368 TKAYELS li^ 
ftitutes the principal food of the giraffe. Thef 
take a certain number of thefe feeds, engrave 
fome mark on one of their fides, which anfwefs 
the fame purpofe to them that the head or the 
tail of a piece of money does to our gamblers', 
and, after they have hudled them fome time 
between their two hands, they throw them on 
the ground, when they have nothing to do 
but to count whether the marked or unmarked 
fides uppermoft are mod numerousi 
This game, contrived equally to pleafe the 
indolent, becaufe it does not fatigue them^ and 
the ftupid, becaufe it requires no capacity of 
thought, wonderfully delighted my Hottentots. 
They foon gave into it with fuch ardour, thait 
they did nothing elfe from morning to night ; 
and many of them, after having loft all they 
poffeffed, flaked, as their laft refource, the al- 
lowance of tobacco and brandy that they were 
to receive the fucceeding days. 
Nothing now was left for them but to rob 
me ; and I had reafori to fear they would do fci* 
To cut off the temptation, I re-eftslblifhed an 
equality of fortune among them, by reftoring 
to each what he had loft, aware that the fole 
hope 
