reason for so 
 doing, he said, ' I will make them a little dnink, and then 
 they will not sting.' By this simple process he obtained 
 the honey, and presenting me with the most delicious part, 
 retained for himself the comb containing the young bees, 
 which he ate with high relish, pronouncing it, at the same 
 time, exceedingly rich." 
 
 The natives of Africa are often led to the nests of bees by 
 the honey-bird, as it is consequently called. Its instinct 
 leads it, on discovering a nest, to look out for some one to 
 attack it. Known by its piercing notes, it will fly before the 
 person it finds, and rest for him at intervals. By fresh notes 
 it leads him to follow, shoi-tening its strains as they approach 
 the nest ; reproving, however, any slowness by its redoubled 
 cries. Having arrived at the nest, it rests quietly on a rock 
 or a bush, till the honey has been removed, when the comb
 
 224 
 
 SOUTH AFracA. 
 
 containing the young bees is left for its portion. Sparrman 
 offered some natives an ample reward if tliey wonld assist 
 him in catching a honey-guide, a specimen of which, as a 
 naturalist, he wouhl have highly valued; but they said, "The 
 bird is our friend," and refused to have it betrayed. 
 
 Mr. Burchell found a species of the Gryllus tribe among 
 the atones, and so exactly like them in colour, and even in 
 
 THE HONi;v-BIRO. 
 
 shape, that it could never have been discovered, had it not 
 been observed just at a moment when in motion; and as if 
 more completely to elude notice, it seldom stirred, and even 
 then but slowly. " The intention of Nature," he remai'ks, 
 "in these instances, seems to have been the same as when she 
 gave to the chameleon the power of accommodating its coloui", 
 in a certain degree, to that of the object nearest it, in order 
 to compensate for the deficiency of its locomotive powers.
 
 TUB MANTIS. 225 
 
 By its form and colour, tliis insect may pass unobserved by 
 tliose birds which otherwise woul . soon extirpate a S2:)ecies 
 so little able to elude its pursuers." 
 
 The Mantis is remarkable for the grotesque forms it 
 assumes. Its resemblance to a portion of a plant is often so 
 gi'eat that it is only by its motions its true character is dis- 
 coverable. Hence it has been called " the walking leaf" The 
 eggs are deposited upon plants, and are covered with a glutiu' 
 ous sxibstance, which soon becomes hard and forms a kind of 
 case, in which they are arranged in a symmetrical manner. 
 The lorm of the case varies according to the species.
 
 CHAPTEK XXI. 
 
 60UTH AFRICAN BIRDS AND BIRDs' NESTS. 
 
 The Secretary Bird— Its Tact in Killing Snakes— The Kori Bustard— Its 
 Game-like IHavour — "The Little Shepherd" — The Hoopoe — 'ihe Sacred 
 Vulture of Egypt — Flocks of Locust Birds — The Sugar Bird — The Eland 
 Bird — Partridges — Pendent Xests — Kraals or Towns of Birds — A Nest 
 attached to a Branch — Extraordinary Structure of the Sociable Grosbeak. 
 
 The Secretary bird, wliicli is upwards of tliree feet in 
 lieiglit, is a native of tlie deserts and mountain gorges of this 
 region. Its name is derived from a tnft of several feathers 
 springing from beliind the head, and from some fancied resem- 
 blance to pens stuck behind the ear. It has great address in 
 destroying snakes ; and hence is often called the "snake- 
 eater." 
 
 It is said first to oppose one wing and then the other, to 
 avoid the bite of a snake, as well as to bruise it ; it then 
 sj)urns the reptile with great violence, or takes it in its claws, 
 and dashes it to the ground so forcibly, as often to kill it at 
 a single blow. It has also the power of striking or kicking 
 forwards with its leg, so that with the blow it throws its 
 adversary before it, thereby securing the advantage of keejjing 
 the foe fully in sight, and of being prepared to receive and 
 l^arry its attack. It finishes the struggles of its Adctim by 
 crushing the skull with its sharply-pointed bill. 
 
 The Cape Turtle is a pretty bird, the great length of the tail 
 giving it an appearance of bulk which it does not possess, for 
 the body scarcely exceeds that of a common lark. 
 
 A large bird has been met with beyond the Orange Eiver,
 
 THE KORI BUSTARD. 
 
 227 
 
 sometimes called the Kori Bustard. It measures not less 
 than seven feet in extent of wing, and is remarkable also for 
 its bulk and weight. The under part of the body is white, 
 but the ujipcr part is covered with fine lines of black on a 
 light chestnut-coloured ground. Its body is so thickly protected 
 with feathers that the largest sized shot make no impression ; 
 and hunters, taught by experience, never fire at it but with a 
 bullet. It is reckoned the best of the winged c;ame in tlie 
 
 THE SECRETARY BIRD. 
 
 country; not only on account of its size, bub because it always 
 abounds in fat. The meat of it is not unlike that of the 
 turkey, but is certainly superior as possessing the flavour of 
 game. 
 
 Birds constantly attend the varieties of rhinoceros, and 
 are consequently called rhinoceros birds. Their object is to
 
 THE CAPE TUKTLE.
 
 RHINOCEROS BIRDS. 229 
 
 prey upon the parasitic insects that swarm ou tlicse anitnals. 
 They are nearly as kxrge as the common thrush, and are of a 
 grayish coloiir. However soundly the rhinoceros may sleep, 
 a bird of this kind will ai'ouse him, when, springing to his 
 feet, he looks round in every direction, prior to a flight ; it 
 is, therefore, an enemy to the hunter. 
 
 Mr. Gordon Gumming says : " I have often hunted a 
 rhinoceros on horseback, which led me a chase of many miles, 
 and required a number of shots before he fell, during which 
 chase several of these birds remained with the rhinoceros to 
 the last. They reminded me of mariners on the deck of some 
 bark sailing on the ocean, for they perched along his back and 
 sides ; and as each of my bullets told on the shoulder of the 
 rhinoceros, they ascended about six feet in the air, uttering 
 their harsh cry of alarm, and then resumed their position. It 
 sometimes happened that the lower branches of trees, under 
 which tlie rhinoceros passed, swcjit them from their living 
 deck, but they always recovered their former station. They 
 also adhere to the rhinoceros during the night. I have often 
 shot these animals at midnight, when drinking at the foun- 
 tains ; and the birds, imagining they were asleep, remained 
 with them till morning, and on my approaching, before taking 
 flight, they exerted themselves to the utmost to awaken 
 'Chukuroo' from his deep sleep." 
 
 A bird, common in some parts of Africa, is called "tho 
 little shepherd," from its familiarity in approaching the Hot- 
 tentots while tending their sheep. In one part of his journey, 
 Mr. Burchell remarks, "Here, in the dead of the night, I 
 heard the soft warbling of some bird, whose wild notes 
 afforded me the greater delight, and seemed the sweeter, from 
 breaking forth so vmexpectedly in the cheerless waste, and 
 recalling to me, in the midst of a scene so different, the 
 plaintive nightingale." 
 
 A beautiful hoopoe, entirely of a deep purple; a small 
 long-tailed pigeon, seen only in pairs, generally running along
 
 230 
 
 SOUTU AFKiaV. 
 
 tlie ground as it picks up its food; a very small bu'd, re- 
 sembling the golden-crested wren, and of a yellowish green; 
 a small blackish-brown bird, singing with very soft and sweet 
 notes, and apparently not shy; the barbet; and a small 
 
 THE saci;ed vulture 
 
 familiar bird, I'cscmbling the redstart, hopping tinder the 
 bushes; are also among the feathered tribes described by 
 travellers. 
 
 The species of ^iilture known as the sacred vulture of
 
 THE LOCUST-EIRD. 231 
 
 Egyjjt, may sometimes be seen sailing in tlie air in great 
 numbers — a constant attendant near the abodes of men, where 
 it descends to feed on carrion and ofFal. The birds witli 
 brown plumage are males, while those with white are 
 females. 
 
 An immense flock of the locust-bird may sometimes be 
 seen ahghting on the surrounding bushes. It is of the thrush 
 species : the head, breast, and tail of a pale cinereous colour, 
 the wings and tail black. These birds destroy midtitudes of 
 locusts, and hence their name. 
 
 A beautiful green sugar-bird frequents the thorn trees, 
 attired in splendid plumage. One bird whose habit is to 
 hollow out for itself a hole in the earth, instead of one in the 
 trunk of a tree, is a singular anomaly in the woodpecker 
 tribe. A handsome bird is called the eland- vogel, or eland- 
 bird, from the Hottentots believing it to be an attendant on 
 the eland, or, at least, that it indicates that animal being 
 near. A small finch is a very common bird, and widely 
 dispersed over the whole country. A partridge is observable 
 of a uniform ash-brown colour, everyv/here marked with fine 
 white lines, excepting the quill-feathers and the head; the 
 feathers of the breast, each with a white stripe down the 
 middle ; the beak and legs of a bright red ; but the ridge of 
 the upper mandible, the nails, and the eyes are black. 
 
 Klaas, the servant of Le Vaillant, in one of his joiirneys 
 through a wood of mimosas, discovered and brought to his 
 master a beautiful nest, bearing a strong resemblance to a 
 small horn, suspended, with the point downward, between 
 two branches. Its greatest diameter was two inches and a 
 half, and it gradually diminished towards the base. 
 
 " It would be difficult," says this naturalist, " to explain 
 the principle on which such a nest had been built, particularly 
 as three-fourths of it apj^eared to be entirely useless; for the 
 part which was to contain the eggs, and which was alone 
 indispensable, was not more than three inches from the sur^
 
 232 
 
 SOUTH AFrjav. 
 
 face. All the rest of tliis edifice, wliicli Avas a tissue closely 
 and laljoriously woyen of slender threads taken from the 
 
 TIIE SOCIAELB GK032EAK. 
 
 bark of certain shrubs, seemed to be of no service. Tho 
 interior of the nest was not furnished with any kind of soft
 
 SINGULAK birds' NESTS. 233 
 
 material, sncli as do^vTl, wool, or hair; but as tlie female had 
 not laid her eggs when Klaas brought it to me, it is probable 
 that the nest was not quite finished; a fact proved bj the 
 birds being still at work at the time." 
 
 Campbell observed two remarkable nests. One was 
 about four yards in circumference, the other three, each 
 being about a yard in depth. They were built of coarse 
 grass, " by," he says, " a small bird which resembles our gold- 
 finch." One of these nests had seventeen holes in the 
 bottom, by which the bird entered; the other had seven. 
 At one time he saw about a hundred birds come out of 
 them. 
 
 " Instead of being the nest of a single pair of birds," he 
 says, "they seem to be kraals, or to-wns of birds. Perhaps 
 one may be the property of a single pair, in which they 
 accommodate all their descendants. A horned owl had taken 
 possession of the outside of the roof of the largest for a 
 nest. She was sitting on it, and it appeared from the bones 
 and hair strewed about that she lived upon the field-mouse. 
 I had the curiosity to climb the tree on purpose to examine 
 this j)henomenon in nature. The roof was neatly thatched, 
 and a hollow in the middle to contain the owl, but no passage 
 leading to the inside. I had no way to examine the aj)art- 
 ments within, without destroying a great part of the nest, 
 which would have been a cruel operation ; wherefore I left it 
 in the state in which I found it, contented with making a 
 drawing of the tree and the two nests." 
 
 Another nest was not suspended from the branch, but 
 firmly attached to it. It was about the size of a hogshead, 
 composed of strong, coarse straAv, regularly thatched, the 
 ends of the straw pointing downwards, so that no rain could 
 possibly enter. It had eight holes in the bottom for admit- 
 ting the birds, each leading to a separate aj)artment. All 
 were lined with the soft, downy heads of a particular species 
 of grass, well suited for the purpose. On dividing the nest 
 
 12
 
 234 SOUTH AFPJC.V. 
 
 across, tlie large mass above was found to bo a solid body of 
 straw. 
 
 A still more remarkable structure vras observed by Le 
 "Vaillant. Having seen a tree with an enormous nest of 
 birds, lie sent a few men with a wagon for it, that he might 
 o^ien the liive, and minutely examine it. On its arrival he 
 cut it to pieces with a hatchet, and saw that the chief portion 
 of the structure consisted of a mass of Bushman's gi'ass, 
 without any mixture, but so compact and fii'mly basketted 
 together as to be impenetrable to the rain. This was the 
 commencement of the structure, each bird building its par- 
 ticular nest under this canopy, the upper surface remaining 
 void, without, however, being useless, for as it had a project- 
 ing rim, and was a little inclined, it served to let the rain- 
 water run olT, and preserved each little dwelling from the 
 rain. 
 
 Tlius, then, there was a huge, irregular, sloping roof, all 
 the eaves of which were completely covered with nests 
 crowded against one another. Each one was three or four 
 inches in diameter, which was sufficient for the bird; but as 
 they Avere all in contact with one another round the eaves, 
 they appeared to the eye to form but one building, and were 
 only distinguishable from one another by a little aperture 
 wliicli served as an entrance to the nest'; and even this was 
 sometimes common to three ditierent nests, one of which was 
 situated at the bottom, and the other two at the sides. As 
 the number of cells increased in proportion to the increase 
 of the inliabitants, the old ones, it is said, became streets of 
 communication formed by line and level. " No doubt," says 
 Le Vaillant, "as the republic increases, the cells must be 
 multiplied also; but it is easy to imagine that, as the aug- 
 mentation can take place only at the surface, the new build- 
 ings will necessarily cover the old ones, which must therefore 
 be abandoned. Should these, even, contrary to all proba- 
 bility, be able to subsist, it may be presumed that the depths
 
 NEST OF THE SOCIABLE GROSBEAK. 235 
 
 of tlieir situation, by preventing any circulation and renewal 
 of the air, would render tliem so extremely hot as to be un- 
 inhabitable. But while they would thus become useless, they 
 would remain what they were before, real nests, and change 
 neither into streets nor sleeping- rooms. 
 
 " The largest nest that I examined was one of the most 
 considerable that I had anywhere seen in the course of my 
 journey, and contained three hundred and tAventy inhabited 
 cells, Avhich, supposing a male and female to each, would form 
 a society of six hundred and forty individuals. Such a cal- 
 culation, however, would not be exact." The structure thus 
 described is that of the Sociable Grosbeak.
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 "the great t'somtseu." 
 
 The CiiiMo>Ity of Colonel Napier excited — Who is tliis Person? — The 
 Question answered — An Interview witli "the Great T'Somtseu" — 
 Story of his Sleeping in a Lion's Den. 
 
 Lieutexant-Coloxel Napier states that he had heard so much 
 of the great T'Somtseu of the South, such marvelloiis relations 
 of his skill, daring, and eccentricities, that he determined, if 
 possible, to become acquainted with this remarkable cha- 
 racter, who, it was stated, had just returned from one of Ids 
 distant expeditions to Cape Town, where the colonel then 
 was. The extraordinary person alluded to has since become 
 extensively kno"\\ai as IMr. Gordon Gumming. 
 
 A few days after receiving much information respect- 
 ing him from the colonel's host, " a privileged old Life 
 Guardsman," " while sauntei'ing," he says, " under the shade 
 of the fine young oak trees, which line each side of the 
 broad main street at Graham's Town, I beheld an athletic 
 young man, whose extraordinary costume instantly attracted 
 my attention. His dress consisted of a pair of rough ' Veld- 
 schoenen,' wliite trowsers, and shii-t, without waistcoat or 
 jacket ; a leather girdle tightly encircled his waist, whilst 
 on his head he wore a broad-brimmed hat adorned with 
 jackals' tails, and surrounded by a magnificent plume of 
 the finest ostrich feathers. 
 
 " That, tliinks I to myself, must be the very man I 
 want to see ; I therefore stepped across the street, and asked 
 him at once if liis name were not Gumming ; and, on liis 
 6a}ing it was, after duly introducing myself, I told him I
 
 THE cr.EAT t'sojitseu. 237 
 
 had heai'd so much of liis exploits that I dctcrr.iined to form 
 his acquaintance ; aud, moreover, liaving brought out from 
 England a rifle of great calibre, as I found such an article 
 ■was to me pei'fectly useless, he might perhaps like to take it 
 off my hands, Avhich reason Avould, I trusted, be acce^^ted as 
 an apology for so very abrupt a mode of introduction. 
 
 " The ' lion-slayer ' I had pictured to myself as a swarthy, 
 hairy, sunburnt Salvator Rosa brigand-looking fellow, with 
 a voice of thunder, and Avith the manners of a savage — in 
 short, in every respect a very Morok* — what was, therefore, 
 my surprise on beholding quite the reverse of all I had 
 imagined ! Befoi-e me stood a noble-looking young man of 
 about six-and-twenty years of age, standing at least six feet 
 high in his stockings (had he worn such a superfluous article 
 of dress), and, although built like a Hercules, his manly 
 form was most elegantly moulded, surmounted by a finely- 
 shaped head, luxuriantly adorned with silken locks of a 
 flaxen hue, "which negligently hung over a countenance of an 
 almost feminine cast of beauty beaming with good nature, and 
 the mildest light blue eyes ; and, when he spoke, his silvery 
 and gentle tones emulated the softness of a woman's voice. 
 
 " Such was the appearance of the ' great T'Somtseii,' who, 
 after expressing himself flattered at what he pleased to call 
 the undeserved compliments I had paid to his well-earned 
 reputation : ' I dare say,' continued he, in the same soft and 
 attractive tone of voice, ' you have heard that I have turned 
 a regular smouch,t bvit I think I have a right, as long as I 
 molest no one, to choose my own course of life ; for, whilst 
 indulging in the roving and adventurous existence I ever 
 delighted in, I earn what I consider a gentlemanly livelihood, 
 which enables me to follow to the utmost the bent of my 
 inclinations. My wagons are now laden with ivory, caresses, 
 ostrich feathers, and other ai'ticles, which I hope will realise 
 
 * The tamer of wild beasts, in the story of the " ^Yandering Jew." 
 \ The colonial term for trader.
 
 238 SOUTH AFr.ICA. 
 
 almost a tliousand pounds. Tliis is the produce of nearly a 
 year's amusement ; and, when turned into cash, I shall be 
 able therewith to replace the many horses and oxen I have 
 lost, and re-equip myself to start again in quest of fresh ex- 
 citement, profit, and adventure. However,' added he, ' if 
 you will come to my wagon just outside the town, I shall be 
 very happy to show you its contents, and to give you any 
 information you may require, or, first, if you prefer, we can 
 go and look at your large " elephant roer." ' * 
 
 " I remarked, as we walked along, I had heard so many 
 marvellous stories put do-\vn to liis account, that, unless con- 
 firmed by himself, they were certainly beyond my power of 
 belief For instance, said I, only last night, in a circle of 
 friends assembled at Port England, I heard it positively 
 stated, that you recently not only ' bearded a lion ' in his 
 very den, but slew liim there, and were afterwai-ds found 
 asleep with your head pillowed on his lifele.s carcase. 
 
 " ' These sort of things,' said he, ' are always exaggerated, 
 and the only credit I deserve is, that of being a tolerable 
 shot, and having pretty good nerves, the sole qualifications 
 required on such occasions. As to the story of sleeping in 
 the lion's den, I have never to my knowledge proved such a 
 Daniel — though, on more than one occasion, I certainly have 
 been asleep, whilst those gentlemen were prowling about so 
 close to me, that I have been awakened by their angry 
 growls.' 
 
 " Pray tell me how you ever came to be placed in such a 
 very unpleasant situation." 
 
 " ' Prom experience,' replied he, ' I found that the easiest 
 and perha^ps safest way of destroying lions was to do so from 
 a hole deeji enough to conceal a man's body; and, when I 
 shot a large animal, such as a I'hinoceros or buffalo, near a 
 pool of water, or a brook — I often had recourse to the same 
 device. The hole was dug very near the carcase, and, at 
 * The name for a larpre {run.
 
 STORY OF THE LION's DEKT. 239 
 
 nightfall, I would ensconce myself therein, to wait till the 
 animals that had come to drink should have thoroughly 
 gorged themselves ; when they were, generally S2:)caking, 
 easily knocked over from my place of concealment. I have, 
 however, been so thoroughly fagged on taking up my posi- 
 tion, as to have fallen asleep, and been awakened by angry 
 discussions occurring over the mangled remains of the slain. 
 On one occasion, when thus disturbed from my slumbers, 
 I found myself surrounded by five enormous lions, one of 
 which took it into his head to look down over the ledge of 
 the hole which concealed me — but a discharge right in his 
 face caused him to pay with his life the penalty of such im- 
 pertinent curiosity, and this perhaps may be the story about 
 my nap in the lion's den.' "
 
 CHAPTER XXIIL 
 
 THE CROCODILE AND ITS CAPTURE, 
 
 The Ueptile described — Its Abstinence and Repletion — Its Attack when im- 
 pelled hy Hanger — Escape from its Assault on land — Crocodile Eggs — 
 Fury of young Reptiles — The Alligator— Hunting the Crocodile— 
 Waterton's Story — A similar feat performed by an African. 
 
 The body of tlie crocodile, in its figure, resembles that of a 
 lizard ; it is depressed, and tlie back is iirotected by solid 
 buckles, of a bony texture, with longitudinal elevated ridges, 
 or by large osseous plates, ridged above, and disposed in 
 longitudinal rows. The sides are covered with small rounded 
 or oval plates ; and the under surface is sheathed with square, 
 smooth, scaly plates, disposed in transverse rows. The tail 
 is long and tapering, thick at the base, and compressed at the 
 sides, so as to form a paddle. Along its upper surface ridged 
 plates are continued from the back, at first in four rows, 
 which at length emerge into a single row of ridges. The 
 sides of the tail are covered with square scales. 
 
 The limbs are short ; the fore feet have each five distinct 
 toes, of which the two outermost are destitute of nails. The 
 hind feet have four toes, of which the last has no nail ; they 
 are partially webbed. The head is flattened above, the bones, 
 which are rugged, are closely covered with a tough and 
 almost horny skin ; this skin is furrowed into compartments, 
 like scales, and it also dips into the winding intei-vals, 
 between the rugosities of the bone, so as to render them 
 visible. 
 
 The entire structvire of the crocodile adapts it to its 
 circumstances. In its stomach there are frequently found
 
 CROCODILES. 241 
 
 several stones of various sizes, which, have been swallowed, 
 Bome suppose, to serve as ballast, but this is an error. The 
 fact is, that the stomach of the crocodile beai'S a strong resem- 
 blance, both in its form and stuucture, to the gizzard of birds ; 
 and they, as is well known, swallow stones to triturate the 
 food and assist digestion. 
 
 The crocodiles are essentially carnivorous, the scourge of 
 the lakes and rivers in which they dwell. As the eagle is 
 among birds, as the lion is among beasts, so is the crocodile 
 among rej)tiles. The principal food of these animals consists 
 of fishes, aquatic birds, and such quadrupeds as they can 
 seize on the borders of the water. They employ cunning as 
 well as force in the sui)ply of their wants. Like all car- 
 nivorous animals which have often to endure a long deprivation 
 of food, their prey being scai'ce, these aquatic reptiles can fast 
 for weeks, or even months, without inconvenience. But when 
 opportunity serves, they glut themselves and become indolent 
 and torpid. 
 
 When excited by hunger, the crocodile specially displays 
 his force and activity. Where a river enters a lake, or 
 where a lake discharges its superfluous waters, there does 
 the reptile lurk, watching for fish; on which as they pass it 
 darts with surprising velocity. It conceals itself near the 
 spot where animals come to drink, and suddenly rushes from 
 its ambuscade upon them ; in the saine way it seizes water- 
 birds, and often, also, catches them by swimming quietly 
 under them, and then pulling them do^vvn by their legs. 
 
 Although sometimes carried inland by floods, the crocodile 
 seldom advances far on shore in pxu'suit of prey. On land it 
 is by no means difficult to escape its attack ; for the legs of 
 the animal are ill-formed for running ; and the vertebra) of 
 the neck arc so constructed and fitted together, as to rentier 
 a lateral motion difiicult, and the turning out of a straight 
 line not to be accomplished without describing a considerable 
 compass. 
 
 12*
 
 242 SOUTU AFKICA. 
 
 The nvimber of eggs varies from twenty to sixty. To 
 dejDosit tliem the female comes to a bank, or border of the 
 water, and chooses a sandy place, exposed to the sun ; scrap- 
 ing a cavity for their reception, lining it with dry leaA'es, and 
 carefully covering them with leaves and sand. The eggs are 
 about as large as those of a swan, and are covered with a 
 parchment-like membrane. In about forty days the young 
 are hatched, and are then about five or six inches in length. 
 The female, who watches the eggs, conducts the young to the 
 water, and supplies them with half-digested food, attending 
 to them till they are able to capture their own pi'ey. The 
 male takes no part in the care of the young. As a proof of 
 their innate ferocity, it may be stated that crocodiles only a 
 foot long have violently bitten the arrows with which they 
 were wounded, and snapped at the archers with malignant 
 fury. Crocodiles of different species are found in South Africa. 
 
