of Southern Africa. 419 



moment his back was turned, and having out dinner served 

 up an the front chest of my wagon, our usual dining place, 

 they rent the air with shouts of laughter on .seeing us eat 

 with knives and forks : and indeed our whole meal aiforded 

 them an infinite fund of amusement. To one fellow, whose 

 chops watered at every mouthful which we conveyed to our 

 lips, I gave a piece of meat (a cameleopard steak, a great 

 delicacy by-the-bye), vvell rolled in Cayenne pepper, which 

 he swallowed, like a wolf, almost without chewing, but had 

 soon eause to repent of his temerity, for this fiery medicine 

 taking immediate effect, he burst through the crowd like a 

 mad dog, with his tongue dangling down his chin, and the 

 ■saliva trickling down his beslobbered chops, to the astonish- 

 ment of his fellow countrymen> who thought he was bewitched. 

 This ,trick I had frequently played off before among the Bi- 

 chuanas, which never failed of ridding us of some very trou- 

 blesome customers, and as they saw that we ourselves partook 

 of this fare, it invariably turned the laugh against the beg- 

 garly gluttons. 



Towan paid us another formal visit in the afternoon, and 

 was mucu more communicative than in the morning. He got 

 np and sat on the front of our wagons, examining the whole 

 with some marks of admiration, and even enjoyed a joke very 

 well. Having heard of my drawings, he begged a sight of 

 them, with which request I of course complied. When I ex- 

 hibited to him and his subjects the cameleopard and rhinoceros, 

 they exclaimed, with one impulse, " Maghaala-Makapa 1" 

 their usual interjection of astonishment; but when I showed 

 them the P'hala, or red buck, they clapped their hands before 

 their eyes, and were for a moment silent, then bursting out 

 into a loud horse-laugh, sent a shout of the highest admira- 

 tion round the crowd. I know not for what reason all the 

 savages to whom I had shewn those drawings, which were but 

 rough daubs, gave the preference to the P'hala above all the 

 others, though some of them were much better executed. 



In the evening I played a few tunes on the flute, on which 

 instrument, it is true, I am but a middling performer, yet I 

 considered my musical abilities sufficient to awaken pleasant 

 sensations in the breast of a savage, but I found myself (as I 

 had frequently done before), mistaken in that point, so that 

 I begin to doubt the truth of the universality of Shakespear's 

 celebrated axiom, that 



" Music hath powers to charm the savage breast !" 



August 15. — This morning we were inundated with milk, 

 which the natives brought us in very small earthen vessels, 

 ;iial for each demanded a piece of tobacco, or a few beads; 

 the king himself not thinking it below his dignity tu offer u« 



