AFRICA. 53 
light upon fadts, always ill underftood when 
one has not been an eye-witnefs ! Was not 
the epidemical diftempcr, of which he fays 
the firft mother died, a fufficient reafon to 
alarm the Hottentots, and to make them 
remove both from the dead body and the 
child, through a dread of being infeded ; 
which, confidering their prejudice, is a fuf- 
ficient motive to induce them to abandon 
every thing in an inftant, even their flocks, 
which are their only riches ? With regard 
to the fecond child, found in the canton of 
Swellendam, the cafe perhaps might have 
been the fame ; and until a reafonable caufe 
is affigned for this barbarity, I fliall vindi- 
cate the charader of the mildeft and moft 
affedlionate people that I know. In fhort, 
fuch ridiculous tales refpedling thefe favages 
would have been long fince forgotten with 
the hiftory of witches and apparitions, were 
there not old women to repeat them, and 
children to read them. 
It would appear that fome people take a 
delight in decrying uncivilized nations all 
over the globe, who are known to be the 
moft peaceable and the moft patient ; whillt, 
filled with efteem and refped for the eaft- 
E 3 era 