 On the lower tiers of rivers, amidst flowering bushes and 
 evergreens, alligators bask ; dexterous in the pursuit of fish, 
 by driving a shoal of them into a ci-eek, and then plunging 
 into the terrified mass, and pre}'iiig on its victims at pleasure. 
 Woe be, too, to the other animals that roam in imaginary 
 safety on the river's banks. Antelopes are eagerly seized, 
 and rarely do they escape the grasp of their subtle and power- 
 ful foe. If the animal is too large to be swallowed entire, 
 the alligator conceals it in some hole of the bank, until it 
 begins to putrify, when it is dragged out and devoured under 
 the concealment of the trees and slu-ubs fringing the river. 
 
 The most favoxirable season for catching the crocodile is 
 the Avinter, when the animal sleeps, as he usually does, on 
 sand-banks, enjoying the warmth of the sun ; or the spring, 
 after the pairing time, when the female regularly watches 
 the sand islands, Avhere she has buried her eggs. The native 
 discovers the place; and on the south side of it (that is to the 
 leeward), he digs a hole in the sand, throwing up the earth to 
 the side which he expects the crocodile to take.
 
 HUNTING THE CKOCODILE. 243 
 
 There lie conceals liimself ; slioukl the crocodile fail to 
 observe liim, it comes to the accustomed spot, and soon falls 
 asleep. The huntsman then darts his harpoon with all his 
 force into the animal ; for, in order tliat the stroke may be 
 successful, the iron ought to penetrate to the depth of four 
 inches. The crocodile, on being wounded, rushes into the 
 water ; and the native retreats to a canoe, with which a com- 
 panion hastens to his assistance. A piece of wood attached 
 to the harpoon, by a long cord, swims on the water; and 
 shows the direction in which the crocodile is moving. The 
 natives, pulling by this rope, drag the creatiu-e to the surface 
 of the Avater, when it is pierced by a second spear. 
 
 The feat appears more easy in descrij)tion than it proves 
 in fact. Considerable skill is required in piercing through 
 the crocodile's coat of mail. When, too, the animal is 
 stnick, it by no means remains inactive ; on the contrary, it 
 lashes violently with its tail, and tries to bite the rope 
 asunder. To prevent this, the rope is made of about thirty 
 separate thin lines, not twisted, but simply placed together, 
 and bound at intervals of every two feet. The thin lines, 
 however, get between the teeth, or become entangled round 
 them. It frequently happens, however, that the harpoons, 
 by the pulling of the men, break out of the crocodile's body, 
 and it escapes. 
 
 " If," says Ruppell, " I had not seen the fact with my own 
 eyes, I could hardly have believed that two men could draw 
 out of the Avater a crocodile fourteen feet long : fasten his 
 muzzle, tie his legs over his back, and finally despatch him 
 by 2:)lunging a sharp instrument into his neck, so as to divide 
 the spinal cord." 
 
 In some of the rivers of Africa the natives are bold 
 enough, and indeed skilful enough, to combat with the cro- 
 codile in its own clement ; and, armed only with a sharp 
 dagger, dive beneath him, and plunge the weapon into his 
 belly. It often happens, however, that the combat is fatal
 
 244 SOUTH AFEICA. 
 
 to the man ; and frequently his only chance of escape is to 
 force his dagger, or, if this be lost, his thumbs, into the 
 animal's eyes "with all his might, so as to produce great pain 
 and blindness. „ . 
 
 In America the method usually adopted of capturing the 
 alligator is by baiting an extremely formidable four-pointed 
 hook composed of well-constructed -wooden spikes, and 
 suffering it to float in the river ; on the creature swallowing 
 it, he is hauled on shore by the rope attached to it, and then 
 slaughtered. "VVaterton's account of catching a cayman, as 
 it is sometimes called, is amusing. The reptile had swal- 
 lowed the hook, and was being towed to the shore. The 
 naturalist was waiting for him, armed with the mast of the 
 boat, and determined to force it doAvn the throat of the 
 alligator sliould he prove restive. 
 
 " By this time," he says, "the cayman was within a few 
 yards of me ; I saw he was in a state of fear and perturba- 
 tion. I instantly ckopped the mast, sprung up, and jumped 
 on his back, turning half round as I vaulted, so that I 
 gained my seat with my face in a right position. I imme- 
 diately seized his fore-legs, and by main force t^visted them 
 on his back ; thus they served me for a bridle. He now 
 seemed to have recovered fi-om his surprise, and probably 
 fancying himself in hostile company, he began to plunge 
 furiously, and lashed the sand with his long and powerful 
 tail. I was out of the reach of the strokes of it by being 
 near liis head. He continued to plunge and strike, and 
 made my scat very uncomfortable." 
 
 In South Africa a similar feat was performed still more 
 recently. A crocodile was shot at and wounded, but though 
 it did not seem that he was much hurt, he immediately i"ose 
 out of the pond, and attempted to reach a morass. At this 
 juncture a native came up, and, before the crocodile could 
 get away, he threw himself astride over the creatui'e's back, 
 snatched up his fore-paws in an instant, and grasped them
 
 EXTRAORDINARY FEAT. 245 
 
 doubled iij). The crocodile was immediately tlirown on. his 
 snout ; and tliougli able to move freely liis bind feet, and 
 keep his tail in motion, he could not budge half a yard, 
 til' agh he put forth all his power to go forward. The 
 "-itive bravely kept his scat ; his place across the beast being 
 at the shoulders, he only suffered the jerks that were made 
 to throw him off. In this way a huge reptile eighteen feet 
 long was firmly held until another shot pierced his brain.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE FLY TSETSE. 
 
 Its Ravages among Horses and Ilorne.';! Cattle — Adventure of Mr. Gordon 
 Cumraing — His dreadful loss of Oxen by the Tsetse — The Zimb of the 
 Traveller Bruce. 
 
 " There is an extraordinary fly," says Mr. Gordon Gum- 
 ming, " in the interior of South Africa, "whose bite is certain 
 death to horses and to horned cattle. This interesting, but 
 most destructive fly is called by the natives ' tsetse.' Its 
 bite is never-failing death to horses and horned cattle, though 
 it has no permanent evil eflect on man nor on any of the 
 wild beasts. 
 
 " I found the buffalo and the zebra, closely allied as they 
 are to the horse and the horned cattle, and a variety of other 
 animals frequenting the districts of this insect, scathless 
 from the poison. The tsetse is fortunately confined to a 
 distance of about two or three miles from the base of the 
 mountain ranges which intersect the forests of tlie far in- 
 terior. Thus, a traveller having a correct knowledge of its 
 locality, may penetrate beyond the countries it frequents 
 without losing his cattle, by avoiding the vicinity of the 
 mountains ; whereas, if he has the misfortune to pass through 
 its districts, he will to a certainty lose every horse and ox 
 which he possesses. In the fourth year in which I hunted 
 in Africa I lost, by the bite of this insect, all my draught 
 oxen, and most of my horses. It is no joke to find yourself 
 and yuur wagons without a horse or an ox at command, a 
 thousand miles from the habitation of yoiu* nearest coun- 
 tryman.
 
 RAVAGES OP THE TSETSE. 247 
 
 " It was in tlie mountains of Linguapa that I sufibred 
 most from tlie fly tsetse. I was homeward bound on my 
 fourth hunting trip, with my two wagons heavily laden with 
 ivoiy and other hunting spoils. I had halted under the 
 mountains of Linguapa to hunt the rare and beautiful sable 
 antelope, being assured by a party of hostile natives that the 
 tsetse was not there. My live stock was already much re- 
 duced by the varied chances of a huntex''s life ; I had suf- 
 fered much loss by lions ; one night in particular my two 
 especially favouiite black shooting horses had been killed 
 and eaten by a troop of five lions. 
 
 " After hunting the sable antelope in the romantic moun- 
 tains of Linguapa for about a fortnight, I remarked, with 
 sorrow and surprise, that my oxen, which were my mainstay, 
 were rapidly falling off in their condition. I became alarmed, 
 and hastily struck my camp, and left the fair, but fatal 
 mountains of Linguapa. My oxen and horses now daily 
 lost their strength, and soon death began to fell their ranks ; 
 their heads were swollen with poison, and, day after day 
 they dropped dead beneath their yokes, and then began a 
 race between death and myself for the Colony. 
 
 " Troops and lions and hyasnas followed in our tracks, 
 serenading us with their deep and ominous voices by day and 
 night. At length there remained only sufficient oxen to 
 draw one wagon. I then struggled on for a few days longer, 
 bringing on one wagon at a time a short distance, and then 
 sending back the dying team to bring up the other wagon. 
 One day when I had thi;s parted my two wagons, a long and 
 heavy thunderstorm (such as you never see in England) de- 
 scended upon our devoted heads. It was with the greatest 
 difficulty that I managed to bring up the second wagon to 
 the first; it was a severe and last struggle for my poor oxen, 
 having accomplished which, most of them lay down and died. 
 I now " hove to," as sailors would say, and having sharpened 
 my axes, I fortified my camp with wait-a-bit thorn trees, and
 
 248 SOUTH AFEICA. 
 
 there for weary weeks and weeks, my two wagons lay, like 
 the Erebus and Terror in the ice, far in the desert, a thon- 
 sand miles from my nearest conntrymen, whom I hardly 
 hoped to see again. 
 
 " I remember feeling very desolate on that occasion, and 
 could not help being in low spirits, and entertaining sad for- 
 bodings of still greater evils. I had left the colony with a 
 gay cavalcade of sixteen fiery young saddle horses, upwards 
 of foi'ty powerful draught oxen, a herd of she-goats for milk, 
 and a pack of about thirty serviceable dogs, all of which, 
 marching along in their pride and strength, imparted to my 
 caravan something of the apj)earance which we might fancy 
 exhibited by the patriarchs of old. Such was my caravan 
 when I left the colony nine short months before — to-day, how 
 sad the contrast ! The fell hand of the destroyer had swept 
 them from me, like the leaves of the forest before the 
 avitumnal gale. Tliey were all gone! the hytenas and the 
 vulture had fought over their remains, and their skeletons 
 bleaching on the glowing plain, strewed my line of mai-ch ; 
 and, worse than all, poor Hendrick ! my faitliful follower, had 
 been snatched from my fireside by a nithlcss lion. I can 
 never forget the feelings of gratitude with which I beheld the 
 converted natives approach my forlorn position Avith the 
 teams of draught oxen so generously sent to my relief by the 
 worthy mission aiy Dr. Livingstone, by whoso assistance I 
 eventually regained the colony." 
 
 Bruce describes an insect which he calls the Zimb, and 
 remarks : " All the inhabitants of the sea-coast of Melinda, 
 doAvn to Cape Sardefan, Saba, and the south coasts of the 
 Red Sea, are obliged to put themselves in motion and change 
 their habitation to the next sand in the beginning of the 
 rainy season, to prevent all their stock of cattle from being 
 destroyed. 
 
 " Of all those that have written upon these countries, the 
 prophet Isaiah alone has given an account of this animal and
 
 THE ZtMC, 2-19 
 
 the manner of its operation (Isa. vii. 18, 19): *And it shall 
 conae to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss for the fly- 
 that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt. 
 and they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate 
 valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, 
 and upon all bushes.' " It is now generally believed by emi- 
 nent entomologists, that the tsetse ia the Zimb of Bruce.
 
 CHAPTER XXY. 
 
 VISIT TO KING MOSELEKATZE, 
 
 Moselekatze, the King of the INIatebele — Approach to his Capita! — Salutes 
 to Koj'altj- — Um' Nombate, a Peer of the Reahn — His Majesty approaches 
 the Wagons — The Despot described — Offering of Presents — The King's 
 Return to his Kraal — Adventures with some of the Matebele. 
 
 Captain Harris describes a visit wliicli was paid liim by 
 Moselekatze, the king of the Matebele. It was a soft golden 
 morning, and five miles' travelling over a fertile plain, broken 
 only occasionally by isolated hills of inconsiderable altitude, 
 and covered with large herds of oxen, brought him and his 
 attendants within a short distance of three conical mountains, 
 disposed in a triangular form, within the area inclosed by 
 which they were told that the royal kraal would be found. 
 As their approach was discovered, the tops of the hills be- 
 came lined Avith natiA-es, some of whom ran down at intervals 
 to report their progress; but it was not until they had actually 
 reached the gorge that a miserable hamlet was perceived, which 
 was pointed out as the imperial residence. 
 
 Two persons guided the wagons, one Hottentot drove the 
 cattle in the rear, and six others j)roceeded to advance with 
 solemn step, saluting the king with repeated discharges of 
 musketry, as a complimentary mode of announcing their 
 arrival. Several of the subordinate chieftains, who were 
 standing near the gateway of the kraal, then advanced, and, 
 as the wagons ascended the accli\dty, took tlie hand of each 
 of the party in succession, repeating the word Fellow I fellow I 
 fellow! several times. 
 
 " The principal of these men," says Captain Harris, " was
 
 COURTIERS OP MOSELEKATZE. 251 
 
 Um' Nombato, a, peer of the realm. He was an elderly man, 
 of slight figure, benevolent aspect, and mild but dignified 
 demeanour. He wore the usual tails, consisting of a few 
 stri2:)s of wild cat and monkey skin, dangling in front, and 
 some larger, and more widely apart, behind. The elliptical 
 ring was surmounted by the inflated gall-bladder of a sheep. 
 Andries, Piet, and April were old acquaintances, and he 
 appeared glad to see them. 
 
 " In reply to our inquiries respecting the health of the 
 king, and whether it was the royal pleasure that we should 
 visit him, he observed that his majesty was vexy glad we had 
 arrived, and would come to the wagons anon, at the same 
 time directing them to be drawn np outside the gate. The 
 next in rank was a chief of mean and contemptible exteriorj 
 whose repulsive manners were bi;t too exactly indicated by 
 his scowling pi'ofile. He Avas deeply scarred with small-pox, 
 and, excepting a necklace of lions' claws, three inflated gall- 
 bladders on his pate, and a goodly coat of grease on his hide, 
 was perfectly naked. I saw nothing remarkable about many 
 of the others. They all carried snuff'-boxes stuck in their 
 ears, a collection of skin streamers, like the toils of a lady's 
 boa, attached to a thin waist-cord, being the nearest approach 
 to an habiliment amongst them*. All their heads were shaven, 
 sufficeint hair only being left to attach the elliptical ring, 
 which is composed of sinews sewn to the hair, and blackened 
 with grease. 
 
 Shortly after the oxen were nnyoked, and the tent erected, 
 Mohanycan, the king's page, came forth from the kraal, bear- 
 ing the congratulations of his majesty. Still he did not 
 come ; and Captain Harris, persuaded that he " was dying of 
 impatience " for the presents he had bi'ought, disjpatched a 
 messenger, saying that they were extremely anxious to jjay 
 their respects, and that everything was prepared for his 
 reception. He soon appeared, attended by his chiefs and 
 some of his warriors. As he advanced, others rushed up
 
 252 SOUTH AFracA. 
 
 witli a shout, brandisliing tlieii* sticks. A number of women 
 followed with calabashes of iDccr on their heads; and two 
 pursuivants cleared the way by roaring, charging, prancing, 
 and caricoling, flourishing their short sticks in a most fuiious 
 manner, and proclaiming the royal titles in a string of un- 
 broken sentences. As they advanced to meet him, several of 
 the crowd exclaimed '■'■Ilabjah! Itaiyah !" a shotit of con- 
 gratulation and triumph. Having shaken hands they led 
 him into the tent, and seated him in a chair, the courtiers 
 and great men squatting themselves on their hams on the 
 ground, in semicircular order, on either side. 
 
 "The expression of the despot's featiu'es, though singu- 
 larly cunning, wild, and suspicious, is not altogether disagree- 
 able. His figure is rather tall, well turned, and active; but 
 through neglect of exercise, leaning to corpulency. Of 
 dignified and reserved manners, the searching quickness of 
 his eye, the point of his questions, and the extreme caution 
 of his replies, stamp him at once as a man capable of ruling 
 the wild and sanguinary spirits by which he is suri'oundcd. 
 He appeared about forty years of age, but being totally 
 beardless, it was difficult to form a correct estimate of the 
 years he had numbered. The elliptical ring on his closely- 
 shorn scalp was decorated with three green feathers from the 
 tail of the paroquet, placed horizontally, two behind and one 
 in front. A single string of small blue beads encircled his 
 neck; a bunch of twisted sinews encompassed his left anlde, 
 and the usual girdle, dangling before and behind with 
 leopards' tails, completed his costume." 
 
 Conversation nov/ ensued, and Captain Han-js's gifts 
 were presented; but though the king considered it for some 
 time beneath his dignity to evince any symptom of astonish- 
 ment, at length the sight of so many fine tilings threw his 
 decorum oflf the balance. Putting his thumb between his 
 teeth, and opening his eyes to their utmost limits, he grinned 
 hke a schoolboy at the sight of gingerbread, patting his
 
 PRESENTS TO ROYALTY. 253 
 
 breast, and exclaiming repeatedly, " Motiajiti, monanti^ 
 monanti; tanta, tanta, tanta; — good, good, good; bravo, 
 bravo, bravo." Ordering an attendant, who was croncliing at 
 his feet, to take everything to his kraal, and resnming his 
 solemnity and bis seat, tea was then, brought in. 
 
 Various questions were now put, and answers given on 
 both sides, when the king sent for his dress of state, to show 
 how well he had arranged some materials that had been pre- 
 sented to him by Sir Benjamin D' Urban, Governor of the 
 Cape. It was an apron composed of black goat-skin streamers, 
 loaded with beads of every size and colour, and with a pro- 
 fusion of brass chains and ornaments, disposed in an endless 
 variety of patterns. The production of this article led the 
 king to inquii-e after the health of the sovereign of England, 
 of whom he said he had heard, and whom he declared to be, 
 next to himself, the greatest monarch of the universe, 
 adding, that the white king's nation was undoubtedly second 
 to his own in power. The dialogue proceeded now very 
 slowly in consequence of the necessity of its being condvicted 
 through the tiresome medium of four different languages. 
 At length it flagged altogether. Directing a sheep and 
 sundry calabashes of beer to be placed before his visitors, the 
 king arose, and abruptly, without the slightest compliment, 
 made his exit amid the congratulations of his loyal subjects. 
 The heralds, preceding him as before, I'ent the air with 
 shouts and exclamations, until " the great black one " had 
 returned to his kraal. 
 
 Captain Hax-ris fell in subsequently with several parties 
 of Matabele waniors escorting large droves of oxen towards 
 Kapain, The Africans appeared shy, but the adventui*ers, 
 unable to hold any communication with them, felt con- 
 vinced that they formed a part of Kali2:)i's commando — 
 a plundering pai-ty. Skirting the deep sedgy channel of the 
 Similakate several miles, they arrived at a point Avhere 
 the river bends suddenly to the eastward, and falls, with no
 
 254 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 little violence, over a stratum of granite, foi'ming- a rongli, 
 but complete pavement. It was a considerable task to cross 
 this stony drift, threatening to dislocate the joints of the 
 wagons, requiring the gxTus and all brittle wares to be re- 
 moved, and producing some concussions of unusual violence. 
 
 A beautiful spot was chosen in which to unyoke for 
 breakfast ; it was in the midst of a large grove of mimosas, 
 where the airy parasol-shaped foliage was intertwined above 
 their heads so as to be a perfect defence from the sun's rays, 
 and where the constant and delicious shade allowed the 
 growth of a rich carpet of grass, amidst which arose innu- 
 merable gaudy flowers. While the oxen were revelling in 
 this abundance, Captain Harris strolled down the river with 
 his gun in search of some riet-bucks, some of which had 
 before been seen. Here the scenery was beautiful. Three 
 cascades fell brawling over descents of several feet, within 
 a quarter of a mile of each other, flanked by stately timber 
 trees of splendid growth and graceful foliage, which, bending 
 over the limpid stream, were beautifully reflected in its 
 bosom. Huge isolated masses of rocks reared at intervals 
 their stupendous heads. On the tof) of these were cormo- 
 rants, those voracious birds devouring an almost incredible 
 amount of fish, and so skilful in diviiig and chasing the finny 
 tribes under the water tliat they seldom, if ever, return with- 
 out having secured their prey ; and below were alligators. 
 
 On resuming their journey about noon, the route to- 
 wards an opening in the mountains led Captain Harris's 
 party nearly due south, through an exceedingly rich and 
 fertile part of the country, abounding in verdant savannahs 
 and hamlets, around which large droves of cattle were en- 
 joying a most luxuriant pasture. They were tended by 
 armed herdsmen, and it was surprising to see the oxen leave 
 their grazing and flock around the wagons as they })ro- 
 ceeded, snorting and exhibiting signs of pleasure, as though 
 recognising objects Avith whicli they were familiar. The
 
 PERIL FrtOJI WAKRIOKS. 255 
 
 appearance, shortly afterwanls, of several hundi'ecl Matabele 
 warriors iu their war costume explained the riddle, and 
 showed that they must be some of the cattle taken from the 
 unfortunate emigrants. 
 
 Shortly after this Mohanycan, the guide, left the wagons, 
 and proceeded to a kraal at some distance, for the purpose of 
 communicating to Lingap, the subordinate captain who re- 
 sided there, the king's orders that he should attach himself 
 to the suite of the travellers. The consequence of this ill- 
 judged proceeding was, that they wei'e deprived of his 
 services at the very moment when they were most required. 
 The warriors, not perceiving any of their own tribe with the 
 party, and having had their hands but lately imbrued in the 
 blood of the white men, could think of nothing bvit war and 
 plunder. Suspecting, or rather hoping that they had found 
 means to enter the country without the king's knowledge, 
 they closed romid the wagons with every demonstration of 
 hostility, instantly and peremptorily requiring the drivers to 
 halt ; several, at the same time, placing themselves in front 
 to obsti-uct the passage. The Hottentots looked aghast, and 
 one of them, in a state of extreme agitation, fainted when 
 he saw a number of wounded warriors borne past on the 
 shoulders of their comrades, whilst others groaned under the 
 weight of accoutrements that had been stripped from the 
 bodies of the slain. 
 
 The situation of the party was now critical ; one of 
 them, Andries, whether from terror or disgust at having 
 been superseded, showed no disposition to extricate them by 
 explaining the true state of affairs. No one else understood 
 a word of the language. The crowd was now fast encroaching 
 upon them, and their pacific intentions were becoming every 
 moment more questionable. Some even clambered into the 
 the wagons, overhauling their contents, whilst others cast a 
 longing eye at the oxen and sheep. Andries Avas at length 
 seized by a brawny savage, an event which proved highly
 
 25 G SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 fdvouiuble, for, in his agony of distress at the supposed ap- 
 proach of death, he found his tongue, and stuttei-ed out a 
 brief intimation that they had been the honoured guests of 
 the king. The name of Moselekatze acted like masfic on 
 his followers. The barbarians were instantly appeased, and, 
 in a few seconds, were petitioning in an abject tone for snuff, 
 beads, and tobacco, which being given, allowed them all to 
 proceed joyfully on their way.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 MONKEYS. 
 
 Tounr; Monkey captured bj- Le Yaillant — Immense Troops of Dog-faced 
 Baboons — Sagacity and Frolics of one named Kees— The Coranua and 
 the tame Baboon. 
 
 In one of Le Vaillant's excursions lie killed a female monkey, 
 which had been carrying a young one on her back. The 
 young one continued to cling to her dead parent till the even- 
 ing quarters of the natyralistwere gained, and the assistance 
 of a Hottentot was even then requii-ed to separate the living 
 and the dead. 
 
 No sooner, however, did the young one find itself alone, 
 than it darted towards a wooden block, on which was placed 
 the wig of Le Vaillant's father. To this it clung by its 
 fore-paws most tenaciously ; and such was the force of this 
 deceptive instinct, that it remained in the same position 
 for about three weeks, apparently mistaking the wig for 
 its mothei'. It was fed from time to time with goat's milk ; 
 and at length voluntarily relinquished the refuge of the 
 peruke. The confidence it ere long assumed, and the amusing 
 familiarity of its manners rendered it a favourite with the 
 natui-alist's family. 
 
 But alas ! one morning on entering his private room, the 
 door of which had imprudently been left open, a strange sight 
 met his view; for there was the little monkey actually mak- 
 ing a hearty breakfast on a noble collection of curious insects. 
 In the first ebullition of anger, he resolved to strangle the 
 creature in his arms ; but his ^vl'ath soon subsided into pity j 
 for the crime had carried with it its own piinishment — 
 
 13
 
 258 
 
 SOUTH < /TJCA. 
 
 several of tlie pins by Avliicli tlie beetles were transfixed Lav- 
 ing been swallowed witli tliem by the montey. Its agony 
 became conseqixently great ; and all efforts were unavailing 
 to preserve its life. 
 
 FEMALE MONKEY AND HER TO UNO. 
 
 4# "Immense troops of dog-faced baboons inhabit the moun- 
 tains in the neighbourhood of the Cajie, from whence they 
 descend to the plains to ravage the gardens and orchards. So 
 Gunning are they, that they always place sentinels, to prevent
 
 HUNTING APES. 259 
 
 the main body of depredators from being surprised. They 
 break the fruit to pieces, cram it in tlieir pouches, and keeji . 
 it till they are hungry. Whenever the sentinel discovers 
 any one approaching, he sets np a loud yell, when all retreat 
 with tlie utmost j^recipitatiou. 
 
