■ November. rallY become a prey to fome wild beaft. However, they tifually fluff a large bundle of bruih-wood, or buihes, into the aperture of this hole or paflage. I was very affiduous in my enquiries, in how far it was true, that the Hottentots fecluded from fociety fuch as were old and helplefs. The only perfon that could give me any inftance o f this cuftom being pradtifed, was my hoft. In his younger days, being out a hunting in Krakekamma, in company with one V a n d e r W a t , with whom I was likewife acquainted, they obferved in the exteniive defert plains of that diftridt, a little narrow flip enclofed with buihes and brambles. Their curioiity being excited, they rode up to it, and found within it an old blind female Hottentot, who, at firil, as foon as ihe heard the Chriftians coming, endeavoured to crawl away and hide herfelf; but afterwards made her appearance, though with a very four afpedt: ihe confefled, however, that ihe had been left to her fate by the inhabitants of her clan. But neither did ihe defire nor receive any afliftance from thefe Chriftians, nor, indeed, had they made any enquiries whether this was done with or againft her confent. Calling afterwards at the craal ihe belonged to, all the information they got there was, that the old woman had actually been left there in that manner by them. With refpedt to any conveniencies ihe might have about her, they could perceive nothing, but a trough which contained a little water. Another cuftom, no lefs horrid, which has hitherto been remarked by no one, but which I had fully confirmed to •me, is, that the Hottentots are accuftomed to inter, in cafe of 6 the the mother’s death, children at the breaft alive. That Na'v7/J^„ very year, and on the very fpot, where I then dwelt, juft before my arrival, there had been the following inftance o f i t : A Hottentot woman at this farm had died o f the epidemic fever. The other Hottentots, who did not imagine that they ihould be able, neither did they chufe to rear the female infant ihe had left behind her, had already wrapt it in a iheep-ikin alive, in order to bury it, together with its deceafed mother; when they were prevented from accom- pliihing their purpofe, by fome o f the farmers in the neighbourhood. The child, however, died foon after of con- vulfions. My hoftefs, who at this time was rather in years, informed me, that about fixteen or feventeen years before, ihe had lighted upon a Hottentot infant in the diftridt o i Zwellendam, which was bundled up in firins in the manner above-mentioned, : and tied fail to a buih, near where the child’s mother had been newly buried. The infant had fo much life deft, as to be in a condition to be. recovered. It was afterwards brought up by Mrs. Kok’s parents, but died at the age o f eight or nine years. -From feveral.inftances of this kind related to me by others it follows, that children are. never interred, alive, or ex- pofed, .but when their neareft relatives, who are their natural guardians, are dead: fo that I think we may conclude from this, that even fuperannuated people are never expofed, but in cafe of their having no children nor ■ near relations to take care of them: and as thefe cafes may occur but feldom, it is not to be wondered ¡at if this practice ihould come ,to be lefs in vogue, -and i f -confequently we
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