cuAp. IX. . MISSION STATIOM AT BLINEWATER. 229 



also told us that, a day or two before, lie ordered three snakes 

 of the same kind, that had been killed, to be buried lest the 

 children should tread on their bones, adding that the wounds 

 thus caused were difficult to heal. 



In the evening we attended a meeting of the people in 

 their chapel, which was well filled. George Pit, an English 

 soldier, interpreted what was said into Dutch, and William 

 Kaye, an intelligent Caffre, gave the substance of the address 

 in his native tongue. The former, with whom we had a good 

 deal of conversation, had identified himself Avith the people, 

 and appeared to be a religious man. He had suffered the 

 loss of one of his limbs in the late war. This was the first 

 time I had heard the Caffre language spoken by a native, and, 

 though some of the sounds were novel and not pleasing, the 

 language, as spoken, was certainly soft and euphonious in an 

 unusual degree. 



We had much conversation with the people afterwards 

 regarding their temporal circumstances, and could only re- 

 commend them to seek from the proper source the redress of 

 the grievances of which they complained. They had suffered 

 greatly from the war and from other causes, especially from 

 locusts, and from the fatal disease amongst their horses 

 and cattle, so that they had not a single horse left, and 

 only nine head of cattle, including cows. Under such cir- 

 cumstances some of the families found it difficult to get 

 bread. 



Early the next morning we again met the people in the 

 chapel, and endeavoured to address to them some words of 

 encouragement. After taking breakfast with Mr. and JNIrs. 

 Van Royer, who are both people of colour and highly esteemed 

 by the authorities, as well as others, we commenced our 

 journey. After we had left the village we observed a number 

 of women standing in front of a cluster of acacia bushes by 

 the road-side, and, as we drew near, they began to sing one 



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