SOUTHERN AFRICA. 395 
" services, but we have stripped u6ne, nor injured the persons 
*' of any, though," added le, shaking his head, " we have yet 
" a great deal of our blood to avenge." 
Such a rencontre at this time was extremely embarrassing, 
and the more so as it appeared these were a very small part of 
their countrymen that were then actually arming themselves 
against the boors, and plundering their houses. They informed 
us, moreover, that some of their countrymen, not willing to 
throw themselves on the protection of strangers, had fled among 
theKafFers; but that the greatest partwere ontheroad toAlgoa 
Bay, to lay their unhappy situation before the English General. 
The connection that had long subsisted between the boors 
and the Hottentots, a connection that was kept up by vio- 
lence and oppression on one side, and by want of energy and 
patient suftering on the other, seemed now to be completely 
dissolved. The farther we advanced, the more seriously 
alarming was the state of the country. The boors, it seems, 
unable to restrain their savage temper, which the penalty 
levied upon them by the General had, with the assistance of 
a sopie, wrought up into a rage, determined to wreak their 
vengeance on the poor Hottentots, according to their common 
practice, whenever infuriate passion seizes them. The repre- 
sentations made to us by this party were more than confirmed 
by our own observations in our progress through the country. 
Among the numerous instances of cruelty to which v/e bore 
witness, the following were particularly striking. 
We had scarcely parted from these people, when, stopping 
at a house to feed our horses, we by accident observed a young 
3 E 2 