 Lade describes his going with a party to a mountain, and 
 their amusement in hunting large apes. The ai'ts they prac- 
 tised, and the nimbleness and impudence with wliich they 
 returned after being pursued, were alike indescribable 
 Sometimes they allowed him to approach so near tliat he 
 Avas almost certain of seizing them ; yet when he made the 
 attempt, they sprang, at a single leap, two paces from him, 
 and mounted trees with equal agility, from whence they 
 looked at their assailants with great indifference, and seemed 
 to derive pleasure from the astonishment they excited. Some 
 of them were so large, that if the interpreter had not assured 
 them the baboons were neither fei'ocious nor dangerous, their 
 number would not have appeared a sufficient protection from 
 attack. As it could answer no purpose to kill them, they cUd 
 not use their guns. One of the party levelled his piece at a 
 very large baboon, that had rested on the top of a tree, after 
 being long and vainly pursued; this so terrified the creature, 
 tliat he full down motionless at their feet : they had there- 
 fore no difficulty in seizing him, but, when he recovered fi*om 
 his stupor, it I'ecpiired all tlieir dexterity and efforts to make 
 him a captive. 
 
 Le Vaillant had a dog-faced baboon with him on his 
 expedition, to which he gave the name of Kees,"' This 
 animal was of great service to his master : for he was a 
 better sentinel than any of his dogs ; warning him of the 
 approach of beasts of prey, when they seemed to know 
 nothing of the danger. Even they, at length, seemed to 
 rely on him with entire confidence, for they continued to 
 sleep in perfect tranquillity. 
 
 * This name is generally given by the farmers in Africa to tair.c baboons.
 
 2G0 SOUTH AFPJCA. 
 
 Another service was equally singular. " I made liim," 
 says the naturalist, "my taster. Whenever we found fruit 
 or roots with which my Hottentots were unacquainted, 
 we did not touch them till Kees had tasted them. If he 
 threw them away, Ave concluded that they were either of a 
 disagreeable flavour, or of a pernicious quality, and left them 
 untasted. The ape possesses a peculiar property, wherein he 
 differs greatly from other animals, and resembles man — 
 namely, that he is by nature equally gluttonous and inquisi- 
 tive. Without necessity, and without appetite, he tastes 
 everything that is given him, or that falls in his way." 
 
 Kees was often taken by his master when he went hunt- 
 ing ; and no sooiier did he detect any preparation for the 
 sport, than he evinced the greatness of his joy. On the way 
 he Y/ould climb into the trees to seek for gum, of which he 
 was very fond. Sometimes he pointed out to his master the 
 honey he found in hollow trees, or the clefts of rocks. But 
 if he could not meet with either honey or gum, and his appe- 
 tite was sharpened by running about, he went eagerly in 
 pursuit of roots. 
 
 To draw them out of the ground, he laid hold of the 
 herbage with liis teeth, stemmed his fore-feet against the 
 ground, then drew back his head, and so gradually pulled out 
 the root. But if this expedient (on which he tasked his 
 whole strength) failed, he laid hold of the leaA'cs as before, as 
 close to the ground as possible, and then threw himself heels 
 over head, wliich gave the root such a concussion, that it 
 never failed to come out. 
 
 Such roots he ate with great greediness, especially one, 
 which, to his cost, his master found very refreshing, and 
 therefore insisted on having his share. Here the cunning of 
 Kees was specially apparent. As soon as he found this root 
 and his master was not neai* enough to seize upon his share, 
 Kees devoured it in the greatest haste, keeping his eyes alt 
 the while riveted on his masten "He accurately measured,"
 
 FKOLICS 01^ A MONKEY. 261 
 
 rays Le Yaillant, " the distance I had to pass before I could 
 get to him ; and I was sure of coming too h^te. Sometimes, 
 however, when he had made a mistake in his calcuh\tion, 
 and I came upon him sooner tlian he ex^iected, he endea- 
 voured to hide the root, in which case I comi:)elled liim, by a 
 box on tlie ear, to give me up my share. But this treat- 
 ment caused no malice betAveen us ; Ave remained as good 
 friends as ever." 
 
 When Kees happened to tire on the road, he mounted 
 on the back of one of the dogs, who was so obliging as to 
 carry him hour after hour. One of them, larger and stx'onger 
 than the rest, hit on an ingenious artifice to avoid being 
 pressed into this singular piece of service. As soon as Kees 
 leaped on his back he stood still, and let Le Vaillant's train 
 pass without moving from the spot. Till they were almost 
 out of sight the baboon persisted in his purpose, when, 
 finding it Avas literally " no go," ho dismounted ; and the 
 tAVO joined the party at their utmost speed. The dog, hoAV- 
 ever, gave the baboon the start, and kept a good look out 
 that he might not be served the same trick again. Still 
 Kees had a certain authority Avith all the dogs. He could 
 not endui-e a competitor ; if any one came too near him 
 Avhen he A\^as eating, he gave him such a box on the ear 
 as immediately compelled him to retire to a respectful 
 distance. 
 
 With the exception of serpents, there Avere no animals 
 of Avhom he stood in so much dread as of his oAvn species. 
 Sometimes he heard the cry of other apes among the moun- 
 tains, and, terrified as he Avas, he yet answered them. But, 
 if they approached nearer, and he saAV any of them, he fled, 
 Avith a hideous ciy, crept betAveen the legs of any persons 
 that Avei-e near, and trembled over his whole body. It was 
 very dilficult to compose him at all, and it required some 
 time entirely to recover him from his fright. 
 
 Kees was addicted to stcalintr. He well understood how
 
 262 SOUTH AFracA. 
 
 to loose the strings of a, basket, in order to take victuals ont, 
 especially milk, of wliicli lie was very fond. Chastisement 
 for his thefts produced no amendment. Le Vaillant some- 
 times \yhipped him ; but then he ran away, and did not 
 return again to the tent until it grew dark. Once, as the 
 naturalist was about to dine, and had ptit the beans wliich 
 he had boiled for himself on a plate, he heard the voice of a 
 bird with which he was unacquainted. He left his dinner 
 standing, seized his gun, and ran out of the tent. After 
 about a quarter of an hour he returned with the bird in his 
 hand ; but, to his astonishment, found not a single bean on 
 the plate. Kees had stolen them all, and taken himself out 
 of the way. 
 
 Wlien he had committed any trespass of this kind he 
 used always, about the time his master took tea, to re- 
 turn quietly, and seat liimself in his usual place, looking 
 as innocent as if nothing had happened ; but this evening he 
 did not allow liimself to be seen. On the following day, too, 
 he was not observed by any of the party, and in consequence 
 some apprehension arose of his being entirely lost. But, on 
 the third day, one of the people who had been to fetch 
 w^ater said he had seen Kees in the neighbourhood ; but that 
 as soon as the baboon espied him, he was off. Le Yaillant 
 went immediately out, and beat the v/hole neighbourhood 
 with his dogs. All at once he heard a cry, like that which 
 Kees used to make when his master returned from shooting, 
 and had not taken the baboon with him. He looked about, 
 and at length espied the creature endeavouring to hide 
 himself behind the large branches of a tree. He now called 
 to him with a friendly voice, and made motions to him to 
 come doAvn. But the baboon's trust was gone, and his master 
 was obliged to climb up the tree to fetch him. "■ He did not 
 attempt to fly," said Le Vaillant, " and we returned together 
 to my quarters ; here he expected to receive his punishment; 
 but I did nothing, as it would have been of no use.
 
 A baboon's sagacity. 263 
 
 "Wlien exhausted with the heat of the sun and the 
 fatigues of the day, with my throat and mouth covered with 
 dust, and my body with perspiration, I was ready to siidc 
 gasping to the ground, in tracts destitude of shade, and 
 longed even for the dirtiest ditch-water; but, after seeking 
 long in vain, lost all hopes of finding any in the parched 
 soil. In such distracting moments Kees never moved from 
 my side. We sometimes got out of our carriage, and then 
 his sure instinct led him to a plant. Frequently the stalk 
 was broken off, and then all his endeavours to pull it out 
 were in vain. In such cases he began to scratch in the earth 
 with his paws ; but as that woiild also ha^'e proved inef- 
 fectual, I came to his assistance with my dagger or my 
 knife, and we hastily divided the refreshing root between us." 
 
 An officer, wishing one day to test the fidelity of this 
 baboon, pretended to strike Le Vaillant. Instantly Kees 
 flew into a violent rage, and from that time coidd never 
 endure the sight of the officer. If he only saw him at a 
 distance, he began to cry, and made all sorts of grimaces, 
 evidently showing that he wished to avenge the insiilt that 
 had been done his master; he gi'ound his teeth ; and tried, 
 with all his might, to fly at his face ; but that was out of his 
 power, as he was chained down. The offender several times 
 endeavoured to conciliate him by ofiering him dainties, but 
 Kees was long implacable. 
 
 When any eatables had been pilfered, the fault was 
 always laid first on Kees ; and rarely was the accusation un- 
 founded. For a time the eggs laid by a hen were regularl}'' 
 taken away, and Le Vaillant wished to know if the baboon 
 were the oflcnder. For this purpose he went out one 
 morning to watch, and waited till tlie hen announced by her 
 cackling that she had laid an egg. Kees was sitting on one 
 of the vehicles, but tlie moment he heard the lien's voice he 
 leaped down, and was running to fetch the egg. Wlnm he 
 saw his master lie suddenly stojipcd, and aflccted a careless
 
 2G4 SOUTH Africa, 
 
 position, swaying himself back%yai\Is on liis hind legs, and 
 assuming a very innocent look. Hypocritical movements, 
 however, onl}'' confirmed suspicion, and therefore Le Vaillant 
 pretended not to see him, and turned his back to tlie bush 
 where the hen was cackling, iipon which Kees immediately 
 sprang to the place. His master ran up to him at the 
 instant when, having broken the egg, he was sv/allowing it. 
 Catching the thief in the fact, a good beating followed, but 
 the severe chastisement did not prevent Kees from stealing 
 new-laid eggs again. 
 
 As Le Vaillant was convinced that he should never 
 be able to break Kees of his vices, and that unlqss he 
 chained him up every evening, he should never be able to 
 get a fresh egg, he endeavoured to accomplish his purpose in 
 another manner. He trained one of his dogs, as soon as the 
 hen cackled, to run to the nest and bring him the egg Avith- 
 out breaking it. In a few days the dog had learned his 
 lesson ; but Kees, as soon as he heard the usual sound, ran also 
 to the nest. A contest now took place between them who 
 shoiTld have the egg ; and often Avas the dog foiled, though 
 the stronger of the two ; but if he gained the victory, he ran 
 joyfully with the egg and put it in his master's hand. Kees, 
 nevertheless, followed him, and did not cease to grumble and 
 make threatening grimaces at the dog until he saw the egg 
 was taken, as if he were comforted for the loss of his booty 
 in its not being enjoyed by his adA^ersary. If Kees had got 
 hold of the egg, he endeavoured to run with it to a tree, 
 when, having devoured it, he threw down the shell on his 
 adversary, as if to make game of him. In that case the dog 
 returned with his tail betAveen his hind legs, and that he had 
 met with an unlucky adA^cntiu'e Avas at once apparent. 
 
 Mr. IMoffat told Mr. Methuen of a Coranna avIio had a 
 tame baboon, Avhich, in common with all the monkey race, 
 entertained an intense dread of snakes. Its master from 
 mere wantonness, forcibly entAvined a dead snake round the
 
 A BABOON m A RAGE. 2G5 
 
 baboon's neck, when tlie animal sat motionless for upwards 
 of an hour, stupefied -with fear, and, on the snake being re- 
 moved, stole timidly into the hut of the Coranna. 
 
 After a short time the baboon, according to custom, was 
 called on by its master to scratch its head, but, though 
 angrily required to do so again and again, it refused to move. 
 The Coranna rose and struck it with a stick, and immediately 
 the aggrieved and enraged creature sprang vipon him, and 
 there was a tremendous struggle, the noise of which brought 
 in some of the neighbours. 
 
 On entering, however, they could see nothing through 
 the dust raised in the intei-ior of the hut exce2>t cinders, 
 which were kicked about in all directions from a fii'eplace in 
 the centre. The screams of the man and the baboon con- 
 tinued intermingled, till at length the creature dashed out 
 through the by-standers, and escaped to the mountains. 
 
 In this encounter the Coranna had been severely bitten, 
 and some weeks elapsed before his recovery. On regaining 
 strength, he determined on revenge, and scoured the moun- 
 tains in search of the baboon. At last he descried his foe 
 peering over a crag, and instantly le^'elled his gun. But the 
 baboon was equally prompt in withdi-awing his head, and 
 held up, as he chattered loudly in defiance, a monkey com- 
 panion for the fire of the Coranna. Utterly foiled, he returned 
 to bis hut, leaving the baboon in the mountains. 
 
 13^
 
 CHAPTER XXVIL 
 
 nUNTIN'G THE HIPPOPOTAJIUS. 
 
 Adventures of Captain Harris— A Hippopotamus Steak — Exploits of Mr. 
 Gordon Ciiimniug — Two of the best Hippopatami in a Herd captured. 
 
 Captain Harris and his party aiTivecl at the Gariep of 
 Moselekatze's dominions. Fed by many streams from the 
 Casltau range, this enchanting river springs into existence as 
 if by magic, and rolling its deep and tranqnil waters between 
 tiers of weeping willows, throiigh a passage in the mountain 
 bari-ier, takes its course to the northward. 
 
 " Here," he says, " we enjoyed the novel diversion of 
 hippopotamus shooting — that animal abounding in the Lim- 
 popo, and dividing the empire with its amphibious neighbour 
 the crocodile. Throughout the night, the unwieldy monsters 
 might be heard snorting and blowing during their aquatic 
 gambols, and we not unfrequently detected them in the act 
 of sallying from their reed-grown coverts to graze by the 
 serene light of the moon ; never, however, ventiiring to any 
 distance from the river, the stronghold to which they betake 
 themselves on the smallest alarm. 
 
 " Occasionally during the day they were to be seen bask- 
 ing on the shore amid ooze and mud ; but shots were more 
 constantly to be had at their uncouth heads, when protruded 
 from the water to draw breath, and if killed the body rose 
 to the surface. Vulnerable only behind the ear, howevei-, or 
 in the eye, which is placed in a prominence, so as to resemble 
 the garret-window of a Dutch house, they require the per- 
 fection of ride practice, and after a few shots become exceed- 
 ingly shy, exhibiting the snout only, and as instantly with-
 
 nuxTixG THE iiiproroTAMUs. 2G7 
 
 cl^•a^ylng it. The flcsli is delicious, resembling pork in 
 flavour, and abounding in fat, which, in the colony, is 
 deservedly esteemed the greatest of delicacies. The hide is 
 upwards of an inch and a half in tliickness, and being 
 scarcely flexible, may be dragged from the ribs in strips, like 
 the planks from" a ship's side. Of these are manufactured a 
 superior description of sjambok, the elastic whip, indispensable 
 to every boor proceeding on a journey. Our followers 
 encumbered the wagons with a large investment of them, 
 and of the canine teeth, the ivory of which is extremely 
 profitable." 
 
 On killing a hippopotamus, IMr. Burchell remarks : " The 
 landscape resembled a flesh-market, where bushes were con- 
 verted into shambles, and their branches were bending to 
 the ground overloaded with meat. Whatever way I turned 
 my head, I beheld men, or women, or dogs eating; several 
 large fires were crowded with cooks ; all around was carving, 
 broiling, gnawing, and chewing. Nor did I myself feel the 
 least inclined to rejjrobate the practice, for, after a long, 
 fatiguing walk, and eight hours' fasting, I confess that a 
 Jd2:>popotamus steah was not a thing to be rejected; and, even 
 at this moment, I still remain convinced that, if our English 
 lovers of good eating could but once taste such a steak, they 
 would not rest till they had caused ' fine lively hippopotami' 
 to be an article of regular importation." 
 
 ]\Ir. Gordon Gumming, while riding along the bank of a 
 river, heard a loud plunge, which was immediately followed 
 by the welcome blowing of sea-cows. He instantly divested 
 himself of his leather trowsers, and went into the reeds, when 
 he came suddenly on a crocodile of avei-age size, lying in a 
 shallow back stream, and, on the creature attempting to gain 
 the main river, he shot him dead on the spot. This was the 
 fir.st ci-ocodile he had managed to lay his hands on, though 
 he had killed many. Soon after breakfltst, the chief Seleka, 
 and some of his aristocracy, paid him a visit.
 
 2G8 SOUTH afpjca. 
 
 Two days after he sent Bicu clown the river, before it was 
 clear, to look for sea-cows, and they soon came running after 
 him to say they had found some. The adventures that 
 ensued are thus given : — 
 
 " I followed accordingly, and in a long, broad, and deep 
 bend, came upon four hippopotami, two full-grown cows, a 
 small one, and a calf At the tail of this pool was a strong 
 and rapid stream, which thixndered along in Highland 
 fashion over large masses of dark rock, and ou coming to the 
 shady bank, I could at first see only one old cow and a calf. 
 When they dived, I ran into the reeds, and, as the cow rose, 
 shot her in the head ; she, however, got away down the river, 
 and I lost her. The other three took up the river, and 
 became very shy, i-emaining under the water for five minutes 
 at a time, and then popping their heads up only for a few 
 seconds ; I accordingly kept behind the reeds in the hope of 
 their dismissing their alarms. Presently the two smaller 
 ones, apparently no longer frightened, shoAved their entire 
 heads, remaining above water for a minute ; but the third, 
 which was by far the largest, and which I thought must be 
 a bull, continued extremely shy, diving under the water for 
 ten minutes and more, letting us see her face but for a 
 second, and, making a blowing like a whale, returning to 
 the bottom. I stood there with a rifle on my shoulder, and 
 my eye on the sight, till I was quite tired. I thought I 
 should never get a chance at her, and had just resolved to 
 let fly at one of the smaller ones, when she shoved up her 
 head and looked about her ; I fired, the ball cracked loudly 
 below her ear, and the huge body of the sea-cow came 
 floundering to the top. 
 
 " Though not dead, she had lost her senses, and continued 
 SAvimming round and round, sometimes beneath, and some- 
 times at the surface of the water, creating a fearful commo- 
 tion, when I finished her Avith a shot in the neck, upon 
 which she instantly sank to the bottom, and disappeared in
 
 HUNTING THE IIIPPOPOTAJIUS. 269 
 
 the strong and rajiicl torrent at the tail of the sea-cow liolc. 
 Here she remained a long time, and I thought I had lost 
 her, but the natives said she would soon reappeai*, and while 
 taking my breakfest there was a loud hue and cry that the 
 hippopotamus had floated and was sailing down the river. It 
 was so, and my Hottentots swam in and brought her to the 
 bank ; her flesh proved most excellent. In the afternoon I 
 shot a sjilendid old water-buck, with a princely head, which 
 I kept. 
 
 " The next day I rode do-\vn the river's bank, with two 
 after riders, to seek for hippopotami, which the natives re- 
 ported would be found in a pool in advance, where another 
 river joined the Limpopo. After riding a short distance, 
 I found the baidvS unusually green and shady, and in a 
 broad, deep, and long still bend of the stream the game I 
 sought. 
 
 " They were lying in their sandy beds among the rank 
 reeds at the river side, and on hearing me galloping over the 
 graA'elly shingle, the deposit of some great flood, they plunged 
 into their native stronghold in dire alarm, and commenced 
 blowing, snorting, and uttering a sound very similar to that 
 made by the musical instrument called a serpent. It was a 
 fairish place for an attack, so, divesting myself of my leather 
 trowsers, I ordered my after riders to I'cmaiu silent, and then 
 crept cautiously forward, determined not to fire a shot until 
 I had thoroughly examined the herd, to see if there was not 
 a bull, and at all events, to secure, if possible, the very finest 
 head amongst them. 
 
 "The troop consisted of about fourteen hippopotami, ten 
 of them being a little further clown the stream than the 
 other four. Having cai-efully examined these ten, I made 
 out two decidedly larger than the othei-s. I then crept a 
 little distance up the river behind the reeds, to obtain a view 
 of the four, and saw that they were two enormous old cows, 
 with two lar^'e calves beside them. The two old ones had
 
 270 SOUTU AFRICA. 
 
 exactly tlie same size of liead as tlie two best cows below. I 
 accordingly chose what I tliought the best of these two, and, 
 making a fine shot at the side of her head, at once disabled 
 her. She disappeared for a few seconds, and then came 
 floundering to the surface, swimming round and I'ound, diving 
 and reappearing with a loud si:)lash and a blowing noise, and 
 getting slowly down the river, until I reattacked and finished 
 her, about an hour after, a quarter of a mile further down. 
 The other sea-cows were now greatly alarmed, showing, and 
 that only occasionally, but a small part of their heads. I 
 managed, however, to select one of the three remaining ones, 
 and, making a perfect shot, sent a bullet cracking into her 
 brain ; this caused instantaneous death, and she sank to the 
 bottom. I then wounded two more sea-cows in the head, 
 both of which I lost; the others were so alai-med and cun- 
 ning, that it was impossible to do anything with them. 
 
 " The one I had first shot was now resting with half her 
 body above water, on a sand-bank in the Limpopo, at the 
 mouth of the river Lepalala, which was broad, clear, and 
 rapid, and from this position I started her, with one bullet in 
 the shoulder, and another in the side of the head. This last 
 shot set her in motion, when she commenced struggling in 
 the water in the most extraordinary manner, disappearing for 
 a few seconds, and then coining up like a gi'eat whale, setting 
 the whole river in a vortex. Presently she took away down 
 the stream, but returning I killed her with a shot in the 
 middle of the forehead. This proved a most magnificent 
 specimen of the female hippopotanms. She far surpassed 
 the brightest expectations I had formed of her, being a 
 lai'ger, a more lively, and in every way a moi-e wonderful and 
 interesting animal than certain writers had led me to expect. 
 On securing this fine sea-cow, I immediately cut off her head 
 and placed it high and dry, and this Avas a work of consider- 
 able difficulty for four men. We left the body in the water, 
 bL'ing, of course, unable to do anything Avith it there, and it
 
 HUNTING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 271 
 
 was well I secured the head when I did, for next morning 
 the crocodiles had dragged away the carcase. 
 
 "The body of the other huge sea-cow which I had shot, 
 now floated and became stationary within about twenty yards 
 of the opposite bank of the I'iver. I accordingly held down 
 the river to the tail of the pool, where the stream was broad 
 and rapid, and less likely to hold crocodiles, and although 
 cold and worn out with fatigue, swam across to secure my 
 game. Two of my Hottentots swam over to my assistance; 
 but just as Ave were going to lay hold of the animal, she 
 became disengaged from the invisible fetters that had held 
 her, a gigantic old tree that some flood had lodged in the 
 bottom of the pool, and floated down the middle of the river; 
 when she neared the tail of the pool we swam in, and, inclining 
 her course to sliorc, stranded her on a fine gravel bank. 
 
 " This truly magnificent specimen was about the same 
 size as the first, and apparently older, but her teeth were not 
 quite so thick. Ordering the natives at once to cut off her 
 huge head, and having seen it safely deposited on the bank, 
 along with that of her comrade, I held for my wagons, having 
 to cross the Lepalala to reach them. I was very much 
 knocked up, but most highly gratified at my good fortune in 
 first killing, and then securing, two out of the four best cows 
 in a herd of fourteen."
 
 CHAPTER XXVIIl. 
 
 EXOX llEV. E. JIOFFAT AND KURUJIAN. 
 
 Expldvations of Travellers— A Kinfr'a Punishment of a Criminal — A Iliile 
 aslied for as Food — Story of a Damara Doctor — Strange Credulitj- — The 
 Batlapis — Eloquence of the Basuto King — Disinterested Tribute to 
 Missionaries — ^Moravian Settlement of Enon — Xew Litliako or Kuruman, 
 the Station of Ilev. II. Jloffat, visited by 5Ir. Jletliuen — The Balala — 
 Mr. ]Mufrat's account of Moselekatze and Chaka, the Zoolah Tyrant — 
 Station of Dr. Livingstone — His story of the Lion's Attack — Singular 
 Ledge of Rock. 
 
 In 1820 the E-ev. Jolm Campbell returned to Lithako, and 
 proceeded thence as far east as to the hitherto unvisited city 
 of Mashow, from which he directed his course northward till 
 he reached Kureechanee, about latitude 25° S. South-west 
 from this last town he found himself on the borders of a desert 
 which he was informed extended an immense distance to the 
 westward. In 1823 Lithako was once more visited by IMr. 
 George Thompson, whose accounts of many parts of the 
 country lying between this point of the colony, as well as of 
 some of the Kaffir tribes to the east, were more complete than 
 any previously published. 
 
 Mr. Gordon Gumming was the first to penetrate into the 
 interior of the Bamanguato country ; his axe and spade 
 pioneering the way which others have since followed. He 
 would have pushed still further onwards, but the great losses he 
 experienced in cattle and horses prevented him from so doing. 
 
