233 ADDRESSES TO THE BUSHMEN. [1820. 
fair. Many Bushmen live near him, whom 
he supports, each family having a certain quan- 
tity of corn measured out to them every evening. 
We found him very much disheartened, his 
povs^der and corn were both exhausted, so that 
he was without any stock to support his people, 
or the means of killing game. He said God was 
the only protection he had to look to. Some 
Bushmen, from a distance, stole twelve of his 
oxen during his late absence at the colony. He 
cannot read, but he collects all the people every 
evening, and sings and prays with them. I ad- 
dressed them in the evening on the injury 
which ignorance of God does to the soul, from 
Prov. xviii. 2. 
Mr. M., by means of an interpreter, preached 
to the poor Bushmen in the morning, who listened 
patiently to what was said. After worship, their 
captain, with several other Bushmen and women, 
came by desire to the tent, to give me what in- 
formation they could. 
It was some time before I could even learn 
what was the captain's name. They consulted 
together three or four minutes, laughing several 
times. The captain appeared to be requesting his 
wife to help him, either to recollect or to decide 
what was his proper name. At length, when 
my patience was almost exhausted, he said his 
