their good-will; and which plea&ed them the more, as they had been
unused to witness in the conduct of white-men, so unequivocal a
mark of amicable intentions. They had never seen these dangerous
strangers within the limits of their country, but in large and strong
bodies, which, though they commanded their respect, always excited
their fears and mistrust. They were satisfied that from me, they had
nothing to fear; and it was the novelty of this circumstance tvhich
gave me, in their, eyes, a character of peculiar interest; while the
evident desire I showed, of obliging them as far as it was m my power,
won their good opinion without any aid from the false oratory of mere
verbal professions, and dispensed with the necessity of language to
convince them of what was rendered much more intelligible by facts.
It was by facts and conduct only, that I could hold communication
with the tribe; for my ignorance of the language, as for the purpose
of conversation without the intervention of an interpreter, rendere
the power of pleasing words, unavailable in this case.
KaaU their chief now made his appearance in a more distinguished
manner, wearing a white hat which by some means he had
obtained out of the Colony. Whether it was the vanity of giving
himself a more important character in my sight, or the desire ol
paying a compliment by proving that he admired and valued the
dress of white-men, which induced him to dress different from all the
inhabitants of his village, I could not ascertain; but I am more
disposed to regard the former, as his real motive.
Tor the purpose of giving an idea of the quantity of tobacco
distributed on such occasions, and to show what these poor creatures
considered as a handsome present, it is necessary here to explain
the form into which the tobacco of the Cape colony is generally
manufactured.After the leaves of the plant ar*e properly dr.i ed a"n d divested, ofL
the stalk a n d midrib, they undergo the usual process of steeping, and
are then twisted into long ropes of the customary thickness of about
an inch, sometimes thicker, but oftener thinner. These ropes are coiled
up in the form of rolls of various sizes, weighing from five to eight
or ten pounds. Among the boors, these are sold by the pound: but
to the Hottentots, they are more commonly meted out by the span'
of about eight inches, the weight of which is usually between an
ounce and a half and two ounces; and bargains among the latter are
most frequently made for a certain number of spans of tobacco. Yet
it is not therefore to be supposed that many Hottentots are ignorant
of the use of weights and money: it is the inconvenience and scarcity
of these, which causes them to prefer, on ordinary occasions, the
readier mode of measurement, I am particular in a description
which would otherwise be trifling, because, as tobacco is one of the
principle articles of barter with the nations of the Interior, it will be
referred to as a “ money-table” for the remainder of the journey;
and may furnish some hints, or useful information, to those who may
hereafter be desirous of visiting the same countries.
The crowd, having gratified their curiosity by surveying me
attentively for some time, gradually became more talkative and
familiar; and understanding that they were all to receive a present,
the joy of these poor simple people was manifested in a manner as
artless as that of children. Their liveliness increased as they observed
me about to commence the promised distribution: but the women
were much more noisy and uncontrollable than the men, and it was
some time before their chieftain was able to still their joyous vociferation.
To Kaabi I gave three inches of tobacco; to each man about one
inch ; and to the women a little less. With this trifling quantity
they were all completely happy; because they were contented. The
delight depicted in their countenances, was not less remarkable here
than at Poverty Kraal, but it exhibited not that melancholy species
of thankfulness, which was there so irresistibly affecting.
This ceremony occupied more than half an hour, on account of
the difficulty of restraining their vivacity and persuading them to remain
steadily in one place: for had they been permitted to change
their station, I should have found it impossible to have gone through
this business with regularity. Having previously estimated, and put
into my pocket, the number of pieces which would be required, I
took them out one by one, in order that no jealousy might be excited,
VOL. II. h