1775- men to offer their fervices, but I even faw the three old fellows above-mentioned, with great eagernefs and diligence preparing their ihoes, in order to be ready the next morning to follow us in our expedition. . Having given my guide to underftand, how ftrange this conduit of the Hottentots appeared tome, .when I compared it with the account they had given of themfelves at firft, at the fame time that from this circumftance I apprehended they would prove falfe; beiides, that I doubted, whether we ihould be able to find food for fo many as fix o f them, We being five in number ourfelves, which in all made eleven perfons ; he replied, “ Pfhaw! this is always the Hottentot’s cuftom to lye the firft word they fpeak; and as for victuals* we fhall get game enough to eat, I’ll warrant you.” The latter part of his reply gave me fome fatisfaition; for as to the Hottentots cuftom o f lying at the firft word, I was pretty even with them in that re- fpeit, with my pretended relationfhip to Jan Company. On the io th in the morning we fet out on our journey, being in all eleven perfons. The fix newly-arrived Hottentots did not underftand a word of Dutch, on which account we were obliged to make ufe o f the three others as interpreters; though, in general, we made them underftand us pretty well by figns, and fome few Hottentot words we had learnt the meaning of, and could ourfelves pronounce with the proper clack againft the roof o f the mouth. Still, however, Mr. Im m e l m a n and I could not be otherwife than anxious about the procuring of food for fuch a number of people, when, in cafe of a fcarcity, we •expeited to hear them grumbling againft their Mofes and Aaron, Aaron, who had enticed them into the defert; for the De' ^ er. buffalo which we had chafed the day before got away from us, though the buihes in more than one place were ftained with his blood. Upon this, however, we foon obferved, that our volunteer corps, the fix .laft Hottentots, made no difficulty of eating, without any preparation whatever, the ill-tafted beans of a wild fhrub, (the guaiacum afrum.) I thought I could fhew the Hottentots another fubftance likewife, which might ferve to appeafe their hunger in cafe of neceifity. This was the gum arabtc, which they might gather in many fpots thereabouts from the mimofa nilotica; but this was a fpecies of food very well known to them, and which they had often tried. When in want of other provifions, the Bofhies-men are faid to. live upon this for many days together. This day I faw, for the firft time, a herd o f bofch-var- kens, or, as they are likewife called, wilde-varkens, (wood- fwine, or wild-fwine) in their wild uncultivated ftate; for I had hitherto only feen one o f this fpecies o f animals in the menagerie at the Cape. It was confined there with a ftrong iron chain, as it was very wild and vicious. M; P a l l a s , who in his Spied. Zool. Fafc. II. p. 1 1 . and Mifcel: Zool. p. 16. has defcribed this animal by the name o f aper ALthiopicus, and given a figure of it, farther informs us in his Spicil. Zool. Fafc. XI. Additam. p. 84. that one of them killed the keeper of the menagerie at Amfterdam. One may eafily conceive that this creature is very dangerous, i f one only takes- notice of its large tufks, (vide Tab. V. I. e.) Thefe are four in number. Two o f them proceed: from the upper jaw, and turn upwards like aliorn, confift-- . 3: “ S».»
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