330 EXPEDITION INTO [Chap. XXXVII. 



custom, with her feet over a warming-pan. Neither 

 my ragged and weather-beaten appearance, nor my 

 patriarchal beard, were pleasing to the old lady" 

 on first acquaintance, but as 1 was now an accom- 

 plished Dutch scholar, we speedily became better 

 friends ; and after I had patiently satisfied her 

 curiosity also, on all points connected with my 

 private biography, a Hottentot girl was directed to 

 set before me a plateful of mutton bones drowned 

 in Chili vinegar ; to which savory dish the mistress 

 added an apology for the absence of bread. Over 

 this frugal meal, I detailed my misforttmes, which 

 provoked but little sympathy, although the offer of 

 a bribe in tea and snuff readily induced Mynheer 

 Breck to desire his son and nephew to accompany 

 me with two spans of oxen, for the purpose of 

 bringing up the waggons. Several other boors 

 joining the party whilst the preparations were 

 being made, 1 fortunately succeeded in hiring a 

 couple of horses from them, my own three being 

 completely exhausted. 



Escorted by my young Dutch friends, with two 

 frisky teams, which had been selected from their nu- 

 merous well-conditioned herds, I again set forth at 

 two o'clock, to rejoin my wrecked fellow-traveller, 

 who, advancing at a snail's pace, was not a little 

 rejoiced at my speedy return. We encamped, from 

 necessity, about eight miles south of the execrated 

 hill, upon which the Hottentots, with a design of 

 perpetuating their chivalrous exploits, had conferred 

 the appellation of Bushm ail's Kop . 1 1 agai n b roug h t 



