1775. quantity o f Which 1 had taken with ’me, and intended to beftow it very plentifully on any one thátíhould accompany me in my journey. I likeWife put him in mind, that he would not find fo coftly an article as tobacco, nor even victuals abound greatly, i f he ftaid at home. Notwithftanding all this, A found Aim ábíolüfely immoveable in foul as well as in body; clcepting, indeed, that with regard to the latter, he now and then threw out a whiff of tobacco from the left fide o f his Chops; and that two or three times, on my repeatedly requéfting him to let me know his mind on the fubjeCt, he at léógth, though not without fome difficulty, prevailed on himfelf to open his mouth, and anfwer me with a ihort hut decifive, No ! The extreme indolence of the lad, his very cavalier reception of me, the clouds of fmoke that filled his cabin and made my eyes finart moil horribly, together with the fwarms Of fleas I obferved in it, excited in me juft at that timé the greateft indignation, as well as the utmoft contempt for the Hottentot nation: though, when I afterwards came to confider the matter more impartially, a& the lad', from- his' habits as well as nature, Could very eafily make ihift with a moderate quantity of food, :ahd with this could and actually did enjoy what to him was a real fubftantial pleafure, viz. his eafe and tobacco, 1 could-not Well fuppofe that my Offer would have'any weight With him. •At laft, however, I made him another propofal o f a different nature, which was, that he, for a very moderate premium, íhdúld, for a few days only, help us to lead our oxen to Zwelléndam, whfere11 was in hopes of getting fomébody in his room. To this hé ;ánfwered as quick as thought, thought, Ja, Baast (Tes, Majlet;,) got up in an inilant, r77sand had nothing more to: do than to hang his tobacco- > ^ 5 pouch on his arm, in order to be quite ready for his journey. After this, he went ftraight to my waggon, and with all the. eafe and alacrity imaginable, did every thing that was requifite to it ; fo. that he no longer appeared to be the fame lazy fellow, with whom I had juft before heen bargaining. The principal reafon o f this difpofition that prevails With moft Hottentots is, perhaps, that their wants are extremely few; and confequently, being without care or employment o f any hind, they are inactive and idle. From this caufe again, a famine or general want o f the necef- faries o f fife arifing, will naturally ftimulate their ufually half-ftarved bodies into activity and vigorous motion, at leaft, till their more prefling wants are relieved. On the other hand, fueh children o f Hottentots, or Boihies-men, as from their tender years have been in the fervice of the colonifts, and have been ufed to work, do not yield the palm o f briik- nefs and agility to any other nation whatever. It appears to me, therefore, that one cannot accufe any natural difpofition o f theirs, as being a hindrance to their riling from their prefent very barbarous and unpoliihed ftate to a much higher degree o f civilization. Though the father o f the Hottentot I had juft hired did not take the leaft part in his fon’s refolve, yet' at their parting he ihowed, that he poifeffed the affections o f a father. In faCi, they feemed to take a tender farewel o f each other; on which occafion, the old man repeatedly importuned us ip the moft friendly manner to ufe his fon kindly. F f 2 There
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