Chap. VI.] SOUTHERN AFRICA. 45 



•females possess much greater volubility and anima- 

 tion of gesture than the men — but the sounds they 

 utter are a succession of claps of the tongue pro- 

 duced by forcing that unruly member against dif- 

 ferent parts of the teeth and palate : and whilst the 

 enunciation is thus rendered troublesome and full 

 of impediment, it resembles rather the chattering 

 of monkeys than the language of human beings. 



At Koning, on the 25th, we had the unexpected 

 pleasure of meeting Captain Sutton of the 75th 

 Foot — a mighty Nimrod, and a man after my own 

 heart, — who was returning to the Colony from a 

 successful expedition against the elephants. To- 

 gether with a seasonable addition to our stud, and 

 soul-stirring accounts of what he had seen, we 

 obtained from this gentleman the first unwelcome 

 intelligence that Moselekatse was embroiled with 

 the emigrant farmers. 



The following day we entered Kuruman, or New 

 Litakoo, a lovely spot in the waste by w^hich it is 

 completely environed. In this speck of civilization, 

 seeming as though it had been accidentally dropped 

 into the very heart of the wide wflderness,we received 

 a very cordial welcome from a missionary of the 

 London Society — the Rev. Mr. Moffat, — whose 

 children, amongst others, we had visited in Cape 

 Town. To this excellent Clergyman, who, together 

 with his amiable lady, has devoted his life to the 

 cause of Christianity, we were indebted, during our 

 stay at Kuruman, for hospitahty and kindness 

 which we shall never be enabled to repay. 



