I

I

',

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Books Printed for William Innys;
I. A N Account of feveral late Voydges and Difco-
/jL veries. I. Sr. John Nar.borough's Voyage to
the South-Sea. II. Captain Tasm an 's Difcoveries on
the Coaft of the South Terra Incognita. III. Captain
Wood's Attempt, to difcover a North-Eaft Paflage to
OiJna^IV. F. Ma.R'TEN's Voyage to Spitzbergen and
GreeiJRid: In whidiLs contain'd a large Account ofthe
Whales about Spitzbergen, with an exafl: Defcription of
all the Parts ofa Whale, and to what TJfes the^ are ap^
plyed ; the feveral Ways of catching Whales, &c. To
wmch are added ^ large Introduflion and Supplement,
containing fhort Abftrafls of other Voyages into thofe
Parts. Illuftrated with exaft Charts and curious Figures;'
the Second Edition. Svo.
s. A Voyage round the World, by the Way ofthe great
South-Sea, perform'd in the Years 1719, 20, 21, aa, in
riie Speedwell of LONDQN, of 24. Guns and leo Men
( under his Majefty's Commiffion, to cruize on the Span
iards in thc late War with the Spani/h Crown ) till She
was caft away on the Ifland of Juan Fernandes, in May
i7ao ; and afterwards continued in the Recovery, the
"cfus Maria and Sacra Familia, &c. by Capt. George
Ihelvocke, Commander ofthe Speedwell, Recovery,
&c. in this Expedition. Svo.
3. Philofophical Tranfaftions : giving fome Account of
the Undertakings, Studies and Labours of the Ingenious
in many confiderable Parts ofthe World. Beginning An
no 1665 and continued to Anno 1730, in thirty fix Vo
lumes in 4to. NB. This Work is publifh'd Monthly, and
contains 414 Numbers. moft of whichmay be hadSeparatc.
4. The Hiftory of Timur-Bec, known by the Name of
T amerlain the Great, Emperor of tbe^pguls and Tar-
tirs: being an Hiftorical Journal ofhis Coiiqucfts in Afia
and Europe. Written in Perfian by CHHTREFEDDru
Ati Native of Yezd, his Conteraporary. Tranflated into
French

I

.*¦¦ ¦ feo6Ks Printed for William Innys. *•' -
French by the late Monfieur Petits de la Croix, Arabic
Profeflor in the Royal College, and Secretary and In
terpreter to the KING in the Oriental Languages : With
hiftorical Notes and Maps : Now faithfully render'd into
£n^ifh. in Two Volumes Svo.
5. Philofophical Experiments and Obfervations of the
late Eminent Dr Robert Hooke, S.. R. S". and Gehm.
Prof. Gref. and other Eminent Virtuofo's in his Time.
With Copper Plates. Publifli'd by W. Derham-, S. R. St.
avo. 6. Philofophical Letters between the kte- Learaitd Mr,
Ray and feveral of his ingeniousCcRrrefpondents,; Na
tives and Foreigners. To Vi»hich are added thofe of
FrancisWii-loughbv Efqr. The whole caafifling,of
many curious Difcoverie>s, and Improvements in? ^i
Hiftory of Quadrupeds J Birds, Fifhes, Infedls^. Plants,
Foflils, Fountains, &c. Publifh'd by W. Berhaim
Jp. R. S. 8vo, "
7. ThcHiftory ofGEi^GHizcANi the Great,, firft' Ein-
peror of thfe Antient Moguls and Tartars^, iit four Boots?
containing- His Life, Advancement Mid Gbnqucfts, with
a fhort Hiftory of his Succeflbrs to the Prefent Time t
The Maimers, Cuftoms and Laws of the Antient Moguls
and Tartars ; and the Geography of the vaft Countiie*
of MoOTliftan, Tiirqueftan, Capfohac YiiguiKitan, ai^
the EavtBrn and Weftern Tartary. Colkfted from fewe*
ral Oriental Authors, and European Travellers j. vtiaSg
JSTames, with an Abridgment of their Livesj are ad~de<J
to this Book. By the late Mi Petits de la Gioix SJeraior,
SecretaiT; and Interpreter to the KTKTG in the Tud&iflx
and Arabick Languages. And now faithfully tranflated
into Bilgiifh' Svo.
8. A Q-itical Eflay on the Ancient liohaBitants of thes
Northern Partsof Britain, or Scotland^ Containing ajv
Account of the Romans;, of thte Britains betwixt the
Wallsj ofthe Galbdonians or Pifts; and' particularly, of
the Scots; With an Appendix of ancient M. S. S; Piece*
By TiroHAs Jnnes, M< A. in Two Volumes. 8vo,

J'arl-irrfiek

THE
Present State
OFTHE
Cape of Good-Hope: O R,
A Particular Account ofthe feveral Nations
Of The
HOTTENTOTS:
Their Religion, Government, Laws, Cuftoms,
Ceremonies, and Opinions ; Their Art of
War, Profi^ofls, Latngaagej Genius, &c.
- ¦ - •• ! '^ ^ ¦ Tdgethei' v7tfh -''..¦¦'
A Short AcedWiW. d-ihe Dbtch SettleMeni*
At The CAPE.
Written Originally . in High German,
5^ P E T E R K.O L B E N, A. M.
Done into Englifh from the Original
By Mr. MEDLEY. .
Ml," I ..Illli ¦
Illuftrate<J with Copper Plat es.

LONDON:
Printed for W. Innys, At the Weft End of St. Paul's.
M DCC XXXI.

ERRATA.
PAG E 73. /ine 19. for or, read and. p. 99. /. J/Sr fpirjeam*
Yeadipiixa,. p. 102. 1. 1. af ter xe,xxdes'd,read\t, emitted in
many of the Buh. p. 105. /. 2./*r Horfe, rwrfflprje's.

t>

10 5^2

To His Grace

THE

DuKE ORMONT AGU,
This Tranflation is moft humbly in-
fcrib'd by
His Grace'' s

mofi obliged^
mofi obedient,
<ind mofi devoted

humble Servant,

G. ]\;Iedley,

Pre-

THE

PREFACE

As I may never hereafter be concern'd in thc
Publication of Hiftory, I take this Op
portunity to publifh fome Refledions on Hiftory
and Hiftorical Writers, which either have not
been, or I have not feen, publifh'd by others.
Of all Human Accomplifhments there is
none fo valuable as thc Hiftorical Knowledge
of Mankind. This , with a good Heart , a
clear Head, and fome Acquaintance with pre
fent Things, fits a Man out for the World. It
lets him far into the Oeconomy of Providence,
teaches himSubmifiion to her Difpenfations, and
warms his Bofom with the moft generous Paf-
fions for his Fellow-Creatures. It clears his
a 2 Mind

vi The T RkF AC K
Mind of the Rubbifh thrown into it from Craft
ancl Superfikion:, and ftrengthens and adorns it
witha Million of found and beautiful Ideas.
It gives him a full View of the Human Na
ture, and a very diftindt one of Himfelf It
fortifies with Caution; furnifhes Addrefs; and
makes an Artift in the Bufinefs of Life ; a Man
who takes every Thing by the right Handle,
and bears himfelf gracefully under all the Dif
penfations of Providence.
Such a Man difcerns the Genius of every Na
tion, and the Compafs of Reafoning and Adioii
allotted to each. Such a Man fees the whole
Scale of the Human Nature, from her loweft
to her higheft Vertues and Vices ; from Igno
rance ,and the Glimmerings of Senfe to all the
Splendors of Wit and Learning. Such a Man
fees the Phant afms of Happinefs with which
every Nation, every Humour, is bewitch'd.
Such a Man fees diftinftly the Furies in
thofe Paffions and Excefles that fhatter and
diftrad'- ills World. Such a Man fees, that
Vicifiitude is a Laisa of the Human Nature :
That it extends to every Nation, to every Fa
mily, and to every individual Perfon : That Vice

TheT R E F J C E. vii
Vice and Ignorance have every where the Bene
fit ofthe L^w of Gooi; and that the Law of
Evil is no where difpens'd with either in Fa
vour of Senfe or Verme. Such a Man has his
Cue for every Scene of Life, and for every Ge
nius and Temper of Men. Such a Man fees
the Human Nature through and through, and
the Vanity of all earthly Fruitions.
Such is the Difcernment of the Man who,
with a good Talent at Reflexion, is well read
in the Hiftory of the World.
But there are certain Ignes Fatui, call'd Lies,
which ever prefent themfelves in the Purfuit of
Hiftorical Truth, and ever, without the Cautions
of Experience in the Chace, lead a Man a long
round- about Dance over Hedge and Ditch, and
betray him into a Thoufand Dangers before he
perceives the Delufion. Thefe Meteors flow from
the Ignorance^ the Knavery and the Confiitu
tions of Writers. There i& as much Wanton
nefs and Malice, as much Falfhood and Defign,
as much Ignorance and 111 Breeding in Hiftdry
as in ordinary Converfation ; arid Men general
ly bring their Conftitutions equally into one and
the other, a % Up-

viii The TRE FACE,
Upon the Ignorance and Knavery of Writers,
I have Nothing to add to what has been faid
over and over, and is known almoft to every one
upon thofe Heads." All Ages , fince Writing
has been known in the World, have produd'd,
as does the prefent, and as, doubtlefs, will every
one to come. Swarms of the Ignorant and De-
figning to plague the World with mutilated
Fad: and Hiftorical Fiaion. But few People,
I believe, dream ofthe Evils that are often de
riv'd upon Hiftory from the Confiitutions of
Authors. Few People apprehend how Truth
may be injur'd by the Melancholic, the Phleg
matic , the Choleric, and the Sanguine Tem
pers of Men. Few have any Notion of the
Wounds, the Tarnifties and falfe Beauties ftie
may and does often receive from the reigning
, Humour in an Author. For my own Part I
think, that it does not a little contribute to the
Difcovery of Truth in a Hiftory to know the
Temperamentof the Man who writ it. Some
may think I am in Jeft here ; but I affure 'em,
I am very much in Earneft ; and could heartily
wifli, for the Sake of the Generality of Readers,
that every Man, who writes and publifhes an
Original Hiftory, was oblig'd to prefix to his
Work

The T REF ACE. ix.
Work the Opinion ofa Phyfician, which ofthe
Fout Humours (in the Dialed of Old, tho' im^
proper) has the Afcendant in him. Perfons in
deed, well acquainted with Men and ^ooks,
quickly difcover This, and govern themfelves
accordingly : And I know Sonie who go fo far
as to fay, they can difcover how an Author's
Pulfe beat when he was upon this or that. Part
ofhis Labour. JBut others, who are not skill'd ia
Men and Books, are often led by the reigninff
Humour in an Author into very grofs Delufions.
'Tis no difEcult Matter to fliew, that the
Conftitution of a Man frequently betrays him
into a Falftiood. The Man of a Melancholic
Temperament, for Example (I fliall purfue this
Matter in the old Dialed) frequently takes and
reports Shadows for Subftances, and airy Sufpi-
cions for the beft grounded Truths in the World.
The Sanguine makes every Thing he likes, ap
pear infinitely better than it is : While the Cho
leric makes every Thing he likes not, appear
infinitely worfe. The Phlegmatic is, indeed, ex
cellent at the Outfide of Things, but good for
Nothing at the Infide. He gives you a moft ex-
ad Account of Fa5i -, but is ftrangely fliort-
a 4 figh-

X The T REF ACE.
fighted at the Reafon of it ; and fees but Little
ofthe Good or Evil ofany Thing.
He muft never fet up for Difcernment, who
has liv'd any confiderable Time in the World,
and not difcover'd his Variations from himfelf
merely by Virtue of Alterations in his Fltiids.
Every Man, who refleds thoroughly on him
felf, finds, that his Ideas of Per/pns and Things
often alter without the Intervention of the fmal
left Reafon concerning them. His Idea of a
Thing at Noon he often finds to be unlike his
Ideaof itin the Morning; and his Idea of it
at Night to be unlike 'em both ; and this mere
ly by the Force of his alter'd Fluids. Vexa
tious Apprehenfions are often rcmtov'd by a ge
nerous Meal ; And Dangers become contemp
tible after a Bottle, that appear'd terrible before
it. Hence Some make it a Rule (and 'tis, me
thinks, a very good One) never to ask a Favour
in a Morning, if they can have an Opportu
nity of Doing it immediately after Dinner. A
good Repaft fweetens all Nature in a Man ;
lets in the Sun, as it were, upon his Faculties;
his Heart is enlarg'd ; his Ideas are brighten'd »
and then, or never, he i& in a D.ifpofitiop to
confer a Favour. I

TheT REF AC E, xi
I cannot help thmking that Solon, in his fam'd
Saying, Pyae/ ceavroi/yKnow thyfelf, had his Eye
in a particular Manner upon the Tempera
ment of the Body J without the ICnowledgc
of which, I cannot fee how any Man can
properly be faid to know himfelf. The Influ
ence of the Body upon the Mind can hardly be
fuppos'd to have efcap'd that difcerning Philo
fopher : And if he faw it, he faw too, that a
great Part of the Human Happinefs depended
upon its good Government. The Conftimtion
of a Man, before he knows and has learn'd to
maftege it, I ventin-e to fay, is his greateft De
ceiver. It clouds his Mind when he has Occa- /
fion for her utmoft Brightnefs. It betrays him '
into falfe Ideas of Men and Things. It makes
him feel Pain where there is no Difeafe, and
fee Terrors where there is no Danger. This we
call the Spleen* In a moift Air, or in rainy
Weather, his Humours rife, and his Spirits fink *
his Mind languiflies; his Ideas fade; and he falls
into an Opinion, that thofe Perfons and Things -
which gave him but now, perhaps, a moft reafona
ble Delight, havcLitjJe or Nothing delightful or
^.greable in 'em. When the Sun fliines out, and lick^
Up the Vapours in the Air, his Spirits are difen-
a 4 cum-

xii The T REF AC E.
cumber'd ; his Ideas revive; he baniflies his
Whimfies cOntraded in the Rain, and cpjoys
his former Opinions. In rainy Weather, Dan
gers that were few become numerous in his
Eye ; Difficulties that were fmall become un-
furmountable ; Things that difpleafe him givQ
redoubled Offence, and Things that fright him»
redoubled Terror. The Cafe is the fame after
'.\ Debauch; and for this I appeal to every Man's
Experience, Where the Melancholic Humour, or, as the
Phyficians term it , the Atra Bills, h^is the,, Af'
cendant (I keep to the old Dialed^ the Mind is
involv'd in Darknefs and Terror. While thc
Imagination of a Sanguine Man may be faid to
refemble a fpacious Area, open to all the Beams
of the Sun, the Imagination of the Melancho
lic can be compar'd to Nothing perhaps fo pro
perly as a difmal Ccl, from which the Day is
for ever excluded, and where burns only a An
gle Taper. Sir Theod. Mayerne fays, * Me-
lancholiam, Sedem, Balneuin & JRegnim Diabo
li effe, fatfcio ; atque Principem ifium tenebra
rum, fub atri humoris denfa caligine latitantein,
fefe variis morbis naturalibus immifare^ Gf fa- vas

Lhe if K E t A C E. xiii
vas excitare turbas in diverfis fubjeSiis, experien
tia multiplici compertum habeo.Thzt is, I am fa
tisfied , that Melancholy is the Seat, the Bath,
andthe Kingdom of fhe Di*vil; and have found^
by manifold Experience , that that Prince of
Darknefs, concealing himfelf under the thick Mtfi
ofthe melancholic Humour, has a Hand in various
natural Difeafes, and fiirs up cruel Diforders on
fundry Occafions. I know Nothing of the De
vil's having any Thing to do with the Melan
cholic Humour: But this I know, that the Me
lancholic Humour, where it abounds, makes (if
my Reader will pardon me the Expreffion )
the Devil of an Hiftorian. He deals in Omens,
Apparitions and Haunted Houfes ; in Battle,
Murder and Sudden Death. His Pages fwell
with Sins, Judgments and Cataftrophes. His
Style is the plaintiVe,thick fet with Interjedions,
as the Ah ! the Alas ! and the Oh me ! He
dwells for ever on the dark Side of Things, and
knows not how to exhibit 'em on the bright.
He mourns for Evils that never happen'd, and
mourns for Evils that never mil. He finds in
the lighteft Matters Enough to make the Heart
ake ; and the gayeft Story, from him, . affeds
you like a Pafiing Bell. All his Lies are full of
Ter-

xiv The T R E F A C E-
Terror, and allhis Truths are vtry fad ones.
If you are not aware of the delufive Humour
that prompts him, he will make you put of
Love with your felf and every Thing about
you. The Sanguine Temperament is as oppofite to
the Melancholic as Light is to Darknefs , and
runs, in Hiftory, into the contrary Extremes,
The Melancholic makes every Evil more frightful
than it is. The Sanguine hardly fees the Half
of any one. The Melancholic dwells for ever
on Calamity ; the Sanguine skips over it. The
Melancholic oppreffes the Heart : The Sanguin''
charms the Fancy. The Melancholic prea
ches; the Sanguine hughs; and hardly brings
you to the ferious Confideration ofany Matter.
The Sanguine Writer is very awkward at exhi
biting an ugly Truth ; but very handy at a beau
tiful one. He ftays not long on forrowful Mat
ters, but dwells for ever on fuch as arc delight
ful. There is but little Occafion to fay any Thing
of the lUufions of CWipr ir^ Hiftory. Every one
knows 'em in Ordinary Life, where they are
much the fame. The Hiftorian of a Choleric Coui'*

The T kE F AC K xv
Complexion , who has not the Art of Guarding
againft its Deceptions, neither fliews nor fees
any Thing that difpleafes him in a true Light.
His Style is clamorous and unequal. He calls
Names. Every one, whofe Condu<J he likes
hot, is Knave or Fool ; and every Thing is
<;nonftrous with which he is diffatisfied. Such
an Author ought never to be read without a;l
Abatement of, at leaft, Two Thirds of the,
Fire ofhis Conceptions.
The Phlegmatic Writers certainly excel all
others in Accounts of Fad. The Phlegmatic
have no Eyes, indeed, for the /«^/if of Things j
but they have excellent ones for the Outfidt j
and give a Detail of a Thoufand Particulars
there which efcape Men of other Complexions.
They relate every Thing they fee and hear,
with the moft religious Exadnels, not omit-
ting the fmalleft or moft' indifferent Matter or
Circumftance, they remember, tho' it be of
neither Ufe nor Entertainment, n©r any Thing
at all to the Purpofe. They are neither ra-
vifti'd with Beauty, nor frighted at Deformity ;
thither elated with Succefs, nor deprefs'd with
Misfortune, Tbey are fubjed to none of , thofe
Flur-

xvi The T RE F AC E.
Flurries of Imaglhation that tranfport and be--
wilder other Men. Their Phlegm keeps that
Faculty under fo tight a Rein, that it never
runs away with 'em, or throws 'em out of their ¦
Road. The Mifchief of 'em is, that they are
dull and tedious, ahd, in Point of Reafoning,^
apt to forget and involve themfelves in TautOr
logy and Contradidion.
Of the Clafs of Phlegm I reckon my Author, ¦
3VIr Kolbei}, a Gentleman ftill living at Nuren-
burg in Germany, and in great Efteem there
for his Integrity and Learning. I have not thc
Honour to know him : But I am fatisfied, from
his Manner of Writing, thathe isnot fubjed to
Tranfports of Imagination, and that Phlegm.
(to keep to the old Dialed) has the Afcendant
in him. This, I think, adds not a little Credit
to the following Hiftory, fince, as I have ob
ferv'd, the Sons of Phlegm are the exadeft
Relaters in the World of What they fee ; and
in Hiftory of this Kind an Author has little elfe
to do.
For the following Work, I muft acquaint
the Reader, thatit is notfo properly a iranf latim

The T REF AC E. xvii
lation as an Abridgment of Mr Kolben's Hiftory.
He is very tedious in fome Relations, and here
and there runs out in Refledions that are neither
very entertaining, nor very much to the Pur
pofe. In thofe Places I have abridg'd him .
yet in fuch Manner, I truft, as to preferve every
Thing he intended his Reader fhould fee. His
Reafoning is fometimes very bad, and often ve
ry tedious. I have therefore retrench'd him in
that Article too, and here and there alter'd him.
His Method is likewife a Thing in which I
could not always refolve to follow him. I have
here and there forfaken it, and brought many
Things together in the following Work
that lie at a great Diftance from one anojher
in the Original.
I am likewife to acquaint the Reader,
that there afe in the Original three or four
little Contradidions in Point of Fad, with
Relation to Hottentot Masters. Thefe I have
not conceal'd in the Tranflation. 'Twere ea
fie for me to have done it ; but That, perhaps,
would not have been judg'd Fair ; tho' they are
arrant Trifles, that dp no Injury to the Story,
and are not to be feen, perhaps by the Majority ef

xviii TheT REF ACE.
of Readeijg. Mr KoBen fays, he loft fome of
his Papers relating to ^e Hottentots, and was
oblig'd to fupply that Lofs by his Memory, tt
may he thofe little Defeds were owing to that
Misfortune, and to his fending the Book, per
haps, a little too haftily to the Prefs.
I have only to add, that the Original \s In
great Efteem abroad, as the exadeft Hiftory
of the Hottentots the World has yet feen.

GuiDo Medley.

A
TABLE OF THE
CONTENTS o^t^di Chapter:

CHAP. I.
OFthe Author's Voyage to the Cape of Good
Hope. Under whofe Patronage and on what
Account the fame was undertaken,
CHAP. II.
Of the firft 'Difcovery of the Cape of Good Hope.
p, 14. A parrel between the Portugueze ^«i the
Natities, in which a Vice roy of Brazil , with many
others, is flain, p. 16. The Revenge of the Portu-
^utzefor this Infult, p. 17. The Dutch begin to
touch' at the Cape, p. ij. M. van Riebeck, a
Dutch Surgeofi, obferves the Conveniences of the Cape
for the Dutch India Company, p. 19. He commands
the Expedition to make a Settlement there, p. 19.
His Treaty with the Natives, and other Succeffes,
p. 20. A Placard is publifh'd by the DireSiors, in
viting Perfons to go and fettle, at the Cape ; and great
Numbers repair thither, p. 20. The Company fends
young Women to the Cape, to be matched witb the Bat
chelor s,'p. 22. AJhort Defcriptionof the Country, p. 23.
* CHAP.

A TABLE
CHAP. III.
Of the true Name of tbe Natives ahout the Cape
of Good Hope, p. 25. Of Their Origin, p. 29.
Of Tbeir Language, p. 3 1 .
CHAP. IV.
A General Charader and Defcription of the
Hottentots.
The Exceffes of Authors on this Point, p. 36.
The Hottentots learn the Languages of YMro^e, p. 37.
Tbey excell tn Agriculture, p. 38. They mak& excel
lent Servants, p. 38. Character of a Hottentot,
call'dC\^:LS, p. 38. His Story, p. 39. Tbe Hot
tentots are tbe lazieji People in tbe World, p. 46.
And the filthieft in their Diet, p. 47. Tet tbey live
long ; and haniefew Diftempers among tbem, p. 48.
Tbey befmear tbeir Bodies all over with Fat, p. 49.
Tbey abhor the Fat of Fifh, p. 50. Reafons why
they thus bedaub the}?ifelves , p. 51. Tbe general
Shape, Statttre and Features ofthe Hottentots, p. 52.
CHAP. V.
Of the Alliance and Friendfhip fubfifting bet-ween the
Dutch and tbe feveral Hottentot Nations, p. g6.
CHAP. VI.
A Detail ofthe feveral Nations of theHoTTENTOTs.
Of the Gunjeman Nation, p. 61. 77ji? Kocha-
qua, p. 61. The SuiTiqaa, , p. 62. The OdiqQ&,
p. 6^. Tbe Chirigriqua, p. 65. Tbe Greater and
Leffer Namaqua, p. 66. Tbe Attaqua , p. 71.
Tbe Koopman, p. 72. 5l)(? Heffaqua, p. 73. The
Sonqua, p. 76. The Dunqua, p. 77.' The Da-
maqua,

Of CONTENTS.
maqua, p. 77. The Gauros or Gauriqua, p. 78.
The Houteniqua, p. j^. Tke Chamtouer, p. 79.
The Heykom, p. 80. Of Terra du Natal, inha
bited by the Caffres, p. 81.
CHAP. VII.
Ofthe Hottentot Form of Government.
Of the Chiefs of tbe Hottentot Nations, p. 84-
Of the Captains of tbe Kraals, or Villages, p. 85"
Ofthe Phyficians, p. 87. Of tbe Priefts, 'p. 2,^-
Cy« .Sor/ o/Hotcen tot-Banditti that infeft the feve
ral Nations, p. 89.
CHAP. VIII.
Of the Religion of the Hottentots.
The Difficulty of obtaining from the Hottentots
any true Accounts of tbeir Inftitutions and Opinions,
p. 91. They believe there is a God who made all
Things, p. 92. They worfhip tbe Moon as an infe
riour Divinity, the Reprefentatlve of tbe Supreme,
and acting under him, p. 95. They adore a certain
InfeSt, p. 98. Tbey pay a religious Veneration to tbe
Good Hottentots departed, p. 102. They worfhip
a malignant Deity to avert his Malice, p. 1 04. Their
obftinate Adherence to tbeir Idolatries, and Hatred of
Inftrudtion, p. 105.
CHAP. IX.
Certain Principal Cuftoms of the Hottentots,
and the Ceremonies with which they are obferv'd.
Of tbeir adopting a Durch Term as a common Ap
pellation for all their Solemnities, p. 112. Of tbe
Cuftom of Depriving tbe Males ofone Tefticle, p. 112.
Reafonsfor this Cuftom, p. 116. Of a ftrange Ex^
* 2 cref-

A T A B L E
crefcence over ^i)i? Pudenda of the Hottentot Women,
p. .118.' Ofthe Cuftom of Confining their Children,
till they arrive at Maturity, to the Care and Converfa
tion of the Women; andthe Ceremonies with wbich the
•^oung Males are receiv'd into the Society of the Men.
p. 119. Oftheir Publick Rejoicings, ^. 124. Of
their Cuftom of Removing their Kraals , p. 126.
Of their Offerings on Occafion of Difeafes dmong their
Cattle, p. 127. Of tbe Cuftom of Driving their
Cattle through the Fire, p. 129. Reafons for this
Cuftom, p. 131.
C H A P. X.
Tbe Notions of the Hottentots concerning Witch
craft, p. 133. An Argument to prove, the Hot
tentots believe the Immortality ofthe Soul, p. 135,
CHAP. XI.
Cuftoms of the Hottentots on tbe Delivery of the
Women.^ p. 139.
CHAP. XIL
Ofthe Naniing of the Hottentot Children, p. 146.
Times when tbe Men are obligd to withdraw from,'
their Wives, p. 147. Ceremonies previous to theit
Cohabiti-ng again, p. 147. Corre^ion of a Miftaki
of Eoeving, p. 148.
CHAP. XIII.
Of the Marriages of the Hottentots.
Their Mann»r of Wooing,^ p. 149. Their Mar
riage Ceremony, p. 151. Their Marriage Feaft, p.
152. No Mufick or Dancing there, p. '155. Poly
gamy lawful among /^? Plottentots, p. 155. Mar riages

of CONTENTS,
riages hetween Firlf or Second Coufins unlawful, p.
155. Their Marriage Portions, p.' I §6. Adultery
puni/h'd witb Death, p. isy. Marriages to he dif-
folv'd, Tp. 157; Miftakes of Yogel, p. 158.
CHAP. XIV.
Ofthe Domeftick Oeconomy ofthe Hottentots.
The Province ofthe Husband, p. 158. 77)e Pro
vince ofthe Wife, p. 160. How they live together,
p. 161. The Education of tbeir Children, p. 163.
The Munificence and Hofpitality 0/ /^^ Hottentots, p.
165.
CHAP. XV.
Of the Hottentot Management with Regard
to their Cattle.
Methods the Poor Hottentots take to acquire Cat
tle, p. 167. How tbe Hottentots tend their Cattle,
p. 168. They never feparate tbe Bulls from the Cows
nor tbe Rams from the Ewes, p. 169. Tbeir Me
thod of Gelding a Bull, p. 169. Their Method of
Gelding a Ram, p. 170. Their Methods to bring a
RefraSlory Cow to yield her Milk, p. ,170. Their
Naftinefs with Regard to Milk, p. 171. Tbeir Me
thod of Making Butter, p. 172. The Naftinefs of
tbeir Butter, p. 172. Tet the Europe-ins buy it both
for Ufe and Sale, p. 172. The Hottentots give But
ter-Milk to their Calves and Lambs, p. 173. Cc^'s
Milk to be drank by both Sexes of the Hottentots :
Ewes Milk only by the Women, p. 173. An Enqui
ry into the Reafon of this Cu^om, p. 174. After
what Manner the Hottentots fecure their Cattle in the
Night, p. 174. Their Care of ibe Calves and Lambs
till they are able to run with tbe Herds, p. 1 76, Tbei.r
Fighi-

A TABLE
Fighting-Oxen, for War, and for the Keeping their
great Cattle together when at Pafture, p. 176. Their
Carriage-Oxen, p. 178. Their Catllt DoSiors, p.
180. No fuch Mortalities among ihe Hottentot
Cattle, as among tbe European, p. 181. Reme
dies tbe Hottentots apply to their diftemper' d Cattle,
p. 181. Tbey feaft upon their Cattle that die of Dif
eafe, p. 182. When Wild Beafts carry off any of
their Cattle, tbey go in Purfuit of 'em, p. 182.
How they difpofe of their Cattle when tbey encreafe
too faft. p. 183.
CHAP. XVI.
Of the Apparel ofthe Hottentots.
The Apparel of tbe Men, p. 185. The Apparel
of the Women, p. 189. Trinkets worn hy both Sex
es by Way of Ornament, p. 195.
CHAP. XVII.
Of the Viftuals , Drink, and other Refrefliments
of the Hottentots.
Tbeir Victuals, p. 200. Meats they abftain front'
as forbidden , p. 202. Ihey eat Lice , p. 203.
When in Want tbey will eat Old Shoes, p. 204.
Fond of Visuals drefs' d by Europeans, p. 205. Men
and Women eat not together ; and Why, p. 206.
How the Men fometimes feed and accommodate them
felves when tbey are bunting or travelling, p. 207.
Their ordinary Drink , p. 208. Their Love for
Tobacco and Tizehz, p. 208. Accountof the Kanna
Root, of wbicb they are extremely fond , p. 210.
Their Love for Wine, Brandy and Arrack, p. 213.
CHAP. XVIII.
Of theKRAALs, or Villages of the Hottentots;
their Huts and Hut-Furniture. Their

of CONTENTS.
Their Kraals, p.215. Their Huts, p.219. Their Hut-
Furniture, p. 221. 3n&«r Hut- or Houfe Dogs, p. 223.
• CHAP. XIX.
Of certain Handy-Crafts die Hottentots exer
cife among themfelves.
Of the Butcher, p. 226. The Skinner, p. 230.
The Taylor, p. 232. The Worker in Ivory, p. 233.
Tbe Mat-Maker, p. 234. The Rope-Maker, p. 234.
Tbe Potter, p. 235. The Smith, p. 237.
CHAP. XX.
The Hottentot Manner of Hunting andFifh-
ing, p. 240.
CHAP XXI.
Cfthe Traffick of the Hottentots with Strangers
and with one another, p. 259.
CHAP. XXII.
Of the Hottentot Mufick and Dancing.
Tbeir Inftrumental Mufick, p. 271. Their Vocal
Mufick, p. 273. Father Tachart'j Account of tbe
Hottentot Mufick , with Refle£iions on the fame, p.
275. The Hottentot Dancing, p. 279.
CHAP. XXIII.
Ofthe Hottentot Manner of making War, p. 282.
CHAP. XXIV.
Ofthe Courtsof Juftice of the Hottentots, and
their Manner of Proceeding in the Same. Tbe

A TABLE
The Proceedings in Civil Cafes, p. 294. The Pro
ceedings in Criminal Qafes, p. 295. The Supreme or,
National Court, p. 299. The Cuftom touching Inhe
ritances, p. 300.
CHAP. XXV. •
Ofthe Hottentot Praftlce of Phy fick andSurgery.
Their Manner of Cupping, p. 303.. Their Man~-
wr of Letting Blood, p. 304. Their Manner of Cu~
ring a poifon'd Wound, p. 304. Their Manner of
Reftoring a Diflocation, p. 305. Their Manner of
Shaving the Head, p. 305. Their Amputations, p.
306. How they cleanfe a foul Stomach, p. 309. How
the Nofes of the Hottentots come to be flat, p. 310.
CHAP. XX YI.
Ofthe Funeral Ceremonies of theHoTTEnTOTs, p^ 1 1.
CHAP. XXVII.
A Review of the Vices and Virtues of the Hotten
tots, p. 321. CHAP. XXVIII-
An Account of^ the Dutch Government at the Cape ;
Their Buildings, &CC. p. 337.

The

[ ^ 1

Caput Bona Spei Hodiernum,
THE
Prefent State
OFTHE
Cape of Good Hope, &c.
Chap. I.
Of the Author's Voyage to the Cape of Good Hope .
Under whofe Patronage and en wbat Account the
fame was undertaken. Aving felt, in my early Years, an
ardent Defire to travel, and long
(ought in vain for a favourable Op
portunity to gratifie fo prevailing a
Paflion, I leave the Reader to ima
gine the Tranfport I felt when my
generous Patron The Baron van Krofick, Privy
Councellor to the late King of Pruffia, whom I had
the Honour to ferve in Quality of Secretary, com-
A muni-

2 The P^Ht State of
municated to me his Refolution to fend a proper
P6"lon, at hfs own Coft, to refide for fome Time at
the Cape of Good Hope; and that he had pitch'd up-
qrt rne as fuch; to make and digeft the f)roper Ob
flrvations on the Heavenly Bodies,as they appear'd
fl-om thence, for the Advancement of Aftronomi^d
Learning. This Overture of His Excelleiicy, which #aS
accompanied with the moft generous Sentiments of
my Capacity and Application, was the Crowning
of my Wiihes, and poflefs'd me with a triple Plea
fure : Firft, as it gratified my Paffion for Travel
ling ; in the next Piace, as it gave me an Oppor-
tunity of /hewing my Attachment to His Excellen
cy by my Aftivity in a Service he had fo much at
Heart ; and laftly , as it might enable me to
obli'ge the learned and curious Part of the World
^ith an ufeful and entertainirigHiftory ofa Country
and People, of whom we have had hitherto fuch
various and uncertain Accounts.
I accepted then of .this Employment with the hio-h-
eft Expreffions of Gratitude. And my Noble Pa
tron having fettled on me a yearly Salary, and pro
mifed me every kind of Support and Affiftance
which might be in his Power, I withdrew to pre
pare, according to his Direftlons, immediately for
the Voyage; and was employ'd in getting up foch
Books, mathematical Inftruments and other Things
as might be ufeful to me at the Cape, while His
Excellency prepar'd Letters in my Favour to feve
ral Perfons of Diftinftion in Holland, with fome of
Whom he had negotiated as Plenipotentiary from
The Houfe of Wolfenbuttel atthe Treaty oiRefwick, and

the Cat^ of Go on Hove. 5
and with others contrafted a Friendfhip during their
Refidence at Berlin as Ambaffadors from the States
General. To thofe his old friends the Baron ex-
plain'd and recommended his Intention, requefting
them to introduce me to the Direftors of the India.
Company at Amfterdam, -. and to employ their Cre
dit with thc faid Direftors for my Obtaining their
Warrant for a Paffage to the Cape of Good Hope on
one of their Ships, together with their Letters Re
commendatory to the Company's Settlements and
Faftories at or near the Cape, in order to my ob
taining there fuch Countenance and Affiftance as
might be neceflary to the Accomplifliment of the
Defign. ¦
On the 2d of October 1704 I took Leave of my
generous Patron The Baron van Krofick , his
noble Family, and all my Friends at Berlin, and
fet out for Amfterdam; where, on my Arrival-, I
found, in the Texel, feveral ofthe Company's Ships
outward bound, waiting for a fair Wind. But find
ing my felf unprovided with the mathematical In
ftruments chiefiy neceffary for the Undertaking,
and underftanding that nine more ofthe Compa
ny's Ships would be ready to fail by Chriftmas
following, I judg'd it advifeable to wait till then,
that I might have Time to furniih my felf com-
pleady. Accordingly I waited in Holland till Chrift
mas : And having procured the Inftruments I
wanted from the beft Hands in Amfterdam, I appli
ed for . my Paffage to the Direftors of the India
Company ; and being fupported by my Patron's
Friends, aUeminent in the State, I obtain'd of the
faid Direftors the Favours compriz'd in the follow
ing Articled.
A a I. To

4 The Prefent State of
I. To pafs to the Cape of Good Hope in one of
the Company's Ships : To vidual with die Captain:
And to have a commodious private Cabbin, in
which I might purfue my Studies, and digeft my
Obfervations in the Courfe of the Voyage, without
Interruption. For which Paffage and Privileges I
was to pay at a certain eafie Rate ; in which, on
Account of the Goodnefs of the Defign, and the
Authority and Intereft with which I came recom
mended, I was particularly favour'd.
2. To have allotted me, on my Arrival at the
Cape, a convenient Place or Station in the Nature
of an Obfervatory : And to be allow'd the Ufe of a
Pendulum-Clock at the Cape, belonging to the
Company. 3. To be allow'd the Choice of a Perfon out of the
Garrifon at the Cape, who (after inftrufting him in
Aftronomy &c.) ftiould affift me in the Profecu
tion of my Defign ; and when I return'd, continue
his Obfervations, for the Publick Emolument, by
the Help of the mathematical Inftruments I fhould
leave with him.
On the 2 2d of December 1 704 I embark'd, with
feveral other Paflengers, in the Company's Ship
the Union in the Texel,, jsvhere, with eight more of
the Company's Ships bound for India, we lay for
a Wind till January the Sth following, when the
whole Fleet fail'd out.
It being in the Time of the late War with
France, to avoid the Enemy as much as poffible,
we fteer'dour Courfe Nortb about, round Scotland; but-

the Cape e/* Good Hope. 5.
but before we had made fo far, the whole Fleet
was twice or thrice feparated by ftormy Weather
out of Sight of one another; a Thing, which be
ing ordinary enough, I ftiould not have mention'd
but for the Sake of obferving the Jealoufy and Ap
prehenfion with which Friends that have been fepa
rated at Sea in Time of War, come in View of one
another again. For having loft Sight of our Com
pany, every Sail we defcry'd afterwards was taken
for a Privateer, as, on the other Hand, was the
Union; and every Ship, on the. Sight of her Friends,
prepar'd for an Attack as on the Appearance of an
Enemy, till we were all happily join'd again.
Being but a Novice in Low-Dutch when I left
Amfterdam, and finding no other Language on
board in which I had any Share, I was extrcnoiely at
a Lofs for Converfation and InteUigence in certain
Matters till fuch Time as Ihad acquir'd a tolerable
Knowledge of it by Application at Sea. But
before I was Mafter of this Talent, I fuffer'd e-
nough ; fbr ufing at firft all poffible, Difpatch in
the Acquifition of it, and being withal pretty inquifi
tive, I offended fo often againft Grammar and Idi
om, and was fo little underftood, that I was grinn'd
at from all the Quarters ofthe Ship, and particu
larly by the Savages before the Maft, who look'd
upon me as a very ftrange FeHow. This rude At
tack of the Ship's Company forc'd me into clofe
Quarters. I retired to my Cabbin, and for fome
Time rarely ftirr'd or look'd out : But wanting
the Reliefs of Converfation there, I fell into a deep
Melancholy; by means of which and the extremely
piercing Cold I fuffer'd in the Northern Climates
I fell dangeroufly ill. My Blood was in a Manner
A 3 frozen

6^ fhe '"Prefifit $ fafe cf
frozeti in its Channels. For many Days my Lift'
was defpair'd of.- But after fuch Medicines and
Affiftance as I was able to procure at Sea, my
Sicknefs dwindled into an intermitting Fever ;
from which, by the Bleffing of God and the Skill
and Care of the Ship's Surgeon, I was recover'd by;
the' End of February.
By this Time we were got into a pretty warm
Climate, which gave me wonderful'Relief ; and it
was with the higheft SatisFaftion I perceiv'dj that
as I advanc'd towards the Line', and within the
Sun's Aftivity, my Health and Vigour were aug-^
mented. The Phlegm and Melancholy that op-
prefs'd me vanifli'd as I approach'd the Sun, info
much that under the ?Vmi Zone I found my felf
perfefiiy freed frbm every Incumbrance, of either
kind,- and In Pofleffion of as much Health and
Chearfulnefs as a Man can wifti. I fliall not trouble
the Reader by accounting, for this, fince, if he is
any 'Thing of a Philofopher, he will eafily do it
himfelf But this was not all my Happinefs be
tween the Tropicks ; for Ihad by this Time pick'd
up fo much Low-Dutch, that I could enter a little
into Converfation ; and as if Change of Climate
had introduc'd a Change into the Manners and Sen
timents of the Ship's Company, every one (then
fomewhat appriz'd, I fuppofe, of the Patronage
and Purpofe of my Voyage ) fhew'd me Abun
dance of Refpeft, and were fo affiduoiiis to pleafe
and oblige me, that they not only gave me im
mediate Satisfaftion in every Enquiry I raade to
which they could anfwer, but upon any Accident,
or the Appearance of any Thing, which they
thought deferv'd my Remark, there wasacontinu, al

the Cape of Good Hope. 7
al Emulation among 'em who. fliould be the firft,t,o
give me Notice of it. This, was fitting my Hut
niour and Defign tq 9, great E:^aftri^fs ; and by the
help of a little Affiduity to oblige them on , ray
own.Side, , I had the good Fortune to; be fo gratifi
ed to the End of the Voyage. , ¦, ,-t
On the laft Day of February we difcovered a,
fmaU Whale, call'd a North Caper-, which being, g.
Token to the Sailors of our approaching the Ifland^
of Cape de Verd, a Man mufl have a pecuhar Ge
nius for Farce and low Mirth to defcfibe the Rejoi
cings that appear'd on this Occafion from Head to
Stern. There was Mufick, Singing and Dancing in
all the Quarters andCabbins ofthe Ship, with fuch
Gambols and Feats of Aftivity as, perhaps, were
never exhibited a-fhore. j,j, ,
We were confirm'd in our Notion of being near
Cape Verd by an Obfervation , the next Day, by
which we found we had pafs'd the Tropick of Can-
eer; and by the Colour of the Sea, which, as Au^
thors obferve^ takes a deeper Green near that Cape,
and holds it almoft as far as the Ca-pe of Good Hope.
March 9. we difcover'd the Cape de Verd Iilands;
and, on the loth in the Morning, had the Iflands
of St. Lucia, St. Nicholas and Cb^on diftinftly in
Sight. About Noon we defcried the Ifland dd
Fuogo, by the Smoak which iffues from the l^uFi^fng,
Mountain there.- On the i ith we were clofe aboard
the Ifland of St. Jago, but were drove off again
by contrary Winds. On the. 12th our Crew caught
a large Shark, of which, though refus'd by moft
Nations, they made a hearty Dinner. Tlie 13 th
A 4 " had

8 the Prefent State of
had like to have prov'd fatal to us, for fteering our
Courfe round the Ifland of St. Jago, (by which we
had a diftlnft View of its high Hills and Cliffs, and
of the Extent and Situation ofthe City) on a fud
den we were becalm'd ; and theTide fetting ftrong
towards the Ifland, we were in danger of driving
againft the Rocks; and notwithftanding all we
could do with our Oars, we were carried within
IOO Yards of One, and had all of us given our
felves fpr loft, -when it pleas'd God to fend a Sou
therly Wind, which deliver'd us from this Danger,
and carried ¦ us fafe into the Harbour of Braya,
about 3 Leagues from the City oi St. Jago.
We faluted the Caftle of this Harbour with 15
Guns ; from whence, and from other Ships in the
Harbour, we receiv'd the like Number. In the
Afternoon we were vifited by a Portugueze Gentle
man, accompanied by a.Negro Romifli Prieft, nam'd
FsLther Francifco Lombetr ; but neither of them un
derftanding ¦ Z)«/r^, the Conferences ran m Latin
between Father Francifco and my felf, the Father
interpreting for the Portugueze,'wh.ile I did the fame
for the Captain. This Negro, who was of Romifti
Parents of Angola, having receiv'd an Univerfity
Education at St. Jago, had been made Prieft and
Paftor, the better to promote and fecure the Con
verfion of his Coimtrymen. But, if the Tree is
to be known by its Fruits, his Zeal for Mirth and
Good Living had eaten up his Faith and his Edu
cation. For entertaining them very liberally, this
Father, not to mention other Articles, eat at leaft
2 Pounds of Dutch Cheefe, drinking withal an
aftonifhing Quantity of Brandy, which fo clear'd
his Pipes and lighten'd his Heels, that he fell a fing-

the Cape o^ Good Hope. 9
ing and dancing with wonderful Spirit andAftivity,
and fhew'd us fo many Monkey-Tricks as con
vinc'd us all, that though he made a very bad
Prieft he would have made an excellent Harlequin.
At Parting the Father invited feveral of us to
take a Dinner with him and view his fine Library,
as he call'd it. The Invitation was accepted; andon
the 1 5th we waited on him at his Houfe, where he
receiv'd and entertain'd us in a Manner handfome
enough, fhcwing us his Library, which confifted
of a Body of the Civil Law (he faid he was Do(^lor
pfLaws) fome Popifli Legends, a few Breviaries
and the like.
In the mean Time the Ship was taking in Wood
and Frefh Water, and our Captain buying up frefh
Provifions, which, with every Sort of Fruit pro
duc'd at St. Jago, were incredibly cheap. I bought
100 fweet Oranges for half a Paper of Pins, and
for thc other half f fat Hens.
On- the I Sth of March we paid a folemn Vifit to
the Governour of the Caftle, whom we had feen
and accofted tranfiently before. Among other
Curiofities, he fhew'd us a fine walking Cane with
a Silver-Head, which he had receiv'd as a Prefent
from the Governour ofthe Cape of Good Hope as he
pafs'd by , Br^a in his Way to his Government. <;
He was pleasufo introduce us to his Lady, who/
was with feveral Women in her own Apartment.
She receiv'd us with much Civility, and treated us
with Bread of Turkifh Wheat, Butter and Cheefe,
We return'd the Kindnefs with a Paper of Tobacco,
which fhe and the other Women fmoak' d upon
Sight in the Prefence of us all. We

ts . .-. 'the Prefent State 'of
We had fome of us Thoughts, while we ftay'd at
Braya, of making a Trip to the City of St. Jago \
but we .were diffuaded from that Defign by Father-
Lombeer and feveral Portugueze Gentlemen, who
reprefented the Ways we fhould be oblig'd to go
as fteep, craggy and moft diffictilt of Paffage, and
the Ground withal tobe fohot and parch'd by rea
fon of the Scarcity of Rain (which fometimes, it
feems, is deny'd to that Ifland for 6 or 7 Years
together) that their Slaves were generally oblig'd to
travel bare-footed, and fometimes perifh'd through
Thirft, there being rarely any fuch thing as Water
or any Refrefhment upon the Road. Uport which
I mull obferve, that the Trees, Plants. &c. in this
Ifland are moftly nourilh'd by the Morning Dews,
which fall plentifully at certain Seafons. Yet it is
a very fertile delightful Place, abounding -vyith
Cotton, Orange and Lemon Trees : The Vallies
yield Sugat-Canes, Rice, Beans &c. which turn to
very good Account ; and the Tops ofthe Hills are
crown'd with fundry Trees, as the Indigo, Acaciot
rupina, Barba Jovis, and a variety' of rare and
beautiful Flowers.
On the 19th of March we fail'd from the Har
bour of Braya with a fair Wind for the Cape of
Good Hope. Our Gales were brisk and favourable
for fome Time ; but as we advanc'd to the Line,
they flacken'd and fell away, till at length we were
in a manner becalm'd for feveral Days together,
and made but a very poor Reckoning • During
this calm Weather the Crew, to divert themfelves,
afted feveral Drolls, which from time to time were
receiv'd with Peals of Laughter by all their Coun
trymen on board : And I cannot help declaring it
¦ as. .

the Cape of Good Hope. n
as my Opinion, tho' I took but little Pleafure in
'em, that however the maritime Nations of Europe
may contend .for fuperiour Qualities in a Sed^- Fight,
the Dutch bear away the Laurel from all the World
in a Sea-Farce. ^
On the 7 th of April we found our Selves direftly
under the Equator, when moft of the Ship's Com
pany languifh'd through the long Calm and excef
five. Heat. The Scurvy . feiz'd' on Numbers, and
foon after a burning Fever. Some were melancho
ly, other.s raving mad: And we were oblig'd to
ke^p a ftrift Watch upon 'em to prevent their
Throwing themfelves into the Sea. But as vigilant
ly as the Sick were -watch'd and tended, one of
'em was, miffing, without any One's being able to
tell how, and never heard of after. And this was
our Calamity for all the Month of April. We had
fometimes abundance of Lightning , with terrible
Claps of Thunder, and were often in Danger from
the Ecnephias, as the Naturalifts call it, or the
Travado-^'xnA., very frequent between the Tro-"'
picks, ahd of which I fhall fpeak hereafter.
A Ring feen round the Moon for 3 Nights fuc
ceffively was taken for a triple Affurance of Wind:
And accordingly it was follow'd by ftrong vigo
rous GaJes immediately after. But I muft not omit
one Thing. Old Sailors affirm roundly, that the
Settling of a Sea-S-w-allow upon the Steerage-
Head is a fure Prognoftick ofa Storm of Thunder
and Lightning. Whatever Grounds there are for ,
this Notion, fo it happen'd, that on the 9th of
April, early in the Morning, that little Bird fettled
on our Steerage-Head.; and at eight the fame Mor ning,

12 the Prefent State of
ning, a large Flafli of Lightning, follow'd by a
roaring Noife like that ofthe Difcharge of a Can
non, ftartled all the Ship, The Captain, who was
at Breakfaft in his Cabbin, imagining that fome
body had prefum'd to difcharge One of the Great
Guns, ran out in a Fury to punifh fuch a Rafh-
nefs, when he found his Foremaft fhatter'd by
Thunder, and three Splinters, of the Thicknefs of-
an Inch, and upwards of 15 Feet in Length, car
ried away. No Hurt was done to any one on board,
though a great Number of Men ftood about the
Maft at the very Inftant this happen'd ; nor any
other Damage" to the Ship. But when we came to
confider the Risk of the Powder-Room by this
Accident, in Which we had more than sc^ptfb
Quintals of that dangerous Commodity, every
Man's Heart fhrunk and trembled within him ;
and every one, I dare fay, join'd heartily in the
I folemn Thankfgiving render'd immediately to
) Almighty God for this happy Deliverance from fo
fignal a Peril.
Under the Equator our Water, as well Spring
as Rain, became extremely bad. It got a noifome
Stench, and became full of Maggots.
Onthe22d 23d and 24th of April we were of
ten in Danger of running upon the Rocks, which
lie fcatter'd for about 30 Leagues together near
the Coaft of Brafil. The Portugueze call them
Abrotbos, the Latinifts Aperi Oculos; in both Lan
guages fignifying. Open your Eyes ; Look out fharp.
On the I ft of May we found, to our great Com
fort, that we had pafs'd the Tropick of Capricorn .
After

tbe Cape of Good Hope." 13
After which, advancing every Day into more tem- .
perate Weather, our People, fuch as had contrafted
any Sicknefs or Ailment under the Torrid Zone,
quickly recover'd. For my own Part, bleffed
be God, I pafs'd the Line in perfeft Health, with
out any Ailment whatever ; only I loft my Hair ^
entirely, and became quite bald ; which did not
much trouble me, fince by. this Effeft of the Sun
I became lefs liable to fweat, which was a Sort of
Happinefs to me in a Climate fo hot as that I was
deftin'd to refide in.
Inthe Dead of the Night, between thc 23d and
24th of May, wewere furpris'd with the moft furi
ous Storm we met with in all the Voyage. We
thought the Ship would have been torn to Pieces;
and every one, to fhe oldeft and ftouteft Sailor
on board, look'd for his Fate. I was, upon the
firft Attack, tofs'd out of my Bed with fuch Vio-
Jence, that I had like to have breath'd my laft.
But, it pleas'd God, it blew over without any con
fiderable Damage to the Ship ; and all we had to
lament was the Lofs ofour Liquors and brittle Fur
niture ; Bottles, Glaffes , China and earthen Ware
being tofs'd out of their Places and broken againft
the Ship's fides and one another in a ftrange Medley
of Ruins.
On the 5 th of June wc had a very thick Foo-,
which was faid to be a Token of our approaching
the Cape of Good Hope; and accordingly on the
10th the Cape was difcover'd, to the great Joy of all
the Ship's Company ; and on the nth we arriv'd
fafe in the Harbour, having loft but 2 Men in the
whole Paffage.
On

14 the Pr0nt State af
Onthe 1 2th I was introduced.to the Governour
of theDutch Fort and Settlement, who,on the Sight
of my Recommendatory Letters, treated me in a
very friendly and affable Manner, and foon affign'd
me a commodious Abode; where, when. I was
fettled, I immediately addrefs'd my felf to the
Work I was fent on, and. with the utmoft
Care and Application,during a long Refidence, col-
lefted the Materials of the prefent Hiftory.
CHAP. I L
I. Of the firft Difcovery ofthe Cape of Good Hope.
II. A parrel between the Portugueze and the
Natives, in wbich a Vice-roy 0/ Brafil, with many
others, is ftain. III. The .Revenge of the Por
tugueze for tbis Infult. IV. The Dutch begin to
touch at the Cape. Y.M. van Riebeeck, a Dutch
Surgeon, obferves the Conveniences ofthe Cape for
the Dutch India Company. VI. He commands
the Expedition to make a Settlement there. VII. His
Treaty with the Natives and other Succeffes. Vlll.yf
Placard is publifh'd by the Directors, inviting Per
fons to go and fettle at the Cape ; and 'gre at Num
bers repair thither. IX. The Company fends young
Women to tbe Cape , to be match' d with the Bat-
chelors. X. A fhort Defcription of the Country.
Bartholomew Dicfz, a Portuegeze Admiral, ap
pears to be the firft European who difco
ver'd the Cape of Good-Hope. This he did in the
Year 1493, in the Reign of King Jobn II. of Por
tugal, and gave it the Name of Capo dos totos los
Tormentos, from die boifterous Winds that are
almoft always roaring there ; which Name the fame
King

the Cape ^ Good Hope; if
King John was pleas'd to change into Capo delhu-
onne EfperanfO or The Cape of Good Hope, becaufe*
faid that Prince, there is now Good Hope of ma
king profperous Voyages to the Eaft-Indies. And
by this Name it has been known in Europe ever
fince. But Diaz did not land at the Cape. He only
went fo near as to obferve its Geography, Bays
and Anchorings, with his Accountof which the
King his Mafter and the whole Kingdom of Portu
gal were extremely pleas'd. Yet did not the Admi
ral Vafco de Gama, who went out next with the Com
mand ofthe Portugueze India Fleet, though he fail'd
by the Cape, venture to go or fend a-fhore there.
He contented himfelf to return home with a bare
Confirmation ofthe Obfervations of Diaz.
Notwithftanding the Satlsfadion the whole King
dom of Por/agfl/ found in this Difcovery, not one of
'em landed at the Ca^^ till the Year 1498, when
the Portugueze Admiral, Rio a'Infante, in his Voy
age to India, went a-lhore there. But neither did
he eftabliffi, any Intereft for the Portugueze, nor
treat with the Natives. All he did was to enlarge
the Account of the Advantages the Cape might
fiirniffi to the Trade of Portugal.
At his Retuni he found Emanuel on the Throne ;
to whom reporting his Difcoveries at the Cape,
that Prince was fo well fatisfied, that he gave Or
ders for the immediate Equipment and Departure
of another Fleet for India, with exprefs Inftruftions
(o the Admiral to endeavour a Settlement for Por
tugal at the Cape of Good Hope. This Fleet accor ding

«6 the Prefent State of
dingly went out, and arriv'd at the Cape ; but ha
ving met with Reports that the Natives were Cani-
lals, or Men-eaters, the Courage of the Fleet was
not Proof againft them ; and all that was done on
this Occafion was the Killing of Beafts of Chace,
and Wild Fowl, and the Taking in of f refliWater,
at the Robben Ifland near the Cape; where there is a
Cave, in which the Portugueze, .employ'd on this
Occafion, us'd to ffielterj themfelves, while they
ftaid here, from tempeftuous Weather, and which
is known by the Name of ^Portugal to this Day.
II. At length, Francifco ^Almeida, Vice-roy of
Brafil, returning from thence with a Fleet for Por
tugal, took his Courfe by the Cape, and anchoring
there, fent a Party on fhore to traffick for Catde
(with which it was known by this Time the Coun
try abounded) and try the Humour ofthe Natives.
Butthis Party, on whatever Jealoufy of the Hot
tentots, being repuls'd and driven back to the Ships,
the Vice-roy was prevail'd upon to order a fecond
Vifit with a confiderable Reinforcement , and for
the Encouragement ofthe Men, to put himfelf,
with eleven Captains of the Fleet, at the Head of
them. But this prov'd a very fatal one; and His
Excellency feem'd to have fome Prefages of its mi
ferable IlTue ; for when he was got into the Long
Boat, upon this Occafion, he cried. Ah ! whither
do you carry yo Tears ( forfo old he was) with a
Cloud upon his Brow that feem'd to forbode the
Storm that follow'd. And the Event was, that
one of the Men refufing to give a Hottentot a Pair-
of Brafs-Buckles he had on, with which the Savage
was mightily taken, the Hottentot receiv'd this Re
fufal as an Afiront, and made it th? Foundation of

the Cape ^Good HopeI 17
a Quarrel, which all the Hottentots prefent efpoufing
on the Side of their Countryman, it foon became
general ; and the Portugueze were attack'd
•with fo much Fury, that 75 of 'em were laid dead
on the Shore, among whom was the Vice-roy, who
was fhot through the Throat with a poifon'd Ar
row. The Reft' iled in Confufion to their Ships; and
immediately the whole Fleet" weijgh'd. '
ni.The- Portugueze, extremely mortified at this
Difgrace, vow'd a fmart Revenge; which yet they
feem'd not to look for tUl 2 or 3 Years after, when
the Fleet fbr the Indies anchoring again at the Cape,
they found the Art of Cajoling the Hottentots ;
and knowing their Fondnels for Brafs, they carried
a large Brafs-Cannon a-ffiore, under Pretence of
making them a Prefent of it. This Piece of Ar
tillery they had loaden'd with a Number of heavy
Balls, & faften'd to the Mouth ofit two longRopes.
The Hottentots , raviffi'd to receive fuch a Weight
of their ador'd Metal, and jealous of no Defign,
laid hpld of the two Ropes in great Numbers, as
they were direfted, ih order to drag it along ; and
a great Body of'eip being extended in Two Files
all the Length of the Ropes, and ftanding, Cheek
by JoU, full in the Range of the Shot, the Cannoii
was fuddenly difcharg'd, and a terrible Slaughter
made of 'em. Such as had efcap'd the Shot, fled
up into the Country in the wildeft Confternation,
and left the Portugueze to reimbark at their Lei
fure, And from that Day to this, it feems, they
have dreaded both the Touch and the Sight of a
Fire-arm. JV,Afterthisitdoesnot appear, that an-j Europeans
B vifited

i8 the Prefent State of
vifited the Cape t\\\ the Year 1600, when tbe Ships
belonging to the Dutch Company of Merchants
Adventurers, then known by the Name of The
far Trading Company, fmce by thatof the Eaft-In
dia Compa,nj, began to touch there.
This Company, which has ever been diftin-
guiffi'd by afnperiour Genios for Trade and Navi--
gation, had not been long erefted before the Cape
was found of great Convenience to it. However,
the Dutch did not immediately fee all its Advanta
ges. For many Years they only touch'd there,
in their Voyages to and from India, to traffick for
Provifions. For this Purpofe they went from time
to time in Bodies up into the Country, and having
thrown up a little Fort near the Harbour, the
Ruins ofwhich ftill remain,they|there fecur'd them
felves and their Purchafes in the Night-time, till
they had ffiipp'd 'em.
They made, indeed, another Ufe of the Cape,
while Things went only in this Way ; and it was
a notable Contrivance. Every Commander, go
ing out, was provided with a Square Stone, upon
which,at his Departure from the Cape, he caus'd the
Ship's Name, his own Name, and the Names of
the principal Officers to be fairly cut, together
with the Day he arriv'd there, and the Day he
departed. This Stone, with fuch Infcriptions, was
buried in a certain Place without the Fort, and un
der it was put a Tin-Box feal'd up, containing
Letters from the Captain and others to the Direftors
of the Company, together with fuch other Let
ters as any Perfons on board Ihould think fit
to fend to Europe. This Stone and Box were taken up

//5^Ca1»e ^Good Hope. 19
up by the next Dutch Eaft-India Ship that pafs'd
by Oie Cflpff in her Return, and by her convey'd
to Holland. And whoever confiders the Situation of
the Cape, asa SortofHalf Way-Hoofein the India
Voyages, and the Satisfaftions the Company by
this Means receiv'd from time to time concer
ning the Fortune and Condition of their Ships,
will own it an excellent Contrivance.
V. After this Manner, & this only,theDa/cj&ufed
the Cape till the Year 1650, when their IndiaFleet
anchoring before it for the ufual Purpofes, Mr. Van
Riebeeck, a Surgeon belonging to it, had the Penetra
tion to difcern the ftill greater Advantages which the
Company might reap trom the Cape by the Means
of a very little Cultivation. He faw the Coun
try was plentifiiUy ftock'd with Catde ; that the
Soil was rich and capable of generous Produftions;
that the Natives were traftable, and the Harbour
commodious and improveable. He faw to what a
Degree the Dutch India Trade might be fecured
and facilitated by Means of the Cape. In ffiort, he
faw that it was highly advifeable for the Dutch to
make a Settlement there. He digefted his Obfer
vations, and, on his Return to Holland, laid them
before the Direftors of the J«<fw Company; who were
fo well fatisfied therewith, that immediately after,
in a grand Confultatlon on the fame, they came to
a Refolution to attempt a Settlement at the Cape
without Lofs of Time.
VI. Accordingly Four Ships were immediately
order'd out for the Cape, withall the Materials, In
ftruments, Artificers and other Hands neceffary in
iiich an Expedition. The Surgeon, Van Riebeeck,
was appointed Admiral, with a Commiffion, on
. B 2 ^ii

20 the Prefent. State of
his Arrival, to aft as Governour and Commander
in Chief in the intended Settlement, and with Pow
er to treatf manage and aft for the Introduftion
and Eftabliffiment of the Dutch in fuch Manner as
he ffiould think fit, ,
Wl.Van Riebeeck arriving fafely with thefe 4 Ships ,
at the Cape, the Natives were fb captivated with
the Prefents fie brought *em of Brafs-Toys, Beads,
Tobacco, Brandy &c. and fo charm'd with his
own Addrefs and Good Humour, that a Treaty
was foon fet on Foot, and almoft as foon conclu
ded, wherein it was agreed, that in Confideration
of fuch a Quantity of certain Toys and Commodi
ties tb be deliver'd to the Natives aS might coft
50,000 Guilders, the Dutch ffiould have full Liber
ty to fettle there. This was immediately perform'd;:
and inamediately the Dutch took Poffeffion of the
Cape , which with a great deal of Ceremony
was deliver'd up to 'em. The Traffick ofthe Dutch
with the Natives was likewife, by the fame Treaty,
eftabliffi'd on a good and folid Foundation, with
many new beneficial Privileges and Regulations
for the former.
Next, the Governour, Van Riebeeck, rais'd a
fquare Fort, in which he built Dwelling-Houfes,
Ware-Houfes, and an Hofpital fqr the Reception
of the Sick; and to which he added proper Out
works to fecure himfelf againft ahy Attjicks frora
the Europeans.
VIII. His Excellency likewife having provided
himfelf in Europe with fuch Plants and Seeds as
he judg'd would be proper at the Cape & he could
confe-

, />&^ Cape o/" G 0 od Hop E. 2i
cor^veniently carry with him,fet and fow'd the fame
in ^ Piece of Ground he chofe at the Diftance of
twd Leagues up in the Country, partly a Hill and
partly aVale, dividing the Ground into a Vineyard,
a Fruit- a Flower- and a Kitchen-Garden. Every
Thing profper'd fo well, and he reap'd in due Sea
fon the Fruits of his Labours in fuch Plenty, that
the Company being inform'd ot this Succefs, and
of the happy Progrefs he had made in other
Matters,- publiffi'd a Placard, offering to eve
ry Man, who would go and fettle at the Cape, 60
Acres of Land, to pafs in Inheritance to his Poft"e-
rity, pro-vided that every orte, in the Space of
three Yearsafter taking Poffeffion of his Allotment,
fhould have fo far improv'd the fame, as not o'nly
to maintain himfelf out of it, if he fliould have no
other Means of fubfifting, but likewife to contribute
from time to time at a certain Rate to the Mainte
nance of the Garrifon : And leaving every one at
Liberty, who ffiould not chufe to continue upon
the Settlement at the End of thefe Three Years, to
fell Of make over his Allotment, and go where he
pleas'd. Thefe Conditions werefo acceptable to People,
that they embark'd from time to time, as the
Ships went out, in Numbers for the Cape ; and
the Settlement, by this Means, foon began to
make a confiderable Figure. Such as could not
furniffi themfelves, the Company furniffi'd upon
Credit, with Cattle, Grain, Ploughs, Tools and
Utenfils, and what was neceffary for their Subfif-
tence and the Tillage of the Ground, till fuch Time
as they had reap'd the Fruits of their Labours, and
could provide themfelves. B 3 But

aa the Prefeht State of
IX.Butafl thisTime anEvil was growing iipon'em,
againft which they had made no Provifion. Europe
an Women were very fcarce among 'em ; and
what they had were Wives, who had tranfported
themfelves with their Husbands ; whfle the Settle
ment fwarm'd with yourig Fellows who wanted
the Comforts of Marriage. They were fettled each
upon his Farm, and in a way of Thriving. They
therefore wantedWomen as much for the Sake of
Iffue and domeftick Help as for fenfual Gratificiti-
ons. But they had no Inclination to meddle with
the Hottentot-W otnen.
An Account of this Grievance being difpatcfi'd
to Amfterdam, the Direftors of the India Company
applied for Redrefs to the States General, and
obtain'd of their High Mightineffes a PernMffion
to tranfport to the Cape fuch young Women from
the Charitable Foundations and Orphans Houfes as
were willing to go thither. Accordingly a fine
Troop of young Females were quickly levied for
the Voyage ; who arriving fafely at the Cape, were
by the Governour, to whofe Care they had been
commended, beftow'd upon fuch as wanted Wives,
with all the Indulgence and Regard that could be
ffiewn to their feveral Fancies and Inclinations on
fuch an Occafion.
Thefe laft Meafures were attended with, very
happy Confequences. The Settlement being firm
ly eftabliffi'd, and all in Tranquility and Good
Humour, they encreas'd and multiplied to fuch a
Degree, that in a few Years, being ftill join'd
by new Settlers from Europe, they began to ex
tend themfelves in new Colonies along thc Coaft, They

/i&(?CAPEe^G00DH0PE. 23
They are now divided into* Four principal Ones.
Thc Firft is at the Cape, where are the Grand Forts,
and the Capital City, call'd alfo the Cape;\n which,
and about it, are many genteel Buildings, with all
Sorts of Accommodations : The Second is the Hel-
lenhogifh ; the Third, the Drakenfton ; and the
Fourth, the Waverift) Colony. The Company has
likewife bought, for a future Increafe of People,
aU that Traft of Land, ca.\l*d Terra du Natal, ly
ing between Mofamhique and the Cape; forwhich
they paid in Toys, Commodities and Utenfils to
the Value of 30,000 Guilders. So thatthe Province
is now become of great Extent, and the Govern
ment a very confiderable Thing.
X. The Country about the Cape is for the moft
Part full of Rocks and Mountains, which, for a
long Time after the Difcovery, being only view'd
at a Diftance, were look'd- on and reported as
barren. But the Truth is, their fpacious Tops are
cover'd with rich Meadow, every where enamel'd
with various Flowers of uncommon Beauty and
Fragrancy, and abounding with delicious Springs,
running in a Variety of Streams into the Valleys.
Thefe Mountains in clear Weather are feen at
the Diftance of 1 5 Leagues at Sea.
On the Skirts of 'em, and here and there be
tween 'em, are Groves of Trees, affording excel
lent Wood for the Turner and Joiner.
The Plains and Valleys are all lovely Meadow-
Lands, where Nature appears in fuch a Profiifion
Qf Charms as to raviffi the Eye that beholds her,
B 4 They

24 the Prefent State of -
They every where fmi!fe ; are every where adorn'd
with beautiful Trees, Plants and Flowers, fome of
them of fo fingular and fo attraftive a Shape and
Beauty, and aU of them fo fragrant, that they fifl
the Eye with incredible Delight, and the Air with
the fweeteft Odours. Among thefe are the Aloe,
and other curious medical Trees, with Herbs of
medical Qualities in Abundance.
The Soil is rich* and capable of ever^ kind of
Culture. It bears every Sort of Grain, the Vine
and every Kind of Fruit- Tree. Not a Root of
Thoufands that have been tranfplanted thither from
Europe, has fail'd through any Difagreement with
the Ground.
The Country abounds with Salt, produc'd by
the Heat of the Sun on Rain- Water. And up
and down are feveral natural Hot Baths, of aMine-
ral Water, which has been found of excellent Ufe
for the Recovery of Health in a great many Cafes.
But the Region about the Cape is fubjeft to boi
fterous Winds; And thefe blow generally from the
South-Eaft and North-Weft, and have certain Sea
fons for reigning in one and the other Quarter.
While the Sun is in the Southern Signs, they hold
in the Soutb-Eaft ; while in the Northern Signs, in
the North-Weft. In the Soutb-Eaft they are trou
bkfome and dangerous to the Ships coming in ; in
the North Weft, to the Ships at Anchor: And
frequently blowing a Hurricane, they not only
endanger the Shipping, but tear and ffiatterthe
whole Country, doing incredible Damage to the
Corn on the Ground and the Fruit on the Trees. Yet

/^^ C A P E O/ G O 0 D H O P E. 25
Yet, on the other Hand, are thefe rude Winds of
excellent Ufe. Purging the Air, and keeping it, as
they do almoft continually, in a very brisk Agi
tation, they contribute not a littie to the Health
of the Inhabitants, -who, when thefe Winds lie ftill
for a Week or Ten Days together, complain in
Numbers of the Head- Ach and other Diftempers,
which vaniffi when they blow again.
CHAP. III.
I. Of the true Name of the Natives about the Cape
0/ Good Hope. II. Of Their Origin. III. Of Their
Language.
I. 1 ^ E W Hiftories have been handed into the
r World with fo much Falffiood and Im-
perfeftion as the Accounts we have hitherto had of
_the People about the Cape of Good Hope. The Vanity
of Travellers, the Proftitution of mercenary Pens,
and the Credulity of Mankind were hardly ever
more manifeft than in the Relations that have hi
therto prevail'd concerning 'cm. The Authors -we
have upon the Hottentots not only differ widely in
the moft effential Points of Hiftory, but hardly have
the good Luck to hit upon the Truth in any oneAr-
.ticle ; and, in particular, have err'd egregiouflyin
deriving and alligning their true Name. To enu
merate the different Appellations that have been
given them by different Writers,, with their feveral
Reafons, would be equally tedious and unprofitable.
I ffiall only fet down the Opinions of two or three
ofthe moft confiderable,
Father T^ci^^rt, a mighty Traveller, underta
king in his Defcription of the Kingdom of Siam, ta

26 the Prefent State of
to give fome Account of the Hottentots, fays, the
Name of Hottentot does by no means belong to 'cm
any otherwife than as a Nick-Name given them by
the Europeans ; probably, fays he, on the Score of
their generally making Ufe of that Word when
they meet with Strangers. '
The Sieur Merklin likewife declares it to be a
Nick-name, in his Account of his Voyage to the
Eaft-Indies, where he fays, the Hollanders affign'd
the People of the Cape of Good Hope the Name of
Hottentot from their ufing that Word in their
Dancings and mirthful Affcmblies more frequent
ly than any other.
Dapper likewife fays it is a Nick-name, but that
it was given them on Account of their Stammering.
Arnold too affirms it to be a Nick-name, but ac
counts for it from their finging HottentottumBrocqua,
whereby, fays he, they exprefs their earneft De
fire for Dutch Bread, whereof they are great Lo
vers, and for which they often exchange their
Catde. With regard to Father Tachart, I could never
learn at the Cape of Good Hope, that the People
accofted Strangers with the Word Hottentot. I al
ways found, that in accofting an European they
us'd the Words Mutfche Atze i. e. I falute you. Sir :
And the People far up the Country, on the Ap
pearance of Stranges, are us'd to fay in Dutch,
ivat Volk, i. e. Wbat People ? x
And for Merklin and Arnold, they are very
wide of the Matter ' Tis true, the Natives of the
Cape

tht Cap ^ of Good Ho IPE. 27
Cape do ufe the Words Hottentottum Brocqua very
frequently in their Merriments; but Hottentot is not
a Nick-name deduc'd fi'om this Cuftom, according
to thefe Authors; nor is the Meaning of the Words
Hottentottum Brocqua fuch as Arnold has affign'd
them. The Origin ofthisPhrafb, andof the Cuf
tom of finging and pronouncing it frequently in
their mirthful Affemblies, was this : The Chaplain
of a Dutch Ship fent a Hottentot upon an Er
rand, and promis'd, if the Hottentot "ffiould dif
charge it well, to reward him with a huge Piece
of Dutch Bread, or a certain Quantity of To
bacco. The Hottentot having dufy executed his
Commiffion, demanded of the Chaplain the Per
formance ofhis Promife ; but he, it feems, had fo
little Confcience, that he utterly refuf d to give
him any Satisfaftion. The poor Fellow communica
ting this Abufe to his Couhtrymen,among whom,
ignorant and wretched as they are, all Improbity is
abhorr'd, they inftantly, in Deteftation and Derifi
on of the Chaplain, compos'd, after their Manner,
a Song on him, in which the Words Hottentottum
Brocqua, fignifying. Give the Hottentot his Hire,
are often repeated. This Song quickly obtain'd all
over the Country, where every one was made ac
quainted with the Chaplain's Knavery; to perpetu
ate the Memory of which, and to caution one another
againft the Wiles and Circumventions of Strangers,
this Song was fung when any Strangers came with
in Sight or Hearing ofthem , as it is often at this
Day. This Relation I had from fome ofthe moft intel
ligent Hottentots, with whom I convers'd intimately
fbr many Years, and likewife from feveral ancient and

28 the Prefent State<of .
and difcreet Hollanders, 'who had been long acquain
ted ^yith Pferfong and Things in the feveral Hotten
tot Nations.
Authors then are in tJie Wrong, who deliver
the Appellation of Hottentot only as a Nick- name
of the People about the Cape of Good Hope. It is,
as far as can poffibly be enquired, their original nar
tional Name, by which they have always call'd
and diftinguifh'd themfelves. All the Hollanders at
the Cape believe it to be fo : The Hottentot Nati.
ons know of no other Name 5 and if they had had
any other before the Arrival of Europeans among
them, it were hardly poffible it ffiould have entirely
vanifh'd in fo ffiort a Space of Time, and not have
remain'd fomewhere in fo vaft an Extent of Coun
try. Some confound the Hottentots with the Caffres or
Keffres, and call them by that Name. But the
Caffres, who inhabit the Monomotapa, tho' en-
compafs'd in a Manner by the Hottentot Nations,
are a very different kind of People. Thefe Nations
refemble one another indeed 'in their Hair, large
Lips and flat Nofes. But the Flatnefs of the No
fes of the /fij//f«/(P/ji isnot natural -to 'em. Befides,
the People properly call'd Caffres are black ; and
their Faces ffiine in fuch a Manner as frequently to
dazzle the Eyes of Beholders ; whereas the Hotten
tots are of 2i din^y olive Colour. They differ again
in their Way of Living, and in fo many other
Particulars, that this Confounding of the two Na
tions could only be awing to a great Ignorance
of both. Hubner indeed diftirtguiffies between the
Caffres and the Hotfentots'xn many Particulars, but ia

theChVE of Goon Hope. 26
is fo often wrong in his Accounts of the laft, that he
is not to be confider'd on the Subjeft.
II. The Opinions of Writers concerning the Ori
gin of the Hottentot Nations are as various and
diffonant as the Methods they have taken to account
for the Name of 'em; and, indeed , 'tis a difficult
Matter to fettle it. Nor am I my felf, after all
my Refearchcs, able with any Certainty to point it
out. All I can undertake in the Matter, is to do it
with more Probability than others have r'.^ne ; or,
at leaft, to furniffi out more Lights and better Ma
terials for fuch an Enquiry.
When Records are wanting, and Tradition is
frown a blind Matter, concerning the Origin of a
'eople, all that can be done in it, is to compare
that Tradition, together with their Cuftoms and In
ftitutions, with the Hiftories, Inifitutions and Cuf
toms of other Nations, and to fix it, if Nothing ffiall
hinder, where the Parity moft appears. This being
the Cafe with the Hottentots, who have neither Re
cord nor Writing nor Notion of either, I fliall firft
fet down their Traditions and then purfue their Cuf
toms into other Nations.
The Hottentots fay, their Firft Parents came into
their Country through a Window or Door-Paffage
(the Word for both in the Hottentot-Tongue being
the fame) That the Name of the Man was Nob,
and ofthe Woman HingnSh : That they were fent
into their Country by God himfelf, whom they call
Tikquoa : And that they taught their Defcendants
to keep Catde, and to do a great many other
Things. This

30 fhe Prefent, State of
This Tradition, which prevails and is carefully-
kept up in all the i?i?/jf^;?^o^ Nations, looks extreme-;
\'y Hke a Fragment- ofthe Story of Noah who furviv'd
the Flood, and who defcended by a Window or
I)oor from the Ark in which he had furmounted it.
And I know not whether at the Bottom ofthe Ac-^
count it will not be illuftrated into allthe Authority
of fuch a Remain.
In their Cuftoms and Inftitutions they cannot^
be faid to refemble any People befides the Jews and
the Old'Troglodytes. They refemble the Jews in
their Offerings, the Regulation of their Chief Fefti-.
vals by the New and Full Moon, and in their With
drawing at certain Times from their Wives, They
agree with that People in abftaining from certain
Sorts of Food; in p^irticular , Swine's Fleffi, which
hardly any of 'em will tafte. At a certain Age
they undergo a Sort of Circumcifion. And Women
are excluded the Secret and Management of certain
Affairs much as they are among the Jews. And
in feveral other Cuftoms do the Hottentots agree
with that People. But as they have no Memory
of the Children- of //raf/, of Mofes, or the Law,
Things of which, had they deriv'd their Origin or
thefe Cuftoms from any of the Tribes, fome Tra
ces, in the higheft Probability, had remain'd, it
cannot be thought, on any good Grounds, that they
deduce either their Origin or thefe Cuftoms from
Them. A far greater Probability lies on the Side
of the Troglodytes, the Defcendants of Abraham by
his Wife Chetura, who not only obferv'd all or
moft ofthe Cuftoms in which the Hottentots agree
with the Jews , but likewife feveral others , ob
ferv'd by the Hottentots at this Day. As i.
* They

the CAfE cf Goon Hove. 31
j.*They gave their Children the Names of favourite
Beafts, as of an Ox a Sheep &c. as do the Hot
tentots. * 2. They tied their old People, unable to
fupport themfelves (each Family its own) to Stakes,
in little Huts erefted for the Purpofe; and allow'd
them a fmall Suftenance till they died : And this
do the Hottentots * 3. Their manner of Hunting
was the fame : And as they excell'd in Swiftnefs, fo
do the Hottentots. 4. * Their Funeral Ceremonies
were fuch as are obferv'd by the Hottentots. .
Thefe Cuftoms, in which the Hottentots 'zgree
with both Jews and Troglodytes, being, 'tis pretty
certain, all or moft of 'em as old as the Time of
Abraham, which was but 300 Years after the
Flood, refer their Tradition fo clearly to Noah,
as to put the Matter almoft out of Doubt. But
then how comes it to pafs, if the Hottentots are def
cended of the Old Troglodytes, that they have re-*
tain'd a Tradition of Noah, and not prefer/'d a-
long with it fome Memory of Abraham, fo emi
nent in his Day, or of the Story and Country of
the Troglodytes their Anceftors, of whom they know
Nothing ? Upon 'the whole, their Cuftoms refer
ring their Tradition fo clearly to Noah, if they
are not defcended of, the Troglodytes, Hiftory will
help us no farther ; and we have Room to fup
pofe (as ftrange as it may feem ) that they have
remain'd were they are ever fince the Deluge.
III.Thcir Language is certainly a Compofition of

Distl. Sf(. and Bohm. the

32 . The Prefent State of
the ftrangeft Sounds that ever were utter'd by arty
People, ; Some will have it, that 'tis eafily ac
quir'd by Strangers in all [its Compafs: Others,
that it can never be acquir'd by a Stranger. Some
lobk upon it as the Difgrace of Spe«ch ; others
deny it the Name, as having Nothing of Sound or
Articulation that is peculiar to Man in it, but re
fembling, fay they, the Noife of irritated Turkey-
cocks the Chattering of Mamies and the Hooting of
Owls. And Dapfer in particular fays,' tis difagrea-
ble to znEuropean to hear it, much more to learn it.
It may, indeed, I think, be pretty juftly con
fider'd as a Monfter among Languages, and fuch
a One likewife as is not to be conquer'd but by the
Struggles of Youth, or with the greateft Difficulty
afterwards. For my own Part, tho' I refided ma
ny Years among them, and in all that Time did
•my utmoft to acquire it, I could never roundly
fucceed in the Matter . Nor could I find any in all
the Settlement who could fpeak it tolerably buf
fuch as were either born among them, or arrived
there very young. One Word often fignifies feve
ral Things, of which many of 'em are entirely ig
norant ; and the Pronunciation depends upon fuch
Coflifions or Claffiings of the Tongue againft the
Palate, and upon fuch ftrange Vibrations and In-
fleftions of that Member, as a Stranger cannot eftfi-
Iy imitate, and neither they themfelves nor hardly
any elfe can defcribe. Hence it is, that they are
look'd upon as whole Nations of Stammerers.
On the other Hand, the Hottentots are equally
embarrafs'd in the Pronunciation of other Langua
ges. They are eafily taught, to underftand -either
Dutch or French, as many of 'em aftually do;

/iS^ Cape o/" Go OD Hop Ei 33
But the unaccountable Motions and Poftures of the
Tongue to which their, own Language fubjefts
'them, renders them, for the moft Part, hardly in
telligible when they come to fpeak any other. ^
The Generality of Words or Sounds- in the Hot-
.tentot, Tongue, yielding; to no Form of Writing
or Pronunciation known In Europe, 'tis next to im
poffible to deliver any Thing of it from the Prel^
thatcan merit the Name of a Specimen. But for
the Entertainment of rny Reader, who will per
haps be glad to fee Something of it offer'd to his
Curiofity, I ffiall exhibit Part of a Lift of fuch
Words or Sounds as have been found the moft pli
ant to the Pen. The whole Lift was firft pub
liffi'd by Jiinckerus, in-, his Comment upon the Life
and Writings of -Ludolf; to whom, as to a learned
and curious Man, it was prefented by One who
had been at the Cape. But it has a great many
Faults. The Words I have coUefted from it are
here amended : And Marks are fet over fuch Syl
lables as require the Claffiings of the Tongue I
have mentioned.
A CoUeftion of Hottentot Words,
with their Interpretation.

