October 'n our roa<^- Here we met with a gentleman who had been '—v— 1 at Zwellendam, and was on his return to the Cape. He informed us, that the day before he had pafled a place where they killed a large Lion, and warned us to be on our guard, as more of thofe fierce animals were ftiil lurking about the fame place: for Lions are found between this place and the Cape, which is diftant about one hundred Engliih miles. After parting with our friend, we croifed the Bott Rivier, and about eight in the evening came to the Swart Berg, or Blackhill, where there is a warm bath. The company have erected a houfe for the reception of thofe who chufe to ufe the bath ; but travellers generally refide at a farm-houfe, which is little more than a mile diftant. The hill, whence the fpring ¡flues, is compofed of a fpecies of granite, with much iron. The bath ufed by the Europeans, is in temperature an hundred and thirty- three degrees by Fahrenheit’s thermometer; but may be reduced to any degree of heat by a ftream of cold water, which runs clofe by the place : at a little diftance from this there is another for flaves and Hottentots, the heat of which is one hundred and fifteen degrees. We found feveral people here from the Cape, ufing the water of the bath, which they believe to be a fpecific in all cafes. The country about it is very pleafant; and there is excellent pafture for cattle. This diftridt abounds in game, and particularly in that fpecies of Antelope called by the Dutch, Bonta Bock*. Partridges are alfo very numerous here. From this place we diredted our courfe eaftward, leaving the river Zondereynds Berg on our left hand, palling * The Buntebok, fomewhat lefs, but more corpulent in proportion than the Hartbeeft, is Bgjljli | ! the Antilope Scripta of Pallas, and the Guib of Buffon.” Sparrman, 2d edit. vol. i. p. 130. I feveral pleafant farms, and in a day’s journey arrived a t t h e OSoter. firft Hottentot * Kraal, which confifted of fix huts built in a '— ■— < * Speaking of the Hottentots, Dr. Sparrman fays, “ With regard to their perfons, they are1 as tall as motl Europeans ; and as for their being in general more (lender, this proceeds from their being more dinted and curtailed in their food, and Iikewife from their not ufing them- felves to hard labour. But that they have fmall hands and feet, compared with, the other parts of their bodies, has been remarked by no one before, and may, perhaps, be looked upon as a cha- racleriftic mark of this nation. . The root of the nofe is for the mod part very low, by which means ihe diftance of the eyes from each other appears to be greater than in Europeans. The tip of the nofe Iikewife is pretty. flat. The iris is fcarcely ever of a light colour, but has a dark brown caft, which fometimes approaches to black. Their (kin is of a yellowilh brown hue, which fomething refembles that of an European who has the jaundice in a high degree; however, this colour is not in the lead obfervable in the whites of the.eyes. One does not find fuch thick lips among jhe Hottentots as among their neighbours the Negroes, the Caffres, and the Mozambiques. In fine, their mouths are of a middling fize, and almoft always furnilhed with a fet of the fined teeth that can be feen ; and, taken together with the reft of their features, as well as their (hape, carriage, and every motion, in ihort their tout enfemble, indicates health and content, or at lead an air of fans fouci. At the fame time, this carelefs mien difcovers marks of alacrity and refolution ; qualities which the Hottentots, in fail, can exhibit upon occafion. Their heads one would fuppofe to be covered with a black, though not very clofe, frizzled kind of wool, if the natural harihnefs of it did not (how, that it was hair, if poflible, more woolly than that of the negroes. I f in other refpeifts there (hould, by great chance, be obferved any traces of a beard, or of hair on any other parts of the body, fuch as are feen on the Europeans, it is, however, very trifling, and generally of the fame kind as that on the head.” He then refutes an erroneous opinion concerning the men being different from others, and adds, “ The women have no parts uncommon to the reft of their fex,” With refpect to their drefs, and method of painting themfelves, he remarks ; “ the latter (if painting it may be called) confifts in befmearing their bodies all over mod copioufly with fat, in which there is mixed up a little foot. This is never wiped off; on the contrary, j never faw them ufe any thing to clean their (kins, excepting that when, in greafing the wheels of their waggons, their hands were be- fmeared with tar and pitch, they ufed to get it off very eafily with cow-dung, at the fame time rubbing their arms into the bargain up to the fhoulders with this cofmetic: fo that as the dud and other filth, together with their fopty ointment and the fweat of their bodies, mud necelfarily, notwith(landing it is continually wearing off, in fome meafure adhere to the (kin, it contributes not a little to conceal the natural hue of the latter, and at the fame time to change it from a bright umber-brown to a browniih-yellow colour obfcured with filth and naftinefs, Befides the pleafure the Hottentots enjoy in befmearing their bodies from head to foot, they Iikewife purfume themfelves with powder of herbs, with which they powder both their heads and bodies, rubbing it in all over them when they befmear themfelves. The odour of it is at the. fame
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