156 
TRAVELS IN 
In the winter months both fexes cover themfelves with cloaks 
made of fkins. 
The cuftom of greafmg the body and wrapping it in fkins 
has been the conftant theme of abufe againft this race of people 
by thofe who have written on the fubjedt. There are always 
two ways of reprefenting things, and unfortunately for the poor 
Hottentot his charaiter has been painted in the worft light. 
To cover the body with fome unctuous matter in a hot climate 
where water was extremely fcarce, was a very natural refource 
to prevent the fkin from being flirivelled and parched by the 
fcorching rays of the fun, and has been adopted by moft nations 
fituated in or near the torrid zone. The oil that ran fo pro- 
fufely down " Aaron's beard even to the fkirts of his garment," 
was in all probability animal fat ; for during the forty years 
that he and Mofes occupied the Children of Ifrael in the defert 
with a promifed land, it is not very likely they had a fupply of 
vegetable oil ; and though fome late celebrated hiftorical paint- 
ers have clothed thefe leaders of the Children of Ifrael in high- 
colored garments trimmed with fringe and lace, it may be 
doubted if they had any other clothing than fuch as the fkins 
of their flieep, and calves, and goats, fupplied them with. If 
the pra6lice of fmearing the body with fat were adopted in 
South America, there would not probably be fuch numbers of 
objeds in the ftreetsof Rio de Janeiro laboring under that moft 
difgufting and dreadful diforder the elephantiafis. The Hot- 
tentots know nothing of fuch a complaint ; nor did I perceive 
that any kind of cutaneous difeafe was prevalent among them. 
The 