Chauna

A Lamb.

Ducatore

A Duck.

Kgou

A Goofe.

Kamma

Water & other Liquids.

Bunqvad f. Ay

Trees.

^aiba

An Afs.

Knenm

To hear.

C . ,, The

t »¦

34 • , '^be
Nouwkhoekari ^aqua .
Kirri
fkaka Nombha
Horri Kid
Knabou
Durie-sd f. Bubaa
^'"Araho
Hek" kao
Oud f. Ounequa
Ountvie
^ienchaHouteo .-
Hf
Likhanie Bikqu^ KouqueqtiaT'kamma §yad Kouquil
^au Anthuri
Kgoyes KouTil^q»odCham-ouna

Prefent State of
I The Ears.
A Bird, call'd Knorhan.
A Pheafant.
A Stick, or Staff.
A Whale, or North*
The Beard. (Gaper.
Beafts in General.
To drink.
A Fowling-Fiece.
An Ox.
A wild Ox.
An Ox of Burthen.
The Arms.
Butter. To fall.
A Sea Dog.
A Dog.
The Head.
A Captain.
A Stag.
The Neck.
A Pidgeon,
The Heart.
To Morrow.
A Buck, or Doc.
A Tooth.
God. The Devil. A

tb^ Cape sT

GoodHope.

K^omma

A Houfe.

He^ma

A Horfe.

Choaa

A Cat.

K/ukufi

Iron.
Koo
-
A Son,
Kammo
A Stream.
Koukekerey
A Hen^
Ttkd
Grafs.
Ta qua
A Wolf
Koetfire
A Word of Scandal
Tboukou
A dark Night.
"fkouTne
Rice.
Koamqua
The Mouth.
Gaoudie
A Sheep.
Kchou
A Peacock.
Gona
A Boy.
Gois
A Girl.
Tk'auoklou
Gun-Powder.
0)0%
Cboakamma
A Baboon.
Kuanehou vel
tkeuhouw
A Star.
Camkamma ^
The Earth.
Mu
An Eye.
^aouw
Thunder.
Tquaffouw, f.
Kqvuffomo
A Tyger.
Tkouw, f. Cbd-kbouw
A Sea-Cow.
tkad
A VaUey.
Chomma
The Belly.
Toya
The Wind.
3^
C 2
In
-3^ the Prefent State of
In Numbering: ihey cOunt no higher than Teri,
©r have no mpre Terms than will reckon from an
Unit to Ten. In reckoning their Cattle, and in other
Computations, when they come to Ten they return
to an Unit, and count to Ten again ; and coming a
tenth Time to Ten, they pronounce the Term
twice, as Ten Ten, or Ten times Ten, for a Hun
dred. They then begin anew for a fecond Ten Ten;
and coming to a Tenth, they pronounce the Term
thrice, as Ten Ten Ten, or Ten times Ten Ten, for
a Thoufand, and fo on. . The Hottentot Words for
theTsTumbers up to Ten are ;
^kuiOhe, ICkamT^o, K'ounaThree, HakkaFour,
Ko 0 Five, Nanni Six, Honko Seven, Kbyff Eight,
K'heffi Kme, Gyffi Ten.
CHAP. IV.
A General Charadler and Defcription
of the HOTTENTOTS.
I. The Exceffes of Authors on this Point. II. The
Hottentots leam the Languages of Europe.. III.
Tbey excell in Agriculture. IV. Tbey make excellent
Servants. V. CharaSfer of a Hottentot call'd
Claas. VI. His Story. VII. The Hottentots are
the lazieft People in the World. VIII. And the
filthieft in their Diet. IX. Tet tbey live long;-, ani
have few Diftempers amotfg tbem. X. They befmear
their Bodies all over with Fat. XI. They abhor
the Fat of Fifh. XII. Reafons why they thus he-
daub themfelves. XIII. The general Shape, Sta-,
ture and Features ofthe Hottentots.
^- \ Uthors are to be blam'd for their Wanton-
jT^ nefs and Precipitation in the Charafters
they have drawn of the Hottentots, whofe Minds and

the Cape of Good Hope. §7
and Manners, tho' wretched enough, are not fo
wretched as they have made 'em. If thefe Characr
ters were not written in the Genius of the Drama,
rather to excite Terror or Laughter than to give a
true Hiftory of Things, they muft be the Effeft of
that wanton Malice which aggravates every Thing,
or of that Vanity which puts People upon giving
the Charafters of others before' they know 'em. It
has been publiffi'd in feveral Languages, and is,
I believe, at this day generally apprehended
throughout Europe, that the Hottentots are fo bru
tal a People as to be, in a Manner, incapable of Rer
fleftion : That they have no Senfe of God or Reli
gion ; nor any Notion of Order or Oeconomy :
That they are Nations of Savages, with hardly fo
.much as a Tinftureof Reafon or Humanity. Thefe
are Exceffes of the Imagination, which have made a
very wretched People more wretched in Europe
than they are at home : For the Hottentots are by
no means fo ftupid and fenfelefs as thefe Things a-
mount to. That they have fome Senfe of God and
Religion, appears already from what I have faid in
the laft Chapter of their Traditions and Cuftoms,
and will appear more fully in another Place : And
that they are not fo ftupid, irrational and inhu
man , as they have been reprefented among us,
,1 have Evidence enough.
II. I have known many of them, who under
ftood Dutch, French and Portugueze to a De
gree of Perfeftlon ; and, allowing for Defefts in
Pronunciation , which I have already accqun-
ted for , exprefs'd themfelves roundly in thoi^
Languages. And One I knew who had gain'd. the
En^iftj and Portugueze in a very little Time ; and
C 3 having

33 the Prefent State of
having conquer'd the Habits of Pronunciation he
had contrafted from his native Language, was faid,
by good Judges, to underftand and fpeak 'em with
a furprifing Readipefs and Propl'iety.
IIL In Agriculture they excell all the Euro
peans who refide among 'em, who often call upon
'em for Advice in the Management of their Lands.
And in many other Arts and Cuftoms, as I ffiall
fhew in their proper Places, thefe People difcover
good Marks of Capacity and Difcernment, could
they but be perfuaded to make a right Ufe of 'em.
IV. They make excellent Servants, and perhaps thc
faithf ullefl in the World. And the Europeans at the
Cape, who entertain a great Number of 'em, are fo
fond ot 'em in this Capacity, that they are loth to
part with 'em. With regard to their Fidelity,
tho' Cutlery- Ware, Wine, Brandy and Tobacco
are Things they infinitely love, and for which they
will at any Time barter the moft valuable Things
they have, they will neither themfelves diminiffi,
nor fuffer any one elfe to diminiffi, the leaft Drop
or Particle of thefe Commodities yvhen committed
to their Truft. It is furprifing to fce the Care and
Fidelity, with which they acquit themfelves on
fuch Occafions. And with regard to Capacity,
they are often employ'd by the Europeans in
Matters that require no fmall One, and generally
acquit themfelves very handfomely. A Hottentot-,
'whofe Name was Claas, was a Man of fuch Inte
grity and Difcernment, that he was often entrufted
by the late Governour of the Cape, M- Fan derStett
\(rith large Quantities of Wine, Brandy, Rice
and other Commodities, and employ'd to truck the
fame

/'i5(? Cape c^ Good Hope. 39
fame for Cattle among the Hottentot Nations at a
great Diftance from the Cape, attended by a Guard
of Two arm'd Men ofthe Governour's own People.
Hc executed his Commiffions with Addrefs and
Reputation, and generally return'd the Governour
much more and much finer Cattle than the Commo
dities he carried out could be judg'd to be worth.
To thefe Qualities he join'd thc greateft Humanity
and Good Nature ; and, notwithftanding the Igno
rance in which he was born, and in which, with
refpeft to Religion, he always liv'd, was a Man
of excellent Morals, and who had perhaps as much
Charity and Benevolence for Mankind as the belt
of us all. Many an European in Diftrefs has been
reliev'd by that generous good natur'd Creature,
who, by Means of a handfome Stock of Cattie,
Goods in which the Wealth of the Hottentots chiefly
confifts, was very well able todo it.
And here I cannot help digrefting upon the Story
of this Man, in which there are Things fovery af
fefting, that, far from doubting of the Reader's
Pardon, I queftion whether, when he knows it, he
will think he could have forgiven me the Suppref^
fion of a Matter that warms the Breaft with fuch a
Mixture of Indignation and Pity.
Claas was defcended of a wealthy Hottentot Fami
ly ; that is to fay, a Family rich in Cattle. His Fa
ther had given him a very handfome Stock, which,
by Care and good Management, encreas'd in his
Hands very confiderably. His ordinary Refidence
was at a good Diftance from the Cape, where for
fome Time he liv'd very happily with his Wife,
whom the Hottentots look'd upon as a^ very great
C 4 Beau-

40 the Prefent State of
Beauty. His Happinefs in this Woman, who lov'd
him tenderly, was the Envy of all his Nation, and
particularly of the King or Captain ofit, a Tyrant,
who not , being able to ffiake her Conftancy by Ar
tifice and Entreaty, took her away by Force.
There being no Relief for Claas againft fo power
ful a Rayiffier, the Dutch never intermeddling in
private Quarrels among the Natives, he bore his
Misfortune like a wife Man, fupprefPd his Grief,
and troubled no One with it. But his Wife gave full
"Play to her Refentment ; and equally regardlefs of
Threats and Flatteries, fill'd the Air with Cries,
and deafen'd the Tyrant with continual Reproa
ches.^ He ffiut her up, and again plied every Art
he was Mafter of- to quench her Paffion fdr her
Husband, and cool her to an Acquiefcence with his
own Love ; but finding them all ineffeftual, and
judging they would ever be fo while Claas was li
ving, he refolv'd upon his Deftruftion.
Claas had cheriffi'd the Dutch, and contributed
to their Eftabliffiment at the Cape, in a very ex
traordinary Manner. His Zeal for their Service
and Security had procur'd him many Enemies a-
mong his Countrymen. He had likewife, by this
Time, with the greateft Fidelity andApplauie, dif
charg'd feveral Commiffions from the Governour
for the Exchange of Rice, Wine, Brandy &c. in
the Hottentot Nations for Cattle. And the Fame of
his Services, and of his Integrity and Addrefs in Ne
gotiations with his Country men!,had reach'd the City
of Amfterdam. He perform'd every Thing for the
Governour without any Stipulation for his Trou
ble; and was always contented with what his Ex
cellency was pleas'd to give him, But, this Affidui ty

/i6^ Cape Osgood Hope. 41
ty, Care and Fidelity of C/^flj rais'd him many E-
nemies among His Excellency's People. Manyof
'em had been entrufted and employ'd to traffick
with the Hottentot Nations irt- the like Manner ;
but none of 'em returning with Cattle that bore
any Proportion, either in Number or Value, with
his, the Governour had laid them afide, and com
mitted the whole Bufinefs to Claas, who had now ma
nag'd it for a confiderableTime with the higheft Re
putation. It feems, the Governour's People, who had been
thus employ'd, had us'd not only to embezzle and
confume the Liquors deliver'd them to trade with,
but likewife to keep back, from Time to Time,
fome of the Cattle exchang'd againft the Governour's
Commodities, as purchas'd with their own. This
Roguery, which was not fufpefted by the Gover
nour, having adminifter'd plentifully to their Lux
ury, and put their Fortunes in a flouriffiing Way,
they could not leave fo delicious a Road without
taking up a mortal Hatred to the Man whofe Me
rit had thruft them out of it. Accordingly they
confpir'd his Deftruftion; and knowing how ear
neftly it was fought by the Hottentot Chief before
mention'd, they made him of the Confpiracy. It
was refolv'd, that this Chief ffiould give Informa
tion, that Claas was caballing among the Hottentot
Nations to raife an Infurreftion againft the Dutch,
in order to root them out of the Country; and that
he had offer'd to put himfelf at the head of it, And
Claas's Father, who was lately dead, having left him
fo large an Eftate in Cattle, that he was now look'd
upon as one ofthe richeft Hottentots in the Country,
it was farther refolv'd, that this Raviffier ffiould
accufe Clms to the Governour, of Embezzeling his
Excel-

42 the Prefint State of
Excellency's Commodities, and defrauding him
from Time to Time ofa great Number of Cattle ;
and alledge, that it was chiefly by means of fuch
Roguery that he was grown fo rich.
Information being accordingly given, in all the
Extent of thefe Refolutions, the Governour, who
had declar'd himfelf a thoufand Times fatisfied of
the Creature's Fidelity and Affeftidn to him and
the Settlement, either not fufpefting the Trick, or
longing, upon hearing ofhis great Herds of Cattle,
for the Hecatombs which would fall to himfelf by
Claas's Conviftion, order'd out the Enfign of the
Garrifon, who was the Arch-Confpirator, with a
Party of Soldiers to feize and bring Claas before
hinii The honeft Creature was then at the Village
where he made his ordinary Refidence ; where the
Enfign and his Party arriving early in the Mor
ning, before Claas or any of the Inhabitants, were
ftirring , this Commanding Officer had the Wick
ednefs to flank the Place, and bid the People Good
Morrow with a Volley of Shot into the Cottages,
before they had any Notice of his Arrival. Claas
fallied out upon the Alarm; and difcovering and
knowing the Affailants, he addrefs'd himfclf in
Dutch', whick he fpoke readily, to the Enfign, and
demanded the Meaning of fuch an Infult upon thc
Village. The Enfign reply'd, they were come . to
feize and carry him before the Governour to an
fwer to a Charge of Confpiracy againft the Dutch :
And calling upon him to furrender, Claas return'd,
" I confpire againft the Dutch, Sir ! I, who have
" given fo many Proofs ofmy Zeal and Affeftion
" for 'em ! Ij who have ferv'd them fo long arid
<' fo faithfully. " The Enfign replying, that it was not

the Cape of Good Hope. 43
not his Bufinefs to expoftulate with him, and that
if he did not furrender himfelf immediately he
would fire upon him : " And is it a Truth then,
replied Claas, " that there is fuch a Charge againft
** me ? But pray have Patience with me. What
«' then have thefe done. Sir, (pointing tothe Men,
*' Women and Children of the Village, who were
*' now affembled in a great Fright) what have thefe
*' done, that their innocent Lives fhould be expos'd
*' to your Fire. Are they too charg'd with Con-
*' fpiring againft the Dutch ? If I am only con-
" cem'd, it was furely a great Raffinefs, Sir, to
*' attack them. Befides, is this a Fortification?
** Was I upon the Defence .'' Or am I in a Poft of
*'. Defence ? Did you, before your Fire, fend me
" Notice of your Arrival ? Did you fummon me
*' to furrender, and did I refufe .'' And for my Fide-
*' lity totheDutch, andtheWarmthofmyHeartfor
" their Service, there is hardly a Man I would juft
" now have fooner chofen for a Judge of thefe
*' Things tban your Self. I have given fo many
*' Proofs of both, andfo many of thefe have paCvd
" through your own Hands, that I can neither lee
*' how you, nor any one elfe in thefe Nations, can
" entertain a Doubt about 'em." After this Man
ner was the ingenuous Creature reafoning when the
Enfign (in whom, no doubt, Claas had excited fome
flinging Refleftions) commanded him Silence : And
fummoning him again to furrender himfelf, upon
Pain of immediate Death, C/ai?; came forward, and
put himfelf into their Hands; telling them, " that
" as he was innocent, he was afraid of no Trial:
*' They might carry him where they pleas'd, "
Upon which they bound him with Ropes (the grea
teft Ignominy, next to a ffiameful Death, that caa
befall a Hottentot) and led him away. Claas

44 the Prefent State of
Claas being brought before the Governour and
confronted with his Accufcrs, denied the feveral
Matters laid to his Chai-gc with fuch a Serenity of
Temper (the conftant Attendant of a brave Inno
cence) and refuted them with luch Strength of Rea
fon, rehearfing numerous Inftances (many of them
recent, and, as it were, the laft Things done ) of
his Fidelity and Affeftion to the Governour and the
Setticment, while his Accufers could only barely
fuggeft what their Malice had contriv'd, without
producing any Thing that had the leaft Air of
a Proof, that People prefently liiw it was all a
bafe Confpiracy to ruin him ; but obferving by
the Governour's Behaviour, that his Excclfency
would not fee it, they did not think it lafc to at
tempt a publick Detcftion of it upon the Place.
In fliort, Claas was, upon the bare Suggeftions of
his Enemies, convifted hefore the Governour of eve
ry Chargr brought againft him, anil Immediately
fentenc'd to Baniilinu'iu fiir Lite to the Robben If-
land, together with Confift ation of all.hi.s Effefts.
And this Sentence was immediately put in Execu
tion. This done, I Tis Excellency appointed the En
fign! <.,f thc Garrifon (and this was the Enfign's
chii'f View) to fucceed Claas in the Agency of Tra-
ficking, for thc Company, with the Hottentot Na
tions fur Cattie, But from this Man's fooliffi and
perfidious Management the Integrity and Abili
ties of Claas became every day more illuftrious.
His rafliand arbitrary Proceedings among theHot-
teiUnt Graziers begot ill Blood ; and frequently ha-*
/.arilcil tho Good Underftanding between the Dutch
and thc Hottentot Nations, Being quickly ftifpci.'l^d of

the Cape of Good Hope. 4^
of Breach of Truft, he was put under fuch Reftric-
tions as took away all the Honour ofhis Employ
ment. And at length, his Folly and Knavery to
gether had brought all the Matters ofhis Province
to fo wretched a Pafs; the Hottentots had rais'd their
Markets to fuch a Degree ; the Price of Cattle was
fo enhanc'd to the Company ; the Purchafes be
came fo heavy, and the Profit fo light, that the
Direftors put a Stop to all Commerce with thc
Hottentots on the Company's Account; and order'd,
that all Supplies of Provifions for them ffiould bc
bought up among their own Burgers at the Cape,
who fold 'em much cheaper. And on this Foot
only ftands the Commerce ofthe Company for Pro
vifions at the Cape at this Day.
I have already mention'd the Humanity of Claas,
and his generous Paffion for the ^ehef of Europeans
in Diftrefs. Among many others who had tafted
of his Hofpitality, and felt and blefs'd his bountiful
Hand in the Time of their Misfortunes, was Capt.
Theunis Gerbrantz van der Schelling. The Captain,
having loft his Ship in the Bay of la Goa, was for
ced to go by Land to the Cape through feveral
Hottentot Nations, and to fubfift in his Journey on
the Charity of the People. In this Diftrefs he was
met by Claas, who entertain'd and reliev'd him in
fo bountiful a Manner, that, to the Honour ofthe
Captain for his Gratitude, as well as of the Hottentot
for his Hofpitality, the Captain delighted to tell
the Story; and upon the Repair ofhis broken For
tunes, which was not effefted till after Claas'i
ipeathjVould be ever expreffing his Sorrow, that
the generous Creature was dead to whom he ow'd
a thoufand Returns of Kindnefs. This Gentieman was

46 fie Prefent State of
was at the Ca;;? in die Time of C/dkM*s Troubles;
and having feen how Matters were carried againft
him, he made, upon his Arrival in Holland, fuch
Reprefentations to the Direftors in Favour of him,
that they difpatch'd Orders to the Cape, by the
very firft Opportunity, for the Recalling of Claas,
and the Reftoring of every Thing that had be-
long'd to him. Recall'd he was accordingly : But
as for his Cattle, the Wolves that had devour'd
'em could be brought to difgorge but a very fmall
Part. He repair'd however, with the Trifles that
were reftor'd to him, very contentedly to his old
Seat ; but had not dwelt long there before the Hot
tentot-Chief hefore-mention'd murder'd him, for his
better Security in the Enjoyment of Claas' & Wife,
whofe Perfon, while her Husband was living, he had
ever found a very precarious Pofleffion: And perhaps
too for other Reafons : But be that as it may, the
Dutch never intermeddling between Hottentots in
Matters where they themfelves are not concern'd^ ,
the Ruffian was never call'd to an Account. Such
is the Story of Claas the Hottentot. I now return
to the Charafter of his Countrymen; and having al
ready ffiewn the belt Side of it, I ffiall now exhi
bit it on the Reverfe.
VII. And the firft Thing I ffiall remark in this
View ofthe Hottentots is their Lazinefs. They are,
without doubt, both in Body and Mind, the lazieft
People under the Sun. A monftrous Indifpofition to
Thought and Aftion runs through all the Nations
of 'em : And their whole earthly Happinefs feems
to Ife in Indolence and Supinity. They can think,
and to Purpofe too, if they pleafe ; but they
hate the Trouble of it; and look upon every De>
gree

fhe Ca?e of GooT>HovE. 47
gree of Reafoning as a vexatious Agitation of the
Mind. They therefore ffiun Argument as the In
vader of their Quiet, and never reafon but in Cafes
of downright Neceffity. Fire not "a Hottentot's
Mind by Violence, andhe is all Supinity and Re
verie. They can be aftive too, if they pleafe ; and
when employ'd by the Europeans, are as difigent and
expeditious as any People in the World : But let
not a Hottentot be rouz'd by any prefent Appetite
cr Neceffity, andhe is as deaf to Employment as
a Log; and when upon his Legs, will hardly. ftoop
for any one Thing in the World he does not ei
ther particularly dote on or immediately want.
When Appetite or Neceffity urges, he enter-s" rea
dily into Employment, and is all Aftivity : When
thefe are gratified, and his Obligation to ferve is at
an End, he retires to enjoy himfelf again in his be
lov'd Idlenefs. This is the general Charafter of die
Hottentots in the Point of Aftion.
VIII. Itis to this general Lazinefs ofthe Hotten
tots we muft afcribe that Part of their Charafter,
in which all Writers agree, and in which they are
very right, that they are in the Matter of Diet the
filthieft People in the World. Yet fome Writers
have faid too much upon tliis Point, and made them
much more ravenous and uncleanly than they are.
Merklin, in particular, fays, that all the Hotten
tots, without Exception, devour the Entrails of
Beafts, uncleans'd of their Filth and Excrement,
and but half broil'd ; and that, yvhether found or
rotten, they look upon 'em as the greateft Delica
cies in the World. I have fpent many whole Days
among them in feveral Parts of the Country; and
took every Opportunity to obferve their Manner ofj
pre-

48 the Prefent State of
preparing and eating their Viftuals, and never
could difcover any good Ground for this. I always '
found, that when they had Entrails to eat, they
turn'd and ftript them oftheir Filth, and waffi'd 'em
in clean Water. They then boil'd 'em in Beaft-
Blood, if they had any ; if not, they gave them a
thorough Broiling. Indeed they are hafty enough,
while they do all this, to make an European abhor
the Viftuals, but not nafty enough to deferve fuch
a Stroke in their Charafter as Merklin has given
them. Yet I had once a Fancy to tafte with them
of Entrails boil'd in Blood ; ana whatever the Rea
der may think of my Palate or Judgment \n Ea
ting, I ffiould have found it very agreable Food if
I had not known the Cooks, or could but have ba-
niffi'd from my Imagination their uncleanly Man
ner of Dreffing it. They are, indeed, very rave
nous when the Meat is once fet before 'em, and
devour it, Helter skelter, with aftoniffiing Gree-
dinefs and Difpatch. But for the Eating of rotten
or tainted Entrails, I could never fee or hear of
any fuch Thing among 'em.
IX. Yet naufeous and uncleanly as is their Man
ner of dreffing their Viftuals, it agrees very well
with their Conftitutions; and Nothing do they feem
to fuffer by it either in Health or Length of Days.
Moft of 'em live to a great Old Age. Few are
the Diftempers among 'em ; and rarely do they
vifit 'em. I fpeak ofthe Majority of the Hotten
tots, who keep to the Diet of their Country, and
di-ink no Wine, Brandy, or other ftrong Liquors*
For fuch of 'em as drink thefe Liquors, ffiorten
their Days, arid fuffer under Difeafes before un
known to 'em. Even the Viands of the Dutch ,
drefs'd

//&<? Cape ^GoodHope. 49
drefs'd and feafon'd after the European Manner,
are very pernicious to them.
Dapper fays, that both Sexes of the Hottentots
frequendy live to no, or 120 Years of Age; and
affirms, that fome of 'em have liv'd out 130 Years.
Their Longasvity is certain ; but I could not be
taught at the Cape to fix it -at "any Number of
Years either in Generals or Particulars. I have
feen many hale ftout Fellows among 'em,, who
were faid to be very old ; one in particular, a Fi-
ffierman, who, I have been affur'd by Perfons of
Credit, appear'd to be at leaft a Man of 40 in the
Year 1652, when the Hollanders erefted the Fort ;
and yet when 1 left the Cape he was a ftOut aftive .
Fellow,, in Appearance not much turn'd of 50,
though he could not be then much lefs than a 100.
And I have heard the Fellow himfelf affirm, that
he never was once fick or diforder'd in his Health
in all his Life.
X. What makes the Hottentots ftill a naftier
Generation, is a Cuftom, obferv'd from their In
fancy, of befmearing their Bodies and Apparel
(a Skin o'er their Shoulders) with Butter or Sheep's
Fat, mix'd with Soot that gathers about their
Boiling Pots, in order to make 'em look black,
being naturally, as I have faid already, of a Nut-
or Olive-Colour. Of this Cuftom, which is repea
ted as often as the Sun or Duft licks up the Paint,
they are fo devoutly obfervant, that they will not
omit it on any Account in the World, if they can
come at Fat or Butter to perform it. The mea
ner Sort of 'em, who are but ill provided, are for
the pioft Part oblig'd to make Ufe of Butter or
D Fat

5© the Prefent Stafe of
Fat that is rank; which renders them offenfive to
the Nofe of an European, who may fmell them at
a confiderable Diftance. But the better Sort are
very curious in the Matter, always befmearing
themfelves with the freffieft and choiceft that can
be had. No Part of the Body, from the Crown
of the Head to the Sole of the Foot, efcapes this
Paint. The Skins', which they wear as Cloaks
and faften about their Necks, muft likewife. have a
thorough Dawbing, unlefs they are fo poor they
cannot afford it..' " And thus equipp'd they are the
fondeft of Themfelves of any People in the World.
The richer a Hottentot is, the more Fat and
•Butter he employs in anointing himfelf and his Fa
mily. .This .is the grand Diftinftion between the
Rich and the Poor. A wealthy Hottentot is very
lavifti in the Matter. In this lies his whole Pa
rade ; and by this he is prefently known.
XI. I muft here take Notice, that they abomi
nate the Fat of Fiffi; and will not patiently fuffer
the. leaft Touch of it on their Bodies or Mantles.
And Dapper is eertainly out, where he fays, that
on a Time a dead Whale being thrown on the Hot
tentot Coaft, the Natives fwallow'd the Fat of it by
whole Handfuls with the utmoft Greedinefs. The
Hottentots of this Age, whatever they -were of the
laft, have certainly the Fat of all Fiffi in the ut
moft Abhorrence, and particularly of the Whale.
I have feen them , when they have been employ'd
to remove th,e 'Fat of this and other Fiffi from
Place to Place, take the utmoft Care, that the
leaft Part of it fhould not fall on their Bodies or
Mantles, looking on it as an utter Abomination. They

the CAtE efGooDHopE. 51
They will eat the Fiffi with the greateft Pleafure
and Rapacity , but hate and avoid the Fat of
it. This I have feen in two Inftances of their ta
king and devouring a Whale.
XII. Authors neither agree, nor feem to me,
any of 'em, to have enter'd thoroughly into the
Matter, in affigning the Reafons of the Hottentots
for the Cuftom of befmearing their Bodies in
the Manner juft now defcrib'd. Merklin, Vegel,
and Father Tachart are of Opinion they do it only
by Way of Ornament, every one's Wealth, Mag
nificence and Finery being meafur'd by the Quan
tity and Delicacy of the Butter or Fat upon his
Body and Apparel. But this I look not upon as
the primary but as a fecondary Reafon.
Boving fays , they anoint themfelves thus to
make 'em agile and nimble of Foot. Such Anoin
ting will indeed promote the Supplenefs and Afti
vity of the Body ; and the Hottentots , tho' a lazy
Race, ate perhaps the People the nimbleft of Foot in
the World. They not only dart away from the
fwifteft European, but frequently outftrip a very
nimble Horfe. Iknevr a. Hottentot, a ft?outxlever
Fellow, who fet out at Night from the Governour's
Houfe at the Cape, for a Cquntry-Seat of His Excel
lency's, at Five Hour's Diftance, and return'd the
next Morning by Break of Day , with new-bak'd
Bread from thence, fo warm from the Oven as to
melt Butter. Yet the Hottentots do not anoint
themfelves for the Sake ofa light Pair of Heels. At
leaft, I could never learn of 'em , that this was any
Reafon for it.
' D 2 A

52 the Prefent State of
A better Reafon, and which I look on as the
true One, for this Cuftom, is drawn from their
Manner of Life, and the Climate they live in.
They go naked, fave only a Sheep's Skin flung o-
ver their Shoulders : And they live in a Region
where the Sun's Heat rages the Year round. Were
they not therefore to anoint their Bodies with But
ter, Fat, or fome fuch Thing, the continual excef
five Heats would, in all Probability, exhauft and
deftroy them.
XIII. Authors have again exceeded in the Ac
counts they have given of the Shape, Stature and
Features of the Hottentots. They are by no Means
fo hideous as the Prefs has hitherto made them.
The Worft of 'em is their Naftinefs (among other
Tokens of which, they leave their Hair to mat to-
ger.tier with Dirt, fo that it look like black Wool
clotted with Treddles) and their offenfive Smell.
Iheir general Mien is fo far from being wild and
terrible, as we have been told, that, on the Con
trary, it is fweet and compos'd, and indicative of
the higheft Benevolence and Good Nature.
The worft Features they have are their large flat
Nofes, and their thick Lips, efpecially the upper
moft; in which, however, they refemble but the Ge
nerality of Negroes. ' But, as I have told the Reader
already, the Flatnefs of their Nofes is not natural
to 'em. How they make them flat I ffiall tell him
hereafter. Vv''hat a frightful Pifture has Anderton drawn of
this People in his Travels ! After faying, the Fea
tures of the Hottentots are monftroufly ugly, he
adds.

/^^Cape^GoodHope. 53
adds, tfaeir Faces ire ffiri\-eii'd. Yes, tho'e of Old
Peoole. And where live :he People trat have not
Wrinkksin Oli Age ? Bit the face cfa 70- .g
Hcttentotis as rmoo:h andplamp zs that of ar.7
You:h in y^rica, or even in Europ-e.
For a geieral Defcription ofthe Perfb."-5 cfthe
Hottentots , thsy are not fo finall cf Starjre as v-e
have been told, moft of tie Men being frtMn 5 to o
Foot high. The Women are a great deai lels.
Both Sexes are very ereft and well made, keeping
a due Medium between Grtris and Meagre. Tr.tir
Heads bemg generally large, their Eyes are fo i.T
PrcqxMtioa. The Nofes erf" both Sexes are flatted,
& t^ir Lips thick- TheirTeeth are white as Ivory.
And their Cheeks have SonKtBing of a Cheny ;
but, by Reafon rf their continual Dawbing itis
noteauly difcem'd. Their Hair is like that of Xe-
^oes, fhort, and black as Jet. The Me.n have large
broad Feet: The Women have them very fhiall and
tender. Neither Men nor ^Vomen ezr rhe Xails of
their Fingers or Toes. Among the manyThoufa.ids
I have beheld, I remember not to have ftzn rr,o:e
thaa two Hottentots that were Cripple-. Tfaere was
nota bandy-l^^d Fellow among 'em; nor a crook
ed Limb; ndr any other Piece of Defo.-.T.itT tiiat I
could difcover, befides the two Cripples. This is
the more remarkable fince they take norhbg ofthe
Cai£ that is feen in Europe in the RearLng of Chil
dren. The Women, in eight Days or lefs aner their
Delivery, take their Infants upon their Backs-, and
thus, with httle or no R^ard to the Eafe of the
Babes, lug them about till they are able to crawl
by themfelves. They then fet them down, and
l^ve thera to find their iLegs as foo.T as they can.
D3 Th^

54 tbe Prefent State of
The Colour of the Hottentots has been dehver'd
by feveral Authors , as black from their Birth.
What a Miftake is here ! fince they are at no
Time black ; and Infants are ftUl farther from that
Colour than the Adult. I have feen a great many
new-bom Children of the Hottentots, and always
found them of a bright Olive ; which catches a
Shade as they grow up, but always remains an
Olive or thereabout, let them do what they can
with their Paints or Ointments.
Father Tachart fays, the Sieur Van der Stel, Go
vemour at the Cape, in a Journey he made, of Five
Months, up into the Hottentot Countries, met with
many Hottentots who were as white as Europeans.
This Jcumey, fayS he, was profecuted Ten De-
gi-ees Northward. Confequentiy they muft lie
fomewhere between the Cape and the Tropick of
Capricorn. And be they where they may , be
tween the Cape and the Tropick, one might ex
peft, if this Relation was truc,to find Hottentots of
the fame Complexion fomewhere upon the Coaft.
But I have feveral Objeftions to this Account of
white Hottentots , which, in my Opinion, are fo
many Bars againft the giving any Credit to it.
The Firft js, L could never learn, that any white
Hottentots were ever either feen or heard of upon
the Coaft between the Cape and the Tropick : iNor
have I been able to meet with any other Account
of white Hottentots any where aboutthe Cape. The
Natives of Macaffar, Javan and Ceylon are certain
ly not white, but of a Colour only a little more
yellowiffi than that of the Hottentots.
Thc

//&(? Cape o/" Good Hop E. 55
•The next is, that if the Governour had really
met with fuch People, he would not have fail'd
to bring one of them with him to the Cape as a
Curiofity, and as the Trophy ofhis Penetration into
the Country. At leaft, methinks, he would not
have fail'd, on his Return to the Cape, to give fuch
Accounts offo remarkable a Difcovery, as that
the Memory of it had not remain'd only in
the Writinss of Father Tachart.

'tDT

Another Objeftion is, that this Father was fo
often and fo grofly mifinform'd in other Matters,
that he may eafily be judg'd to have met with the
like Misfortune in this. '
Again : How comes it to pafs, that the Go
vernour himfelf the Father fpeaks of, who was a
Native of Mauritius, near the Tropick of Capri
corn, tho' his Parents were Natives of Holland, did
not preferve a white Complexion, if there are any
white Hottentots in any Part of Afric between Mau
ritius and the Cape. The Governour took and al
ways held a yellowiffi Complexion, approaching, to
that of the Nation in which he was born.
The nearer the Equator, the darker the Com
plexions of Nations. In this theyare determin'd by
the Degree of the Sun's Aftion. Thus, the Spani
ards znd Portugueze are Nations of a darker Hue
than thofe .that live to the Northward of 'em, be
caufe they inhabit warmer Countries. And the
Natives of Fez and Morrocco are fwarthier than the
Spaniards and Portugueze , becaufe more within
the Sun's Aftion. And thus, on the other Side
the Line, the Natives of New Holland and the
D 4 South

56 the Prefent State of
South Americans in the fame Latitudes, do, indeed,
differ in Colour; but the Magellanicans are Whites.
From them the Colour darkens in America all the
Way to the Tropick, of Capricorn, and, in the Tor
rid Zone, is fix'd toOHve, dark brown, or dark yel
low. This certain Gradation of Complexions ,
from both the Poles to the Equator, is an effeftual
Obje(^tion againfl Father Tachart , tho' all the o-
ther were good for Nothing.
¦ But I my felf, as well as Father Tachart and
others, was grofsly deceiv'd and misinform'd in a
thoufand Matters at my firft Settling at the Cape.
I foon got up a Parcel of Materials upon Informa
tion, which I believ'd would make very good Hi
fiory; and, without Doubt, had publiffi'd it as fuch,
had I return'd immediately, without ftaying to
look into Things my felf. But I had not been at
the Cij!/)? a long Time, before I faw the Folly, of
trufting almoft to any Report there. Upon which
I threw 'away the Hiftorical Rubbiffi I had gather'd
upon Information, and made it a Rule, not to be
lieve any Thing I did not fee, of which a Sight
could be Had.
I take this Opportunity to tell the Reader (a
Matter I have feen and affirm) that Negroes are
born White. But in Ten or Fourteen Days after
the Birth, the Colour changes into a deep Black
all over them, excepting the Palms of their Hands -
and the Soles of their Feet, which remain whitiffi
as long as they live.
C H A P. V.
Ofthe Alliance and Friendfhip fubfifting between the
' Dutch and the feveral Hottentot Nations. Be-

the Cat E of G 0 9O Hope. 57
Before I proceed to an Account of the feveral
Hottentot Nations, it may be neceffary to
clear the Way a little, by telling my Reader how
they ftand with the Dutch. For as when Peace and
Friendffiip reign between two Nations, it is eafie for
each to come at a particular Account of the State of
the other ; fo when two Nations are divided by
Wars or Jealoufies, 'tis a difficult Matter for each
to know the other's Condition ; and moft Accounts
of each other will at fuch a Time remain doubt
ful. '
There are at this Time the ftrlfteft Alliance and
the clofeft Friendffiip fubfifting between the Dutih
and the feveral Hottentot Nations. Perhaps thc
Reader will be pleas'd with fome Particulars.
The Lands, firft poffefs'd by the . Dutch, they
bought ofthe Hottentots, call'd the Gunjeman Nati
on ; who were riot, however, to quit their Dwel
lings, but remain, if they pleas'd, and live promif-
cuoufly with the Dutch,'whofe Eyes were only on the
large Trafts of Land the Gunjemans did not occupy.
The Dutch , having bought and paid for thofe
Lands, and had them in a folemn Manner deliver'd
up to 'em, as I have mention'd in a former , Chap
ter , began immediately to divide and till the
Ground, and to build for Dwelling and Defence.
Whatever were the Notions ofthe Gunjemans, at
that Time, of Bargain and Sale, or whatever their
Jealoufies, they oppos'd thefe Proceedings of the
Dutch;, and becaufe they would not defift, made
War upon 'em , calling in feveral neighbouring
Nations to their Affiftance. The Dut^ defended
themfelves with a World of Gallantry; and from
Tirae

58 the Prefent State of
Time to Time joining Battle -with the Enemy,
made fuch dreadful Slaughter of 'em, that the
Fields were cover'd with Carnage, and the Terror
of the Dutch Arms was fpread through all the Na
tions about the Cape: Thus fear'd at the Viftories
of the Dutch, and funk with the Lofs of fo much
Blood, the Gunjemans and their Confederates fued
for Peace, the Gunjemans declaring they were rea
dy to confirm their old Bargain, as was the whole
Confederacy to enter into the mOft folemn Engage- .
,ment to moleft the Dutch no farther. The Dutch,
who had loft fome Blood, too , and fuffer'd very
much in their Affairs by the War, I need not tell
the Reader, were exceedingly rejoic'd at this News.
A Ceffation of Arms immediately follow'd; and
next, a folemn Convention of the Dutch andthe
Chiefs of the Confederacy; when the Bargain of
the Gunjemans was not only confirm'd, but the
Lands of all their Confederates, unoccupied, were
folemnly given and affign'd over to the Dutch^ with
this Saving to the whole Confederacy, that they
ffiould -be at Liberty to live and fettle on -what
Ground and in what Part of the Country they
pleas'd that fhould not be found employ'd.
A Treaty of Alliance and Friendffiip, between,
the Dutch and the Nations that had engag'd in
the War, was at the fame Time fet on Foot and
concluded; whereby they mutually engag'd to af
fift one another, offenfively and defenfively, a-
gainft all their Enemies. And into this came aU
or moft of the Hottentot Nations in the Neighbour
hood of the Cape.
The Hottentots at that Time knowing Nothing

/i&tf C A p E «>/ G o o D H a p E. 59
of Writing, and having never acquir'd any Facul
ty at it fince, thefe Treaties, which were then on
ly made by Word of Mouth, fubfift ftill only in
the Breath of the Parties. But they are obferv'd,
notwithftanding , with the utmoft Faith and Exaft
nefs. The Hottentots know Nothing of the Corrup
tions and faithlefs Arts of Europe. Their Word
is facred : And there is hardly any Thing upon
Earth they look upon as a fouler Crime than
Breach of Engagement. And, on the other Hand,
the Govemours of the Cape, as they are conftant
ly inftrufted by their Principals, cultivate all poffi
ble Amity with their Allies. Through which amia
ble Simplicity and Probity of the Hottentots, and
good Conduft of the Dutch, this Treaty has been
obferv'd on both Sides, from the Time it was made
to this Day, without the leaft Infraftion.
The Governour ofthe Cape is the Arbiter of all
Differences that arife among the Hottentots of a
publick Nature ; and by this Means often prevents
Bloodffied and civil Confufions among them.
The Chiefs of the Nations often wait on His
Excellency, for the Renewal of Friendffiip, with
Prefents of Cattle. They are always entertain'd in
a very liberal and friendly Manner ; and their
Prefents are compenfated to 'em by others of To
bacco, Brandy, Coral , and fuch other Thihgs
as are known to be acceptable to 'em. And fuch
Faith and Affeftuon do thefe Hottentot Chiefs and
the Majority of their People bear to the Dutch,
that if they difcover but the leaft Defign of any of
their Countrymen againft the Intereft 'and Quiet
ef the Settlement, they forthwith fei^e and deHver them

bo the Prefent State of
them up to the Governour, to be dealt with as his
Excellency ffiall think fit.
The feveral Hottentot Nations may be confider'd
as fo many great Armies encamp'd, ready at a
Moment's Warning to defend the Dutch againft
any Defcent of ari Enemy upon their Territories
at the Cape. They fight with Lances and Bows
& Arrows; at which being very dexterous, and their
Lances and Arrows being poifon'd, they make a ve
ry dangerous Enemy. Numbers of 'em are mix'd
from Time ^toTime with the Garrifon at the Cape,
accoutred with their own Weapons ; and are there
form'd upon a Sort of Difcipline, in order to their
better aiding the Dutch upon Occafion ; by then-
Commerce and Intercourfe with .whom, they are
now grown fo expert, that they would go near to
guard the Coaft againft any Enemy whatfoever.
On fuch good Terms as thefe the Dutch and the
Hottentots living with one another, the Reader will
eafily imagine the Freedom and Security with which
a Man, who has any Countenance from the former,
may vifit and fearch into the feveral Nations of the
latter. And fo much I thought neceffary to be pre-
mis'd before I enter'd into a particular Account of
'em.
CHAP. VL
A Detail of the feveral Nations ofthe
HOTTENTOTS.
I. Of. the Gunjeman Nation. IL The Kochaqua.
IIL r^&^Suffaqua. IV. fiJ-^Odiqua. Y. The Chi-
rigri-

/;5^ Cape ojT Good Hope. 6i
rigriqua.. VL The Greater and Leffer Namaqua
Vil. The Attaqua. VIII. The Koopman.^ IX.
The Heffaqua. X. The Sonqua. XI. The Dun \
qua. XII. The Damaqua. XIII. The Gauros
or Gauriqua. XIV. The Houteniqua. XV. The
Chamtouer. XVI. Tbe Heykom. XVII. Of
Terra du Natal, inhabited by the Caffres.
IHE Details we have in Dapper, Ander
ton, Father Tachart, and other Authors, of
veral Nations ofthe Hottentots, are made up,
for the moft Part, of Invention andHear-fay; which
laft Article has prov'd as falfe upon the Matter as it
generally does upon any o.ther. They are often out
in the Names of thofe Nations ; as often in the Dif^
tribution of 'em ; and give fuch blind Accounts of
fome, that a Man, who has vifited the Nations a-
bout the Cape, would hardly know whom they
meant. But, perhaps, I have remark'd enough, in
the preceeding Chapters, upon the Miftakes and
Inventions of Authors upon the Hottentots, and thc
Vanity of Travellers who have pafs'd this Way.
I, To begin, in our Detail of the feveral Hot
tentot Nations, at the Cape, the firft is the Gunje
man Nation , who fold their Territories to the
Dutch, as I have already related. Thefe People ftill
dwell promifcuoufly with the Dutch, but now hold
only a very fmall Part of their ancient Poffeffions.
II. Bordering on the Gunjemans , Northward, is
the Kocboqua Nation, call'd [by Dapper, Saldanha-
ters. In this Territory is a great deal offine Mea
dow, which is held by fuch Europeans, as are par
ticularly employ'd to fupply the Company's Ships with

62 the Prefent State of
with Provifions ; butthe Kochaquas Gill pblTefs the
major Part ofthe Lands. In thefe Bounds are
likewife feveral fine Salt-Pits, whither the n^h-^
bouring Nations repair for that Commodity. This
Part is not the Refidence of many Europeans, on
Account of its having no Springs. Here the Dutch
have always a Guard, as well forthe Security of the
Salt Pits, as to keep a good Look-out towards the
Sea, and give Notice to the Cape (the Town or Ci
ty fo call'd^ when any Ship comes in View. The
Kochaqua' s, as do the other Nations of the Hot
tentots, remove with their Cots and Cattle, from
one Part to another Oftheir Territories for the Con
venience ofTafturage. When they find the Grafs is
too old and rank, they burn it on the Ground and
depart, and return by the Time it comes up again,
which is very foon ; the Affies of the Grafs excee
dingly enriching the Soil, which rarely wants Re
freffiments of Rain. The Grafs ^rows very thick
and high ; and by this Praftace of burning it the
Country is foriietimes feen in a Blaze for feveral
Miles about. In this the Hottentots are imitated by
the Europeans at the Cape, with this Difference on
ly, that the Europeans make Ditches round the
Grafs they would burn, to ftop the Courfe of the
Fire, whereas the Hottentots give themfelves no
fuch Trouble.
III. Bordering on the Kocbaquc^s, Northward,
are the Suffiqua's, or Saffiqua's, at fome Diftance
from the Saldbana Bay, and not clofe to it, as Fa
ther Tachart places 'em. They were a numerous
People, and had much Cattle, till they were plun-
der'd and difpers'd by the Dutch Free-Booters, who
robb'd and did aWorldof Mifchief to feveral Hot-
« tentot

/y6^ Cape c/" Go OD Hope. 63
tentot Nations in the Infancy of the Setdement.
This Territoty is now but thinly peopled. Few
are the Villages ; and few the Cattle. A great Part
of the Suffdqua's abandon'd their Seats here the
fooner on Account of the Scarcity of Spring- Water,
ofwhich there is little or none in all this Territory.
But I am of Opinion, enough might be found, if
it was dug for.
The Country here is mountainous ; but, not
withftanding, affords Plenty of Grafs, not only in
the Valleys, but on the Tops of the Hills, both
which are deck'd with the gayeft Flowers, and per
fum'd with the moft odoriferous Herbs. If a Wild
Beaft comes into this Territory, he ftays not long,
on Account of the Want of Water.
IV. Adjoining to the Suffaqua's, are the Odiqua's
or Udiqua's. Thefe two Nations have enter'd into a
•perpetual Confederacy againft their Neighbours the
Chirigriquc^s, with whom they have had ma'ny long
and bloody Wars. If one Nation is affronted or
injur'd by the Chirigriqua' s, the Other joins in the
Purfuit of Satisfaftion or Revenge. They were
at War with the Chirigriqua' s in the Year iyo6,
when I arriv'd at the Cape. A Dutch Officer
went at the Head ofa good Party of Soldiers to
mediate an Accommodation; and fo far reconcil'd
the three Nations that they have liv'd in Peace
with one another everJince. But before the Treaty
was concluded; an European was ffiot with a poi
fon'd Arrow.into the Mouth ; a Misfortune that
had certa,inly prov'd fatal to him, had not the Hot
tentots difeover'd the Method of Curing the Wound. But

64 ^he Prefent State of
But this Mediation was attended with a worfe
Accident than that. The Da^c^ Officer, fent up
on this Errand, arriving towards Night , with
his Party, on the Borders of the Chrigriquas, fet up
his Tents ; furrounded them with the Waggons
and Carriages in his Train , and plarited Out-
Guards in the proper Places, for a Defence againft
the Lions, Tigers, and other fierce and .ravenous
Beafts, abounding in this Territory. In the Night
the Horfes neighing , fretting , and falling into
Diforder j and the Oxen beating their Horns
tumultuoufly againft the Waggons to which they
were faften'd, it was fufpefted a Lion was at hand;
and the Out-Centries Were call'd to, to be upon
their Guard. One of 'em not anfwering, a File
was fent out to fee what was the Matter; who co
ming to the Poft, found the Mufquet without the
Man. It being not fo dark but thev could fee pret
ty clearly, they march'd forward to a neighbouring
Rock; in a Nich of which, and behind a large Frag- ,
ment ofit, they difcover'd a monftrous Lion feaft
ing on the Body of their Comrade. They alarm'd
the Tents ; from whence almoft every one ran out
and join'd the File , in order to refcue the Corpfe.
They endeavour'd to ffioot the Beaft ; but he was
fo clofely fenc'd in the Nich, that tho' they made
to the [Number of 300 Difcharges, they could nei
ther touch nor rouze him. They then plied him
with Fire-balls ; but neither could they touch npr
affright him with them. He gnaw'd his Prey, and
feafted on, with the greateft Security; feeming to
take no Manner of Notice of any of the Fire that
was beftow'd on him. The Attack was continued,
without any Effeft, till Morning ; when the Par
ty being join'd by a Troop of Hottentots, thefe
Auxilia-

/^<f Cape o/" GoodHope. 65
Auxiliaries fo plied the Enemy with their Haffagajesr
a Sort of ffiort Lances they generally have about' em»
that they foon laid him dead. But by this Time,
the Corpfe had hardly any Fleffi left on thc
Bones. What remain'd of it was decently interr'd
in the Field of Battle, while the Hottentots took off
the Lion's Skin, and ftuffing it up with Hay, car-
Tied it about in Triumph, and in Token of their
Readinefs to encounter any Thing in the Defence
of their Friends and Allies.
V. The Nation of the Chirigriquas is next, run
ning along by the Bay of St. Hellens. They are a
numerous Teople, remarkably ftrong of Body ; and
have the Vogue, above all the other Hottentot Nati
ons, for Strength and Dexterity in Throwing the
Haffagaye. The Soil is much better than what is
found among the two laft mention'd Nations. It is
famous for the fine River which runs through the
Middle of it, and is call'd the Elephant-Rivet, be
caufe Elephants, delighted with the Stream, are
found in great Numbers near the Banks of it. This
Territory is full of Mountains, cover'd, like moft o-
thersin the Hottentot Countries,'with delicate Meadow
at Top. The Soil is very generous in the Valleys,
which are gayly adorn'd with various Sorts of Flow
ers of uncommon Beauty and Fragrancy. But the
Valleys abound with Snakes ; among which is a
horned Sort , call'd Cerafius ; and Pebbles are
found, here and there, of various Shapes and Co
lours. In this Territory is a large Wood, confifting
of feveral Sorts of very thick and tall Trees;
wliich how to narr^e I know not, for they refem-
E ble

06 the Prefent Siate of
ble none I have feen or heard of but in thefe
Countries. Nor can I give any Account ofthe Fruit
they bear. There was none upon 'em when I faw
¦em. This Wood is inhabited by Lions, Tigers,
Leopards, Wolves, and various othef wild and ra
venous Beafts ; which makes it dangerous to pafs
through it. It is divided by feveral Roads j the
Trees on both Sides of which, ftand fo thick, and
the Branches meet and mingle athwart fo clofely,
that the Ways are gloomy in the brighteft Day,
and in fome Places fo dark that you would think
you were travelling in a Cavern.
The Natives of thisTerritory, having fiaffer'd ex
tremely by the Free Booters, who had^us'd to ra
viffi away their Lives and their Catde in a very
barbarous Manner, they wiffi'd and fought the De
ftruftion of every European they faw, till a regular
Commerce was eftablifh'd with 'em. Before they
were acquainted with an honeft One, a Party of
Dutch, who had ¦ come to trade , paffing through
the Wood here, were furpris'd by an Ambufcade
of Hottentots; who falling on with their Lances from
the Buffies, among which they were fo fenc'd that
there was no Touching them with Fire- Arms, the
Dutch fled in Confufion,, not ^yithout feveral Wounds
and one Man flain, to gain the open Field ; where
being arriv'd, they fac'd about, and drew up in Or
der; ahd upon the Coming up of t^e Hottentots,
made fuch a Slaughter of 'em, that fthe Enemy
quickly difappear'd, and was feen no mpxc.
VL We come now to the two Nations, call'd the
Greater and Leffer Namaqua. The Leffer lies on
tlx

//5^ Cape 0^ GoodHope. 67
riie Coaft ; the Greater is the next Nation Eaft
ward. Thefe two Nations, though bearing the fame
Name, differ in their Form of Government and
Manner of Living. Both are extremely refpefted
by theother Hottentot Nations, on Account of their
Strength, Valour and Difcretion. They are abk, on
Occafion, to take the Field with 20,000 fighting
Men. Theyare a People very able of Body, and
ofthe beft Senfe of all the Wttentot Nations I faw..
They fpeak little. Their Anfwers are ffiort ; and
they never return 'em without taking Time to deli
berate. Their Women are very gay and artful.
The Territories of both are full of Mountains,
which are bare of Grafs, the Soil being ftony and
fandy. Nor is the Soil in the Valleys any ofthe
beft. There is but little Wood, and but one Spring
in all the Extent of Country belonging to ' the
Namaquas. The Elephant-River, which runs through
it, principally fupplies the Inhabitants withWater.
Numbers of Wild Beafts are found in this Part,
with a Sort of Spotted Deer, the like not to be
met with in any other Countries about the Cape .
They are not fo large as the Deer of Europe, but
exceedingly fwift. Their Spots are white and yellow.
They are never feen alcine, but keep by Hundreds,
fometimes they are above a Thoufand, together.
The Venifon is generally very fat and delicate ;
but taftes Nothing like our own.
Near the Spring I have mention'd, in thefe Ter
ritories, ftands a Rock, fcoop'd and faffiion'd into
a kind of Fortrefs, and call'd M/ro'; Caftle ; deri
ving its Name, according to the Tradition of the
E'2 HdtteK-

68 the Prefent Stat* of
Hottentots, from one Miro, a Captain of the Nama
quas , who thus hollow'd and faffiion'd it for his
Diverfion. But I can hardly believe, that a Hottentot
could fubdue his Supinity to the undertaking and
finiffiing of fuch a Work. 'Tis the moft curious
one in all the Hottentot Nations. There is a great
deal of Art and Labour in it ; particularly two
Lodgments , well contriv'd, and capable of re
ceiving a confiderable Number of Men.
If I have not refcued the Charafters of the Hot
tentots already from the Brutiffi Stupidity to which
it has been faften'd down by all the Authors who
have written upon 'em, what I have farther to fay
of the Namaquas, will, I conceive, be allow'd to do
it effeftually.
Thefe People had been exafperated againft the
Europeans, equally with the Chirigriquas , by the
Rapine and Cruelty of the Free Booters, when a
Party of Dutch, among whom was the before men
tion'd Claas, came firfl into their Territories to
trade fairly for Cattle. The Namaquas, taking
them for Free Booters, ftood not to hear whap
they had to fay by Claas,. but ran immediately to
their Arms ; and affembling in great Numbers,
came up and attack'd 'em furioufly with their Ar
rows and Lances. The Dutch, finding they could
not bring the Namaquas to a Parley, to affure 'em
they came as Friends and not as Enemies, refolv'd
to give 'em fome Proofs of their Courage ; and
accordingly ftood a Battle, and maintain'd it for
three Days fucceffively in the open Field, the Ene-:
my in all that Time not once quitting it. At
Length the Namaquas, defpairing of the Viftory by
open

the Cape of GoonHopE. 69
open Force, had Recourfe to Stratagem. Behind
them lay a Sorfof Defile, of a confiderable Length,
between a Number of Rocks. Taking a proper
Opportunity, when the Dutch were pretty warm,
they retreated, but, like the Parthians, ftill fight
ing, into this Defile. The Dutch, not dreaming of
the Snare, purfued them ; and had flung them
felves half Way through the Defile, clofe at the
Enemy's Heels, when the Namaquas on a fudden
clamber'd up to the Tops of the Rocks on both
Sides as nimbly as Cats; and from thence gall'd the
Dutch with fuch a Shower of Arrows, Lances and
Stones, that they ran for their Lives, but with fuch
bruis'd and bloody Heads, that they were no lon
ger in a Condition to look the Enemy in the Face,
and fo fied the neareft way out of their Territories.
In the Year 1708-, the two Nations having re
ceiv'd Intelligence of the Arrival of a new Gover
nour, M, van Affenbourg, at the Cape, appointed a
Deputation, confifting of fome of their Leaders
and Principal Men, to wait on His Excellency
with their Complements and a noble Prefent of
Cattle,: And to crave from his Excellency the Pro
teftion they had "enjoy'd from his Predeceffors :
And to affure His Excellency of their fincere In
tentions to obferve exaftly the Treaty of Alliance;
and of their Readinefs to ferve and oblige His Ex
cellency at all Times,
The Deputies accordingly waited on His Excel
lency, and difcharg'd their Commiffion with fuch
Ability and Difcretion, as furpris'd His Excellency
and every one prefent, and reflefted a great deal of
Honour onthe twoNations.Theywere entertain'd for
E 3 fome

yo the Prefent Staie of
fome Days at the Cape very liberally at the Com
pany's Expence ; and underftanding that the Go
vernour had affign'd the Prefent of Cattle they had
brought, to the Corripany's Ufe, and would not
touch a Head for himfelf, tho' it had been (as they
knew ) the Praftlce of his Predeceffors, on fuch
Occafions, to fwallow the Whole, they took Oc
cafion frequently to applaud his Integrity, Difin-
tereftednefs and Generofity ; and, in their Audi
ence of Leave, complemented His Excellency on the
feme ; telling him to this Effeft, that they were re
turning Home with the beft Impreffions of the
Greatnefs and Goodnefs of His Excellency's Mind;
and that they would not fail to give the fame Im
preffions of iHis Excellency to all their Countrymen,
who would bc exceedingly rejoic'd to hear that the
Government was in the Hands of fo worthy a Per
fon ; from whofe Vertues they might promife
themfelves all the Peace and Security their Hearts
could wifti. Then, wiffiing His Excellency all
Health and Profperity, they withdrew, and were
met by the Governour's Servants with His Excel
lency's Prefents to Themfelves and the Two Nati
ons, of Tobacco, Brandy, Coral &c with which
they return'd home extremely fatisfied.
Thefe Things, which were aftually perform'd
in the Manner I have here related, are by no Means
of a Piece with the Stupidity and Ignorance that
enter into the prevailing Charafter of the Hotten-
-iots. Fatiier Tachart fays, the Country is Defert and
nninhzhited,fromthe Namaqua' s to the i8th De
gree; where-, fays he, begin the Hottentots of Angola. Here

fheCATE ofGooT) Hope. yi
Here the Father ha& committed Two Miftakes '•
For neither is the Country between the Natnaquas
and .^«g(?/fl uninhabited ; nor are the People of .^«-
gola of the Race of the Hottentots. To the Natna
quas , on the North, joins the Nation of the Atta-
,q^uas ; andi, if I am not very muCh miftaken, to
them joins. Northward, the Chorogauqua's ; both
ofthem great Nations, add poffeffing a vaft Ex
tent of Country. And there may be feveral others
between themand Angola. There are, indeed, here
and there. Northward of the Namaquas, Vaft De •
ferts that are abandon'd on Account of the Barren-
nels of the Soil and the Want of Water. For
Angola, itis a Country inhabited wholly by Ne
groes, a People very different from the Hottentots :
And from this, as from other iV^^ro -Countries,
the Plantatwns in America are fupplied with Slaves,'
as the Trading World very well knows.
VII. The Attaquas are poffefs'd of but a very
indifferent Soil, and but ill provided with Water.
For which Reafon they live in little Troops at a
confiderable Diftance from one another, in Part*
the moft commodious. 'Tis owing to this too, they
are not overftdck'd with Cattle, having, for the
moft Part, only juft lb much as, with the Game
they catch, is neceffary to fuftain 'em. They are,
however, as brave, contented and lively as if they
enjoy'd the moft flouriffiing Country. They live in
great Tranquility, and are feldom at War with
their Neighbours. When they are in Danger of
an Enemy, their Method of affembling their For
ces is this: They haften, like the Switz, to theTops
of their higheft Mountains ; where they make
Fires that iMl caft a great Smoak by Day, and a
E 4 clear

72 the Prefent State of
clear Flame by Night. Upon this Signal, every
one, who is able to ferve, haftens with his beft Arms
to one conftant Place of Rendezvous ; and there is
immediately affembled a very numerous Army.
Being got, in my Detail, fo far to the Northward,
I ffiall now return to the Cape, and trace the feve
ral Hottentot Nations that lie to the South of it. .
VIIT. Next to the Gunjemans, Southward, is the
Nation of the Koopmans, fo call'd from Koopman,
a Captain of that Nation. This was he who robb'd
Claas of his Wife, and afterwards murder'd hini,
as has been related. This Territory is of great Ex
tent Eaftward ; but does not extend it felf far upon
the Coaft. A great many Europeans are fettied
here, and flouriffi in the Poffeffion of large and
rich Trafts of Land; to which they are continually
adding others, which the Koopmans do not employ.
'Tis a very fruitful Part , well watered , and
abounding with Wood of feveral Sorts, and for fe
veral Ufes ; of whiqh the Governour, Van der Stel,
made a fine Perquifite.
Through this Territory , runs, winding it felf
through the Valleys, into the Sea, a rapid River,
call'd Palamit, deriving its Source from the Drac-
kcnftein Mountains on the Frontiers, and receiving
feveral Rivulets on both Sides of it ; one of which,i
a pretty large Stream, is call'd the Black River.
In the Palamit is feldom found any other than fmall
Fry, fuch as Eels, Smelts and the like. When
large Fiffies appear in it the Inhabitants are fo dex
terous at Catching 'em, that they feldom efcape
'em. In

fhe Cape o^ Good Hope. 73
In this Territory is a Hot Bath ; and in a Val
ley call'd Suthenball, and here and there in other
Parts, are feveral fine Salt Pits.
IX Bordering on the Gunjeman Nation likewife
lies that ofthe Heffaquas, call'd by Father Tachart,
the Gaffaquas. He is miftaken in the Situatipn
of the Territory, as well as in the Name ofthe Peo
ple ; for he fays, they extend their Dwellings to the
Sea-Side ; whereas they neither dwell near the Sea-
Side, nor have a Foot of Land near it. He is right
where he fays, they are rich and numerous, but
the leaft expert in the Art of War.
The Heffaquas are , perhaps, richer than any
other Hottentot Nation; that is, have more and
better Cattle ; for Wealth among the Hottentots
is feen in no other kind. The Paftures here are,
all of 'em , cover'd with Droves of Oxen and
Flocks of Sheep. Their Backeleys, as they call 'em,
or Oxen for Carriage, exceed all others in Strength
and Beauty. In Confequence of the Wealth and
Numbers of this People , they traffick, perhaps,
more with the Europeans than any of their Neigh-
bourSjfor Brandy,Tobacco,Coral and otherThings;
and confequently are more luxurious and effeminate,
and lefs fit to encounter the Dangers and Fatigues
of War. They therefore cultivate with their
Neighbours all the Arts of Peace and Friendffiip
they can ; and do all they can at all Times to
avoid a Rupture with any One, Yet will they
not fuffer themfelves to be trampled upon down
right. When they are invaded by fome oftheir rava
ging Neighbours for the Sake of theirCattie, which
they often lofe by their Intoads upon 'em, they
oppofe

74 '^he Prefent State of
oppofe Force to Force, and behave not ill. But
they never purfue their Enemies beyond their own
Frontiers. And this Love of Home expofes them
to more frequent Infults. When they cannot eafi
ly repel the Enemy, they apply for Proteftion to
the Governour of the Cape, who fteps in between,
and brings the Enemy to Reafouv
It happen'd in my Time at the Cape , Anno
1 707, that fome Deputies of the Heffaquas waited
on the Governour with a Prefent of Oxen. His
Excellency return'd the Favour by a Prefent of
Tobacco, Arrack and Coral ; which the Deputies
having receiv'd, they fate down with a Party of
Gunjemans to tafte the Arrack. The Bottle went
briskly about, and the Company was very merry.
But at Length(whether it was, the Gunjemans would
have had more Liquor, and the Heffaquas grew
ftingy, I know not: I could never learn the Mat
ter) the Gunjemans infulted the Heffaquas , as they
were packing up to be gone ; and immediately the
two Parties went together by the Ears. The Field
of Battle was n«ar the Fort. Some went to Han
dy Cuffs ; fome fought with Sticks, and fome with
Stones ; and both Sides engag'd with a great deal
of Noife and Fury. The Town was alarm'd ; and
People ran in Numbers to behold this Encounter ;
but they were forc'd to ftand at a Diftance, for
the Warriors threw the Stones at one another with
fo much Fury as made it dangerous to come near
'em. At Length, the Fifed, with feveral others,
ventur'd in : But his Prefence, though an Officer
extremely refpefted by the Hottentots, avail'd no
thitig. They continued fighting and clamouring,
Utterly- regardlefs of his Perfon ; He was feveral Tijnes

fhe Cape of Goos Hop E. 75
Tinies in Danger from the Sticks ^and Stones; and
was forc'd at laft to retire, re infe5la, to fecure a
whole Skin.
The Governour being inform'd of this Fray,
andof what the Fifcal had done irreffeftually to quell
it, order'd a large Piece of Artillery to be brought
out and planted againft them, and charg'd in their
Sight, in hopes that the Appearance of this dread
ful Machine, with Powder and Ball, would ftrike
fuch a Terror into the Combatants as would part
'em at once. Bubneither the Sight of the Cannon
nor the Ammunitioh made any Impreffion on 'em.
The Battle continued in all its Fury. His Excel
lency, feeing this would not do, order'd the Cannon
to be difcharg'd over their Heads ; and this had the
defirM Effeft : For they no fooner heard the thun
dering Report, and the terribly rattling Echo be
tween the Mountains, than they parted, and retir'd
at onccjwithout aWord, to their refpeftive Homesi
The Kraals, as they call 'em, or Villages, of the
Haffaquas are larger, more in Nuraber, and better
peopled, than thofe ofany other Hottentot Nation.
The Territory abounds with Game, and furniffies
more of every Thing that is produc'd in that Part
of the World for Accomodation or Pleafure than
any other about the Cape.
'Tis a common Praftlce of the Heffaquas ,
when they have their Fortunes to •make, to enter
into the Service of the £?^ro/)i?^«j, and employ the
Wages they get in the Purchafe of Cattle ; with
which at length they return home and fet up for
Themfelves. X. Bor-

76 the Prefent State of
X. Bordering on the Koopmans, Eaftward, lie
the Sonquas, a lively, daring People, very dexte
rous in the Management oftheir Arms. And this
martial Genius and Proficiency they owe to their
Country, which is mountainous, rocky, and the poo-
reft in all the Region about theCape, yielding but
a very little for the Suftenance of Man or Beaft.
The Sonquas therefore, for a Livelihood, take up,
for the moft Part, the Military Profeffion, and are
Mercenaries to the other Hottentot Nations in their
Wars, ferving barely for Food from Day to Day.
This Poverty of their Country brings them hke
wife to be dexterous at the Chace. They purfue
all the Game they difcover, and 'tis rarely it ef
capes 'em. And this is one great Reafon why fo
little is feen among 'em.
The Reader will juftly Imagine from what I have
faid of this People, that they are not very nume
rous. A few littie Kraals,or\ iW&ges, contain'em all.
And Cattle, both great and fmall, is fo fcarce and
valuable among 'em, that they kill none, when any
other Meat is by any Means to be had, but upon
certain folemn and indifpenfible Occafions, to be
mention'd hereafter. But Roots, Plants, and Herbs
for Food are here and there found in Plenty among
'em. Setting afide which, the Territory produces
little befides Wood which ferves for Firing to keep
off Wild Beafts from the Kraals.
The Sonquas often engage with the Bees, to get
the Honey they have laid up in hollow Trees:
And at this Work they are cried up at the Cape as
very dexterous. But they care not for Honey
themfelves. They are put upon this Employment by

the CAP E of Go ov Hope. jj
by the Demands for it among the Europeans, with
whom they exchange it for Knives and other Im
plements of Iron and Brafs, and for Brandy, To
bacco and Pipes. They put and difpofe of it in
rough leathern Sacks, and truck a Sackful for a
very Trifle. This Honey , mix'd with Water ,
makes a very delicate and a very refreffiing Beve
rage ; and this is the Ufe the Europeans make of
it. XI. Next the Sonquds, dwell the People, call'd
the Dunquas; who poffefs a very fine and a very
fruitful Country, not fo mountainous and uneven
as moft others about the Cape. It Is well water'd,
feveral fine Rivulets pafling through it into the
Palamit River. The iHills as well as the Plains
are cover'd with Plenty of Grafs, Herbs and Flow
ers. And Cattle and Game abound in all the Parts
of this Territory.
XII. Next lies the Nation of the Damaquas , in
habiting a Traft of Land as fine and as fruitful as
the Country of the Dunquas, and much fmoother.
This Territory produces Water Melons and Wild
Hemp, and abounds, with Cattle and Game. The
only Incommodity here is the Scarcity of Wood,
the Inhabitants being hard put to it for Fuel to
drefs their Viftuals, unleis they burn a Sort of
Mofs they have, which is very troublefome and of
fenfive when fet on Fire.
In this Territory are feyeral Salt- Pits ; but be
ing a great Way from any Settlement ofthe Euro
peans, no manner of Ufe is made of 'em, for the
Hottentots eat no Salt.
¦ * ¦ The

7^ the Prefent State of
The Palamit River runs through this Territory,
but with fo many Turnings and Windings here,
that, there being no fuchThing as a Bridge upon ii:,
'tis very incommodbus to Travellers; who either
pafs it in fmall Boats or Canoes, or on Floats of
Timber. The Damaquas are great Lovers of the Fleffi, of
fuch Wild Beafts as are fit for Food. They are
therefore often in tJie Chace, and are plentifully
provided with Furs for their Apparel.
XIIL Next to the Damaquas, lie the Gauros or
Gauriquas ; beyond whom, fays Father Tachart,
the Country is- inhabited by the Hottentots of Mono
motapa. In the firft Place, no Hottentots are to be
found in Monomotapa. In the next Place , feveral
other Hottentot Nations, not yet look'd into, extend
themfelves along the Coaft, from the Gauros as far
as Terra de Natal; the Beginning, on that Side,
of Monomotapa, and inhabited by the Caffres.
The Gauros are a numerous People in a very
finall Territory, But the Soil is every where fo
rich aud fruitful, and every where fo well provided
with Wood and Water, that- every one lives iit
Eafe and Plenty. The iPaftures are cover'd with
all Sorts of Cattle; and the Territory fwarms with
Wild Beafts of every kind more than any other
about the Cape. In this laft Article the Inhabitants
glory not a little, fince it calls for the frequent
Exercife of theii" Courage and Dexterity, which
they are fond of ffiewing ; moft of 'em wearing
Tiger- Wild Cat- and other Skins of ravenous A-
nimals, in Token of their Valour ^d Atchleve
ments. ' XIV.

