72 TRAVELS IN 
the country. If from the dlftrld of the 
lefler Nimiquas to the Kabobiqua horde I had 
found four dittiad languages, which required 
four different interpreters, what would be my 
fituation in this refped when advanced feve- 
ral hundred leagues farther from the colonies ! 
What dilliculties muft arlfe, if each tribe I 
fell in with had its own dialed! All thefe 
embarraffments, however, did not difcourage 
me fo much as my people : for I could al- 
ways have recourfe to the mother of all lan- 
guages, the language of figns. 
Of all the hordes I had hitherto feen, none 
feemed to difplay fo much refinement in their 
ornaments and drefs as that of the Kobabi- 
quas. I did not find among them thofe 
beads and other toys common at the Cape ; 
for the traffic carried on in thefe articles had 
not been extended to them. They wore fuch 
trinkets of copper and oblong pieces of glafs 
as I have before mentioned, which had been 
brought to them by worthlefs and thiev- 
ifh blacks, with whofe language they were 
unacquainted, and with whom they often had 
to combat ; becaufe, when they were returning 
after having fold their merchandize, they en- 
deavoured 
