38o TRAVELS IN 
^' brass head of which were engraven the arms of his Ma- 
" jesty), and furnished, moreover, with a passport signed by 
" one of the members of Government, went, accompanied 
" by fifteen Hottentots, to procure a few leaves of tobacco 
" in the plains of Sneuwberg. The boors, recollecting, per- 
" haps, that three years ago these faithful soldiers had served 
" the Government by keeping them in order, thought it a 
" favorable opportunity to revenge themselves on these un- 
" happy creatures. Led on by a Veld cornet^ of the name of 
" Burgers, they seized the whole company^ who suspected no 
" ill; and, notwithstanding all the proofs in their favor, it 
*' was agreed that they were criminals, and that they must 
" be treated accordingly. The Boorish Court of Justice re- 
" solved, therefore, to bind them to a tree, and to draw from 
" them by torture a confession of crimes, of which a thought 
*' had never entered into their heads ; to reiterated blows 
" and inhuman tortures they held out promises of forgive- 
" ness, if they would confess all that was required of them ; 
*' and by these means they forced from them the unfortunate 
" declaration that they came with an intention to plunder 
" the neighbourhood. The only concern of the Court was to 
" write down a confession, which the application of the tor- 
" ture and the hope of being set at liberty had wrung from 
" these innocent victims. The boors put their names to this 
" declaration, as an attestation of the truth, and made an 
" end of the business by voting for their death. The sen- 
" tence was instantly put in execution, and the poor Hot- 
" tentots w^ere shot. A whole half year has passed away 
** since this event, and justice hitherto has not interfered, I 
" should not dare to say wherefore/' 