^^^ C A P E .0/^ G 0 0 D H O P E. >79
XIV. North Eaft of the Qauros, on the Coaft,
lie the HoUtemquas; in whofe Territory are feveral
Woods, confiftingof very ftately Trees. Between
the Woods lies Abundance of lovely Meadow, en
rich'd with wholefome Herbs, and adorn'd with a
wonderful Variety of Flowers, all charmingly fra
grant and beautiful.
A Party of Europeans were once decoV d by the
Hottentots into one of the Woods of this Territory,
and put to a thoufand Diftreffes before they could
* get out again:
XV. On the Houteniquas border the Chamtouers;
who are poffefs'd of a fine flat Country, well grafs'd
and water'd, and ffiewing feveral little Woods,
confifting of the fineft and talleft Trees in all the
Territories ofthe Hottentots. Game, with all Sorts
of wild and ravenous Beafts, abounds in this Ter
ritory; which is divided by feveral large Streams,
enrich'd with feveral Kinds of wholefome and very
delicate River-Fiffi, and fometimes with Sea-Fiffi.
The Sea-Cow, particularly, often appears in thefs
Channels. I have been credibly inform'd, that a Party of
Europeans found feveral Cherry- and Apricock-
Trees , laden with Fruit , in the Woods and
Thickets of this Territory. And 'tis farther re
markable, if I am rightly inform'd, that, though
they travers'd the faid Woods thro' and thro' ,
they could difcover in 'em neither Elephant nor
Buffalo, tho' the Woods in every other Hottentot
Country abound with thefe Creatures. The In
habitants, perhaps, kill 'em or chafe 'em. out of
the Territory as faft as they appear. Here

Bo the Prefent Stafe of
Here likewife a Party of Dutchmen, who were
come to trade, was decoy'd by the Natives into a
Wood, and there fo fuddenly and furioufly affail'd
with Haffagayes and envenom'd Arrows, from a
Multitude that furrounded them, that it was a Ha
zard but they had been all flain before they could
have levell'd one Fire- Arm. By Good Fortune,
they form'd and difcharg'd before they had
receiv'd much Harm ; and by that Difcharge ,
breaking the Fury of the Enemy, they foon after
put *em to Flight. The next Day the Natives
came to a good Underftanding with 'em, and let
them have as much Cattle as they wanted, in Ex
change for European Commodities.
Thefe Dutchmen reported, that the Captain of
the Chamtouers , who, it feems , fpoke a broken
Dutch, among other Things he faid to 'em on this
Occafion, deliver'dhimfelf to the Effeft following:
" We have ever been of Opinion till now, that
" we were fuperiour in Arms to every other Nation.
*' But the Dutch have vanquiffi'd us ; and we flib-
*' mit to 'em as our Mafters.
XVI. Bordering on the Chamtouers, North-Eaft-
ward, lies the Nation of the Heykoms, poffefs'd of
a very mountainous Country , unprovided with
freffi Water; and only fertile in the Vallies. Yet
they are pretty well ftock'd with Cattle, every
Sort thriving upon the brackiffi Water of the Ri
vers and the Reeds on the Banks. They abound.
with Game and Wild Beafts of every kind feen
about the Cape. But the Want of freffi Water
puts the People tq a great many hard Shifts and
Inconveniences.
An

//5^ Cape of Good Hope. 8i
An Officer of the Garrifon arriving here with
Prefents , and an Invitation to the People to
enter into theTreaty of Alliance between the Dutch
and other Hottentot Nations, into which they ac
cordingly came, they defired and obtain'd of him
a Drum, and an Iron Pot and Pan they faw in his
Equipage. Of thefe Things they were infinitely
fond, particularly of the Drum, and prided them
felves extremely in the Poffeffion of 'em. At
Length a Party of Europeans, who us'd tp deceive
and rob the Hottentots, under the Pretende of Co
ming upon fairTrade, arriving here under the fame
Colour, robb'd the Heykoms of a great deal of Cat
tle, and, with them, of all their Glory, the Drum
the Pot and the Pan ; an Injuftice and a Lofs which
to this Day they hold fo much at Heart, that an
European, who vifits them, is fure to hear of the
Treachery of that Party, and to have a Lamen
tation for the Lofs of the Drum the Pot and the
Pan; but this only from the meaner Soft.
XVII. We are now come as far as Terra de Na
tal, inhabited by the Caffres; who, according to
all the Accounts I have met with of *em, are fo
far from bearing any Affinity or Refemblance with
the Hottentots, that they are a quite different Sort
of People. Captain Gerbrantz van der Schelling,
whom I have mention'd in the Story of Claas,
was a Man of Intelligence and Veracity. He of
ten touch'd at Terra de Natal; and from him I had
the following Account of the Inhabitants. They
do not anoint or greafe their Bodies. They ha^c
Nothingof the Hottentot Stammering, or CLffiing
of the Tongue in Speaking. They dwell in Square
plafter'd Houfes, a Sort of Building not feen a-
F mong

82 the Prefent State of
mong the Hottentots. They wear Croffes, hanging
by a String about the Neck; an Ornament that
has no Place in the Hottentot Countries. They
manure their Land after a Manner quite different
from that; of the Hottentots. They fow a Sort of
Turkifh Corn, and brew with it; which the Hotten
tots never do.
The Caffres traffick with the Rovers of the
Red Sea; who bring 'em Manufaftures of Silk for
Elephants Teeth. Thefe Manufaftures the Caffres
exchange, as Ships from Europe touch at de Na
tal, for European Commodities ; often for Tar,
Anchors and Cordage; which they exchange again
with the Rovers of the Red Sea. The Silk they
put not off to the Europeans, they difpofe of to the
Monomotapas. The Portugueze ofMozambiquetra.de
not a little with 'em.
The Captain above mention'd met with an
Engliffiman at Terra de Natal , who had deferted
his Ship and fettled among the Caffres. He had
Two Caffre Wives, and feveral Children by 'em ;
was drefs'd like a Caffre, and liv'd like one.
.He ffiew'd the Captain feveral Piles of Elephants
Teeth, and feveral Rooms full of Silken Manufac
tures; and purpos'd to take the Opportunity to
embark with thofe Commodities for the Cape, and
abandon his Settlement and Wives and Children
forever. The King of the Country (fuch Sove-
raignty is not known among the Hottentots) having
Notice of his Defign, fent for him, and rounded
hirn in the Ear on his purpos'd Treachery and In
gratitude to a People who had receiv'd and cheriffi'd him

/j6^ C A P e o/" G 0 0 D H O P E. 83
him after fo generous a Manner; reprefented the mi
ferable Condition of his Family if he abandon'd it,
for that he (the King) would take no Care of it,
and he believ'd No body elfe would ; and, in Con
clufion, admoniffi^d him fo warmly on the Afl%fti-
on and Tendernefs he ow'd to his Wives and Chil
dren , and on the Cruelty of deferting them, that
the Fellow's Heart melted. He was not Proof
againft the Eloquence of this Royal Caffre, He
fell at the King's Feet ; begg'd Pardon, and gave
up his Defign. This he related himfelf to the Cap
tain ; one of whofe Men he afterwards prevail'd
upon to defert the Ship, and fettle, with him, a-
mong the Caffres.
I havefiniffi'd my Detail ofthe Hottentot Nations.
It is longer in it felf, but I can purfue it no farther.
Thefe are all that were known at the Cape in my
Time there ; and it cannot be fuppos'd there are a
great many more. The Majority of thefe I vifi
ted my felf, and had Accounts of the Reft from a
great many Perfons of Credit ; fome of 'em Burgh
ers at the Cape , who had made the Tour of .feve
ral Hottentot Nations for their Diverfion; and; fome
of thern the Company's Servants, who had pierc'd
the Country feveral Ways by Command.
CHAP. VII.
Of che Hottentot Form of Government.
L Of the Chiefs of the Hottentot Nations.-.' IL Of
tbe Captains of the Krazls, or Villages. Hi. jj
¦ the Phyficians. IV. Of the. Priefts. V, Of a
F 2 Sort

84 the Prefent Stafe of
Sort (?/ Hottentot-Banditti that infeft the feveral
Nations.
I. TT^Very Hottintot Nation has a Chief, by
p^ them call'd Konquer; whofe Office is to
command the Army, conduft the Negotiations
of Peace, and prefide ia the Councils. And with
out his Confent they make neither Peace nor War.
He was ancientiy diftinguiffi'd only by the fuperiour
Beauty and Magnificence of his Apparel, which is
chofen him out ofthe fineft Tiger- and Wild Cat
Skins that can be got. But foon after the Eftabliffi
ment of the Dutch at the Cape, he began to be di
ftinguiffi'd by a Brafs Crown, which he wears at the
Head cf the Army,and in Council, and on every fo
lemn Occafion. The Dutch made a Prefent of this
Ornament to the Chiefs of every Nation in Alliance
with 'em. His Office is hereditary, but far enough
from Regal. When War, Negotiations of Peace,
or fome Grand Council for the Reformation or
Improvement of Civil Matters, do not require him,
he has nothing to do but to govern his own Kraal,
or Village where he refides. In Council, which
confifts of the Captains ofthe feveral Kraals,
heflts in the Middle, the Captains planting them
felves in a Circle round about him. He has No
thing allow'd him by the Publick for the Reward
of his Labours or the Support of his Dignity : But
his Perfon is always held in great Reverence. Tho'
his office is hereditary, he is not admitted to it,
without firft folemiily engaging in a national Af
fembly, that he will not attempt the Subverfion of
the old Form of Government, nor any Thing a-
gainft the Prerogratives of the Captains of the
Kraals, or the common Rights and Privileges of
the

if^^ Cape of GoodHope. 85
the People. This done, he is inftall'd with great
Pomp and Solemnity. On this Occafion he is o-
blig'd to feaft the Captains of the Kraals with a
fat Ox, and a Couple of Sheep. The Captains'
Wives attend at the Solemnity , but fit not down
with their Husbands to this Entertainment, nor
touch a Bit of folid Viftuals ; for the Whole being
boil'd , the Meat is ferv'd up to the Men, and thc
Broth is fent to the Women, who muft be content
with that only. The next Day, or at fome other
convenient Time, the Spoufe of the Chief, if he has
one, makes a Feaft for the Women. A fat Ox,
and a Couple of Sheep are kill'd for them too.
The Men attend , and have their Jeft turn'd
upon themfelves ; that is, they muft be content
with the Broth, while the Women devour all the
Meat. IL The Captain of a Kraal , or Village, looks
to the Prefervation of the Peace and the Adminiftra-
tion of Juftice in his Jurisdiftion ; and in Time of
War, has. the Command, under the Chief of his
Nation, of the Troops furniffi'd out by his Kraal.
His Office is hereditary : But he cannot execute it
till he has folemnly engag'd before the People, not
to alter or deviate from the ancient 'Laws and Cuf
toms ofthe Kraal. And at his Inftalment he feafts
the Men in bis Jurjfdiftion with a fat Ox and a Cou
ple of fat Sheep ; and his Wife the Women with
the fame Viands."' At which Entertainments both
Sexes pafs .the Jeft of the Broth, related above, very
merrily upon one another.
The Captain of a Kraal hears and decides all
Pifputes of Right and Property between the Inha-
F 3 • bitants.

86 The Prefent State of
bitants, and tries and punilhes for Mufder, Theft,
Adultery, and other Crimes committed within his
Jurifdiftion, affifted by all ihe Men of the Kraah
from whofe Decifion or Sentence in fuch Matters
there lies no Appeal. But State-Criminals are tried by
a Chief, affifted by aU the Captains of Villages.
Thefe Kraal- or Village Captains were ancientiy
diftinguiffi'd only by their Mantles, which are very
fine Skins of Tigers or Wild Cats. But the Dutch
long ago gave to every one of 'em, of all the .
Nations in Alliance, a Cane with a Brafs Head ;
which has fince deftended afong with the Office,
and is look'd upon as an unalienable Badge of it.
But thefe Captains, like the Chiefs of Nations, ha-ve
no Revenue from the Publick, nor any Perquifite
in the Executions of their Offices.
. The Captains or Govemours of Kraals are the
Nobility of the Hottentots ; and by them, conjunc
tively, each Nation is govern'd. They affemble
for the Difpatch of Publick Bufinefs at the Refi
dence of the Chief ; who, as I have already hinted,
prefides in their Affemblies. The Refolutions
of thofe Affemblies are made by a Majority of Voi
ces, which are coUefted by the Chief '
Notwithftanding the Authority of thefe Gover-
nours of Kraals , Diforders are- often happening
which they are not able to quell. The People
will go to Loggerheads and fight it out in Spite of
them. This they know ; and therefore have their
Cue on fuch Occafions for the Saving |;heir Autho
rity from a publick Affront. They wUl lie ftill,
tho' in the Sight and Hearing of all that paffes, as if

//&^Cape^GoodHope. 87
if they neither law nor heard any Thing of the
Matter ; unlefs it comes to a Murder or a Gerie-
ral Commotion, for then they will interpofe, and
exert their Authority. And the People have ge
nerally fo much Remorfe when their Strifes ifliie
in fuch a Cataftrophe or general Confufion, that
at thofe Times, the Captain of the Kraal no fooner
appears than they return to their Duty.
'Tis a Complement, and a Token of Duty and
Affeftion, often paid to the Captain of a Kraal,
that when any ot the Inhabitants have agreed to
go a hunting together, the Party attends him, to
know if he will pleafe to honour them with his
Company and partake of the Diverfion. He re
turns the Complement by applauding their Cou
rage and Aftivity ; commends 'em for their Inten
tion to fave ther Cattle by living upon the Chace ;
and fometimes goes along with 'em.
III. In every Kraal there is a Phyfician, in the
large ones there are two, who are well skill'd in
the Botany, Surgery, and Medicine of the Hotten
tots, and are chofen out ofthe Sages of each Kraal,
and appointed to watch over the Health of the In
habitants. This they perform without Fee or Re
ward. The Honour of the Employment is judg'd
a Recompence for all the Trouble of it. But the
Candidates for it muft be no Youngfters. They
have great Skill in the Vertues of their Herbs ;
and cup, and handle a Lancet well. And fuch a
Dependance the Hottentots have upon the Abilities
of thefe Doftors, that none of 'em fcruple at any
Time to put themfelves into their Hands. In
every Cafe their Medicines are taken and their
F 4 Ope-

S8 the Prefent State oJ
Operations undergone very readily. And, indeed,
their Praftice is attended with furprifing Succefs..
But they are not every Day call'd to it ; nor lies
it fo much in Medicine as in Manual Operation.
For, as I have already obferv'd, the Hottentots are a
ftout hearty People, rarely troubled with Diftem
pers. The Doftors fuffer none to fee 'em gather
and prepare their Remedies. All theirSalves and
Ointments, Powders and Poultices, they pretend are
Noftrums ; and keep the Preparations very fecret.
And if a Patient dies under their Hands, they al
ways affert, that their Remedies had been render'd
ineffeftual by Witchcraft ; and they are always be-
Mev'd. There are feveral Old Women in every Kraal,
who pretend to great Skill in the Vertues of Roots
and Herbs , and thruft themfelves in upon any
Neighbour that is out of Order, to give 'em Advice.
Thefe are mortally hated by the Doftors ; and, like
the prefcribing Old Women in Europe, are had in
Efteem by none but Old Women,
IV. Next to the Phyfician, comes the Prieft,
or the Mafter of the Religious Ceremonies ; for the
Phyfician has the Precedency at the Cape. He Is
call'd Suri, i.e. Mafter. His Office, which, like that
ofthe Phyfician, is eleftive, is notto read Prayers,
or inftruft the People in Religious Matters. The
Hottentots have no fuch Inftitutions among them.
He prefides at their Offerings, and has the Ordering
and Condufting of all Ceremonies of Worffiip. He
performs theMarriage-and the Funeral-Ceremonies.
He isthe Operator in the Cuftom of depriving the
ypung Males of one Tefticle, At this He has a
great

/i6^ C A p £ of G o o d H o p E. 89
great deal of Skill and Dexterity, with the addi
tional Art of dreffing the Wound, and fowing
up the" Lips of it. He crams it with the fineft
Fat. In thefe Things, which will be particularly
treated on hereafter, lies die whole Myftery of his
Funftion. In Point of Fee or Reward he is as poorly off
as the Phyfician, neither of the Offices having ei
ther Revenue or Perquifite. They are fometimesi
indeed, by Way of Refpeft, invited to Feafts and
Merry-Makings; and fometimes prefented with a
Calf or a Lamb. A good Bellyful, and a fmall
Prefent now and then, are all the Emoluments of
their Offices.
Such is the Government and Political Oecono
my of the Hottentots. They have no other Publick
Officers that I know of And I hope this Account
of the Hottentot Volicy, in which I have been very
faithful, will gain Quarter for a People, whofe
Charafter is fo unftietcifully treated in Europe. I
am fure it ruins one Half of the Jokes and Sarcafms
that have been rais'd upon 'em.
V. I know not whether I ffiall have fo fair an
Opportunity in any other Part of this Hiftory to
give an Account of a Sort of Hottentot Banditti,
that infeft all the Nations about the Cape. Thefe
are Troops of abandon'd Wretches, who finding
the Laws and Cuftoms of their Countries to be too
great Reftra,ints upon their Inclinations, repair to
the Mountains ; and there fecuring themfelves in
almoft inacceffible Faftneffes, fally out from Time
to Time into the Fields to fteal Cattle for their Suf-

90 the Prefent State of
Suftenance. They are call'd Bufcbies, or High-way
Men; and are fo abhor'd in all the Hottentot Nati
ons, that when any one of 'em is taken, tho' he
be the Firft born ofthe Principal Man in the Ter
ritory, he is inftantly put to Death, not a Soul da
ring to fay one Word for him.
The feveral Nations are often fending out large
Parties in Queft of thefe Robbers. In this the Hey
koms are more active than all others. But a Gang
of thofe Rogues makes bloody Work for thofe that
affail 'em. They are rarely able to fave themfelves
by their Heels, their Purfuers being as fwift as
they : And they know, there is no Mercy for 'em
ifthey are taken. They therefore engage with all
imaginable Fury and Defperation , and rarely
ffirink or abate their Rage, till they have routed the
Enemy, or are all flain.
CHAP. VIII.
Of the Religion of the Hottentots.
I. The Difficulty of obtainingfrom thc Hottentots any
true Accounts of their Inftitutions dnd Opinions.
II. They helieve tbere is a God who made all Things.
III. They worfhip the Moon as an inferiour Divini
ty, the Reprefentative ofthe Supreme , and a5iing
under him. IV. They adore a certain Infe£t.
V. They pay a religious Veneration to the Good
Hottentots departed. VI. They worfhip a malig
nant Deity, to avert his Malice. VII, Their obfti nate

the Cape of Good Hope. 91
note Adherence to their Idolatries, and Hatred of
Inftru£iion.
I. TT T is much doubted by many, whether the
J_ Hottentots have any Notion of a Deity. Moft
Accounts of the Matter in Authors are very fuperfir
cial and contradiftory. Indeed , 'tis a difficult
Thing to get out of the Hottentots What are real
ly their Notions concerning God and Religion, or
whether they have any at all. They keep all
their religious Opinions and Ceremonies, as they
do every other Matter eftabliffi'd among 'em,
as fecret as they can from the Europeans ;
and when they are queftion'd concerning fuch
Matters, are very ffiy in their Anfwers, and hide
the Truth as much as they can ; for the Conceal
ment of which , if they cannot eafily avoid the
Queftion, fome of 'em will nbt fcruple to utter a
thoufand Fiftions. This Praftice , of Courfe ,
throws them upon Contradiftions ; of which when
they are admoniffi'd, they reply, "The Europeans
" area crafty, defignmg People. They riever ask a
" Queftion forthe Sake of the Anfwer only ; but
" have other Ends to ferve , perhaps againft the
" Peace and Security of the H-ottentots : Thatthe
*' Hottentots are a filly ignorant People, eafily tra-
*' pann'd, and by no Means a Match for theUnder-
*' ftandings of Europe." Such is conftantiy the Te
nour of their Apologies when they refufe to anfwer
upon their Opinions and Cuftoms to any Queftion
put by an European, or when they are caught up
on a Contradlftion. From this Source, perhaps,
have fprung moft of the Contradiftions we find in
Authors upon the Matter of the Religion of tlie
Hottentots. 1 was

92 7he Prefent State of
I was a confiderable Time at the Cape before I
could afcertain my felf of the Religious Inftituti
ons and Ceremonies of the Hottentots, and the No
tions they entertain of the Divine Being. Confi
ning my felf at firft within the Territories of the
Dutch there, I found the Hottentots ofthe Neigbour
hood fo evafive and contradiftory upon thofe Mat
ters, that I knew not what to belieye about 'em.
The Europeans there too, for the moft Part, take
an idle Pleafure in deceiving Travellers with fifti-
tious Accounts of the Country and People. And
tho' , in Tranfaftions for the Common Peace and
Security, they cultivate and oblige the Hottentots j
on other Occafions, they make downright Game of
'em; and fport and fObl with their Perfons, Inftituti
ons and Opinions in a veryextravagantManner.This
the Hottentots about 'em well underftand. And I
know not whether the Reader will not look upon
this as one good Reafon why they avoid Coming
to an Explanation with Europeans upon any Thing
among Themfelves. Who would care to do it
with Perfons, who, he had Reafon to apprehend,
only intended to make a Jeft of him ?
When I came to penetrate the Country I found
the Temper of the Hottentots to alter much for the
better. At a Diftance from the Cape it was fome
what open. The Hottentots there, not having con
vers'd fo much with the Europeans, had not fuffer'd
fo much in their Simplicity, And I was quickly
fatisfied, that
II, The Hottentots firmly belieye there is a
God, who made all Things. Some Paffages in cer
tain Authors, who bad the good Fortune to. hit
upoa

fhe Cape of Good Hope. 93
upon this Matter, may be an agreable IntrodUc"
tion to what I have to fay on it my felf.
Saar, in his Account of his Fifteen Years Ser
vice in India, fays, that fome Hottentots being
queftion'd concerning their Religious Faith, very
fedately replied, " They believ'd in him who
" made Heaven and Earth, the Sea, and every li-
*' ving Thing in them.
Father Tachart fays, that fome of the moft fenfi
ble Hottentots declar'd to him, in a Conference up
on the Subjeft of Religion, " That they believ'd
" there was a God, who made Hftaven and Earth,
" and caus'd it to thunder and to rain ; and provi-
" ded them with Nouriffi ment, and with the Skins
" of Beafts for their Apparel.
Boeving, whom I look upon to be the exafteft
Author upon the Hottentots, fays, that as the Chief
" of a Hottentot Nation prefides over the Captains
" of the Kraals, fo the Hottentots call the Supreme
" Being the Great and Supreme Captain.
I am fully fatisfied, from a thoufand Enquiries I
made among the Hottentots, and from a thoufand
Declarations they made to my felf, that they be
lieve a Supreme iBeing, the Creator of Heaven and
Earth, and of every Thing in them; the Arbiter
of the World , through whofe Omnipotence all
Things live and move and have their Being. And
that He is endow'd with unfearchable Attributes
and Perfeftions. The Hottentots call him Gounja,
Gounja, or Gounja Ticqvoa ; that is, the God of
all Gods; and fay He is a Good Man, who does no
Body

94 *ke Prefent State Of
Body any Hurt; and from whom None need be
apprehenfive of any ; and that he dwells far abovc
the Moon.
Some among them declare, and infift upon it ve
ry ftrenuoufly , that the Supreme God has , at
Times, defcended and become vifible to 'em; and
that he always appears, in Colour, Shape and Ap
parel , like the fineft among themfelves. But
thefe are look'd upon as Vifionaries and Madmen.
And the intelHgent Hottentots will reafon thus
againft them : Is it to he believ'd, that the Su
preme God condefcends to come among us, fince
the Moon, who is an inferiour God, condefcends
not to do fo ?
But it does not appear, that they have any In
ftitution of Worffiip direftly regarding the fupreme
God. I never faw, or could hear, that any onc
of them paid any Aft of Devotion immediately to
him. I have talk'd to 'em roundly on this Head;
and endeavour'd to make 'em fenfible of the Folly
and Abfurdity of Neglefting his Worffiip, while
they worffiip What they call Gods that are inferior
to and dependent on him. But they will rarely reafon
upon the Matter, or attend to any Thing that is faid
upon it. The moft fenfible of 'em, when they are in
Humour to anfwer on this Head, will tell you the
following very remarkable Matter : That their
Firft Parents fo grievoufly finn'd and offended
againft the Supreme God, that he curs'd them, and
all their Pofterity with Hardnefs of Heart ; fo that
they know little of him, and have ftill lefs Inclina
tion to ferve him. The Reader, without Doubt,
will be aftoniffi'd to hear of fuch a Tradition as
this

the Cape of Go o d H o p e. 95
this at theCape of Good Hope. I affure him, the^o^-
tentots have fuch a Tradition; and thatl have deli
ver'd it here without the leaft Addition or Improve
ment of my own, beyond a proper Turn of Words.
I am to be blam'd, that I omitted it in my Dif
courfe on the Origin of this People, fince it throws
fo notable a Light into that Enquiry. Who, (that
will take my Affurances for the Truth of this Tra
dition's being found at the Cape,yfi\\\ doubt the Re
ference ofthe Tradition, mention'd under that Head,
to Noah, the Survivor of the Flood ? The Evi
dence is fo clear, there is no demurring on it. But
to return.
III. Forfaking the Worffiip of the true God, tho'
they acknowledge his Being and Attributes, the
Hottentots adore the Moon. Yet Boeving , a
Man of Learning and Judgment, and, as I have
faid already, the exaftell Writer upon the Hotten
tots, does not allow this. I'll quote him. " 'Tis
well known, fays he, there is a common Opini
on receiv'd aftiong Travellers, and others living
among and in the Neighbourhood of the Hotten
tots , that thefe People adore the Moon ; and
that they celebrate her Worffiip with Acclama
tions, Invocations and Dancings whole Nights
in the open Fields. Moft of the Hottentots deny
this; and avouch, that their Dancing, Shouting or
Singing in the open. Fields in the iNight, is only
for Diverfion, and to pleafe themfelves, without
the leaft Intention to invoke or adore the Moon,
or any Deity whatfoever . " Boeving was
abus'd in this Matter. Few Hottentots, as I have
faid, will, if they can help it, difclofe the leaftArti-
ele or Ceremony of their Religion to an European.
Other Writers have fucceeded better. Fa-

96 the Prefent State' of
Father Tachart was covinc'd , thofe Dancings
and Acclamations were Afts of iReligion, becaufe
at fuch Times they kill'd Cattle , and brought
Milk and Fleffi into the Fields, as Offerings to that
Deity who difpenfes Rain and Fair Weather.
Vogel fays, "The Hottentots feem to have fome Ve-
*' neration for the Moon, on whofe Appearance at
*' certain Times, they affemble in great Numbers
«' in their feveral iDiftrifts, and dance in Circles, clap
*' their Hands, and cry and rave, as it feems, all
" Night long. They have fometimes been found
*' affembled in Caverns, clapping their Hands, and
*' uttering Words, of which no European has been
" able to get the Interpretation. Their Behaviour
" on thofe Occafions is very amazing. They
*' throw themfelves into various furprifing Diftor-
" tions of Body ; ftare wildly up towards Hea-
*' ven ; ftretch every Feature , and crofs their
" Foreheads with a red Stone. Thefe things ap-
*' pear to be Afts of their Religion.
And fb they are, let the Hottentots fay what they
will. Thefe Dancings and Noifes are religious Ho
nours and Invocations to the Moon. They call
her Gounja. The Supreme they call Gounja Goun
ja, or Gounja Ticqvm, the God of Gods; and place
him far above the Moon. The Moon, with them,
is an inferiour vifible God, the Subjeft and Repre
fentative of the High and Invifible. They judge
the Moon to have the Difpofal of the Weather,
and invoke her for fuch as they want. . They af
femble for the Celebration of her Worffiip at Full
and Change conftantly. No Inclemency of the
Weather prevents 'em.
And

^a^.T.fiur-t- lo-.^7

Ike Saite^ntvln JVcnfhifi th^^ Moprv, 9l^. 2../y.yS.

'TlieJIcrtiZ'ntoij- ztd^rre,. a. ~ce?-tsU'rL J[}ife^>i^ .

the Cap/e of QooD Hope. gy
¦And their Behaviour * at thofe Times^is indeed
very aftoniffiing. They throw their Bodies into ^^
thoufand different. Diftortions ; and make Mouths
and Faces ftrangely ridiculous and horrid. Now
they throw themfelves flat on the Ground,^ fcrea-
ming outi a ftrange unintelligible Jargon. Then
jumping ,up on a Sudden, and ftamping hke Mad
,(mfomuch^:hat; they. make the Ground fhake) they
^reft, with open Thi'bats, the following Expreffi
ons, among others, to the Moon : Mutfchi Atze.
i. e. I falute you ; you are welcome. Cherdqua-kabd.
ifhori Gunqila. i. e. Grant us Fodder for our Cattle,
and; Milk in Abundance. Thefe and other Addref-'
fes to the Moon they repeat over and.over, accom
panying them with Dancing and Clapping of
Hands, i At the End of the Pance, they fuig Ho,
Ho, Ho, Ho, many Times over ; with a \a- .
riation of Notes ; which being, accompanied with
Clapping of Hands, makes a very odd and a very
merry Entertainment to a Stranger.
In Shouting , Screaming , Singing , Jumping,
Stamping, i Dancing, Proftration on the Ground,
and an unintelligible J^-rgon, lie all their Formali-i
ties in the Worffiip of the Moon. In Rounds of
tiiefe they continue the whole Night, and till
rpretty far of the next Day ; never refting but by
fhort Intervals when' they are quite fpent: At which
Times they fettie themfelves into a fquat Pofture,
holding their Heads between their Hands, and reft
ing ttieir Elbows upon their Knees. They lower
their Voices too into a flow raelancholy Hum ;

Vide Tab. I, Fig. I, G which

9? the Prefent Staie of
which they continue till they ftart up and go again
to Singing and Dancing. Thefe Intervals of Reft
are fo ffiort and fo few , that one would wonder
where they find Stretigth and Spirit to fiirniffi out
fuch a Run of Noife and Aftion as they do in this
Service. The Fervours of their Devotion are un-
equall'd. When they have done, they retire to
their feveral Homes with as much Chearfulnefs and
Satisfaftion as do any other Pispple in the World
from the Performance of their Religious Duties.
Of their Singing and Dancing I ffiall fpeak more
pafrticularly in another Place.
I ffiall only obferve, by the By, that this Dan
cing-Ceremony gives a new Light into the Origin
of the Hottentots ; fince,'tis pretty certain, it enter'd
into the Divine Worffiip in Times as early as the
Flood. And the Jews retain it, on certain Feftl
vals, to this Day.
IV, The Hottentots likewife adore, ae a benign
Deity, a certain Infeft, peculiar, 'tis faid, to the
Hottentot Countries. -fThis Animal is ofthe Dimen
fions of a Child's little Finger ; the Back green ;
the Belly fpeck'd with White and Red. 'Tis pro
vided with Two Wings, and on its Head with
Two Horns.
To this little winged Deity, when ever they fet
Sight upon it, they render the higheft Tokens of
Veneration. And ifit honours, forfooth, a Kraal
with a Vifit, the Inhabitants affemble about it in

f Vide T»bi I. Fig. 2. Tran-

the C-APB of Good Hope. 99
Tranfports bf Devotion, as if the Lord ofthe Uni
verfe was come among 'em. They fing and dance
round k. Troop after Troopi while it ftays, in
the higheft Extafie ; throwing to it the Powder of
an Herb they call Buchut. our Botanifts Spir ce am.
They cover at the fame Time the wliole Area of
the Kraal', the Tops ofthe Cots,' and every Thing
without Doors, with the fame Powder. They like-
wife kill Two Fat Sheep, as a Thank-Offering for
this high Honour. And 'tis impoffible tp drive
out ofa Hottentot's Head, that the Arrival of this
Infeft in a Kraal, brings Grace and Profperity to
all the Inhabitants. They believe, that all their
Offences to that Moment are buried in Oblivion,
and all their Iniquities done away. They believe,
that fome fignal' Bleffing attends the Kra^l ; and
that all the Inhabitants ffiall at that Time profper 1
in their Undertakings. They look upori themlfelves
as made, . by the Prefence of this Deity, a new
People ; and refolve to walk in Newnefs of Life ;
a Work in which they truft they ffiall then have
this Deity's Affiftance in a very extraordinary Man
ner. If this Infeft happens to alight upon a Hottentot,
he is look'd upon as a Man without Guilt, and
diftinguiffi'd and reverenc'd as a Saint and the De
light of the Deity ever after. His Neighbours
glory, that they have fo Holy a Man among 'em ;
and pubfiffi the Matter far and near. The fattefi
Ox belonging to the Kraal, is immediately kill'd
for a Thank-Offering ; and thc Time is turn'd in
to a Feftivity in Honour of the Deity and the Saint,
To the Saint are prefented the Entrails, well,
: cleahs'd, wifh the Fat and the Caul. The Caul,
G.2 well

100 lhe Prefent State of
well powder'd with Buchu, and twifted like a Rope,
is put. Collar-wife, about his Neck : And there
he is to wear it Day and Night, till it rots off, or
till the Infeft, at anotherVifit, alights upon another
Inhabitant of the Kraah when he is at Liberty to
remove it. If this happens not, he muft wear it
through all the Stages of Putrefaftion, and while a
Bit remains. He feafts alone on the Entrails,
which are boil'd ; while the Men devour the Meat,
prepar'd the fame Way ; and the Women are re-
gal'd with the Broth, Of the Fat he is oblig'd to
be very careful; and to anoint his Body and Appa
rel withThat only, while any ofit remains, without
rejefting the leaft Bit of it.
The Cafe, in every Refpeft, is the fame, if
the Infeft alights upon a Woman. She commences
a Saint, with the fame Solemnities ; only here the
Women feaft upon the Meat, while the Men are
regal'd with the Broth.
This Infeft 1 have often feen, and beheld the
Hottentots more than once at thefe Solemnities.
The Hottentots will run every Hazard to procure
the Safety of this Animal ; and are cautious to the
laft Degree of giving it the leaft Annoyance. A
German, who had a Country-Seat, about Six Miles
from the Fort, having given Leave to fome Hot
tentots to turn their Cattle for a While upon his
Land there, they remov'd to the Place with their
Kraal. A Son of this German, a brisk young Fel
low, was amufing himfelf in this Kraal, when the
deified Infeft appear'd. The Hottentots, upon Sight,
ran tumultuoufly to adore it; while the young Fel
low

/iS^CAPEc/^' Good Hope. loi
low ran to catch it, in order to fee the Effeft fuch a
Capture would produce among 'em. He feiz'd it
in the Midft of 'em. But how great was the gene
ral Cry and Agony, when they faw itin his Hands!
They ftar'd, with Difilraftion in their Eyes, at him,
and at one another. " See, See, See, faid they, Ah!
" What is he going to do ? Will he kill it ?. Will
*' he kill it ? " every Limb of 'em fhaking through
Apprehenfions for its Fate. "Why" faid the young
Fellow, who very well underftood 'em, " do you
" make fucb a hideous Noife ? And Why fuch Ago-
*' nies for this paltry Animal ? "Ah, Sir," they re
plied, with the utmoft Concem " 'Tis a Divinity.
** 'Tis come from Heaven. 'Tis come for a Gracious
*« End? Ah I Do not hiirt it : Do not offend it. We
*' are the moft miferable Wretches upon Earth if
" you do. This Ground will lie under an eternal
" Curfe ; and the Crime will never be forgiven."
This was not enough for the young German. He had
a Mind to carry the Experiment a little farther. He
feem'd not therefore to be mov'd with their Petitions
and Remonftrances, but made as if he intended to
maim or deftroy it. On this Appearance of Cruelty
they ftarted, and iran to and again, like People
frantick ; ask'd him Where and What his Con
fcience was? And how he durft think of perpetrating
a Crime, which would' bring upon his iHead ail
the Curfes and Thunders of Heaven, But this not
prevailing, they fell all proftrate on the Ground be
fore the young Fellow, and, with ftreaming Eyes
and the moft moving Cries, befought him to fpare
the Creature and give it its Liberty. The young
German now yielded ; and having let the Infeft fly,
the Hottentots jump'd andcaper'd and ffiouted in all
the Tranfports of Joy ; and running after the A-
G 3 nimaJj

102 the Prefent .State of
nimal, render'd the cuftomary Divine Honours.
But the Creature fettling upon none of 'em, there
was not One fainted upon this Occafion.
Difcourfing upon this Matter my felf with the
Hottentots of this very Kraal, they declar'd to me,
that if this deified Infeft had been kill'd, all their
Cattle would certainly haye been deftroy'd by
Wild Beafts; and they themfelves, every Man,
Woman and Child of 'em, brought to a miferable
End. They believe the Kraal to be of evil Defti-
ny, where this Infeft is rarely feen. And to rea
fon with 'em againft thefe Infatuations, is to talk
to the Wind. They would fooner give up their
L'ives than renounce the leaft of 'em.
V. The Hottentots likewife pay a Religious Ve
neration to their Saints and Men of Renown de
parted. They honour 'erti not with Tombs, Statues
or Infcriptions; but confecrate Woods, Mountains,
Fields and Rivers to their Memory. When they
are paffing by one of thofe Places, they ftop to con
template the Vertues ofthe Deceafed, to whofe Me
mory it is dedicated, and to implode his Proteftion
for them and their Cattle. In this Meditation and
Worffiip they ftand with their Heads muffled up
in their Mantles. Sometimes they dance round
thofe Places, finging and clapping their Hands.
If you find 'em at this Devotion, and ask the
Meaning of it , they only laugh, with an Air that
informs you. You are to guefs it, andnot askthehi.
And ifyou urge them to an Explanation, they
grow angry, and anfw'er very ffiort, " Why, this is
" the Cullom of the Ho(tent<sti. " Bytfora Pipe of

/i&f Cape e/' GoodHope. .10^
flfTobacco, or a Dram of Brandy, ybu wil] now
and then find One who will give you an Account of
the Matter, and tell you a long Story of the Vir
tues and Atchlevements of thofe Anceftors of the
Hottentots to whom thofe Dedications are made ;
concluding with Eulogies on the Worffiip and
Gratitude that are paid to thofe excellent Per
fons. I once found a Hottentot finging and dancing up
on a Hillock with a great Deal of Fervency in thi,s
Sort of Devotion. And having entitled my felf to
his Favour by a Prefent of Tobacco, I ask'd him
for Something ofthe Hiftory of the Saint to whom
he paid thofe religious Devoirs. He anfwer'd, that
he had never heard that the Hillock he Was on
was dedicated to any Saint; but he did not que
ftion but fome Great Saint dwelt there. For that
once upon a Time, as he was travelling this Way,
being feiz'd with a ftrong Inclination to fleep, and
having a great Way home, he laid himfelf down
upon this Hillock, and enjoy'd himfelf all Night in
the fweeteft Slumbers he ever knew. In "the Mor
ning, when hfe was getting up to proceed on his
Wayi he difcover'd a great Lion , within Twenty
Paces of him; which let him pafs without taking
any Notice of him ;• but which, he faid, would
have certainly devour'd him, if fome Saint, in
habiting the Hillock, had not protefted him.
I endeavour'd to root out this fot^liffi Conceit,
and to implant in him proper Notions of God and
his Providence ; but in vain. He grew weary of
my Inftruftions ; rofe on a Sudden, and ffiaking
his Head, faid, " I can underftand Nothing of
G 4 " all

104 the Prefent State of
" all you have faid to me, " and departed outof
Humour VI. I have now gone through all the Idolatries
of the Hottentots on the Gracious Side of their Faith.
They have but one upon the Reverfe ; and that is
the Worffiip of an Evil- Deity, whom they look
upon as the Father of Mifchief, and the Source of
all their Plagues. They call him Touquoa; and fay.
He is a little, crabb'd, inferiour Captain, whofe
Malice againft the Hottentots will feldom let him
reft ; and who never did, nor has it in his Nature
to do, any Oood to Any body. They worffiip
him therefore, fay they, in order to fweeten him
and avert his Malice, ^
'Tis this Touquoa, fay they, who ftirs up Ene
mies againfl, them. 'Tis He who fruftrates all their
Good Defigns. 'Tis He who fends all Pain and
Vexation. 'Tis He who afflifts them and their
Cattle with Difeafes, and fet?, on the Wild Beafts
to devour 'em. 'Tis He who is the Author of all
111 Luck. And 'tis He, fay they, who teaches the
Wicked Hottentots the curfed Art of Witchcraft;
by which, they believe, innumerable Mifchiefs are
done to the Perfon* and Cattle of the Good. They
therefore coaks him, upon any Apprehenfion of
Danger or Misfortune, with the Offering of an Ox,
or a Sheep; and, at otherTimes, perform divers Ce
remonies of Worfhip, to wheedle and keep him
quiet. Boeving fays, he heard fome Hottentots folemnly
declare. They had often feen this Touquoa ; and
that they defcrib'd him as an ugly,deform'd, rough, hairy

the Cape o/' Good Hope. i^S
hairy, frightful Monfter, with Head and Feet re
fembling a Horfe, and drefs'd in White.
I took a World of Pains among the Hottentots to
difcover whether any of 'cm had pretended to have
feen this Touquoa, but could never be inform'd
among them, that any of 'em had. I am per
fuaded, therefore, Boeving forgot himfelf, and re
ceiv'd diis Account of the Devil of the Hottentots
only from Europeans. ,
VII. Ihave now given theWhole Syftem ofthe
Hottentot ReVi^xon; every Tenet ofwhich, tho' la
bouring with the wildeft Abfurdities, they embrace
fohearsily, and hold fodpar, thatl look upon it,
with a gfeat many others, as next to an Impoffi
bility to raviffi one of 'em out of a Hottentot's Bo
fom. Reafon againft thern, and they wrap them
felves up in a fullen Silence^ or run away. And 'tis
very rare that you can get them to hear you up
on any religious Topick. Never certainly were
there, in Matters of Religion, fo obftinate and fo
infatuated a People. Stiff as are the Jews, many
of 'em have fubmitted to the Yoke of Chrift and
died under it : But I never heard ofa Hottentot that
died a Chriftian. Some Hottentots, in the Hands of
Europeans, have diflernbled a Profeffion of Chri
ftianity for a While ; but have ever renounc'd it
for their native Idolatries, as foon as they could
get out oftheir Hands.
The Dutch Eaft-India Company has ffiewn a no
ble Zeal for the Honour of Chrift, and the tendereft
Compaffion arid Sollicitude for the Hottentots, in
their Endeavours to procure the Planting of the
Ciirif-

io6 the Prefent State of
Chriftian Faith in the; Hottentot-l>i&tiom. In • this
Glorious Work they have fpar'd neither Pains nor
Expence. Many learned and pious Miffionaries,
fent by them to the Cape, have undergone number
lefs Dangers ^nd Fatigues, and taken the greateft
Pains to make Profelytes among the Hottentots, but
without any Effeft. Neither the Force of their
Reafonings, nor the Charms of their Addrefs, made
any Impreffion. They were compell'd, •^ith Sor
row, to abandon the generous Defign, without
leaving the leaft Trace of it on the Minds of the
Hottentots. And I'll venture to prophefie, that,
for this Age at leaft, it will not be attended with
better Succefs.
M. van der Stel, Governour of the Cape, took a
Hottentot in his Infancy, and bred him up in the .
Chriftian Religion, and in all the proper and gen
teel Manners, Fafhions and Cuftoms of the Europe
ans about him; allowing him little or no Converfati
on or Intercourfe with Hottentots. He became well
skill'd in the Myfterles bf the Faith, and in feveral
Languages ; was always fumptuoufly clad ; and
his Manners were very juftly form'd after the beft
European Models at the Cape. The Governour,
feeing him fo qualified, entertain'd great Hopes of
him ; and defign'd very noble Things in his Fa
vour. He fent him, with a Commiffary General, to
the Indies; where he remain'd, employ'd in the
Commiffary's Affairs, till the Death of that Gentle
man ; when he return'd to the Cape. A few Days
after, at a Vifit among his Relations, he ftript him
felf of his European Apparel, and equipp'd himfelf,
a la Mode de fon Pa'is, ina Sheep-Skin. This done,
he pack'd up his Caft off-Cloaths; and ran with 'em to

fhe Cape of Good Hope. 107
to the Governour's ; and prefenting himfelf before
His Patron, he lay the Bundle at his Feet, and ad
drefs'd His Excellency to rfie following Effeft.
*' Be pleas'd. Sir, to take Notice, that I for ever
*' renounce this Apparel. I do likewife for ever re-
*' nounce the Chriftiari Religion. It is my Defign
" to live and die in the Religion, Manners andCuf-
" toms of my Anceftors. I ffiall only beg you
" will grant me (and I am perfuaded you will
*' grant me) the Collar and the Hanger I wear. I
*' will keep 'cm for your Sake ". He added not ;
but turning his Back at once, fled fwiftly away,
and was never feen in that Quarter again.
I met with this Spark feveral Times up in the
Country, and had a great deal of Talk with him.
I was furpris'd to find him Mafter of fuch a Stock
of Chriftian Knowledge. He went through,' upon
my Requeft, the whole Syftem of Faith, in which
he had been bred, with furprifing Facility, Clear-
nefs and Conneftion. Why, how can you, fays I,
abandon the Chriftian Faith, who, with fuch a
Number of Lights, muft needs behold it in all its
Reafonablenels and Beauty ? His Reply was, that
it was impoffible for him, and, he beiliev'd too, for
any one of his Nation, to obferve exaftly the Chrif
tian Precepts. I reprefented to him the tender Mer
cies Of God, and his Compkffion and Forbearance
for Sins of Infirmity. I reprefented to him likewife,
in the warmeft Terms I could fummon together,
theterrible Guilt of his Apoftacy; and call'd him
back into the Fold of Chrift with every Endearment
I could think of But he was, in a Manner, deaf
to all my Reafonings and Remonftrances, and in-
ienfible to all my Careffes, for his Return: And fo
he remain'd tiU I faw him no more, A

io8 the Prefent State of .
A German Divine, fometime a Preacher at the
Cape^ took with him, in his Return to G^rwawy, a
Hottentot, whom he inftrufted in the Principles
and Duties of Chriftianity , and there baptiz'd.
This Hottentot, being return'd to theCape, became
the greateft Reprobate in all the Country ; and was
upon the Point of returning to his native Refidence
and Idolatries,- when he was fent away to the Rob
ben Ifland, where he died an Infidel.
Boeving fa,ys, " Thefe Infidels (meaning the .flo^-
" tentots) ffiew the utnloft Reluftance when they
*' are call'd upon to reafon on Matters of Religion.
*' How often, fays he, have I admoniffi'd them to
*' adore GounjaGounja, as they call Alrnighty God,
*' and to give him Thanks for the Benefits they
*' daily receive at his Hands I They neglefted not
" amongThemfelves to return one Prefent or kind
*' Office for another; and bow'd their Bodies when
" they receiv'd a Gift from a Parent, Friend or
*' Stranger. How therefore, I ask'd them, could
" they negleft to pay the Gratitude that was due
" to God, the Father of all Mercies, and the Giver
" of every Good Thing ? They replied. They did
" thank Gounja Gounja. But how, demanded I ?
" Pray let me have the Particulars. But they
" not being able or willing to proceed, I went on,
" and endeavour'd to inftruft them After what
" Manner they ought to pay their Acknowledge-
" ments to the God of Gcids, and to make 'em
" fenfible of 'the Homage and Veneration that
" were due to Him who is the Faithful Rewarder
5' of ,ill that diligently feek him. But, alas! they
" grew uneafie before I had enter'd far into thefe
" Matters ; and, at Length, had not Patience to
heir

/j&tf Cape of GoodHope. 109
** hear me, but retir'd,fome frowning,others laugh-
*' ing and flouting at me ; fo that I could not fo
*' much as pave a Way towards inftrufting them
*« in the great Points of Chriftianity.
I wonder not at the fruitlefs Endeavours of this
pious learned and laborious Miffionary. I have
experienc'd enough of the Obftlnacy of the Hotten
tots. They feem born with a mortal Antipathy to
every. Religion but their own.
Many a Time have I allur'd them in fmall Com
panies, with Tobacco, Wine, Brandy, and ' other
Things, to Places of Retirement, in order to eradi
cate their nonfenfical idolatrous Whimfies, and in
ftruft 'em in the pure Worffiip of God. As long
as my Store lafted, I had myCompany, who feem'd
to attend with a iDefign to learn, but only liften'd
as Spungers, in order to be treated with the other
Bottle, and laugh at me when I was gone. At
this Bite they are as arch as other People. When
my Store was fpent, they immediately call'd out
for more Hire ; and, without it, would not ftay
to hear a Word more.
But the loofe immoral Lives of Multitudes of
Europeans at the Cape, I apprehend, do not a little
contribute to the Rendnng the Hottentots fuch
Haters of Inftruftion and Admonition in Matters of
Religion. This Contradlftion between Profeffion
and Praftice has been fatal to moft Defigns of pro
pagating the Faith. The Hottentots fee vvhen
Principles and Praftices are diffimilar as well as other
People And as they difcover fo many and fo wide
Differences between 'em at the Cape, it is not to be
doub-

tio the Prefent State of
doubted but that they,, with other Infidel Natioris,
make this a mighty iPrejudice againft every At
tempt to convert or enlighten them.
How have I labour'd to bring 'em to a Senfe of
their Duty to Almighty God ! How have I plied
'em upon the Abfurdity of acknowledging his Su
periority to all other Gods, and yet refufing him
ahy Aft of Worffiip. And how difappointed were all
my Endeavours ! I was ftill anfwer'd ( when I could
get an Anfwer) with the Tradition of the Offence
of their Firft Parents, and the Blindnefs and Hard
nefs of Heart with which they were all curs'd for it.
From which when I had takfen ali the Advanta
ges I could to inform and awaken them, jtnd prefs'd
them hard upon the Matter, their Refuge was in
this Contradlftion, that Gounja Gounja, or the God
of Gods, was a Good Man, who neither did, nor
had it in his Power to do any one any Hurt. When
we had got fo far, and I had follow'd my Blow
upon their Abfurdities and Contradiftions, they
would often in a Rage deny all they had owii'd;
and, flying from me, fay, they neither believ'd in
God, nor would hear a Word more about him.
I muft not omit the Account they fometimes
give themfelves ofthe Worffiip oftheir Touquoa, or
Devil. Father Tachart has deliver'd it very well in
the following Words. " We honour Touquoa at
*' Times, fay the Hottentots, by killing a fat Ox
" or a Sheep, according to our Apprehenfions of
?• his Defigns to plague us. With the Fat we
" anoint our Bodies, and with the Fleffi we regale
•' one another; this being the Way to pleafe or re-
«' concile him to us if we have offended ; tho' we
" know

fheCAPE of Good Hope. in
« know not how we have offendjed. He reckons
*« what he pleafes an Offence , and plagues us
« when he pleafes. And it has been always a Cuf-
*' tom among us thus to appeafe him.
It is a Cuftom of the Hottentots, of a religious.
Kind without Doubt, that when they are to pals
over a rapid River, they firft fprinkle fome ofrthe
Water upon their Bodies, and daub their Foreheads
with a little of the Mud. This Ceremony they
perform with great Sedatenefs and Compofure of
Mind, fighing now and then, and muttering Some
thing to themfelves. At this I have feen them
many a Time. But whatever Pains I took to know
the Reafon of it, I could never draw any Thing
from them but this, " Do not you fee the Cur-
•' rent is ftrong and dangerous ?
CHAP. IX.
Certain Principal Cuftoms of the Hottentots,
and the Ceremonies with which they are
obferv'd.
I. Of their adopting a Dutch Term as a common Ap
pellation for all their Solemnities. IL Of the
Cuftom [of Depriving the Males of one Tefticle.
nf. Reafons for this Cuftom. IV. Of a ftrange
Excrefcence [over the Pudenda ofthe Hottentot
Women. V. Of the Cufiom of Confining their
Children, till tbey arrive at Maturity, to the Care
and Converfation of the Women, and the Ceremo
nies with which the young Males are receiv'd into
t'ae Society of tbe Men. VI. Of their Publick Re
joicings.

112 the Prefent State of
. joieings. • VII. Of tbeir Cuftom of Removing their
Kraals. VIII. Oftheir Offerings on Occq/ion of
. Difeafes among thtir Cattle. IX. Of tbe Cuftom
of Driving their Cattle through tbe Fire. X. Rea-.
fons for this Cuftom-
I. XT' Very Change of Abode and Condition, and
jp* J every fignal Event of Life, the Hotten
tots accompany with Offerings or Feftivities ; and
never undertake any Thing they conceive to be of
Importance without the previous Celebration of
certain Solemnities. For thefe Ceremonious Afts,
all ofwhich I take to be ofa religious Nature, the
Hottentots, foon after the Settling of the' Dutch
among them, adopted the Dutch Term, Anders-
maken, i. e. To alter for the bettet\ ; and have
ever fince call'd 'em all by that Name. They
either cannot, or will not, give you any Terms they
affix'd to thofe Afts antiently, or fiill retain for
'em privately. Every Solemnity, they tell you, is
Ander smsken ; and if you are not content with that,
you may, for them, remain diffatisfied for ever:
They feem to intimate a Change of Life by it ;
or, as we fay, the Turning over a new Leaf.
II. It is a Cuftom among the Hottentots to deprive
the Males of one Tefticle. This, which they tell
you is Anderfmaken, is moft religioufly • obferv'd
throughout all the Hottentot Nations, and with a
great Deal of Ceremony. This Operation is gene
rally made at Eight or Nine Years of Age : And if
it is deferr'd beyond that Time, it is always on
Account of extreme Poverty, the Matter being a
little expenfive. I have feen it perform'd upon
One of near Eighteen Years of Age. I will de
fcribe it with all its Ceremony. The

//&(? Cape c/" G o OD H o p E. 113
The Patient being firft befmear'd all over with
the Fat of the Entrails of a Sheep newly kill'd, lies
on his Back, at full Length, on the Ground. His
Hands are tied together ; as are his Feet. On each
Leg and Arm kneels a Friend, and on his Breaft
lies another, to keep him down and deprive him
of all Motion. Then advances the Operator, with
a common Cafe- or Table-Knife, well ffiarpcn'd,
(They have no better Inftrument for the Purpofe)
and laying Hold of the left Tefticle, makes an Ori
fice in the Scrotum of an Inch anda Half long, and
fqueezes out the Tefticle and cuts the Ligament in
aTrice.This he performs, notwithftanding the Clum-
finefs of the Inftrument,' with fuch Dexterity, as
would amaze the ableft Artift in Europe. Then
taking a little Ball, which he has at Hand, of
Sheep's Fat, mix'd with the Powders of falutary
Herbs, particularly of Buchu, and of the Bignefs of
the outed Tefticle, he crams it into the Scrotum to fill
up the Vacancy. This Fat muft be of the Sheep,
kill'd by the Parents for this Occafion. And they are
oblig'd to kill the fatteft one of their Flock. He
then fews up the Wound; in which Work his Nee
dle is a certain Bone belonging to a fmall Bird ;
and his Thread , a fine Slip of a Siieep's Sinew.
The Bone refembles an European fewing Needle.
At this too he is furprifingly dexterous. And I
cannot help thinking that this Needle and Thread
are preferable, for the Sewing up of a Wound, to
any Materials we make ufe of for the like Purpofe.
For this Sort of Stitching was never known to be
attended with any ill Confequence ; and the Wound
heals quickly with little more Ado.
The Wound being few'd up, the Friends of the
H Patient

'i 14 the Prefent State of
Patient, who were feverally planted on his Legs,
his Arms, and his Breaft, rife; and his Bands are
loos'd. But before he offers to crawl away,
Mr. Operator, with the ftill warm and fmoaking
Fat of the Kidneys and Entrails of the Sheep, kill'd
on this Occafion, anoints him again all over, tur
ning him, now on his Back, now on his Belly, and
rubbing hirti on every Part, with a very rude re
gardlefs Hand ; by this rough Aftion , without
Doubt, adding frefh Fkme to the already raging
Torments of his Patient, who drops-and fmoaks
under it like a Pig a roaftirig.
But we have not done yet. The Glory of the
Ceremony is ftill behind. When the Patient is
fufficientiy befmear'd at this Second Unftion, the
Operator makes Furrows with his long Nails in the
Fat upon him, and adminifters the laft Comfort by
Piffing all over him . This he does with a plentiful
Stream. He lays up for the Occafion. When he has
dribbled the laft Drop, he rubs his Patient again
all over with his Hand, clofing the Furrows in the
Fat. The Ceremony being now at an End, the
Patient, trembling and fprawling on the Ground,
as in the Agony, is abandon'd of every one, and
left, without farther Remedy, to perilh or recover
by himfelf Near the Place where the Operation is
perform'd they previoufly ereft a little Hut, asa
Sort of Infirmary. Into this he crawls as foon as he
can ; and There remains for a Couple of Days or
fo; all the while alone, and without any Refreffiment
befides the Fat upon his Body, which he may lick
if he pleafes. In fome fuch Time, without any frefh
Application, the Wound is finely heai'd, and his
Vigour return'd; when he failles out, and runs, with

/iS^CAPEO^GooDHoPE. 115
with the Speed of the Wing, o'er the neighbou
ring Plains, in Teftimony ofhis Recovery.
The Patience of a Hottentot under this Operation
is wonderful. He ftruggles but little ; and but rare
ly groans. I have been a Wimefs to the Perfor
mance many a Time; and can never enough admire
the Refolution with which I faw it conftantly en-
dur'd. The younger Fry, who have not yet been un
der the Knife, are never permitted to fee the Opera
tion. When-^the Operator and Affiftants abandon the
Patient, they repair to 'the Houfe of his Parents,.
where affemble immediately all the Men of the
Kraal , to felicitate the Parents , and to feaft
with 'em on the Sheep that was kill'd on this Occa
fion. They boil and devour the Meat, and fe.id
the Broth to their Wives. Nor Bit nor Drop is
fent to the Infirmary. The Remainder of the
Day and all the next Night are fpent in Smoak
ing, Singing and Dancing ; and the Kradfhzkcs
and rings through the Impetuofity of their Mirth
and Rejoicings.
The next Morning they duft their Heads with
¦powder'd Buchu, and anoint their Bodies with the
remaining Fat of the Sheep ; and then depart to
their feveral Homes ; the Operator then receiving
a Prefent of a Calf or Lamb for his Trouble , if
the Parents ofthe Patient are able and willing to
make him one.
I have frequently examin'd the Scrota of the
Hottentots after the Exeftion of a Tefticle, and al
ways found the Performance wondeifully exaft. Ic
H 2 would

ii6 the Prefent State of
would furprife any Man living to fee how nicely
the Wound is fow'd up. If thc Exeftion is made
at Eight or Nine Years of Age, the Seam vaniffies
by the Time they come to Maturity, and you fce
no Trace ofthe Operation.
III. The Hottentots vary themfelves in affigning
the Reafons of this Cuftom of depriving the Males
of one Tefticle. No Wonder, therefore/ Authors
vary upon the Matter.
Saar is of Opinion, they do it to acquire a greater
Swiftnefs of Foot; a Faculty the Men enjoy in
Common in fo high a Degree, that they have ran,
fays he, many of 'em, with nimble Horfes, moun
ted by Europeans, and out ftript 'em.
Vogel, Tachart, and feveral others were led into
the fame Opinion by the Declarations of many Hot
tentots , who affirm'd to 'em, fay they, that this
Cuftom of depriving the Males of one Tefticle was
obferv'd for no other End than to make 'em run
the fwifter.
Boeving refers the wonderful Agility of the Men
to Three Caufes. The principal one, fays he, is
the Exeftion of a Tefticle. The next, the Anoin
ting their Bodies. And the laft, the Freedom of
their Limbs from every Incumbrance of Apparel.
All Writers, I think, agree, that the Agility of
the Men is principally owing to the Lofs ofa Tef
ticle. 'Tis certain, many Hottentots afcribe it to
the fame Caufe ; and ' fome of 'em affirm , the
Cuftom of Cutting out a Tefticle is obferv'-d on
that

the Cape of Good Hope. 117
that Account only. And *tis certain too, however
ftrange it may feem, that many fwift Horfes, un
der expert Riders, have been diftanc'd again and
again by Hottentots.
But how far foever the Exeftion of a Tefticle
may contribute to the Agility of the Body ,
this Cuftom owes not its Original to any fuch Mat
ter; nor is it obferv'd now a days on fuch Account
only. For the intelligent Hottentots , when they
are earneftly queftion'd upon the Point, will be
plain, and tell you, that it is a Law, which has
prevail'd through all the Generations of 'em ,
That no Man fhall have Carnal Knowledge of a Wo
man before he is depriv'd ofhis left Tefticle.
To fecure the Obfervance of this Law, the
Time of Exeftion is fix'd, as I have faid, to about
Eight or Nine Years of Age. 'Tis very rare
that it is delay'd beyond ; and 'tis ever delay'd
through IndulgencCjOn the Score, as has been faid, of
Poverty. The poor Hottentots confider, that their
Sons may die before they arrive at the Age of
Eighteen Years, which is the ufual Time of Mar
riage. They have a Chance then by this Delay to
fave Charges : And by this they are wholly go
vern'd in the Matter.
They have no Memory of the Breach of this
Law. But if a Marriage ffiould be confummated
without the Exeftion of a Tefticle, both Man and
Woman would lie at the Mercy ofthe Rulers, and
the Woman perhaps be torn to Pieces by her own Sex.
But thefe are not all the Securities of this
H 3 Law.

11,8 the Prefini State of
Law. It is ftrongly guarded too by a prevai
ling Opinion among the Women, Tbat a Man
witb two Tefticles conftantly begets Twins. They
therefore, upon Treaties of Marriage, generally
call upon the Friends of the Party to aver the
Exeftion , Modefty forbidding them to examine
the Parts previoufly themfelves. Yet do the Wo
men fometimes bear Twins.
The Origin of this Cuftom I am not able to
trace. There is Nothing like it that I know of
in any other Part of the known World. May one
fuppofe, that the Original Praftice was the Jewifi
Circumcifion ; and that in fome Popular Revolu
tion the Thing was laid afide and forgot, and
the Exeftion of a Tefticle afterwards miftaken
for the Cutting off the Fore Skin ? Derive it
how they will, it is apparently of a Religious Na
ture. IV. I muft here mention (what I omitted under
the General Defcription of the Hottentots, where
it would have ftood much better) a ftrange Ex
crefcence upon all the Hottentot Women. This is
a broad callous Part, growing joft above the
Pudenda, and figipping over and hiding them.
ItTeems intended by Nature for the Concealment
of thofe Parts ; and is, in fome, fo large that it can
hardly be cover'd by the Kutt Kroffe, as they call
it, (a Piece of Sheep-Skin the Women wear for
the Concealment of thofe Parts) but is often feen
below it.
Whatever the Reader may think of this Excref
cence upon the Hottentot Women as a Deformity, the

the Cape ^Good Hopt. ixi
the Hottentots , nor Men nor Women , regard
it as any. But^ through their Naftinefs and Anoin
tings, it is always in fuch a Pickle as to make an
European\o-i,th the Sight ofit. They will let you,
for a little Tobacco or fo, handle and examine it.
Thevenot , in his Account of his Eaft India
Voyage, fays, the Negro- and Egyptian 'Women,
and the Women of other Nations, were fubjeft to
the like Excrefcence ; but that they ftopt the
Growth of it very early by Searing it. This he
looks upon as an Aft of die Superftition of thofe
Nations ; I, only as a Faffiion to root out what
they look'd upon as a Deformity
V. The Exeftion of a Tefticle is one Aft of Le
gitimation for the Marriage of the Males. But be
fore they marry, there is another Thing to be
done, as a fecond Aft of Legitimation for the
fame Purpofe. This , which they likewife call
Anderfmaken , is the Receiving them , with a
great Deal of odd Ceremony, into the Society of
the Men.
The Boobies, from their Infancy up to the Time
when this Ceremony is perform'd, which is general
ly about the Eighteenth Year, are confin'd to the
Tuition of their -Mothers, and live and rambleaboiit
conftantly with 'em. Before this fecond Aft of
Legitimation they are not allowed to fet up for
Men. Nor dare they offer to converfe with fuch as
are call'd Men, not even with their own Fathers.
But upon this Aft they are difcharg'd from their
Mothers, and baniffi'd their Converfation for ever.
H 4 When

120 The Prefent State of
When a Father, or the Generality of the Men
ofa Kraal, refolves to Call a young Fellow into the
Society of Men, all the Inhabitants affemble in the
Middle ofthe Kraal ; *and all the Men fit down on
theGround in a Circle. The young .Fellow to
be adrinitted, being without the Circle, is order'd
to fquat down upon his Hams or Heels, fo as not
touch the Ground by at leaft Three Inches. This
done, the oldeft Man, whether . he . be the Cap
tain ofthe Kraal or not , rifes, and asks the
Pleafure' ofthe Circle, * ' Whether the Youth wiihout
" ffiall be admitted into their Society and made a
" Man." To this All unf-wering jo jo i. e. Tes,
Tes, he leaves the Circle ; and .fteppirig up to
the Youth, informs him, " That the Men having
" thought him worthy to be admitted into their
" Society, he was now to take an eternal Farewel
" of his Mother andthe Nurfery, and of all his
" Boy's Tricks and^Gewgaws. That if he is but
" once feen again to chat with his Mother, and does
*' riot a,lways carefully avoid her Company, he will
" be look'd upon as a Babe, and as. altogether un-
" worthy ofthe Converfation of the Afif^, .and Will
" be baniffi'd the fame, and muft again undergo the
" ./^«ii?r/5«fl^i?« to repoffefs himfelf of that Honour.
" That all his Thoughts, Words and Aftions are
" from that Time forward to be Manly ; and
" thathe is never toadmit the leaft Effeminacy or
" Tarniffi of the Nurfery into any of 'em ". Over
this the Old Sage goes again and again,, and cea-,
fes not till, by frequent Repetitions, he judges he.
has fafl:en'd upon him the whole Matter ofhis Ad
monition.

Vide Tab. II, Fig. i.
The'

^alf.ji,Jia.i. o./(i£>.

~^U

-.—o'mi/i

'The^HtHterdiHa drur^ tke^irrh€.ef tkrtni^-fv t^ ^2^

ihe Cape of GoodHope. 121
The Youth beforehand being roundly bedaub'd
with Fat and Soot, the old Declaimer has no fooner
finiffi'd his Harangue, than he draws out his T — ,
and piffes with great Vigour all over him. He
ftops his Waters for fome Time before, in order
to provide him with a plentiful Stream. The
Youth ,who can hardly be feen under the fmoaking
Inundation , receives the Stream with an eager
Care ; and making Furrows, with his long Nails,
in the Fat upon his Body, rubs and mixes the Pifs
with the Fat with the quickeft Aftbn. The Old
Fellow puts not up his T — till he has carefully
dribbled upon him to the laft Drop ; when he feli
citates him upon the Honour that is done him ;
and crowns him with the following Benediftions ;
which he utters aloud: t'kamma. Good Fortune attend
Thee. Dida Atze. Live to Old Age. ^oa qua. En
creafe and multiply. t'Kumi. May thy Beard gro-p
foon. Then is the young Fellow folemnly pro-
claim'd a Man.
This done, the Men go all to Feafting upon a
Sheep, Part roafted and Part boil'd, prepar'd by
the Friends of the young Fellow, now admitted a
Man. But the young Fellow himfelf is not permit
ted to join the Company till near the End of thye
Feaft ; when he comes in for Scraps, and is con
firm'd in the Privileges of Affociating, Eating and
Drinking with the Men, provided he avoids Eating
and Drinking with the Women and Joining in any
of their Entertainments.
I may obferve here, that the Words t'Kamma
and Dida Atze, made Ufe of in this Ceremony, are
us'd alfo among the Hottentots, by Way of Sail uta
tion.

122 tk Prefent State of
tion, when they fneeze ; juft as the Salutation, God
hlefs you, is us'd on the like Occafion by many
among Our felves.
A- young Fellow, remaining in the Tuition of
his Mother after having arriv'd at the Age- of Ad-
milifion into the Society of the^ Men, the young
Fellows already admitted, call In Derifion, Kutfire
i. e. Milk-Sop ; and employ all their Wit in his
Ridicule arid Mortification.
This fc Word Kutfire is, in all the Nations, a
dreadful Term of Reproach. When it falls on a
Hottentot with any Manner of Juftice, it ftrikes his
Name with the iFury of a Thunderbolt, and lays
all his Trophies and Honours even with the
Ground. It fweeps down his Years, be the Num
ber as great as it may ; unmans him at once ;
and makes an arrant Boy of him. He is banifh'd
the Society of the Men, as a filly raw young Puppy,
unworthy of their Company. All his old Friends
laugh at and avoid him: And he is thecommon Butt
of all the Wits of the Kraal. In ffiort, he is treated
by all that know him as little better than an Ideot
till he undergoes the Anderfmaken afreffi ; which
repairs the Damage at once ; reftores him to his
Years and Difcretion, and again makes a Man of
him. When this reproachful dreaded Term is faften'd
upon a Hottentot, 'tis examin'd in a Circle of the
Men of his Kraal, Whether he has deferv'd it. The
Matter is foon decided, but rarely with Impartia
lity, for the Appetites of his Judges give'em a ftrong
Bias againft him. Their Mouths water for the
Feaft

M^Cape o/*GooD Hope. lag
Feaft at a new Anderfmaken ; and the Feaft is all
that is requir'd on fuch an Occafion, befides the fo-'
lemn Anointing of him that makes it ; the piffing
and every other Ceremony of the firft Anderfmaken
being conftantly difpens'd with. The Hottentot
once admitted a Man, and afterwards reduc'd to
the Condition of a Boy by the Word Kutfire, muft
treat all the Men of his Kraal with a Sheep, as at
his firft Anderfmaken, in order to be readmitted a
Man. He is not to fit down with the Company, nor
touch a Bit of the Carcafe ; but muft plant himfelf
at a Diftance, and feaft himfelf, if he pleafes, upon
the Entrails ; with the Fat ofwhich he is folemnly a-
nointed, and, by that Ceremony, made aManaga.in.
But no Penalty is laid on the Hottentot that ffiall
call Another Kutfire unjuftly ; which ffiews this
whole Matter to be moftly fet up in order to pro
mote the Common Entertainment and Diverfion of
the Men.
I muft not difmifs the Ceremony of Anderfmaken
for admitting young Fellows into the Society of
Men, without fome Account of its Confequences
as they regard the Women. A Hottentot, thus dif
charg'd from the Tuition of his Mother, may infult
her when he will with Impunity. He may cudgel
her, if he pleafes, only forhis Humour, without any
Danger of being call'd to an Account for it. And
thefe Things I haVe often known done. Nor are
thofe unnatural Extravagancies attended with the
leaft Scandal. On the Contrary, they are efteem'd
as Tokens of a Manly Temper and Bravery ;
and the Authors of 'em mifs not how and then of
Applaufe. Immediately after the Induftion of a
young

124 7y&^ Prefent State of
young Fellow Into the Society of the Men, it is an
ordinary Thing for him to go and abufe his Mother,
and make a reproachful Triumph upon his being
difcharg'd from her Tuition, in Teftimony of the
Sincerity of his Intentions to follow the Admoniti
ons of the Declaimer at his Induftion.
When the Old Fellows are admonifh'd (and ve
ry often have I admoniffi'd them) againft this hor
ridly unnatural Praftice of leading their Sons into
Cruelty and Negleft for their Mothers, not a Word
will they hear with Patience ; nor can any Anfwer
be obtain'd from'em befides the darling One of thc
Hottentots, whenever they are heated and confus'd
by any Enquiry into their own Matters, 'Tis Hot
tentot Cuftom, and ever was fo. And with this,
they think, you ought to be fatisfied.
Nay, even the Women, who have fuffer'd by the
Infolence of their Children, will, when the Pain
ofthe Blows, or their firft Refentment, is vaniffi'd,
excufe 'em, and apologize for the wild Impiety
with the fame Anfwer as the Men, when an Euro
pean ffiall reprefent to 'em the Barbarity of the
Cuftom under which they fuffer. Hottentot Cuftom
is a Salve for all their Sores. This is extremely
unaccountable. v
VI. I have gone through fuch Anderfmakens aS
are of a Private Nature. I now come to fuch as are
of a Publick one. And thefe are obferv'd upon va
rious Occafions ; particularly upon the Overthrow
of an Enemy ; fome great Deftruftion of Wild
Beafts that devour their Cattle ; the Recovery of
fome eminent Hottentot from a dangerous Fit of
Sick-

•/i&^ Cape o/Go OD Hope. 125
Sicknefs, and the like. On fuch Occafions they
make Publick Entertainments and Rejoicings, in
which every Inhabitant of a Kraal has a Share.
The Cots or Dwellings in a Kraalare rang'd in a
Circle, the Area of which is quite open. When
they defign a publick Entertainment, they ereft in
the Center of the Kraal a. Sort of Booth or Arbour,
large enough to entertain commodloufly all the
Men. *This Booth is made of Materials quite new,
alluding to their Defign of beginning on fuch Oc
cafions a New Life. The Morning of the Day de
ftin'd forthe Solemnity, the Women and Children
ofthe Kraal go all into the Valleys to gather feve
ral Sorts of odoriferous Herbs and beautiful Flowers,
with fmall Branches of gay Trees, with which they
adorn and perfume the Booth very charmingly.
The Men take the fatteft Ox, fometimes the fatteft
Bullock ; and fafteriing four Ropes, made of fmall
Weeds very nicely twifted, feverally to his Feet,
fome feize him by the Horns and ftruggle with
him that Way, while others, on one Side, pull with
the Ropes , till down they throw him . on the
Ground ; when they extend him to his full Stretch
on his Back, and faften the Ropes to Stakes driven
into the Ground, -f- They then kill hiin, but after
fuch a Method that he is half an Hour a dying.
This Method, which ffiall be defcrib'd hereafter, is
a very peculiar one, and wholly unknown in Europe.
Part of him they roaft, and Part they boil. The
Men fit down in the Booth to the Whole, and de
vour it with a great Deal of Mirth. The Wo-

* Vide Tab. II. Fig. i, f Vide Tab. I. Fig z. men

126 the Prefeiif State- of
men are put off, as ufual, with the Broth only.
The Men in a Kraal are generally fufficient to de
vour an Ox at One Entertainment. But they are
generally a good While about it. They then go tp
Smoaking and Drinking. There is among them a
Band of Mufick, which ftrikes up between Whiles,
and awakens the Dancers. Some fing; others crack
Jokes and tell merry Tales. Mirth triumphs in
Storms of Laughter; and the whole Company is
diffolv'd in Pleafure, In thefe Diverfions they con
tinue the Remainder of the Day and all the next
Night. Tho' they love ftrong Liquors immoderatfr*
ly, and purchafe them whenever they convenieritly
can, yet litde or none of any Sort is feen in thefe
Solemnities. They never pollute them with Drun
kennefs, or any Degree of Intoxication but what
arifes from Tobacco or Dacha , and from the
Tranfports of Mirth- They can fing and dance
and confabulate with all imaginable Gaiety for
Twenty Hours together by the Help only of their
ordinary Beverage, Water and Cows-Milk; Viva
cities in which, fpite of all the Sarcafms with which
they have been pelted for Stupidity, they excel -the
Europeans; who cannot, forfooth, maintain their
Mirth for an Hour without the Help of ftrong Li
quors. VIL The Hottentots obferve an Anderfmaken,
when they remove their Kraals. And they remove
a Kraal, for the moft Part, on one of the follow
ing Accounts : Either when the Pafture about it
becomes too bare for the Subfiftence of their Cat
tle ; or when an Inhabitant dies in it, whether vio-
•lentiy or naturally. | When

, /i&^ Cape o/"GooD Hope. 127
When they have refolv'd to remove a Kraal on
Account of the Barrennefs ofthe Pafture, they kill
a fat Sheep. Part they roaft, and Part they boil.
Upon this the Men of the Kraal feaft with a
great Deal of Mirth and Good Humour, fending to
the Women the ufual Regaje of Broth. With the
Fat they anoint their Krqjfes{2& they call them) or
Man des. This is a Thank-Offering for tbe Boun
ties of Nature enjoy'd in that Place. When they
have done, they demoliffi their Cots, pack up their
Furniture, and remove at once, the Men in one Bo-
dy,the Women and Children in another, to the Place
deftin'd for a new Settlement, Where being ar
riv'd , their firft Work is to ereft the Kraal and
difpofe their Furniture. Tbis never cofts tbem mufch
above a Couple of Hours. Then a Sheep is kill'd
for the Women. Part tbey roaft, and Part they
boil : And devouring theWbole aniong themfelves,
they fend tbeir Husbands a Regale of Broth ; which
is all they are to have for that Time. With the
Fat the Women anoint their Kroffes, or Mantles.
Then powdering their Hair with Buchu, they go
to feveral Diverfions among themfelves ; in which
tbey continue the Reft of the Day and till pret
ty far in the Night, their Husbands, in all the
Time, not once intruding or coming near them.
The Sheep is here a Sacrifice, and the Unftions
and Powderings are Religious Formalities, for the
Profperity of the Kraal, and the Continuance of
Plenty in that Neighbourhood.
VIIL When the Sheep of a Kraal are feiz'd
with the Megrims (the Hottentots call the Diftem
per by the Dutch Terms, Mall-Koppen i. e. difor
der'd in ths Head) the Inhabitants make propitia tory

128 the Prefent State of
tory Sacrifices , and feaft folemnly upon 'em for
three Days fucceffively. The Sacrifice on each
Day is a found fat Sheep, and the Sacrificer an el
derly Hottentot of diftinguiffi'd Senfe and Gravity,
who is judg'd the ableft for chufing the beft and fit-
teft Sheep for thofe Sacrifices (for they reckon a
great Deal uponThat)and the beft skill'd in the Or
dinances relating to the fame. The Old Men affem
ble by themfelves, and feaft each Day upon the
Carcafe of the Sacrifice. The young Men affem
ble at a Diftance, and devour the Entrails ; and the
Women and Children are each Day regal'd with
the Broth only which is made with the boil'd Parts
of the Sacrifice. After the Feaft, they fpend,
each Company apart, the Remainder of each Day
and the following Night in Singing and Dancihg.
Thefa are Afts of Attonement for their Offences
againft Gounja; and which they truft will render
Gounja, propitious to them and their Cattle.
If, upon thefe Offerings, the Diftemper ceafes
among the Sheep, they grow wild with Joy, and
there is no End of their Feafts and Rejoicings.
'Tis a Matter certain among 'em, that Gounja
is delighted with their Offerings ; and the Senfe
of having pleas'd him, hurries them out of
themfelves , and furniffies fuch Scenes of Mirth
and Extafie as are , perhaps , no where elfe to
be met with. But if, upon thefe Offerings, the
Diftemper does not immediately abate, they fup- ¦
pofe the Offerings were not Good enough ; and
that the Old Hottentot, appointed for the Eleftion
of 'em, did not chufe the iBeft. Upon which Sup-
pofirion they appofnt another ancient experienc'd
Perfon to mark out new Sacrifices ; and three
Days

/iSi? Cape 0r Good Hope. 129
Days more are fpent in the fame Solemnities : Or
elfe they imagine , the Sheep have caught their
Diftemper from fome ill Quahty of the Pafture.
And if this ffiall be the prevailing Opinion, they
forthwith perform the Anderfmaken ufual on the
Removal of a Kraal, and depart with their Cattle
to another Quarter.
IX» Another Grand Cuftom of the Hottentots ,
which they likewife term Anderfmaken , * is the
Driving their Sheep at certain Times through
the Fire. Early in the Day, deftin'd by a Kraal for
the Obfervance of this Cufiom, the Women milk
all their Cows , and fet the whole Produce before
their Husbands. 'Tis a ftrift Ordinance at thofe
Times, that the Women neither tafte, nor fuffer
their Children to touch, a Drop of it. The whole
Quantity is facred to the Men, who drink it all
up before they addrefs themfelves to the Bufinefs of
the Fire. Having confum'd the Mik, fome go and
bring the Sheep together to the Place where the
Fire is to be lighted, while others repair to the
Place to light it. The Fire is made of Chips and
dry Twigs, and thinly fpread into the Figure of an
Oblong. Upon the Coming up of the Sheep, the
Fire, fcatter'd into this Figure , is cover'd with
green Twigs, to raife a great Smoak ; and a Num
ber of Men range themfelves clofely on both
Sides of it, making a Lane for the Sheep to pafs
th ough, and extending themfelves to a good Dif
tance beyond the Fire on the Side where the
Sheep are to enter. Things being in this Pofture,

Vide Tab. II. Fig. 2. I the

i

130 the Prefent State oj
the Sheep are driven into the Lane clofe up to the
Fire, which now fmoaks in the thickeft Clouds.
The Foremoft boggle; and being forc'd forward
by 'the 'Prefs behind, feek their Efcape by attempt
ing Breaches in the Ranks. The Men ftand clofe
and firm, and whoop and goad them forward ; when
a few Hands, pki)ted at the Front ofthe Fire, catch
three or four of the foremoft Sheep by the Head,
and drag 'em through, and bring 'em round into the
Sight of the Reft; which fometimes upon this, the
Whooping and Goading continuing, follow witha
Tantivy, jumping and pouring themfelves through
the Fire and Smoak with a mighty Clattering and
Fury. At other Times they are not fo traftable,
but put the Hottentots to the Trouble of Dragging
Numbers of 'em through : And fometimes, in a
great Prefs and Fright , fturdily. attacking the
Rariks, they make a Breach and efcape. This is
a very mortifying Event at all Times, the Hotten
tots, upon whatever Account, looking upon it as a
heavy Difgrace, and a very ill Omen into theifiar-
gain. But when their Labours here are attended with
fuch Succefs, that the Sheep pafs readily through or
over the Fire , 'tis hardly in the Power of Lan
guage to defcribe them in all the Sallies of their
Joy. Heavens ! What a diftrafted Scene ! What,;
Shouting , Singing and Screaming ! What Boun- '
eing and Scampering ! What Laughing, Grinning
and Staring! What Stamping , Capering and
Tumbling ! What Clapping of Hands and Shaking
of Heels! What Twiftings and Wrigglings of the
Body ! What Raptures and Uproars ! They are
mad (in all Appearance) ftark ftaring rnad'; and
their Extravagancies know no End. X, I

C A p B e^ G 0 0 D H o p e: 131
X. I was no fooner acquainted with this Cuftom
than I had a mighty Itch to know the Meaning of
it ; with Regard to which I fou^d the Europeans at
the Cfl/)<? utterly in the Dafk. I therefore perfecu-
ted the Hottentots inceffantly with my Enquiries till
I had obtain'd fome Satisfaftion. But it was a long
Time ere I was fo Jucky. My Curiofity receiv'd a
thoufand' Bangs wifih the Flail cy^ Hottentot Cuftom.
A Thoufand arifWfeF^d me , " Our Aneeftors„ did
fo ; therefore fo do- we," and, either could not, or
would not, enter farther intoi the Matter. I grew
tir'd in the Chace of this Myftery ; and , defpair
ing of Succefs, was giving it up for ever ; when I
fl:umbled on a Hottentot , a fenfible good natur'd
Fellow, who, fer a fmall Gratuity in Brandy and,
Tobacco, gave me the following Account, as one
genuine Branchy at leaft, ofthe Matte'r 1 wasin
Purfuit of The Ideas were, every One of 'em, his:
I only vary from him in the Points of Drefs and
Modification. " We know not , fays he, when to date the In-
*' troduftion of this Cuftom among us. We fup-
«' pofe it has prevail'd through all or moft Gene-
" rations. iNor are we affur'd, anyof us , that
" I know of, of the Solidity of the ReafoH upon
«* which it ftands, any otherwife than by the Au-
*' thority of our Anceftors, who , w^e conceive,
." were wife, and fet up Nothing as a Rule to Pof-
*' terity but on folid Grounds.
" This Country, as without Doubt You know,
" is infeftsdin every Part of it with wild Dogs ;
" which keep together, and fcour'the Fields in
" large Troops, and fometimes make terrible Ha-
I 2 vock

ipL the Prefent Stafe of
*' ypck among our Cattie. We dread thofe Crea-
*' tures more among our Sheep, than we do Li-
*' ons or Tigers, or any other ravenous Beafts in
'' the whole Region. For when Lions, Tigers,
*' or any other Wild Beafts about us, but wild
*' Dogs, invade a Flock , they only flay for pre-
" fent Appetite and a Meal or two beyond.
" Whereas when Wild Dogs fet upon a Flock,
" they make their Appetites no Rules for Slaugh-
" ter, but, if they are not prevented, worry the
" Whole. Now we have it from our Anceftors,-
*' that if Sheep aredriyen through the Fire, as we
"term it, that is, through a thick Smoak, rhe
" Wild Dogs will not be fond of attacking them
" while the Scent ofthe Smoak remains upon their
*' Fleeces. We therefore from Time to Time,
" for the Security of our Flocks, perform this
" Anderfmaken. And' this is all I know of the
Matter. I can fay Nothing for .the Strength of this Rea
fon, I am only pretty confident it was not Mat
ter of Invention, Yet, allowing it to be fufficient
to fupport the Cuftom we are fpeaking cf, I muft
needs be of Opinion there are others, and thofe of
a religious Nature, for the Maintenance of this
Cuftom , which the Hottentots I convers'd with, ei
ther knew not, or would not communicate to me.
Other Anderfmakens will be defcrib'd hereafter
under! the Heads to which they refpeftlvely be
long.

