AFRICA. 219 
correfpondence with their friends, and in- 
tended to entice us among the mountains, 
where, having feparated us from each other, 
it would be eafy for them to deftroy us. 
Klaas, fo far from being intimidated, en- 
deavoured to infpire me with greater confi- 
dence. He juftly obferved, that the Houzou- 
anas, by the manner in which they had hitherto 
condudled themfelves, had fufficiently proved 
that they could have harboured againft us no 
perfidious defign 5 that in the courfe of the 
journey, inftead of walking and confulting to- 
gether, they always intermixed with the com- 
pany, were always the firft to give me every 
affiftance in their power, to look after my cat- 
tle, to fhare in the labours of my camp, to 
brave the greateft fatigue in order to fetch 
water from the fteepeft rocks ; that as to the 
fires, fo alarming to m.y people, they were the 
fame as thofe we had feen kindled at a diftance 
previous to our arrival, and by no means fig- 
nals defigned to injure us ; in (hort,that, at all 
events, it would be mod prudent^ to adl as 
ufual, and not by a different behaviour give 
them reafon to Tufped: that we were afraid of 
cr wiihed to avoid thern. 
This 
