cent country, but found no great variety of plants, except Geraniums. The next day we again croffed the river, to inquire whether there was any poffibility of proceeding on our journey to the eaftward ; but of this the natives feemed unable to give us any information. We obferved that all thofe people had loft the firft joint of their little finger; the reafon they gave for cutting it off was, that it was a cure for a particular ficknefs to which they were fubjedt when young. The laft day we intended to remain at this part of the river, we employed in fiihing, and were vifited by our friends from the oppofite fhore. I obferved they eat, with a very good appetite, fome old ihoes which fome of our Hottentots gave them. Their own Ihoes are made of a piece of leather which merely defends the foies of their feet from thorns, and is in general fattened to their toes and ankle. As we obferved a great number of huts along the Ihore which were uninhabited, and yet found only eleven perfons dwelling in this part of the country, we conjectured that by fome accident feveral of thefe people had periihed. Thofe that remain are diftinguiihed by the name of the Shore Boihmen. By a very accurate obfervation we found the mouth of the river to be in latitude twenty-eight degrees, thirty-three minutes; the longitude differs but little from that of the Cape. Tfye morning, of the twenty-fifth, we profecuted our journey to the eaftward, keeping along the banks of the river, being informed that there were many Hippopotami, one of which we were quite n e a r; but we had left our guns in the waggon, «779- Auguft.
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