CHAP.

fhe Cape, of Good Hope. ^33
CHAP. X.
I. The Notions of the Hottentots concerning Witch
craft. II. An Argument to prove, that tbe Hot
tentots believe the Immortality of the Soul.
I. ALL fudden inward Pain ; All Sickneffes
jfV that baffle their Phyficians, and cutoff'
before Old Age ; All fudden crofs Accidents ;
and Every- artificial Perforriiance that is above their
Comprehenfion, the Hottentots afcribe to Witch
craft ; an Art which they believe is taught by
their Touquoa, or Devil ; and under the Imputati
on of which their Old Women, like ours, fuffer
more than any others.
When a Hottentot is feiz'd with a Pain, which
he believes is caus'd by Witchcraft, he fends for the
Phyfician of his Kraal, who is believ'd to be Maf
ter of an Amulet that will fometimes diffolve the
Charms of the Witches. On his Arrival, and be
fore he utters a Syllable to the Patient, a found
fat Sheep being kill'd at the Inftant, he takes and
carefully views the Caul all over ; and having
powder'd it with Buchu, twifts it in the Manner of
a Rope, and hangs it about the Patients Neck, to ,
whom, while he is doipg this, he generally ifays,
" You will foon be better. The Witchcraft is
" not ftrong .upon you " This Caul the Pati
ent is oblig'd to wear while a Bit of it will
hang about the Neck. If the Patient be a Man,
the Men of the Kraal feaft upon the Carcafe of
the Sheep ; If a Woman , the Women .: If a
Child, the Carcafe of the Sheep is ferv'd up, to,
the Children of the Kraal only ; and none ejfe tafte
a Cir of it. I 3 1^>

^134 ^he Prefent State of
If, u'pon this, the Patient does not grow better,
the Doftor thinks no more of an Amulet, but
gives Phyfick. And be the Difteriiper, or the
Courfe of it, what it may, the Doftor firft call'd
in, and no other, muft be retain'd quite through,
till the Patient recovers or dies. ' If the Event is
Death, the Doftor affirms it Was ocCafbnM by
Witchcraft ; and that the Charms of the Witch or
Wizzard were • too ftrong for him or any elfe to
break. And for this he always finds Faith enough.
I know but one Inftance, and I am apt to think
there never was another, of a Hottentot's departing
from his Faith in the Affirmation of a Phyfician,
that a Difeafe was inflifted and render'd .incurable
by Witchcraft. The Inftance is This : A Hotten
tot Fiffierman, being flruck with a Sort of Lepro
fie all over his Body, applied to an eminent Hotten
tot Phyfician for Relief. The Phyfician having
kept him in Hand a confiderable Time, and found
he could do him no Good, abaridon'd him as a
Man bewitch'd and incurable. Soon after, the
poor Fellow, in a moft 'piteous' Condition, . and his
Heart finking fo Rights under the melancholy No
tion he had of it, coming to the Houfe of a I)utcb-
man, to whom he fometimes fold his Fiffi, the
Dutchman's Wife perfuaded iim to fubmit his Di-
llemper to her Skill ; and giving him fome Ro
man Vitriol, order'd him to lay it for about half a
Quarter of an Hour in a fmall Quantity of Water,
and with this Water, impregnated with the Vitriol,
to waffi his Sores from Time to Time; He follow'd
her Orders, and they prov'd fortunate Ones ; for
in a Fortnight's Time, by this Water only, hewas
perfeftly cur'd^ Whereupon he repair'd to the
Hot*

/•,5? Cape o/Go OD Ho p E. 135
Hottentot Phyfician who had had him in Hand, and
withthe highefi Indignation, onthe one Hand, for
the Ignorance of the Quack, and the higheft Ef
teera, on the other, for the Skill of the Dutcb-'wo-
man , he loaded Him with Reproaches, and Her
wifh Encomiums, and run down the Reputation of
the Hottentot Phyficians with infinjje Contempt and
Ridicule. ,1; ,i,tr/
Boeving fays ,' the Hottentots wear, hanging to
their Necks, a little Piece of a Sort of Wood they
call 5/;2^, as an Amulet againft Witchcraft. They
put this Piece of Wood, witlT^ther fhin^ in a
Pouch they wear hangingto their Necks ° '
I have often been look'd upon by the Hette/rifffs
as a Wizzard my felf My Magic Lanthern,
Burning Glafs, and other Inftruments, producing
Effefts which aftoniffi'd 'em, and which they could
not account for, were Pieces of Witchcraft. Qnce,
being furrounded by a good Number of 'em, I
pour'd a little Brandy into a Cup and fir'd it,, and
ask'd 'em if they would drink of it ; They were
aftoniffi'd at the Propofal ; and when they faw rne
drink it my felf, betook themfelves to their Heels
in a Fright, and ever after dreaded me as a great
and darigerous Conjurer. They have vanifli'd out of
my Sigbt in an Inftant upon my holding up a Stick
and threatening to bewitch 'em with it. .^
IL It does not at all appear, however, and I be
lieve it is not, that the Hottentots have any No
tion oftheir Wizzards or Witches entering into
any Compaft with the Devil, whom they call Tou-
i qtioa i or that their Souls go to Him at Death ,
I 4 as

136 the Prefent State of
as have many among Our felves of fuch whether
real or imaginary Wretches- They conceive*
according to all the Intelligence I could , get upon
the Matter, that the Malice of Touquoa is con
fin'd to this World, and cannot aft beyond it.
Nor could I ever catch the leaft Hint among 'em
to think, that a»y of 'em believe, that either the
Good, at Deajth, go to any certain Place of Blifs,
or the Bad to any Place of Torment. Yet do
they certainly believe the Immortality of the
Soul. Ari'd I wonder fome Authors could not fee
This. Father Tachart plainly afferts " the Hottentots
" do not expeft a Life after this ; for which
" Reafon , " fays he, " they ftrive to make their
" Lives as eafie as they poffibly can." The Rea
foning here I take to be juft as found as the Af
fertion. Boeving lays, " 'Tis certain the Hottentots do not
" believe the Refurreftion ofthe Dead ; but That
" they and Brutes, at Death, periffi alike. ^'Talk-
" ing pnce to a Hottentot concerning the Refur-
" reftion , he faid : Only here : Hereafter Nothing.
" The Dead coine to Life again! How can that be ?
As to the Refurreftion, I do not fee how the Hot
tentots, or any other People, ffiould have any No
tion of it but from Chriftians. That great Doc
trine Certainly was never difcover'd only by the
Light of Nature. And the Ignorance or Denial
of it argues Nothing againft the Belief of the
Soul's Immortality. If the Hottentots believe not,
and I know not that any ofthem do, that anyThing in

/ f/&f Cape b/" GoodHope. 137
in Brutes furvives the Death of 'em, then has this
Gentieman argued to fome Purpofe againft their
Belief of the Soul's Immortality. Otherwife his Ar
gument does riot affeft it; the Words Hereafter No
thing, in the Mouth of the Hottentot, claffiing with
the pure and manifeft Senfe of feveral univerfal Cuf
toms among the Hottentots, as will»appear prefently*..
Juft as infufficient as the Denial of the Refur rec
tion, againft the Hottentots believing the Immortali
ty of the Soul, is the Inftance he introduces here,
by Way of Illuftration. " A Hottentot , fays he^
*' who had murder'd a Chriftian , being deliver'd
" to his own Nation to be cudgel'd to Death, ac-
*' cording to Hottentot Law , was exhorted
*' by a Chriftian Preacher to repent ; and told of
" the Eternal Felicity he would thereupon enjoy
" in Heaven. The Criminal ask'd him. If there
" were Cattle in Heaven ? Which Queftion put-
" ting, it feems, the Preacher out of all Hope of
*' Converting him^ he left him without a Reply."
Now I can fee Nothing here, that ffiews, the Crimi
nal did not believe the Immortality of the Soul. All
that appears is, that he had, no Notion of fuch a
Place of Blifs as the Preacher defcrib'd to him.
Now- though the Immortality of the Soul is an
Article that enters not into the Religion ofthe Hot-
¦tentots, and which, for that Reafon, I mention'd
not in my Account oftheir Religion ; and though
they fay Nothing at any Time concerning it, and
•perhaps never think of it with Regard to them -
- ¦ felves, yet does it appear very, plainly, that they
believe it, from the following Particulars.
I. They offer Prayers and Praifes tothe Good
Hottentots departed, 2. They

138 the Prefent State of
2. They are apprehenfive the Dead ffiould return
to moleft them. They therefore upon the Death
bf any Man , Women or Child of 'em, remove
With their Kraals, Bag and Baggage to a new Set
tlement ; believing that the Dead never haunt any
Places but thofe they died in ; unlefs any Thing
that belong'd to 'emis carried out of thofe Places ;
for then they apprehend they will follow a Kraal
and be very troublefome. They therefore, for the
Quiet of the Dead, and their Accommodation if
they have a Mind to return, leave the Huts they
died in, ftanding, and in them all the Apparel and
Implements that belong'd to the Deceas'd, and ne
ver more lay Hands upon 'em.
3. They believe that it is in the Power of their
Wizzards or Witches' to lay a Spirit, and for ever
prevent its Appearing or being troublefome.
Is it to be queftion'd then. Whether the Hotten
tots believe the Immortality of the Soul ?
M. Zii?|^«^a/^ is clearly on my Side the Quefti
on. Yet if I wanted Evidence upon the Point, I
could not with a good Confcience fet up Him. The
credulous good Man, as 'tis pretty well known,
was often impos'd on at the Cape , and moft of all
with Regard to the Religion and Opinions of the
Hottentots. Befides, he proves too much by Half.
I'll give the Reader a Tafte of him upon thofe
Matters. " Asking, " fays he, " a Hottentot,
" Where he thought he ffiould go when he died,
" whether to Heaven or Hell ? the Hottentot re-
" plied, Iknow not: God, who is merciful, only
" knows.'* Again" Asking", fays he, " 2i Hot
tentot

/i&if Cape P^ Good Hope. 139
« tentot (the fame) Whether he believ'd there was
»' a God, he nimbly replied. Let him, who beUeves
*' there is no God, look upwards aud downwards and
*' roundabout him ; and tben let him continue in his
'¦^Opinion if he dares." Wonderful! Could the
Wifeft among Our felves have anfwer'd betterl The
Anfwers are very ingenious: Ay, But are they
genuine ? No. 'Tis pretty well known, as well in
Europe as at the Cape, that this Hottentot was lef-
fon'd and prompted into thofe Anfwers on Purpofe
to deceive Zeigenbalg ; who, from this Cheat, has
inferr'd a great many Things in Favour of jthe
Hottentot Smfe and Religion that reach as far be
yond the Trudj as the Inferences of other Authors
come ffiort of it.
As to the Hottentot Notions ofthe State of Depar
ted Souls, it appears they conceive thofe Beings,
Good and Bad, remain in or about the Places they
inhabited in the Body. But to What End they
conceive Souls exift out of the Body, or whether
they trouble their Heads at all about it, I know
not. I am tmly pretty certain they have no Notion
of a Heaven for the Good , or of a Hell for
the Wicked,
CHAP. XL
Cuftoms of the Hottentots on the Delivery
of the Women.
IN every Kraal there is a Midwife , who is chofen
by the Women of the Kraal out of the ableft;
torMidwifry among themfelyes, and holdsher Office for

140 the Prefent State of
for Life. A Prefent now and then,, on the Deli
very of a Child , is All ffie gets by it. ; .?:- -
- When a Hottentot Woman is near her Time;
fhe is generally join'd by two or three Women of
her Kindred or Acquaintance, * who attend her
till ffie is deliver'd. When the Pains are upon her,
the Midwife arrives, and lays her upon a Kroffe or
Mantie on the Ground.' Her Husband, if hfe. is
at Home, gets him out of 'Door, and puts rfot his
Head into the Hut again till ffie is deliVer'd,' whht*.
out being reckon'd Unclean, and Forfietirig, as a
cleanfing Anderfmaken, a Sheep, in fottie Places
the Forfiet is Two, to the Men of the Kraal ;
who devour the Meat, and fend the Broth to their
.Wives. When the Birth is flow, they make a Decoftiort
of Tobacco and Milk, whether of a Sheep or a
Cow; and having ftrain'd off the Milk and let it
coo], giveit the Woman; who generally no fooner
driqks it than the Birth comes on : Before Tobac
co was brought to 'em, they made Ufe of Dacha on
this Occafion. Tobacco, they find, has a fpeedier
and kinder Effeft, It muft be left to the European
Women to determine, whether fuch a Decodlion
would have the fame good Effeft upoc themfelves.
• If a Child is ftill born, both Father and Mother
weep and take on mightily, efpecially if 'tis a Boy,
However, 'tis buried without Lofs of Time , and
the Kraal removes. - ' ••:• _

* Vide Tab. III. Fig. i. If

'SaJ/Jor^/iff. /. />./^o.
• • ' *^^— *^LI.ii..lir,

Mfi^Stf-i6e,ntirt 7?Ztz,ri~ia.a-e^

/;5^ Cape o/" Good Hope. 141
If a Child.is born aliye, the Firft Thing they do
is to rub it gently all over with freffi Cow-Dung.
They fay, 'tis dangerous to waffi it with warm
Water. In this Pickle they lay it upon a Kroffe or
Mantle, either before the Fire or in the Sunfhine
Or the Wind, till the Dung becomes fo dry that it
may eafily be rubb'd quite off without hurting the
Child. • While this is doing, fome Women go into the
Fields to gather the Stalks of What they call Hot
tentot-Figs. With the, Juice of thefe Stalks, which
they get by bruifing them to Maffi between two
Stones, and which comes plentifully, they waffi the
Child all over, immediately after they have rubb'd
off the Cow-Dung. This Juice, they fay, pro-
mbtes the Strength and Aftivity of the Body.
This done, the Child is laid again on the Kroffe
before the Fire, or in the Wind or Sun-Shine, till
the Juice upon its Body is dried up ; when they
befmear it with Sheep's Fat, or with Butter, mel
ted. And from this Time begins the Cuftom of
befmearing the Body with Fat or Butter as the Sun
or Wind dries it up, to divert from their Spirits,
as has been formerly obferv'd, the devouring Heat
of the Climate they live in.
The Child, befmear'd with Sheep's Fat, or But
ter, melted, is laid, again on the Kroffe ; where i|
continues till fuch Time as they fuppofe the Fat
or Butter has foak'd well into the iPores ; when
they take it up and powder it from Head to Foot
with Buchu, which fticks upon the greafie Body,
as the Reader will imagine, like a Cruft, all over it.

142 the Prefent State of
it. This they look upon at all Times as a very
falutiferous Application.

On every Birth, excepting Still Ones, the Parents
obferve an Anderfmaken or folemn Feaft by Way
of Thanksgiving, in which all the Inhabitants of
the Kraal they live in have a Share. Yet do they
often give the Lie to thofe Thanksgivings by a
cruel Cuftom,' praftis'd, indeed, by fome other Na
tions, but, to Bofoms replenifh'd with Reafon and
Humanity, th? moft ffiocking One in the World.
And this on the Birth of Twins.
If the Twins are Boys, the Parents obferve an
Anderfmaken by killing Two fat Bullocks for the
Entertainment of the whole kraal. Men, Women
and Children, who all, with the Parents, rejoice at
the Birth as a mighty Bleffing. The Mother only
is excluded this Entertainment, fo far , that ffie
has only fome of the Fat of the Bullocks fent her,
with which to anoint her felf and the Newborn.
Butif the Twins are Girls, Things take quite
another Face. There is little or no Rejoicing :
And all the Sacrifice that goes to the Amerfmakea
on fuch an Occafion is a Couple of Sheep at the
Moft. But they cannot often refolve to rear both
Twins. If the Parents are rich, and the Mother has,
or pretends fhe has, not Supplies of Milk for their
J^ouriffiment, the whole Kraal, which is confulted,
forfooth, in Form on this Occafion, eafily admit
ting this Plea, the worft featur'd of the Two is
buried alive, or expos'd on the Bough of a Tree,
or among Buffies. If

the Cape o/" Go o d H o pe; 143
!. If the Parents of Twin Girls are poor , their
Poverty is their Plea for Expofing or Making a-
way with one of 'em. They make Jthis Plea be
fore the whole Krad, which generally allows it
without taking much Pains to look into it.
. The Cafe is the fame , when the Twins are a
Boy and a Girl, and the Parents have a Mind to
be rid of one of them. Only here they are not
govern'd by the Features, in Choice of the Child
to be buried alive or expos'd. For the Girl is cer
tainly condemn'd, if either Scarcity of the Mo
ther's Milkj or Poverty, be alledg'd againft bree
ding up Both. But great Rejoicings are made for
the Boy.
If the Twins are a Boy and a Girl, and the
Girl is ftill born, before they break up in order to
feek a new Settlement, they obferve a folemn
Feaft for the Birth of the Boy ; arid after that,
the AnderfmcAcn 'lifual on the Removal of a
Kraal. Upon the Birth of the firft Child , if 'tis a
Boy, the Rejoicings in a Xrd!«/ are far foperiour
to thofe attending any other Birth. The Pa
rents flay Cattle very liberally for the Entertain
ment of their Neighbours ; and every one is par
ticularly zealous on fuch an Occafion to congratu
late them on the Obtaining of an Heir. The'
Eldeft Son has, in a Manner, an abfolute Authority
over all his Brothers and Sifters.
The Boys are always preferv'd, be the Circum-
ftginces of the Father or the Cafe of the Mother never

144 the Prefent State of
never fo bad ; the barbarous Cuftom of Expofing
or Burying alive being only fet up againft the
Girls. And when they refolvC to i-id themfelves of
One, they carry the Babe a confiderable Diftance
from the Kraal, and look for a Hole in the Earth,
made by a Hedge Hog, Wolf, Tiger, or other
wild Creature. In fuch a Hole, if they find one,
they lay the Babe alive ; then ftopping up the
Mouth of the Hole with Earth and Stones , for
fake it forever. It they find not fuch Ja Sepul
chre prefently, they tie the Babe, ftretch'd on his
Back , to a nether Bough of the next Tree , and
leave it to ftarve or be devour'd by Birds or Beafts
of Prey. Sometimes they leave the Caft- A way
among Buffies.
Whence this abominable Cuftom had its Rife
among them, whether from their own Invention,
or from Example, is a Matter in the Dark. They
will tell you it has been the Praftice of the Hot
tentots from the Beginning. BiTt they are no Au
thority. If they derive this Cuftom from any
other Nation, 'tis not improbable they owe it to
the Chinefe, among whom, we are told, it has been
always the Praftice to thruft out of the World by
Drowning and other Methods every Child that, is
born to 'em above the Number they can decently
maintain. Embracing the Doftrine of Tranfmigra-
tion, they believe the Soul of a Child will have a
better Chance for Happinefs by being fent to ani
mate another Body than by remaining in one
that is expos'd to Want. But the Japanefe, if
we are truly inform'd, are crueller ftill. It feems,
they flay every one that is born to 'em after the
Firft Two. They look upon Two as fufficient for
Pro-

the Cape o/" GoodHope. 14^
Propagation, and upon Death as vaftly preferable
to a needy Life. They take the Overplus Chil
dren, as foon as they are bprn, and wrenching and
iaftening their Feet upon their Necks, keep 'em
in that. Pofture till they expire. Tiiis is Barbarity
with a Vengeance. But to return.

*o^

The Europeans at the Cape "fometimes find an
expos'd Infant.. If they find it dead, they general
ly ftay to inter it. If 'tis alive, they always take
it Home ; and if the Finder is not able or willing
to breed it up, he foon meets with Others that
are: And the Child has infallibly tender Treat
ment, and, if it lives, a good Education. Great
Care is always taken to give the Minds of thofe
Foundlings a ftrong Seafoning of Chriftianity.
And every Thing is done which , 'tis thought ,
may contribute to fecure them from Falling off to
thc Hottentot Naftinefs and Idolatries. But not
once hitherto have thefe generous Labours produc'd
any lafting Effeft. Not once has it/ppear'd, that
a Hottentot's Mind is to be depriv'd of its native
Bias. Thofe unhappy Females (and, as has been
faid already, none but Females are expos'd) when
they have come to Years of Maturity, have con
ftantly 'renounc'd their Education, the European
Apparel, and the Chriilia'n Religion, all at once ;
,and embracing the Religion and Cuftoms of their
own People, fled to and remain'd among 'em ever
after. Sometimes the Europeans take an expos'd Infant
they find dead, and diiTeft it. This , when the
Hottentots hno'Sf7 it, gives 'em infinite Terror. For,
however they- came by the Notion , they think ,
K like

146 The Prefent State of
like many weak People among Our felves , that
Vtad Bodies are of Ufe in Witchcraft; and think
too, that the Europeans apply them to Nothing
elfe. They would not part with one of their dead
Bodies to be diffefted, upon any Account in the
World. They are aS careful too to watch that
their own>Conjurers come not at the Corpfe of one
of their Kelations or Friertds.
The Kroffe, or Mantle, on which the Woman
is laid, together with the After-iBtirthen, are forth-*
with, after the Delivery, interr'd together in fome
fecret Place , for Fear the Hottentot Conjurers
ffiould lay hold of any Part of either, in order to
work, fome Enchantment on the Mother or the
Childf The Child's Navel String is tied with a Sheep's
Sinew, fo long that it hangs down a confiderable
Length below the Knot : And there it is to remain
till it rots off. The Belly-Band for the Keeping
down of the Navel is a narrow Piece of Sheep-
'Skin.
CHAP. XII.
I. Of the Naming of the Hottentot Childreft. II.
Times when tbe Men are obligd to withdraw from
their Wives. III. Ceremonies previous to their
Cohabiting again. IV. CorreSion of a Miftake of
, Boeving.
I. "pR&fently after the Cleanfing of the Child
X with Cow-Dung, Anointing it with Sheep's
Fat, or Butter, melted, and Powdering it with Bu
chu,

t^CAPE of Good Hope, 147*
chu, in the,Manner that has been related, the Child
is nam'd. The Name is given it by the Mother,
unlefs the Diforder which fometimes follows the
Drinking of the Decoftion I have mention'd for
Forwarding the Birth, renders her incapable of that
Office ; and then 'tis done by the Father. And
here, as I haye already obferv'd in another Place,
they imitate the old Troglodytes, by giving their
Children the Names of Favourite Beafts. Some
are call'd Hacqua, i. e. Horfe ; others Gamman^
i. e. Lion ; others Ghoudie , i. e. Sheep ; others
Guacha, i. e. Afs ; others t'kamma, i. e. iHart, &c,
II. The Men are not only oblig'd to retire out
of the Sight of their Wives in Labour, but like-
wife to withdraw from 'em , and not partake
with them in any one Thing, while the Menfes are
upon them. He that comes near his Wife , or
partakes with her in any Thing at thofe Times is
look'd upon as unclean, and is oblig'd to puri-
fie himfelf by offering a Fat Ox. This is not
unlike the Law enjoin'd the Jews Levit. xji.
Before this Purification he is diftinguiffi'd among
his Neighbours by a Term, which I have often
heard , but which I neither know how tp render
nor reduce to any fyllabical Form.
IIT. YThen a Woman, after Labour or the Menf
es , is fit for the Company of her Husband, before
they meet, thc Woman riibs her Body all over
with Cow-Dung by Way of Purification. The
Dung being rubb'd off when 'tis dry, ffie befmears
her felf all over with Fat; and then powdfring
herfelf all over with Buchu, waits within to receive
her Husband, Tne Husband, having without be-
K 2 fmear'd

348 the Prefent State of ,
fmear'd himfelf with Fat, and dufted himfelf all .
over with Buchu, enters the Houfe ; and fitting
down, puts many loving Queftions to his Spoufe,
concerning her Welfare, and the Manner in which
ffie has pafs'd her Time in his Abfence ; makes
freffi Profeffions of Conjugal Love, and entertains
her with all the pleafing fprightly Things he is
able to utter. While he is doing this, he fmoaks
Dacha or Tobacco : And the Cuftom is for hi m to
fmoak and talk till his Head turns round ; he
raves and drops afleep.
I have been often affur'd by both Sexes of the
Hottentots, that they differ in their Veneral Em
braces from Europeans.
IV. Boeving fays, the Inland Hottentots deftroy,
as foon as it is born, every Child begot by an
European on a HottentotWoman. This , accor
ding to the beft Accounts I could get , is no
where true throughout all the Hottentot Nations,
but in the Cafe of Twins, when One of Them
is a Girl ; for then they deftroy the Girl. The
Boys they cheriffi with as much Fondnefs, if not
more, than they do any of their own.
CHAP. XIII.
Of the Marriages of the Hottentgts.
I. Tbeir Manner of Wooing. II. Their Marriage
Ceremony. III. Their Marriage Feaft. IV. N'o
Mufick or Dancing There. V. Polygamy lawful
among tbe Hottentots. VL Marriages between
Firfi or Second Coufins unlawful. . VIL Their
Mar-

the Cape o/* Good Hope. 149
Marriage Portions. VIII. Adultery punifh'd witb
Death. IX. Marriages to be diffolv'd. X. Mif
takes 0/" Vogel.
TH E Cruel Cuftoms of the Hottentots, juft de
fcrib'd, make but a glopmy Entertainment.
Without Doubt, they ftrike the Bofom of the
Reader with Horrour ; and he defires to be re
liev'd with Somthing. generous and chearful. The
beft Thing I can do for him then is_to defcribe
a Hottentot making Love; with the Ceremony and
Feaft of a Hottentot Wedding. Cruelty, indeed,
has Nothing to do here ; but Naftinefs will ap
pear as much as ever ; and with that the Reader, as
often as he mary have been difgufted by it, muft be
content to bear.
I. If a Batchelor or Widpwer has a Mind to
marry, he does not forthwith break his Mind to
the Maid or Widow that has won his Heart. His
firft Bufinefs is to difcover the Matter to his Fa
ther, if his Father is living, and get him to ap
prove his Love. If his Father confents, he goes
along with him to the Houfe ofthe Father ofthe
Woman with whom he is fmitten, in order to
demand her for him in Marriage.
The Lover and his Father , waiting on the
Friendsof the Woman, the Lover employs him
felf in preparing and prefenting the Company
with Dacha or Tobacco. They all fmoak ; and
the Converfation turns upon indifferent Things ;
.the Vifitg-s feeming to have forgot the Bufinefs
they come about, and none elfe feeming to appre
hend it, till the Heads of rhe whole Company are
K 3 giddy

i^O The Prefent State of
giddy with Smoaking. Then the Father of the
Lover, addreffing himfelf to the Father of the
Woman , opens the Bufinefs he comes on , and
demands the Woman as a Match for his Son. The
Father of the Woman generally leaves the Com
pany upon this Overture , to confult his Wife
on it ; and quickly returns with a final Anfwer ;
which is rarely in the Negative , unlefs the Dam-
fel demanded be already contrafted to another. And
when ffie is fo, Marriage is only delay'd till the
young Fellow ffie is contrafted to is made a Man...
If the Father of the Lover receives a Denial, he
and his Son forthwith depart ; and no more Words
are had on any Side about the Matter. The Lo
ver tears his Choice from his Heart at once , and
looks out for another. If his Father is not living,
he muft have the Approbation of the next in
Authority ofhis Kindred ; who, in fuch Cafe, does
All that has been faid of the Father. And if the Fa
ther of the Woman be dead, the next in Autho'-
rity of her Kindred has the iDifpofal of her.
If the Father of the Woraan confents , then is
ffie her felf forthwith confulted. If ffie does not
like the Match , ffie has but one Chance to a-
void it; which, in fuch Cafe, ffie generally takes.
She muft lie down with her Lover on the Ground,
and pLiy with him a whole Night , unlefs the
Game is fooner up, at Pinching, Tickling and
Clap A — . If ffie conquers her LoVer at this
Sport, ffie is fairly rid of him ; and he muft never
think of her again. But if he fubdties her, which is
generally the Event , willing or not y^ling ffie
muft marry him. This

theCAPE of Good Hope. 151
This Sport .iffuing, if the Match is put upon
this Iffue, in Favour of the ]:-over, and the Lover
being made a Man, he fofes no Time, but chufing
two or three fat Oxen from his own Herd, if he has
one, or his Father's, according to the Wealth and
Figure of the Family, he drives "em to the Houfe
from whence he is to take his deftin'd Bride. All
his Relations, Men and Women , that live neaT
him, accompany him, be the Abode of his Miftrels
at what Diftance it may ; and arriving before
the Houfe , all the Kindred of ^ the Woman
thereabout immediately affemble and receive
them with a Multitude of kind Greetings and
Careffes. The Oxen are immediately flain, after
the Hottentot Manner. ' With the Fat of 'em the
whole Company , Men and Women , befmear
their Bodies ; and then powder themfelves all over
with Buchu. The more Fat and Buchu the Hotten
tots have upon their Bodies, the finer they reckon
themfelves. They therefore, on fo joyful an Oc
cafion, both Men and Women, bedaub and pow
der themfelves very laviffily. And the Women,
to appear ftill finer and more arniable , colour
their Foreheads , Cheeks and Chilis with a red
Chalk-Stone, eafily found in the Fields. This
Stone, among the Hottentot Women, has the Place
of Paints and Waffies among Multitudes ofour
own ; arid is judg'd to be the greateft Heightener
of Beauty. But Nothing, I think, ever appear'd
to me fo frightful as the Face of a Hottentot Wo
man fo colour'd.
IL Thefe Things done , they proceed to the
Nuptial Ceremony , which is This : The Men
fquat themfelves on the Ground in a Ring ; all but
K 4 the

152 the Prefent State of
the Bridegroom, who fquatsin the Center.The Wo
men at fome Dillance^ fquat themfelves likewife in a
Ring, about the Bride, who likewife fquats, *
Then the Prieft, or Matter of the Religious Ce
remonies, who is always that of the Kraal where
lives the Bride, enters the Ring of .the Men; and
coming up to the Bridegroom, piffes upon him
a little. The Bridegroom receives the Stream
with a great deal of Eagernefs, rubbing it brisk
ly all over his Body , and with his long Nails
(which , as I ^lave obferv'd already, the Hottentots
never cut) making feveral deep Scratches in his
Skin, that the Pifs may penetrate and fpak the
farther. The Prieft then goes to the Ring of
Women, and coming up to the Bride, piffes a lit
tle upon Her ; and ffie receives and rubs the Pifs up
on her Body with as much Eagernefs as the Bride
groom. Then goes the Prieft again to the Bride
groom; and having pifs'd a little more upon him, a-
way he goes again tothe Bride, and again piffes up
on Her. And fo he goes from one to the other, till
he has exhaufted upon 'em his whole Stock of Urine,
uttering, from Time to Time, to each of them, one
of the following Good Wifhes, till he has pro
nounc'd the Whole upon 'em hoxh.May you livelong
and happily together, or, as we fay, Iwifb you nmch
Joy. May you bave a Son before the End of tbe
Tear., May this Son tive to be a Comfort to 'you in
your old Age. May this Son prove a Man of Cou-
rdge and a good Huntfman.
III. This is the Whole of the Nuptial Cere-

Vide Tab. III. Fig. 2. mony

/i?i(? Cape e/Go od Hope. 153
mony; which being over , the whole Com{)any
rife and join in preparing the Feaft. The Oxen ,
kill'd on this Occafion , they cut into a great
many Pieces, and drefs 'em all at once. Some Pieces
they boil ; the Reft they roaft. Their Method of
Boiling is like that of the Europeans. But their
Roafting is' quite another Thing ; and deferves a
particular Defcription. A large flat Stone is faf
ten'd in the Ground in the Manner of a Hearth.
On all the Surface of this Stone they makea
brisk Fire ; and let it burn till fuch Time as
they think tne Stone thoroughly hot. They
- then remove the Fire ; . and having with a Hand
ful of Grafs wip'd the Affies clean off from the
Stone, they put the Meat upon it, and cover the
Meat with a flat Stone as large as that it lies
on. They then make a Fire round about the
Meat, and another upon the Stone that covers it.
And thus it remains till 'tis roafted, And , as
the Reader will eafily believe , it is not long a
doing. The Viftuals being ready, the Men and Women
feat themfelves, the Men in one Circle, the Wo
men in another, on the Ground ; and the Meat is
ferv'd up to 'em in Ppts that glifter with Greafe.
Some carry Knives about 'em, which they have
purchas'd of the Europeans, and cut their Meat
..with ''em. Others, who are not fo provided, tear
the Viftuals with their Fingers : And every one
eats with aftoniffiing Rapacity. They ufe the
Lappets of their Kroffes or Manries , as Plates ;
and their Spoons are . Mother of Pearl and other
Sea Shells ; but they put no Handles to 'em. Thc

154 the Prefent State of
The Hottentot Cuftom, which forbids the Men
to eat in Company of the Women, is for this Time
difpens'd with in Favour of the Bridegroom, who
fits and eats in Company of the Women , but
touches none of the Viftuals prepar'd for Them.
He has a tertain Portion, drefs'd for himfelf only.
Dinner being over. What is left of the Viftuals
is fet by for a fecond Entertainment to the Com
panies; who each, when the Ground they fit On
is clear'd of the Pots and Offals, go to Smoak
ing of Dacha or Tobacco. Each Company has
one Pipe. He or She that fills it, lights it ; and ha
ving taken two or three Whiffs,, gives it to his or
her Neighbour, who having taken two or three
Whiffs, gives it to a Third ; and fo the Pipe goes
round till 'tis out; when 'tis fill'd again , and put
about from Hand to Hand in the fame Manner.
Great Prating is rnaintain'd in both Companies.
Everyone's Tongue goes almoft inceffantly. They
fmoak till they are giddy. Some fwallow-
ing the Sgioak, it flies up into their Heads and
turns 'em. As each Company grows intoxicated
with Smoaking, the Noife in each encreafes. They
rave , fome in Speeches and Stories to others ;
others in Soliloquy. In rioifie extravagant Prate
they pals the beft Part of the Night. Towards
Morning the Bridegroom flies for the firft Time
to the Arms of his Bride ; and, the Companies fepa
rate to go to Sleep.-
The next Day, by the Time their Heads are
a little eafie, they affemble. Men and Women, in
feparate Companies again. The Viftuals they left
the Day before are agaiji fet before 'em. They tram

?;6f Cape of GoodHope. 155
cram ravenoufly. What they leave is fet" by for a
Meal to the feme Mouths the next Day. They go
again to the Smoaking of Dacha or Tobacco ; and
pafs the Time till near the next Morning in the
fame incoherent Prate and Noife as before. This
is the Life they lead from Day to Day, without
minding any Bufinefs, or any other Pleafure, till
they have fairly devour'd all the Viftuals that were
drefs'd for 'ein on the Day of Marriage. When
that is done, the Nuptial Feftivities are at an End.
IV. But 'tis very remarkable, that though the
Hottentots are great Lovers of Mufick and Dancing,
they admit nor' one nor the other into thefe Fefti
vities. Eating, Drinking their ordinary Beverage,
Water and Cows-Milk, Smoaking and immoderate
Prating are the Sum Total of every Entertainment
on Occafion of Marriage throughout all the Hot
tentot Nations. I have often befought 'em for a
Reafon why they baniffi Mufick and Dancing from
thofe Entertainments, but could ' never obtain a
better than this, Tbat it is, and bas been from all
Time, tbe Gu§fotn of tbe Hottentots to do fo.
V. The Hottentots allow of Polygamy, up to
any Number of Wives a Man ffiall chufe and is
able to maintain.
Boeving fays, this Cuftom obtains only among
the Rich Hottentots. This is a Miftake ; fo'r I have
often feen Polygamy among the Poor. Yet do
we rarely find the Richeft to have more than
Three Wives.
VI. The Hottentots allow not Marriages between Firft

1^6 The Prefent State of
Firft or Second Coufins. They have a Traditionary
Law, which ordains, that both Man and Woman,
fo near to each other in Blood, who ffiall be con
vlfted of joining together either, in Marriage or
Fornication , ffiall be cudgel'd to Death. This
Law, they fay, has prevail'd through all the Ge
nerations of 'em ; and that they execute it at once,
upon Conviftion, without any Regard to Wealth ,
Jitle or Affinity. ,-
VII. With Regard to the Portions on both Sides
the Hottentot-M.2irrizges, the Eldeft Son'inherits all.
the Eftate the Father flies poffefs'd of But if an
Eldeft Son marries, while his Father is living, he
ftands no better a Chance for a Fortune in Hand
than his younger Brothers, who are all in that Arr
tide at the Courtetie of the Father, if they marry
in his Life-Time, And a Father feldom gives a
Son for his Marriage Portion, tho' he gives him fuch
a Feaft', above a Couple ol Cows, and a Couple of
Sheep ; with which he muft ffiift in the World as
well as he can. The Father dying, the younger Sons
unmarried are, for their Fortunes, at the Courtefie
of thc Eldeft; who rarely does any Thing better for
'em than what has been faid of the Father, |
The Daughters have rarely any Portion at all.
If they have , it is not above a Cow and Couple
of Sheep ; And thefe, or the like, muft be return'd
to the Family ffie came of, in Cafe ffie dies before
ffie has a Child.
The Men look not for Fortunes or Great Allian
ces by Marriage. All they have their Eyes upon
in the Choice' of their Wives is Wit, Beauty or
Agrea-

^^eCAPE ^ Good Hope: 15^
Agreablenefs. So that it fometimes happens the
Daughter ofa poor obfcure Fellow is married to
the Captain of a Kraal, or the Chief ofa Nation.
VIII. .The Hottentots puniffi Adultery with
Death. Father Tachart fays well, " The Hotten-
*' tots look upon Adultery and Theft as moft abo-
*-minable Crimes, and ever put fuch Criminals to
" Death.They agree with the old Troglodytes, as has beeti
formerly obferv'd, in fo many Cuftoms, that One
would think they fetch'd their Origin from Them.
But in this Cuftom of Puniffiing all Adultery
they differ from 'em. For, as Vellutellus informs
us, it was the Cuftom of the Troglodytes to allow
the Women to lie the Firft Night, after Marriage,
with what Man or Men of their own Kindred they
pleas'd. After which they were to lie with no
Man befides their 'Husbands on Pain of Death.
Of this Cuftom there is npt the leaft Trace or
Memory in all the Hottentot Nations.
Marriage, among the Hottentots, may be. dif
folv'd. A Man may be divorc'd from his Wife,
and a Woman from her Husband, upon ffiewing
fuch Caufe as ffiall be fatisfaftory to the Men of
the Kraal where they live ; who, upon Suit to 'em
for Relief by Divorce, immediately affemble tp
hear and determine the Matter.
A Man , divorc'd from his Wife, may marry
again when he pleafes. But a Woman, divorc'd
from her Husband, cannot marry again while He
lives.

f58 the Prefent State of
X. I cannot clofe this Chapter without obferving
upon two Miftakes of Vogel on the Hottentot Mar-
riages. This Author fays, " The Bride, on the
" Nuptial Day, ties a Gut of an Ox or Sheep
*' about the Neck of the Bridegroom ; who is
*' oblig'd to wear it thtre till it rots off. " I
haye been prefent at many Hottentot Marriages,
and could never difcover any Thing like this : Nor
could I ever learn, that this, or any Thing like
it, was the Praftice at any of 'em.
He fays farther : " The Bride, on the Nuptial
*' Day, cuts off a Joint of one of her little Fin-
" gers, and prefents it to the Bridegroom. " Thc
Bride cuts off no Joint of any of her .Fingers, un
lefs She isa Widow : And 'tis the Cuftom for a
Woman , for every Husband ffie marries after
her Firft, to cut off the Joint of a Finger , begin
ning at one of the little Fingers. Of this I ffiall
fpeak in another Place. '
CHAP. XIV.
Of the Domestick Oeconomy of the
Hottentsts.
I, The Province of the Husband. 'IJ. The Province
of the Wife. III. How they live together. IV. The
Education of their Children. . V. The Munificence
and Hofpitality of the Hottentots.
- L )i Hottentot never has a Hut of his own till
JJ7\^ he marries : Nor does he think of Erec
ting it till after his Marriage Feaft. From his
firt

/>&,? C A P E ©/¦ G 0 0 D H 0 p e; l^Q
firft Nuptial Day to the Time he ffiall have buiit
him a Hut, which is ordinarily about Eight Days,
he and his Bride are entertain'd and accommodated
at the Hut of a Relation or Friend. His Bride
affifts him, not only in erefting the Hut, but in
getting up the Materials ; every one of which are
quite new. His Bride affifts him likewife in provi
ding the Furniture, which is all new.
The Hut finiffi'd, and He and his Bride fettied
in it, he troubles his Head no more about Houfe
or Houffiold Matters. He abandons to her the
Care and Toil of Seeking and Drefling Provifions
for Both ; and devotes himfelf to Eating, Driiik-
iftg, Smoaking, Idling and Sleeping ever after.
Never does he think of furniffiing any ' Thing to
wards the Suftenance of himfelf or Family but
when he goes, with the Men of the Kraal, a hun
ting, dr when, if he lives near the Sea, he takes it
in his Head to go a Fiffiing. The Men of the
Kraal fometimes call him out to go along with 'em
a hunting the Elephant, the Jlhinoceros, the Stag
&c. Arid he generally returns from the Chace
with fome fmall Venifon for his Family. When
he goes a Fiffiing, Oh ! 'tis a mighty Job ! and
his Wife is fure to hear of it for a Week. He ge
nerally brings home a good Diffi ef Fiffi : For
the Hottentots are very expert Fiffiermen, notwithr
ftanding what Vogel has faid to the Contrary.
Yet the Reader muft needs think, that, withall
this Lazinefs of Difpofition, a Hottentot has fome
Care for his Cattle. He does go from Time to
Time to look after them ; but he makes his
Wife, notwithftanding all her domeftick Fatigues, go

1 6o the Prefent State of
goas often. Rarely will he abate her any Thing
of the Time arid Trouble he beftows on *em'
himfelf. Only She never meddles in the Sale of
'em. Oh ! No : That's his grand Prerogative :
He glories in it ; and Wo be to her that invades;
it. ' If he has a Son, he beftows the more Care in
the Prefervation and Encreafe of his Cattie, that
he may leave him well in the World. And if he
is Mafter of any Handicraft he teaches it him.
This is the whole Extent of his Private Life.
II. For the Wife, She, as has been faid already,
is doom'd to all the Toil of getting and dreffing
Provifions for him, her felf, and Children, when
they have any, and to all the Care and Drudge
ry within Doors, with a Share of the Fatigue in
Tending the Cattle. Every Morning, excepting
when her Husband goes a hunting or fifhing,
which happens not very often, ffie goes out to ga
ther certain Roots, (to be defcrib'd hereafter j and
milk the Cows, for tbe Suftenance of the Family.
Thefe Roots, which abound in the Hottentot Coun
tries, and which are eafily known by the Leafage
they produce, ffie digs up with a Stick of Iron- or.
Olive- Wood, pointed. She waflies them in fair
Water, and boils or broils them. And either Way
they make a pretty good Sort of Food. She cuts
and brings home all the Wood for Firing ; and
her Drudgery is continual , excepting the little
Refpite ffie has when her Husband goes a hunting
or fiffiing. Add to this, that the poor Wretch, as
has been mention'd already , is expos'd , without
any Relief, to the Infults of her own Childre'n. Such

/i6(? Cape ojT Good Hope. i6i
Such is the miferable Life of the Wife of a Hotten
tot ; miferable to us, but hot to her ; for , inftead
of Groaning, ffie fmiles under it ; looking upon
Hottentot Cuftom as a Sort of good Deity, whofe
Difpenfatjons are all for the Beft. Farther, (for
the Mifery ofthe Woman in fome People's "Way
of Thinking) III. She lies not every Night , nor any whole
Night , with her Husband. They have always
feparate Beds, No Kiffing, no foft, leering, lan-
guiffiing Looks do you fee. Night and Day, for
any Thing that appears, they are fo cold and in
different to one another, that you would think
there was no fuch Thing as Love or conjugal Re
lation between 'em. If there are Twenty Hottentots
with their Wives all in one Hut, 'tis impoffible to
difcover, either by Words or Aftions , who and
who is together. If either of their Bofoms be
warm'd with Love fdr the other, they diflemble ic
with more Addrefs than ever Wit in Europe diffem
bled anyThing.. And this Diffimulation, inthe Ge
neral, muft needs be allow'd, fince a Law againft
Adultery, which they have, and which they are
very vigorous in the Execution of, can hardly be
fuppos'd to ftand with Them, or indeed with any
other People, upon any other Foundations than
Love and, Jealoufie.
They neither of 'em meddle in the Province of
theother, excepting the Tending of their Cattie,
which is common to Both. She never fets Foot in
his Apartment in the Hut. He never enters hePs
but by Stealth, for a little Dalliance. .They
rarely confabulate. He iffues his Command, and
fhe filentiy obeys. L It

1 62 the Prefent State of
It has been faid, over and over iri Europe , that
the Hottentots cohabit prOmifcuoufly with their
Women; and enjoy them, as Brutes do one another,
openly, in the Prefence of any one, without Fear
or Shame. The Wantonnefs of the Tongue has
no End. For the firft Part of this idle Lie, That
the Hottentots cohabit promifcuoufly wi^ their
Women, it ftands fufficiently confounded already :
And for the Other , That the Hotterttots enjoy
tfeeir Worrien openly, T could never fee or hear of
fuch a brutiffi fhamelefs Aftion among 'em. On
the Contrary, I have been told. Over and over, by
Europeans ofthe greateft Probity and Intelligence at
the Gape, and affur'd again and agairi by fome of
the moll fenfible, knowing and honeft Hottentots,
that the Hottentots, not one of them, was ever, to
their Knowledge, difcover'd in the Feat of Love ;
but that, on the Coritirary, the Hottentots , all of
'em, as far as they ever heard, always chufe the
greateft Darknefs and Retirement for the Scene
of their Venereal Embraces. I never put a Quef
tion to the Hottentots upon the Matter , that was
not receiv'd with Indignation. One of 'em., in
particular, I queftion'd upon it, anfwer'd me in
the following Manner. Whatl People think we
are like Brutes ! What ! be like Dogs I No , No.
Decency. We are not fo. We know better. This
was his Anfwer Word for Word. And I really
believe, upon the Whole of What I have feen and
heard of the Hottentots, that there is not, in the Bufi
nefs of Love, a modefter People under the Heavens.
Another Immodefty with which they are as idly
branded , is , That they eafe their Bodies Any
where, and before. Any Perfons. Never was there a

Ly iAe. fj^offertfoir caf'd Dacha

fa^,W.^,t€2.

^^^ Cape o/ GoodHope. 1^2
a greater Falftiood. I firmly believe, that inthe
Cafe of Eafingthe Body, there is not a more ffiame-
fac'd People .upon Earth; t have feen Thoufands
of 'em, and never faw One of 'em eafing his Body :
And I have been often affur'd, that they will by
no Means do itin thd Sight of Any one whatever.
-But doubtlefs, like other- People, they cannot al
ways, in. the Cafe, guard "againft Surprife. They
^re fo far from the Indecency here-mention'd ,
that they will. not let a F- in the Prefence either
of Europeans or of One anolher. And when the Eu
ropeans take that Freedom among therafelves, ifa
Hottentot be by, he is much difpleas'd at it ; and
makes no Scruple to tell. 'em. They ought to be
affiam'd. . IV. The Care and Education-of their Children,
till the Boys are made Men, and the Girls are
married, is another heavy -Burthen upon the Wife.
Quickly after ffie" is deliver'd ofa Child, ffie takes
and wraps it in a Piece of an old Kroffe, the Head
juft peeping out ; and tying it on her Back , lugs
it about from Day to Day, at Home and in the
Fields, till 'tis able to crawl, f Avery remarka
ble Thing is, that flie can fuckle it on her Back.
Her Breafts are fcklong, that ffie can tofs the Nip
ples to the Child over her Shoulders. When it
cries on her Back, ffie gives one of 'em a Tofs,
and over it goes: The Child catches it in its Mouth,
and fucksj without once lofing Hold, till 'tis fill'd.
This is a very odd Sight. She is generally fmoak
ing t)acha while ffie has the Child at her Back.

t Vide Tab. IV.
L 2 The

164 the Prefent State of
The Wind often carries over a great Deal of
Smoak full in the Child's Face, fufficient, one
would think, to ftifle it. She minds not this. Nor,
in a little Time, does the Child, 'Tis very diver
ting to fee the Child, when 'tis Cafe-harden'd , en-
velop'd in a Cloud of Smoak. It ffiakes its Head
and fights it very briskly while 'tis paffing ; and
wheri 'ris gone, fmiles , fneezes and ftares very
pleafantiy. When the Child is about fix Months
old, ffie weans it, and begins to raife in it a Reliffi
for Dacha or Tobacco, by putting her Pipe, when
'tis juft or very near out, into the Child's Mouth,
and holding it there from Time to Time till the
Child's Palate is feafon'd to the Srnoak , and it
catches a Fondnefs for the Pipe , which it foon
does, and never lofes after.
The Children, both Sexes, when they find their
Legs, run after their Mother wherever ffie goes ,
unlefs in very rainy or very windy Weather ; for
then they ftay at Home with their Drone of a Fa
ther, -who lies ftretch'd at his Eafe in a profound
Reverie. The Daughters, when they are grown
up, affift their Mother in the Gathering of Roots
for Food, and the Cutting and Bringing Home
Wood for Fjuel. But the Mother , whatever be
the Abilities of the Daughters in thefe Matters,
is feldom or never excus'd from Going along with
'em. Tho' ffie has half a Dozen ftout Girls about
her, 'tis ffie muft take the greateft Pains, The
Boys eat and drink with their Mother , lie in the
Nurfery, and converfe only with the Women , till
as has been faid, they are call'd into the Society
of Men. 'T15

i'i^^ Cape 0^ Good Hope. 165
'Tis in the Nurfery, and by the Women, that
the Childret^, are leftur'd upon the Traditions and
Cuftoms^ the Hottentots. The Inftitutions and
Opinions of the ancient Hottentots, of which the
Women are the Qrand Repofitories , are there
faften'd upon their Memories, and recoraraended
to all their Veneration and to all their Care. The
Hottentots are wife in making the Nurfery the
School of their Traditions ; fince where Writing
is not known, the beft Way to preferve the Me
mory of Things is to commit it ro the Keeping of
the Sex whofe Tongues lie never ftill.
V. In Munificence and Hofpitality the Hotten
tots, perhaps, go beyond all the other Nations up
on Earth. They love and pleafure and relieve One
another with fuch a noble Simplicity and Large-
nefs of Heart as I have never met with among all
the other Pebple I have feen, nor ever heard of
but in Reports of the Old World. And the
Hofpitality they ffiew to Strangers of every Na
tion, who behave inoffenfively, does not, in the
General, fall ffiort ofthe furprifing Bounty and
Benevolence they ffiew to One another. Father
Tachart fays well : " The Hottentots have more
" Honefty, Love and Liberality for One another
*' than are almoft any where feen among Chrifti-
^' ans. " Again. " The Munificence of a Hot-
'< tentot leaves him hardly any Thing for himfelf
" Does he receive a Prefent ? If it be for Rega-
*' ling, he beftows a Part of jt upon the Firft of
" his Countrymen he meets; and continues giving
" to One and toAnother till he has littie or nothing
" ofit left for himfelf." The Father does 'em but
Jwftjce, I have feen the very Thing he mentions*
L3 i^

1 66 the Prefenf State of
in the Words laft cited , again and again. Ahd
I know, that-wbena Hottentot does, but catch a
little Venifon, or a Diffi -of Fiffi, he invites his
Neighbours to dine with him up^on it ; and Every
one is welcome as far as the Treat will go. A
great many ii/oW^^^o? Travellers are daily paffing
and repaffing from one Kraal and Nation to ano
ther. When they are benighted, they repair to
the neareft Kraal ; and are entertain'd and accom
modated all Night Gratis in the handfomeft Hot
tentot Manner , either by their Acquaintance in
the Kraal, or. by the Hottentot before whofe Hut
they firft prefent themfelves.'
CHAP. XV.
Of the Hottentot Management 'with
Regard to their Cattle.
I. Methods the Poor Hottentots take to acquire Cat
tle. II. How the Hottentots tend tbeir Cattle.
III. Tbey never feparate the Bulls from tbe Cows,
nor the Rams from the Ewes. IV. Their Me
thod of Gelding a Bull. V, Tbeir Method of
Gelding a Ram. VI. Tbeir Methods to bring a
RefraSiory Cow to yield her Milk. VIL Their
Naftinefs with Regard to Milk. VIII. Their
Method of Making Butter. IX. The Naftinefs of^
their Butter. X, Tet the Europeans buy it both
for Ufe and Sale. XI. ^/^i? Hottentots give But
ter-Milk to their Calves and Lambs. XII, Cows
Milk to be drank by both Sexes of ibe Hottentots :
Ewes Milk only by tbe Women. XIII. An Ffi
quiry into tbe Reafon of tbis Cuftom. _ XIV.' Af-
• ter what Manner the Hottentots fecure tbeir Cat-- tia

/i5^ Cape o/*Go OD Ho p e. 167
tie in the Night. XV, Their Care of tbeir Calves
and Lambs till tbey are able to run with tbe Herds.
XVL Their Fighting-Oxen, for War, andfor the
Keeping their great Cattle together wben at Pafture.
^VII. Their Carriage-Oxen. XVIII. Tbeir Cat
tle DoStors. XIX. No fuch Mortalities among tbe
Hottentot Cattle, as among theYjiropezn. XX.
Remedies the Hottentots apply to their diftemper' d
Cattle. XXI. Tbey feaft upon tbeir Cattle that
die of Difeafe. XXIL Wben Wild Beafts carry
off any ef their Cattle, they go in Purfuit of 'em.
XXIII, How tbey difpofe of tbeir Cattle when
they encreafe too faft.
I. TT have • already faid Something , in a former
X Chapter, of the Methods the Poor Hotten
tots take to acquire Cattle. I ffiall here be more
particular upon 'em. For as the Wealth of the
Hottentots confifts wholly in Cattle, it will not per
haps bc thought an improper Introduftion to
an Accountof their Management of this Wealth, to
ffiew more fully the Methods by which they acquire
it. The Viciffitudes of Fortune, from Riches to Po
verty, and from Poverty to Riches again, are as fre
quent among the Hottentots as they are any where
elfe ; and the Hottentots are as fenfible ofher Capri
ces as any other People.
An old Hottentot who has loft his Subftance , or
f young One for whom his Friends cannot or will
not provide, hires himfelf, either to one of his
fubftantial Countrymen, or to an European. They
ferve for. Cattle, more or lefs, of Great or Small,
according to the Capacities they ferve in, and the
Time they agree to ferve for., They prefer the
L 4 Ser-

i68 the Prefent State of
Servingof &n Europedh f^r before the Serving of
one of their Countrymen, and look out ffiarp for
fuch a Service, when they are out of Place , be
caufe it is attended with Perquifites and Advanta
ges they never meet with in the Service of a Hot
tentot. Their conftant Agreement with an Euro
pean, is, to receive, as Part of their Wages , a
daily Allowance of Tobacco and Dacha. Thefe
Commodities, which they thus receive , they huf
band with a deal of Care, laying up All they can
pinch from themfelves from Day to Day , in order
to the Raifing a good Stock of Both againft the
Time they go away. They get now and then in
the Service of an European a Dubbletie given 'em,
a two Penny Piece of Dutch Money. . This Mo
ney too they carefully lay up till the Time they
leave their Service ; and, when that Time comes,
purchafe Cattle with it of the Europeans. The
Cattle they ferve for are Cattie of Encreafe, to be
chofen by themfelves. The Cattle they buy with
this Money are the fame. They will on no Ac
count njeddle with a barren Cow or a barren Sheep;
and they have very good Eyes at the Difcovery ,up-
on the very firft Viewing of either Sheep or Cow.
Arriving at Home with the Cattle they have got
in Service, they lay out the Tobacco and Dacha
they have fav'd, among their Cpuntrymen, in the
Purchafe of more Cattle ; and, fetting up for them
felves, lay, by Thrift and Good Management, the
Foundations of rich and flouriffiing Families, »
II. The Cattle of a Kraal run all together , the
Great in one Herd, the fmall in another. The
meaneft Inhabitant, who has but a fingle Sheep,
has the Privilege of turning it into the Flock ;
where

/y&^CAPEO/'GoODHoPE. 169
where it is tended and taken as much Care of , tho*
he is not prefent, as the Sheep ofthe Richell and
moft Powerful of the Kraal. They have no parti
cular Herdfmen, or Shepherds, for Driving their
Catde to Pafture and Tending and Guarding them
from Wild Beafts. They take thofe Offices upori
'em by Turns, Three or Four or more together,
according to the Number ofthe Men ofthe Kraal,
and the Proportion of their Herds. They drive
'em to Pafture between 6 and 7 in the Morning ;
and back to the Kraal between 5 and 6 in the
Evening. And Morning and Evening the Women
milk the Cows.
III. They let the Bulls run with the Cows , and
the Rams with the Ewes the Year round. By
which Means their Herds encreafe apace, their
Ewes yielding them conftantly Two Lambs in the
Year. For this the Europeans at the Cape, whofe
Cuftom it is to feparate at certain Times the Bulls
from the Cows , and the Rams from the Ewfes,
blame them ; maintaining, that thofe Lambs ne
ver prove well ; that the continual Affociating of
the Rams with the Ewes, harraffes the latter too
much, and tends to the Decay and Dirainution of
the Flock. The Hottentots raaintain the ^ Contrary
to all This ; alledging, that their Cattle do not on
ly encreafe the fafter by the Bulls and the Rams
running continually with the Cows and the Ewes ,
but are every Whit as good as Thofe ofthe Euro
peans , which the Europeans deny, I pretend not
to be fo skill'd inXattle as to determine Who has
moft ReafPn here.
IV. As the Bulls and Ranis encreafe beypnd the

i^^ ^he Prefent State of
the Proportion due to their Herds, they geld them;
The Bulls they geld at the Age of One Year or
thereabout . And their Method of Gelding a Bull
is this : - ; r ..
Having faften'd four ftrong Ropes, made of cer
tain Weeds very nicely twifted , feverally to his
Feet , * they throw him upon his BaCk on the
Ground ; and faften his Horns in it very tightly*,
-They then extend his Legs to the full Stretch witH
the Ropes; and faften the R Opes -to Stakes.
driven into the Ground. In this Condition he can
neither ftir Head nor Foot. Then comes the Ope
rator, and with a Thong of the HideofanOxor
Stag, ties the Tefticles up in the Bag as clofe and
hard as he poffibly can ; ftopping all Coihmuni-
cationfor ever with the Veffels above 'em. Then
isthe Bull fet at Liberty, to run with his Tefticles
in that Condition till they rot off ; which they do
in fome Time.
V. They generally geld their Rams at the Age
of Haifa Year. The Ram's Tefticles are tied
up in the Bag in the fame Manner as the BuU'sJ
But they let him not go, as they do the Bull, when
this, is done. For they then lay him on one Side,
and putting a broad Stone under his Tefticles fo
tied up, they take a round Stone and bruife them
to Mafh in- the Bag., They then let him go. And
in a little Time his Tefticles rot off.
VL Cows and Sheep are milk'd by the Wpmen

* Vide Tab. V- Fig- t* after

r.-p.,^i

(TAeLr—Mj'jj!j^:M/'r^''<'y :?. 7f_,7Jrn_cJz>-!-^' /h*!.' :b^'A^.e/ji.^^l.&fM(LolA.

the(^APE of GOO'D Ho'pE. tyt
after the fame Manner as they are in Europe. ¦ And
it fometimes happens, that their Cows, like ours,
are refraftory", and will yield no Milk. Their
firft Expedient to bring a refraftory Cow to yield
it, is the fame with that of the Europeans. They
bring the Cows Calf to the Teats, and let it fuck a
little : The Cow readily yields ; and they get by
this Means a fufficient Quantity of Milk. But if
the Calf be dead when the Cow refufes to give her
Milk, they take the Calf's Skin, and putting it
on a Calf of pretty near the fame Size, Part anfwe
ring to Part, and fewing it round, that it may re"*!
femble the dead Calf as much as poflible, they
bring this Counterfiet to the Teats , and fome
times gain their Point by it. But if the Cow is"
too cunning to be cozen'd that Way, their laft
Shift to make her yield her Milk is, after tying her
Hind-Legs together to prevent her Kicking , to
bJow with all their Might into the Vulva. This is
done by the Men as well as the Women, -f-
VII. They never pafs the Milk through any
Sort of Strainer, to clear it of Hair or other Filth;
but drink it with all its Foulnefs , fettled or un-
fettled, from the Veffel in which it was receiv'd
from the Cow. In Milk, thus dirty, they boil
the Roots they, eat ; making of the Whole a
Kind of Pap. What Milk they get more than
they fhall have Occafion for at Home, they often
fell, for a little Dacha or Tobacco, to Europeans ;
who take Care to purge it of its Filth before they
ufe it.

t Vide Tab, V. Fig. 2, VIIL For

172 ^he Prefent State of
VIII. For the Making of Butter, * they ufe, in
the Place ofa Churn, a Wild Beaft's_Skin, made
up into a Sort of Sack, the hairy Side inward. In
to this Sack they pour fo much Milk as will about
half fill it. They then tie up the Sack ; and Two
Perfons , Men or Women, taking Hold of it.
One at one End, the Other at the other, they tofs
the Milk briskly to and fro' till it becomes Butter.
They .then put it in Pots, either for Anointing their
Bodies and Kroffes, or for Sale to the Europeans ;
for the Hottentots, unlefs in the Service of Europe
ans, eat no Butter.
IX. But they never take any Manner of Care to
clear it of the Hair or other Filth that fticks to
it : And it contrafts not a little Naftinefs from the
Greafe and Dirt continually fticking to their own
Paws. Hottentot Butter is certainly the filthieft
upon Earth. The Sight of it is enough to make
One fick, and to renounce the Eating of Butter
for ever.
X. Yet, filthy and loathfome as it is, there are
Europeans at the Cape, who buy it in large Quan
tities, They have the Art of Purging it of its
Filth, and making it look pretty like the Butter
of Europe. The greateft Part of it, fo cleans'd,
they fell to fome Mafters of Ships, and to others
who know no better , for Butter of their own
Milk , making great Profit. The Reft they eat
themfelves : A Thing fo aftoniffiing to me (that
Europeans ffiould eat this Butter, who know the

' Vide Tab. V. Fig. 2.
Ma'-

^i5^ Cape ^ Good Hope; 173
Making of it ) thatl ffiould never, I think, have
believ'd it, had I not feen it, unlefs in the Cafe of
a Famine. But thefe are not all the Advantages that are
made of this Butter by the Europeans who buy it :
For the Dregs and the filthy Parts ofit they make
their Servants and Slaves eat ; tho' there is an ex
prefs Order to the Contrary, which the Gover
nour of the Cape publiffies fromTime to Time, for
the Security of the Common Health ; which , 'tis
juftly apprehended, is endanger'd by the Mingling
of fuch foul unwholefome Butter in the ordinary
Diet of the Servants,
XL The Butter .Milk , hairy and foul as it
comes from the Sack, the Hottentots give to their
Calves and Lambs. Soraetiraes they drink it them
felves. They never ftrain it. And if any Sicknefs
or Diforder feizes either Themfelves or their Calves
or Lambs, upon the Drinking of this Milk , all
the Art of Man cannot perfuade 'em, that it may
be owing to the Filth they have fwallow'd. No :
'Tis Witchcraft, they fay ; Nothing but curfed
Witchcraft : And the Doftor of the Kraal is
call'd with his Amulet to reraove it ; which tho'
he cannot do, 'tis ftill Witchcraft, and is fo call'd
to the End of the Chapter.
XII. Cows Milk is drank by both Sexes of the
Hottentots : Ewes Milk only by the Woraen.
Where Cows Milk is fcarce, the Women are o-
blig'd to keep to Ewes Milk or to Water. The
Men will not by any Means in the World be in
duc'd to tafte the Milk of the Ewe, Nor are the
Women

'174 ^^^ Prefent State of
Women fond of it when they can get CowS Milk.
Th^ Hottentot Fzvmhes, therefore, whofe Cows are
not numerous, keep all the Milk of 'em for thefe
own Ufe, and offer only Ewes Milk to..^Sale.
• XIIL I took uncommon Pains to come at t^
feafon of this Hottentot Cuftom, which ordains the
Milk of Ewes to be drank by the Women Only.
Pound after Pound of Tobacco have I prefented tb
many of both Sexes ofthe Hottentots , in order t0
Vsrin it from 'em, if they knew.it. But I could ne
ver difcover that any of 'em did. The firft An
fwer of all of 'em was, -.S(7«/?Mo; Cuftom: Nota
Syllable more. With this old Flail my Curiofity
was kept at. a Bay for a confiderable Time by eve
ry One of 'em. At length feveral of *em, Weari7
ed with my Importunities, told me, " They knew
*' not, for their Parts, nor, they believ'd, did Any
*' One in all the Nations of 'em, the Original Rea-
¦*« fon for this CuftPm. Nor had they any one
*' Reafon to produce for its Support befides the
*« Example oftheir Anceftors. That they.foriier.i
*' times conjeftur'd, indeed, their Anceftors niight
«' think, that Ewes Milk was goOd fpr the Wo- ¦
*' men but not for the Men. And beyond this Cpn^^l
*' jeft ure they could not go.
... . .[
XIV. I ffiall now ffiew after -what Manner thei
Hottentots fecure their Cattle in the NigJit.* TheiJ
Cots of a Kradl, asi have faid already, are. rang'd I
ina Circle, the Area of which is quite, openi i
There is but Otte Entrance into a Kraal and that a ;

¦Vide Tab, VI. Fig. i.
mt*..

