Kukoi river is called Avanture. From the mountains thereabouts we faw the lea, without being able to get the leaft glimpfe o f the forefts o f Hdutnir/uas, on account o f other mountains lituated between. Neither had any one tried to go down from hence into Houtniquas. We ftaid in Lange Kloof "till the 31ft, or laft day o f this month inclufively. At Apiei-rivier I faw an old Bojhies-man with his wife, who, I was informed by farmer P . Ferejra, had, a few months before, reigned over above a hundred Bofhies- men ; but they were now tranflated by the farmer from that princely, or rather patriarchal dignity, to that o f being fliepherds to a few hundreds of iheep. With regard to other matters, he gave them the higheft commendations, as being quite different from the Hottentots in general, alert and ex aft in their bufinefs, and likewife as being well contented with their lot, and fuiting their inclinations to their fortunes. It is poflible, indeed, that this ancient couple, in confequence of their good fenfe and experience, might aftually find a greater andmore fubftantial blifs in being placed at the head of a flock of iheep, than when they were on their throne furrounded by their fubjefts. I will even admit the farmer’s aflertion, that his iheep throve better under the care o f thefe illuftrious and confequently more enlightened perfonages; yet ftill it is a deed that cries to heaven for vengeance, to bereave a whole community o f its head and governor, for the fake o f fome advantage and utility accruing thereby to a flock of iheep, the property of a vile peafant!— ;We faw, moreover, as we rode along, (especially in Lange Kloof) numbers of fugitive Hot- ' tentots. tentots of both fexes, who were now no longer purfued, partly on account o f their age and infirmities, and partly becaufe it was not worth any colonift’s while to lay hold on them, as they would be liable to be demanded back by their former mailers. One o f thefe that I pafled on the road, a very old man, died (as I was told) the day after qf weaknefs and fatigue. - Moil o f thefe fugitives carried a thick: ftput ftaff, generally headed with a heavy gritftone o f two pounds weight or more, rounded off, and with a hole bored through the middle of it, in order to increafe the force o f the flick for the purpoie o f digging up roots and b.ulbs out o f the ground ; and at the fame time for piercing the hard clay hillocks, which are formed to the height o f three or four feet, by a kind of ants, (termes) a ipecies o f infect o f which the Boihies-men’s food in a great, meafure confifts. It gave me no fmall pain, to fee the poor old fugitives frequently wafting the remains o f their ftrength on thefe hardened hillocks in vain, fome other animal, that feeds on ants, having worked its way into them, and confumed all their provifion before hand. I was at a place in Lange Kloof where feveral Hottentot fugitives came to beg tobacco o f our hefts.' They acknowledged, that they had come over the mountains from Hout- mquas, where they had, indeed, had a very good mafter ; but faid, that they chofe to go home to their own country: and, : indeed, fince the death o f one o f their companions, were more particularly obliged to remove from thence. At Krakkeel-rivier the ground was very ftony, and there were a great many heaps of pebble-ftones, three or four feet in height, that.had lain there time out o f mind; fo that no conjedtures R r 2 could '77 S- Odtober. w o
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