MARCH.] JOURNEY TO BETHELSDORP. 79 
and smith. He makes every thing about a musket 
except the barrel and the lock, with many other 
articles, especially cudery ; and all are executed nearly 
as well as if done by the best workmen in Europe. 
He knows exactly what every thing he does ought to 
be charged, but how he knows it I cannot conceive. 
While I was with him he pointed significantly first to 
his ears, then to his mouth, and then to the heavens ; 
evidendy intimating that the God of heaven had 
chosen to make him what he was, deprived of two 
of the most valuable faculties of man, hearing and 
speech. His bed-curtains attracted my attention, being 
entirely composed of rushes, and looked very well. 
After dinner I walked to a brook of charming 
water, to indulge myself with a draught of its crystal 
stream. A slave, about thirty years of age, who had 
watched my motions, came running to me, and asked 
me if he should bring me a bason to drink out of On 
bringing it, he seated himself by the side of the brook, 
and told me that all the slaves there would like to go 
to the schools, (a name given here to missionary sta- 
tions,) to learn to read; but, said he, we have to 
work, and cannot go, but could not one of them come 
to us ? We work from six in the morning to six in the 
evening, and should have plenty of time before and 
after that to learn. Neither Cicero nor Demosthenes 
could have said any thing to touch my heart more 
than the words of this poor black slave. Had I pos- 
sessed the power, I certainly should have instantly 
created a missionary, and there have left him with 
