1812. 
NOISY REJOICINGS OF THE CROWD. 
197 
Kaabi and many others whom I personally knew, with happy friendly 
countenances. 
As I had promised to bring them more tobacco at my return, I 
was immediately surrounded by the crowd, who looking upon me now 
as an old friend, laid aside all timidity and restraint ; and gave loose 
to the most ridiculous manifestation of their pleasure, when they saw 
me about to distribute this precious gift. They pushed in amongst 
one another with heedless eagerness to get near to me, and pressed 
each other so closely that neither I nor the chief had room to move, 
and my clothes began to assume the same red color as theirs. The 
lively clamor which the crowd sent forth, prevented all attempts at 
speaking, and rendered it impossible for any one to gain a hearing : 
each one, but more particularly the women, endeavoured to out-do 
the rest, in the noisy expression of their joy, and I could have fancied 
myself in the midst of a crowd of happy children to whom I was 
about to make presents of toys and sugarplums. Kaabi raised his 
voice and spoke to them ; but he was not heard : all that he could 
do, was to smile, and wait patiently till this sudden ebullition of joy 
had subsided. My new men seemed astonished at such a familiar, 
and to them unusual, reception from Bushmen. At length, finding 
the noise and confusion too great to suffer me to make a regular dis- 
tribution myself, I announced that their chieftain had undertaken to 
give to each one his due share ; and accordingly I delivered to him 
the whole quantity of tobacco which I had previously laid apart for 
our friends at this kraal. 
These people were now possessed of large herds of cattle; and 
when asked how they had so suddenly become rich, the only explan- 
ation they gave was, that they had received them from another kraal. 
That they were stolen, I had no doubt ; and Keyser even assured me 
that he knew the greater part of the oxen to be some which belonged 
to a boor named Cobus Pretorius, living on Sneeuwberg. I counted 
forty ; but my men afterwards observed ten more ; and besides these, 
a flock of about two hundred sheep. 
The policy of this kraal, had induced them to station tliemselves 
at a distance of five miles from any water, in an open situation which 
