was somewhat concealed from distant view, by a low surrounding
ridge of hills. (See the fourth plate.*) I employed the afternoon in
making drawings of the scene; together with portraits of Kaabi, of a
young woman and her child, and several other sketches. Among the
people of this kraal, I observed one woman with very red, or carroty
hair; and have since seen in different tribes of Bushmen, other
instances of this color; but they were not frequent. Grey hair is
equally a rarity.
The vignette at the head of this chapter represents the arms of
the Bushmen. From a strap which passes over one shoulder, are suspended
the quiver, the bow, and the Jcirri (keeri) in the manner there
seen. Behind these, are shown an arrow and the upper half of a
hassagay; all drawn to the same proportion, the bow being usually
between three and four feet long, sometimes shorter, but rarely longer.
The bowstring is always formed of catgut or the twisted entrails of
some animal. The bow itself is made not always of the same sort of
* The huts represented in this plate, are constructed of mats (Vol. I. p. 114. 263.) made
of rushes, in the manner shown in a former plate (pi. 7. Vol. I. p. 325.) and more particularly
described in a preceding part of this volume, (p. 55. and 56.) The Bushmen of the
Cisgariepine most commonly paint their mats lengthwise with stripes of red-ochre. The
outermost Jigure on the left, will give an idea of the appearance of a Bushman as he is
usually equipped for travelling, having his bow, quiver, hassagay and kirri. Before him
is a representation of one of their dogs, (p. 56.) which are of a race perhaps peculiar to
these tribes. Hassagays and sticks, when not in use, are most frequently stuck in the
ground by the side of the hut. This plate exhibits, not only the particular view of the
spot, but the ordinary appearance of a Bushman Kraal, and the genuine domestic state of
its inhabitants, such as they are in their proper and original mode. In this picture, therefore,
the number of figures and their occupations, are only those which are consistent with
this intention, and have no reference to the unusual and busy scene which this kraal
became in consequence of my arrival among these people. The nearest figure in the
middle of the picture, is that of a man returning home from hunting, carrying a fawn or
young antelope at his back. To the left of him, are two men, and a woman having her
child in her arms, sitting in front of their hut, a very common manner of spending their
time in fine weather: other parties of the same kind are seen at the other huts. Most of
the figures have leathern caps of various forms according to the fancy of the maker or wearer.
The outermost figure on the right is a man returning from the neighbouring spring with
an ostrich-egg shell filled with water. On the left of him, and close to the hut in the foreground,
may be seen one of those sticks already described (p. 29.) as being loaded with a
perforated globular stone for the purpose of digging up various eatable wild roots. The
soil here is of a reddish color, and scantily covered with herbage and low bushes.