I3C Remarks on Delayed Baty. 



coasts, even by ihe Portuguese. The natives of Delagoa Bay 

 are armed with assagays, spears, and sometimes with small 

 shields, and hav<> no clothes but the cottons received in barter 

 from ihe Portuguese, or wollens ihey get from whalers. The 

 Vateraha clothe themselves elegantly in skins of animals, live 

 much on animal fiod, and protect their bodies in war by an im- 

 mense shield of bullocks hide of an oval form, such as that used 

 by the Gaffers on the borders of the colony. Behind the shield 

 they carry from three to six or more assagays, and a spear 

 readv to lie taken from thence as from a quiver when required. 



The natives of Delagoa are too timid to undertake any thing 

 by night; and, therefore, the Vaterahs always make their at- 

 tacks then, as they are sure to find no resistance. The latter 

 have an openness of character which speaks much in their 

 favor; it is said they never attack their enemies without first 

 sending to inform them of their intention ; but the attack 

 upon our tents was made without any such notice, and most 

 treacherously, which they excused by saying they would not 

 have done a thing so contrary to their usual practice, if they 

 had not been influenced by a renegade son of old King Kapell, 

 -who persuaded them that immense treasures of beads were 

 in our :>oats, and' which might become an easy prey to their 

 well known prowess. With all these nations, from the Equa- 

 tor Southwaids, beads are money; more civilized people have 

 too often been beguiled by a smaller temptation ; we should 

 not, therefore, judy;e them too harshly. 



The huts of all the natives of Delagoa are circular, small, 

 well and neatly constructed ; and with a palisade fence en- 

 closing an area round one, two, or more of them. Polygamy 

 is universal, and a man's wealth and consequence are known 

 by the number of his women. They are slaves to the men, 

 and the only cultivators of the ground, yet the latter are much 

 disposed to be industrious if they can get any thing by it ; and 

 for beads, to the amount in value of one penny, any man's 

 labour may be had for the day. They are keen traders and 

 covetous, but honest ; death is the punishment awarded for 

 theft among themselves. They are extremely desirous of 

 learning what they can from Europeans. When the Leven first 

 arrived in English River, the Portuguese succeeded in impres- 

 sing the inhabitants with a great dread and fear of us, giving 

 them to understand we were come to punish them for the 

 murder of one Calder, a Portuguese merchant from Rio, who 

 established himself in Temley as a merchant and whale fisher. 

 From his having done this without consulting the king and 

 people, they cut him off on some petty quarrel about a hand- 

 kerchief. As this had happened only about two or three 

 years before, and as they saw us intimate with the Portuguese, 

 they believed it might be true; and, therefore, during our first 



