make of them. Some wore large three cornered hats, with
green or blue breeches, the reft of the body naked; fomehad
jackets' of cloth over their fheep-fkiri covering, and others had
fheep-fkins thrown over linen ihirts. The women were laden
with bundles, and the men were all armed with mufquets. We
"iooir difcOvered, which Indeed they readily confefled, that they
Tad been plundering the boors. A Hottentot, among the many
good qualities he phfleftes', hars one which he is mafter of in an
eminent degree,— I mean a rigid adherence to truth. When
aecuted of a crime,' of which he has been guilty, with native
limpucityhe always ftafes the fait as it happened ; but, at the
Tame time, he has always a juftification at hand for what he has
done. From Tying "and ftealing,'the predominant and infepara*-
ble vices of the condition of flavery, the Hottentot may be
confidered as exempt. In the whole courfe of my travels, and
in the midft of the numerous attendants of this nation, with
which I was conftantly furrounded, I can with fafety declare
that I never was robbed nor deceived by any of them.
On making inquiry into the particulars of the unpleafant
tranfaftion that had taken place, one of the Hottentots, called
Klaas Stuurman, or Nicholas ,the Helmjman, whom they had
felefted for their chief, ftepped forwards, and, after humbly
entreating us to hear him out without interruption, began a
long oration, which contained a hiftory of their ? calamities and
fufferings under the yoke of the boors; their injuftice, in firffi
depriving them of their country, and then forcing their offspring
into a ftate of flavery; their cruel treatment on every flight oc-
cafion, which it became itnpoflible for them to bear any longer ;
and
and the refolution they had therefore taken to apply for redrefs
before the Englifh troops fhould leave the country. That their
employers, fufpefting their intention, had endeavoured to prevent
fuch application by confining fame to the houfe, threatening
to ihoot others if they attempted to efcape, or to puniih
their wives and children in their abfence. And, in proof of
what he advanced, he called out a young Hottentot, whofe
thigh had been pierced through with a large mufquet ball but
two days before, fired at him by his mafter for having attempted
to leave his fervice. “ This aft,” continued he, “ among many
“ others equally cruel, refolved us at once to colleft a fufficient
“ force to deprive the boors of their arms, in which we have
“ fucceeded at every houfe which has fallen in our way. We
“ have taken their fuperfluous clothing in lieu of the wages
f due for our fervices, but we have ftripped none, nor injured
“ the perfons of any, though,” added he, ihaking his head,
M we have yet a great deal of our blood to avenge.”
Such a rencontre at this time was extremely emharrafEng,.
and the more fo as it appeared theie were a very fmall part of
their countrymen that were then aftually arming themfelves-
againft the boors, and plundering their houfes. They informed
us, moreover, that fome of their countrymen, not willing to
throw themfelve« on the protection of ftrangers, had fled among
the Kaffers ; but that the greateft part were on the road to Algoa
Bay, to lay their unhappy fituation before the Englifh general.
The conneftion that had long fubfifted between the boors and
the Hottentots, a conneftion that was kept up by violence and
oppreflion