T/li . H. \/tf- 1-/'-:'/-^- ¦

rnr/ial manner tAe Iffftientfftj fecure tAeir Caok i/i tAeJfyAl

TAe Carriage- i?jc.cn^ of tAc Jfotten/otf

theCA'Pt of Gqod Hope. 'ty$
narrow one. Between 5 and 6 in the Evening, as
I have faid too, the Hottentots generally drive their
Cattle from Pafture. It were highly unadvifeable
to let them ftay till Night there in a Country, that
abounds with Beafts of Prey. On the Area of
the Kraal they lodge the Calves and all the fmall
Cattle. And round the Kraal, on the Outfide,
they range the great Cattle, their Heads clofe up
to the Cots. Their Great Cattle, fo rang'd, they
tie. Two and Two together, bythe Feet, to pre
vent their Straggling. They have no Shelter
from the Weather for either Great or fmall Cattle,
but the very young ; of which I ffiall fpeak pre.^
fently. If an Ox, Bull or Cow flips away from
a Hottentot, while he is fixing 'em for the Night,
'tis incredible with what Speed and Dexterity he
will fetch 'em up again. .Run as faft as they can,
he's a Head of 'em in the Twinkling of an Eye ;
and in a Trice reduces them to Difcipline. If a
Sheep fcampers off, away he darts after him, and
in an Inftant has him by the Tail. The Heels of
a Hottentot ! They are my Wonder to this Hour.
No One ftays without the Kraal to guard the
Great Cattie from the Wild Beafts. There's no
Occafion for it. The Cattle give Notice of the
Approach of the Enemy by a general Lowing
Diforder ; whencefoever the Cattle have their
Intelligence ; whether from the Eyes of a Lion,
Tiger, Leopard &c, which flame like the Eyes
of a Cat, and are feen a great Way in the Night;
or from the Scent of thofe Creatures, or, accord
ing to fome People's Philofophy, from fome fecret
Inftinft in Themfelves, which awakes on the Ap
proach of 'em. V. In

176 the Prefent State of
XV. In every Kraal there is an empty Hut, in
which the young Calves and Lambs are kept
Night and Day till they are able to endure the In
clemencies of the Weather, and to run with their
Dams to Pafture. In the Morning, juft. before the
Herds are driven to Pafture, and in the Evening,
on their Return , thefe Striplings are carried to
their Dams to be fuckled. And between Whiles
the Hottentots give 'em either old Milk or Butter
Milk. XVI. The Hottentots have a Sort of Oxen they
c-&\\Backeleyers, or Fighting Oxen. They ufe 'em
in their Wars, as fome Nations do Elephants ; of
the Taming and Forming which Creatures upon the
like Difcipline the Hottentots as yet know Nothing.
They are of great Ufe to 'em too in the Govern
ment of their Herds at Pafture ; for, upon a Sig
nal from their Coraraanders, they will fetch in Strag
glers , and bring the Herds within Corapafs. They
will likewife run very furioufly at Strangers ; and
therefore are of Good Defence againft the Bufcbies
or Robbers, who fteal Cattle. They are the ftat-
lieft Oxen of the Herd. Every Kraal ha,s Haifa
Dozen of thefe Oxen at the leaft. When one of
them dies, or grows fo old, that, being unfit for
Bufinefs, his Owner kills him, a young Ox is cho
fen out of the Herd to fucceed him , by an anci
ent Hottentot, who is judg'd beft able to difcern
his Capacity for Inftruftion, This young Ox is
affociated with an old Backeleyer, and taught, by
Blows and other Means, to follow him. At Night
they tie 'em together by the Horns ; and for fome
Part of the Day they faften 'em together in the
fame Manner, till at Length, by this and I know not

the Cape of Good Hope^ 177
not what other Means, the young Ox is fully in
ftrufted, and becomes a Watchful Guardian of the
Herds, an able Auxiliary in Cafe of War.
The Backeleyers {fo call'd from the Hottentot
Word Backeley for War) know every Inhabitant
of the Kraal they belong to. Men, Women and
Children , and pay 'erii all juft the fame Refpeft
that is paid by a Dog to every Perfon who dwells
in his Mafter's Houfe. Any of the Inhabitants
may therefore at any Time prefent themfelves very
fafely on any Side of the Herds. The Backeleyers
will in no wife offend 'em. But if a Stranger,
efpecially an European, ffiall approach the Herds,
without the Company of a Hottentot of the Kraal
they belong to, he muft look ffiarp to himfelf.
For thefe Backeleyers, which generally feed at the
.Skirts of the Herds , quickly difcover him , and
make at him upon a full Gallop, And if he is
not within Hearing of any of the Hottentots who
keep the Herds, or has not a Fire-Arm, or a light
Pair of Heels, or there is not a Tree at Hand,
which he can immediately climb, he is certainly
demoliffi'd. The Backeleyers mind not Sticks or
the Throwing of Stones at 'em. This is one great
Reafon why the Europeans always travel the Hot
tentot Countries with Fire- Arms. But the firft
Thing an European does, upon the Appearance of
fuch an Enemy, is to ffiout and call to the Hot
tentots that look to the Herds. The Hcttefitot tbat
hears him, haftens to his Affiftance, making all ths
Way a very ffirill Whiftlingthro 'his Fingers. T.ie
Backeleyers no fooner hear the Whiffling of their
Keepers, which they very well know , than they
ftop, turn about and return leiflirely to the Herds.
M But

178 The Preferit State of
But if an European, in Danger of the Backeley
ers, dpes nor, upon his Shouting and Calling to the
Keepers , hear the Whiftle , before the Bac
keleyers come up with him , he difcharges his
Fire-Arm ; frighten'd with the Report of which,
the Backeleyers run away.
I have been often run at by the Backeleyers my
felf. As foon as I faw 'em fallying out upon me, I
ffiouted and call'd to the Keepers. But I could
not often raake 'em hear before the Backeleyers
came up with me ; when I have ' been oblig'd to
difcharge ray Fire-Arm (for I always carried one
about with me) upon which , they always turn'd
about and left me.
In the Wars of the Hottentots * with One ano
ther thefe Backeleyers. make very terrible Iraprefli
ons. They gore and kick and trample to Death
with incredible Fury. Each Army has a Drove of
'em, which they take their Opportunity to turn
upon One another. And if an Army the Backeley
ers are turn'd upon is not alerte and upon all its
Guard, they quickly force their Way thro'it, tearing,
ffiattering and confounding all the Troops that op
pofe 'em, and paving for their Mafters an eafie
Way to "Viftory. The Courage of thefe Creatures
is amazing ; and the Difcipline upon which they
are form'd does not a littie Honour to the Hotten
tot Genius and Dexterity.
XVII. The Hottentots have likewife great Num-

VidcTab. XIIL Fig. i. bers

?^^ Gape «/* GoodHope. 179
bers of Oxen for Carriage. Thefe too are very
ftrong and ftately Creatures , chofen out of the
Herds at about the Age of Two years, by old
Men, well skill'd in Cattle. When they haVe
deftin'd an Ox to carry Burthens , they take and
throw him on his Back on the Ground ; * and
failening his Head and Feet, as they do thofe ofa
Bull when they geld him, they make a Hole with
a ffiarp Knife through his upper Lip, between
his Noftrils.' Into this Hole they put a Stick,
about half an Inch thick, and a Foot and a Half
long, with a Hook at Top to prevent its falling
through. By this hook'd Stick they break him
to Obedience and Good Behaviour : For if he re
fufes to be govern'd, and to carry the Burthens
they lay upon him, they fix his Nofe by this hook'd
Stick to the Ground ; and there hold it till he
comes to a better Temper.
'Tis an exquifite Torture to an Ox to be faften'd
to the Ground by the Nofe with this hook'd Stick.
Hc is not therefore long exercis'd this Way before
he gets a Notion ofhis Duty and becomes trafta
ble. After which, the very Sight alone of the
Stick, when he is v/anton or refraftory, will hum--
ble and reduce him to the Will of his Driver.
The Terror of this Stick too makes the Carriage
Oxen fo attentive to the Words of Command the
Hottentots ufe to "em, that they quickly conceive,
and ever while they live afterwards retain, the In'r
tention of 'em. I have a thoufand Times been
furpris'd at the ready Obedience the Carriage Ox-

Vid. Tab. VI. Fig. 2. M 2 en

i8© the Pfefent State of
en, have paid to a Hottentot's bare Words. _ They
.are as quick at apprehending and as exaft in per
forming the Orders of their Driver , as is any
taiight Dog in Europe at conceiving and accom
pliffiing the Orders of his Mafter. The Stick,
the terrible Stick makes 'em all Atterition and Di
ligence.

¦'to^

When the Hottentots remove their Kraals, the
Materials oftheir Huts, with their Furniture, are
convey'd upon thefe Oxen. Upon thefe Oxen
likewife, at thofe Times, are convey'd the Aged,
the Sick and the Infirra, on a Sort of Bier the Hot
tentots raake, and which they fix very cleverly and
commodioufly on the Backs ofthe Oxen.
When the Hottentots come to the Cape (the
Town fo call'd ) to purchafe Wine, Brandy, To
bacco, Iron-Ware, or the like, they, always bring
Carriage-Oxen with 'em to convey thofe Corarao
dities Home. ' A Hottentot that has a Carriage-
Ox, will carry Nothing himfelf The Carriage
Oxen are , in all the Hottentot Nations, by far
more numerous than the Backeleyers, or Fighting
Oxen. XVIIL In every Kraal there is a Cattle-Doftor,
or, as we call him, a Cow-Doftor, appointed to
watch over the Health of the' Cattie. He paffes
from Time to Time through the Herds, narrowly
confidering every individual Head ; and , as he
fees Occafion, adminifters the Lancet, the Cathar-
tick, or the Cordial. He devotes the beft Partof
-his Time to the Study of the Diforders incident to
Cattle , and the Iraprovement of the Hottentot
Medicine for the flirae. XIX, When

/j5^ Cape ©/¦ Good Hope. i§I;
XIX. When a Difteraper gets among the Cat
tle, the Hottentots are very careful to conceal it
from the Europeans. They know, as well: as.
other People, that a Difcovery of that Kind .ne
ver fails to bring a Damp upon the Market ; • that
People are very cautious of buying any Thing
out of a Herd that has an ill Report upon itj and
are not quickly fatisfied that .All is wefl again.'
But the Hottentot Cattle are. fubjeft to Nothing.
like the Rots and Mortalities which are often , feen
among the Cattle of Europe. Nor was the Cough,
an Obftruftion to which our Cattle are very: lijuMe, ¦
ever known among 'em. The only fatal Diftem
per, in a Manner, among the Hottentot Cattle, is
one they contraft from long and heavy Rains.
Having, as I have obferv'd already, no Manner
of Shelter from the Rain, they feel the Weight of
every Shower that falls. And it fometimes, but
not often, rains continually for 3 or '4 Days., and
Nights together. Thefe exceffive Rains ftrike
many ofthe Cattle, both Great and Small, .with a
Difeafe, which is often too hard for the Doftoir,
and is, in a Manner, the only one which carries
the Cattle off. But 'tis Nothing like a Rot. Di
ftempers among 'em proceeding from any other
Caufe (and they are very rare) the Doftors generalr
ly cure with a great deal of Eafe,
XX. The Hottentots take not a little Pains to
conceal from the Europeans their Methods of Cu
ring, their diftemper'd Cattle. All I have been
able, after the moft folicitpus Enquiries, to leam
of 'em is, that upon the Difcovery of the leaft
.Symptom of any Difeafes either in their Great or
Small Cattle, they let 'em Blood. In which Ope-
M 3 ration

i82 The Prefent State of
ratioft their Lancet4s either the Point of a Knife»
well ffiarpen'd, or fuch a Bone of a Bird, ffiarpcn'd
to a Point, as I have faid they ufe as ari Awl in
the Sewing up ofa Wound. After this they give
'erti ' wild Garfick, whole or bruis'd. And when
any of the Cattle labour under a Stoppage of
Urine, they give 'ern Water, iri which Garlick
has been infus'd, to open the Paffages. I eould ne
ver learn any Thing raore of the Methods the Hot
tentots take to reftore their difter0per'd Cattle.
, But the Hottentots never give their Cattle, either
.Great or Small, as we do often ours by Way of
Precaution, nny Salt to lick. Abundance of Salt,
as T have already obferv'd, is produc'd among 'em;
but they look upon it as neither good for Man nor
Beaft, nor of any Manner of Ufe.
XXI. When any of the Cattle recover of any
Diftemper, the Hottentots are Top full of Joy :
And they make themfelves fom.e Amends, when
any of the Cattle die, by feafting upon the Carca-
fes: And thefe Carcafes are not. deftin'd to the
Mouths of the Owners and their Friends only, -or
whom they ffiall pleafe to invite. Every Inhabi
tant ofthe Kraal has a Right to partake of the
Feaft . And not one of 'era will wave this Right
who has a Tongue to claira it. They are afto
niffi'd when they are told, the Europeans throw to
the Dogs the Carcaffes of fjich Cattle as die natu
rally. They look upon 'em as much finer Eating
than the Carcaffes pf Cattle that are flain.
XXII. The Hearts pf the Hottentots are, in a
Manner, fet wholly upon their Cattie.' Cattie is
their

/i5^ Cape o/" Go OD H oPE. 183
their Wealth, their only Wealth. And Nothing
affefts 'era like the flouriffiing or decaying Condi
tion of their Herds. Of all the Misfortunes that
befall the Cattle, hardly any aftlift and enrage the
Hottentots fo rriuch as when any of 'em are de
vour'd by Wild Beafts. 'Tis impoffible to de
fcribe the Sorrow in which the Women are drown'd,
and the Spirit of Revenge that fires the Bofoms
and flaraes in the Eyes of the Men upon fuch a
Depredation. Notice of the Misfortune is ira
mediately given to all their Neighbours. The
Men up and down fly to their Arms ; and are
immediately in Chace of the Enemy. They fcour
the Fields in little Troops ; beat every Bufh, and
examine every Hole and Corner. Heavens ! how
they run I They wheel and dart frora one Part to
another like Flights of Birds ; and have quickly
view'd all the Ground , beat all the Thickets,
and fearch'd all the Coverts for raany Miles about.
If they meet with any Beafts of Prey at thofe
Times, they ftrive who ffiall be firft in Affailing
'em. Their Paffion for Revenge fliuts out Fear
from every Heart of 'em : And every one encoun
ters every Danger with an aftoniffiing Intrepidity,.
They clear all the neighbouring Country of thofe
ravenous Creatures : And fuch of 'em as fhey
take alive they put -to the moft cruel lingering
Death they can invent.
XXIIL Notwithftanding the great Numbers
nf Cattle that are flain by the Hottentots at their
Legitimations, Marriages, and other Anderfmakens
( as they call all their Solemnities ) their Herds
often encreafe too faft, and are greater ' than they
can convenientiy tend or, find Pafture for. When
M 4 ihi&

1 84 the Prefent State of
his is the Cafe, they have three or four Methods
of difpofing of the Exceffes fo as to find then-
Account in 'em. They endeavour all they can,
the Reduftion raay fall on their Oxen and Rams,
of both which they have great Numbers. They
part not willingly with their Cows or Ewes, but
at a very good Price. The firft Thing they do
then, is to enquire whether the Government at the
Cape, which has often Occafion for Oxen for Car
riage is in any Want of fuch Cattle. And if it is,
they very obligingly fupply it at an Under Rate.
If the Government wants not Oxen, nor will purchafe
any of their otherCattle ata Price, to content 'em
they m.ake. a'Prefent to the Governour of a Number
of Oxen and Rams for his own Ufe. They are fure
of handfome Prefents in Return, of Wine, Brandy,
Tobacco, Coral, Cutiery-Ware, See. Ifthey reduce
not their Herds fufficiently by this Means, they offer
what remains of the Exceffes fecretly to the Eu
ropeans, at an Under Rate, who hardly ever fail to
ftrike a Bargain with 'em. If ftill, after their
!?refents to the Governour, and Sales to the Euro
peans, there remains an Excefs, they look out for
Such of their Countrymen as want Cattle, and have
Tobacco, Dacha, or fome other wanted Commo
dities to give in Exchange, and fell 'em the Cat
tle they want for Half the Value they would infift
on at another Time, or perhaps much lefs. And
if yet there remains an Excefs, they charitably
and very chearfully diftribute it among their own
Poor, Thefe Things are the Whole of What I have
learnt of the Hottentot Management with Regard
to their Cattle.
CHAP.

/;&^Cape £;^Good Hope. 185
CHAP. XVL
Of the Apparel of the Hottentots.
1.' The Apparel of the Men. ^ II. The Apparel of
¦f, the Women. III. Trinkets worn by both Sex
es by Way of Ornament.
ENough has been faid in the foregoing Pages
concerning the Cuftom of the Hottentots,
Men , Woraen , and Children, to befipear their
Bodies, from their Heads to their Feet, with Fat or
Butter, mix'd with Soot they gathef from their
Boiling Pots, in order to make 'em look black,
being naturally, all of 'era, of a Nut-or Olive-
Colour. The Reader too has been pretty well
inform'd alreg.dy concerning their Kroffes or Man- ¦
ties, of Sheep- of WiId_BeaftrSkinls, which, they
wear Cloak -wife, over their Shoulders; and which
they likewife befmear with Fat or Butte;r all over.
But thefe are not all the Things that enter into
the ordinary Drefs and Equipage ofthe Hottentots;
of which defigning here to give a particular Ac
count, I fhall trace What is done by both Sexes,
for the ordinary Defence and Ornament, of the
Sody, from the Crown of the Head to.the Sole
of the Foot.
I. I ffiall begin with the Faffiions of the Men.
Their Hair, as has been faid, is like that of Ne
groes, ffiort, woolly, and black as Jet. But they
loaden it from Day to Day with fuch a Quantity of
Soot and Fat, and it gathers fo much Duft and
>pther Filth, vvhich they leave to clot and harden in

1 86 The Prefent State of
in it, for they never cleanfe it, that it looks like
a Cruft or Cap of Black Mortar; and you would
think there was no Hair, nor any Thing like it,
upon their Heads.
I muft here obferve upon an Eri^r of Father
Tachart. This Author fays, that the Attaquas
are diftinguiffi'd from all the other Hottentot Na
tions by their long Hair, which falls gracefully
down upon their Shoulders. He was impos'd on.
I have travel'd up and down among the Attaquas,
and never met with one of 'em whofe Hair dif-
fer'd from that of the Hottentots of other Nations.
In the hot Seafons, the Hottentot Men go con
tinually without any other Covering on their
Heads, than this ^Compofition of Fat , Sopt arid
Dirt. They fay the Fat keeps, their Heads cool
under the moft raging 'Sun. In the cold Seafons
they wear Caps, made of Cat or Lamb Skins.
Thefe Caps they tie on with Two Strings. One,
a very ffiort one, is fix'd at one Ear ; the other, a
long One, is fix'd at the other Ear. The long
One they carry under the Chin quite round the
Head, and bringing it again under the Chin, tie
it there with the ffiprt one. Thefe Caps they like-
wife wear in the wet Seafons.
The Face and the Forepart of the Neck of a
Hottentot Man are ever uncover'd. About his
Neck hangs a little greafie Bag, in which he car
ries his Knife, if he has one, his Pipe, Tobacco
and Dacha, with a little Piece of Wood burnt at
both Ends, and of the Length of a Finger, as an
Amulet agaihft Witchcraft. Many of thefe littie
Pou-

theCAPE cf Good Hope. 187
Pouches are made of old Gloves, which they have
procur'd from Europeans.
Their Kroffes (as the Hottentots term 'em) or
Mantles cover the Trunks of their Bodies ; and
are worn open or clos'd, a.ccording to the Seafon.
The Kroffes of the Chiefs of Nations, the Captains
of Kraals, and the Wealthy and Eminent, are of
Tiger- or Wild Cat-Skins. The Kroffes of the
Commonalty are Sheep-Skins. They wear 'em
the Year round ; in Winter turning the hairy
Side inward ; in Summer turning it outward. They
lie upon 'em at Nights. And, when they die, they
are tied up and interr'd in 'em.
The Cut and Make of thefe Kroffes are not ea
fie to be defcrib'd. The Kroffes of fome reach
down to their Knees. Thofe of the Attaquas
generally reach down to their Heels. But the
Generality of the Hottentots have 'em not to reach
much below the Trunk of the Body.
They generally wear three Rings of Ivory up
on their left Arms. Some Elephants Teeth they
find in the Woods ; and fome they take from
Elephants they hunt down. Out of thefe they cut the
Rings; which they finiffi with fomuchArt and Exaft
nefs, as would furprife the ableft Turner in Europe.
t Thefe Rings ferve as Guards for their leftArms when
, they are engag'd with an Enemy. To thefe Rings
on their left Arms they faften, when they travel,
a Bag for the Conveyance oftheir Viaticum. And
they fix it fo cleverly, that 'tis hardly perceiv'd,
and is little or no Incumbrance to 'em in their
Journeys. ' ' In

iSS . the Prefent State of
In their Right Hands, when they go abroad,
they generally carry Two Sticks of Iron- or Olive-
Wood. One they call Kirri ; the other Rackum.
The Kirri is about Three Foot long ; and about
an Inch thick. The Rackum is ofthe fame Thick
nefs, but not much above a Foot long. The Kirri
is blunt at both Ends. The Rackum is pointed at
one .End ; and is a Sort of Dart, which they
throw at an Enemy, a Wild Beaft, or any Mark
whatever, tho' at a confiderable Diftance, with fo
fure a Hand, that they hardly ever mifs. When
a Hottentot goes out with the Rackum in his Hand,
'tis pretty certain he's either going a Hunting or
to engage an Adverfary,
In their left Hands they carry another fmall
Stick, of about a Foot long ; at one End ofwhich
is faften'd the Tail of a Wild Cat , Fox , or
other Wild Beaft, whofe Tail is buffiy. This
Tail they ufe, in the Place of a Handkerchief,
to rub the Sweat off their Faces ; to wipe their
Nofes, and clear away the Duft and Dirt that ga
ther about their Eyes, When this Tail is loa
den'd with Sweat and Filth, they plunge and tols
it about in Water, till all is waffi'd off. Then
taking it out, they twirl the Stick about very
quick between their Hands, till the' Tail, which
twirls with it, isfo rid of the Water it took, that
the Sun quickly dries it/
Wearing their Kroffes generally Open, you fee
all the Fore Parts of their Bodies naked, down to
the Ver endo, which they cpver with what they call
a Kull Kroffe, a fquare Piece of the Skin of a
Wild Beaft, generally ' "of a Wild Cat ;' tied at
Top

the Cape 0/ G o o d H o p e; 189
Top, the hairy Side outward, by Two Strings, one
at each Corner, going round the Wafte. The
Corners atthe Bottom are ftitch'd together, the
hairy Side outward, making a kind of Funnel, in
which the Verenda hang.
From the Hips , if their Kroffes or Manties
reach fo far , down to the Soles of their Feet,
they are quite naked, excepting when they drive
the Herds to Pafture (an Office which, as I have
faid, they take in Turn) or when they pafs over
Rocks or Sands* When they drive the Herds to
Pafture, they 'put on, as do the Europeah Herdf^
men , a Sort of Leather-Stockings, to guard their
Legs from Briers and Thorns, and their Feet from
the ffiarp Stones. When they are to pafs over Rocks
or Sands, they accoutre their Feet with a Sort of
Sandals. Thefe Sandals are cut out ofthe raw Hide
of an Ox or Elephant ; and confift each ofone Piece
only, fitted to the Sole ofthe Foot, and turning up
about Half an Inch quite round it, the hairy Side
outward. They are faften'd to' the Feet by Strings
paffing through Holes made in the Turnings up
at the Toes and the Heels.
So much for the Apparel of the Men. I ffiall
now defcribe the Drefs of the Women.
II. Whereas the Men, as I have faid , only
wear Caps in cold and wet Weather : The Wo
men wear Caps the Year round. Night and Day,
and are never feen without 'em. The Caps of the
Women, which, like thofe ofthe Men, are cut
out of the Skins of Wild Beafts, are made to
point up from the Crown of the Head ; whereas the

ipo the Prefent State of -
the Caps of the Men fit round and clofe to their
Heads, like Skull-Caps. To the Caps of the
Women are fix'd Two Strings, one at each Ear,
which they tie under the Chin. Xlri
The Women wearing their Caps continually,
their Hair is very rarely feen ; whicli has fometimes
occafion'd Uncertainties among Europeans concer-
ing the Kind of it. I can affure the Reader,
that the Hair of the Women is, in all Refpefts^
like thatof the Men, ffiort, woolly, and black
as Jet. -
. . .» c' '
The Women generally wear Two Kroffes,' a
leffer under a greater, fafhion'd like thofe of the
Men. And wearing them, as the Men do, gene
rally operi, you fee the Fore Parts of their Bo
dies naked , down to the Pudenda.' Nothing
hinders but a leather-Bag, hanging by a String
about their Necks ; in which tbey carry daily, ""
from Mprning to Night , at Home as well as
abroad, fome Sort of Viftuals or other, together
viith '\heir Dacha, Tobacco and Pipe. This Bag i
they let fometimes hang in Sight, and fometimfes i
conceal it between their Kroffes. If, they have .
fucking Children they let the Bag reft on one Side*' '
They cannot at fueh Times do Otherwife ; for
the Children are faften'd on the Woraens Backs
between the Kroffes- with their Headsi as- has
been faid, jiift peeping out over theWomens Shoul
ders. The Women wear the Under Kroffe to prevent.!
their Bodies being hurt by the Children at their
Backs, or by the Bags. / ¦
The fame Emulation to excell in Drefs and
Equi-

^"^-19"'

: ApfMrelaf'tke. JEhite>riybr6ff^aTrme^

the Cape of GoodHope. 191
Equipage, which we fee among the Women of
Europe, is found among the Hottentot Women.
They ftrive , according to the Wealth and Fi
gure of their Families, to furpafs One another in
the Beauty of their Kroffes and the Furniture
of the Bag. On thefe Things turn all the En
vy and Contentions of the Hottentot Women. She
is a poor D — 1 indeed, who has not an Under
Kroffe of fome Sort, and who has Nothing good
in the Bag. The Wives of the Wealthy are known
by the Beauty of their Kroffes, and the Plenty
that fwells the Bags. Such Women are fure to
difplay all the Gaiety oftheir Kroffes, and Carry
their Bags open, to ffiew you, they neither want
for Provifions nor Apparel of the beft Kind, in
their Way of Thinking. Their Upper' Kroffes,
which they throw pretty much behind, generally
reach down to their Hams.' Their Under Kroffes,
•are Something ffiorter.
They cover their Pofteriors with a fmall Kroffe,
faften'd by two Strings going round the Wafte.
This Kroffe generally reaches below the Hams.
They cover their Pudenda with What they call a
Kut-Kroffe. This is always of Sheep-Skin, ftript
of the Wool or Hair; and is at leaft Three Times
bigger than the Kull Kroffe of the Men. 'Tis tied
on, like the Kull Kroffe, with two Strings going
round the Wafte.
The Girls, from their Infancy to about
Twelve Years .of Age , wear Bulruffies, tied in
Rings about their Legs, frora their Knees down to
their Ankles. At or about the Age of Twelve Years

192 the Prefent State of
Years thefe Bulruffi-Rings are thrown afide and the
Girls cover their Legs, from their Knee's to their
Ankles, with Rings, ofthe Thicknefs of a little
Finger, made of Slips of Sheep- or Calf-Skin.
They finge off the Hair of a Skin deftin'd to
this Ufe (for there grows not on the Hottentot
Sheep any Thing that can juftly be call'd Wool;
and when they make the Rings, turn the Side, on
which the Hair grew, inwards. Some of the grown
Women have above a Hundred of thofe Rings up
on each Leg , lying fcveral-fold one upon ano
ther : And they arefo curioufly tied, andfo nice
ly fitted to the Leg and to one another, that they
look like one fmooth continued Swathe ; andyou
do not eafily difcover where join the Ends of
the Slips. Thefe Rings become in Time as hard
as Wood.
The Attaquas vary in feveral Parts of their
Drefs from the other Hottentot Nations, excepting
a few, living upon the- Borders, who follow the
g,eneral Faffiion. Particularly, there are but few of
the ^if^fljaa Women who wear Rings of any Sort,
upbn their Legs.
Almoft all the Authors who have treated of
the Hottentots, have roundly affirm'd, tbat thefe
Rings upon the Legs of the Hottentot Women
were made of Sheep-Guts, or the Guts of other
tame or wild Beafts, altogether as the Women "
were able to provide themfelves.
In this Miftake the greateft Part of Europe, I
believe, remains at this Day. For the Reader's
Amuferaent I will quote fome of thofe hafty
Writers upon the Point. Saar

/^^ C A p E" c^ G o o D H o p £• 193
Saar fsiys, " the Guts of Sheep ferve the Women
" to wrap about their Legs.
Vogel fays, " the Woraen wind about their Legs
" a great Number ofthe Guts of Sheep and Oxeh ;
*' which, when dry, make a very odd Rattling.
But Dapper has fallen ¦ into a greater Miftake
here than any other Writer. He fays, that the
" Men, as well as the Women, wear Guts about
*' their Legs ; and affigns two Reafons for it : The
*' firft is, to guard their Legs frora Thorns, Bri-
•« ers &c: The other, to makea clattering Noife
** in Dancing.
In all the Tirae I refided at the Cape, I never;
met with a Hottentot Man with Rings of any Sort
upon his Legs ; nor could • I ever hear, that the
Men put Rings upon their Legs on any Occafion'
whatever. Father Tachart affigns both Guts and Leather
for this Ufe. He fays, " The Woraen wind,
*' about their Legs the Guts of Sheep, or fmall
*' Slips of Leather.
But Boeving has hit upon all the Truth in this
Matter. He fays, " The Legs of the Women are
" encircled with Slips of Leather, and not with
»' Sheep-Guts, as has been falfly publiffi'd by
*' Many. And thefe Rings are put on in fuch
" Numbers, that they are of no inconfiderable
" Weight, and not a little Embarrafment to the
" Woraen in Walking. Young Girls are there-
" fore introduc'd into this Faffiion by Degrees,
N put.

1^4 ^e Prefent State of
•* putting on at firft, when they are aboittt i or 3
'' Yearsof Age, a fmali Number of Rings made
'' of finall Ruffies only.
Travellers,, who have fallen into the Mfftake ^^
are obferving on, were defeaive in Point of Reflefti-
on as well as Enquiry.They did not confider, that if
thefe Rings were made of Guts (and, which ia
worfe for 'em, they generAlly affirm, riiey are
made of Guts retaining all their Filth and Ordure)
they would rot off, and never get, as tSey do, the
Firmnefs of Woo<l, and make fuch a loua rattling
Noife, as thefe Travellers haVe own'd they do.
They are fo firm, and fo fmooth, and the Joinings
are fo nicely conceal'd, thatyou would take 'em
for soother than very curious Pieces of Turnery.
What is faid in Authors concerning the Hotten
tots' eating thofe Rings, when they are very hungry
and have not other Food at Hand, is true enough.
I have feen 'em do it often. They bruife 'em be
tween two Stones, and then devour 'em with a great
Deal of Eagernefs and Satisfaftion.
For the Reafons of this Faffiion of the Hottentot
Women to wear thofe Rings upon their Legs, the
principal one that appears is, that they do it to
guard their Legs from Thorns and Briers. They
go every Day into the Fields to gather Roots and
other Things for Food^ and are often oblig'd to
feek for 'em among Buffies and Brambles, where,
without thofe Rings or fome fuch Guard, there
would be no paffing for 'em without fcratching
and tearing the Fleffi off their Legs. Inthe next
Places thofe Rings are one great Diftii^ft ion of the Sex, arid

fhe Cape of GoodHope. 195
and are confider'd as very ornamental. The more
Rings the Women have upbn their Legs, the fi
ner they are reckon'd. Laftly, they are Provifi
ons againft an Hour of Hiinger andScarcity. They
are k^t from fallhig upon the Womens' Heels by
large Wrappers of Leather or Ruffies about their
Ankles. So much for the ordinary Drefs and Equi
page of the Women.
III. I ffiall now give an Account of the Trin
kets worn by both Sexes of the Hottentots, by
Wayof Ornament.
They are very fond of any Ornament for the
Head. They had not been long acquainted with
Europeans before they took a Fancy to Brafs-But-
tons, and to little thin Plates of that Metal;
whicb, as they were able to procure 'em , they
poliffi'd and faften'd to the Hair of their Heads.
The Duteh , obferving this Humour , brought
great Quantities of tbofe Buttons and Plates to the
Capii Thofe Commodities were quickly difpos'd
of. The Humour fpread through all or moft of
the Hottentot Nations ; where it remains a Faftiion,
the Dutch continuing to fupply it, to this Day.
They poliffi thofe Buttons and Plates to an ama
zing Luftre ; and ftrut about with 'em, dangfing
on their Hair, with a great Deal of Parade and
Vanity. They are ftrangely fmitten too with
Bits of Looking Glafs; which, as they get 'erri,
they faften likewife, as very fplendid Ornaments,
¦to their Hair. Diamonds are not raore admir'd in
Europe than are thofe Trinkets in the Hottentot
Nations. Tp their Commerce with the Europeans they
N 2 owe

196 the Prefent State of
owe likewife feveral other Ornaments for the Bo
dy ; particularly, Ear-Rings, and Beads of Brafs
and Glafs. Their Ear-Rings are fmall , made of
Brafs- Wire (no better Metal.) After they have po
liffi'd them, at which they are wonderfully skil
ful, they bore Holes in the lower Pjrts of the
Ears with the Bird's Bone already mention'd ;
and by thofe Holes hang the Rings. To thefe
Rings on their Ears the Wealthy and Eminent hang
Bits of Mother of Pearl , to which they have the
Art of giving a very curious Shape and Poliffiing.
Thefe are Advantages in Point of Ornament of
which they are exceflively proud ; and which, they
imagine , give 'em very illuftrious Diftinftions
among their Neighbours, and draw upon 'em the
Admiration of afl that behold 'em.
The Hottentots, when they ferve the Europeans,
always ftipulate for fome of thofe Rings, if they
are not already provided.
Vogel fays, the Hottentots, both Men and Wo
men, wear Brafs- and Glafs-Beads on their Ears.
This is a Miftake. The Hottentots, nor Man nor
Woman of 'em, that I could ever fee or hear of,
wearing any Beads hanging to their Ears. They
wear 'em fometimes hanging to their Hair.
And this, I fuppofe, is what led Vogel into the
Miftake here. The Woraen tie the Beads and
other Trinkets, with which they adorn their Heads,
only to the Hair bordering on their Ears ; and the
Edges oftheir Caps being conftantly puU'd down
fo far as to touch thofe Trinkets, you would think
indeed the Trinkets were faften'd tothe Caps or to
the Ears, the Hair being generally quite out of
Sight. But

/^i? C APE g;^ Go OD Hop E. 197
But Nothing makes fuch a Figure in the Orna
mental Part of thc Drefs of both Sexes, as Brafs-
or Glafs-Beads. Thefe are Fineries of which they
are extravagantly fond. Hardly a Hottentot, Man
or Woman, is to be met with, who is not adorn'd
with more or lefs of one Sort or other of 'em. But
the Preference is univerfally given to Beads of
Brafs, becaufe they are not fo liable to break as
thofe of Glafs. They wear 'em in Necklaces ,
Bracelets and Girdles ; of which every one has
more or lefs, according to their Ability. They
chufe the fmalleft Beads they can meet with for the
Neck and Arms. The l^rge ones they wear about
their Waftes. Sorae wear Half a Dozen Neckla
ces together, forae more, fo large that they fall
down gracefully to their Navels. Such likewife co
ver their Arms with Bracelets frora their Elbows
to their Wrifts ; and wear Half a Dozen Strings pf
Beads or raore about their Waftes. The more
Necklaces , Bracelets and Girdles they put on,
the finer they reckon themfelves; and the more
Refpeft they look f-or frora their Neighbours.
The large Beads for the Wafte are generally
ftain'd with various Colours. And as the fmalleft
Beads are the Top ofthe Faffiion for the Neck,' the
large and moft variegated are the Height of the
Mode for the Wafte. Thefe, at the Cape, are run
ning Commodities, for which the Hottentots part
with their Cattle very freely,
A Hottentot, who ferves an European, tho' he
does it. but for a Week or a Day, hardly ever fails
to make one Article in the Stipulation for Beads.
N3 It

198 The Prefent State of
It is a Cuftom among the Men, never neglefted,
to diftinguiffi themfelves by the Bladders of the
Wild Bieafts they have kill'd. They blow 'em up,
and faften 'em to their Hair ; where they wear 'em
ever after as the Trophies of thofe Atchlevements.
The Men of the leflfer Namaqua have an Orna
ment of Drefs peculiar to Themfelves. It is a
fmall Plate of poliffi'd Iron, in the Shape of a
Half Moon, which they faften on one Side to their
Foreheads. With this Otnament on their Fore
heads came the Deputies of that Nation to the
Cape in the Year 1708, to complement the new
Governour, M. van Affenbourg, on his Arrival,
and to pray his Proteftion.
I have now finiffi'd my Account of the Trinkets
that are feen upon the Hottentots by Way of
Ornament. But there are other Things with which
they adorn the Body, that fall under other De
nominations ; particularly. Powder for both Sexes,
and Paint for the Women only.
With all their other Finery the Men do not reck
on themfelves fully fet out, unlefs at the fame
Time , they powder their Hair very laviffily with
pulveriz'd Buchu. When this is done , they are
Beaus and Grandees; and you fee 'em in all the
Magnificence and Finery of their Apparel.
Nor, without this Powder, do the Women think
themfelves compleatly adorn'd. But they lay it
not on their Hair, becaufe there it would not bc
feen, itbeing their Cuftom to hide their Hair con
tinually under their Caps. They lay it as thick as
they

theCAPE of GoodHope, 199
they can upon their Foreheads, where, by Vertue
of the Greafe upon 'em, it Cakes and fticks very
firmly, as, by the fame Means, it does upon the
Hair of the Men. This Powder the H«titnt»tl
look upon not only as very ornamental^ but as very
falutiferous into the iBargatn.
The Women, like Multitudes of the Sex in
Europe, are feiz'd with the Vanity of Painting
their Faces. This they perform with the Red
Stone I have once or twice mention'd, which they
efteem the greateft Beautifier erf the Face in the
World. With this Red Stone, which is moifteii'd
by the Greafe upon 'em, they make Spots* one
over each Eye, one upon the Nofe, one upon each
Cheek, aftd one upon the Chin, which they look
upon as very fmiting Beauties. And this is con
ftantly the Praftice when they are call'd to Mirth
ful Affemblies, or intend a Conqueft. But what
ever the Hottentot Men may think of their WOmen
fo painted as lovely and beautifuK never , in my
Opinion, did the Imagination of a Painter teem
with Devils fo frightful.
I have Nothing to add to this Account of the
Hottentot Drefs, fave that the better Sort, of both
Sexes , often border their Kroffes with a Sort
of Fringe, which they make of Hottentot Leather,
and which they look upon as a very diftihguiffiing
Piece of Finery.

N 4 CHAP.

«oo The Prefent State of
CHAP. XVIL ;
Of the Viftuals, Drink, and other Refrelh-
"'¦ •¦ ments of the Hottentots.
/'
I. Their 'ViSuals. IL Meats they abftain from
as .forbidden. HI. They eat Lice. IV. When
in Want they will eat Old Shoes. V. Fond of Vic
tuals drefs'd by Europeans. VI. Men and Wo
men eat not together ; and Why. VII. How the
. Men fometimes feed and accommodate themfelves
wben they are hunting or travelling. VIIL Their
ordinary Drink. IX, Their Love for Tobacco and
. Dacha. X. Account of tbelL-xnna Root, of wbich
they are extremely fond. XI. Tbeir Love far
Wine, Brandy and Arrack. ' "^
I. rnpSHE Viftuals of the Hoftento'ts'kte the
Jj^ Fleffi and the Entrails of Cattie-''and:of
certain Wild Beafts, with Fruits..g.nd Roots' 6f fe
veral Kinds. But fetting afide the Sacrifices,' vJjfich
are indifpenfible, at Births, Legitiniati6nsj Mar
riages, and other Aderfmakens, the Hottentots rare
ly kill Cattie for their pwn Eating 'but when they
are at a Lpfs for other Siiftehiince.'" The Cattle
they devour between the .Anderfmakens, are,' for
the moft Part, fuch as die naturally ; and they rec
kon 'em, as I have faid, very delicious Eating,
When , between the Anderfmakens, Death, by
Difeafe or Old Age, does not furniffi them with
Carcaffes from the Herds, and the Men are not
contented with Fruits, Roots, and Milk, provi
ded wholly by the Women, they go a hunting or
(if

theCAPE of Good Hope. 201
(if they live near the Sea) a' fiffiing. They ever
hunt in Troops. Sometimes they bring Home a
great Deal of Venifon ; and fometimes they re
turn without.
The Entrails of Cattle, and of fuch Wild Beafts
as they kill for Food, they look upon as moft ex
quifite Eating. They boil 'em in Beaft.-Blood, if
they have any; to which they fometimes add Milk.
This they look upon as a glorious Diffi. If they
have not Blood to boil 'em in, they broil 'em.
And this they do on the bare Fire, for they have
no fuch Thing as a Gridiron.
¦ The Hottentots, Men and Women, love their
Viftuals, whether roafted pr boil'd, ffiould be ve
ry rear. They neither roaft nor boil half long
enough for an European. And the Entrails they
broil are often done as flight! y.
They eat every thing in fuch a Hurry and with
fo much Indecency, that they look extremely wild
and ravenous at Meals; particularly, when they
eat Fleffi ; which being always ferv'd up to 'em
half raw or more, they raake a very furious Ufe of
-the"ir Hands (where they have no Knives) and of
their Teeth to tear and devour it,
' Their Manner of Roafting and Boiling has been
ffiewn already. A Wife is ever her Husband's
Cook, excepting when ffie has the Menfes upon
her ; at which Times he either fpunges upon his
Neighbours, or dreffes his own Viftuals,
Many are the Sorts of Fruits and Roots the Hot
tentots

202 The Prefent BtaU of
tentots eat ; and the Fields up and down, for riie
moft Part, abound witb 'em. Thefe, as I have
faid, are gather'd wholly by the 'Women. In the
Choice of Roots and Fruits for Food they follow
the Hedge Hog and the Bavian, a Sort of A^e ;¦
and will not tafte of iany Sort which thofe Crea
tures do not feed upon. For in thc Hottentot
Countries there are a great many Fruits which are
very lovely to the Eye, and a great many Roots
which promife well for Food, that are of a poifo
nous Nature, and produce, many of 'em, very
difmal Effefts upon fuch as eat 'em.
OneSortof Fruit they eat is call'd the Wild or
the African Almond. They boil thofe Almonds
twice or thrice in freffi Water, and then lay them
in the Sun to dry. So prepar'd, thejf are very
agreable wholefome Food. But if they are eaten
without fome fuch Preparation, they caufe terri
ble Gripings ofthe Guts, and leave a horrid Bit-
ternefs in the Mouth, which remains there for ma
ny Days, fpite of All you can do, by Waffiing or
any other Means, to get rid of it.
The Hottentots have no Set Times for their Me^Is.
They have no Notion of Dividing them, as we do,
into Breakfaft^ Dinner and Supper, but take *em at
Random, as Humour or Appetite calls, without
any Regard to the Hour ofthe Day or the Night.
In fair and calm Weatiier they eat in the open Air,
,When*tis windy or rainy they eat within Doors.
IL The Hottentots have Traditionary Laws, for
bidding the Eating of certain Meats, which they
accordingly abftain from very carefully. Swine's Flefh

the CAPicfGooD Hope. 203
Flelh and Fiflies that have no Scales are forbidden
to both Sexes. The Eating of Hares and Rabbits
is forbidden to the Men, but not to the Women.
The pure Blood of Beafts and the Fleffi of the
Mole are forbidden to the Women, but not to
the Men. The Book of Leviticus will ffiew the
Reader what a Support thofe Laws give to What I
have faid upon the Origin of the Hottentots. The
Mens' Abftaining from the Milk of Ewes has been
mention'd already.
III. The Hottentots, 'Men and Women, often
eat Lice: And the Hottentots are certainly the lou-
ftcft People in the World. Their Naftinefs and
the Heat of the Region contribute largely to the
Generation of this Vermin, You fee 'em often
crawling upon their Bodies and Kroffes in large
Troops : And fome of the Vermin are of aj)rodigi-
ous Size. Men , Women and Children fwarm
with 'em. When they ffiake their Kroffes, or put
ting 'em off, and hanging 'em to a Bough or the
Side ofa Hut, beat 'em with Sticks, the Lice tum
ble off in Clufters, and Thoufands uponThoufands
fwarm on the Ground. But the Ver«iin ftick
fo faft to the Greafe, that the Kroffes are not to
be clear'd of 'em without a very tight Drubbing,
and a laborious Ufe of Eyes and Fingers afterwards.
You often fee Legions of Lice crawfing upon the
Roads where the Hottentots have lous'd themfelves.
They often fwarm on the Area of a Kraal, af
fembled in Regiments as on Parade. When the
Hottentots loufe thernfelves, they generally pick up
the ijarge fwagging Lice, which they judge to be
full of Blopd, and devour 'em. Ask 'em. How
they can eat fijch deteftable Vermin, and they tell
you

204 'The Prefent Staie of
you, they do it in Revenge, " They fuck, our
" Blood, fay they : Why ffiould not we be even
*' with 'em. They do not fpare us : Why fhould
*' we fpare them ? They rob us ofour Blood; and
" we make Reprifals. " And fo on.
You can hardly pafs by a Kraalhutyou fee ma
ny ofthe Inhabitants, Men and Women, fitting in
Rows and loufing themfelves.. But they generally
give their Kroffes a thorough Drubbing before
they fit down to raake Inquifition with their , Eyes
and Fingers. They have no Notion of being
affiam'd when they are difcover'd at this Sport, but
purfue the Game, let who will appear before- 'em,
with as much Countenance as we do the moft laii-
dable Employments or Diverfions.
IV. I have inform'd the Reader already, that
the Hottentots, when they are in a great Strait for
Food, will devour the Rings of Leather which the
Woraen wear upon their Legs, They will like-
wifej in the farae Strait, eat old caft- off Shoes.
The Europeans at the Cape have a Sort of Shoes
they call Field-Shoes. Thtefe are cut out of the
raw Hide of an Ox* or Stag, and raade, the hairy
Side outward, in the Shape of a Half-Stocking,
flit down in Front from the Ankle to the Toe.
On the Lappets on both Sides, frora the Ankle to
the Toe, are feveral little Holes, through which
runs a String that laces the Shoes on. But before
they put 'em on, they wrap their Ankles and Feet
in Linnen to prevent Galling from the RoughneH
of the Leather. In thefe Shoes the Europeans often
travel in the Hottentot Countries j and they wear
'em

the Cap t. o/' GoodHope: 205
'em upon moft Bufinefs in the Fields. And as thefe
Shoes are very cheap, the Hide of an Ox or Stag
coming at the Cape, the firft for about a Crown,
the other for about Haifa Crown, there is hardly
an European there who is not provided with Half a
Dozen Pair of 'em. When the Hair is worn off,
or Holes are difcover'd in the Soles, they are
thrown away.
Thefe old Caft-away Shoes the poor Hottentots
gather and lay up vefy carefiilly againft a Time
of Want, upon which, through their abominable
Lazinefs, they are often thrown. For though the
Fields abound with wholefome and very nouriffiing
Fruits and Roots, which they might lay up in Plen
ty againft a rainy Day, yet it being the Cuftom of
the Woraen, to which their Lazinefs for ever holds
'em, 'to gather in a Morning only fuch a Quantity
of Fruits, Roots, &c. as will ferve their Families
for the Day, they are fometimes, in long and excef
five Rains, when there is no Stirring out for Any
one, reduc'd to great Extremities ; and then they
eat old Shoes, if they have any by 'em.
Their Manner of Dreffing 'em is this. They
finge Off the Hair ; then, having foak'd 'era a little
inWater, broil 'era upon the bare Fire ttll they
begin to wrinkle and run up. And then they de
vour 'em.
V. The Hottentots, as has been obferv'd more
than once already, never eat Salt among themfelves.
Nor do they, among themfelves, feafon their Vic
tuals with any Manner of Spice, Yet they are not
a little delighted with the Salt- and otherwife high fea-

So6 the Prefent State df
feafon'd Viftuals of the Europeans. Thfey lay in
luftily of thofe Viands whenever they get at 'em,
and turn a watering Mouth and a loving Lfeer upon
every Diffi that paffes by 'em. But, as has been
obferv'd, fuch "Viftuals are very peitiicious to *em'|
They are ofteii fick at the Stomach, and often at
tack'd with Fever;^, after fuch Eating. And fuch
of 'em as eat for any Length of Time with the
' Europeans, thereby fubjeft themfelves to many
Other Maladies they were in no linger of
fliore they fell into fuch a Way, and attain to
Nothing near Age to which the Hottentots or
dinarily live.
VI. It has beerr-obferv'd up and down in the
foregoing Fart of this Hiftory, that the Men and
the Women eat not together. *
" It has been ", fay they, *' the Cuftom in all
*« Times for the Men to avoid joining with the
*' Women not only in their Meals but in any En-
*' tertaiament whatfoever. There is no Excepti-
*' on tp this but the Indulgence that is granted to
" a Man on his Marriage-Day. " The Reafon
they affign for this Cuftoihi which I got after
much Tugging, is this : " We look upon a Man,
" fay they, as extremely defil'd who touches a
*< Woman or any Thing belonging to her, or par-
*« takes with her ofthe fame Food, or comes but
" near her, while the Menfes are upon her ; and
" if he is known to be under fuch Defilement, he
" is oblig'd, if he isnot content the Men ffiould'
*« for ever fhun him, to purifie himfelf by offering
*' an Ox. Now, we fo ofteft. Men and Woraen,
" arc call'd to partake of the Feafts at the An-
ti derf"

the Cape ofGti o d H op i: ^
•« derfmketts , and we fo often cat with out
** Neighbours, that if the Sexes at thofe Times
•« were to eat together, it were a great Hazard
«« every Tihie, but all the Meh were defil'd; for
** it rarely happens in an Affembly of Women, but
** one or other of *em has the Menfes upon her.
" We therefore, the Men, avoid the Women .at
*? thofe Times. And thofe Times return fo quick,
« that we make it, as our Anceftors did for the
*« fame Reafon a Cuftom to avoid eating
" with our Wives or joining in any of their
v»* Entertainments at Home. Thfe Reafon, which
I have put in the beft Light I can , is a very
Ihallowone, as the Reader, if he weighs the fore
going Part of this Hiftory, will eafily fee. B!l^
*tis the only one I cduld get from 'em.
If a Hottentot Man and his Wife are in the Ser
vice of an European, and under the fape Roof,
the Regard they pay to this Cuftom obliges the Eu-
ropeanto zffxgn. 'cm each a diftlnft Portion of Vic
tuals, whfch they conftantly eat at a g6od Diftance
from one another.
VII. The Men, when they travel or go a hun
ting, provide themfelves -fiithDacha and Tobaccoi
and with Brandy if they can. They never ftir with
ont a Pipe of fome Sort. If they are attack'd with
Hunger at any confiderable Diftance from ¦ Home
and from any Kraal , they repel it with Roots
arid Fruits which they find in the Fields, andwhich^
they eat raw. ^
But thc wealthy Hottentots, when they travel ,
generally- carry with 'em. a convenient Portion of
Fleffi

ao8 the Prefent State of
Fleffi. And being generally provided with Flint
and Steel, and Fuel being to be had in any Part of
xhe Hottentot Countries, they can eafily make a
Fire any where for roafting the Fleffi. Such as
are not provided with Flint and Steel get Fire
for lighting their Pipes, by rubbing a dry
Twig upon a Piece of Iron- Wood they carry with
'em. They rub the Twig fo quick.and hard, that
Smoak is prefently begot, and prefently a Flame ;
which, if they want to roaft Meat, they preferve
by the immediate Addition of other Fuel. If they
are obliged to lie all Night in the Fields, they ge
nerally make a large Fire to fright the Wild Beafts
from'em, and guard 'em, while they, repofe, from
any Inclemency of the Air. Their Tinder is a
dry Reed, which catches Fire as quick as the Tin
der we make of the fineft Rags.
VIIL The ordinary Drink of the Hottentots is
Milk and Water. This Beverage is the prevail
ing Liquor on every Occafion ; for they have
Nothing- better of their own'; and they cannot af
ford to make large Purchafes of Wines or Brandies.
When they are plentifully provided with Milk,
they often drink it without Water.- And when
Milk runs low, they often content themfelves with;
pure Element. The Reader remembers what has
been faid of Sheeps Milk. ;
IX. The Hottentots , Men and Women , are .
doatingly fond of Tobacco. Their Paffion for this
Plant has no Bounds. When they are out of Tobac
co they will part with any Thing they have, or do
almoft anyThing in the World, to procure more :
And they manage it at all Times with fo tnuch
Thrift

the C APE of Good Hope. 209
Thrift and Care, that they neither lofe nor wafte
the leaft Bit of it. A Hottentot had rather lofe a
Tooth than a Corn of Tobacco. They fay. No
thing they eat or drink isfo exquifite a Regale.
It comforts and refreffie^ them, fay they, beyond
Expreffion. A Hottentot, who is in Want of To
bacco, and has no other Means to procure it, will
perform a hard Day's Work for half an Ounce ;
and when he gets it, will hug it in Tranfports ;
ftare with a crack-brain'd Joy on the precious Re
ward, and laugh, caper and fwagger like a Fellow
quite outof his Wits.
The Europeans at the Cape look upon the Hot
tentots to be much better Judges of Tobacco than
themfelves : And I believe the Hottentots are fo.
They will, by Smoaking a Pipe of a Parcel of
Tobacco, difcover Its good or bad Qualities to a
wonderful Nicety, and give you a Detail of 'em,
which, when you come to fmoak the Tobacco
your felf, you find in every Particular true. For
this Talent they are not in a Httle Efteem among
the Europeans at the Cape, whp hardly ever pur
chafe a Parcel of Tobacco there, till a Hottentot
has fmoak'd a Pipe of it and pafs'd his Judgment.
I have often made Ufe of 'em my felf in the Ca
pacity of Tobacco-Triers. When I have wanted
to lay in a Stock for my Self, and have been
ihewn a Parcel, it was conftantly my Way, as it is
the Way of moft others at the Cape,^ to call to the
next Hottentot, known or unknown, to come and
fmoak a Pipe of it, and give me his Opinion. They
are very proud of this Office ; and they difcharge
it, indeed, with wonderful Abilities.
O A

2io\ ' the Prefent State of
A Hottentot will not enter into the Service of aft
.European , unlefs Tobacco be made Part of his
Wages; He muft have a certain Allowance of
Tobacco every Day, or 'tis in vain to treat with
him. And if the Portion it is agreed he ffiall re
ceive daily, is butv^thheld for one Day, he becomes
reftive and untraftable ; and uppn the like Ufage
the Day after, throws up the Cudgels, demands
his other Hire, and can hardly be perfuaded to
ftrike a Stroke more for fuch a Mafter.
Dacha, is a Thing, of which the Hottentots are
likewife raighty fond. It baniffies Care and Anx
iety, fay they, like Wine or Brandy, and infpires
thera with a Million of delightful Fancies, I know
Nothmg by Experience of the Delights, they fay,
it throv/s into the Iinagination : Butthis I know,
that it often intoxicates 'em to downright Madnefs.
The ftrongeft Diftillations have not a more furious
Effeft upon the Head of an European,, than Dacha
has upon the Brains of a Hottentot. It fets his
Tongue a going like the Flyer ofa Jack, He raves,
ftares and capers as if he was poffefs'd; and lofes
himfelf in a Million of the wildeft Aftions arid In
coherencies, They often mix Dacha and Tobacco
together, and then call it Bufpafch.
X. There 'is a Root, gather'd in the Hottentot
Countries, call'd Kanna; which is in fuch Efteem
among the Hottentots for its great Vertues that they
almoft adore it. What greatly enfiames the
Value of this Root, is its Scarcity ; for 'tis very
rarely found. They look' upon it as the greateft
Chearer of the Spirits, and the nobleft Reftorative
in the World, They will give almoft any Thing in

-fu/y^ca/ia: <rl?^i^/yi> :,y2;^d-y^^^ \ ^?^ ^^^ '^ftl
J'te^^ofed ¦ to fe tAe ./w^.v^ J%7^ i^ie JCodie/t&>ifj- ca/Z Ka

nna . p..

/^f Caj-e of GoodHope. sii
in Exchange for it ; and will, any of, 'em, nm
Twenty Miles upon ah Errand, or perform a
hard Day's Work, for a very fmall Bit of it. With
a Piece of Kanna you rnay manage 'ern almoft in
any Manner you pleafe. You win theif Hearts
for' ever by prefenting them with the fmalleft Chip
of it ; and they will run; fetch and carry for you
Jike yoiir Slavcfe, under fo charming an Obligation.
I once diftributed a Bit of this Root, not bigger
than a Finger, in fmall Chips to feveral Hottentot
Families, near which I refided, and fo gain'd thofe
Families to my Pleafure by thofe little Prefents,
that, froth that Time to the Time I left 'em, they
fought all Opportunities to oblige me.
Father Tachart fays, " the Namaquas prefented
" of this Root to forae Hollanders of Note, who
*' travell'd through their Country in the Year
" 1682, and thought it a noble Return for the
*' Prefents of Tobacco, Brandy, &c. the Hollan-
" ders had raade 'em. " This Father is of Opinion
that the Kanna of the Hottentots is the Gitifseng of
the Chinefe. Upon this I can fay Nothing of my
own, fince I never faw the Ginffeng. Of the fame
Opinion with Father Tachart, is Erafm. Frftncifci,
who, in his Eaft and Weft India State- and Pleafure
Garden, gives a Detail of Vertues as common to
the Ginffeng^ind the Kanna; many ofwhich, 'tis cer
tain, the Kanna poffeffes in a very Mgh Degree.
The Reader, perhaps, will be pleas'd with his Ac
count of the Ginffeng, " In the Province of Pecking,
" fays he, is gather'd the Root, v/hieh the Chinefe caW
" GfK^«^,.highly efteem'd throughout all China for
" its Great Virtues. This Root is gather'd likewili in
-"" Japan, and is there call'd Nifi. The Chinefe call it
O 2 Girffeng

212 the Prefent State of
«« Ginffeng, becaufe in Shape it nearly refembles a
*f Man, call'd, in the Chinefe Language, Gin. *Tis
*« pretty like a ftraddling bow-Iegg'd Man ; and,
«« indeed, is Very curious to the Eye. 'Tis Some-
*' thing like the European Mandragora, but much
*' lefs^; and is, without Doubt, a Sort of it, be-
«' caufe it refembles the Mandragora pretty nearly
«« in its Effefts too. When dry, it is of a yellow
" Colour , divided by fine Streaks of Black. It
«' yields in the Mouth a Mixture of Bitter and
« Sweet, very eafily endur'd. So fmall a Quanti-
*' ty as a Penny- weight gives wonderful Relief in
*' Sinkings of the Spirits : And on fuch Occafions
*' the Dofe is rarely larger. It wonderfully forti-
" fies the Nerves, and warms a cold Conftituti-
¦" on. But then the Dofe muft be fomewhat lar-
" ger. 'Tis dangerous to Temperaments that
»' abound with Choler, or are very fanguine ; for
" to the Blood and Spirits of fuch it gives the moft
" furious Aftion. It is excellent for Broken Con-
" ftitutions , and in all Confumptive Cafes. In
*«. ffiort, it is, in a Sort, a Catholicon forallConfti-
" tutions butthe very cholerick and the very fan-
" guine ; ond isof fo great Value in China, that
" a Pound of itis rarely fold there for lefs than
*' three Pounds of Silver.
I have often feen the Effefts of Kanna upon Hot
tentots. They chew and retain it a confiderable
Time in their Mouths. But taking gene
rally too much of it at a Tinie, it drowns 'em
in Intoxications. They chew it not long , be
fore their Spirits vifibly rife, their Eyes brighten,
their Faces take a jovial Air, and they fport and
wanton under a thpufand Gaieties of Imagination, But

/iJ^ Cape e/Go od Hope. 213
But in the End it ftrips 'em of their Senfes, and
throws 'em into the wildeft Deliria.
XI. The Hottentots are great Lovers of Wine,
Brandy and Arrack. For Wine, they never trou
ble themfelves about the Qualities of it. If 'tis
as foul as Thunder, as thick as Moloffes, or as
four as Verjuice, they buy and fwallow it with a
great Deal of Pleafure. Nay, if they are to be
believ'd, they prefer foul thick Wine before fuch
as is fine : " For taking", fay they, " a Pipe of
*^ Dacha or Tobacco immediately after it, we get
" Three or Four fine Stools, which contribute not
** a little to the Keeping us in Health. Thick
" Wine for us : 'Tis a generous Regale, and ad-
•* mirable Phyfick into the Bargain." But this is,
doubtlefs, a Sham of theirs. In the Choice of
Wines I always found they were determin'd by
the Price only; and that the cheapeft was always
the beft with them. They will buy Hog- Waffi
for Wine, that has but the leaft Tafte ofthe Grape
init. They love Brandy immoderately , becaufe it
prefently heats and makes 'em merry, Moft of
thc Brandy they buy, is diftil'd at the Cape from
Grapes that grow thereabout. Malt Spirits; which
are likewife made at the Cape, are not much drank
by *em, tho' they are as cheap or cheaper than the
Cape-^vandy ; for they apprehend, as well as other
people, that Malt-Spirits are not fo wholefome aa
Brandy. They are ever charm'd with a Glafs of
Brandy, and are your humble Servents a thoufand
Times over for fo agreable a Prefent,
0 3 ^^

214 *^k^e Prefent State of
Arrack, which is plentiful at the Cape, is . like-
wife rauch coveted by the Hottentots. Being there
much cheaper than Brandy, they frequently drink
it to Excels ; and, what is more, brag of it the
next Day as a mighty Honour to 'em. You ofren
fee one Hottentot carrying another, who is dead-
drunk with Arrack, Home upon his Back.
But a great many Hottentots, about the Town at
the Cape, were once, in ray Time there, fo four'd
with Arrack, that they took up a Refolution never
to touch it again . The Occafion was this. A
Governour of Ceylon dying at Sea, ffiort of the
Cape, in his Return to Europe, his Corpfe was
iramediately put in Arraek, to preferve it. The
Ship touching at the Cape, the Corpfe was brought
affiore tiiere, in order to be laid in a new Coffin '
and freffi Arrack. The Corpfe being taken out of
the Coffin, the Coffin was brought into the Street, in
order to the Turning out the Arrack the Corpfe had
laid in. A Number of Hottentots, who were-affembled
before the Houfe where the Corpfe was lodg'd, get
ting the Scent of fhe Arrack, and feeing whatwas go
ing to be done with it, carae up haftily to the Cof
fin, and while the Arrack was pouring out, receiv'd
it, fome of 'em, upon the Lappets of their .Kiro^j,
which they held up Pocket-wife, while others of
'em caught what they could in the Palms of their
Hands and carried it to their Mouths. They
were fo dexterous at this Work, that they got the
greateft Part of the Arrack among 'em, and were
prefentiy, moft of 'em, quite drunk with it. So
eageriy they fwallow'd it, that they did not mind
the aborainable Stench it had contrafted from ths
Corpfe, This Arrai\ in a few Hours after, gave

theCAPE of GoodHope. 215
'em fuch a Number of furious Stools, and the
Stench of it remain'd fo long in their Mouths, Spite
of all they could do by Waffiing and other Means
to get rid ofit, that they were frighten'd almoft
out of their Wits, and could hardly endure them
felves. They thought themfelves bewitch'd. They
rav'dand ftorra'd; and for a longTime after had nei
ther the Courage to drink it nor the Patience to
hear it nam'd. But at Length, being made tho
roughly fenfible, how the Arrack they had drank had
contrafted the pernicious Qualities that had difor
der'd them, which at firft they could not cotapre-
hend, they baniffi'd their Prejudices, and Arrack
became again a darhng Liquor.
CHAP. XVIIL
Of the Kraals, or Villages, of the Hot
tentots ; their Huts and Hut-
Furniture.
L Their Kraals. II. Their Huts. III. Their Hut-
Furniture. IV. Tbeir Hut- or Houfe Dogs.
I. ^ I 1 H E Huts of a Kraal are, as I have faid,
JJ_ rang'd in a Circle, the Area of which
is quite open. But tho' the Hottentots are frequent
ly involv'd in Wars, one Nation againft another,
and their Kraals are frequently ia the Night Tima
invaded by Wild Beafts, they have no Notion,
any of the Nations, of. erefting about their Kraals
any Sort of Fortification. And when they are told
ofthe Praftice of the Europeans to fortifie their
inland Towns againft an Enemy, they generally
O 4 , laugh

2i6 The Prefent State of
laugh at .'em very heartily, as guilty, in that Mat
ter , of a moft ridiculous Folly , tho' they will
give you no Manner of Argument to prove it one.
Boeving fays, " A XrW confifts of about Fif-
" teen Huts ; rarely more. " He never faw a
right Kraal , if , aS I underftand , he was never
farther up in the Country than the Lion- Mountain,
which is but a little Way from thc Cape ; between
which Mountain and the Cape not a Village or
CoUeftion of Huts is to be feen, which the Hot
tentots dignify with the Name of Kraal. The
Villages between thofe Places the 'Hottentots look
upon as contemptible out - ftraggling Knots of
Huts. Ahd indeed they are not only far from the
Spacioufnefs and Regularity of the Kraals , but
there is little or Nothing kept up in 'em of a Kraal
Government. They are Fragments of Kraals; the
Inhe bitants of which, the Hottentots, higher up in
the Country, look upon as a Sort of Revolters to
to the Europeans, and are ready to difown.
I have feen Hundreds of Kraals, and never faw
one that confifted of lefs than Twenty Huts.
There are manyfo large that the Huts are not eafily
counted : And it is, in the Eye of a Hottentot, a
very contemptible Kraal that contains not more
than a Hundred Souls. The Generality of the
Kraals contain each from Three Hundred to Four
Hundred Souls. Some contain above Five Hun
dred. On the Area of a Kraal is fometimes lodg'd
feveral Thoufands of fmall Cattle : Now, fince
the Huts are always rang'd as clofe as poffible to
one another, in order to keep the Cattle in, the
Reader will eafily conceive, there can be no in
confiderable Number qf Huts in fuch a Kraal l

/i5^ Cape e/"GooD Hope: 217
I muft here obferve upon a Miftake of Vogel.
I forgot to do it in the Chapter on the Hottentot-
Cattle, where the Obfervation would perhaps have
ftood better. This Author fays , the Hottentots
make lyge Fires in the Night Times round their
Kraals', behind their Great Cattle, in order to keep
thofe Cattle within the Bounds, and fecure 'em
from the Wild Beafts.
I could never fee or hear ofany Fires made about
a Kraal. In the fcambling Villages indeed (fuch
as are feen between the Lion Mountain and the
Cape, where the Huts are not enough for the For
ming a convenient Circle,) it jbeing the Cuftom to
drive their Cattle at Night up to their Huts, and
put 'em there in a Sort of Fold, made with Boughs,
laid one upon another, they make Fires, which
burn all Night at the Doors of their Huts, to
fright away the Wild Beafts,
All the Authors I have feen upon the Hottentots
are one Way or other miftaken in their Accounts
of the Hottentot Huts, Boeving fays, " they re-
«« femble Ovens and Hay-ricks. " Ovens, indeed, ^
they refemble pretty nicely ; but not Hay-ricks y
at leaft, no Hay -ricks that I have feen.
Vogel fays, " the Hottentots cover theit Huts
" with Straw. " Here's a Miftake indeed. Where
ffiould the Hottentots get Straw .' It does not appear
that they knew any Thing of Corn or Straw till
the Dutch came aipohg 'em, who were the firft that
fow'd Corn in the Hottentot Countries. 1 I never faw
or heard of a Hottentot Hut that was cover'd wi|h
Straw. Nor do I believp, a Hottentot would cover his

2i8 the Prefenf State of
his Hut with Straw, or make it any Part of the
Building, if he had a Thoufand Loads. The
Hottentots, I have found, are as tenacious of the
Cuftoms of their Anceftors with Regard to ^^
Shape and Materials of their Huts, as they are of
any other Cuftoms they derive from 'em. Fpr
the Reft, Vogel defcribes the Huts tolerably well.
Father Tachart fays , the Sonquas , a Hottentot
«' , Nation, make their Abode, for the moft Part,
*' in Caves; and only now and then dwell in Huts.
In this the Father was certainly mifinform'd; for I
made many Enquiries about it at theCape, of Such
as had feen the whole Territory of the Sonquas, and
was ever anfwer'd , that they never heard tbat
any of the Sonquas dwelt at any Time in Caves, .
nor faw, in any Part of the Territory, Caves they
might dwell in.
The fame Father fays , " the Hottentots are
«' either Huntfmen or Shepherds: Thatthe Huntf-
" men dwell in deep Caves, an^ fubfift altogether
" upon the Chace ; and that the Shepherds dwell
" in Huts, and live upon the Fleffi and Mftk of ¦
" their Cattle. " How was the Good Man abus'd !
He never faw a Cave a Hottentot dwelt in ; for he
was never farther than the Cape Town ; and I ara
fure there is no fuch Hottentot Dwelling there;
nor could I ever fee or hear, that any of the Hot- •
tentots, at any Tirae, made their Abode in Caves,
Boeving fays, the Building of the Huts is thc
Bufinefs of the Women only : This is a Miftake:
And he makes many more in his Account of thc
Manner in which the Huts are built. The.'

'~T^^iTW^r^¦ ip- 2 /J).

T'A^ 7fnrffflnf^/rr .^k/JtJler. A:,?

tl^ Cape of Good Hope. 219
The Hottentot Materials for the Building of
Huts, are Sticks and Mats. The Sticks are of
the. THckHefs of a Rake-Handle, but much lon
ger. The Mats are made of Flags and BuU-Ruffies
dried in the Sun; and are wrought fo clofe that they
are not to be penetrated by the Rain tho' bea
ten with it for many Days together. Thefe Mats
^re the Manufafture of the Women.
* Thc Area of a Hut is an Oval ; the longeft
Diameter of which is generally about Fourteen
Feet ; the, ffiorteft about Ten. Over the ffiorteft
piameter they fix a Stick, if they have one long
enough , Arch-wife. , both Ends faften'd in the
Ground ; and the Top pf this Arch, which i«i
rarely fo high as that a Man ca,n ftand under it
ereft , is tbe Sumrait of the Hut. If they have
not a Stick loilg enough, they fix Two Sticks, one
at each End of the ffiort Diameter , and joining
them Arch-wife,, faften them together with a Sort
of Rope they have, made of Ruffies. On the Side
of the ffiort Diameter , towards the Front, tbey
generally fet up, at equal Diftances, three more
' of thofe Arches , gradually decreafing in Height
from the Middle - Arch ; and the fmalleft Arch,
on this Side, is the Entrance of the Hut. The
. Arches on the other Side the ffiort Dian-ieter ,
for the Back-Part of the Hut, are generaUy Five in
Number , grajduahy decreafing too in Height
from the Middle- Arch. The Arches being fix'd,
they cover them with Mats, which they lie fome
what over one another, and faften to one another

,.* Vide Tab. VII. . Fig. ;. a«d

'220 The Prefent State of
and to the Arches fo tightly, that they are not to
be remov'd by either Wind or Rain. Ifthey have
not Mats enough, they fupply the Deficiency with
raw Skins.
The Huts of the wealthy Hottentots have general
ly Two Coverings; one, the undermoft, of Mats ;
the other of Skins. Thefe Coverings are not to
be penetrated by the moft raging Heats, or , thc
moft violent Rains.
A Hottentot Hut receives no Light from the Sun,
but what comes in by the Entrance, which is an
Arch about Three Foot high, and Two broad :
After faying which, the Reader needs not be told,
that the Men and Women are oblig'd to go in al
moft upon All Four. On the Top of this Arch is
fix'd a Skin y to be taken up and let down, like
a Falling Window - Shutter, with which, when the
Wind blows incom modioufly into the Hut, they
clofe up the Arch fo tightly that nota Breath can
enter. If theWind holds long in the incommoding
Quarter, they make a Door-Paffage in the Back
Part of the Hut, and go in and out only by that
till the Wind ffiifts, !
1
There is, as I have hinted above, no fuch TWng
as Standing upright in a Hottentot Hut for any but
Children. The Men and Women therefore fquat-
down in 'era upon their Hams ; a Pofture the Hot
tentots are fo us'd to, that they keep in it, as
long and with as much Eafe, as we do in a Chair.
Boeving agrees with me pretty well in the Dimen
fions of a Hfi^^^w?*?? Hut : And I agree with him, tha?

theCAPE of GoodHope; 221
that a Hottentot Family is generally frqm Ten to
Twelve, young and old, in fuch a Hut. But 'tis a
wild Miftake of Father Tachart, that Four or Five
Families dwell together in a Hut. Here and there,
indeed, you fee a large Hut, in which perhaps
they might do it j but 'tis never done.
III. For the Furniture of a Hottentot Hut ,'
Two or Three Pots for Cookery, a Pot or two for
Drinking , and feveral other earthen Veffels for
Milk and Butter , together with Kroffes, Bows
and Arrows , Haffagayes , Kirri- and Rackum-
Sticks, are generally the Whole ofit. Their fpare
Kroffes, their Bows and Arrows &c. are hung up
on the Sides of the Hut. For the Accommoda
tions in a Hut, they are only Holes, dug on each
Side , to fleep in, excepting one in the Middle,
about a Foot deep , which is the Fire-Place for
Gookinjg their Viftuals and Warming themfelves
in Cold Weather. Every Man, Woman and Child
(unlefs 'tis a fucking one) has a particular Hple to
lie in. In thefe Holes, when they go tp Reft,
they fpread their Kroffes, and lying dpwn uppn 'em,
cpver themfelves", if the Weather be cold, with
fpare Kroffes. The Women always wearing two
Kroffes, lie upon one of 'em, and cover themfelves
with tljie other.
Smoak in a Hottentot Hut having no Vent but
by the Entrance, there is no Staying for an Euro
pean in a Hut that has a Fire in it. But a Hotten
tot ftays in the Smoak with fome Pleafure, and is
little or nothing offended with the thickeft, made
with moift Wood and the Dung pf Cattle, which
the Hottentots often lay upon their Fires. It

222 the Prefent State of
It is a Thing of great Enquiry araong the Euro
peans at the Cape, who have not hitherto, thatl
could ever hear of, obtain'd any Satisfaftion in it,
How the Hottentots; when they have Fires in their
Huts, fecure their Huts from being fir'd ; which,
by fome Means or other, they ever do. Their
Huts are fo fmall, and are made of Materials fo
fufceptible of Fire, and are fo lin'd with greafy Kroffes
and other combuftible Things, that the Preferva
tion ofthem from Fire, at fuch Times, is to me
and to all the Europeans at the Cape a moft unac
countable Thing. I was, Time after Tirae, at a
great deal of Pains and Expence araong the Hot
tentots to get out the Secret of this ; but could ne
ver obtain a Tittle of it. And that they have a
Secret for it, is, I think, a Thing not to be doub- .
ted. I know not what they thought of my Know
ledge or Capacity, but they generally laugh'd ,
when I enquir'd of 'em How they preferv'd their
Huts from Fire, and told me ,they wonder'd how
I could be ignorant of the Thing. And this
Laughing and Wonderment were the Utmoft I
could get from 'em. I don't think tho', [they have
a Charm for this, as, fome aver, have the Gipfies.
'Tis an idle Whim to imagine, as many do, that
the Gipfies gather and fell a Robt that for ever
preferves the Houfe it is lodged in from accidental
Fire. I have Nothing farther to obferve concerning
the Furniture of the Hottentot Huts, fave that the
Huts of the Wealthy are often hung with beauti
ful Kroffies and a Variety of Trinkets ; and that
narrow, filthyand dark as are all the Hottentot Huts,
Harmony reigns continually in alraoft every one of
them ;

theCAPE cfGooD Hope. 223
them ; that heavenly Charm, fo rarely to be met
with in the Palacejj of Europe.
When a Difference happens between a Hottentot
Man and his Wife, 'tis quickly accomraodated.
All their Neighbours interpofe in an Inftant as Me
diators, and in an Inftant thc Quarrel is made up.
The Hottentots run to the Suppreffion of Strife that
has feiz'd a Faraily, as we do to the Putting out of
a Fire that has feiz'd a Houfe; and allow themfelves
no Reft till every Matter in Difference is adjuf
ted; IV. There is hardly a Hottentot Hut that has
not a Dog or two belonging to it; brave, honeft,
loving Creatures , extremely cheriffi'd by their
Mafters for their Fidelity and Good Services, Boe
ving falls heavily upon the Hottentots for allowing
their Dogs to fit about the Fite, and lie in the
Huts with 'em. Why, in the Name of Wonder,
ffiould he blame the Hottentots for allowing their
Dogs to etige in about their Fires. Is it not the
Praftice of the Europeans ? Who in Europie has
not got fuch a Love for thofe generous Creatures as
to fuffer them about the Fire. Do not Multitudes (
of Europeans fuffer them to lie upon their Beds too ?
Yes ; and in this carry their Refpeft for a Dog
much farther than the Hottentots ; for {Boeving is
miftaken) the Hottentots don' tfu&r their Dogs to
lie in the Huts with 'em. They turn 'era out
every Night to guard their Cattle ; an Office the
Dogs are well vcrs'd in, and difcharge with great
Watchfulnefs and Courage, For thefe Qualities, as
I have faid, the Hottentots cheriffi and carels 'em :
And does not Reafon, as well as the Praftice of
Eu-

224 the Prefenf State of
Europe, juftifie 'em for doing fo. It is in the Hot-
iffK/o/ Nations, as with us,\Love me. Love my Dog; and
a Deg is refpefted there, as he is with us, according
to his Abilities or the Family he belongs to.
And great are often the Capacity and Accom-
jliffiraents of a Hottentot Dog. In the Day, ifit is
lis Mafter's Turn to go with the Herds to Pafture,
le attends him thither, with other Dogs which fol-
ow their Mafters on the like Occafion. Nor Shep
herd's nor Butchei*s Dog in Europe, perhaps , has
Half the Cues for the Driving and Watching of
Cattle thefe Dogs have. While the Herds are upon
the Way to Pafture, the Dogs are inceffantly running
to and again in the Flanks and the Rear and bar
king with a very lively Authority, to keep the
Herds tothe Line upon which their Mafters intend
.to drive 'em, and which they readily apprehend :
And when the Herds are arriv'd at the Place where
they are to graze that Day, the Dogs employ
themfelves, withput Bidding, partly as do the Bac
keleyers or Vi^tmg Oxen, to fetch in Stragglers,
and keep the Cattle together, and partly in fecur
ing the Fields about, the Herds ; which they
do from Time to Tirae, as they are comraanded, in
a Body, to keep off the Wild Beafts. And when
the Cattle are fix'd for the Night in and about
the Kraizls, and their Mafters are retiring to Bed,
out of the Huts turn all the Dogs, to raount the ,
Guard for the whole Night againft the fame
Enemy. And in this Sefvice they are fo watchful
and aftive, that they come in, perhaps, for a third
Part of the Security of the Great Cattle ; which,
notwithftanding their Lowing and Diforder upon
the Approach of Wild Beafts, would often fuffer by

, /iJ^ Cape ef Good Hope. 22 s
by 'em before the Hottentots could fally out of their
Huts and corae up, if it Were not for the "Dogs,
which patrole fromTime to Tirae about the Herds,
and upon the leaft Lowing or Diforder, fall a roar
ing and barking, and run to raeet and engage the
Enemy. The Hottentots, are in a Minute at dieir
Heels ; and in a Minute the Enemy, is either dif-
patch'd or put to Flight. Rarely, very rarely,
does he go off with any Booty.
A Dog is the only Domeftick Animal the Hot
tentots have ; andhe is fo neceffary, that they can
by no Means. do without him. But he is ilich a
Piece of Uglinefs , of the Dog-Kind, as is not to
be feen, perhaps in any other Part of the World.
Tho' he has a Thoufand good Qualities, you fee
nothing in his Features that is indicative of one of'
'em. Appearance never gave fuch a Lie as it does
in him. All is fo ugly without, that you would
think, all was ugly within. He feems all Falfehood
and Surlinefs, whereas he is all Fidelity and Com-
plaifance. In Europe, if a Man was not fpnd of
ffiewing him as a Curiofity, he would be affiam'd
to fee him at his Heels. He is more like a Fox
than he is any -Sort of Dog we have among us.
His Mouth is pointed : His Ears are dteft : His
Tail is long and narrow ; ahd he. drags it on the
Ground. His Hair , which is thin , but long ,
points eve.ry Way,:.and falls no where fleek upon
his Bpdy. He makes fuch a Scoundr^f Figure ,
that all . his good Qualities together, are hardly -a
Ballance for it ; and every Man living, but a Hot
tentot, on every Occafion, but that of Curiofity,.
would bc quite affiam'd of him.
P . .i This

226 the Prefenf State of
This Account ofthe Hottentot Dog the Reader
will think, perhaps, had been better inferted in the
Chapter on the Hottentot Management with Regard
to Cattle.
e H A P. XIX.
Gf certain Handy-Crafts the Hottentofsexpt^c
among themfelves.
I; Of the Butcher. IJ, The Skinner. IIL .Sf
" Taylor. IV. The Worker in Ivory. V. ^it
Mat-Maker, VI. The Rope-Maker.. VII. The.
Pottet. YllL The Smith. ' ;:
IF the Charafter of the floW(?«Mj isJ^ot already
' refcued from the Ignorapce and Stupidity in
which all Authors upon 'emhave-itiyoly'd it, it re
mains to be done in this Chapter : And if I do it
not here, I ffiall defpair of doing it any where elfe.
The Handy^iCrafts they exercife among themfelves
fhew 'em to be a contriving dexterous People^
The Mifchief of All is their Lazinefs. They v\fil|
neither work nor reafon but upon a Kind rof
Force. Letit not be faid then, as ftupid as aHotten-^
toi, but ai lazy as one. -;.!
I. I ffiall begin wiph an Account ofthe Butchet's
Art, and fay at once, that there is not a Butchel
in £«rop^who handles a Knife with Half the Dexte
rity of a Hottentot. They kill a Sheep in the folf-
lowing Manner. * Thisy tie his Fore-Feet togli

Vide Tab. VIIL Fig, i. thev

'^JjikroT. g/^. t. p, aatT.