 One traveller mentions that the king of the Mashows sent 
 for some people to assist him in punishing a criminal. The 
 offender a few minutes before had stolen a goat, and on him 
 summary judgment had been passed. He was laid fiat on 
 tlie ground, and four men held his arms and legs. The chief
 
 NAMAQUAS — DAMARAS. 273 
 
 stood at liis lieacl and a servant at liis feet, each one provided 
 "with a large whip of rhinoceros' skin, and with these they 
 scourged his back with great force. On his receiving a severe 
 healing, the chief was requested to be satisfied ; he immedi- 
 ately desisted and ordered his servant to cease beating also. 
 The young man, on rising from the ground, began to say some- 
 thing doubtless in his own behalf, but he was instantly and 
 severely struck by one of those who assisted to punish him. 
 On attempting to speak a second time, he received the same 
 treatment as before, on which he went quietly and put on his 
 cloak. The colour of the man's skin was neai'ly dark blue, 
 and every stroke left a white mark, so that almost the whole 
 of his back appeared as if it had been rubbed over with a 
 chalk stone. 
 
 Sir J. E. Alexander, when passing through Namaqua Land 
 was asked by some natives for the hide of an ox, for the 
 purpose of eating. The condition of his party at the time, 
 he thus describes : "We had not got any game for some days; 
 a sheep was made to go a long way; and none of us had 
 even svifficient to appease our hunger. The Namaquas asked 
 for a hide that we had kept to make shoes of, and, roasting it 
 at the fire, they pounded it between two stones, and ate it 
 up. I partook of it also, and found it very tough, but not 
 disagreeable to the taste. To be sure at the time I could 
 have eaten my saddle for hunger ; and certainly thought that 
 our leather trowsers must soon furnish us Avith a meal." 
 
 The Damaras, in their physical appearance and black 
 colour, approximate to the negroes and natives of Congo, on 
 the west coast. On the state of these people much light has 
 been thrown by IMr. Frank Dalton, a recent traveller. 
 
 A young Damara doctor showed Sir J. E. Alexander the 
 way in which he treated his patients — a way not a little 
 singiilar. He provided himself with a clean wooden milk 
 vessel, and applying it, covered with a piece of skin, to the 
 breast of a man who was lying on his side, and groaning as if
 
 274: SOUTH Africa. 
 
 sick. The doctor tlaen left liim, and sitting down opposite a 
 stone, began to strike it with, the stick of his fox-tail hand- 
 kerchief, and to sing at the same time, "To, to, to, tehei; to, 
 to, to, tehei." 
 
 After this he got up and danced round, and looked as if 
 for something on the ground ; at last he stopped suddenly, 
 and appearing to find what he sought, he called out sharply, 
 "tet, tet, tet." He then went to the patient, took from his 
 chest the vessel, blew upon it, and pretended to find in it 
 some blood, grease, or a bone, which had been introduced by 
 sleight of hand. Carefully covering the vessel, the doctor ran 
 off with it a little way, buried in the sand what he pretended 
 to have conjured from the patient, and then stamping over it, 
 pronounced the sick to be well ! 
 
 Instances are given of greater imposture on the one hand, 
 and credulity on the other, Campbell says that numbers of 
 the Corannas had a joint taken from the little finger, w^hich 
 was done with a sharp stone. This operation "was performed 
 merely for the purpose of bleeding, in order to remove some 
 pain. ".The inconvenience through life," he adds, "arising 
 from such a dismemberment, perhaps never occiuTed to this 
 ignorant people." 
 
 Burchell, who resided for some time among the Batlapis, 
 remarked : "The foulest blot on their character is the indif- 
 ference with which murder is viewed among them. It excites 
 little sensation, excepting in the family of the person who has 
 been murdered ; and brings, it is said, no disgrace upon him 
 who has committed it ; nor uneasiness, excepting the fear of 
 revenge. Shall we not hesitate to assert that human nature 
 is superior to the brute creation, when we find among this 
 people instances of the fact, that the shedding of human 
 blood, without the pretext of pi'ovocation or of ofience, and 
 even by the basest treachery, has fixed no infamy on the per- 
 petrator of so awful a crime ; and rarely drawn upon him any 
 punishment from the chief authority ; an authority which the
 
 AFRICAN ELOQUENCE. 275 
 
 Giver of Power intrusts to mortal lieads, only for tlie weak, 
 and for tlie common good 1 Such, at least, are the sentiments 
 which they express, and such were their replies to my 
 questions on this subject." 
 
 Instances are recorded in which the language used by the 
 natives of Africa, and more es})ecially by the chiefs, has been 
 highly eloquent and impressive. As an example, we may take 
 that of Mosheste, the famous Basuto king, when congi-atulating 
 his people on tlie arrival among them of three missionaries : 
 
 "Rejoice, you Makare and Mokatchani ! — you rulers of 
 cities, rejoice ! We have all reason to rejoice on account of the 
 news we have heard. There area great many sayings among 
 men. Among them some are true, and some are false; but 
 the false have remained with us, and multiplied — therefore, we 
 ought to pick up carefully the truths we hear, lest they should 
 be lost in the rubbish of lies. We have been told that we 
 have all been created by one Being, and that we all spring 
 from one man. Sin entered man's heart when he ate the 
 forbidden fruit, and we have got sin from him. These men 
 say that they have sinned ; and what is sin in them is sin in 
 us, because we came from one stock, and their hearts and 
 ours are one thing. Ye Makare have heard these words, and 
 you say they are lies. If these woi'ds do not conquer, the 
 fault will lie with you. You say you will not believe what 
 you do not understand. Look at an egg ! If a man break 
 it, there comes only a watery and yellow substance out of it; 
 but if it be placed under the wing of a fowl, a living thing 
 comes from it. Who can understand this 1 Who ever knew 
 how tlie heat of the heii produced the chicken in the egg 1 
 This is incomprehensible to us, yet we do not deny the fact. 
 Let us do like the hen. Let us place these truths in our 
 hearts, as the hen does the eggs under her wings ; let us sit 
 upon them, and take the same pains, and something now will 
 come of them." 
 
 Alluding to diiTcrcnt tribes, such as Bushmen and Goran-
 
 276 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 nas, Ml'. Thompson remarks : " Persons wlio liave \dsited tliem, 
 and are best qualified to appreciate the difficulties to be sur- 
 mounted in instructing and civilising them, will, if they are 
 not led away by prejudice, be far more disposed to admire the 
 exemplary fortitude, patience, and perseverance of the mis- 
 sionax'ies, than to speak of them with contempt and con- 
 tumely. These devoted men are found in the remotest desei'ts, 
 accompanying the wild and wandering savages from place to 
 place, destitute of almost every comfort, and at times without 
 even the necessaries of life. 
 
 " Some of them have, without mui-muriug, spent their 
 whole lives in such service. Let those who consider missions as 
 idle, or unavailing, visit Gnadenthal, Bethelsdorp, Theopolis, 
 the Kaffir stations, Griqua Town, Kamiesberg, &c. &c. ; let them 
 view what has been effijcted at these institutions for tribes of 
 the natives, oppressed, neglected, -or despised by every other 
 class of men of Christian name ; and if they do not find all 
 accomplished wliich the world had perhaps too sanguinely 
 anticipated, let them fairly weigh the obstacles Avhich have 
 been encountered, before they venture to pronounce an un- 
 favourable decision. For my o^v^l part, uttex-ly unconnected 
 as I am with missionaries or missionary societies of any de- 
 scription. I cannot in candour and justice withhold from them 
 my humble mead of applause for their labours in Sovithern 
 Africa. They have, without question, been in this country 
 not only the devoted teachers of our holy religion to the 
 heathen tribes, but also the indefatigable pioneers of discovery 
 and civilisation. 
 
 "Nor is their character unappreciated by the natives. 
 Averse as they still are in many places to receive a religion 
 the doctrines of which are too pure and benevolent to be 
 congenial to hearts depraved- by selfish and vindictive passions, 
 they are yet everywhere friendly to the missionaries, eagerly 
 iiavite them to reside in their territories, and consult them in 
 all their emergencies. Such is the impression which the dis-
 
 THE SETTLEMENT OF EXON. 277 
 
 intei'estedness, patience, and kindness of tlie missionaries liave, 
 after long years of labour and diiEcnlty, decidedly made even 
 upon the Avildest and fiercest of the South African tribes with 
 whom they have come in contact ; and this favourable im- 
 pression, where more has not yet boon achieved, is in itself a 
 most important step towards full and ultimate success." 
 
 The Moravian settlement oi Enon, situate near the centre 
 of the Yalley of the White River, and in the midst of the 
 rich and picturesque scenery already described, was visited 
 by a traveller. It stands upon a level spot of alluvial soil, 
 near the margin of one of the lai-gest lagoons formed by the 
 river, and which has been named the Leguan's Tank, from its 
 being frequented by numbers of the large amphibiovis lizard 
 called the leguan or guana. It was also once stocked with a 
 species of carp common to many of the South African rivers. 
 
 The village was laid out in the form of a long street, at 
 the upper end of which were the church and school-room, 
 work-shops, and dwelling-houses of the missionai'ies. The 
 building of these was interi'upted for a time by the Moravians 
 being driven out by the Kaffirs, as has been related. At that 
 period nearly the whole of« their cattle had been carried off, 
 and several of the herdsmen slain ; and on their retreat, the 
 missionary village, Avhich was then situate somewhat lower 
 down the valley, had been totally burned down and laid waste 
 by the remorseless enemy. In the brief space, however, of 
 less than six months after their return, and with only a few 
 efficient workmen, these industrious people erected buildings 
 sufficient for their immediate necessities, and for prosecuting 
 the several handicrafts they practise. Extensive gardens and 
 orchards were laid out, and fviU arrangements made for the 
 completion of their settlement. 
 
 The dwellings of the Hottentots at this time were, with 
 a few exceptions, small cabins of a very simple construction. 
 The walls were formed by fixing stakes in the ground, wattling 
 these with sapplings from the thicket, and plastering the
 
 278 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 •whole, both in and outside, with a mixture of cow-dung and 
 sand. This sort of plaster, where lime is scarce and expen- 
 sive, is used even in the best houses of the colony, as it is in 
 New South Wales, South America, and other countries where 
 the aridity of the atmosphere renders it suitable. If preserved 
 from damp, it is in such climates almost equal in dui-ability 
 to lime, and when well smoothed and white- washed, is in no 
 respect inferior in appearance. The roofs of these huts were 
 generally thatched with reeds or long grass ; but, for the supe- 
 rior buildings, a species of very hard rush was used, which will 
 last, it is said, without repair for twenty or thirty years. 
 
 The most substantial buildings next to those erected by 
 the missionaries, were two or three small houses built by 
 Kaffir women, who by some accident had been left in the 
 colony, had become Chi'istians, and had joined the institution. 
 In their own country, the Kaffir females have generally the 
 task allotted to them of building the huts, as well as tilhng 
 the gardens ; they are thus inured to labour, and are conse- 
 quently more generally industrious and neat-handed than the 
 Hottentot women. 
 
 Most of the cottages had littlg gardens behind, stretching 
 on the one side to the foot of a woody hill, on the other to 
 the bank of a river. In these plots were cultivated maize, 
 Kaffir millet, pumpkins, musk and water-melons, onions, 
 parsnips, potatoes, and some other vegetables. A few young 
 fruit-trees were scattered among them. The extent of culti- 
 vation here was certainly much inferior to that at the elder 
 settlement of Gnadenthal, where the whole village was en- 
 veloped in a forest of fruit-trees ; but, considering the shoi-t 
 period that had elapsed since the inhabitants had returned to 
 Enon, as much had been accomplished as could reasonably 
 have been expected. The appearance of the whole place was 
 neat, orderly, and demure. There was no hurried bustle, no 
 noisy acti\dty, even in the missionary workshops, though 
 industry plied there its regular and cheerful task ; but a sort
 
 THE SETTLEMENT OP EXON. 279 
 
 of pleasing pastoral quiet seemed to reign tlirougliout tlie 
 settlement, and brood over the secluded valley. 
 
 At tlie time of tlie visit now described, there were four 
 missionaries, all natives of Germany. The eldest of these, 
 who was also the superintendent of the institution, Y.-as the 
 venerable JMr. Schmitt, well known throughout the colony 
 for his mild lu-banity, and his afiection for the Hottentot race. 
 After having spent his eai'lier years as a labourer in the 
 missions of the United Brethren on the desolate coast of 
 Labrador, he was sent to South Africa, where he previously 
 founded another missionary settlement about fifty miles from 
 Cape ToAvn, named Groenekloof (Greencleugh) ; and having 
 established that on a prosperous footing, he was appointed to 
 his present service. His -wife was an English woman ; at 
 this period the only white woman in the settlement, and in 
 truth like a mother to every family in it. 
 
 The younger brethren were plain German mechanics, but 
 well informed and intelligent in matters relating to the im- 
 provement and education of uncivilised people. One was a 
 carpenter, another a blacksmith and cutler. Three busi- 
 nesses they carried on by the aid of Hottentot apprentices, 
 to the gi-eat advantage of the institution and the people 
 under their charge. 
 
 The missionaries of the United Brethren are usually, 
 if not uniformly, regulai-ly-instructed artisans, educated with 
 this view at Heri-nhutt, or some other of the European esta- 
 blishments. The trades selected are of course such as are 
 most likely to be useful amongst a rude and simple people, 
 those of smith and carpenter being the most common. Be- 
 sides his peculiar trade, each missionary is acquainted more 
 or less with practical husbandly and gardening. Thus, 
 Mr. Schmitt, as well as his younger brethren, had been bred 
 a mechanic, and had assiduously practised his trade as wagon 
 maker when the more important duties of his charge ad- 
 mitted of it.
 
 280 LOUTII AFiilC^V. 
 
 Tliey are generally excellent workmen ; not quite so neat 
 perliaps in matters of taste and finisli as first-rate English 
 meclianics ; but scarcely to be surpassed in regard to the 
 substantial qualities of the articles they manufacture. In 
 South Africa the wagons made by them, and their knives, 
 and other articles of cutlery, are in high rerpiest, and have 
 a very considerable sale, although the cutleiy is greatly 
 higher in price than similar goods from Bii'mingham im- 
 ported into this colony. 
 
 Besides the important advantage of being gradually 
 enabled to instruct a number of the natives in these useful 
 trades, and thus train them to habits of regular industry 
 (one of the most difficult of all tasks with a nomadic and 
 semi-barbarous race), the profits derived from this source 
 are so considerable as to defray a large portion of the ex- 
 penses of the respective institutions where they are cai'ried 
 on. Being conducted also wholly for the advantage of 
 the missions, and the profits tlirown into one general fund, 
 no opportunity is afforded for the growth of unbecoming 
 rivalry, the clashing of private interests, or the development 
 of sordid or selfish passions among the brethren themselves, 
 while, at the same time, without any apparent exertion, a 
 sufficient excitement to steady industry is kept up by the 
 sacred sense of duty, by habits of strict regulaxity, and the 
 observance of exact hours for every occupation. 
 
 There is unquestionably something very touching, as 
 well as tasteful and picturesque, in the appearance of a Mora- 
 vian bvirial-ground in South Afiica. Situate at some little 
 distance from the village, yet not far from the house of 
 worship, cut out of the centre of a grove of evergreens, and 
 kept as neat as a pleasure-garden, the burial-ground of Enon 
 formed a pleasing contrast to the solitary graves heaped 
 with a few loose stones, or the neglected and dilapidated 
 churchyards usually met with in the colony. 
 
 The missionaries here, all without exception Germans,
 
 K.URUMAN. 281 
 
 liave, like tlieir countrymen, in general, a fine taste for 
 music. The voices of the Hottentots, too, are peculiarly 
 sweet and plaintive ; so that there was nothing vulgar or 
 discordant in their singing, but, on the contrary, a sweet, 
 solemn, and pathetic harmony. Nothing, indeed, can well 
 be conceived more exquisitely affecting than the rich, though 
 simple melody of one of these missionary hymns, when sung 
 by a Hottentot congregation in the bosom of their wild 
 native woods, where, only a few years before, no voice was 
 heard save the howling of wild beasts, or the discordant yell 
 of heathen hordes scarcely less savage. 
 
 Another station of great interest is found not far short 
 of a thousand miles from Cape Town ; it was originally 
 called New Lithako, but subsequently it received the name 
 of Kuruman. It has been visited by many travellers, among 
 whom is Mr. Methuen, who, in his "Life in the Wilderness," 
 describes Kuruman as " a sort of metropolis of missionary sta- 
 tions." " Here," he continues, " we found Messrs. Hamilton 
 and Moffat, both in good health, and active as ever in their 
 sphere of usefulness and benevolence. Enduring, at the 
 commencement of their ministerial labours, hunger, thirst, 
 heat, and cold, privations of all kinds, and living in constant 
 danger of death both from men and beasts, they persevered 
 with a resolution and faith reminding us of the apostolic times, 
 and their efforts have been blessed with success. 
 
 " They now have few difficulties to contend with. Pos- 
 sessing comfoi'table cottages, built after the Dutch model, 
 with no tipper story, walled and well-stocked gardens, and 
 all necessary furniture, they live independent of, and cut off 
 from the civilised world, beloved by the Bechuanas, who 
 are visibly improving under their teaching. There is a 
 chapel here, built of stone and thatched, capable of con- 
 taining three hundred persons : the body of it is provided 
 with movable benches and a pulpit. This building and the 
 cottages are all the results of missionaiy labour. 
 
 14
 
 282 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 " Tlie appearance of the Kuruman (Anglice, tlie Tortoise) 
 is very pretty ; a broad grass walk dividing tlie cottages 
 
 
 A BECUUANA. 
 
 wliich occupy tlie one side from tlie garden or rivulet, and a 
 rank of drooping Babylonian willows on the other. The
 
 MR. AND MKS. MOFFAT. 283 
 
 native liuts liave nothing picturesque about them, and at a 
 distance resemble a collection of hay-ricks ; they are superior 
 to the bee-hive pattern dwellings of the Kaffirs and Co- 
 rannas, being formed of an outer wall of stakes about three 
 feet high, driven into tlie ground in a circle, and surrounded 
 by a conical roof thatclied with grass. Each hut lias a low 
 doorway, with an equally low verandah before it, and round 
 it is a circular court inclosed either with rush mats or a 
 wattle-hedge ; in this court they commonly make their fires, 
 and cook their food in fire- proof clay-pots of their own 
 manufacture. 
 
 " Mi\ Moflfat and his lady were unbounded in their hospi- 
 tality towards us ; they begged us to treat their house as our 
 own, and during the rest of our sojourn in the village we 
 took all our meals there." 
 
 In his minute on " Sunday," Mr. Me'diuen says ; " The 
 sound of a bell strangely resounded in these remote regions, 
 calling the Bechuanas to devotion. The service in the chapel 
 was performed in the native tongue; and the congregation was 
 numerous, orderly, and less disturbed by some circumstances 
 which occurred at the time than many English ones would 
 have been. The men wore, mostly, fustian jackets and 
 leather trowsers, the women petticoats of divers patterns, or 
 carosses, Avitli either fur caps on their heads or turbans made 
 of handkerchiefs ; some sat on the mud floor, some on the 
 benches." 
 
 The Bechvianas were full of amazement on first seeing 
 good portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Mofi'at, whose presence they 
 said they were glad of, for otherwise tliey should have con- 
 cluded that these were their ghosts, or their skins stuffed. 
 The same idea arose in the minds of some natives to whom 
 Dr. Smith showed some of his drawings of animals; nor could 
 they be convinced that they were not looking merely at 
 their skins until he sketched their own likenesses. No 
 wonder that a galvanic battery filled some of them, as they
 
 284 SOUTH AFr.iCA. 
 
 grasped the brass rods, with superstitious dread, or that one 
 "was sure it was an evil spirit, " for," said he, " I saw the 
 blue flame ! " 
 
 Among the Bechuana tribes arc great numbei-s of people 
 called " Balala" — poor ones — " who stand," says Mr. Moffat, 
 " in the same relation to the Bechuanas in which the Bush- 
 men formerly stood to the Hottentots, and whose origin, 
 doubtless, was of the same nature. 
 
 " These Balala were once inhabitants of the towns, and 
 have been permitted or appointed to live in country places for 
 the purpose of procuring skins of wild animals, wild honey, 
 and roots for their respective chiefs. The numbers of these 
 country residents are increased by the innate love of libei-ty, 
 and the scarcity of food in towns, or within the boundaries 
 to which they are confined by water and pasture. These 
 again formed themselves into small communities, though of 
 the most temporary character, their calling requiring migra- 
 tion, and having no cattle of any description. Accustomed 
 from infancy to the sweets of comparative liberty, which 
 they vastly preferred to a kind of vassalage in the towns or 
 kraals, they would make any sacrifice to please their often 
 distant supci'iors, rather than be confined to the irksomeness 
 of a town life. Such is their aversion that I have known 
 chiefs take armed men, and travel a hundred miles into 
 desert .places, in order to bring back Balala, whom they 
 wished to assist them in watching and harvesting the gardens 
 of their wives; and in such seasons they will frequently 
 wander about, and fix their domiciles in the most desert and 
 unfrequented spots, to escape this easy, but to them galling, 
 duty, which is only required in a year of plenty." Mr. 
 Campbell called them, very correctly, the " Bechuana 
 Bushmen." 
 
 ]Mr. IMethuen subsequently remarks : " Many were the 
 interesting anecdotes which Mr. Moffat, Avith his hajipy mode 
 of telling a tale, related to us of his former life, and his intei'-
 
 ciiakjs, the zoolaii tyrant. 285 
 
 views with Moselekatze. Tliis cliief was in the habit of 
 calling Mr. Moffat his father Matchuabi, and used often to 
 say to him, after receiving reproof for his cruelty, ' You can 
 say to me what nobody else dares ; were you not my father I 
 shoiild kill you.' Mr. IMofflit often prophesied to him his 
 fall (which has since occurred), as well as that of all such 
 bloody oppressors. He would say in reply, ' I cannot make 
 you out ; you do not come here to trade ; you do not seem 
 to fear death, and yet you so much dread others being put to 
 death.' 
 
 " By this missionary's account, Moselekatze was short 
 and stout; he was son to Matchuabi, and revolted, in the 
 following way, from Chaka, the Zoolah tyrant. Chaka con- 
 tinually sent commandos, or marauding parties, against the 
 surrounding tribes for the purpose of stealing their cattle. 
 Moselekatze, then one of his captains, was always successful 
 in his attacks, and cunningly reserved portions of the stolen 
 property for himself. He was at last dispatched against a 
 very powerful tribe, on which all former attemjits had failed : 
 he gained the victory, and at the same time attended to his 
 own. interests. 
 
 "Chaka discovered liis artifices, and, vowing vengeance, 
 came upon him so suddenly, that Moselekatze and a handful 
 of men, after fighting desperately, only escajoed under cover 
 of darkness, he himself hiding in a tree. At daybreak he 
 I'allied his men, and defeating in detail three divisions sent 
 against him, fled to the sources of the Likeva River, and 
 established an independent nation there, now called Matabile. 
 His subjects are marked by a slit through their ears like 
 sheep, by wliich they may be always known, and for deser- 
 tion the punishment is death. His formation of regiments, 
 regialation of arms and discipline, and his victories, prove him 
 to be a man of great energy and talent." 
 
 Not far from the station at Kuruman, is one where Mr., 
 since Dr., Livingstone was zealously labouring as a mission-
 
 286 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 ary; and lie had mai'iied a daughter of Mr. Moffat. Just 
 before the visit of JNIr. Methuen, he had passed through that 
 struggle with a lion, which he has lately so graphically 
 described. 
 
 " We found the lions," he says, " on a small hill, about a 
 quarter of a mile in length, and covered with trees. A 
 circle of men was formed round it, and they gradually closed 
 up, ascending pretty near to each other. Being down below 
 on the plain with a native schoolmaster, named Mebaleve, a 
 most excellent man, I saw one of the lions sitting on a piece 
 of rock within the now closed circle of men. Mebaleve fired 
 at him before I could, and the ball struck the rock on which 
 the animal was sitting. He bit at the spot struck, as a dog 
 does at a stick or a stone thx'own at him ; then leaping away, 
 broke through the opening circle, and escaped unhurt. The 
 men Avere afraid to attack him, perhaps on account of their 
 belief in witchcraft. 
 
 " When the circle was reformed, we saw two other lions 
 in it ; but we were afraid to fire, lest we should strike the 
 men, and they allowed the beasts to burst through also. If 
 the Bakatla had acted according to the custom of the coun- 
 try, they would have speared the lions in their attempts to 
 get otit. Seeing we could not get them to kill one of the 
 lions, we bent our footsteps towards the villages. In going 
 rovmd the end of the hill, however, I saw one of the beasts 
 sitting on a piece of rock as before, but this time he had a 
 little bush in front. Being about forty yards off, I took a 
 good aim at his body through the bush, and fired both bar- 
 rels into it. The men then called out, ' He is shot ! he is 
 shot !' Others cried, ' He has been shot by another man too; 
 let us go to him ! ' I did not see any one else shoot at him, 
 but I saw the lion's tail erected in anger behind the bush, 
 and turning to the people, said, ' Stop a little till I load 
 again.' 
 
