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CURIOSITY. - ANDRIES AND STUURMAN. 23, 24 May, 
From this time till we reached home, the party, excepting one, 
consisted only of my own people ; and I departed from the Kloof with 
very agreeable feelings, as I viewed upon the road, the number of 
men engaged in my service, and with whom I might now look 
forward without disappointment, to the execution of my plans. 
We arrived at Gattikamma just before it became dark ; where, 
from the coldness of the air, we found a fire more necessary than 
food. 
This morning we were visited by several Hottentots from 
Gert Kok's kraal, which lay at the distance of a few miles north- 
ward, and who had last night received intelligence of our arrival, 
by means of Kok, who happened to pass by just as we were unpacking. 
Our journey had excited a considerable share of curiosity among the 
Hottentots generally ; as they felt more especially interested in a 
road being now opened to a part of the colony with which they had not 
before had any communication. The quantity of game which might 
be met with along that road, formed for them, a subject of inquiry, 
not less important. 
We left Gattikamma before nine in the morning, and marched 
at a brisk step, that we might arrive early at Klaarwater. The people 
seemed to have no idea of the necessity which such a journey 
imposed on us for keeping together in a body ; and had, notwith- 
standing my orders to the contrary, allowed themselves to straggle 
and disperse in a manner which would subject us to the greatest 
danger, in countries where the natives might prove less amicably 
disposed, than the Bushmen among whom we had just been travel- 
ling. But as it is difficult to make Hottentots sensible of the 
advantages to be derived from good order, 1 found this likely to be a 
source of some trouble ; for, though I had at starting, issued positive 
instructions that we should keep together, two of my jail Hottentots, 
Andries and Stuurman, continued in the afternoon, to lag behind, 
till, watching the opportunity of my being some little way ahead of 
the rest, they slipped away unperceived. As 1 missed them soon 
afterwards, I halted and sent Juli back to make search, and bring them 
on. After some delay, they came up with us, having been found 
