1812. 
DEATH OF MULIHABAN. — CIVILITY OF A HOTTENTOT. 
217 
22nd. The first intelligence gained on my arrival in the Trans- 
gariepine, was, that of the death of Mulihdban*, the chief of the 
Bachapins, or Briquas, the nation which I intended to visit first ; and 
that, as usual on such an occasion, his successor, Mattivi, had sent to 
the Klaarwater chief, Adam Kok, a present of two oxen, as expressive 
of his desire that the two nations, or tribes, should continue on 
peaceable and friendly terms. This information was given by two 
Briquas who were in the service of some of the Klaarwater people, 
as herdsmen, and who, knowing that I was about to make a journey 
to their country, came for the purpose of apprising me of the cir- 
cumstance. This certainly was an affair in which we were much 
concerned ; but as the character of their new chief had not yet 
declared itself, we were left in uncertainty whether the change would 
be for our advantage or disadvantage. 
At noon all the party being at length collected together, we left 
the river, and proceeded towards the village of ' The Kloof On 
arriving at Jan Bloem's kraal, mutual inquiries compelled us to halt 
and satisfy their curiosity. He and his friends were eager to learn 
some particulars respecting the country we had traversed, and we, 
as eager to hear somethino; of Klaarwater affairs. 
The beautiful wire-grass, so much admired on my former journey, 
was now all dried up, or consumed by the cattle ; and the acacias 
were nearly in a leafless state. 
At sunset we entered the Asbestos Mountains, and arrived at 
The Kloof, Here Willem Fortuyn^ the Hottentot who has been 
mentioned in the former volume as a man possessed of more in- 
dustry than his neighbours, came immediately to invite me to take 
up my quarters in his house, which he had cleaned on purpose for 
my reception, having been apprised of my coming by Van Roye and 
Cornelis, who, being on horseback and having started early, had 
preceded us several hours. This was a degree of attention and 
hospitality, which I had not before experienced from the Klaarwater 
* The Bachapins sometimes pronounce this name Mulihaban or Mollihabari, and at 
other times Midihabang or Mulihavang : the first is the most usual. 
VOL. II. F F 
