CHAP. III.] MY PLANS. 85 



enough what the feelings were with which the Cape 

 Government regarded marauders like himself, I would 

 try if I could not do something personally to further 

 my own plans of exploring as I liked. I had no idea 

 of undertaking a piece of Quixotism in behalf of the 

 Damaras, who are themselves a nation of thieves and 

 cut-throats ; but I was determined that Jonker's 

 contempt .of white men should not be carried so far 

 as to jeopardise my own plans. In fact, if he did not 

 care a straw for me, as the bearer of the wishes of our 

 common Government, I would take my own line as an 

 individual who had a few good guns at command, and 

 would do my best to force my point. 



Whatever I was to do must be postponed till my 

 men came, so I busied myself as usual with the milder 

 occupations of latitudes and longitudes, and mapping. 

 I built a wall, on the top of which I mounted my 

 tent ; a hut was made opposite for my two men, and 

 the whole was well bushed in with thorns. I dined 

 most days with Mr. Hahn, who gave me most full and 

 accurate information about both Damaras and Hot- 

 tentots. Timboo improved very much in the language, 

 and was the life and soul of the place, while John 

 Morta watched over my kraal like a dragon, and 

 made the very children cry out with terror when he 

 scowled at them. Mr. Hahn and I had numbers of 

 the natives up to question them about the country 

 to the north, but very little could be learnt. At last 

 a man came to Mr. Hahn and said there was a great 

 lake ten days off, of which he heard I had been in 

 search, and that he would take me there, and the 



