124 KURUMAN : ITS FOUNTAIN. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Kuruman. — Its fine Fountain. — Vegetation of the District. — Remains of ancient 

 Forests. — Vegetable Poison. — The Bible translated by Mr. Moffat. — Capabilities 

 of the Language. — Christianity among the Natives. — The Missionaries should 

 extend their Labors more beyond the Cape Colony. — Model Christians. — Dis- 

 graceful Attack of the Boers on the Bakwains. — Letter from Sechele. — Details 

 of the Attack. — Numbers of School-children carried away into Slavery. — De- 

 struction of House and Property at Kolobeng. — The Boers vow Vengeance against 

 me. — Consequent Difficulty of getting Servants to accompany me on my Jour- 

 ney. — Start in November, 1852. — Meet Sechele on his way to England to obtain 

 Redress from the Queen. — He is unable to proceed beyond the Cape. — Meet 

 Mr. Macabe on his Return from Lake Ngami. — The hot Wind of the Desert. — 

 Electric State of the Atmosphere. — Flock of Swifts. — Reach Litubaruba. — 

 The Cave Lepelole. — Superstitions regarding it. — Impoverished State of the 

 Bakwains. — Retaliation on the Boers. — Slavery. — Attachment of the Bechu- 

 anas to Children. — Hydrophobia unknown. — Diseases of the Bakwains few 

 in number. — Yearly Epidemics. — Hasty Burials. — Ophthalmia. — Native 

 Doctors. — Knowledge of Surgery at a very low Ebb. — Little Attendance 

 given to Women at their Confinements. — The "Child Medicine." — Salu- 

 brity of the Climate well adapted for Invalids suffering from pulmonary Com- 

 plaints. 



The permanence of the station called Kuruman depends entire- 

 ly on the fine ever-flowing fountain of that name. It comes from 

 beneath the trap-rock, of which I shall have to speak when de- 

 scribing the geology of the entire country ; and as it usually is- 

 sues at a temperature of 72° Fahr., it probably comes from the old 

 silurian schists, which formed the bottom of the great primeval 

 valley of the continent. I could not detect any diminution in the 

 flow of this gushing fountain during my residence in the country ; 

 but when Mr. Moffat first attempted a settlement here, thirty-five 

 years ago, he made a dam six or seven miles below the present 

 one, and led out the stream for irrigation, where not a drop of the 

 fountain-water ever now flows. Other parts, fourteen miles below 

 the Kuruman gardens, are pointed out as having contained, within 

 the memory of people now living, hippopotami, and pools sufficient 

 to drown both men and cattle. This failure of water must be 

 chiefly ascribed to the general desiccation of the country, but 



