’775- The moon,' according to K o l b e , receives a kind of ado- ration from the Hottentots* -But the fact is, that they merely take the opportunity of her beams, and at the fame time of the coolnefs of the night, to amufe themfelves with dancing; and confequently, have no more thoughts of worihipping her than the chriftian colonifts, who are feen at the fame time ftrolling in great numbers about the ftreets, and parading on the ftone ffeps with which their lioufes are itfually encircled. That the artful conjurers themfelves are moft of them without either fuperftition or religion of any kind, is highly probable. There are feemingly here likewife many other free-thinkers, among whom I cannot help reckoning a Hottentot from Buffeljagts-rivier, whom I fome time after this period took into my fervice as my ox-leader. He informed me, that a wizard came to his craal ieveral different evenings, and- letting himielf down in one o f their huts» told them, by way of divination, that the wolf was doing them a great deal of miichief in their; ilicep-i'olds (at the fame time mentioning the particulars,) and would do them ftill more, if they did not- haften to the relief o f their flocks. The people of the craal accordingly fallied forth, and found it was as the foothfayer had told them; in confequenpq of which, they conceived the higheft degree of refpedt for , him, and rewarded him handfomely into the bargain., Some time after, however, they difco- vered, that their lofs was not occalioned by the wolves, but by fome neighbouring Hottentots, whom they, not without reafon, fuppofed to have been in the plot with the foothfayer. What other general remarks I have to make on on the fubject o f the Hottentots and Bo/hies-men, I ihall defer at prefent, and return to the regular courfe of my journal. On the 30th of Augufl at 'Tiger-hoek, where I before' obierved we were juft arrived, I was informed, that the dodtrines of chriftianty had been formerly preached there to the Hottentots, and received by them with great avidity and zeal. It was ftill, as I was told, within the memory of feveral of the inhabitants, that one o f the converts, an- old female Hottentot, was living, and ufed to perform her devotions every morning on her bare knees, by the fide of a ipring fituated near this fpot. It was faid, fire had- a German Bible, which fire often read- and treated with the greatefi veneration; and that her behaviour throughout life was decent and quiet. My informers added, that the miflionary who had converted her, had been baniihed1 out of the country, for having illegally made himfelf a chief among the Hottentots in thefe parts, in order to enrich himfelf by their labour, and the prefents they made him o f cattle. It was fuppoied, that he was fo far guilty of what was alledged againft him, inafmuch as it both Was then and' is now prohibited, under divers penalties,- for any one to buy, or otherwife acquire the poffeflion of any cattle belonging to' the Hottentots* That this mif— fionary’s name was G e o r g e S m i d , and that he was a Moravian or Herrnhuter, I found-on my return home in the Budingifche Samlung einiger in die Kirchen-HiJlorie, &c. (printed at Leipfic, 1742.) wherein, art. 7. from page 78 to 12,6, there is fome account of this affair, under the title >775- Auguit.
27f 72-1
To see the actual publication please follow the link above