n '775ber lately caug^lt:> took eleven grains of gummigutta, but did not feern to feel the leaft effedl from it; upon which I gave him, as well as to an old Hottentot newly captured, forty and above years of age, (both of them lean and (lender) feveral teacups full of the aqua benedidia, which was now very thick and full of fediment, taking care at the fame time to ihake up all the crocus o f antimony from the bottom of the bottle. At firft I trembled myfelf for the confequences which might enfue from fuch large dofes, but found that they had very little efFedt, till I let the patient fwallow, all at once, a foot at leaft in fubftance of tobacco cut in pieces, and drink feveral large bafons full of a ftrong infuiion o f tobacco, and at the fame time fwallow down the tobacco of which the infuiion was made. Nay, I was obliged into the bargain, to empty Mr. I m m e l m a n ’ s fnuff-box into the throat o f the younger of them, in order to encourage the vomiting : the operation was for all that very moderate in this cafe ; otherwife, the more bile the patients vomited, the fooner they got well, viz. in the fpace o f about two or three days. A fat bouncing Hottentot woman, who had been feveral years with the Chriftians, either feigned or fancied herfelf lick. I have great reafon to believe, that ihe pretended to be fo, in order to have the pleafure of fwallowing the pieces o f tobacco, and the tobacco decodtion, which I fo liberally diftributed on this occafion. Here it muft be obferved, that I placed the lick in the lhade near the front door, and ad- miniftered the medicines myfelf, in order to be able to judge the better o f their operation ; but muft confefs, that I was amazed to find thefe people’s ftomachs require fuch large dofes of fo bitter and ftrong a poifon, as is tobacco. Though, Though, in fadt, it is to the full as aftoniihing, to fee the N/7'^ - colonifts, particularly fuch o f them as have been bred in India, eat greedily o f fo pungent and fiery a fubftance as raw capficum, juft as if it was a piece of bread or a fweet-meat. As a prefervative for the health, I made every body in the family take afpoonful of vinegar,.with freih rue, failing; after which, nobody was attacked with the diforder. On the 29th, the Hottentots in the neighbourhood alk- ed the permiffion of their mailers to have a ball and dance, in compliment to my* Hottentots, who had rendered them the eflential fervice of aififting them in getting in their corn, and were now ihortly going away. Their requeft was granted, and as foon as the moon began to iliine, the ball was opened al frefco. About twenty- perfons o f both fexes joined in this dance, which was kept up till paft midnight with the greateft fpirit; and, indeed, I may fay, without the leaft intermifiion. The ball, however, did not finifh with th is ; but they went afterwards under cover, and, fitting all round in a ring, kept fwinging the upper part of their bodies backwards and forwards with a flow and even motion, finging all the while in a dull monotonous manner. A dreifed ikin was ftretched over a kettle, on which they drummed with their fingers, in unifon with the voice. The Hottentot woman, who had made or fancied herfelf,fick, in order to get fame o f the tobacco decodtion, feemed to be the principal perfon that had the direction o f the dancing, as well as the mufic, vocal and inftrumental. Should the reader wiih for a more particular defcription of this dance, I can fay little elfe concerning it, than that Z z 2 it
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