*776- F eb ru a ry . V u J by their own natural love of jultice and mildnefs of difpo- lition, together with feveral common Hottentot ufages and cuftoms. My Hottentots from Zwellendam feemed to hold in high eftimation the virtue, freedom, and happy ftate of thefe people; fo much, indeed, that they were refdlved to partake o f the bleilings enjoyed by this happy race, for the remainder of their lives, as foon as they ihould have finiihed the journey with us at the Cape. For this purpofe, they folicited me to buy at this place for each of them a heifer with calf, which, according tp our agreement, they had a right to demand for their reward. ; As Hottentots, this way of thinking and turn of mind, did not by any means difcredit them. I, therefore, advanced for them glafs beads, brafs tinder-boxes, knives, and fteels for flints, to the value o f nine or ten rix-dollars ; in confideration of which, two of the beft heifers in their judgment among ,the whole herd o f cattle belonging to the craal, were looked out for them. ; The moft confiderable part o f this herd belonged to a widow, who was reckoned to be worth fixty milch-cows, and was (at leaft in this point) the moll refpedlable female Hottentot I was ever acquainted with. She was childlefs, and was to be fucceeded in her eftate by her coufin; the teemed to be pail the middle age, and, in her younger days, to have been a beauty in her kind. Befides a coftly necklace o f IheUs, and a fpare cap, (vide Plate I. Vol. I.) (which by the bye I got from her, in the way of barter,) flie was not better clad than the reft; having neither more leathern rings on her arms and legs, a better iheep-lkin over her ihoulders, and particularly no more greafe upon her body than any o f the others. It is true, befides a few common glafs* glafs-beads, I obferved, that two firings of the finall Fe'b7r7u^y. copper beads, mentioned at page 238 of the fame volume, v-oro were kept by her in a pouch apart, being the whole of her trinkets and jewels, and/the only things for which ihe could poflibly be envied by the reft o f her fex. However, I am willing to hope, that this vice had taken little or no root among thefe gentle and benevolent people; as the female juft mentioned, who was fo much richer than any of them, was not obferved to take more upon her, and, indeed, fearcely to be dreffed better than the reft. In fa<ft, the other women fmoked their pipes, without any ceremony, by her fide; and thefe too were filled by my Hottentots, without the leaft refpeit to perfons, with a clofe-fpun and better kind of tobacco, which they had. brought with them ; while, for their entertainment,, on the other hand, a ball was fet on foot, which was to-open late at night, and by moon- ihine. Here I muft confefs, that my companion and % by indulging ourftlves in fleep, loft a fine opportunity of feeing and defcribing a brilliant Gunjetnans-Hottentot ball, which was faid to be very different from the dances I have mentioned before. In fine, it appeared to me, that the Hottentot widow I have juft been lpeaking of, was the lefs liable to be the objeft of the envy of her compatriots, as, notwithftand- Ing all her riches, ihe could not get at more favory and higher feafoned diihes, and confequently, could not. have more faihionable pains and indigeftions,, nor any diforders that would entitle her to higher refpe£t than the reft ; for in the hairy leathern facks for milk is this falutary beverage, neither by nature nor art, prepared. for the rich in any other
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