252 
JOURNAL OF A 
Whether this is a mode better calculated to secure the crop than 
thrashing, or a barbarous, wasteful custom, founded on prejudice, 
the straw being thus destroyed and lost, I leave better judges to 
determine. 
All the other buildings in this farm were wretched huts, and the 
premises covered with filth, and the remnants of carcases, as is 
too generally the case in this country. Yet the proprietor was 
possessed of what many English gentlemen cannot boast. He had 
been at the funeral of a neighbour's child, unfortunately burnt to 
death, and met us on the road in his state-waggon, drawn by six 
beautiful horses of equal size and colour, driven by himself. Instead 
of greeting us, he jumped off the box, and demanded of his black 
lad, what business he had to give us Vorspann. The poor slave 
had hardly time to reply, that he had acted conformably to his own 
commands, to furnish Vorspann in his absence, if ordered by the 
Veldcornet, when he put himself into a furious rage, attended with 
liideous grimaces, so as to make himself truly ridiculous, and threat- 
ening what he would do to his slave, when he got home, mounted his 
box, without paying any respect to our party, and drove off. The 
poor slave was exceedingly terrified, told us, that his master was 
a cruel tyrant, and would certainly give him a hard flogging on his 
return, with the achter shambock, the thickest whip cut out of the 
hippopotamus skin, and used to beat the shaft-oxen with. In pas- 
sing, we called on the friendly family at Wellgelegen, who treated 
us Avith tea- water. Here we found a dark-coloured man, who tra- 
vels about as a schoolmaster, to teach the farmers' children their 
letters and a little cyphering, spending a few weeks at a time at 
one place, then going to another, for the same purpose, there be- 
ing no schools in the country. Of course, the proficiency made is 
very small, and hardly sufficient to qualify the scholars for the most 
common uses of reading, writing, and cyphering. To this want of 
instruction must be ascribed the general state of ignorance prevaiU 
ieg,with few exceptions, among the inhabitants of the interior. The 
schoolmaster was a very inquisitive man, and a shrewd poritician. 
