among Bachapins, having been entertained with milk and corn. It
could not, however, be said that more than the half of my party had
thus banished their fears : the others, though less uneasy than before,
were evidently not in a state of tranquillity.
18th. Early in the morning, before I had risen, the promised
oxen were delivered over to my m en; and had been driven out to
pasture along with my own cattle. Mattivi had, I found, now given
me two more than I had expected ; one as a present, with the same
intention with which he had at first given me the cow ; for slaughter:
the other as a return for the gunpowder. I gave him to understand
that the last was not due to me, as the powder was meant as a free
gift; but he replied, that what he had once given, he could never
receive back again j and that to return it to him, would be an affront.
The Chief had issued orders for about five hundred of his people
to commence the great hunt early in the morning. These spread
themselves over the plains to the distance of several miles, and by
preconcerted arrangement according to their custom, encircled an
extensive tract of country, driving all the wild animals which happened
to be thus enclosed, towards the town.
These were but few, and consisted only of paalas, springbucks
called tsepi in the Sichuana language, zebras, and buffaloes; all
which were thus made so exceedingly wild, that the Hottentots had
no opportunity of shooting more than four springbucks; and probably
the natives did not kill so many.
My own men, of whom I allowed no more than Speelman,
Philip, Juli, Gert, and Cornelis, to go, were looked up to as the
principal hunters on this occasion, and were each attended by a
separate party, one of whom was generally employed to carry their
gun in order to save them that fatigue. From this, we may see
the inconsistency and imprudence of these Hottentots: they, who
at other times believed there was reason for dreading that these
natives would murder them, were now so thoughtless as to put into
their hands the power of accomplishing such a purpose, and voluntarily
to give up the only means by which they might defend their lives.
Speelman was attended by Mollemmi with Mattivi’s gun. The
former having with the same ball, as he said, killed one springbuck
and wounded another, which also fell, Mollemmi immediately fired
at it, and declared that it was he who had brought it down ; although
the other natives, who were of that party, honestly owned that the
animal belonged to the Hottentot. But Speelman was wise enough
to give up both the honor and his claim, when he found the other
inclined so obstinately to persist in asserting that they were due to
him.
The Bachapins proved on this occasion, that in any emergency
they can run with great swiftness, or, as my men expressed it, like
horses ; but that they are unable to continue long at that pace, and
are, in this qualification, perhaps, much inferior to the Bushmen,
who have greatly the advantage by being lighter and smaller in
person. |
The field of their hunting was at a considerable distance eastward
from the town, where the country was found to be a boundless
grassy plain, which my men, who were separated from each other,
traversed in different directions, and every where met with strong
springs of water, one of which they reported to be nearly as copious
as the Klibbolikhonni. This tract is still a continuation of the Great
Plains before described, and extends, as I afterwards learnt, above a
day’s journey in this direction. The Hottentots saw grazing in
different parts, innumerable herds of oxen, which were much larger
and finer than any we had seen in the Chief’s cattle-pound in the
town; and they were inclined to believe that those which had been
given to me in the morning, were some of the worst which he
possessed.
Mattivi and his attendants, who had also been on the hunt, came
home again at noon: he employed himself during the rest of the
day, in making handles for hatchets, such as have been already represented.
The main body of the hunters, many of whom were
exceedingly fatigued, and my own men, did not return till the
evening.
I was myself compelled to remain at home by the waggons ; as
it would have been highly imprudent to have laid temptation in the