 " When in the act of ramming down the bxillets, I heard
 
 LIVINGSTONE AND THE LION. 287 
 
 a sliout. Starting, find looldng half round, I saw tlie lion 
 just in the act of springing upon me. I was upon a little 
 height ; he caught my shoulder as he sprang, and we both 
 came to the ground below together. Growling close to my 
 ear, he shook me as a terrier dog docs a rat. The shock pro- 
 duced a stupor similar to that which seems to be felt by a 
 mouse after the first shake of the cat. It caused a sort of 
 dreaminess, in which there was no sense of pain nor feeling 
 of terror, though quite conscious of all that was happening. 
 It was like what patients partially under the influence of 
 chloroform describe, who see all the operation, but feel not 
 the knife. 
 
 " This singular condition was not the result of any mental 
 process. The shake annihilated fear, and allowed no sense of 
 horror in looking round at the beast. This peculiar state is 
 probably produced in all animals killed by the carnivora ; 
 and if so, is a merciful provision by our benevolent Creator 
 for lessening the pain of death. Turning round to relieve 
 myself of the weight, as he had one paw on the back of my 
 head, I saw his eyes directed to Mebaleve, who was trying to 
 shoot him at a distance of ten or fifteen yards. His gun, a 
 flint one, missed fire, in both barrels ; the lion immediately 
 left me, and, attacking Mebaleve, bit his thigh. Another 
 man, whose life I had saved before, after he had been tossed 
 by a bufialo, attempted to spear the lion while he was biting 
 Mebaleve. He left Mebaleve, and caught this man by the 
 shoulder ; but at that moment the bullets he had received 
 took efiect, and he fell down dead." 
 
 Mr. Metliuen describes his going with a party to inspect 
 a singular overhanging ledge of rock, about ton miles to the 
 west of Kuruman, and says : — " We foiind JNIr. Livingstone 
 from the Mabotsa station awaiting our return ; his arm had 
 been broken and much lacerated by a lion he had assisted in 
 destro^dng. The foolish natives, the Bakatlas, believed that 
 Sobifpia, chief of a neighbouring tribe, was practising witch-
 
 288 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 craft on them Iby sending lions, because they had sufTered 
 some losses by the attacks of these brutes. They would not 
 permit Livingstone to keep the skin of the lion which had 
 injured him, but buried it carefully, their sages performing 
 some ridiculous ceremonies, which they said v/ould in future 
 deter all lions from visiting Mabotsa."
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 DISCOVERIKS OF LIVIKGSTONE. 
 
 Knov.-lodge of a Lake in the Interior— Livingstone's first Journey— The 
 Kalahari Desert— The Zouga— The Bayeye— The Lake Ngami— Living- 
 stone's second Journey — His third Journey — Visit to Sebitoanc — Eiver 
 of the Barotse— The Eiver Casai— Adventures and Sufierings— The 
 Victoria Falls— Jlr. Jlollat's Visit to Seehele— His Visit to Moselekatze 
 —Theory of Sir Koderick Murchison — Its establishment by Livingstone 
 — His subsequent Course. 
 
 In the years 1835 and 1836 Dr. Andrew Smith made an 
 interesting jonrney, ascending the mountain heights of Kaffir- 
 laud, and advancing as far as the southern tropics in the 
 tracks of the traders. The chief object, however, of this 
 expedition was the discovery of a large hike, long reported 
 to be in tlie interior, but in this he was unsuccessful. This 
 lake had been indicated on maps dated so far back as 1508, 
 relying on the native accounts received by the early Portu- 
 guese settlers in South Africa. Campbell, Harris, and other 
 travellers heard of it, and more than twenty years ago, a 
 place was assigned it on the map, which, under the circum- 
 stances now to be narrated, it has been found to possess. 
 
 On the 1st of June, 1849, Dr. Livingstone, accom- 
 panied by INIessrs. Oswell and Murray, left the missionary 
 station at Kolobeng, which lies 200 miles north of Kuruman, 
 the station of his father-in-law, the Kev. Robert jMoflat. 
 
 His object was to gain the lake Kgami, which lies to the 
 north-west of his starting jwint, and is separated from it by 
 the Kalahari desert, which had hitherto presented an insur- 
 rjnountable barrier to European enterprise. This desert is 
 inhabited by numerous Bushmen and Kalahari, the tract of. 
 laud jnobably deriving its name from the latter. They are 
 
 14*
 
 -00 SOUTH A.miCA. 
 
 a black people, speaking the Becliuana language, and tlioiigli 
 they possess no large cattle, they rear goats in abundance; 
 they also cultivate beans, pease, calabashes, pumpkins, and 
 water-melons. The latter appears to be their chief support, 
 and a failure of the annual crop is frequently followed by 
 famine. 
 
 In the rainy season water is as abundant in the Kalahaii 
 as in any other part of the neighbouring countries ; and 
 though, from the nature of the country, it is scarce in the dry 
 season, it is by no means entirely wanting. It is well wooded 
 in many pai-ts, and as regards pasturage, may be said to rival 
 the finest prairies of South America. Of wild aniipals, such 
 as the giraffe, the zebra, the gnu, the spring-buck, and even 
 the ponderous elephant, which migrates to these regions in 
 the rainy season, there is no want. It is in search of the 
 latter animal that the enterprising Griqua often risks his life. 
 The Bechuanas make regular excursions into the Kalahari, 
 for the sake of the skins of animals, particularly those of the 
 leojiard, the panther, and the jackal. 
 
 Many attempts had been made to cross this desert, but all 
 of them had failed. Detei'mined to exjjlore it by a new path 
 of his own. Dr. Livingstone carefully gathered information 
 from the natives, and, availing himself of this, he advanced 
 by a circuitous route which skirted the desert, and thus 
 diminished the perils of his journey. 
 
 Pursuing this route in a northerly direction, for a distance 
 of 300 miles, he and his party suffered much, particularly for 
 want of water ; but at the end of a month, they emerged 
 from the dreary regions they had traversed, and were sui'- 
 prised and delighted by the change. They now found 
 themselves on the banks of the Zouga, a noble river, flowing 
 in a south-easterly direction, and richly bordered with trees, 
 many of which bore fruit, and were of a gigantic height, and 
 were, moreover, new to the traveller. 
 
 The natives of the soil gave Dx\ Livingstone and his party
 
 LAKE NOAIMT. 2D1 
 
 a fiicndly welcome. Tlie travellers learned from tliem that 
 the river Zouga flowed out of the lake Ngami, and that it 
 was situated at a distance of about 300 miles. Dr. Livingstone 
 therefore left his travelling- wagon slowly to follow the wind- 
 ings of the stream, and embarked in a native canoe, which 
 had been hollowed out of the trunk of a tx'ee. In this small 
 ci'affc, paddled by fresh-water sailors, he sailed up the Zouga, 
 visiting on his voyage many of the villages, which were sur- 
 rounded by the broad reeds which grow on its margin, or 
 were built on the limestoae rocks through which the waters 
 had found their way. 
 
 Captain Messum states that he had heard the inhabitants 
 of the lake regions rejjresented as monsters with only one 
 eye in the centre of the forehead, and feeding on human 
 flesh, as the giants of old used to take their breakfasts. " A 
 baby was nothing ; they swallowed it whole." The I'esearches 
 of our travellers have shown, however, that the people who 
 dwell on the shores of Lake Ngami are called Batoana, and 
 under the rule of Lecholetebe. They are, in fact, a small tribe 
 of the Bechuanas. The Batoana, according to Mr. Andersson, 
 have not long been dwellers in the lake regions ; they 
 arrived as conquerors' under the father of Lecholetebe. 
 Having dispossessed the aborigines, they reduced them to a 
 state of slavery, giving them a name corresponding to their 
 cpndition, namely, Bakoha or Macoba, that is " sei'fs." These 
 people, however, style themselves Bayeye, or " Men." 
 
 The Bayeye have apparently been established at the lake 
 for a considerable period, if not from time immemorial. 
 They are tall, of a robust form, and of a sooty complexion. 
 Their cU-ess consists simply of a piece of skin, broad in front, 
 tied round the waist, with a tassel attached to it on each side 
 falling down over the hips ; and in addition to this they 
 Avear a skin, or light caross, which they accommodate to the 
 body according to the state of the weather. The women 
 wear a short skin shirt.
 
 202 -iounr africa. 
 
 Tlae only weapon in nse among the Bayeye is a liglit 
 javelin, having sometimes two or three bai'bs. The older 
 ones have a shield, made of a single fold of ox-hide ; but 
 they have only become acquainted with this defence since 
 they were subdued by the Bechuanas, as to the want of a 
 shield they entirely attribute their own defeat. 
 
 They are much given to habits of pilfering and lying, are 
 suspicious and deceitful, and, like most black natives, addicted 
 to intoxicating liquors, and fond of the dance. This is com- 
 monly a mimic representation of the playful sports and the 
 courting of different wild animals. They understand the art 
 of making beer from malt, on which they frequently get 
 intoxicated. Tlie men are invetciute snuff-takers, and the 
 Avomen " dakka " — smokers. They live in large round huts, 
 covered with matting made of rushes. Polygamy prevails 
 among them to almost any extent. 
 
 In earlier times the Bayeye possessed numerous herds of 
 cattle, but these passed into the hands of the Bechuanas on 
 their assuming the mastery of the country. They ai-e per- 
 mitted, however, to rear a few goats, which they do less for 
 the milk and flesh than for the skins, which they convert 
 into carosses and other articles. 
 
 The country inhabited by the Bayeye before their sub- 
 jection must have been of great extent, and is still of con- 
 siderable size, consisting, it is believed by Mr. Andersson, to 
 whom we are indebted for these particulars, of one continued 
 plain, intersected by rivers, with extensive marshes. The 
 banks of the river are in general very low, but wherever 
 they rise a few feet above the level of the water, they are 
 shaded by a rank and wild vegetation ; the trees, of a gigan- 
 tic size, having their stems and branches entwined and inter- 
 woven with bcavitiful parasitical plants and creepers. 
 
 The soil is fertile, and yields the necessaries of life in 
 abundance with but little labour. A month or two before 
 the rainy season, the ground for cultivation is selected.
 
 THE BAYEYE. 293 
 
 cleared, and slightly worked by a small short hoe. After the 
 first heavy rains they begin to sow the corn, of which there 
 are two kinds indigenous to the country, namely, the common 
 "Kafiir," and another sort very small grained, not unlike 
 canary-seed, which is much more nutritious. Tobacco, cala- 
 bashes, Avater-mclons, pumpkins, beans, small peas, are also 
 grown, as well as different kinds of edible earth-fruits. 
 
 Moreover, the country produces a variety of wild fruit- 
 trees, which serve no less to beautify the scenery than to 
 afford good and wholesome sustenance to the inhabitants. 
 Among tlie most handsome and useful trees the moshoma 
 stands perhaps pre-eminent, on account of its great height, 
 the straightncss of the trunk, and the distance at Avhich it 
 begins to branch out. The fruit is gathered on the gi-ound, 
 exposed to the sun for some time, and when sufficiently 
 dried, is put into a hollow piece of wood, a sort of mortar, 
 and pulverised, and is fit to use at any time by simply mixing 
 it with water. It is then not unlike honey in aj^pearance, 
 and has a sAveet agreeable flavour, but must be cavitiously 
 used by strangers at first, for if eaten in any quantity, it 
 is apt to derange the stomach. The moshoma invariably 
 grows on the banks of rivers, or in their immediate neigh- 
 bourhood, and may be easily conveyed down the Tioge to the 
 lake. The Bayeye use the timber extensively for canoo 
 building, and in the manufacture of utensils. 
 
 Already Dr. Livingstone had expressed the feelings by 
 which he was actuated : — " I do not wish to convey hopes of 
 sj)eedily effecting any great work through my own instru- 
 mentality ; but I ho2oc to be permitted to laboui", as long as 
 I live, beyond other men's line of things, and plant the seed 
 of the Gospel where others have not planted." These emo- 
 tions were strong in his bosom as he was passing ujd this 
 remarkable river. His hope of the benefit of others was 
 increased by the tidings of the natives. He heard that other 
 rivers flowed from the north into the Zouga, and into the
 
 294 SOUTH AIT.ICA. 
 
 lake whicli was tlic object of his visit. lie was also ani- 
 mated and gladdened by the report that a friendly and 
 powerful chief, named Sebitoane, whom he proposed to visit, 
 lived at the distance of only ten days' journey from his pre- 
 sent position. 
 
 The object of his search was now speedily gained, and 
 standing on the banks of the lake Ngami, he looked across 
 its broad expanse, and beheld the dim outline of its opposite 
 shore. He found that the lake was 2,825 feet above the level 
 of the sea, and that its length was about sixty miles. Through 
 the unwillingness of the natives, the Bayeye, among whom 
 he now sojourned, to assist the party in visiting the people 
 who dwelt farther north, and from their own want of pi-oper 
 means for crossing the river, he was reluctantly compelled to 
 postpone his visit to Sebitoane. He learned, however, that 
 the Ngami is merely a reservoir for the surplus waters of a 
 much larger lake or marsh, containing numerous islands, 
 about 150 or 200 miles beyond, on one of which was the 
 residence of this chief. The river which falls into the ISTgami 
 at its north-Avest extremity, called the Teoge, has a very 
 strong current, and frequently brings doAvn large trees and 
 carcases of animals. Other rivers were reported as being 
 beyond Tiebitoane's district, and a large population was said 
 to live on the banks. 
 
 In the year 1850, accompanied by Mrs. Livingstone, his 
 family, and Sechele, the chief of the Bakwains, Dr. Living- 
 stone paid his second visit to the newly-discovered region ; 
 but his hope of reaching the country of Sebitoane was frus- 
 trated by the iniexpected prevalence of marsh-fever, and of 
 the venomous fly called " tsetse," already described. As, 
 however, the acquaintance obtained with the district on 
 which, the lake is situated, and with that through which the 
 Zouga flows, satisfied Dr. Livingstone that neither would 
 aftbrd a salubrious centre for a new mission, and as sickness 
 began to prevail among his party, he was reluctantly com- 
 pelled to I'eturn to his station.
 
 THE CHIEF SEBITOANE. 295 
 
 In the spring of 1S-"51 Dr. Livingstone, now rejoined by 
 Mr. Oswell, and accompanied by his own family^, Icfb Kolo- 
 beng again for the north. Early in June they entered a 
 tract of country excessively dry and difficult for travellers 
 until they reached a small stream called IMambali, emptying 
 itself into a dismal swamp, ten miles broad, through which 
 they had wearily to work their way. Having emerged from 
 this they crossed the Souta, and reached the banks of the 
 Chobe, a large and deep river falling into the Zambese, tipon 
 which Linyanti, the residence of Sebitoane, the chief of the 
 Makololo, is situated. 
 
 Sebitoane received the party with great kindness, and 
 related the adventures and disasters of his eventful history. 
 For nearly thirty years he had been engaged in warfare, 
 principally with the IMatabele, the people of Moselekatze. 
 Several times had he lost his all, and now he owed his 
 security to the noble rivers Chobe and Lecambye, whose 
 broad, deep streams prevented the incursions of his powerful 
 enemies. Amidst a region of swamp and river, dreadfully 
 fatal as it was, he was the ruler of a larger number of people, 
 composed of Basuto, Bakwains, Bamanguato, and the black 
 races, and was also richer in cattle than any other chief in 
 South Africa with whom Dr. Livingstone was acquainted. 
 He had long wished for intercourse with Europeans, and had 
 sent large presents to chiefs who were at a distance to aid 
 in accomplishing this pur[)0se. 
 
 The missiouaiy conducted two religious services amongst 
 these people the day after his arx'ival. But these were the 
 only ones attended by Sebitoane. The desire he had so long 
 felt seemed now likely to be realised, but he was seized 
 with mortal disease, and in a fortnight he was numbered 
 with the dead. SoiTow was therefore blended with pleasure 
 in the heart of the missionary ; pleasure at having seen this 
 chief, sorrow that he had so unexpectedly expired. He was 
 in the midst of the most savage people he had yet beheld ; 
 and yet, strange to say, they now gathered around him, en*
 
 2D 6 SOUTH AFKICA. 
 
 treated tLat lie Avoiild remain Avitli tliem, and asked that the 
 children of Sebitoane might be treated as he -svould have been 
 had he lived. 
 
 The country is a dead level for hundreds of miles, but 
 intersected by rivers in all directions, having tributaries ab- 
 solutely countless, and hence has received the name " Linot- 
 hanska " — rivers on rivers. It is therefore a contrast to the 
 region it "was long supposed to be. Dr. Livingstone remained 
 there for two months, but his hope of bringing his own 
 people here, that they might no longer be troubled and im- 
 peded in their progress by the Dutch boors, became entirely 
 extinct. The land was indeed of exti'aordinary fertility, but 
 the tsetse was dreadfully prevalent, and, had this not been 
 the case, there was a fatal objection in the periodical rise of 
 the rivers of the country. 
 
 It was now that he visited the magnificent stream whose 
 course to the Mozambique Channel he afterwards traced. 
 At the point first reached it is called the Sechcke, but, in 
 different parts of its course, it bears the name of Lecambye 
 and Zambesc ; these various designations meaning simply 
 " the river." " It is," says Dr. Livingstone, " from 300 to 
 500 yards broad, and at the end of a remarkably dry season 
 had a very large volume of water in it. The waves lifted 
 the canoes, and made them roll beautifully, and brought back 
 old scenes to my remembrance ; and thovigh the banks are from 
 sixteen to twenty feet in height, we saw evidence of its annual 
 overflow fifteen miles beyond. When the wind blows waves 
 of considerable size rise on its surface, and accidents frequently 
 occur in crossing. It was quite calm when I went over on 
 the next morning to hold a service in the town, but as the 
 time for taking an altitude of the sun aj^proached, the waves 
 were running so high that it was only by great persuasion I 
 could induce the people to paddle me back again." 
 
 Such was his first glance at the Zambese, wliich has since 
 proved to be the key of southern and central Africa. On
 
 THE zoucA. 297 
 
 the people, liowever, his interest was specially concentrated ; 
 he longed to labour among them as a missionary, and felt 
 that it was only by efforts of this character that they would 
 become truly prosperous. With these emotions he retraced 
 his course partly over the land he had traversed, and partly 
 on the Tamanalcle and the Zouga. 
 
 The vegetation all along the course of the Zouga is varied 
 and luxuriant, and in some places the scenery is qmte 
 charming; the banks of the river being often, to the very 
 water's edge, covered with majestic trees of beautiful and 
 dense foliage. The baobob is particularly conspicuous, at- 
 taining not unfrequently round its stem a girth from sixty 
 to seventy-five feet. 
 
 Di'. Livingstone says, in a letter to a friend : " The 
 higher we ascended the river the broader it became, until we 
 often saw more than one hundred yards of clear deep water 
 between the broad belt of reed which grows in the shallow 
 
 parts One remarkable feature in this river is its 
 
 pex'iodical I'ise and fall. It has risen nearly three feet since 
 our arrival, and tliis is the dry season. That the i-ise is not 
 caused by rains is evident from the water being so pure. Its 
 purity and softness increased as we ascended towards its 
 junction with the Tamanakle, from which, although con- 
 nected with the lake, it derives its present increased sujiply. 
 The people could give no reason, for the rise of the water, 
 further than that a chief who lives in a part of the country 
 to the north, called Mazzekiva, kills a man annually, and 
 throws his body into the stream, after Avhich tlie water begins 
 to flow." 
 
 Having subsequently accompanied his family to Cape 
 Town, and from thence sent them to England, Dr. Living- 
 stone entered on his fourth and greatest exploratory enter- 
 prise. Proceeding towards Kuruman, his course was impeded 
 by trying cii-cumstances ; but he proved, to his joy and gra- 
 titude, that they were overruled by Providence for good : for
 
 298 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 during tlic delay that tlius aro^e, the Trans- Yaal Boors, -wlio 
 had become, unhappily, luider the sanction of the British 
 Government, a free rej)ublic, cruelly attacked the Bakwains, 
 only because Sechele, their chief, Avould not obtain for theui 
 a monopoly in ivory, by forbidding English traders to pass 
 through his country on their way to the north. 
 
 As the boors attributed his refusal to gratify their desire 
 to the influence of Dr. Livingstone, they determined to take 
 on him a murderous revenge. Desolating the station at 
 Kolobeng, and killing sixty of the Bakwains, they hastened 
 to the mission-house, the commandant declaring that he 
 would have Li\'ingstone's head. Frustrated in his purpose 
 by the missionary's absence, the boors proceeded to steal or 
 destroy his property to an amount exceeding in value £300. 
 
 After staying some little time at Kuruman, Di-. Living- 
 stone proceeded N". IST. W. ; but, anxious to avoid the fly tsetse, 
 by a difi'erent route to that he had taken on former occasions. 
 It lay through a densely wooded country, where vines grew 
 luxuriantly, adorned by rich clusters of purple grapes. The 
 grass, however, was from eight to ten feet high, and ren- 
 dered it necessary for him to have his axe or his whip in 
 hand throughout the day — a toilsome joiu-ney, therefore, to 
 man and beast. 
 
 On approaching the Chobe, where he had previously found 
 a net-work of rivers, he met with other difficulties, as they 
 now flooded the country. His attendants, with the ex- 
 ception of one lad, were, to add to his anxieties, suddenly 
 attacked by disease ; and, compelled to leave the invalids and 
 the wagon behind, he, almost unaided, worked his way on- 
 wards. Crossing the smallest of the streams, not without 
 considerable efibrt, he and his youthful comjjanion reached 
 one half a mile broad, and abounding with hipj^oi^otami. 
 Employing a pontoon which he had brought with him from 
 Cape Town, they now traversed the flooded country in pur- 
 suit of the Chobe.
 
 THE CIIODE. 299 
 
 After doing so for about twenty miles, Dr. Livingwtono 
 climbed a liigli tree, and saw to his deliglit the object of his 
 search ; but a broad chevaux-de-frise, formed of various 
 aquatic phxnts, among which Avas tlie papyrus, interlaced 
 with a creeper resembling the convolvulus, almost forbade 
 an approach. Breaking them down so as to secure a foot- 
 hold above the water, often deep, he and his native attendant 
 urged their way towards the Cliobe, taking the pontoon with 
 them. But now appeared another barrier. He says : " A 
 horrid sort of grass, about six feet high, and having serrated 
 edges which cut the hands most cruelly, wore my strong 
 moleskin unmentionables quite through at the knees, and 
 my shoes, nearly new, at the toes." Amidst this, however, 
 he struggled for three days, wading along and wet up to the 
 middle, and at length reached the Chobe, down which they 
 paddled for twenty miles, when they landed at a village of 
 the Makololo. Their astonishment was indescribable ; " we 
 had fallen on them," they said, " as from a cloud, yet came 
 riding on a hijDpopotauius." 
 
 No sooner did the intelligence of their arrival reach 
 Linyanti, than a number of the people wei'e sent from that 
 town in canoes to bring Dr. Livingstone, his companions, and 
 the wagon thither ; there their welcome was most cordiaL 
 Sekeletu, the successor of Sebitoane, was filled with delight, 
 and the people v/ere disposed to exult in the anticipation of 
 no ordinary benefits at the hands of their visitor. 
 
 In the neighbourhood 6f the Zanibese Dr. Livingstone had 
 the ])leasure of observing an immense mass of waters, since 
 called the "Victoria Falls." At a distance of six miles he 
 came in sight of the columns of vapour rising like smoke, 
 and looking like it — for below they were white, and became 
 dark higher up. When about half a mile from the Falls, ho 
 left the heavy canoe by which he had come from Secheke, 
 and embarked in a lighter one, with men well acquainted 
 with the rapids, who, by passing down the centre of tlio
 
 300 SOUTH AFPJCA. 
 
 stream in tJic eddies and still |)laccs caused by tlie jutting 
 rocks, bronglit liim to an island situated in tlie middle of the 
 river, and on the edge of the lip over which the water rolls. 
 Although now within a few yards of this lip, he found it 
 imjoossible to perceive where the vast body of water went ; 
 it seemed to lose itself in the earth, the opposite lip of the 
 fissure into which it disappeared being only eighty feet dis- 
 tant. Creeping with awe to the verge, he saw the solution 
 of the problem. 
 
 " I passed down," he says, " into a large rent which had 
 been made from bank to bank of the broad Zambese, and 
 saw that a stream of a thousand yards broad leaped down a 
 hundred feet and then became suddenly compressed into a 
 space of fifteen or twenty yards. The entire falls are simply 
 a crack made in a hard basaltic rock from the right to the 
 left bank of the Zambese, and then prolonged from the left 
 bank away through thirty or forty miles of hills. 
 
 " If one imagines the Thames filled with low tree-covered 
 hills immediately beyond the tunnel, extending as far as 
 Gravesend, the bed of black basaltic rock instead of London 
 mud, and a fissure made therein from one end of the tunnel 
 to the other down through the keystones of the ai'ch, and 
 prolonged from the left end of the tunnel through thirty 
 miles of hills, the pathway being one hundred feet down 
 from the bed of the river instead of what it is, with the lijis 
 of the fissures from eighty to one hundred feet apart, then 
 fancy the Thames leaping bodily Into the gulf, and forced 
 there to change its direction and flow from the right to the 
 left bank, and then rush boiling and roaring through the 
 hills, — he may have some idea of what takes place at this 
 the most wonderful sight I had witnessed in Afi-ica. 
 
