already reduced to six; and gave them a message urging the necessity
of its being delivered to us, especially as it was our due. Daniel,
therefore, paid them their demand, although, as he said, Cupido had
gone away, without leaving any instructions at home respecting the
debt.
At noon Gert and Cornelis arrived from Klaarwater with the
horses. I now congratulated myself on beholding at length, my
whole party removed away from that village; a place, of which the recollection
afforded me but little pleasure. The numerous vexatious
occurrences and disappointments which I there met with, put my
patience severely to the trial; while, to counterbalance these, few
circumstances were found, to give my mind those agreeable impressions
which I had anticipated when in Cape Town. The reality
was indeed, different from the picture. But— I had now quitted
it, and began to feel at ease again.
My men were this day employed chiefly in trying their guns,
and in putting every thing relating to them, in proper order. It was
established as a standing regulation, that the oxen should never,
excepting through want of pasturage, be suffered to graze out of
sight of the waggons; and that they should every night be made
fast.
Speelman, whose future employment on the journey, was to be
that of hunting, went out this morning, and in a few hours, returned,
having shot a zebra; which, however, could not be fetched home till
the next day. This meat though much eaten by Hottentots, is, as
already noticed, rejected by the colonists: my two baptized men,
therefore, informed me, that they were unable to eat it ; and, as
they declared that it always created a nausea, I suffered a sheep to
be killed, as we had no other game to give them. I thus soon began
to perceive, that I had with me, two men who were of a class superior
to Hottentots.
1 Oth. It having been previously agreed on, that my interpreter
Muehimka should join me at this place, I sent off Philip, Speelman,
and Stuurman, at sunrise to find their way to Willem Casper’s (or
Jailer’s) under the Langberg, where he was residing; to let him know
that we were waiting for him. This place had been pointed out to
us, as bearing due west from Ongeluks; and, as it was at the distance
of a long day’s journey over a wild country, I delivered out to these
three, a supply of ammunition for their defence, as well as for the
purpose of shooting any game which might be met with on their
return.
11th. At noon a waggon and party of Hottentots, halted for a
few minutes, on their way from Klaarwater to Casper’s kraal, where
they reside. These people are naturally, or habitually, fond of
journeying about from one kraal to another; and in this occupation
they have worn down tracks across the country, which in several
places, assume the appearance of regular roads. That which leads,
from the Roggeveld is sufficiently beaten, if seen by daylight, to guide a
stranger to Klaarwater: and it is probable that in time, the'road which
we had now opened to Graaffreynet, will become equally beaten.
The Hottentots who were lying here at this time with their
families and cattle, possessed a great number of goats; but I saw
among them no sheep. The former, requiring less care, and being at
the same time less difficult to manage, are better suited to the indolence
of these people; although the preference which they give to
mutton, on account of its greater abundance of fat, is an inducement
for rearing sheep; of which they might in these extensive pastures,
breed innumerable flocks, if they possessed the prudence to refrain
at first from using them too freely. The whole number of their
cattle at this place, large and small, appeared to be about two
hundred.
Observing a family busied in taking their house to pieces, I
amused myself in watching the progress of their work, supposing
they were about to pack it Up and depart; but as soon as this
was done, they carried all the materials, after having well beaten
them, to a distance only of a few yards; where they soon erected
it again. The whole operation of pulling down, removing, and
building up, occupied no more than six hours; and it might possibly
have been done in much less time. On inquiring the reason
of what I thought an odd whim, their thus taking so much trouble,