- >775- lendam, endeavoured to affail the chaftit-y of a Hottentot girl, about fixteen or feventeen years of age, but in every other refpect quite a woman ; it is faid, however, that fhe refufed his prefents and offers, principally for this reafon, that the old people in her craal had not yet invefted her with the privilege o f wearing rings. Whether this fame law prevails in every craal, I cannot pretend to fay ; but it does not feem extremely probable to me, that the girls in every craal are io obedient to the laws. The Hottentots feldom wear any ihoes. Thofe that are in ufe with the Hottentots hereabouts» as well as a great many more of their countrymen, are o f the form repre- fented in Plate VII. fig. 4. The fame are worn likewife by moft of the-African peafants, and, as I have fince heard, by the EJlbonians and Livonians, and alfo by fome Finlanders; fo that I cannot fay for certain, whether they are the invention o f the Hottentots, or brought to them by the Dutch. The leather of which thefe ihoes are made is undreffed, with the hairy fide outwards; and undergoes no other preparation, than that of being beat and moiftened. If it .be of a thick or ftout fort, as for example, of buffaloe’s hide, it is befides kept fome hours in cow-dung, by which means it is rendered very foft and pliable. Afterwards fome kind o f greafe is made ufe of for the fame purpofe. The ihoes are then made of this leather in the following manner: they take a piece of leather of a re&angular form, fome- thing longer and .-broader than the foot of the perfon for whom the ihoes are intended. The two foremoft corners are doubled up together, and fewed down, fo as to cover the forepart of the foot. This feam may be avoided, and the ihoes may be made much neater at the toes, by fitting immediately over them a cap taken from the membrane in the knee joint o f the hind leg of fome animal. Now in order to make this piece of ikin or leather rife up to the height o f an inch on both fides o f the foot, and clofe it in neatly, it is pierced with holes at fmall diftances all round the edge, as far as the hind quarters, and through thefe holes is paffed a thong, by which the rim is drawn up into gathers-; farther, in order to make ftrong hind-quarters, the back part o f the piece o f leather is doubled inwards, and then raifed up and preffed along the heel. The ends o f the thong, or gathering-ftring, are then threaded on both fides through the upper edge o f the hind-quarters to the height of about two inches; they are then carried forwards, in order to be drawn through two o f the above-mentioned holes on the infide o f each' rim. They are then tied over the inftep, or, i f it be thought neceffary to tie the fhoe ftill fafter, they are carried croflways over the inftep, and io downwards under the thong, which comes, out from the hind-quarters, then upwards again over the ankle, and even round the leg itfelf, i f the wearer chufes. Shoes o f this kind are certainly not without their advantages. They fit; as neat upon the foot as a . flocking, and at the fame time preferve their form. They are eafily kept foft and pliable, by conftantly wearing them. Should they at any time grow rather hard above..the edge, this- is eafily remedied by beating them,and greafing them a little. They are extremely light and cool, by reafon that , they do not cover fo muqh. o f the foot as a common iho.e does. They wear very well, as they are without any /feam, and V o l . I. C c j- the >775- . Auguft.
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