breath of eternal life; some rays of reason faintly light your path;
ye hold, in common with the head that wears the diadem, a lamp
which death can not extinguish, a soul which, though it would, can
never die. Your Creator and your Judge will pass unheeded all our
arrogant pretensions, and will, without respect to persons or to
nations, reward alone the good and virtuous, though His mercy may
forgive the guilty.
These reflections moved rapidly through my mind. I lost no
time, but desired my people to give these poor creatures some meat.
The Hottentots represented to me the uncertainty of our own resources,
and that our present stock of provisions was already so much
reduced, that prudently nothing could be spared. But feelings of
humanity and commiseration rendered it impossible for me to quit
this spot without aflording some relief to their necessities; and I
ordered a large quantity to be cut off, and given to them. Their
starving appearance pleaded so powerfully, and spoke the truth so
plainly, that I could not but be convinced that these miserable destitute
savages had seldom tasted animal food; and had often passed
the day without having been able to procure any sustenance whatever.
> I still in imagination see the happy air of these poor simple
creatures, and the joy and thankfulness which lighted up their meagre
countenances, when they received this supply. Their grateful voices,
raised with one accord to express their feelings, still sound in my
ear; and though their words were unintelligible, their looks bespoke
their meaning and conveyed to the heart sensations the most
delightful, and repaid a thousand times the trifling sacrifice we made.
I felt unwilling to quit this little community, and wished, by being
present, to participate in the happiness which I had occasioned. The
inhabitants had by this time all assembled, and I still lingered with
them, standing by my horse and closely surrounded by the happy
group, who pressed towards me to behold him whom they thought
their benefactor. I felt ashamed at receiving so much thankfulness
for doing so little; and had we remained much longer, I should not
have been able to resist my desire oi giving them all we had left.-
Their feast would not have been complete without the luxury of
39
smoking; and I distributed to every one a portion of tobacco and
hemp-leaves, that the measure of their day’s happiness might be full.
To this I added a promise of more, if they would meet me on my
return from the Colony, where I expected to get a supply which
would then enable me to give more liberally than at this time.
The women, though not more grateful than the men, expressed
their feelings in a more animated manner, and seemed to view me,
not as a stranger, but as one of their own kraal, as a member of their
own family. The children too, seemed rather to believe it was some
long-absent relation returned home again; and, encouraged by the
universal joy which they beheld in their parents, they wished to
approach me and touch my horse. I took one from the arms of a
woman who was standing nearest to me, and placed it on my saddle;
but the little thing, half-pleased and half-afraid, could only be kept in
so strange a situation by the encouragements of its mother, who
appeared delighted at my taking so much notice of her child. The
longer I stopped amongst them, the more these people treated me
like a friend whom they had known for a great length of time.
Amidst the crowd was a young woman of very engaging appearance,
who attracted my notice by the solicitude she felt for her child.
I perceived the cause of her care; and inquired by signs, what had
occasioned so large a wound upon the infant’s leg. To this she
instantly replied, also by signs, in a manner so intelligible, that the
dullest apprehension could not have failed to understand that the
child, while playing by the fire in the absence of its mother, had
burnt itself. Not trusting to signs as a mode of conveying medical
advice, I employed one of my Hottentots to interpret to her the
manner in which she should treat the wound. As none but the
simplest remedies would suit a people like this, I was careful to
recommend only such as were within their reach , and principally
!) 1 °'L TaShmg °ff a11 the dirt " ld red ochre, which probably
'p . 6 i cause of its remaining so long unhealed. She
received my advice with the warmest gratitude, and when I assured
her that, by attending to my instructions, her child would soon be