192 JOURNAL OF A 
slaves to bring a sheep to the waggons. They did so, cut its 
throat, and left it to bleed, without informing either us or our 
Hottentots, who accidentally found it weltering in its blood. 
This extraordinary conduct gave us no favourable opinion of the 
cliaracter of our ungracious host. 
2d. About four in the morning, I heard a noise in the tent, 
and thinking that Mr. Melville's dog, Rambler, who always slept 
there, was seeking something to eat among the plates, sat up and 
called to him, when a large black dog passed close by me, and 
ran out. He had devoured the candle, emptied the butter pot, 
containing about two pounds of butter, and would have made 
a better breakfast, had he not been disturbed. When I left the 
tent at day-break, I saw the Veldcornet and another person stand- 
ing on the werft. Mr. Melville accompanied me to him, to in- 
quire, when we might hope to be forwarded on our journey. To 
our surprise, we found him disposed to be more civil, and he in- 
formed us, that we might expect oxen by eight o'clock. As he 
seemed open to remonstrance, we inquired the cause of his mark- 
ed rough treatment of us yesterday evening. He made an apo- 
logy, by explaining, how he was continually harassed by orders for 
Vorspann, caring for the transport of the military and their bag- 
gage, and put to the inconvenience of sending his men up and 
down the country, instead of doing work in his own farm, by 
which he sustained more injury, than any exemption from taxa- 
tion could possibly repair, and was prevented from erecting ne- 
cessary buildings, and putting his place into better order. He 
appealed to a dragoon, who stood by, and added, that his patience 
and temper were so much tried, and himself fatigued by conti- 
nual calls, and riding about to secure the oxen ordered, that it 
was no M'onder, that he could not contain himself. His apology 
was gladly admitted, Mr. Melville only observing, that his com- 
plaints might have been made in a more gentlemanly way, and 
without using insulting language. Our quarrel was then made up, 
find he entered into friendly conversation with Brother Schmitt. 
