C A F F R A R I A. 



ria. The Caffrcs are governed by chiefs, whose dignity, 

 -v~ however, consists entirely in the respect and love of 

 their subjects, and from whom they are distinguished 

 by a brass chain, suspended on the left siiK- of the 

 hi-.nl from a wu-ath of copper beads. But though 

 completely independent of o.n- another, 

 among these is generally acknowledged as sti| 

 to the rest, and is supposed to hold the sown ign 

 power. This honour is hereditary, and can only be 

 inherited by a son or a nephew, who succeed accord- 

 ing to primogeniture ; for, failing these, a king is 

 chosen hy the chief* of the different hordes, which is 

 frequently attended with dissensions and bloodshed. 

 A chief lias no power over the lives or properties of 

 his subjects ; but is amenable for every ofiVnrr to the 

 established laws of his horde or nation. These laws 

 are extremely simple, and grounded entirtly on na- 

 tural principles. Premeditated murder is punished 

 with instant death ; but if a murder be committed in 

 elf-defence, in a quarrel, or by accident, a fine is 

 paid to the relations of the deceased, a a compensa- 

 tion for their loss. This fine is either agreed to 

 among themselves, or is settled by the chiefs and 

 elders of the horde ; and the amount is generally es- 

 timated by the value which the deceased bore in so- 

 ciety. Restitution is the only punishment for theft ; 

 and they appear to be utterly unacquainted with the 

 practice of imprisonment. 



Cattle constitutes the sole wealth of the Caffres, 

 and the tending and rearing of them are their princi- 

 pal employment. Some of their oxen are remarka- 

 bly large, and resemble the Alderney cow ; others 

 are small and strong, not unlike the black cattle of 

 the Highlands. The horns of their favourites are 

 twisted into a variety of forms, particularly of those 

 which are used for riding, for they have no horses. 

 They manage their cattle with great regularity. Eve- 

 ry movement is done by the sound of a whistle, made 

 of bone or ivory, which is heard at a great distance, 

 or by a similar noise made with the mouth, and 

 which the animals seem perfectly to understand. In 

 the morning they are dispersed to pasture by a par- 

 ticular signal ; another collects them in the evening ; 

 and at a third the cows separate from the herd, and 

 oome forward to be milked; which operation, and 

 also the management of the dairy, are entrusted en- 

 tirtly to the men. The drudgery and hard labour 

 are left tor the women> who not only look after the 

 household affairs, but construct their habitations, 

 break up the ground, sow the grain, and gather in 

 the harvest. They arc also employed in the manu- 

 facture of baskets for holding the milk, and of earth- 

 en pots in which they boil their food. These bas- 

 kets, which are made of a species of cyperus, or 

 strong reedy grass, are exceedingly neat, and the tex- 

 ture is so close, that they are capable of containing 

 the tiiMiti' =t fluid. 



Agriculture is practised in this country, particu- 

 larly in Caffcrland, to a very limited extent ; and 

 though the boil requires very little preparation, and 

 is so extremely fertile, that every vegetable sub- 

 stanoe, whether sown or planted, grows with gr^at 

 luxuriance, yet millet, and a large species of water 



melon, are their principal culinary planti. They 

 cultivate alto some tobacco and hemp, which are 

 used only for smoking ; and the effects of the last 

 are said to be fully as narcotic at those of opium. 

 But they appear to be more attached to a pastoral 

 than an agricultural life, a circumstance which mutt 

 ird their progrr in civ To- 



wards the west, however, among the Booth Dana*, 

 agriculture seems to have arrived at considerable per- 

 fection ; and the Bntuh commtskiouert, who were 

 into that country in 1801, to procure a supply 

 of draught oxen, pawed through several large tfMtt 

 of ground, that were laid out and cultivated like 

 many gardens ; and in the neighbourhood of Leeta- 

 k>x>, they found several extensive Arid*, which were 

 sown with a species of holcui. Though po*esed of 

 immense herds, and though much of their spare time 

 is employed in hunting, yet they ute very little animal 

 food. They rarely kill any of their cattle, except as 

 a token of hospitality, when visited by strangers ; and 

 they have no othtr domestic animals which can yield 

 them subsistence, for in the whole Caff re country there 

 is neither sheep, goats, pigs, nor poultry. They live 

 chiefly upon milk, which they always use in a curdled 

 state. To this they add a few gramineous roots, va- 

 rious kind of berries, and the seeds of plants called 

 by the natives Plantains,* which grow spontaneously 

 in the woods, and on the banks of the rivers. They 

 use also the pith of a certain species of palm, which 

 they let lie for several days, until it becomes sour, and 

 then bake it in the oven. Their ignorance of fer- 

 mented or distilled liquors, and their temperate diets* 

 exempt them from many disorders to which other 

 savage nations are subject. 



The commercial intercourse of the Caffres is confi- 

 md to the Dutch farmers, and their eastern neigh- 

 bours the Tambookies. The illicit trade with the 

 former, consists entirely i:i the exchange of their 

 cattle for pieces of iron, copper, glass-beads, and 

 other trifling articles ; but from the Tambookie na- 

 tion they derive a more valuable commodity their 

 wives. Marriage among the Caffres is merely a bar- 

 gain between the lover and the parents of his mis- 

 tress. A previous courtship, and the daughter's con- 

 sent, is seldom thought necessary. She consider* 

 herself the property of her father, and entirely at his 

 disposal, and is neither surprised nor moved when in- 

 formed of her fate. The common price of a wifr it 

 an ox, or a couple of cows : but the Tambookie wires 

 are much dearer, as they are more esteemed, and are 

 in general confined to the chiefs. Though polyga- 

 my be allowed, the custom of purchasing their wives 

 prevents any inconvenience resulting from the prac- 

 tice of it, as few of the common people can afford to 

 obtain more th in one. The celebration of the mar- 

 riage is attended with rejoicing and dancing, which 

 sometimes lasts for weeks, according to the wealth 

 of the parties. Their music and dancing, however, 

 are both miserably bad. * A Caffrc woman," says 

 Mr Borrow, " is only serious when she dances ; and 

 at such times her eyes are constantly fixed on the 

 ground, and her whole body seems to be thrown into 

 convulsive motions." 



The Hcliconia Caffiaria of Dr Thunberg, and the Strelitzia Regime or Willdnow. Sve BT*NY, p. IU. 



