44 JOURNEY ACROSS THE " [1820: 
I returned to the kraal, the population of which 
had increased, and an old man was playing on an 
instrument in the form of a bow, the string, made 
of the entrails of an animal was fastened at one 
end of the bow ; on this rude and simple instru- 
ment he blew, and seemed to pronounce dum- 
wharry, dum-wharry, in a hoarse hollow tone. 
He continued his music while I remained. One 
of their number went away in haste, and without 
any ceremony of taking leave, yet the Captain 
(who could speak a little Dutch, from his inter- 
course with the Griquas,) told me that h6 was 
gone upon a far journey, and had taken nothing 
with him but his skin cloak, assagais, bow and 
arrows. I presented each of them with a gilt 
button, which some of the females suspended 
from their necks, others from their ears, while 
others fastened it to one of the tufts of wool upon 
their foreheads ; so diversified were their tastes. 
Their huts were not more than three feet high ; 
they were pleasantly shaded from the piercing 
rays of the sun by the thick foliage of the mimo- 
sas, under which they were pitched. The Cap- 
tain begged for a knife ; this I promised to give 
him if he would come to the waggons ; he after- 
wards did so, and received one. 
After dinner a party, from a more distant kraal, 
came riding on oxen to see us. The Captain, who 
had sore eyes, requested something to cure them. 
