Chap. II. THE WATER-MELON— BUSHMEN. 35 



stem. The natives strike tlie ground with stones, and the 

 nature of the sound tells them where to dig. 



But the most surprising plant of the Desert is the water- 

 melon, "Kengwe or Kerne" (Cucumis coffer). \Yhen more 

 than the usual quantity of rain falls, vast tracts of the country 

 are literally covered with these melons. This happens com- 

 monly every ten or eleven years. Then animals of every 

 sort and name, including man, rejoice in the rich supply. 

 The elephant, true lord of the forest, and the different 

 species of rhinoceros, revel in the fruit, although naturally so 

 diverse in their choice of pasture. The various kinds of 

 antelopes feed on them with avidity, and lions, hyaenas, 

 jackals, and mice, all seem to appreciate the common blessing. 

 These melons are not, however, all eatable ; some being 

 sweet, and others bitter. The natives select them by striking 

 them with a hatchet, and applying the tongue to the gashes. 

 This peculiarity of one species of plants bearing both sweet 

 and bitter fruits occurs also in a cucumber. It is about four 

 inches long, and about an inch and a half in diameter, and is 

 of a bright scarlet colour when ripe. Even melons in a 

 garden may be made bitter by a few bitter kengwe in the 

 vicinity, for the bees convey the pollen from one to the other. 



The inhabitants of this tract consist of Bushmen and Baka- (5) 

 lahari. The former are probably the aborigines of the 

 southern portion of the continent, the latter the remnants of 

 the first emigration of Bechuanas. The Bushmen live in the 

 Desert from choice, the Bakalahari from compulsion, and both 

 possess an intense love of liberty. The Bushmen are distinct 

 in language, race, habits, and appearance, and are the only real 

 nomads in the country. They never cultivate the soil nor 

 rear any animal, save wretched dogs. They are intimately 

 acquainted with the habits of the game, and chiefly subsist 

 upon their flesh, eked out by the roots and beans and fruits 

 of the Desert. Those who inhabit the hot sandy plains have 

 generally thin, wiry forms, and are capable of great exertion 

 and of severe privations. Many are of low stature, though 

 not dwarfish. The specimens brought to Europe have been 

 selected, like costermongers' dogs, on account of their ex- 

 treme ugliness. That they are, to some extent, like baboons 

 is true, just as these are in some points frightfully human. 



