kind of fat* which by fome people is eaten with bread in- ftead of butter, and is ufed for dreffing viffuals with, and fometimes even for making candles; Here, as being produced in the Car row and in a warm diftriff, the wihe is faid to be good; but I can form no judgment o f it myfelf, as the farmer had already fold or confumed all he had made. On the other hand, in Lange Kloof, as being a four diftriff, not a drop of wine can be made. ‘ ; J Some Hottentot wives had got their huts built near this farm; and a Hottentot lad, who was, in fail, in the fer- vice of the farmer, had at that time lain for feveral days in their quarters, affliffed with a bad diforder, which feenv- ed to have a great affinity with the putrid fever epidemic here, and cdnfequently would not bear bleeding. I was forced, however, to undertake this operation, in order to refcue the lad from the clutches o f his matter, who had an unlimited confidence in venefeffion, and had already whetted his knife on purpofe to perform it. The patient, who either could not or elfe would not give any account of the ftate in which he found himfelf, had, previous to the operation, a fmall pulfe; and during it was taken with a univerfal tremor, upon which, after his arm was- bound up again, fupervened convulfive twitchings. So that, in faff, we left our patient in a much weaker condition than we found him in, though I had been very fparing in taking blood from him. My hoft, neverthelefs, was very well fatisfied, and would not be perfuaded but that the tremor was going off ; at the fame time he bade his wife give me for my trouble the beft of every thing they had in the houfe, houfe. In the ipace o f about half an hour, however, they came and told us, that the poor lad was at the point of death. I cannot deny, but that I reproached myfelf internally* with having been in a manner the inftrument o f his death; I did not however omit, in order as it were to difljurthen my confidence, to reproach my hoft bitterly, as having been the principal caufe of fending the foul of a Hottentot into eternity. But the good man feemedio much troubled, and took it fo to heart, that I was affually going to comfort him, when he at laft broke filence with a deep iigh, and anfwered me with fome warmth, faying, The devil a bit did he care for the Hottentot or his foul either^ fo that he could but get another ox-leader in his ftead* as he miift foon drive to the Cape to difpofe o f his butter. In the mean time we went to fee the ceremonies prac- tifed with the corpfe. In faff, they confift in th is ; the Hottentots ihake, jolt, pummel and cuff their dying, countrymen, as well as fuch as are juft dead; at the fame time fhrieking and hollowing in their ears, and calling a world o f reproaches on them for dying. Neither do they forget befides to endeavour, by fair words. and promifes, to perfuade them not to leave this world; as i f it depended on a man in the agonies o f death, to die or not, juft as he pleafed. I now faw this ceremony performed to a hair on the youth I had let blood, by two Hottentot old women. Indeed, I was afraid, that by their perieverance in this pious work, they would quite fuffocate the fmall fpark o f life which, at leaft juft after our arrival, was perceived in him; but, on the contrary, the patient came a litde to himfelf, io that it appeared, as i f by their ihaking and jolting, they had 1775- O&ober; V
27f 72-1
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