112 RIDE TO EIKHAMS. [chap. iv. 



and rode in my hunting-cap : it was a costume 

 unknown in these parts, and would, I expected, aid in 

 producing the effect I desired. I started on the 16th 

 of December. It was about a three days' ride ; but as 

 none of us knew the road, we strayed a little, which 

 made us longer. I saw a horrible sight on the way, 

 which has often haunted me since. We had taken a 

 short cut, and were a day and a half from our waggons, 

 when I observed some smoke in front, and rode to see 

 what it was : an immense blackthorn tree was 

 smouldering, and from the quantity of ashes about, 

 there was all the appearance of its having burnt for a 

 long time : by it were tracks that we could make 

 nothing of; no footmarks, only an impression of a 

 hand here and there. "We followed them, and found 

 a wretched woman, most horribly emaciated ; both her 

 feet were burnt quite off, and the wounds were open 

 and unhealed. Her account was that many days back 

 she and others were encamping there ; and when she 

 was asleep, a dry but standing tree, which they had 

 set fire to, fell down, and entangled her among its 

 branches : there she was burnt before she could extri- 

 cate herself, and her people left her. She had since 

 lived on gum alone, of which there was vast 

 quantities about; it oozes down from the trees, and 

 forms large cakes in the sand. There was water close 

 by, for she was on the edge of a river-bed. I did not 

 know what to do with her ; I had no means of con- 

 veying her anywhere, or any place to convey her to. 

 The Damaras kill useless and worn-out people : even 

 sons smother their sick fathers ; and death was 



