wsj that happens; among which they reckon, without exccp- tion, all rain, cold and thunder. Many of the colonifts have likewife allured me, that their Bojhies-men of either lex, ufed in ftormy weather to abufe the thunder with the words, fguzeri and fgaunazi, and other reproachful ex- preflions; and at the fame time, in a furious manner, with their ihoes or any thing elfe that was at hand, threaten and bid defiance to the flaihes of lightning and peals of thunder that flaihed and rolled over their heads. It would be in vain to try to make them fenfible, that the vegetable creation, whence they,' as well as the brute animals, were nouriihed, would without rain wither and be entirely dried u p : even the Hottentot I afterwards took into my fervice at Zwellendam, perfifted, in fpite of all my objections, obftinately in the opinion, that notwithftanding this confideration, rain was always an evil, and that it would be a happy circumftance were it never to rain. A maxim of this kind from a race o f men, in other refpects really endued with fome degree of fenfe, and frequently with no fmall lhare of penetration and cunning, ought, me- thinks, to be confidered as an indelible religious or fuper- ftitious notion entertained by them from their infancy, rather than as an idea taken up on due deliberation and confe- quent convidtion. At the fame time, though they did not appear to be of a very chilly nature, they never ihewed the leaft figns o f being dilpleafed with the hotteft days of fummer. The more fimple o f every race of Hottentot?, or the common run of them, from which number very few de- ierve to be excepted, have fo firm a confidence in fuch cheats cheats of either lex, As fet up for magicians and conjurers, >775- that they even lometimes folicit thefe people to put a flop to the thunder and rain. With a view o f obtaining confideration, befides being well paid, thefe pretended wizards, are ready to undertake every thing: but if, for inftance, it fliould happen to continue to thunder or rain longer than they expedted, and confequently have promifed, they plead in their excufe, that another conjurer, who either has. more ikill, or is better paid than themfelves, throws obftacles in their way by a kind of counter-magic. Many o f thefe fimple creatures believe, that almoft all diforders are brought on by means o f magic, and are only to be cured by the fame means. The wizards, on their parts, are not backward in cheriihing this idea; but take care, notwithftand- ing, in fuch cafes to apply both external and internal remedies. Among the external may be reckoned, their fome- . times ordering their patient to lay on his face, when they fet themfelves on his back, and pinch and cuff him about, and beat him all over, till at length they ihew him a bone, larger or fmaller juft as it happens, which they affert had been conjured into him ; but which they, by their great ikill and dexterity, have extradied, either from his nofe, ears, or fome other part o f his body. It frequently happens, that the patient is relieved by an operation o f this k in d ; and i f he is not, he undergoes feveral o f them. And then i f he dies, his friends only lament, that he was bewitched beyond the power of any one to aflift him. In all likelihood, the conjurer on thefe occafions, by a dexterous Height o f hand, deceives both the credulous patient and thofe about him, A boor informed me, that when he was Vo l . I. E e a child,
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