1812. 
RHYMING. — OLD CROW-HEAD. 
85 
Tabakha ! * plainly betrayed their expectations and the source of 
their gladness. By this they intended to say " Good day ; give us 
some tobacco :" wishing thus to render themselves more intelligible 
by addressing me in Dutch. They were in such high glee, that a 
merry spirit of rhyming seemed to have inspired them upon this 
occasion : havino; first converted the word das into their more favorite 
one of dakka, they considered it a happy thought, and quite a new 
idea, to transform tabak into tabakka : the only instance I ever 
noticed, in these travels, in which that word was spoken as in English. 
I do not mean to infer from this, that the Bushmen speak English ; 
nor, that I have discovered in them a brilliant poetic genius ; but 
I have no hesitation in declaring, with such a proof as this, that they 
can rhyme as well as many poets of my own country, and possibly 
may have as much genius. 
Their chief, or captain, was distinguished in a manner so singular, 
that my Hottentots were highly diverted at the ridiculous msignia 
of his rank ; and, as they could not clearly understand his proper 
name, gave him that of Oud Kraai-kop (Old Crow-head), as he wore 
the head of a crow fixed upon the top of his hair. 
It will be immediately perceived that this mode of ornamenting 
the head, corresponds with the ancient custom of distinguishing 
men in armour, by some figure placed as the crest of their helmet. 
Should therefore the science of heraldry ever be introduced among 
the Bushmen, the family of the Kraaikops would hereafter be 
distinguished by the crow-head as their crest ; but what should be 
emblazoned on their shield, or whether the field should be gules, 
or vert, or sable, can only be determined by the learned men of 
their own tribe. 
In a country where we found few places marked by particular 
names, this was a fortunate circumstance to my men, who always 
afterwards spoke of this as the Kraai-kop Kraal, and of the mountain 
as the Kraai-kop Tafelberg (Crow-head Table-mountain.) 
* By which words, they meant to say Goeden dag Tabak. 
