AFRICA. 137 
With terror ; they cried out immediately that 
they were Houzouanas; and, though they 
were themfelves ten or twelve to one, they 
were already afraid of being attacked. The 
courage difplayed in the morning vanilhed in 
an inftant ; the whole company fuddenly loft: 
their appetite ; and I know not what might 
have been the confequence of this general 
alarm, had not Klaas haftened as expeditioully 
as poffible to inform me of what was paffing. 
Having applied my perfpe£tive glafs to my 
eye, to examine the four ftrangers, I perceived 
them to be men apparently of an extraordinary 
fize ; whereas the Houzouanas, according to 
the account which I had heard, were little 
better than pigmies, not exceeding at moft 
four feet and a half in height. I fired fome 
fliots, in order that they might obferve us — ^ 
which they foon did ; but the reports alarmed 
them, and they difappeared in an inftant. 
Among the inconveniencies of this journey, 
there was one refpeding which the Sandal- 
bearers had given me no intimation. The 
ground over which u^e were obliged to travel 
was hollow and fwelled up ; fo that, like a 
piece of paftry expofed to too violent a heat, 
it 
