1698.] HOTTENTOT WAKS. 295 



and then too not always. The Inhabitants scatter'd here and 

 tliere, form to themselves certain sorts of little liepublicks, 

 where they observe Customs that have in time become Laws. 

 I have already told yon, they punish severely wilful Murther, 

 Adultery and Theft. Tliey have divers other usages founded 

 upon natural Equity, which they make use of for conserva- 

 tion of their Kind, and the Eepublick. 



The Company for the most part has a good understanding 

 with these different Nations ; but as there are some of them 

 that have Wars with the Hottentots, Neighbours to the Gape, 

 so the Hollanders, whose Interest it is to protect them, think 

 themselves oftentimes oblig'd to declare on their side. 



As we toucli'd at the Gape the first time we saw a Detach- 

 ment of thirty or forty Dutch Soldiers, who had been sent by 

 the Governor against iive or six Thousand Hottentots, return 

 from that Expedition.^ They had been a hundred Leagues up 

 in the Country, and had defeated an Army of 8 or 10,000 

 Enemies. As soon as the Muskets had laid some few upon 

 tiie Ground, the rest began to parly, and promis'd to live 

 peaceably. The Z'^/cA took above 10,000 Oxen from them, 

 but restor'd them again and gave the Hottentots withal some 

 Tobacco and Brandy to convince them that this was a Peace 

 without fraud. 



I will here add two or three things more concerning this 

 People : They have no use of Peading, and consequently of 

 Writing. Some Eelation which I remember to have read, 

 speaks of them as if they were Astrologers, but then their 

 Astrology must be no great matter, at least I'm assur'd that 

 they make no Division of Time, nor distinguish either by 

 Weeks, Months or Years. The greatest part of those that are 

 Neighbours to tlie Ga-pc, have learnt to speak Dutch. 



1 In December 1696, Ensign Schryver bad been sent with thirty 

 soldiers and twenty burghers against the Grigriqua tribes on the banks 

 of the Elephant river ; one of many similar expeditions. (Cf. Theal, 

 /. c., p. 6.) 



