1812. A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF LITAKUN. 447 
important point of prudence and policy, to give them the impression 
of my being personally able to defend myself against any attempt on 
their part, should they ever feel disposed to offer open violence. 
On taking leave, I gave Kramori four inches of tobacco for him- 
self and his family, who, as it appeared to me, were almost as thank- 
ful as the Bushmen of Cisgariepine would have been at receiving a 
similar present. 
In the evening Mollemmi annoyed me by his importuning 
manners ; begging for a number of different things, and asking, 
among many other requests, for the use of my own fowling-piece, 
as he was going out hunting, he said, on the next morning. To this 
I gave a direct refusal ; but he was not at all abashed by it, for im- 
mediately, as if to sound my opinion, he told me that he had been 
bargaining with Cornelis for the purchase of his gun. This last re- 
mark was not merely a teazing solicitation : I considered such deter- 
mined perseverance to get possession of our fire-arms, as a serious 
misfortune to us, and felt that I had some reason still for being 
uneasy at the renewal of this conversation. Instantly I answered in 
a peremptory manner, that I would certainly not permit any trans- 
action of that kind ; and asked him if he was not satisfied with the 
favor I had already done him and his brother, by allowing them to 
have one of my muskets, although it was, as they must know, exceed- 
ingly inconvenient to me to give it up at this time ; and I concluded 
by requesting that he would talk no further on that subject. It 
seemed that my tone of voice gave a check to his importunities, at 
least for the present : for, on giving him some tobacco, he left me 
that he might light his pipe at my men's fire ; and I was glad to 
find that he returned no more that night. 
22nd. In the morning I took a walk, and ascended the rocky 
ridge of hills, which encloses the southern side of the town, for the 
purpose of drawing a bird's-eye view of Litakun, to give an idea of 
the plan and general appearance of a South- African town. I was 
accompanied by Mattivi and his attendants, who were mostly kosies ; 
for he never walked out without a dozen of these in his train. He 
was much pleased when I explained to him what I was about to do, and 
