thing around him ; and Philip and Speelman repeatedly gave their
opinion, that he would never speak again.
I saw that it was necessary to restore the activity of the vital
functions, which the cold seemed to have nearly stopped: I was regretting
that we had nothing of a stimulating quality to give him,
when the recollection of having a bottle of volatile alkali, gave me
some hopes. I immediately prepared in water, as much as half a
teacup-ful, of as great a strength as could safely be administered.
It would appear by the use which I made of it, that I regarded
this medicine as my panacea; for I gave a dose to the three old men ;
and the rest had so much confidence in it, that they were desirous
of taking some also; but as I thought they could be restored without
its aid, I judged it more prudent to reserve it for those who might
have the misfortune to be bitten by serpents. Ruiter suffered almost
as much as the boy; and was also speechless: but the warmth of the
fire at last re-animated him. Hans Lucas’s appearance was most
miserable, and Berends’s countenance was equally sad; but our Bushman
Nieuwveld bore the cold much better than his countryman.
At length the boy was enabled to move his limbs; he crept nearer
to the fire, and in a little time afterwards recovered his speech enough
to tell me that the medicine had done him much good. After nursing
him for about two hours, I rejoiced to find him sufficiently restored to
be able to eat; and in order to fortify him against the night, I desired
him to eat a large quantity of food ; a request which is never unseasonable
to a Bushman. Cobus, and the rest, revived by degrees; but all
the party sat over the fire very melancholy and dejected.
The rain now had ceased for a short time, and the men took the
opportunity to cook their dinner, or rather, supper. The apathy or
forgetfulness of Hottentots, was here well exemplified: they had taken
their own meal, without ever once thinking of their master, who, m
the mean while, had been too much engaged in attending the boy,
to tbink of himself. But being reminded by hunger, I ordered
Philip to broil a piece of meat, while I sought for a place where
I could pass the night: for it was then evening; the clouds had
again sunk upon u s; and a violent and heavy rain, which ceased not
during the whole night, had just commenced. At a little distance
from my men, I prepared a spot, by forming a layer of bushes
to keep my baggage and bedding from the ground which, being on
a declivity, was deluged with streams of water. As it would have
been folly to spread out my bed in such a situation, I seated myself
Upon my baggage, and held the umbrella over me. I waited for
nearly an hour, expecting supper; but nothing was brought. I at
length rose, and on going to the fire, found it extinguished, and all
my people wrapped up in their karosses, for the night. My cook,
with true Hottentot sang-froid, informed me that the water, which
ran down from the higher ground, together with the rain, had washed
away the fire, before the meat was half broiled. So that, finding
this, he had put the chop intended for me, upon the bush, and laid
down to sleep, without thinking it necessary to put me out of
suspense, or to let me know that I was to have no supper that evening.
I therefore resumed my seat upon the layer of bushes, and covered
myself up with my watch-coat. In this situation I passed a miserable
night; with a cold rain pouring down from above, and torrents of
water running under me. I sometimes fell asleep, but my feet being
seized with cramp, I soon awoke again, and had sufficient reason for
rejoicing at the return of daylight.
2,3rd. The rain had ceased, but was now succeeded by the same
drizzling mist as before; yet I had the consolation of finding all my
people able to bear another day’s travelling, and the boy not only
alive, but recovered.
That a Bushman could suffer so much from the inclemencies of
the weather, was a case which I had neveT expected; nor do I think
it one which occurs often. This poor little fellow was young and
extremely slender, and at the same time, almost naked; circumstances
which might well render him obnoxious to a degree of cold which
perhaps, to be estimated correctly, should be considered as extremely
severe and uncommon in this part of the globe. I could not but
admire the fortitude with which he bore his sufferings: he never complained
; but continued without a murmur, patiently walking on, till
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