SOUTHERN AFEICA. 29 



a pre}^ to the wild beasts. A forlorn traveller^ wTiom we 

 overtook, mig-ht have shared the same fate had Ave not suc- 

 coured him^ for his horses, ag-reeably to colonial usag-e, had 

 absconded, leaving* him to pursue his journey on foot. In 

 return for our opportune hospitality, the Heer afforded us 

 a fund of diversion by liis uncouth and futile attempts to 

 convey boiled rice into the cavity of his mouth throug'h the 

 unwonted ag"ency of a silver fork. 



We were at first rather coolly welcomed by the Field Com- 

 mandant, to whom we presented the Government letter. He 

 received it with g-reat respect, and putting* on his spectacles, 

 laboured hard to decipher its contents j 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 reconsider them — he con- 

 sig-ned it to his wife, who, althoug*h scarcely a better scholar 

 than himself, reported so favourably of its pm'port, 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, althoug-h ig-norant of all lang*uag*es except 

 Dutch, claimed a Scottish extraction. His board was graced 

 by many sturdy scions of his stock, the young*er of whom 

 adhered to the primitive custom of standing* behind and 

 attending* on their parents and g*uests. Before supper com- 

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

 filled with water, offering* it to us, and to the members of the 

 famil}^, who each, according* to seniority, washed their feet 

 therein — a custom not very congenial to om' tastes, and 

 with which Ave declined to comply — considering* that the same 

 Avater 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, 

 Avho occupied an elevated position behind his father's chair 



