1812. MOURNING. — EXPERTNESS IN THE USE OF THE BOW. 61 
different houses. In one, a little family group were drinking their 
goats-milk from a leathern bowl, and in a manner perfectly novel. 
Of all the instruments for conveying liquid to the mouth, a brush 
must appear the least adapted to such a purpose : but with no 
other means than this, they emptied their bowl ; and perhaps have 
discovered that the greater length of time which this mode requires, 
prolongs also the pleasure of their meal. The brush was made of 
strong hair, and of a thickness sufficient to fill the mouth. The 
manner of using it, was by dipping it into the bowl, and sucking the 
milk out of it. 
A short distance farther, I met an old woman, who, having heard 
that I was desirous of knowing every thing relative to their customs, 
very good-naturedly stopped me to show her hands, and bade me ob- 
serve that the little finger of the right hand had lost two joints, and 
that of the left, one. She explained to me, that they had been cut 
off at different times, to express grief or mourning for the death 
of three daughters. After this, I looked more attentively at those 
whom I met, and saw many other women, and some of the men, 
with their hands mutilated in the same manner ; but it was only their 
little fingers which were thus shortened ; and probably the loss of those 
joints was found to occasion no inconvenience. 
Coming up to another party of men who were repairing, and 
putting in order, their bows and arrows, I requested one of them, an 
old man who seemed to be their head, to shoot at a mark, that I 
might have an opportunity of witnessing their expertness in hitting 
an object. He readily granted my request, by appointing another, 
who, he said, was a much better marksmen than himself, to exhibit 
his skill. The skin of an antelope, measuring in surface about seven 
square feet, was fixed to a pole, at the distance of forty yards. The 
Bushman then advanced towards it, stooping down, or creeping slowly 
along the ground, as if in pursuit of game and endeavouring to 
approach it without being seen. He let fly his arrow when within 
twenty yards, and, to my surprise, missed the skin even at this 
short distance ; but, on a second trial, he was more successful. 