^he- Merttentiriif 3 uthhei^

''^f. z .p . 0-2 f

^he MattgntirtMahMaAe>r-T^^tter- s^c.

f^^ Cape of Go OD Hop E. 227
ther. The fame they do with the Hind-Feet.
Then, One taking Hold of his Fore-Feet, and ano
ther taking Hold of his Hind-Feet, they ftretch
him Pn his Back on the Ground ; and a Third, with
a Knife, rips up the Belly of the Sheep, fo that
all the Entrails, appear. Then, with one Hand, he
tears gently the Guts from the Carcafs and nobler
Parts; and, with the other, ftirs the Blood, to keep
it from congealing. While he is doing this, he
avoids as much as poffible the Breaking of any of
the Blood- Veffels about the Heart, By which Means
the Sheep is at leaft a Quarter of an Hour a dying;
and you have in all that Time a full View of the
Heart in all its Motions, The Blood- Veffels about
the Heart he touches not till the Sheep is dead. Ha
ving torn away the Guts, he gives 'em to another,
who forthwith ftrips 'em of their Excrement, and,
having waffi'd 'em very clean, lays Part of 'em im
mediately upon the Fire to broil. And this Part
(fuch Difpatch they make) is generally devour'd be
fore the Sheep is dead^ They Icoop the Blood out of
the Carcafs, fometimes with Sea-Shells, fometimes
with their Hands only, into Pots ; where they mix
it with the Remainder of the Guts, minc'd very fmall :
And this Mixture they fet forthwith a ftewing.
When the S'- eep is quite deaid, and the Carcafs
clear'd of the Blood, the two Fellows, who held
the Fore- and Hind-Feet, jpin with him who ript up
the Belly, to take off the Skin : And they take it
off very nicely. The Skin they fpread on the
•Ground', and fay the Carcafs upon it. They then
proceed anatomically to 'feparate the Parts of the
Carcafs one from another. And this Work they
perform with fuch Difpatch and Exaftnefs as would
P 2 fur-

22^ ' The Prefent Stafe of
furprife the ableft Anatomifts among us. In a fittie
Time you fee the Fleffi, the Bones, the Membranes,
Mufcles, Veins, Arteries &c. all in feparate Par
cels. Every Thing is apart ; and every Thing entire.
They take a Carcafs to Pieces as readily and exaftly
as we do a Watch. They are not, methinks, fo pro
perly to be call'd Butchers as Anatomifts.
I have been often prefent at thofe Diffeftions;
and was ever aftoniffi'd at the Dexterity with which
they were perform'd. But I could never fee- 'em
kill a Sheep, or any Beaft they kill the fame Way,
without being ffiock'd at the Cruelty of leaving the
Creature to languiffi to Death under fuch grievous
Torments, as the Ripping up the Belly and tearing
the Entrails from the Carcafs. This had always a
very horrid Afpeft for me. And with much Pains
and not a little Expence I fought for the Reafon of
this Praftice ; but could' never meet with anyThing
like a Reafon for it, buta conjeftijral one of my
own. They would at no Time be prevail'd on,
by any Means I could ufe, to utter a Syllable to
wards Accountiiig for it. My Conjefture is, that
they praftife it merely out of Curiofity, to fee
how the Motion of the Heart ceafes and Life goej
out, that they raay have a Notion after what Man
ner Life goes out of Themfelves. Upon my Com-
njunicatingthis Cpnjefture to a very fenfible Hot
tentot, whom I had long and fruitlefsly teas'd upon
the Subjeft, he ffiook his Head, and faid, the Eu
ropeans are very difcerning. But whether he ban-
ter'd or not, I could not difcover ; for hc kept his
Cpuntenance, and would hot add a Word more. I
know not whether it be a Cuftom for the Phyfician
of a Kraal to be prefent, when they kill Catde ;
but

the Cape of Good Hope. 229
but I never faw either Great or Small Cattie kill'd
by 'em when the Phyficiari was hot prefent : And
I ever faw him, when the Bellies were ript up, pore
for a confiderable Time towards the moving Heart.
The old Women too, who dabble in Medicine,
are very buifie on thofe Occafions, and pry with
all their Eyes into the Breafts and Bellies of the Cat
tle. It cannot, I. think," be fuppos'd, that thisis done
to difcover whether the Cattle' be found or not, be
caufe found or unfound they devour 'em ; nor can
it, I think, be fuppos'd, that it is done with a View
to the Iraproveraent of Medicine or their Skill «in
Anatomy, fince every one is as eager to pry as
the Phyfician and the old Women.
They obfe-ve pretty much the fame MeAod in
the Killing of a Bull, Ox or Cow, All the Diffe
rence is, that they throw thofe down on their Backs;
and ha-ving faften'd their Horns in the Ground,
ftretch their Legs po the full Length, with Ropes,
faften'd tp Stakes in the Ground, Sometimes they
will not give themfelves theTrouble, to drive Stakes
into the Ground, but hold, Numbers of 'em toge
ther, the four Ropes, tied feverally to the Feet of
the Beaft, at full Stretch in their Hands, But the
Great Cattle at all Times, fuffer a much flower
Death • than the Small. Their Roafting Pieces,
which are always pretty large, they generally cut
out of the Hind-Quarters,
Kill what Beaft they will, no Part of it is rejec
ted but the Excrement, the Bones, the Hoofs and
the Horns. Every other Part they either eat or ufe.
The Bones,, which, when they extraft 'em from the
Fleffi, are taken out all fo compleat and laid toge-
P 3 ther

23d the Pr'efeHt State of
ther in fuch Order, that they might be quickly
rear'd into a perfeft Skeletoii, they-boil, to get the
Marrow out of 'em (fiich is their Way) and then
they throw 'em to the Dogs. With the Marrow
they anoint their Bodies. Of a Sheep-Skin they
make a Kroffe' or Mantle. If 'tis.a' very fmall one,
they. cut it into Slip's to make Rings with for the
Legs of the Women. The Hide of an Ox, Buff
or Cow is cut into lpng Straps (of which I ffiall
fpeak prefently) or laid, as a Fence againft the
"V^eather, upon their Huts. If they have rio Oc
cafion for Kroffes, Rings, Straps, or CoVerihgs for
their Huts, they lay up the Skins for Food, and
drefs 'em much after tiie Manner they do Old
Shoes. II. I fliall now let the Reader into the Art and
Myftery of a Hottentot Skinner. * He takes a Sheep
Skin , freffi and reeking from the Back of the
Sheep, and rubs into it as much Fat as he can. At
this Work he takes Abundance of Pains ; and the
Effeft is, thatthe Skin is thereby render'd tough
and fmooth, and the Wool or Hair is fecur'd from '
Falling off. " This is All he -does if he dreffes a
Sheep-Skm for an European ; And he does the
fame, and no more, if he dreffes the Skin of a
Wild Beaft for him. And, -whatever the Reader
may think of the Matter, a Skin drefs'd in this
Manner by a Hottentot is a very curious Piece of
Work. .
But if he dreffes a Sheep- or Wild-Beaft's Skin

\'ide Tab. VII. Fig. 2. for

/i&^ Cape c^ Good Hope. 231
for the Wearof oneof his Countrymen, after rub
bing it well all over with Fat, he rubs it all over
with freffi Cow-Dung. He then lays it in the Sun
to dry. When 'tis dry, he rubs it again with Fat,
and again with Cow-Dung, and again lays it in
the Sun to dry. He runs this ][Round with it, till
'tis become very black, and fmells furioufly of the
CoW'Dung. Father y^f^^r/ fays well, **¦ jthe Hottentots wear
«' Sheep-Skins , prepar'd with Cow-Dung ahd
*' Sheep's-Fat ; Apparel unfufferable to the Nofes
** of any butThemfclves." The Skins they wear do
indeed generally ftink moft abominably. Butwhat
you take for a Stink, a'Hottentot, if you will believe
him, receives as the moft agreable Perfume. They
are extremely fond of Skins that are thoroughly
feafon'd with CowrDung,
The Hide of an Ox, Bull or Cow, a Hottentot
Skinner manages thus. He rubs Wood- Aflies very
ElentifuUy into the Hair. After which he fprin-
les the Hair with Water. He then rolls up the
Hide and lays it for a Couple of Days in the Sun.
All this is done to fetch off the Hair. In Two
Days Time he open's the Hide; and if he finds the
Hair is eafily to be >pluck'd off, he qpickly tears
bffall i butif it comes hardly, he rubs it again
Ivith Affies; and, having fprinkled it with Water,
rolls up the Hide again, and lays it for Two Days
more in the Sun. A fecond Bout never fails to rot
andloofenthe Hair fo, that it comes off very free
ly. Having rid the Hide very clean of the Hair,
he rubs as much Fat into it as he can, labouring
^nd currying tb? Hide on tbi? Qecafion with aH his
P 4 Mis,hS:

232, ^ The, Prefent State oj .
Might. And then has the Hide receiv'd a full
Hottentot TkefCmg, or, if yoii will, a Tanning,*
IIL A Hottentot Skinner is generally a Taylor
too ; and very expert and nimble withal in the
Profeffion,. 'When he cuts the feveral Parts of a
/iTro^ out of aSkin, he follows neither Line nor
Pattern, but only his Eye ; and yet, tho' he only
makes Ufe ofa Knife, he cuts 'em. out with fuch
Difpatch and Exaftnefs, that I queftion whether
any Taylor in E.u.rope could do the Like. When
afi the Parts are cut out, he fquats down to ftitch
'em together. At this Work he ufes the Bird's
Bone, that has been often mention'd, as an Awl ;
, and the fplit Sinews <^f Beafts as Thread. A "Hot
tentot Taylor has no better Tackle : Yet he whips
a Stitch with wonderful Dexterity, and finifhes a
Kroffe in a great deal lefs Time than, I apprehend,
an European Taylor cpuld do with his own Tackle;
and works p.n m,any Occafipns a^s well.
Tbe Hottentots generally chufe, for Thread and
String, the Veins and Sinews that run along the
Back-Bones of Cattle. Thefe they extend in the
Sun till they are dry, upon the Tops of fittle Sticks
they fix upright in the Ground.
'Tis the Bufinefs too of a Hottentot Taylcff to
cut the Hides of the Great Cattle into Straps. And
this is a Wprk too, which, triflingasit may feem to
the- Reader, requires fome Dexterity ; and he per
forms it with a great' Deal. Thefe Straps are ge
nerally of the Breadth of Two Fingers.; and are
longer or fhorter, according to the Ufes they arc
, defign'd for. But moft of 'em are of a great
' ¦ Length.

ii!'j&^ Cape ^ GoodHope. 233
Length. When he has a Hide to cut into Straps,
he makes Holes here and there on the Edges of it v
and in every Hole ties a String. To every String
he faftiens a Peg ; and by thefe Pegs ftretches the
Hide on the Grpund to ,die Full every Way. Then
with a Knife he cuts out the Straps : And tho' he
follows only his Eye, he cuts 'em with fuch Exaft
nefs, that no Part, frora one End to the other, of a
very long Strap, appears to be broader qr narrower
than another. He will cut a Strap ofa great many
Yards in. Length out of the fame Hide, as foon as,
an European can, with any Exaftnefs, cut out one
pf the Length of the Hide only ; and this fo truly,
that 'tis All of the requir'd Breadth, and no mofc,
from End to End.
Thefe Straps are of great Ufe to. 'em. With
thefe they tie up the Materials of their Huts, and their
Hut-Furniture, wheri they reraove their Kraalsy
and with thefe they gird 'em on the Backs of the
Carriage-Oxen, as they do likewife all other Bur
thens they convey upon thofe Beafts. The Pafinels
( refembling Biers ) on the Backs of thefe Oxeh
are likewife girt on with thefe Straps. And to ma
ny other good Purpofes do the Hottentots make
thefe Straps very ferviceable.
IV. The next Hottentot Artificer, in the Order I
place 'em, is the Worker in lyory. And a very
ingenious Workman ,he is. He makes Ivory-Rings
to be worn upon the Arms by Way of Ornament.
Arid tho' in the whole Procefs of his Work, from
the Moment he lays his Hand upon an Elephant's
Tppth, tp cut out a Ring, to the Moment he fi-
niffies the Ring, he makes ufe of no other Inftru-
V ment

234 ^^^ Prefent State of
ment than a Knife, yet is the Ring, When he has
done with it, as round, fmooth and bright as the
experteft European Turner could have made it with
all his Machines and Tools about him. But, as the
Reader will readily conceive, theWorki under no
other Tool thaii a Knife, is very tedious. The
Patience ofa Hottentot in going through it, is admi
rable. So is his Skill He never mifcarries in his
Work ; but, on the Contrary, always brings it tp
Perfeftlon. V. I now come to the Mat-Makers, * Thefe
are, for the moft Part, Women: And they are
very expert in their Bufinefs. Tbey go out in
Troops to gather Flags, Reeds, Bullruffies &c.
for the Making of Mats. Thefe, when tbey have
brought them Home, they lay in the Sun to dry,
and, when dry enough, weave them with their Fin
gers into Mats. If the Flags S^c. by lying too long
in the Sun, become too dry, they moiften 'em a little
with Water before they weave 'em : And their Weft
is fo clofe, that nor Light nor Wind nor Rain can pe
netrate it. , But thefe Mats are, like other Things,
you muft think, the Worfe for Wearing.. As the
Mats that cover the Huts go to Decay, their Pla
ces are fupplied with new ones, of which every Krcml
is, for the moft Part, provided with a good Stock.
VI. The next Hottentot Artificer is the, Rope-
Maker. The Hottentot Ropes are made of the
fame Materials with the Mats ; viz. Flags, Reeds,
Bull-ruffies&c. and areas ftrong, neat and durable

Vide, Tab, VIIL fij. ^.

/^^ Cape of Good Hope. 235
as European Rop^s, made by the beft Hands and of
the beft Hemp.The Flags, Reeds &c. they twift up
feparately into fmall Strings. Thefe Strings they
tie together, to the Length of about Four Yards.
When they have made a fufficient Number of thefe
Four- Yard-Strings , they twift 'em very tightly
one round another to theThicknefs of about an Inch
oran Inch anda Quarter. Their Ropes are rarely
thicker; and rarely are they longer than four "Yards.
The whole Work they perform with their Hands
only ; and they perform it, as they do all* their
Handy-Crafts , with a very furprifing Dexteri
ty.^ Experiments have been often made of the
Strength of a Hottentot Rope of this Thicknefs ;
and not a Pair ot Oxen has there been found, I could
hear of, that was able to break a found one. Tho
Europeansat the Cape often purchafe thofe Ropes
of the Hottentots ; and ufe 'em at the Plough, and
on every Occafion, as they do thofe that are made
of Hemp. The Hottentots, as I have faid, rarely
make Ropes above Four Yards' long ; but they
can make 'em of any Length ; and do now and
then make very long ones for the Europeans.
VI. I ffiall now ffiew the Reader How the Hot
tentots make Earthen Veffels. All the Hottentots
are Potters, every Family making its own Pots.
And their Earthen Veffels of every Kind are made
only pf the Mould of Aii't-Hills. This Mould
they take off even with the Surface of the Ground
(they meddle not with any below the Surface) and
having clear'd it of every Particle of Sand or Gra
vel they can difcover in it, knead it tightly, brui
fing and incorporating with it the Ant-Eggs that
are fcatter'd up and down it. Bruis'd Ant- Eggs are

236 the Prefent State of
are fuch a Cement as not many in Europe, perhap.s»
are aware of Of this Mould, now a Clay or Dough,
they take fuch a Quantity as will make a Pot of
the defir'd Bignefs; and, upon a fmooth flat Stone,
rear and faffiion the Pot , by Hand only ( as a
Paftry Cook does a Pye) to the Shape of fuch an
Urn as the old, Romans prefe;rv'd the A^es of the
Dead in. All their earthen Veffels are in the Shape
of the Roman Urn. They then fmooth it, infide
and out, with a very careful Hand ,; leaving not
the leaft Pimple or Unevennefs in any Part. This
done, 'they fet it for a Couple of Days in the Sun.
'Tis ftill on the Stone on which it was rear'd. In
Two Days Time, the Pot is thoroughly dry ; when
.they feparate.it from the Stone, by drawing a dried
Sinew to and fro', like the Working of a Saw, be
tween the Stone and the Bottom of the .Pot. They
then put the Pot in the Oven ; a Hole, as deep as
the Pot is high, but of twice the Circumference or
more, in the Ground : And over and about the
Pot they make a quick Fire, which they leave to
burn till it goes out of jtfelf. While the Pot is
burning, there melts, fay the Hottentots, I know
not What, in the Ant-Eggs, that fpreads it felf
through all the Matter of the Pot, and binds it up
to that furprifing Firmnefs that is found in all the
Hottentot Earthen Veffels.
The Colour of the Pots, both withi^nand without,
is a Jet-Black ; which they acquire, fay the Hotten
tots, ' and (I believe 'era) not from the Smoak or the
Fire, but from the Ant-Eggs. And in no Part of
the Pot does the Colour at any Time fuffer a
Change. This

0'a//.IX.fT^,'-/'- "i-Sf-

The ufirtmruia ^tne H-af^a^aye

'I;

theCAPE of Good Hope. 237
- This .^(?//^Kf of Manufafture alone, is fufficient to
refcue the Charafter of the People from that Igno
rance, and Stupidity in which it is involv'd in Europe;
whefe, I believe; there is not one Potter, who, on
theSi|;ht of one of their Pots, would hot do 'em
l^ice, and fay, they were very ingenious. A Hot-
Mntot Pot being made without any Implement, but
how and then a Knife, is a Proof of the Hottentot
©exterity: And their Making it of Mould, im
pregnated with Antr-Eggs, is no inconfiderable Evi-
dtpnce of their Invention.
- VIII. But the Ho«i?«?(jf Smith * does , perhaps,
his Country rnore ^ Credit than any other Hottentot
Acrtificer. Smithery, as it ftands among the Hot
tentots'^ rec^ires a great Deal of Labour anda
great Deal of Ingenuity : For the Melting of Iron
from the Oar is comprehended in it ; and, what is
much worfe, it is furiiiffi'd with no other Imple
ments than Stones. The Hottentots melt Iron from
the Oar after the following Manner. They make
a Hole in a rais'd Ground, large enough to Con
tain a good Quantity of Irpn-Stones, which are
found here and there in Plenty in the Hottentot
Countries. • In this Hole they melt out the Iroh
from the Oar, About a Foot anda Hal^from thik
Hole, upon the Defcent, they make another, fome
thing lefs. This is the Receiver ofthe melted Iron,
which runs into it by a narrow Channel they ciit
frbm one Hole to the other. Before they put the
Irba^Stones into the Hole, where the Iron is to be
melted out of them, they make a Fire in the Hole,

* Vide Tab. IX, Fig. I, quite

238 the Prefent State oj
quite up to the Mouth of it, in order to make the
Earth about it thoroughly hot. When they tup-
pofe the Earth about it is well heated, they fill the
Hole almoft up with Iron-Stones. They then makp
a large Fire over the Stones, which they fupply from
Time to Time with Fuel, till the Iron is melted
and run, all of it, into the Receiver. As foOn as
the Iron in the Receiver is cold, they take it out,
and break it to Pieces with Stones. Thefe Pieces
the Hottentots, as they have Occafion, heat in other
Fires, and with Stones beat 'em out and ffiape 'em
to "Weapons. They rarely make any Thing elfe
of Iron.
Vogel's Account oftheir Method of Making Iron
Weapons, and of the Beauty and Service of thofe
Weapons is pretty juft : Only he has omitted the
Fire. " They take, " fays he, " a Piece of new
" or old Iron, and, without any other Implements
*' than Stones, make a Weapon of it. They get
*' the hardeft flat Stone they can ; and putting the
'• Irpn upon it, as upon an Anvil, beat it with a
" roundiffi Stone, ¦which ferves for a Hammer, in-
" to the defir'd Form. They then grind it upon
*' the flat Stone, and afterwards polifh it fo nicely
*' that it-comes out a very valuable Piece of Work
" both for Beauty and Service ; and which no
" European Smith could , perhaps , produce the
" Like to, by the like Means."
I have feen 'em melt Iron out of Oar, and work
it into Weapons ; and ffiall never forget the great
X-abour and Ingenuity they fhew'd on thole Occa
fions. Thc

^i&tf Cape of GoodHope. 239
The Hottentots have Copper-Oar too; out of
which they melt the Cppper in the fame Manner as
they melt Iron from its Oar. But they work but
verylitde in this Metal ; and what they do is only
for Trinkets to adorn themfelves withal. Nor do
they wotk in Iron but when they want Weapons.
Nothing but Neceffity will fet them to Labour.
But when they do labour they labour exceflively
hard ; and leave no Work for another, or for
pleafure or Idlenefs, till they have finiffi'd it. I
never faw *em work in Copper ; but I have feen
fome Trinkets they have made of that Metal ;
and was agreably furpris'd at the beautiful Shape
and Polifhing they had given 'em. Could the Hot
tentots but ffiake off their Lazinels, I am perfua
ded they would in a little Time make as good a
Figure in Arts and Arms, as any Peof le in ^i^fric.
I might have mention'd under the Article of the
Hottentot Rope-Making, the Strings the Hottentots
make for their Bows and Mufical Inftruraents.
Their Mufical Inftruments are ftrung with dried Si
news and Guts of Sheep. Their Bows are ftrung
with twifted Guts only. For thefe Purpofes they
prepare Guts in the following Manner. Two Per
fons having Hold of a Gut, one at one End, the
other at the other, twift it, one to the Right, the
other to the Left, till it arrives at the Roundnefs
and Solidity of an European Fiddle-String. They
then lay it, extended on two Pegs, in the Sun to
dry. And when 'tis dry, they greafe it, the Gut
ftill remaining on the Pegs, with Sheeps Fat ; and
having let it lie, thus greas'd, for fomeTime longer
in the Sun, they take it off for Ufe.
CHAP

240 the Prefent State of
C H A P. XX.
The Hottentot Manner of Hunting and
Filhing.
ANoble Teftiraoiiy of the Dexterity of theHotr
tentots is the.Figure they make in the Chace.
'I'hey are certainly the experteft Hunters in the
World. Their Excellency this Way, they prihcipal-
ly owe to their Swiftnefs of Foot, and their Dexte-r
rity in Difcharging an Arrow ahd Throwing the
Haffagaye and Rackum-Sfxck.. Of their Swiftnefs of
Foot, Enough has been faid in the preceeding. Parts
of this Hiftory. I know of no Author upon 'em,
who'allows 'em not to be the People , the fwifteft of
Foot in the "World. They themfelves have a No
tion that they are fo ; and value themfelves not a
little upon fo excelling a Diftinftion.
Notwithftanding the Charafter I have already,
here and there, given the -Hottentots for Integrity
and Simplicity Of Manners, and the Charafter they
have from others for Ignorance and Stupidity, the
Reader, perhaps, would wonder, were no Inftance/
to be produc'd, of their Making a knaviffi Ufe of
a Quality, in which they fo far out-ftrip the Reft of
Mankind. 'Tis very true, that Honeft as the
Hottentots are, arid Stupid and Ignorant, as many
have reprefented them, they are cunning enough to
difcern this Temptation ; and forrietimes, but very
rarely, corrupt enough, to lay Hold ofit. I haye
an Inftance of this, which is both cautionary afid' di
verting. A

the Cap t of GdODHo'pt. 241
A Dutch Sailor landing at the Cape, gave a Roll
of Tobacco he had with, him , of about 20 1.
Weight, to the Hottentot next at Hand, to carry
after nim to the Town. The Hottentot took the
Tobacco and follow'd him. Being got at fome
Diftance from Company, the Hottentot ask'd the
Sailor in Dutch, If he could run well. Run 1 re
plies the Sailor, yes, very well. Come let's fee,
fays the Hottentot ; and taking immediately to his
Heels, ran away with the Tobacco, and was out
of Sight in a Moment. The Sailor, inftead of fol
lowing, ftood confounded at fuch miraculous Speed;
and never faw the Hottentot pr Tobacco agairi.
For the Dexterity pf the Hottentots In Difcharg
ing an Arrow and Throwing the Haffagaye and
Rackum-Stick, it ftrikes every Witnefs of it with
the higheft Admiration, The Rackum-Stick is
defcrib'd in a former Chapter. L ffiall herfe def
cribe the Haffagaye and the Hottentot Arrow.
The Haffagaye is a Sort of Half-Pike. The Shaft-
of it is a Taper-Stick, of the Length and Thicknefs
of a Rake-Handle. 'Tis arm'd at the thickeft End
with a little thin Plate of Iron, tafiering to a Point,
and very ffiarp on the Edges, This Arra, or Blade,
is always kept clean and bright ; and, when us'd
againft an Eneray pr Wild Beaft, is poifon'd. A
Hottentot Arrow confifts of a fmall tapering Stick
or Cane, of about a Foot and a Half in Length, and
a Semi-circle of Iron, ofthe Compafs of a Half-Six
pence, and of tlie Thicknefs of a common Knife-
Blade ; bearded by a fmall Angle, within and
without, on each Point. To the Back of this Se-
mi-cirle of Iron, in the Middle, joins a fmall Iron-
Barrel, of about Two Inches in Length ; and into
Q^ this

242 the Prefent State of ,
this Barrel runs the fmall End of the Stick or Cane,
This isa Hottentot Arrow ;. the Beards of which are
always poifon'd. With the Haffagaye, the Rackum-
Stick and this Arrow, the Hottentots^ , if they make
aot fuch quick and bloody Executions as the Eu
ropeans, perform far greater Wonders of Dexterity
both in the Chace and in War. In the Ufe of^
thefe Weapons they ffiew fuch a Quicknefs of Eye
and Surenefs of Hand, as, . I believe, no People up
on Earth have but Themfelves, If a Hottentot, in
the Chace ofa Hare, Deer, or Wild Goat, comes
but within Thirty or Forty Yards of the Creature,
away flies the Rackum-Stick , and down falls the
Creature , generally pierc'd quite through the
Body. This I have feen many a Time. The
Rackum-Stick , 'difcharg'd from the Hand of a
Hottentot, hardly ever errs.
But the moft furprifing Strokes of the Hottentot
Dexterity are feen in their Throwing pf a Stone.
They hit a Mark with a Stone to a Miracle of Ex
aftnefs, tho^ fhe Mark be a Hundred Paces dif
tant, and no bigger than a Half-Penny. I have be
held 'em at this Exercife with the higheft Pleafure
and Aftoniffiment ; and was never weary of the
Speftacle. I ftill expefted, after repeated Succeffes,
that the Stone would err : But I expefted in vain : "
Still went the Stone right to the Mark ; and my
Pleafure and Aftoniffiment were redoubled. You
would imagine the Stone was deftin'd not to err,_.
or that you was not'deftin'd to fee it. Say People
what they will of the Stupidity of the Hottentots,
there is Nothing like their Dexterity in the Throw
ing of a Stone, to be feen in any other Part of the
World, Buta Hottentot' sunerririo Hand in this
Exer-

theCAPE of Good Hope.' 243
Exercife is not the only Wonder ofthe Scene, "i*on -
would be equally ftruck, perhaps, with the Man
ner in which he takes his. Aim. He ftands not ftill,
witji a fift-up Arm, and a fteady ftaring Eye upon
the ;Mark 5 as we do ; but is in continual Motion ;
skipping from one Side to another ; fuddenly
ftooping ; fuddenly rifing ; now bending on this
Side, now on that : His Eyes, Hands and Feet are
in the raoft bewilder'd Aftion , and you would
think he was playing the Fool, and minding No
thing lefs than his Aim, when, on a fudden, away
goes the Stone, with a Fury, right to the Heart of
the Mark, as if fome invifible Power had direfted
it. You are amaz'd : The Hottentot is delighted to
fecit, and will give you as raany Encores as you
pleafe. The Dexterity of the Hottentots In Difcharging
an Arrow comes next, in Merit, to their Dexterity
in Throwing a Stone. The Hottentot Bow is made
of Iron- or Olive- Wood. The String is raade of
the large Sinews or Guts-of Beafts ; and is fecur'd
by a ftout wooden or Iron-Hook at each End of
the Bow. The Bow is neat, handy, and very du
rable. The Hottentot Quiver is a long narrow Bag,
made of Ox- Elk- or Elephant-Skin ; and which
they fling, by a Strap faften'd to both Ends of it,
over the Shoulder. To the upper End of the Qui
ver is fix'd a Hook, on which they hang the Bow,
when they go out to War, or to the Chace. In
the Ufe of the Bow and Arrow ftands not a little of
the Hottentot Merit. When the Wind is calm,
they will hit with an Arrow a Mark not bigger
than a Silver-Penny at a confiderable Diftance.
They err not often, and never widely if the Wind
Q^2 is

244 ^he Prefenf State of
is down. Here likewife they ftand not, as do the
Europeans like Statues, to take their Aim ; but
while they are gatheripg it, which they are not
long a doing, they skip to and again from Side to
Side, and ftand not ftill a Moment ; and when
you leaft expeft it, away flies the Arrow.
The Throwing of the Haffagaye artd Rackum-
Stick * is What diftinguiffies the Eye and Hand of
a Hottentot in a third Degree. The Haffagaye the
Hottentots look upon as, the moft notable martial and
venatick Weapon they have. With the Haffagaye
they attack the larger Wild Beafts, and do the
moft Execution in the Wars. When they take
their Aim with this Weapon at a Mark, a Beaft,
or a fingle Enemy, they skip and bounce frora
Side to Side, as they do when they take their Aim
with an Arrow, and brandiffi and whirl it about
in their Hands in fuch a Manner, that you would
take their whole Aftion for idle Flouriffi, and not
iraagine they, were aiming at any Thing. On a
Sudden, away it flies with a whiftling Fury ; and
the Mark it flies wide of, muft be a very narrow
One. In this Account of the Hottentot Dexterity in the
Throwing ofa Stone, the Difcharging of an Ar
row, and the Throwing of the Haffagaye and Rac-
^«OT-Stick, I am handfomely fupported by Vogel and
feveral other Authors. I now proceed to ffiew the
Hottentot Manner of Hunting ; of which Nothing
near a perfeft Account has been given by any Au
thor I have feen.

* Vide Tab, JX, Fig. 2. When

theCAPE of Good Hope. 245
When a Hottentot goes by himfelf a hunting, pr
only two or three go together, they have Nothing
in View b.ut the Catching a Hare, Deer, or fo, for
their own Farailies. They look not for Beafts
of Prey. And 'tis feldom any Thing happens on
thofe Occafions worth taking Notice of. At
thofe Times the Rackum-Stick does all the Execu
tion. They rarely difcharge an Arrow, or throw
the Haffagaye, at a Hare, a Deer, or a Wild Goat.
And they rarely kfll any Thing elfe when they go
only Two or Three together. The Hottentot Hun
ting Matches that merit a particular Defcription are
fuch as all the Men of a Kraal engage in.
Thefe are undertaken on the following Occafions :
Either when the Neighbourhood is infefted more
than ordinarily with Wild Beafts: Or when the
Hottentots, being not overftock'd with Cattle, chufe
not to kill Cattle for their own Suftenance. 'Tis
true, they look upon Venifon of .almoft every
Kind to . be jmuch finer Eating than the Fleffi of
Cattle ; and ffiould therefore, pne would think,
go almoft every Day a hunting. But tho' they love
Venifon well, they love their Eafe much better.
Their Lazinefs keeps 'em at Home, till the Ap
pearance of Wild Beafts about 'em, or the Back
wardnefs of their Flocks, frights 'em out of it ,
and drive? 'em upon the Chace.
When all the Men ofa Kraal are out upon the
Chace, and difcover a Wild Beaft ofany confide
rable Size, Strength and Fiercenefs , they divide
themfelvps into feveral Parties, and endeavour to
furround the Beaft ; which, through their Nimble
nefs of Foot, they generally do very quickly, tho'
upon tbe Sight of fuch Danger , the Beaft , of
0^3 what-

246 the Prefent State oj
whatfoever Kind', always betakes himfelf to all
his Shifts and to all his Heels. If 'tis an Elephant,
a Rhinoceros , an Elk, or a Wild Afs they thus.
encompafs , they attack him with Hdffagayesi,
* The hard thick Hides of thofe Oeatures fortifie
'em againft a Shower of Arrows. If they lay him
not dead upon the Spot , they fo loaden him with
/;S?^^a)i^5 fhat he runs not long before he tumbles.
But it woidd be diverting to Sportfmen to fee one of
thofe Creatures,, who efcapes Demolition at the
firft Onfet, return the Attack upon the Hottentots.
They now ftand about him in a Ring, as latgc a
one as they can make, fo as to reach him with their
Haffagayes. One or two or more Haffagayes are,
perhaps, already ftuck in his Body. The Creature
runs, with fierce Eyes arid a great Deal of Noife and
Fury , at the Hottentots who threw 'em. Then
others attack him in the Rear. He turns about to
run at the laft Affailants, and is again attack'd in
rhe liear. Again he turns about, and is again at
tack'd. The Haffagayes multiply upon his Body;
many are fix'd upon his Back and Sides ; and
I eing violently ffi.ook, by his violent Motion, tear
in\ enrage the Wounds. Fie runs, roars , tears
up the Ground, and is ftark mad with Pain. The
Haffagayes ftill pour in upon him ; and he is fome
times ftuck quite round with 'era , and bas , as it
were, a Foreft upon his Back before he falls.
When a Lion, Tiger, or Leopard is thus en-
compafs'd , they attack him with Haffagayes and
Arrows. With flaming Eyes and the wildeft* Rage

Vide Tab. X. Fig. 2. the

the CAPEofGooDHoPE. 247
the Creature flies upon the Hottentots who threw
^em. He is nimble ; they, are nimbler, and avoid
him with aftonifhing Dexterity, till they are re
liev'd by others ofthe Ring; who, plying him with
freffi Arrows and Haffagayes, bring hira in all his
Fury upon themfelves. He leaps towards One, fo
quick, and, as you would think, with fo fure a
Paw, that. Ah ! (fliuddering) he has him. You
would fay. But you fee no fuch Thing. The
Fellow in Danger leaps out of it in the Twinkling
of an Eye; and the Beaft fpends all his Rage upon
the Ground. He turns and leaps towards another,
and another and another ; but ftill in Vain. The
nimble Fellows avoid him with the Quicknefs of
Thought ; and ftill he fights only with the Air.
All this Time the Arrows and Haffagayes are ffiow-
ering upon him in the Rear. He grows mad with
Pain; and running and leaping trom one Part to
another, and tumbling from Time to Time on the
Ground to break the Arrows and Haffagayes that are
faften'd in him, foams, yells and roars very terri
bly. There is certainly Nothing fo admirable of
the Kind in any other Part of the World as the
Aftivity and Addrefs of the Hottentots on thofe Oc
cafions. On one Side, they efcape the Paws of the
Beaft withTncredible Dexterity ; and, on the other,
relieve one another with incredible Speed and Refo
lution, ' The Hottentots engaging with a Lion,
Tiger or Leopard &c in this Manner, is a Speftacle
that cannot be feen without the highertAdmiration,
but by fuch as are more ftupid thari Some have re
prefented the Hottentots. If the Beaft is not quickly
flain, he is quickly convinc'd there is.no dealing
¦with fo nimble an Enemy ; and then he makes off
with all his Heels. Arid having by this Time a
Q^4 ¦ '^lui-

248 the Prefent State of
Multitude, perhaps, of poifon'd Arrows and-JHaf
fagayes \xpori \{\s Back, the Hottentots let him go
very freely ; but follow him at a littie Diftance.
The Poifon quickly feizes him ; and he runs not
far before befalls.
But the Hottentots do not often engage an Ele^
phant , a Rhinoceros or an Elk after this Mannet^i;
With thefe Creatures they generally go a far lefs
dangerous arid fatiguing , Way to ; Work. Theii
Elephants going always to Water in Troops,--^d
always in a Line, one behind another, the Beaffs
are fo heavy, and their Feet fo large , that they
ever make a deep Path , call'd the Elephants Road,
from their Haunts to the Water-Side. In thii^
'Road the Hottentots (without Shoyel or Pick-Ax,
for they have no fuch Tools) make a Hole, frorii'
Six to Eight Foot deep , and about Four Foot Dia
meter. * In the Middle of this Hole they fix a
ftrong Stake, tapering up to a Point, which is al
moft upon a Level with the Top of the Hole.j
When this is done they cover the Hole with fmal^
Boughs, Leaves, Grafs and Mould, fo artfully-^s
that the Covering feems to be perfeftly of a Piece^
with the Surface of the Ground about it ; and no
Man living would fufpeft the Trap. The Ele-;i|
phants always returning from Water by the Way|
they went to it, and keeping pretty clofely to the ,
Track, the foremoft is ever in moft Danger of thq|
Snare, One or other is fure to tumble in. IntoJ
this Hole an Elephant falling with his Fore-Feet^
(It is not pf Dimenflons to receive his wholi''

* Vide Tab. XI. Fig. ^,

Bodyjl

' Ta/f.JI. ^/f<j/./.p. 2^8

TfV ruhat maa/ier fAeJCottenlift^ aUcA. tAe^JS'le/>/ia/iit

J^keTTfftte/iteft m/mner af ^uhifi^.

theCAPE of GoodHope. 249
Body) he is pi^-c'd in the Neck or Breaft with the
Stake, and there held fecurely ; for his Fore-Feet
not touching the Grpund, the more he ftruggles,
the farther penetrates the Stake, and the better Hold
it gets. "When an Elephant falls into this Snare,
the Reft of the Troop makes off as faft as poffible,
abandoning him as a ftricken Deer is abandon'd by
the Herd he belong'd to. The Hottentots, who lie
perdue upon the Watch, feeing the Elephant in the
Trap, iffue out oftheir Covert : And if the Beaft is
not already within an Ace of Death by the Wound
with the Stake, they get upon his Neck, and, with
heavy Stones, break his Skull to Pieces ; or elfe,
with their Knives, they ftab him, and cut his large
Veins, fo that he dies in a Minute. Then the Car
cafs is carried to the Kraal, and all the Inhabitants
feaft upon it very jovially.
The Rhinoceros and the Elk the Hottentots ge
nerally take after much the fame Manner. And if
this Invention, which appears to be purely Hotten
tot, does not argue away Imputations of monftrous
Stupidity, I know not, for ray own Part, any Thing
that will argue the Senfe or Capacity of a Pebple.
That the Hottentots have a great many idle ridiculous
Cuftoms, is moft certain. But where is the Nation
that has not, in one Corner or other ofit, Cuftoms,
in many Particulars, as idle.-' And where is the
Wife Man, who has not a ridiculous Side .'' Give
>the Hottentot Senfe but fair Play, and 'twill appear
like other People's.
The Hottentots have an Honourable Order of
Men among 'em, diftinguiffi'd indeed by no parti
cular Name, but which I may very properly call the

250 The Prefent State of '
the Order of the Pifs, This Order confifts of Such as
have each fingly encounter'd and flain a Lion, Tio-er
' Leopard, Elephant, Rhinoceros or Elk. When a
a Hottentot fingly encounters and flays one of thofe
Creatures, he is look'd upon as a Hero; and is, up
on his Return tothe Kraal, of v/hich he is an I'nha-
bitarit, forthwith call'd up into this Order. The
Ceremony whh v/hich he is receiv'd into , and
xriade Knight, as I call him, ofthe Pifs, will doubt
lefs give the Reader a littie ' Entertainmenti
The Hero, upon his Return to the Kraal, of
which he is an Inhabitant, goes direftly to his own
Hut; where he fquats himfelf down. He has not
fate long at Home before he is vifited by an old
Hottentot, deputed by the Men of the Kraal to
make him their Compliments of Thanks and Con
gratulation upon fo beneficial and fo illuftrious an
Atchievement ; and to acquaint him, that the Men
of the Kraal expeft him immediately to receive
from 'em the Honours that are due to his Heroic
Worth. The Compliments and the Notice being
deliver'd, the Hero rifes, and follows the old Hot
tentot out of the Hut to the Middle of the Kraal
"where all the Men wait for him. He there fquats
himfelf down on a' Mat, fpread pn Purpofe for him;
and all the Men fquat round him. Joy fits flufh
in the Faces of the Hero and his Friends : Envy
contrafts the Features of others ; when up to the
Hero marches the old Deputy, and piffes upon him
from Head to Foot ; pronouncing pver him certain
Terms, ' which I could never get the Meaning of
If the Deputy is in the Hero's Intereft ( and it o-e-
nerally happens that he is) he lays him under a De
luge of Urine. The more Pifs, the more Honour. fhe

/i&^ C A P E of G O O D H O P E. 25 r
The Hero, having befpre - hand made Furrows,
with his long Nails , in the Fat upon his Bo- ,
dy , rubs the Pifs, as it falls, upon his Face and
every other Part with the greateft Eagernefs. This
done, the Deputy lights a Pipe of Tobacco or
Dacha, and having taken two or three Whiffs, gives
it to any one he pleafes in the Circle ; who, ha
ving taken the fame Solace , gives it to another ;
and fo it goes round till bnly Affies remain in the
Pipe; when the Deputy takes it again, andfhakes the
Affies out upon the Hero; who ftill reraains fquat in
the Middle of the Circle, and rubs the Affies into the
Fat upon his Body, with as eager Aftion ;is he did
the Pifs; and would not, if he could help it, lofe the
Jeaft Particle jof it. Then is the Hero inftall'd
Knight, as I call him, ef the Order of the Pifs. The
Circle rifes : He follows the Example. Every one
congratulates him upon the high Honour he has re
ceiv'd ; and thanlcs him for the fignal Service he
has done his Country. The Hero looks upon
Himfelf as rais'd to the Achme of- Human Glory ;
and by tbe Bladder of the Beaft he has kill'd,
which he wears faften'd to his Hair, and by tbe
Majeltick Port he affurhes ever after, demands the
Homage and Refpeft , which Hottentot Cuftom
affigns to his High Dignity, and which all his
Countrymen conftantly pay hira.
But we are not yet at the End of the Farce. The
Hottentots look upon the Fatigues and Dangers of
the Chace to be greater than the Fatigues and Dan
gers of War : And that a Man lofes raore Strength
and Spirit by encountring aWild Beaft for an Hour,
than by engaging his Enemy for a whole Day.
Some Time therefore, they think, pught to be al
low'd

252 The Prefent Stafe of
low'd for the Recovery of the Strength and Spirits
of the Man who has flain a Lion, 'Tiger, Leo
pard, Elephant, Rhinoceros, or Elk : And Hot
tentot Cuftom affigns for this Purpofe Three Days.
As foon as the Hero is dubb'd a Knight , as I call
him, of the Honourable Order of the Pifs, he
marches Home ; and reraains there or thereabout
for the three foUov/ing Days, wholly intent upon
his Eafe. In all this Time he is not call'd by the
Kraal to' any Manner of Aftion. In all this Time
he is cramm'd with the choiceft Dainties and the
moft nouriffiing Bits the Kraal can afford. And in
all this Time his Wife comes not near him. It is
the Cuftom for her, after Milking the Cows in the
Morning, to go and ramble about in the Fields
till the Evening. She then returns Home ; and
having milk'd the Cows, rambles about the Kraal
till Night ; when flie skulks as privately as pof
fible in forae Hole or Corner in or about the Hut,
that her Husband may not perceive her. This is
her Conduft for Three Days and Two Nights.
And in all that Time too ffie is enjoin'd to keep
herfelf to a poor Diet ; and to eat no more than
what is barely neceffary to keep her in Health.
In the Evening of the Third Day flie is re-inftated
in the Hut : The Hero receives her with a thou
fand Marks of Fondnefs ; kills a fat Sheep in To
ken of his Joy ; and calls all his Neighbours to
the Feaft, His Neighbours come ; and felicitate
his Wife upon her Happinefs in being reftor'd to
the Arms ofher Husband, and made the Partner
of his Glory,
Being once among the Hottentots in Queft of a
Reafon for this Cuftom, which enjoins the Wife of

if^<? Caps of Good Hop eI 253
a new made Knight, as I term him, ofthe Pifs, not
to come near her Husband for three Days and two
Nights after his Creation, and to keep her felf all
the Time to a poor fcanty Diet : " Why " fays
a merry Fellow ofa Hottentot, to whom I put the
Queftion, " the Matter isplain.'Tis the Hero's Bufi
nefs in that Time to recruit his Strength and Spi
rits, It would be a Hazard he did not luccced if his
Wife was to be about him. For Women are full
of Allurements: Temptations ofthe Fleffi are not
eafily repeU'd: And a Hero's knowing hisWife in
the Time affign'd him for Recruiting his Strength
and Spirits were a downright Fruftration of the
Defign. For^ Nothing, my Friend, dirainiffics
a Man's Strength like Women. His Wife is
enjoin'd in all this Time to keep her felf to a
poor fcanty Diet. What Occafion is there for
this, you fay , fince ffie comes not near him ?
Why, I'll tell you. If a Woman was allow'd at
fuch a Time to cram and feedfcigh, ffie might
burn, my Friend, for the Benefits of Marriage,
and fet all her Wits to Work to allure her Hus
band to grant her 'em. There are Opportunities
for this in the Night. If he does grant 'em, he
is difappointed of his main End ; which, in our
Eftimation, would be a great Misfortime, And
if he does not, ffie raay quencli her Flame elfe
where , which would be a much greater. Are
not thefe choice Reafons , think you .? " And
fo the arch Rogue went on. His Wit and Mirth
upon the Matter, with the Leave of thofe Gentle
men who reprefent the Hottentots as Monfters of
Stupidity, were juft what you fee here, excepting
die Articles of Drefs and Modification. But I can
not look upon this as a Reafon, however not the
fole one, for the Cuftom we are upon. The

254 the Prefenf State of
The Death of no Wild Beaft brings fo much Joy
toa Kraal, as that of a Tiger. The HetteintMs
are infinitely fond ofthe Fleffi ofa Tiger, prefer
ring it far beyond the Fleffi ofany Sort of Cattle.
And, indeed, the Fleffi of aTiger, roafted or boil'd,
is moft delkious Food. I do not think , for my
own Part, there is any Veal fo fine in the World.
Many a Time have I been exqulfitely regal'd with
it at the Cape ; and ffiould be heartily glad could I
provide my fclf now and then with the fame Viftu
als at Home. The Hottentot, who flays a Tiger, is
doubly carefs'd and congratulated by his Neigh-
bours,who all long for a Bit of the Beaft, and dote on
the Hero while their Appetites are a ffiarpening and
the Viftuals a dreffing. The Hottefitot, who flays a
Tiger, has always the largeft and the choiceft Por->
tion of it for hirafelf
I ffiall now defcribe the Hottentot Manner of Fiffi
ing. * Vogel, as I have faid in a foregoing Chapter,
denies that the Hottentots know any Thing of the
Art of Fiffiing, He is not the only Author that
does fo. Meifter, Marperger and others do the
Same. The Two laft fay , in Subftance, " The
" Hottentots, who live near the Sea, live very mean-
*' ly upon Roots and Plants. They have no
" Sort of Machines or Tackle that may be
*' us'd for Fiffiing : Nor have they any Notion of
" the Art. All the Fiffi they get are dead
*' Whales, which are now and then caft upon the
" Shore. " The Reveries and Affurance of forae
Travellers 1 The Hottentots, in every Kind of Fiffi-

Vide Tab. XI. Fig. 2j ing

theCAPE of GoodHope. 255
ino- , out-do all the Europeans about the Cape.
They know not that there ever was a Time when
their.Anceftors had not fome Art of Fiffiing. They
fiffi both in the Sea and in Rivers. Many of 'em are
Fifliermen by Profefffon, and maintain their Fami
lies by the Trade. They take Fiffi by the Angle,
the Net, the Spear or Pointed Rod, and by Gro
ping or Tickling. At the Angle they are very ex
pert; and know the beft Baits for moft Sorts of
Fiffi, Before they became acquainted with Euro
peans, their Hooks for Angling were crooked Bits
oftheir own Iron. But they are now generally
pretty well provided with European Fiffi-Hooks.
The Europeans at the Cape own readily, that the
Hottentots caft and draw a Net with much more
Dexterity than they. They ufe the Spear or Poin
ted Rod only in Creeks and Rivers. They wade
in up to the Middle or higher; and move gently, thik
Way and that, till they get a Fiffi under Foot ;
when they hold it there till they pierce it with the
Spear or Pointed Rod ; with which they bring it
up. If they get a Fiffi under Foot in ffiallow Wa
ter, the Spear is ufelefs, for they take up the Fiffi with
their Hands, I have feen t'he Hottentots, when the
Haven at the Cape has abounded with Thornbacks ,
which it always does in the Months of June, July
and Auguft, wade in arid_ take great Quantities of
this Sort of Fiffi with the Pointed Rod and with
their Hands, They are likewife very expert at
Taking of Fiffi by Groping or Tickling. This
they do iii Brooks, aiid on the Tops of Rocks in
the Sea ; upon which Rocks (lying near the Shoar)
when the Tide falls, remain feveral Sorts of fmall
Fiffi in feveral Holes and natural Bafons. Upon
tne Tops of thefe Rocks the Hottentots frequent- 1/

2^6 The Prefent State of
ly take Abundance of a Sort of Fiffi, call'd
Rock-Fiffi. Thefe are Fiffi without Scales;
and which the Hottentots will not therefore eat. But
the Europeans are all extremely fondpf 'em : And
the Hottentots never bring 'em to the Cape but
they find a quick Market for 'em. Rock-Fiffi ne
yer ftays on their Hands, bring they what Quanti
ty they may. And , indeed, 'tis lovely delicate
Food. As fbon as the Europeans have Notice, that
the Hottentot Fiffiermen are coming off the Rocks,
a Number of 'era generally haftens to the Sea Side,
in order to purchafe, live Rock-Fiffi.
The Hottentots often lay Lines, from thofe Rock^
in the Sea. The Lines are made of the Guts or Si
news of Beafts ; the Hooks are European ; and the
Baits generally Mufcles. When the Hottentots, up
on thefe Rocks, difcover a valuable Fiffi in the Sea,
they tofs one of thofe Lines towards him ;.and, to
allure him to the Bait , fall a whiftling. What
ever the Reader may think of Whiftling to Fiffi,
it has a very good Effeft at the Cape, for it plainly
allures 'em. If thcNoife ofthe Sea, breaking againft
the Rocks, drowns the Whiftling, the Hottentots
fet up a hideous Roaring and Shouting : And this
has a very good Effeft too ; for it often brings
Sholes of Fiffi about their Baits : The Fiffi bite
freely: And the Hottentots generally catch more
than they are able, at one Bout, to carry a-ffiore.
The Hottentots fwim from the Shore to the Rocks'}
and from the Rocks they fwim, loaded with Fiffi,
back to the Shore. And they are the beft and
boldeft Swiramers of all the People I fiver faw or
heard of. But their Manner of Swimming is ex
treme-

theCAPE of Good Hope. 257
tremely, furprifing : And I know not that they a^e
follow'd in it by any Nation in the World. They
fwim ereft ; their Neck^ quite out of Water ; as
are likewife their Arms,i which they extend up
wards, and witb 'which they ballance themfelves. ^
But - bow they paddle with, their Legs I could never
learn. They look, when they are fwimming, as if
they were walking upon firm Ground. And
(which is farther Matter of Surprife ) they fwim at a
prodigious Rate. In raging Seas, running Moun
tains high, they fright themfelves -with no Appre
henfions of Danger ; but, on the Contrary, fwim,
or rather dance forward, with the greateft Chear
fulnefs and Security ; rifing and falling with the
Waves like fo many Pieces of Cork.
The Fiffiermen on the Rocks, pack up the Fiffi
they take, in their Kroffes, or tie it up in leathern
Bags, and fwim with the Burthen on their Heads.
And every other Burthen, the Hottentots take with
'em when they fwim, they carry likewife upon
their Heads.
I have mention'd, in the Chapter on the Religion
of the Hottentots, Something of the Ceremony they
obferve before they enter a rapid River in order to
crofs it. The fame Ceremony they all obferve be
fore they enter the Sea in order tO fwim to the Sea-
Rocks or any where elfe. They ftand for a Mi
nute or Two at the Sea-Side with a thoughtful
Air. Then they catch up a little of the Sea-Wa
ter in their Hands; together with a little of the
Sand or Mud beneath it, and fprinkle the Whole
upon their Heads, muttering I know not What to
Themfelves, for I could never learn a Syllable or
^ any

258 The Prefent State of
Thing of the Meaning ofit; but withont Doubt
'tis an Invocation, or fome other Aft Of Religion
to fome Hottentot Deity. After which they dance
a litde on the Shore, and then enter the Water,
When they arrive at the Rocks, they waffi them
felves all over, from Head to Foot, with Water
they gather up in their Hands at the Place where
they got out. After which they dance a litde,
and then fall to Bufinefs. Being arriv'd a ffiore
again, they waffi themfelves again all over, from
Head tp Foot, with Water they gather up in their
Hands at the Place where they land : After which
they jump and caper a littie, and then proceed on
their Way. They likewife dance a little before
they enter a River in order to crofs it ; and when
they "get to the other Side,, waffi themfelves all over
and dance again. Thefe Ceremonies are ever care
fully obferv'd. But do what I could with the Hot
tentots, they would never explain therafelves on
thefe Ceremonies to me. Whether their Sprink
lings, Waffiings andJDancings, on thofe Occafions,
were Religious Afts, or What was the Meaning of
their Muttering, they would never fay. " Thisis
*' the Cuftom of the Hottentots" was the Anfwer
round ; and not a Syllable more would any one of
them utter upon the, Matter; unlefs when I have
found 'em at the Ceremony before they have enter'd
a rapid Stream ; and then they would add perhaps,
*' Don't you fee the Current is ftrong and dange-
*' roiis ?
I have not any Thing of Note to add here,
which will properly fall under any of the Heads
of this Chapter, excepting one Thing, which falh
under the Article of Hunting, and is This ; The
Hot-

fife Cape of GoodHope. 259
Hottentots of every Kraal and Nation have the Li
berty of Hunting througho\it all the Hottentot
Countries. Be the Game what it may, andpQrfue
il where they will. No body iholefts 'em ; biit on
the Contrary, if they warit Affiftance, 'tis freely gi
ven 'em, without any View to a Share ofthe Game.
CHAP. XXI.
of the Traffick of the Hottentots with
Strangers and with one another.
IF the Reader has been attentive, there is but
litde Occafion for a Set Difcourfe upon the
Traffick of the Hottentots with Strangers and with
one another , after fo many Things'as have been
deliver'd upon the Subjeft up and down the precee
ding Parts of this Hiftory. Frora thofe occafional
Touches raay be coUefted almoft every Idea of the
HvttentotTrade in bothKinds. There remains butlit-
tle to be added that will help the Reader upon the
Matter. But he may be defirous to fee an Affemblage
of allthe Particulars: A Popular Hiftory is not per
feft without it. Andi have fome new Things to fay,
which I cannot, perhaps, deliver with fo good a
Grace upon any other future Occafion. Thefe are
the Confiderations that have induc'd tne to furniffi
^his riiftory witha Chapter upon the //oZ/^^/o/ Trade.
The Hottentots have no fuch Thing as Money
among 'em. Their Traffick, as well with one
another as with Strangers, is always in the Way of
Barter. There are but few of 'em who have any
Notion of the Ufefulnefs or the Value of Coin ;
R 2 and

26o the Prefent State of
and thofe are fuch only as live about the C«^^-Town;
who, by converfing and trafficking with the Dutch,
have got fome Notion ofthe Matter ; butit reach
es no farther than to the fmall Pieces of Dutch
Coin , which , as foon as they get, by Way of
Traffick or Service, they immediately put off for
Brandy , TobaccO , or any other Thing they
want. All the Wealth of the Hottentots , as has been
faid over and over, confifts in Cattle. Wealth
among 'em is r-e^er feen in any other Kind ;
unlefs it be in .Elephant's Teeth, of which they
get a great Number ; but how they difpofe of
'em is a Sort of Myftery which I cannot clear
ly explain. 'Tis certain, they kill a vaft Num
ber of Elephants ; and 'tis as certain they
bring but few Elephants Teeth to the Cape ;
and thofe Teeth are only brought by the Hot-.
tentots who live in the Neighbourhood. The
Dutch therefore imagine (I do not fay how
truly ) that the Hottentots difpofe of the beft
Prrt of their Elephants Teeth to the Inhabitants
of Terra de Natal, or the Portugueze at Mofam-.
bic^ue. I cannot, indeed, apprehend, they beftow
all the Teeth they get in Rings to adorn their
Arms with , or in Sale to the Dutch ; and yet I
apprehend not how they difpofe of the Surplufage.
They do likewife, a few of 'em, now and then,
get the Eggs of Oftriches and other curious Birds,
and difpofe of 'em to the Europeans ; whom like-
wife, now and then, they furniffi with the Skins of
Vv'ild Beafts. But they employ themfelves fo lit
tle inthis Sort of Traffick, and m^ke fo little ofit,
thatl cannot allov/ itto enter into an Account of
their V/cikh. The

/>5^ Cape of GoodHope. 261
The'Hottentots trade araong themfelves for Cat
tle *., for the Armour they make themfelves, and
for fuch Comraodities as, by their Cattle or their
Labour, they purchafe of the Europeans. ' A Poor
Hottentot, who does not think of Putting himfelf
forward in the World by Serving the Europeans or
the Rich of his own Countrymen, employs himfelf
inthe Making of Bows and Arrows, Haffagayes,
Kirri- and Rackum Sticks ; and having finiffi'd a
good Set of this Hottentot Armour, puts it off to
fome rich Hottentot v^hovrants one ; and who gives
him' two or three or more Heads of Cattle
in Exchange, as he has more or lefs of Cattie to
fpare and likes the Workman. But a poor Hot
tentot, who work-s this Way, generally takes Care
to make a Set of Armour for his own Ufe before
he makes one for Another. The Rich of 'em are
ever too lazic to work either for Therafelves or any
elfe. All the Men are fond of being provided with
a handfome Set of their own Country-Armour ;
and part with Cattle, if they have Cattle to fpare,
very freely for one they like ; but this only to
their Countrymen : And they give more for a Set of
Armour to fuch of their Countrymen as are
extremely poor, and whom they would put imme
diately in a good Way of Thriving. They
purchafe Hkewife Cattle bf one another wieh
Brandy, Tobacco, Dacha, Beads, &c. which, by
their Labour or otherwife they purchafe of the
Europeans. So that the • Hottentots, who purchafe
Goods of the Europeans with Cattle, often get large
Returns of Cattle by the fame Goods dmong their
own People. With the Europeans they will hag
gle and ftand hard for a fmall Matter, and expeft
too, generally, a fmall Prefent over and aboye, of
R 3 one

262 The Prefenf State of
one Thing or another, when the Bargain is made.
But with their own Countrymen, if they have
Cattle to fpare, they make few or no Words.
Such is the Benevolence of the wealthy Hottentots
to their own trafficking and induftrious Poor : And
All of 'em trade and tranfaft with one another at
all Times in the moft upright and friendly Manner;
as they do likewife conftantly with the Europeans,
whenever the latter are upon the Square.The Kanna
Root, mention'd in a former Chapter, is likewife
a Comraodity for which they traffick with one
another :' And it is in fuch Efteem among 'em, that
they hardly think any Thing too good to be given
in Exchange for it. A Hottentot, who has any
Quantity of Kanna Root to difpofe of, is in a fair
Way to Fortune among his own Countrymen.
But, as I have faid in a former Chapter, this Root
is very fcarce among 'em. Tho' it is produc'd
in their own Countries , they themfelves are by no
Means fo ready at Finding it as the Europeans :
And the latter therefore, when they get it, make
no fmall Advantage of it among 'em.
To the Europeans the Hottentots barter Cattle,
fome Elephants Teeth , the Eggs of Oftriches ,
and, now and then, fome Skins of Wild Beafts ;
particulariy of WUd Horfes and Wild Affes. The
Hottentots receive in Exchange , Wine, Brandy,
Tobacco, Dacha, Corral, Beads, Tobacco Pipes,
fraall Looking Glaffes, Knives, Iron, fraall Bits of
poliffi'd Brafs or Copper , Ear-Rings, and, now
and then, the Kanna Root. The Hottentots have
little or no Notion of any other Goods either for
Ufe or Ornaraent. India Silks, which t-hey often
fee, and other rich and beautiful Manufaftures for
Fur-

/i^^ Cape of Good Hope. 263
Furniture and Apparel, ftrike not them. Let a
Ho/&fa/e/ be well daub'd from Head to Foot with
Soot and Greafe ; let him be equipp'd too with a
Sheep- or Wild Beaft-Skin upon his Shoulders, and
adorn'd, a la Mode de fon Pa'is, with Trinkets,
and he will ftrut with as much Affeftation and Pa
rade as the vaineft European in the moft fumptuous
Habit. The nobleft Robes, the richeft and moft
glittering Brocades, all the Beauty and Magnifi
cence of the Eurtpean Attire fall infinitely ffiort, in
the Eye ofa Hottentot, of the Grandeur and^Attrac-
tions he fancies there are in the full Drefs of his
own Country.
For the Proportion obferv'd by the Hottentots,
by Way of Price, in their Exchanges of Cattle for
European Commodities, it is, as is the Value of
Things in other Places, fometimes more, fometimes
leis, as Things are fcarce or plentiful or more or
lefs wanted. But generally fpeaking, they part
with their Cattle, even to the Europeans, as well as
to one another, at fo cheap a Rate as is almoft in
credible. I ffiall introduce my own Account of
the Matter with a Quotation or Two from other
Authors. ^0^^/ fays, " About Four Score lears ago,
*« before the D«/(r/& had any firm Footing at the
«* Cape, the Dutch Admiral, Houtman, and , after
« him, the Dutch Admiral, Matelief, touching
*' there, they could purchafe for a Bar of Iron, of
" 50 Pounds Weight, no lefs than Five Sheep :
*' For 70 Pounds of Iron, Two fat Oxen and
** Three Sheep : For a Knife, or a fmall Iron
*' Hoop, one Sheep. But they are now grown
R 4 I&rper

264 'fhe Prefenf State of
*' ffiarper, and part riot with their Cattie at fo
*' eafie a Rate .- Yet may one have a fine Sheep fpr
*' about the Value of Two ShUlings in Iron, Brafs
." Rings , Tobacco and the like.
Merklin fays, " Cattle are to be bought of the
" Hottentots at an eafie Rate, for Tobacco, ;§rafs,
" Wire and other Trifles. You may purchafe a
«' large fat Ox of 'em for little more than a Shil-
" ling. Now I think, that Half a Crown for a
fine Sheep, according to Vogel, and Twelve Pence for
a large fat Ox, according to Merklin , are cheap
enough in all Confciehce ; and Vogek methinks ,
had not much Reafon to fpeak of the Hottentots
¦ raifing the Market.
For my own Account of the Matter, I never
offer'd a Pound of Tobacco to a Hottentot for a
fine Ox ; Half a Pound for a large Sheep, and a
Quarter of a Pound for a fat Larab, but the Offer
was accepted : And I had the Bargain the fooner,
if I offer'd to crown it with the Prefent of a Dram,
and in Preference likewife to any Other who was
not provided with a Dram to prefent 'em with, or
was not inclin'd to make 'era fuch a Prefent. Ma
ny a Tirae have I bought Great and Small Cattle
of 'em at thofe Rates, Some Readers, without
Doubt, will be apt tp look mpon this as a Fiftion
of Mine , founded, perhaps, they will fay , on the
Fiftionsj. of others , But I fokmnly affure them
There is Nothing more true.
The Reader wift perhaps wonder when I tell
hun, that 'tis a difficult Matter for an European to
procure of the H<ittent(n.s a Set oftheir own Ar
mour

f/&^ Cape of Go OD Ho p E. 265
mour. They will hardly liften to any Offer froni
him for fuch a Thing. But what this Refufal is
to fae imputed to befides their Lazinefs I am utter
ly at a Lofs to fay. They cannot conceive the Eu
ropeans as more dangerous accoutred with Hottentof
Arms than ¦vrith European. No, they are no fuch
Fools : That Imagination, fay fome People what
they pleafe of the Hottentot Stupidity, has a great
Deal to much Phlegm in it for 'em. They trem
ble under the Thought of the terrible Executions
made by Swords and Guns, and tremble too, moft
of 'em, fo much as to touch the latter. They
are, as I have faid, the lazieft Wretches in the
World, A Rich Hottentot will not fet his Harid
to any Labour whUe he has Cattle to fpare, or
any other Means, to induce another to do it for
hirn. It muft be the eafieft and moft trifling
Thing in the World that he goes to do. And a
Poor Hottentot, who makes a Set of Armour for
his own Ufe, and another for Sale to a rich one,
can hardly be induc'd to fet his Hand to the fame
Labour a third Time. He has got Two or Three
Heads of Catde or more fqr his fecond Labour ,
and now thinks, perhaps, with a View to the En
creafe, of Living the Remainder of his Days like a
Hottentot Gentleman. They are doatingly fond ofa
compleat Set of Armour, where every Piece is well
finifli'd. And they keep their Arms continually in
the niceft Order, and may be fet forth in this Ref
peft as excellent Patterns for thc Soldiei-s of Europe.
I had a long and a very intimate Acquaintance
v/ith a very fenfible eminent Hottentot , one Cap-
t-^mPegu, as hewas call'd. He did rae a. Multi-
tqde of Favours in his Way ; and I did him not a

266 the Prefent State of
a. few in mine. The Man refpefted me as much
perhaps as ever Hottentot did an European , arid
would, I apprehended, after a long Series of mu-
ttial Intimacies and Obligations , have done any
Thing in the World he could fairly to oblige me.
I had a Mind, to baVea Set of Hottentot Armour,
and appHed to him for the Purchaife of his ; but he
refus'd to treat ; faying, No, he would not part
with 'em on any Account whatever. I offer'd him
a large Quantity of Tobacco, with other Thirigs
of a confiderable Value, very acceptable to the
Hottentots : But the Offer made no Impreffion ;
and he car'd not to liften to any Thing I faid to
him on that Head. This gave me no little Afto
niffiment. A Man may travel in the Hottentot Countries,
for Traffick or for Curiofity, with Safety enough
with Refpeft to the Hottentots. The Generality of
'em are, as I have faid , an Honeft Affeftionate
People, meaning Harra to None that injure 'en^
not : And their Features do in a great Meafure be
fpeak their Integrity and Good Nature. But as
there are here and there a few wicked ones among
'em, a Stranger muft not travel among 'em with
out a Caution againft 'em ; and the beft a Man .
can take is the Company of a Hottentot. This the
Dutch always do when they travel in the Hottentot
Countries ; and the Same I did conftantly on the
like Occafions. Let but a Hottentot be feen in
your Company, in any Kraalor Part ofthe Hottentot
Countries, and you are as fafe as in your own
Houfe, and have every Civility you wiffi for which
they can pay you. If you are alone and a Stran
ger among 'era in any Part very diftant from Eu
ropean

fheCAPi, c/GobD Hope. 267
ropean Settiements, the beft Thing you can do, if
you are apprehenfive of 'em, is to follow the Ex
ample of Capt. Gerbrantz Van der Schelling.
ConfiderWhat you have about you, which they fee,
and you can judge they have a Fancy for, and
throw it 'em. This will go near , among the
Worft of 'em, to fecure you from all Manner of
Danger , and to make 'em your faft Friends.
Capt. Gerbrantz van der Schelling , having been
fhipwreck'd in the Bay of la Goa, was oblig'd, as
has been faid, to travel on Foot through the Hot
tentot Countries to the Cape. Paffing by a Com
pany of Hottentots, be obferv'd they caft very co
vetous Eyes on a Skipper's Bonnet he had on, bor-
der'd with Gold Lace. He obferv'd too, they cour
fuited together, turning their Eyes now on him,
now on one another, and advanc'd towards him
with fuch Looks and in fuch a Manner as gave him
plainly to apprehend they defign'd to attack him.
Upon this he took offhis Bonnet, which had daz
zled 'em, and threw it at once among 'em ; an
Aftion which chang'd. the Face of Things in a
Moment. They fnatch'd up the Prize in Tranf
ports, ran to the Captain and carefs'd him; and
having ffiew'd him all the Marks of Friendffiip
and Berievolence in their Way, view'd the Bonnet
from Hand to Hand with the higheft Admiration,
and bore it away in a Kind of Triumph, J'he
Reader muft be put in Mind, on this Occafion, of
the Story, related a few Pages backwards, of the
Dutch Sailor, who was trick'd of a Roll of Tobac
co by the NimblenCfs of a Hottentot Rogue, But
thefe are all the Inftances I could ever learn of
Hottentot Roguery to European Travellers. Wild
Beafts are the Creatures a Traveller in the Hotten tot

268 The Prefenf State of -
tot Countries is moft in Danger of. And the beft
Fence againft them for an European is Fire Arms
anda quick Guard. In the Night, an EuropeanTra-
V filer may reft in a Kraal, either in a Hut, which
the Hottentots will kindly offer him, or in the open
Air, as ffiall beft fuit -his own Humour, with as
much Security to his Perfon and Goods as if both
were fafe under Bolts and Bars in his own Houfe.
I have feveral Times, in my Journies in the Hot
tentot Countries, taken up my Lodgings- for thc
Night in a Kraal. Sometimes I have laid in a
Hut, and fometimes in the open Air ; and never
was once, upon fuch or any other Occafion, in the
Jeaft molefted in my Perfon, or. wrong'd in the
Jeaft Article of my Property, by any Hottentot Man
Woman or Child. If I was never, when I lodg'd
with 'em, entertain'd with their Converfation , I
was always charm'd with the Simplicity of their
Manners and their Zeal to ferve and accommodate
me inthe handfomeft Manner they could. The Cha
rafter of the Hottentots for Fidelity is aThing there is
hardly an European at the Cape whp is not fond of
Applauding. They gain the certain Love of All that
know 'em by their fteady Poffeffion of this fingle
Quality. I never made any Scruple to commit any
Quantity of any Coraraodity I had to the Keeping
of a Hottentot, after I had been at the Cape for forae
Days, and heard and feen a great Deal oftheir
wonderful Fidelity. I have trufted large Quanti
ties of Brandy and Tobacco to the Cuftody of a
Hottentot for a Fortnight together , and , having
promis'd hira a fmall Reward, found at the End
of that Tirae, not the leaft Diminution of thofe
Commodities. But thefe are Things that have been
pretty clearly exprefs'd before.
Tho'

//5<f Cape .of Good Hope; 269
Tho' the Dutch at the Cape have no Inftance of
the Hottentots Murdering an Etfropean Traveller,
yet an European never dies among the Hottentots
but the Dutch, for the better Security of Travellers,
oblige the Hottentots to bring a good Number of fuf
ficient Vouchers, to ffiew thathe died a natural Death.
I ffiall clofe this Chapter with obferving on forae
Miftakes of Authors. Sorae Authors have faid
( Meifter for onc ) that the Hottentots have tame
Goats in their Flocks. This is falfe. The Hotten
tots have no tame Goats. All the Goats in the
Hottentot Countries are Wild : And the Hottentots
kill 'em in the Chace as they do other Wild
Beafts. Vogel fays , " the Hottentots make Inroads into
" the Province of Monomotapa, and fteal ing the
" Cattle belonging to the Inhabitants, drive 'em
" down to the Cape, where they difpofe of 'em to
" the Dutch. Boeving and Tachart have vindicated the
Hottentots from thisAfperfion of Vogel, by reprefen
ting their univerfal Love of Honefty and Fair Deal
ing, excepting that Part of 'em call'd the Bufcbies,
or Robbers, whofe Refidence in the Hottentot Coun
tries and Mannei- of Living have been defcribed in a
form.er Chapter. The honeft Hottentots abhor thofe
Bufcbies as they do their Devil, and are not more
bent upon the Deftruftion of Wild Beafts which de
vour their Cattie, than they .are upon the Extirpa
tion of thofe Wretches. As they triumph with
the Skin ofa Lion, Tiger or Leopard they have
kill'd, fo do tj^ey with the Head of a Bufchie they
have cut off. They adrait not of the greateft Inter-
ceffions in Favour of fuch a Wretch when they take
him, but immediately put him to Death. But

zyo the Prefent State of
But the Miftake of Vogel is vifible another Way,
Monomotapa is at leaft a Hundred Leagues dif
tant from theCape. The Driving of ftollen Catde
from thence to fell to the Dutch at the Cape, is
therefore difficult to be conceiv'd, on Twoi Ac
counts. Firft , the honeft Hottentots , thrbugh
whofe Fields and by whofe Kraals they muft pais.
Would, one muft needs think, lome of 'em, deteft
the Villany ; and having large Herds and Flocks
of their own, would not fuffer their Pafture tobe ea
ten up by Cattle driven by a vagrant Crew, come
from no body knows where. In the fecohd Place,
the Cattle, by fuch a Length of Driving, unlefs a
great Length of Time were beftow'd in it,
would become fo poor, if many of 'em ffiould not
periffi upon the Road, that they would not be
marketable. Farther, Any Man, who looks into
the i7(?//^«/o^ Countries, will find 'em generally fo
abounding^ in Cattle, both Great and Small, that
he will not eafily imagine the Inhabitants ffiould be
tempted to hazard their Lives or Quiet by Stealing
Cattle from other Nations.
Meifter has fallen into the very fame Miftake
with Vogel, and feems, indeed, to be, but very little
acquainted with the State of Traffick between the
Dutch and the Hottentots. He fays, the Hottentots,
from Time to Tiriie, bring Droves of Catde to
Market at the Cape. Forty or Fifty years ago,
indeed, this was frequently done. But fince that
Time they have been under quite another Regula.
tion; and the Hottentots bring no Cattie to thc Cape
but what they bring as Prefents to thn Governour.

