196 THE GREAT THIRST LAND. 



He was about five feet nine inches, very powerfully 

 built, with flowing grey hair, whiskers, and beard. He 

 thought he could speak English, but his lingo was a 

 most absurd mixture of Dutch, Kaffir, and English. 

 I treated him to a soupje of brandy ; this he swallowed 

 at a gulp, winked knowingly with one eye, and rubbed 

 his stomach. He was going to hear the Predicant 

 preach, but would be back at twelve o'clock, when he 

 hoped I would dine with him, but before taking his 

 departure would I give him another soupje ? In a weak 

 moment I handed him the bottle and glass ; the latter 

 he three-quarters filled with the precious fluid precious 

 I say, for far up country as I am now it was worth five 

 dollars a bottle winked with both eyes, and uttered 

 a protracted whistle. Still he did not go. Had I any 

 snuff? for he had not enjoyed that luxury for six months, 

 and his mother and his /row were fond of snuff. I 

 gave him a couple of ounces ; wistfully he gazed at the 

 box that held the remainder, but I was firm, and he 

 retired with his gift, to hear the preacher. 



These people make great professions of religion, but 

 I fear hypocrisy is not unknown among them. 



While my future host was absent, I took a stroll 

 around the premises ; they were anything but clean and 

 inviting, while the quantity of the remains of dead 

 game that strewed the ground in the vicinity of the 

 dwellings clearly showed on what the inhabitants sub- 

 sisted. Here was the thigh of a zebra, there the head 

 of a wildebeest, with the remains of spring-buck, roy- 

 buck, and bless-buck only half deprived of their flesh, 

 scattered over all the neighbouring soil, while close to 

 the pond there was a perfect cairn of bones and skulls. 

 It is not difficult to predict the rapid extermination of 



