148 ESHUAMENO.— CHIPPING THE FRONT TEETH, [chap. v. 



on the other side of it, which Aiiclersson had reached 

 in his long ride from Schmelen's Hope, and encamped 

 by a pool of water that remained in that j)art of its 

 com'se. The stream was running breast high with 

 water when Andersson saw it, but it was now utterly 

 dry. 



The next day, after crossing the river-bed with 

 difficulty, as its banks were so high, we arrived at the 

 wells that we had heard of, and to which the Damaras 

 guided us straight enough. Now was the question 

 how to proceed; we had been travelling due north 

 from Kahikene's werft, but the next certain water- 

 place was by a hill (Ja Kabaca) that looked very 

 distant indeed to the north-east, and the sun was so 

 powerful and the ground so sandy, that vley water 

 could ill no way be dei)ended on. In front of us, to 

 the north, was the hiU Eshuameno, so called from a 

 grand feast the Damaras once held there, on occasion 

 of " chipping " the front teeth of a number of 

 children. Most negroes, as is well known, chip their 

 teeth, and in different ways, according to their tribe. 

 The Damaras knock out a wedge-shaped gap between 

 their two front teeth ; the ladies say, it makes them 

 lisp charmmgly. 



I left the waggons at the weUs and rode on with a 

 couple of men for five hours, tiU. I got to Eshuameno. 

 We found no water there, but offpacked among some 

 thick thorns, where the most pitch dark of nights 

 brought us to a stand-stUl. In the morning I went 

 up the hill, both to view the country and to get 

 bearings of Ja Kabaca, by which I could determine its 



