the complement of my party. He knew of several who happened to
be at that time in Cape Town, and who, he thought, would be willing
to o-o with us. With this view he went every day to the Pagter’s
(the licensed retailer of wine and brandy), where, he said, he had no
doubt of m.eeting with them. He was quite right in his idea of
where his countrymen were most likely to be found, when they
come up to Cape Town ; for these pernicious wine and brandy-
houses are commonly filled with these thoughtless creatures, who
never leave them till every stumer of their money is spent. Among
the number which he saw there in the course of the week, not
one could be obtained fit for the service, as all those whom he would
have persuaded to join us, were unfortunately bound by legal contract
to other masters.
There remained another resource in the Hottentot settlement
under the Moravian missionaries at Groene Kloof, (Green Pass), and
I immediately despatched a letter to Mr. Schmidt,.one of the Brethren,
requesting that, if any men could be found inclined for such a journey,
they might be sent to Cape Town as soon as possible. •
As, by the laws of the colony, every inhabitant is prohibited
going beyond the established boundary, it became necessary that I
should be provided with a special permission for that purpose.. Accordingly,
I received from the Colonial Secretary’s office the proper
document, and, together with it, another official paper which the
Governor, to facilitate my views, ordered to be prepared for me. It
was written in duplicate in the English and Dutch, laiiguages, and
was addressed to “ all Landdrosts, Field-comets, and other inhabitants,
requiring them to afford every accommodation in their power,
and to provide every necessary I might stand in need of and.require;
and also to convey back to Cape Town such letters, parcels, &c. as
I should have occasion to send.” Persons in the employ of government,
are, when travelling in their official capacity, usually furnished
with papers of this nature. The degree and kind of accommodation
and assistance which this procured for me, will appear in the sequel.
13th. In the mean time, constantly occupied in getting all things
ready for my departure, I found little leisure for profiting by the
various invitations which I received from my friends in Cape Town,
and which multiplied as the day of taking leave of them drew
nearer. Nor would I allow the thought that I was soon to bid, as
I then believed, a final farewell to Cape Town, to seduce me to
remain longer; although the hospitality and friendship I had experienced
might well admit of excuses for further delay.
It was necessary that I should superintend every preparation,
in order to be well acquainted with whatever concerned my outfit;
as the future management of every thing was to depend on myself
alone. My numerous purchases were not to be completed with that
facility and despatch with which they might have been made in a
town of greater resources.
On the morning of the 14 th, the two teams of oxen, which. Magers
and Jan Kok had been sent to fetch from the Bokkeveld, having
arrived safe at Salt-river, I fixed with peculiar pleasure the day on
which we were to commence our journey, and gave orders for the
waggon to leave Cape Town on the eighteenth.
The following days were employed chiefly in packing all the
various articles into the chest. This part of the work-1 had reserved
for myself; because, unless I fixed in my memory the particular
place of each article, by putting in every thing with my own hands,
and making at the same time lists of the contents o f each chest, it
would be almost impossible, when on the journey, to find, amidst
such a multitude and variety, of goods, any thing I sought for.
Those articles which were likely to come often into use, were placed
uppermost, or where they could readily be got a t ; and not an inch of
space was left unfilled, as well that no room might be lost, as to prevent
the damage which the rough motion of the waggon would occasion
to any thing which should get loose. I took with me no books of
travels whatever; and if on account of this omission, I travelled
through the country without the advantage of. these to guide me in
my observations, and direct my attention to those objects and facts
which had been by others thought remarkable; I had, on the other
y 2