or his wife should still be living, when this volume reaches the Cape,
I hope there will be found enough humane persons to afford them
protection, should they stand in need of any : it will be the greatest
personal favor which can be conferred on myself.
Juli and Van Roye, who were acquainted with all the Hottentots
at Graaffreynet, had found one named Platje Zwartland, who was very
desirous of being of our party; and recommended him to me as a
steady useiul man. He was shepherd and herdsman to a man of the
name of Schemper, the village butcher, and had been engaged to
him for the term of one year, which had already expired some little
time before: and although the Hottentot wished to quit him, the
master was resolved still to detain him, contrary to a law which
expressly provides, that ‘ as soon as the period for which he has
been engaged, shall have expired, all further service shall cease, and
the Hottentot, together with his wife and children and all their property,
shall be allowed to depart without let or h in d ran cea wise
and necessary law, which wants no other amendment than a clause
decreeing punishment for the infraction of it.
Platje informed us, that as soon as the master knew of his intention
of going with us, he contrived to get him into a state of
intoxication, as he little suspected the cause of his being so liberal
with his brandy; and made him in that state promise to continue
his servant for another year. Of all this, the man was perfectly unconscious,
and declared that he never intended at any rate, to stop
with him longer; but that he had always, when asked the question,
persisted in his refusal. He seemed much rejoiced at being told
that he should go with us, if it could be clearly made out that his
story was true.
On the next day, I brought this Hottentot before the landdrost,
for the purpose of ascertaining whether he was legally at liberty to
enter my service. On searching the official register, nothing was
found to prove the truth of the master’s assertion, who was present
himself; and who, finding that Mare had no power to detain the man,
and hoping that the District Secretary could befriend him, referred
me to that office: but neither here, could any record or proof be
found. The Secretary was exceedingly warm with the Hottentot for
leaving the butcher, after having promised to serve him another year;
and told me that he had been credibly given to understand that he
was truly, though only verbally, hired.
Still, with the strongest evidence against him, the master made
another struggle to detain Platje, and persuaded the jailer or onder-
schout (under-sheriff) to send me a note certifying, fortunately for
his conscience, not upon oath, that to his knowledge the man, with
his wife and five children, was hired for a twelvemonth at the Secretary’s
office, on the last day of May in the preceding year, at the sum
of twenty rix dollars : wishing by this, to show that his time had not
yet expired. For, after having failed to prove that he was legally,
or actually, hired for another year, he thought it would answer his
purpose equally well, and prevent the man’s leaving the village with
me, if he could induce me to believe that the period of service
would not terminate till the end of May, at which time, he knew,
I should long have quitted the colony.
All these endeavours, only served to convince me of the truth
of the Hottentot’s story; and as he was exceedingly desirous of
making one of my party, and anxious lest he should be detained by
the butcher, whom he was resolved at all events to leave, I determined,
as much on his account as on my own, to take him with me. I therefore
requested the landdrost to sign an order to the Secretary, that he
should, if no legal objection could be found, prepare the usual agreement,
and register him as my servant. This was accordingly done.
But on the Hottentot’s demanding the arrears of his wages, of
which he had only received nine rix dollars, his master not only
denied his claim, but took from him some clothes, which, he said, the
man had not paid for. Platje, the following day, summoned him
before the landdrost; the butcher asserted that no money was due;
and the Hottentot, who was unable to bring forward any witness,
or to produce any written testimony, relinquished his demand, and
came away, well satisfied with having gained at least his freedom.
I have related the particulars of this story, with the view of
showing more forcibly than bare assertion could do, how useful and
y 2