 " In looking down into the fissure on the right of the 
 island, one sees nothing but a dense white cloud, which at 
 the time when we visited the spot had two bright rainbows 
 on it. The sun was in the meridian, and the declination
 
 THE VICTORIA FALL3. 301 
 
 about equal to tlie latitude of tlio place. From this cloud 
 ruslicd up a great jet of vapour exactly like steam, and it 
 mounted two or tlirce hundred feet high ; then condensing, 
 it changed its hue to that of dark smoke, and came back in 
 a constant shower, which soon wetted lis to the skin. This 
 shower falls chiefly on the opposite side of the fissure ; and a 
 few yards back from the lip, there stands a straight edge of 
 evergreen trees, whose leaves are always wet. From their 
 roots a niimber of little rills run back into the gulf, but as 
 they flow down the steep wall there, the column of vapour, 
 in its ascent, licks them uj) clean off the roclc, and away they 
 mount again. They are constantly running down, but never 
 reach the bottom." 
 
 Dr. Livingstone's stay at Linyanti was not without its 
 important results. It appeared, for example, that Sebitoane 
 had intended a daughter to be his successor, but that she had 
 heartily and gracefully surrendered her title to Sekeletu, 
 who reluctantly accepted ifc, as there was a claimant of his 
 authority. As Sekeletu had forbidden the sale of children, 
 the pretender to the chieftainship brought into his dominions 
 a slave-trading party, who gave him a small cannon as a 
 reward. Confident now of Avresting the authority from the 
 grasp of Sekeletu, he came to the spot where the chief was 
 conferring with Dr. Livingstone, having arranged with his 
 followers that on a signal being given, they should hamstring 
 Sekeletu with a battle-axe. The presence of the missionary, 
 however, saved the life of the chief The plot was disclosed 
 the same evening by some of the conspirators; and their 
 leader was immediately executed. 
 
 Di\ Livingstone overthrcAv the plans of others who came 
 from the west to purchase slaves ; and some of them, hearing 
 that he had crossed the Chobe, fled with great precipitation 
 to their country. He also restrained the Makololo from 
 attacking a stockade in the valley of the Barotse, within 
 which some slave-traders had entrenched themselves, and the
 
 302 EOUTII AFRICA. 
 
 consequences of wliicli attack must liave proved fatal to 
 many. In various ways lie attracted the regard of the 
 people ; and their chief, Sekeletu, indeed, did all in his power 
 to retain his visitor. It was only after considerable delay 
 he was prepared to proceed farther to the north. 
 
 Meanwhile Dr. Livingstone's father-in-law, Mr. Moffat, 
 was anxious to send him some supplies, and his own journey 
 for this purpose was one of great interest. After a visit to 
 Sechele and his people, he left his village, in company with 
 Messrs. Chapman and Edwards, whose objects were hunting 
 and trading. They travelled in a northerly direction through 
 a country rather thickly wooded. -All this country, and far 
 to the south, was not long since swarming with elephants, 
 giraffes, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, elks, and many species of 
 antelopes, and it might have been thought, from the immense 
 extent of comparatively iminhabited country, that they would 
 have continued to abound for generations to come, but the 
 musket, the rifle, and the swift steed have made them scarce, 
 and the poor natives have to suffer from this cause. 
 
 Lopepe is always talked of as a den of lions. It is a 
 valley, at the upper end of which there is a deep hollow 
 covered with reeds, along the outsides of which are deep pits. 
 Lions were heard roaring at a distance. 
 
 After visiting Sekhomi, Mr. Moffat and his party jour- 
 neyed onwards for some days, and on one night halted for a 
 short time at a river, which they afterwards learned Avas the 
 Serule, literally "do not sit or remain." It appeared to 
 deserve the name, for not only was the water very brackish, 
 but the shores showed that they w^cre the abodes of lions and 
 rhinoceroses. Mr. Edwards obtained here a supply of game. 
 
 They subsequently entered amidst a number of high hills, 
 and saw under one a small village of poor people. Some of 
 the men on observing the wagons came, and, as the travellers 
 thought, kindly put them in the right direction, but which 
 afterwards proved too far east. They stated tha^ Sekhomi
 
 THE FOREST KING. 303 
 
 had sent word that no one should direct them to where Mose- 
 lekatze lived. "Poor fellows," says Mr. Moffat, "as they 
 appeared willing to serve iis, they got over the difficulty by 
 stating that if we went in that direction we should reach the 
 Shashe River, which was the same thing. Mr. Edwards very 
 kindly shot a giraffe and a quagga for these liungiy children 
 of the desert. They looked very thin, and miserably clad." 
 
 Abovit fifteen of the inhabitants of a neighbouring village 
 came with their children to see the wagons, all miserably 
 poor, but very willing to serve the travellers for a few beads. 
 They therefore left with their guides the following morning, 
 and before proceeding far, they passed one of the gigantic 
 moana trees, which may be called " the forest king," and, 
 when in foliage, much resembles an enormous cabbage on a 
 very thick stalk. The height from the ground to the first 
 bi'anches was about twenty feet, witli a circumference of 
 thirty-six. Some, it is said, are double this size. It is so 
 soft that a knife may be pushed into the trunk with little 
 difficulty. They halted in time to cut down thorn trees to 
 make a fold. This, though hard, being the work of every 
 day, the Sabbath excepted, they thought nothing of it, having 
 good axes. 
 
 They now ti*aversed the eastern verge of the great Kala- 
 hari. When the wagons stood, they had to walk almost to 
 the ankles in fine white sand, which extends in all directions. 
 This part of the country wears a dreary aspect ; not a living 
 creature was to be seen except a few cows ; and, towards 
 evening, flocks of doves and wild pigeons coming to drink. 
 At a distance an adjutant crane was observed — a place appa- 
 rently not in keeping with its rapacious habits. 
 
 On passing through the first range of the Bamanguato 
 hills the scenery became fine. They then passed over a level 
 plain covei-ed with bushes, a few trees, and thick gi-ass. To 
 this succeeded extensive fields of native grain. The town 
 extends for miles along the base of a range of mountains
 
 304 SOUTH AFracA. 
 
 appearing black and stci-ilc, and scantily covered with trees 
 and grass. 
 
 Here they met witli three traders, and also Schnneloe, 
 one of the native converts at Knruman, who had, previously 
 to his settling among the Baharutse at IMosega, as an assistant 
 missionaiy, come here on a visit. They soon had a swarm 
 of natives around them, as they had heard of the approach 
 of the party, and had seen the missionary's fellow-travellers 
 before. He was set down for the veritable JMoffat, of whom 
 they had long heard. They stared at him inquisitively; 
 some asking " Is it he 1" while others answered, " It is him- 
 self — salute him." Among other curious salutations, they 
 heard some in broken Dutch call out "Good evening — morn- 
 ing." On observing his helper fastening the dogs to the • 
 wagons as soon as the oxen were unyoked, he inquired the 
 cause, and found that theBamanguato were shameless thieves, 
 of dogs not excepted, from the chief to the beggar. 
 
 " I sent," says IMr. IMoffat, " to convey my respects to his 
 most uninviting majesty, Sekhomi, with a message that my 
 heart was grieved to find that all Livingstone's letters and 
 papers were still here, though Sekhomi had promised to for- 
 ward them half-vray to Livingstone, where was a person 
 waiting to convey them to Livingstone. From all that I 
 have heard of Sekhomi, he has not only a forbidding appear- 
 ance, but is the very personification of greediness, selfishness, 
 impudence, tyranny, and deceit. Of course I shall treat him 
 with all due respect." 
 
 On the follo"\\dng day, having arrived at Shoshong, 
 Sekhomi's town, Islv. ]\Ioff"at says : " This morning, at an 
 early hour, Sekhomi, who had been often heard to say that 
 he would not give up the letters and papers until LiWngstone 
 himself should come with a large reward, sent down the 
 parcels, the very sight of which grieved me. INIost of them 
 ought to have been sent a twelvemonth ago. 
 
 " Soon after, a number of men presented themselves before
 
 THE CHIEF SEKHO-Ur. 305 
 
 my wagon, and a rather insignificant-looking person saluted 
 me, to wliick I answered by remarking that I was going to 
 see the chief. He laughed, and added, '/ am Sekhomi!' I 
 remarked that he was beforehand with me, as it was my duty 
 to wait on him as my superior, according to custom. lie 
 admitted this with something like a smile, but appeared 
 quite at a loss to know what to say. He felt he had got into 
 a difficulty and lost my esteem (if ever I had any for him) by 
 not forwai'ding Livingstone's parcels, for which he knew well 
 he Avould be rewarded. He tried to get out a sentence or 
 two in palliation of his ungrateful conduct to Livingstone, who 
 I knew had been kind to him, but made such a bungling 
 excuse, that I recommended him to confess at once that he 
 had behaved badly, and I should then hope he would improve 
 some day. I tried to convince him how sorry I was, but he 
 only laughed, and tried to divert my thoughts from the sub- 
 ject, by telling me how glad he was to see me. The subject 
 of Christian instruction was introduced, and its importance 
 enlarged upon, but it proved most unwelcome." 
 
 He now proceeded to visit Moselekatze, one object of his 
 doing so being to convey various communications and sup- 
 plies for Dr. Livingstone, to some point in his proposed 
 journey eastward. That object was finally accomplished by 
 Moselekatze, who appointed twenty of his men, Avith an 
 officer, to carry on foot seventeen boxes and other packages 
 to the south bank of the Zambese. When the party arrived 
 there with their treasure, they hailed the Makololo on the 
 opposite shore, informed them of the purpose of their visit, 
 and invited them to take charge of what they had brought 
 for "the Doctor" — ^the name by which the traveller was best 
 known in Africa. Suspecting treachery, the Makololo at 
 first declined. In consequence, the Matabele left the 
 supplies on the banks of the river, and devolved on their 
 suspicious neighbours the responsibility of keeping them 
 aifely. After the Matabele had left, the JMakololo crossed 
 
 15
 
 SOG SOUTH AFrvlCA. 
 
 tlie Zambese, conveyed the packages to an island, protected 
 them from the weather, and, in that state. Dr. Livingstone 
 fonnd them, more tlian a year afterwards, in perfect safety. 
 
 It was a splendid morning, when thirty-three canoes, 
 manned by IGO rowers, were waiting his signal at Linyanti; 
 and he entered one in which were six athletic and experienced 
 men, who, though the Zambese rolled down in ample volume 
 against them, swept through it at a surprising rate. It is 
 often more than a mile broad, and adorned with numerous 
 islands of from three to five miles in length. These, and the 
 banks, too, are covered with forest, and most of the trees on 
 the brink of the water send down roots from their bi'anches 
 like tlie banian. The islands at a little distance seem 
 rounded masses of sylvan vegetation of various hues, reclin- 
 ing on the bosom of tlie glorious stream. The beauty of the 
 scene is greatly increased by the date palm, and lofty palmyra 
 towering above tlie rest, and casting their feathery foliage 
 against a cloudless sky. The banks are rocky and undulat- 
 ing, and many villages of the people are situated upon 
 them. They are expert hunters of hippopotami and other 
 animals, and cultivate grain extensively. North of this 
 point the liver, here called the Lecambye, passes through the 
 country of the Earotse. 
 
 Tlie previously unknown region through which Dr. Liv- 
 ingstone had proceeded, like a large portion of the country, 
 watered by the same noble river, abounds with game. Beyond 
 Barotse, the herds of large animals surpassed all that he had 
 ever seen. Among these were elands ; while eighty-one buf- 
 faloes defiled slowly before his fire one evening, and some- 
 times roared at him. Various kinds of antelopes were in 
 great abundance. Multitudes of birds were on the river, 
 and the sand-martins never leave it. And many new trees 
 were observed with interest. The temperature in the shade 
 was about 100 deg. Fahiv during the day, and often 90 deg. 
 at nine at night. At ISTaride he parted company with tha
 
 rjVEns SWUM oveii. 307 
 
 Uakololo, and proceeded with some Barotse to tlie confluence 
 of the Leeba Avith the Lecambyc. 
 
 Pursuing his course with his party first up the Lecambye, 
 and tlien up the Leeba, he was at length compelled to (!xchange 
 his pleasant canoe for the back of an ox. On arriving at the 
 latitude of Loando, they joursued a westerly course. Never 
 did he endure such drenchings ; and all the streams being 
 swollen, many had to be forded, the water flowing on the 
 rustic bridges waist deep. Others were crossed by stichln'T 
 to the oxen, and some were SAvum over. " The Barotse," ho 
 says, " did not know I could swim ; and the first broad stream 
 we came to excited their fears on my account. ' Now, hold 
 on fast by the tail. Don't let go.' I intended to follow the 
 injunction, but tail and all went so deep I thought it better 
 to strike out alone for the bank, and just as I reached it I 
 was greatly gratified to see a imiversal rush had been made 
 for my rescue. Their clothes were all floating down the 
 stream, and two of them reached me breathless with the 
 exertion they had made. If we could march, I got on very 
 well : I don't care nwch for fatigue ; but when compelled to 
 stand still by pouring rain, then fever laid hold with his strong 
 fangs on the inner man, and lying in a little gipsy tent with 
 everything damp or wet, was sore against the grain." 
 
 Dr. Livingstone describes the Casai as a most beautiful 
 river, greatly resembling the Clyde. A finely wooded A^alley 
 has a slope towar-ds the stream of about five hundred yards. 
 The river itself, about a hundred yards broad, winds slowly 
 from side to side in a glen of great beauty, and then goes to 
 the north and north-east. The traveller was told that he 
 might sail along it for months, and return without reaching 
 its termination. 
 
 As he Avished now to cross it, and jirncceded to do so, 
 serious difliculties ai-ose to liLs progress. A boy, belonging to 
 his party picked up a knife, little thinking tliat.it was dropped 
 as a snare by one of the tribe holding the eastern bank of tlio
 
 SOS SOUTH AFrJCA. 
 
 river, l^o sooner IiacI one half of the traveller's attendants 
 crossed the stream, than a charge of theft was made. As 
 Dr. Livingstone was satisfied with their integrity, he desired 
 the complainant to search the Inggage for the missing article ; 
 wherenpon the lad came forward, and told how he had picked 
 up the knife. Compensation was now demanded by its owner, 
 and it was granted, by the boy giving up a shell which he had 
 worn round his neck. 
 
 On another occasion, the missionary, with his attendants, 
 were spending their Sabbath in joeace, when they were sur- 
 roimded by a whole tribe armed with guns, arrows, spears, 
 and short swords, shouting vociferously, and at the same time 
 brandishing their vv-capons. Dr. Livingstone now asked the 
 chief to sit down as he did, and requiring silence, inquired 
 what was the matter. The reply was one which the reader 
 could not have imagined. 
 
 A crime, it was stated, had been committed in one of the 
 Barotse allowing a small drop of his saliva, when spitting, to 
 fall on one of the Chiboque ! Dr. Livingstone replied, that if 
 the chief could seriously declare that this accident was a crime, 
 he was willing to pay a fine ; which was, imhappily, only 
 adding to the long string of exactions which had previously 
 been made. The chief accepted a fine, but it was refused by 
 his warriors, who demanded one thing after another until 
 they required one of the attendants to be sold as a slave. 
 It was now clear that their only object Avas plunder, and Dr. 
 Livingstone and his twenty-seven companions prepared for 
 the worst. Though as a company they were not actually 
 ready for a mortal struggle, a repulse of their antagonists 
 would have been dreadful. They resolved, therefore, to wait 
 for their foes shedding the first drop of blood, and looked 
 calmly on them, shouting as before. This coiirageous bearing 
 produced the desired eflect ; the Chiboque accepted an ox as 
 a fine, and even returned a few pounds of flesh. 
 
 So frequently, however, were oxen demanded by tho
 
 THE VALLF.Y OF THE QUANGO. 309 
 
 tribes through Avliom tlie party liad successively to pas^, thab 
 tliey wcx-e ut leiigtli nearly all gone. The traveller's v/its 
 came to his relief iu this extremity. Having noticed the 
 rejection of an ox ■which had lost part of his tail, he conjec- 
 tured that the natives supposed this part had been removed 
 that witchcraft medicine might be inserted, and he cut short 
 the tails of the remaining oxen. His expedient succeeded; 
 henceforth, ha^ipily for the state of the supply, the demand 
 ceased. 
 
 After a wearisome passage, amidst heavy rains and 
 through a coimtry covered with thick forests, Dr. Living- 
 stone beheld the spectacle which he has thus described : — 
 " Below us lay the valley of the Quango. If you sit on the 
 spot where ]\Iary Queen of Scots viewed the battle of Lang- 
 side, and look down on the vale of the Clyde, you may see 
 in miniature the glorious sight which a much greater and 
 richer valley presented to our view. It is about a hundred 
 miles broad, clothed with dark forest, except where the light 
 green grass covers meadow-lands in the Quango, which here 
 and there glances out in the sun as it winds its way to the 
 north. The opposite side of this great valley appears like a 
 range of lofty mountains, and the descent into it of about a 
 mUe, which, measured perpendicularly, may be from a thou- 
 sand to twelve huiidred feet. Emerging from the gloomy 
 forests of Londa, this magniticcnt prospect made us all feel 
 as if a weight had been lifted oiT our eyelids. 
 
 " A cloud was passing across the middle of the valley, 
 from which rolling thunder pealed, while above all was 
 glorious sunlight; and when avc went down to the jiart where 
 we saw it passing, we found that a very heavy thunder-shower 
 had fallen under the path of the cloud ; and the bottom of 
 the valley, which from above seemed quite smooth, we dis- 
 covered to be intersected and farrowed by great numbers of 
 deep-cut streams. Looking back from behind, the descent 
 appears as the edge of a tableland, with numerous indented
 
 310 SOUTH AFMCA. 
 
 dclls find spurs jutting out nil along, giving it a serrated 
 appearance. Eotli the toj) and sides of the sierra are covered 
 with trees, but large patches of the moi-e pei-pendicular parts 
 are bare, and exhibit the red soil, which is general over the 
 region we have now entered." 
 
 After the Quango, oi-, as it is sometimes called, the Congo, 
 was crossed, Dr. Livingstone found himself on Portuguese 
 ground, where he and his party Vv-ere most kindly received by 
 the half-castes occupying the first settlement on the borders 
 of the river. It bears the name of Cassauge, and has in it 
 thirty or forty traders' houses, built of wattle and daub, and 
 scattered irregularly about. The traders are all officers in 
 the Portuguese militia, and are forbidden by the government 
 to cross the Quango, as constant skii-mishes with the natives 
 would otherwise take place. 
 
 Great as are the resources of the country, they are almost 
 entirely wasted by the Portuguese. Though corn might be 
 grown and cattle fed to an incalculable extent in the splendid 
 valley of the Quango, it yields under their management 
 scarcely anything to the support of man. Moral and jihysical 
 stagnation and decay px-ess as an incubus on the whole settle- 
 ment. Still they are remarkably kind and hospitable ; and 
 the government is anxious to suppress slavery, and to foster 
 enterprise and trade. Half-castes are no\vhcre so well treated. 
 Dr. Livingstone remai-ks : " It was particularly gratifying to 
 me to view the liberality with which people cf colour were 
 treated by the Portuguese. Instances, so common in the 
 soutli, in which half-caste children are abandoned, are rare 
 here." 
 
 Most opportune were the attentions received by the tra- 
 veller until he reached Loando. Already had he suffered 
 from repeated attacks of fever, and from dysentery, so that 
 he could not sit upon his ox for more than ten minutes at a 
 time ; and when he entered the city, for which he had long 
 been looking, he was little more than a skeleton. But now
 
 THE PnOVINX'E OP AXGOLA. 311 
 
 among many considerate and generous friends — tlie most so 
 was lier Majesty's Commissioner at Loando, and the only 
 Englishman in the place, Edmund Gabriel, Esq. "I shall 
 never forget the delicious pleasure," Dr. Livingstone says, 
 " of lying down on his bed, after sleeping six months on the 
 ground ; nor the unwearied attention and kindness through 
 a long sickness, which Mr. Gabriel invariably showed. May 
 God reward him." 
 
 His inquiries and personal observations made during his 
 stay at Laondo, led him to form a high estimate of the 
 beauty and fertility of the province of Angola ; and he felt 
 assured that, with proper culture, few regions of the African 
 continent would prove more productive. He found, for in- 
 stance, that from some seeds many years ago introduced by 
 the Jesuit missionaries, the Mocha cofFee had so 2:)ropagated 
 itself as to spi'ead to the distance of three hundred miles 
 froia the coast, where he met with it growing in a wild 
 state. Here its culture is so simple, and its productiveness so 
 great, that a settler, by merely clearing the ground, might, 
 with ordinary application and skill, soon raise large crops, 
 and amass a foi'tunc. 
 
 Ilefreshed by rest, and by the great kindness with which 
 he had been received. Dr. Livingstone set out, under the 
 protection of the Portuguese government. He started in- 
 tent on fresh discoveries. Emerging from the province of 
 Angola into the country occupied by the Chiboque, the Bush- 
 ingo, and the Bangala tiibes, his progress was retarded by 
 their cupidity and violence. After a time, however, he dis- 
 covered a great change in the character of the natives, and 
 travelled among friendly tribes. But he found them all 
 deeply imbued with the spirit of trade, and felt great diffi- 
 culty in getting past many villages, every artifice being 
 employed to detain him and his comjianions, so that they 
 might purchase their suppKes from the natives. 
 
 Dr. Livingstone now reached the countiy of the Barotse,
 
 312 SOUTH AFracA. 
 
 at a place 800 miles from Loando, where lie suhstitiited the 
 light canoe and the rapid river for the tedious and trouble- 
 some mode he had been compelled to adopt. Having con- 
 structed such vessels as v/ere sufficient for his purpose, lie 
 thus wrote to his friends : " You will be pleased to hear that 
 my men are all in high spirits, and quite prepared for another 
 trip ; although, as we have had to sell almost everything for 
 food, they have but little to show after their long absence 
 from home." 
 
 The current of the river being in their favour, they pro- 
 ceeded rapidly down the Lecambye, and on reaching Lin- 
 yanti, were heai-tily welcomed by the chief and his people.' 
 Here Dr. Livingstone thoroughly prepared for his travels to 
 the east coast. Daring the fii'st part of the journey, which 
 was among the Makololo, he and his companions had notliing 
 to fear. Of these there are several races. The tribe among 
 which he had resided was only a remnant of those who had 
 migrated some years before, from the Kalahari desert to 
 their present locality. Composed originally of tribes of 
 Bechuanas, they have introduced the Sichuana language 
 among the mixed race. By the persevering labours of Mr. 
 ]\Ioffat, the sacred Scriptures have been translated and pi-inted 
 in this language. During his descent of the Zambsse, Dr. 
 Livingstone chiefly came in contact Vvith a tribe of the natives 
 called the Balonda, a numerous, athletic, and skilful race, 
 living principally by agriculture, and under the sway of the 
 Makololo. 
 
 Among these people, the relative position of man and 
 woman is reversed; and although polygamy is practised, the 
 husband is the worst off. The women sit in the councils of 
 the nation. A young man on marrjdng is compelled to 
 move from his o^vm village to that of his wife ; he binds him- 
 self to provide her mother with fire-wood, as long as she 
 lives; the wife alone can divoi'ce the husband; and, in the 
 event of their separation, the children become the jiroperty
 
 THE HUSBAND LEFT IIUNGKY. 313 
 
 cf the mother. The husbaKcl cannot enter into even the 
 simplest contract without the sanction of his wife. 
 
 In return, however, for his deference, his Avivcs are ex- 
 pected to su])piy liim with food. The Avomen never want a 
 husband, and an old maid — sometimes, by the way, a very 
 valuable person — is not to be seen from the Cape to the 
 equator. Dr. Livingstone found no instance of rebellion on 
 the part of a husband, but he discovered that a conspiracy 
 among the wives was not uncommon. "When the husband 
 happens to offend them, they inflict that cruel punishment 
 of — withholding his dinner; the first sending him to the 
 second, and so on tln-ough the series, only to increase his 
 hunger. All he can do — poor mortal — is to climb a tree, 
 and to pour forth such lamentations as these : " Listen, oh 
 listen! I thought I had married women, but they are only 
 witches ! I am a bachelor ! I have no wife ! Is tliat right 
 for a gentleman like meV 
 
 It may be a few cuffs and blows are added to hunger ; but 
 now the autlioritics of the village interfere, and the tyran- 
 nical wife is punished by being compelled to carry her spouse 
 on her back froni the place of judgment to his own house. 
 Taunted as she goes by the jeers and gibes of the men, she is 
 cheered by the sympathy and words of the women, such as 
 " serves him right — give it him again." " The first time," 
 says Dr. Livingstone, " I ever had such a sight, was in the 
 case of a great masculine creature, and a witliered scraggy 
 old man; aiuA as I was graceless enough to laugh, she could 
 not help joining in it, to the great scandal of young Africa." 
 
