at Litakun. Having barely enough for their own necessities, the
inhabitants were very unwilling to part with any; and the fact is
remarkable that, during the whole of my residence at this town, and
of my travels in the country of the Bichuanas, I never once could
purchase of the natives, com enough for my party, for a single
meal. We could procure nothing but milk-, and this not in so large
a quantity as we required. The cow which was presented to me by
Mattivi for slaughter, was totally eaten up in three days ; the greater
portion having been consumed by his own servants and other inhabitants,
who, by incessant begging, compelled my men to give them
meat, both for themselves while they sat with us; and for their
families when they went home. _
The hunters returned with a paala and a springbuck; a part of
which was given to some natives who accompanied them. Juli had
shot one paala and was pursuing another ; but during the short time
he was absent on this pursuit, and while employed in skinning and
cutting up the second into loads for each of the Bachapins who
attended them, the vultures, which were found to be excessively
numerous about Litakun, had discovered the first, and had devoured
all the best part of the meat and so much lacerated the rest, that
nothing remained worth the trouble of bringing home.
Their attendants, when the animal was shot, were exceedingly
delighted at seeing it fall: they admired the power of the musket,
that it could bring down the game at so great a distance, when compared
with their own hassagay ; and expressed their pleasure in the
most animated manner. On such occasions, these people were always
most ready to lend their assistance; but it is to be regretted that
their conduct would not suffer us to believe that they did so from the
pure motive of obliging us: their willingness was far from being
disinterested; for they often laid claim to a larger share of the game
than we thought proper to allow them. They were, however, always
so well paid for their trouble, that we were never in want of
attendants. . - ' .
At sunset when all the cattle of the town came home, the Chief
called me to look at two oxen which he offered for the purchase of
ammunition. In his eagerness to, get possession of the gun, he had
quite forgotten the requisite accompaniments of powder and ball;
and now, on reflection, found that he had been in too great a haste.
On my part, I considered the result of my attempt to obtain oxen by
barter with beads, to be a serious disappointment; as the prospect of
my journey, showed me the necessity of recruiting my teams, before I
advanced into countries where the means of obtaining any addition to
them, might perhaps not be found. I had not been able to purchase
more than two oxen; and under these circumstances I gave up all
idea of making Mattivi a present of the gun, and which, indeed, he
had, by his fraudulent conduct, so little deserved.
I therefore determined to accept his offer of oxen in payment;
and, as I began to suspect, by his bringing these two oxen as a temptation
to give him ammunition before he had produced the promised
equivalent for the gun, that he meant to leave that subject at rest
altogether, I now asked him where were those oxen. To this he
replied, that they should be brought on the morrow: but, instead of
the six which he had promised before he had the musket in his possession,
it was now discovered that he intended me to have only four.
I saw that he was evidently taking advantage of the weakness of
my party, and that he supposed I should on that account submit to
any terms which he might propose. I foresaw, that if he succeeded
in a first step, he would take a second, and thus advance till affairs
became serious; and that, if a character of non-resistance preceded
us in the journey, every petty chieftain we should meet would know
that he might plunder us with safety. I considered, too, that as the
Bachapins derived from direct and indirect communication with the
Colony, great mercantile advantages over their more northern neighbours,
they would not readily be induced to forfeit these, by proceeding
to extremities with me and my party, These reasons
convinced me that a resolute opposition to encroachment, and a
determination not to be intimidated, were the safest and most prudent
measures that could now be adopted.
I therefore gave the Chief and his council to understand what
were my sentiments respecting their present mode of dealing with a