,2S6 1 776. January. W O A V O Y A G E t o THE however that be, fome of them fixed their eyes upon him and laughed. Whenever the interpreter of the Caffres offered, which he •did feveral times, to enter into a private converfation with my Hottentot, I conftantly took care to prevent it. In fine, the account they gave of themfelves was, “ that they were Caffres from Konaps-rivier, and were come hither merely with a view o f meeting with us, and to fee whether we had brought with us a great deal o f iron and copper to exchange for their cattle ; for they knew from report, that we were come from a great difiance, and had long refided in thefe plains.” In the mean while, this propofition o f theirs with refpeft to the traffic and cattle, appeared to me extremely fufpicious, inafmuch as I could not at that time perceive that they had brought any live flock along with them; and thofe which their herdfmen and boys brought to this place afterwards, coniifted merely in a few milch cows and young fleers, upon which they fet an amazing high price, and in all probability, intended them for their own fupport during their march. In order to prevent their fitting down without being previouily afked, I told them without delay by means of the interpreters, that they had my leave to fit down, whilft I gave my anfwer on the fubjedt of their propofed commerce. Accordingly they fat themfelves down in the fame order as they came, viz. the three Chiefs in front of the reft. I afked, neverthelefs, how many of them were captains or commanders; and the.three foremoft being mentioned tioned by name as fuch, I gave each of them a good piece o f tobacco; telling them, at the fame time, that this was the way the company’s fons chofe to receive their friends the Caffre captains; but that we had already exchanged our iron and copper in thefe very plains with fome other Caffre friends; that, however, I imagined that they had not taken their journey in vain, in cafe they called at Agter ' Bruntjes-boogte, where they would get enough o f thefe commodities from the farmers fettled there. When they faw that, in order to get tobacco, nothing more was neceffary than to be a captain, they prefented to me feveral others of the party, as being likewife fKu-t'kois, or captains, and afked for tobacco for them; but the fcheme not fucceeding, they themfelves laughed heartily at the captains of their own creation. Neither did they fhew the leaft inclination to' diftribute to thefe pretended chiefs, any part of the prefents that had been made them. However, in order to keep the real chiefs in good humour, I likewife gave them afterwards a handful of dry hemp, which they accepted as a valuable prefent; and mixing it with fome tobacco, fmoked it with a high relifh, while we were talking together. The pipes out of which they fmoked, were circulated merely among the chiefs, had items above four feet long, from 3-4ths of which the pith had been taken out, but by what means I am entirely ignorant. Where this hollow part of the pipe feemed to terminate, a bowl three inches long but very narrow, appeared to be fixed at the bottom o f the item, being kept firm and fteady with a band or collar, in the fame way as the flays of a mail are in a fhip. From the fmall bore and fize of this bowl, one V o l . II. L I may 1776. January, tills ¡¡K|l IH
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