Feb.] cape TOWN TO BEAUFORT. 21 
their attendance at the last fair or market. They 
had brought with them twenty-one waggons, and 
kept regular meetings for worship, morning and 
evening, and some of them gave addresses from 
the Scriptures. He asserted that they were a 
thinking people, possessed more knowledge than 
their white neighbours, were ready to listen to 
reason, and to yield their assent to the force of 
argument. 
Hearing that the Landdrost was busy, I delayed 
calling for some time ; but he politely came over 
to the waggons and invited us to his friendly man- 
sion, where I had an opportunity of presenting to 
him the letter of introduction with which I had 
been favoured from his Excellency General Sir 
Rufane Shaw Donkin, the acting governor of the 
colony. Mr. Baird immediately, in the most 
frank and open manner, offered to do all in his 
power to promote the object of my journey, and 
his future conduct corresponded with his pro- 
fession. 
He had a Bush girl about eight, and a boy about 
ten years of age, who were very interesting chil- 
dren. A field-cornet higher up the country pro- 
cured them from their parents to be trained up as 
servants. After they had been at the field-cor- 
net's a few days, they ran off unperceived, and two 
days afterwards they were found half-starved in 
the wilderness, fast locked in each other's arms. 
t 
