Ch vp. v.] SOUTHERN AFRICA. 35 



to decipher its contents ; but after halting at every 

 word of more than two syllables — taking his leisure 

 to comprehend the meaning of each sentence — 

 overrunning the stops, and making a pause to re- 

 consider them — he consigned it to his wife, who, 

 although scarcely a better scholar than himself, re- 

 ported so favourably of its purport, that the worthy 

 Warden of the Marches at once invited us to join 

 his evening meal. In the course of conversation, 

 we found that Mynheer, although ignorant of all 

 languages except Dutch, claimed a Scottish extrac- 

 tion. His board was graced by many sturdy scions 

 of his stock, the younger of whom adhered to the 

 primitive custom of standing behind and attending 

 on their parents and guests. Before supper com- 

 menced, a slave made a circuit of the room with a 

 tub filled with water, offering it to us, and to tlie 

 members of the family, who each, according to 

 seniority, washed their feet therein — a custom not 

 very congenial to our tastes, and with which we de- 

 clined to comply — considering that the same water 

 served for all, and that the operation was followed 

 by a general appropriation of the table-cloth instead 

 of a towel. After a long grace — repeated, or rather 

 sung, with the most puritanical countenance and 

 tone by one of the young men, who occupied an 

 elevated position behind his father's chair — the 

 Field Commandant gave the order for the onslauglit, 

 and commenced his revel with an earnest. A scene 

 of conglomeration and tobacco smoke ensued, from 

 which we were unceremoniously dismissed at 9 



