long as any figns of Kfe remained in the criminal, fentenced him
to be torn limb from limb, and the feveral parts to be hung upon
pofts ereded for the purpofe in the moft public parts of the
high road. Many of fuch pofts ftill remain, rather as deplorable
memorials of what vindictive malice could invent, than as examples
for preventing fimilar crimes.
I f in any inftance they relax from cruelty to the brute creation,
it is in the mode of flaughtering cattle, which they learned
from the Hottentots, and which I understand has lately been
put in praffice in England under the name of laying. This is
done by thruftinga pointed inftrument into the commencement
of the fpinal;marrow juft behind the horns. The animal drops
without a groan, and dies almoft without a ftruggle ; after this
the throat is cut to let out the blood, and it is pretended that the
effe<ft on the fteih is, like that of crimping fiih, to make itelofe
and firm.'
The firft river we had oecafion to crofs, beyond the mountains,
is called by the Dutch’the Ealmiet, the name of a ftrong
boggy plant that grows- abundantly in this and fome other
rivers of the colony. The name arifes from its refemblance to
fome of the palm tribe, but, if I miftake not, it is a fpecies of
Aiorttst For-eight months in the year it-fearcely contains a^
drop of watery but is meftLy impaffable the other four; which
is alio the cafe with the Bott river about ten miles beyond
the Palmiet; Both of thefe periodical ftreams are unfafe in the
winter feafoir, and fatal accidents have- happened to perfons at-
tempting-to crefe-them-whetr full. Among thefe. may be men-
i tioned
tioned that of Mr. Patrick, affiftant-furgeon to the 8th Light
Dragoons, whofe horfe being unable to ftem the ftream, was
carried down the river, and the rider periihed.
The country affords tolerable good pafturage, and will yield
one moderate crop of grain in the feafon without manure. It
is thinly inhahited, confifting principally of grazing farms which
belong to perfons who hold eftates upon the Gape fide of the
mountains. The firft houfe that occurred in our route was
near ten miles beyond the kloof^ which, by lofing our way in
the dark acrofs the wide heath, we did not reach before midnight.
The 9th of March was the hotteft and moil oppreffive day I
ever experienced in Southern Africa. I had no thermometer
with me, but I afterwards learnt that, during the, whole day
nearly, the temperature in Cape Town was 104° of Fahren-
beitsls Scale. In the whole of this day’s march, of about twenty
miles,, we were not able to procure a. drop of water for the
horfes, except once juft after ftarting, nor even, any fhade from
the fcorching rays of the fun for trees of any defcription in
this part of the country are as rare as Doftor Johnfon found
them to be, of as great an age as himfelf,. in Scotland. The
horfe on which I-was mounted was fo much overcome by the
heat, that it literally-dropped down undcr me, and was unable
to carry, me any farther.
Wearied and exhaufted we reached, at length,, the hovel of
a ihoemaker,,neax which we found a, few puddles: of muddy
G 2 water,