CHAP

^^ne-MoMeniir^Mifi^a'neiD-tZn^i^. ^Aicfia./.p,

Qhe Hoite^nMrt 'nut/rvner- er^ ff iMrvti'n.a

the Cap? of Go o d H o p e. 271
CHAP. XXII.
Of the Hottentot Mufick and Dancing.
I. ' Their Inftrumental Mufick. II. Their Vocd
Mufick. HI. Father Tachart'i Acount of tbe
"¦' Hottentot Mufick, with RefleStiom on the fame.
IV. The iiottentot Dancing.
THE MuRck of the Hmentots has but few
Charms for theEar of an J£«ro;pffl«, and is
but poorly provided with either Inftruments or
Tunes : But 'tis in fuch Repute among themfelves,
that 'tis by no Means to be refus'd a Place in their
Hiftory. And poor as it is, it argues a Genius and
a Senfibility jn , the Hottentots which quite deftroys
the Credit df fuch Accounts as make 'em Mon-
fiers of Stupidity. I ffiall begin with an Account
of their Inftrumental Mufick.
One of the Hottentot Inftruments of Mufick is
common to feveral iV(?gro Nations, and is call'd,
both by Negroes and Hottentots, Gom Gom. * But
whether the Negroes owe it to the Hottentots, or the
Hottentots to the Negroes, I cannot lay. The Gom
Gom is a Bow, of Iron- or Olive Wood, ftrung
With twifted Sheep-Gut or Sinews. On the String,
quite up atone End of the Bow they fix, when
they play, the Barrel of a Quill flit, by putting'
the String into the Slit, fo that it runs quite througb
the Barrel. This Quill, fo fix'd on the String

 ' ' ' I I'
Vide Tab. X. Fig. i.

they

2/2 the Prefent State of
they apply, when they play on this Inftrumertt, to
thpir Mouths, much in the fame Manner as is done
to play on the Jews Harp ; and the various Notps
ofthe Gom Gom are d'wing, as are the Notes of the
Jews Harp , tp the various Modulations of the
Breath. This is the Leffer Gom Gom. The Grand
Gom, Gom is made by putting on the String, befors
they fix it to the Bow, a Cocoa-Nut Shell, about
a third Part faw'd off, fo that it hangs like a Cup
the Mouth upwards, the String running througlj
Two Holes nigh the Brims. When they play*ori
the Grand Gom Gom, with one Hand they hbld
the Bow, the Quill on the String applied to their
Mouths; and with the other they move thc Shell,
nearer orfarther from the Quill, according as they
would vary. the Sound, which rifes or falls accord
ing to the Motions of the Shell. The Shell, be
fore it is put on, is clear'd of all Scurf and loofe
Hairs, and made very neat andfmooth.
When three or four of thofe Gom Goms are play'd
upon in Concert by skilful Hands, I muft confefs I
think the Harmony extremely agreable, efpecial
ly when it runs in the low Notes, for there is a
Softnels in the Mufick that certainly has Charms
for a very delicate Ear. Hearing once the Mu
fick of the Gom Gom in thc Dead of the Night, I
was fo ftruck with the Delicacy of it, that it won
my whole Attention, ajid I could not help thinking
that the Inftruments were play'd upon by fome in
genious Europeans, who had ftudied themfelves up
to the higheft Perleftion upon 'em. Having a
Mind to be fatisfied , I "ftepp'd to the Place from
whence the Mufick came , ahd was furpris'd to
find that the Muficians were only Two Hottentots ,
who

the C A PEofGooD Hope. 273
who indeed perform'd to Admiration. The
Reader may think of my Tafte for Mufick as
Jie pleafes, but I cannot help .declaring it as my
Opinion, that the Gom Gom, as infignificant a Piece
of Work as it is, was it to be ftudied by a
judicious European Mufician, would be found to
have as fine Mufick in it as any Inftrument ¦we have,
and be as much admir'd.
Another Hottentot Inftrument of Mufick is an
Earthen Pot, -(refembling, like their coraraon Ones,
a Roman Urn) cover'd at Top with a fmooth drefs'd
Sheep-Skin, which, with Sinews and Sheep-Guts,
is tighdy brac'd on, like the Skin on a Kettle-
Drum. This Inftrument is only us'd by the
Women; and they perform on it with their Fin
gers, much after the fame Manner as is done on
the Rommel Topffe, aninftruraent of Mufick in Bra
bant and Thuringen. Upon this Inftrument they
perform but one Tune, and that confifting of but a
few Notes; with which if the Reader has a Mind
to araufe himfelf, he will find 'em fet upon our
Scale, Tab. X. {a). With this Tune the Women
when they get the Pot-Drum among 'em, never
know when to have done. When One is tir'd with
the Drum, another takes it; and fo it goes round
and round to the fa'me Tune, fometimes for Three
or Four Hours together.
II. The Vocal Mufick of the Hottentots confifts
in the Monofyllable Ho and two or three Songs,
or father wild Falaldrums. The Monofyllable Ho
is fung by both Sexes in their Ceremonies of Wor
ffiip, in a fmall Round of Notes, exhibited. Tab.
X. (J) And the fame Monofyllable is fung by the
S Wo-

':•'- 'J

^74 ^he Prefent: State of
Women to the Pot-Drum, in Notes, fuch as you
fee (b) The Woraen will often keep a Hoing to the
Drum, upon the Notes laft referr'd to, for above
Half an Hour together. If an European is by, they
ceafe it not fo long as he ftays, if he ftays Hours
together, for they believe he is charm'd with their
Singing, and equally delighted too with their Drum
ming : And this Conceit gives 'era a very tickling
Delight, as you fee by the fmiUng Vanity in their
Faces, Their' Hooing to the Beating of the Drum
is, indeed, very grating to the Ear; and as barba
rous a Piece of Mufick as one ffiall hear, perhaps, in
the World. Nothing can induce an European fd
ftand to liften to it but Curiofity, or d Defign to
infpire the Women with the vain Delight I. have
merition'd. But the Women will not be perfuaded
that he is not held by the Charms of their Mufick. i
Indeed , if they fet afide the Drum, and fing Ho,
Ho, Ho, in the Notes I have referr'd to, regularly
in Concert, and one of 'em breaks not in upon ano
ther, there is a Kind of Mufick in it which pleafes
for a Minute or fo ; and you may endure it for
Eight or Ten Minutes more ; but afterwards it
becomes fo grating, that you muft have a great
Deal of Patience if you make riot Hafte to get out
of the Hearing of it.
This- is all the Account I can give of the Hot-
tenUit Mufick. I never, in any of the Hottentot
Nations I have vifited, and there are but few I have
not, faw any other Hottentot Mufical Inftruments
than the Gom Com and the Pot-Drum, excepting a
Pipe , - an Inftrument of Martial Mufick, which
will be mention'd in the Account of the Ho//^«/o/
Manner of Making War. III. But

I^Cape ef Good Hope7 275
- III. But Father Tachart mentions other Mufical
Inftruments of theirs ; one not unlike, fays he, a
Flute; the other refembling a Hautbois. I could
never ; for my own Part, either fee or hear about
the Cape of any fuch Mufical Inftruments in any of
the Hottentot Nations : ^And there are feveral
Things ill the Father's Account which quite fpoil
the Digefiion of it with_ me. I ffiall ffiew the
.Reader what he fays of 'em, and then make my
Remarks. A French Ambaffador pafling with his Retinue
through the Hottentot Countries to the Kingdom of
Siam, Part of the Retinue came up to a certain
Kraal, " the Captain of which (I now follow the
Father pretty nigh mot a mot) " having been told
*' that the Europeans were great Lovers of Mufick,
*' came out and teftified his greatSatisfaftion that
*' he had an Opportunity of Convincing them,
" that the Hottentots were not only Lovers of Mu-
*' fick, but excell'd in it all the other Nations un-
*' der the Sun ; and immediately commanded Fifty
" Men and Women to perform before 'em.
" This Band of Fifty play'd upon Inftruments not
*' unlike European Flutes. The Performance
" was regular enough, confidering the Number in
*' the Band ; -was very agreable to the Ear, '• and
" very much commended by fuch of the Retinue
*' prefent as were good Judges of Mufick ". Here
we have only an Account of the Hottentot Flutes.
The next mufical Novelty we meet with in the
Father is a -Hottentot Hautbois.
" The Ambaffador proceeding (fays he) on his
" Journey thro' a very populous Hottentot Nation
S 2 ¦ (he

276 the Prefent State of
" (he does not name it) pitch'd his Tents near
" a certain Kraal : And as the Ketde Drums and
" Trumpets in his Train were performing for his
" Excellency's Entertainment, a Band of Thirty
** Hottentot Muficians prefented themfelves before
*' the Tents, and forming themfelves into a Cir-
" ele, prepar'd to entertain His ExceUency with
" a Concert of Hottentot Mufick, which they af-
" fur'd feveral ofthe Retinue, who were affembled
" about 'era, ffiould not fall ffiort of, if it did
*' not excel, the European Mufick they had heardi
" This Hottentot Band being forra'd into a Circle,
*' within the Hearing of the Ambaffador, a Hot-
*' tentot 'with a long Pipe in his Hand, not unlike
*' a Hautbois, enter'd the Circle as Direftor ofthe
" Reft. His Pipe was made ofthe drefs'd Gut of
" an Ox. The Inftruments ofthe Reft were Sorts
*' of Flutes, of different Shapes and Sizes, and
*' made of Reed.'!. Out of thefe they produc'd a
" Piece of Harmony not very charming Indeed to
^' the Ears of the Arabaffador and his Train, ac-
" cuftom'd to the Mufick of finer Inftruments and
" Performers, yet, confidering their Inftruments
"' and Warit of Rules, agreable enough, and pret-
" tiiy perform'd.
" The Barrels of the Hottentot Flutes are like
« thofe ofthe European. But the Holeson both
" Sides meet one another, and are larger than the
*' Holes on the Sides of European Flutes of the fame
*' Size. On each of thofe Inftruments is a little
" Aiding Circle, or almoft a Circle, for there is but
" a fmall Opening. This Circle they move with a
" fraall Bit of Wood, upwards or downwards, ac-
" cording as they -v^ 3uld give the Inftrument a dee per

jfy^i? Cape of Good Hope. zyy
" per or a ffiarper, a bolder or a fofter Sound.
«' When they play upon it, they hold itin one Hand,
*« and clap the other round the Head of it, clofe to
" their Mouths, in order that all their Breath may
*f pafs direftly into it, and none efcape it to the
« Weakening of the Sound. ThisInftrument,inout-
« ward Appearance, is a very infignificant Thing;
" but it produces a very ^grpable Soqnd; and well
" manag'd, as it was by fome of thofe Hottentots,
?' yields finer Mufick than forae ofour own Wind
" Inftruraents, whofe Sound is npt fo foft and
f*^ fweet as that of the Hottentot Flute. The Flutes
^' are tun'd by the Hautbois, with which the Di-
¦•' reftor ot the Miffick gives the Air or Tune by
?' Way of Inftruftion. The Flutes follpw the
*« Hautbois exaftly, while the Direftor beats Time
*' with a Stick. " Such is , pretty nigh mot a
fnot , the Account Father Tachart gives of thq
Hottentot Miifick, with which a French Ambaffador
was eritertain'd, as he pafs'd through the Hottentot
Countries, in his Way to the Kingdom of Siam.
I now make my Rernarks.
And the Firft I make is, that Whatever fome
prejudic'd Perfons, who 'were never at the Cape,
may think of my own Account of the Hottentot
Mufick, as doing it mpre Honpur than they can
believe it deferves, this Father's Account does it a
great Deal raore Hpnour than mine. In a Multi
tude of Refpefts, relating to the Reafonablenefs
^ndlngenu\ty of the Hottentots,, he falls vaftly ffiort
of the Credit I would do 'em ; but in the Particy,'
lar of the Hottentot Myfick he goes as far beyond
tne^ and fet§ 'en\ off to a very fine Tync.
' S 3 But

27S The Prefent State of
But there is no Occafion for me to oppofe What
I faw or heard my felf at the Cape to the Account
quoted here from . Father Tachart. There are, if
I am not miftaken, Abfurdities in the Account it
felf, which will keep a difcerning Reader frora gi
ving any Credit to it.
That Flutes may be made of Reeds or Canes is
certainly very true; but that a Flute, a Hautbois,
or any fuch Wind Inftrument ffiould be made of the
Gut of an Ox, is one of the idleft Imaginations
that I have met with.For I cannot poffibly appre
hend How the Gut of an Ox or of any other Crea
ture ffiould be fo dried or harden'd as that, being
form'd into a Wind-Inftrument for the Mouth, the
Breath ffiould not moiften and diffolve its Frame,
and make it fall an End or Together , as we fay,
like a freffi' Gut, Befides, if a Wind Inftrument,
like an European Hautbois, was made of a Gut,
it can hardly be allow'd it was made of the Gut
of an Ox : 'Tis much more probable it was made
of the Gut of an Elephant or Rhinoceros. And
then again. The Modulating their Flutes with a
Sort of Circle, mov'd up and down the Barrels, is
to rae a Whira that never fubfifted in any Thing
but the Imagination, There needs no more. The
Learned Good Man was impos'd on. And I only
add, that if the Hottentots had any fuch Things as
Flutes or Hautbois, I think I could hardly have
fail'd to have either feen or heard of 'em fomewhere
about the Cape, after fo many Years Refidence
there, and fo many Tours as I made up and
down moft of the known Hottentot Nations. I
convers'd freely with the People wherever I went.
They often entertain'd me with their Mufick, which

the Cape of Go o d H o p e. 279
which was ftill, in all the Places I vifited, the Gom
Gom, the Pot-Drum, and their belov'd Ho, Ho, Ho.
In thefe Things, and a few wild Songs or Falal
drums, of which Little or Nothing is to be made,
confifts the whole Body ofthe Hottentot Harmony;
which, notwithftanding they often hear European
Mufick at the Cape, they affert, excels the Euro
pean Mufick and the Mufick of all the other Parts
of the World.
The Reader will think, perhaps, it was hardly
worth the WhUe to beftow fo rauch Pains as I have
done hereto deteft thofe Miftakes of Father T^jc^ar/;
and may fay too, that I have tir'd him to forae
Tune. I beg his Pardon if I have ; and can only
fay in Excufe, ifl have been tedious, 'twas my
Love of Truth has made me fo; and that 'tis bet
ter, I apprehend (if he will jpardon me the Jingle)
that a Man ffiould be tir'd to fome Tune than to
none. IV. I ffiall now give an Account ofthe Hotten
tot Dancing, concerning which we have had hither..
to little befides miftaken Hear-fay. The Occa
fions of their Dancings, fetting afide their Reli
gious Solemnities, are generally Thefe : When
Sam Sam- (as they call it) or Peace is clapt up with
a Nation with which they have been at War;
When one of the Kraal has flain a Wild Beaft, or
efcap'd lome great Danger : Or when forae notable
piece of Good Luck has happen'd to fome particu
lar, Perfon or FamUy of the Z'raa/. On thefe and
the like Occafions the whole Kraal teftifies its Joy
in Dancings, fometimes whole Nights, and fome
times till far in the next Day, without any Man-
S 4 ner

28o The Prefent Sta.U of
ner of Refreffiment. Dancing is the , Delight of
both Sexes of the Hottentots ; and the Manner of
it among 'em on the Occafions I have mention'd
is This. The Men of the Kraal fquat down very
regularly in a Circle. The Woraen join the Circle,
not only to enlarge it for the better Convenience of
the Dancers, who perform within it, but to affift in
the Common Ho, Ho, Ho, and aid the Mufick of
the Gom Goms with- their Pot-Drums. No fooner
are the Gom Goms heard, than the Women begin
to rub with their Fingers on the Pot-Drums.
And Ho, Ho, Ho, is the Song of All who have their
Mouths at Liberty; .and Such as have their Hands
at Liberty clap 'em. Then prefent themfelves fe
veral Couples to dance ; but never more than
Two Couples dance at once. When a Woman
ftarts up and ffiakes the Rings upon her Legs, it is
a Token fhe wants a Male-Partner ; and ffie has
one immediately. And Two Couples , Two
Men and Two Woraen, having enter'd the Ring,
dance each Man wifh his Partner, Face to Face,
a laMode de France. When they begin, they are
at the Diftance of Ten Paces from one another;
and they are about a Quarter of an Hour in Dan
cing before they meet. At Times they meet not,
but turn about aud dance Back to Back •• And one
dancing Bout generally takes up above an Hour.
They never take Hold of each other by the Hands.
The Men in Dancing deal their Legs about 'em to
a Prodigy of Aftivity. But after what has been
fciid of 'cm on other Occafions the Reader perhaps
v/Ulnot wonder at That. The Women ('the moft
curious Thing to be obferv'd here) hold not up
their Heade while they dance ; but keep 'em aU the
.While ftooping down, their Eyes fix'd on their
' ' Feet i

/i5^ Cape ^ GoodHope. 281
Feet ; and hardly a Hgir's Breadth does a Wo
man dance before her who dances at the fame Time
with fter. The Wornen too, while they are dari-
ciflg, fing Ho, Ho, Ho, and clap their Hands.
They are very aftive in this Diverfion, keeping
their Legs continually in a wonderfully nimble
Motion; but outof it, they hobble and drag
their Legs as if they were crippled with the Gout.
Both Men and Women cut Capers,' and ftamp with
their Feet on the Ground. The Men cut their
Capers wonderfully clean and high : An^ the
Woman perforra theirs very notably. When the
Women ftamp in Dancing, the Rings on their
Legs make juft fuch a Noife, methinks, as the
Harnefs on the Back of a Coach-Horfe when he
ffiakes hirafelf I can cOrapare it to Nothing bet
ter. When Two Couples leave the Circle ( and
they always do it together) others fupply their
Places with great 'Difpatch and Irapatience. The
Dancers generally tire the Muficians. When the
Mufick ceafes, for Refpite, Dancing for that Tirae
is at an End ; but the Women continue their Hoing
and Clapping of Hands till a freffi Dance begins.
And the Entertainment hardly ever ceafes till all
the Inhabitants of the Kraal have taken their
Turns and had their Fill of Dancing. This (with
out Staying to reraark here , as I have done in raa
ny other Places, on the Miftakes of Authors whp
have written on the Hottentots before me) is as clear
and perfeft an Account as I can give of the Hottentot
Dancing, at which I haye been preferit a Multitude
pf Times.

CHAP

282 The Prefenf State of
CHAP. ;xxiii.
Of the Hottentot Manner of making
War.
TH E Hottentots, branded as they have been for
Stupidky, are as fenfible of Injuries and as
keen in their Refentments as moft other People.
They are, as are all wife Nations, particularly fen
fible of Injuries that are national, and immediately
feek for Redrefs in War. A Hottentot Nation, up
on the leaft Invafion ofher Rights, or the leaft Pub
lick Affront, is all in a Flame. Not a Bofom in it
but burps with Revenge. Away every Man of
'em flies to his Arms ; from thence to the Place
of Rendezvous ; and from thence, without Lofs
of Time, upon the Enemy, with as martial a Spi
rit as ever aniraated the Hearts of a People. Every
Man of 'em is both a Huntfman anda Soldier, and
generally diftinguiffies himfelf as illuftrioufly in one
Capacity as the other. The fame are their Arms
in the Chace and in War : And in both they ufe'em
with equal Dexterity, But a Hottentot War is no ...
Drainer of the Pockets of the People, They have
no Military Cheft ; no Magazines of Provifions for
the Array ; levy Nothing upon the People for the
Service; publiffi no Manifeftoes or Declarations,
fetting forth the Reafons of the War they are un-
dertakingj in order to induce their Countrymen to
join in or fupport it. War in the Hottentot Coun
tries appears with Nothing of this Apparatus ; is
attended with rio Expence of Treafure, nor with
fuch Expence 'of Blood , fuch Devaftation and
Ruin as in Europe and other Parts, 'Tis never
l^gth-

theCAPE o/GooB Hope. 283
lengthen'd oi|t into many Campaigns. On the
Contrary, one Battle generally decides a War :
But 'tis fought with all imaginable Refolution and
Bravery : And the Hottentots want Nothing, per
haps, but the Arms and the Difcipline of the Eu
ropeans to appear as illuftrious in the Field as they.
Indeed, they have no Manner of Difcipline. They
know Nothing of Rank and File, Front, Flank
or Rear : And if they have any Word of Com
mand for Forming, it rauft bc Soraething hke
lhat of a Faraous Captain , All of a Lump,
My Lads. They ftand not, , however, fo clofe to
one another but that each has full Roora to ufe his
Weapons, to whirl his Haffagaye, or difcharge his
Arrow, and to skip likewife frora one Side to ano
ther while he is taking his Aim at one of the E-
neray, as he does when he aims at a Mark. They
begin the Attack with iiich a dreadful Scream
as were enough almoft to fright any other
Enemy out of the Field. When One has difcharg'd
his Arrow or Haffagaye, he retreats a little to make
Room for another behind him, who takes his Place.
By the Time his Succeffor has difcharg'd his Wea>.
pon, he has fitted to his Bow another Arrow, per
haps, , or to his Hand another Haffagaye ; and if a
Third gets not the Ground before hira, fallies fori,
ward and attacks again. And thus they continue
lidlyingour and retiring into the Heap in the
greateft Confufion till the Fortune of the Day ia
decided. And that depends in a great Meafure on
the Conduft of the Chief, to whofe Coraraands the
whole Army, in Time of Aftion, pays the ftric-
teft and the readieft Obedience. - If he has the
Good Luck to difcern or be inform'd Where the,
Fncmy is the weakeft (that is- to fay (as with us) in
wh^t

284 the Prefent State of
^hat Part the Enemy has tbe raweft and weakeft Men
andthe leaft Number of 'em;, and tp furprife that
Part with a good Body of the Flower of hisTroops,
'tis Odds , but by' this great Step he wins the Hay ':
Forthe Enemy being once broke, ' and at the fame
Time any confiderable Sllaughter made of 'eni,*-?
their Courage generally vanifhes, and away they .'j
run. The Conduft of the Chief is ^gain difcern'cj^^:
in his Ordering when and where the Backeleyers ,or
Fighting.Oxen fhall fall on. * If they are di-iv^. .
ion a weak Part of the Enemy, pr any where; break"'
in, the Fortune of the Day is often fix'd by 'em'>.
The Backeleyers having once penetrated and got in'
among the Eneray , make, inctredible Havock V
ftaraping, kicking and goring with incredible Cbi^"'^
rageand Aftivity. ' This is always fuch. a Blpwupf .'
©n the Enemy', that if it is follow'd by any confidlei
rable Aftion from the Men, the Enemy is qiiickly
feen in a total Rout ; when the Viftors purfue with
fuch a horrid Roaring, YeUing and Screaming,
by Way of Triumph, as were enough, pne would
think, to fright every living Creature put of tiigi
Hottentot Countries,
The Motive of a War among the Hottentots is
generally one of the Three following . When one
Nation fteals the Cattle of another ; When one
Nation fteals the Wives of anpther j Or When one
Nation drives Cattle on or fpoUs the Paftures of ano
ther. The laft is the moft frequent Incentive bf the ,
Three. None ofthe Hottentot Nations have, in-^-
deed, any fettled Boundaries : But evpry one ofr
f. ' '!  '  '"  ' ¦ - J I' I .1 IIM ..I .yjl-
f Vide Tab. Xl\l. fi^. u V \
^ ' 'etiiK

'^FeUf.^m. £^./. p. 2S4

^if-^-r-s^j

^hj^J^s^^^^^is-irpT-aJ-J:!,'^ j^F&u&A^

theCAPE (5f GoodHope; 285
*em has fome Notion of the Extent of her Ter
ritories. And tho' the Hottentots ofone Nation were
never to drive their Cattle to feed upon the Terri
tories of another -, yet can they effeftuaJIy deftroy
the Pafturage of another for many Miles about, by
letting Fire, in the Dry Seafons, to the Grafs.
The Fire at fuCh a Time, as has been faid in ano
ther Place, catches quick, and runs and fpreads it
felf to a vaft Compafs about, infomuch that all the
Country under your Eye appears in a Flame*
When one Nation fteals Cattle from another, the
wrong'd Nation goes with the beft Force ffie can
raife to feek Reftltution ; and, if ffie proves vlfto
rious, carries offfrom the Vanquiffi'd all the Cattie
ffie can. If the Hottentots of one Nation are robb'd
of their Wives by the Hottentots of another,
they take the Field with their beft Force, not on
ly to recover their Wives but. Lege Talionis, to
plunder the Robbers of theirs. But 'tis very rare
that one Hottentot Nation fteals the Wives or Cat
tle of another but with a pure Defign to irritate and
mad that other and bring her into a War. For
Firing the Grafs on the Ground, the Hottentots do
it generally, as has been faid, to ^tten the Ground;
but being, as has likewife been faid, too lazie to
make Ditches about the Grafs they would burn, to
ftop the Courfe of the Fire ; the Fire, if the Wind
affifts it, often runs and fpreads a great Way into
the Territories of another Nation, doing imraenfe
Damraage : And this brings that other upon the
Heads ofthe Incendiaries in all her Fury. But on
all Occafions, before one Hottentot Na,tion falls up
on another, by whom ffie is injur'd, ffie fends De
puties to the other, ferioufly to reraonftrate the In
jury and demand Redrefs, And if Redrefs, upon, fuch

286 the Prefent State of
fuch Deraand of it, is at all delay'd, the Nation
in Arras falls on without more ado ; that is, if the
other is not in the Field, ffie feizes and carries off
all the Cattle ofthe other ffie can come at.
One Battle, as I have faid, generally decides a
War. A Hottentot Army, once put to the Rout,
affembles not fpeedily again ; for the Hottentots
have little or no Notion of Rallying. And 'tis
row the Cuftom for every Hottentot Nation in Al
liance with the Dutch to apply, upon her firft
Defeat, to the Governmerit at the Cape for a Media*
tion of the Quarrel. The Government at the
Cape never fails , upon fuch Application, to fend
an Officer of Note, at the Head of a Good De
tachment from the Garrifon , to accoraraodate
Matters. And no fooner does the Officer, with
his Detachment, appear in the Territories of the
Viftors than he is met by their Deputies, who af
fure him of the Readinefs of their Nation to cqme
into fuch Meafures of Accoraraodation as he fhall
think fit. Such a Regard does generally every
Hottentot Nation, in Alliance with the Dutch, pay
to the Dutch on, fuch an Occafion. The Officer
has it always in his Inftruftion* and always takes
Care to forra Articles of Peace much to the Ad
vantage of the lofing Side. To thefe he foon brings
both Sides to agree. Reftltution or Satisfaftion, as
he judges neceffary , is forthwith made ; and
all Differences are happily accommodated. But,
as the Hottentots have littie or no Notion of either
the Art or Ufefulnefs of Writing, the Treaty only
fubfifts in the Breath of the Parties.
For Defraying the Expences of thofe Expeditions of

?/&^ Cape of Go OD Hop^. 287
of the Dutch for accommodating Differences be
tween the Hottentot Nations, the Officers who head
them are order'd to purchafe Cattle of the Nations
whofe Quarrel they mediate. And it being now
the Cuftom of the Nations on thofe Occafions to
fell 'em a great many Heads of both Great and
Small Catde for Little or Nothing in Comparifon
of tbe ordinary Rate of the Hottentot Markets, the
Government is often, by the Produce of . thofe
Purchafes at the Cape , pretty well reimburs'd.
But fometimes, when the Government is over
ftock'd with Cattle, or has no Occafion, thofe Ex
peditions area dead Charge to it; which yet it is
an effential Piece of Policy on moft Occafions for
the Dutch to maintain.
A Hottentot Nation, that is rich and populous,
grows , like European Nations in the fame Cir
cumftances, proud, imperious, and a Terror to
her Neighbours, who are not in fo flouriffiing a
Way ; and this efpecially if ffie lies at fo great a
ESftance from the Cape that the Dutch cannot reach
her but by long Heart-breaking Marches, and a
confiderable Ejcpence. The Nations therefore,
who are in the Neighbourhood of fuch an arbitrary
over-grown People, generally enter intoan Alliance,
Offenfive and Defenfive, againft 'em. Thus the Suf-
faquas and the Odaquas or Udiquas have enter'd into
a perpetual Alliance, Offenfive and DeffenfivCj'with
the People ofthe Leffer Namaqua, againft Thofe of
theGreatsxNasnaqua, who are very ftrong and impe
rious. And thus the Dunquas are in Alliance with
the Damaquas againft the Gauros. And there is
hardly a People under the Sun more faithful to their
Allies than the Hottentots, in Alliance, are to one
ano-

zBS The Prefent State oj
another. More Faithful did I fay ? I know not
that there are the like Inftances of National Faith
upon Earth, if all the Accounts I met with at the
Cape of the Striftnefsand Refolution with which
the Hottentots obferve their Alliances with one ano
ther be true. Is one Hottentot Nation, in Alliance
with another, injur'd or affronted .? Her Ally is in
the Field as foon as ffie ; fights with as much An
ger and Refolution as if the Caufe of Quarrel was
her own ; and lays not down her Arms till her Al
ly is folly fatisfied or reveng'd. Be the Caufe of
Quarrel never fo often , taken by a Hotteneot
IS^ation , her Hottentot Ally is never weary of
her ; but ftill follows her through all her Refent
ments and through all her Fortunes as if they
jvere all her own. Some Hottentot Nations, in
deed, enter into an Offenfive and Defenfive Alli
ance only during a Prefent War ; the End of
which is the End of the Treaty, But 'tis rarely
that an Alliance is feen between two Hottentot Na
tions who lye near the Cape.
Some Hottentot Nations have their Peculiarities
in War, which merit a Place in the Hottentot Hif
tory. As the Chamtouers and Heykoms never ceafe
fighting while their Chief plays on a Sort of
Flagelet. Tho' they lofe Ten Men to the Enemy's
One, and the Day goes manifeftly againft them,
if their Chiefs continue piping they continue figh
ting. As foon as the Pipe ceafes, they retreat.
As foon as the Pipe plays again , they march again
to the Enemy and renew the Attack. In almoft
all their Motions they are govern'd by the Flage
let. If the Enemy runs, and the Flagelet conti
nues playing, they purfue : If the Flagelet cea fes

the C APB of Good Hope] 2891
fes, they let the Enemy go, and take no farther
Notice of him.
It isthe Cuftom of the Leffer Namaquas, with
their Allies the Suffaquas and Udiquas, to continue
fighting till News runs in the Armies that they
have loft abundantly more Men than the Enemy.
Whenever they find this to be the Cafe, for that
Time they leave the Enemy the Field. But before
this News runs among the Troops, they fight with
the utmoft Bravery.
Some Hottentot Nations fight fo lofig as their
General is alive ; it being the Cuftom for thc Gencr
ral to fight till he conquers or dies. When he Is
flain, they betake themfelves to Flight.
A Battle between the Dunquas or Damaquas, and
the Gauros, lafts no longer than whUe both Sides
can efpy their General. As foon as the General of
cither Side difappears or is ftain, his Army flies.
The Hottentots have a Decency and an Honefty
in War, in which I know not that they are equall'd
by any People. They touch not the Enemy's Slain,
either to infult or plunder 'em. They feize neither
Haffagaye, nor Arrow, nor Kroffe, nor Pouch, nor
JCnife, nor Tobacco, nor Trinket about them that
appears to be theirs. Nor do they offer the leaft
Infult to their Memories. As an Enemy falls, fo
he lies for them : They touch him not after. Ha
ving carried off their own Slain for Interment, they
leave the Slain of the Enemy to be carried off by
the Enemy ; which is always done immediately af
ter the Viftors are retir'd out of the Field. But the
T Pri-

ijpo the prefenf State sf
Prifoners they take in Battle they immediately
flay. A Deferter to the Enemy , and a Spy upcm
'themfelves, the Hottentots, when they take 'em ,
put imraediately to Death. The greateft Intercef-
fions avail Nothing for eitherof 'em.^ Juftice or
Revenge is ever on fuch Occafions the Cry of the
whole Army and the whole Nation ; and there is
no fuch Thing as Stopping it but by the Blood of
the Prifoner. The Crime of Defertion is frequent
enough in the Hottentot Wars with one another.
But the Ofice of a Spy is very rarely undertaken,
a,nd never without the Promile of a very tempting
Reward- A-Hottentat Army in the Fjeld looks tp
it felf wkh fo watchful an Eye, that 'tis a Matter of
very difficult Addrefs for a Spy to get into it, or
even but to dodge about it, andefcape; Yet they
rnake not fuch a Difficulty of undertaking thisO^
fice for the Dutch,, as they do of undertaking it
for one another. At leaft, they have never done it
in the Dutch Wars at the Cape. In thofe Wars the
Dutch found Hottentots enough to ferve 'em in this
Capacity ; but then they were fuch as were not of
the Nations the Dutch were at War with. A Hot
tentot, unlefs he is Rogue enough to be a Deferter,
wUl not betray hisown Nation. Nor do I fuppofe
the Hottentots of one Nation did then, or would
now , ferve the Dutch as Spies upon another but
for much greater Rewards than ever were offer'd
'em for undertaking the like Office for their own
People. As for the Dferter , he is the Contempt
of all the Hottentot Nations, and (as the Deferter is
with us) the Scorn too of the Army to which
he, deferts. This all the Hottentots know very well ;
yet

the Cape of GcjodHope. 291
yet Gfudge and Cowardice are frequently produ
cing thbffc Wretches amortg 'em. PiqUe againft
the General Oi: fome Great Officer of the Army,
ahdCbWardice on the Sight ofa hum.erous Enem)r
make I^derters among the Hottetitots as frptjuently
as they do with us. Arid the HotteHtots ate as well
skill'd as the Europeans ih the Policy df Receiving
J5eferters. Oh ! while tlie War lafts, there are
lione more carefs'd than thfey; and this for the In
formation they bring of the Pofture and Condition
cf the Army they left, and how the Cattie of their
Nation may be beft coriie at. But when the War
is at an End, they are abhorr'd ; and the only
Way they have left to do the Nation who receiv'd
*em a Pleafure, is to hang themfelves. By that
Means they would fave the Nation the Trouble of
giving them up, or making Inftances for their Paf-
fihg the miferable Remainder of their Days in it.
For at aTreaty of Peace betweenTwo Hottentot Na
tions, fome or other on both Sides genisrally make
a Clamour for their Deferters ; and Part on both
Sides is generally given up: And Thefe are no foo
ner in the Hands of their own People than they are
put to Death. For the Reft, they pafs the Re
mainder of their Days in the Nations to which they
fled, ffiunn'd and contemn'd of every one ; and
hardly fupplied with neceffary Food from Day to
Day. Thefe are Things fufficient, one would think,
to deter a Hottentot from becoining a Deferter.
It muft not be forgot here, that the Hottentots
ufe their Kirri- and Rackum-Sticks likewife as Mar
tial Weapons. The Rackum-Sticks they throw at
the Enemy, as they do at a Beaft in the Chace.
The JGm-Sticks are for Warding off the Arrows,
T 2 Haf^

292 the Prefent State of
Haffagayes , Rackum - Sticks , and "Whatever is
thrpwn by the Enemy. The Hottentots in Bat
tle, whpfe Rackum-Sticks, Arrpws and Haffagayes
are fpent, betake themfelves to Stones, the Hot
tentot Dextprfty in the Throwing of which has been
defcrib'd already. And they are, in a Manner, as
dexterous in Warding Stones off with the Kirri-
Stick, when they throw *em at one another. The
Two Armies fometimes engage, as it were. Hand
to Hand, ftriking and puffiing with their Haffagayes
and Rackum-Sixcks, and guarding with their Kirri-
Sricks, and fighting Pell Mell till they are, in a
Manner, confounded with one another.
In Times of Peace, in order to keep themfelves
-in a Fitnefs for War ; that is, to keep the Old and
bring the Young Hands in, they frequentiy exer
cife themfelves in Mock-Fights. And at thefe
Mock-Fights I have frequently beheld 'epi with
inexpreffible Pleafure. On thofe Occafions they
difcharge no Arrows ; and only now and then do
they throw a Haffagaye. Thefe Difputes are chief
ly maintain'd with Kirri-St\cks, Rackum-Sticks and
Stones. They divide Themfelves into Two Par
ties ; each of which being drawn up in Hottentot-
Batalia, ^ the Engagement begins with a hideous
Yell and a Shower of Rackum-Sticks from both
Sides. The Rackum-Sticks being fpent, to it they
go with Stones, Heaps of which are conveniently
Lid near each Party before the Engagement begins.
I have a delightful Satisfaftion to this Hour in the
Meraory of thofe Mock-Fights ; and fliould not,
I apprehend, have believ'd, had I not on thofe
Occafions feen it, with what Dexterity the Hotten
tots ward off Haffagayes, Rackum-Sticks and Stones with

/^^Cape of Good Hope. 293
with the Jfirri-Stick only, Inconfiderable as the
JSTjm-Stick is in Thicknefs, they will ward off a
Pebble with it. As foon as a Hottentot fpies him
felf in Danger of a Haffagaye, a Rcukum-Stick or a
Stone, he ftands ftock ftill under the Guard of the
Jfirri-Stick; and on the isTim-Stick he intercepts it.
He rarely fails ; at leaft, he fails rarely in a Mock-
Fight. When the Two Parties are weary of Mock-
Fighting with Stones, they take their Rackum-
Sticks, and , with them, puffi and ftrike at one
another in very furious Aftion. The Puffies they
parry and the Blows they ward off with the Kirri-
Stick, and with fuch Dexterity as would furprife
the greateft European Mafters of Defence. The
Feints in their Attacks are likewife extremely art
ful : Andfor Nim blenefs of Retreat there are not
their Fellows in the World. The Two Parties
having engag'd thus for fome Time, the Word is
given for Ceafing, and the Parties retire. After
this Manner do the Old Men keep Themfelves and
train the young Men to the Hottentot Military Dif
cipline.
C H X P. XXVI. .
Of the Courts of Juftice of the Hotten
tots, and their Manner of Proceeding in
the Sarae."
I Tbe Proceedings in Civit Cafes. II. The Pro
ceedings in Criminal Cafes. III. The Supreme
T 3 or

5 94 lhe Prefent State pf
or National Court. IV. The Cuftom touchmg
Inheritances.

minaTCa:

I Very Kraal has a Court for the Adminif.
^^ tration of Juftice, both in Civil and Cri-
Cafes. This Court corififts of the Captain and
all the Men of the Kraal, excepting fuch, for the
Prefent, as are at Law, as I may fay, or are profe
cuted in the fame. 'Tis held in the open Fields,
the Men fquatting in a Circle. The Caplaun
prefides, cpllefts the Voices (for all Matters are
determin'd by a Majority) and pronounces the
Sentence or Decree. As heavy hpel'd as Juftice
is in Europe and feveral other Parts of the World,
ffie is very nimble of Foot in the Hottentot Countries^
The Law's Delay is a Complaint that was never
heard there. As foon as a Pifpijte of Property
arifes in a Kraal, the Captain fummons all thprneq
to fome Part at a little Diftance frora the Kraal ;
where the Court being fquat, the Plaintiff and
Defendant, with the Wimeffes on both Sides, are
fully heard upon the Matter; the Plaintiff and
Defendant pleading their own Caufes, without ariy
Thing like a Lawyer, Attorney or Sollicitor to
affift 'em. Thofe are a People of whom the Hot
tentots (they may thank Heaveri) have no Manner
of Notion. . Every one being heard who has any
Thing to offer to the Court upon the Matter de
pending, the Captain, after fome Debates upon
What has been offer'd, collefts the Voicse, a Ma
jority of which makes a Decree. The Decree he
immediately pronounces ; and full and quiet Pof
feffion is immediately fecur'd to thc Party in whofe
Favour the Decree paffes. In Cafes of Afl&yft
and Battery, which happen not rarely among 'em, and

f/&^ Cape ^Go OD Hope. 29^
and in every other Cafe of Damage, they procee'^
iri the fame Manner ; and give Damages, which
are paid in Catde, in Proportion to the Injury re
ceiv'd. From this Court there lies no Appeal .
either in Civil or Criminal Matters.
II. The Criminal Matters, which erriploy the
Kraal Courts, are Murders, Adulteries and Rob
beries. As foon a» a Hottentot is known or fufpec-
tedtohave committed any one ' of thofe Crimes,
Notice of it is given to all the Men of the Kraal
he belong'd to ; who all confidering themfelves as
Officers of Juftice, look out ffiarp to feize the
Charg'd or Sufpefted Party ; who, if his Guilt is
too ftrong for him to govern in his own Bofom,
or too notorious to be fupprefe'd, endeavpurs to
efcape to the Bufcbies, with them to pafs the Re
mainder of his Days. 'Tis in vain for him to
think of finding Sanftuary in any other Hottentot
Nation. He would, if he ffiould continue in any
other, be taken for either a Fugitive or a Spy.
Enquiry would fpeedily be made , and he
would fpeedily be laid by the Heels. Rich and
Poor , Old and Young , Male and Female ,
Hottentot Juftice regards wifh an equal Eye. If
the Captain of a Kraal becomes a Criminal, no
Manner of Regard is had to his Perfon or Office ;
but, if they can come at hiriti, he is feiz'd as rude
ly, profecuted with as muCh Severity, and, if con
vlfted, put as quickly and ignominioufly to Death
as the pooreft and moft obfcure Criminal araong
'em. When a Criminal is feiz'd, he is put in Hold
in the IG-aal he belong'd to, and there held till
fuch Time as the Men ofthe Kraal can affemble to
try him ; which they do, perhaps, thc very Day
T 4 lie

296 the Prefent Stafe of
he is brought back to the Kraal.' The Court be
ing fquat in a Circle, the Prifoner is brought and
plac'd inthe Middle of it. The Center of the
Circle is always the Place ofa Criminal, becaufe,
fay the Hottentots; the Matter touching his Life,
he ought to have the beft Situation for Hearing
and being heard. The Prifoner being in his Place,
(I cannot fay, at the Bar) the Charge againft him"
is pronounc'd by the Profecutor ; and the Pfofe-
cutor's Witheffes are heard. Next, the Prifoner
makes his Defence, calling his own "Witneffes, who
are heard , with the greateft Indulgence, to the
laft Word they have to utter in his Favour. Then,
as in Civil Cafes, the Captain , after fome Debates
on the Evidence, collefts the Voices, a Majority
ofwhich acquits or condemns. If the Prifoner is
acquitted, the Court affigns him Damages out of
the Profecu tor's Cattle , more or lefs, as the Court
judges the Matter to be circumftanc'd. If he is
convlfted, and the Court adjudges him worthy of
Death, Sentence is immediately pronounc'd and
immediately executed upon the Spot. If any of
his Affairs remain unfettled at his Conviftion, they
maft remain fo for ever, if they are not to be fet
tled without him, for he is not allow'd a Moment's
Time to confer with his Friends. Nor is any
Time either ask'd or given to prepare for Death
in. Preparation for Death, in a fpiritual Senfe,
is a Thing the Hottentots have no Notion of The
Prifoner is executed on the very Spot where he
ftood at his Trial. The Captain having pro
nounc'd the fatal Words, the Court rifes ; but
the Prifoner ftirs not a Linib. All is, in a Man
ner, filent for a Minute or Two. More Time
rarely elapfps, after the Sentence, before the Cap tain

the Cape cf Go o d H o p e. i^y
tain, who is Chief Executioner, flies at the Prifo
ner, as in a Rage, and with one downright Blow
on the Head with his Kirri , lays him fprawling
on tbe Ground. The Captain has no fooner de-.
liver'd his Blow, by which he generally ffiatters
the Prifoner's Skull, than the Reft of the Court
falls on; each giving the Criminal feveral Blows,
which they fetch with all their Might with their
Kirries, on his Head, Belly and Sides. \ They ob
ferve no Order in this, but, after the Captain has de
liver'd his Stroke, fly in a Crowd on the Dying
Wretch, and ftrike confufedly, as each can get nigh
him and has Room to fetch a Blow. Tho' they quick
ly difpatch him, they follow their Blows till his SkuU
is broken all to Pieces and his Belly extremely fwel-
led. They then take the Corpfe, and bendingit. Neck
and Heels together, wrap it up in theCriminal's Jtir*?^,
and inter it, burying with it all the Implements and
Bawbles they find upon it, excepting Rings and
other Trinkets of Copper or Brafs, which are gi
ven to his Family or his Heir.
The fouleft Crime among the Hottentots taints
not, as' we term and jnean it, the Blood of the
Criminal's Family. Nothing but his Life is for
feited by his Conviftion. His Heir fuffers No
thing in Name, PrivUege or Property. His Fa
mily, Relations, and Friends are treated by every
one with the fame Refpeft and Diftinftion that were
paid to 'em before ; and every Thing is carried as
if no fuch Misfortune had happen'd. No Mortal
is reproach'd with the Memory of his Crime.
Nor is the Corpfe Ul treated, or his own Memory
infulted. On the Contrary, his Funeral is per
form'd with as mournful Ceremonies and as much
Pomp

298 the Prefeni State ef
Pomp as the Funerals of the Richeft and the mcA
Virtuous among 'en^^
Vogel and Father Tachart have ftigmatiz'd the
Office of Captain ofa Kraal, becaufe he is oblig'd
to be the Executioner, or the Firft at leaft, of all
the Criminals that are capitally convifted before
him. This was a little raffi in thofe Gentlemen.
They did not confider, that the AiKient Je^s had
the like Inftitutiori : That the Judge among Them
was often the Executioner ; and that his Office
was, in no Sort , thought diffionourable on that ,
Account. There are Proofs enough of the Jike
Cuftom among the Ancient Jews in the Old Tefta
ment ; particularly £W, 32. 26 to 29. 1 Kings
3. 5: 6:29: 34. 1 Kings 21. 8 :9 : lO&c.Andladd
this Inftitution of the Hottentots as another ftrong
Prefumption to the Many I have mention'd already,
that they are either the Defcendants of the Old
Troglodytes, the Pofterity of Abraham by his Wife
Chetura ; or elfe they have remain'd where they
are from Times almoft as early as the Flood, de
riving their Origin from Some of the Pofterity of
Noah before the Days of Abraham ; ^mong
whom, it is moft certain, a great many Criftoms
and Opinions prevail'd, whieh went down to "the
Jews, and which the Hottentots preferve in Whole
6r in Part to this Day.
The Reader will want none of my Affiftance in
Reflefting on What is due to the Hottentots, by
Way of Charafter, for their Speed and Impartia
lity in the Execution of Juftice. A Hundred
Thoughts upon the Subjeft muft needs, without
my Help, prefent themfelves to the Minds of the
leaft

theCAT'B of Good Hope. 2^
leaft difcerning Readers in Favour of this almoft
univerfally contemn'd and ridicul'd People. The
Striftnefs and Celerity of the Hottentot Juftice are
Things in which they outffiine all Chriftendom.
And in many other Duties to the Pubhck, as Well
as in many Duties of Private Life do tbe Hottentots,
Spite of all the Noife that has been made about
their Ignorance and Stupidity, furpafs. the greateft
Part of the Chriftian "World at this Day.
III. When a Difference happens between two
Kraals of the fame Nation , and they cannot ac-
ComnKjdate it between themfelves, it is referr'd to
the Judgment of a National Court ; which is helc^
at the Kraal where refides the Chief Captain,
quickly after Suit is made to the faid Chief for
Calling the Same. This Court confifts of the
Chief and all the Captains of Kraals. The Cap
tains fquat themfelves in a Circle round the Chief,
who fquats in the Middle. The Proceedings are
here the fame as in the Kraal-Courts. The Chief
collefts the "Voices and pronounces the Decree,
which is executed immediately ; and the Matter
refts for ever
This Court is likewife the Grand Council of a
Hottentot Nation ; and 'tis call'd as often as the
Chief judges proper for the Publick Weal. The.
Captains of Kraals, upon Summons from the Chief,
repair to him immediately. No Time is loft Jn
Dancing Attendanee.The Council, uppn the Arrival
of the Captains, is immediately form'd ; and ha
ving taken its Refolutions, which it does at one Sit
ting or Squatting, abides by 'era with the Firm
nefs and executes 'em ^rith the Vigoar of an Old
Roman Senate. IV, This

300 The Prefent State of
IV. This Account ofthe Hottentot Courts of Juf
tice gives me a fair Opportunity, and I ffiall take
it, to be a little more explicit than I have been up
on the Hottentot Cuftom with Refpeft to Inheritan
ces. All Eftates among the Hottentots defcend to the
Eldeft Son, or, where a Son is wanting, to the next
Male Relation, They are never divided, nor ever
defcend to a Female. Nor can a Hottentot Woman
reap any Advantage in the World, by Way of
Legacy, among her own People, butbytheCon-
fent of, the Heir of him that bequeaths it her ;
fpr if a Bequeft, to either Man or Woman, is
made without his Confent, he may ftop it, and No
body will fay Wrong he does. Proximity of Blood
in the Male Line challenges every Head of Catde,'
Great and Small, a Hottentot has at his Death. If
a Hottentot has fpverai Sons, he can, when he is on
his Death Bed, leave the "Tounger Nothing with
put the Confent of the Eldeft. If he makes any Pro
vifion out of his Herd or Flock for their Well Being
when he is dead, he muft do it while he is in his
Vigour, before he is feiz'd by any mortal Wound
or Sicknefs. But this is not often done ; and when
it is, it araounts not to much. A fingle Cow or
Ewe to a Younger Son is generally the Moft a
Hottentot Father gives ; and with this he fends
hira packing into the World. The Hottentots ge
nerally make all the Fortune they can for their
Eldeft Sons ; and reckon it their principal Glory to
leave 'cm large Stocks of Cattle. The younger
Sons ofa Hottentot, at Home and unprovided for at
the Death of their Father, are at the Courtefie of
the Eldeft both for their Fortunes and their Liber ty,

the C A? t oJ Good Hop t. 3oj
ty. He may detain them about him as his Ser
vants, if he pleafes, all the Days of his Life, allow
ing 'em Nothing but a Suftenance from Day to
Day. As the Hottentots have, all of 'em , the moft
vigorous Paffion for Liberty, an Elder Brother's
detaining the Younger in Servitude is a moft grie
vous Difpenfation. But fuch is the pious Regard
the younger Brothers pay to Cuftom here, that they
conftandy fubmit to it, yielding, without Murmu
ring, tUl the Elder ffiall give them their Liberty,
to all his Pleafure. If an Elder Brother finds he
has more younger Brothers on his Hands than he
has Service for, or cares to maintain, he either gets
Such as he would part with married; giving 'em
each a Cow or an Ewe, or more, as he pleads, to
begin the World with ; or elfe he gives 'em Liber
ty to go and ferve the Europeans. And an Elder
Brother, who has once given a Younger his Liber
ty, can never leize it again. A Younger Brother
is then free for his whole I-ife after, owing his El
der Brother, from that Hour, not one Step or Stroke
of Service but what he voluntarUy contrafts to ren
der him. The fame Power has an Elder Brother,
his Father dead, pver his Sifters. They cannpt
marry or leave him lawfully without his Confent.
He gives to each of 'em, when they marry, juft
what he pleafes ; and is not oblig'd to give 'em any
Thing at all. In this Account of fhe Defcent of
the Hottentot Eftates I ara roundly fupported by Fa
ther Tachart. I only add, that the Eldeft Son, or
whoever inherits the Cattle of a Hottentot, is o-
blig'd to take Care for the Wife or Wives of thc
Deceas'd, till they re-marry or die._

C A H P.

3-0^ the Prefent State of
CHAP. xxm.
Ofthe HoTf ENTot Praftice of Phyfick an4
Surgery,
I. Their Manner of Cupping. II. Their Manner of
Letting Blood. III.. Their Manner ef Curing a
poifon'd Wound. IV. Their Manner of Reftoring
a Diftoc ation. V. Their Manner of Shaving .the
Head. Vi. Their Amputations. "VII. flow they
cleanfe & foul StotnOch VIII. Hoia the Nofes of
the H0ttefit6tS Come to hi flat.
TH O' a great rfiany very idle Whims and
Superftirions enter into the Hottentot Prac
tice of Phyfick and Sui'gery, yet is not the Praftice
in either Kihd COntPHipttble. Qn the Contrary^
there are a great many viduable Thingsin Both.
The Hottentot £)Oftors often fucceed. Great Cures
are perform'd by 'em , and fuCh as , perhaps ,
could not be perforrn'd by the ableft Phyficians or
Surgeons in Europe. The Hottentots who give them'-
felves to the Study Of Medicine are generally well
skUl'd in the Hdttefitot Botany. They have fome
excellent Notions of the Virtues of a Multitude, of
Hel*bs and Roots that are produc'd in the Hotten
tot Countries ; and often apply Herbs and Roots in
very difficult and dangerous Cafes with wonderful
Succefs. The Two Profeffions of Phyfick and Sur
gery are united among the Hottentots. He who is
a Phyfician is likewife a Surgeon : And all the Hot
tentot Doftors, fho' none of 'em, I believe, ever
diffefted or faw the Diffeftion of a Human Body,
havepretty good Notions ofthe Human Anatomy,
They bleed, cup, make an Amputation, reftore a
Dif-

theCAPE of Good Hope. 30-
PiflocauoB, and perform all the Manual Opera*
tions in their Praftice with the moft furprifing Dcx*
terity: And yet there are no other Inftruments in
thewhole Compafs of the Hottentot Surgery than
a common Knife, a Horn and the Bird's Bone I
havefo often mention'd.
Boeving fays, *' the Hottentots, in all their Ail-
«' mmts, both inward and outward, have Recourfe
*« only to Cupping and Anointing the Body with
** Fat. " Cuppings and Anointing, according to
him, make up the whole Hottentot Praftice. How
Carelefly muft he have look'd into it r Or how was
he impos'd on ! It is furniffi'd with Salves and Poul
tices , and with many Remedies to be taken
inwardly ; but, indeed, many Thoufands ffiort of
the Number of Salves and Remedies in the European
Praftice of Phyfick and Surgery. The Hottentot
Materia Medica lies in a fmall Compafs ; and their
Methodus Medendi is the fimpleft in the World.
I. In Cholics and Pains ofthe Stomach they firft
feek Relief by Cupping. And the Hottentot Cup
ping is perform'd after the following Manner. * The
Cup is an Ox*s Horn, the Brims ofwhich are made
very fmooth. The Patient lying on his Back upon
the Ground, the Doftor applies his Mouth to the
Partwhere the Pain lies, and fucks, as it were, the
Skin. He then claps the Cup on, as we do ; and
having let it remain rill- fuch Time- as he judges the
Part under it is become infenfible, he tears the Cup
or Horn pff; and with his Knife makes Two or

?Vid« Tab. XIIL. Fig. 2. Thret

304 the Prefenf State of
Three Incifions of the Length of Half an Inch. He
then claps the Horn on again ; and lets it remain
till it falls off, which it does when 'tis full of Bloodj
and 'tis generally fill'd in a Couple of Hours.
The Horn falling off, the Patient, who fuffers no
fmail Pain in the Operation, is left to reft. If the
Pain flits to another Part, they rub that Part well
with hot Fat : And if hot Fat does not put an End
to the Pain, they go again to Cupping , not in the
former Place, but on the Partwhere the Pain fet
tles. If this Second Cupping fets not the Pa
tient tP Rights, they proceed to inward Remedies,
giving him either Infufions or Powders of certain
Roots or Herbs.
II. In Pkthorics, and in every Indifpofition of
that Kind, they let Blood. And their Manner of
Letting Blood is this. The Operator is provided
only with a common Knife «nd a 5trap. The
Strap hc binds very tightly over the Vein he would
open ; and opens the Vein with his Knife well ffiar
pcn'd. Having got, as he judges, a requifite Quan
tity of Blood, he loofensthe Strap ; clofes the Ori
fice with fweet Mutton Fat, and ties over it a Leaf
of fome falutary Herb. In Two Days Time the
Orifice is heai'd up. If Bleeding fets not the Patient
to Rights, they proceed to inward Remedies, as
Infufions or Powders of certain Roots or Herbs.
III. A Hottentot, who had been wounded with a
poifon'd Arrow on the upper Part ofhis Foot, gave
me the following Account of the Hottentot Method
of Curing a Poifon'd Wound. *' We rub, faid he,
" the Venom of Snakes with our own Spi ttie be-
*' tween Two Stones; and having mix'd them well.

/i5<f Cape of Good Hope; 305
«« well, we fcratch upon the Pit ofthe Stomach till
" the Blood comes ; and to the Part fo fcratch'd
" we apply a fmall Partof the mix'd Venom and
*« Spittie. The Reft we take inwardly. This ne-
" ver fails to expel the Poifon in the Wound, or ,
«' in any other Part to which it may have fpread.
*' When wejudgethePoUbntobeexpeU'd, which it
*' is in a few Days, we cleanfe the Wound well, and
" apply to it the Leaves of Buchu, Dacha, and
" other falutiferous Herbs. We drefs it every Day,
*' applying freffi Leaves ; and by this Means ge-
*' nerally makea perfeft Cure in a Month'sTime at
" the Moft. But the leaft Negleft of fuch a
*' "VVound is dangerous.
Of Setting a Jraftur'd Lirab they know Little
or Nothing. They had no Cafe of that Kind that I
could hear of in all the Tirae I ftay'd in the Hotten
tot Countries ; nor any Memory of a Hottentot's
breaking a Limb. And I took no little Pains to
inform my felf in the Matter.
IV. But Diflocations are now and then happening
among 'em. And their Method of Reftoring a dil-
located Joint is , Firft, to rub the Joint vehemently
with Fat ; and then to move the Limb briskly up
and down, and prefs upon the Joint, till the Joint is
reftor'd to its proper Place. The vehement Rub
bing of the Joint with Fat, and the brisk Moving
of the fuffering Lirab, they fay, is a raighty Tor
ment. "V. In Head-Aches the Hottentots often ffiaVe
their Heads. This they perforra with a comraon
Knife weU fharpen'd. The Fat continually in a
U- Hoi-

3o6 the- Prefenf State of
Hottentot' sHair, which is ffiort and woolly, ferves,
in Shaving, the Purpofes of Soap in the European
Way, But they never ffiave off all the Hair. They
only make Furrows in it ; leaving generally as
much Hair on as they take off. As foon as the
Operation is over, they powder the Furrows or
Shav'd Parts with Buchu ; which, they believe,
does not a little contribute to remove the Pain.
But this Manner of Shaving the Head is like-
wife obferv'd araong the Hottentots upon another
Account. \f a Hottentot lofes a'Father,'bAother, or
any Relation or-Friend whom he holds dear, and
has nota Head of either Great or fraall Cattle to
facrifice, in Honour oftheir Memories, and in Tef
timony of his own Sorrow for the Death of 'em,
he gets his Head ffiav'd in Furrows, as is done for
the Head- Ach. But he is much nicer in the Mat
ter upon fuch an Occafion than when he gets it
done for a Pain in the Head. For great Care is
taken that the Lifts (as I may call 'em) of the Hair
remaining , after Shaving , be juft of the fame
Breadth with the Furrows or ffiav'd Parts; and
their Breadth is generally about an Inch. TUl the
Hair grows again , his Appearance puts every one
in Mind ofhis Sorrow for the Lofs of the Deceas'd.
And this, where Cattle is wanting, is ever the Hot
tentot Badge of Mourning for the Dead.
VI. The Hottentot Amputations are only of
Joints on the Fingers of Women. Thefe they
perform fo nicely , that Nothing is ever hurt or
disfi'gur'd beyond the Amputation. Their Method
is This. The Head of the Joint, next below that
which is to be cut off, they bind very tightly w|th a

the Q APE (9f GoodHope. 307
a dried Sinew. They then, with a coramon Knife,
make the Aniputation. To ftop the Blood they
apply, to the End of the mutilated Finger, imme
diately after Amputation is made, the Juice of
the Leaves of Myrrh-Trees, and wrap up the Fin
ger in Leaves of falutiferous Herbs.
Authors upon the Hottentots are, many of 'em,
ftrangely out in the Accounts they have given of
the .Reafons of thefe Amputations. Boeving fay-s,
« ' There are Several (meaning Hottentots) who have
*' mutilated Fingers ; the Caufe of which is faid
« to be This, If a Mother lofes her firft Child by
*' Death, ffie bites off a Joint of a Finger "of her
" next born ; fuperftitioufly believing, that that
" Child becomes thereby" more likely to live.
This is a very ftrange Whim and as odly worded
in Boeving. He was impos'd on in the Matter, as
I was for almoft my two firft Years Refidence at
the Cape, but in another Manner. The Hottentots
about the Cape abus'd me into the Belief, and,
for the Timet have mention'd, I continued in ic
very" ftedfaftly, that thofe Amputations were made
to denote the Pedigrees of theWomen; that the grea
ter or more illuftrious the FamUy was from which a
Hottentot Woman was defcended, the more Joints
were cut offfrom her Fingers : So that I look'd up
on this Praftice as the Hottentot Heraldry, and on
the mutilated Fingers of the Women as Coats of
Arms for the Honour and Dlltinftion of Fa
mUies ; imagining that the Honour or Nobili
ty of Hottentot Farailies went only with the Fe
males ; and that this was one Reafon why fo many
Hottentot Women were no Fortunes ; the Family
Honours they deriv'd upon their Husbands being
U 2 . deem'd

3o8 515^ Prefent State of '
deem'd, as I fuppos'd, a Compenfation for theif
Want of Portions. Into fuch "Whims as thefe, not
reafoning with my felf much upon the Matter,
was I abus'd by die Hottentots about the Cape-
Town ; who, under fuch able Mafters as the Euro
peans, have made a fine Progrefs in the Art of Ly
ing ; which they exercife whenever they have a
Mind to baffle the Curiofity of Strangers who
would peepinto Hottentot Matters. And this Fa
culty, deteftable as it is, does, methinks, theHot-
tentots fome Honour, fince it certainly requires fome'
Genius to tell an arch Lie , as, if I am not mifta
ken, is this they impos'd upon me. I was not
undeceiv'd tUl I made a Sally up into the Country;
which I did not till I had reraain'd alraoft Two
Years at the Cape Town. The HSttentots who
liv'd far from the Cape, and whofe Simplicity had
not been corrupted by vicious European Converfa-
tions, let me into the Truth of the Matter. And
the Truth is, that a Hottentot Woman, for every
Marriage after her Firft, lofes tbe Joint of a p'in-
ger, beginning at one of the Little Fingers. . The
re-marryihg Woraen are call'd fo ftriftly to the
Obfervahce of this Cuftora, that there was not in
my Time at the Cape any Memory I could meet
with of its being evaded. Aftej I had receiv'd this
Account of the Matter, I examin'd frora Time to
Time the Hands of Abundance of Hottentot Wo
men, and never found any mutilated Fingers but
upon the Hands of Such as had married more than
once. Not a mutUated Finger is to be found
among the Hottentot Men ; which muft have been,
were Boeving's Account here true. Father Tachart
is the only Author that I know of who has hit up
on the Truth of this Matter before me. A Hotten tot

/i&^ Cape of GoodHope. 309
tot Woman , before flie re-marries ," is likewife
oblig'd to perform Anderfmaken, as they term it»
by KUling a Head of Great or Small Cattie, which
is provided her by her laft Husband's Heir,
for the Entertainment of her female Neighbours.
This, with the Exeftion of a Finger-Joint, makes
her, in the Eyes of the HoW^kM;, a new Woman.
VII. For a foul Stomach, the Hottentots take the
Juice of^/o^-Leaves. Aloe-Trees grow inAbundance
in die Hottentot Countries. They take' a few Drops
in a little warm Broth, their conftant Vehicle for
this Juice, This is a good Cathartic, and at the
farae Tirae an excellent Storaachic, If the firft
Dofe fets 'em not to Rights, they take, three or
four Days after, another, fometimes Twice the
Quantity of the Firft; and This rarely fails to work
the defir'd Effeft,
For moft other inward Ailments, they take, ac
cording to All L could learn among 'era, the Pow
ders or Infufions of but a very few Things ; name-
Jy, Wild Sage, Wild Figs and Fig-Leaves, Bucbu,
Garlick, Fennel, and a few other Herbs, which will
be mention'd in the Natural Hiftory. But I muft
believe they have feveral other Remedies which they
would not communicate to me,
I have heard, from feveral Europeans, of the beft
Credit and Intelligence at the Cape, of a very idle
and barbarous Piece of Divination among the Hot
tentots, which I never had an Opportunity of See
ing, for Difcovering whether a Sick Party ffiall re
cover or die of the prefent Fit of Sicknefs. The
Magotry is this. They take a Sheep and flea it
U 3 alive

310 the Prefint State oj '
alive, taking Care that the Creature Idfes not one
Drop of Blood in the Operation. If, when the
Skin is off, the Sheep, being untied, rifes and runs,
they look upon it as a fure Prognoftic that the
Party will recover. Butif the Creature- moves not
from the Spot on which it was fleadj they believe
the Party will die of that Fit of Sicknefs , fpite of
all the Means they can ufe for his Recovery. They
therefore, when the Divination iffues in what they
term a Fatal Prefage, give the Party no more Phy
fick, nor trouble their Heads any farther about
his Recovery ; but give him a little Suftenance
from Day to Day till he dies, or recovers, vi natu
ree, of hirafelf But they never perforra this Divina
tion till the Sick is brought extremely low, and
the Doftor is at a Lofs how to proceed. If the
Sick recovers, after the fatal Prefage, then, fay
they, the Divination was not truly perform'd. 'Tis
pretended the Sheep loft Blood ; or fome other
Fault is found, in order to fave the Credit of the
Divination. VIII. It has been reported by many Travellers,
and is, I believe, little lefs than univerfally credited
inevery Partof Europe whither the Report has
fpread, that the Hottentots are born with flat Nofes.
There never v/as a greater Untruth. Here and
there, as it happens among our Selves, a Hottentot
is born, perhaps, with a flat Nofe ; but the Gene
rality of 'em are born with Nofes in every Relpeft
like the Generality of our own. But the Hotten
tots look upon a Nofe. with a ffiarp Ridge, or where
the Bridge is up, as a very ugly Feature. A Hot->
tentot Woman therefore , foon after ffie is deliver'd
of a Child, breaks down the Bridge of its Nofe with one

theC APE of (Jo on tiopE. 311
oneof her. Tliumbs, and lays it, d la Mode de foiv
pais, all flat. I never knew but one Child that wiis
born ofa Hottentot Woraan and was fuffer'd to grow
up with the Bridge of its Nofe entire and in its natu
ral Elevation : And the Reafon of it was this :
The Woman was married ; and her Husband, fuf
pefting the Ch^ld torhave been begot by an Euro
pean, would not allow it the Honour, as he deem'd
it , ofa flat Nofe ; but order'd it to be brought up
withthe Bridge of its Nofe in its natural Situation^
to denote its Mother's Infamy. He defign'd
likewife to have profecuted his Wife in the Kradl
Court for Adultery ; but ffie fled, before ffie was
apprehended, and was not, whUe I continued at
the Cape, heard of after.
I have only to add here, that if a Hottentot, Man
or Woman, recovers of a dangerous Fit of Sicknefs,
Anderfmaken is perforra'd by Killing, for the En
tertainraent ofthe Kraal, a Head of Great or Sraall
Cattle, according to the Circuraftances of the Fa
mily. If 'tis a Man who recovers , the Men
devour the Meat, and fend the Broth to the Wo
men. If 'tis a Woman, the Women eat up all the
Meat ; and the Men are regal'd with the Broth
only.
CHAP. XXVIIL
Of the Funeral Ceremonies of the HoTTEN*
TOTS,

w

H E N a Hottentot, Man, Woman, or
Cliildj is in the Agony, theyare immcdi-
U 4 ately

'312 The Prefent State of ,
ately encompafs^d by a Number of |heir Relations
and Friends, who fet up fuch a terrible Howlirig as
were enough, one would think, to fright the SoUl
out of the Body. But when the laft Breath is giveri
up, 'tis a thoufand Times worfe ; tor then they fet
up fuch an OiUtrageous Screaming^ Crymg, Howl
ing, Yelling arid Roaring, and all the While clap
their Hands with fucb a Fury, that at fuch a Time
there is no Staying in a Kraal for an European with
Safety to his Brains. The Kraal ffiakes under the
•raging Din; You hear 'era MUes off: And fiich:
a wild horrid racking Noife, I believe, was never
heard but in the Hottentot Countries.
That the Hottentots believe the Iramortality of
the Soul, has been ffiewn in a foregoing Chapter.!
But they have no Notion, that ever I cpuld gather,"
of Rewards and Puniffiments after Death. And
'the Behaviour of a Sick Hottentot, and of Thofe
about hira, are, I think, pretty rpund Proofs that
they have none. For, whatever the Sick and Dying
.Hottentots may think, 'tis moft certain, they neither
pray to any one ol their Deities, nor utter a Word
to any Mortal concerning the Condition of their
Souls or a Future Life. Nor do the Hottentots,
any of 'era, fay one Word to the Sick or Dying
upon either of thofe Subjefts. Preparation fot-
Death, in a Spiritual Senfe , is a Thing they never
appear'd to me to have any Notion of.
The Breath is no fooner out of the Body than
* the Corpfe is wrapt up. Neck and Heels together.

* Vide Tab. XIV. Fig. ij (much

^ Tal'.-Ki-v.JF^. X: J'. Jiz

TSi Fzi^ne^ af ffie fftMenizfis Cercnhom^-
F^.2,.T. Jt^

Qrmrumiej /i^/r/onnd a/^e-r- thej> Burutlj'

the Cap'R of G^ooD Hope. 313'
(muchin the Pofture ofa Human Fatus) in the
Krofte of the Deceas'd. The Captain and the An
cient Men of the Kraal look immediately out for a
Hole to bury it in. And the whole Kraal prepares
to attend fhe Corpfe to the Grave. The Corpfe
is wrapt up fo clofe in the Krofte that not the leaft
Part ofit is to be feen. The Grave is almoft al
ways either a Cleft in a Rock, or a Hole, raade by
a "Wild Beaft, inthe Ground. The Hottentots ne
ver dig one when either of Thefe is to be found at
any convenient Diftance. There rarely pafs m.ore
than Six Hours between the Death and the Burial
of a Hottentot, Man, Woman or Child , unlefs
Death happens in the Evening, and the Night is
not very Moon-light. In fuch Cafe tbey bury not
tUl the next Morning. But if they have a bright
Moon, they bury in the Night Such as die in the
Evening. Frora this Expedition of the Hottentots
in Burying, it may reafonably be thought that
they bury Manyal ive. When the Corpfe is ready
to be brought out, all the Men and Women of the
Kirflfl/,butluchasare employ'd about the Corpfe,af-
ferable before the Door of the Hut ; and fquatting
themfelves in Two Circles, the Men in one , the
Women in another, fall a clapping their Hands
and crying Bo, Bo, Bo, (the Hottentot Term for
Father) in very doleful Accents. This Noife is ve
ry grating to an European; at leaft, it was very
grating to me : Butthe Hottentots aver 'tis a very
moving melting melancholy Piece of Mufick to
them, and very fuitable to the Occafion. A Hot
tentot Corpfe is never brought, out by the Door of
a Hut ; but the Mats on one Side, over againft
the Place where the Corpfe lies in the Hut, being
loofen'd , 'tis brpught put that Way.- I fought ve-

31-4 the Prefenf State of - ¦
very diligently among the Hottentots for the Reafon
of This ; but all the Reafon I could meet with for
it, was Hottentot Cufiom. Not a Word more upon
the Matter could I fetch out from either Man or
Woman of 'em ; and I tried a Multitude of both
Sexes. The Bearers are nam'd by the Captain of
the Kraal, or by the Relations of the Deceas'd, and
carry the Corpfe in their Arms. When the Corpfe
is brought out, the Circles before'the Door of the
Hut rife and follow it to the /Grave, but in no
Manner of Order, faving that the Men and Wo
men generally march in feparate Bodies. And aU
the Way both Men and Women make fuch a
wretched IJowling of Bo ^ Bo , Bo, wring their
Hands in fuch a Majiner, make fuch Grimaces,
•and put themfelves into fuch odd ridiculous Poftures,
that the Europeans at the Cape ever repair to a
Hottentot Funeral when they have a Mind to have
their BeUies full of Laughing. And indeed I could
never fee a Hottentot Funeral without laughing very
heartily. Being arriv'd at the Hole, they put the
Corpfe immediately into it, and fill it up with the
Mould of Ant-Hills, with great Stones and Pieces
of Wood. They cram Stones and Pieces of Wood
into a Grave for the better Security of the, Corpfe
from the Wild Beafts : And they fiU up a confide
rable Part of the Grave, next the Corpfe, with the
Mould of Ant-Hills, in order that the Corpfe
may be conlum'd the foonen The Grave being
fill'd up , the whole Company immediately returns
to tht Kracil, and go again to the Hut ofthe De
ceas'd; before the Door ofwhich they again fquat,
the Men in on,e Circle, the Woraen in another , and
again fet up a terrible howling Laraentation ; fre
quentiy crying 5(?, Bo, Bo,,Bororo, Rhodo atfcbe.

