Observations on the Origin of the Bushmen. 183 



Some of the articles just stated are regularly made use of 

 in their natural state, hut the majority only when cooked. 

 The vegetable productions that require such preparation, are 

 either boiled or roasted ; and those belonging to the animal 

 kingdom are mostly treated in the latter way, with the 

 exception of grass-hoppers, larvae of ants, and ostrich eggs, 

 which are commonly consumed without being submitted to 

 the influence of cooking ; all the others are, when choice can 

 be exercised, more or less prepared ; and what requires most 

 labour, is the dried skins of the larger animals. Those are 

 first moistened by water, and then stamped and roasted ; or 

 else roasted first, and stamped afterwards. Though the 

 employment of articles like the last-mentioned, is calculated 

 to create a degree of wonder in those who have never 

 suffered severely from the pangs of want, yet how much more 

 adapted for such a purpose is the observance of a fact, which 

 almost daily occurs amongst the Bushmen,— namely, the pre- 

 paration of pieces of old shoes, &c for the purpose of 

 furnishing a scanty and tasteless meal. 



The vegetable products are principally obtained without 

 much labour; and if we except the different roots, few require 

 much exertion. The latter it is necessary to dig out of the 

 ground, and for that purpose . they employ either a piece of 

 pointed wood hardened by having been previously a little 

 burnt, or else a gemsbok horn, and by either of those they 

 loosen the suiTounding soil with amazing rapidity. The 

 animal productions are partly procured without much trouble, 

 but the majority not without very considerable exertion, as 

 well as the exercise of no small degree of dexterity and 

 cunning. The bow and arrow are the means upon which they 

 mostly rely for obtaining the latter, and next to those, snares 

 and dogs. In employing the former, they either endeavour to 

 approach the animal within a suitable distance to wound him 

 severely, or else to conceal themselves so as to be in the way 

 as he may be pursuing his progress, or, lastly, by the practice 

 of decoys to bring him into a fitting position. The facility 

 they have of creeping, and the similarity between the colour 

 of their skin and the said wastes over which they hunt, when 

 conjoined to the amazing sharpness of their sight, enable them 

 often to advance within a very little distance of game, and 

 often by a wound of a poisoned arrow to intimate to the animal 

 its unfortunate situation. He observes every motion of its 

 head during his approach, and whenever it is possible for its 

 range of vision to extend to him, he remains most perfectly 

 quiet ; but when that is not the case, he advances with circum- 

 spection, and is sustained by such patience, that he will 

 sometimes pass a whole day in the pursuit, without any 

 particular prospect of success. When again he adopts the 



