'775- dared to approach any nearer. As the difference o f cir- cumftances -and opportunités has a great influence on the nature of things, and particularly with refpect to the fair fex, I thought it would be proper in this place to relate the whole affair juft as it happened, without drawing any general conclufion from -it. I am neverthelefs convinced, that the Hottentots .are more cold and moderate in their defires of a certain nature than many other nations ; qualities which are the natural confequence of the dull, inactive, and I had almoft faid, entirely liftlefs difpofition, which is the leading charafferiftic of their minds; qualities which likewiie are neceffarily produced by the debilitating ~ cliet they ufe, and their extreme inaffivity and floth; which carried to a certain point, increafe, but in extremes deaden and benumb both the phyücal and moral fenfa- tions. On the 31ft, we here met with a middle-aged man, a colonift, who offered to drive my waggon for fix rixdol- lars per month; but altered his mind as foon as we had told him, that he muff be content to undergo the fame inconveniencies and hazards as Mr. Immelman and I were, at all events, prepared to fubjecit ourfelves to. The next day, therefore, we took o.ur leave of this place, as much to feek as when we firft arrived there. - In our road we found a little Hottentot's craal, which, if I remember right, confifted o f five huts, run up in the manner I have de- fcribed above ; but covered with fuch miferable old mats, that the owners feemed to be much more afraid o f the trouble, trifling as that would have been, o f making new, than o f the inconveniencies attending the droppings of the 2 eaves eaves in wet weather. The inhabitants of this craal confifted o f about twenty people. They had run up a very wretched inclofure' for their fheep and cattle, which were then at grafs, and feemed to be very numerous. As I wifhed to try i f I could not hire a Hottentot or two into our fervice, the oldeft man in the craal prefented his fon to me, a youth o f nineteen or twenty years of age, faying, that he could be very well fpared in the craal, in cafe 1 could perfuade him to follow me. Upon this I crept into the young man’s hut, and found him lying under his •cloak, in the way I have defcribed above when fpeaking of his countrymen in general, with his knees drawn up to his nofe, almoft like a foetus in utero. I fpent a great deal of time to no purpofe, in reprefenting to him the great advantages he would gain by going with us ; fuch as a cow with calf, knives, brafs tinder-boxes, glafs beads, and other tempting articles; in ihort, prefents to an uncommon value, all which I offered him as a premium for half a year s lervice ; but as I confidered it equally bale to deceive a poor Hottentot as any other perfon, I did not diffemble to him, that our expedition would be of fome duration: though, on the other hand, as the Hottentot nation is not abfolutely infenfible to the pleafures o f the chace any more than to the calls o f ambition, I at the fame time reprefented to him, that an expedition of this fort would o f itfelf afford him no fmall degree o f pleafure, and on his return would give him fome confequence in the eyes o f his companions ; but all was in vain. With as little fuccefs did I endeavour to fet before him the pleafure he would have in fmoking a better fort of tobacco, a W | H quantity mm A u g u f t.
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