SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
203 
cattle is his only care : he rarely kills one for his own confump- 
tion, except on fome particular occafion. When a ftranger of 
diftindion vifits a KafFer chief, he feleds from his herd the 
fatteft ox, and divides it with his vifitors. The evening that 
we departed from the village of the king, curlofity had brought 
together about a thoufand people to fee the ftrangers. Before 
they returned to their houfes the king ordered four oxen to be 
flain, and the flefh to be diftributed among them. For our 
party he intended a prefent of three oxen ; but thefe he ob- 
ferved muft be feledted from his herd with his own hands. 
The whole management of the cattle is left to the men, and 
they eafily render them uncommonly expert in comprehending 
their meaning. The horns of their greateft favorites are 
twifted in their nafcent ftate into very whimfical forms. Thefe 
are effedied by grafping the young horn with hot irons till it 
becomes foft, in which ftate the direftion wifhed for is given to 
it. Thofe of the ox on which the king rode were laid along 
each fide of the neck with the points juft touching the 
fhoulders. ' . ' 
Among their cattle was a particular breed different from any 
I had feen in the colony. They were fhort-legged, fhort- 
necked, generally of a black and wdiite color, and their horns 
were only from four to eight inches in length, curved inwards; 
and their extremities, which were nearly of the fame thicknefs 
at the roots, pointed to the ears. Thefe horns had no connec- 
tion with the fkull, but were attached merely to the fkin, and 
fo loofe that they might be turned round in any diredion. 
Extended to their greateft length they ftrike againft the 
D D 2 ^ animal's 