/^^Cape ef Good Hope. 315
In moft woful Accents , and yelling oiTt other
ftrange Terms I could not learn the Meaning of
They frequently call likewife upon the Deceas'd by
his Name ; frequentiy ftart up, and writhe their
Bodies into a thoufand ridiculous Poftures; now and
then clapping their Hands ; and, throughout this
whole Scene, which lafts about an Hour, grinning,
ftaring, and making the moft fooliffi or the moft
hideous Faces that ever were beheld.
When they have pafs'd about an Hour in this
Second Lamentation before the Hut ofthe Deceas'd,
the "Word is given for Silence, and the Circles fquat
clofe. * Then ftep Two Old Fellows, Friends or
Relations of the Decea's'd, one into the Circle bf
the Men, the other into the Circle of the Women,
• and pifs each upon all the Company he has about
him ; piffing a little upon one, then a littie upon
another, quite round the Circle, tilfhis whole Stock
of Urine is exhaufted. Andall the Company re
ceives it with the greateft Eagernefs andVeneration.
When the Old Fellows are at the End of their
Waters, they ftep into the Hut of the Deceafed by
the Door; and having taken each a Handful of
Affies from the Hearth or Fire-Place, they come
out by the Paffage open'd for the Corpfe ; and ftep-
ping each into the Circle on Which he pifs'd, ftrew
the Affies, by Little and Littie, upon the whole
Company. The Affies the Companies receive with
the higheft Veneration, and rub 'em with great Ea
gernefs upon their Bodies. If the Circles on this
Occafion are but fraall, the Office of Piffing and
Scatt^ing Affies upon 'em is perform'd by one and
* Vide Tab. XIV. Fig 2. the

3i6 The Prefent State of
thefame Man. The Office perform'd, the Circles
rife and retire. If the Deceas'd was a Perfon of
Note, or well belov'd in the Kraal , they perform
before his Hut a Lamentation of an Hour long,
much after the Manner of this Second, forThree or
Four Days, fometimes for Seven or Eight Days tor
gether. I took Abundance of Pains, and fpent not a little
Money, to corae at the Meaning of the Piffing and
the Scattering of Affies here, and at Length ob
tain'd the following Explanations from feveral Hot
tentots. " As to the Piffing, faid they, 'tis done
*' by Way of Compliment. The Old Men there-
*« by return Thanks to the Circles for the Ho-
*' nour they have done the Deceas'd in Accompa-
«' nying his Corpfe to the Grave," How ! faid I :
The Thanks on this Occafion run in a Stream of
Urine ! Pray,-* Why fo ? Why is not the CompU
ment deliver'd by "Word of Mouth ? " We know
" not that, " They replied. " All we can fay is,
*' that fuch is the Cuftom ; and 'tis always taken
fora Comphment of Thanks. " Strange! The dif
ferent Notions different Nations entertain of the
fame Thing ! The Force, the Witchcraft, of Cuf
tom '. To be pifs'd upon in Europe is a Token of
the higheft Contempt :To be pifs'd on in the Hotten
tot Countries is a Token of the higheft Honour.
Piffing is the Glory of all the Hottentot Ceremo
nies. " For Scattering the Affies upon the Com
pany, " faid they , " 'tis done to put the Compa-
" ny in Mind of the State to wMch they themfelyes
" muft quickly be reduc'd.'Tis done to humble their
*' Pride, to extinguiffi their Vanity, to baniffi all
*' Diftinftions from among 'em ; and to Ihew 'em, that

the Cape 0/ GoodHope. 317
*' that Old and Young, the Strong and tha Infirm,
*' Rich and Poor, the Beautifol and the Ugly will
" All be prefently alike ; All reduc'd to Duft and
«' Affies. " This Way af Talking furpris'd me ve
ry agreably : For after a Multitude of Converfa-
tions whichi had had with a Multitude of Hottentots
before, upon Religious Topicks, I conceiv'd, that
as they did not trouble themfelves about a Future
State , fb they had Nothing inftruftive among
'em upon the Head of Mortality. They added,
that whUe the Old Man fcatter'd the Affies, he gave
his Bleffing to the Company : And that his Blefling,
on this Occafion, was efteem'd of great Force, and
was not therefore a little welcorae to every one.
I took Abundance of Pains both to reafon and
to rfdicule the Hottentots out oftheir Veneration for
the Cereraony of Piffing. But I could never do
any Good in the Matter. They hdld the Cuftom
fo dear and venerable, that they have hardly Pati
ence to hear a Word againft it.
The Lamentations before the Hut ofthe Deceas'd
being at an End, if the Deceas'd left any Cattle,
his Heir kills a Sheep, and fome of the neareft
Relationsof the Deceas'd, if they are able, do the
fame, by Way of Anderfmaken, forthe Entertain-
nient of the Kraal before it breaks up. The Cawl
of thc Sheep, kill'd by the Heir, being well pow
der'd with Buchu, is put about the Heir's Neck :
Andhe is oblig'd to wear it there, be the Stench of
it never fo offenfive, till it rots off, and not a Bit
remains that can be tied on. The other Relations
of the Deceas'd wear likewife about their Necks
thq Cawls of the Sheep they kill on this Occafion :
and

3iS The Prefent State of
and they wear 'em too while a Bit wUl hang to th,e
Neck. Thefe Cawls are the Mournirig the Rich
Hottentots put on for the Dead. If the Deceafed
left no Cattie, and his Relations are fo poorly pro
vided, that they cannot afford to kill any for the
Entertainraent of the Kraal before it breaks up,
they get their Heads ffiav'd in the Manner defcrib'd
in the foregoing Chapter ; a ffiav'd Head being in
fuch Cafe, as has been faid, the Badge of Hottentot
Mourning for the Dead.
Such are the Cuftoms and Ceremonies of the Hot
tentots at the Funerals of Such among 'em as die of
Diftemper. But they have a cruel Kind of Funeral
Cuftora with Regard to Such, of both Sexes, as
are fo fuperannuated that they are not able to
crawl or perform any ufeful Matter. So long as a
Man is able to fetch in but one Stidc a Day for Fi
ring or any other Ufe, or is able to turn his Hand
to ferve the leaft good Occafion among 'em, he is
very tenderly treated by his Family, his Relations
and every one elfe; and his Life is made as eafie to
him as poffible. 'Tis the farae with a Woman.
So long as ffie can crawl to fetch Home an Herb,
Root, or Stick, -or can be in the leaft Degree ufe
ful in Cooking or in any other Domeftick Matter,
ffie is treated with the utraoft Tendernefs on all
Flands. But when they can no longer crawl, and
no longer be of any Manner of Service in any
Thing, they are thruft out of the Society, and con
fin'd to a folitary Hut at a confiderable Diftance
frora the Kraol, there, with a fmall Stock of Pro
vifions, plac'd within their Reach, but without Any
one to comfort or affift 'em, to die either of Age or
Hunger, pr be devpur'd by fpmeWild Beaft. "When a

the Cap% of GoodHope. 319
a Ho«f/^^f?^Man is fo fuperannuated as to be pafs'd
all Manner of ufeful Aftion, if he has any Cattle, he
is oblig'd to make over theWhole to his Eldeft Son,
if he has Sons, or, in Default of Male Iffue, tohis next
Male Relation. IfthcHeirhasa Mind tobe rid ofthe.
Old Fellow, he erefts a Hut in fome foHtary Place,
at a good Diftance from the Kraahand then, having
affembled the Men of the Kraal, he acquaints'em with
the State of the Old Wretch, and with What he has
done ; and defires their Confent that the Old Fel
low may be convey'd to the Hut. A Kraal never,
on this Occafion, refufes its Confent ; but the For
mality of ^Asking it is indifpenfible. It rarely hap
pens that an Heir fuffers the fuperannuated Wretch
he inherits frora to languiffi out his Days in his Fa
mUy. The Confent of the Kraal being obtain'd, a
Day is fix'd for Conveying the Old Fellow; and the
Heir kills an Ox, or Two or Three Sheep, for the
Entertainment of the Kraal; when all the Inhabi
tants take their laft Leave of the old Wretch. The
Day being come, the Wretch is convey'd to the
Hut upon a Carriage-Ox; and is accompanied by
all or moft of the Inhabitants of the Kraal. Being
laid in the Middle of the Hut, and a fmall Stock of
Provifions plac'd clofe by hira, the Company re
turns and abandons him for ever ; and not a Hotten
tot, from that Hour,once peeps in upon him or comes
near the Hut. Their Manner of Conveying and
Leaving a fuperannuated Woman is in every Par
ticular the fame.
If you reprefent to the Hottentots , as I have done
very often, the Inhumanity of this Cuftom, they
are aftoniffi'd at the Reprefentation, as proceeding,
in their Opinion, from an Inhumanity of your own.
The

320 the Prefent Stafe of
The Cuftom , in their Way of Thinking, is fup
ported by very pious and very filial Confiderations.
*' Is it not a Cruelty, " they ask you, " to fuffer
*' either Man or Woman to languiffi any confide-
*' rabfe Time under a heavy motionleft Old ,Age ?
*' Can you fee a Parent or a Relation ffiaking and
*' freezing under a cold dreary heavy ufelefs Old
*' Age, and not think, in Pity to 'em, of putting
*' an End to their Mifery, by putting, which is the
*' only Means, an End to their Days ? Why ffiould
*' Life be prolong'd, that is wholly and remedi-
*' lefly miferable, and wholly ufelefs ? And where
*' lies' the Huraanity of Suffering the Prolongation?
*' For our own Parts, we fee it not. But, on the
*' other ^ide, we think we fee the greateft Huraa-.
*' nity in Haftening the Conclufion of fuch a Life.
Such are the Things, but here a little meliorated,
which the Hottentots urge yvhen you attack 'em up
on this Cuftom : And they defend it fo obftinately
that they are not, I conceive, to be driven from it
by all the Reafoning and Addrefs in the World.
Boeving, where he mentions the Cruelty of the
Hottentots in Expofing Some of their Children, fays,
he heard there were Sorae among 'em who, in or
der to get rid of their Ancient Men and Women,
famiffi'd 'em. But he fears, he fays, he was not
truly inform'd. Honeft Man ! I comrnend his
Doubting, fince he was not fure of the Goodnefs
ofhis Information ; but I blame hira, while he had
an Opportunity, for not inforraing hirafelf better.
Sorae of 'era only, quotha ! I affure the Reader it
is the general Praftice throughout all the Hottentot
Nations. If the Superannuated be the Captain of
a Kraal, or the wealthieft Man in the Country, and his

fi&ff Cape of G o od H opE^ 321
his Heir.(to whom, on the firft Appearance of Su
perannuation, he is qblig'd to makeover his whole
Stock of Catde) has a Mind he ffiould be convey'd
to the fatal Hut, and 'tis rarely he has not, away
be is carried, without any Scruples of Refpeft to his
Office orbis Wealth, and expos'd in the fame Man
ner as the oblcureft Piece of Superannuation
among 'em.
I leave the Reader to his own Refleftions upon
the Suppolition that the like' Cuftom was introduc'd
in Europe.
CHAP. XXIX.
A Review of ihe Fices and Virtues of the
Hottentots.
I fliall clofe this Hiftory of the Hottentots with a
Review of their Vices and Vertues. Such a
Chapter I think is due to every Popular Hiftory.
And I have feveral Particulars to add which will en
ter very naturally into it. .
•
The Vice of the Hottentots that firft ftrikes the
Eyeofan-£aro/)f'««, is their Lazinefs ; than which
there is certainly Nothing fo ffiocking of the Kind
underthe Sun. Of this reigning Vice their Minds
as well as their Bodies are the chain'd Slaves. Rea
foning, with Them, is Working ; and Working,
the Capital Plague of Life. They abhor 'em both;
and think Nothing fo worthy of the Human Na
ture, Nothing fo charming as Idlenefs ; in which
they pafs Three Parts, at Leaft, in Four bf their
X Days

322 the Prefent State of
Days. They fee, among the Europeans, and are
as fenfible as you are of the noble Fruits that are
reap'd from Induftry. But All that can be ffiewn
'em of this Kind and All you can fay. to 'em will
not induce 'era to cultivate the fame Vertue. No :
Supinity and Reverie are, with Them, the Top
Enjoyments of Human Life ; and they rarely
fufpend 'em but when Hunger growls or fome other
Neceffity threatens. Agriculture, tho* an Art they
knew not before they, knew the Europeans, Mul
titudes of 'em underftand to Perfeftlon ; fn this Ca
pacity frequently ferving the Europeans at the Cape,
and going in the fame beyond all or moft of the
Europeans there ; yet can you not perfuade a Hot
tentot to give himfelf the Trouble of Sowing a
Grain for himfelf; tho' they all of 'em love Bread,
and will think themfelves oblig'd to you for the
mouldieft and the hardeft Cruft. What Prodigies
of Lazinefs and Obftlnacy ! What, with fo nume
rous and large Trafts of rich Lands as they are in
Pofleffion of, might they not do and be by the
Help of a little Induftry.
If you fliake a St^ick at a Hottentot, who is not
in your Service, and threaten to' cornpel him to
work, he immediately takes to his Heels, and is
immediatejy Miles out ofyour Reach. The Hotten
tots are the greateft Lovers of Liberty in the World.
Compulfion is Death to 'em. For the Time they
undertake to ferve you, they are all Obedience to
your Commands, and execute 'em with unparral-
lel'd Fidelity and Difpatch. But when that Time
is out, they are generally deaf on that Ear towards
which you talk to 'em of Working, and rarely re
cover tiieir Hearing on that Side till their Hire is
all

^i5(?CAPB ?f Good Hope: 323
all gon^ I have known many a Hottentot, who
has had but juft his Regale for a Dozen Hours,
refufe to go* on an Errand for a very extraordinary
Rewai/d. He has had a littie Brandy or Arack and
a little TobacCo, or Mouct to buy 'em, fufficient
perhaps for that Day ; aria This has render'd him
infenfible to all Overture^ of Employment. The
Hottentots fay* as do often We, Let to Morrow take
Care for it Self: And hardly One in Ten Thoufand
of 'era lays up for a Rainy Day. Boeving reflefts
with a great Deal of Juftice and a very becoming
Warmth upon the monftrous Lazinefs of this People.
The Hottentot Vice that comes next in View is
Druiakennefs. The Hottentots would doubtlefs be
the drunkeneft People on Earth , had they Liquor
enough to be fo. Supply 'em with any ftrong Li
quor, and with Tobacco, and riiey will drink till
they cannot ftand, fmoak till they cannot fee, and
roar till they cannot hear. They will live and die
by the Cask, while there is a Drop in it; and
rarely ceafe Drinking, while they are able to carry
the Cup to their Mouths. Yet, asi have already fre
quently obferv'd, raging as is their Paffion for Strong
Liquors, they will not touch a Drop ofany Sort that
is committed to their Care. They are, for Liquors
and every Thing elfe, the truftieft People in the
Worid. And ifthey go Shares among Themfelves in
any Kind of Liquor, they will'not one of 'em cheat
another ofhis Due. But the Majorky of the Hot-
fientots can rarely come at any ftrong Liquor.
TheWomen, when they can, plunge as far into
this Vice as the Men. Both Sexes are inexpreffibly
fooliffi and extravagant in their Liquor.. While
X 2 they

324 The Prefent State tf
they can ftand, they caper and ftamp and writhe
themfelves into a Thouland Poftures of Buffoonery;
mofl^ of which, I am apt to think, were' never exhi
bited in Europe, and are of purely Hottentot Inven
tion, And, up or down, they howl and roar and
yell andfcream and lofe themfelves in a Million of
the wUdeft Diftraftions. But the Extravagancies of
the Women in their Liquor, like the Extrava
gancies of our own drunken Females, are much
more fooliffi and furious than thofe of the Men.
Yet will both Sexes generally bear a confiderable
Quantity of any Sort of Liquor before they are
drunk. In the Family where I firft lodg'd at the Cape
Town, was a Hottentot Woman-Servant, extreme
ly belov'd for her Fidelity, Diligence and Good
Nature. Her Paffion for Strong Liquors was, it
feems, her greateft Infirmity. And a little too
much always made a Sort ofa DevU of her. The
Family therefore took a great Deal of Care to keep
her from Drinking any Strong Liquors to Excefs.
I was as yet unacquainted both with the Infirmity of
this Woraan and the Exceffes of her Country-Peo
ple, when one Evening, underftanding that I had
a Cask of Wine by rae, ffie came to me in my
Apartment , and earneftly befought me that I
would give her a Little of it. " For, " fays ffie
( fpeaking Dutch )* " I have had for a mighty
" WhUe a ftrange Longing to folace my felf with
" a little good Liquor; which I have riot tafted
for a long Time paft, and which, alas, I know
" not otherwife how to come by. " Poor Woman,
faid I, 'Tis a hard Cafe indeed. What, No body
take Pity on you I No body relieve your Lpnging!
No

the Capz ef GoodHope. 325
No body give you now and then a comforting Glafs f
" Alas, Sir\ " replied ffie, " No. 'Tis a hard
*' Matter for poor Folks to corae by a little good
*« Liquor. " Ha ! fay you fo. Well, Good
Woman, faid I, I'll be your Friend. Corrie, How
much wUl do ? " Do, Sir ? " ffie return'd, " What
*' you pleafe ; juft What you pleafe. Ah, you
" are a good Gentlernan, fo you are. " And
reaching a Quart-Pot 'the Baggage wheedled me
fo artfully that I gave it her Top full. But before
I parted with it, tho' at that Time I knew Nothing,
as I have faid, of the Hottentot Excefles, I advis'd
her that ffie ffiould on no Account drink it All up
prefently ; but that ffie ffiould drink it by Littie
and Little, and make it ferve a long Time. Pro
mifing me that ffie would follow my Advice, ffie
tript away in a Tranfport of Joy ; and I thought
I had perform'd a notable Deed of Charity. In
a few Minates ffie was with me again ; fmiling,
and fwinging in her Hand the empty Quart. She
had drank it all up. " Look you. Sir, faid ffie,
(with a very furprifing Confidence, which ffie ow'd
to the Liquor) " I am corae for raore Wine. I
" am of Opinion, 'tis extremely delicious. But I
*' am not fure ofit : And I long to be fure. Now
«* a litde more will make me very fure. And I
*« dare fay you are fo good a Gentleihan that you
" wUl not deny it me. " I now began to perceive
my Miftake. Look yOu, faidi. Good Woman, you
have not kept your Promife with me to drink what
I gave you, moderately ; and 'tis my Refolution
to give you no more now, whatever I raay do
hereafter. I had no fooner faid This than ffie fell
into a loud Laughter ; and told me plainly that
ihc would not leave me till I had given here more.
X 3 " There

326 the PreJ^nf State of
.*= There is no Time, " faid ffie, '« like the Time
*' prefent. Another Tirae you may have no Wine/
*' or none fo good. And I think, but I am not
" fure, that this is the moft delicious Wine that
*' everi tafted. Now you muft , you Jhcdl make me
" fure. You ffiall give me the other Quart, Sir;
*' and that will make me very fure. " I did what
I could by fair Words to put an End to her Impor
tunity ; but they not effefting it, I threaten'd to
complain to her Mafter and Miftrefs ; and was juft
ftepping to call to one or other of 'em when they
both, having fmelt out the Matter, ftept in to us.
But without minding either one or other, ffie repea
ted again and again her Requefts for more Wine,
and that in fo paffionate and ridiculous a Manner,
that my Landlord and Landlady fell a laughing
very heartily ; and I could not help laughing as
heartily as they. " |^ay, fays my Landlord, who
underftood What I had done," fince you have begun
*' the Work, you muft go through Stitch with it.
" Since you have blown her Half Seas over, you
" muft not chop theWind in herTeeth tUlffieis fair-
" ly on the other Side. My Word for it ffie leaves
" you not till you have given her the other Quart,"
This was giving me to underftand that he had a
Mind I ffiould quite fuddle her. He had been fe
veral Times diverted with her farciful Extravagan
cies in Liquor, and was defirous I ffiould be enter
tain'd with the fame Maggotries. I did not' much
care for this Sport, but finding that he, in a Man
ner, infifted bn it, I gave her the other Quart of
Wine ; and flie drank it off immediately' before us.
Having emptied the Pot, ffie extended her Arms,
and told me, that in Return for my Kindnefs ffie
would entertain me with a f-Iottentot Dance. This Hoi-

the Ca9p: of Good Hope. i^y
Hottentot Dance was a Jumble of Stamping, Caper
ing and Wriggling the Body ; and flie perform'd
it with fuch a Fury of Aftion, that her Brains
were quickly enflam'd, and ffie was under the moft
raging Intoxication. She ftopt ; ftar'd wUdly upon
the Corapany; and fet her Tongue a going with
the Fury ofa Jack-Flyer, pouring out a Thoufand
of the maddeft Conceits that ever were heard. She
then fell into an outrageous Fit of Laughter, which
lafted for a confiderable Time, and ffiook her Sides
very briskly. This was fucceededby fuch a horrjd
Howling and Scream'ing, that the Noife was hardly
to be endur'd ; and ybu would not have imagin'd,
had you heard it, and not at the fameTime feen the
Wretch, that it carae frora a Human Creature.
After fome Time had pafs'd to the moft woful
Tune that ever was heard, the Scene chang'd' its
Face again. She refum'd het Speech , and re
proach'd her felf with a Thoufand Vices and Fol
lies which No body had ever dreara t lhe was to be
charg'd with, and None could believe ffie had ever
committed. At the End of thefe Refleftions on
her felf, ffie became in Appearance very fober.
She talk'd leifurely ; and blam'd me for giving her
fo much Liquor ; and faid her Drunkennefs was
my Fault,- for that I had prefs'd the Wine upon her
againft her Inclinations. But this Appearance of
Sobriety quickly vaniffi'd ; and bounce ffie went
into a Fit of Laughing ; and from thence into a
Fit of Crying. Again ffie went the Rounds of
Madnefs, now laughing, now crying, now cape
ring, now ftamping, now ftanding Stock ftill ;
now chearful and chattering like a_ Magpie, now
mute.and melancholy ; now exclaiming againft her
felf, now againft others; now howling and foream-
¦ X 4 ing

328 The Prefent State Of
ing, and no\* laughing heartily again. Never was
Imagination more ffiatter'd than hers. I could no
longer endure the Speftacle. It grew late; and her
Noife difturb'd the Neighbours. My Landlord
therefore went up to her ;' and ffiaking his Cane
Over her, told her, that if ffie did not immediately
ceafe her Noife and go to Bed , he would thr affi
her tighdy ; and charg'd her to give the Family
no farther Difturbance. Upon this, whether the
Words or the Sight of the Cane effefted the Matr
ter, or both had a Share in it, ffie retir'd imme
diately and filentiy to her Bed; and the Family
heard no more of her till the next Morning ; when
the poor Creature, coming to her Work, appear'd
in the greateft Confufion. She was AU Melancho
ly and Sharae. She had not the Courage to look
up, and would have hid her Face from every one.
Her Miftrefs coming up and rattling her upon her
laft Night's Extravagance, ffie turn'd from her and
fell a crying bitterly, a Thing not ufual among the
Hottentots. She complain'd very piteoufly of the
Head-Ach ; and falling on her Knees, begg'd Par
don of the Family for the Difturbance ffie had given,
and ofthe Gentleman (meaning me^ for importuning
him to give her that Wicked Liquor, as lhe term'd
it ; and promis'd never to be drunk again. Soon af
ter, coming in my Way, ffie ftopt me very relpeft-
f ully, to ask Pardon for her Rudenefs and Extrava
gance ; and told me ffie would never drink more of
that wicked Liquor. Why, faidi. Good Woman,
the Liquor is good Liquor. It bas no Fault but when
you drink too much of it. To which ffie return'd
very difcreetly, " But, Sir, fince I have not the
" Coraraand of my felf in Drinking it, the belt
«' Way for me will be never to touch it again, "
And,

the CAKt ef Good Hope. 329
And, according to All I could hear ofthe Woman*
and I heard of her frequently for feveral Years af
ter, ffie follow'd her own Counfel exaftly, and would
no more on any Account touch a Drop of Wine
or any other ftrong Liquor.
But Drunkennefs, raging as ffie is when ffie ap
pears among the Hottentots , is never feen among
'em with all the Vices in her Train that frequent
ly follow her in Europe. Liquor was never known
to put either Man or Woman of 'em upon Adul
tery or Fornication. The Hottentots have no No
tion, when they are drunk, of Going a Whoring.
All the Civil Diforders among 'em occafion'd by
Drunkennefs are Quarrelling and Fighting. And ,
their drunken Quarrels foraetiraes iffue fatally.
Now and then one or other is flain. But this only
araong the Men. TheWomen rarely fight with one
another ; and their Battles never end in Slaughter.
The Hottentot Womei\, like theWomenof Europe,
generally fcold it -out. Nor do the Quarrels
among the Men ever iffue fatally when the Women
are near. For the Women if they fee 'em, imme
diately interpofe ; and when the "Women interpofe,
the Men fight no longer. Nay, the Women need
only prefent themfelves before the Men, ivithout
uttering a Word, in order to put an End to Fight
ing among 'em ; for the Men will not fight in thc
Prefence of the Women. As foon as they difco-
cover the Women running towards 'em, down go
their Weapons to the Ground, and the Battie is at
an End. They leave Blows for Debate ; and only
argue upon the Matter : And if the Matter be of"
no great Weight, they generally become in a
Quarter of an Hour, ;the Women affifting, as good or

330 the Prefent State of
or better Friends than ever ; and down they fqqat
and fmoak out of the fame Pipe; now one taking
three or four Whiffs, now the pther as many ,
and fo on fUl the Pipe is out, in Teftimony pf their
renew'd Friendffiip. But if the Matter of the
Quarrel be very injurious, or the Parties are very
ftomachful, they make, indeed, a Shew of Peace
"forthe Satisfaftion ofthe Women, but 'tis only a
Ceffation of Arms; and they take the firft Oppor-'
tunity, when the Women are out of the Way, or
fufpeftnot their Defign, to meet and fight again.
The Woraen rarely trouble themfelves to interpofe
when the Men fight only with Kirri-Stick^.
This is but a Sort of Cudgel-Playing ; and never
ends in any Thing worfe than a broken Head or a
Rib-Sore. The Woraen interpofe for the raoft
Part, only when the Men betake therafelves to their
Haffagayes, the Men of a Kraal never fighting a-
mong ' themfelves with Bows and Arrows. And
with the Haffagayes the Men fometimes kill one
another before the Women can come in View.
A flagrant Vice among the Hottentots is the Im-,
piety of the Men to their Mpthers.- .The Reader
remembers What has been faid upon, it ^^ a precee
ding Chapter, There certainly neitheris nor ever
was foviciou§ an Indulgence on the Side of the Fa
thers, ^nd fo barbarous a Cuftom on the Side of the
Sons, among any other People : And the'*Men are,
without Doubt, in thefe Refpefts the moft brutiffi
and abominable of all Human Creatures.
The Expofing of ChUdren, a Cruelty ampng the
Hottentots which has been defcrib'd in a former
Chapter, is likewife a Cuftom that blackens the
Cha-

/)5^ C A p E fff Go o D H o p Ei 331
Charafter of this People very frightfully. 'T^*
true, the lUce Cruelty was frequently praftis'd i"
feveral Nations of Old, of great Renown for Senfe
and Humanity ; and, according to fome Hiftories,
is praftic'd in fome other Nations, of no fmall
Reputation for Ingenuity, at this Day, as much,
or more, or more barbaroufly, than it is among the
Hottentots : And, without Doubt, wherever it is
fet up as a Cuftom it is thought to be no Crime.
'Tis very certain , the Hottentots think it none.
But Opinion or Belief does riot alter the Nature of"
Things. The Expofing of Children, 'tis moft cer
tain , is a very great Crime againft Nature ; and
the Crime is the greater , the greater thc Parts
and Knowledge of the Criminals ; fince the more
Senfe they have, the more able they are to difcover
the Laws of Nature, and the lefs to be excus'd for
not doing it.

¦'&

The Cuftom of the Hottentots to famiffi their
Superannuated raakes likewife a frightful Figure on
the vicious Side of the Hottentot Charafter. Can
any Thing be more ffiocking than to fee a Son bu
ry his Father or Mother alive ? For 'tis no better.
Is not Piety to Parents one of the moft glaring Na
tural Duties? and Old Age the moft naturally vene
rable of all Human Thipgs ? Is not this Cuftom,
then, the Sheathing of a Sword, as it were, in the
very Heart of Nature, and Tearing out her no-^
. bleft, Jher tendereft and raoft fenfible Parts ? And
can Pedple reafon more prepofteroufly , more
wretchedly, more infernally than Thofe who main
tain it.^ In this horrid Cuftora ' the Hottentots are
much of a Piece with the Old Troglodyte^ ; who,
we are told, dealt with thir Superannuated in the
fol"

332 the Prefent State vf
following Manner. They tied 'era to the Tails of
Oxen, in the Fields ; and fo left 'em, either to be
kick'd to Death by the Beafts, or to die of Hunger.
And if their Old People, condemn'd for Superan
nuation, made any Refiftance when they feiz'd 'em
to carry 'em to the Ox's TaU, they flew'em. -'*
Thefe Things make up the vicious or dark Side
of the Hottentot Charafter. I ffiall now ffiew it on
the vertuous or fUnny Side.
And the brighteft Thing on the vertuous Side of
the Hottentot Charafter, is their mutual Affeftion.
They are certainly the moft friendly, the moft libe
ral, and the moft berievolent People to one ano
ther that ever appear'd upon Earth. I am afto
niffi'd how Boeving could leave the Cape with a
Notion that they generally hate one another, as he
iays they do. He is in many Things a very exaft
Writer upon 'em ; but he is there in the greateft
Miftake that ever Author was found in. A Hotten
tot can hardly enjoy himfelf in any Thing but his
Wife, unlefs one or more of his Countrymen par-'
take with him. Is there a good Meal provided at
Home ? He will rarely fit down to it without the
Company of Two or Three or more ofhis Neigh
bours. Has he a Dram of Brandy or Arack in his
Hand.? His Countryman next at Hand, Acquain
tance or Stranger, has generally Part of it. Is he
fmoaking? He calls to his Countrymen who pafs by •
him to ftay and take Half a Dozen Whifts
with him. The Hottentots are all Kindnefs and
Good Will to one another. I have feen their mu
tual Liberalities raany a Time, and with the high
eft Pleafure ; and never faw any Thing Hke 'era in
the

the Cape of Good Hope, 333
the Chriftian World. I have feen a Hottentot in
as much Joy upon having regal'd a Number of
his Countrymen with his own [Pipe, as we are or
dinarily upon a very notable Acquifition. They
are charm'd with Opportunities of obliging one
another. Is a Hottentot's Affiftance requir'd by
one of his Countrymen ? He runs to give it. Is
his Counfel ask'd ? He gives it fincerely. Is his Coun
tryman in Want? He relieves him , according to
Ws AbUity, with the utmoft Readinefs. One of
the greateft Pleafures of the Hottentots certainly
lies in their Gifts and Good Offices to orie ano
ther. I have already mention'd one Captain Pegu, as
he was call'd, a Hottentot of Good Senfe , with
whom I was long and very intimately acquainted*
This Man, upon a certain Time, having come
a long Journey to the Cape, came and found
me at my Lodgings, and with a very agreable
FamUiarity told me he was very hungry, and
fliould be very glad if I would provide him with
a Little of Something or other to eat. I imme
diately fet before him a good Quantity of both
Viftuals and Drink ; teUing him it was all his
own. He fell to. The Place I entertain'd him in
open'd into the Street. Pegu, while he was eating,
feeing a Hottentot pafs by^ Call'd to him, and invited
him to come and fare as he did. The other took
him at his Word ; join'd him imriiediately ; fell
to, and eat very heartily. Being then but little
better thari a Stranger at the Cape, I was unac
quainted with this generous Cuftcftn of the Hotten
tots ; and was not therefore a little ftartled at this
Behaviour of my Gueft. And when the Fellow he
had

334 '^he Prefenf State of
had invited was gone, I told Pegu, that methought
he had not done very wifely- in the Matter : That
I had given him fuch 'a (^antity of Viftuals to
ferve him not only for the prefent but Hkewife for a
Meal or Two to come; and that, as he was far
from Home, I did not queftitin but he would have
had the fame provident Thoughts for himfelf To
this Pegu lurpris'd me with the foUowirtg Reply,
which I couch as nearly as I can in his own Manner.
" This, " fays he, " is the, Cuftom ofthe Hotten^
*' tots. I cannot regale my felf upon any Thing
but my Brother (fo they call one another) if .1 fee
*' him, muft partake with me. If I go to Him,
" he alfo makes me welcorae to any Thing he
" has. " The Meraory of this Reply I ffiall never
lofe but in the Grave. It ever gives me a Mixture
of Delight and Melancholy; Delight, as it ffiews a
noble Remain ofthe Mutual Love and Hofpitality
of the Old World ; and Melancholy, that I met
with it among Infidels, and cannot find the Like
araong Chriftians ; that I found it in the Midft of
the groffeft Ignorance and Idolatry, and can meet
with Nothing like it in the Regions of Light and
Knowledge. To Old and Young, Rich and Poor,
the Known and the Unknown [Hottentot Hofpitali
ty is the fame. I could never difcover that Intereft
had any Share in it. ¦
To European Strangers likewife , as far as I
^epuld ever fee or learn, the Hottentots are generally
extremely hofpitable. They are generally mov'd
at the Sight of Diftrefs in Perfons of every Com
plexion, and generally adrainifter what Relief they
can ; and this without any Manner of Stipulation.
Capt. Gerbrantz Van der Schelling, after Two
Months

//&^ C A p E o/ G 0 0 D H o p e.' 335
Months- Travelling from the Bay of La Goa (where
he was ffiipwreck'd) towards, the C«jp(f, met with a
Hottentot who fpoke a little Dtach. The Captain
in all that Time had fed only uppn raw Mufcles ;
and fpr Three Days before he faw this Hottentot,
had met with no Suftenance at all ; fo that he was
in a very weak Condition ; and beirig at the lame
Time moft grievoufly afflifted with the Bloody Flux,
and in a Manner quite naked too, was a very mo
ving Olgeft of Compalfion. This Hottentot, who
had feen and entertain'd feveral Europeans before in
a ffiipwreck'd Condition, took the Captain into his
Hut, and bid him be of good Cheer ; telling him
he was welcome to any Thing he (the Hottentot) had
or could" do for him. And underftanding how the
Captain had fed upon his Journey; and that for the
Three laft Days he had eaten Nothing at all, he
told him very difcreetly, that it was not advifeable
he ffiould eat much or any heavy Viftuals immedi
ately ; but that he ffiould deal very gently with his
Stomach by taking a little tender Bit now and then,
till his Stomach had reover'd fome of its former
Strength. Come, repofe your felf, fays he ; I'll
prepare the lighteft Bits I can for you out of Hand.
Accordingly he fet the Pot upon theFire, and boil'd
fome thin Slices of Mutton. While the Viftuals
were preparing over thc Fire, be provided the Cap
tain with a Kroffe and what other Things he had to
fpare that were proper to cover his Nakednefs.
He then gave him a little of the Mutton Broth #
which the Captain having fupp*d up, he gave him
one of the little Slices of Mutton, which the Cap
tain eat ; and about an Hour after, he* gave him
another; andfo fed him from Time to Time by-
Little and Little tUl the Captain's Stomach had
¦ re-

336 the Prefent State af
recover'd a good Deal of its former Strength. At
that Time Claas, the worthy unfortunate Hotten
tot, whofe Story is related in the IVth Chapter of
this Hiftory , was about Twenty Miles from the
Place, trafficking by Commiffion from the Govern
ment at the Cape for Cattle ; which being knowri to
the Captain's Hoft, he had no fooner heard the Cap
tain's Story and taken him into his Hut than he dif-
patch'da Meffenger to Claas to acquaint him with
What had happen'd, and to defire that he would take
a Step to the Place and affift in adminiftring Relief.
Claas repair'd thither the Hour he had the News,
carrying with him every Thing his Store furniffi'd
which he thought might be ferviceable in the Cafe ;
particularly, fome odd Things, much more hand
fome and commodious than What the Hoft could
furniffi, for Raiment; which, on his Arrival, he
prefented to the Captain, and the Captain put on.
And Claas and the Hoft together , in a few Days,
fet the Captain fo well upon his Legs, that he was
able to travel to the Cape ; and thither Claas very
fafely efcorted him.
The Integrity of the Hottentots, their Striftnefs
and Celerity in the Execution of Juftice, and their
Chaftity are Things in which they excell all or moft
other Nations in the World. A moft beautiful Sim
plicity of Manners runs through All the Nations of
•em. And Numbers of 'em have told me, that the
•Vices they faw prevail among Chriftians ; their Ava
rice, their Envy and Hatred of one another, their
reftlefs difcontented Tempers, their Lafcivioufneis
and Injuftice were the Things that principally kept
the Hottentots from Hearkening to Chriftianity.

i"^ Cape ef GoodHope. ' 337
CHAP. XXVIII.
An Account of the Dutch Government at
the Cape of Good Hope ; their Buildings,&c.
together with an Account ofthe Author's Voy
age Home.
H Aving difpatch'd the Hiftory of the Hotten
tots , I ffiall give the Publick an Ac
count ofthe Dutch Government at the Cape of Gvod
Hope. There are in it feveral good Inftitutions for
the Prefervatibn of Themfelves and their Civil
Rights, an Account ofwhich muft needs be agrea
ble to every intelligent Perfon.
The Memory of Van Riebeck, who^made the firft
Settlement here for the Dutch, as has been related
in the foregoing Hiftory, is in very high Efteem
both at the Cape and in Holland. He had a wonder
ful Genius for the Undertaking, and was very fiic-
cefsful. The India Company having given him,
when he embark'd on the Expedition, full Powers
to do inevery Matter juft What he ffiould think fit
for the Corapany's Intereft, .without fetting up any
One to be the leaft Check upon him, and to take
to his Afliftance whomfoever he ffiould think pro
per ( who ffiould be entertain'd by the Company as
Officers under him,) his Genius had its full Play;
and it ffione with uncommon Brightnefs throughout
the whole Labour. He had no fooner fet Foot on
the Cape, than he fet up feveral notable Inftitution'!
for the Good Government of his People. As
his People encreas'd, he let up others. His Suc-
ceffors in the Government , the People encreafing,
Y made

338 the Prefent State of.
made Additions : Andthe Government now ftands
upon the Eight following Eftabliffiments; namely,
a Grand CouncU, in which the Governour prefides,
for the Direftlon of aH the Interefts and Affairs of
the Com.pany at the Cape ; a Court or College, as
it is call'd, of Juftice ; a Petty Court for Affualts,
Trefpaffes , and fmall Debts ; a Court of Mar
riages ; a Charaber pf Orphans , an Ecclefiaftical
Council ; a' Coramon CouncU ; and a Board of Mi
litia. The Two laft were inftituted by the Gover
nour Simon Van der Stel, upon the Arrival of a large
Colony of French Refugees to fettle under him.
The Grand Council, or, as it is fometimes term'd.
The College of Policy, coniifts of the Governour
and Eight others, who are generally the next Prin
cipal Officers in the Company's Service. The Go
vernour is Prefident with a Double Vote. This Coun
cU is the Company's Reprefentatlve at the Cape, and
a Sort of Reprefentative too of the States General. It
looks to Trade and Navigation ; makes Peace or de
clares War with the Hottentots ; and has the Manage-
mentof every Thing that regards the Safety or Intereft
ofthe Settlement. 'Tis generally held on Mondays;
affembles at Nine in the Morning, and generally
fits till Noon. 'Tis fumraon'd by a Bell which
hangs over the Gate of the Fort. This CouncU cor-
refponds with the Court ol Direftors in Holland,
with the Dutch Government at Batavia, and with
That at Ceylon. And Reglfters of all Tranfaftions
in it, and Copies of all its Difpatches, together
with all the Letters that are brought to it, are care
fully laid up by the Secretary. When the Mem
bers enter or leave rhe Fort, the Garrifon pays
them the Martial Salute , an Honour done to no
others

the Capp. oj QoodHope. 339
others at the C«/e. Arid theyare extremely reve
renc'd too by all the Eul^peans in the Country.
The next is the Court, or, as it is term'd, the
College of Juftice; This; generally confifts of the
fame Members that compofe the Grand Council.
This Court hears and determines in all Civil and
Criminal Cafts of Moment that happen among the
Europeans at the Cape. ¦ If an European, - who is not
in the Corripany's -Service, is Plaintiff or Defendant,
the Accufer or the Accufed, in this Court, againft
One who is in that Service; or if his Slave is accus'd
in this Court by one of the Company's Servants,
the Three Regent Burgher-Mafters, Magiftrates at
the Cape, chofen annually out of Such as are not in
the Company's Service, come in and affift in the
Tryal, carefully feeing that Judgment is not par
tial on the Side of the Corapany's Servant. Ap
peals lie frora the Decrees of this Court Two Ways,
either to the Suprerae Court of Juftice in Batavia,
which is compos'd of Perfons eminently learri'd in the
Civil Laws, or to the Supreme Court of Juftice in
Holland. Sometiraes, but very rarely. Appeals are
carried from hence to the Supreme Court at Bata
via, and from thence to the Supreme Court in Hol
land, which is the Dernier Refort. The Party who
intends to appeal from the Judgraent of this Court,
muft fignifie his Intention to the Court in Writing,
in Ten Days after Judgment given, and depofit in,
the Court the Sum of One Hundred Florins, to re
raain inthe Handsof a Perfon to bc appointed by
the Court, till final Judgment ffiaU be obtain'd; and
to be paid to the Refpondent if Judgment ffiall be
affirm'd,; and return'd to the AppeUant, if Judg
ment ffiall be revers'd.
Y 2 A

340 The Prefent State of
A Petty Court, dependent on This, but for
merly not fo, is One tor Puniffiing for Affaults and
Batteries, and other the like Breaches of the Peace,
and for Determining Trefpaffes and fmall Debts.
It confifts ofa Member of the Grand Council, or
College of Policy, who prefides in it, and reports
to the Council the Proceedings ; and of Three Bur
ghers, and Four of the Company's immediate Ser
vants, one ot whom is Clerk of the Court. One
of the Burghers is Vice Prefident. No Aftion is to
be brought into this Court for more than a Hun
dred Crowns. The Prefident and other Members
are chofen every Two Years. The Burghers and
the Corapany's Servants prepare Lifts of Double
the Nuraber of the Members, and prefent them to
the Grand Council, in which, out of thofe Lifts, lies
the Choice. But in thofe Lifts are always retain'd
fome ofthe Sitting Members; and Two or Three of
'em are always rechofen, in order to their Inform
ing the New-elefted in the Method of Proceeding,
and in the Proceedings on Matters not yet brought
to an Iffue.
Copies of all Proceedings in this Court and in
the Court of Juftice, and of all the Sentences and
Decrees of the fame, are from'Tirae toTirae, by the
Grand Council, tranfraitted to Holland.
The Court of Marriages, as it is call'd, looks
to the Lawfulnefs of all Marriage-Contrafts, before
the Celebration of Marriage. This Court fees,
that all Contrafts of Marri%e araong the Europeans
at the Cape are allow'd by the Parents or Guardi-
dians on both Sides, if fuch there be ; and that
neither Party is under any Engagement or Promife of

/i5^ Cape of Good Hope: 341
of Marriage to another. It confifts ofthe fame Mem
bers with the Petty Court for Puniffiing Affaults &c.
and is held every Saturday in thcEvening.ThisCoiirt,
upon Receiving Satisfaftion in the Matters of its
Enquiry, (the Parties and their Parents or Guar
dians, if fuch there be, appearing at the fame Time
before it) grants a Warrant of Marriage , direfted
to the Paftor of the Pariffi where the Parties live,
authorifing him to publiffi the Bans of Matrimony
from his Pulpit on the Three following Sundays,
and then to join the Parties in Marriage, if no Perfon
has appear'd to forbid the Bans. If the Parties are
of different Pariffies, the Court orders the Bans to be
publiffi'd in the Churches of both. And if any
Perfon appears to forbid the Bans , he muft ffiew
Caufe to the Court of Marriages on the next Court-
Day ; and if Caufe be ffiewn to the Satisfaftion of
the Court, the Parties cannot join in Marriage at the
Cape. But Nothing of this Kind happen'd during
my Stay there.
'Tis the Cuftom for Men of Note, who are upon
the Point of Marriage, to invite the Court to their
Houfes, there tp make its Enquiries. The Court
rarely refufes to go, *Tis fure of a fplendid En
tertainment, 'and of a Prefent of Ten or Twenty
Crowns into the Bargain, The Clerk, on thofe Oc
cafions, hasTwo Crowns for hisTrouble : Whereas
at the Caftle, where the Court is ordinarily held,
he has but one, and the Court no Manner of Gra
tuity. But before the Parties appear for Examinatisn
inthe Court 'of Marriages, they muft obferve a
Cuftom , firft introduc'd by the Governour Van
Y 3 der

342 the Prefent. State of ¦'''¦'>
cier Stel, and continued without Breach or Difpenfa?
tion ever fince. TheMan rauft, prefent fiirnielf be
fore the Governour with his intended Bridei and beg
His Excellency's Confent . to the Marriage; which
being obtain'd, but 'tis always conditionally, that no
good Caufe ffiall appear to hinder. His Excellency
gives the Man his Mandate, in Writing, to the
Court of Marriages, direfting the Court: to make
its Enquiries of and concerning the Parties, and,
in the fame Writing, fignifying his Confent to the
Marriage, provided, the Court raeets with no good
Caufe to the Contrary. ^
In the Chamber of Orphans fit Seyen Perfons
for the Adrainiftration of the Affairs and Interefts
of that Charaber, viz. the Vice Prefident of the
Grand Council, or College. of Policy, who prefides
here ; Three of the Company's Servants , j and
Three Burghers, who are chofen every Two Years
in the fame Manner as are' the Members pfthe Pet
ty Court for Puniffiing Affaults &c. The Vice
Prefident ofthe Charaber ; is generally one of the
Burghers, There is likewife a Secretary, who takes
Minutes of Proceedings, and reglfters the Tran
faftions of the Charaber. He is always one of the
Corapany's Servants , and has an Allowance of
Eighteen Florins a Month and certain Perquifites.
An Orphan of Fdrtune cannot marry at the- Cape
before the Age of Twenty Five without the, Con
fent of this Charaber. If the Chamber finds the
Match to be fuitable, he has a Certificate given
him of the Chamber's Confent, to be deliver'd to
the Court of Marriages, which, without fuch Cer^^
tificate, will not proceed upon his Account before
he is Twenty Five Years old. The

^/&^ Cape of Good Hope. 343
The Ecclefiaftical CouncU , or College as if is
call'd, is for the good Governraent of tlie Reforra'd
Churches at the Cape , which are Three in Num
ber ; and for the proper Application of Money
rais'd and given for the Maintenance of the Poor.
It confifts of the Three Paftors of thofe Churches,
Six Elders, or Church- Wardens , each Church ha
ving Two, and of Twelve Overfeers of the Poor,
each Pariih having Four. This General . Council,
as it may be call'd, decrees 'finally, not only upon
the Temporal Matters , of the Reforra'd Churches
at the Cape, but likewife on many Spiritual Con
cerns of the faid Churches. The Offices and Cere
monies in the Worffiip of God in thofe Churches are
alter'd, dirainiffi'd or augraented by the Decrees of
thisCouncil.'And fo juft and careful is this Council in.
the Appiicdfton of the ^Charitable CoUeftions to the
Maintenance of the Poor, that not* a Beggar is to
be feen in all the Settleraent. The Surplufage of
thofe CoUeftions is either put out to Intereft, or ap
pUed to the Repairs ofthe Churches or the Mainte
nance ofthe Schools at the Cape. The Debates
and Refolutions of this CouncU on all Matters are,
ever fairly regifter'd foon after it breaks up : And
the Regifter-Books of the fame are at allTimes freely
to be perus'd by any^ Perfon.
But there is Hkewife a Veftry, or Church-Coun
cil held from Tirae to Tirae in each Pariffi. This
confifts of an erainent Pariffiioner (generally the
principal Merchant in the Parifti) who is Prefident;
the Paftor* the Two Elders or Church-Wardensj
and the Four Overfeers of the Poor. Four of thia
CouncU (the Whole making Eight) are Burghers 1
and Four thfe Company's immediate Servants,
Y 4 The

"344 ^^^ Prefent State of *
The Paftor is always reckon'd among the
latter. In each Colony at the Cape there is a Court of
Common Council, confiftingof a certain Number
of the Burghers of eacb, chofen every Two Years
by the Grand CouncU, out of Lifts of Double the
eftabliffi'd Number compofing a Common CouncU,
prepar'd by the Burghers of each Colony, Thefe
Eftabliffiments were made by the Govemour, Si
mon van der Stel, upon the great Augmentation of
the Colonies by the French Refugees. The Com
mon Council at the Cape-Town does Little or
Nothing, having little or no Authority. The Ci'
vil Courts or Colleges, already defcribed, do all
the Bufinefs of Juftice there. All this Council does,
is to propofe Matters, in Favour of the%urghers of
the Cape-Town', to the Grand Council, and to
colleft (which it does by its Seniors) the Taxes laid
by the Grand CouncU upon the Burghers. Indeed
the Three Regent Burgher-Mafters, who arc annu
ally chofen by and outof the Burghers at the Cape-
Town, are Magiftrates of fome Weight, fince they
frequently, upon the Occafions- mention'd in my Ac
count of the Court of Juftice, join the faid Court,
and have not a little Sway in the fame : And they
are not a little reVerenc'd by every one upon this
Account. But the Common Councils in the other Colonies
are Courts of great Aftion and Authority. The
Land-Droft or Lieutenant of each of thofe Colonies
prefides in each Council. Each Council has a ftate
ly Hall to affemble in, and a Prifon for Delinquents.
The Members of thofe CouncUs are call'd Home- Coun-

the CAPi^of Good Hovt, 345
Councellors, an AppeUation given them by the Go
vemour, Simon Van der Stel , when he erefted thofe
Councils. They hear and determine upon all Debts
Trefpaffes and other Matters not exceeding a Hun
dred and Fifty Florins; and try and> puniffi for
moft Crimes committed within their Jurisdiftions,
and for all that are committed by the Slaves.
There are in the Settlement at the Cape Two
Boards of MUitia ; one for the Cape-Town, which
is held in the Town ; the other for the Colonies of
Hellenbogifh and Drakenfton, which is held in the
Hellenbogifh Colony. The Governour, Sinvon Van
der Stel, upon the Arrival of the Refugees, fet up
a Militia in the Settlement, confifting of feveral
Bodies of Horfe and Foot; and at the fame Time
erefted thofe Boards for its Government. There are
Ten Perfons commiffion'd to each Board. P^t the
Board for the Cape-Town prefides always a Member
ofthe Grand CouncU. Theother Merabers are the
principal MUitary Officers in the C^/>^-Co]ony. At
theother Board prefides the Lfl?iJ-Dro/ of the Hellen-
bogiflj Colony, over Nine ot the principal MUitary
Officers of the united Militia of that and the Colo
ny of Drakenfton. Each Board has a Secretary,
Once a Year the whole Militia is raufter'd ; when
come Deputies from the Grand Council to review it,
who look into all Defefts and Diforders, and order
and reprove on the Same. There is a good Deal of
Diverfion at thofe Reviews : For as foon as the
Exercife is over, the feveral Companies ground their
Arms, and entertain the Deputies with feveral
Feats of Dexterity and farciful Performances; for
which they are ever rewarded with Abundance of
Laughter and Applaufe.
When

3^ , , , , : tk^ Prefent St ffe of
., When the Slaves at the. Cape ,run away, Three
pr Four or more together, the Board of MUitia for
the Colony where live their Mafters, fend. out,
upooi Application, a Party of Horfe immediately in
Purfpit of 'era. And on any hoftile Appearance
among the Hottentots againft the Settlement, thefe
Boards are to fend out Parties againft them.
'Tis. the enjoin'd Duty of the Burghers in the fe
veral .Colonies to, keep "Watch by Night ; but, as
there is not much Occafion for it, , they do it very
carelefly.^ _ , :, '
I ffiall now give the Reader a Defqription of the
Cape-Town, and of the Caftle and other Buildings
there belonging tothe India Company, which, I
flatter my felf willnot be difagreable to him.
Th'e Town extends from the Sea-Shore to the
Valley where Hes a Noble Garden of the Compa
ny. 'Tis large and very regularly built,.contain\ng
feveral fpacious Streets, and upwards of Two Hun
dred handfome Houfes, many of 'em very ftately
with large Courts before 'em, and large and beauti»
ful Gardens behind 'em- The Streets, the Court
Yards, the Houfes and every Thing in 'era are kept
(as is the Manner ofthe Dutch) extremely neat
and clean. The Houfes are of Stone-; but raoft of
'cm only of one Story : None are pf more than
Two; and This on Account of the Violence of the
Eafterly Winds, which now and theiji fhake, and da
mage the Houfes as low as they are., The' Town
makes a very handfome Appearance, view'd from
the Caftle or the Sea* Moft of the Houfes are
thatch'd. Few are cover'd with Slates or Tiles, for

theCAPE of Good Hope; 347
for the Reafon juft raention'd. There were for
merly Shelving Pent-Houfes erefted on both Sides
the Streets, to ffielter Paffengers in rainy Weather -,
but thefe brought the Inhabitants under fuch Dan
gers and Inconveniences, that they were quickly,
by Order of -the Government, all pull'd down.
SaUors and Hottentots were continually crowding
and fmoaking their Pipes under thera, and forae
tiraes, thro' Carelefspefs, fet 'era on Fire. The
Government very dexteroufly laid Hold of that
Occafion to rid the Streets of the Crowds of thofe
Fellows that were continually peftering- them, by
Publiffiing an Order, which is ftill kept up, and
from Time to Time republiffi'd, that no i/o//^«-
itof or Coraraon Sailor ffiould fmoak in the Streets;
with a Declaration , that the SaUor or Hottentot
who ffiould prefume to do fo, ffiould be tied to the
Whipping Poft and feverely laffi'd, with a Rope-
End, on his bare Pofteriors. This clear'd the Streets
at once, and keeps 'em clear to this Day, of all
Sailors and Hottentots who have not Bufinefs in 'em;
for 'tis with great, Difficulty that either Hottentot,
or Dutch SaUor, if they have Tobacco , and they
are rarely without, can forbear Smoaking while
theyare awake. Yet now and then a Sailor ora
Hottentot is feen frnoaking in the Streets ; and when
they arefo, there is no Lenity for 'em, if they are
laid Hold of, but away they are hurried to the
-Poft, and laffi'd indeed very feverely.
. To Prevent the Firing pf Houfes by Soot in the
Chimneys, there are certain falaried Officers, who,
from Time to Time, inlpeft the Chimneys of the
Town, and give .Nptice to get 'em fwept where
they judge 'em to have too much Soot. The Per-. fpna

34^ the Prefent State of
fons neglefting this Notice are fummon'd to the
Caftle, and, according to their Ability , fin'd. A
double Negfeft of the fame Notice is fometimes
puniffi'd by Fine and Imprifdnment.
Building at the Cape is very much encourag'd
by the Company, A Man who has a Mind to
build a Houfe, whether contiguous to the Town,
or in the Country, has Ground allotted him (gra
tis for the fame by the Government, together with
Ground for a Cpurt-Yard, for Out-Houfes , and
for a Garden, if he has a Mind for thofe Things.
From thofe Grants of Ground for Houfes the Go
vernment derives no Manner of Advantage tiU the
Houfes are fold ; and then the Houfes become
charg'd with a Ground Rent to it. If a Houfe is
new, when 'tis firft fold, it becomes charg'd with a
Ground Rent ofthe loth or 20th Penny ofthe Rent
it is judg'd it would let for annually. If 'tis old,
the 40th Penny of the Rent. For Corn Fields and
Vineyards the Government has a Tenth of the Pro
duce , or the Value in Money : For Meadow
Grounds, a I Oth of the real or fuppos'd Rent. /
I ffiall riow give a Defcription of the Caftle at
the Cape. The Fortrefs built by Van Reibeck ftood
rill pretty far in the Government of M. Bax.
New Settlers fiowing in abundantly at the Cape in
the Time of Bax's Government, and Trade at the
Cape encreafing very much at the lame Time, Bax
found the Company's Store-houfes , which were
within the Fort, would be quickly .too fmall to re
ceive all the Company's Merchandizesat the Cape.
He judg'd likewife there was a Neceffity for aug
menting the Garrifon, fince as all the trading Na-
N tions

the Cap T^ of Good Hope. '349
tions of Europe faw and began to envy the Dutch
the Advantages they made of the Cape, it might
juftly be apprehended that one or other of thofe
Nations would attempt to take it from 'em. But
the Garrifon was not to be augmented without an
Augmentation, of the Quarters ; and there was not
Room to augment 'em at all. Bax was diffatisfied
toowith the Situation of the Fort, the Fort ftanding,
in his Opinion, in a very inconvenient Place for
Covering the Harbour and making a good Defence.
Thefe Things Bax reprefented tothe Court of Direct
tors, and propos'd to 'em the Erefting of a new
Fort in a more advantageous Situation; fetting forth,
that the Expences of Repairing and Enlarging thc
Fort they had, would not fall much ffiort of the
Expences of Erefting a new one ; and undertaking
to fee a new one finiffi'd that ffiould in all Points
anfwer the Defign, in the Space of Three Years.
The Court of Direftors being fatisfied with Bax's
Reprefentation and Propofal, fent him full Powers
toereft anewFort infuch Part, after fuch Model,
and in fuch Manner, as he ffiould judge moft pro
per ; and, upon the finiffiing thereof, to demoliffi
f,he old one. Bax, upon the Receipt of thofe Fow
lers, went im.mediately to Work ; and Hc kept his
Word ; for at the End of Three "Tears, he had fi
niffi'd a fpacious, commodious, fb'ong, and beauti
ful Fortrefs. He then demoliffi'd the old one. By
this new Fortrefs Governour Bax acquir'd a great
Deal of Reputation. Governour Adrian Van der Stel
made feveral Additions to the Work : And 'tis at
this Day a very ftrong and ftately Building , of a
very large Corapafs ; and provided with all Manner
of Accommodations for a Garrifon. It covers the
Harbour roundly , and is of admirable Defence to
wards

350 The Prefent State of
wards the Country. The Superiour Officers of the
Company have in it very fpatious and beautUul
Lodgings : And the Company's Store-houfes here
are very large, handfome and commodious.
The Church at tbe Cape-Town is a very fpacious
ftately Edifice, but. very plain ; buUt of Stone.
The Nave and the Steeple are thatch'd. Both are
white- waffi'd on the Outfide, and kept very clean.
So that the Church makes from Sea a very agreable
Figure in bright' Weather. Nothing entertainiiig
to the Eye is feen within the Church.. The Pulpit
is plain Wood, quite naked of Ornamentj And
the People fit on long Forms, planted in feveral
Parrallels, running this Way and that, before the
Pulpit. But Diftinftions are obferv'd in Sitting
nearer to or farther from the Pulpit, acccording to
every one's Birth, Employment or Condition in
Life. There are certain Places peculiar to the
Church-Officers. When the Holy Supper is to
be adminifter'd, a large Table is plac'd before the
Pulpit: The Communicants fit round it, . and in
that Pofture receive the Bread and Wine from thc
Hands of the Minifter. The Church-Yard is very
large, and encompafs'd with a ftrong. Wall; adjoi
ning to which is a fraall Houfe, „ where. conftantly
dwells the Overfeer of the Church. The BuUding
of the Church , of the Wall aboUt the Church-
"Yard, and the little Houfe for the Overfeer, plain
as every Thing is, I have been well affur'd, coft no
lefs than 30, 000 Florins.
There is an Hofpital in the Town for the Sick,
which is at the fame Time a mighty Honour and a
mighty Ornament to it. 'Tis fituate nearthe Cora
pany's

the C a f e of Go o d H 6 p e. 551
pany's Garden, and is large enough for the Accom
modation of feveral Huncheds of Patients, 'Tis very
rare that a Ship arrives at the Cape, either from Eu
rope or the Indies, without a confiderable Number
of Sick. From 100 to 150 arrive frequently in one
Bottom. The Ship is no fooner at Anchor than
thefe are convey'd to the Hofpital; where they are
very decently lodg'd, fuccour'd with Medicines, fup
plied with freffi Viftuals, and very carefully 'tended
to the Laft. Such as are in a fair Way of Recove
ry may, if they pleafe, walk in the Corapany's
Garden ; which furniffies the Hofpital with Abun
dance of Roots and Herbs ; and where the Air is
ever delicious. The Hofpital fronts the Church,
and is a very hanfdorae regular BuUding. 'Tis en
compafs'd with a Ditch, through which runs a fifte
Stream from the Mountains into the Haven.
I am apt to think the Company's Gardens at
the Cape are the nobleft and moft beautiful Curiofities
in all Afric. And I queftion whether there is a
Garden in Europe, fo' rich and beautiful in its Pro
duftions as any one of 'em. The Planting of a
Garden was one of the firft Things the Dut^h did
at the Cape ; and they have enrich'd themfelves in
this Article there incredibly. The Company's
Gardens at the Cape are faid to be provided with al
moft every Thing the Vegetable World produces
by Way of Fruit and Flower. Some'of every cu
rious Sort of Plant atid Flower, in almoft every
Clime, have been tranfplanted into thofe Gardens.
The Govemours, under whofe fole Direftlon the
Gardens are, have been ever very aftive to procure
from other Parts fome of every Sort ot Plant and Flo
wer they had not at the Cape. And the Cape-Qlimate che-

352 the Prefent State of
cheriffies every Plant, every Flower and every
Herb that is brought thither. The Gardens are
not laid out and divided, perhaps, fo curioufly as are
many in Europe. Nor are there feen in 'em any
confiderable "Works of Art by Way of Embelliffi-
ment. Nature has Little or Nothing to fet her off
there befides her own Charms and the Hand of the
Gardener : And ffie is more charraing than
I have feen her in any other Part of the
World. Thoufands of various Flowers ftrike your
Eye at once, vying with each other for fuperiour
Beauty. Here and there you fee fine Groves of
Trees and beautiful Sumraer-Houfes ; and here
and there you have fine ffiady Walks. The Gar
dens are very fpacious ; and from moft Parts of 'em
you have a delightful View ofthe Country.
There are many large and beautiful Gardens
about the Town^ which belong to the Inhabitants.
Thefe, as well as the Company's Gardens, are kept
in very fine Order. 'Tis very delightful to vifit
'em ; and they make a lovely Appearance in feve
ral "Views of the Town. The Millions of Flowers
in the Cape-Gardens repleniffi the Air with the mpft
delicious Perfumes.
There is in the Town a large Building call'd the
Lodge, where are lodg'd the Corapany's Slaves.
'Tis divided into Two Wards, one for thc Lodg
ing of each Sex, and provided with convenient Store-
Rooms, together with a large Room where the
Slaves receive and eat their Allowances, and a ftrong
Prifon where the drunken, the difobedient &c arc
confin'd aud puniffi'd. 'Tis provided too with de
cent Apartments for the Intendant and other Ofii- cera

theCAPX of Good Hope. 35^
cers fet over the Slaves, and with a School for the
Negro-Girls, The Company has at the Cape-Town, a large
and very handfome Range of Stables, in which may
be put up very conveniently feveral Hundred Hor
fes. A great Number of fine Perfian Horfes, and
Horfes frora other Parts are kept in thofe Stables,
for the Service of the Company and the Ufe of the
Governour, for whofe Parade and Accommodation
at the Cape the Company provides very liberally.
He has a Mafter of the Horfe, an Under-Mafter
of the Horfe, a Sadler, Coachmen and Grooms.
One of the Coachmen is foj* the Body only. And
the Governour's Body-Coachman, let me tell you,
is look'd upon at the Cape as a very confiderable
Perfon. I ffiall now give an Account of the Cape-Govern'
ment, andof the Revenues and Profits at the Cape
for Supporting the fame. The Company beftow'd
vaft Sums upon the Settlement before they could
bring it to any Perfeftlon. I have b^en credibly
inform'd, it ftood 'em, for the firft Twenty Years,
in no Lefs than a MUHon of Florins yearly, one
Year with another. The annual Expences of tlie
Government are now, I reckon, about Four Hun»
dred Thoufand Florins ; and , according to my
Reckoning ; the Revenues and Profits at the Cape
for Defraying the fime are hardly yet brought to a
Par with 'em : So that the Reader will eafily judge '
h!t)wmuch the Corapany is out ofCafla at this Day
on the Cape- Account. The Application ofthe Com
pany, in all this Time, foi; the Safety and Intereft
'of the Settieraent, and rhe Induftry of the Dutch
Z at

354 '^he Prefent Stafe of
at the Cape in Eftabliffiing, Fortifyhg and Accom
modating therafelves, and Improving every Advan
tage, are almoft incredible. The Settlement is now
by far the moft flouriffiing in all Afric, and a very
ffiining Monument of the Genius of this indefatigable
People. The Company's Servants at the Cape are divided
into Two Clalfes, call'd the ^alified and the Un
qualified. The Qualified are all the Officers in the
Adrainiftration ; and the Clerks and Book-keepers
under thero. The Unqualified are the Soldiers, Ar
tificers and Comraon Servants. I will give a Par
ticular of the Salaries of Both. Florins.
The Company allows the Governour,
in Salary and Board- Wages, p. An. 3255.
To the Chief Merchant ; the Fifcal
.Independent ; the Captain of the Garrifon;
the three Paftors of the Colonies ; and
the Store-keeper ; each, in Salary and
Board- Wages, 1627 Florins p. y^«. InaU 11389.
To the Lieutenant of the Garrifon,
in Salary and Board- Wages p. ^K«. - - 1005.
To the Enfign of the Garrifon, and to
Twelve Perfons, call'd Under-Merchants;
each 708 Florins p. Ann. In all, - -9204.
To the Book-keepers and Tenders of
the Sick ; Thirteen Perfons ; each 513
Florins p. Ann. In all, - . _ 666g.
To Twenty Affiftant Clerks; each 354
Florins p. Ann. In all, - , - - 7080.
To the Sergeants of the Garrifon ; the
Mafters of the Artificers ; the Overfeers
cf the Common Servants; the Under- Qffi.

the Cap ^ of Good Hope. ^SS
Officers of the Small Craft or Veffels con
ftantiy erriploy'd about the Gape , in the
Service of the Government : In all ,
Twenty Two Perfons, with different Sa
laries, arriountirig iri the Whole to - 7788
To the Soldiers of the Garrifon and
the Comraon Servants ( Five Hundred
and Forty Two Perfdns) In all - . 73884.
The Whole ofthe Coinpany's Allow
ances to its Officers and Servants at the ¦'» '
Cape, in Salary and Board- Wages, is p. Ann. 1 20274.
Befides the Governour's Salary • and BOard-Wa-
ges. His Excellency is likewife allow'd by the Com
pany for his Houffiold, Monthly, 1500 11, of
Rice, 30 Buffiels of Puffi, or fine.'\Vhite Rice;
360 11. of fine Barley - Flower ; 20 11. of
European Salt Beef and Pork ; What Mutton he
pleafes; I Aum of African Wine; 8 Quarts of
Brandy ; 16 of Canary ; 23 of ftrong Ship- Beer,
or Brunfwick Mura ; 25 11.. of Freffi Butter ;
15 11. of White Wax Candtes ; 10 11. of
Tallow Candles ; 6 11. of Spices , 4 Quarts of
Sallad OU, and what Vinegar he has Occafion for.
And what other Things be has a Mind to have, for
Houffiold-Ufe, which the Company's Stores can
furniffi, he has ofthe Company 25 p. Cent cheaper
than a,ny other. His Excellency has likewife an
Allowance of 500 Florins yearly for Entertaining
the Commanders and other Officers of the Dutch
jKiz'fl Ships with a grand Dinner in their^Return to
Europe; and yet he -provides for therii wholly out
of the Company's Cattle, Stores and Gardens. He
hasa great many other Allowances from the Com
pany, too many to be mention'd here.. And 'tis
Z 2 com.

3S6 the Prefent State ej
computed that his Allowances from the Com
pany , all together, exclufive of this Salary and
Board- Wages, amount to 6000 Florins a Year.
It would beto trefpaft on the Patience of the Rea
der to be particular on the Allowances of the Com
pany to their other Officers and Servants, befides
-Salaries and Board Wages. I ffiall only fay, that
the Allowances from the Company to the "Whole
Clafs of Qualified Servants, as they are call'd, be
low the Governour, exclufive Of their Salaries and
Board- Wages , are computed at 50000 Florins
yearly: And the Allowances to the Unqualified;
that is, to the Soldiers, Artificers and Common
Servants, amount to 1 1 790 Florins. The Account
then of the Company's Expences upon their Offi
cers and Servants at the C«pf ftands thus. Florins.
To the Governour, . • yearly 2255.
To the Ratified Servants, 89872,
To the Unqualified Servants, 85674.
TheWhole 1 84801.
'Tis.computed, tbat the Sheep kill'd at the Cape
on the Company's Account, partly to fupply the
Tables of the Governour and ^alified Servants
(every Officer, below the Governour, having a cer
tain Allowance of Mutton ) and partly to fupply the •
Company's Ships, as they pals to and again, coft
3000 Florins a Year, one Year with another. The
Purchafe and Maintenanc'e of Slaves for the Compa
ny's Service at the Cape, 'tis computed, coft, one
Year with another, likewife 30000 Florins a Year.
The Company maintains about 600 conftantly there

theCAPE of GoodHope. 3^7
there. The Maintenance and Tending of the Sic'^
in the Hofpital, together with Medicines for 'em,
'tis reckon'd, coft the Company yearly 20,000 Flo
rins. Sailors taken from the Company's Ships into
this Hofpital are maintain'd, tended and fupplied
with Medicines gratis for the firft 14 Days. For all
the Time they ftay longer in the Hofpital they are
to alfow the Government after the Rate of Half a
Month's Pay for a Month. The Governraent al
lows a certain Recompence to every Man who kills
a Lion , Tiger or Wolf in the C^^^-Countries,
and is often making Prefents to Europeans in Return
for Good Offices. Thefe Things, with thc Prefents
to the Hottentots ( which are made for the better
Maintenance of a good Underftanding with 'em)
'tis reckon'd, ftand the Company in about 2000
Florins a Year. The Company is at an immenfe
Charge yearly at the Cape on a great many other Ac
counts ; the Specifying of which would, perhaps, be
thought tedious. It may be fufficient to fay, that
'tis computed, the Cape ftands the Company in
400, 000 Florins a Year in the Whole.
We will now look into the Revenues and Pro
fits accruing to the Company from the Cape for
the Defraying of this vaft Expence. The Compa
ny has a Tenth of the ProdCice of all Lands pof
fefs'd by Europeans atthe Cape; and Ground Rents,
fuch as have been, mention'd, for all Houfes at the
Cape, after the firft Sale. The Value of the Tenth
ofthe Produce of Lands is computed at 14000
Florins yearly.
The Company has laid certain Duties on Wines
at the Cape, as well fuch as are produc'd from the
Z 3 " - Cape-'

358 The Prefent Stated of
Cape-'^ineyards as thofe imported : Certain Du
ties likewife on Tobacco, Brandy , and all Pther
diftill'd Liquors ; and on Beer, whether brew'd at
the Ca^^ or imported. There is likewife a Duty
on Muni, which is brought to the Capeiti. confidera
ble Quantities , and is not in a littie Requeft
there. All thefe Duties are farra'd of the Corifipa-
ny by feveral Perfons at the Cape fdr 70,000 Flo
rins a Year ; and the Company is very punftually
paid. But I muft needs think thofe Duties are
worth a great Deal more.
The Company lays out abput 300,000 Florins a
Year in Merchandizes for the Cape. Thefe- may
be reckon'd to yield, one wit^ another, a Profit of
'jc^ p. Cent. The neat Produce then is 225000 Flo
rin s yearly.
By thefe and a few other Means the Company is
pretty nigh reimburs'd the Expence of Supporting
the C<?pi?-Governraent. And as the Colpnies are
encreafing daily, and daUy taking in new Lands
for Tillage, the Company has a fine Profpeft of en
joying ere long a noble cfear Revenue from this
Settieraent. The Generofity and Indulgence of the Company
to the Settlers at the Cape are Things at-^this Day,
perhaps, not to be' match'd. The Tenths of the
Produce of Land are not requir'd where the Pro
duce is but Httle, and •the' Settler poor. The Go
vernment is lending every Day to new and poor
Settlers Ploughs , Spades , Hatchets, and other
Tools ; and every D.iy doing fome generous
Thing or other to' help 'enf forward in the Wbrld.
> And

theCAPE ^GoodHope. 359
And this the Government has done trom thc Firft,
Vaft Nurabers of Tools and Inftruments of Hus
bandry, with which the Company fupplied the firft
Settlers, have been neither return'd nor paid for to
this Day. The Perfons, who had them from the
Company, have been long dead , and the Tools are
worn out or come . into No body knows whofe
Hands, and loft to the Company tor ever. Yet has
not This brought any Damp upon the Generofity of
the Company. 'Tis as tree as ever in Supplying
and Servmg the Settlers. And I. know, that in the
Year 1 7 1 2 there were .owing to the Company from
Perfons then living in the Settleraent, no lefs than
40,000 Florins for Inftruments of Husbandry and
other Things, with which the Company had fup
plied 'em to begin the World with. 'With Regard
to which Debts, tho' they had long ftood out, the
Company was very eafie. Large Sums are owing
at the Cape to the Company on a great many other
Accoilnts ; for which Sums, where the Parties are
not manifeftly able, the Company makes no great
Dunning. Never was Debtor treated by his Cre
ditor with more Tendernefs than the Company treats
the Settlers that are indebted to it. Let 'em but
make it in fome Meafure appear, that they are not
in a Condition to fulfU thdr Engagements, and the
Company will give 'em more Time, and be cpn
tent with fmall Sums, or, in Lieu of Moneyj with
fmall Quantities of Whatever is the Produce of
their Lands, at fuch Tiraes as they can beft part
with 'em. This indeed is but good Politicks ;
but 1 queftion whether any, befides the Dutch, could
purfue it with fo much Difcretion and Humanity.
The Generofity of the Company to the Settlers at
the

360 the Prefent State of
the Cape makes likewife a noble Figure in anotheir
View. If any of the Settlers fuffer by Fire in their
Houfes or Barns, and fuch Settlers are not rich,
the Company always largely and readily contri
butes to the Repair of the Damage." The Com
pany, in fuch Cafes, furniffies the beft Part of the
Materials for Rebuilding, and orders its own Arti
ficers and Servants upon the Work ; and the Suffe
rers fee themfelves quickly in Statu quo.
So much for theTrade^ Revenues and Expences
ofthe Company at the Cape.
Thc Company's iraraediate Servants at the Cape,
Qualified or Unqualified , are about 600 in Num
ber. But they are not all lodg'd in the Caftle.
Many Petty Officers and a great Number of the
Common Servants are lodg'd in feveral Buildings,
belonging to the Company, in the Town. The
Garrifon confifts of about 200 Soldiers. The Com
mon Servants for whom the Government has not
Employment, the Government turns over, for grea
ter or leffer Portions of Time, never exceeding one
Year, to the Farmers or others in the Colonies who
want fuch Hands. The Perfons to whom the Ser
vants are turn'd over, pay 'em, for the Time they
have 'em, after the Rate of their Agreement with
the Company : And the Company is for that Time
rid pf the Charge : But 'tis always agreed, that if
iri that Time the Caftle ffiall be in Danger from an
En^y, the Servants ffiall be return'd to the Go
vernment as foon as demanded, in order to be put
under Arms.
The Slaves at the Cape, moft of whom are brought from

/)&£ C A P E e/ G 0 0 D H O P E. 361
from Madagafcar, are the moft untraftable, re-
vengefbl, cruel Wretches thatl ever heard of 'Tis
now and then a moft difficult Thing to keep 'em
in Order. When Refentment enflames them, whe
ther againft the Europeans or one another, they
care not what Villanies they comrait in order to be
reveng'd. And under every Kind of Puniffiment
they are undaunted. They often coramit Mur
ders among themfelves, and now and then they
murder an European. Hanging is the Puniffiment
of a Slave at the Cape that murders another Slave.
But the Slave that murders an European is broke
alive, or put to fome other moft terrible Death.
I wUl relate an Execution or Two that happen'd
in my Time at the Cape, by which the Reader will
be enabled thoroughly to judge" of the Temper of
thefe Creatures. A Party of 'em. Men and Wo
men, plotted tp make their Efcape, and effefted it'
by Night. They carried off their Mafters Guns
and Swords, with a good Quantity of Powder and
Ball, and made their Way towards the Saldanha
Bay, with a Defign to fettle in fome Part or other,
out ofthe Knowledge of the Europeans and raife a
new People. They chofe, before they made off, a
King and Queen, and made certain Regulations for
the Preferving of Quiet among themfelves, and for
Securing the Succefs of their Enterprife. Coming
early in the Morning to a Pafture where fome
Sheep were feeding, tended by a Slave, they told the
Slave oftheir Enterprife, defir'd him to join in it,
and faid they muft have a Sheep. The Slave re
fufing to join 'em; and not coni'enting that they
ffiould have a Sheep, they cut off his Head ; and
taking Three or Four Sheep, repair'd with 'em to
the

3^^ The Prefenf: State .of
the next Mountains, where , '.having taken along
with 'em, Flint, Tinder and Steel, they m^de Fire?-
and fejfbed on the Booty. Soon after, they fur
pris'd an European who was an Overfeer, and who
was then, with a Gun in his Hand, wallcing about
his Mafter's Grounds to fee that his Mafter's Slaves
¦<vere upon their Duty. They furrounded him be
fore he was aware of 'em, and .having fnatch'd his
Gun' frbm hira, were going to kUl hira ; when he
defir'd they would gi-ant him a Minute or Two tp
fay his Prayers in. His Requeft was granted; and
he fell upon his Knees and pray'd. But he praying'
beyond their Patience, they flew him in the pioUs
Aft? ript up his Belly, tore out his Entrails, and
bung 'em upon the next Buffies. They then marcb'd
forward, and cbming to the Saldanha Bay, where
the Government pofts Two Men continually, tei
give Notice of the Coming in of any Shijps into
that Bay, they were by a ' happy Stratagem fur
pris'd, fecur'd, and convey'd back to the Cape. Tw©
or Threeof the Party, having confels'd the recited
Murders, were admitted Evidence againft the Reft,
who were quickly brought to Tryal and conviftedi.
Four of the Men were broke alive : The Queen
Eleft was hang'd. The Reft' ftood at the Execu
tions vnth Ropes about their Necks; and afterwards
were feverely whipt with fplit Canes,, and branded
with a red hot Iron. The Four, who were broke
alive, ffiew'd no Manner of Concern when they
wei-e ftretch'd upon the Wheel. Nor did tbey,
while their Limbs were breaking by the moft vio
lent Blows the Executioner could give, cry, any
of 'em, fo much as Ob ! Or ffiew any other Token
of Complaint. The Coup de Grace, or Heart-Blow,
:ts it is call'd, not being given 'em, they were ta
ken

/i&^ Cape of GoodHope. 3163
ken alive from the Wheel, and exterided, all Four
together, upon another Wheel, faften'd horizont
ally on the Top ofa Poft fix'd in the Ground ;-
where they Continued alive for fome *Hc«irs, calling
now and then for Drink, which was not deniad 'em,
but not giving, to the very Laft, fo much as one
Groan or Sigh. The Queen Eleft Was likewife un
daunted at her Execution, and ffiew'd as much Con
tempt of Death as did the Men.
A Slave at the Cape, in my Tirae there, at
tempted more than once to burn down his Mafter's
Houfe, For this, beirig feiz'd, he was fentenc'd to
be roafted alive : And the Execution was perform'd
in the following Manner. A ftout Ppft being fix'd
upright in the Ground, he was faften'd to it by a
Chain, which, at 'orte End, was faften'd about his
Waft; at the other, to the Poft, with fuch a
Length between the Poft and his .Body, that he
might make oneRound about the Poft. Then was
kindled a large Fire round about .him, juft beyond
the Stretch of the Chain. The Flames rofe high :
The Heat was Vehement : He -ran for forae Time
to and agqin about the Poft ; but gave not on3 Cry.
Being half roa,fted, he funk down, and faid (fpeak
ing Portugueze) Dios, mio Pay. O God, my Father-,
and then expir'd.
Havirig Nothing more worth Adding, relating
to either the Settleraent or the Hottentots, I ffiall
clofe this Volurae with an Account of rny Voyage
Hbme.
April "the gth 17 13, I embark'd on board the
Conipany's Ship, call'd the Stadthoufe of Enckhuyfen for

364 the Prefent State of
for Holland. By the Favour of the Government at
the Cape, my Accommodations and Privileges on
.^oard this Ship were fome of the beft. I viftual'd
with the Captain, and was very much carefs'd by
him and by all the inferiour Officers , as likewife
by all the Gentlemen Paffengers on Board. Thefe
Things, together with my Advances towards my
native Country, which I long'd to fee again, were
a mighty Comfort to me : For I had undergone a
great many Fatigues and Difappointments at the
Cape, and not a little ill Ufage. My Friends in
Europe were much wanting to their Promifes to me
of Support and Encourageraent while I remain'd at
the Cape % and I .was not a little ffiatter'd and re
duc'd thro' their Negleft of me. When we left the
Cape we had the Wind at South Eaft, which
blowing a pretty tight Gale for Three Days, drove
us in that Time 100 Leagues upon our true Courfe.
We had feveral Ships in Corapany. May the 2d we
pafs'd by the Ifland Aftencion ; and foon after we»"e
under the Line. Near the Line, died a Captain of
one of the Ships in Company with us. His Corpfe was
funk in the Sea, with the ufual Marks of Honour from
the whole Fleet. Near the Line we were held for fe
veral Days by a ftark Calra. Near the Line too we
had thick Fogs, in which Guns were frequently dff-
charg'd from all the Ships, in order to keep the
Ships together; for we knew not theri ofthe Peace in
Europe." Soon after, we met with feveral Ships
which gave us the agreable News. Nothing re
markable happen'd during the Reft of the Voyage.
About the Middle of Auguft we arriv'd in the Flie ;
From whence I pafs'd in a Yacht, with feveral Paf
fengers of Diftinftion, to Amfterdam, where we ar
riv'd on thc 2 2d, Having pafs'd fome Time at
this

the Cape of Good Hope. 36*^
this City, Ifet out. for, and, bleffed be God, ar
riv'd fafely in niy narive Country.
In this Hiftory of the Hottentots, and Account of
tbe Dutch Settlement among 'em, I affure the Rea
der, I have had, in every Particular, the ftrlfteft
Regard to Truth.. I have not, as Travellers ordi
narily do, let Imagination wanton any where be
yond her. I hope therefore, the Publick will par
don any Defefts in my Method or Way of Writing,
and encourage this Hiftory forthe Sake ofthe Truth
ofit.

FINIS,

Printed by and for G. Smith in Princefs-^
Street, Spittle Fields.
Inftrutlion fur I'Hiftoire Romaine, &c.
A Lecture Mipon the [Roman History: By Way of Queftion
and Anfiver : in French and Englijh : Giving an Account of fome
of the moft confiderable Perfons and Things from the Foundation
of Rome, to the Ruin ofthe Empire. Written originaUy in French
byM. le Ragois, Preceptor to the Duke du Maine. With a large
CoUeftion of Excellent Maxims and Curious Reflexions, for the
Conduft of Life, and the Knowledge of one's felf and the World
The Whole now publilh'd for the Advancement of Britifi Edu-
tation.
The Art of Painting in Miniature :
Teaching the. Ijseedy and perfeft Acquifition of that Art without
a Mafter. By Rules fo eafie, and in a Method fo natural, as to
Tender this charming Accomplifliment univerfally attainable. Firft
written for the Ufe of fome young Perfons of Quality, who, ha
ving fucceeded at once, by the Help of thefe Papers only; prevail'd
upon lhe Author to oblige the- World with 'em. The Second Edi
tion. To which are added certain Secrets of one of the greateft
Italian Painters for making the fineft Colours, Burnifh'd Qold
SheU- Gold, &c. Done from the Original French.
A CHRONOI.OGICAL TaeLE.
Shewing at one View the Order and Times of Succeffion of
tiie Roman md Cenftantinopolitan, or Eaftern Empekoks ; of the
Emperors of the IFeft, Kings in Italy, and Emperors of
Germany; th.e Ki-ogs of England, Scotland, France, Spain, Port-ur-
gal, Poland , Denmark , and Sweden ; and of the Bishops of
Home sad Popes, from the Birth of Christ to the Prefent Time:
In diftlnft Columns : Illuftrated with Notes on each Column, and
with Historical Introductions, giving an Account of the
Origin of the feveral Nations, and of the Revolutions, Princi
pal Events and Tranfaftions in each, to the Chriftian Ephoca ; and'
interfperfed with Memoirs of the principal Events and Atchleve
ments of the moft famous Reigns in Europe ftnce that Time.
Compiled for the more eafy Studying and retaining of Hiftory.

,TqQ02