>775- and about fix long, with a peep-hole at one end of it, and September. ^ window at the other; not to fpeak of feveral other apertures, which occafioned a draught of air that delivered my friend and me from all apprehenlions of danger from the contagion of the putrid fever, but at the fame time prevented us from keeping a candle alight for any length of time. The rain, which had wetted us to the Ikin when out of doors, now followed us into the houfe, dropping from the eaves; a fign that the roof could not boaft o f any great fuperiority aver the Walls. Our bed was on the damp loam-floor; a piece of fail-cloth, the relicks of an old waggon-tilt, ferved us and our landlord himfelf both for bed and bed-clothes; as for pillows, there were none but what we brought with, us, which con- fifted merely of our dripping-wet faddles.. We ihall now drop the fubjeCtof the amorous intercourfe of the white people with the blacks, in order to give, in a few words, a general idea of the houfes in Houtniquas, that pofterity may from hence be able to judge o f the future increafe of the colony. There was only one wooden houfe on the borders of this foreft, and this was long and fpacious, with but one room in it, and built with logs cleft down the middle^ Another was like that juft defcribed, compofed of ftraw and clay, but not quite fo tranfpareht; this belonged to a young beginner. A third that we faw was likewife of clay, but well-built, roomy, and neatly furniihed; being the property of a clever, induftrious, well-behaved man, Dirk Y ves by name,, who had likewife built himielf a mill, 289 mill, and feveral other conveniencies. The reft were all Sep't^5b'er. o f clay or mud, and were partitioned out into two rooms, in the fame, manner as I have in general defcribed the co- lonifts houfes at the beginning o f this journal. It was faid to be at that time, not above twenty years fince Houtniquas was firft known, and twelve years lince it- began to be inhabited by the colonifts, who did not repair thither in any eonfiderable numbers till of late years. I mentioned, that the confufion and difturbance occa-' fioned by the introduction of the hogihead o f brandy, had reached even to my Hottentots; and that on this account I was obliged, much againft my will in other refpeCts, to make hafte with them from thefe parts. My companion had been imprudent enough, at their earneft requeft, to indulge them with a fup or two o f this precious liquor; the confequence o f which was, that they, became furious, and broke out into the moft abuiive language, becaufe they could not have any more of it. At length, we were forced to try what blows would operate upon them; which had this effeCt, that the next night, by way o f revenge, they took to their heels and ran away, We, on our parts, rode to one o f the two Hottentot craals that were at the hither end o f Houtniquas, in order to fearch for them. In the firft they were not to be found, neither did the people chufe to give us any explicit information concerning them; but when we came to the other, and began to climb over the fence, or the place where they kept their cattk, they let all their dogs out at once upon us, We direCtly put ourfelves in a pofture of defence, as i f we were going V o l . I. P p to
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