water, ftagnating in the clayey bed of a rivulet, but it was fo
much impregnated with earth and falts that the hórfes, thirfty
as they were, would fcarcely touch it. At this place we contrived
to pafs the night, but we experienced a moft uncomfortable
lodging. Unluckily for us it happened to be Sunday,
and, the ihoemaker being known to all his neighbours, living
within the circuit of twenty miles,' and particularly to his
nearefl neighbours of three or four miles, to be a jolly good fellow,
who always kept a glafs of wine, and a ftrong Jopie to
regale his friends, the houfe was crowded with people. There
were but two apartments, one of which was filled with the
company ; the other we occupied. This, it feemed, was made
to anfwer the four-fold purpofe of bed-chamber, work-lhop,
cellar, and ftorehoufe. The heat of the weather, the clofenefs
of the room, which had only one fmall aperture to admit the
light, added to the mingled odours arifing from ftiriking leather,
bunches of onions, butchers’ meat fwarming with flies,'
fumes of tobacco, dregs of wine and gin and Cape brandy,*
Handing in pools on the clayed floor ; in a word, fuch “ a con-
“ gregation of foul and peftilential vapours,” were fufficient
to naufeate ftomachs much lefs fqueamiih than ours. Nor was
the fenfe of feeling lefs annoyed by an innumerable quantity
of bugs, fleas, and mufquitoes. Perhaps, indeed, it might be
confidered as àn advantage in having two or three fenfes tormented
at once ; as thè pain afFe&ing one might, in a certain
degree, be deadened by the acutenefs of feeling in another.5
How often, in the courfe of this night, did I blefs my good fortune,
in having ufed my waggon for my lodging houfe in all
my former long journies through this miferable country ; inhabited
bited by a ftill more miferable race of mortals ! How many
fleeplefs nights, and naufeous fcenes, have I not avoided by
adopting fuch a plan !
To add to our prefent uncomfortable fituation, the guefts
were perpetually interrupting us in their application to the wine
caik, or the brandy bottle. Our patience, at length, being quite
exhaufted, we refolved to barricade the door. This, however,
failed of fuccefs. The votaries of Bacchus were not fo eafily to
be difappointed of their weekly libations. After feveral fruit-
lefs attempts to force the door, they thought of trying the window
; but this fmall pigeon-hole, being much too narrow in
its dimenfions to admit the‘huge carcafe of an African boor,
obliged them to have recourfe to the expedient of fending in a
thin Hottentot girl ; but, on account of the peculiar ihape o f
the women of this nation, the lower part of the body refufed
to follow where the head had paffed, and ihe ilück fait in the
Window. This produced a prodigious burft of boifterous mirth;
the girl, however, after a great deal of fqueezing and puihing,
effected the purpofe, and procured for the tumultuous boors a
fupply of their favourite liquors. To prevent a return we
barred in the window, and having thus completely made Cur-
felves matters of the cellar, the boors, after feveral vollies of
imprecations, accompanied with thundering affaults, fometimes
at the door, and then at the window, thought fit about midnight
to leave the houfe, in fearch of another jovial neighbour
at the diftance, perhaps, of eight or ten miles. This feene
would have afforded an excellent fubjedt for the peneil o f
Oftade,