 Gross ignorance and idolatry are frightfully prevalent 
 among the people. As he passed along the highways, he 
 saw footpaths leading to consecrated spots in the dark re- 
 cesses of their forests, dedicated to the worship of departed 
 spirits. He saw also idols among them, such as a block of 
 wood with a I'ough human head carved u2:)on It, or a lion 
 made of clay, with two shells for eyes. They are otherwise 
 15*
 
 314 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 very superstitious ; they would neither eat Vvitli the tra- 
 veller, nor in his sight ; they took meat from him, but they 
 ate it at home. 
 
 Their treatment of himself and his companions was, 
 however, uniformly kind. On approaching a village, a mes- 
 senger generally met them with a polite invitation to enter, 
 and to choose a tree under which they woidd like to rest. 
 They then brought and arranged beneath the shadow of the 
 tree as many of the roofs of their own dwellings as were 
 sufficient for shelter from the mid-day sun and the nightly 
 dews. They added to these favours a supply of food ; but, 
 as to this, the travellers Avere soon independent, from the 
 abundance of the large game v/ith which the cou.ntry swarmed. 
 The most dainty meat of the Makololo— his roast beef — is 
 the flesh of the zebra ; the girafle supplies him with his 
 veal, the hippopotamus Avith his pork, and the various ante- 
 lopes Avith venison. These delicacies were commonly enjoyed 
 by the travellers ; while geese, ducks, and smaller birds 
 crowded along their path ; and fish were scarcely less jilen- 
 tiful. 
 
 On leaving Linyanti, Dr. Livingstone kept, for a consider- 
 able time, Avithin sight of the Zambese, and carefully tracked 
 its course. So constantly did he use the sextant and artificial 
 horizon, that it Avas rumoured that "aAvhiteman Avas coming, 
 Avho brought doAvn the sun and moon, and carried them 
 tinder his arm." And the Astronomer Royal of Cape ToAvn 
 declared that, " beyond the Cai^e district of the colony, there 
 is no river laid doAvn so accurately as the Zambese, in the 
 centre of Africa, by his obserA'ations." 
 
 Kalai Avas noAv visited, an island on the Zambese, and 
 renoAvned as the mausoleum of a once poAverful chief, named 
 Sekote. No fcAver than scA^enty large elejihants' tusks were 
 observed around his graA"e, and thirty more OA'cr the graves 
 of his relations. The people of this chief were among the 
 most degraded barbarians of vSouth Africa. Between fifty
 
 KALAI. TETE. 315 
 
 and sixty human skulls, mounted on poles, were counted in 
 a single village; and so eagerly were they coveted, that 
 strangers were often murdered solely to add to their number. 
 
 Leaving the Zambese at Kalai, Dr. Livingstone, taking a 
 north-cast direction for about 140 miles, rejoined it at it.s 
 confluence with the Kafire. At this point he came on a fine 
 range of rivers, stretching far away to the north. The 
 elevation he now attained was 4,000 feet above the level of 
 the sea. Connecting this discovery with his previous observa- 
 tions of another ridge on the continent of about the same 
 height, he came to the conclusion that the centre of Africa is 
 an extended hollow, flanked by those two ridges, and that 
 into the basin thus formed, numberless streams flowed from 
 the watex'-sheds, which empty themselves into the Zambese, 
 the great trunk river of South Africa. The most important 
 fact, however, is, that this is the commencement of a healthy 
 district, stretching eastward to Tete. Here, then, the great 
 object was gained, for which through nearly six years' of toil 
 and suflieriug, he had been in quest. 
 
 This ridge, unlike the low grounds, has neither forest nor 
 marsh. Tlie country is open and undulated, carpeted with 
 short grass, somewhat resembling an extended lawn or park. 
 It is peculiarly adapted both for pastoral and agi-icultural 
 pursuits, for it grows wheat of superior quality and abundant 
 yield, with other cereals, and a great variety of excellent 
 roots. 
 
 "With fresh spirit our traveller now pursued his way to 
 the point at wliich the Loangua pours its ample volume into 
 the Zambese, and to the deserted Portuguese town, called 
 Zumbo, or Jumbo. After leaving this, his way lay among 
 savage tribes, sti'ange to him as he was to them. Still farther, 
 they were then at war with the Portugiieso, a small colony 
 of whom they had for two years besieged in Tete. The 
 traveller, moreover, had no canoes, and even if he had pos- 
 sessed them, tlie rapids would have forl)ade their use for any
 
 31 G SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 great distance in this part of the Zamhece. Lions -svcro all 
 Lut deified by the natives, who, though they slept for safety 
 in trees, ch^pped their hands when any of these animals were 
 in sight, in token of their veneration. And, to complete 
 the snm of Dr. Livingstone's discomfort, he was without 
 an ox. 
 
 "It was not likely," he writes, "that we should know our 
 course vrell, for the country there is covered with shingle and 
 gravel, bushes, trees, and groves, and we were often without 
 path, skulking out of the way of villages where we were 
 expected to pay after the purse was empty. It was exces- 
 sively hot and steamy ; the eyes had always to be fixed on 
 the ground to avoid being tripped. After that I say, let 
 those who delight in pcdestrianism, enjoy themselves. It is 
 good for obesity ; but for me, who had become as lean as a 
 lath, tlie only good I saw in it was to enable an honest sort 
 of fellow to realise completely the idea of a treadmill." 
 
 When the traveller first came into contact ^Yith. the 
 people, they took him for a- Portuguese, and would have 
 attacked the party had they not been undeceived. But when 
 they learned he was an Englishman, they regarded him as one 
 of " the nation that loves a black man." On arriving within 
 eight miles of Tete, where he knew he would be heartily wel- 
 comed, he was so exhausted that he could proceed no further. 
 The Pox-tuguese governor of that place hearing of his condi- 
 tion, sent him what he calls "the matei-ials of a ci\alised 
 breakfast," and -with this he was so greatly refreshed that ho 
 was enabled to continue his journey. The governor received 
 him with the greatest cordiality, and for a time he took up 
 his abode at Tete. 
 
 As he surAxyed the region around, he found that Tete 
 stood in the centre of an extensive coal-field, two seams of 
 which he discovered on the banks of a rivei", besides two 
 others at a place called Chicova. A large gold-pi-oducing 
 district, Avliich partly surrounded the coal-field, was now com-
 
 SIR RODERICK BIURCHISON, 317 
 
 paratively nnproductive, because it was inefficiently -worked. 
 Iron, eqvial to the finest produced in Sweden, is abundant 
 here. So tough and fibi'ous is it, that Dr. Livingstone says 
 lie has repeatedly seen the spear-heads of the natives, when 
 hurled against the skulls of the hippopotami, coiled round 
 like the proboscis of a butterfly, and then beat out again with 
 stones, into their previous state. There are also numerous 
 fibrous plants, and a species of cotton wliich grows wild in 
 great abundance. Sugar and indigo are indigenous to the 
 country. Bee's- wax, too, may be obtained in large quantities. 
 
 Sir Roderick Murchison, in his address to the Royal 
 Geographical Society in 1852, observed: "The old rocks 
 which form the outer fringe of South Africa unquestionably 
 circled round an interior marshy or lacustrine country. The 
 present aspect and meridian zone of waters, whether lakes or 
 marshes, extending from Lake Ngami to Lake Tchad, 
 ai'e therefore but the gi'cat modern residual geographical 
 phenomena of those of a mesozoic age." This was a very 
 remarkable anticipation of the results of actual investigation 
 made by Dr. Livingstone, who was the first to discover the 
 true configuration of the southern portion of the African 
 continent. 
 
 After a visit to this country, in which his fame and popu- 
 larity have spread far beyond the limits of any particular 
 circle, he has gone forth again with all the encouragements 
 and aids that science can bestow upon him, with an unparal- 
 leled amovtut of public sympathy, and with even the recognition 
 and authority of government to give dignity to his further 
 labours in behalf of South A frioa.
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Bantu's teavels anb discoveries. 
 
 Eichardson, Barth, and Overweg — Objects of the North and Central African 
 Expedition — Tripoli — Ghat — Taradshit — Deaths of Eichardson and 
 Overweg — Tin-Tellust — Kand— Bornu — Zinder — The Mart of Say — 
 Timbuktu — Great Perils. 
 
 While the circumstances just narrated were ti'anspiring, 
 another expedition Avas engaged in northern Africa. It 
 originated with Mr. Richardson, who, after having retui'ned 
 from his travels in the northern portion of the Sahara, in 
 1845 and 1846, induced the English Government to send 
 him out for the pui'pose of concluding commercial treaties 
 Avith the chiefs of the desert regions between Tripoli and 
 Lake Tchad, or Tsad. On the j^roposal of Mr. A. Petermann, 
 and through the lively interest taken in it by various dis- 
 tinguished persons, it was arranged that Dr. Barth and Dr. 
 Overweg, two Germans, should accompany Mr. Richardson 
 for the purpose of making scientific observationo. Lord 
 Palmerston sanctioned this proposal, and most liberally 
 aflibrded the two travellers pecuniary assistance, in addition 
 to their own private means and to the grants from the 
 Geographical Society in Berlin and the King of Pn;ssia. 
 
 To Dr. Barth we are indebted for a record of what was 
 accomplished by this most interesting and promising expe- 
 dition. "His qualifications," says the Athena;um, "place 
 him in the first rank of scientific explorers. He is a man of 
 large and exact information, trained in all the intricacies of 
 African or Arabian race, or language, and religion, — prepared 
 by a tlu-ee years' i^revious travel under the shadow of palm 
 trees or in the societies of camels, by colloquies with Arabs
 
 DR. BAKTII. 319 
 
 and Tunisian slaves, to tinclcrtake long solitary wanderings, — 
 is singularly free from prejudice, a circumstance which 
 enabled him to carry a Koran along with him, and by a 
 quick understanding of Moslem laws and doctrines, at times 
 to silence native disputants, and in the main to disai-m native 
 antipathy for a Christian, — and, moreovei', a man of such 
 patience as to foil the intrigues of his treacherous Ai'ab 
 servants, bearing for the sake of mankind with the thousand 
 ills which African travellers are ever heir to, — and of a 
 kindliness of heart that made him treat his camel as himself, 
 and by recollections of dates and orange-peel made the 
 animal, when his servant had forgotten to tether it, like a 
 Christian beast return to the tent. Something, too, of a 
 more painful interest the reader cannot divest himself from 
 as he watches the pair of Africanised travellers measuring 
 the sloAv miles with a lengthening chain at each remove from 
 civilisation, — floating on yoked calabashes over the rivers, — 
 occasionally buttering their legs on account of inflammation 
 caused by the damp, — then exposed to flies and heat and 
 very uncertain odours, — kept in irksome duress in the 
 fanatical towns, — languishing in close huts under fever or 
 the fear of instant death, — sufiering from a barbarous rate of 
 exchange, or the perpetual exorbitance of African duns, — 
 then separating at last under an arrangement which death 
 prevented the one from keeping, and left the survivor only 
 the duty of visiting the lonely burial-place under a fig-tree, 
 and taking care that a sufficient fence of thorns protected 
 the European's grave." 
 
 The travels extend over a tract of country of twenty 
 degrees from north to south, and embrace a period of six 
 years, in the first part of which is surveyed the country 
 southward from Ti-ipoli, through the dreary Hammada, the 
 Berber land of Fezzan ; through the salt district of Asbeu to 
 Agades, a corn-trading town of 7,000 inhabitants ; and thence 
 to Kano, the Manchester of Ccnti'al Africa,
 
 320 NORTH AND CENTKAL AFRICA, 
 
 One object of the expedition being to open communica- 
 tions -with the African chiefs, Dr. Earth relates the result of 
 the negotiation with the leader of the Tawarek, a powerful 
 tribe, which levies tolls on the caravans passing by the south- 
 eastern and western i-outes. The failure of the envoys he 
 traces to the deficiency of means, as well as to a want of tact 
 in producing a letter, written by the government, in which an 
 express stipulation is made for the abolition of the slave 
 trade, at the time when the chiefs were ready to sign the 
 treaty. It is evident from the latter part of the work that a 
 combination of firmness and confidence is requii-ed to cope 
 with native cunning ; though it may be doubtful wliether 
 much of the annoyance that Dr. Earth and his companions 
 expei'ienced did not arise solely from the supposition of their 
 v^ealth ; and an increase of means, unless accompanied by a 
 propoi-tionate company, would probably enhance a thousand- 
 fold the difficulties of an African expedition. 
 
 Previously to starting from Tripoli, the mountainous re- 
 gion to the south was thoroughly explored and sur\-eyed by 
 the two Germans. An unexpected degree of cold was ex- 
 perienced in these excursions ; as one day before sunrise the 
 thermometer stood so low as 26 deg. Fahr. ; and on the 
 2nd and 3rd of February, 18 JO, the snow obliged the tra- 
 vellers to remain in their tents. After their return to Tri- 
 poli several weeks were required for their preparations ; and 
 the transport of the boat for navigating Lake Tchad caused 
 considerable difficulty. For this purpose a beautifsl wherry 
 had been constructed, by the direction of the admiral, at 
 Malta, broad in the beam, and as light as a cork on the water ; 
 but it was necessary to take it to pieces ; and several camels 
 were requisite to carry it across the burning sands of the 
 Sahara. 
 
 The travellers started on the 23rd of March, the great 
 caravan having departed before them ; but the party formed 
 a small caravan of itself, having about forty camels laden
 
 KOUTE TO MUnZUK. 321 
 
 with tlicir effects and mercliandise. Every possible assistance 
 Avas rendered by lier Majesty's consuls at Tripoli and Murzuk 
 to the undertaking, so that the expedition started under the 
 most favoui-able circumstances. 
 
 The direction of the route to ]\Iurzub was almost due 
 south Irom Tripoli, beyond the Gharian defile, the country 
 consisting of a continuous tableland of an average elevation 
 of 2,000 feet. As far as the well of Taboniyah many deep 
 wadis intersect this tableland, and the ruins of several Roman 
 monuments and columns were discovered by the travellers. 
 Southward of that place is a tableland, or hamadah, an im- 
 mense desert of considerably greater elevation, and extending 
 for about 110 geographical miles in the same direction. As 
 far as the eye can reach, neither trees nor indications of wells 
 are visible, and the scanty vegetation which occurs is only 
 found scattered in the trifling irregularities of the surface. 
 The groimd is covered with small stones, pyramids of art 
 erected witli great labour serve as road-marks to the intrepid 
 camel-drivers by day, while the polar-star and Antarcs are 
 their guides by night. Wadi Shiati is anofclier plateau of 
 equally dismal asj)ect. It is composed of a black sandstone, 
 the disintegration of -which forms a dark yellow sand, cover- 
 ing the inequalities of the stony surfiice, from which stand.s 
 out prominently the black rock in high cones of the most 
 fantastic forms, strikingly resembling basaltic rocks. Murzuk 
 is very unhealthy and dangerous for Europeans ; but happily 
 none of the paity suffered during their stay. 
 
 An interesting result of their journey toAvards Ghat was 
 the discovery of several curious sculptures on the rocks of 
 the AVadi Felisjareh. One of them consists of two human 
 figures with the lieads of birds, and a bull, armed with sjDcars, 
 ehields, and airoivs, and fighting for a child ; the other is a 
 fine herd of oxen going to a watering-2)lace, most skilfully- 
 grouped and executed. In the opinion of the travellers iho 
 two rocks bear a striking and unmistakable resemblance to
 
 322 AND CENTKAL AFllICA. 
 
 tliC sculptures of Egypt. Tlicy are evidently of much liiglier 
 antiquity than many other sculptured tablets found by the 
 travellers, on wliich camels were generally the principal 
 objects. 
 
 From Ghat the gcnei'al surface of the country continues 
 to rise, and at Selufiel the travellers saw around them the 
 highest mountain-masses met with during the journey. After 
 the middle of August they experienced the influence of 
 the Soodan rains; the atmosphere then beginning to be 
 humid, and the evenings or mornings being accompanied 
 by fogs. Frequent thunder-storms and heavy rains also 
 occurred. Under the influence of these rains the appearance 
 of the road is become completely changed, luxuriant planta- 
 tions of palms being everywhere met with to the south ot 
 Taradshit. According to the natives the rainy season lasts 
 till the end of September. 
 
 At Tai'adshit, near the frontiers of Soodan, the travellers, 
 having accomplished the exceedingly dlfiicult and dangei'ous 
 journey across the Great Desert, believed themselves in pei*- 
 fect safety from the attacks of considerable numbei"s of 
 furious Tuaricks, who had for some time folloAved their 
 caravan, with the intent to murder and plunder them ; but 
 on the 2-5th of August they were attacked, the first time by 
 forty, and the second time by a hundred armed men, mounted 
 on camels. By their'own courage, however, and the bravery 
 of the Kelowis, their companions, their lives were saved at 
 the expense of a high ransom, and they reached Tin-Tellupt, 
 the residence of the Prince Annoor, to whom they were 
 strongly recommended, and by whom they were kindly 
 received. 
 
 The inhabitants of Tin-Tellust and the coimtry around 
 lived entirely on the productions of Soodan, in exchange fur 
 'A^hich they supply Soodan with salt. Every year the Prince 
 Annoor takes to the south from 2,000 to 3,000 camels laden 
 with salt, and returns with slaves and pro\dsion3. At
 
 Dll. OVEHVVEG. 323 
 
 Damcrgu tlie travellers separated, INIr. Ricliarclson going by 
 the most direct route to Kuka, but he died before he reached 
 this city, the capital of Bornu. Dr. Overweg proceeded to 
 Lake Tchad, "where he put together and launched the boat 
 with which he was provided ; he then explored the lake, 
 visiting the Biddumas, who inhabit the islands, of which 
 there are about a hundred large ones scattered over the lake. 
 He was the first European who had visited this independent 
 nation. 
 
 Dr. Barth, who had proceeded Southward to Karro, sub- 
 sequently reached Kuka, and presented himself at the Sheik's 
 palace as one of the surviving Christians vv ho had come from 
 England to bring presents from her British Majesty. Di". 
 OverAveg also ai'rived. The two travellers were kindly 
 received by the Sultan, and were assisted by him in all their 
 objects and wishes. Again the travellers sepai'atcd, and 
 engaged in other tours. 
 
 As they pursued their course, the effects of the slave-trade 
 became increasingly evident. While the proofs had already 
 been abundant of the manufacturing industry of the natives 
 of Kan'o, in weaving and dyeing cotton, in smelting iron, in 
 making salt, in irrigation and agriculture, the human and 
 material desolation caused by the slave-hunts was deeply 
 affecting. It appears that an African chief usually clears off 
 his debts by making a foray upon a hostile or sometimes a 
 friendly tribe. Whole districts, which on his first visit Dr. 
 Barth found flourishing and populous, pasture-fields of herds 
 of cattle and entrepots of trade and industry, when he passed, 
 by only two years later, were mournful wastes, without the 
 least vestige of human or animal life, tall reed grass covering 
 the fields which had been formerly cultivated. The chief 
 argument which the Vizier of Bornu alleged in favour of the 
 slave-trade was, that it eiiabled the people to furnish them- 
 selves with muskets ; and on its being represented that 
 Bornu contained other products that might be exchanged for
 
 324 A'OKTir AND CENTllAIi AFMCA. 
 
 fire-anns, llie Governor declared, "in the most distinct 
 manner, that if the British Government were able to furnish 
 them with a thousand muskets and four cannons, they would 
 be willing to subscribe any obligatory article for abolishing 
 the slave-trade in their country." This proposal Dr. Bai-th 
 sagaciously parried by hinting that a road ought to be made 
 first from Bornu to the Benuwe, so as to open a through 
 communication. 
 
 The death of Dr. Overweg left Dr. Barth to pursue his 
 researches alone. In Novembei', 1852, with a train of seven 
 servants and a broker, he set out from Kukawa on his expe- 
 dition to Timbuktu, from which place at first he represented 
 to the Government that his princijoal object was to reach the 
 Niger at the town of Say. The cold at that time of the year 
 was great, and Dr. Barth had not recovered from sore legs, 
 the effects of the damp in crossing the rivers. 
 
 Well-tilled fields, then flocks of gu.inea-fowl, enlivened 
 the landscape, until the site of the ancient capital of Bornu 
 was reached. It is six miles in cii'cumference. The aisles 
 of the mosque, the area of the palace built of baked bricks, 
 and the six or seven gates, are still traceable ; but the only 
 living things in the ruins were a pair of ostriches, that 
 hui-ried through the rank grass. After encountering tliieves, 
 who stole a blanket from under one of his servants — after 
 exchanging the region of the monkey bread tree for that of 
 tlie date trees — he arrived at a little market-town, called 
 *' the sweetness of the world," and thence entered Bundi. 
 
 " I entered the town," he says, " from the north-east 
 quarter, and here found a large open space laid out in fields 
 of wheat, kitchen-gardens, with onions, and cotton-grounds, 
 all in different stages of cultivation. Most of the beds where 
 wheat was grown wei-e just being laid out, the clods of diy 
 earth being broken and the ground ii'rigated, while in other 
 places the green stalks of the crop were already shooting 
 forth. The onions were very closely packed together. Every-
 
 THE CAPITAL OF BOUNU. 33/) 
 
 •wlicrc the fertilising element was close at hand, and palm- 
 trees were shooting up in several detached clusters ; but 
 large mounds of rubbish i^revented my taking a comprehen- 
 sive view over the whole, and the more so as the village is 
 separated into four detached portions lying at a considerable 
 distaiice from each other, and forming altogether a circum- 
 ference of about three miles, with a population of from 8,000 
 to 9,000 inhabitaiits. But the Avhole is merely surrounded 
 by a light fence. 
 
 "The principal clustei", or hamlet, surrounds a small emi- 
 nence, on the top of which stands the house of the head man 
 or mayor, built of clay, and having qviite a commanding 
 position, while at the north-eastern foot of the hill a very 
 picturesque date grove spreads out in a hollow. The ground 
 being uneven, the dwellings, like those in Gure, are mostly 
 situated in hollows, and the courtyards present a new and 
 characteristic feature — for although the cottages themselves 
 are built of reed and stalks of Negro corn, the corn-stacks, 
 far from presenting that light and perishable appearance 
 which they exhibit all over Huusa, approach closely that 
 solid style of building which we have observed in the Musgu 
 country, being built of clay, and rising to the height of ten 
 feet. Wushek is the principal place for the cultivation of 
 wheat in the whole western part of Bornu ; and if there 
 had been a market that day, it would have been most profit- 
 able for me to have provided myself here with this article, 
 wheat being very essential for me, as I had only free servants 
 at my disposal, who would by no means undertake the pound- 
 ing and preparing of the native corn, while a preparation of 
 wheat, such as mohamsa, can be always kept ready ; but the 
 market of Wushek is only held every Wednesday. 
 
 " In the whole of tliis country, one hundred shells, or 
 kungona, which are estimated equal to one giibaga, form the 
 standard currency in the market ; and it is remarkable that 
 this sum is not designated by the Kanuri word 'miye' or
 
 32 G nohth and central afkica. 
 
 ' yero,' nor by tlie common Ilausa word ' dari,' but by the 
 name ' zango,' wliicli is used only in the western parts of 
 Hausa and in Sokoto. I had pitched my tent near the 
 south-eastern hamlet, which is the smallest of the four, close 
 to the spot where I had entered the place, not being aware 
 of its extent ; and from here I made, in the afternoon, a 
 sketch of the mountain range towards the south, and the 
 dry shelving level bordered by the strip of green verdure, 
 with the palm trees in the foreground. In the evening I 
 was hospitably regaled by each of the two bfllama who govern 
 the town, and I had the satisfaction of making a ' tailor to 
 his majesty Miiuiyoma,' who was residing here, very happy 
 by the present of a few large darning-needles for sewing the 
 hbbedi or wadded dress for the soldiers." 
 
 Agricultural industry was everywhere apparent until the 
 traveller readied two remai'kable lakes. One was of natron, 
 having the dark green colour of sea- water ; the other was 
 smooth and of a dark blue. After leaving Zinder, the capital 
 ■of Western Boruu, and making purchases of cotton and silk, 
 and prescribing for a number of patients, he passed into the 
 Sokoto country, the prince of which expressed regret for the 
 fate of Clapperton, the traveller, whose vigorous constitution 
 gave way under the effects of climate and privation, and who 
 died of dysentery on the 13th of April, 1827, at Chemgarrey, 
 a village four miles from Sokoto, a spot which Dr. Barth 
 visited with melancholy interest. A pair of riclily orna- 
 mented pistols won the chieftain's heart, and he readily 
 allowed the traveller to pass through his land to Timbuktu. 
 
