1812. 
THE TOWN IN A STATE OF ALARM. 
477 
of Tdmmakas (or Batdmmakas), who had succeeded in carrying off 
the whole of the cattle, after having killed one of the men, and three 
of the boys, who had charge of them. These out-posts are in general 
but weakly guarded, as the herds are attended chiefly by very 
yoimg boys ; there being at each post, seldom more than three or 
four men for its protection. The enemy, it seems, came quite unex- 
pectedly ; and, favoured by the darkness of the night, had stolen upon 
them before they had time to disperse the herd or drive the oxen to 
some other place of greater security. 
The same degree of despatch, with which this intelligence had 
been conveyed, was employed in all their movements ; for in less 
than half an hour after its arrival, a large body of men from the lower 
part of the town, and to which these cattle had belonged, marched, or 
rather ran, off with the utmost speed to overtake the enemy if pos- 
sible, and recover their property. They took with them no provi- 
sions, nor any thing but their hassagays. I watched them with my 
telescope, as they passed over the hills on the farther side of the 
town, till they were out of sight : they departed in a confused 
manner, without the least appearance of military regularity ; of which 
I do not believe that these tribes have any notion. Several smaller 
parties quickly followed in the same straggling manner. 
The crying and loud lamentations of women, for, either the loss 
of those who had been murdered, or for their husbands or sons who 
had just left them, and might, perhaps, never return alive, were now 
heard in various parts of the town. Mollemmi was, on this occasion, 
the principal acting person in sending off the detachments : the 
Chief himself, and Serrakutu, were so much occupied in this affair, 
that we saw little more of them in the mootsi, during the rest of the 
day. 
We were not, however, lell without our usual company of natives ; 
and nearly as many as before, continued to frequent the enclosure, 
and to sit around our fire. In addition to these, we had several of 
the Klaarwater Hottentots ; and the whole party thus assembled, 
always expected to receive a piece of meat from out of our pot. 
