236 PREJUDICES OF THE BUSHMEN. [1820. 
person who happened to be near. The father, 
however, did not punish his son for this attempt 
at parricide ; perhaps he was afraid lest he 
should, if provoked, murder him while he was 
\ asleep. 
On asking Houkay why the Bushmen did not 
plant and sow as well as the Bootchuanas ? He 
said, the fathers of Bootchuanas did those things, 
and therefore their sons do the same ; but our fore- 
fathers did not do such things, therefore we do 
not. Advising him and his people to endeavour 
to catch some young cameleopards, which they 
might tame, and pursue game on their backs ; 
he said, if their forefathers had done so, it would 
have been well, but these animals have got too 
strong for them now. 
Having a Bushman interpreter, we held a 
conversation with the young Bushman we had 
brought from King Fountain. I found that his 
father was dead, but that his mother and five 
sisters were alive, and resided in the mountain, 
where our men found him : that he had an 
uncle at Jan Kars, whom we immediately sent 
for. He acknowledged he was uncle to the boy, 
but, with great indifference, said he did not know 
whether the boy's father (his own brother) was 
dead or alive ; nor did he make any inquiry on 