 Dr. Barth thus describes tlie great mart of Say, on the 
 Niger : — 
 
 " While passing along the streets, I was delighted to ob- 
 serve a certain degree of industry displayed in small handi- 
 crafts, and in the character of the interior of the households. 
 Everything was very deal", but particularly butter, which was 
 scarcely to be prociu'cd at all. All the currency of tlie market
 
 THE GREAT MART OF SAY. 327 
 
 consists of shells ; but I found the most profitable merchan- 
 dise to be the black cloth for female ajiparel from Gando, 
 which realised a 2:)rofit of eighty per cent., while the Kano 
 manufactures did not find a ready sale. The black Niipe 
 tobe, of common manufacture, bought in Gando for 3,300 
 shells, here fetched 5,000 ; while the black zenne, manufac- 
 tured in Gando itself, and bought there for 1,050, sold here 
 for 2,000. Of course all depends, in this respect, uj^on the 
 momentary state of the intercourse of this quarter with 
 Hausa ; and at the present time almost all communication 
 with that manufacturing province being interrupted, it is 
 easy to explain how an article produced in Gando could 
 realise such a per-centage in a town at so short a distance 
 from that place — a state of things which cannot foi-m the 
 general rule. At any rate, for the English or Euroi^eans in 
 general, Say is the most important place in all this tract of 
 the river, if they ever succeed in crossing the rapids which 
 obstruct the river above Eabba, and especially between Busa 
 and Yauri, and reaching this fine open sheet of water, the 
 great highroad of Western Central Africa. The traffic of 
 the natives along the river is not inconsiderable, although 
 even this branch of industry has naturally sufiered greatly 
 from the rebellious state of the adjacent provinces, more 
 especially those of Zab^rma and Dendina ; so that at present 
 boats did not go farther down the river than Kirotashi, an 
 important place situated about fifteen miles lower down on 
 the western bank ; while, in the opposite direction, up the 
 river, there was constant intercoui'se as far as Kindaji, with 
 which place I made myself sufiiciently acquainted on my re- 
 turn journey.' 
 
 On entering the Songha territory. Dr. Barth met an Arab, 
 under whose protection he put himself in order to reach 
 Timbuktu. Adopting the advice of his companion, he repre- 
 sented himself as a scheriff, carrying books from the east to 
 the Sheikh, a ruse which turned downwards the points of 150
 
 328 NORTH AND CENTPvAL AFRICA. 
 
 speai's raised againfjt him, and oljliged liim to lay liis hands 
 and bestow his blessing on the unclean spear-bearers. As 
 he advances he is able to propitiate the industrious natives 
 by presents of darning-needles, and makes progress in the 
 Songha language. His Arab companion now proves treacher- 
 ous, his race is suspected, and to avoid suspicion he repeats 
 the opening prayer of the Koran. Dr. Earth attributes the 
 subsequent difficulties he experienced on his entrance into 
 Timbuktu to the want of a sufficient firman from the Sultan. 
 
 The day after his arrival he heard that Hammadi, the 
 rival of the Sheikh, had informed the Fulbe, or native people 
 of the town, that he was a Christian, and they had come to 
 the determination of killing him. He thus describes his 
 circumstances : — 
 
 "I was not allowed to stir about, but was confined within 
 the walls of my house. In order to obviate the efiect of this 
 want of exercise as much as possible, to enjoy fresh air, and 
 at the same time to become familiar with the principal 
 featvires of the town, through which I was not allowed to 
 move about at j^leasure, I ascended as often as possible the 
 terrace of my house. This afibrded an excellent view over 
 the northern quarters of the town. On the north was the 
 massive mosque of Sankore, which had just been restored to 
 all its former grandeur through the influence of the Sheikh 
 el Bakay, and gave the whole place an imposing charactei*. 
 Neither the mosque Sidi Yilhia, nor the 'great mosque,' or 
 Jingere-ber, was seen from this point ; but towards the east 
 the view extended over a wide expanse of the desert, and 
 towards the south the elevated mansions of the Ghadamsiye 
 merchants were simple. The style of the buildings was 
 various. I could see clay houses of different characters, some 
 low and unseemly, others rising with a second story in front 
 to greater elevation, and making even an attempt at archi- 
 tectural ornament, the whole being interrupted by a few 
 round huts of matting. The sight of tliis spectacle afforded
 
 THE CITY OF TIMBUKTU. 329 
 
 mc sufficient maltei- of interest, altliongli, the streets being 
 very narrow, only little was to be seen of the intercourse 
 carried on in tliem, with the exception of the small market 
 in the northern quarter, which was exjjosed to view on 
 account of its situation on the slope of the sand-hills, which, 
 in course of time, have accvimulated round the mosque. 
 But while the terrace of my house served to make me well 
 acquainted with the character of the town, it had also the 
 disadvantage of exposing me fully to the gaze of the passers-by, 
 so that I could only slowly, and with many interrujjtions, 
 succeed in making a sketch of the scene thus offered to my 
 view. At the same time I became aware of the great in- 
 accuracy which characteiises the view of the town as given 
 by M. Caillie ; still, on the whole, the character of the 
 single dwellings was well represented by that traveller, the 
 only error being, that in his representation the whole town 
 seems to consist of scattered and quite isolated houses, while, 
 in i-eality, the streets are entirely shut in, as the dwellings 
 form continuous and uninterrupted rows. But it must 
 be taken into account tliat Timbuktu, at the time- of Caillie' s 
 visit, was not so Avell off as it is at present, having been 
 overrun by the Fiilbe the j^receding year, and he had no 
 opportunity of making a drawing on the spot." 
 
 Of the town, which has a population of 10,000, he says, — 
 " Situated only a few feet above the average level of the 
 river, and at a distance of about six miles from the principal 
 branch, it at present forms a sort of triangle, the base of 
 which points towards the river, whilst the projecting angle is 
 directed towards the north, having for its centre the mosque 
 of Sankore. But, during the zenith of its power, the town 
 extended a thousand yards further north, and included the 
 tomb of the fuki Mahmud, which, according to some of my 
 informants, was then situated in the midst of the town. 
 The circumference of the city at the present time I reckon 
 at little more than two miles and a half; but it may 
 
 IG
 
 330 KORTH AND CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 appi'oacli closely to three miles, talcing into account some of 
 the projecting angles. Although of only small size, Tim- 
 buktu may well be called a city — mechna — in comparison 
 with the frail dwelling-places all over ISTcgroland. At 
 present it is not walled. Its former wall, which seems 
 never to have been of great magnitude, and was rather more 
 of the nature of a rampart, was destroyed by the Fulbe on 
 their first entering the place in the beginning of the year 
 182G. The town is laid out partly in rectangular, partly in 
 winding, streets, or as they are called here, ' tijeraten,' which 
 are not paved, but for the greater part consist of hard sand 
 and gravel, and some of them have a sort of gutter in the 
 middle. Besides the large and the small market there are 
 few open areas, except a small square in front of the mosque 
 of Yahia, called Tiimbutu-bottema. Small as it is, the city 
 is tolerably well inhabited, and almost all the houses are in 
 good repair. There are about 980 clay houses, and a couple 
 of hundred conical huts of matting, the latter, with a few 
 exceptions, constituting the outskirts of the town on the 
 north and north-east sides, where a great deal of rubbish, 
 which has been accumulating in the course of several centu- 
 ries, is formed into conspicuous mounds. The clay houses 
 are all of them built on the same principle as my own resi- 
 dence, which I have described, with the exception that the 
 houses of the poorer people have only one courtyard, and 
 have no upper room on the terrace." 
 
 On the arrival in the town of the Sheikh El Bakay, the 
 traveller's confidence increased, though the rival chieftain 
 was incessantly intriguing for his death. Some years ago 
 Major Laing succeeded in making his way across the desert 
 from Tripoli to Timbuktu, and had transmitted home some 
 notices of that famous city, whei*e he spent some weeks ; but 
 he was murdered in the desert on liis return. In an inter- 
 view with El Bakay, Dr. Barth found that Major Laing had, 
 after being plundered by the Tawitrek, been the guest of the
 
 THE CHIEF AWAB. 331 
 
 Sheikh's father. None of that unfortunate traveller's papers 
 were, as far as he could ascertain, in existence. Several 
 attempts were made to convert the traveller to Islamism ; 
 and in December news arrived that the Bcrabish, who had 
 murdered Major Laing, had resolved on his death. 
 
 The festival of the birthday of Mohammed brought an 
 influx of strangers into tlie town, and one of no little interest. 
 Dr. Earth says : — 
 
 " The chief A'wab, who paid me a long visit, in company 
 with his mallem, and gave me the first account of the pro- 
 ceedings of that Christian traveller Mungo Park (to use his 
 own words), who, about fifty years ago, came down the river 
 in a lai'ge boat ; describing the manner in Avhich he had 
 been first attacked in the Tawarek below Kjlbara, where he 
 lost some time in endeavouring to open a communication 
 with the natives, while the Tin-ger-egedesh forwarded the 
 news of his arrival, without delay, to the Igwudaren, who, 
 having collected their canoes, attacked him, first near 
 Bamba, and then again at the narrow passage of Tosaye, 
 though all in vain ; till at length, the boat of that intrepid 
 traveller having stuck fast at Ensj'mmo (probably identical 
 with Ansongo), the Tawarek of that neighbourhood made 
 another fierce and mox'e successful attack, causing him an 
 immense deal of trouble, and killing, as A'wab asserted, two 
 of his Christian companions. He also gave me a full account 
 of the iron hook with which the boat was provided against 
 hippopotami and hostile canoes ; and his statement altogether 
 proved what an immense excitement the mysterious ap- 
 pearance of this European traveller, in his solifcaxy boat, had 
 caused among all the surrounding tribes." 
 
 The sudden death of the Bcrabish chieftain who had been 
 intrigviing for Dr. Barth's death, produced an impression on 
 the people, who generally believed him to be the son of JNIajor 
 Lading. But after a sojourn of seven months he was comjielled 
 to leave it, and he thus describes a disagreeable incident : —
 
 332 KORTII AND CENT'EAL AFEICA. 
 
 *' The Zoghoran officer, the companion of Ferreji, had come 
 out on some errand, while I was staying with the three 
 brothers in the hirge tent, which had been erected for Sidi 
 INIohanimed. I wanted to leave, but Bakuy begged me to 
 stay. I therefore remained a short time, but became so dis- 
 gusted vnih the insulting language of the Zoghoran, that I 
 soon left abruptly, although his remarks had more direct 
 reference to the French, or, rather, the French and half-caste 
 traders on the Senegal, than to the English or any other 
 European nation. He spoke of the Christians in the most 
 contemptuous mannei*, describing them as sitting like women 
 in the bottom of their steam boats, and doing nothing but 
 eating raw eggs : concluding wdth the paradoxical statement^ 
 which is not veiy flattering to Europeans, that the idolatrous 
 Bambara people were far better people, and much farther 
 advanced in civilisation than the Christians. It is singular 
 how the idea that the Europeans are fond of raw eggs (a 
 most disgusting article to a Mohammedan), as already proved 
 by the experience of Mungo Park, has spread over the whole 
 of Ncgroland, and it can only be partially explained by the 
 great predilection which the French have for boiled eggs." 
 
 After an excursion to Gogo, parting with his steady friend 
 El Bakay, Dr. Barth finally quitted the Songhay territory, 
 and the return journey to Tripoli concludes Ixis narrative, 
 which occupies five octavo volumes.
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 MR. Moffat's last journey. 
 
 Journey to the Residence of Moselekatze — His Keception by the Chief — Ho 
 promises to receive Missionaries — Liberation of Macheng, the Captive 
 — A Native Parliament. 
 
 Mr. Moffat determined, in the summer of 1857, to visit once 
 more the great chief of the Matabele, to secure his concur- 
 rence in the establisliment of the proposed missions on the 
 Zambese River. In one part of his eventful journey, he 
 says : — 
 
 *' Having gone far to the cast of my course, I turned to 
 the direction of ncaily north-west, in order to fall in "with the 
 most southern outpost of the Matabele. No one knowing a 
 yard of the way, and buried in trees, I had recourse to my 
 compass, as on my former journey, to thread my way through 
 a rather dense forest, over fallen trees, rocky ravines, and 
 hills, none of which were sufficiently high to enable us to 
 look around for portions whei-e the trees were more sparse. 
 Yery frequently the wagon had to stop till a road was cut 
 through the trees. This excessively laborious mode of tra- 
 velling continued till the sun set, when we found ourselves 
 among high hills, with hopes of finding water. The day had 
 been extremely hot, while a death-like silence pervaded the 
 country, for we fell in with no kind of game nor saw a single 
 bird, but occasionally crossed the narrow paths where lions 
 had lately left their footprints. The Avearied oxen were 
 'loosed from their yokes and fastened to trees, we being well 
 aware that, if left to roam, they would Avander in search of 
 water. When this was done, every one laid them down on
 
 334 SOUTU AFRICA. 
 
 the wai-m eartli, incliilcrent to everything in the world but 
 * tired nature's sweet restorer,' although no one had tasted 
 anything since sunrise, except occasionally a drink of water. 
 A cup of tea or coffee, wliich is always valued by African 
 travellers, soon revived us, when the day's toils were re- 
 hearsed, and plans laid how we might the best get out of an 
 unenviable situation. We read and prayed, and with thank- 
 ful hearts retired to rest." 
 
 Next morning at d:iAvn every one was on his feet in 
 seai'ch of water, but after in vain ascending hills, and 
 traversing ravine?, the party returned by ones and twos 
 to the wagon. The prospect, as they proceeded, seemed 
 at times almost hopeless, but they were urged onwards by 
 stern necessity. It was evident that rain had not fallen in 
 that part of the country for a long time, as not a blade of 
 grass was to be seen, while in the open portions of it, through 
 which they had passed, the fire had swept off every vestige 
 of dry pasture. Ere long they descended the rugged steep 
 to the bank of the Shaslie River. As soon as the gum trees 
 which line its bank were seen, every one with the greatest 
 eagerness got on the highest spot or rock within reach, to 
 assure himself of soon being able to quench his thirst. The 
 instant they halted, away went oxen, sheep, dogs, and men, 
 some heels over head, down the bank, to the sandy bed of 
 the river, whose refreshing water was in abundance. Xow 
 a washing was enjoyed, a cup of coffee proved truly refresh- 
 ing, and sitting down on the grass, under the shadow of a 
 spreading tree, an hour was passed in reading, singing, and 
 praj^er. Gratitude was deep for the deliverance exjoerienced 
 from many evils. Had any part of the wagon broken down, 
 or the oxen taken fright at the scent of the lion, and 
 dashed it against trees or rocks, their condition, without 
 water, would have been perilous indeed. 
 
 But an alarming incident occuiTcd in the course of the 
 evening;-, when the oxen Avere beincr collected in order to
 
 THE OXEN ALARMED. 335 
 
 fasten them to trees close to tlie "wagou. The sun had just 
 set, Sir. IMofFat had been Avriting down some observations, 
 and had stepped out of his wagon to assist, as was his 
 custom on such occasions. He had not proceeded many steps 
 in front of the oxen, when they, having smelt the lion, 
 rushed forward, and before he had time to be aware of the 
 danger, galloped over him, knocking him down to the ground 
 ■with great violence. As liis head struck the hard soil, he 
 was so stunned as to be i;nable to rise. While three of the 
 people were in pursuit to turn the terrified oxen, one came 
 to his assistance, and enabled him to stagger to the wagon, 
 where he reclined with the feeling of a man who was scarcely 
 sensible. As soon as he could use his legs he descended to 
 the water, and was refreshed by bathing his head. At 
 length the cattle were secured, and rest was obtained. 
 
 The compass was the only guide through an imtrodden 
 countiy, for human footsteps there were none. Gladly would 
 Mr. Moffat have reclined on his couch, but necessity com- 
 pelled him to shoulder the axe and cut out a road for the 
 wagon. The Ramakhoabane River was next reached, vrhere 
 a small footprint of a human being was seen in the sand, and 
 abundance of the rhinoceros, lion, hyrona, tiger, gnu, quagga, 
 red-buck, and other animals. They cut down thorn trees, 
 and made a cattle-fold strong enough to secure a night's re- 
 pose. For if oxen are frightened so as to break through the 
 thorny fence, they set off with the speed of race-horses, in 
 some instances never to return. 
 
 Passing through ravines and tortuous turnings of the reedy 
 nver, they came at length in sight of the wished-for hills. 
 There was no small stir among the people as Mr. Moffat 
 and his companions passed through the villages, stuck up 
 in corners and defiles of a multitude of hills, many of which 
 had a fantastic appearance. All ages ruslicd to the wagon, 
 and all exliibited unusual signs of joy. The fact was soon 
 apparent that not only the chief Ijut his people wore earnestly
 
 336 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 desiring anotliev visit. They affirmed tliat ]\Ir. Moffat's 
 teacliing had made Moselekatze more lenient and forgiving, 
 and that he had raised many of his subjects to become Jlan- 
 tato (men) ; that is, allowing them to many and wear a ring 
 on their heads. They cherished, too, the hope that other 
 improvements would arise from the missionary's influence. 
 
 On reaching the royal residence, the chief stretched out 
 his hand and gave Mr. INIofiat a hearty welcome, accomi^anied 
 by many expressions of great joy at seeing him again. His 
 ankles and knees had recently become weak, though he 
 looked well, and was obliged to be moved by some of his 
 wives, who are always in attendance. He was not able to 
 attend the pviblic service on the next day, which was the 
 Sabbath, biit a number of the Matabele, who imderstood the 
 Sichuana language, were present. Mr. Moffat, however, saw 
 Moselekatze in private. 
 
 " I told him," he says, " that I was come to tell him that 
 the great teachers in England having heard of his kindness 
 to me, and willingness to be instructed, had resolved to send 
 him two teachers. He promptly remarked, ' You must come 
 too. How shall I get on -ndth people I do not know, if you 
 are not with me 1 ' and, snapping his fingers, added, * By all 
 means, by all means bring teachers ; you are wise, you are 
 able to judge what is good for me and my people better than 
 I do. The land is yours, you must do for it what yoix think 
 is good,' &c. I resumed by adding, that all I would ask was 
 a place where there was a command of water, where the mis- 
 sionaries could live, make gardens, <tc., and have many people 
 to teach ; that tliey would not look to him for food, but 
 woiild plant, sow, and purchase what they might require. 
 The subject was repeatedly refeiTcd to during my stay, and 
 in no case did he deviate from what he assented to. I had 
 now obtained the object of my desire — not that I ever 
 doubted that the proposal would be acceptable, but I felt 
 impressed with the importance of having from him a piibUc
 
 LIBERATION OF JIACIIEyG. 337 
 
 sanction, so that, whatever might happen either to him or 
 myself, missionaries might proceed to their destination with 
 the greater confidence." 
 
 Maclieng, the paramount chief of the Bamanguato tribe, 
 is a young man, about twenty-six years of age, good looking, 
 apparently of a mild disposition, and having a countenance 
 not delicient in intelligence. He is the son of Khari, the 
 king of his tribe, who was killed in an ens;af]fement with the 
 Bashona, while he was yet a child. During the irruption 
 of the tribes to the north, occasioned by the overwhelming 
 proAvess and power of the bloody Chaka, the despot of the 
 Zoolus, the Bamanguato and other Bechuana tribes were 
 scattered to the winds. Macheng, during his minority, with 
 his eldest sister, affcei'wards one of Sechele's wives, were 
 under the care of Sechele, who was at that time the head of 
 Lut a small portion of the Bakuena. While Sechele was on 
 one occasion absent from his town in a foray against the 
 15anguaketse, a handful of the Matabele fell, on his unde- 
 fended toT>m, killed many, destroyed property, and carried 
 away captive youths and women, among whom were Macheng 
 and his eldest sister. 
 
 The latter escaped by finding her way back through the 
 intricacies of forests, but INIacheng was destined to be a 
 captive for sixteen years. Though it was contrary to the 
 rule of the ISIatabele to return a royal prisoner to his people, 
 he was, from jMr. Moffat's influence v.ith the chief, placed at 
 his disposal. 
 
 The story of INIacheng would not be complete apart from 
 the detail of the following incidents : 
 
 " Some time before arriving at Sechele's town," says Mr. 
 Moffat, " our approach was announced. He, the chiefs of 
 the BangAvakeke and Barolong, with other chiefs of tribes 
 congregated on his mountain, met me, some on horseback, to 
 welcome JMacheng. He appeared in no way elated, whatever 
 nught have been the emotions of his mind ; but nothing 
 
 IG*
 
 338 SOUTH AFKICA. 
 
 could induce liim to leave me and ascend the mountain on 
 wliicli the town stood. On the Lord's day which followed, 
 he accompanied me, and witnessed for the first time divine 
 service performed in a house built and appropriated to the 
 purpose of worshipping God. lie was most surprised to 
 witness the multitudes that had come to hear me j)reach. 
 The next day had been appointed to hold a national assem- 
 bly, to give a public expression of welcome to the return- 
 ing captive. Sechele, after getting IMacheng rigged ont in a 
 rather handsome costume, marched before us to the centre 
 of a kind of natural amphitheatre, which had for an hour 
 before been crowded with at least 10,000 people, in all their 
 habiliments of war. After Sechele had stood up and com- 
 manded silence, he introduced the business of the meeting. 
 One speaker followed another, expressing in enthusiastic lan- 
 guage the pleasure they felt on the occasion of seeing the 
 chief of the Bamaiiguato return from captivity. Of course, 
 though very unwilling to bo found a speaker in a native 
 parliament, I had to take my share, though the detail of cir- 
 cumstances included also something like a sermon, to whicli, 
 among so many thousands of heathen, the most profound 
 attention was paid. Some of the speeches were very striking 
 and figurative. The following are a few sentences from the 
 brother of Sechele : ' Ye tribes, ye children of the ancients, 
 to me this day is a day of wonder. That which awakes my 
 heart to wonder is to see the Spirit's work. ]\Iy thoughts 
 witliin me begin to move. Verily, the things I have seen, 
 and the words I have heard, assume stability. When I fii'st 
 heard the word of God, I began to ask, " Are these tilings 
 true ? " Now, the confusion of my thoughts, and of my soul, 
 is unravelled. Now I begin to perceive that those who 
 jireach are verily true. If Moffat was not of God, he would 
 not have espoiiscd the cause of Sechele in receiving his words, 
 and delivering Macheng from the dwelling-place of the beasts 
 of prey to which wo Bechuanas dared not to ajiproach.
 
 A NATIVE PARLIAMENT. 339 
 
 There are, wlio coutend that there is nothing in reh'pcion. 
 Let such to-day throw away their unbelief. If lie were not 
 such a man, he would not have done what he has done, in 
 bringing him who was lost, him who was dead, from the 
 strong bondage of the mighty. I, Khosilintsi, say so, because 
 Moselckatze is a lion; he conquered nations, he robbed the 
 strong ones, he bereaved mothers. He took away the son 
 of Khari. We talk of love. What is love 1 We hear of 
 the love of God. Is it not through the love of God that 
 Macheng is among us to-day 1 A stranger, one of a nation, 
 who of you knows its distance from us 1 He makes liimseK 
 one of us, enters the lion's abode, and brings out to us our 
 own blood.' " 
 
 Besides two IMatabele who accompanied Mr. Moffat, two 
 others were sent by the chief to attest that it was his wish, 
 as well as the missionary's, that Macheng should be jilaced in 
 the first instance before Sechele, and to assiu-e him that 
 Macheng was a free man at Mr. Moffat's desire. One of 
 them was the very individual who had charge of the captive 
 from the first, and though a servant till he was eni'olled 
 among the warriors, appeared to look uj^on Macheng with 
 paternal afiection, but from the moment of liis freedom 
 honoured him as a chief of the Bamanguato. 
 
 " He arose," says Mr. Moffat, "and, facing the arena several 
 times, moving about a staff" he held in his hand (for the Mata- 
 bele do not use weapons at a national assembly, as the Bechu- 
 anas do), and according to the usual form, called the tribes to 
 give ear. Standing opposite to where Macheng and I sat, and 
 laying his arms on his bosom, he walked round, and, raising 
 a wailing voice, exclaimed, ' Pity me, O ye nations. Here I 
 stand a lonely one. I am bereaved of my child. Whither 
 shall I go ? Will he forget his u ither 1 Can I forget my son ? 
 I pressed him to this bosom. I earned him on these shoul- 
 ders ' (suiting the action to his words) ; then raising his 
 voice in tones still more plaintive, he said, 'How happy
 
 310 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 was I once with my boy ! Why was I made to boar him ? 
 I hav^n^o moi'e.' Looking round on the silent multitude, 
 he askecl, rather sternly, ' Ye ti-ibes, why did ye covet my 
 child?' and, turning to me with softened tone, 'Why did 
 you, Moffat, prevail with the son of Machobane to make me 
 childless 1 1 shall return to the desert and weep. He is 
 gone from me, but I shall never forget that I am the father 
 of the son of Khai-i, who is now the son of Moffat,' &c. He 
 concluded his pathetic address with some remarks on the 
 light in which the tribes ought now to view Moselekatze. 
 The whole scene produced a thrilling effect, and the minds of 
 the assembly, which had been taken by surprise by the pre- 
 sence of the dreaded Matabele among them, were now in 
 raptui'es to hear such fraternising language from those who, 
 though distant, were, till now, a terror by night and day. 
 After this, I remained a few days, and saw every arrange- 
 ment made. Macheng and his fifty attendants returned to 
 their own people, and 100 chosen men of the Bakuena, at 
 whose head was Khasilintsi, escorted them to the Baman- 
 guato. Such a demonstration has rarely been made in the 
 country, and I should think will not soon be forgotten. 
 Previous to his departure a liberal subscription was made by 
 the nobles, of cattle, carosses, &c., so that he was not sent 
 away empty." 
 
 THE END.
 
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