68 
My wishes were immediately gratified. 
They first placed a block of wood on the 
ground, and then retired about seventy 
yards from the spot where it lay. The 
chief then told me I would now behold 
their manner of fighting when engaged in 
battle. These compliances, as they seemed 
to remove my former suspicions, gave me 
great satisfaction. A party of about thirty 
began their manoeuvrings. They first ran 
to a considerable distance ; then fell, as if 
motionless, on the ground; in a moment 
they started up, divided, joined again, and 
ran in a compact body to the spot from 
whence they originally set out. After 
halting for about a minute, they let fly a 
shower of assaygays at the mark, and with 
a precision that was truly astonishing. 
After several exhibitions that displayed a 
wonderful dexterity in the management of 
the assaygay, they came up smiling to 
where we stood, as if they wished us to de- 
liver our sentiments on what we had just 
seen. I applauded their courage, their 
conduct, and their agility, and assured 
them, that when I reached the Cape I would 
