422 Mr. Bain's Visit to the Interior Tribes 



time. It was a common thing on such occasions, for him to 

 leave us at sun-set, when he, and those of his countrymen 

 who followed in our train, pitched their camp for the night, 

 and overtook us next morning before we spanned in ; but 

 having no company to-night, he remained with the wagons. 



August 17. — At an early hour our caravan was again in 

 motion, I my3elf being considerably better than the preceding 

 night, although my companion and Martinus were still very 

 poorly. The country becomes more open than that through 

 which we yesterday travelled, but still perfectly level ; nothing 

 in the shape of a hill to be seen. About noon our guide 

 pointed to two sandy spots at a distance, which he said were 

 the fountains where we should halt, and which We found on 

 reaching to consist of two pits, about 12 feet deep, hollowed 

 out by the natives in the loose white sand, but now com- 

 pletely trodden in by the elephants, and the last drop of 

 moisture sucked out by them some hours before our arrival. 

 We set all hands to work to open the springs, and as soon as 

 we got a seeming sufficiency of water for two oxen, we drove 

 them down to drink, but the sand being so loose, they were 

 soon choked up again. For every two oxen that descended to 

 drink, were we obliged to open the fountains anew, and thus 

 it was late in the afternoon before they all obtained a scanty 

 portion of this precious liquid. 



As we approached this place, we saw some natives (women 

 and children) filling ostrich egg-shells with water, but they 

 fled in the greatest terror, at the unusual sight of our wagons, 

 leaving their vessels behind. Our guide and Poloholo fol- 

 lowed them, and by the liberal distribution of some pieces of 

 tobacco, induced them to return, and although they still 

 seemed to harbour some doubts of our good intentions towards 

 them, they shewed no symptoms of surprise at the objects 

 which had at first sight so frightened them, but looked upon 

 every thing with the greatest apathy and indifference, except 

 tobacco and beads. 



In the afternoon we had a visit from some more of the na- 

 tives, who live in a kraal in the centre of an adjoining wood, 

 about two miles from these sandy wells ; which circumstance 

 leads me to mention a singular custom of all the Bichuana 

 tribes, of erecting their dwellings at such a distance from the 

 springs or pools which supply them with water. With the 

 exception of the town of Kuruman, I have as yet met with 

 none at a less distance than half a mile, and some kraals even 

 as far as three miles from any water. I cannot assign any 

 reasonable cause foi this apparently incongruous custom, ex 

 cept it be that their absence from the springs (which in thia 

 country entirely destitute of running streams, are •' like 

 angels visits — few and far between,") maybe a greater in- 



