SOUTHERN AFRICA. 37 



which they take care to render as captiyating' as possible by 

 bedaubing" their flat noses and prominent cheek-bones with a 

 mixture of red ochre and fat. The toilets of many were 

 made with scrupulous attention, the eifect of the paint being- 

 enhanced by necklaces composed of the fresh entrails of 

 wild beasts — a few cowry shells, old bones and buttons, being- 

 also interwoven with their matted hair ; but the life they 

 lead, their frequent long' abstinence, and constant exposure 

 to the wind and glare of lig-ht in a dry open country, soon 

 inducing" the habit of keeping" their naturally small eyes more 

 than half closed, their comeliness is very ephemeral, and 

 never extends beyond youth. The females possess much 

 greater volubility and animation of gesture than the men — • 

 but the sounds they utter are a succession of claps of the 

 tongue produced by forcing* that unruly member against 

 different parts of the teeth and palate ; and a\ hilst the enun- 

 ciation is thus rendered troublesome and full of impediment, 

 it resembles rather the chattering of monkeys than the lan- 

 g-uao-e of human beino-s. 



At Koning', on the 2oth, 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 successftil expedition against the 

 elephants. Tog'ether 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 emio-rant farmers. 



The following day we entered Kuruman, or New Litakoo, 

 a lovely spot in the waste by which it is completely environed. 

 In this speck of civilization, seeming as though it had been 

 accidentally dropped into the very heart of the wide wilder- 

 ness, we received a very cordial welcome from a missionary 

 of the London Society — the Rev. Mr. Moffat, — whose chil- 

 dren, amongst others, we had visited in Cape Town ; and 



