CAFFRARIA. 
517 
They are remarkable for retaining the history of their fore- 
fathers, their former kings and chiefs, and can relate them 
with great distinctness. When alone, they frequently repeat 
all they know of former ages, and of friends who are dead^ 
and sometimes weep while doing so. 
Nothing is more disgraceful among the Caffres than for a 
man to lose or throw away his shield. One of our Hottentots 
when in CafFraria, observed a CafFre who was as clever as 
any of them, yet never allowed to associate with them, and 
often wondered what could be the reason of his disgrace — 
the Caffre told him it was because he had once thrown away 
his shield to save his life. 
They are very faithful to any trust reposed in them. 
Should they get any thing to carry to Cape-town, our Hot- 
tentots said they would rather lose every thing they had, than 
that thing with which they were entrusted, and so disappoint 
the sender. Mr. Read said he had sent many articles by 
them to their chiefs, and they were always faithfully de- 
livered — but they have not been very faithful to the promises 
tliey have made to the Cape government, having often 
broken them. 
Many of them are very hospitable to strangers, not wait- 
ing till they ask for victuals, but bringing it of their own 
accord, and setting it before them, and always of the best 
they have. 
They never go a fishing, fish being reckoned unclean, as 
are also tame fowls, swine, &c. They have no canoes or 
boats, even to cross a river by; this they perform by tying 
reeds together, on which they are floated over. 
They often hunt wild beasts, by a whole Kraal turning out, 
and forming a circle round a large tract of land, and by gra- 
dually drawing in the circle, they enclose every beast which 
happens to be in that part within a narrow space. When 
this is effected, they leave one narrow opening, to which 
when the animal is advancing, they shoot him. On one of 
these occasions they happened to enclose a very large 
ostrich, who advanced quickly to the opening in the circle of 
CafFres, and with one stroke of his foot, struck dead the 
Caffre who was nearest him, which excited universal alarm ; 
and to this day, when a Caffre passes the spot, he makes a 
low bow as an act of I'everence to it. Similar respect is 
paid to an anchor that was cast upon their coast, belonging 
to the Dodington or Grosvenor Indiaman, wrecked there, 
which arose from the following circumstance. A man who 
had wrought a whole day, endeavonring to break off a 
