152 TRAVELS IN 
only perfon who underftood this tongue, which 
was that of his infancy. Though different 
from the Hottentot language, which I already 
knew, it had the fame three clappings, an4 
appeared to me to be conftruded on the fame 
general principles ; only I remarked, that the 
Nimiquas more frequently employed thofe 
hoarfe founds, which, iffuing haftily from the 
throat, divide their words, and render il^m 
for a time unintelligible to the ears of a ftran- 
g^^r. 
The children had been told, that among the 
packages with which my waggons were laden, 
I had divers affortments of fmall glafaware, 
and they were defirous of obtaining fpme for 
the purpofe of ornamenting their drefs after 
the Hottentot fafhion. They could exprefs 
their wifhes only by means of Klaas Barter, 
and they requefted him to intercede with me 
in their behalf. I was very ready to comply 
wiih their defires, and even accompanied my 
prefent with a few Nimiqua words, which 
Bafter taught Jne, and which I ventured to 
pronounce. 
Whenever I attempted to fpeak to the Ni^ 
iniquas in their own language, they heard me 
