MAY.] 
BUSHMEN'S COUNTRY. 
195 
before we could make him understand the meaning of 
a bad thing, for he had never heard that one thing was 
worse than another. When he appeared to form some 
idea of the meaning of bad, I asked what he thought 
was the worst thincp he had ever seen done in his 
kraal. He said they often quarrelled, and when 
any of these quarrels ended in killing one another, 
it was fine, good sport; it shewed courage. He 
said all their quarrels were about their wives : one 
was for having the other's wife, which he did not think 
was bad. Being asked if he would consider it bad if 
any in the kraal were to take his wife while he was 
with us, he answered, Bad, bad. He said it was fine 
to take others' wives, but not fine to take his. He 
said he never stole. He acknowledged it was bad to 
quarrel, steal, murder, and to commit adultery. On 
being asked which was the worst of these, he said he 
could not tell. 
I then asked him what he thought was the best thing 
a man could do? His reply to this question was ex- 
tremely affecting. "All my life, (said he,) I have 
only seen evil, and never any good, wherefore I can- 
not tell what is best." The questions appeared to him, 
however, as mere sport, for in the very midst of the 
conversation he complained that he had a bad cap. 
He informed us that a boor once came and attacked 
their kraal, and they knew not why, but he and those 
with him killed ten men, women and children, of the 
kraal. We asked if his father had given him any good 
advice before he left him to come with us. He replied, 
c c 21 
